Only A Nightmare

Part One: The Arrival

Dreams... dreams are a rather curious thing aren't they? They can range from the wildest of fantasies to the most realistic of situations, but what happens when those dreams... or nightmares... slowly begin to become reality? How does one expect to react to this, especially if there was a role for them to play that they were never prepared for?

Eldon tossed and turned in his bed. A nightmare clouded his mind.

"No... Shining... Luna... I watch it... because it's good," he mumbled. His eyes darted from left to right underneath his eyelids as if he were reading a book. "Chaos... harmony... show... not the same... home... hero..."

A large storm was brewing just outside his home as Eldon continued to mumble in his sleep. A bead of sweat formed and ran down his forehead as the nightmare became more and more intense... and he was there to witness all of it.

The young man awoke to find himself lying down on something coarse and rather dirty instead of his usual warm and comfortable bed.

Huh? Where... where the heck am I? he thought. This isn't my bed or my room... and it definitely doesn't smell like it either. Eldon slowly got to his feet and looked at his surroundings. A rather large throne sat in front of him but there was nothing else of interest. He quickly turned around to discover that he was in a rather large hall with a pair of grand oak doors located at the opposite end. Banners hung from the ceiling and colourful mosaics along with curtains lined both walls, but what caught his attention was the animal standing in the middle of the room with its eyes closed.

Okay... this is... new, Eldon thought and he began to approach the creature. As he drew closer, he soon realized that it was none other than some sort of small, but rather familiar pony.

Eldon stopped a few feet away from the pony and coughed awkwardly. "Um... excuse me but uh... can I have some help please?"

The pony suddenly opened its eyes, but it didn't seem to acknowledge Eldon's presence. It was as if the pony was looking right through him.

"Ah! It's nice to know that you are awake now, but I really need some—" Eldon wasn't given the chance to finish because the oak doors suddenly slammed open, revealing a different pony. The newcomer immediately caused the pony in front of Eldon to turn around. The new pony began to talk, but Eldon was unable to comprehend what it was saying. It was just... neighs and snorts.

"General! Canterlot is under attack!" the sentry shouted. The sentry panted for breath, having galloped to the throne room without stopping for anything.

Canterlot? Now!? No… it's too soon! The princesses! Shining Armor thought. "Soldier! Alert everypony to get to their battle stations! I need every hoof possible!" Shining Armor paused and inhaled deeply. "The princesses are in danger! No Changeling shall be allowed to get to them!" Shining Armor waved a hoof at the sentry, dismissing him.

"The princesses will be safe, I swear on my life!" the sentry replied. "I shall alert everypony else at once General!"

Eldon watched the sentry perform what looked like a salute and he closed the doors behind him as he galloped away. The pony that was still in the room with him trotted over to a nearby window. Eldon felt that now was a good time to talk again.

"Uh... I'm not sure if you heard me earlier, uh, little guy," Eldon said. "But could you possibly help me?" Silence was the reply that Eldon received.

As the sentry ran off to alert the other ponies, Shining Armor had trotted over to view the situation through one of the castle's windows. He didn't like what he saw.

I can't believe the Changelings are here so soon... how could they have possibly travelled such a long distance in such a short amount of time? Surely they would have needed to rest after sacking the... the Crystal Empire. I guess it was only a matter of time… Shining Armor thought. I must keep the princesses safe. Celestia and Luna, I'll not let you down! I—

A sudden BOOM rocked the castle, sending Shining Armor and Eldon to their knees. They both struggled to regain their composure when another BOOM shook the very foundations of Canterlot, causing them to stumble about. The castle windows begun to crack, banners fluttered down to the floor, everything was falling apart.

Shining Armor and Eldon managed to steady themselves at last and Shining planted his hooves firmly on the ground, prepared for whatever came next. Suddenly, one large BOOM came and it shattered the entrance to the throne room, causing Eldon to stagger backwards. The mighty oak doors had become a mere pile of splinters.

"Holy crap! Is this place having an earthquake or something?" Eldon yelled and felt his heart begin to race. "Because if there is, I'm out of here... if I knew where here was!"

"In Celestia's name!" Shining Armor shouted. "Who goes there?" His ears pricked up as he and Eldon heard wicked laughter coming from the entrance. When the dust cleared, it revealed the perpetrator of the whole fiasco.

"Ah, Shining Armor, how are you my dear?" Chrysalis asked sarcastically.

"Uh, you should probably visit a doctor. Those holes don't look too... great on you," Eldon said, but yet again, this newcomer's appearance was very familiar to him. Another thing he noticed was that the black swiss cheese creature had said something he was able to make out. Shining Armor...

"Chrysalis! Why are you here in Canterlot? Why are you doing this?" Shining Armor shouted and gritted his teeth. "What have you done with Cadance?"

"Chrysalis? Cadance?" Eldon asked out loud. "I... I'm getting something here, will the both of you just hold up for a second? Thanks." He closed his eyes and began to search through his memories. The names had rung a bell, it was on the tip of his tongue... Meanwhile, Chrysalis threw her head back and laughed.

"Don't worry Shining Armor, Cadance is safe with us... as for why I'm here, Canterlot has something I require, something that'll help bring the master into this cursed world! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some catching up to do with your other precious princesses. Just step aside Shiny, you stand no chance."

"You won't lay one hoof on them you fiend!" Shining Armor shouted angrily as he snorted and stamped his hooves.

"Very well then, I had wanted to do this the easy way, but you leave me no choice. I hope you are ready to face your worst fears!" Chrysalis' face lit up with evil glee. "Sombra didn't take too kindly to being torn apart, but don't worry Shiny, I promise he won't hurt you that much."

King Sombra? But he was defeated! Oh no… this is bad! Shining Armor thought. Darkness began to form behind Chrysalis, revealing the shadowy face of the evil king that everypony thought was destroyed back in the Crystal Empire. Shining Armour rose up to his full height, his horn blazing with magical energy. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.

"Aha!" Eldon shouted. "I know where I am now! This is Friendship is Magic... right? You know, for a second there I thought I was—" He stopped once he opened his eyes and saw the massive black cloud that brewed in front of him and Shining Armor. A face soon formed from the shadows, a face that Eldon recognized immediately. "Sombra...? Didn't he die all those episodes ago? I would move if I were you Shining."

Shining Armor continued to stand still, his horn glowing with purple energy as the shadowy king laughed at him and spewed shadows from his mouth.

"Shining! Get out of the way!" Eldon shouted and he began to run towards him, but Shining didn't budge. Eldon didn't know what had urged him to do so, but he couldn't stop himself even if he had wanted to. Just as the shadows were about to converge on Shining, Eldon jumped in front of him, letting the shadows strike him instead and it enveloped him in darkness... yet he felt no pain.

When Eldon began to see the light again, he found himself to be in the exact same room, except this time Shining had vanished, along with Chrysalis, Sombra, and the shadows.

"This is getting weirder and weirder," Eldon whispered. He immediately noticed that the doors to the throne room were fixed, but he also heard voices coming from behind him. Different voices.

"...Twilight Sparkle, I'm assigning you to be his teacher until you have deemed him worthy using magic on his own," one of the voices said. Curious, Eldon turned around and his eyes widened at the sight on the opposite side of the throne room. On the throne sat a white pony and alongside her was a smaller, dark blue pony that sat in a different seat. A group of ponies stood before them, along with a rather small... lizard? No no, not a lizard, a dragon!

"C- Celestia? Me? I thought you would have taken him under your wing," the lavender pony replied. As Eldon slowly approached the group, he was easily able to tell who was who since he had seen them plenty of times before.

"The lavender one is obviously Twilight," Eldon whispered to himself. "There's also Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Celestia, Luna, and of course, Spike... but who is that pony standing next to Twilight?"

The unknown pony's coat was the colour of chestnut and his mane was a cobalt blue with streaks of white running through it. Eldon was just able to make out the tip of a horn that poked through the tangled mess of a mane, but he still couldn't figure out who it was. The mystery Unicorn suddenly turned to face Twilight and awkwardly knelt before her.

"I know that you and I have our differences Twilight," he said. "But I would be honoured to be your student..."

That voice... why does it sound so familiar yet so... different? Eldon thought and began to approach the group. "Hey! Does anyone know how—" He immediately stopped talking when he passed through them as if he were made of nothing. His surroundings began to fade to black once again.

The darkness slowly began to dissipate and Eldon felt weightless.

Alright, where the heck am I now? Eldon thought and he looked around him, only to see dark clouds, dark clouds, and yet even more dark clouds. "Hey hey! I've never seen clouds of this size this close to the ground before!" That was when he noticed that his feet were not on the ground, in fact his feet weren't touching anything. Confused, he looked down to see nothing but empty space beneath him.

"This. Sucks. A lot!" Eldon yelled, his voice fading as he quickly plummeted towards the ground below. He began to flail his arms and legs, trying desperately to slow his descent but to no avail. His heart was pounding, his vision spun around and around as he tumbled through the air. The clouds quickly disappeared as he fell past them, only to be met with a gruesome sight.

The land beneath him was on fire as far as the eye could see. The city of Canterlot was now nothing but a smoking crater on the side of the mountain. A foul stench filled Eldon's nostrils, a stench that indicated the sign of decay and it caused him to retch.

As the ground rushed forward to meet him, Eldon closed his eyes and braced himself for impact... but instead of hitting the ground, he felt something close around him instead, knocking the wind from his lungs.

"So... you've decided to show up at last..." a deep voice rumbled. "I must say, your timing was rather... perfect." Eldon opened his eyes, only to stare in horror at a mass of shadows that swirled around where the thing's head should be. He looked to the side to see that the thing was holding him about ten feet above the ground, give or take a few feet.

"Does my appearance disturb you?" the thing asked and Eldon quickly shook his head. Eldon noticed that whoever or whatever was holding him was covered in black plate armor that was smeared with blood. He didn't dare to think who's blood it was though. "Pathetic creature, and they called you the Chosen One... or they used to anyway before you failed them... horribly."

The thing turned around and thrusted his arm forward, forcing Eldon to witness the scene before him. For miles upon miles, he saw the crumpled bodies of ponies — Earth, Unicorn, and Pegasi alike — but what really made him sick to the stomach were the ones in front of him. It was none other than the group of ponies he saw just moments before, their bodies twisted and bent out of shape. He quickly looked away from the grisly scene and the thing laughed.

"What's the matter? Didn't you want to see your friends one last time?" it roared and threw Eldon down onto the bodies below, splattering him in mud and blood. "This is where everything ends." Seven green floating gems appeared at his shoulder along with a sword in his right hand. "You abandoned your friends Chosen One. For far too long the Elements of Harmony have been a thorn in my side, but with my own creation... the Elements of Chaos, I shall consume everything that stands in my way!" With a simple hand gesture, the seven gems fired a conjoined blast of energy at the thing's sword, setting it ablaze with green fire.

"I, The Endbringer, have dealt with this planet for far too long!" he roared and pointed his sword down at Eldon. "And you... you are no longer of use to me." Eldon held up his hands in defense, knowing that it was futile. The last thing he felt was the tip of the sword impaling him through the chest, killing him instantly. The God of Chaos laughed as he flicked Eldon off of his sword. The dark clouds finally began to unleash rain upon the land, except the downpour was the colour of crimson. To The Endbringer however... it felt delicious.

"AHGH!" Eldon yelled as he sat up suddenly, only to discover that he was in bed still and patted his chest. He sighed in relief when he realized that there wasn't a gaping hole there. "Jeez... I really need to stop watching that show... it has been giving me some nutty dreams and nightmares lately..."

Eldon was a scruffy looking young man. His hair was as brown as a chestnut and just brushed against his shoulders. He needed a haircut soon. His eyes a deep ocean blue, nothing like his mother's brown eyes or his father's hazel eyes. He also had a fine beard, which overall gave him a feral man appearance, or so his friends say. At the young age of seventeen, Eldon's life was just beginning to start. He was entering his final year of high school and everything he had worked towards had finally led him to this point in time. He desperately hoped to get a scholarship for school.

"Well... whatever, better get ready for school I guess," Eldon said and looked over at his alarm clock, which only read five-thirty in the morning. "Five-thirty? Crap," he groaned and covered his head with his pillow. "Well... at least it's Friday though."

The Orb

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High school on a Friday meant that nobody was going to be very productive. Eldon found high school to be pretty boring, well, the classes were boring to be more specific. He really only went to school to hang out with his friends, since he was able to succeed in his classes with very little effort. Before long he made it to his last class of the day, which fortunately was History. As his teacher droned on about some war or something that occurred hundreds of years ago, Eldon was busy doodling away on a piece of paper.

I wished education would actually teach me something useful for once that I didn't already know, he thought. As time slowly dragged on, clouds began to blow in from the east, blocking the sun's rays. Great. So much for a nice evening, those clouds look pretty dark. He quickly whipped out his phone from his pocket and checked the forecast for that evening. Hmph, that's strange. The weather report doesn't say anything about thunderstorms in the area, the app is probably just faulty. He didn't think of it again for the rest of the class.

BRRIIIINNNG!

"Aha! Yes! About time!" Eldon stood up from his desk and threw his bag over his shoulder "Finally, time for some much needed relaxation. Thank goodness..."

On the bus ride home, Eldon noticed that the clouds were slowly getting darker and darker.

"Heh, that must be quite the storm that's on its way!" Eldon said out loud. No one paid him any attention though, they were too busy gossiping about the big hockey game that was coming up that night.

When Eldon stepped off of the bus, a great gust of wind blew into him, causing him to stumble around for a few seconds before he was able to regain his balance. He didn't mind though since he had seen and been through weather much worse than this before.

His home was a short walk from the bus stop, just down the street really. Before long, Eldon reached his home and dropped his bag on the floor of his room, glad that he was able to get home before it started to rain. Shortly after, he collapsed in a heap on his bed, exhausted from the day's events.

Eldon slept for a couple of hours until he was called for dinner. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at the alarm clock, seeing that it read six-thirty p.m. He groggily rubbed his eyes and went upstairs to enjoy the meal his mother had prepared for the family.

There were only three of them at the table, like it had been for the past three years. Eldon, his little eight year-old brother Silas, and his mother. Their father had disappeared without a trace three years ago, leaving behind no note or any sign that he had left. Upon discovering that he was gone, their mother had immediately called the local authorities.

The authorities were very patient and understanding. They did their very best to find their father, but after a few weeks had passed, the search had to be called off. Eldon still hadn't forgiven his father for leaving them without giving any reason whatsoever. They had to adjust their way of life because of him. That didn't stop Eldon from being his old, usual self though.

Eldon knew that his mother still missed his father though, having accidentally seen her going through old photos of themselves when they were younger on multiple occasions. After some small talk and a few light-hearted jokes, Eldon decided that he was done for the evening.

He cleaned up his plate and hurried downstairs, relieved that he wasn't sitting next to his rather annoying brother. In his room, he had a quick look through his window and noticed that the clouds were as dark as lumps of coal. It gave him an eerie feeling and he quickly closed the curtains. Eldon slid underneath the covers and slowly closed his eyes and before he knew it, he was fast asleep.

KA-THOOM!

Eldon woke up suddenly and at full alert.

"I haven't been smoking at all I swear!" he shouted. He looked around the room to find that there wasn't anybody there at all and sighed in relief before slowly lying down again. Jeez... for a second there I thought- KRA-BOOM! "Oh, so that's what the sound was!"

Eldon rolled out of bed and stumbled over to his bedroom window. He parted the curtains shortly after, only to view what could possibly have been the harshest storm in recorded human history. Rain pummeled the ground below, lightning crackled in the clouds above, and the thunder was absolutely determined to shatter every glass window in its wake. Eldon turned away to check the time, only to see that it was blinking twelve a.m.

"Damn, there must have been a power outage, I wonder if—" KA-THOOM! It was closer that time, striking Eldon to the bone. He heard a branch thump onto the ground outside, and… there was another sound as well. What is that sound? It sounds like a violin... but that's impossible! No one in their right mind would go outside in something like this! KA-THOOM! KRA-BOOM! That time he lost his balance and fell onto the floor, smashing his head against the wall as he did so and dazing himself.

"Ouch... Wh... what the hell was that? Are we having an earthquake?" Eldon shook his head at his own stupidity. "No no… that can't be it, the building is still structurally sound. Oh what the hell, forget what I said before. I'm not going to be able to sleep unless I figure out what's going on, insane or not."

Eldon wasn't so sure of himself however, knowing that he would be putting his life in danger if he were to go outside in that storm. He threw on his clothes from the previous day and grabbed his jacket.

"Hmph, I'm surprised no one else is awake yet; this storm is extremely loud." He went upstairs and opened the front door, only to be greeted by the howling wind and rain which instantly chilled him from head to toe.

Mustering up what courage he had, Eldon went outside and closed the door quietly behind him, because slamming doors was just rude. He immediately noticed that not all was what it seemed in his backyard. A glowing object was protruding from the ground about seven feet away from him.

What in the world is that? Is that what's making the sound? Is it a… meteor? No, something else… Eldon thought. As he inched closer, the wind started to pick up even more, the rain pounded the Earth, and the lightning continued to crackle. He was a few inches away at this point and he started hearing the noise again. It was coming from the glowing object. Something inside him felt inclined to touch the object, but something wrestled against that notion.

Touch the orb... claim your destiny mortal...

Eldon quickly shook his head in disagreement. "Are you kidding me? I'm not touching that! ...Great, I'm talking to myself again."

Your world... and countless others will be obliterated if you do not lay your hands on the orb...

"Hands on what now? Wait a minute... am I, am I talking to that... that thing?" Eldon asked. The object protruding from the ground glowed brightly after he spoke, as if it was confirming his question.

I was sent here... I come from a planet... much like this one... where harmony and chaos reign... but the darkness... the darkness is coming once again. Lay your hands on me, and all shall be explained. Eldon ran his hand through his now soaked hair. He now believed that he had either gone insane, or this was really just another messed up dream.

"Listen... I'm not really too keen on the idea of leaving my home this late at night... but if I... this sounds weird... if I touch you, would you please go back to wherever you came from? Maybe I can at last wake up from this insanity," Eldon said. The orb remained silent but continued to give off its white glow. The crater in which it had created was slowly being filled up with rain water. "Ugh... this is probably against my better judgement... but let's get this over with."

Eldon walked a few steps forward and placed his hand on the orb, and what happened next felt like it happened in slow motion. The orb burned brighter than the sun, yet Eldon felt no heat. His hand was sealed to the orb and he tried to shield his eyes from the brightness.

"What's going on!? Hey- What the!? HELP! I'm stuck!" Eldon cried as he struggled to remove his hand, but it was of no use.

The prophecy will come to pass... as soon as we leave this world, I will cease being able to communicate with you... for the time being... but there is no doubt about it... you are the one. You have something... something that our world will desperately need... The sky then opened up, and at that point in time, Eldon feared for the worst. A single bolt of lightning struck the orb, releasing an explosion of colour and light, leaving his hair standing on end.

When the light had faded, a colourful smoking crater was all that the orb had left behind. The storm slowed to a dull rumble and Eldon was nowhere to be found. The only thing left of him were the shoes he wore. As the clouds parted, the sun's rays shone upon the crater, revealing a mark oddly shaped like a star. The symbol for the Element of Magic.

"What the hell is going on?" Eldon shouted, but nothing replied to him. Colours of various types swirled around him, obscuring his vision. "I must be dreaming again, yeah, that's it! I'll just pinch myself and wake up in my warm bed. It always works in those books I've read, right?" He used his left land and pinched his arm that was attached to the orb as hard as he could, but only succeeded in giving himself an angry red patch on his arm that pulsed in pain.

"Come on..." Eldon mumbled through clenched teeth, holding back tears as he pinched himself again, but it was of no use. "Damn it all! Why did I touch this blasted thing!? I just want to go home!" The colours swirling around him began to move faster and faster until they were just a blur, and Eldon had a bad feeling develop in his gut. "Wait. Don't come any closer to me—" He was interrupted as the colours closed in on him and struck his body, encasing him. "Uh... what's happening- aghh!" He suddenly cried out in pain. His skin felt as if it was being penetrated by a thousand needles. He suddenly heard the orb's voice faintly speak to him in his mind, much to his surprise.

You... shall be going through necessary changes... for the time being. You are to blend in... gain their trust... before you may claim your original form once again... Eldon felt his skin crawl as thick patches of hair began to sprout, slowly covering every inch of his body. The pain was unbearable, and it only got worse as his bones forcibly cracked and began to realign themselves.

"This... sucks..." Eldon hissed through his clenched teeth. Unable to withstand the pain any longer, he blacked out as the rest of his body continued to change against his will. The orb that his hand had been attached to detached itself and hovered in front of him. It pulsed a white glow and it struck the base of his neck, forming a beautiful golden chain around it. The colours slowly turned to that of fire and lightning and it expanded outwards, surrounding Eldon in a protective sphere. With one final white pulse from the orb, the sphere began to fall, descending upon a world similar to Earth, but greatly different.

And so the legend begins. It is now up to you young one... whether you'll be a hero... or die as one of the most hated beings in all of Equestria. My brothers have long since vanished... unfortunately having passed on their burden to the inhabitants of this world... but I know that our task here is not yet finished. You shall be my champion Eldon. With your power and mine combined, we'll become even greater than the evil that threatens us, greater than even the gift my brothers left behind hundreds of years ago. My brothers were too ignorant to listen to me, but now, I can proceed with my plan. If you succeed... we shall forge a better Universe, and cleanse it of its impurities. As the last of the Ancients... I'll be with you until the very end... Eldon.

An Unwanted Change

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Night had fallen in the land of Equestria. Everypony was sleeping soundly, tired from their daily work in their busy lives. Luna stood on her bedroom's balcony, observing the stars above. As the Princess of the Night, her duty was to watch over everypony's dreams, as well as raise and lower the moon.

Roughly one thousand years ago, her sister, Celestia, had banished her to the moon for trying to take the power of the throne for herself and shroud the land in eternal night because of how jealous she was, but it wasn't Luna that tried to take it. It was her dark side, Nightmare Moon, that tried to take the throne.

It had only been a few years since she returned to Equestria, but when the spell broke, she returned as Nightmare Moon and not herself. She once again struck fear into the hearts of Equestria's citizens. If it weren't for Twilight and her friends, she wouldn't be standing as Luna once again.

Luna stared at the night sky, looking for anything out of the ordinary, any information the sky had to offer. All of sudden, she noticed a bright flash come from behind her.

What in Equestria was that? Luna wondered.

She turned around and her eyes widened in surprise. Above the Everfree Forest, a ball of lightning and flame was descending rapidly towards it, crackling and giving off pulses of white light. As she continued to gaze at this abnormality, the sphere began to spin until it was nothing more than a glowing ball of blue fire.

Fearing for the worst, Luna prepared to take off to encounter this strange threat, but an explosion suddenly emanated from the orb which shattered the silence of the night.

The explosion's effects somehow stunned Luna and she slumped to the ground. Before she closed her eyes, she saw something inside the orb, but she couldn't quite make it out before she fell unconscious. The orb continued to make its descent until it had at last disappeared into the depths of the Everfree Forest. Another pony happened to had witnessed the event, and it was none other than Twilight Sparkle.

It worked... I can't believe the spell worked! I knew there was something different about that orb! And it brought a pony... but where did he come from? I hope I didn't accidentally rip him away from anything... I hope he is the One, Twilight thought.

Eldon opened his eyes, only to be immediately greeted by the murky darkness of treetops. The trees appeared to be looming over him. Watching him.

"Ohhh ow, my head…" Eldon groaned. A small grunt of pain followed shortly after. He could feel the damp ground beneath him and his head was pounding. His clothing had already been thoroughly soaked by the mist that was present.

Where... are you... stranger? a voice in his thoughts suddenly asked, causing Eldon to gasp.

"H-hello? Is somebody there?"

Stranger... The voice trailed off and disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Eldon shivered.

Something knows that I'm here... but where is here? Eldon thought. As his eyes continued to adjust, he began to get a clearer view of his surroundings. It looked like a swamp or forest of sorts, but something felt… off. He felt like he was constantly being watched by someone or something hidden in the shadows. Hrm, it looks like I'm in some sort of small clearing... but again, where the heck am I? First things first... I should check myself for any injuries.

As he raised his arm to feel his head, he expected his fingers to run through his hair, but he felt nothing more than a blunt smoothness. Red flags were raised immediately.

"Wh-what! Where are my hands? Where are my fingers? Why does it feel like I'm touching my head with a…" Eldon lowered his arm and he couldn't believe what he saw. "A hoof!?" He immediately tried to jump up, but ended up just rolling around on the ground. "My l-legs! They aren't human! What's going on!? Where am I? WHAT am I!?" He tried to stand but just ended up in a tangled heap on the ground again. Okay, okay, deep breaths, in, out, in, out…

Finally, after much difficulty, he stood on all four legs. It felt extremely awkward. Eldon tried to walk, but he constantly kept tripping himself with every step he tried to take. It wasn't long before he gave up on trying to walk and decided to just drag himself instead. Eldon fortunately came across a pool of water and suddenly realized that he was quite thirsty. He tried using his hoof to scoop water, but to no avail.

Guess I'm going to have to do this the hard way... he thought and he shoved his head into the water. Many gulps later, he let the water become calm again and was finally able to get get a good look at himself. He was definitely not human anymore, not even a hybrid. He was a stallion, and a rather… familiar type of stallion to be exact, but Eldon couldn't place it. I've seen this type of equine before, but where? I guess I must have hit my head rather hard.

There were some features though he recognized immediately, such as his eye colour and hair-now-coat colour. Ocean blue and chestnut-brown, exactly as he remembered it. His mane was cobalt blue with streaks of white, and it looked oddly like fire that was blowing in the wind. A horn also poked outside of his mane. If anything could see him, they would only see him as any other regular Unicorn.

Wait... what? I have a horn? he thought. He decided to take a closer look. If I'm not wrong... then that means I'm a... a Unicorn right? Oh dear god this is just horrible! Argh! I also know that I've seen something like this before, but where? A small pain began to develop in his head again, all of this thinking was causing a headache. There were some new marks that he saw as well. What definitely looked like a lightning bolt streaked across his right eye, and he noticed something familiar on his neck as well.

"The orb!" Eldon stared at it intently, watching it shimmer ever so slightly from time to time. It caused this mess… yet I feel that it is important somehow. Can I remove it? He tried to knock it off, but the orb wasn't going anywhere, in fact, the orb was now a centerpiece of a beautifully carved necklace. I'll leave it for now then, I shall discover its purpose no matter what! He crossed where he believed his heart was with his hoof and looked at the orb again. Stupid thing...

After some time had passed, he rose from the ground and tried to walk, only to trip on his oversized clothing and crash to the ground. Ah damn it! I can't move in these at all! But... these are my favourite clothes...

After some debate with himself and many tears, Eldon ultimately decided that he would have to leave his clothing behind, since in his current state they would only serve to hinder him. He easily stepped out of them, and being curious as he was, decided to look at the rest of his new form. He noticed something on his haunch, and on it was a symbol, but he couldn't quite make it out because of how dark it was.

"I've got to find a way out of here, and fast." He noticed an overgrown path leading away from the clearing, and headed towards it. Well, it's better than nothing I guess. How old is this place? Where am I? Eldon asked this question in his mind again and again as he walked down the path, tripping and stumbling as he tried to get used to how a four-legged creature walked. It was far from being pleasant.

A couple of hours, or what felt like hours passed and Eldon was still on the path. He had finally gotten the hang of walking which for some reason started to feel kind of natural, but everything still felt alien to him at the same time. He was still Eldon, but then again wasn't Eldon.

Damn it all! This is getting me nowhere! Why do I feel like I've been wandering in circles? This forest, this place, wherever here is, it's driving me crazy! Eldon thought and he snorted in frustration. Did I just snort? Haha, that's great... what else can possibly happen now?He heard a faint rustling sound from somewhere in the depths of the trees and his ears pricked up. A bonus he had to being a stallion was that his senses had been heightened greatly, far exceeding human quality.

"Who goes there?" Eldone asked as he swung his head towards the direction of the sound. "I warn you, I'm a force to be reckoned with! I think!" He tried to sound intimidating towards whatever was there, but it was clear that Eldon was not the intimidating type. Eldon had never gotten into a physical fight before in his whole life. Sure he would be able to throw some punches and kicks here and there in self-defense, but he was far from being able to properly fight, especially since he was now... like this.

Fortunately there wasn't a response, so he continued onwards, more cautiously and even more determined to get out of this creepy place. He was quickly becoming exhausted, due to lack of food and not wanting to stop to take a break.

I must continue… I must... Suddenly, he heard the mysterious voice again. It wasn't the orb this time... but rather the voice he had heard when he first woke up in this dreadful place.

Stranger, you must listen to me, I've been trying to communicate with you but have been failing to do so. There is probably too much interference between you and I. Where are you right now? the voice asked. Realizing that this was probably his only hope for salvation, Eldon quickly replied with his own thoughts.

I'm in some kind of forest I think. I've been wandering for hours… I think I'm lost, but I'll keep on moving, I need to get out of this place! There was a small pause, and then the voice spoke again.

Wait! Stay right where you are. I believe you are in the Everfree Forest. It's a very dangerous place and shouldn't be travelled in on your own. I'll help you as best as I can, the voice replied.

Oh sweet relief! Thank you whoever you are! Eldon thought in response. He closed his eyes and sighed, glad that he would be able to leave this horrible place soon. Suddenly there was a sharp pain on the back of his head, Eldon saw stars, and everything went dark.

"Ah ha ha! Yesss! The shiny gem is ours!" a rough voice said as he looked at the prone form of the pony on the ground. "Come on boys! It won't be long until this Unicorn wakes up, so let's steal his gem and get out of here!"

"But what if we can't steal it from him?" A voice in the distance asked. "You know how trrricky it can be to remove necklaces!" The first voice smacked his face and sighed.

"Then we'll let the pony wake up and we'll give him one chance to give it to us! If not, we'll kill— I mean, actually... Yeah, we'll just kill him instead, but only as a last resort! We are thieves, not murrrderers after all!"

Welcome To Equestria

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Wait! Stay right where you are. I believe you are in the Everfree Forest. It's a very dangerous place and shouldn't be travelled in on your own. I'll help you as best as I can, Twilight Sparkle told the stranger.

Oh sweet relief! Thank you whoever you are! the stranger replied. Twilight sensed the joy in the stranger's words when suddenly the connection broke, much to Twilight's surprise.

"I told the stranger to stay in one spot! How hard is that to do? Unless…" She suddenly gasped as it dawned on her what could have befallen the pony. "What if something happened to him? Oh no, oh no no no!" She frantically started pacing back and forth in her quarters at the royal palace in Canterlot. "Ohhhh! Where's Spike when you need him? Spike! Spiiiiiike!"

"Yes Twilight? Your number one assistant is here like always!" Spike slid into Twilight's bedroom and came to a stop before her. "What do you need Twilight?"

Twilight's horn began to glow as she lifted a quill from a nearby ink pot and began to scribble frantically on a piece of parchment. "I need you to quickly notify Celestia that something has happened to the stranger, and all will be for naught if he isn't found immediately." The piece of parchment she was writing on suddenly rolled up and pressed itself into Spike's hand. "Go Spike! Hurry!"

"I'm on it Twilight! You don't have to be worried about a thing," Spike replied and he left the room as quickly as he had arrived. Twilight sighed and trotted over to the bedroom window where she gazed upon the castle gardens.

I hope the stranger is okay. He might be the answer to our problems… just maybe… she thought.

Ouch… I really have to stop hitting my head. Fortunately, it seems that I have quite the thick skull... Eldon thought as he opened his eyes.

"Ah… the large one is finally awake! Yesss…" a voice spoke from the shadows.

"Who goes there? What do you want?" Eldon asked. He slowly got up from the ground and tried to look for whoever or whatever was speaking.

"Ohhh nothing much… just give us your pretty jewel necklace and we shall let you go," the voice replied. The speaker then stepped forward from the shadows, revealing itself to be a dog standing on its hind legs.

"And what if I say no?" Eldon looked up into the dog's eyes. He was slightly taller than Eldon, but only barely. The dog sported a red vest stuffed with gems — that were most likely stolen — and a diamond studded collar, but unfortunately they weren't able to distract Eldon from the dog's awful scent.

"Then we'll just have to rip it off of youuu!" the dog said with a snicker. Eldon looked around the clearing to find that it was only him and this strange dog present.

"Uh, yeah, I don't know what you mean by—" Eldon was interrupted when the dog brought his paw to his mouth and whistled. Two more dogs immediately showed up from within the depths of the trees, both dressed in a similar fashion like the first dog. One was rather small, but the big one left Eldon feeling worried. "Oh, that's what you meant by we."

The first dog laughed at him and he elbowed the smaller one, giving the other two the hint that they too should laugh at him.

"So what will it be pony?" the first dog asked. "Will you give us your jewel in exchange for your life? Or would you rather have us take it from your corpse? We couldn't take it off, so this is your only chance."

I can't just let them have the orb, but I don't really want to die either, Eldon thought. I think I can handle them... although the big one will definitely be a problem... Oh what am I thinking? I can't fight like this! I can barely walk! Maybe they will go away if I tell them the truth...

"Time is rrrunning out pony!"

Eldon tugged on his necklace and sighed. "I- I can't give it to you. This necklace can't come off, I swear!"

The first dog shook his head in disappointment. "That's a shame pony, but I'm afraid your time has run out. Don't worry though, we'll try to make your death as quick as possible. Your last thoughts will be of the Diamond Dogs!" Eldon's heart began to race as the dog pointed at him. "Get him boys!"

The big one immediately lunged towards Eldon and with a swipe he struck Eldon's face with his arm, sending Eldon staggering back into a tree and leaving him dazed. Eldon quickly shook his head and was able to duck in time as the big one smashed his fist against the side of the tree. The big one growled, annoyed at the fact that he had missed.

"Come on Fido! You're supposed to hit him! Not the trees!" the small dog yapped.

"You know, this would be easier if you two would also help!" Fido snapped back at him as he pulled his paw out from the tree.

"Fine, but don't expect me to fix whatever injuries you give yourself," the small one said. "Come on Rover, you may be the leader, but this was your idea in the first place!"

Rover growled with impatience and slapped his paw onto his face. "Gah! Less talking, more killing Spot!"

"Uh you guys, he is trying to get away," Fido told them as he watched Eldon back away into the trees and gallop away.

Legs, don't fail me now! Eldon thought. I really should have taken gym class...

"Well don't just stand there! Let's get him!" Rover yelled. He began to run after the fleeing pony on all fours, shortly followed by Fido and Spot. Eldon was breathing heavily as he galloped through the foliage, dodging branches and swerving around trees. He looked behind him to see that the dogs were hot on his trail, slowly catching up.

Of all the things I had to meet first, it just had to be something that wants to kill me! Eldon thought. The trees soon began to decrease in number until they finally disappeared and he found himself on a cliff, just barely stopping himself in time before tumbling over the edge.

Eldon peered over the side to see jagged rocks at the bottom. A fall from this height would have surely killed him. He slowly began to back away and he turned around in time to see the dogs appear from the forest.

"Thought you could get away from us that easily eh?" Rover shouted. "Because it looks like you are stuck between a rock and a few dogs that want your necklace!" Eldon slowly began to back away as they inched closer, only to stop just before the edge of the cliff.

"Listen, I don't want any trouble. I would give you the necklace, but like I said, it won't come off, it can't!" Eldon shouted. He was desperate to change their minds. His heart hammered in his chest as if it was running a marathon.

"That just gives us a better reason to tear it from your neck!" Rover replied. Eldon gulped, but he planted his hooves firmly on the ground.

"If you want to have this necklace then so be it, but I'm not giving up without a fight!" The orb gave off a faint pulse of white light after Eldon spoke those words, but it wasn't noticed by any of them. As the dogs were just about to lunge at him, Spot glanced up at the sky and his eyes widened in fear.

"Duck you fools! duck!" Spot shouted and he dropped to the ground. Eldon did the same, onlybecause he didn't know what was behind him.

"Duck? Where?" Fido and Rover asked in unison, but when they looked at the sky, their faces fell.

"Aw horse apples, not-" Rover began to say, but was interrupted as he and Fido were struck by a blur of colours, sending them tumbling over Spot and landing some distance behind him. Spot picked himself up and he shook his head in disgust.

"Those fools never listen to me, but I guess duck probably wasn't the best thing to say," Spot said out loud.

"Hey! Think fast!" Eldon shouted. He too had gotten back up and charged at Spot with the only thing he could think of. His head. He hit the dog square in the stomach and sent him flying towards the other two who had just gotten back up, sending them crashing to the ground once again. Rover growled and slammed his paw on the ground in frustration.

"He has back up boys, we have to retreat!" Rover shouted. He pulled himself out from the pile and he picked up Spot who was clutching his stomach in pain. "Come on Fido, we have to leave!" Fido rolled over and slowly stood up and saw the blur returning for a second attack.

"Right behind ya boss!" Fido shouted as they retreated into the forest. Rover turned around to look at Eldon and he shook his paw in anger at him.

"This isn't the last that you will see of the Diamond Dogs! We shall meet again pony, and next time, you won't have your pony pal to rescue you!" he yelled. The blur passed just above him, causing the trees to sway and Rover backed up into the forest. "This isn't over!" With that said, Eldon saw him disappear and he sighed in relief, glad that he hadn't been turned into mincemeat.

"So you're the one everypony is so concerned about!" a voice out of nowhere shouted. "You would have been a goner if it weren't for me!" Eldon's heart jumped in shock and he quickly looked for the source of the voice.

"Who is it this time?" Eldon asked. "Wait... are you that blur of colour that I saw?" He looked around some more and still couldn't find where the voice was coming from.

"Eh, I'm above you silly," the voice said.

Eldon looked up, only to see a cloud above him that wasn't there a few minutes before. "Talking dogs and now a cloud? I must truly have gone mad!"

"No, not mad, although it was pretty brave of you to stand up to those dogs like that."

Eldon squinted his eyes at the cloud and he was able to make out a faint silhouette of a... another pony on top of it! He rubbed the spot were he had been hit by Fido and winced. It still felt very sore to the touch.

"Well, thank you for coming when you did stranger. You're right though, I would have been a goner, but who are you? Eldon asked.

"That's not important right now stranger, it's high time you get to Canterlot, stat!" the voice replied. As Eldon continued to listen to the voice, it began to sound like someone that he knew.

"Wait... your voice sounds familiar. Can I at least see your face?" Eldon asked.

"Nope, anonymity is important they said! Just follow my voice and this cloud and I'll get you out of here, nice and easy now!" Eldon hesitated before he spoke again. The name Canterlot had stuck a chord in his memory.

"W- wait! Did you say Canterlot?"

"Uh, yeah? I said that not even thirty seconds ago! Come on we are burning daylight! Let's go!"The cloud that the rescuer was on suddenly began to drift away from the cliff and Eldon did his best to follow it.

"Okay... I guess you can lead the way then," Eldon replied. Canterlot, talking dogs... and that voice! I think I'm starting to have an idea about where I am…

Eldon was greeted to a bright and sunny landscape, covered in flowers and sweet-smelling grasses. A river gently flowed to his left. His jaw dropped in awe at the sight of it.

"This… This is beautiful!"

"Eh, it's really not that much to look at, in fact, you can find these places pretty much everywhere," the voice replied. "Oh yeah, by the way I have to leave you here because I got some, uh, important business to attend to. Urgent business."

"Wait! How do I get to Canterlot?" Eldon asked.

"Oh that's easy! Just head straight for that mountain with the castle on the side! Simple!" the rescuer replied. "See ya!" The voice of the rescuer suddenly disappeared along with the cloud and Eldon watched it as it drifted towards the mountain, leaving him on his own once again.

"Okay then... Head towards that mountain, that shouldn't be too difficult," Eldon said. Hey... I should probably check my haunch again since I have better lighting now, to see what is on there. He checked once again, but the symbol was faded, as if it was hiding in the shadows. "Damn, what the heck can it be?" He sighed as he began to wonder if he would ever find out what it was. "Ah well, I guess I should get going before it gets dark, whenever that'll happen."

On that note, Eldon began his long trek north.

By keeping the river to his left, it wasn't long until he had at last reached the base of the mountain. The sun had long disappeared behind it, casting a shadow which made the area grow cold.

Alright, so this is the mountain, but how do I climb it? I don't really see a way up... Eldon scanned the mountainside until he looked down someways to his left and saw a wooden sign. Curious, he went over to it and the weathered sign read that the trail behind it was a historic trail used to reach Canterlot back in the old days. Eldon looked past the sign to see that there was indeed a trail behind it with crumbling stone steps that led upwards.

He looked back at the sign to see that there was also a warning inscribed on it it. Beware of falling rocks and loose stones, Canterlot will not be held responsible for any injuries. Huh, that's great, but I need to get to Canterlot, dangerous or not. He then walked past the sign and began the perilous climb upwards.

Eldon felt like he had been climbing for hours. His legs were sore and he still hadn't had anything to eat since he had arrived in this strange land. It didn't help that he also slipped from time to time, almost meeting a disastrous end more than once.

While the scenic views are nice, there must have been another way up here other than this death trap! Eldon thought. He climbed yet another set of crumbling stone stairs when he at last made it to the top. He collapsed on the grass and laid there for a few minutes, glad that there weren't anymore rocks he had to worry about. When he had the strength to stand up again, he did so and the first thing he saw was a road and a set of railroad tracks.

Eldon's right eye twitched a little, but he was able to contain his rage. Just barely though since he didn't have the time to make a scene. The road led towards the city of Canterlot, and he saw that a gate blocked entrance to the city which was also guarded by armored ponies. The sun was just sinking on the horizon as he approached the gates at last. Eldon hoped that all this would be worth the climb. He stood before the gates when one of the guards there in front of him suddenly spoke.

"Halt! What's your business in the royal city, pony?" the guard on the left asked.

"I was told to come here from I guess who I should call a friend. I came from a forest sort of place down to the south," Eldon replied. "May I go in?"

"Y- you came from Everfree Forest?" The guard's eyes widened in surprise. "But nopony can survive in there! Well, except of course the princesses and the Elements of—" he was interrupted with a sudden bump to his chest from the first guard.

"Quiet you! That's classified information, and it shouldn't be given out to somepony like him just willy nilly!" the first guard said as he scolded the other.

"Wait, the Everwhat now?" Eldon asked.

"Nevermind what I said," the second guard replied and quickly changed the subject. "We are going to have to ask you to stay here until we get some verification."

Eldon sighed. He had hoped he could have just walked right in. "I can afford to wait a little longer, take your time."

The second guard then departed and went through one of the side doors that only Canterlot guards were allowed to access. A short amount of time passed and the second guard returned. He looked very tired, as if he had galloped to the castle and back without stopping.

"Y- you are allowed in pony," the second guard said and he paused to catch his breath before he continued. "Apparently your visit has been greatly expected! Apologies for the inconvenience."

"It's not that big of a deal," Eldon replied. "You were just doing your jobs after all, thank you."

"You are most certainly welcome!" the first guard replied. "And now without further ado, welcome to the grand city of Canterlot, the capital of Equestria! Open the gates!" Eldon heard a small rumbling coming from the gate as it slowly began to rise, granting him access at last to the city. "The castle is just straight ahead sir, you can't miss it."

So... I'm in Equestria eh? If that is so then there is one last thing I require in order to confirm it. If I'm truly here, then I must see at least one of the princesses, Eldon thought as he trotted down the street that led towards the castle. It's not possible that I'm in the world of Friendship is Magic... is it? No, that's just ridiculous! This is all just a dream... but for some reason it feels so very... real.

A Royal Audience

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Canterlot was bustling with activity as Eldon made his way towards the castle. Vendors had set themselves up on both sides of the street, eager to advertise and sell their products to the ponies passing by. Behind the vendors were all kinds of shops and restaurants, each doing their best to be more popular than the other. All kinds of delicious scents wafted throughout the streets, making Eldon's stomach growl.

"Hey! You there sir!" a vendor shouted at Eldon as he walked past one of the many stalls. Eldon stopped and looked to his left and right before pointing a hoof at himself.

"Uh, are you talking to me?" Eldon asked.

The vendor forced what was obviously a fake smile. "Of course I'm talking to you good sir! Have you ever felt like you weren't handsome enough for that special somepony? Well despair no more! For Flim and Flam's beauty tonic is the thing you need! Only two-hundred fifty bits per bottle!"

Eldon shook his head in return, much to the vendor's disappointment. "Sorry, not interested, besides, I don't even have that kind of money, actually, I don't have any money at all. " The yellow Unicorn then leaned across his stall, knocking some of his 'beauty' tonic over in the process.

"Listen buddy, my brother and I have fallen on hard times recently. This is our last chance to help our poor, sickly mother who can't even feed herself anymore. So I have a proposition for you, if you are willing to listen."

Eldon looked at the castle down the street and sighed as he looked back at the vendor. "Alright, make it quick then." Eldon hoped that he wouldn't have to regret this decision.

The yellow unicorn smiled again as he clapped his fore hooves together and rubbed them. "Excellent! You may call me Flim by the way. If you would just follow me this way please." Flim pulled on a rope which closed a pair of curtains and placed a sign on the front of his stall. Eldon quickly read it and it said that management would be back in five minutes.

Flim? Now where have I heard that name before... Eldon wondered. Flim led him down an alleyway until they came across a junk pile.

"Hey Flam!" Flim called out. "Brother! I roped in a suck— uh, I mean this kind sir who wishes to help our cause!"

Flam? Brothers? Why does this all seem so familiar? My head hurts... Eldon thought and he massaged his forehead. A yellow Unicorn wearing the same attire as Flim trotted out from behind the junk pile, and unlike his brother, he had a fantastically well groomed moustache.

"Hey hey! That is excellent news!" Flam replied and he grabbed and shook Eldon's hoof.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is all... that?" Eldon asked, tearing his hoof away from Flam's grip and pointing at the junk pile. Flim laughed nervously as he quickly grabbed a nearby sheet and covered the pile.

"Oh that? Pfft, nothing! Those are just our previous experiments, which were unfortunately shut down by some ponies who didn't know what quality business was!" Flim shuddered at the memories."But no matter, let's get down to some real business!"

Flam then reached inside his hat and brought out a chart, unrolling it for them to see.

"You see here, uh... what's your name again?" Flam asked.

"My name is Eldon."

"All righty Sheldon. As of late, our product has been dropping in sales, well, actually we haven't sold a thing yet." Flam pointed at the chart which showed a big red arrow spiralling downwards, with his and his brother's faces at the bottom in a saddened state. "This is where you come in Sheldon." Flam flipped the chart over to show an arrow spiralling upwards, with their faces all happy at the top and surrounded by bits.

"We want you to advertise our product and demonstrate it to the crowd, and better yet, we'll pay you to do it," Flim continued. "How does a hundred bits sound?"

I don't know about this, it feels wrong, and I'm not even sure if their tonic will actually work... but if it's to help their mother, then I guess just advertising it shouldn't be too bad, and having the money wouldn't hurt, Eldon thought. "Fine, I'll do it, but only because it's to help your mother."

Flim and Flam clapped their hooves together and they stood on either side of Eldon, each with a foreleg around his shoulders. "That is just fantastic Sheldon! I promise— no, WE promise that you have made the right decision. Come along now, it's almost time to close up shop, and we haven't even put on the show yet! But first, we just need to get you properly dressed."

Flam reached inside his hat and brought out another similar hat and placed it on Eldon's head.

"Do you always wear two hats Flam?" Eldon asked.

"Of course I do! Every professional salespony never leaves home without having a back up hat!" Flam shook his head and chuckled. "Such an amateur..." Flim and Flam quickly led Eldon back out of the alleyway and to their stall just as the other vendors were beginning to pack up for the day.

"Get into position Smeldon! It is time to show these ponies what business is all about," Flim whispered and he gave Eldon a bottle of beauty tonic. "Now, when I wink at you, you are to drink this bottle. Take only a sip, because I still want to be able to sell it. Got it?" Eldon nodded, although the thought of giving another pony something that had already been used was disgusting. "Good, were on in five!" Only a second had passed when the curtains on the stall opened, revealing Flim and Flam holding megaphones.

"Gather around fillies and gentlecolts for a product you won't believe!" Flim sang. "A product so great, you can't possibly berate, those faint of heart better leave!"

His singing had begun to draw in a crowd as Flam continued the song. "Tonight we will show you the greatest invention ever made! A unique bottle of tonic, if you don't buy would be idiotic! Come now! There's no need to be afraid!"

The brothers then began to sing in unison. "What does it do you may ask? Don't worry! Our friend here will show you! He is up to the task!" Flim winked at Eldon, indicating that he should take a sip from the bottle now. All eyes were watching him as he took out the cork with his teeth and took a sip. He smacked his lips and he resisted the urge to cringe.

Ugh, that tasted awful! I don't feel any different at all! Eldon's stomach began to churn and he felt as if he had just swallowed a burning coal.

"What do you think Meldon? Feel any different?" Flam asked. Eldon carefully placed the bottle on the stall and he turned to face the crowd.

"Yeah... I feel... pretty..." Eldon said weakly and collapsed on the ground. He had fallen unconscious. The crowd gasped and somepony yelled that their friend on the ground needed medical attention. Not wanting to lose the crowd, and possible profit, Flim came up with an idea.

"Now don't fret everypony! The product is working as intended! We introduce to you the Super... uh, Knock-Out Pranko... Tonic!" The crowd mumbled among themselves, still unsure if Eldon was okay or not.

"Now's your chance to prank family, friends, co-workers, and even your enemies! For a hundred bits this product can be yours! Hurry now while supplies last!" Flam shouted. A blue Unicorn approached the stand shortly after and tossed a bag of bits onto their stall.

"Although the Great and Powerful Trixie usually doesn't stoop this low for revenge, I require one bottle of your tonic!" she shouted at them.

"Sold! To the blue Unicorn goes the first bottle! Who will be the next lucky pony?" Flim asked. He gave Trixie her tonic and she trotted away, cackling with glee.

"Oh wow! Even the Great and Powerful Trixie bought their product! If she can, then so can I!" A pony shouted from within the crowd.

"That's the spirit!" Flim told the crowd. It was if Flim had said the magic word. The crowd began to swarm the stall. For some strange reason, the urge to buy the tonic had overpowered them.

"Hoo wee! These things are selling faster than hot cakes brother!" Flam shouted as he sold yet another bottle. "This is probably the most successful we've been to date! And the funny thing is, this product actually works!"

Flim leaned over the stall and looked at Eldon who was lying prone on the ground. "It is all thanks to our friend Sheldon here, it's really too bad he isn't awake to receive his pay though, but if he ever needs a favour, he can call on us." Flim then tied a small slip of paper on the back of Eldon's necklace. Written on it was their address. "Have a good evening Sheldon!"

Eldon awoke to discover that he was on the ground. His stomach was still feeling the after effects of the tonic, leaving him feeling slightly nauseous.

Urgh... Wh- what happened? That tonic... I'm never drinking a strange liquid again. He slowly stood up to find that the street was empty and the brothers, along with the crowd, were gone. Damn! Those Unicorns just left me here! Eldon did a quick scan of the ground to see if he was at least paid, only to find nothing but cobblestone. He also noticed that the hat was gone too. Double damn! I was a fool to trust them, nothing but a bunch of lousy scamming ponies. The moon was slowly rising, bathing the city with its glow. I need to get to the castle, find some answers, and no more distractions! Also, I need to stop falling unconscious. He galloped down the street, his hooves echoing with each step in the silence of the night.

It didn't take him long to reach the steps that led to the castle. The guards that were posted there followed him with their eyes as he began to climb them, making sure he wasn't up to any funny business. At last he reached the top, only to be greeted by a pair of large doors which served as the entrance to the castle. Eldon slowly approached them, suddenly nervous and having second thoughts about going in.

Come on Eldon, you didn't travel all this way and almost get killed for nothing! Your answers are right here... right on the other side of these doors, he thought. He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply before slowly exhaling. The orb in his necklace glowed softly and he felt himself relax as the tension in his body drained away. He opened his eyes and he pushed on the right wooden door, causing it to slowly swing inwards.

He trotted inside and the door closed on its own behind him with a dull thud, leaving him in a brightly lit room. In front of him was a staircase that split off into two directions and there were doors on the opposite sides of the room as well. The red carpet he was on felt soft beneath his hooves.

Great... I'm here, but I have absolutely no idea where to go, Eldon thought. A light green pony carrying a tray full of fruit on her back suddenly appeared from the eastern doorway. She paid Eldon no mind as she passed him and climbed the stairs, turning to the left and disappearing from view. Hey, maybe she knows where the princesses are! "Hey! Hey wait! Miss!" Eldon followed the route she took and caught up to her easily since she was only heading to her destination at a trot.

"Excuse me Miss? Can you help me please?" Eldon asked politely. She turned her head and looked at Eldon, causing her to slow to a halt.

"Sure thing! Just make it quick though, I have to deliver these fruits to the princesses," she replied.

"Oh! That's exactly where I need to go too! Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Oh, I don't mind at all, in fact, you can bring the fruits in to them as well when we get there." The mare suddenly giggled which caused her to blush immediately after. Eldon didn't pay any attention though since all he was thinking about was the meeting he would be having soon.

Eldon breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness! I was afraid I was going to wander the halls forever."

"Yeah, it was confusing for me too when I started working here, but you get used to it after a while," the mare replied. "Anyway, let's go, it would be rude to show up late." She resumed trotting down the hall and Eldon followed alongside her.

"So, how long have you been working here Miss...?" Eldon asked.

"Oh, my name is Kiwi Passion! I've been here for about a few years now mister. I deliver things throughout the castle, although in my spare time I like to create wonderful fruit sculptures. Mostly out of kiwi though," Kiwi replied. "What's your name?"

"I'm known as Eldon Field. but everyone just calls me Eldon."

"Eldon? That's a... nice name. What do you do for a living?" Kiwi asked.

"I'm currently... how should I put this... unemployed," Eldon replied, feeling rather embarrassed. "To be honest, I don't think I'm really the working type."

Kiwi looked at him and burst out laughing. "Oh that's nonsense! Everypony is good at something, even if it takes them a long time to find it. Oh! we're here!" The two stopped in front of a pair of very beautifully crafted doors. The left door had an image of a sun carved into it, while the right door had the image of a crescent moon.

"Here you are going to need this." She reached behind her with her head and grabbed the fruit tray between her teeth. She then carefully lifted it and placed it on Eldon's back. "The princesses are in the throne room. If by some chance you end up staying the night, the guest bedrooms are just further down this hall. Good luck!"

Kiwi turned to leave when Eldon suddenly placed a hoof on her shoulder. "Wait! Thank you for helping me Kiwi. Perhaps we might see each other again?"

Kiwi looked at the hoof on her shoulder and giggled. "Perhaps Eldon, I do work here after all. See you around!" She turned around and trotted back down where they had came from. She quickly disappeared from Eldon's sight.

What a nice pony! Just like that she immediately jumped at the opportunity to help me, Eldon thought. Not wanting to waste any time, he approached the doors and knocked on them with his right forehoof. The doors slowly swung inwards right after he knocked, revealing a massive hallway with multiple mosaics on either side, but what caught Eldon's eye was the throne at the end of the hall and the ponies that resided there.

One as white as a cloud, and the other a rich dark blue. Both of them had horns and beautifully well-maintained wings, signifying that they were Alicorns, a rare type of pony only reserved for those who have demonstrated great skill, leadership, compassion, and what have you.

Eldon recognized them immediately. His memory had almost come back to him. "The royal sisters!" He continued to look at them in awe as he heard a faint chuckle coming from the white one, Celestia.

"You may enter young one. Don't be shy, for you are in good hooves here," Celestia said. "We've been expecting you."

Eldon's knees began to tremble with excitement. "O- of course your highness!" He slowly began to make his way down the hall, observing the various pieces of stained glass on the walls. Some of them depicted the sisters, while some depicted ponies that he also recognized immediately... then everything finally made sense to him.

The... the bearers of the Elements of Harmony! Eldon thought. His eye's widened in disbelief. It's true then... all of it. Flim, Flam, the Diamond Dogs, Celestia and Luna, this city... I finally remember all of it! But how can this be? All this time, I merely believed this place to be that of fiction... Why am I here? What could Equestria, of all places, possibly want with someone like me? This is too good to be true, it just has to be a dream! I'll wake up any second now... I think.

When he was close enough to the sisters, Eldon did his best to kneel in respect, but he lost his balance and fell flat on his face, spilling the fruit onto the floor in the process. "I'm so, so sorry! I didn't mean to drop the fruit, here let me get them!" His face was quickly turning red in embarrassment. Celestia and Luna chuckled lightly at the humorous display before them, but then Celestia's horn gave off a soft, yellow glow, enveloping the dropped fruit and placing them neatly on the fallen tray.

"Th-thank you Celestia for your help." Although he didn't show it, Eldon was silently bursting with joy on the inside. She just used magic in front of me, real magic! None of that magician stuff back on Earth, although a lot of them are pretty brilliant, but still! That was awesome! But I should probably practice being like... this still. I don't want to have another accident like that happen again.

"Welcome stranger to the city of Canterlot," Celestia said. "Like I've already said, we have been greatly anticipating your arrival."

"So I've been told, but why are you anticipating me? What do you mean?" Eldon asked. "Why am I here?

"Apologies, I'm getting too far ahead of myself. I am Celestia, and this is my sister, Luna." Celestia gestured towards herself and Luna before she looked at Eldon again. "May we know what yours is?"

"O- of course! My name is Eldon Field, but if you don't mind, I would like to be called only by my first name," Eldon said.

Celestia nodded."As you wish Eldon. That's a rather curious name though, I quite like it." Eldon blushed a little bit at Celestia's words.

"You- you are too kind your highness," Eldon managed to stammer out.

Luna suddenly cleared her throat, obtaining both Celestia's and Eldon's attention. "Sorry to interrupt your pleasantries, but I believe there are more important matters that we should be discussing."

Celestia nodded her head in agreement. "Of course sister, I haven't forgotten." Celestia focused on Eldon again, except this time her gaze had been drawn to the necklace around his neck, and more notably, the orb that was socketed in the middle. The orb was glowing a soft white. "Eldon, that necklace you have around your neck. The orb, it feels... familiar. How did it come to be in your possession?"

Eldon simply shrugged at her question. "The necklace, or should I say the orb, just appeared suddenly one night. Ever since I picked it up, I haven't been able to remove it since."

Celestia simply nodded and continued to look at the orb. "That is most peculiar... but it'll have to wait." Celestia tore her gaze away from the orb. "Let's move on to what Luna wishes for us to discuss. Eldon, if you aren't already aware, Equestria has been experiencing some rather... strange occurrences to put it simply. From Manehatten to Los Pegasus, there have been reports of ponies disappearing in the middle of the night, but only to just reappear the next day."

"That does sound rather strange," Eldon said.

Luna then spoke up. "It gets worse. There have also been reports of shadowy monsters being seen, but they haven't done anything as of late. It doesn't make them any less of a threat however to the safety of our citizens. Despite our best efforts, we have been unable to find the source of the problem, although we have managed to keep our people calm."

"So how am I involved in all of this?" Eldon asked.

"Last night, I witnessed a great ball of blue flame descend from the heavens into the Everfree Forest," Luna replied.

"And Twilight told me that there was a pony in trouble earlier today in the Everfree Forest, so I enlisted the assistance of the Pegasus, Rainbow Dash, to help search for this pony," Celestia continued. "In her report, she told me that the stranger was being attacked by a trio of Diamond Dogs before she intervened." Eldon quickly nodded his head as he remembered the events from earlier that day.

"That was indeed me. The dogs had tried to take my necklace away from me, but fortunately were unable to," Eldon replied. "But I was rescued by Rainbow Dash? Ha! I knew it!"

Celestia and Luna suddenly looked at each other. "Perhaps what Twilight said was true then..." Celestia whispered. "The prophecy..."

Luna shook her head. "We can't be sure just yet sister."

Celestia nodded her head in agreement. "You're right Luna, but this would best be left until tomorrow, I sense that if we let our guest stay awake any longer, he'll collapse from exhaustion." She returned her gaze to Eldon to find that he was beginning to sway back and forth where he stood, his eyelids growing heavy. "You must be very tired after such a long journey, would you like to stay the night Eldon?"

Eldon yawned and nodded his weary head. "Thank you your highness, I accept your offer, plus, can I take some fruit with me?"

"Of course you may young one, let me summon a guard to escort you to your quarters," Celestia said. She raised her head and her horn began to glow a bright and warm yellow. Shortly after the glow faded away, a guard entered the room and stood next to Eldon. "I need you to take our guest here to one of the guest bedrooms, make sure he arrives there safely."

The guard saluted her and Luna before he looked at Eldon. "Right this way." He trotted towards the door and left the room. Eldon picked up two apples with his teeth from the fruit tray and he uttered what sounded like a goodnight to the two princesses.

"Goodnight to you as well Eldon," Celestia replied and watched as he left the throne room. Eldon followed the guard down the hall that Kiwi had mentioned earlier until the guard stopped in front of one of the rooms and opened it, letting Eldon in. It was a beautiful display to behold.

I'll check out this room some more tomorrow, but right now I can finally get some sleep that I want without having to be knocked out!Eldon thought. The guard closed the door behind him and Eldon jumped onto the bed. He dropped the two apples he had taken onto the bed and took a bite out of one of them. His eyes widened shortly after. This is the best apple I've ever tasted! He quickly devoured them, licking his lips afterwards and relieved that he had finally put some food in his stomach. Eldon at last collapsed from exhaustion, falling into a well deserved slumber.

Meanwhile, in the upper reaches of the castle, Celestia was pondering over recent events.

A stranger, Eldon, who I've never seen nor heard of before suddenly appears. These last couple of weeks have been filled with reports. And that orb... for some reason it feels familiar, yet... I've never seen it before. If this pony does turn out to be the one like Twilight said... Then perhaps Equestria can still be saved from whatever darkness plagues our land. He can— Her thoughts were interrupted as Luna approached and stood beside her.

"Sister, that stranger pony... Eldon was it? He doesn't seem... right," Luna said. "He is a Unicorn, but I hardly sensed any magic in him at all. It's as if he was hiding it, but I do agree with you about the orb. I sensed something familiar about it too."

"All in good time my dear sister, Twilight knows more about this matter than the both of us. I would call for her now, but she fell asleep waiting for Eldon to arrive. I've also sent a letter to the Crystal Empire earlier today, requesting Shining Armor and Cadance to be present tomorrow morning to express their current views on these matters, as well as to help us press Eldon for some more information now that he has arrived."

Luna nodded in agreement with her sister's plan. "Good thinking, we'll need all the help we can get."

Celestia stretched her wings and yawned, having grown rather weary from today's events. "I've stayed up far too long today, I think it's time I leave you to your duties sister. Have a pleasant evening." She trotted back inside the castle.

"Goodnight to you as well sister," Luna whispered and turned her gaze to the starry sky above. Both of them wondered how this strange pony, Eldon, would affect Equestria. Hopefully, tomorrow would bring some answers.

Who's The New Guy?

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As morning broke over Equestria, Eldon was in his bed, sleeping peacefully. The sun's rays shone through the bedroom window and onto his face, eventually causing him to open his eyes. He squinted as to not be blinded by the brilliance of the sun and propped himself up into a sitting position. Eldon yawned and looked around the room. His eyes widened at how elegant and classy everything was. From the embroidered carpet to the tiniest engravings on the ceiling, it was definitely the most fanciest room he had ever been in.

Wait... how did I get here? Eldon thought. He saw his own reflection in a mirror opposite from him and it all came rushing back. So... I'm not dreaming at all, am I? But how? Why am I still in Equestria? How will I ever get home? Too many questions... Eldon's thoughts were interrupted when a loud knocking sound came from the other side of his bedroom door. "Uh, I guess you can come in?" The door to the bedroom opened, revealing a guard he recognized from yesterday evening.

"The princesses have requested your presence in the throne room," the guard stated. "If I were you, I wouldn't want to keep them waiting any longer then they have to." The royal guard saluted and trotted off back to his post. Eldon knew that the guard was right.

I shouldn't keep the princesses waiting then. I need some answers, and more importantly, why and how I'm here in the first place, Eldon thought and exited the bedroom.

He was walking down the hall towards the throne room when he began to hear multiple muffled voices coming from within the room. He could make out Celestia's and Luna's, but the others? Not so much. When he approached the closed doors, the voices on the other side were quickly silenced.

They must have heard me. I guess they want to make sure that someone isn't listening to things he, or she, shouldn't hear. Eldon knocked on the heavy wooden doors and waited patiently. The sound of hooves slowly approached the door from the other side and it opened, revealing the kind face of Celestia.

"Ah! Eldon! You are awake at last. Please, do come in," Celestia said. She stepped to the side, allowing Eldon to enter the throne room before she closed the door again. "Did you sleep well Eldon?"

"Oh yes, it sure beats being unconscious any day," Eldon replied.

Celestia smiled warmly at him. "That is most splendid to hear, now Eldon- Eldon?" She looked behind her to see that he had stopped in his tracks. His mouth hung slightly open as he stared at the ponies at the round table.

No way, I don't believe this! Shining Armor, Cadance, and Tw-Twi-Twilight? Eldon thought.

"Ah, I see that you have noticed our other guests! Come join us at the table, and I'll introduce you to them," Celestia said. Eldon slowly nodded, still dumbfounded as he found a spot at the round table that was opposite from the rest of them. "Everypony, you are well aware by now why I've gathered you here. I'm glad we were able to get the first order of business out of the way regarding the strange events as of late that have been disturbing us, but I think it would be rude if I didn't introduce our guest to you first before we moved on, don't you?" Everypony else at the table nodded in silent agreement. "Good, now everypony, this is Eldon Field. Eldon, I believe it's about time that you met these three ponies. The one on your far left is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but everypony mostly calls her Cadance." Cadance as if on cue bowed her head towards Eldon.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," Cadance said and Eldon bowed his head as well.

"And it's an honour to meet you Cadance," Eldon replied.

"The Unicorn next to her is known as Shining Armor. He is the husband of Cadance and is also the newest General of Equestria's army," Celestia continued after Eldon and Cadance had greeted each other. Eldon and Shining Armor locked eyes and both nodded towards the other. Shining Armor stood tall and proud, presenting himself in a formal military manner. "And finally, let me introduce you to the fourth Princess of Equestria. She is Twilight Sparkle, the embodiment of the Element of Magic, and the Princess of Friendship."

"Hello Eldon, it's wonderful that we get to meet at last, pony to pony this time," Twilight said and smiled.

That... that voice! It can't be possible... was Twilight the voice in my head at the Everfree Forest? Eldon thought. "Twilight, I- I think I've heard your voice before, in the Everfree Forest."

"Yes, that was me inside your thoughts. I was the one that had Celestia send Rainbow Dash to help you. I also see that the orb was successful in its task to find you," Twilight replied. Eldon looked down at the orb to find it glowing white again, except this time it was much more noticeable.

"Wait..." Eldon began to say slowly. "You... you sent this orb to find me? Why?" He didn't notice that his voice began to rise in anger. "Why am I here? What do you possibly want with me? Tell me!" He slammed a hoof on the table, making it shudder beneath the impact.

"Eldon, you must calm down," Luna said, trying to soothe him. "Please, let Twilight finish." Eldon took his hoof off the table and glared at Twilight, waiting for an answer. He didn't mean to react so negatively, but after being ripped from his home and transformed into something he didn't want to be, Eldon had to release stress somehow. All eyes were on Twilight as she took a deep breath and sighed.

"Because Eldon... and I know this might sound a bit crazy, but I believe that you... that you are the One."

The... One? What the hell is she talking about? Eldon thought. "Twilight, I don't understand what you are saying. Surely this was all a big misunderstanding right? Right?"

"No Eldon. I believe— no, I know that it must be you. I've spent the last couple of weeks researching, experimenting, and perfecting a spell, a spell that would enable me to find the One in our time of need. I used the spell on that orb in your necklace to test it, and it brought back you."

Eldon pointed a hoof at himself and began to move his hoof in little circles in front of him. "How can you be for certain that I'm the One?"

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "There is a prophecy Eldon, a prophecy that depicted the coming of a being of great power, descending from the heavens in a great ball of fire." Twilight paused and opened her eyes, locking them with Eldon's. "So far it has been right, but you do bring up a good point. How can we be certain that you have a great power within you? We aren't certain, so that's why I can't tell you the rest of the prophecy, not until we obtain a little bit more evidence, but for now, you are all we have. Did you notice anything strange when you arrived here? I want to know if the spell had any side effects"

Besides not being human and being a pony, yeah, there was one thing, Eldon thought. "I noticed that there were blackened symbols on my haunches."

"Eldon, that is your cutie mark, all ponies in Equestria gain them eventually, but to be honest you're the first one I've seen that looks to have..." Twilight walked around the table to get a closer look at Eldon. "...Actually lost it. Interesting."

"Lost my... cutie mark? How is that even possible?" Eldon asked.

"Well... I'm not too sure myself," Twilight replied. "But I remember something in Star Swirl's notes that says that the loss of a cutie mark could only be accomplished by extremely doubting what you are meant for, or a huge magical disruption which affects the pony's cutie mark. Perhaps bringing you here is what caused it to blacken out..." Eldon nodded, glad to have received at least some clarification about the marks when something in his thoughts began to bug him.

"What should I do about the orb Twilight? Is it relevant anymore?" Eldon asked.

Twilight frowned ever so slightly. "To be honest, I'm not too sure Eldon. I gave it a purpose and it already fulfilled its task. It's probably just a decorative piece again." The glow being emitted from the orb slowly faded away.

"Ah, I see, well I'll keep it anyway because I've grown rather attached to it now," Eldon replied. He then rested his head on the table, finding it somewhat hard to take in everything he had just heard.

Celestia cleared her throat which allowed her to gain everypony's attention. "Eldon, you must listen to me very closely. I know that this was a lot for you to take in, but I trust Twilight, and I now need you to trust me."

Eldon looked up at Celestia. "I'm listening."

"If Twilight's words are true, then I must send you with her to Ponyville to have her learn more about you," Celestia continued. "We can't risk you falling prey to whatever darkness that plagues us and Canterlot is too a risky place for you to stay currently. You and Twilight shall leave on the next train to Ponyville immediately." Eldon raised his head off the table and he and Twilight both nodded. "This council meeting is adjourned for today, we'll all meet again at the same time next week. Oh, and Eldon?"

"Yes your highness? What is it?" Eldon asked as his eyes met with hers.

"While you are in Ponyville, try to make some friends, the next train leaves in fifteen minutes." Celestia smiled warmly before she returned to the throne with Luna, causing the table to disappear behind them in the process. Twilight trotted over to Shining Armour and Cadance who were just beginning to leave.

"Wait, you both aren't returning to the Crystal Empire already are you?" Twilight asked.

Shining Armor chuckled at Twilight's question. "Oh Twilight, I'm just escorting Cadance to the train station so she can return to the Crystal Empire. I have some important work to complete here still, and besides, somepony needs to rule the Crystal ponies right?"

"Oh, right, of course! Stay safe you two!"

"And you as well Twilight," Shining Armor replied and he and Cadance left the throne room.

"Come on Twilight! The next train to Ponyville leaves in fifteen minutes! Remember?" Eldon reminded her.

"Oh gosh, we don't want to be late! Hang on, I need to call for Spike," Twilight replied. "Oh Spiiiiiiiiike!" Eldon began to hear the sound of feet thumping rapidly on the floor and Spike appeared at the doorway shortly after.

"I'm right here Twilight, sorry I didn't arrive sooner!" Spike placed his hands on his knees as he panted for breath.

"Oh no way! Spike the dragon, your assistant! I almost forgot about him," Eldon said. Spike walked over to Twilight and Eldon and stopped in front of them, still panting for breath.

"Wh- who is this guy?" Spike asked as he pointed a claw at Eldon.

"It's a long story Spike, I'll tell you on the train ride back to Ponyville," Twilight answered. "Come on! We are going to be late!" Spike jumped onto Twilight's back and she galloped out of the throne room, with Eldon following close behind.

"Sooo let me get this straight. You brought this pony here in a ball of fire and believe that he is the 'Chosen One'?" Spike asked.

"That's correct Spike, I believe that he might have the necessary abilities in order to stop whatever has been harassing Equestria for these past couple of weeks," Twilight answered. Eldon, Twilight, and Spike were on the train to Ponyville, as ordered by Princess Celestia herself.

"So, uh, Eldon is it? What do you think of Equestria?" Spike asked. "As in, what are your thoughts on the way it is currently?" Eldon turned his head away from the window when he suddenly realized that he was being asked a question.

"Hm? Oh yes! I believe Equestria is a beautiful place. However, I now realize that Equestria can still be a dangerous place as well if you aren't careful," Eldon replied. He returned his gaze to the window, observing the beautiful countryside as the train rushed passed it.

"That's absolutely correct Eldon," Twilight said. "Despite Equestria's beauty and grace, it has also been home to powerful villains. Fortunately, they were stopped in the end, but Equestria's fate has hung in the balance far too many times these past few years."

Spike crossed his arms and smiled. "Yeah! But luckily we had Twilight and her friends stop them! We would have been goners if not for them!"

Twilight blushed and looked away. "Oh Spike, you know we only did what we had to do. Besides, I would rather not think about what would have happened if we failed." The speakers on the train car suddenly crackled to life and made a bing bong sound.

"Attention, this is your conductor speaking. We will be arriving in Ponyville momentarily. Please wait for the train to come to a complete stop and thank you for choosing the Pony Express Line." There was a click as the speaker turned off and multiple ponies began to gather up their belongings.

"Well would you look at that, we are almost there! Looking back on it now, I wish I could have taken the train to Canterlot instead of climbing a broken down trail that almost killed me more than once," Eldon said.

"Wait, what trail are you talking about?" Twilight asked. "Surely you didn't take the—"

"The so-called historic one filled with broken steps and loose rocks that could have sent me to my death? Yep, that's the one," Eldon said, interrupting her.

Twilight's jaw dropped in disbelief. "I- I ordered for that trail to be repaired months ago! It is too historic just to let it fall apart. I'm deeply sorry about that, but if you were travelling on hoof, why didn't you just take the road?"

Eldon rubbed his head, now feeling rather embarrassed. "Yeah... I kind of didn't know about a road or the train until after I finished climbing the mountain," he said quietly as Twilight stifled a giggle.

"Well, at least you are here, and currently that is what matters most," Twilight replied. Eldon began to stand up when Twilight used her magic and forced him to stay seated.

"Hey, what was that for?" Eldon asked, rather annoyed.

"We can't leave the train just yet," Twilight said. "Besides, I think you'll need a new name while we are here to keep your identity a secret, just for your own safety."

"Isn't Eldon a good enough name already?" he asked her. Twilight looked at him as if worms were crawling out of his ears. "Bah! Fine, let's come up with something good then." The two began to come up with possible names when Spike raised his hand.

"Ooh ooh! Can I help pick a name?" Spike asked.

"Of course Spike, come up with as many names as you like," Twilight replied and smiled, happy at the fact that Spike wanted to help. All three of them sat pondering in their seats when Spike was the first to speak.

"Oh oh! How about Shadow Horn?" Spike asked. "Or Brownie Top? Or Black Hoof? Or Ocean Breeze? No wait, that one is already taken..." Eldon shook his head at all the names Spike mentioned. "Drat, I'll see if I can come up with some more then."

"I got it!" Twilight exclaimed. "Eldon, based upon your appearance, I think your name should be—" She whispered it into his ear. His face lit up and he smiled.

"Wow Twilight, that's actually... I that's actually a pretty good name. I like it!" Eldon exclaimed. " Cosmic Fire. Not bad Twilight, thank you."

"Oh it's no big deal, really. It's just that when you appeared here, you were surrounded by fire. It's not that great too be honest, but it's better than nothing"

"You know, I was just about to mention that name," Spike said. Eldon and Twilight looked at each other and burst out laughing as the train came to a complete stop. "We're here! Come on guys!" As their laughter died down, Twilight was finally able to respond.

"O-okay Spike, we're going, we're going," Twilight said. The first to get off was Spike, followed by Twilight, who were both suddenly met with cries of joy and excitement.

"Welcome home Twilight!" the orange pony said. "We're mighty glad you made it back safely."

"Oh girls! This is a wonderful surprise! But really, I was fine the whole time Applejack," Twilight replied. "But I do appreciate seeing all of you here." The pink pony was bouncing up and down at a constant pace and butt-checked Applejack out of the way.

"Twilight! Twilight! Twilight! You got my letters right!? You opened them right!? Did you like what I wrote? I missed you sooooo much! This calls for a welcome back party!" the pink one shouted with glee.

Twilight giggled and put her hoof on the pink pony's shoulder, causing her to stop bouncing. "Yes Pinkie Pie, I got your letters, and a party sounds like a wonderful idea! I'm glad to see you too." Pinkie's face lit up with joy when she heard she was allowed to throw a party.

"Ooo ooo! I better get my party cannon! I'll be right back!" she said and bounced off, disappearing in the distance shortly after.

"Darling, it's absolutely delightful to know that you are all right. We were worried when you left us a note saying you and Spike were heading to Canterlot to take care of some urgent business," the white Unicorn said.

Twilight turned to face the Unicorn and smiled. "Everything turned out all right Rarity, I'm just glad to be back."

"Excellent! Now I need your honest opinion dear, how do I look in this new dress I made?" Rarity asked and did a little spin. It was a simple royal blue dress, not too flashy, but not dull either.

"You look gorgeous Rarity! A masterpiece like always!" Twilight said.

Rarity blushed at her comment. "Oh Twilight, you always flatter me!" She stepped back as the yellow Pegasus that was there walked up to Twilight .

"Hi Twilight, it's nice to have you home again," the yellow Pegasus said softly.

"Thank you Fluttershy, how have you and Discord been?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, I'm doing just fine thank you, Discord's busy attending to the animals while I'm gone. He has been getting better ever since T- Tirek was defeated."

"That's good to hear," Twilight said and she gave Fluttershy a warm smile.

"Hey Twilight, why'd you take the train? You know how slow they are," the light blue Pegasus said. Her name was true to the colour of her mane which was made up of not one colour, but six. Orange, red, green, blue, purple and a pale yellow.

"Nice to see you again Rainbow Dash, and I took the train because I didn't feel like flying, plus I brought somepony you will be sure to know," Twilight replied. Eldon at this time decided to finally reveal himself to the others. He stepped off the train and walked over to Twilight's side.

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude or nothin, but Twilight, who the hay is that?" Applejack asked. Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but Rainbow Dash was faster.

"Oh him? That's the stranger that I saved yesterday from the Everfree Forest! Saved him from the diamond dogs!"

"And you couldn't ah told us all this before?" Applejack asked.

Rainbow Dash gave her a guilty smile and shrugged. "I was underneath an oath, but since Twilight's here, I felt I could now." Twilight then placed her left forehoof on Applejack's shoulder.

"Applejack, Rainbow Dash had a good reason to keep this secret, I'm sorry if we hurt your feelings," Twilight said. Applejack relaxed before dipping her head.

"It's okay Twilight, I understand," Applejack said. "After all we've been through before, I couldn't possibly stay mad at y'all." Twilight smiled and hugged Applejack, glad that she wasn't upset.

"Thanks for understanding Applejack. Now without further delay, everypony, this is El- I mean, Cosmic Fire. Cosmic, these are my friends."

This. Is. Amazing. I'm actually standing here. With Twilight and her friends. Talking to them! "It's an honor to finally meet all of you," Eldon said. The orb around his neck glowed softly but none of them noticed it.

"So, uh, Cosmic, how did you meet up with Twilight here?" Applejack asked. Eldon went to respond but Twilight spoke first.

"Everypony, we'll have time to ask questions back at my home, it's safer there, and away from any prying eyes, if you know what I mean." Everypony nodded in agreement and they left the train station, with Spike and Eldon following close behind.

Pinkie Pie arrived back at the train station, dragging her party cannon behind her. "All right everypony! I brought my party cannon! Let's get this party started!" She looked around and noticed that she was the only one there, but she saw that they were leaving, and that a strange pony was also with them. "Oh! Wait for me!" She galloped after them with her party cannon in tow.

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As the group made their way towards their destination, Eldon began to feel a small pain form in his head, but he dismissed it as nothing. His stomach began to angrily growl as well. He remembered that he didn't take the time to eat breakfast earlier that morning.

"Excuse me Twilight, but is there a place where we could get a bite to eat? I'm pretty famished," Eldon said.

"Don't worry Cosmic, there will be plenty to eat once we reach my home, just hold out a little bit longer okay?" Twilight replied.

"Alright, I'll hold out as long as I—" Eldon's stomach growled again, much louder this time. "But... that might not be for much longer."

Spike gently nudged Eldon's side with his elbow, getting his attention. "I know that feeling Cosmic, it sucks doesn't it? In fact, I could go for some nice, crunchy, gems..." Spike trailed off as he began to imagine himself eating all the gems he could.

"Hey! Everypony! Wait for me!" a voice shouted from behind them. They turned around to see Pinkie galloping towards them, now pushing her party cannon in front of her.

"There you are Pinkie! We were beginin to wonder what was takin ya so long," Applejack said.

"Sorry everypony! I bumped into some other friends of mine and I just had to say hi to them! But now I'm here, and whhhooo do we have here?" Pinkie asked and pointed at Eldon.

"Oh! You were busy getting your party cannon when I introduced Cosmic to the others. Cosmic, this is Pinkie Pie. Pinkie, this is Cosmic," Twilight explained.

Eldon slowly extended a hoof towards Pinkie and watched as a big smile grew on her face. "It's, uh, nice to meet you Pinki—" Pinkie Pie grabbed his hoof with both of hers and shook his foreleg until it turned numb.

"A new pony in Ponyville! And a Unicorn no less! Do you know what this means?" Pinkie asked him.

"Uh, what does it mean?" Eldon asked curiously. He gently tried to pull his hoof away from Pinkie, but her grip was as strong as iron.

"It means that I can throw a welcome party and a welcome back party! At the SAME TIME!" Pinkie shouted excitedly and took a deep breath before she began to sing. "Oh welcome to Ponyville, it's great to have you! We hope you stay here awhile and make some friends too! Starting with me! The one everypony knows as the party pony Pinkie!" She then released Eldon's forehoof and bounced back to her cannon. "Come on everypony! We don't want to keep those parties waiting!"

Eldon and the others continued onwards through town and were greeted by many of the townsfolk that waved at them as they walked by. Pinkie made sure she waved back at each pony on their behalf.

It wasn't until the ponies laid eyes on the strange pony tagging along behind them that they began to stare. Eldon noticed this and became very uncomfortable, lowering his head to hide his face from the onlookers.

It's because of the blackened cutie mark, isn't it? Eldon thought. I'm drawing too much attention to myself already, I hope we arrive there soon.

They passed by a number of construction workers that surrounded what looked to be the remains of a rather large tree. Everypony remained silent as they passed with their heads lowered, paying homage to the charred remains. Eldon did the same, remembering that it was the remains of Twilight's old home.

Many cherished and recorded memories of Twilight and her friends used to reside there, including every single letter Twilight had ever sent and received, but they were destroyed in the colossal battle between Twilight and Tirek that occurred a couple of days before the recent troubles began to arise. His ears pricked up when they walked past two of the workers and he listened in on their conversation.

"I'm tellin ya Hammer Head, it's true! Nopony can enter this tree, let alone touch it! Some say the place was cursed by Tirek's foul magic," the worker on the left said.

"Ahhh that's a bunch of hooey Tough Nail, watch me go in there," the one called Hammer Head replied. Hammer Head galloped towards one of the large holes in the tree's trunk, only to crash into an invisible wall. Eldon watched as Hammer Head slowly slid down to the ground. Tough Nail burst out laughing at the sight.

"Ya see? I told ya! Nopony can go in there!" Tough Nail said. Eldon managed to stifle a laugh just as the group stopped.

"And here we are!" Twilight announced. Eldon looked in awe at what stood before him. Twilight's home was a palace. Smaller than the palace in Canterlot, but still pretty big considering the size of the tree that held it.

The tree itself reminded Eldon of Twilight's old home, just instead of being made of wood, it was made of beautiful crystals that sparkled in the daylight.

"Here, let me get the door for you guys," Spike said. He ran past them and held open one of the doors, letting them pass through. "Hey Eld— I mean, Cosmic! Are you coming or what?" Eldon suddenly snapped back to attention and nodded at Spike. He quickly entered the palace and Spike followed him inside afterwards, closing the door and locking them as he did so.

Inside was a large and circular chamber with thrones surrounding a circle in the middle. Each throne represented a symbol. The cutie mark that matched with it belonged to that particular pony. There was a smaller throne as well next to one of the big ones which Eldon assumed was Spike's.

"Oh my, I don't believe I'll ever tire of entering this beautiful place," Rarity said and sighed in content.

"It could still probably be like, maybe twenty percent cooler if I had designed it." Rainbow Dash said. Everypony stared at her in disbelief. Spike actually cringed at the phrase, having heard it be uttered far too many times. It was as if somepony behind a typewriter was writing Rainbow Dash's lines for her and could only think of the worst possible things for her to say.

"Really Rainbow Dash? You just had to say that? Don't you think you overuse that phrase just a tiny bit?" Rarity asked.

"What? Oh come on now Rarity, you know I'm just kidding around!" Rainbow teased and landed perfectly on her throne. She folded her wings and watched as everypony else except Eldon found and sat on their respective thrones.

Spike jumped up onto his and slowly laid back, letting his muscles relax. "Ahhhh, that's better."

Eldon was unsure about where to go until Twilight spoke up. "Cosmic, if you don't mind, I would like it if you stood in the center of the circle for now."

"As you wish Twilight," Eldon replied and slowly walked over to the center of the circle. "Can I get something to eat now?"

Twilight sighed and looked over at Spike. "Spike, could you please get Cosmic something to eat? I feel that he won't stop pestering me until he gets it."

Spike yawned and slid out of his throne, although he didn't really want to get up. "Sure thing Twilight, I'll be back before you know it." He walked over to a set of stairs that spiralled upwards and began to climb them until he was no longer in sight. Twilight cleared her throat, making sure the room was quiet before she spoke.

"Welcome Cosmic to my home.This room we are in is where my friends and I gather. Sometimes it's for fun, and sometimes it's figuring out solutions to problems of other ponies. This time however, it'll be to learn more about you." Twilight looked around the room at her friends before she returned to Eldon. "And my friends can help me if they want to. Is that alright with you Cosmic?"

Eldon nodded his head in approval. "Of course Twilight. I just hope my answers are okay."

"Very well then, let's begin," Twilight said. "Applejack, I believe you had a question already?"

Applejack nodded and adjusted her hat ever so slightly. "That ah did Twi, ah-" She was interrupted by a low rumbling sound that came from within Pinkie's party cannon.

"You wanted a party Twilight? Well get ready, because double the parties means double the fun! Get ready to parrrtay!" Pinkie shouted and her party cannon went off, blasting all sorts of party related items. The cannon brought the whole package. Confetti, streamers, balloons, cake, fruity punch, and even a record player. Eldon was standing within the cannon's line of fire and he braced himself for impact. He closed his eyes, but it never came.

Eldon slowly opened his eyes, only to find that everything had landed perfectly around him, much to his surprise.

"Pretty neat huh everypony? Introducing the new Party Cannon Two Thousand! Now with more confetti! We can play games, eat cake, dance, drink punch, everything that's fun fun fun! And afterwards, we can also—"

"PINKIE!" the rest of them shouted in unison, interrupting her.

"What is it my best amazing friends?" Pinkie asked.

"I know you mean well Pinkie, but right now we need to talk to Cosmic. We can party afterwards, I promise," Twilight said.

"Do you Pinkie promise?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight smiled at Pinkie and she began to perform the special Pinkie Pie promise. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Twilight brought her hoof to her eye as she finished the promise.

Pinkie Pie wiggled on the spot and gave her a big smile. "Okie dokie then! I'll just start the parties later!" She hopped off her throne and rushed around Eldon, picking up the items and shoving them back into the Party Cannon Two Thousand. The process only took her a minute before she was back in her throne as if nothing had even happened. "Okay, I'm ready!"

"Alright then. Now Applejack, what were you saying?" Twilight asked.

"Ah was just about to ask where he met ya Twilight," Applejack replied as she turned to look at Eldon. "So tell me Cosmic, where did ya meet her?"

Eldon put his hoof to his chin as he recollected the moments that he encountered Twilight. "Well... I guess you could say that I first met her in the Everfree Forest, but I didn't know who she was at the time because she was just a voice in my thoughts."

Pinkie let out an excited gasp. "Woah Twilight! I didn't know you could talk to ponies with your mind! How can I learn—" One look from Twilight made her stop mid-sentence. "Oh sorry! Sorry! Continue Cosmic!"

Eldon took a deep breath and continued speaking. "Anyways, I first met Twilight face to face in Canterlot, in fact, it was her that brought me here in the first place."

"Oh! Now that's interestin to hear," Applejack replied with a surprised look on her face. "What business did ya two have? Did it involve magic spells and whatnot?"

Eldon and Twilight both looked at each other and Twilight nodded at him, allowing him to proceed. "In a way, yes, it did involve magic. It was mostly about teleportation however."

Eldon hoped that he had successfully avoided telling her where he was really from and why he was there. For one, they would probably think him to be crazy, and two, even if he did tell the truth, he didn't exactly have the means to prove he was a human. Thankfully, Applejack accepted his response.

"Well, ah ain't gonna pry too deep, thank you for answerin ma question," Applejack said and tipped her hat towards him in thanks.

"Who has another question for Cosmic?" Twilight asked and Fluttershy slowly raised her hoof.

"If it's okay Twilight, I would like to go next, unless somepony else would like to go," Fluttershy said softly and looked around the room. When none of them spoke against her, Eldon turned to face Fluttershy and she gulped. "O-okay then. Um, Cosmic? Do you own any pets?"

Eldon didn't hesitate to respond. "Currently? No. Although I do wish to be able to adopt a pet sometime in the future." Eldon's response caused Fluttershy to begin to tremble on her throne in excitement.

"Y- you want a pet? Why didn't you say so earlier! I can help you find the perfect pet that is best for you! When do you want to adopt?" she asked. Fluttershy's sudden burst of excitement caused Eldon to reel back in surprise and he chuckled.

"Not right now Fluttershy, but I'll make sure to go to you when I'm ready."

Fluttershy's excitement slowly faded away. "Oh, of course! Whenever you are ready."

"This is going very smoothly everypony! Applejack and Fluttershy have gone already, so who wants to ask next? Rarity? Rainbow? Pinkie?" Twilight asked.

"I'll go next Twilight, for I have a question for him," Rarity said and turned to face Eldon. "Now Cosmic, I know that you said that you specialize in studying magic, but what are your thoughts on fashion? Since you are from out of town, I would like to know. Maybe it'll help me create an original style or line of clothing that I could sell."

Eldon rubbed his head, except this time it was because the pain in his head from before had returned, much greater this time. The orb had also begun to slowly glow brighter.

"Uh... fashion? I'm not sure that I can help you too much there," Eldon said. "However, I do enjoy dressing up on special occasions, and I do have a soft spot for cloaks, especially ones with hoods. Where I'm from though, wearing a cloak in public would get you strange looks from others."

Rarity placed her hoof underneath her chin as she pondered over Eldon's words. "Cloaks? Although I don't usually carry those... perhaps I could probably..." She trailed off, lost deep in thought. Only a minute had passed when her face suddenly lit up. "Aha! Thank you for your opinion Cosmic, it has given me some inspiration on what could possibly be the next big thing!"

"Uh... you're welcome I guess. I hope that whatever you do will turn out successful Rarity," Eldon said.

Rainbow Dash suddenly hopped off of her throne and landed in front of Eldon, startling him and looking straight into his eyes.

"Now it's my turn to ask a question Cosmic," Rainbow said and pointed at his blackened cutie mark with her hoof. "Starting with what the hay is wrong with your cutie mark? That's definitely not normal. I was surprised that nopony else had noticed or mentioned it earlier, until I did just now that is."

Oh no... this is exactly what I had wanted to avoid. They would think I'm insane if I said I wasn't actually a Unicorn, or even worse... just be calm... just be calm... Eldon thought. "I, uh, had a magical mishap some time ago, and uh, I kind of forgot what my unique skill was because of it." Sweat had begun to run down the side of his face. Please buy it. please buy it, please buy it...

Rainbow Dash took a step backwards in surprise. "Ohhh. That actually explains a lot. Something like that happened to us a while ago too, but instead our cutie marks were switched. Now, what can we do to help get yours back?"

"I don't... I don't really know... agh!" The pain in Eldon's head was beginning to become too much to bear and he couldn't finish his sentence. He began to sway back and forth where he was standing, groaning in agony.

"Woah! Cosmic, pal, are you all right there? It wasn't something I said was it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Uh, are you alright Cosmic?" Applejack asked. Eldon stumbled about until he tripped and fell onto the floor. He brought his hooves over onto his head and held them there, trying to ease the pain but it accomplished nothing. He looked at Applejack, and then at Twilight. He stared right into her eyes and saw his own reflection.

"Ughh... Twilight..." Eldon mumbled. He closed his eyes and blacked out. Everypony jumped out of their seats and rushed over to Eldon except for Rainbow Dash who was already out of her seat.

"Oh no, this is really bad!" Twilight looked Eldon over and shook her head. "I don't know what's wrong, but we have to help him!"

"But what can we do Twilight?" Rarity asked.

"I'll bring him to one of the guest chambers, I'll... I'll see what I can do. Everypony else, stay here unless I call for you." They heard the urgency in Twilight's voice and they understood. Thumping noises began coming from the stairs and they turned their heads to see Spike coming down with a bowl of fruit slowly and carefully. "Spike! I'm glad you're back! We need your help!"

Spike reached the floor and saw that Eldon was on the ground, causing him to drop the bowl of fruit and rush over. "Wh- what happened you guys?"

Twilight just shook her head. "We don't know Spike, but he might need medical attention. I want you to go with Rainbow Dash to the hospital to bring some help back, okay?" Spike and Rainbow both nodded their heads in agreement and he hopped onto Rainbow's back.

"You heard her Rainbow! Let's go get some help!" Spike shouted and puffed out his chest

"I'm with ya on that one Spike," Rainbow Dash replied and they began to make their way towards the palace doors. Droplets of blood started to drip slowly from Eldon's nostrils and they splattered onto the crystal floor. The orb around his neck was now glowing a brilliant white.

"So does this mean I can't ask him my question?" Pinkie asked.

Eldon's eyes flickered open. All he saw was a cloudy greyness that surrounded him, extending as far as the eye could see. He wasn't in the circular chamber anymore, but rather in a vast space that seemed to be infinite.

Where am I? Did I... did I die? Eldon thought. He looked down and noticed that he was standing on some kind of cloudy floor, but what surprised him the most that instead of hooves, there were feet. Human feet. No way... my... my feet! They're back! I never thought I would see them again! And if I have my feet, then surely I must have... He looked himself over to find that his other limbs had come back as well. He was human again.

Eldon shouted with joy and began to run, the floor forming beneath him as he did so with each step that was taken. Eldon didn't care where he was going. All that mattered to him right now was that he was no longer a four-legged equine.

"I'm myself again!" he whooped. "And I swear on my life that I'll never return to being a pony again!" He suddenly heard a deep booming laugh reverberate around the room and Eldon ran into a solid wall made of clouds, causing him to bounce back and fall onto his rear. He quickly whipped his head around, looking for the source of the noise. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

The cloud wall slowly parted in front of Eldon to reveal an old and bearded pony walking towards him. The pony was wearing a cloak and a hat that were both sprinkled with moons and stars. His beard was long and white and his eyes seemed to twinkle, as if years of wisdom were hidden within them. A gnarled staff moved on its own next to him, moving only when the pony did until he at last came to a stop in front of Eldon. Eldon studied him closely and slowly recognized the pony's features.

"Wait... I know you," Eldon said and the pony nodded at him.

"As you should Cosmic, or should I say Eldon?" the pony replied.

Eldon's heart began to beat faster at the mention of his real name. "How— no, I'm not Eldon, that's someone else. I don't know any— ow!" Eldon was interrupted as the wooden staff bashed him on the head.

"Don't think that I can be fooled so easily Eldon, you can't hide anything from me. I know all about you, and I know all about the prophecy."

Eldon clutched his head in pain as he looked into the old pony's eyes. "Who are you?"

The old pony sighed. "I'm known as many things Eldon, but you may call me Star Swirl the Bearded."

Eldon's jaw dropped in shock and in awe as he stood up again. "Star Swirl? But, but you should be dead! What are you doing here? What am I doing here? Did you knock me out? Why was I a—" An invisible force sealed Eldon's mouth shut, preventing him from finishing his sentence.

"Ah, that's better, but trust me Eldon, your questions shall be answered in due time. Just please, I need you to shut up just for a couple of minutes alright? I don't have much time here. Do you understand?" Star Swirl said. Eldon nodded and Star Swirl unsealed his mouth, allowing Eldon to breathe through there again. "To begin, let's get some clothes on you." With a stamp of his hoof, a robe appeared around Eldon, covering him up. "Now, I want to let you know that I did not knock you out, but rather this place is something of your own making, a place where I could finally make contact with you."

Eldon's face fell when he quickly realized what that meant. "Oh... so I'm not really human again?" Eldon asked.

Star Swirl nodded his head. "That is correct Eldon, you are still a fine Unicorn in the real world, but you'll soon find a way. As for why I'm here, I have come with a warning, as well as an apology. Tell me Eldon, are you familiar with the legend of King Arthur?"

This time, Eldon nodded his head. "Of course! But how would you know about that when you aren't even from Earth...?"

"Because like you Eldon, I am not what I appear to be to the ponies," Star Swirl said and laughed. He grabbed his staff and slammed the butt of it into the ground, causing a dark blue smoke to swirl around him which concealed him from Eldon's view.

When the smoke dispersed, all that stood before Eldon was a tall and wrinkled old man. He wore the same hat as Star Swirl, and instead of a cloak, a robe that was also covered in moons and stars.

Eldon took two steps back, dumbfounded. "Merlin... is Star Swirl? This... this can't be possible, it can't be!"

Star Swirl laughed at him once more. "Oh believe me Eldon, it is entirely possible. Now Merlin... that is a name I haven't heard in a long time."

"Wait, how did you— but I— oh nevermind..." Eldon said, giving up on his thought he had. Merlin chuckled and lit up a pipe he had brought out. He inhaled deeply before puffing out smoke rings which turned into birds and flew away.

"Merlin... it seems so long ago now that I used to be called that," Merlin repeated with a distant look in his eyes.

"So let me get this straight Star Swirl— er, Merlin," Eldon said. "Like me, you were teleported to this world?"

Merlin nodded as he inhaled deeply on his pipe and exhaled. "Yes Eldon. Years and years ago, I was busy trying to perfect a teleportation spell capable of moving an army of thousands, but it failed miserably. I had accidentally ripped a hole in the very fabric of space and time itself, and it brought me here. You however, you were more than likely summoned, correct?"

"Yeah," Eldon replied. "Twilight Sparkle brought me here using a spell that was performed on this." He pointed to the orb in his necklace.

"I wanted to return back to Earth," Merlin continued. "But I accidentally stumbled upon this curious race of equines. They were strangely powerful and also possessed the skill of magic, and I thought to myself at the time that perhaps they would know how I could get home, and I could help with their skill in magic in return. So I disguised myself as one of them and became the esteemed wizard Star Swirl the Bearded, although I had no idea what I had just gotten myself into." Merlin inhaled deeply on his pipe and sighed. "Absolutely no idea..."

This is so strange. Damn... I need to stop thinking of this place like the show, no matter how similar everything is! Eldon thought. "So... that means that you have taught many ponies about the importance of magic and how to use it! You revolutionized all magic that is used to this very day!"

"Indeed I had young one, I even had multiple encounters with the Elements of Harmony," Merlin replied. "The first time I saw them though was during a time of great darkness, a darkness that I believe you have heard about that even I had thought had been vanquished two thousand years ago. A time that I was most unfortunate to show up in. Please, walk with me Eldon."

Merlin slowly began to walk in a random direction and Eldon walked alongside him. The two walked in silence through the swirling clouds for what seemed like an eternity, until at last they stopped.

Merlin remained silent as he suddenly began to move his staff around, controlling the clouds around them. "I appeared in the time just after the Pegasi, the Unicorns, and the Earth ponies had united, forming Equestria." The clouds swirled and transformed into visual representations of the three races, along with Merlin in his pony form. "Despite my best efforts, teachings, and reading their books, I was still unable to find a way home to Camelot, to our Earth. My magic, being from Earth, somehow helped to prolong my life here. The land itself had greatly enhanced it, but by the time the two sisters came to power and turned Discord to stone, I knew that I would soon pass."

Eldon watched in awe as Merlin's staff caused the clouds to twist and dance as they changed. It was as if he was watching a theatrical performance play out in front of him. It was quite the historical display.

"The princesses noticed this and decided to announce that I had moved on, but secretly, I went into hiding," Merlin continued. "The sisters enchanted me with a powerful preservation spell so that I may recover and add some years to my life while I slept. For the last thirteen to fourteen hundred years I have rested in time, waiting for the One to show up. That One is indeed you, Eldon."

Eldon was too stunned to say anything yet. The only thing he could do was just listen to Merlin's words.

"I know that you are the One Eldon. You have a powerful magic in you, perhaps even far greater than mine that has lied dormant your whole life. It rests right here." Merlin outstretched his arm and placed his palm over where Eldon's heart was. When Merlin removed his hand, Eldon saw that the area he touched had begun to glow a faint white. "Somewhere around there anyway, but this is where my warning comes in. As the One, you are free to do as you please, but corruption can take over with ease. Light or dark, your path awaits, and only you, can change Equestria's fate. I'm sorry that you got caught up in all of this Eldon, but I have run out of time that we can use to chat. I wish to tell you more, but the strength needed to communicate with you is very draining. We shall meet again, and by then you should have a better understanding about your role."

Merlin stepped back and he slowly faded away, leaving Eldon standing there on his own. He had questions still, too many questions that needed to be answered.

Light or dark... What did Merlin mean by that? Gah! This whole place speaks in riddles! Eldon thought. The orb in his necklace glowed brightly as the scenery began to change, turning from a cloudy grey to a pitch black. Hey! What's happening now? Where did the light go? Eldon couldn't see anything at first, but he then began to make out a landscape. It looked like Canterlot, but something was wrong. Shadows had engulfed the city, wreaking chaos and leaving destruction in its wake. He then saw an explosion come from within the castle and the very mountain itself, causing the city to crumble and slide down the mountain. "No... NO! This can't be true, it can't! I won't let this HAPPEN!"

"Cosmic... Cosmic... Cosmic!" a voice whispered. "Wake up!"

Eldon woke with a start. He could feel his body covered in sweat and was also very abnormally tense. He saw the concerned faces of the mane six, Spike, and a doctor who had just brought out his stethoscope gathered around him, all looking relieved that he finally opened his eyes. He finally relaxed and sighed.

"Twi-Twilight..." Eldon said hoarsely. "I just had the weirdest thing happen to me..."

"Eldon, your whole body was glowing white... you even said something about the One either being a force of good or evil... those words are from the very prophecy itself, and you haven't even seen it yet! ...Could you continue please?" Twilight asked.

"I saw Star Swirl, and Canterlot was under attack! Something about powerful magic within me... that my choices will change the future of Equestria forever."

"What are you trying to tell us sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Twilight looked at Eldon and then at Applejack. "He's trying to say that it's time for him to know more." Twilight turned to face the doctor. "Thank you for coming doctor, but I think our friend is going to be fine, just a scare was all."

"Are you sure about that? the doctor asked. "He isn't looking too good."

"I'm positive, thank you again for coming on such short notice," Twilight replied. The doctor bowed and he left the room, making his way down the stairs. "Now, I will notify Celestia of this immediately. For now you should get some rest Cosmic." Eldon nodded in agreement, and he felt his stomach rumble again. "Spike, start writing a letter as follows please." Spike quickly went over to a nearby cupboard and brought out some parchment, ink, and a quill. "Dear Princess Celestia..."

"Hey, before you begin telling Spike what to write Twilight, is it possible that I could have something to eat?" Eldon asked. Twilight just rolled her eyes while the others burst out laughing, and Eldon joined in too. It quickly died down though. "No, I actually mean it though, I'm starving!"

The Prophecy

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"...And please send a response right away," Twilight concluded. "I think that's everything Spike, were you able to write all of that down?"

Spike finished writing her last few words onto the letter and rolled it up. "Of course I did Twilight! I even made sure to double check it while you were still talking." He inhaled deeply and released a small burst of green flame that consumed the letter, causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. "There, the letter should arrive in no time!"

"Thank you Spike, I don't know what I would do without you. Now Cosmic, it's time that you learn about the—" Twilight stopped talking when she turned to face Eldon and her friends, only to discover that they had disappeared. "Um, Spike? Did you happen to see where they went?"

Spike began to giggle. He tried to hide it but failed to do so. "U- uh huh! While you were busy talking, I saw them sneak out. They were saying that they were going to get something to eat. I still can't believe that they were able to leave without you noticing!" Twilight was not amused, and Spike's giggling slowly faded away. "Uh, I'm sure they'll be back soon though. I think they went to Sugarcube Corner." He quickly looked down at his feet and avoided eye contact with her.

Twilight closed her eyes and sighed. "It's okay Spike, it's not your fault. Besides, Eldon did say he was hungry after all. Some food in his stomach will do him well, especially after what just happened to him."

Spike slowly looked back up at Twilight. "Sooooo... is it okay if I go with them?"

Twilight opened her eyes and smiled at her scaly little friend. "Of course Spike, just be sure to bring them back here soon. Who knows when we will get a response from Celestia?"

Spike ran over to Twilight and hugged her. "Thank you so much Twilight! I promise I won't let you down! We'll be back before you know it!" He ran out of the room without another word and Twilight heard him thump down the stairs until his footsteps faded away. She trotted over to the only window in the guest room that gave a clear view of Canterlot from where it was.

I hope Celestia responds soon. Eldon hasn't even been here a day and he is already beginning to show all the right signs. She turned away from the window and walked out of the room, making her way towards the upper reaches of the palace. She eventually reached the floor that her new library was located on that had a balcony exactly opposite to its entrance. Twilight pushed the door to the small library open and entered the room, letting the door close on its own behind her with a small thud.

The room was dark, but Twilight easily solved that problem by lighting the various candles throughout the room using her magic, her horn glowing as she did so. When all the candles had been lit, there was a sufficient amount of light that revealed two books lying closed on one of the tables. She walked over to them and looked down at the covers that she had seen so many times before.

The book on her left contained the writings of the Scholars of Lore, a group of ponies that devoted their lives to collecting and documenting Equestria's history, both past and present. It was in that very book that she discovered the prophecy, well, only part of it. A page had been ripped away, but Twilight didn't know who the culprit was or when it was committed.

The other book however, was one of the few things that survived Tirek's blast. It was Star Swirl's book of notes and experiments. Months ago it was she who finished what Celestia had told her was his final masterpiece, but Twilight discovered that Star Swirl not only had an interest in the Elements of Harmony, he had believed that there was a seventh one as well.

If anypony else had read his notes on the Elements, they would have thought Star Swirl had simply gone senile in his old age, but Twilight wasn't one to take his words lightly. There was a possibility of a seventh element. A seventh element! Twilight opened Star Swirl's book and flipped to a page she had bookmarked. She re-read Star Swirl's words to herself for the umpteenth time. She had lost count days ago.

It has been almost six hundred years worth of peace in the land since the end of the Chaos War, but those years are catching up to me. I am old, and I fear that I won't be alive for much longer, but I must discover the seventh element's whereabouts. So far I have only been able to discover who had stolen it from the Tree of Harmony, just to run into a dead end afterwards.

For all I know, the element could now be in the land of the Griffons, or tucked away in somepony's attic. It's curious though... Somepony would think that something as unique as the elements would be rendered useless if incomplete, but... there is something different about this one. When we used the Elements of Harmony for the first time, we only used the six that were found by Clover and they worked perfectly against HIM, so it seems they are able to function fine without it... but what would it be like if they were all together? Would I finally be able to...?

The entry abruptly stopped there and Twilight closed the book and sighed. If only Celestia would help me search for the missing element, because I haven't given up on the possibility... but perhaps Eldon might be able to help me instead, she thought. There's something... off about him though, and the orb that I used to bring him here keeps showing faint pulses of magic. But I'm sure that's just whatever was left of the magic I had to put into the spell... right?

Meanwhile, Eldon and the rest of Twilight's friends just turned onto the street that Sugarcube Corner was on when they heard a small voice coming from behind them.

"Hey guys! Wait up!" the voice shouted. They turned around to see who it was and saw Spike sprinting towards them as fast as his little legs could manage.

"Oh Spikey, I'm so glad that you were able to join us!" Rarity cried happily.

Spike finally reached the group when he suddenly dropped to the ground, breathing heavily. "Y-yeah! I'm glad that I- I could make it too!" Spike was trying to gulp in as much oxygen as he could. It was quite the distance he ran in such short time.

"Come on now y'all! The clock is tickin an I don't wanna miss out on Mr. and Mrs. Cake's delicious goods," Applejack said. "Here Spike, hop on my back and ah will carry you the rest of the way."

Spike slowly got up onto his feet and climbed onto Applejack's back. "Hey thanks Applejack, don't mind if I do."

"Ah don't mention it Spike. Anything for a friend of mine."

"So Cosmic, what was going on with you back there?" Rainbow Dash asked as the group continued to walk, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"To be honest, I... I don't really know Rainbow. One minute I'm talking to you, the next I wake up in a bed," Eldon replied and rubbed his still somewhat aching head. "My thoughts are still cloudy. Was there anything else that happened while I was out? Besides glowing white and mumbling like Twilight said?"

Rainbow Dash brought her hoof to her chin, recalling the events from only a few minutes ago. "Now that I think about it, besides glowing white and mumbling words, there was also something strange about the orb in your necklace. It changed to random colours before returning back to white, just as you woke up."

Random colours? That's interesting to hear... I've only ever seen this blasted thing as white, Eldon thought. "Was there anything else Rainbow?" Rainbow Dash shook her head, and Eldon then knew that he wasn't going to learn anything more about what had happened. I wish Star Swirl, or should I say, Merlin had told me at least something about this orb. Even after I had mentioned it he didn't even bother to talk about it. The longer I stay here, the more questions that pop into my head it seems. I hate having unanswered questions.

The group continued down the street in silence, except for Pinkie who bounced ahead of them, humming a happy little tune. It didn't take much longer to reach Sugarcube Corner and Eldon was already chewing his own tongue, having smelled the baked goods coming from within the shop before they were even halfway down the street. Pinkie opened the door and held it for them. A little bell went off at the same time which told the owners that the shop had customers.

They walked inside in a single file line and Eldon felt a warm heat wash over him as he stepped into the bakery. The smell of delicious baked goods had a stronger presence inside the shop, causing Eldon's mouth to water He was positive that the others were experiencing the same thing. Pinkie let the shop door close on its own behind her and noticed that there wasn't anypony at the counter.

"Oh! Mr. and Mrs. Cake probably didn't hear us! Excuse me everypony," Pinkie said and squeezed her way to the front. Another bell was on the counter and she tapped it with her hoof, causing it to make a tiny ding sound. "Ooo! I'll never get tired of ringing this! It's so much fun! Hey! We need some service please!"

She kept tapping the bell until Applejack pulled her away. "I think they heard us Pinkie, you don't have to ring the bell no more," Applejack said, trying to get the sound out of her ears.

"Okay! Hey, I think I hear somepony coming!" shouted. She was right. Less than five seconds had passed and a pony appeared from the back. Her face was a bright red from the heat of the kitchen.

"Oh, customers!" the pony said as she approached the counter. "Well this is a wonderful surprise! The heroes of Ponyville return to my shop, and no doubt you all must be hungry!" They all nodded in agreement, until she laid eyes on Eldon. "Oh hello! Is this another friend of yours Pinkie?"

Pinkie Pie started jumping up and down in excitement. "Oh yes Mrs. Cake! In fact we just met today! Cosmic said that he was hungry and what better place to bring him than Sugarcube Corner!"

Mrs. Cake extended a hoof towards Eldon from the opposite side of the counter. "Hello Cosmic! It's a pleasure to have you here in Ponyville. Any friend of Pinkie is a friend of mine!"

Eldon gently grabbed her hoof and shook her foreleg."And it's a pleasure to be here Mrs. Cake. If I recall, you said you own the shop?" Eldon asked.

Mrs. Cake brought her foreleg back out of Eldon's grasp and straightened her apron. "Yep! Well, I'm actually the co-owner of this fine establishment, alongside my husband, Mr. Cake. Now, what can I get all of you fine ponies?" Spike sat up and did a little cough. "Oh, and of course dragon." Spike laid back down on Applejack, content that he had been noticed.

Rarity approached the counter and stood between Eldon and Pinkie Pie. "We'll take half a dozen of your finest blueberry muffins plus one." Her horn began to glow and she opened up her very well crafted purse. Inside it were bits that she slowly started to count.

"Oh it's okay deary," Mrs. Cake said. "The muffins are on the house again! After all, you helped to save Ponyville from, well, total annihilation! Not to mention our shop!"

Rarity stopped counting and put her bits back into the purse. "Why, that's very generous of you Mrs. Cake! Thank you very much!"

"Yes, that is also very kind of you Mrs. Cake. Right everypony?" Fluttershy asked. The rest of them nodded in agreement.

"Oh it's the least I can do," Mrs. Cake said. Eldon thought she saw her blush, but couldn't tell if it was still the heat coming off of her face from being in the kitchen. She then gave Rarity a paper bag filled with freshly baked blueberry muffins. "Here are your muffins, I made them extra special this morning! Have a terrific day now everypony! And you too Spike!" Eldon's stomach rumbled again, knowing that food was just a few steps away.

"I know a great spot where we can eat these," Rainbow Dash said. "Over by the pond!"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Fluttershy replied. Eldon raised his hoof and waved it, getting Rainbow Dash's attention.

"What is it Cosmic? Did you have another idea?" Rainbow asked.

"What? Oh, no I do not. I just wanted to say that I agree as well, but um, where is this pond exactly?" Eldon asked.

"Just follow us Cosmic," Applejack replied "We'll get ya there in no time!"

Rainbow Dash nodded in agreement. "Uh yeah! What AJ said! Follow me everypony!" Rainbow flew out of the shop, soon followed by the rest of them. Fortunately they wouldn't have to travel too far, and all that Eldon could think of was biting down into one of those deliciously good looking muffins. It was a beautiful and sunny afternoon when they arrived at the pond, and they found a spot underneath the shade of an oak tree.

"Alright everypony! Let's dig in!" Pinkie said and looked over at Rarity.

"Spike, would you be a dear and pass these muffins out for me?" Rarity asked. She had noticed that Pinkie was staring at her.

"D- uh, s- sure Rarity! Anything for you..." Spike said dreamily. Rarity gave him the bag of muffins and he began to pass them out, handing one to each of them until there was just one left for himself. When Eldon received his muffin, he didn't waste any time and immediately chomped down on it. His eyes slowly widened as he chewed.

Holy... This muffin... This is the best muffin I've ever tasted! I can't even begin to describe how much better these are then the ones from home.Eldon thought and he swallowed. Home... I miss my home. He eagerly devoured the rest, thinking that he would still be hungry, but surprisingly he was full. Oof, I thought I would be able to eat dozens of those. They must be imbued with some sort of secret ingredient, because I'm stuffed!

Eldon watched the rest of the group enjoy their muffins when he suddenly heard Twilight's voice in his head, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin.

Eldon, you must return to the palace immediately, bring everypony else with you, Twilight said.

Jeez Twilight! Don't startle me like that! And you know, it's quite rude to intrude in someone else's thoughts without asking, Eldon replied with his own thoughts.

He heard an impatient sigh from the other side when Twilight spoke again. Okay, I'm sorry. But this is really important. I want to tell you about the prophecy, and what better time then now? Please hurry. She then withdrew from his thoughts just as he was about to reply.

Well, best not keep a princess waiting. The guard back in Canterlot definitely gave me some pretty solid advice. Best let the others know, Eldon thought. He cleared his throat loudly to gain everypony's attention.

"What is it that ya need Cosmic?" Applejack asked. "Aren't them muffins just tasty? Although, my apple muffins are definitely better in my opinion."

"Applejack, everyone, I need you to listen. Twilight wants us to return to the palace immediately, it's important," Eldon said. There was a sense of urgency in his tone.

Spike finished his muffin and face palmed. "Ah crud! We must have taken too long! Ohh, I hope she isn't mad with me!"

Applejack patted Spike gently on his back. "Don't you worry now Spike, I'm sure that Twilight ain't mad at you at all." Applejack raised her head and looked at the rest of them. "Well? What are we waitin for everypony? Let's go!" Eldon nodded in agreement and he began to gallop back the way they came. Applejack and everypony else followed closely behind.

"Hey, hey guys! Wait for me!" Spike shouted after them.

Rainbow Dash turned around and flew over to him. "Well? Don't just stand there Spike! Hop on!" Spike wiped his hands on the grass, making sure they weren't covered in crumbs before climbing up onto her back.

"Hey, thanks for coming back for me Rainbow," Spike said.

Rainbow Dash laughed. "That's what friends are for Spike. We stick together, no matter what!"

Twilight stood in the throne room chamber, waiting patiently for her friends and Eldon to arrive.

I hope Eldon is ready, Twilight thought. What I have to say is a very heavy burden, and he has already been told so much already. I'm afraid that if I say anything more, he'll have a nervous breakdown. She then shook her head and chuckled to herself. Don't be ridiculous Twilight, everything will be just fine... Her thoughts were interrupted when the front doors swung open, revealing Eldon at the front with her friends right behind him.

"Twilight! We came as soon as we could after hearing from Cosmic here," Applejack said.

Twilight smiled at the group as they approached. "While I do appreciate your hasty arrival, we don't have time to chit-chat here," Twilight's tone suddenly turned serious. "Quickly, follow me upstairs to the library!" Twilight turned around and began to climb up the spiralling staircase located on the far left wall of the room.

They followed her up the stairs past the guest bedroom and her bedroom until they finally reached the second last floor which the library was located on. She entered through the door and the rest of them went in afterwards. The door slowly closed behind them with a small thud.

Twilight made sure that they were all in there before she used her magic to seal the door and placed a pink barrier around the room. Eldon did a quick scan of the library, noting how it was strangely similar to Twilight's old library, but with much less books, seeing as most of them were destroyed by Tirek.

"Pardon me Twilight, but isn't sealing the door and placing a protective field around us a bit much? What could be so important that you need to tell us?" Rarity asked.

"The protective field is to prevent us from being heard by eavesdroppers Rarity. I assure you, we don't want whatever I'm saying to be heard by those who shouldn't know," Twilight replied. "As for what I'm about to say... it should be heard by all of you, especially you Cosmic."
Eldon's personal tour of the library was interrupted as he returned his attention to Twilight.

"Pardon Twilight? Did you just say my name?" Eldon asked.

Twilight slowly nodded. "Yes Cosmic, I did. I need your full attention, because this involves you. It's about... what I said in Canterlot earlier today."

Eldon took a step backwards as his eyes widened with surprise. "Surely you don't mean the... the prophecy? I haven't even been here a day, how can you be so sure that you are ready to tell me?" The others had confused looks on their faces, trying to grasp what the two were talking about.

"Hang on... what's this about a prophecy Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yes, I too would like to know Twilight," Rarity chimed in. The rest of them nodded in agreement and Twilight sighed.

"My friends... Equestria is in danger once again," Twilight said. Her voice had grown deathly quiet.

Rainbow Dash just laughed at her, finding it rather hard to believe that their home was being threatened once more. "Are you kidding me Twilight? How is Equestria in any danger? There hasn't been any problems for weeks ever since we kicked Tirek's rear back to Tartarus!"

Twilight rapidly shook her head. "No, you don't understand! Ever since we defeated Tirek, a strange darkness has taken hold of Equestria!" Why do you think I was gone all the time these past few weeks? It was because I was trying to help the other princesses sort out this problem. It's my duty to do so."

Applejack broke away from the group and slowly walked forwards until she stood in front of Twilight. "Twilight... you know that we are your best friends, just as you are for the rest of us, but you need to tell us what's going on. Why is Cosmic really here? And what in the hay have you been really up to?"

Twilight opened her mouth to reply, but instead she turned around and trotted over to a table that two books were on.

"Everypony gather round, and I'll tell you the truth and nothing but the truth," Twilight said. They crowded around the table as Twilight opened the book written by the Scholars of Lore. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves before she began to speak. "My friends, just days after Tirek was defeated, I was summoned to Canterlot by Celestia and Luna, who had also asked Cadance to come. Apparently they had been getting strange reports, ranging from disappearances to shadowy demons from citizens all over Equestria. We tried to hunt the source down, but we never came close to finding it. All we were able to do was calm the citizens and keep the peace." Applejack raised her hoof. "Yes Applejack? What is it that you need to say?"

"Ah just want to know how Cosmic is involved in all of this Twilight," Applejack said.

"Of course Applejack. Cosmic did not come to Canterlot to discuss teleportation, but was in fact guided there by Rainbow Dash herself, leading him directly to me," Twilight said. The others slowly turned their heads to look at Rainbow.

"What?" Rainbow asked. "I was just told to help a pony that had lost his way was all, I know as much as the rest of you."

"I had come across this very book I have opened here everypony three and a half weeks ago," Twilight continued. "Inside this very book is a prophecy, a prophecy that foretold the arrival of a one of great power that would help to combat the return of darkness in Equestria's hour of need."

"So you believe Cosmic is the one depicted in the prophecy?" Rarity asked and Twilight nodded her head again.

"Yes Rarity, it was I who crafted a spell that would bring the One here. By using Star Swirl's incomplete spell that focused on destiny, I was able to modify it again. The new spell allowed me to find the one related to the prophecy, and it brought Cosmic here in a flaming ball of fire, although I do not know from where. That very orb around his neck is what I had used the spell on as a test run, and it brought back him. When I met him, I thought that perhaps the spell didn't find the right pony, but I was wrong."

"Twilight, I think I'm... I think we're all ready to hear this prophecy now," Eldon said.

"Of course Eldon. Whatever power you showed while you were unconscious is the only evidence I have of you being the One, but I believe it to be sufficient. Listen carefully everypony," Twilight said. She flipped through the open book until she found the page that she was looking for. Twilight cleared her throat before she began to read the prophecy to them.

"A darkness once defeated shall make its return, revenge in his heart, wanting to watch our world burn. Equestria shall fall first, soon followed by the rest, our land shall plunge into its final rest. Chaos will reign supreme as harmony falls, the rest of the universe soon to be his thralls. But when all seems lost, the One will appear from the heavens above, the soul pure and heart full of love. A power within the One shall decide Equestria's fate, but if its soul is corrupted by darkness and heart filled with hate, then Equestria shall be no more. If the One succeeds in its quest, it shall be remembered forever more, as it—" Twilight suddenly stopped reading and closed the book with a sigh.

"Woah! Finish the rest Twilight!" Rainbow Dash said.

Twilight sadly shook her head. "I... I can't, because whatever else was there was ripped out before the book came into my possession. But do you see what this means everypony? How about you Cosm- Cosmic! What's going on with your eyes!?"

Eldon's eyes had begun to glow white, and he was levitating off the ground, but it passed as soon as it came and he collapsed to the ground. The orb had glowed brightly, but had now faded back to its previous state. Eldon groaned on the floor, causing Fluttershy to jump in fright.

"Ohhh... What happened everyone?" Eldon asked. "Is everyone okay?"

Twilight trotted over to him and helped Eldon to his hooves. "Everypony is alright Eldon. Are you okay though?" Eldon quickly checked himself for any damage but fortunately didn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Yeah... just sore is all," Eldon replied and noticed that Fluttershy trembled where she stood.

"S- so the prophecy said that the One will be able to save Equestria... b- but also destroy it? I don't like the sound of that at all!" she whispered in terror.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Fluttershy," Twilight said. "But it is a risk that I am willing to take."

Applejack confronted Eldon and eyed him up and down. "So Cosmic... do you believe that you are the One?"

"I- I don't know Applejack, everything has been just one wild ride since I got here—" Eldon was interrupted when Spike began to clutch his stomach and groaned in discomfort.

"Hey Spike, are you okay?" Rainbow asked. All of a sudden, Spike burped out a scroll that was sealed with the royal Canterlot symbol.

"Um, yeah I'll be fine, uh... delivery?" Spike said, looking embarrassed, especially since he had burped in front of Rarity. Twilight levitated the scroll and opened it. Her eyes widened as she continued to read. She closed it and let it float to the ground as she stepped backwards and fell onto a chair with a thud. Her friends were by her side in a flash.

"What's wrong Twi? What did the princesses say?" Applejack asked. Twilight was breathing heavily, trying to hold back tears.

"I- it was bad news," Twilight said. "Celestia's letter told me that... that the Crystal Empire has fallen, and Cadance is being held captive!" The room went deathly silent. The Crystal Empire? Fallen? It couldn't be possible! "She also said that it is the Changelings who had threatened to kill her if we were to do anything about it, and how Canterlot would be next!"

Rarity looked at her in bewilderment. "Even with the Crystal Heart they were unable to repel Changelings? Why, that doesn't make any sense at all!"

"Hey! Don't give up just yet Twilight! We can still protect Canterlot and make an offensive to rescue Cadance!" Rainbow Dash shouted confidently.

Twilight looked up at Rainbow and rose from the chair. A fire roared within her eyes. "You're right Rainbow Dash, we've been through too much before to just do nothing! Cadance and Canterlot need us once more!"

"That's the Twilight ah know!" Applejack shouted. "Come on everypony! Let's get to Canterlot as fast as we can and see what we can do to help!" Everypony cheered, all except for Eldon who stared out the library's only window.

"Girls... when was that letter written?" Eldon asked. The cheers died down as Twilight levitated the fallen letter back over to her.

"Why Cosmic? It says here that the letter was written... three hours ago?" Twilight looked back up at Eldon. "Cosmic, what are you looking at?"

Eldon stepped to the side and nodded towards the window. "Come take a look for yourself Twilight... you won't be pleased."

Twilight, being as curious as she was trotted over to the window, only to have a horrified expression appear on her face. "No... no! Canterlot! Celestia and Luna! My brother!"

Canterlot had been enveloped in a magenta coloured shield spell, which Twilight had immediately recognized as her brother's. A massive black cloud hovered over the city, and what looked like a hulking mass of shadows was slowly making its way up the mountain, inching ever closer to the royal city. Twilight watched in horror as the shield spell shattered and the cloud descended. Twilight turned away to look for Eldon, but he was nowhere to be found.

The Changeling's siege of Canterlot had already begun.

The Siege Of Canterlot

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Six hours before the siege

Shining Armor and Cadance were walking side by side to the train station when Shining heard the sound of hooves approaching from behind them. No sooner had he heard them when Twilight suddenly galloped past him and Cadance.

"Hi Shining! Cadance! Can't talk now! Train! Bye!" she shouted at them as she passed. Spike was on her back and he waved at the couple as he passed. Shining Armor and Cadance did the same in return.

Twilight was soon followed by another pony which Shining Armor and Cadance both recognized as the newcomer, Eldon. He remained silent as he too passed them, trying his hardest to keep up with Twilight.

"You know Shining, I find something rather odd about that Unicorn, but there is no denying that he is quite the stunner..." Cadance said.

Shining Armor just stared at her. "And what's that supposed to mean?" There was a hint of suspicion in his voice.

Cadance laughed and bumped her hoof against his shoulder. "Oh come on Shining! You don't have to be so serious all the time! Besides, I was just joking around, I would never leave you for some other pony, you're my Shining Armor after all."

Shining Armor massaged his shoulder and chuckled sheepishly. "Yeah... you're right Cadance. I am aren't I?" Cadance leaned her head against his shoulder and Shining Armor smiled.

"It's such a beautiful day Shining... I wish you were returning with me to the Crystal Empire as well," Cadance said softly.

"I know Cadance, I wish I was too, but Celestia asked me to train some recruits here. It shouldn't take long though, II promise you that I'll be back before you know it," Shining replied.

The two continued down the street in silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's company. They reached the train station just as the train to Ponyville began to pull away. The train to the Crystal Empire arrived on the other set of tracks shortly after.

"Well, I guess it's time you got on your train Cadance."

Cadance lifted her head from his shoulder and sighed. "Already? Well... I guess I'll see you again soon Shining, don't do anything dangerous while you're here okay?"

"I promise, but it's you that I'm more worried about," Shining replied. He moved closer to her and gave Cadance a quick kiss on her cheek. "I love you Cadance."

Cadance kissed Shining in return and hugged him. She didn't want to let him go, she wanted him to be by her side, but her people needed their princess. "I love you too Shining." She unwrapped her forelegs from around him and boarded the train. She turned around in time to see Shining Armor waving goodbye. She smiled in return just as the doors closed and the train pulled away. Shining Armor continued to wave until the train disappeared into the nearby tunnel.

Stay safe Cadance... he thought. He stepped off the train platform and walked back the way he and Cadance had come from. It didn't take very long for him to return to the castle. Guards saluted him as he walked past them while he made his way towards the barracks. The barracks was a building that was constructed next to the castle with a large field behind it. It was the perfect place for running drills. Time to meet the fresh recruits, let me see what they got.

Shining Armor opened the doors to the barracks to see that everypony was either sleeping or fooling around. Oh Celestia... help me. He coughed loudly in an attempt to get their attention but with no luck. He had to try something else. "Everypony! Stand at attention! Now!" He only gained the attention of a few of the ones closest to him. They immediately rushed to the front where they stood before him and saluted. "You might want to cover your ears," he told them and he brought out a whistle.

He inhaled deeply before he blew into the whistle, causing a high pitched ringing throughout the barracks. The ringing immediately woke up those in their beds and made the room fall silent as the ponies looked for the source of the noise. When their eyes fell on Shining, they immediately scrambled to the front, pushing and shoving each other until they all at last stood at attention.

Shining Armor shook his head in disgust. "That was awful, just awful! I'm not using my precious time to babysit a bunch of foals am I?" The recruits remained silent and Shining Armor began to pace up and down the line. "I am General Shining Armor. You either address me as sir or general. Anything else will be ignored. Do you understand?"

"Sir yes sir!" the recruits replied.

"Good, now I apologize for the late start, but I had other important matters to attend to. Now that I'm here, we can begin our training. We'll start in the back field today and I'll be testing your endurance. Understand?" Shining Armor asked.

"Yes general!" the recruits shouted in unison.

Shining Armor nodded in approval. "Excellent, now everypony, move out!" He exited the barracks and was soon followed by the recruits. They trotted down the left side of the barracks until they reached the field. A gentle gust of wind blew across the field, causing the grass to gently sway. "Alright recruits, I want you to get into rows of eight so that I may begin the roll call. Get to it!"

The recruits quickly assembled into position since none of them wanted to feel their superior's wrath. Shining Armor reached inside his military jacket and brought out a scroll that had the names of all the ponies that should be present currently. He unrolled the scroll and began to call out names.

"Acorn Maples!"

"Present!" a mare Earth pony replied.

"Bronze Cloud!" Shining yelled.

"Here!" a Pegasus stallion replied. "Sir, permission to tell you something sir!"

Shining Armor looked up from the scroll to see that the Pegasus was standing in front of him. "Go ahead recruit, but make it quick, I have planned a short test for today." The one known as Bronze Cloud nodded, and Shining Armor noticed that his name definitely stuck true to the colour of the Pegasus' coat, which was a shimmering bronze.

"Sir, do you know my father, Iron Cloud? He is the Captain of the Cloudsdale Guard," Bronze said.

"Hmm... yes, I believe I do, he is a rather nice fellow. It's a pleasure to see his son following in his hoofsteps," Shining Armor replied. "But you must return to position, I need to finish the roll call."

Bronze Cloud nodded as he returned to his position. "Of course sir! Thank you for your time sir!" Shining Armor quickly finished calling out the names. He was glad to know that everypony was present before he rolled up the scroll and tucked it away.

"Alright recruits, we will start nice and slow, by having you gallop around the field for as long as you can! Go!" Shining Armor shouted. The recruits fell into a single file line and they began to make their way around the field. Remember, it's to help build their endurance, who knows how long they'll need to last for?

After about an hour had passed, Shining Armor blew his whistle. Many of the recruits had already collapsed to the ground in exhaustion. Only a select few had made it to the one hour mark, such as Bronze Cloud.

"Good job recruits, especially to those who are still standing. Please return to your quarters in the barracks and rest, you have all more than earned it," Shining said. The recruits who had fallen slowly stood up and they helped each other walk back to the entrance of the barracks. Shining Armor picked up his clipboard and wrote down a little note. Now that's done for today, let's see if the princesses require any assistance.

He quickly gathered up his gear and left the field.

Five hours before the siege

Shining Armor slowly walked down the throne room. He was taking his time to observe the mosaics as he walked past them.

I've been in this room many times before, he thought. But I've never actually taken the time to look at these! He saw one which depicted Celestia and Luna battling Discord and sealing him in stone for the first time. Huh, he definitely deserved that, I'm still surprised that he's allowed to roam freely after all the crimes he has committed. Further down the hall he noticed a familiar face. Hey! That's Twily and her friends when they battled Nightmare Moon with the Elements of Harmony for the very first time! My little sis, who knew she would represent the Element of Magic someday?

As he continued walking, he saw many more recent events, such as Spike saving the Crystal Empire and Twilight's coronation. Near the end of the mosaics, he saw one that caught his eye. The mosaic was of his sister facing against the powerful Lord Tirek, the Thief of Magic.

That was a most terrible day. If it weren't for Twilight and her friends, Equestria would have been doomed. He turned his head towards the throne and noticed that neither of the sisters were there. Huh, that's strange. Usually at least one of them is here, I must have been too busy looking at the mosaics. With a shrug, he turned around and began to return to his quarters when he bumped into somepony. "Oh, excuse me, I must not have been looking where I was go—" he stopped when he realized who he had bumped into. "Princess Celestia! A thousand apologies!"

Shining Armor had no idea how he didn't hear her come up from behind him without making a sound. Did she really walk with such grace that nopony could hear her? Or was it something else?

"It's quite alright Shining Armor, how fared your first day with the new recruits?" Celestia asked.

Shining Armour straightened himself up to his full height. "It, er... got off to quite the slow start your highness, but once they got moving, it was smooth sailing from there. So yes, day one was a huge success! I'm looking forward to tomorrow when I can test their ability to work together."

Celestia gave him a warm smile. "It's good to hear that you and the recruits are enjoying themselves. After all, the future safety of Equestria depends on them! You look exhausted though Shining Armor, perhaps you should rest?" Shining Armor knew she was right, he was exhausted. Perhaps a small nap would do him some good. He nodded in response and Celestia continued down the hall towards the throne. "Rest well general."

Shining Armor returned to the throne room's entrance and made a sharp left, heading to the guest quarters. He entered the room that was given to him by Celestia where he took off his jacket and hung it up on the nearby coat rack. He did a few stretches, hearing some cracks before he hopped onto the bed and made himself comfortable. It wasn't long until he was fast asleep.

Three hours before the siege

Shining Armor tossed and turned in his bed as a horrific nightmare plagued his dreams. Suddenly, there was a knock on his door and he woke upright with a start.

"Cadance!" Shining yelled. His whole body was covered in sweat and he was... crying? He quickly dried the tears away with his magic and went to answer the door. When he opened it, it was none other than Princess Luna herself. "Your highness! What brings you to my quarters?"

"Come with me," Luna replied. She didn't say anything else as she began to walk down the hall. Shining Armor quickly grabbed his jacket off of the coat rack and threw it on. He left his room and closed the door behind him before he galloped to catch up to her. It didn't take him long to figure out that they were heading towards the throne room.

When they entered the room, Shining Armor saw that Celestia was in a state of rage. She was stamping her hooves and blasting at the various banners placed throughout the room. Her wrath was a terrible sight to behold. This was not the kind and caring princess everypony saw daily. Shining Armor couldn't help but wonder how little he really knew about her.

"Sister, the general is here," Luna said. She was strangely calm when she looked at how her sister was behaving. Celestia perormed one final blast, disintegrating the last banner that was hung.

She took one deep breath and focused on Shining Armor. "General, good, you are awake at last."

Shining Armor bowed before her. "What is it that you need Celestia?" Celestia and Luna both looked at each other and Luna nodded.

"There's... nothing that I need Shining, but I have... I have some grim news," Celestia said. Shining Armor's ears pricked up at the mention of grim news.

"Grim news?" he asked. "What has happened? Is everything okay?"

Celestia shook her head which caused Shining's heart to race. "No Shining, while you were sleeping, we received an anonymous package... a package we quickly found out was sent by the Changelings."

"Changelings? Why would they possibly want to send us a package? How do you even know it's from them?" Shining Armor asked.

"Because Shining Armor, they left... they left a note, along with... something else," Celestia said quietly. Her horn glowed yellow and she levitated a box that was next to the throne, along with the note that came with it towards Shining Armor. "The note was written by Queen Chrysalis herself Shining. It wasn't very pleasant to read, and her gift even less so."

Shining Armor levitated the note in front of him and he began to read it out loud. "To the fools of Canterlot. You haven't forgotten about us, have you? That dreadful thing you call a wedding was merely... let's say a set back. We've been preparing ourselves, growing stronger in number each day, and this time, I've decided to bring with me a very special friend. Oh yes, a very special friend indeed. Your dear Cadance is being held as my prisoner as well. There will be no interferences this time. Your precious Crystal Empire has already fallen and Canterlot shall be next! You ponies have something I... I mean, something the master needs. Ta ta for now. P.S. Enjoy the gift I sent you, I went to a lot of trouble to obtain it."

Shining Armor began to shake his head in disbelief. "No... no! That's not possible! Cadance... what has happened to her!? What about the Crystal Heart!?"

"You must calm down Shining, your wife is being held captive by the Changelings," Celestia replied. "If they didn't have any use for her, they would have disposed of her already." Shining Armor closed his eyes and breathed deeply. He felt very shaken about what he had just read. When he opened his eyes again, he opened the box on the ground, only to be met with a gruesome sight. A single ear, torn off from one of the many guards that pledged their lives to defend the Crystal Empire.

Shining Armor quickly looked away and closed the box. He suddenly felt very queasy. "Those... those monsters!"

Celestia sadly nodded her head. "Yes... this is indeed a tragic and unexpected blow to Equestria. I shall write a letter to Twilight informing her of these events immediately, she has the right to know." Luna levitated a bottle of ink along with a quill and some parchment over to Celestia, having conjured it out of thin air. "Thank you Luna, I'll take it from here." Luna ceased levitating the items, only to have Celestia catch them with her own magic barely a second later. "Let's see here... dear Twilight..."

She began to write out the rest of the letter quickly, giving Twilight a brief summary of what had transpired. When she was content with it, she rolled it up and sent it off. The letter glowed brightly before it vanished without a trace. "There, now hopefully Twilight will receive it immediately."

But Celestia was wrong. Little did she know that a disturbance had appeared within the realm of magic, preventing the letter from arriving to Twilight for another three hours. Fortunately, the letter that Twilight had sent was able to make it through in time, and it appeared with a burst of sparks at Celestia's hooves.

"A response already? That was rather fast of her," Luna said, surprised at the rolled up piece of parchment on the ground. "Well sister? Don't waste any time, open it!" Celestia opened the scroll and quickly scanned it, her eyes widening as she did so.

"Sister, you have to see this," Celestia whispered. The letter floated over to Luna where she could read it. Her eyes also widened at the words that were written on it.

"Celestia... she hasn't received your letter yet it looks like, but she has believed she made a break through with Eldon! Do you know what this means if she is right?"

"Yes Luna, I do. It means that he might be ready to learn more. But first..." Celestia paused before she turned to face Shining Armor. "First, Shining Armor, you must ready the Royal Guard and prepare the city's defenses. We don't know when the Changelings will strike, but when they do, we shall be ready for it."

Shining Armor gave Celestia a calm salute. "As you wish your highness." He levitated the box and brought it with him on his way out. He intended to give the ear a proper burial first before he left to prepare the guards and the city.

"Sister, we must ascend to the hidden room," Celestia said. "We have an item of importance that Eldon will require if he does prove to be the One, we have to take a chance, just like Twilight did." Luna nodded and they too left the throne room, turning right down the hall and making their way towards the staircase that led to the upper reaches of the castle.

One hour before the siege

Shining Armor was back at the field behind the barracks. He had given the order to a couple of guards to gather up every able bodied member of the military and to meet him there. The order spread like wild fire and within an hour, Canterlot's Royal Guard was gathered all in one place, talking amongst themselves to pass the time. Shining Armor estimated that he had around two thousand of them at his disposal. Deciding that they were ready, he blew into his whistle which immediately gained their attention.

"Thank you everypony for coming on such short notice. Recently, Canterlot has been threatened by an old enemy of ours," he said and paused for effect. "The Changelings." Multiple gasps came from the gathered group and they began to talk again, but Shining Armor quickly silenced them by raising his hoof. "Yes everypony, my words are true. I don't know when the Changelings will strike, but we must prepare ourselves in case a siege occurs. I'll need four groups to spread throughout the city, one group for each cardinal direction. Where is the E.U.P Guard? May I have them come up here please?" A group of about fifty ponies, consisting of Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies alike made their way to the front. "Everypony, the E.U.P Guard will be with me to defend the castle. As for the rest of you, make sure the civilians stay inside their homes and have them barricade their windows and doors. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes general!" the group said in unison and they saluted.

Shining Armor returned the salute to them. "Then move out to your positions! We must not fail this city!" He quickly turned to face the members of the E.U.P Guard. "As for the rest of you, follow me to the castle, there are some fortifications I have to put up still."

One of the ponies in the group nodded. "Of course sir, lead the way," the mare said. Shining Armor left the field and walked to the castle entrance and went inside. The E.U.P Guard followed him inside shortly after.

"Alright everypony, I want you to all spread out in groups of four. If you see anything suspicious, either fight it or get some assistance from the others, understand?" Shining asked. The E.U.P members nodded. "Good, I'll be in the throne room channelling the shield spell, if anything happens, report to me immediately."

The E.U.P Guard quickly formed into groups and left for various sections of the castle. Shining Armor left for the throne room, leaving four of the guards to protect the main doorway. In the throne room, Shining Armor closed his eyes and began to concentrate his magic. His horn began to spark and he projected a beam straight up that went through the ceiling and into the sky above.

Shining Armor looked out one of the windows that hadn't been converted to a mosaic to see his magenta coloured shield spell envelop the city. Content with his creation, he slowly began to charge it, increasing its durability and strength.

He hoped they still had time.

Present

An E.U.P Guard suddenly barged into the throne room.

"General! Canterlot is under attack!" the guard shouted. Shining Armor had just finished checking that the shield spell was running at maximum power before he turned to face the guard.

"So soon? Blast! Make sure that the princesses are safe. Tell the other groups to guard them with your lives!" Shining Armor commanded

The guard saluted. "I won't let you down general!" The guard galloped away to alert everypony else, the doors slamming shut behind him. Shining Armor walked over to one of the castle's windows to get a clear view of the situation. He didn't like what he saw. Changelings swarmed all over his shield, looking for a way to slip through its defenses. Memories of the wedding fiasco flooded his mind. He wasn't going to let it happen again

It was only a matter of time before they showed their ugly faces again, but how were they able to get so close to the city without being detected? I sense something wrong he— His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a faint boom coming from outside the castle. All of a sudden, he noticed that his shield spell was flickering and did his best to recharge it. BOOM! The sound was louder now, and the vibration that followed caused Shining Armor to fall and break his concentration.

As he struggled to regain his composure, another loud BOOM shook Canterlot's foundations. The shield spell was flickering dangerously at this point and the castle windows and walls were beginning to crack. Shining Armor managed to steady himself. He was ready for another boom if there was one. Suddenly, one final BOOM came, causing the shield to finally disappear and shattering the throne room's entrance.

"In Celestia's name!" Shining Armor looked towards the remains of the shattered doors and squinted. "Who goes there!?" His ears pricked up as he heard wicked laughter coming from the entrance. When the smoke cleared, it revealed the perpetrator of this whole fiasco. It was none other than Chrysalis, the Queen of the Changelings.

"Hello Shining Armor, did you miss me?" she asked.

Twilight's Palace

"Cosmic! Where's Cosmic!?" Twilight yelled. Her friends looked over to see Twilight in a state of panic. "First the Crystal Empire, Canterlot is under siege, and now this! Ugh!"

"There is only one thing we can do Twilight, we gotta help 'em!" Applejack began to head towards the door to the library. "Ah will start roundin up the townsfolk, who else wants to help?"

"We all will!" the others except for Twilight shouted in unison.

Twilight stomped her hoof on the ground. "No! It's far too dangerous! We'd be putting too many pony lives at stake and we would never make it there in time. Only we should go and help, but first we have to find El- Cosmic."

"Oh, I can answer that question!" Pinkie shouted. For some reason she was balancing two books on her nose. "I saw him leave while you were looking through the window!"

"And ya couldn't have told us this before Twilight began to panic?" Applejack asked.

"I guess I could have Applejack, sorry about that," Pinkie said. "He just went outside to the balcony I believe, yes indeedy!" The group galloped to the door and opened it to find that Eldon was directly across from them on the balcony, watching the city from where he was. "Hey, wait for me everypony!"

My dream... it's happening for real... I never believed it would actually be true, Eldon thought as the others gathered around him.

Applejack gently nudged Eldon's shoulder. "Hey Cosmic, we gotta hoof it over there now if we want to help!" Eldon nodded his head and continued to stare at the chaotic spectacle before him. Something inside him began to stir, something that had laid dormant for many years.

The orb was shining a brilliant white.

Canterlot Castle

"It's been a rather long time Shining, how are you doing?" Chrysalis asked sarcastically.

"Chrysalis! Why are you here in Canterlot? Why are you doing this?" Shining Armor shouted and gritted his teeth. "What have you done with Cadance?"

Chrysalis simply threw her head back and laughed. "Don't worry Shining Armor, Cadance is safe with us... as for why I'm here, Canterlot has something I require, something that'll help bring the master into this cursed world! Now if you'll excuse me, I have some catching up to do with your other precious princesses. Just step aside Shiny, you stand no chance."

"You won't lay one hoof on them you fiend!" Shining Armor shouted angrily as he snorted and stamped his hooves.

King Sombra? But he was defeated! Destroyed! Oh no… this is bad! Shining Armor thought. Darkness began to form behind Chrysalis, revealing the shadowy face of the evil king. Shining Armour rose to his full height, his horn blazing magenta with magical energy. He wasn't about to go down without a fight.

The shadowy king laughed at the sight. "You... I remember you. A bold Unicorn you are, but I'm afraid that you'll be no match against me!"

"We'll see about that!" Shining Armor shouted and began to blast Sombra with beams of magical energy.

The King laughed as he dodged each shot with ease. "Such a weak Unicorn! And to think we had actually thought this was going to be somewhat difficult! Now it's my turn, prepare to meet your end pony, you won't escape like last time," Shadowy tendrils suddenly erupted from his mouth and raced towards Shining.

Shining Armour threw up a shield in time just as the shadows washed over and enveloped the shield. It took every ounce of his strength to keep the shield up, but he began to weaken as Sombra's shadows increased the pressure against the shield. His horn's glow began to flicker as Sombra's dark magic slowly began to creep through his shield's defenses.

At last when Shining Armor was about to collapse, Celestia and Luna came crashing through one of the windows. They both emitted a yellow and blue light from their horns towards Shining Armor which caused the shadows to disperse. Shining Armor witnessed the two sisters preparing to battle and he collapsed, having fallen unconscious from withstanding the dark magic. Celestia quickly levitated him out of harms way and onto her back.

"Ah, so the two princesses finally decide to appear, how convenient," Chrysalis said. "But no matter, as soon as we deal with you, we shall take what we require!"

Celestia and Luna planted their hooves firmly on the ground. "What you are seeking is far away from here!" Celestia shouted, "You'll never lay your hooves on him, I won't let you!"

"Oh, but you will Celestia, it has been a long... long time," Sombra rumbled.

"Sombra...? But that's impossible! You were destroyed!" Celestia yelled. Deep inside her though, there was a part of her that kept on insisting that Sombra was still alive after the events at the Crystal Empire, but she fought against it. How wrong she was.

"No, you can never destroy me! For I, Sombra, am eternal!" he yelled. "I will continue to live forever, and I shall laugh as I force both of you to watch your precious city burn to the ground, with both of you as fuel for the fire!"

"I don't think so Sombra," Luna said. "Let's end this intrusion. Now Sis?"

Celestia closed her eyes and nodded. "Now!" Celestia opened her eyes and they began to channel their power. The two sisters merged their beams into one and fired at Sombra, but he dodged it with ease. It hit an unsuspecting Chrysalis instead.

"Agh!" Chrysalis hissed through clenched teeth, the combined magic having burned a hole into her shoulder. She struggled to stay up, but the princesses wasted no time in firing another beam, this time striking her in the leg and causing her to tumble onto the ground. "Sombra! Don't just float there! Kill them!" Sombra moved towards them, causing the sisters to slowly back up. They continued to fire beams but they just passed through Sombra harmlessly.

"Sister! Our regular magic isn't connecting! How is this possible!?" Luna yelled.

"It is because he is made of shadow!" Celestia replied and she launched a flaming orb at Sombra. The orb surprisingly connected, causing Sombra to reel back and roar in pain.

"Ugh! Get your filthy hooves off of me! Chrysalis yelled. Sombra turned around to find that the E.U.P Guards had arrived and they were holding Chrysalis captive.

"It's over Sombra! You may have taken the Crystal Empire, but you nor your army aren't powerful enough to defeat us!" Celestia shouted.

Sombra simply started to laugh at them. "Oh no Celestia, you haven't even seen our true power, but if you won't give us what we desire, then watch as your pathetic city smashes into the ground below!" Sombra spun around, spraying shadows as he did so and hovered over to Chrysalis. "Goodbye princesses, it was a pleasure being here."

Suddenly the shadows vanished, leaving no sign of Sombra or Chrysalis anywhere, just a few E.U.P Guards strangling each other until they realized they weren't holding Chrysalis anymore.

Luna looked over at Celestia and smiled, relieved that they were able to beat the villains back. "Sister, we did it! They have retreated!" Suddenly, they heard a loud cracking sound which caused the ground to shift and the sisters to stumble about.

"No, we are not finished yet. There are still Changelings in the city and Sombra thinks he can destroy Canterlot's foundations," Celestia said. "It's unfortunate for him that an enchantment resides in the foundations that even he can't break. We should evict the city of any remaining Changelings immedi—" Celestia was interrupted by another loud crack. All of a sudden, the entire building and Canterlot itself began to tilt ever so slightly. "Impossible... he broke the enchantment!"

"Sister, what can we do?" Luna asked.

Celestia gently lowered Shining Armor onto the ground and unfurled her wings. "We must slow the city's descent before it collides with the ground!" Luna nodded in agreement with her sister and unfurled her wings as well. They flew through the shattered castle window until they were a good enough distance away from the city. Their horns began to glow and the city became enveloped in their blue and yellow magic, using whatever energy they had left to slow the city's fall, but it just wasn't enough.

Meanwhile, the E.U.P Guards rushed over to their general to find that he was slowly waking up.

"Wh- what happened? Where is Chrysalis? Where is Sombra!?" Shining shouted as an orange Earth pony approached him.

"Sir, they have fled, although there are still Changelings remaining in the city," the pony replied. Shining Armor suddenly heard a loud grinding sound. It felt as if the whole castle was moving.

"What's happening to the castle?" Shining stood up, but it was clear that something was wrong. The floor wasn't even but rather... tilted?

"Not just the castle sir, all of Canterlot. The villain, Sombra, he broke an enchantment that supported the city, and now it's falling. With all due respect, we need to fight whatever Changelings remain," the pony said.

Shining Armor nodded in agreement. "Of course, you are absolutely right. Falling city or not, let's buck the scum back to where they came from!"

Twilight's Palace

"Come on y'all, we've stayed here fer too long! We gotta get our rear ends over there before it's too late!" Applejack shouted. All of a sudden, they watched as bright colours flashed from inside the castle.

"That's Celestia's and Luna's magic," Twilight said."I recognize the colours, they are fighting whoever is there!" They heard a loud crack be emitted from Canterlot, followed shortly after by another one. Everypony gasped at what they saw next. Canterlot had begun to slide down the side of the mountain. They saw two tiny figures shoot their magic to try and stop the city's descent, but it was of little use.

Applejack rubbed her eyes. She wanted to make sure they weren't playing tricks on her. "Holy hay fries in a needle stack! The city is falling!"

They stared at the sight, watching as one of their most beloved cities slowly descended to its doom. Twilight couldn't turn her gaze away from the sight until she felt something tap her from behind. She turned around and saw Eldon there who was struggling to remove his necklace.

"Wait, weren't you just standing in front of us Eldon?" Twilight asked.

"Twi- Twilight! Help me! This necklace is pulling on me and the orb is brighter than I've ever seen it!" Eldon shouted as he gasped for breath.

"Okay, okay, just hang on Cosmic, let me see what happens if I try to touch it..." As soon as Twilight touched the orb, it began to pulse rapidly and it lifted Eldon up and over the side of the balcony and onto the ground below.

"Twilight!" Eldon shouted. "You must help the other princesses! Ahhhhgghh..." His voice faded in the distance as the necklace began to pull him towards the falling city, leaving a blue and white trail in his wake.

"What in the hay is happening to him?" Applejack asked

"I don't know, but that sure looked like fun!" Pinkie said as Twilight began to flap her wings until she hovered off of the ground.

"Twilight dear! Where are you going?" Rarity asked.

Twilight looked at her friends. Her eyes were filled with worry. "To help save Canterlot. The rest of you can come too, but you must hurry." Rarity opened her mouth to respond, but thought better of it and nodded.

"I'm going with you Twilight, even if I can't stop the city with magic, I can still protect you and the other princesses," Rainbow Dash said.

"Fine, let's go then, Celestia and Luna need us!" Twilight launched herself off of the balcony and flew towards the falling city with Rainbow Dash close behind.

"We'll get there as soon as we can Twi!" Applejack shouted after them.

"Um, perhaps we can use the trail that Cosmic made?" Fluttershy suggested. "It looks like he accidentally made a short-cut for us."

"Then follow him we will. Ah am curious about what's going on with him right now though, that was all very... sudden," Applejack said. The others nodded in agreement and they began to make their way down the stairs. They hoped that they would be able to arrive in time to help save Canterlot. Spike was still staring at the chaotic spectacle before him when he realized that he was alone.

"Hey! Where did everypony go? Wait for me guys!" he shouted and ran down the stairs, desperate to catch up to them in time.

Canterlot

Shining Armor and the rest of the E.U.P Guard galloped through the city. They dodged open flames and climbed over the fallen and wounded bodies of friend and foe alike.

The Changelings have never been this vicious before. I hope the civilians are doing okay, Shining thought. So much destruction and death... this is a dark chapter in Equestria's history for sure. He levitated to him a spear from one of the fallen guards and they continued their search of the city.

It wasn't long until they heard the sounds of a major battle happening between the two forces. Their side had set up various wagons to stall the Changeling onslaught, but it only impaired the ones that they were able to ground, since most if not all Changelings could fly.

One of the guards noticed them and he rushed over. "General! The Changelings have us pinned down! Thank Celestia you're here though, and with the E.U.P Guard too!" Shining armor noticed that the guard was covered in green blood stains and he had open wounds of his own.

Shining Armor placed a hoof on the guard's shoulder. "Let's show these vermin that they've infested the wrong city! Everypony! To me! Charge!" Shining Armor rallied whatever guards were left and they made their way through the wagons, only to clash with the Changelings who were waiting on the other side. "Pegasus ponies! To the sky! Protect our heads!"

The sky was quickly filled with those who could fly, leaving those on the ground feeling less exposed. With one quick thrust of his spear, Shining Armor impaled a Changeling though the gut before he quickly shook it off and dodged a swipe from another one's razor sharp hooves... or what looked like hooves anyway.

"This is for Canterlot!" Shining Armor shouted, bucking a Changeling that had charged at him. He sent it flying into the swinging blade of another guard, slicing through its exoskeleton and fatally wounding it. "This is for the lives you stole!" He knocked one over with his spear, only to watch it be crushed by an onslaught of hooves afterwards. "And this..." He spun around as he swung his spear. Anything that moved close to him would meet a most unfortunate end. "...is for taking my wife!" He felt his swing crunch through the neck of a Changeling and he watched as it crumpled to the ground, but for every Changeling they killed, only another one took its place. "Keep pushing everypony! We can beat them back!"

An armored Changeling suddenly made its way past the Pegasi in the sky and dived at Shining Armor, slicing his shoulder before crashing to the ground. Shining Armor grunted in pain and looked at the open wound. It didn't look too bad, but it was still very painful. The Changeling laughed at him as he rose from the ground.

"Well... if it isssn't Shining Armor, Equessstria'sss general. How do you like that wound on your shoulder?" Shining Armor looked at the wound again only to find it that it had began to bleed a little bit, staining his jacket.

"Tis but a flesh wound Changeling scum! You'll have to do better than that!" Shining Armor shouted.

The Changeling hissed angrily at him. Its spittle splattered across Shining's face. "With pleasure... let it be known that Ssslyclaw, the Queen's second-in-command, killed the great Shining Armor!" The Changeling charged at him and Shining Armor barely dodged Slyclaw's attack, when suddenly a high pitched wailing was heard across the whole city.

Shining noticed that the Changelings had immediately stopped what they were doing and began to fly towards the source. Even Slyclaw acted as if Shining wasn't there anymore, although he noticed that Slyclaw tried to resist it.

"They're... they're retreating! The day is ours everypony!" Shining shouted The guards that were still alive cheered at the announcement. Red and green blood was splattered everywhere and the cut Slyclaw had given Shining had also cut through his uniform. Great, now I'll have to get it patched up, right after I see a doctor of course. He watched as the Changelings vanished into the clouds when something tapped him from behind. He turned around to see a guard standing there. "Yes soldier? What is it?"

"Sir! The city is still falling! What shall we do?" the guard asked.

Shining Armor hung his head and sighed. "The only thing we can do soldier. Hope the princesses will be able to save those who can't escape."

Canterlot Fields

The necklace continued to drag him across the ground until Eldon at last arrived at the Canterlot Fields, which was a reasonable size of land just located at the base of the mountain underneath the city itself. Eldon slowly got up from the ground and brushed away the dirt he had accumulated.

He looked at the orb as he held it with his hoof. "Alright, just what the heck is going on with this thing!"

He looked up and saw that the city was slowly getting closer and closer to the ground, gaining speed and becoming increasingly louder as rock grinded against rock. The princesses were throwing all the slowing spells they had at it, but were quickly becoming very exhausted. Eldon sat down on the ground and stared at the orb.

I wish I could be of some help... I feel so useless! I'm not the One... just a regular guy that got caught up in this mess... Eldon sighed as he looked up at the falling city. "Merlin believes I'm the One... Twilight believes I'm the One... but how? Come on you stupid orb, show me!" He shook the orb and it felt warm to his touch. It was a rather pleasant feeling when Eldon suddenly recalled Merlin's words.

You have a strong magic in you Eldon and it is located right... Eldon remembered and pressed his hoof to his heart. Perhaps... if I believed too... yes, I know what must be done... He stood up, still holding his hoof against where he felt his heart beating and inhaled deeply before he shouted to the world. "I'm Eldon Field! And I won't let this city FALL!"

The orb in his necklace suddenly changed from white to a bright blue. Sparks began to pour from it, spreading out all over his body. When the sparks reached his heart, Eldon felt a sudden change, as if someone had just unblocked a dam after years worth of build-up. He closed his eyes as he let the new sensation wash over him... and it felt amazing.

Gain their trust... unlock your power... a voice in his mind whispered, but Eldon was too busy with himself to notice it. Eldon could feel his body changing, morphing, expanding, and shrinking. When he opened his eyes, he noticed that his arms and legs were stretched out and that he was still on the ground, but the important thing he noticed was that he wasn't an equine anymore.

He shouted with joy as he clenched and unclenched his hands, bending each and every finger joint he could. He felt like his old self again, but in a more... fresh and rejuvenated way. His eyes had developed a light blue glow and he felt something strange at his fingertips, but some mental force was holding it back. Eldon relaxed only for a second when white sparks suddenly shot from his fingertips. He quickly put the block back up.

I don't believe it! I think... I think I might have just performed magic! he thought. Merlin's warning suddenly crossed his mind. As the One, you are free to do as you please, but corruption can take over with ease. Light or dark, your path awaits, and only you, can change Equestria's fate... Alright, let's try that again, except this time, do not lose control. He lowered the block once again, except this time instead of coming from his fingertips, the magic came from his feet. "Oh sh—" The magic launched him towards the mountain side, slamming him against it repeatedly. "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" This continued for a few more seconds until he finally put the block back up and fell backwards. Oh my god, I'm the crappiest thing to ever wield magic, it's not even funny.

He suddenly heard Twilight's voice in his thoughts.

Eldon...? Is that you? What in the hay happened!? You look... different, but what are you doing there!? The city will crush you! she shouted in his mind. Eldon still had not gotten used to telepathic communication. It felt weird having something else in his thoughts, especially something that tended to be quite loud.

Uh, I hope that doesn't come to pass, Eldon replied with his own thoughts. As the princesses above braced themselves for the city's impact with the ground, Eldon looked up to see the city was about to land on him. He stood up and raised his hands, but the power wouldn't come forth. What? No... No! This can't end like this! It can't... Eldon closed his eyes and braced himself for the impact. At least it would be over quickly.

Twilight watched in horror as the falling city blocked Eldon from her view. She tried to contact him, but it was of no use. Something powerful was blocking her from entering his mind.

"It's not fair... it's just not fair!" Twilight felt her eyes begin to well up with tears as she looked away. She had failed. The One was about to die, and everypony else in the city along with him. Rainbow Dash held Twilight close to her. She tried to think of something to say, but she was at a loss for words.

"Sister... we've lost," Celestia said. She sadly looked away from the city, but Luna did not. Luna felt her skin tingle as something strange washed over her. It was coming from beneath the city. It was a faint blue light at first, but it gradually grew stronger. As the city was about to collide with the ground, the blue light exploded outwards, bathing everything in its proximity.

Luna couldn't believe her eyes. "Tia, Twilight, look!" Twilight and Celestia both turned towards the city, only to watch in shock as blue waves of energy pulsated outwards from beneath it. The city had stopped falling. It floated merely a couple of feet above the ground.

Damn... this thing is heavy! Wait... I'm still alive? Eldon opened his eyes and looked above him, only to see that his arms trembled like crazy and his legs were drilling holes into the ground beneath him. He watched as he slowly felt the ground beneath him crack when his feet stopped moving at last, but this only gave him the perfect opportunity to begin pushing back. My magic... it came back! It's working! Eldon smiled as his new-found strength coursed through his veins. He felt unstoppable.

He let more of his magic low through him, engulfing him in a blue and white flame. Something different had taken over his mind, letting the magic flow at an unstable level. The princesses above couldn't believe their eyes. Eldon slowly but surely began to ascend the mountain, step by step.

Luna quickly flew over to her sister. "Celestia, tell me I'm not dreaming. Is that... another one of them?" she asked.

Celestia nodded. "Yes... I had only believed there to be one... it all makes sense now," Celestia whispered. "We must help him!" The princesses re-doubled their efforts, assisting Eldon on his ascension to where the city once resided. Many ponies had gathered to look over the edge and saw the amazing feat before them. Three princesses of Equestria and something underneath them was pushing them back up.

"Come on strange thing! You can do it!" Rainbow Dash yelled. She was still in the air with the princesses, simply watching them as they worked. The ponies in Canterlot began to cheer and stamp their hooves, urging them on, but it wasn't over yet.

As Eldon continued to climb, the orb in his necklace began to change shape. It had moulded itself into that of a shield with a sword pointed straight downwards behind it. This sudden change served to only bolster Eldon's strength and he began to climb even faster. As soon as they reached Canterlot's original location. Eldon channelled a great amount of magical energy through the bottom of the city, causing a white glow to spread and envelop it.

"I... won't... FAIL!" Eldon roared, his voice having been amplified considerably by the magic. Down on the ground, Twilight's friends arrived just in time to witness one of the most spectacular feats of magic in the history of Equestria. Eldon poured so much energy into the city that it caused an explosion. It was ridiculously loud, but it served a purpose as everypony watched the city be enveloped by the magic. It re-sealed Canterlot's foundations, making them even stronger than ever before.

The city had been returned to where it once was, but the explosion had sent Eldon flying. For a couple of seconds, he was suspended in the air. Eldon's eyes began to return to normal and he suddenly felt tired and weak. He looked at the city before him and closed his eyes, having regained control of his mind again.

"Would you look at that..." Eldon whispered as the rest of his magic faded away and returned within him once more. He began to plummet towards the ground at a frightening speed. Fortunately, the princesses used the last of their energy to dive down and they caught him in the nick of time before they gently lowered him onto the ground.

"This creature... Eldon helped save Canterlot and risked his own life to do so," Celestia said.

"He... he isn't dead is he?" Twilight asked.

Celestia smiled warmly at Twilight. "No young one, he is merely resting. He used so much raw and uncontained energy... just to save Canterlot." Suddenly, a cloud of smoke appeared behind her and when it cleared, it was none other than Discord. He wore a shower cap and was holding a bar of soap as water dripped off of him.

"Honestly, don't any of you know how hard it is to have a nice shower when you are constantly shaking due to magical disturbances?" Discord asked. "You should try it sometime, it's quite interesting."

Fluttershy gasped as she galloped over and hugged Discord. "Discord! You should have seen it! Canterlot was falling, but this strange... thing helped the princesses save it!" she exclaimed.

Discord looked at Eldon and a grin came across his face. "Oh ho ho! Now what do we have here? Another magic user?"

"Be careful Discord, he might be dangerous," Fluttershy warned.

"Dangerous? Pfft, don't be silly Fluttershy! What can an unconscious, er... ahem, thing do to someone like me?" Discord asked. His eyes fell upon the gem that had changed in Eldon's necklace and he reeled back in surprise. "Oh my, I do believe you all have a rather curious situation on your hooves here, but I'll leave it up to the rest of you to figure it out. Au revoir!" The soap in Discord's hand then turned into a business card which he placed between Eldon's teeth.

"Uh, Discord? What do you think you're doing?" Rarity asked.

"Just leaving your little friend here a little something, that's all," Discord replied. "He has such a wonderful necklace, oh and Fluttershy? Please return home soon. Angel is being quite the... eh... grumpy pants." He pulled his shower cap down over his body which caused him to vanish shortly after.

Luna levitated the card out of Eldon's mouth and tossed it to the side. "Sister, Discord is talking about the orb in Eldon's necklace... it has changed!"

Celestia took a closer look and saw that her sister was telling the truth. "It looks like a... a shield and there is also a sword behind it." Celestia looked up at Twilight. "Twilight, is there anything else you know about this orb before you sent it away?"

Twilight shook her head as she began to pace back and forth. "I never really noticed anything at the time because I was far too busy developing the spell, but when I touched it recently, before all this happened, it pulsed rapidly."

"Perhaps you should touch it again Twilight," Celestia suggested. Twilight cautiously approached the unconscious creature and touched the white gem, which caused it to turn into a magenta colour, the colour of her element. She removed her hoof and it quickly reverted back to its normal colour.

"Hey Applejack, how about you try it?" Twilight asked.

"Alright, but this is all so very strange..." Applejack said and touched the gem as well. It turned into an orange colour before it once again returned to its normal state.

"I don't believe it..." Twilight whispered. "Could that gem possibly be the... the seventh element?"

Rainbow Dash held up her hooves in front of her. "Woah woah woah! Woah! Hold up now! Twilight, did you just say that there might be a seventh element? As in, an element that's a part of the Elements of Harmony?"

Celestia looked up at Rainbow Dash before she too began to pace back and forth. "I had only heard about it in legends, an element that was able to enhance the strength of the others, but I never assumed it to be true. Twilight happened to had mentioned it a couple of weeks ago, but I still wasn't sure... The Tree of Harmony never depicted this symbol... but the tree also works in mysterious ways. Perhaps a trip to the tree is due soon, don't you agree everypony?" They all nodded in agreement. "Then it is settled, tomorrow you will leave as soon as Eldon has recovered."

"Woah there your highness, ah don't mean to be rude, but ain't his name Cosmic Firefall?" Applejack asked.

Celestia chuckled lightly. "So that was the name you gave him Twilight? It's... alright, but to be honest it strangely fits him in a way."

"Oh, it was really nothing," Twilight replied as she blushed. "And as for you my friends, I'm sorry I gave you a fake name, but I felt the need to protect his identity."

"It's okay Twilight, we understand your reasons, and we forgive you like always," Fluttershy said.

"Okay everypony, we've had quite the eventful night, would you like to stay at the castle this evening?" Celestia asked. "I promise that it won't fall!" Everypony started laughing lightly at her joke, but it really wasn't that funny at all.

Eldon smiled softly as he slept.

Back at the castle, Celestia and Luna were in a room only known by a select few. The hidden room.

"Sister... what are we going to do with this... human?" Luna asked. "We haven't had another one in Equestria for centuries, this is definitely not a coincidence."

Celestia paced back and forth in the room as she pondered on their next course of action. "They'll be visiting the Tree of Harmony tomorrow sister and hopefully they'll find some answers there. It won't be long now until Twilight and her friends discover on their own that Star Swirl, well, Merlin as he also called himself... he is also a human."

Luna nodded in agreement. "I was there as well all those years ago when we sealed him away for safety, the map piece will be their first step on this journey." There was a brief moment of silence before Luna continued. "But what worries me is Eldon's lack of control over his power. If that power was to be used against us, I fear that we might not be able to counter it, even with the Elements of Harmony on our side."

Celestia trotted over to the nearby window and sighed. "For now, we have to put our trust in him like we did with Star Swirl. Eldon has been selected as the One after all. What we can do now is to help guide them as best as we can, because I believe the attack on the city was not an attempt to control it, but a distraction to capture him and that gem. Unfortunately for them, Eldon wasn't here."

Luna looked at her in confusion. "Eldon I understand them wanting, but why would they want the gem? Even if they did obtain it, what could they possibly do with it?"

Celestia just shook her head. "I don't know Luna. If it is the seventh element like Twilight said, it wouldn't be able to work for Sombra or Chrysalis. What I do know is that Eldon needs to be kept under watch."

"But what about the Crystal Empire sister? Surely we can't just leave it under the control of Sombra and the Changelings?"

Celestia looked at Luna and Luna saw the anger in her eyes. "I swear to you Luna, the Crystal Empire, along with Cadance and its citizens, will be freed, it'll just take some more time until we are fully prepared to march on the city." She returned to looking out the window and watched as the stars sparkled up above.

"I... I trust you sister," Luna said. "But we must rescue Cadance and her people before we make any type of attack on the city. They are currently pieces that could be used against us to allow the enemy to gain the upper hoof."

"Do not worry Luna, I'll make sure Cadance and her people are a safe distance away from the city before our eventual assault," Celestia replied. "We just need a plan... and soon."

The Elements

View Online

Eldon... Wake up... Eldon... Eldon! You must awake at once! You must not let go! Fight Eldon! Fight!

Eldon slowly opened his eyes, only to be greeted by the bright blue sky above. He blinked a couple of times as his eyes adjusted to the light before he sat up to get a view of his surroundings.

Ugh... where... where am I? This place doesn't look familiar at all, Eldon thought. As Eldon's surroundings began to come into focus, he was able to make out a lone tree on a hill not too far from where he was. Something sat at the base of the tree on the opposite side, but Eldon couldn't see who or what it was. "H- hello? Do you know where I am?" The thing didn't respond, nor did it seemed it had even noticed him. Perhaps it didn't hear me. Should I move closer? No, talking face to face would be better.

Eldon picked himself off the ground. The lush grass felt soft beneath his feet. Something about this place felt rather... peaceful, but Eldon knew that he was most likely needed elsewhere. He needed to find a way out and fast.

As Eldon made his way towards the tree, he marvelled at how alive and fresh everything was, having never been contaminated by industry or waste. When he was a few feet away from the tree, the thing suddenly spoke.

"Ah, you are awake at last, I was afraid that you weren't going to make it," the thing said. Eldon recognized the voice immediately. When the thing stood up and turned to face him, his immediate suspicions were confirmed.

"M- Merlin! What are you doing here? What do you mean I wasn't going to make it? Where are—" Merlin raised his hand which caused Eldon to become silent. "So many questions... Do not worry Eldon, I'll answer your questions in due time, you just need to be patient. As for where we are, are you sure you don't remember this place?"

Eldon looked around him and scratched his head. "No... no Merlin, I don't."

Merlin sighed in disappointment. "Eldon, we are in your mind, the most powerful tool a magic user has. The magic may come from the heart, but it is used with the mind. Your mind is able to reflect how you are feeling in the waking world, as well as allow me to be able to contact you. When we were here last time, your mind was confused, resulting in the grey cloudiness, but now, your mind is calm, almost peaceful even."

"So whatever I'm feeling while I'm awake or when I fall asleep is reflected in here?" Eldon asked.

Merlin nodded. "That's correct Eldon, and the reason why I am here is because you used your magic."

"Wait, how did you— I never said I— My magic?" Eldon took a step back in disbelief. How did Merlin know that he used magic?

Merlin began to run his hand through his long and wispy beard. "Come now Eldon, did you honestly believe that I wouldn't have been able to sense a vast amount of magic being used? But what was it used for is the real question. Surely for you to use such a highly concentrated amount, it must have been something grand." Eldon crossed his arms and closed his eyes, trying hard to remember what he did use his... magic for.

"I remember... I remember something heavy... as well as a lot of white," Eldon said. "Yes... I think... I think I used it to help save Canterlot from colliding with the ground, but for some strange reason, I can't remember everything I did. It was like I wasn't myself."

Merlin gently placed his wrinkled hand on Eldon's left shoulder. "Eldon... what you are describing to me sounds like a feat that would have taken a hundred Unicorns to perform. I felt so much raw and uncontained power... you could have possibly ripped your mind apart Eldon, or worse... you could have passed from the mortal realm."

"Wait, how do you know it was me at all?" Eldon asked.

Merlin took his hand off of Eldon's shoulder and held it at his side. "Each magic user has what is called a magical aura, their signature so to say. Each one is unique. When I felt it, I knew it couldn't have been the princesses or a regular Unicorn, but rather something of immense power, which you've proven to be already. Like I said before, I was afraid you weren't going to make it because magic comes at a cost. If you lack focus and training, most magic users have a tendency of offing themselves by using too much of their energy. You however, it looks like that necklace of yours is what helped to keep you alive."

Eldon looked down at his necklace to see that the orb had changed into something else.

"Merlin! The orb... it's different!"

Merlin nodded. "I saw Eldon. From the time I first laid eyes on it, I never thought of it as more than a pretty piece of jewellery. I remember clearly now though... and as I look at it... I can't believe how your fate became intertwined with it."

Eldon raised an eyebrow. "Intertwined? What do you mean Merlin?"

Merlin coughed into his sleeve. "Ahem, Eldon, I'm not sure if you are aware of this, but I believed there to be a seventh element, an element capable of strengthening itself when it empowered the others." Eldon's jaw dropped in disbelief. As far as he was concerned, there were only six elements. Not five, not seven, just six.

"What? A seventh element? That doesn't make any sense. Don't all elements need to be present when used in order for them to work?" Eldon asked.

Merlin shook his head. "I had thought the same thing Eldon, and I spent most of my years searching for it, only to meet with little success. However, I believe we shall find our answer soon enough."

"Soon? What do you mean by we? You aren't even—" Eldon was interrupted again when Merlin raised his hand.

"We've spent too long on this topic Eldon and I have very limited time, but trust me, we will find out. Now let's return to the important matter at hand. You used your magic. Although I did feel you using a lot of power, I believe that you have not yet shown all of it," he said.

Eldon's eyes widened in amazement. "Wait… so you're telling me that whatever I did was only... a portion of this magic I have?"

"You are indeed a very unique case Eldon, very unique indeed," Merlin replied. "I hope you have heeded my warning well, for we haven't yet seen what your limits are, but you can still be tempted by darkness. Few magic users have the ability to use both the light and dark side of their magic, and what you most likely used was your light side. Try to envision the opposite of what I'm saying, and you'll see what I mean."

Eldon closed his eyes and tried to imagine what Merlin had described. He saw a flash of red and a demon that looked like him, except the thing's eyes burned black and it was engulfed in a blazing red inferno. He quickly opened his eyes and shuddered at what he saw. "

You see? The power of darkness can be a terrible thing if allowed to take hold of your mind. But there is one exception to this dark side of your power."

Eldon looked deeply into Merlin's eyes. "And what is the exception?"

Merlin coughed again into his sleeve before he continued. "The power of darkness can be used to greatly enhance your offensive abilities, but only if you are able to stay in control will it do you any good. I highly recommend you to not delve into it though, not until you have more experience or just not at all. Just look at what happened to Sombra... what happened to Luna. It could also happen to you, Twilight, Celestia, Cadance, myself, and whatever other Unicorns out there that have the ability."

"Fortunately I trust you and the princesses Merlin, however it does concern me that there are other Unicorns capable of unlocking their dark side. Is it easy to do?" Eldon asked.

"Fortunately, no Eldon. A regular Unicorn unlocking their dark side would take them years and years of study and work that most don't prefer it. Actually, most Unicorns aren't even aware that it still exists, and it's better left that way. But for magic users like us, we must be careful, for power is tempting and hard to resist."

"So... I have a light and dark side to my powers... that's quite scary actually," Eldon said.

"Indeed," Merlin replied. "Indeed."

"I have two more questions I must ask you Merlin," Eldon said. "One, somehow when I used my magic I was able to turn human again, do you know why? And two, will there be any time for me to improve my ability to use magic without killing myself or others in the process?"

Merlin leaned against his staff, having grown quite weary. "One, you were able to become human because you unlocked your power and willed yourself to become so is what I'm guessing. And now you can change as you please like I. As for your second question, I'm afraid that your friends will have to answer that one... the connec-...tion is fad- fading. Until we meet again... Eldon..." Merlin slowly began to fade away once more and Eldon reached out and tried to grab him, only to have his hand pass through nothing.

"Don't go yet!" Eldon shouted. "I need to know more!" But it was of no use. The environment began to darken and turn into an inky blackness. Don't go...

When Eldon awoke, he felt something heavy on his chest and his stomach. He slowly opened his eyes to find that his face was pressed against that of a pink pony. The two locked eyes and it only took less then a second for both of them to react.

"AHHH!" they both yelled at the same time and Pinkie hopped off of him.

"Pinkie! What were you doing?" Eldon asked, but Pinkie just bounced out of his room.

"He's awake! He's awake!" Pinkie shouted excitedly as she bounced down the hall. He heard her repeat herself until her voice had faded away. Eldon slowly laid back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling. His body felt incredibly sore.

Crap... there's no doubt now that they know I lied to them about being a Unicorn. What are they going to do to me now? Perform tests? Banish me? Surely they wouldn't go as far as to kill me out of fear for the safety of themselves... would they? Eldon thought. He quickly shook his head and pushed the thoughts out of his mind. No... of course not! But there's only one way to find out.

He threw the blankets off of him and sat on the edge of the bed when he noticed a pile of clothing on the nightstand. He reached over and grabbed them to find that there was a t-shirt and a simple pair of pants, but they were both awkwardly designed. Huh, they must have taken some measurements while I was asleep. This is... this is actually pretty thoughtful of them though, especially since I'm sure they never had to make human sized clothing before.

He quickly dressed himself in his new clothing and noticed that the shirt and pants were both a bit loose, but at least the fabric was soft and comfortable. I think I'll give them some more accurate measurements in the future if the time ever arises. Oh! What is this? Eldon had noticed a slip of paper on the ground and bent over to pick it up. It must have fallen off of the nightstand. He quickly brushed away the dirt and began to read it.

Good morning Eldon,

I had Pinkie stop by to drop you off some clothing since you were... probably needing it. I apologize if it isn't the greatest, but there is only so much we can do to try to convince the other ponies that you wouldn't kill them when you woke up. Anyway, meet us in the throne room as soon as you can, for their are important matters we need to discuss with Celestia in private.

Yours truly,

Twilight Sparkle.

Eldon finished reading the paper and placed it gently back on the nightstand when his stomach suddenly growled.

I know that I shouldn't keep them waiting... but food should always come first. I wonder where the kitchen is? Eldon thought and he quickly left the bedroom.

Having no idea where the kitchen could possibly be, Eldon began wandering the halls, hoping he would either stumble across it or find a pony that could help point him in the right direction. He soon found himself in a hall where paintings covered every inch of both walls, all of various designs and quality.

Equestria's art is rather... interesting. I wonder if there are any paintings that are similar to some back on Earth? Bah, what am I thinking, they wouldn't know anything about Earth! If I did come across a familiar painting... just enjoy it for what it is.

Eldon continued to look at the various works of art when the scent of baked bread filled his nostrils. Oh ho ho! What is this I'm smelling? Can it be? Where there is bread, there is an oven, and where there is an oven, there is a kitchen! Or there should be anyway.

His stomach growled again and he quickly began to follow the scent. Eldon soon came across a door that had 'Kitchen' inscribed on a sign to the left of it and he entered with caution. Eldon immediately noticed the loaf of bread on the counter and walked over to it. He let the lovely smell fill his nose and he reached out to grab it when an angry french voice yelled at him... or rather it sounded like a terrible french accent back on Earth.

"Get avay from dat filthy creature! Ze bread ez for ze royal breakfast only!" Eldon turned around and saw a pony wearing a chef's hat, complete with the attire and he brought his arm back.

"Woah there chef, I was just..." Eldon began to say but the chef didn't give him time to explain.

"Non! I vant none of your excuses! Get out vermin, or I shall call ze guards! Le pain n'est pas pour vous!" Eldon slowly began to back out, the chef now having picked up a frying pan and brandished it towards him until Eldon was back in the hall. "Do not let moi, Chef Pain Baguette, catch you in 'ere again!" With that said Chef Pain Baguette slammed the door on his face.

Eldon turned around and sighed as he massaged his stomach. Well, isn't he fun to be around, Eldon thought sarcastically. Maybe there'll be food in the throne room. I've wasted enough time already. Eldon walked away and made his way towards the direction of the throne room, or at least where he hoped the throne room would be. It's strange really, I haven't met another soul since I left the bedroom, well, other than Chef Pain Stupide. Where is everyone?

Fortunately, he did go in the right direction because as he neared the entrance to the throne room, Eldon began to hear the sound of many voices. That's strange, I wonder what the occasion is? Wait... is this where everyone has been? I thought Twilight said that this discussion was going to be private? Taking a deep breath, Eldon calmed his nerves and entered, only to be greeted by the brightly lit throne room and the silence of the ponies that were in there. "Uh... hello everyone, what's going on?"

A moment of silence followed when one of the ponies finally spoke.

"Oh sweet Celestia, the creature talks!"

"It's probably deciding on which one of us to eat first!"

Eldon threw out his hands in front of him. It probably wasn't his best idea. "What? No! Just hold on a damn second, I'm not here to do—"

"He's going to attack us! Somepony stop him!" a pony in front of him cried in terror, interrupting Eldon.

Two of the guards pushed their way through the crowd and barreled into him, knocking Eldon to the ground and onto his back before holding him down. Another guard approached and held a pike to his head, just in case he tried to do anything. Eldon struggled to break free of the weight on him when a familiar face appeared above his.

"P- Pinkie!? What the hell is going on here!?" Eldon yelled.

Pinkie just smiled at him. "Oh? Do you mean all of this?" She gestured towards the ponies. "They wanted to see who helped to save their city, so I brought them here to show that it was you!"

"Pinkie! They are- erf- they are trying to have me killed! Please help me!"

"Oh, well that's not what I had wanted at all! Hang on Eldon, I'll be right back!" Pinkie said and bounced out of his sight.

"Pinkie! Where are you going? Gah! Please let me go! I've been through too much just to have my life ended here!" Eldon pleaded.

"What should we do with it?" one of the guards asked the other.

"I don't know, but his struggling is starting to get on my nerves..." the other guard that was holding him replied. Eldon suddenly heard the throne room doors slam open, followed by a very angry yell.

"What is going on in here everypony!?" Eldon recognized the voice to belong to that of Celestia. "Guards! Release the one that you hold on the ground!" The guards bowed their heads and released Eldon, allowing him to breathe comfortably once again. Celestia, alongside Pinkie Pie slowly made their way to the front of the room, the ponies parting for them as they passed. "I am very disappointed in all of you. I had thought you would have been more accepting towards our new guest. He may look new and different, but we should treat him with the same respect we treat everypony else. This human did help to save Canterlot after all."

The ponies gasped in response as they realized the error of their ways. "The... hooman... helped save us?" they whispered among themselves. Just as Eldon got to his feet, the ponies in the room knelt down before him.

"What? No, I... I don't deserve this everyone," Eldon said. "There was a chance that I could have destroyed the whole city... please stand up, I'm not the one who should be thanked, but rather the princesses."

Celestia smiled warmly at him from across the room. "I see that you are trying to be humble about this Eldon, but there is no denying that you are a hero, no matter how much you don't think so."

"You are all very kind," Eldon said. "But I still wouldn't have been able to help if it weren't for Twilight and her friends."

"Don't you mean YOUR friends?" a voice behind Eldon asked, surprising him.

He turned around, only to be delighted to see five very recognizable faces. "Twilight! Applejack! You guys! Am I glad to see you!" Eldon smiled, but it faded as he hung his head in shame. "But I lied to all of you. How can you forgive me so easily?"

"Eldon... just because you aren't like us doesn't mean you aren't our friend anymore," Twilight replied. "Although some of us were more or less upset, in the end it didn't matter because you've shown that you care about those around you, even if they are complete strangers."

Eldon lifted his head and smiled at her in return. "Thanks Twilight. That means... a lot to me."

Celestia cleared her throat and she addressed the other ponies in the room. "You all may rise now. I believe it's time we moved on to some more important matters at the moment however. Everypony else is dismissed, thank you for coming this morning." The ponies began whispering to each other as the filed out of the throne room, pointing at Eldon as they passed until they were all gone. "Guards, you may leave as as well."

The guards bowed their heads towards Celestia and they too left, leaving her alone with Eldon, Twilight, and the rest of their friends. They began making their way towards the throne which Celestia had now sat down upon. From the foot of the throne, Pinkie bounced down from next to Celestia and rejoined her friends.

"Hey, thanks Pinkie for helping me out of a tight spot," Eldon whispered.

"No problem!" Pinkie whispered back. "Hoof bump?" She stuck out her hoof and Eldon chuckled at the gesture.

Eldon made a fist and gently tapped her hoof. "Hoof bump." He felt somewhat awkward about using his hand before he turned to face Celestia. "We are here now Celestia, what is it that we needed to discuss?"

All eyes were now focused on Celestia. She quickly cleared her throat before she spoke. "Eldon and friends, we are here this morning to discuss about the possibility of a seventh Element of Harmony. Eldon, I've already told the others this, but I want all of you to visit the Tree of Harmony."

Eldon gasped with excitement upon the mention of the name. "The Tree of Harmony!? Really? I mean, uh, why do we need to go there?"

"It's because of the gem in your necklace Eldon. Something happened yesterday evening that allowed the gem to give you the strength you needed when ours had almost failed. We have evidence that your gem might be a long forgotten seventh element."

"Oh, and what is the evidence?" Eldon asked.

Twilight walked in front of him and lifted her hoof. "Watch this Eldon." Twilight carefully placed her hoof on the gem. Eldon looked down to see that the gem began to change from its usual white to a magenta colour. When Twilight removed her hoof, the gem slowly reverted back to normal.

"Woah! It reacted to your touch Twilight! That's... new. Huh, I'm guessing it would change to a different colour if the others did the same?" Eldon asked and Twilight nodded, indicating that he was correct.

"You see Eldon? We've never seen anything like that before, that's why I need all of you to visit the tree to look for any beneficial clues, as well as see how your gem reacts to the other elements," Celestia said. "Are you up to the task?"

"Oh I don't know... are you kidding me!? Of course we're up to the task! I have some of the most dependable ponies in all of Equestria right next to me!" Eldon gestured towards the others beside him. "What say you everyone?"

"Yes!" they said in unison.

"Then it's settled," Celestia said. "You shall leave immediately., but before you leave may I have a word with Eldon in private please?"

"Of course," Twilight replied. "We'll just be waiting right outside Eldon, after we pick up Spike though since I let him sleep in today. Yesterday evening's events tired that dragon out like you wouldn't believe!" They trotted over to the entrance of the throne room and opened and closed the wooden doors, leaving Eldon and Celestia alone.

"Here Eldon, I want you to take this," Celestia said. She levitated towards him a piece of ripped parchment that was hidden underneath the throne. Eldon examined it and only noticed some strange markings and a few letters that he was unable to interpret, as well as what looked to be a part of a river.

"What exactly is it your highness?" Eldon asked.

"It is a piece of a map Eldon," Celestia answered. "It was torn apart a long time ago to keep evil ones from ever obtaining what was shown on this very map. I do not know where the other fragments are exactly, but I do know that they are hidden throughout Equestria, waiting to be discovered." Eldon nodded and continued to hold the piece. "Oh! I almost forgot this." She levitated what looked like a satchel towards him and he grabbed it out of the air. "This is an enchanted bag of holding. It's small on the outside, but large on the inside. Very convenient for travel."

"Thank you your highness, I... I don't know what else to say!" Eldon gently placed the piece of the map inside the bag.

"It's quite alright Eldon. Go now, your friends are waiting," Celestia said and Eldon bowed before her.

"We'll return before you know it Celestia," Eldon replied and tied the satchel to the waistline of his pants.

"May good fortune guide your way, Eldon the human," Celestia said, but he had already left. The last she saw of him was a single hoof exiting through the throne room doors. Outside, Eldon met up with Twilight and her friends who were waiting patiently for him on the steps.

"Hey... Eldon?" Twilight said, surprised at his appearance. "You look like us again, but how? Did you use a spell?"

Eldon nodded his head as he stretched his legs. "You could say that Twilight. I learned recently that I am able to change forms without too much effort. I just have to think about it and poof, although it won't work for anything else because I'm not exactly too great at using magic yet. I said I would never be like this again if given the chance... but I feel that it might prove to be beneficial for certain situations at hand, er, hoof. Anyway, shall we get going?"

"Yeah Twilight, let's go already!" Rainbow Dash shouted impatiently. "We've already wasted enough time as it is!"

"Alright alright, we can go now, come on Spike, climb on!" Spike stopped throwing pebbles and hopped onto her back. Twilight watched Eldon as he began to descend the stairs when she saw something on him that surprised her. "Hey! Hey Eldon! Your cutie mark! It isn't blackened out anymore!"

Eldon gasped and looked at his side. On his haunch was indeed a visible cutie mark, and it looked very similar to the gem's design. What was interesting about it was the fact that the left half was a white colour while the right half was a dark red, although it almost appeared black.

"What do you think it means?" Rarity asked.

I... I think it means that my unique trait... my destiny... is to defend those that I care for... yes, that must be it! A protector of the innocent! Eldon thought. "Twilight, I think it means that I'm supposed to defend those who can't defend themselves, even if it means sacrificing my own life in the process. Like a warrior, or a knight or something."

"That actually does make quite a bit of sense Eldon. I hope that it is what you wanted though, because there is no turning back on it now," Twilight said.

"Oh this is so exciting! We are going on another adventure!" Pinkie shouted.

"I'm with Pinkie on this one," Rainbow Dash said. "I can't wait to experience some real danger again!"

"Well, I am sure my family can attend to the farm without me while I am gone. I am sure they'll understand," Applejack said. "Just as long as I am back in time for Apple Bucking season, ah can go wherever!"

"I think it will be the perfect bonding experience for all of us. Don't you agree Spike?" Rarity asked.

"D- Su-sure Rarity, I will agree with anything you say," Spike replied with a dreamy expression on his face.

"Um, I think Discord will be okay that I'm gone for another day, um, yay adventure!" Fluttershy whispered.

"Then let's get going," Twilight said. "We have a train to catch!" They all began to descend the steps and headed towards the train station as Celestia's morning sun rose behind them.

The train ride back to Ponyville was quick and mostly painless, except when Rainbow Dash got into a fight with another Pegasus from her filly years. The Pegasus in question insulted Rainbow Dash's father and Rainbow Dash herself, causing the fight to escalate into a full out brawl between the two. Discord would have been proud.

The Pegasus wouldn't be flying for a long while now, but Rainbow's actions caused her to receive a one week suspension from train services and a fine of two hundred bits. Fortunately, Twilight was there to reduce the charges, which would have been much, much worse if she hadn't been.

When they finally arrived at Ponyville Station, they quickly disembarked and headed towards the nearest path that led into the Everfree Forest, well, what everypony would consider a path anyway. The travelling group at last stood before the entrance to the Everfree, staring down the path that laid before them.

"Well getting here wasn't too bad, although the train ride could have gone a lot smoother if SOMEPONY just decided to stand down," Twilight said as she looked at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs in annoyance and rose into the air. "Come on Twilight! That guy was just asking for it! Besides, you know me and I don't let other ponies insult my dad or I and let them get away with it!"

Twilight just sighed, realizing that she should just leave the topic alone. "Alright, anyway... now that we're here, it's just a short trip to reach the gorge. We shouldn't run into too much trouble if we all just stick together. Understand everypony?" The rest of them nodded. "Good, let's get going then. I don't want to have to come back through the Everfree when it gets dark."

As the group entered the forest, Eldon felt some memories resurface. He remembered how he woke up here not too long ago, not knowing where or what he was. He laughed at the thought and shook his head. Who would've known that I would end up here? I've learned so much in such a short amount of time. I do miss my family terribly though, I wonder how they've been doing?

"So Eldon, you're a human right?" Rainbow Dash asked , interrupting Eldon's thoughts. "You know, you are probably the first one ever to have arrived in Equestria."

Eldon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I guess I am." Eldon hid the fact that Star Swirl was also a human that was there before he was. "How did you know I am a human by the way?"

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Oh please! We were there when we saw you black out, and Celestia happened to had briefly looked into your mind while you were unconscious." She imitated Eldon sleeping with his mouth open.

"That is not how I sleep!" Eldon said in a huff, but Rainbow Dash just laughed and returned to the treetops above them. He rubbed his forehead with his hoof, feeling like Celestia had trespassed into his own private sanctuary, but quickly dismissed the feeling. He assumed that Celestia surely must have meant well. Wait... if Celestia looked into my mind, did she see Merlin? I wonder if they talked at all while I was still unconscious.

Roughly thirty minutes had passed when Twilight stopped. "Here we are! That wasn't too bad at all, and we made it in good time too!" Before them was a wooden bridge that had some work done on it as to make it a bit safer to walk on. Across the bridge sat the remains of an ancient castle, the castle that the royal sisters shared a thousand years ago before Luna's transformation to Nightmare Moon. Next to them was a set of crumbling stone stairs, which brought up bad memories for Eldon.

"Stairs? STONE STAIRS? NOOOO!" Eldon shouted.

Twilight just shook her head and laughed, understanding the reference. "Come on everypony, the Tree of Harmony is just in this gorge down these steps."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Yes Twilight we know already. We've been here before."

Twilight rolled her eyes in return. "Well, perhaps Eldon didn't know. Did you ever think of that Rainbow? Anyway, I'll meet you all at the bottom." She launched herself into the air and slowly glided down to the bottom of the gorge. Spike raised his arms as she did so. It wasn't everyday that you get to glide on an Alicorn.

"Hey... sorry Eldon I talked to Twilight that way, I had almost forgotten that this was your first trip here," Rainbow Dash said, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

"It's alright Rainbow. You should probably apologize to Twilight though when you get the chance," Eldon replied. "Although I'm sure it's not that big of a deal."

"Heh, perhaps you're right Eldon, see you at the bottom slowpokes!" Rainbow Dash shouted and she jumped off the edge. She too glided down to the bottom and Fluttershy decided to join her her as well.

"Slow? Argh! Why does she always feel the need to annoy me?" Applejack asked outloud. The ponies that couldn't fly slowly began to make their descent down the slippery and weathered stone steps. Eldon grumbled and cursed to himself underneath his breath the whole time. As they neared the bottom, the step beneath Eldon gave away, causing him to tumble down the last few steps just as the others ahead of him reached the bottom.

"These— Ow! God— Ow! Damn— Ow! Stairs!" he yelled and his face disappeared into a pile of soft dirt at the bottom.

"Uh, Eldon? Are you alright?" Applejack asked. Eldon raised his left foreleg, face still in the ground, indicating that he was alright. He slowly pulled himself out of the dirt and did his best to brush himself off. He looked up to see that the others were trying to hold back their laughter.

"What's so funny?" Eldon asked.

"Hey Eldon... nice moustache!" Spike answered and he fell off of Twilight's back laughing. This caused the others to begin laughing as well.

"It really... looks good on you!" Rainbow Dash said in between laughs.

Eldon just shrugged. "Eh, I have it as a human." He joined in the laughter as well, because why not? He needed a good laugh anyway.

When it died down, Twilight wiped away a tear before she spoke. "Haaa...we're almost there everypony, just a little bit farther."

Eldon looked past her and saw a faint light blue glow being emitted from the far side of the gorge. "Hey! I think I see it over there!" He began to gallop towards the source, pulling far ahead of the others.

"Hey Eldon! Wait up!" Applejack shouted and the group followed after him. Eldon stopped in front of an opening to a cave. Inside, he saw where the blue light was coming from and he gazed in awe at the sight.

"The Tree of Harmony..." Eldon whispered. He heard the stamping of hooves behind him and shortly after his friends appeared on either side of him. "Sorry everyone for pulling ahead. I was just too excited! I just had to see the tree for myself!"

"It's alright Eldon," Twilight replied. "Just next time, we all go together okay?"

Eldon nodded. "Okay, I promise. Why don't we all enter the cave together then?"

"I like that idea!" Pinkie said and they all entered the cave together. Inside the cave, Eldon was finally able to get a clear view of the Tree of Harmony. It was a beautiful sight to behold. The tree appeared to be encased in a fine crystalline substance, similar to what some of Twilight's palace was made of, or was it covered? Perhaps the whole thing was made of crystal? Sparkling gems also dangled from the branches, but what caught his attention the most were the large branches and the gems that resided in their tips.

Each gem had a distinct shape that was related to one of the cutie marks on each pony. The first gem was a pink butterfly, the Element of Kindness. Fluttershy represented that one. Although she is shy, she does her best to make her friends happy and watches out for others.

The next one was a blue balloon, the Element of Laughter. Pinkie Pie represented that one, and there was no doubt that there has been a lot of laughter with her around.

The top branch had a red lightning bolt, the Element of Loyalty. Eldon knew that no matter what, Rainbow Dash would never abandon them in their time of need, nor would she ever betray them.

The next one was a purple diamond, the Element of Generosity. Rarity represented that one due to her generous attitude, even though she can be a bit too generous sometimes, which is most definitely not a bad thing.

She probably oversaw the creation of my clothing, Eldon thought. And better yet, I was able to make it so I didn't lose them when changing forms, although I should probably get some more made soon.

The second last gem was an orange apple, the Element of Honesty. Applejack certainly wasn't afraid to speak the truth whenever she had to and was also Ponyville's most dependable pony. That didn't mean the others around her weren't capable though.

The final gem on the tree, Twilight's, resided in the center of the tree. It looked like a magenta coloured star and it represented the Element of Magic.

Merlin keeps telling me that I have a powerful magic... but what magic can be more powerful than Twilight's? She is the Element of Magic! The Element of freaking Magic! Not to mention she is also an Alicorn with years and years of magical experience and knowledge, while I on the other hand don't even know how to use it, let alone control it! What looked like the sun and the moon appeared just below it.

"Alright everypony, start searching the tree for anything that seems out of the ordinary," Twilight said. As the group searched high and low in the cave and around the tree, Eldon was studying its roots, looking for something, anything that might lead them to some answers. The gem around his neck was glowing brightly. Something about the place was causing it to react.

After an hour had passed with no luck of finding anything useful, Rainbow Dash decided she had enough. "This is hopeless! We've searched this whole cave and have found nothing! We have to admit that the gem is just weird and somehow took some of Twilight's magic!"

Applejack trotted over to Twilight. "As much as I hate to say it, she's right Twilight. We haven't found anything outta the ordinary since we got here."

Eldon suddenly stood up and turned around to face them. "That's because we haven't searched everywhere yet. We've searched the tree, as well as the walls of the cave... but what about beneath it?" Twilight and Applejack looked at each other and then at Rainbow who just shrugged.

"I don't know, I guess it's worth a shot," Rainbow said.

"Eldon is right though. I watched as we searched the entire cave, but never did we think to look underground," Twilight replied.

Eldon nodded. "Exactly, now who here knows how to dig?"

Twilight laughed and her horn began to glow."Um, Eldon? We can just use magic."

Eldon brought a hoof to his face, feeling like an idiot. "Of course... just begin digging underneath the tree please, we should start there first." Twilight directed her magic towards the base of the tree and the dirt there began to shift.

"Hey y'all! Ya might want to get your rears over here!" Applejack called out. The others who weren't present walked over immediately, having also not found anything. Twilight was careful as to not disturb the roots of the tree until something began to poke at the surface.

"Hey, I think I found something!" Twilight quickly levitated the object out of the ground and laid it gently on the ground in front of the group.

"What is it?" Fluttershy asked. Before them was a small chest covered in complex engravings. A single key hole was located at the front.

"It looks to be some sorta chest I reckon," Applejack answered. "Hey, there's a symbol on here that is the same as the gem that Eldon had before it changed!" Eldon looked at his glowing gem and back at the chest. She was right, they were oddly identical, well, they used to be anyway. The gem stayed at the same level of brightness as he neared the chest for a closer look.

"Careful Eldon," Fluttershy said.

Eldon looked back at Fluttershy and nodded. "Don't worry, I think I'll be okay." He raised his hoof and slowly touched the front of the chest. Eldon closed his eyes, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. He opened them to see that the chest was still the same and covered in dirt, while the gem was still glowing at the same level as before. "I don't get it... how can a chest that depicts this gem not have a reaction?" He kicked the ground with his hoof and leaned against the tree, feeling that this had all been a waste of time. But when Eldon had touched the tree, a light blue spark jumped from it and was absorbed into his necklace, causing it to turn a light blue.

"Uh... Eldon? Your gem changed colour," Spike said. Eldon looked down at the gem to see that it had indeed changed colour. He slowly began to back away from the tree towards his friends.

"What is going on with—" Eldon began to say, but stopped as the gem fired a light blue beam at the tree. It slowly began to work its way through the tree until it reached the Element of Laughter, causing it to glow faintly before moving on to the next one.

"Ooh! Pretty colours!" Pinkie shouted. After the beam passed through each element on the branches, it finally reached the Element of Magic. Each gem then shot a beam of light into the empty space in front of the tree, combining the colours and forming a glowing white sphere of energy.

"Everypony, get back!" Twilight shouted. The sphere began to rotate until it burst into thousands of sparks. The sparks started to slowly float downwards, but then they began to swirl round and round, creating a small whirlwind. All of a sudden, they combined, and the image of an old and bearded pony faded into existence before them, causing the whole group to gasp. Twilight immediately recognized the old pony at once.

"Star Swirl the Bearded..." Twilight looked at the image in awe.

"It's you!" Eldon shouted at the same time.

The old pony smiled at the ponies standing before him. "Yes, it is I, Star Swirl. I see that you have united the gem with the other elements at last, something I tried to do for so many years, and for that I thank you."

Twilight took a couple of steps back, still surprised at the appearance of Star Swirl. "Aren't you... supposed to have passed away? How are you able to communicate with us? You're not... from the past are you?"

Star Swirl chuckled at her question and coughed afterwards. "No Twilight, I'm not from the past, nor am I dead. I am in the present, just like you and everypony else. I am alive and well, just merely... resting is how I'll put it."

"How are you able to contact us if you're sleeping?" Applejack asked.

"Ah, another good question. You see, when you brought the elements together—"

"Woah, hang on. So we are confirming that the gem is the seventh element?" Rainbow asked, interrupting Star Swirl. "If so, then what does it stand for?"

Star Swirl raised a foreleg and coughed into it before continuing. "Firstly, I am here because of Eldon's connection with this peculiar element. By using his mind and the power of the elements here, I am able to project an image of myself, but it won't last long. As for the second question, yes, it seems that Eldon is indeed the bearer of the seventh element. If his gem wasn't the element, I would not be able to communicate with all of you right now. I unfortunately don't know what his element represents, but what I do know is that it has a unique connection with the rest of your elements."

"So... so I was right all along? Yes!" Twilight shouted triumphantly.

"Well, it was I that discovered it before you, but that's not the point," Star Swirl continued. "Let us speak of how the elements can work together, such as when you used the rainbow power to fight... uh..."

"Tirek!" Pinkie shouted.

"Ah, yes, of course! Tirek, a rather nasty fellow isn't he?" Star Swirl asked and shook his head. "But moving on. Listen to me everypony, your rainbow power, although indeed powerful enough to stop Tirek, will be nothing against what you have been fighting these last few weeks."

"You mean the strange darkness?" Twilight asked.

Star Swirl nodded. "Yes, the darkness. You are aware of what has befallen the Crystal Empire?" Twilight nodded her head sadly in response. "Prepare yourselves for more bad news then. The darkness you have been fighting with no success... is an old enemy from the past, an enemy so old and filled with hate that he has successfully manipulated these dark forces into spreading chaos and fear. An enemy I thought was defeated long ago. He is chaos incarnate... The God of Chaos." They all gasped, but Fluttershy quickly rose above them into the air.

"No! It's not Discord!" Fluttershy cried. "He has been reformed!"

Star Swirl sighed. "No Fluttershy, Discord is merely a tiny fraction of what this monster is capable of, I assure you though, he is not the one I'm talking about."

Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground. "Oh, well, um, that's good then."

"Indeed," Star Swirl replied. "This monster has more destructive ability than Discord, tens of thousands of times more. Unfortunately, the six elements weren't able to defeat him on their own in the past, but now we have all of them, and there is only one piece left that we need in order to assure his ultimate destruction."

"What is the final piece we will so desperately need?" Rarity asked.

Star Swirl looked down at his hooves before he looked at the group again. "The Elements of Harmony need to be fully charged, and only I know how to do this. I believe it shall unlock their true power." The ponies let his words sink in. Once again, they managed to get caught up in the fate of Equestria. "But in order to do this, you must find and awaken me from my slumber."

"So why don't you just tell us how right now?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Star Swirl shook his head. "If only it were that simple. No. Before I was shut away from the world, I discovered that each element has a unique hidden potential. You may think they are powerful now, but just you wait until they reveal their truest forms. You must find me, and to help you get started, I remember there being a map, although I don't know what has happened to—"

Eldon brought out a piece of the map that was given to him by Celestia from the satchel that had now gone on his side like a saddlebag. "Do you mean this map?"

Star Swirl's eyes widened. "Yes yes! But that's only a piece of it. I remember that it was split into four pieces, but I don't know where in Equestria you would start looking for them—" Star Swirl was interrupted as the map flew out of Eldon's hoof and hovered in front of him. The gem shot another beam at the map and when it connected, the map projected a map of Equestria. Three blue sparkles were shown on it, each in different locations. They then beamed themselves into Eldon's head, making him permanently remember each location that a sparkle was shown to be. "This is amazing! Who knew your element held such power Eldon?"

Eldon looked at the gem and then at Star Swirl. "Yeah... I didn't know an element could do that..."

Star Swirl suddenly dropped to the ground and the projection began to flicker. "My power is weakening... once again. This will be the last time I can speak with all you... until you find me... Remember Eldon, do not... do not let chaos reign..." Star Swirl slowly began to disappear for the final time, just like in Eldon's encounters with him in his mind.

"Wait Star Swirl! I have so many questions for you! I'm your biggest fan!" Twilight shouted. "I can't believe you're still alive after all these years!" But he was gone, and the Elements of Harmony slowly faded back to their original state.

"That just ain't natural," Applejack said. "But then again, I've seen plenty of bizarre things these last few years..."

Eldon picked up the map piece that had floated down to the ground with his hoof and carefully placed it back into the satchel. "Jeez... to think that the elements aren't at their strongest yet... I'm guessing that what Star Swirl meant was that the Elements of Harmony are powerful together, but they need to still remain powerful while on their own, similar to this one. Well, what are we waiting for? We have to report this to Celestia!"

Twilight nodded her head in agreement. "He's right everypony, it's time we returned and tell Celestia what has happened here, she'll know what our best course of action should be to go about gathering these map pieces." Twilight turned to look at Eldon. "Lead the way Eldon!"

Eldon nodded and was just about to leave when he remembered something. The chest! We should probably bring that with us. "Twilight, can you put the chest in the satchel on my side please?"

"Sure thing Eldon," Twilight replied and lifted the chest with her magic and carefully placed it inside the satchel. He noticed that the bag didn't get heavier after she put the chest in.

Celestia, this is quite the gift! Eldon thought. "Thank you," he told her and Twilight nodded, accepting his thanks.

"Come on everypony, we are burning daylight!" Rainbow Dash shouted.

"Then let's be off shall we? I'll race ya Rainbow! Although we have to take the stairs together, because those things are just the bane of my existence," Eldon replied.

"Oh, you are so on Eldon!" Rainbow stuck out her tongue at him and flew out of the cave. Eldon chuckled and galloped out of the cave after her. Twilight just shook her head as she and everypony else followed them, eager to get back to Ponyville and rest before taking the train back to Canterlot.

In the darkest parts of Equestria, a lone figure sat. His fingers were steepled as he watched the events unfold before him, carefully listening to every detail, every word that came out of the fool's mouth.

"So... Star Swirl yet lives. It'll be a shame once those ponies..." He let the word roll off his tongue, his black heart burned with hatred every time that word was mentioned. "...lead me directly to him." He waved the scene away and sat there patiently when a portal suddenly materialized and opened before him. Sombra and Chrysalis stepped out of it and the portal closed behind them. He could see the fear in their eyes and it felt... delicious. "You are late..."

Sombra gulped and he managed to speak. "W- we come with some good news and some bad news my lord. We were successful in capturing the—" Sombra was interrupted when a hand smacked him across the face, sending him flying into the darkness.

"Did you really think that I wasn't aware of what the both you have done and failed to do!?" the figure roared.

He looked down at Chrysalis and she quickly averted her gaze. "M- my lord, we did everything we could, and the One wasn't even—"

"SILENCE!" he roared. Chrysalis immediately stopped talking. "I do NOT have the time to listen to your pathetic excuses. With each second my power returns to me, and I shall soon raze this wretched world, starting with Equestria! But for every failure you make, my patience wears thin. You are not having second thoughts are you?"

Chrysalis was trembling at this point. "N- no my lord! We wish to see Equestria destroyed as much as you! We have been your faithful servants for the past two thousand years after all. We had given up hope when you were banished all those—"

"ENOUGH!" I'll be giving you and Sombra a second chance Chrysalis. When the time arises, we shall capture the One and his element so I can finish my creation at last. Do you have your Changelings stationed in Canterlot?"

"Of course my lord," Chrysalis replied. "Just give me the word and they'll follow them. They have already infiltrated the ranks of their highest organization. The S.P.O.F."

"Excellent, now begone Chrysalis, I'll tell you when it is time, as for you Sombra..." The figure raised his hand. A bright green energy erupted from his palm and it brought Sombra before him. "I thought you to be stronger than that pathetic attempt at fighting the princesses back in Canterlot. I brought you back so you can have your revenge, but I grow tired of the incompetence of mortals. Return to the Crystal Empire and await for my orders. Begone." Sombra nodded weakly and melted into shadows, escaping his grip and disappearing into the darkness.

He rose from his seat and slowly made his way over to a tree, but this was no ordinary tree. It resembled the Tree of Harmony, except it was blackened and filled with poison. It was a horrific, twisted version of the tree. Six familiar green gems shone brightly on the tree, a colour so vile that even Rarity would have fainted at the sight of them.

"At last... the final element is within my grasp," he whispered. "Little did those fools know what happened when they blasted me with the elements. I tasted the power of the Ancients... and it was enough to let me create my own deliciously twisted forms of them. None shall interfere with my plans for this world! When I have the final element in my grasp, none shall be able to withstand the might of the God of Chaos! The ENDBRINGER! And with that final element, I'll at last have finished my greatest creation... The Elements of Chaos!"

To be continued in Part Two: The Hunt For Star Swirl...

The Chaos War: Equestria's Salvation

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Part Two: The Hunt For Star Swirl

Two thousand years ago...

The soldier limped heavily as he moved towards the general's position. His legs were covered in a great deal of cuts and bruises. "General Puddinghead! We must fall back! Our forces are outnumbered ten to one! W- we have to retreat and regroup!"

The general put a hoof to his forehead. A small headache had formed and was bothering him. "Damn it all! I don't want to return to my insane wife so soon! As much as I... er... care for her, we have a battle to win!"

The soldier reeled back in surprise. "G- general? Such foul language! It brings bad luck!"

Puddinghead laughed at him. "Bad luck? I can say whatever the hell I want to! I'll be dead before they pass a law banning my vocabulary! Now, what were you saying? You have to speak up lad."

The soldier gulped. "We are being pushed back on all fronts sir. Squadron Twelve has been utterly decimated. We can't win this battle! We must retreat to the edge of the woods!"

The general closed his eyes and sighed. "As much as I want to see the hell spawn sent back to where they came from, you're right soldier. Sound the horns, we'll be retreating back to the main camp at the edge of the Palomino Woods. Go soldier! We are losing valuable lives with every second that passes!"

The soldier saluted and limped out of the makeshift tent that the general had set up as a temporary command post.

"Might as well see the situation for myself..." Puddinghead muttered. He left the command tent and walked over to the nearby cliff. It gave him a clear view of the battle transpiring in the open field below. It wasn't a pretty sight to behold. A wall of shadows sat on the horizon, pouring forth a new batch of hellish demons every now and then.

It had now been three weeks since the arrival of The Endbringer as he so called himself. Nopony knew where he came from or why, but all he sought was the complete and utter obliteration of their land, possibly followed by the rest of the world. Puddinghead knew from the beginning that they were fighting a war that they had a slim chance at winning. A very slim chance at winning.

I'll be damned if we don't fight to the bitter end, Puddinghead thought. Horns suddenly began to blare, the signal for retreat. He watched as his troops finished off their current opponents before fleeing into the safety of the woods, the demons hot on their tails. Whoever lagged behind met a most unfortunate end. Star Swirl better have figured out how to put up that shield by now, or else we'll have to keep running until The Endbringer decides to stop toying with us and destroys us all!

Puddinghead returned to his tent and quickly packed battle plans and positions into a nearby saddlebag before he tossed it onto his back. He picked up his helmet last and placed it gently on his head. The helmet used to belong to Puddinghead's great grandpony during the days that their races fought against one another, and he wore it with pride.

One final thing left to do... Puddinghead thought. He left the tent and picked up one of the burning torches that helped to keep the insects away and tossed it inside. The dry tent quickly caught on fire and went up in flames. Content with his work, he too retreated into the woods.

Puddinghead made his way through the woods with ease. He had been through them many times before in the past when they were tracking the demon army's position. I hope most of my troops made it to the other side... what was my wife thinking by telling me to have a surprise attack without the assistance of the Unicorns or the Pegasi? For a united nation, we sure don't fight well together... I hope I'm not catching my wife's crazy.

He reached the edge of the woods at last, only to be greeted with hundreds of tents that laid before him. He had reached base camp safely, but he hadn't seen any signs of his troops yet. Two Pegasus guards flew down to meet him before he entered the camp.

"General Puddinghead! Where have you been sir? You and your troops have been missing all morning! What have you been up to?" the guard on his right asked.

Puddinghead shook his head. "No time to explain right now, round up whatever ponies you can. The hell spawn are soon to attack this place."

The guards looked at each other and nodded. "Right away general. We'll let the others know."

"Wait! Before you go, where is Star Swirl? If we want to survive this, we'll need that shield of his up anytime now!" Puddinghead yelled.

"Calm down general. Star Swirl is performing the spell as we speak in the middle of the camp," the right guard said. They both flew away to spread the word around the camp. Puddinghead began to make his way through the camp, receiving nods or salutes as he passed ponies of various types.

It didn't take him long to reach the middle of the camp where a small clearing had been made for Star Swirl and the Unicorns surrounding him. The old wizard's eyes were closed, deep in concentration. Puddinghead watched as Star Swirl's mouth moved quickly but quietly, whispering words that Puddinghead wouldn't understand. He saw that the other leaders and their advisors had also gathered around him, watching them from a safe distance.

The first leader he noticed was Commander Hurricane, the leader of the Pegasi and one of Puddinghead's most trustworthy friends. The two had gotten along immediately after the founding of Equestria due to both of their love for military tactics and battle. He was surprised that his wife had been able to somehow get along with the other two leaders while he was sick.

She had taken his place as temporary leader of the Earth ponies, but he quickly took control back after he was feeling better. Next to Hurricane was his adviser, well, a subordinate known as Private Pansy. Puddinghead didn't know much about her, but assumed that she and Hurricane were close.

The next leader, alongside his daughter, were both Unicorns which Puddinghead remained on neutral ground with still. King Bullion and his daughter, Princess Platinum. While King Bullion was away negotiating trading with the wild Griffons, he gave control of the Unicorn Kingdom to his daughter Princess Platinum, who somehow also managed to come to an agreement with his tribe and Commander Hurricane's.

From the rumors he had heard about Platinum though, she apparently still felt that Unicorns were the superior race, even though they were all supposed be equal.

Take one cog out of the machine, the whole thing shuts down, Puddinghead thought. The two Unicorns that he respected were Star Swirl and his student Clover. Clover was unfortunately still an adviser to the king and the princess. Puddinghead felt that her talent and time could be put to better use elsewhere, such as spending more time learning from Star Swirl.

The last two ponies that were present was his wife and his most trusted adviser, Smart Cookie. Smart Cookie had been by his side ever since they were both little foals. He always regretted not marrying her, and even at one point was willing to divorce his current wife to do so. Puddinghead still felt in his heart that his wife did something to him that made him choose her, but he had no evidence to prove it. Taking a deep breath, he walked towards the group until he stood next to Smart Cookie.

His wife had unfortunately noticed him as well. "Fudgekins! You're still ali— I mean you're back! Yay!"

Fudge Puddinghead rolled his eyes. "I've told you countless times Cotton, stop calling me Fudgekins!"

"What's the matter Fudgekins? Wake up on the wrong side of the bed!?" Hurricane hollered at him. Fudge muttered curses underneath his breath, but he knew that Hurricane was just messing around with him. He had done the same to Hurricane in return countless times.

"No Hurricrash! It's just that you know... our camp is about to be attacked by the demons is all," Fudge replied calmly

Hurricane immediately stopped laughing. His tone turned serious. "What? Now? Private Pansy! Come with me! We must rally our forces!" He quickly flew off, followed by Pansy.

King Bullion trotted over to Fudge, his daughter following alongside him. "What did you do Fudge? Did you provoke those demons without our consent?" King Bullion was not pleased, but Fudge wasn't about to let him talk down to him as if he were a foal.

Fudge rose to his full height and looked directly into the king's eyes. "I'm my own stallion your majesty. We may be united, but as along as we still lead our own tribes, what I do can be done without your consent. Arguing about the matter will get us nowhere. What is done is done and you must gather your troops. Understand?"

The king opened his mouth to reply, but quickly closed it and nodded. "Yes... you are right Puddinghead. However, this is not over between the both of us. Bullion turned around and walked away. His daughter stuck out her tongue at Fudge before she followed him. "Clover, you stay with Star Swirl," Bullion told her as he passed. "Help him get that shield up at any cost."

Clover bowed her head. "As you wish, your majesty." Fudge watched until the king and princess were out of sight. He realized just how tense he was and he finally let his muscles relax.

Smart Cookie put a hoof on his shoulder to comfort him. "Mr. Puddinghead, what you did there was very brave."

Fudge just shook his head. "Brave? Perhaps. Foolish? Certainly. I didn't know what I was thinking Smart Cookie... fighting the demons without the assistance of the others was a bad call. I'm not even sure if my troops made it back safely." Fudge looked over at his wife. "I never should have listened to your advice Cotton."

"Your troops are fine Fudgekins! What is there to worry about?" Cotton asked.

"I told you to stop calling me Fudgekins!" Fudge growled at her. Suddenly, a horn blared near the edge of the woods. Everypony that was there knew what the sound meant.

"No... the shield isn't up yet!" a familiar voice shouted. Fudge turned away from Cotton to see that Star Swirl had opened his eyes. "I still need a little more time!"

"Don't worry wizard, we'll buy you the time you need!" Fudge shouted back. "Get that shield up or we are all dead!" Star Swirl nodded and he and the other Unicorns returned to chanting the spell. Fudge quickly turned to face Cotton and Smart Cookie. "I want the both of you to stay here, out of trouble." He knocked his forehooves together, activating small spikes on the bottoms which he used to fight the hell spawn. He did the same with his back hooves. Everypony knew that Puddinghead was famous for his seismic buck. He didn't become general for just one reason after all. "I'll be back as soon as possible."

He began to leave when Smart Cookie stuck out her hoof, stopping him. "Stay safe okay?"

Fudge nodded. "Of course I'll stay safe Smart Cookie..." They both locked eyes until Fudge pulled himself away. "I... must be going." Fudge trotted around her and towards the tents, quickly disappearing into the crowd of armored ponies. The ponies parted for him as he passed, not wanting to get in his way and he reached the edge of the camp with ease.

The horn was still blaring and he looked into the depths of the woods, only to see the familiar outlines of his soldiers fast approaching.

"Pegasi! Do not let anything pass into this camp! Understand?" Fudge heard Hurricane shout above him.

"Yes commander!" his troops replied.

"Hold on Hurricane! My soldiers are reaching the edge of the forest as we speak. Do not attack until I say so!" Fudge shouted.

Hurricane looked at his troops then back down at his friend and nodded. "Fine. We'll attack on your signal general."Fudge looked back into the woods to see his troops begin pouring out of them. Most of them were covered in small cuts and panting for breath.

He trotted over to the nearest one and pulled him to the side. "Soldier! What the hell took you so long?"

The tired pony panted for a couple more seconds before he came up with a response. "The woods... the trees turned on us general! As if they had minds of their own! Most of us as far as I know were able to make it... but at least the demons stopped following us about halfway through. I don't know why though."

Stopped? In these past few weeks of fighting, those damn monsters never stopped until they had killed every single one of us or we killed every single one of them, Fudge thought. "This is bad news soldier... everypony! To me! Line up in your formations!" The rest of them exited the woods and lined up in rows in front of the camp, waiting for another order from Puddinghead.

Instead, their general began to pace up and down their rows, addressing all of them. "You are some fine soldiers! The best of the Earth pony tribe! Now listen up! Those demons will not pass through us, understand? We are the backbone of this united army, the first line of defense! We need to hold out long enough to allow the wizard to develop a shield strong enough to resist their attacks, now who's with me!?" His soldiers cheered in response. They've been injured and killed, but they would never give up their new home to these demons.

Suddenly, they felt the ground begin to vibrate underneath their hooves, when it suddenly stopped as quickly as it had come.

"Everypony, get ready!" Puddinghead shouted. The ground vibrated again, except this time, the trees in front of them exploded in green flame. They quickly disintegrated into nothing but ashes and a foul smoke rose from their remains. When it cleared, a whole path had been cut directly through the forest. Nothing was left alive in its wake.

Not a minute later, a demon came rushing out of it directly towards Puddinghead and stopped right before him. The two stared at each other for what felt like the longest time when the demon screeched loudly and moved to attack him.

"That's right, come closer you monster..." Fudge whispered. He dodged its first swing and lunged at the creature. His spiked forehooves impaled its chest and he slammed it on the ground afterwards, instantly crushing the life out of it. He pulled his hooves out of the creature and turned to face his troops. "And that... is one of many ways to kill these damn things. Remember that now."

"Fudge! Here they come!" Hurricane shouted. "Pegasi! Strike teams now! Bash their heads in!" The Pegasi began to dive downwards towards the oncoming demon onslaught.

"Charge! For Equestria!" Fudge shouted and he galloped to meet the demons head on, his soldiers following right behind him. The two sides collided with a thundering crash. Screams immediately filled the air on both sides. Although the demons were easy enough to kill, they were also dangerous in such close quarters.

Fudge bucked another one, sending it flying to a nearby Pegasus who kicked its head off . Fudge saw one of his own be impaled by another demon's claws. Another casualty to add to the pile, and unfortunately there would be plenty more before the day was through. Fudge looked away from the sight and kept fighting any demon that came close to him. He didn't show the demons any mercy, but neither did the demons.

Commander Hurricane landed next to him and they stood back-to-back. "Hey! Where in the hell is Bullion? We're taking a pounding out here without their magic!" Hurricane jumped up and kicked a demon in its head, shattering it and causing green blood to splatter all over him. "Damn these things make quite the mess..."

Fudge shook his head. "I don't know Hurricane, he probably ran to—" He was interrupted when a demon suddenly charged into him from the side, knocking the wind out of his lungs and pinning him to the ground.

"Fudge!" Hurricane shouted and he began to make his way over to him, but was blocked by more demons that had arrived. "Hang in there!"

Fudge struggled against the demon and it laughed at him as he did so. The demon brought its arm back and turned it into a blade, ready to impale him when the demons head suddenly went flying off, spraying Fudge in its disgusting fluids. The body crumpled to the ground, revealing Bullion who was busy wiping off the sword levitating next to him.

"Bullion..." Fudge began to say.

"You can thank me later Puddinghead, but I believe it's time we showed these demons who they are messing with!" Bullion shouted and he jumped over Fudge and into the chaos.

Hurricane came over not a moment later and helped fudge up. "Well would you look at that, Bullion saved your hide Fudge! It was about time that he showed up."

Fudge looked towards where Bullion had come from to see the Unicorns charging at the demons, either levitating weapons or firing beams of magical energy at them. You know... we might actually win this battle, Fudge thought.

After a few more minutes of fighting, a flash erupted from the center of the camp, a beam of light shooting up into the sky shortly afterwards. The fighting stopped momentarily as the demons shielded their eyes. The light blinded them, causing them to cry out in pain. The light then began to surround the camp, slowly enveloping it in a bubble.

"He did it..." Fudge whispered. "He did it!" Fudge quickly turned to Hurricane, who was panting for breath. "Hurricane! The shield! We can retreat back into the camp! Go and sound the retreat horn!"

Hurricane nodded and quickly flew off. A horn blared not too long afterwards. The soldiers knew immediately what they had to do and they all began to gallop towards the camp. They arrived there just before parts of the shield began to touch the ground. However, the demons were beginning to come to their senses and some gave chase, only to be incinerated by the shield as soon as they touched it.

"Everypony back to the camp! The wizard has made the shield! Let's go!" Fudge shouted.

He was just about to make his way back towards the shield when a nearby demon launched itself at him, causing them both to tumble across the ground, each trying to get the advantage over the other.

"I'm not getting killed here by you hell spawn! Not today!" Fudge yelled. The demon angrily hissed at him, spittle flying out of its mouth. It finally pinned Fudge to the ground, only to be impaled seconds later by a pike from behind it. "Jeez! I'm having far too many close calls today. Thank you Hurri...?" His words were caught in his throat as the body disintegrated, revealing it to be none other than his adviser, Smart Cookie. "Smart Cookie? But... but I told you to stay where it's safe!"

Smart Cookie laughed at him. "Oh come on Mr. Puddinghead! Did you honestly think for a minute there I would listen to you? Besides, it looked like you needed my help anyway!" She held out a hoof for him to grab.

Fudge reached out and carefully grabbed her hoof, not wanting the spikes to harm her. "Thank you Smart Cookie... I don't know what would have happened if you had not been here."

Smart Cookie smiled. "Anything for you Mr. Puddinghead. I'm your adviser AND best friend! Remember?"

"Yes, I do remember, and please... call me Fudge," he replied. They both began to walk towards the safety of the camp when Cotton appeared from between the tents, blocking their path as the rest of the shield finally touched the ground behind her, completing it.

"And where do you think you two are going?" she asked.

"Cotton! What are you doing? Get back inside the shield where it's safe!" Fudge shouted.

Cotton just shook her head. "Tsk tsk tsk Fudgekins, I think I'm perfectly fine where I am, as for you and Smart Cookie... well that's another story..."A wicked grin came across Cotton's face.

"You've really gone bonkers... haven't you Cotton?" Fudge asked

Cotton tilted her head back and laughed. "Bonkers? Oh no no no Fudgekins... I'm perfectly sane... it's just that I know a winning side when I see one... and you're not on it."

Fudge stood in front of Smart Cookie. "Cotton! What are you saying? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I grow tired of this petty talk, I have a job to do," she said and she lunged at them, knocking Fudge and Smart Cookie to the ground.

"You... you knew that it would be suicide for us to go fight the demons on our own... you will not harm a hair on Smart Cookie's head!" Fudge shouted.

Cotton smiled, baring her teeth as she did so. "Oh? Well perhaps I had forgotten to tell you, but the master has given me power... power that'll allow me to easily wipe you and her off the face of this world!" She brought her hoof up and brought it down, intending to stomp his face in. Fudge and Smart Cookie quickly rolled away from each other and stood up on either side of Cotton, readying themselves for a fight. Cotton just laughed at them. "Ah... the love between the both of you is so strong... I can almost taste it! It's too bad Fudgekins that you won't be alive to watch her die!"

"Not unless I have something to say about it!" Fudge growled back and they both charged at each other. Fudge raised his forehooves and impaled Cotton in the shoulders, slamming her down on the ground, only to immediately be flipped over her and thrown towards Smart Cookie. She quickly moved out of the way to dodge him, but her head was clipped by one of his hooves, knocking her to the ground and dazing her.

Cotton slowly got up, a mixture of red and green blood dripping from the puncture wounds on her shoulders. "Trying to put up a fight... you only delay the inevitable!" She charged at him, picking up a fallen pike with her mouth along the way and aiming it at Fudge. Fudge rolled over to see that Cotton was just a few inches away from impaling him. He kept his eyes opened as he faced his imminent death.

"No!" Smart Cookie yelled and she dived towards Fudge. Everything for him seemed to slow down as he watched Smart Cookie, one of his most dependable friends and the love of his life, be impaled through the gut and collapse on top of him.

"Well well... she gave her life for you Fudge." Cotton pulled out the pike and tossed it to the side. "It's funny really. She loved you so much, yet you never went about to express your true feelings for her, even though you despised me so much. I had thought that by drugging you and having you marry me, you would come to your senses... but no... apparently that wasn't enough."

Fudge held Smart Cookie close to him. Her heart was still beating, although it was faint. "Why you... you monster!"

Cotton laughed at him. "You still haven't figured it out Fudge? After you had regained power over the tribe, I knew that you had feelings for Smart Cookie... and so I had someone visit me, and I accepted his offer."

"You didn't... not the... The Endbringer?" Fudge asked in disbelief.

Cotton nodded. "Yes, he who is great and powerful! In return, I swore my allegiance to him to help cleanse this world, and he bestowed upon me power beyond your imagining..." Cotton's form began to shimmer before Fudge's eyes. Moments later, Cotton reappeared but it wasn't her. It was an exact replica of Smart Cookie.

"That's impossible!" Fudge shouted. "You'll pay for what you've done Cotton!"

Cotton shook her head. "Cotton? No... that's not my name any longer... The Endbringer has given me a new name." Her eyes shimmered green. "Chrysalis."

"Fudge!" Hurricane shouted. He was being followed by a squadron of Pegasi. "What are you doing? We have to get inside the shield!"

Cotton quickly glanced at Hurricane before she returned her gaze to Fudge. "We shall meet again Fudgekins... and it shall be very soon..." She galloped away into the woods and disappeared without a trace..

That witch! Smart Cookie... why? Fudge thought. Tears had begun to form in his eyes.

Hurricane landed beside him, followed by the rest of the Pegasi. "Fudge! What happened? What—" He stopped as soon as he saw Smart Cookie's wound "Oh dear... somepony! Help Fudge carry Smart Cookie to the medical tent!" He gently placed a hoof on Fudge's shoulder. "Don't worry Fudge, we'll get her help as soon as possible. We'll cover you."

Fudge nodded as a Pegasus came over and lifted Smart Cookie's body onto his back, with Fudge being there to help make sure she stayed on.

"It's going to be okay Smart Cookie," Fudge whispered. "You're going to be okay..."

Night had fallen and Fudge sat outside the medical tent. Hurricane was right next to him, offering him some words of comfort. "She's going to be okay Fudge, we have the best Unicorn doctors in there right now. They'll use their hoodoo voodoo magic to fix her up in no time!" Fudge just remained silent. His thoughts raged at how his wife had betrayed them... and possibly fatally wounded his only love of his life.

The flaps of the tent parted and King Bullion walked out and stood in front of them. Fudge looked at him hopefully, but the king closed his eyes and shook his head. "Her wound is too severe," he told them quietly. "She doesn't have much time left on this world, so if there is anything you want to say... you should say it now. I'm... I'm sorry Fudge." He turned and slowly walked away. Fudge couldn't believe what he just heard. He quickly stood up and trotted inside the tent.

The Unicorn doctors were still surrounding her and were in Fudge's way. "Get out! GET OUT!" The doctors quickly exited the tent, leaving Smart Cookie and Fudge alone. He walked over to the side of her bed and placed his hoof on hers.

Smart Cookie's head slowly turned to look at him. "Hey... I know you..." She coughed and smiled at him.

Fudge smiled weakly in return. "And I know you... Listen, Smart Cookie... there's something I need to tell you."

Smart Cookie held a hoof to his mouth. "You don't have to say it Fudge... I already know..." She leaned forward, wincing at the pain in her gut and kissed him on the cheek. "My final advice to you as an adviser... do not let hatred guide you Fudge. Hatred is something this land can use a little... less of."

Fudge's eyes were twitching as he tried to hold back tears. "I... I love you Smart Cookie, don't leave me..."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that Mr. Puddinghead. I will miss you..." she replied. "I... I love you too..." She slowly closed her eyes, her last breath of air escaping between her lips. Smart Cookie was gone, having passed from this world too young, so full of life and potential.

Fudge collapsed to his knees and pressed his face into the side of the bed, letting his tears run freely. He felt a hoof on his shoulder and he turned his head to see Hurricane standing by his side. He let Hurricane help him up and he led them away from Smart Cookie and outside of the tent. The shield was shining brightly in the dark sky above, a beautiful beacon to all those who opposed The Endbringer.

Fudge looked up at the sky and towards the stars, wondering if Smart Cookie was up there, watching him from above in a better place than this hell.

"Hey Fudge... she's in a better place now. Come on. Star Swirl has ordered a private meeting back at his tent and we need to be present," Hurricane said.

Fudge slowly nodded. "Then... then we best not keep the wizard waiting. He more than likely has something important to say." The two friends began to make their way towards Star Swirl's tent, which was located closely to the center where he had performed his spell earlier. As they neared the tent, they could hear voices whispering to each other on the other side and they quickly entered.

"...Star Swirl! That sounds insane! There is no such power in existence that can possibly defeat The Endbringer on its own!" Bullion thundered. "Where is your proof—" Bullion finally noticed that Fudge and Hurricane had arrived. "Ah! Fudge! Hurricane! You made it at last!" The two ponies stood there, not having the faintest idea of what was going on.

"Uh... what was that all about?" Hurricane asked.

Star Swirl rolled his eyes. "Bah! Maybe these two will listen to me if you will not Bullion!" Bullion just shook his head and chuckled. Star Swirl levitated over two seats and he motioned for them to sit down. Fudge saw that Clover was also present and she sat next to Star Swirl. "Puddinghead, Hurricane, there is something I need to tell you. I believe that we can defeat The Endbringer and end this insanity once and for all."

"Oh? And how do you plan on helping us accomplish that?" Hurricane asked.

"Because commander... I believe that there is a power hidden in this land capable of obliterating him from the face of the world!"

Bullion rolled his eyes. "Please wizard. I trust you with my life, but that just sounds impossible! Like I said before, where is your proof that such a thing exists?"

Star Swirl simply grinned. "Oh I have proof alright... and in fact, you can thank Clover for finding what could possibly be our salvation! Put it on the table Clover!" Clover reached inside a nearby bag and struggled to lift something out of it. She finally placed the item in question onto the table with a loud thump. The three leaders leaned over to get a closer look at it.

"It's... a rock?" Bullion asked.

Star Swirl smacked his forehead, annoyed at how unobservant they all were. "Look closer your majesty, surely you must see something! I don't know... maybe a tree perhaps?"

As Fudge continued to study it, he began to see the image of a tree, and some strange writing beneath it that was unknown to him. "I see the tree Star Swirl. But I can't read the language inscribed underneath it. I've never seen anything like it before."

"Aha! Finally someone— er— somepony sees the bigger picture," Star Swirl said. "And fortunately, Clover here is actually quite fluent in the pony language of old. She must have inherited it from her family."

Clover nodded. "That's right Star Swirl. My father and my grandfather and his father before him and so on made sure that the language of our past would never be forgotten, especially since we have all come together now after so many years of fighting back and forth. I've already translated it for Star Swirl, so now I'll read it out to the rest of you." Clover cleared her throat before she turned the tablet around and began to read it out loud. "When the land falls under threat and chaos reigns, bring together the six elements, and let harmony flourish again."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes until Bullion spoke. "So... these elements are the power you speak of Star Swirl?"

Star Swirl nodded. "Yes, if this stone tablet is true, then we can find these elements and use them to defeat The Endbringer and restore harmony to Equestria."

"First of all, where did you find this tablet? And second of all, where do you think the elements are?" Hurricane asked.

"I believe I can answer that," Clover replied. "To answer your first question Hurricane, I stumbled across the tablet a few days ago while exploring the nearby caves. From the looks of it, it could possibly be hundreds of years old."

Hurricane snorted, but it was obvious that he was impressed at the fact. "Holy smokes kid! That means that the language you spoke has been in your family for like... hundreds of years! But what about my second question?"

Star Swirl shook his head. "We know as much about the location of the elements as any of you. We have absolutely no idea. However, Clover noticed that the tablet wasn't carved from the rocks of this area, but rather somewhere else."

"Well that's not helpful at all!" Bullion shouted. "There are rocks all over Equestria! How can we tell which type of rock this one came from?"

"Because lucky for us, I've seen this type of rock before," Star Swirl said. "Near the woods northeast of here, the woods that have yet to be named." Fudge looked around at the ponies in the tent before he suddenly stood up and headed towards the exit.

"General? Where are you going?" Clover asked.

Fudge turned his head to look at her. "To mourn... as well as search for those elements."

Star Swirl's jaw dropped in disbelief. "You can't leave now General! You are one of our greatest fighters left ever since Sombra was defeated in his match versus The Endbringer! To go out there alone would be suicide! While I do give my condolences for your loss, you can't just leave the rest of us while you wander aimlessly!"

"Then what should I do!?" Fudge shot back. "Wait here and die? No! I'm going to find the power that will save us and avenge my—" The ground suddenly rumbled violently beneath them. Shortly after, they all heard a loud boom resonate throughout the camp.

"What the hell was that?" Hurricane asked. "An attack?" Fudge left the tent and was followed by the others. They were curious about what was going on. The sound had woken up many of their troops and they stumbled about, disoriented from being woken up so early.

Another boom resonated throughout the camp and Fudge looked up at the shield to see that it was developing cracks. "Star Swirl... how powerful is the shield?"

"The shield? It's surely strong enough to resist any attack made by the demons. There is no way they can break through," Star Swirl replied. Suddenly, the shield shattered, a dark power having overpowered its defenses. They watched as the rest of the shield disintegrated into nothingness. A deep laugh rumbled throughout the camp which caused a chill to run up their spines.

"Impossible..." Star Swirl whispered. "He has broken through! Leaders! You must round up your troops and bring them here! Our position has been compromised!"

"What do you have in mind wizard?" Fudge asked. "Because right now, we need anything!"

"I've been working on a spell for some time now, a spell capable of moving an entire army!" Star Swirl replied. "Just hurry! We don't have much time!"

The laugh rumbled throughout the camp again. It was at this time that the voice finally spoke at last. "Running won't keep you alive forever ponies... you never stood a chance against me! Watch now as I end this little game!" The ground erupted in front of them, spraying green flame all over the camp and lighting the ground and tents ablaze. More of them appeared throughout the camp and they could hear the screams of their soldiers as the flame consumed all.

"That damn—" Hurricane went on to spout out all types of profanity and Star Swirl just shook his head.

"Cursing will get us nowhere Hurricane!" Star Swirl shouted. "Fudge, can you—" He stopped when he noticed that Fudge and Bullion had disappeared. He walked over to Hurricane and smacked him across the face. "Fudge and Bullion have already left! Go!"

Hurricane rubbed his face where Star Swirl had struck him. "Were you anypony else wizard, I would have you killed for such an act, but you are right." Hurricane flew off, dodging the falling rocks that had shot up from the ground

Meanwhile, Fudge was already busy gathering all of those that were still alive, intent on getting as many of them as he could back to Star Swirl. We will not let him win so easily, he thought. After we relocate, we'll find those elements and finish off this monster once and— His thoughts were interrupted when he heard multiple screeches throughout the camp. Damn it all! We have to hurry! "Soldiers! Do not engage the enemy! We are heading towards the center of the camp where the wizard will bring us to safety!" His troops quickly nodded in understanding as they continued to dodge the flames. Other stragglers joined them as well as they rushed through the burning camp.

Before long, Fudge finally arrived back at the center of the camp. Bullion and Hurricane had already arrived with their own troops as well.

"There you are Fudge!" Bullion shouted and he turned to Star Swirl. "Star Swirl! Begin the spell!"

Star Swirl closed his eyes and began to move his staff in a circle, slowly moving it faster and faster as he began to chant. "Move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done, move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done, move us many for we are one, let us fight until the day is done!" Star Swirl slammed his staff into the ground, causing a dark blue circle to appear beneath all of their hooves. "I can't believe it... it's actually working!"

"You won't be able to escape that easily ponies!" the voice yelled. The Endbringer suddenly materialized in front of them, causing many of their troops to cower and look away. The Endbringer was huge, roughly standing at a height of fifteen feet and wearing a dark robe that covered his plate armour. His face was unrecognizable because shadows swirled around his head, obscuring it from their view. This was the second time he had made an appearance, the first being the time he defeated one of their own in single combat.

"Look upon me mortals and despair!" he roared. He brought his hands close together and a green orb began developing between them. "This world is MINE!"

"You will never win you fiend!" Fudge shouted. "I'll fight to the very end... and you'll pay for what you have done to us! Now Star Swirl!" Star Swirl slammed the butt of his staff on the ground again, causing the circle to pulse twice before it enveloped all of them in a bright white beam. They disappeared without a trace.

"If I can't destroy you... then I shall destroy the very land you wish to protect!" The Endbringer roared. He turned around and threw the orb far into the middle of the Palomino woods near one of the mountains and turned away from it. "Let chaos... CONSUME!" He raised his arms above him as he began to laugh. The green orb landed on one of the mountains and it shattered upon impact, causing a massive explosion that consumed everything it touched, stretching all the way to the coastline and to the forest's edge behind him.

When the explosion dissipated, everything behind him that was alive was gone, having been wiped out by his power and leaving nothing but sand behind. The Endbringer landed on one knee, his power slowly returning to him after pouring so much of it into the orb. "When next we meet ponies... you will have nowhere to run!"

He looked down to see one of the tents had escaped his assault and was surprised to see that it was still standing. He brushed it away, revealing a tiny pony on one of the beds. "What do we have here..." he whispered. He picked the pony up between his thumb and forefinger to see that the pony was dead, having been killed by a wound to the stomach. "So this is the one Cotton boasted about killing... the one pony that was so important to that general..." He began to chuckle to himself. "Well then... I do believe a reunion is in order..."

Green energy began to run down his arm and through his hand, right into the body of Smart Cookie. The wound slowly closed itself, leaving behind no scar until at last he stopped. He waited patiently and watched as the pony began to breathe again and open her eyes. They were filled with the same green energy.

"What is your command..." Smart Cookie whispered.

A wicked grin came across The Endbringer's face. "You'll see soon... Soon..." Something trotted up to him from behind and he turned his head to see his most faithful servant appear. "Ah Chrysalis. I had thought you would have died in the blast."

Chrysalis threw her head back and laughed. "Do you honestly take me to be one of those fools my lord?"

"No Chrysalis, you are... perfect," The Endbringer said. He marvelled at how easy it was to deceive these ponies. To think that they were still a thorn in his side... "I think it's time we gathered some more ponies for our cause. After all, we do have the right pony for the job..." He lowered his hand and showed the resurrected Smart Cookie to Chrysalis.

Chrysalis' eyes widened in surprise, which quickly turned to excitement. "Oh yes! She will do just fine... This is going to be fun."

The Chaos War: The Rise of Harmony

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A gentle breeze blew in the silence of the night. Fireflies lazily drifted about, seeming to have no direction and simply acting as sources of light in the darkness. Suddenly, the wind began to pick up speed. The fireflies scattered as a beam of white light appeared from above, with a whole army of ponies materializing shortly after.

"Urgh... my stomach doesn't feel too good," Hurricane groaned. "I'll... I'll be right back." Hurricane stumbled off towards the nearby forest and disappeared within its depths.

"Agh... my head..." Fudge mumbled. He massaged his head as he looked around at their surroundings. Star Swirl's teleport spell had fortunately worked and saved their lives, but it also came with some temporary side effects. The forest was directly behind them, but everywhere else was just flat land as far as the eye could see, covered in long flowing grass. "Bullion? Star Swirl? Clover? Is everypony alright?"

Bullion coughed and slowly stood up. "Yes, I believe I'm fine, but where is my daughter? Platinum? Platinum!"

"Right behind you father," Platinum replied. Bullion turned around to see Platinum lying down on her back and he sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! I was afraid that something had happened to you! Now where is Clover?"

"Over there Bullion," Fudge said and pointed towards her. Clover was busy holding another pony's hoof, which Fudge immediately assumed was Star Swirl's. "And I think she might have found our wizard friend. Come, we have no time to lose!"

Fudge galloped over to Clover's side, with Bullion following right behind him.

"Clover! Are you alright?" Bullion asked

Clover slowly nodded her head. "Yes I'm fine... but..."

"But what? Who's hoof are you—" Bullion looked down and saw Star Swirl lying face up with his eyes closed. The old wizard was unconscious and barely breathing. "Oh... oh no..."

Fudge stood next to Clover and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Clover, Star Swirl just performed a feat that saved all of our lives in the nick of time. By the looks of it, he just needs some rest. I don't believe he is ready to leave this world just yet."

Clover turned her head, her eyes meeting with Fudge's. "You really think so?"

"No Clover, I know so. Here, take this," Fudge replied. He reached into his saddlebag and brought out a folded woolly blanket which he gave to her. "Star Swirl needs it more than I do right now and we all need to get some rest, but first, Bullion and I must address our troops." He looked over at Bullion and he nodded in agreement.

Hurricane suddenly came stumbling back, his wings covered in leaves and twigs. "Hey all... what did I miss?"

"You didn't miss much Hurricane," Bullion replied. "However we were just about to go and address the troops about our current situation. Do you feel well enough to do so? Because to be honest, you aren't looking too great. At all."

"Yes I'm fine! I'm the leader of the Pegasi! I am the best of the best!" Hurricane puffed out his chest. "And don't you forget it!"

Fudge and Bullion both rolled their eyes. "Alright I get it Hurricane, just don't collapse in front of your troops," Bullion said. "That would probably tarnish your reputation."

The trio began to walk around and gather their disoriented soldiers until they had most of them standing at attention.

"Alright everypony listen up! We are fortunate to be alive, but we can't give up the fight just yet! Here is wh—" Fudge was interrupted as one of the soldiers began to heave. Most of the soldiers moved away from him as he collapsed to the ground.

A look of concern appeared on Bullion's face. "Is he okay? You! Soldier! Go check on him." A soldier cautiously walked over to the other collapsed soldier and poked him with his hoof. The soldier on the ground let out a weak grunt.

"Yeah he's still alive!" one of the soldiers shouted.

Fudge waited for them to haul the soldier somewhere else before he continued. "...Anyway, here is where we will make our final stand against The Endbringer, this self-proclaimed God of Chaos. Here is where we show the rest of the world our bravery and determination! Let him come!" Only a few tired cheers came from the assembled soldiers.

Fudge took a step back as Bullion stepped forward to speak. "Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies. You know me as King Bullion, leader of the Unicorns, the keepers of magic. Every day and every night, we have a dedicated group of Unicorns that work together to raise and lower both the sun and moon. A month ago, I would have seen us all as enemies. Looking back on it now, all we succeeded in was harming ourselves. Only by cooperating can we stop this threat. By working together we can show The Endbringer that he'll never take away our freedom."

A few more soldiers stamped their hooves on the ground in approval, cheering and shouting words of confidence. Bullion stepped back and Hurricane rose into the air, forcing the soldiers to look upwards to see him. "And I am Commander Hurricane! Ever since I was a foal, I knew that one day I would be destined for greatness! From my victories in the arena to the peace treaty with the Griffins, I have led the Pegasi to glory! But now, we have come to realize that it's not all about glory, but friendship and trust, like Fudge and I here! So follow me, follow all of us this one last time, so that others may learn that only by working together can anypony accomplish anything!"

That was all their soldiers needed to hear and they cheered one final time. Hurricane came back down and landed between Fudge and Bullion. "Well, that went rather well. These ponies would follow us to the end of time if they had to!"

"Except our time is coming to an end Hurricane..." Bullion said. "Our losses are too great. Think about those at home... the families that'll never see their mothers or fathers again."

"Bullion... while I understand where you are coming from, we can't keep running!" Fudge replied. "I believe we have a chance to stop this by finding those elements!"

Bullion sighed and closed his eyes. "We don't know where the elements are or if they even exist... but you're right Fudge. Running would only delay the inevitable. I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me."

Hurricane wrapped his forelegs around both Fudge and Bullion and brought them closer together. "Well, I for one know one thing we should do, and that is to get some sleep! I'll see you in the morning boys!" He quickly flew off to the other side of the group without another word to the two leaders.

"Hurricane is right Bullion, although he could have been a little quieter about it. Go. Be with your daughter. There is something I need to do still," Fudge said.

Bullion wearily nodded his head. "Yes of course. Goodnight Fudge, I look forward to seeing the sunrise." He walked away to find his daughter, leaving Fudge on his own.

I just need to have a little chat with Clover, Fudge thought. He carefully made his way pass the soldiers who had fallen asleep on the ground until at last he arrived to see Clover with her head resting on Star Swirl's side. "Clover." He gently shook her. "Clover... you need to wake up. Now!"

Clover awoke with a start and slowly raised her head. "Wha? Wh- who's there?"

Fudge walked over to the other side of Star Swirl so she could see him. "Clover, I need your help. It's important."

"Fudge... don't you know how late it is? The moon is already beginning to sink..." Clover replied and yawned loudly.

"It's... about the elements," Fudge replied, which caused Clover to suddenly be at full alert.

"The elements? What about them?" she asked.

"You are the last pony I can count on Clover to find them. Study that tablet of yours again. Maybe you'll find something that we missed," Fudge said. "But when the sun rises tomorrow, I want you and Star Swirl to get as far away from here as possible, along with Bullion's daughter."

Clover rubbed her eyes, trying to remove the weariness from them. "You do realize what you are asking of me right?" Fudge nodded. "Well... alright Fudge, I'll see what I can do."

"And do you promise to leave at the break of dawn?" Fudge asked.

"Yes general, I promise," Clover replied.

Fudge nodded his head again. "Good, thank you Clover for all your work. It has been an honour working with one so clever." Clover watched him as he walked away and disappeared into the night.

It must be hard to be Fudge right now, Clover thought. Losing your true love and having your wife betray you is not something you experience every day. She looked over at Star Swirl to see that he was breathing slowly. For once in these past couple of weeks, he looked almost at peace, something he hadn't experienced in a long time and she smiled. "Don't worry Star Swirl... we are all going to make it through this together."

Clover leaned over him to reach her saddlebag and brought out the stone tablet, being careful to not let it slip from her grasp. Now what could we have possibly missed on here? Star Swirl and I have both gone over this tablet multiple times before we showed it to them, she thought. Just need a little bit of light... Her horn began to glow, providing a light that allowed her to see the image and writing on the tablet. "Show me. Show me where I can find the power of Harmony... so that we all may live to see the end of tomorrow."

Clover held the tablet close to her and closed her eyes, feeling her heart slowly beat at a steady pace. Slowly, a faint blue glow began to come from the tablet, causing Clover to slowly open her eyes in surprise. "What? What is this?" She held the tablet away from her.

The tablet suddenly escaped from her grasp and she watched as it hovered in front of her, the glow becoming brighter. "Do not fear us young one..." the tablet whispered. The blue glow pulsed as it spoke. "For you have asked... and you shall receive."

Clover quickly stood up and slowly began to back away, the tablet following her as she did so. "Wh- what is going on? What are you?" she asked, a hint of fear in her voice.

"We are the ancient ones..." the tablet replied. "We have waited... and now it seems the time has come to use our greatest creation... the elements."

"The ancient ones? Wait... I'm confused. Why is The Endbringer here in the first place? How are you here?" Clover asked.

"Follow us young one into the woods... we will answer what we can along the way to the tree," the tablet replied and it quickly began to hover towards the edge of the forest.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Clover shouted. She picked up her saddlebag and threw it over her back before she galloped after the tablet. The tablet disappeared into the depths of the forest, with Clover following shortly after.

The tablet was waiting patiently for Clover as she approached it. She followed alongside it as they delved deeper into the forest.

"We are the ancient ones, those who have fought against The Endbringer across many worlds," the tablet said.

"Soooo why did you stop here?" Clover asked.

"Because we had been greatly weakened by our battles with The Endbringer. Our previous battle with him had left him wounded, but we knew that it would only be a matter of time before he followed us," the tablet replied.

"And now he has..." Clover whispered. "Then... this is all your fault!" Her voice began to rise in anger. "Our people have been dying because of him. Towns wiped out! Forests destroyed! And it's all because you brought him here!"

"Yes, and for that we are deeply sorry and forever will be," the tablet said. "We will never be at peace, even if The Endbringer is destroyed, for we have killed millions in our struggle. But this world... there is something different about it. Although your kind was mere primitives at the time, we saw great potential in all of you..."

"And what potential was that?" Clover asked, raising an eyebrow.

"The potential... to bring complete harmony to the universe..." the tablet replied. "Come, we will arrive at our destination soon..." Clover continued to follow the tablet until they came across a gorge. "There are some steps near here... ah, here they are." The tablet hovered over to a set of stone stairs that Clover wasn't too sure of going down.

"Are you sure these stairs are safe?" Clover asked and she thought she heard what sounded like a laugh come from the tablet.

"Of course... the odds of anything falling down these stairs is a million to one, and they would have to be clumsy to not look where they are going," the tablet assured her and hovered down the steps.

"Alright, if you say so... I guess," Clover replied. She carefully began to descend the steps. Fortunately she reached the bottom without any danger and continued to follow the tablet. A faint glow began to appear from up ahead and she squinted to get a better look. "Hey, what is that?"

"That... is where your kind and the rest of this world's salvation lies," the tablet replied. "Inside the cave... you will find what is depicted on this very tablet."

"The... the elements?" Clover asked. She felt her heart begin to race. This was it. This had to be.

"Yes young one, the elements. Or as we like to call them, the Elements of Harmony," the tablet said. They quickly reached the glow, only to find that it was coming from a cave. However, what Clover saw inside the cave made her eyes widen in awe.

A beautiful crystalline tree stood before her. Crystals glittered and provided light throughout the cave, but what drew her attention the most were the six unique coloured gems that adorned it.

"This... is our first and last gift to the universe young one," the tablet said. "The Tree of Harmony was made using the last of our power... which required us to sacrifice our physical forms. It is up to you now, young pony, to use these gems against The Endbringer, for they shall bring about the end of his reign of chaos, as well as protect this land, this world, and the universe for many years to come..."

"Wait! How am I to use them?" Clover asked. "And what will happen to you after I take them?"

"The elements will require at least one of you to wield each one... unless the power of the elements decides otherwise," the tablet answered. "As for what will happen to us... we shall cease to exist, for if one of those six gems are removed from the tree, we shall no longer be the guardians of balance. Good luck young one... we shall watch you remove the first one."

Clover gulped and cautiously approached the tree. As she did so, she noticed the sun and moon underneath the center of the tree. I wonder what those are meant for... she wondered when suddenly, the middle of the tree opened before her, revealing a magenta-coloured gem. Clover looked behind her to see the tablet floating silently before she returned her gaze to the gem. Alright Clover... you can do this. For Star Swirl! For Equestria! She reached forward and pulled the gem out of its socket, causing the tree to gently shudder.

"Thank you young one for taking on this burden..." the tablet whispered. "Thank you..." The blue glow disappeared from the tablet and Clover heard it fall to the ground. It shattered into hundreds of pieces as it did so. She didn't waste any time gathering the rest of the gems and carefully placed them into her saddlebag.

We have our salvation... we can win this war... and we can finally not live in fear! she thought with joy. She galloped towards the exit of the cave, but stopped next to the remains of the tablet. "Thank you... for believing in us and giving us a chance." She then left the cave, eager to get back to camp and break the news to the leaders.

A faint white glow suddenly appeared from beneath the ground at the base of the tree. The Endbringer cannot be destroyed with only six... my brothers... you are fools for not telling her. My time will soon come... Only a champion of considerable power shall wield me... and then I shall prove who is the strongest! The glow disappeared as quickly as it had come.

"Psst! Hey! Hey Blue Cloud! Wake up!" a voice said. The one called Blue Cloud stretched his wings and rolled over. "No not roll over! Get up! We're needed!"

Blue Cloud groaned and slowly stood up. "What does the commander want at this hour?" he asked, yawning shortly afterwards.

The other Pegasus shook his head. "Not the commander Blue! It's Clover and Smart Cookie! Apparently they found a way for us to beat The Endbringer and have asked us to follow them!"

Smart Cookie? I thought she died earlier from her wounds... Blue thought. "This sounds suspicious. Didn't Smart Cookie die earlier?"

"Yeah, most of us had thought so too! But apparently Star Swirl and Clover helped the doctors save her! Come on, we are going to be late!" the Pegasus shouted and flew off, following the others that had also decided to follow Clover and Smart Cookie.

"I may not be as smart as a Unicorn, but I know when something doesn't feel right," Blue muttered. "I'll watch from a distance... hopefully the others will come to their senses." He stretched his wings once more before he lifted himself off the ground and into the sky. Fortunately a large majority of the soldiers had decided to stay. He followed the ones who were leaving at a safe distance from the ground.

It wasn't long until they had gone some distance away from the rest of the army. A torch had been lit on the ground, showing the ponies where they needed to gather. Blue took some of a nearby cloud and brought it with him closer to the group. His plan was to use the piece of cloud as cover so that he could listen in without being caught by the others. As soon as all of them had gathered, Clover and Smart Cookie appeared before the soldiers in a flash of light, a puff of smoke rising shortly after.

"Welcome everypony! I am so glad that all of you could make it! Isn't that right Smart Cookie?" Clover asked.

Smart Cookie's eyes glowed green before it disappeared. "Yes," she replied, her answer sounded like she was bored and devoid of any emotion.

"Wonderful! Now you all know why you are here at this hour, correct?" Clover asked.

"Of course we do!" one of the soldiers shouted. "You said that you found something that would enable us to win no matter what!"

Clover nodded. "That I did my dear soldier! However, I would say it's more of a gift than something we found..." She turned to look at Smart Cookie. "...and I believe it is time we gave it to all of you! Now Smart Cookie!"

Smart Cookie's eyes glowed green again. "As you wish," she said and raised a hoof. A green ball of dark energy erupted from her hoof, landing in the middle of the group and creating a shield around them. Blue Cloud pulled himself away just in time, but he was no longer able to hear what they were saying.

"Hey! What are you doing Smart Cookie?" one of the soldiers at the front yelled when his eyes narrowed. "Wait... I've seen this magic before! Both of you are filthy traitors! You won't get away with this Clover!"

Clover threw he head back and laughed. "Clover? Oh no my dear soldier, I am not Clover, nor am I filthy! You'll soon learn not to speak to your new queen that way!" Her body began to shift until it revealed her true form.

"C- Cotton?" another soldier exclaimed in surprise.

"Fools! I am not Cotton! I am Chrysalis! Your new queen!" Chrysalis yelled. "Come! Embrace the gift the master bestowed upon me... do not fight it..." Shadows began to swirl around the small group when The Endbringer suddenly appeared before them, causing the soldiers to finally break into all out panic mode.

"You all shall serve a greater purpose now!" The Endbringer roared and he raised his arm. The palm of his hand began to glow green and shone a foul light upon the soldiers, causing them to stop and cry out in pain as the power corrupted their hearts, minds, and very souls. The glow from his palm faded and he snapped his fingers, causing them all to stand at attention. "Now... kneel before your new ruler!" He pointed down at a beaming Chrysalis.

One by one the soldiers slowly knelt on the ground, their eyes all glowing a bright green before changing to a bright blue. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth ponies alike were unable to escape his power. "Hail Chrysalis! Hail the queen!" they shouted in unison.

The Endbringer turned to face Chrysalis. "Now... you have your own soldiers that shall follow you to the very end, just like you wanted. When the sun rises for the last time on this pitiful world, I shall give the ponies one last chance... I know the ones I'm after are here somewhere..." He disappeared in an eruption of green flame, leaving Chrysalis, Smart Cookie, and the enslaved soldiers behind.

"Now... what shall we call ourselves..." Chrysalis wondered out loud. Suddenly, one of the soldiers changed, briefly appearing like the one next to it before reverting back to normal. "Ah yes! I think I shall call us... the Changelings! What do you think Smart Cookie? Has a nice ring to it doesn't it?"

Smart Cookie just blankly stared ahead of her. "Yes," she replied and Chrysalis laughed.

What the hay... this is not good... not good at all! The others must know of this immediately! Blue thought and he quickly flew back towards the army, his heart racing as he did so.

"Smart Cookie... I never meant for this to happen..." Fudge mumbled in his sleep. "Smart Cookie what are you doing!? No... no! AHG!" Fudge awoke from his nightmare and quickly stood up, looking for his attacker. He brought a hoof to his stomach to find that there wasn't a wound there and he sighed in relief. Oh, it was just a nightmare... but it felt so real! Smart Cookie... I'm so sorry...

The sky was beginning to brighten as the moon began to disappear beneath the horizon. The final hour was almost upon them. I wonder if Clover was able to find anything, Fudge thought. It's almost time for them to leave this place. Fudge had fallen asleep somewhere just outside the perimeter of the army and he began to make his way back to the center where he last saw Clover and Star Swirl. "Clover! Are you awake yet?"

A nearby soldier rolled over and covered his ears. "Do you have to be so loud general?" he asked. Fudge ignored him and continued to call for Clover, much to everypony's annoyance. It wasn't long until he found Star Swirl, who had at last regain consciousness.

"Star Swirl! You're awake at last!" Fudge said as he walked over to him. "Have you seen Clover by any chance?"

Star Swirl brought out a pipe from underneath his hat and with a wave of his hoof he lit it. "No general, I have not. Come, sit down and watch the sunrise with me."

Fudge quickly complied with Star Swirl's wishes and sat down next to him. The two sat in silence for a while until Star Swirl finally spoke again. "So Fudge... it looks like we might not see the moon rise this evening," Star Swirl said but Fudge shook his head.

"No Star Swirl, you will, along with Clover, Platinum, and those back home. It will be Hurricane, Bullion, our troops and I that won't be seeing the moon," Fudge replied. "We will buy you as much time as we can so the three of you can get to safety... I won't let any of you die."

"But you are willing to see your own troops do so?" Star Swirl asked. "They have families too general, surely you don't think of them any lower than us?"

"What? No! That's not what I meant Star Swirl! That's not..." Fudge trailed off, having trouble coming up with a response. "It's just... I wish this war never happened... so many good ponies have died Star Swirl."

Star Swirl placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Listen general, being a leader means making hard decisions, and sometimes they'll never be for the best. I've witnessed this many times before. You just need to keep moving forwards."

"So what should I do then Star Swirl? If we can't stop The Endbringer here, who will?" Fudge asked.

Star Swirl took another puff of his pipe and sighed. "I can't answer that question Fudge, for some questions are better left unanswered. But speaking of your question regarding Clover, here she comes now."

Fudge looked towards the forest to see Clover galloping towards them as fast as she could. "Clover! You're back!" he shouted and stood up. Star Swirl did the same shortly after and they waited patiently for her to arrive. Clover slowed down as she neared them and paused, breathing heavily.

"St- Star Swirl, Fu- Fudge," she said in between breaths.

"Yes Clover? What is it? And what happened to you? You look like a complete mess," Fudge said.

"Ga- ahem, gather Hurricane and Bullion and come back here. I found something that all of you might want to see," Clover said.

Fudge nodded. "Of course! But what is that you found? Wait... can it be? The elements?" he asked and Clover nodded. Fudge's eyes widened and his heart began to race. "I'll be back as soon as I can!" Clover watched Fudge as he galloped away to find Hurricane and Bullion.

"Clover? Is this true?" Star Swirl asked.

"Yes Star Swirl! Look in the saddlebag!" she squeeled, unable to contain her excitement any longer. She reached behind her and took the saddlebag off, placing it gently on the ground before them. Star Swirl carefully opened the saddlebag, only to shield his eyes because of the brightness coming from within.

"Close it! Close it!" he shouted and Clover quickly closed the saddlebag, causing the light to disappear. "I don't know how you did it Clover... but how?"

"Well... it's a long story Star Swirl," she said but Star Swirl waved his hoof.

"Don't tell me yet, let's wait for the others to arrive," he said. No sooner did he say that when Fudge appeared, followed by a tired Bullion and Hurricane.

"So Fudge..." Bullion yawned before he continued. "What's this about the elements?"

"Clover said she found them! I don't know how, but she found them!" Fudge shouted in excitement. "Clover! Show us the elements! Quickly!"

Clover opened up the saddlebag again, releasing the light of the gems once more. Fudge and Bullion shielded their eyes, but Hurricane had fallen asleep again while standing up. "That's amazing..." Bullion whispered. "So the wizard was right after all. Where did you find them Clover?"

"It all started earlier this evening. I was looking at the tablet again when—" Clover was interrupted when Fudge stamped his hoof.

"That doesn't matter right now! Dawn is almost upon us and The Endbringer will more than likely make his move soon. I don't know why he has spared us thus far, but with these elements on our side, we shall be victorious!" Fudge shouted.

"They are actually called the Elements of Harmony general, if you had given me time to explain," Clover said.

"How do we use them Clover?" Fudge asked. "What does it need us to do in order to stop The Endbringer?"

"Well, from what I can remember, at least six of us need to be present to wield one gem. One pony can't do it on their own unless they had met certain requirements, but I don't know what those are," Clover said.

"Wait, how did you come to learn all of this?" Bullion asked.

"The tablet, if you remember it, told me how," Clover replied. "It said that with all the elements combined, The Endbringer will surely be destroyed once and for all."

"Then we have no time to lose Clover," Fudge said. "Bullion, Hurricane... Hurricane!" Hurricane immediately woke up and looked around at the others.

"Whoa! Hey! Wha? What did I miss?" Hurricane asked.

"We have the elements Hurricane, the final hour draws closer with every second that passes," Fudge said. "It is time to gather the troops to help defend us while we use the elements, and in order to do so, we need six of us."

Hurricane counted how many of them there were and rubbed his forehead. "Uh, I'm not sure if you are aware of this Fudge, but there are only five of us," he said.

"Well, then bring Pansy along with you! But first, is everypony here willing to take part in this?" Fudge asked. He looked around him to see them all nod in agreement except for Star Swirl. "Star Swirl, are you with us?"

Star Swirl sighed and he slowly nodded his head. "Yes... I suppose so. But I must warn everypony that is present. We do not know what these gems, these elements, are capable of. We must use them wisely and with caution."

"COMMANDER!!!" a voice shouted and a Pegasus crashed into Hurricane, sending both of them crashing to the ground.

"What in the- Blue cloud!? Just what in the hay were you thinking private!" Hurricane yelled at him. He lifted a dazed Blue Cloud off of him and stood up. "Explain yourself!"

Blue Cloud jumped up and saluted Hurricane. "Commander! Enemy forces have captured some of our soldiers and they... they did something to them!"

"Did what exactly to them?" Fudge asked.

"They... they changed them... into slaves! Their eyes glow blue, and they can change forms!" Blue explained.

The group stood there in silence, having a hard time believing what they were being told. "Cotton... she did this didn't she?" Fudge asked

Blue nodded. "Yes Puddinghead! She had taken on the form of Clover in order to lure some of our troops away. And... Smart Cookie was there too."

"That's impossible! Don't you dare bring her up again!" Do you hear me!" Fudge shouted.

"Fudge! Let go! You're hurting him!" Clover cried out. Fudge noticed that Blue was now on the ground, his hoof slowly crushing Blue's neck and he stepped off.

"I... I'm sorry, please don't take this the wrong way Blue. Thank you for letting us know," Fudge said.

Blue stood up and rubbed his neck. "Yeah, no problem..." he said. He gave Fudge an uneasy look before he walked away.

"Jeez Fudge... I know you're upset still, but you have to let her go," Hurricane said. "You'll only hurt yourself even further."

Fudge closed his eyes. "You're... you're right Hurricane. I apologize for what I did. It won't happen again."

"Never mind that!" Bullion yelled, brushing the incident aside. "Part of our army was taken from us! By the looks of it we lost about a sixth of our fighting force!" He quickly turned to face Fudge. "We must rally up whatever we have left and prepare to fight to the bitter end, and hopefully regain our soldiers in the process!"

Fudge nodded in agreement. "Yes, round them up so we can tell them what they'll be doing. Hurricane, Bullion, round up everypony, whether they be your troops or not. We fought this war together, we end this war together. We should no longer confine ourselves to leading our own kind."

Bullion and Hurricane looked at each other and they both nodded. "Yes, of course Fudge," Bullion replied. "Come Hurricane, we must hurry!"

The two leaders galloped off, calling out for their troops to rise from their slumber. Star Swirl placed a hoof on Fudge's shoulder. "Although you all may have come together to form Equestria Fudge, this final battle shall truly show that everypony, no matter what kind, will forever be connected, despite what they thought in the past." Star Swirl removed his hoof from his shoulder and picked up the saddlebag. "Come Clover, we must prepare the elements for use, although I'm not sure how we will go about doing that." He began to shuffle away towards an empty spot in the field.

"I'm right behind you Star Swirl!" Clover said and followed alongside him, leaving Fudge alone.

I think one last speech is in order, Fudge thought. No matter what happens today, I will personally see to it myself that The Endbringer is eradicated!

It wasn't long until Hurricane and Bullion finally gathered everypony and Fudge found himself at the front standing between them once again. "The sunrise is almost upon us Fudge," Bullion whispered. "Whatever you have to say, say it now. Let these soldiers know that despite the enemy we face, there shall always be hope."

"Do we have everypony we need to use the elements?" Fudge whispered back.

Bullion nodded. "Yes. If you noticed, Pansy is standing right next to Hurricane."

Fudge looked to his left to see that Pansy was indeed next to Hurricane, but he also noticed that she was trembling. Not exactly the bravest one... but I hope I'm right about having her along, he thought. "What about your daughter? Is she safe Bullion?"

Bullion laughed at the question. "My sweet Platinum? She is safe in the woods. I told her to stay put unless she wanted to watch some demons get blown up!"

"Alright then... it's time," Fudge said and he stepped forward. He raised a hoof, causing the soldiers to fall silent before he began. "Unicorns, Pegasi and Earth ponies, hear me now! It has been the worst three weeks of our lives. We've lost great friends and many loved ones, but their deaths shall be avenged! The Endbringer seeks to end us all, but that shall not come to pass. A day may come when our courage fails, but it is not this day! This day we fight! Stand with me now ponies of Equestria, for we shall never again stand alone!"

As Fudge finished his speech, the soldiers began to stamp their hooves in applause. "Well done Fudge," Bullion said. "After all of this is over, how about a drink on me?"

"I'll take you up on that offer!" Hurricane replied. "I can taste that bitter, oh so very bitter apple cider now..."

Fudge turned around to face the horizon and watched as the sun slowly began to rise, its rays of light bathing the land in its warmth. A deep booming laughter suddenly echoed across the field. "So... it all comes down to this..." the voice said and The Endbringer faded into sight about roughly fifty feet away from their fighting force. "A touching speech general, but I'm afraid you only wasted your breath. But... your kind has put up quite the fight, and for that I have a proposition for you..."

"We will never bargain with demons!" Fudge shouted in anger. "And you will never win!"

"Are you sure you don't want to hear what I have to say general?" The Endbringer asked. "I will let you live! I can grant you power beyond your imagining! Join me ponies of Equestria, and together, we can rule the universe!"

Fudge shook his head. "I will never believe a word you say demon! Do you know what we would have to give in rreturn for an offer like that?"

The Endbringer threw his shadowy head back and laughed. "Why yes... you would only have to give up... everything! As well as tell me where the ancients hide!"

"Ancients? Our own free will? Heh, I'm sorry... not really, but I'm afraid you are asking the wrong type of ponies!" Hurricane shouted.

"Very well then... if that is your final answer..." The Endbringer said and he waved his hand. Green flame covered the ground in front of him, revealing his demon horde, as well as Chrysalis and the enslaved soldiers. "...Then you all shall perish. Minions! Destroy them while I create a force powerful enough to destroy this pathetic land they call Equestria!"

"As you wish my lord," Chrysalis replied. "Forward! Leave no survivors!"

"Stay strong soldiers! Give it everything you got! Charge!" Fudge yelled and he pointed at the oncoming horde.

"FOR EQUESTRIA!" the soldiers shouted in unison and they charged past him, knowing that the outcome of this battle would decide their fate on this world.

"I think it's time to give The Endbringer a little parting gift, what say you three?" Fudge asked.

"I agree with Fudge! Let us be finished with this demon once and for all!" Hurricane shouted. "And speaking of our little gift, here it comes now!" He pointed a hoof towards Star Swirl and Clover who were both carrying three gems each towards them.

"I hope we're not too late!" Clover said. "These elements proved trickier to learn about than we thought, I'm sure we haven't even dented the potential of these things!"

"What have you learned?" Fudge asked. "How do we decide who gets which element to use?"

Star Swirl shook his head. "To be honest, we don't know. All we have managed to learn in the short time we had is that each of them holds a different power, but they all seem to link to this one here." He held out the magenta-coloured one. "I'll be using this one, but the rest of you have to decide now which ones you'll be using."

"I call red!" Hurricane shouted and grabbed the red one from Star Swirl. "Because red always means first!" Nopony noticed that the red gem began to give off a faint glow.

"I'll keep the yellow one," Clover said, "Because to be honest, yellow is my favourite colour!"

"I believe I shall take the purple one then my dear," Bullion said and took the purple gem away from Clover. "It reminds me of my daughter Platinum."

"Um, is it okay if I take the green one commander?" Pansy asked. "Unless you want it Fudge."

"Oh no Pansy you can have it. I believe I'll take the blue one. It reminds me of the blue skies of days long gone when Smart Cookie and I were playing as young foals," Fudge replied and he smiled at the thought. "Star Swirl? The blue one please." Star Swirl gave him the blue gem, and Hurricane nodded at Pansy, indicating that she could take the green gem.

"Here you are Pansy! Wield it well!" Clover said and gave Pansy the final gem.

"Th- thank you Clover," Pansy replied.

"Don't thank me yet Pansy. Our soldiers are buying us the time we need, we have to act now!" Clover shouted. "Everypony, face The Endbringer in a single file line! Star Swirl will be in the middle!" They quickly got into position when dark clouds suddenly began to form overhead, blocking the sun's rays and covering the land in darkness.

"Do you feel that chill running up your spines ponies? Nothing will mourn your passing... you will be forgotten like everything else I have destroyed!" The Endbringer roared.

"Ignore him everypony! Hold out the gems in front of you and hope something—" Fudge stopped talking, not believing what his eyes were seeing. "Smart... Cookie? No... what have they done to you?"

Smart Cookie slowly shuffled her way towards him, her eyes glowing green and her head tilted to the side. "Why... did you kill me Fudge?" she said. "I thought... you were my best friend... my true love..."

"I am Smart Cookie and I forever will be!" Fudge cried.

"Fudge! Snap out of it!" Hurricane yelled. "Hold up your gem! We need you!"

"Don't hold up your gem Fudge... come join me... and we can be together forever..." Smart Cookie said.

Fudge closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Smart Cookie... I'm sorry... but I'm afraid I can't do that," he said and held up his gem, his hoof trembling as he did so. "But I will always remember... the times we shared." The blue gem began to pulse rapidly and the other gems did so as well. "Laughter..." he whispered, his eyes turning a bright white.

"Wh- what's happening? Why do I feel like I'm not... L- loyalty!" Hurricane shouted.

"Honesty!" Clover shouted after him.

"Generosity," Bullion stated.

"Kindness..." Pansy whispered.

"And magic..." Star Swirl said.

The six ponies slowly began to rise, all of their eyes having turned a bright white and emitting a light that lit up the battlefield, causing the fighting to stop.

"Hah! You think you can beat me with pathetic light?" The Endbringer shouted. "Taste the wrath of chaos!" and he fired a charged beam of green energy capable of wiping out all life in Equestria.

"Not light..." Fudge whispered. "Harmony."

Each of the gems fired a beam of their own respective colour, combining into a colourful mixture in front of them before firing itself at the green energy coming their way. The two beams collided, creating a shock wave that knocked everything beneath them to the ground.

"What? What... is this!?" The Endbringer roared. "Fools! You can't stop me! I'm The God of Chaos! Chaos incarnate! I am INVINCIBLE!" The two beams pushed against one another until the harmony beam had gained the advantage, slowly beginning to push back The Endbringer's foul magic.

"No! I will not be stopped here! Not when I'm so close!" The Endbringer yelled and the harmony beam blasted into his chest, subduing his magic and raising him into the air. "NOOO! Hehehe... I see now... This power! The ancient ones are no longer. What pathetic beings! Hear this ponies! I shall return! And when I do- ARGH! I! Will! End! YOU! RAAAAAAAAA!!!"

The harmony beam swirled around him and exploded, causing The Endbringer to vanish without a trace. The demons caught in the explosion were instantly destroyed, but Chrysalis and the ones she had enslaved were not as lucky.

"AGH! What is happening to me!?" Chrysalis shouted. She finished off her opponent with a quick jab to the neck and collapsed to the ground.

"My body... it BURNS!" she screamed. She looked around to see that her enslaved followers were also experiencing the same thing, and she watched in horror as their skin began to harden and turn black. She looked at her own foreleg to see that it was also happening to her. "No... my beautiful self! AGH!" Chrysalis clenched her teeth in pain again as a blackened horn slowly began to emerge on her forehead, followed by insect-like wings shortly after. "My children... my reign will not end here! Not like this!" She slowly stood up and felt herself gain some height, but her body had also begun to develop holes as she slowly made her way over to Fudge, killing any soldier who stood in her path with her now razor sharp hooves.

"Wh- what happened?" Hurricane asked and he saw that they had all landed on the ground. "The last thing I remember was watching Fudge hold up his gem."

"That's strange... I can't remember either," Clover said and she massaged her forehead. "Hey, where are the elements!?"

"On the ground Clover in front of us," Star Swirl said and he pointed at the nearby pile. "I can't remember anything either... where's Fudge? Fudge!" Star Swirl saw Fudge was some distance away, holding another pony between his forelegs.

"Smart Cookie? Are you... are you still alive?' Fudge asked.

Smart Cookie coughed and she slowly opened her eyes. They were no longer filled with green magic. "Of course I'm alive silly..." she whispered.

"Smart Cookie... don't ever leave me again!" Fudge cried and held her close, feeling his heart thump against her. Suddenly, Smart Cookie was ripped from his grasp, causing him to look up into the eyes of a strange demonic beast who held Smart Cookie using a green magic coming from its horn.

"Well well Fudgekins! Did I not say we would meet again?" it asked.

No... not her! Anything but her! Fudge thought. "Chrysalis! Let her go! Or I swear I will hunt you down to the ends of this world!"

Chrysalis laughed at his threat. "No Fudgekins... I made a promise... and I want you to watch as I do this!" She opened her mouth and Fudge watched in horror as Chrysalis seemed to drain the very life away from Smart Cookie, her essence disappearing inside of Chrysalis.

"Fudge..." Smart Cookie whispered and the light in her eyes faded as Chrysalis tossed her to the side. Chrysalis licked her fangs, seeming to have enjoyed using her newfound power.

"You... YOU WITCH!" Fudge roared and he lunged at Chrysalis, the spikes in his hooves activating once more. Chrysalis wasn't prepared for his attack however and she felt his right hoof connect with her face, causing her to stumble and feeling the hardened skin crack. She looked up to see him buck her in the chest, crumpling her chest and sending her flying far away into a group of her Changelings.

"Take us... far away from here... to the north..." Chrysalis ordered.

"At once our queen," the Changelings replied and they fled the battlefield, with other Changelings following shortly after. Fudge breathed heavily and watched them as they disappeared beneath the horizon.

I hope you live a miserable existence you witch, Fudge thought.

"Fudge! Is everything alright?' Hurricane asked as he trotted over.

"Yes... everything is just fine..." Fudge said. His right eye twitched a little.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about what happened to Smart Cookie, but at least we can give her a proper burial. First things first though, Star Swirl wishes to see all of us," Hurricane said.

Fudge walked alongside Hurricane back to the others in silence.

"So what are we going to do with the elements now?" Clover asked.

"I think... it would be best if they are returned to where you found them Clover, for they have done what was required of them. However, this doesn't mean we can't study them for magical knowledge," Star Swirl replied.

"The wizard is right," Bullion said. "Such power should only be used when necessary, and hopefully such a time will never have to arise again in our lifetime."

"Then it is settled, Clover, would you kindly lead us to where you found the elements?" Star Swirl asked.

Clover quickly nodded. "Of course Star Swirl! Follow me everypony!" She began to make her way towards the forest, the rest of them following right behind her.

"Pansy, I need you to stay with the troops. As of right now, I hereby promote you to temporary commander," Hurricane said.

"Tem- temporary commander!? Okay, if you say so..." Pansy said.

"That's the spirit! Come on Fudge! You aren't being left behind!" Hurricane shouted.

"Alright I'm going," Fudge replied and the group followed Clover into the forest.

Pansy looked behind her to see that the remaining soldiers had gathered around something. Curious, she felt it was her duty to check it out. "Excuse me, temporary commander coming through," she said and the soldiers parted for her as she made her way through the group. She finally reached the center, only to find a smoking crater and piece of The Endbringer's armor, along with a small pool of green magic that surrounded it. "Is this where The Endbringer was?" she asked and the soldiers nodded.

"Eeyup," one of them said. "Best not touch it though. The Endbringer may be gone, but his evil presence still lingers."

"And this is the cave I found them in!" Clover said. The group entered the cave, staring at the tree ahead of them in awe.

"Amazing! And you said the tablet led you here Clover?" Star Swirl asked.

"Yep! See, I left the remains right there," she replied and pointed at the remains as they walked past the pieces.

"Alright then, time to put those gems back in their rightful place," Star Swirl said and opened the saddlebag on Clover's back. "Fudge and Hurricane, could you help an old pony out please?"

Fydge and Hurricane walked over to Star Swirl and each of them took a gem. "Is there a certain position these need to go in?" Hurricane asked and Clover nodded.

"Yep! Just listen to where I tell you to put them," she replied. Fudge and Hurricane returned the gems to their proper positions with ease. As Fudge inserted the last one, he noticed a white glow briefly appear then disappear beneath his hooves. "Excellent! Good job guys! That's all of them!"

"So now what do we do?" Bullion asked.

Star Swirl chuckled at his question. "I thought you would be able to figure that out on your own Bullion. Now it is the time to build a kingdom which all ponies can feel safe in. It is time to begin living and working together in peace."

"Then we have no time to lose! Come Fudge and Hurricane, we have much to discuss," Bullion said.

"Of course. I'll be right there Bullion, but I wish for a few minutes alone please," Fudge replied.

"Take all the time you need my friend. I understand what you are experiencing right now, for I too lost a loved one long ago," Bullion said and he left the cave, followed by the others.

"See you in a minute buddy," Hurricane said and he bumped Fudge's shoulder. "Don't take too long now!" He too exited the cave, leaving Fudge on his own.

Finally! They're gone! Fudge thought and he trotted over to the Tree of Harmony and began to dig at the base of it. He was able to quickly unearth the source of the white glow and his eyes widened in joy. Fudge quickly took the orb out and brushed the remaining dirt off before placing it into his own saddlebag. I don't know how Clover missed this one... but no matter! With this gem I can hunt down Chrysalis and bring my dear Smart Cookie back!

He began to chuckle quietly to himself and filled the hole with dirt again when Hurricane called for him. "Come on Fudge, we are burning daylight!"

"On my way now!" Fudge replied and he closed his saddlebag before leaving the cave and joining up with the others.

"You know, we should really name this forest," Hurricane suggested, "How about Cave Green Woods?"

"No that's terrible!" Clover giggled. "I think we should call this place... the Everfree Forest, because it is where we showed that the ponies of Equestria will forever be, well, free!"

"I... that's actually a good name," Hurricane said. "I approve! Anypony else who agrees say I!"

"I!" they all shouted in unison and they laughed afterwards as they made their way towards the exit.

Six hundred years later...

The Chaos War had now been over for six hundred years and the ponies of Equestria were celebrating the anniversary of its end. The Elements of Harmony had slowly become mere legends over time told by elders at the dinner table and camp fires. Little did they know that chaos isn't so easily vanquished.

South of the Everfree Forest where the final battle had taken place, a storm brewed above where The Endbringer had been supposedly vanquished. A single bolt of lightning suddenly struck the piece of The Endbringer's armor, combining with the foul green magic that surrounded it. An explosion burst forth from the reaction, shattering the silence of the night and causing the grass and the trees at the edge of the forest to sway violently.

What appeared in the aftermath was something nopony had expected, something that would cause the ponies of Equestria nothing but grief for the next couple of decades.

"Ah... where am I? Let's see here..." the being said and it conjured a map out of thin air. "No not here... definitely not here... oh that is just disgusting! Bah! I shall figure it out on my own!" With a snap of its fingers, the map burst into flame and was quickly incinerated.

"Anywho, this place doesn't seem to be chaotic enough! Let me fix that..." The being turned the grass from green to orange. "Oh ho ho! I can do much better than that!" He then turned the storm clouds brown, causing it to rain chocolate. "As delicious as this is, it's still not my best!"

With a snap of his fingers, the sun suddenly rose into the sky, appearing right next to the moon. "There we go! Now whatever resides here... prepare to meet the one, the only, Discord! Let the games begin!" Discord giggled with glee and with a snap of his fingers, he vanished without a trace.

Small Delays

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"Stupid... Stairs... Rainbow! You were supposed to climb the stairs with me, not fly above them!" Eldon shouted. He reached the top of the stone stairs, only to find that Rainbow was waiting for him.

"Oops, I guess that must have slipped my mind." Rainbow smiled deviously. "But I have to tell you something Eldon. Why else would I have waited for you?"

"And what- in the world- would that be?" Eldon asked between breaths. Climbing those stairs as fast as he could had really taken its toll on him.

"Oh nothing much..." Rainbow said and she crouched low to the ground. Eldon raised an eyebrow, curious as to what she was doing. "It's just that I want to see the look on your face as I do this!" Rainbow Dash suddenly launched herself off the ground, causing Eldon's mane to blow into his face as she flew away. She looked back at him and laughed. "See you at the finish line!"

Eldon brushed his mane out of his eyes and watched in disbelief as Rainbow Dash disappeared into the depths of the forest. Twilight and the others arrived at the top of the stairs shortly after.

"What in the world are ya waitin for Eldon? You ain't gonna let Rainbow win that easily are ya?" Applejack asked.

Eldon shook his head. "Of course not! I might not win this race, but that doesn't mean I won't try!" He began to gallop after Rainbow, but he had only taken a few steps when he tripped and fell flat on his face. Ouch... I really need to practice using this form... that was just embarrassing.

Eldon suddenly felt himself be lifted off the ground and onto his hooves. Pinkie Pie bounced into view shortly after. "You can't beat Rainbow on the ground silly! Now get out there and show her whatever it is that you're made of!"

"You're right Pinkie, but I just need to do one little thing first..." Eldon said. He dug his hoof into the dirt and wiped it on his face, just underneath both of his eyes. "Now I'm ready. I'll see you on the the other side everyone!" Pinkie and the others watched as Eldon galloped off after Rainbow Dash, disappearing into the depths of the forest as well.

"Do you think he has a chance to win Twilight?" Spike asked

Twilight shook her head. "Rainbow Dash is one of the fastest fliers that we all know Spike! I highly doubt Eldon will be able to beat her or even catch up to her, just look at the way he gallops!"

"Yeah I guess," Spike replied and he laid down on her back. "But you never know Twilight, you never know."

"Pardon me Spike for interrupting your conversation about Rainbow's and Eldon's little... ahem... race, but shouldn't we be making our way to the train station?" Rarity asked. "We've been standing here for a few minutes and I do not, I repeat, DO NOT want to be caught in the Everfree after dark."

"I agree with Rarity," Fluttershy said. "From personal experiences, the Everfree can seriously harm somepony." Suddenly, they heard a howl in the distance, causing Fluttershy to jump and hide behind Applejack.

"I think it's time we get going everypony, that timberwolf howl sounded awfully close," Twilight said. "Eldon and Rainbow better not have gotten themselves into trouble, it would be terrible if something happened to them!" She trotted into the depths of the forest, followed by the others and a trembling Fluttershy.

Deeper in the forest, Eldon was finally able to make out the faint form of Rainbow Dash. She dodged trees and low-lying branches that blocked her path with ease. The trees can't even slow her down and I'm still not moving fast enough! Come on Eldon! Faster! Faster! he thought.

Rainbow turned her head to look behind her, only to see that Eldon was catching up to her. She simply laughed at his effort. "Wow Eldon! Even Granny Smith can move faster than you! You never stood a chance Eldon! I'm the fastest flier out—" She squinted her eyes to see that Eldon had begun to wave his hoof. "What is he doing? Ah whatever, I'm going to win!" She looked ahead of her, only to see in time a tree that blocked her path and her face quickly turned pale. "Oh no—"

Eldon watched as Rainbow crashed into the tree and he shook his head. I tried to warn her... better see if she's okay and,— Oh no, this is not good! Not good! he thought. Up ahead, a timberwolf was slowly prowling towards a dazed Rainbow. I'll never make it in time, not at this speed! "Rainbow! Timberwolf!"

The timberwolf slowly approached Rainbow and sniffed her before he sat down and howled, calling for the rest of his pack.

"Ouch... Never turn around in a race Rainbow," Rainbow mumbled to herself. As her vision came back into focus, she saw the timberwolf standing over her, its teeth bared as saliva dripped from its mouth. "Woah! Hehe... Easy there big fella, I don't want any trouble now, but..." She suddenly kicked the timberwolf in its jaw with her rear legs, causing it to reel back in surprise as its jaw flew off. "...No wolf is going to eat me that easily!"

Rainbow quickly rolled over and stood up, only to discover that the rest of the timberwolves had appeared and were slowly circling her. "Ha! If you haven't noticed already, I'm a Pegasus! You can't get me!" she shouted. She tried to flap her wings, only to have a sharp pain shoot through one of them and she clenched her teeth. "But... a grounded Pegasus can't get away! Help!"

Come on come on! Eldon thought. We never should have left the others behind... this is my fault for challenging her, but I won't let anything happen to her! I won't! As Eldon continued to gallop, he felt himself increasing in speed. Hey, I think I'll actually be able to make it in time! He looked down at his hooves to see they were glowing white, and he continued to steadily increase in speed. "Woah, woah! Rainbow! Move out of the way!"

Rainbow Dash and the timberwolves turned their heads to see Eldon barreling towards them. The timberwolves turned to face this new threat and possible meal.

"Eldon? What are you doing!?" Rainbow Dash shouted and she stepped to the side as Eldon crashed into the timberwolves, sending various parts everywhere. Rainbow was showered with a couple of pieces and she watched as Eldon continued through the forest. "Holy hay... how is he doing that?"

A timberwolf who was smart enough to avoid Eldon slowly rose behind her, ready to strike when a magenta-coloured beam blasted into its chest, causing it to explode shortly after.

"Rainbow! Are you okay?" Twilight asked as she and the others galloped over to her.

Rainbow Dash tried to stretch her right wing, only to have pain shoot through it again. "No... but I would have probably been in a much worse condition if Eldon and you guys didn't come along when you did."

"So that was the timberwolf we heard howl..." Fluttershy whispered as she watched the pieces of it roll across the ground.

Applejack did a quick head count, only to find that one of them was missing. "Hey y'all, where's Eldon?"

Rainbow Dash pointed at the broken branches and hoof prints leading away from them. "He went some sort of crazy speed, but I don't think he can slow down. His hooves were glowing white though when I saw him."

"Oh no... his magic... this is like dealing with a Unicorn foal," Twilight muttered. "Come on everypony... these timberwolves won't stay apart for long, but first, come over here Rainbow."

Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight and Twilight began to levitate her right wing. "Ouch! Careful there Twilight! My wings are pretty delicate ya know!" Rainbow yelped.

"Sorry! Sorry! It's just that now is the perfect time for me to try using this spell," Twilight said. "Just stay still." Her horn began to spark gold as she channelled the spell and they watched as it enveloped Rainbow's wing, swirling around it until it disappeared.

Twilight ceased levitating Rainbow's wing and she stretched it, expecting it to hurt but felt nothing. "Hey... my wing's all better! How did you do that Twilight?" she asked "Since when did you become a nurse?"

"It's nothing really Rainbow, just a bit of Alicorn magic that I've been practicing," Twilight replied. "Even though I've been an Alicorn for a while, there is still so much to learn about their magic. Now let's catch up to Eldon!" She trotted over to where Eldon had left his hoofprints and galloped down the trail after him, followed by the others and a very happy Rainbow Dash.

Meanwhile, Eldon had dug his hooves into the ground, trying to slow himself but to no avail, leaving small trenches behind him. "AHH! Slow down, slow down!" he shouted. Eldon tried to block off the source like he did yesterday but found himself unable to. Up ahead, he saw a shadowy figure about to walk into his path. "Hey! HEY! Watch out!"

The figure stopped at once and Eldon sighed in relief. "Thank goodness! I didn't want to run into anything else—" he was interrupted as the figure stuck out a leg, tripping him and sending him sprawling across the ground. The glow on his hooves faded as the figure approached him.

"Ow... Hey! You didn't have to do that you know," he said and rolled over, only to be greeted by two glowing amber eyes staring down at him. "B- but I appreciate it, whoever you are." He gulped and slowly began to back up when the figure chuckled.

"Ho ho! Have no fear my Unicorn friend, for I just saved you from your end," the figure said.

"My what?" Eldon asked and he slowly stood up. "Sorry, but what do you mean by—" The figure pointed a hoof behind him and he turned around to see a cliff that he could have ran off. "Oh, that's what you meant. Well, thanks I guess, but who are you?"

He turned around to face the figure and he thought he could make out a smile underneath its hood. "A witch of sorts they use to call me, but follow me and you'll soon shall see," the stranger replied.

Eldon looked past her where he came from, hoping to see any sign of his friends, but they were nowhere to be found. "Uh... sure I guess, you did save my life after all. Lead the way."

The figure began to walk away and Eldon followed at a distance, leaving deep hoofprints in the soft ground as to let the others know where he went. "Hurry along now for it is almost night, most creatures in this place aren't a pretty sight!" the figure called out to him.

"Yes I know," Eldon replied. "Don't worry, I'm right behind you." Please be here soon guys, this stranger is giving me the creeps!

Eldon continued to follow the stranger through the forest, although he was still a bit hesitant. She was right though, the forest would get darker much earlier on the inside than near the outside. He was fortunate that he could still see his own hooves in front of him.

"Here we are," the stranger said. "Please do not leave the door ajar."

"Will do," Eldon replied. He looked past the stranger to see a tree that stood out from the rest. It had windows carved out of it and a solid wooden door on the front. Various bottles hung from the branches and what looked to Eldon like tiki masks decorated the front. Huh, it kind of looks... witchdoctory. That's neat, and rather intimidating at the same time.

The stranger unlocked the door and pushed it open, going inside shortly after. Eldon followed suit and made sure to close the door behind him. The inside of the tree was even stranger than the outside. Bottles littered the shelves and among them were strange plants and spices that Eldon had never seen before in his life. Plenty more tiki masks decorated the walls, but what worried him the most was the bubbling cauldron in the middle.

"Er, nice place you have here miss, but can you tell me who you are?" Eldon asked. The stranger took off her cloak and hung it on a nearby rack before turning to face him. Eldon's eyes widened as he suddenly recognized the face. "Y- you! I know you!"

The zebra laughed and smiled at him. "Zecora is the name, sorry if I scared you for that was not my aim."

"It's not you who should be sorry," Eldon replied. "If anyone, it should be me! I almost trampled you like I did with the timberwolves! Look, I even still have pieces of them in my hair!" He quickly brushed away a few twigs and leaves that were still stuck in his mane and they clattered to the floor.

"It is alright young one, I'm glad there are two of us rather than none," Zecora replied.

Suddenly a loud knocking was heard on the door, soon followed by the voice of who it was. "Hellllooooo! Zecora! It's Pinkie!" Pinkie shouted. "Can I come in for a teeny tiny moment?"

Zecora turned her head from the door back to Eldon. "I will be right back, this one sure does love to yak!" Eldon watched her go to open the door and as soon as she did so, Pinkie bounced in and tackled Eldon to the ground.

"Eldon! You're still alive!" she squeeled with delight. "We thought something terrible had happened to you!" The others filed in shortly after and Zecora closed the door behind them.

"That was quite the scare ya gave us," Applejack said. "Just what in the hay happened to ya?"

Eldon rubbed his head with his hoof. "I think... I think my magic went into overdrive again. Not as much as last time, but I was unable to stop it." He turned to face Rainbow Dash. "But are you okay Rainbow? I hope the timberwolves didn't harm you."

Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nope! You somehow just obliterated them by simply running into them! I bet that must have been pretty painful though."

"You got that right," Eldon replied. "I'm still finding pieces of them in my hair, but luckily Zecora here saved me from going over a cliff afterwards by... well... tripping me."

"Thank goodness Zecora was there then Eldon. You could have killed yourself because of your lack of control over your magical abilities," Twilight said. Eldon was able to sense worry in her voice. In other words, he had successfully made her upset. Again.

"Listen Twilight... I'm sorry, but Rainbow Dash could have been killed! I didn't know how else I would have reached her in time..." Eldon mumbled.

"Woah, now everypony just settle down," Rainbow said. "Twilight, Eldon saved me and that's that. Can we move on please?"

"Perhaps you're right Rainbow," Twilight replied. "But that still doesn't excuse the fact that Eldon could have seriously harmed you in the process as well!"

Eldon was becoming frustrated now. "Listen Twilight. Unlike you and every other Alicorn and Unicorn in Equestria, I wasn't BORN LIKE THIS! I'm a HUMAN! I come from a place where magic is NOT SUPPOSED TO EXIST! What... what else was I supposed to do?" He hung his head afterwards, his burst of anger subsiding. "I'm sorry..."

The room had gone deathly quiet. Twilight opened her mouth to reply but then thought better of it, realizing that she or the others didn't really know that much about him still. Fluttershy walked over to Eldon and put a hoof on his shoulder, causing the muscles there to relax.

"It's okay Eldon," Fluttershy said. "We get into fights all the time, and in this case, Twilight was just worried about yours and Rainbow's safety. Just breathe in, breathe out, and relax."

Eldon did as he was told and felt a bit better afterwards. Twilight did the same before she finally came up with a response. "I'm sorry Eldon. I spoke out of turn. Celestia would be very disappointed with me right now. I never realized... I... I had assumed that magic was a natural ability of yours... is it true that there isn't any magic where you are from?"

Eldon slowly nodded his head. "Yes Twilight, it's true. We don't have levitation or conjuration spells. All we could do was just pretend and dream, like in the legends we were told. But actually getting to use it and experience it... it's just not natural to me."

"I believe Eldon here needs some help with his trouble, plus I do not want to see my home turned to rubble," Zecora said and she turned to face Eldon. "Control over your magic you must earn, a teacher perhaps can help you learn."

Eldon's face suddenly lit up. "I think you're right Zecora, a teacher is exactly what I need! What do you think Twilight?"

"Yes... I believe so too. But who would teach you? I think we should consult Celestia about this when we get back," Twilight replied.

"Speaking of getting back," Applejack said. "We are running out of time to catch the train! If we don't leave now we won't be able to get back til tomorrow!"

"Oh dear, Applejack is right!" Rarity said and she lifted her hoof to look at her watch, only to remember that she never brought one. "Drat! I forgot my watch back at home! Well it was nice to stop by Zecora, but we all best be off now. Ta ta! Come along now everypony! Let's get moving! Up and at em'!"

Zecora smiled as the group made their way out her front door. Spike turned around on Twilight's back to wave goodbye. "See ya later Zecora! I'll probably be stopping by later this week to get my—" He stopped himself from speaking, almost having revealed his plan and just continued to wave goodbye in silence.

Eldon was the last one out and he stopped for a moment. "Thank you for your hospitality Zecora. I hope we'll meet again someday, and thank you again for saving my life."

"Do not leave just yet, there is something I have you may want I bet," Zecora replied. She went into her room and retrieved a brown linen bag that held something in it. She brought it to the door and dropped it at his hooves.

"What is it?" Eldon asked, but Zecora merely nodded towards it, indicating that he should open it up. Eldon did so and looked inside the bag, only to see something he thought he would never see again. "My old clothes! Zecora, where did you find these?"

"Deep in the forest while doing my chores, a label on it said it was yours," Zecora answered. Eldon continued to look at the clothing, noticing how damp and dirty they were before putting the bag into the satchel of holding on his back. Once again, the satchel didn't get heavier, just like when he put the chest in there.

"Thanks again Zecora, see you around!" Eldon said.

"Stop by again Eldon my friend, for I know that this isn't the end," Zecora replied and she gently closed the door behind Eldon as he walked away. Zecora watched the group disappear into the darkness through her window and she sighed. "Curious as Eldon may be, he is dangerous to everypony." She then drew the curtains and returned to the cauldron where she was busy brewing Spike's special potion.

Thankfully, Zecora's home wasn't too far from the edge of the Everfree Forest and the group made it out just as the sun dipped beneath the horizon. The moon slowly began to rise and it bathed the land in its white glow.

"Yeehaw! We made it out just in time!" Applejack shouted.

"Yes, but the last train will be leaving any minute now!" Rarity cried. "Come on everypony!"

Twilight quickly looked at Rainbow Dash. "Rainbow! Fly ahead and see if you can get them to delay their departure! Or else we'll just have to spend the night Ponyville, which isn't bad, it would just delay our news."

"I'm on it Twi!" Rainbow replied and flew on ahead towards the train station.

"Hey Twilight, why can't we just send a letter to Celestia? Or better yet, communicate with her via telepathy like you can with me?" Eldon asked.

Twilight shook her head. "For your first question Eldon, sending a letter is out of the question, considering that it took Celestia's letter to appear to us three hours later then intended. As for your second question... let's just say that for now, you're the only one I can communicate with. I've never been able to do it before until you came along. It's the strangest thing."

Oh, so you can't do it with anyone else? At all? Eldon asked her with his thoughts.

Yes, Twilight replied with her own thoughts. Like I said, it's the strangest thing to happen. I'm not even sure Luna and Celestia can do it, unless they are somehow linked like we are.

Huh, that's really strange. Perhaps we'll figure out how and why it happened, Eldon replied and he felt Twilight cut off the connection.

"Perhaps," Twilight said out loud. "Come on everypony! Let's see if Rainbow was able to stop the train."

They all galloped towards the station as fast as they could, each of them making sure that none of them fell behind. Spike clung to Twilight for dear life as he bounced up and down due to their speed. When they arrived there though, there unfortunately wasn't a train to be found, only Rainbow Dash who sat on one of the benches waiting for them to show up.

"Rainbow! W- where is the- the train?" Twilight asked between breaths.

Rainbow stood up and walked over to them. "The train apparently left an hour ago, so it most likely left while we were heading back to Ponyville from the Tree of Harmony. I'm really sorry Twilight, but I guess we'll be spending the night in Ponyville after all."

The group stood there in silence for a minute, waiting for their breathing to return to normal until Rarity spoke. "Well, since we're staying the night, this will give me the perfect opportunity to check up on Sweetie Belle," she said. "As well as get myself cleaned up for when we do leave tomorrow. I feel so... grungy."

"And ah can return to Sweet Apple Acres to see how mah family is doing," Applejack said. "And ah can enjoy the night in mah own bed of course, not that there is anythin wrong with Canterlot's beds though."

"Oh... I wonder how Discord and Angel are doing," Fluttershy whispered. "They've been having a really hard time getting along lately... I don't know why."

"Well, see you in the morning then everypony," Rainbow said and yawned. "Goodnight!" She flew off towards her home, only to just land on a nearby cloud. "Eh, that's far enough." She collapsed and quickly fell asleep.

"Ooo! Eldon! I just realized that you don't have anywhere to sleep!" Pinkie giggled. "Would you like to come and stay at Sugarcube with me? It'll be lots of fun!"

Eldon ran the scenario in his mind again over and over. He knew that Mr. and Mrs. Cake just had two foals recently. Mix Pinkie in there and... he stopped thinking about it and quickly shook his head. "Sorry Pinkie, maybe next time though." He saw that Pinkie had a look of disappointment on her face and he quickly followed up with something he knew that he was probably going to regret. "But I promise that I will next time. I'll even show you that I mean it."

I can't believe I'm about to do this... Eldon thought and he sighed. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." He even performed the actions as he did so and Pinkie's face of disappointment was replaced by that of a huge smile.

"Okie dokie lokie! Remember Twilight, I still have those parties to throw," Pinkie said and she bounced away whistling a familiar tune. "Goodnight everypony!"

"I should be off as well," Rarity said. "Sleep well everypony." Rarity then trotted away and Applejack yawned.

"See y'all in the mornin," Applejack said and she too left the group, heading for Sweet Apple Acres which was actually quite the lengthy walk from where they were standing.

"Goodnight everypony," Fluttershy whispered and she began to walk away.

"Wait Fluttershy! Let me walk you back to your home," Twilight said.

"Oh, you really don't have to Twilight, I'll be okay," Fluttershy replied.

"I insist Fluttershy, after all you do live pretty close to the Everfree," Twilight said and she turned to face Eldon. "What about you Eldon? Will you be sleeping at my home tonight?"

Eldon quickly shook his head. "Thanks, but no thanks Twilight. I think I'll find a spot in one of the fields to sleep in. It'll allow me some time to think and reflect in peace."

"Alright then, I can't make your decision, so I guess we'll just see you in the morning then," Twilight said. "Goodnight Eldon. Spike would say goodnight too but he kind of fell asleep a few minutes ago."

Twilight and Fluttershy both walked away into the darkness, leaving Eldon standing alone underneath one of the train station's lights. What a day... Eldon thought. I thought that I would be able to get along with most of them right away, but I guess gaining their true trust is going to take some time, especially with Twilight since she's so concerned about my abilities, known and unknown. He sighed and began to walk away towards Ponyville's outskirts.

It wasn't long until he was in the surrounding fields and he quickly found a spot to make himself comfortable in. He stared at the moon and watched as it continued to rise, but what awed him the most were the stars. Thousands upon thousands of stars sparkled in the night, plenty more than what he was usually able to see back on Earth. A warm late night wind blew across the field, pushing the clouds across the sky and warming Eldon from his head to his hooves. What a wonderful evening, he thought. I wonder what tomorrow will bring...

Eldon felt his eyelids slowly become heavier and heavier until he finally closed them. After a few minutes he had already fallen into a deep slumber. It would be his last restful sleep for the many days to come.

"Where do ya reckon he's from?" a voice asked.

"Well he's definitely not from Ponyville, we would have seen a Unicorn like this before," another voice replied.

"Hey! Do you think there's a cutie mark for finding other ponies? We could be search and rescue ponies!" a third voice suggested.

"Quiet Scootaloo! Ya don't wanna wake the feller do ya?" the first voice whispered.

"I think it's too late for that Apple Bloom. He's waking up!" the second voice said.

Eldon had rolled over and slowly opened his eyes, only to see three young fillies crowding around him. "Hello? Can I... can I help you?" A yawn followed afterwards as the three looked at each other, unsure who should speak first. "Well?"

The yellow pony with a red mane and a large pink bow stepped forward. "Uh... good morning mister. We were just out and about on our daily walk when we came across you sleeping here. Why are you out here anyways? Don't you have a home?"

As his tiredness began to fade away, Eldon was able to recognize at last the three ponies who were talking to him, especially the one with a southern-like accent similar to Applejack's. As not to scare them though, he decided to pretend that he didn't know them.

"Please, call me Eldon," Eldon said. "I am out here because I like to sleep... uh... under the stars. As for a home, well, I'm more of a... a wanderer. Yeah that's it. A wanderer!"

"Oh! So have ya been through Ponyville before?" the yellow pony asked.

Eldon nodded. "Only once so far, but I never really had the chance to check it out. "By the way, what are your names?"

"Ah... mah name is Apple Bloom. This here is Sweetie Belle," she replied and pointed at the white unicorn. "And the Pegasus is our friend Scootaloo!"

"I shall remember those names well," Eldon said. "But I believe I should get going now, I have to—"

"Wait! Don't leave yet!" Apple Bloom said, interrupting him. "How about a tour of Ponyville first?"

"Uh, Apple Bloom? Are you sure about this?" Scootaloo asked. "He's a total stranger! He could probably be up to something."

"Aw come on Scoots! What if we got our cutie marks for being tour guides?" Apple Bloom suggested. "What say you Eldon? Would ya like a tour?"

Eldon rubbed his chin with his hoof, pretending to think as Apple Bloom eagerly leaned towards him, waiting for a response. "I... Of course Apple Bloom. A tour sounds like a neat idea."

"Woohoo!" Apple Bloom cheered. "Ya won't regret this Eldon! Now... where should we start? Do you have any ideas Sweetie Belle?"

"Hmm..." Sweetie Belle said as her brain worked to come up with a plan. "I think we should take him to town hall, that way we can point out places and perhaps even other ponies on the way."

"That sounds good to me. I appreciate you doing this girls, but you said something about getting your cutie mark?" Eldon asked them, although he knew the response he was going to recieve.

"We are the CMCs!" Apple Bloom proudly told him. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

"Basically, what we do is try different amounts of tasks to see what we are good at," Sweetie Belle explained to him.

"But so far, we haven't been successful.... yet," Scootaloo said, completing the explanation.

"Ah, I see, a worthy cause!" Eldon said. "Well? What are we waiting for? Let's see if the three of you have what it takes to be tour guide ponies!"

The girls looked at each other and nodded. "Alrighty then Mr. Eldon, if you would follow us please," Apple Bloom said and the three began to make their way towards the town.

Heh, cute girls. I'll play along for as long as I can, I still have to get to Canterlot, Eldon thought and he followed them back into town.

"So over there is the Quills and Sofas shop, although they're always out of quills for some strange reason," Apple Bloom said. "And over there's the market where ponies come together to sell their goods! Ah sometimes help Applejack out when we go to sell our apples we harvested."

Eldon had been following the trio for roughly half an hour now. He had been interested in what they had to say at first, but as time wore on, he slowly became bored, although he didn't dare show his true feelings to the Crusaders. "That's... very interesting Apple Bloom, how much longer until the town hall?"

"Not much longer!" Sweetie Belle replied. "Just a few more spots and we'll be there!" They continued walking down the dirt street when Scootaloo suddenly said something out of the blue.

"So everypony, hear any more news about the Canterlot monster?" she asked.

Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "No Scoots, all we know is that the strange creature appeared out of nowhere and apparently saved Canterlot." The conversation between the two had gained Eldon's interest and he decided to join in.

"Excuse me? What's this about a Canterlot monster?" he asked. The trio suddenly stopped and turned to face him.

"What? Are you saying ya haven't heard about the monster yet?" Apple Bloom asked and Eldon nodded.

"It has been the talk of all of Equestria recently," Sweetie Belle said. "Apparently this monster walks on only two legs! And it has ten weird tentacle things instead of hooves!"

"It's strange though," Scootaloo said. "Why would a monster save a city full of ponies?"

"How are you so sure that this monster is a monster?" Eldon asked. "Have any of you actually seen this monster do anything bad? This monster so far doesn't sound like much of a monster to me."

The three fillies looked at one another. "Well... I guess we don't really know," Sweetie Belle said. "We've only heard about what other ponies have said about it, some good and some really nasty."

"Well, if you promise to keep a secret young ones, I know something about the monster because I was there in Canterlot two days ago," Eldon said.

The trio gasped. "What? Really!? Tell us tell us tell us!" they shouted.

"Only if you promise," Eldon repeated. The trio then closed their mouths and swiped their hooves across them, indicating their lips were sealed.

"Well... I know that the monster would never hurt anyone, because guess what? I—" He was interrupted when a stone pelted his head, bouncing off of him and coming to a stop somewhere on the ground. "Hey! Who threw that?"

"Sorry mister! We weren't trying to aim for you, only the blank flanks!" a new voice shouted. Eldon turned around to see two small fillies. One was a pinkish pony wearing what looked like a tiara, and the other one was grey and wore glasses.

"Why in the world would you want to do that?" Eldon asked. "You're lucky that it didn't hit one of them!"

"Come on Eldon, let's go," Apple Bloom said. "Those ponies are real jerks. Just ignore them and come with us. We are almost at town hall."

"And what are you gonna do about it?" the pink one asked. "Lay one hoof on me and my father will put you in the Canterlot dungeons for the rest of your miserable life!"

"Yeah! What she said!" the grey one chimed in.

Eldon clenched his teeth and turned around. It was best if he didn't cause a scene, especially if it were to involve little fillies. "Come on girls, let's go. You really don't want to see the bad side of me."

He heard the two fillies laugh behind them as they walked away, infuriating Eldon even further. Remember Eldon, they are just kids. They'll see soon enough that acting like that won't get you far in the long run.

Their group eventually made it to town hall just as the mayor was leaving the building. "Hey Mayor Mare!" Sweetie Belle called out. "How are you this morning?"

"Oh same old same old little fillies," Mayor Mare replied. "What brings you over here at this hour?"

"We've been giving Eldon here a tour of our town! He's new here," Scootaloo said.

Eldon approached the mayor and stuck at a hoof. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mayor Mare," he said and the mayor grabbed his hoof with her own. "Woah! That's quite the grip you have there mayor!"

"Yes, so I've been told by the many other citizens living here in Ponyville," she replied. "I would love to stay and chat, but I'm afraid you caught me at a bad time. See you later everypony!" They watched Mayor Mare trot away when not a moment later, Twilight and the others appeared around the side of the building.

"They you are Eldon! We've been looking for you all morning," Twilight said when she noticed the crusaders next to him. "Oh! I see you've met the Crusaders. No wonder you weren't at the field this morning!"

"Yeah... sorry about that," Eldon said. "You could have contacted me at any time though instead of looking for me."

"Eh, pardon me for interrupting, but Twilight, you know him?" Apple Bloom asked and Twilight nodded in return. "Does mah sister and the others know him as well then?" The rest of them nodded their heads and Apple Bloom quickly looked at Eldon. "Ya never told us you knew them Eldon!"

"It, uh, must have slipped my mind," Eldon said, feeling rather embarrassed for some strange reason and quickly decided to change the subject. "But I really enjoyed the tour you gave me you three! Did you get your cutie marks for being a tour guide pony?"

The three gasped, suddenly remembering why they were there and quickly checked their rear ends, only to be disappointed when nothing had showed up. "Shoot," Apple Bloom said. "I thought fer sure we would get our mark that time."

"Well, I still think you gave me a wonderful tour you three," Eldon continued. "I wish you all good luck on whatever you try next!"

"Thanks Eldon! It was nice meeting you too!"Sweetie Belle replied before she turned to face her fellow crusaders. "What do you think we should do next girls? The day is still young which means there will be plenty more things to do!"

"I'm sure we'll figure something out along the way," Scootaloo said. "Let's go!" They began to trot away, throwing ideas around as they did so.

"Stay outta touble you three!" Applejack called after them. "I don't wanna be told that any of you had been hurt while I'm gone!"

"Don't let anything bite you in the rear Scootaloo!" Rainbow shouted.

"Um, I agree with Applejack! Stay safe Sweetie Belle! Don't try to cook anything!" Rarity called after the trio. They watched them until they were blocked from their view by the townsfolk who had gotten up and were ready to start the day.

Eldon walked over to the group and joined them. "So, uh... good morning everyone. Nice day isn't it?"

"Yes, good morning to you as well Eldon," Twilight replied. "I hope you didn't forget what we are supposed to do this morning."

Eldon shook his head. "Of course not! I haven't stopped thinking about it since last night! We have a train to catch!"

Twilight nodded in agreement. "Good, I'm glad we are on the same page here. Let's go, we shouldn't keep Celestia waiting any longer than she already has."

The train station was a short walk from town hall and they arrived there with ease. Unfortunately, the morning train had yet to arrive still. "That's strange," Rainbow said. "Shouldn't there be, ya know, a train here?"

"Hang on, let me ask the salespony at the ticket booth," Twilight said. She trotted over to the booth to find the employee there reading a newspaper. "Uh, hello? Do you know when the next train to Canterlot will arrive?"

The employee glanced up from his paper to see Twilight, only to return his gaze to the paper right after. "Sorry princess, all of Equestria's trains have been experiencing small delays due to increased security in Canterlot. That last attack really has the other princesses on edge, says so in the paper."

"So... you don't know when the next train will arrive?" Twilight asked.

"Nope," the employee replied. "Don't worry about paying though when it does arrive, you are a princess after all." He turned to the next page in his paper and Twilight sighed.

"Well, thanks anyway," Twilight said and the employee just grunted in return. She slowly made her way back to the group who were eagerly waiting for some news.

"Well Twi? Does he know when the next train will arrive?" Applejack asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No he does not. There apparently have been some delays so we should all just sit tight for now," Twilight replied.

"Sit tight? Gahhh, I hate waiting almost as much as I hate losing!" Rainbow groaned. "Waiting is like the opposite of fast! Why is there SO much waiting involved in every adventure we go on?"

"Hey! No need to get upset now," Eldon said. "This is the perfect time to see how each of our nights were! How about we start with you Rainbow?"

"Uh, okay... I kind of fell asleep and woke up this morning when I fell to the ground," Rainbow said. "That's uh... yeah. That's pretty much it."

"Alright next pony!" Eldon said.

"Oh oh! Pick me pick me!" Pinkie waved her hoof in the air. "I have a great story to tell!"

"Go ahead then Pinkie," Eldon said. "How was your night?"

Pinkie opened her mouth to speak when a train whistle suddenly blew in the distance. "Wow! I didn't know I was part train!"

Rarity quickly shook her head. "No darling! That was the train! The train's here!" she told her.

"FINALLY!" Rainbow shouted. "I wish we could all just fly though, it's so much faster than taking the train..."

"Wait... aren't you banned from the train Rainbow?" Eldon asked.

They stood there in silence as the train drew nearer. "Oh, yeah," she replied. "Well, it's a good thing I can fly then! See you soon everypony! Don't take too long..."

The train blew its whistle again as they watched Rainbow Dash fly away. The ground rumbled as the train drew closer to the station. Finally, the train slowly screeched to a halt, hissing steam shortly after. The doors of the trained open and the Conductor stepped out of one of the cars.

"Alllll aboooard!" he shouted.

"Come on everypony! Celestia awaits! We need to deliver Star Swirl's news as soon as possible," Twilight said. She was the first to board the train, followed by the rest of the group.

"Finally we can go to Canterlot," Spike said and he hopped off of Twilight's back. "Hey Eldon, want to join me for a bit of breakfast when we get there? I know a great place!"

Eldon quickly nodded. "Yes I very much would. Thank you for the offer Spike.

"Just... don't take too long you two," Twilight said. "Remember, the sooner we find Star Swirl, the better!"

"Yes Twilight, we know," Spike and Eldon said in unison and they quickly found a place to sit.

Outside of the train, the Conductor looked at his pocket watch and then waved his hat at the front, signalling for the engineer to start the train. "Next stop, Canterlot!" The Conductor stepped back on the train and the doors slid shut shortly after. With a hiss, the wheels of the train slowly began to rotate until the train was moving at full speed towards its next destination.

Back In Canterlot

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"Hey Eldon, Eldon, wake up!" Spike gently shook Eldon's shoulder. "We're pulling into Canterlot right now, come on!" Eldon continued to snore as the train screeched to a halt at the Canterlot Station, much to the annoyance of Spike and the others.

"Hang on, ah got this," Applejack said and she walked over to Eldon. She lowered her head until it was just inches from his ear. "Hey Eldon... WAAAAKE UP!" She backed away as Eldon woke with a start, his eyes quickly darting around the car.

"What!? Who!? Ugh... We're there already?" Eldon asked and the others nodded. He slowly rose from his seat and stretched his limbs. They were sore from the uncomfortable position he fell asleep in. "Well, we better get moving then right?"

"Of course, let's go everypony," Twilight said. She made her way off of the train, soon followed by the rest of them. Canterlot was strangely quiet that morning, but the employee back in Ponyville was right. Armored Pegasi patrolled the skies while Unicorns and Earth ponies alike patrolled the ground. A group of soldiers were currently performing checks on any passengers disembarking the train. "Alright, let's find Rainbow Dash, hopefully she didn't wander too far."

They began to make their way into town when another group of soldiers intercepted them. "Halt! None shall pass into the city until a mandatory search has been made on each of you," the lead soldier told them and looked at Twilight. "Princess or not.

"Of course," Twilight said. "But please hurry, we have urgent business we need to attend to,"

The soldier nodded in response. "Begin the search!" All of the soldier's horns began to glow various colours. The colours formed a blue light which washed over them one at a time, blinking green when it determined that each one was safe. When it washed over Eldon however, the light blinked yellow.

"Sir, we are going to have to ask you to step aside please while we finish the search," the soldier said.

Eldon sighed. "Bah, fine." He quickly stepped away from the group. "But I assure you, I'm not a threat to anyone here."

"We'll find out soon enough," the soldier said and continued the search. The light blinked green for the rest of them and then faded, indicating that the search was complete. "Alright, the rest of you are clear to pass, but your friend here is going to have to answer some questions first."

"Our friend isn't bad!" Pinkie grabbed Eldon and smiled at the guard. "He helped save Canterlot! He is the—"

"Yeah yeah and I'm the next Alicorn princess," the guard said, interrupting her. "Move along now before sssomething— ahem, something bad happens. Now."

Pinkie Pie pointed a hoof at her eyes and then at the soldier's, silently telling him that he better not do something bad to Eldon. "We'll meet you at the castle Eldon after we find Rainbow," Twilight said. "We know you aren't a... a threat, but I want you to show them you mean well. Just stay calm and in control. Can you do that for me?"

Eldon nodded in return. "Of course Twilight." He turned to face Spike. "Are you still wanting to have breakfast Spike?"

"Did you really have to ask that Eldon?" Spike asked, just as his stomach growled. "There's a place on Mane Street called Donut Joe's, and he has the best donuts ever! Anyway, it's not hard to miss, just look for the donut."

"Alright Spike, I'll see you soon," Eldon replied. The group left without another word, leaving Eldon alone with the soldiers. "Now, can we get this over with, er, soldiers?"

The lead soldier stomped his right hoof twice and the rest of the soldiers left to search the other passengers. "Of course of course, right thisss— uh, right this way." The soldier turned around and began walking towards a nearby house with Eldon slowly following from behind. "In here Mr. Eldon, this won't take long." The soldier opened the door and Eldon went inside, followed by the soldier who hastily closed the door behind them.

"So, what type of questions are we talking here?" Eldon looked around the place to find that it was quite messy. Years of dust had collected on most of the furniture. "I bet that I'll be able to answer most if not all of them, because honestly, this is just a waste of time."

"Oh, it's most certainly not a waste of time." The soldier gestured towards the table. "Please, take a seat, Eldon." A small light appeared above the table and two chairs. Eldon quickly sat down on one side.

He waited for the soldier to take his seat, but the sound of the soldier's hooves hitting the wooden floor had disappeared. "Uhh... is this part of the questioning?" He was only met with silence and he sighed. "You know, you were quite rude to my friends back there, even to Twilight, and she is one of the princesses!" He suddenly felt a chill run up his spine. His ears began to twitch as they picked up a faint scratching sound.

"Wait... this doesn't feel right... show yourself soldier!" Eldon shouted. The scratching sound slowly became louder and Eldon quickly got out of his seat, looking for the source of the sound. Ugh, this feels like something out of a horror movie.

Suddenly, the scratching stopped. Eldon could feel his heart pounding in his chest and he began to breathe faster. Calm down Eldon! Just calm down. Everything is going to be fine. Just remember what Twilight said and stay in control... he thought.Actually, I'm getting out of here. He quickly trotted over to the door and pushed against it, only to discover that it was sealed.

"Leaving ssso sssoon?" a voice asked. "But the quessstioning has yet to begin!" Eldon put his back to the door, his eyes dartied around the room trying to find the source of the voice.

"I'm warning you, let me go!" Eldon shouted.

He only heard a hissing laughter in response, soon followed by the voice's actual answer. "I don't think ssso." Eldon heard something above him, only to look up in time into the glowing blue eyes of a Changeling.

The Changeling dropped onto Eldon's back, sinking its razor sharp hooves through his coat and into his skin. "Agh!" Eldon cried out in pain and slammed himself into the nearest wall, trying to knock the Changeling off. The Changeling merely laughed at his attempts to do so.

"Don't worry Chosen One, once I kill you, the element shall be oursss at lassst!" the Changeling yelled. Eldon slammed into the wall again, this time successfully causing the Changeling to lose his grip and tumble off. Four puncture wounds were visible on Eldon's back and they had already begun to bleed. Eldon looked for the Changeling to see it had already gotten up and was snarling at him.

"You are going t- to regret that." The pain caused Eldon to wince. The Changeling hissed and lunged at him, only to smash into the wall as Eldon dodged out of the way. Come on magic! Do something!

The Changeling shook his head and turned to face Eldon. This time he was ready though when the Changeling lunged at him for a second time. Eldon swung a hoof at him and it clipped the Changeling's jaw, causing it to crash to the ground.

Eldon lifted his hoof over the Changeling's head and brought it down, aiming to crush its head, but it rolled out of the way and lunged at Eldon again, tackling him and bringing them both to the ground. They slid across the wooden floor and the Changeling went to stab him again. "The Queen shall be pleased with my success!" He brought his hooves down, only to be surprised when they were stopped not by hooves, but by something else.

Eldon's hooves had changed into something that the Changeling didn't recognize, something that grasped both of his legs and prevented him from delivering the killing blow. "What sssorcery isss thiss?" the Changeling hissed. Its eyes widened as it watched Eldon's form begin to change into something completely different.

"There's probably something you didn't know about me..." Eldon threw the Changeling off of him to the side. "But I'm not exactly a pony!" Eldon rolled in the opposite direction and quickly stood up. He could still feel the wounds on his back and felt his shirt slowly begin to get wet from the blood. Eldon didn't let the Changeling rest for long though and he ran over and kicked it in its chest just as it was beginning to get up.

"Where are the rest of you!?" Eldon shouted and he kicked the Changeling again, except this time his foot connected with its face, causing it to slam back against the wall. "Answer me!

The Changeling laughed and coughed up green blood, splattering it all cross the wooden floor. "I would rather die then tell you anything!" The Changeling spat at him but it missed. "You will get nothing from me!"

"Suit yourself." Eldon grabbed the Changeling by its neck and slowly began to lift it up against the wall. Huh, these things are lighter than I thought. The Changeling struggled to break free of his grasp, bashing Eldon's arm with his hooves and making small cuts, but Eldon ignored them. "I'll give you one last chance. Start talking!"

The Changeling hissed at him and spat on his face. "I've already failed my queen! You will get nothing from me!" Eldon felt the mixture of green blood and saliva slowly roll down his face and his patience had finally passed its limit. Something dark began to stir within him, something that most definitely was not what he had felt before. Eldon blinked and the Changeling noticed that Eldon's eyes had begun to glow black. "What? You think that glowing black eyesss will make me talk?"

"No," Eldon said. His voice had suddenly turned deeper and his hand around the Changeling's next began to glow red as his grip tightened.

Kill the creature... an eerie voice in the back of Eldon's mind whispered. It is nothing to me... and it is nothing to you...

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of Eldon's face. I... No! Stay in control Eldon! Stay... in... control... His grip around the Changeling's neck tightened again, just barely allowing it to breathe. The element however had also begun to glow a dark red, changing from its usual white glow.

"Just finish it..." the Changeling whispered.

Eldon felt a surge of chaotic energy rush through him and he watched as his hand crushed the Changeling's neck with ease. The glowing blue eyes slowly faded as Eldon released his grip, causing the Changeling to collapse on the floor in a heap. Eldon felt... nothing. CONTROL! STAY... IN... CONTROL! The red glow surrounding his hand and the blackness in his eyes slowly faded away as the power receded within him. Eldon fell to his knees, suddenly feeling weak and dizzy. His gem slowly changed back into its original state as well.

I... I've never killed anything before in my life, and those timberwolves don't count since they just reassemble themselves, Eldon thought. My power... the darkness... I would have let the Changeling live, but something... something took hold of me. He slowly got to his feet and took another look at the Changeling, only to turn his head away from the sight. The others must know of this. Changelings still reside in Canterlot, but first, I think I'll have a little breakfast with Spike.

He began to walk towards the door and winced in pain with each step. Agh... that Changeling really did some damage there. I got lucky... I really need to learn how to fight, I can't always rely on size or magic... plus I need a doctor. He reached the door and noticed that there was a lock on it that he had missed before. He was an idiot to have not noticed it. With a quick turn, the door was unlocked and he pushed it open. He squinted his eyes as sunlight washed over his face.

Eldon quickly transformed back into an equine as to not alert or scare anyone by being in his human form. Alright... I think I'll actually go to the doctor's first because I'll bleed out if I don't, he thought. I hope there's a hospital on Mane Street... He closed the door to the house behind him and began to make his way towards Mane Street. The image of the Changeling dying in front of him was still fresh in his mind.

The glass doors slid open and Eldon stumbled inside the hospital's emergency room and to the nurse that was filling out papers behind a counter. "E- excuse me, but I have a- a slight injury that needs to be attended to." The nurse put her papers down and peered over the counter. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Sir! What in Celestia's name happened to you!?" Eldon opened his mouth to reply when the nurse held up her hoof. "Don't answer that, we need to get you medical attention right away!" She left her position and went over to Eldon's side. She quickly lifted his leg and brought it over her back. "Don't worry sir, we'll get you fixed up in no time."

"Hey! What about the rest of us!?" a patient shouted angrily. "He gets in right away while we've been waiting here for hours?"

The nurse turned around to address the patients in the room. "I'm sorry, but this Unicorn here has suffered an attack by a Changeling. His wounds are already showing signs of contamination so he must be treated immediately, or else the poison from the Changeling will kill him." The patients in the room mumbled to themselves but they knew that Changelings were no joke, in fact, most of them were there because of the recent Changeling attack. They also didn't suffer wounds such as Eldon's, only having broken bones and such. "Come with me sir, I'm sure Doctor Rick Needles will be happy to help you. He's the best healer of Changeling wounds that we know."

The nurse led Eldon down the halls of the hospital, making multiple turns on their way to Doctor Needle's room. "So sir? How did you obtain your wounds?" the nurse asked. "They look to be rather recent."

Oh crap, don't want to alert the city already that they are still here! Eldon thought and he quickly shook his head. "It was during the battle for Canterlot. I thought they were nothing at first, so I, uh, tried to heal it myself but I'm not exactly the greatest at using magic."

"It's a good thing you came in when you did then, but what were you thinking?" the nurse asked. "Changeling wounds are serious business and you should have come here sooner but— ah! Here we are." The nurse had come to a stop in front of door and she knocked on it. "Doctor Needles? We have an emergency!"

They heard a bunch of bottles clink together, a slam, some cursing, before the door finally opened, revealing the doctor. "Wha's with all the yellin'?" He took a sip from a mug he had his hoof wrapped around. "Didn't I say n- not to disturb me when my door is closed?"

"Yes you did Doctor Needles," the nurse replied. "But we have a Unicorn here who has—"

"Nah nah I don't wanna hear about it, just bring him in so we can get this over with," Doctor Needles said, interrupting her. The nurse led Eldon inside the room and past Rick, being careful to avoid the various mugs and bottles scattered throughout the room. "J- just lay him over there nurse."

The nurse brought Eldon to a bed and he quickly flopped down on it with his back facing the nurse and Doctor Needles. "He was wounded by a Changeling Doctor Needles, if you could just—" Doctor Needles waved a hoof at the nurse, silencing her.

"I know—" He burped loudly before continuing. "I know what Changeling wounds look like nurse, that's why I fix em, and you just bring em. Now go! Your hat is bothering me."

The nurse just shook her head in disgust and sighed. "As you wish Doctor Needles." She left the room and closed the door behind her as she did so.

"So... Doctor Needles? Are you able to help me please?" Eldon asked. "Because I'm really not feeling that well, I feel... nauseous."

"Ah ah ah. First thing you need to know is that my name isn't Rick Needles, I only chose that name because my other one was garbage," Needles replied. "Second thing, of course I can help you, why do patients always ask that? I'm a doctor not a tailor jeez, like, what other answer are you going to expect?"

"Wait... your name isn't Rick Needles?" Eldon asked and Doctor Needles laughed.

"Of course it isn't Rick Needles, did I not just say that? My parent's called me Miracle. What kind of parents calls their kid Miracle? Like, what would happen if I wasn't able to save somepony's life? Not really a miracle if you ask me. Anyway, why are you here again? Are you the new cider delivery pony or something?"

Eldon weakly shook his head. "No... I'm a patient remember? Look at the wounds on my back, urgh..."

Doctor Needles lowered his head and stared at the puncture wounds for a good two minutes. "Hmm... yes I've seen these before, don't worry, I'll be right back." Doctor Needles left the room and also left the door opened behind him.

"W... wait! Doctor!" Eldon yelled. "Where... are you going!?"

Doctor Needles returned as soon as he had left and was carrying yet another mug in his hoof, which he took a swig from and burped again. "Alright, let's get this over with. His horn began to glow a light teal colour. "Just stay still alright? Uh, what was your name again?"

"Eldon."

"Whatever," Doctor Needles said and he stumbled, sending off a blast which caused a nearby cupboard to explode. "Hang on... almost got it." He slipped on a bottle, causing yet another beam to fly out the window and hit a pony on the street, causing his mane to catch on fire.

Needles walked over to the window to see the pony rolling on the street trying to put the flames out while others tried to help him. "You shouldn't have been on the street!" He closed the window and turned his attention back to Eldon. "Just one more blast should do it..."

Eldon braced himself for Doctor Needle's blast, only to find a cool sensation spread across his back. He felt his wounds begin to mend back together when they suddenly felt like they were on fire. "AH! Doctor, what did you do!?"

"D- don't worry, it's all part of the process," Doctor Needles replied. "Changeling poison can't stand intense heat, so really I'm just forcing it out by increasing your body temperature. Jeez, anypony could have figured that one out dummy. Oh yeah, and your leg should be feeling it too any second now."

Doctor Needles was right as the burning sensation began to form on Eldon's right foreleg. "Do all Changelings have poison?" Eldon asked through clenched teeth.

"Are you kidding me? If all Changelings carried poison there would be less of us than there are today," Doctor Needles replied, sounding as if answering Eldon's questions was a chore. "There are less poisonous Changelings than there are regular Changelings, so be glad that I wasn't already up to my ears in patients."

The burning sensation quickly subsided and Eldon looked t his leg to find that the small cuts were gone. "Is that it Doctor Needles? Are my injuries healed?"

"Yeah yeah, now get out of my room," Doctor Needles replied and he collapsed on the floor. A loud snoring came from him shortly after. Eldon sat up and jumped off the bed, being careful to avoid stepping on Doctor Needles.

"Uh... thanks Rick," Eldon said and he left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. Wow! I actually feel a lot better now, although I'm pretty sure Doctor Needles was intoxicated. Ah well, I better get to Donut Joe's, I hope Spike isn't mad at me for being late.

He galloped down the halls, avoiding nurses and patients alike until at last he made his way out of the hospital. He looked left and right down the street and saw the donut that Spike was talking about to his right.

"Excuse me! Out of the way sir!" a pony shouted. Eldon stepped to the side as a group of ponies rushed by him carrying the one who's mane had caught on fire earlier. "Thank you!"

Ouch... I hope he will be okay, Eldon thought. He turned right and began to make his way towards the big donut. It didn't take him too long to get there and he peered through the glass to see if Spike was still there. Fortunately he was still sitting at a table and Eldon sighed in relief. Thank goodness he's still here. I feel like such a jerk for keeping him waiting.

Eldon pushed the door open and a little bell jingled, alerting the customers and the employees to his presence. "Hey Eldon!" Spike waved his hand, showing Eldon where he was. "I'm glad you made it! Come on over and take a seat!" Eldon walked over to Spike's table and sat in the chair opposite from him. "What took you so long Eldon? For a while there I thought you weren't going to show up at all!"

Eldon rubbed his hoof behind his head. "It's a long story Spike, and one I think I should tell the others as well, but for now let's get something to eat. I didn't keep you waiting to order did I?"

Spike shook his head. "Nah, I actually made a big order so we could bring some food back to the castle for the others after. In the meantime though, I feel like we haven't really gotten to know each other that well, so let's talk! What do you say?"

"Uh, sure Spike, what is it that you want to know?" Eldon asked.

"Well, anything really. For starters, where are you from?" Spike asked. "I know you aren't really a—" He stopped and looked around before finishing the rest of his sentence quietly. "A pony, but yeah, you know what I mean."

Oh... this is going to take a while. Eldon inhaled deeply and slowly let the air escape his lungs. "Well Spike, don't think I'm crazy or anything, but I come from another world, or is it dimension? Anyway, where I am from, there are many similarities and differences that our worlds share."

Spike placed his elbows on the table and rested his head on his hands. "What kind of things?"

"Well... for starters, our way of life is almost like yours, but instead of all of us being ruled by one or two humans, we have multiple countries and leaders, all with different ways of life and ways of running the country. Some are better than others while some are very bad, but in the end, the governments still have the ability to control what we can do. I'm sure Equestria has its own laws, right?"

Spike nodded in agreement. "Of course! Without law, Equestria wouldn't be the way it is today. So what about jobs? Are they like the one's we have in Equestria?"

"Actually, I'm surprised at how similar most jobs are here in Equestria to my world," Eldon said. "Although we have much more advanced and faster methods than the ponies here, you have one thing that really isn't seen where I am from."

Spike tilted his head to the side. "And what's that?"

"Magic," Eldon answered. "I don't know how I have it, or if anyone else has it back on Earth, but magic to our kind is only spoken of in stories, mere myths and legends is what it is."

"Hey, that's what you said earlier right? Wow... no magic? That's... I don't know what to say..." Spike said.

Eldon chuckled. "It's alright Spike, we have technology which is the next best thing. Although using magic would be a heck of a lot easier. There was actually one point in our history where females were burned or drowned because the men were scared of magic, or what they called witchcraft back then."

"That's terrible!" Spike cried.

Eldon nodded in agreement. "Indeed it is Spike. Unlike most of Equestria's past and present, at least what I know of it, my kind has a long, bloody, brutal, and horrific history. Even to this day we fight over things. Whether they be for personal gain or for the good of others. I don't know much to be honest... but I was fortunate to be born in a country and time where I was far away from the fighting."

"It sounds like your world has a lot of issues to work out," Spike said. "But surely Earth isn't all that bad right?"

"Aha! I was wondering when you would get to that!" Eldon smiled as memories of home filled his thoughts. "There is definitely much more to life than fighting Spike. We have so many forms of entertainment, such as dancing, musicals, sports, painting, fishing, camping... the list goes on and on. The amount of things you can do is almost limitless Spike! Earth is both a beautiful and terrible place. So many things are going on at once that we can't possibly deal with them all, no matter how hard we try. I'm sure that the princesses here must experience the same thing."

"I didn't think it was possible that two worlds can almost be alike," Spike said. "But how do you know so much about us? You sound like as if you already know what Equestria has to offer."

Eldon hesitated to answer, making sure he chose his next words carefully. "That's because I... read about it when I... first visited Canterlot. Before I went to the castle, I visited its library." There was an awkward pause and Eldon quickly decided to change the subject. "What about you Spike? How has everything been since, uh, Tirek was defeated?"

"Well..." Spike rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "There has been that trouble lately with the darkness, which apparently is the doing of some sort of chaotic being that Star Swirl told us about."

"Yes, I'm aware of that Spike, but what about right after the events?" Eldon asked. "How did Twilight find this orb on my neck? How did Equestria recover from Tirek's tyranny?"

Spike coughed into his arm and he sighed. "Well, it's a long story, but considering your importance in all of this, and the fact that the food isn't ready yet, I think you should have the right to know. It was almost a month ago now since Tirek was defeated and the Friendship Palace was created, and I was there to see it all..."

One Month Ago...

"... Wait a minute, where's my throne?" Discord asked

"I don't think you are quite there yet Discord," Fluttershy replied and Discord chuckled sheepishly.

"Ah yes, well, I suppose not," he said and he watched as Fluttershy joined Twilight and her friends in a touching song. Celestia and Luna as well as most citizens of Ponyville had come to check out the new palace and celebrate their victory over Tirek. "Here Celestia, I... I'm deeply sorry for the grief I caused and I want you to have this." Discord conjured a bouquet of flowers and held it out for her, hoping to remove any hard feelings.

Celestia looked at the bouquet and Luna nudged her, indicating that she should take it. "I... thank you Discord, that is very thoughtful of you." Celestia levitated the bouquet out of his hand and over by her side. "Although there are some matters we need to discuss still. What you have done will not so easily be forgiven."

Discord nodded his head in agreement. "I'm aware of that princess, and I take full responsibility for my actions. But first, please let me spend some more time patching things up with Twilight and her friends, especially poor Fluttershy. That is all I ask of you."

"Of course Discord," Celestia replied. "For now Luna and I will go and oversee Equestria's recovery which will take us a few days, more than enough time to spend with Twilight and her friends."

"Thank you Celestia," Discord said and he gave them a small bow. He felt a small tug on his leg and he looked down to see that it was Spike, and he was also holding a camera. "Ah Spike, what can I do for you my scaly little friend?" He watched out of the corner of his eye as Celestia and Luna left the room.

Spike rolled his eyes. "I need you to take a picture of us Discord."

"Ooo! You want a picture with moi?" Discord asked.

Spike quickly shook his head. "No! The girls are just about to finish their song and I want you to take a picture of us. Sorry, but I'm not ready to include you just yet."

Discord sighed. "Yes yes I understand, no need to rub it in. Just tell me when to take the picture Spike."

Spike handed him the camera just as Twilight and her friends gathered at the end of their song. "Gah! I better hurry! Okay, just stand in front of us Discord and take the picture as soon as I'm in it alright?" Discord disappeared and reappeared in front of the group, giving them enough time to smile just as Spike walked in waving. "Now Discord!" The camera went off with a flash and a picture came out of the camera, which Discord took and quickly shook, making the image appear.

"What a great shot! That's a wrap everypony!" Discord gave the camera back to Spike along with the photo.

"Yeehaw! What a day this has been y'all!" Applejack took off her hat and threw it in the air, only to catch it when it came back down. "Ah can't believe we did it! We defeated Tirek!"

"You know what that means everypony?" Pinkie asked. "A party at my place tonight! And all of you are invited!" This caused many of the ponies that were in the room still to cheer, although Mr. and Mrs. Cake weren't as excited.

"Huh? Even moi?" Discord asked, hoping she would say yes.

"Yes Discord! You can come too! Even though you did betray us and try to destroy Equestria!" Pinkie replied. With a snap of his fingers, Discord covered his face with a parasol in shame and embarrassment.

Fluttershy flapped her wings and flew over to him. "It's okay Discord." She gently patted his shoulder. "We all make mistakes every once in a while. I'm sure that you'll gain everypony's trust back in no time. I've already forgiven you, so I'll be the first one."

Discord sniffed and uncovered his face. "Really Fluttershy? You've already forgiven me? For realsies?

"Of course Discord, because that's what friends do," Fluttershy said and she turned to face the others. "We'll meet you all at the party later okay? I'm going to help Discord through what he is feeling right now. Let's go Discord." Discord smiled at Fluttershy and with a snap of his fingers they both vanished, returning to Fluttershy's cottage.

"Well, I'm going home to freshen up," Rarity said. "I shall see all of you tonight!" They watched her as she trotted out of the room, soon followed by some of the other ponyfolk.

"Ah will see y'all later as well," Applejack said. "Ah got some catchin up to do with mah family." She walked over to Big McIntosh and Granny Smith and they all joined in a group hug. "Hey y'all, where's Apple Bloom?"

"Right behind ya sis!" a voice shouted and Applejack felt her hat disappear from her head, only to reappear on Apple Bloom shortly after. "If ya want it ya gotta catch me!"

"Oh don't worry sis, you just made the wrong move," Applejack said. She escaped from the group hug and began to chase a giggling Apple Bloom out of the room.

"I have a party to plan so I can't stay now so I gotta go now so bye Twilight bye Rainbow bye Spike I will see you later!" Pinkie said in one breath and she bounced out of the room as well.

"I'm guessing you have somewhere to be as well Rainbow?" Twilight asked.

Rainbow shook her head. "Not really Twilight, but I think I'll crash here for now until the party starts later, maybe get a nap in, who knows?" She flew over to her throne and carefully sat down on it. "Ugh, these things could have been a bit more... a bit more—" She didn't finish her sentence as she had already curled up and fallen asleep.

"What now Twilight?" Spike asked. "Is there anything you want to do before the party tonight?"

"Of course Spike," Twilight said and she smiled at him. "Let's see if we can save anything from the wreckage of our old home, but first..." She looked up to see that some ponies still remained. "Go home everypony! Get ready for Pinkie's party because it is sure to be wonderful as always!"

The ponies bowed and began to leave the room. Twilight along with Spike followed them out of the throne room and outside where they watched the ponies disperse in different directions.

"Well... hopefully we can find something," Spike said and Twilight nodded in agreement. They walked over to the remains of the Golden Oak Library to find that the tree was still smoking, with small pockets of fire here and there.

"So much knowledge... so many memories... gone..." Twilight whispered. She continued to look at the tree while Spike began searching around it, looking for anything they could possibly salvage.

"Burnt papers... ruined books... my comic collection!" Spike yelled and he raised his arms and face towards the sky. "NOOOOO!" He looked down at the ground and sighed. "Great, now I'll never be able to say I have a Power Ponies Issue One ever again... hello, what's this?" Spike moved some charred wood off of a leather book and picked it up, wiping the soot off in the process. "Hey Twilight! I found something that survived the wreckage!" He walked back over to Twilight and held the book out for her to see. "I didn't see a title, but surely you must know what it is."

Twilight levitated the book out of his grasp and held it at eye level. "Hmm... it looks familiar... let's see what's inside." She flipped the book open to its first page. "Oh! It's by the Scholars of Lore. This was given to me by Celestia herself on the day I officially became a princess. She told me to guard it with my life and I thought I had failed her. At least a history book survived the blast. Have you found anything else Spike?"

Spike shook his head. "Not yet Twilight, but I'll keep looking." He returned to scouring the ground for any other books or papers that may have survived.

Twilight watched Spike for a bit when she suddenly felt a different type of magic. It wasn't Tirek's magic which she probably would still be able to feel from the outskirts of town, but rather it was something else coming from inside the tree. She slowly began to walk towards it, the strange magic and Tirek's magic getting stronger as she did so. When she passed through the shattered doorway, she suddenly felt herself slowly begin to weaken.

Ugh... Tirek's presence here is stronger than I thought... it's draining me of my power! Twilight thought. I better find that source and fast!

She slowly began to move tree limbs and furniture around when Spike came looking for her. "Twilight, I don't think we'll be able to find anything else out here..." He trailed off when he saw her inside the tree. "Twilight! What are you doing? Nevermind that, I'm coming to get you!" He ran towards the tree, only to be bounced back by an invisible source. "Hey! What's the big idea?" He picked himself up off the ground and approached the tree again, only to be blocked by the same barrier. "Twilight, get out of there!" He pounded the invisible wall with his fists, but it was of little use.

Twilight moved another piece of wood and she finally found the source of the magic. It was a book, and no ordinary book at that. She tried to levitate it, but her horn simply sparked and went out. Oh no... I have to get out of here! She quickly picked up the book with her mouth and stumbled out the entrance past a dumbfounded Spike. She immediately collapsed to the ground after, Tirek's evil magic having sapped her temporarily of her power.

"Twilight! Are you okay?" Spike ran over and knelt by her side. "What did that tree do to you? And more importantly, how were you able to get in there and not me?"

The Alicorn princess coughed twice before slowly raising her head. "Yes Spike, I'm fine. I felt my power being drained... it felt like Tirek all over again, except his dark magic... left something of him here."

"Creepy... so how were you able to get in there and I wasn't?" Spike asked again.

Twilight shook her head. "I don't know Spike, but I think we will discover that soon enough. Where is the book I found? It's the reason why I went inside the tree in the first place." Spike quickly looked to the left of him to find the dropped book within reach and he quickly grabbed it.

"Here, let me help you up first." Spike grabbed one of Twilight's front legs and helped her slowly stand up on all fours, although she was still a bit wobbly. "Is your magic okay?"

"Hang on, let me check," Twilight said and her horn began to glow its usual colour, although it was still a bit faint. She lifted the book that Spike held out of his grasp and held it in front of her, immediately recognizing the cover. "I don't believe it! Spike! Star Swirl's book somehow survived the blast! This is great! All of his research isn't lost forever! But first... let's just open it up to see if its pages are still intact."

She opened up the book to a random page to find that the writing was still readable and she sighed in relief. "This old thing is tougher than it appears. I wish I could have saved more books though... and there is absolutely no way I am going to go back in time again. That was just... disastrous!"

"Uh, Twilight? A page just fell out of the book," Spike said. Twilight looked at the ground to find that a page had indeed fallen and then looked back at the book.

"That doesn't make any sense," Twilight said. "How did a page fall when I am still levitating the entire thing? Now I have to—" She stopped mid-sentence when she suddenly realized that there had been something else behind the fallen page, something that didn't look like Star Swirl's usual jumble of words and spells. The fallen page had revealed a detailed drawing of the Tree of Harmony, along with a small description underneath it.

"Do you want me to get that?" Spike asked.

Twilight quickly shook her head again. "No Spike! Listen to this! This is what was behind that page! The Elements of Harmony are still persistent in their effort to keep me from unlocking their secrets. However, further observation of the tree has led me to believe that there are not only six elements... but rather seven. Whether or not this possible seventh element is integral to the rest is yet to be determined. Although I can't quite confirm it yet, something about the tree feels off, especially around its roots. Further examination is required."

Twilight lowered the book and she and Spike stared at each other for what felt like forever, but really it was only a couple of minutes. "A seventh element?" Spike asked, feeling somewhat confused. "But the tree doesn't depict seven... only six!"

"I know that Spike... but what if Star Swirl is right?" Twilight replied. "There's also something about the elements he discovered... perhaps maybe that was the rainbow power? Hold on... Star Swirl knew about the Elements of Harmony before Celestia and Luna!? Spike! We have to tell Celestia this information immediately! Come on! We have to write a letter!"

Twilight closed Star Swirl's journal and also levitated the book by the Scholars of Lore before quickly galloping back towards their new home.

"Hey Twilight! Wait for me!" Spike shouted and he ran after her.

Present Time...

"Wait... so Twilight just immediately believed there was a seventh element without reading more of Star Swirl's research first?" Eldon asked.

Spike just shook his head. "Hey, let me finish please. Twilight was excited at first, but the more she thought about it, the more unsure she became and actually didn't send a letter right away. It wasn't until she found more hidden paragraphs that she slowly began to become sure that a seventh element existed."

"So did Celestia help Twilight in her search for this gem?" Eldon asked and Spike shook his head again.

"Unfortunately no. Celestia told her that a seventh element wasn't possible, even if Star Swirl believed there was one," Spike replied. "But that didn't stop Twilight in the slightest. It was also a couple of days later when she found the prophecy regarding you in that other book and all of those strange occurrences suddenly began to happen."

"Okay... but how did she find the gem?" Eldon asked. "I figured out that she accidentally found it without realizing immediately what it was, but how did it come to be in her possession?"

Spike laughed before he answered Eldon's question. "Okay, now this is actually the crazy part. A few weeks after she discovered the prophecy and the possibility of a seventh element, Twilight had dedicated most of her time to creating a spell that would bring you here, while also searching for the seventh element, while also dealing with the darkness and keeping her friends calm as not to worry them."

"And the gem Spike?" Eldon asked again.

"It was really strange when Twilight brought that gem of yours, well, the orb back to the palace one day," Spike said. "Apparently Applejack was having a yard sale and Twilight had detected some weird signals from the orb, so she bought it from her. How Applejack's family came into possession of it, we don't know. It was also that very same day when Twilight finally felt that her new spell was completed when we were summoned by Celestia for an emergency meeting in Canterlot. I'm sure though that you can piece the rest of the story together from there."

Eldon leaned back in his chair, silently glad that he had finally received more clarification on how he was brought to Equestria. "Wow... so much has happened between then and now. It was extremely fortunate that Twilight found the orb, but now I'm also curious on how Applejack came to have possession of it. I think I'll ask her later. But Spike, the one thing bothering me is that Twilight must be very exhausted... isn't she?"

"Yes... that is unfortunately true," Spike replied. "Although she doesn't show it, she is very stressed out right now, especially since you are the one from the prophecy. I can't imagine how she would feel if something terrible happened to you, and what the others would feel as well. You're important Eldon, you can help stop the darkness in Equestria."

"Order for Spike the great, wonderful, powerful, awesome and cool!" a pony behind the counter shouted. Spike blushed in embarrassment when he saw the look on Eldon's face.

"Oh, hehe, that's me." Spike jumped out of his seat to receive the order. "Hey Eldon, can you lend a hoof please?" Eldon left his chair and walked over to Spike, only to find two giant boxes filled with what he assumed was the food.

"Just sign here, and here please," the Unicorn behind the counter said and gave Spike a quill with ink and a piece of parchment.

Spike quickly signed the parchment and rolled it up before giving it back to the employee. "Hey thanks Joe, the princesses will greatly appreciate this."

The Unicorn called Joe nodded. "No problem Spike! Come back whenever you can! Although next time I'll be expecting payment!" He and Spike both shared a laugh.

"Hey Eldon, could you levitate these?" Spike asked, causing Eldon to hesitate.

"Eh, I'm not too comfortable with using magic for simple tasks yet," Eldon replied. "I think I'll just carry them on my back instead if that's okay."

"Alright, but they are pretty heavy," Spike warned and he pushed the boxes off the counter and onto Eldon's back, causing his legs to bend due to the weight. "Are you sure you can handle this Eldon?"

"O- of course I can! I was able to- hngh- lift Canterlot, so a couple of boxes shouldn't be a- a problem at all," Eldon said, although the boxes were probably more than he could handle. Jeez, what did Spike order?

"Well in that case, let's go to the castle, I think we've kept the others waiting long enough." Spike walked over to the door and held it open for Eldon, who slowly made his way outside. "Next stop, Canterlot castle! Oh! I can't wait to climb those stairs! What about you Eldon?"

Eldon was breathing heavily and he managed to turn his head to face the little dragon. "Sh- shut up Spike." Spike laughed as they made their way down Mane Street towards the castle.

The doors to the throne room swung open and Spike walked inside, followed by Eldon who was barely able to put one hoof in front of the other. "Hey everypony! Sorry we're late," Spike said. "But Eldon took forever to climb the steps, I'm actually surprised he made it this far!" The others watched as Eldon stumbled past Spike and fell on the ground. The boxes gently slid off of his back shortly after.

"What in the hay were ya carryin Eldon?" Applejack asked. "Ya look like ya just carried bricks!"

"The better question is, why didn't you just use magic to levitate it Eldon?" Rarity asked. "That would have made your journey considerably easier."

"Ooo! What's in the box!?" Pinkie squeeled and she bounced over to the boxes.

"Just a little something for all of us," Spike said and he opened up one of the boxes, revealing mostly donuts and other baked goods. "I didn't know how much to get, so I just ordered a bunch of stuff!"

"Breakfast? Don't mind if I do!" Rainbow said and flew over to the boxes to pick out what she wanted to have.

"Hey, where were you Rainbow when we first arrived in Canterlot?" Eldon asked. "You weren't at the train station."

"I believe I can answer that," Twilight replied and she too walked over to the boxes, followed by the others. Celestia and Luna however were content to just watch them. "Surprisingly, Rainbow was able to get past the soldiers without too much trouble and was already waiting for us, well, sleeping at the castle."

"It's not my fault you guys took so long." Rainbow brought out a donut and started eating it. "I keep telling all of you that trains are just too slow!"

"Oh, thank you for the donuts by the way Spike," Fluttershy said. "They smell delicious, although I think you may have bought a bit too much."

"I think Spike bought juuust the right amount Fluttershy," Pinkie said. She held up a stack of donuts and quickly gobbled them down in the blink of an eye. "These are just sooo good!"

Twilight helped Eldon up off of the ground and he wiped off some dirt that clung to his coat here and there. "Thanks Twilight for the help, would you like a donut?" he asked.

Twilight shook her head. "Not right now Eldon. I just want to let you know that we've already told Celestia about what Star Swirl said at the Tree of Harmony, as well as your current magic predicament. Currently we've just been waiting for you to show up."

"That is correct Twilight," Celestia said, speaking for the first time since Eldon and Spike had arrived. "Come back over here everypony so that we may decide what our next course of action should be." The others turned away from the boxes and approached the two princesses until they were standing alongside Eldon and Twilight. "What Star Swirl has spoken of concerns me greatly everypony. I've heard about this creature in the legends of old, as well as in the prophecy, but I never would have thought it to be the mastermind behind these strange events as of late. If Star Swirl believes that only by finding him can we truly stop this threat, then we have no choice but to find him."

"Princess? can I say something?" Eldon asked and Celestia nodded. "I was attacked by a Changeling earlier this morning."

This caused the others in the group to gasp and Celestia and Luna suddenly became even more concerned. "When was this?" Celestia asked and her eyes narrowed.

"When we first arrived in Canterlot and I was held behind," Eldon replied. "The soldier wanted to question me, but it turns out it was a Changeling that stayed behind to try and kill me and get this orb."

"This is grave news indeed," Celestia said. "If Changelings are hiding within the city still, then we must personally scan the city and evict them immediately. I doubt they are here for the city though and are most likely after you Eldon, which is why all of you must begin your journey as soon as possible."

"There is also the problem with my magic," Eldon reminded her. "I want to learn how to use it more efficiently without harming anyone else in the process, but I don't know where to start. I want to be helpful, not a burden."

Celestia smiled at him, which Eldon found surprising because of all the bad news she had been receiving as of late. "You are far from being a burden Eldon, far from it! However, I think I know exactly what to do to solve your problem."

"And what do you have in mind?" Eldon asked.

"You need a teacher Eldon, a tutor to help guide you," Celestia replied. She stood up and walked over to Eldon and Twilight. "And what better teacher is there than the embodiment of magic herself? Eldon, as a princess, I assign you to be Twilight's student until she has deemed you worthy of handling magic on your own."

The Hunt Begins

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Eldon and Twilight quickly looked at each other, surprised at Celestia's words. They were both speechless until Twilight finally spoke, breaking the silence.

"C- Celestia? Me? I thought that you would take him under your wing. Giving ponies lessons is one thing, but having an official student? I... I..."

"Twilight Sparkle, I've guided you and watched you grow into the strong Alicorn you are today," Celestia said. "I believe you to be more than capable of taking on this task and besides, you will not be alone."

Eldon turned to face Twilight and hesitated before he slowly knelt before her. It felt awkward, and having four legs did not make it any easier.

"I... I know that you and I have our differences Twilight, but I would be honored to be your student." Eldon chose his next words carefully. "You said it yourself before, I am unstable. A dangerous force that could ultimately be turned against all of you if not kept in check." He stood up and gently put one hoof on her shoulder. "But I believe, and I'm sure the others do as well, that you can take on this task, and I promise you that I'll try my best."

Twilight looked at Celestia and then back at Eldon. Of course she would love to have a student, somepony that was willing to follow in her hoofsteps. But this felt much too sudden. Eldon was right though, he is dangerous, the prophecy had already foretold of that.

If she wanted to save Equestria though, she had no choice but to accept and trust Celestia's guidance, seeing that Eldon had already done so with ease. In fact, Twilight had heard the eagerness in his words, even though he contained his excitement and she smiled at the thought.

"I..." Twilight coughed. She realized that she was slouched and straightened herself. "I, Twilight Sparkle, agree to take Eldon underneath my wing as my personal student. I will see to it that he receives proper instruction like I did."

A look of relief came across Eldon's face which quickly turned into a warm smile. "You won't regret this Twilight. Thank you."

Twilight simply nodded in return. "It's for the good of Equestria." She turned to face Celestia. "What should we do next Celestia?"

All eyes fell on Celestia as they waited for a response. They didn't have to wait long however before she spoke again. "I am pleased that the two of you are setting your differences aside in order to accomplish this arrangement. However, I wish for you to begin training Eldon as soon as possible Twilight since his... power... could prove to be most beneficial in the journey ahead."

Celestia rose from the throne and walked over to a nearby window. The group moved out of the way as she passed. "Now that has been settled, it is time to discuss what Star Swirl said at the Tree of Harmony. If this being... this chaos incarnate, is as powerful as Star Swirl says he is, then we mustn't waste time searching for the map pieces that will lead us to him."

"Fortunately, it comes to our attention that you have a map that shows where the pieces are Eldon, is that correct?" Luna asked.

Eldon nodded. "Yes your highness, I do have a map of what I believe are the locations of each piece stored away in my mind. If it wasn't for the seventh element, I wouldn't know where to begin."

"Can I say something?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Why and how is Star Swirl still alive in the first place?"

Celestia quickly turned away from the window and locked eyes with Luna. Both of them nodded. "Because... that is our doing," Celestia said. "When we finally toppled Discord from the throne all those years ago and imprisoned Tirek years after that, we discovered that he was dying and was in fact far older than what he appeared. It was he who sent us to find the Elements of Harmony. Luna and I couldn't bear to see him depart, so we did the impossible. We preserved him in time, an eternal slumber so to say. Luna and I both contributed some of our life force so that he could live and return to us in a time of peril."

"Wow... that must have taken some extreme magic skills!" Rainbow said. "But if you are the ones who put him to sleep... then wouldn't you know where he currently is?"

Luna sighed and shook her head. "We created the map and hid the pieces before we hid Star Swirl away young Rainbow Dash. We kept one piece for ourselves which we have already given to Eldon, but in this very room, Celestia and I erased all memory of hiding the other pieces and Star Swirl's location as a precaution so that enemies who were still aware of his existence would not be able to retrieve any information from us. Unfortunately it's an inconvenience for all of you, but I believe that with this new map, you should have no problem finding the pieces."

Celestia walked back to the throne and took her place at Luna's side. "Eldon, before you leave on your quest, I want to briefly talk about the seventh element that you referred to earlier. I can feel it's power now. There is no doubt that your trip to the tree has somehow awakened it after being apart from its fellow elements for so long, but what I am curious about is what it stands for. Do you have any ideas Eldon?"

Eldon quickly shook his head. "Unfortunately I have absolutely no idea, but Star Swirl did have a theory that it is somehow able to make the other elements stronger, which in turn makes itself stronger, if that means anything to you. His signal was cut short though so he didn't really have time to explain."

Celestia closed her eyes, searching her memory for anything that could be of use, but was unable to find anything relevant. "I'm afraid I don't know myself, but perhaps you will discover it on your own in due time. Perhaps Star Swirl was referring to the fact that they are together again?"

Eldon quickly glanced down at the gem around his neck to see that it was glowing its usual white. It would be best if I didn't tell them anything else about the Changeling incident, I don't want to stress them out even further... I just have to remember to stay calm and collected. "I think that would be most likely Celesta, but still..."

"Excuse me? Can ah say somethin?" Applejack asked and all eyes fell on her. "Shouldn't we get goin now? The early bird gets the worm if you know what I'm sayin."

Celestia gave her a warm smile. "Of course my dear Applejack, all of you should set out to look for the pieces as soon as—"

"No!" Twilight shouted, interrupting Celestia and stamping her hoof on the red carpet. "We can't begin our quest yet! What about the Crystal Empire? What about Cadance? I can't just wander Equestria looking for pieces of paper knowing that her very life hangs by a thread!"

The room went silent. Everyone had been so caught up with the discovery of the new element and Star Swirl that they had briefly forgotten about Cadance and the Crystal Empire. It was still underneath Changeling control, something that they all deeply resented.

Celestia let out a long sigh, keeping her anger towards Chrysalis and Changelings in check. "Twilight... I understand how you are feeling... and I promise you that we will liberate the Crystal Empire in due time, but—"

"Hold up everyone," Eldon said, interrupting Celestia again. "The map... I remember the map showing where one of the pieces are hidden and it's..." He squeezed his eyes shut and the map of Equestria slowly appeared in his mind, showing a faint blue dot marked where the Crystal Empire was located. A smile came across his face and he slowly opened his eyes. "...In the Crystal Empire! Isn't that convienient?"

"So that means we can get a map piece AND liberate the Crystal Empire at the same time!" Pinkie shouted with glee. "That's like having two cupcakes instead of one!" She finished off by performing a spin, a big smile stretched across her face.

Celestia chuckled at the display before her when she spoke again. "While I do like your enthusiasm Pinkie Pie, I think we'll only be able to have one and a half cupcakes."

"What do you mean by only one and a half cupcakes?" Eldon asked. "This would be the perfect opportunity to strike back at the Changelings and obtain the map piece in the process!"

Celestia looked at the group, all of them eager to hear her respond to Eldon's question. Little did they know that they would be going to the Crystal Empire because of Eldon's news, but they wouldn't be going with an army at their backs. No... a plan had already formulated in her mind, and she had no doubt whatsoever that they would agree to it.

"Because Eldon, a full scale assault against the city would surely bring about Cadance's demise," Celestia replied. "I am no fool and the Changelings know this, that is why all of you should undergo a search and rescue mission to bring Cadance back. You will not be alone for this as I will be sending our most elite group of ponies with you. The S.P.O.F."

The group gasped at the mention of the S.P.O.F except for Eldon who was puzzled as by what it meant.

"The SPOF?" Eldon asked. "What in the world does that mean?"

"It only means the best group of ponies there is in all of Equestria!" Spike bragged, only to receive a look that could kill from Rainbow Dash. "Ahem, I- I mean just behind the Wonderbolts of course." Rainbow Dash smiled at him and she looked away. Spike subtly moved his claw in a circle next to his head behind her back.

"Eldon, SPOF stands for Special Pony Operations Force," Luna explained. "They are a group of elite soldiers that specialize in combat and combat tactics, but most importantly infiltration, which would no doubt be of utmost importance in this mission."

"The mission will be dangerous everypony and you will be putting your lives in extreme danger, much to our dismay," Celestia said. "But if you are successful — which I'm sure you will be — then we will have removed the one advantage the Changelings have against us currently, which is holding Cadance as a hostage, as well as hopefully obtain a map piece which will bring us one step closer to Star Swirl. The question now is if you decide whether or not to go."

Eldon had already decided what he would do a few minutes ago and stepped forward. "My purpose for being here is to help in the fight against whatever evil threatens this land. My answer is yes your highness, I will go on this mission."

Spike took a few steps forward and hopped onto Eldon's back, much to Eldon's surprise. "If Eldon is going then I'm going too!" His voice was filled with confidence. "I've saved the Crystal Empire before and I'll do it again, even if we are only rescuing Cadance at first."

"I suppose I will go as well," Rarity said. "After all, wherever Spike goes, trouble always seems to follow him! So I guess you can say... what was it again... ah yes, count me in!"

After Rarity had spoken, the rest of the group quickly followed suit except for Twilight, leaving her to be the last one to make a decision.

"Why are you hesitating Twilight?" Eldon asked. "Remember, this is Cadance's life and the future of Equestria we are talking about here! You've been through much worse than what we are about to do. I know we can do this... and we can only do this if we are together."

Eldon was right. Twilight knew that Eldon was right, but what was stopping her? Was it fear? Was it the fact that they might not come back from this alive? She shook her head, removing such thoughts from her mind.

"It's... nothing." Twilight smiled at him. "You're right Eldon, only by sticking together can we overcome any obstacle or challenge. I am going with all of you as well."

E ldon nodded and turned to face Celestia. "There's your answer your highness. We are all in this together. What should we do next though? Should we catch the next train to the Crystal Empire?"

Celestia quickly shook her head in response. "No Eldon, all trains to the Crystal Empire have been suspended until further notice. Besides, I do not believe you'll get very far if you were to use the front entrance."

Eldon suddenly felt embarrassed, realizing that he had just asked a ridiculously stupid question and directed his gaze towards the ground. "O- of course, how silly of me. I had almost forgotten that the trains to the Crystal Empire would be put on hold."

Celestia laughed softly before she spoke again. "It's quite alright Eldon, I'll have another mode of transportation prepared for all of you within the hour. Search the castle for any supplies that you require and Luna and I will meet all of you at the castle entrance when you're done here, is that clear?"

"Of course Celestia," Twilight said. "I promise you that we won't take long at all."

"Excellent," Celestia replied. "Come Luna, let us see if we can find somepony willing to take our special rescue force North." Luna nodded in agreement and the group parted to make a path for the royal sisters. The group watched the sisters leave and the door closed behind the sisters with a thud before they made a group huddle.

"Okay everypony, we only have a short amount of time so I'll make this quick," Twilight said. "I'm going to separate us into groups so we can get what we need as fast as we can. Applejack, Rainbow Dash, you're both in charge of getting whatever food you can find."

Rainbow Dash and Applejack both nodded. "I'm sure we can do that without a fuss Twi," Applejack replied and looked at Rainbow Dash. "Right Rainbow?"

"Oh yeah for sure!" Rainbow said. "Honestly, how hard can it be? Come on AJ, let's go find some grub." Applejack and Rainbow Dash quickly left the throne room, reducing the group's size to six.

"Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, I don't want us to be bored on our trip to the Crystal Empire, so how about you find us some sort of activities, like board games?" Twilight asked. "Get it? Board games? Ah never mind, just do your best to find some activities. Try the castles rec room, there's bound to be something there."

"Ooo you can count on us!" Pinkie squeeled. "Come on Fluttershy! Let's go and get some games games games!"

"Y- yes Pinkie, I'm right behind you," Fluttershy replied and slowly walked alongside the bouncing Pinkie Pie. "I hope we can find some quiet games..."

As soon as they had left as well, Twilight turned to face Rarity. "Alright Rarity, you know about clothing better than the rest of us, and since we are going North I want you to find us some winter clothing. I'm sure you'll be able to throw something together."

"Why, I would be happy to darling," Rarity replied and her horn glowed, adjusting her mane ever so slightly. "I shall do my best, although I think I might need some assistance..."

At the end of her sentence Spike suddenly perked up on Eldon's back. "Oh! I'll help you Rarity!" He jumped off Eldon's back, much to Eldon's relief and stood next to Rarity. "After you madam!"

"Oh Spike, you are such the, er, gentledragon," Rarity replied. "Let's be off shall we?" Rarity made her way towards the exit with Spike closely following alongside her. It wasn't long until at last Eldon and Twilight were the last two in the throne room.

"So what will our job be?" Eldon asked. "Because to be honest, I'm not sure what else there is left to do."

"We get to do the best job of all," Twilight replied. "We are going to the library! Celestia wants us to begin your teachings right away, and there are some very good books in the library that will most definitely help you."

I've read plenty of books back home, Eldon thought.I hope that learning magic isn't as hard as learning physics though. "Of course Twilight, although you'll have to lead the way since I don't really know where the library is."

"Just follow me Eldon, I pretty much grew up in this place so I know it like the back of my hoof," Twilight replied. "Let's go! Time is running out and we have books to gather!"

Twilight suddenly began to gallop towards the door with Eldon just barely being able to follow her in time. "Hey! Wait up!" Eldon shouted. He followed her through the throne room entrance and down the hall that was to the right of the throne room.

"If you don't mind Eldon, I'm just going to take your bag for a few minutes," Twilight said. Eldon watched her horn glow and felt a tug on his body as the bag of holding untied itself from his back and hovered next to Twilight.

"Uh yeah, anytime Twilight," Eldon replied, although he was slightly annoyed that she couldn't have just asked beforehand. It didn't take them very long to reach the library. When they went inside, Eldon was amazed at what he saw.

Shelves filled with books and scrolls laid before them, more than he could count. He breathed deeply through his nose, inhaling the mustiness of old and new texts alike, but what caught his attention was the library's centrepiece. A beautifully crafted hourglass, taller than himself! He watched the sand trickle through the small gap between the top and bottom and noticed that the top part was about to run out of sand.

"Oh! Watch this Eldon," Twilight said and gestured towards the hourglass. "Once all of the hourglass's sand fills the bottom from the top, it does something very magical. The enchantment on the hourglass is actually one of Star Swirl's own spells too! Look!"

They watched together as the final grain of sand passed through the gap and the hourglass gave off a pulse of blue light. Suddenly the books and scrolls on the shelves began to levitate and fly around the room as if they were alive.

"Wow..." Eldon looked around the room in awe. He felt as if he were inside a dream. "You were right Twilight, this is pretty magical!"

Twilight laughed, something that Eldon hadn't heard from her in a while. Did she laugh before? Eldon couldn't quite remember, but he was pretty sure she had at some point during the time he had been here.

"Would I ever lie to you Eldon?" Twilight asked. "Although you might want to shield your eyes for this next part." She turned away from the hourglass and shielded her eyes, with Eldon copying her shortly after. The hourglass suddenly gave off a flash of white light which slowly dissipated after.

When Eldon felt it was okay to look again, he uncovered his eyes to find that everything had returned to its original position, the only difference being the hourglass which now had the top section full of sand.

"Alright, let's get to work," Twilight said. "I'll be searching for the books you'll need and you can just browse for anything that catches your eye, okay?" Eldon nodded as Twilight disappeared down one of the rows, leaving him alone.

I wonder what this library has to offer, Eldon thought. After all, as the saying goes, knowledge is power. He walked past the hourglass and down one of the many rows, the light getting weaker the further he went down. Fortunately the rows didn't extend too far. He stopped at a random bookshelf and began to browse. He noticed that everything was very, VERY dusty. Jeez, when was the last time anyone has been down here? Eldon transformed back into his human form and took one of the books that had caught his eye off of the shelf.

"Alicorns," he said out loud, reading the title of the book and quickly flipped it open to the first page, only to find that it was blank. He didn't think anything of it however and flipped to the next page, only to find it was blank as well. What the hell? Is this whole book blank? He quickly flipped through the rest of the book, only to find nothing before he carefully placed it back on the shelf. Strange... are all the books and scrolls in this section blank?

Eldon went to grab a scroll, only to have it suddenly disintegrate as soon as he touched it. He quickly looked down both sides of the row and quickly brushed the remains away. I hope nobody is going to miss that... he thought. The cycle continued as he progressed further down the row. Any book he picked up was blank, and any scroll he dared to touch just crumbled away. What is going on here!? The library can't be that old... can it?

He had just about given up and was about to leave when two books caught his attention that were just lying on the floor. Oh please don't be another blank book... he thought and carefully picked both of them up.

The first book had a cover that consisted of no title, but was simply black and white, with white being on the left side and black being on the right. The second book however was called Alicorn Magic... the same title as the other blank ones he found.

Wanting to be sure though, he opened it up and was surprised to find an entry in it. Hello what is this we have here? He began to read the entry, but before he did so he briefly wondered how Twilight was doing... how long had he been in this row for?

Entry one. These 'Alicorns' have made me cautious because of their very presence. Why is it that after so many years they suddenly choose to show up now? Indeed they defeated Discord and restored peace to the land, but they required my help in order to do so. It was I who told them where to find the Elements of Harmony since most ponies had forgotten about them these past few centuries. It's strange though, they were able to wield the elements with just the two of them instead of the six of us it required all those years ago.

They also appear to have a special connection with the sun and the moon respectively. It used to take a whole team of Unicorns to control each celestial body, but Celestia is able to raise and lower the sun with ease, which is the same with Luna who controls the moon. Their magic is what has made me the most curious about them however and it is unlike your standard Unicorn magic, thus I have deemed it as 'Alicorn magic'. I do not currently know how one can go about obtaining this type of magic unless you are already an Alicorn, so further studies on the princesses are required.

It was at this point in the entry that Eldon finally realized that the writing belonged to Merlin and he continued to read, eager to learn more.

Oh yes, I had almost forgotten. After the sisters turned Discord into stone, the ponies of Equestria immediately pronounced the two sisters as their new rulers, even though we currently had a successful united government that had held strong for all these years. Their castle where I am currently writing this was built in the Everfree Forest near the Tree of Harmony rather quickly, but I am getting off topic.

The other day I witnessed a mare get into an accident and surely would have died from her injuries, but Celestia interfered and was able to somehow revive the mare with some sort of healing spell unlike the ones that Unicorns use. Ever since I saw Celestia's healing spell, I've been calling it 'Miraculo Sana', better known as 'Miracle Heal'. The mare she healed was back up on her hooves in no time and bounced around like an energetic little filly afterwards. Although I have yet to see the princesses perform different kinds of unique spells, I shall write again once I obtain some more information, and hopefully I would not have died by then. End of entry one. Star Swirl.

Eldon flipped through the rest of the book, hoping to find any other entries but was disappointed when there were none to be found. Interesting... so Merlin was interested, or perhaps still is interested in Alicorn magic. I think I'll continue his research for him. After all, I will be travelling with an Alicorn, who is also my teacher, so maybe I can get some answers from her.

He decided that he would read the other book later and began to make his way out of the row to see how Twilight was doing. His eyes quickly adjusted to the change in light until he exited the row at last.

"Eldon!" a voice cried and he turned to see Twilight galloping towards him. "Where have you been!? I've been looking all over for you for the last forty five minutes! What in Equestria have you been up to?"

"Forty five minutes!?" Eldon reeled back in surprise. "But I was just in the row behind me looking at some books! See it's—" He had turned around to find that the row had vanished without a trace, leaving only a solid wall in its place. "Right here..."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Come on Eldon! We don't have time for this! Here, put those books you found into the bag so we can leave. I found many books that you'll definitely need but I'll tell you about them later. Hurry!"

Eldon quickly deposited the two books he found into the bag of holding before he transformed back into a Unicorn. He grabbed the hovering bag with his mouth and tossed it onto his back. "Alright, let's go and meet the others." He and Twilight both galloped out of the library and made their way towards the castle's entrance as fast as they could.

"See! I told you I knew where it was!" Rainbow Dash announced triumphantly. "And you thought we were lost!"

"That's cause we ended up talkin to that Kiwi girl a while back and askin fer directions!" Applejack replied, quickly becoming frustrated. The two friends stood just outside of the door that led to the kitchen. It had taken them half an hour to reach a room that should only have taken five minutes to reach at the most, just because Rainbow kept on insisting that she knew where they were going.

"Come on AJ, lighten up! We got here in one piece right? Let's just go in there, grab whatever we need, throw it into a bag, and meet up with the others," Rainbow said. "Are you with me?"

"Yeah ah am, let's just get this over with," Applejack replied and she pushed the kitchen door open, allowing Rainbow Dash in first before following her inside as well. They were greeted by a sudden rush of warmth and the smell of freshly baked bread once they were inside, causing both of their stomachs to growl.

"Mmm... is it lunch time yet?" Rainbow Dash asked. "Because I could really eat something right now... I should have brought some donuts with me..."

"Ah know the feeling Rainbow," Applejack replied. "But remember, we gotta job to do and the job always comes first. Now let's see here... what should we bring with us..." Applejack grabbed a nearby brown linen sack and began to browse the various cupboards. "Flour... flour... baking soda... wheat... holy hay! Is there anything in here that doesn't involve baking bread?"

"I don't know A- Applejack," Rainbow replied, but Applejack was able to tell that something was wrong with Rainbow's voice. It was as if she suddenly crammed something into her mouth... something such as...

"Rainbow! You didn't just eat that loaf of bread did you?" Applejack asked. Rainbow Dash turned around to show her that she didn't have anything, but Applejack wasn't dumb and noticed the crumbs on Rainbow's coat and the ground. "Bah! Rainbow! You know better then to take stuff that ain't yours fer takin!"

"What? Celestia personally said we could take whatever we needed for the journey ahead," Rainbow calmly replied. "To be honest I don't see why you are making such a big deal about it. Here, I found this while eating the bread." Rainbow scooped up an apple and tossed it towards Applejack, only to have it smack her on the temple.

"Ya know, ya could have just walked on over and put it in the bag," Applejack said, apparently not caring that she was just hit with an apple. "Just sayin."

"Oh, so is it okay if I do it again?" Rainbow asked, now intent on making Applejack mad just for fun. "Because I don't mind throwing food at you."

"Ah wouldn't push yer luck girl," Applejack replied and tilted her hat back. "Ain't nopony alive that can beat me in a fair fight. Let's just get the food and go." She turned around and began sliding various fruits off of the counter and into the bag when she felt yet another apple hit her, except this time it knocked her hat off.

She heard Rainbow Dash laughing her head off as her hat floated to the ground. "Ah warned ya..." Applejack said and she turned around and threw an Apple at Rainbow, bonking her on the nose.

"Ouch! Oh ho ho! Get ready to be beat!" Rainbow shouted. She galloped over to the fridge and opened it, quickly finding a carton of eggs and tossing it behind her.

"Incoming!" Applejack shouted and grabbed a pan and held it with her teeth. The egg carton opened and eggs began to rain down on her, but she was ready. With a few swings of the pan, she successfully repelled a couple of eggs while the others splattered around her.

"Vhat is going on!?" a french sounding voice cried and the chef appeared from one of the side doors and saw Applejack and Rainbow. "Vhy are both of you peasants in moi kitchen!?"

Applejack picked up her hat from the floor and flipped it back onto her head. "Hang on mister, we can explain everything..." she began to say when the chef suddenly yelled in horror.

"Ze bread ze bread! Vhere is ze bread!?" the chef shouted. He looked at the both of them and noticed that there were breadcrumbs on Rainbow Dash's coat and pointed a hoof at her. "Thief! Villain! Destroyer of bread! Gluttonous-" He was interrupted when Rainbow threw an egg and it splattered all over his chest. The chef watched in horror and disgust as the egg dripped down his clothing. "Stupide! Stupide! Stupide! You vill pay dearly for insulting moi honour! Have at zee!"

The chef grabbed a rolling pin and the two friends prepared themselves for a fight they didn't want to be a part of.

"Oh no, these just won't do at all!" Rarity cried as she stared at the pile of winter clothing before her. She and Spike had easily found the winter clothing in one of the many wardrobes scattered throughout the castle, but they... weren't exactly what Rarity had in mind. "These dirty old things look like they haven't been used in ages! Just look at them Spike! They are so... so tacky and old!"

"I don't see what's wrong with them," Spike replied and picked up one of the coats, only to have a moth lazily fly out of it. "Yeesh... but I could be wrong, what do you suppose we should do Rarity?"

Rarity had already begun pacing around the pile, ideas zipping through her mind as she thought of a plan. "Well... first they'll need to be properly cleaned," she said. "After that, I'll have to sew any rips back together... as well as make some visual improvements here and there."

"So how can I be of assistance today Rarity?" Spike asked. "Help sew? Hold stuff for you? Clean? Hold stuff for you?"

"I know just the job you will be perfect for Spike!" Rarity exclaimed. "You'll be in charge of pest control! Of course it's heartbreaking to remove these, er, lovely creatures, but they'll have to find homes elsewhere."

"I'm on it Rarity! No job is too big or too gross for Spike the dragon!" Spike exclaimed. "Hero of the Crystal Empire! Saviour of the Equestria Games. Watcher of-"

"Yes Spike I'm well aware of your achievements," Rarity said, cutting Spike off. "But I do need you to hurry, we only have so much time at our disposal remember?"

"Oh, er, yeah, of course Rarity," Spike said, doing his best to hide his embarrassment. He poked the pile with a claw, expecting something to jump out but nothing did. Breathing a sigh of relief he lifted up the first coat, only to find a not so pretty sight underneath. The creature began to stir from the exposure to the light and began to uncurl. "Uh, Rarity..." Spike slowly began to back away as the creature raised its head and body until it towered over them. "I think we have a problem!"

"AHHHH!" Rarity screamed in terror and disgust. "What in Equestria is that thing? How long has it been living there for!?" The brown and rather slimy creature blinked its eight eyes, looking down at the pony and the... small reptile thing. Its eyes narrowed and the creature's pincers clacked together furiously, obviously not pleased that it had been woken up.

"Get behind me Rarity!" Spike shouted. "I don't care what that thing is, but it's not going to hurt you as long as I'm still breathing!" Spike held up his hands which he had clenched into fists and beckoned the creature to make the first move.

Spike expected the creature to attack him immediately, but was surprised when it spoke instead. "One among you will die in the end..." it hissed. "And it will be their own choice to do ssso..." The creature didn't give Spike anytime to think and lunged at him, determined to make the small reptile pay for disturbing him.

"This might be fun! Oh! And so will this, and this. and this..." Pinkie said. She and Fluttershy were in the castle's rec room looking for activities to bring, however Fluttershy was content to sit in a nearby chair and let Pinkie do the work since she didn't want to get in the way.

"Oh! Fluttershy! What do you think of this?" Pinkie asked and held up the item she was talking about. "Do you think this would be fun?"

Fluttershy looked at the object and then at Pinkie Pie. "Um... Pinkie... that's a flower pot... with a flower in it still," she quietly replied. "I don't think that would keep the attention of the others for very long."

"Ah ha! You're right! I like you're thinking kid!" Pinkie replied and put the flowerpot back where she got it.

"I'm actually a year older than you," Fluttershy said for what felt like the hundredth time. She hoped that Pinkie would actually remember some day and quickly changed the topic. "How is everything going Pinkie? What have you been able to find so far?"

"Everything is going great Fluttershy!" Pinkie exclaimed. "So far I've found Discord and Ladders, Ponopoly, Battleponies, and my personal favourite, Candyland! Although I was a teensy bit sad that the game didn't come with actual candy..."

"Do you think we have enough games now?" Fluttershy asked. "Because I do, and I really want to meet up with the others because it is very cold in here, but it's okay if you want to stay still, I'll understand."

"Oh not just yet Fluttershy," Pinkie replied. "There are still so many more games to find! There are still-" She stopped when she saw her yellow friend begin to shiver, but continued to remain sitting on the wooden chair. Did she really need to find more games? She shook her head at her own question. No, Fluttershy was more important than the games and needed to get to a warmer place, and fast. "On second thought, I think we do have enough games Fluttershy. Come on! Let's go and find the others because I'm sure they miss us as much as we miss them!"

Fluttershy looked at her overly energetic pink friend and gave her the warmest smile she could muster. "Th- thank you Pinkie, I'll be right behind you," she said and slid off of her chair. Pinkie Pie smiled back at her and hopped out of the room, the games she found in a saddlebag that she had found as well in the rec room. Fluttershy left the room shortly after, wondering how everypony else was doing while she and Pinkie made their way towards the castle's entrance.

Eldon and Twilight had just reached the castle's entrance where Celestia and Luna had been waiting patiently. "Celestia! We're not late are we?" Twilight asked. "We were just in the library and Eldon went missing and..."

"You made it with minutes to spare Twilight," Celestia replied. "Although it's not like I would have been furious if you were late, I just said to be here in an hour if you were able to."

Twilight stopped mid sentence, registering what Celestia had just said. "Oh, well then, I guess we'll just have to wait for the others now, right?" she asked and turned to Eldon. "Sorry for kind of yelling at you earlier Eldon, it's just that I have a problem with being late and not on time."

Eldon shrugged in response. "Eh, it's no big deal Twilight. I'm used to being yelled at a lot for stupid things I do so there really isn't any need to apologize," he said and smiled. "Besides, now that you'll be teaching me, I think I'm going to be yelled at quite a bit."

"Speaking of waiting for the others," Luna said, interrupting the conversation between Eldon and Twilight. "Isn't that Rainbow Dash and Applejack?"

They all watched as the two mares stumbled out of the hall, Applejack dragging a brown sack behind her. What surprised them though was the fact that they were both covered in some sort of white powder. "Applejack! Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed. "What in Equestria happened to the both of you?"

"Now that's... that's a long story," Rainbow Dash replied and Applejack nodded in agreement. "It all started with us wandering the castle halls when-"

"Hey! It's Pinkie and Fluttershy!" Eldon exclaimed. He was right when they turned their heads and watched the two exit the hall directly opposite of the one that Rainbow and Applejack came from.

"Hi everypony! Hi Applejack and- AHHH! Ghosts!" Pinkie shouted and readied herself for a fight. "Get behind me Fluttershy! I'll handle this!"

Applejack dropped the bag onto the floor and held up a hoof. "Wait just a minute Pinkie! We ain't ghosts!" she exclaimed. Pinkie ignored her however and kept walking slowly towards them until she was just mere inches away, and she began to laugh.

"Uh, Pinkie? They aren't ghosts..." Twilight said. "It just looks like they are covered in flour I think."

"Huh? What now?" Pinkie asked, also confused as to why the ghosts hadn't disappeared yet. She wiped a hoof across Applejack's nose to discover that she had wiped white powder off and a huge smile stretched across her face. "Applejack! Rainbow! You're not ghosts!" She quickly hugged both of them afterwards, only to be partially covered in the flour as well when the hug ended.

"So Pinkie, Fluttershy, were you successful in finding anything?" Twilight asked, relieved that Pinkie had finally figured out that Applejack and Rainbow were not ghosts.

"Oh yes Twilight, we most definitely were," Fluttershy replied. "We found four games I believe. Discord and Ladders, which by the way probably needs a name change, Ponopoly, Battleponies, and..."

"CANDYLAND!" Pinkie Pie shouted at the top of her lungs, finishing Fluttershy's sentence. "I can't wait to play it!"

Twilight did a quick head count to find that they were missing two members of their group still. "Hey, has anypony seen Rarity or Spike?" she asked. "They are already five minutes late, I wonder what's keeping them?"

"Maybe Hearts and Hooves day came early for them," Rainbow said and she snickered at the thought.

"Rainbow! I'm pretty sure that is NOT what they've been up to at all," Twilight said. "And speaking of what somepony has been up to, what happened to you and Applejack? I believe you were just about to tell us when you were interrupted."

Rainbow and Applejack both looked at each other and chuckled. "I think I'll let Applejack handle this one actually," Rainbow said. "It... it was quite the experience."

"To make a long story short Twilight," Applejack said. "Rainbow and I got into a food fight... along with the chef."

"No way... not Chef Pain Baguette!" Eldon exclaimed. "Man, I wish I was there to have witnessed it!"

Applejack shook her head in disagreement. "Not really Eldon, the chef went to attack us with a rolling pin because somepony decided to eat his bread without askin fer permission first," she said and quickly glanced at Rainbow. "But fortunately he didn't put up much of a fight, in fact he just gave up after 'bout a minute."

"And what happened after that?" Eldon asked. "Did he cry? Did he apologize?"

"Actually, he just gave us some food and sent us on our way, but not before dumping flour on our heads and taunting us all the way down the hall," Rainbow replied. "But yeah that's our story."

Eldon's face dropped in disappointment. "Oh... ah well it doesn't matter, what matters now is that Rarity and Spike get here and what the heck is THAT!?" he finished his sentence with a yell.

Everyone looked in the direction that he was looking in to find a large shadowy blob at the top of the stairs, but when it stepped into the light all they saw was a pair of purple feet and a large stack of clothing.

"Sorry for being late everypony," a familiar voice said and something stepped out from behind the pile of clothing, revealing none other than Rarity. "But Spike and I ran into some rather... unfortunate delays."

"Rarity! Spike! It's good to see both of you again, but why were you late?" Twilight asked. "Here, let me get that for you Spike." Twilight's horn glowed, enveloping the clothing and bringing them towards her. "Do you have anything I can put these in Celestia?"

"Of course, just wait one moment," Celestia replied and her horn began to glow. A minute later a rather large suitcase appeared and Twilight put the clothes inside of it. "Goodness... I don't know how Discord is able to do that without losing any energy."

"It's a rather unique trait to have," Luna said. "However I'm afraid that if any Unicorn was able to do that, then Equestria's economy would be thrown into chaos."

That's neat to know, Eldon thought. If even an Alicorn as powerful as Celestia has a hard time making stuff out of thin air, then that explains exactly what Luna said. If we could just make anything we wanted out of thin air at anytime, then that would make for a rather dull life since something as simple as their currency could be easily replicated, unless they invented a spell that detected fraud, but still...

"Agh, my back... thanks for the help Twilight," Spike said. "After fighting that thing and carrying those clothes, I could definitely use a nap." He and Rarity climbed down the stairs and walked over to join them.

"Wait, did you say fighting?" Twilight asked. "Fighting what? How could you have possibly gotten into a fight if you were simply looking for clothes?"

"I can explain that," Rarity said. "When we found the clothing, something was already, well, inhabiting them. When we woke it up, it spoke to us, saying that one of us would die... and that it would be by their own choice to do so."

"What did the creature look like?" Celestia asked, suddenly concerned about the words that the creature spoke.

"It had a long and brown body that was somewhat shiny, eight eyes, pincers of death, a tail like that of a scorpion and legs! So many legs..." Spike replied.

"Interesting... I'm surprised the old creature is still alive," Luna said. "And it has been hiding in our very castle all these years!"

"Wait... you know that disgusting creature!?" Rarity exclaimed in surprise. "It tried to kill us!"

Luna and Celestia quickly looked at each other before looking back at Rarity. "In a way, yes," Celestia replied. "His name is Skorex, a Thetapede from the land that Scorpan and Tirek came from."

"Why in the world is a, a Thetapede sleeping in the castle's emergency winter clothing wardrobe?" Rarity asked.

"Skorex was a gift from Scorpan to Star Swirl many years ago when the two became friends, in fact it was just after the events with Discord but before we sealed Star Swirl away," Luna explained. "Scorpan told us that some Thetapedes have the unique ability to predict the future, but the words he spoke has left Celestia and I both a little disturbed."

Strange, Merlin never brought up anything about a pet or a companion, Eldon thought. Only that he had an apprentice for a little while. "Where is Skorex now Rarity?"

Rarity shook her head. "I don't know where he is now Eldon," she replied. "My brave little Spike here used his flame breath and it escaped through one of the windows."

"Then Skorex is gone for now," Celestia said. "And I'm sure that will not be the last we see of him, but I believe we have stayed idle for far too long. Come everypony, your transportation awaits at the Canterlot Docks. Take whatever you have found and we shall be off."

The group quickly checked to make sure they had everything they needed. Applejack picked up her bag of food. Pinkie bounced up and down, shaking her saddlebag and being delighted to hear the sound of the board games. Rarity levitated the suitcase over to her and closed it before giving it to Spike to carry. Twilight checked inside the bag of holding on Eldon's back and nodded, content that the books were there still.

"We are ready Celestia," Twilight said.

"Very well then," Celestia replied. "Follow us."

The group followed Celestia and Luna outside the castle and down the steps, turning onto the street that led towards the train station. When the station came into view, they quickly made a sharp right down a different street, one that Eldon had not been down before. "The Canterlot Docks is where we recieve our goods from other countries," Twilight whispered to Eldon. "Our largest trade partner is the Griffon Kingdom currently, but there are others as well."

Eldon nodded just as the Canterlot Docks came into view, and it was an amazing sight to behold. The Canterlot flag rippled in the breeze in the center of the docks, with a beautifully carved statue of Celestia and Luna in front of it. There were three wooden docks that extended outwards into the air, all of them the same length and width. The dock in the middle had a large airship at the very end of it and Eldon was able to make out the ponies on board moving about, each performing various tasks.

The group stopped just before the middle dock and Celestia and Luna turned to face them "That airship up ahead is your transportation to the Crystal Empire," Celestia said. "Once all of you are on board, there will be no stopping until you arrive. Are you still wishing to proceed?"

"Yes!" the group said in unison and Celestia nodded.

"Very well, let us proceed then," she said. "The captain will surely want to meet his new passengers."

The trip down the wooden dock was short and Eldon was impressed that it didn't utter a single creak as they walked on it. "So how old is all of this?" he asked out loud.

"The Canterlot Docks were built some time after the first defeat of Nightmare Moon and the relocation of the castle," Celestia replied. "I dedicated them to Luna to remember her by, but they have been recently updated since she has returned. That statue you saw for example was built two years ago."

"Wow... so this dock is about a thousand years old!" Eldon exclaimed and Celestia nodded.

"Yes... almost a thousand years," Celestia replied, doing her best to repress her memories of the dark times. "It has been kept in peak condition by many generations of ponies, allowing it to be the way it is today. Ah! Here we are."

As the group approached the airship, Eldon took the time to get a good look at it. The ship itself was actually very large, with the stern just touching the left dock and the bow just touching the right. A pole extended upwards a little past the center of the ship with a crow's nest at the top of it. To either side of the crow's nest were two massive balloons which obviously kept the ship afloat. Near the stern of the ship he could see two propellers that most likely allowed the ship to move forward, their blades looking like they could cut through a tree with ease. The final thing he noticed were the smaller boats that lined the side of the airship, each accompanied by a propeller and a set of what looked to be retractable wings. He concluded that they were probably the lifeboats if the airship was to go down at any point.

The ponies on the ship stopped what they were doing and knelt in respect as the princesses and the others came to a stop before it. "That will do," Luna said and the ponies immediately got back to work. A pony suddenly came forward to greet them, and it was an Earth Pony at that. His coat was the colour of ash grey and his eye colour was a rich sky blue. His face had what Eldon assumed was a brown goatee and he also wore a white hat with a black visor. A pair of golden wings was adorned on the front of his hat. The last thing Eldon noticed was the pony's cutie mark, which was a pair of white wings. "Avast ye ponies!" he cried. "I be- ahem, sorry, that type of speech really isn't my style. I am Neighhab, Captain and owner of this beautiful ship you see behind me, The Shooting Star. Are you the ones we have been expecting?"

"Yes Neighhab, these are the ponies I was talking about earlier," Celestia replied. "They'll be accompanying you on your trip."

"Ah, so you are the ones we'll be taking to the Crystal Empire then," Neighhab said. "It's quite a mess over there currently, I don't know whether you are brave, or just simply stu- I mean, we will be taking a detour there rather than our normal route, so expect the trip to last a day at the least."

"A day is fine with us," Twilight replied. "Just as long as we get there in one piece."

Neighhab chuckled lightly at her sentence. "Don't fret Princess Twilight, I have the hardiest and most loyal crew members in all of Equestria! We'll be just fine," he said. "Now without further ado, would you like to come aboard? We have your rooms prepared and ready to use."

"Don't mind if I do!" Rainbow exclaimed and flew over them and landed on the ship. "Wow... I can't wait to check out the rest of this place!"

Neighhab stepped to the side to let the others on the ship and Eldon was just about to join them when he felt a hoof on his shoulder. "Eldon, I have to tell you something," Celestia said and Eldon quickly turned around. She removed her hoof from his shoulder before she continued. "I just want to wish you good luck on the mission Eldon and whatever you do, do not try to draw attention to yourself. I do not doubt that Twilight will begin to teach you on the way there, so if you do learn anything, try to abstain from using it unless it is absolutely necessary. Oh and another thing, the Captain knows that you aren't really a pony, and it is up to him to notify the rest of the crew."

"Wait, since when did you..." Eldon began to say but quickly thought better of it. "Nevermind, so I can be my true self then?"

"That is correct Eldon, there won't be any need for a disguise on your way there, but it's up to you," Celestia replied. "Go now, the others are waiting for you."

Eldon nodded and turned around, but before he began to make his way onto the ship he looked behind him. "Thank you Celestia and Luna... for everything," he said. "I hope this isn't the last time we will see each other... but I do truly appreciate what you have done for me since I've arrived here."

He walked onto the ship to join the others and they stood there looking over the side at the royal sisters, getting ready to say their goodbyes. A speaker suddenly crackled to life and they heard Neighhab's voice ring out across the ship. "Good afternoon everypony, this is your Captain speaking," he said. "We are departing the Canterlot docks now, our next stop will be Outpost Sierra, aka the Crystal Empire, hope you packed some warm clothing!" Eldon looked to his left and right to see that Neighhab was nowhere to be found, but when he looked behind him he saw Neighhab through a window in what he assumed was the bridge.

Inside the bridge, Neighhab turned to his trusty friend and first mate. "You know the drill Silver Eye, let's show these newcomers what The Shooting Star is capable of!" he shouted. Silver Eye silently nodded and pressed the ignition button, causing the engines in the bowels of the ship to roar to life.

Outside, the group suddenly felt the ship begin to move as the propellers came to life. "Bye Celestia! Bye Luna!" Twilight shouted and waved at them, the others except Eldon doing the exact same.

Celestia and Luna waved at them in return. "Good luck everypony!" Celestia shouted. "Cadance's future rests on your shoulders!" The two sisters continued to wave and watched as the airship pulled away from the docks until it at last gained enough altitude and disappeared into the clouds above.

"Do you think they'll be able to succeed?" Luna asked and Celestia nodded.

"Of course I do dear sister, I have absolute confidence in their abilities," Celestia replied. "Now we must begin our preparations for our eventual assault on the Crystal Empire."

"Sister, do you think we should have told them that he'll be on board?"

"No Luna, I think they'll be in for quite the surprise," Celestia said and the two sisters began to make their way back to the castle, hoping deep in their hearts that the mission will be successful.

Across the Horizon, links to YouTube

Through The Clouds

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Eldon watched Celestia and Luna grow smaller and smaller as the airship continued to make its ascent. When the ship passed through a layer of clouds at last, the princesses finally disappeared from his view. He could see his breath in front of him now due to how cold it had become, but fortunately it wasn't cold enough to bring out the winter clothing, not yet anyway.

"So... we are on our way at last," Eldon whispered to himself and he looked over at the others who were still busy looking over the side. And now we wait... I wonder if we'll ever see Canterlot again.

"Ooo just look how high we are!" Pinkie exclaimed in delight. "I bet everypony down below looks like teeny tiny ants to us!"

Fluttershy gulped and slowly backed away from the edge. "Y- yes, we are very high. It would be awful if somepony were to accidentally go overboard," she said.

"Eh, I wouldn't worry too much about that Fluttershy," Rainbow replied. She went over to Fluttershy and wrapped her leg around Fluttershy's shoulders. "Besides, even if somepony were to fall, remember that we have the fastest Pegasus in all of Equestria on board!"

"H- hey guys, this suitcase is pretty heavy and it's freezing out here, so could we perhaps go inside?" Spike asked. They looked at him to see that his little body was shaking from the cold and the weight of the suitcase.

"Of course Spike! We don't want you to catch a cold before we reach the Crystal Empire after all," Twilight replied. "Now where are our rooms located..."

A small cough was heard from behind Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy and they all looked to see that Neighhab had returned from the bridge. "Did I hear somepony ask where the rooms are? I believe I did," he said. "Come along now everypony, I'll show you all to your rooms and perhaps give a complimentary tour of the ship afterwards. Would you like a tour?"

"I don't know about the others, but I believe a tour sounds like a lovely idea Mr. Neighhab," Rarity replied and looked at the others. "How about everypony else?"

She didn't have to wait long for an answer since they all nodded in agreement. "We'll accept your offer Neighhab," Eldon said. "It would be nice to know where everything is located in the event of an emergency."

"Excellent! Stick close now everypony, I don't want any of you to get lost on the way there," Neighhab replied and walked over to a nearby door that was to their left. "Through here is the way to the residential quarter of the ship, as well as the mess hall. Come! I would like to get to know my new passengers along the way."

Neighhab opened the door and disappeared within, soon followed by the others. Eldon was the last one to enter and closed the door behind him as he did so as to not let the cold in. Before him was a brightly lit hallway, the light coming from whatever was embedded in the ceiling. The walls were decorated with various types of paintings and an embroidered red rug stretched from the entrance and rounded the corner further down the hall, disappearing from view.

"Welcome aboard The Shooting Star everypony, this is the residential area," Neighhab said. "All of the doors on the left side of the hall leads to a room that is... how should I put this... decent enough to get a good night's sleep in. There aren't any living quarters on the right because that is where out mess hall is. The doors should be right... here!" Neighhab pointed at an open entrance and the group looked inside as they passed, seeing crew members and passengers alike enjoying their meals and chatting with each other. Another pair of doors were also open on the other side of the room.

"So what exactly is your job Mr. Neighhab?" Eldon asked. "Do you only shuttle ponies between places or...?"

Neighhab chuckled to himself and turned to face Eldon, causing the group to halt. "Well, let's just say that getting ponies where they need to go is more of a... a side job if you want to see it that way," he replied. "You see Mr. Eldon, we're mercenaries for hire, we make our living performing many different types of jobs."

"Are all the jobs you do... l- legal?" Fluttershy asked.

Neighhab smiled and patted Fluttershy on the head. "We are a dependable crew Miss... what was your name again?"

"F- Fluttershy..."

"Of course! You see? I still have to learn most of your names. Of course I know of your exploits with the Elements of Harmony and such, but her highness here is the only one I recognize," Neighhab said and pointed at Twilight.

"Ahem, you were saying Neighhab?" Eldon reminded him, still wanting to hear what else he did for a living.

"Right. As I was saying, we perform all types of jobs, but most of it involves transporting goods," Neighhab continued. "Hell, most of the bottom part of the ship is just the cargo bay!"

Holy crap! Did he just say hell? Eldon thought. He's the first pony I've heard to utter a curse that I recognize... I wonder what the others are thinking?

"I don't want to be a bother Mr. Neighhab, but..." Rarity began to say but she then thought better of it. She wanted to politely ask him to refrain from using such language, but then remembered that Eldon had also done the same in some situations. "Er... you don't happen to be in the... pirate business are you?"

Eldon saw Neighhab flare his nostrils and he began to breathe heavily. "No... neither I nor my crew would ever dare to tread that type of air," he replied, but his voice had grown somewhat hostile. "We transport goods, we transport ponies, that's all you need to know. If pirates were to ever attack our ship, we will be ready, for this baby has enough firepower to even send Tirek packing!"

"I- I deeply apologize, I never meant to insult you," Rarity said and Neighhab sighed, finally allowing himself to relax.

"I know you didn't mean any harm Miss...?"

"You may call me Rarity."

"Ah! That's a lovely name Miss Rarity," Neighhab said, causing Rarity to blush and her cheeks to slightly turn pink. "But as I was saying, everything is alright. Ah! What do you know, here are your rooms everypony. They are rooms eighty to eighty-four. Please take your time to move in, I'll be waiting here to lead all of you on the rest of the tour."

The group made a single file line across from the rooms while Neighhab stood to the side. "So Neighhab, how many ponies can fit into each room?" Applejack asked.

"About two ponies a room," Neighhab replied. "So all of you will have to split up into pairs, but it'll be up to all of you to decide who will be going with who."

"Ooo! I volunteer to go with Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie exclaimed with glee. "We can stay up all night and tell each other spoooky stories and do all kinds of fun things!"

All eyes focused on Rainbow Dash as they waited for her answer. "Well... aw what the heck, sure Pinkie Pie, I'll bunk with ya for the night," she answered. "Wanna go in room eighty-two?"

"Any room is fine for Pinkie!" Pinkie replied. Neighhab opened the door to room eighty-two, allowing Pinkie Pie to hop inside with her board games and Rainbow Dash followed her shortly after. Neighhab closed the door behind them and returned to his former position.

"Say... Fluttershy, how would you like to spend the evening with me?" Rarity asked. "I promise you that everything will be nice and quiet."

Eldon saw Spike muttering some words but he wasn't quite able to make them out from where he was.

Fluttershy quickly nodded her head in agreement. "Oh, I would like that very much Rarity, which room do you want to have?" she asked.

Rarity brought a hoof to her chin, quickly trying to decide which room to take. "I think we will go with room eighty. Yes, room eighty it is!"

Neighhab walked over to the door and opened it yet again, allowing Rarity and Fluttershy to walk into their new temporary home. "Oh Spike!" Rarity called out, just as Neighhab was beginning to close the door. "Could you be a dear and bring the clothing in here? I think Fluttershy and I will do some minor alterations as they still aren't the way I wanted them."

"Yeah... sure thing Rarity," Spike replied and he walked into the room.

"Just place it right there darling," they heard Rarity say from within. "No, not there, ah, there you go! Thank you so much Spikey! See you in a few minutes!"

Spike walked out shortly after, appearing a bit happier than before, but not by a lot. "Alright, we are now down to two rooms," Neighhab said. "Please hurry everypony, I dearly want to give all of you a tour, but as Captain I still have duties to attend to."

"Here, I'll finish pairing us up," Twilight said. "Eldon, since I'll be teaching you about magic I want you to go with me, which leaves Applejack and Spike. Are you two okay bunking with each other?" Spike and Applejack both looked at each other before looking back at Twilight and nodding. "Wonderful! Come on Eldon, let's drop your books off so we can continue the tour. I think we'll take room eighty-one."

"Which means Spike and I here will be takin room eighty-four!" Applejack exclaimed. "Let's go Spike, fortunately for us I'm the one with all the food!" She gently shook the bag, causing the food within to bounce against each other.

Twilight and Eldon went into their room and took a good look at it. The room was fairly small, but definitely large enough to accommodate the both of them. Two beds were placed on the walls opposite from each other with a nightstand in between them at the far wall. A small round window sat just above it giving a view to the outside. On top of the nightstand was a candle which Eldon assumed was for when darkness had fallen.

"Alright Eldon, just take the books from the library out and place them on the left bed, because I've already claimed this one," she said and hopped onto the right bed. "Hmm... mattress is soft, blanket is soft, pillow is soft... I have to say, this isn't as bad as I thought it would have been!"

Eldon reached behind him and took off the bag of holding. He quickly searched through it and brought out anything that was a book, gently placing them on the bed one after the other. In total there were six books. The four that Twilight brought and the two that he brought.

"So what do we have here?" Eldon asked and picked up the first book. "Basic Magic for Beginners. Eh... are you sure I should begin with this? Because you know... I did kind of save Canterlot."

"I'm the teacher Eldon. What happened at Canterlot was nothing more but a release of whatever magic that had been built up in you," Twilight replied. "So that's why we'll be starting with the basics. The other two books are higher levels of magic while the fourth book contains a very descriptive collection of Equestria's history."

"But I-" Eldon began to say when they heard a loud crash come from outside their room. They both quickly rush out to find Applejack and Pinkie Pie in a tangled heap and one of the paintings had fallen off of the wall.

"What happened here?" Twilight asked. Not being able to contain it anymore, Neighhab began to laugh uncontrollably. "Captain, I'll ask again, what happened here?"

The Captain did his best to suppress his laughter, but small bursts came here and there. "They... hang on." Neighhab took a deep breath before he continued. "They left their rooms at the same time and collided into each other, causing them to crash into the wall. Hehe, what are the odds eh?"

"Yeah, what are the odds..." Applejack grumbled. She gently pushed Pinkie Pie off of her and quickly got back on her hooves just as Rainbow, Spike, Fluttershy and Rarity came out of their rooms.

"We heard a loud noise and decided to investigate," Rarity said. "Is everypony alright?"

"Couldn't be better Rarity!" Pinkie replied and she quickly bounced up from the ground and landed on her hooves. "Applejack and I just had a little tumble was all!"

"Well, at least it's not anything too serious," Rarity replied. "But since we are all here, perhaps we can continue the tour now?"

Neighhab adjusted his hat and nodded. "Of course, there are only a few more parts of the ship to show and then all of you may do whatever you please," he replied. "Let's go."

Neighhab went around the corner and continued down the hall, closely followed by the others. "As you may have already noticed, the residential area only consists of doors on the left side. Up ahead is the hall that leads to my quarters, and it's right here," he said. He pointed at a hall that extended to the left, leading to a door that was designed differently from the others. "If any of you can't find me on the ship, then that room is your best bet."

They reached the end of the hall and turned at the corner into another hall with a door at the far end. "This area is the same as the first hall we were in," Neighhab said. "Another pair of doors on the right leads to the mess hall that I'm sure all of you saw when we were on the other side. Let's head to the deck."

They got to the door in no time and Neighhab opened the door to the deck of the ship. It was still cold when they all gathered on the deck and they stayed close together for warmth, except for Neighhab who was already leading them to their next destination. "The middle of the ship is of course where our crow's nest is. If you ever want to get up there though ya have to climb the ladder or fly up if you're a Pegasus, or an Alicorn which we hardly ever have on board," he said. "The way down to the lower level and the cargo bay is located through these two grates on the other side of the pole, but I'm sure you won't be seeing it anytime soon."

Past the pole they began to hear hisses and clangs coming from the one door in the middle. Two sets of stairs sat on opposite sides which led to the area above it "Here is the engine room," Neighhab said. "Without this baby we wouldn't have any power or the means to move fast. It is off limits to passengers however unless you're my crew or have skill in the field of machinery."

"Why is the engine room here and not located closer to the propellers?" Twilight asked. "This doesn't seem to be a very efficient place to put an engine."

"It's the way the ship was built your highness," Neighhab replied. "Sure we aren't the fastest because of it, but it certainly does wonders with the cannons we have on board on the floor below us. Anyways, there is one last place I wish to show all of you."

Neighhab walked past them back towards where they came from, except he climbed the set of stairs which led to the bridge. "Come on everypony! What are you waiting for?" he asked. The group didn't hesitate to follow him and Neighhab went inside the bridge as they climbed the stairs. When they reached the bridge at last, they were greeted by a whole bunch of blinking lights and devices that hardly any of them recognized. A wooden steering wheel was located in the center, which was currently being controlled by a pony they hadn't seen before.

"Everypony, this is my first mate Silver Eye, Silver Eye, these are our new passengers," Neighhab said. Silver Eye simply nodded towards the group in response. Like Neighhab, Silver Eye was also an Earth pony. His coat was a mint green and like his name his eyes were silver. His mane was black and his cutie mark was that of a pocket watch. "Here is where we control the ship, however you aren't allowed up here unless Silver Eye or myself request it. Ah! I almost forgot! We had a PA system installed recently throughout the rest of the ship instead of just having it on the main deck, so if there is anything that you need to be notified about, it'll come through the speakers."

Eldon looked around the room, still fascinated by all the devices, but he had a feeling that something wasn't right. The gem began to glow softly as his eyes fell upon Silver Eye, who had resumed staring out the window and turning the wheel slightly here and there. "That's the end of the tour everypony," Neighhab said, causing Eldon to snap back to attention. "You may do whatever you please now as I have some duties I need to attend to, such as getting my lazy crew back to work!"

"Well, thank you Mr. Neighhab for that very informative tour," Rarity replied. "I think I'll head back to my room now and see what I can do about the winter clothing."

"Yes, I thank you Neighhab on the behalf of the rest of us," Twilight said and turned to face Eldon. "How about we begin your teachings Eldon? The earlier the better!"

Eldon looked at Silver Eye and then back at Twilight and nodded. "Sure thing Twilight, it's about time I started putting my... power to use," he replied. The two turned around and left the bridge and were soon followed by the others shortly after.

"Enjoy your stay on The Shooting Star everypony!" Neighhab called after them. "And have a pleasant evening!" Spike was the last one to leave the bridge and closed the door as he left, leaving Silver Eye and Neighhab alone. "Ah... what a curious group they are huh Silver Eye?" Silver Eye simply nodded in response. "Especially that Eldon fellow... I wonder what he actually looks like, he has yet to show it."

"Ahhh... it's good to be my old self again," Eldon said. He and Twilight had returned to their room where he had transformed back into his human self in peace. "So what book should we start with teacher?"

Twilight slightly blushed. She was the one who was used to saying teacher, but now she was being called one herself. Where did the time go? She walked over to his bed and after briefly looking over the books, she levitated one into Eldon's hands.

"Here, we'll be starting with Magic for Beginners," Twilight said, much to Eldon's disappointment. He wanted to get started on the more advanced magic... but Twilight was the teacher after all, not to mention she had been using magic for her whole life. "As soon as I begin to see progression, we can move on to the more advanced spells, but I doubt that will be happening anytime soon."

"Alright... so the last time I guess I really used what I should call my magic was in the Everfree Forest, since the transformations are more of a on the spot thing," Eldon said. "Do I need to be a Unicorn for this or should I just stay as myself teacher?"

"I think... I think you should use whatever form you feel most comfortable in Eldon," Twilight replied. "You've used magic in both forms now, so it's up to you."

I think I'll stay in my own form, Eldon thought. If that encounter with the Changeling in Canterlot taught me anything, it's that having hands is definitely an advantage, as well as size. He flipped the book open to the first page and sat down on his bed. He quickly glanced over the book to see that Twilight was watching him. He quickly looked back at the book and he began to read.

Chapter One: What is Magic?

Magic is a natural ability that has been associated with all ponies for as long as we can remember. It varies greatly from pony to pony, with some having either a large amount, a small amount, or somewhere in between where most ponies alive today are located. So how does magic today work in our current society? Let us begin with the Earth ponies. Their magic is connected to the very land itself, which is why most tend to become farmers or caregivers. However, not all Earth ponies wish to pursue this lifestyle and would rather do something else associated with the land, such as being an explorer or an architect, or perhaps not have anything to do with the land at all! The same can be said for Pegasi and Unicorns who also wish to pursue something out of the ordinary. There is no doubt that Earth ponies are a strong and hardy folk, but sometimes they can be quite stubborn. That doesn't stop them from coming to a pony's aid in a time of need though.

"How is it coming along my student?" Twilight said and stifled a giggle. It was still very weird and new to her to be saying that. "What have you learned so far?"

Eldon took a moment to look up from the book and looked right at Twilight. "So far Twilight, I've learned that magic is represented in different forms among the races," he replied. "For example, Earth ponies have a special connection to the land, but can also choose to pursue something that doesn't relate to the land at all, which apparently applies to the Pegasi and Unicorns as well for whatever type of magic they have."

"Very good Eldon, please, continue reading," Twilight said.

"With pleasure."

A Pegasus' magic is in fact associated with that of flight. Without it, they would simply become a grounded pony, not an Earth pony however because they would not have a connection to the land. It has been said that the stronger the magic is within a Pegasus, the faster they would be able to fly, but this has yet to be proven. Most Pegasi tend to perform tasks associated with travelling long distances or being stunt performers due to their speed and agility that surpasses the other two. Unicorn magic has been said for the longest time to be magic in its purest form, but that statement has been met with much controversy. It is true that Unicorns can perform a huge range of tasks using their magic, which can be as simple as levitating objects to much harder tasks, such as making a pony younger or older. To this day a Unicorn's magic is still sought after for the wonders it can perform.

"I've reached the end of the chapter Twilight, but it never mentioned anything about Alicorn magic. It just jumps right to chapter two which is the beginning of basic spells. Why is that?" Eldon asked.

Twilight hesitated to respond. She had been an Alicorn for about a year now, but even she had yet to discover what Alicorns were still capable of. Celestia and Luna had not told her much. "I probably picked up an outdated book," she said and quickly decided to change the topic. "What are the spells on the next page Eldon? Do you feel confident enough to try the first one?"

Eldon looked at the next chapter and found the first spell to be a basic levitation spell. "Are you kidding me? This spell sounds way too easy!" he exclaimed and laughed. "Are you sure I shouldn't be on advanced Twilight? This is going to be a piece of cake."

"Even if you think the spell is easy for you Eldon, you still have to learn control, which is by far the most important skill a magic user can have," Twilight replied. "Show me. Lift the spell book up to your eye level using your magic."

"Alright, if you say so Twilight," Eldon said and shook his head, chuckling as he did so. "This shouldn't be a problem at all..." He held out his right hand and put the spell book on top. He slowly closed his eyes and began to concentrate, creating an image if the book rising inside his mind. When Eldon opened his eyes again, a white glow had enveloped the book and he grinned.

"Rise..." Eldon whispered, but the book remained still. "Rise!" The book began to spin around on his hand, causing Eldon to frown. "Rise book! Rise!" The book only continued to spin faster and faster and Eldon had grown rather frustrated at this point.

"Eldon, you should probably stop now," Twilight said but Eldon shook his head.

"No! I know I can do this!" The white glow surrounding the book slowly turned to that of crimson. "I command you... to RISE!" Suddenly the book burst into flame and Eldon let the book fall to the ground. Twilight quickly grabbed a blanket and tossed it on top of the book, dousing the flames before any irreparable damage was done.

Eldon felt his power slowly ebb away and he covered his face with his hands. "And so the student refuses to listen to the teacher," Twilight said and shook her head in disappointment. "I know you have power Eldon, but what good will that power be if you end up destroying yourself and hurting others around you in the process? You must learn control."

Eldon removed his hands from his face and nodded. "I understand Twilight, I promise that whatever just happened there won't happen again."

"Good, now read this instead." Twilight levitated another book over to Eldon and he grabbed it out of the air.

"The History of Equestria? Why do you want me to read this?" Eldon asked. "Shouldn't magic training be our top priority right now?"

"Ahhh... I think you need a little break for now," Twilight replied. "Besides, our history is a long and brutal one, it's like an adventure story if you want to see it that way, but with actual events instead of fictional ones."

"Yes I'm aware of the difference between fiction and non-fiction," Eldon said and opened the history book. Although I'm currently talking to a lavender pony... people at home would think I'm nuts if I told them that... if I ever see home again.

Eldon began to read the history book, learning about major events in even more detail than what he once thought. The Chaos War... it occurred right after the founding of Equestria!? That must have been nuts! Eldon thought. The leaders at the time were General Brownie Puddinghead, alongside his wife Chancellor Puddinghead... that's strange, it says his wife went M.I.A during the war. The other leaders were Commander Hurricane and King Bullion... wow...

He flipped through a couple of pages when his eye caught a familiar sight. It was the Tree of Harmony with all of the gems in their old forms. Hmm... the Tree of Harmony was found during the final days of the Chaos War by Clover the Clever, then apprentice of Star Swirl the Bearded! The elements were used to defeat The Endbringer and restore Harmony to Equestria... but then went missing for hundreds of years until Celestia and Luna arrived. The elements have been said to have been the final gift from an ancient race known only as The Ancients, but any evidence that proved it has long since disappeared.

Eldon closed his eyes, his mind quickly going over what he had just read. The Ancients... I don't know why... but the name feels somewhat familiar, Eldon thought and the gem in his necklace began to glow softly.

"What's the matter Eldon? Are you alright?" Twilight asked from her bed and Eldon opened his eyes.

"Yes I'm quite alright Twilight, just resting my eyes for a moment," Eldon replied and went back to reading his book, but something was wrong...

"Hey Twilight? Were you aware that a page has been ripped from this?"

Curious, Twilight hopped off of her bed and went to investigate. When she neared Eldon, he showed her where the rip had been made. "Just right after this page about the Tree of Harmony, it skips from one hundred forty-nine to one hundred fifty-two," he said. "Do you happen to know what that page was?"

"I honestly don't know myself Eldon. I've read this book many times, but I think I may have just missed it by accident," Twilight replied. "But that does worry me... who in their right mind would rip a page out from something this priceless? Who would be crazy enough to-"

A sudden knocking at their door interrupted her rant. "Yes? Who is it?" Twilight called out and the door opened, revealing Applejack and the rest of their friends alongside her.

"Hey Twilight! I ain't interruptin anythin am I?" Applejack asked.

"Oh no not at all Applejack! What brings you and the others here?"

"Well... it's the evenin and the others and I want to check out the mess hall and see if we can get anythin for supper. We stopped by to see if you and Eldon wanna come along with the rest of us."

Eldon felt his stomach answer for him and he hopped up from his bed. "Absolutely! I'm starving!" he exclaimed and tossed the history book onto his bed. "Come on Twilight, the more the merrier!"

"Yes I'll go as well," Twilight replied. Applejack stepped to the side to make some space for Twilight and Eldon as they exited their room and closed the door behind them.

The mess hall was fortunately a short walk away from their rooms, but on their way there they bumped into one of the crew members. "Oi! Thanks fer findin and bringin a stowaway," he said. "We get too many of them these days, I can't blame them though..."

"Wait a minute here sir, I'm not a..." Eldon began to say when he remembered that he wasn't in his Unicorn form. "I'm not a stowaway! I swear!"

"Yeah yeah that's what they all say, I wonder what the Captain will do with you?"

"Eldon is telling the truth!" Pinkie exclaimed. "He's with us! Don't you know that he's the One from the prophecy? He helped save Canterlot for crying out loud!"

The others began to vouch for Eldon as well, trying to change the crew member's mind, but he simply shook his head. "Now listen here everypony, as far as I'm concerned I saw a group of ponies and a dragon come on board this afternoon, not whatever... this thing is," he said.

"I'm a human thank you very much."

"A what now? A who-man? Never heard of 'em," the crew member replied when he heard a small cough come from behind him. They all looked over to see that it was none other than Neighhab who was performing his hourly walk around the ship.

"Now I don't often ask questions, but don't you have somewhere else to be matey?" Neighhab asked. "Other than pestering our passengers with trivial questions of course."

The crew member quickly looked down at the floor. "Sorry Captain, it won't happen again," he replied. He walked past Neighhab and out the door that led to the deck, grumbling to himself as he did so.

"Sorry about that everypony. Although my crew is loyal, they've been acting rather strange lately," Neighhab said. "But don't let that stop you from enjoying the trip. Actually, this event just reminded me that I still have to inform everypony that you aren't a threat Eldon. By the way it's a pleasure to actually see you as your real self this time, hero of Canterlot."

Eldon looked at the ground in silence and stepped to the side, allowing Neighhab to pass. "Have a good evening now everypony!" Neighhab called out and he soon disappeared around the corner.

"Well that sure was a close one," Applejack said. "Fortunately it looked like the Captain knows a bit about you Eldon."

Gee, I wonder who could have told him all about me, Eldon thought sarcastically. "Yeah, but for now I think I'll just be my Unicorn self until Neighhab makes the announcement." With a flash Eldon had taken on his other form once again, although he was quite reluctant to do it. "Let's keep going."

They reached the mess hall without any further interruptions and they entered it to find that it wasn't as busy as before. A few of the passengers were still present, but the only crew members were the ones preparing the food. "Boy, it didn't take long for this place to turn into a ghost town," Applejack said and the others nodded in agreement.

"Come on slowpokes! Let's get in line!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I call being first!" She trotted over to the line and grabbed a nearby tray with her mouth. As the rest of the group made their way over to the line, the passengers that noticed them immediately knelt when they saw Twilight.

"Psst, Twilight!" Pinkie whispered.

"What is it Pinkie? What do you need?"

"It's not what I need, you need to address your subjects! Look!" Pinkie pointed a hoof over at the kneeling ponies.

"Well, they are more Celestia's and Luna's subjects then they are mine Pinkie, but I know what you're saying." Twilight raised a hoof and lowered it, signalling that the passengers were free to stand and they returned back to whatever they were doing. "I know that I've been a princess for a while now but it's going to take me a while to get used to that."

They grabbed their trays and waited patiently for their turn to arrive. There were only two crew members working though. One was wearing a greasy apron and a chef's hat that had seen better days, but the other cook was the exact opposite. They could only see the back of him or her, but a closer look at the cook's posture and size indicated that the cook was a mare.

"So, what's on the menu for this evening?" Rainbow asked. "Anything good?"

"Daffodil salad and hay fries," the greasy stallion replied without looking at her. "There's a sign right in front of you."

"Oh! So there is. How much longer then until I get my food?"

"Right now!" the other cook replied and the food levitated over to Rainbow and was carefully placed on her tray. Eldon was able to see the faint glowing outline of a horn underneath the mare's hat just as the glow faded away.

"Awesome! I'll go find us a spot," Rainbow said and she flew off to find a table. This process continued for the rest of them until it was at last Twilight's turn. Eldon had decided that he would go last and let her go before him.

The Unicorn who's face they hadn't seen yet began to laugh silently. "So... Twilight Sparkle has arrived at last," she whispered to herself, her voice low enough so Twilight or Eldon couldn't hear her. "Time to bring out my specialty dressing..." The Unicorn brought out a bottle from within her clothing and doused the daffodil salad with it before hiding it in her pocket once more. "And here you go!" the Unicorn said and levitated the food over to Twilight.

"Hey thanks! We'll see you at the table Eldon," Twilight said and walked away, levitating her tray as she did so.

"Oh, this is a shame," the Unicorn suddenly said. "The hours for serving food is over, I'm deeply sorry, uh, Eldon right?" Eldon nodded, although the Unicorn's voice began to sound familiar to him. "You'll just have to share with your friends I guess. Once again I'm deeply sorry."

Eldon simply nodded and left the line without uttering a single word. He quickly sat down in a spot across from Twilight and simply watched the others enjoy their meal. "Eldon, aren't you hungry dear?" Rarity asked.

"Well yes, but apparently they stopped serving food just as it was my turn. Just a stroke of bad luck I guess."

"That doesn't mean you shouldn't eat!" Twilight exclaimed and passed her salad over to Eldon. "Here, at least have my salad, you can't learn on an empty stomach, trust me."

"Hey... thanks Twilight," Eldon replied and began to eat the salad. It had a slightly sour taste to it, but he didn't mind as he continued to eat it. Meanwhile, the Unicorn cook was watching from a distance and shaking her head furiously.

"No... no! This wasn't supposed to happen!" she shouted. Many heads turned to see where the shouting was coming from and she quickly ducked behind the counter. "So Twillight yet again foiled my plan... no matter, I still have some of that knock out stuff left over, I just need to wait for the right moment..."

She peeked over the counter to find that the pony, Eldork or whatever, had his face in the salad and the others were busy trying to revive him. "At least the tonic still works..."

"Eldon! Wake up! Wake up!" Twilight shouted.

"Hang on, I got this!" Pinkie exclaimed. She trotted over to Eldon and lifted his head from the bowl of salad. "ELDON! WAKE UP!" No response. Eldon was still unconscious. "Hm, nopony has ever been able to resist the Pinkie Pie shout. I don't know what to do next!"

"Maybe a certain spell will work..." Twilight said. "Everypony, stand back, that means you as well Pinkie."

"Okie dokie!" Pinkie released Eldon's head and bounced over to join the others. Eldon's head continued to remain upright for a couple of seconds until he bent forward and fell face first back into the bowl of salad.

"Let's see here... unconsciousness, unconsciousness... ah ha! I think I might have a solution," Twilight said. Her horn began to glow and she closed her eyes, making sure she had the correct words ready to use in her mind. Let the mind return from the darkness... and no longer shall you be unconscious! She released the spell and it slowly worked its way over to Eldon. As soon as it was above his head, it descended and was absorbed by him shortly after.

"Did... did it work?" Spike asked.

Eldon's eyes suddenly opened and a small explosion came forth, covering him in a cloud of black smoke.

"Eldon! Say something!" Twilight cried. Her heart was racing and she feared for the worst. They waited for the cloud of smoke to disperse and they saw Eldon on the floor, his mane standing on end and his face covered in soot.

"What... what the heck is going on?" he asked weakly.

Twilight trotted over and offered a hoof, which he gladly grabbed in return. She helped him up to his hooves before she began to explain. "When you ate the salad Eldon, you fell... unconscious."

"Sheesh... that seems to be happening a lot to me lately..."

"I have two explanations for this Eldon. One, you had some sort of reaction to it, or two, something was put in it that was obviously meant for me." She looked over at the others to see that they were watching, waiting to see what they would be doing next. "Do any of you feel strange? Spike? Fluttershy? Rarity?" When they shook their heads in response, Twilight levitated Spike's bowl of salad over to Eldon. "Here Eldon, take a bite so we can solve this mystery."

Eldon looked into the bowl and cringed, not really wanting to eat it. But... I'm curious as well, he thought and he took a small mouthful and began to chew slowly.

"Feel anything Eldon? Do you feel faint or dizzy?" Twilight asked and Eldon swallowed and shook his head.

"Not at all Twilight, in fact if I felt like it I would definitely eat more! ...But I think I'd rather not."

"Hm... I see. If Eldon is fine after eating a different salad..." Twilight said. "...Then whoever had my food last must be the culprit!"

The others gasped as thy realized who the culprit could be. "The mare cook!" they said in unison.

Uh oh... I think I've prolonged my stay! the Unicorn cook thought and began to sneak towards the nearest exit. If I can just make it to the exit, then I can wait and prepare a better revenge plan! This isn't over yet Twilight Sparkle!

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash had hovered up as high as she could and was scanning the room, searching for any signs of the cook. She was just about to fly back down and tell the others that the cook wasn't there when she detected movement out of the corner of her eye. Rainbow turned her head to investigate and saw the cook crawling towards the door, obviously trying not to be detected. "Hey! There's the culprit!" she shouted and pointed at the cook. The cook suddenly got to her hooves and with a flash of light she disappeared.

"Come on everypony, we have a cook to catch!" Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow had already landed and galloped through the doors, determined to not let the cook get away.

"If you don't mind, I think I'm going to sit this one out Twilight," Eldon said. "I was just unconscious after all."

"I understand Eldon. Everypony else, with me!" Eldon watched Spike jump onto her back and the group rushed out of the mess hall, leaving Eldon with a few other passengers that had no idea what was going on. With a sigh he headed for the opposite exit, longing for some alone time since he hardly had any since he met all of them. He quickly made his way to the deck and looked out over the edge. The sun had already begun to set and was close to disappearing behind the horizon, turning the sky into a beautiful mixture of orange, yellow and red.

I see that Celestia is on time as usual, Eldon thought. It's strange how the cycle works here... before the ponies came along, who controlled this solar system's sun and moon? Has it actually ever been controlled? Ugh... the more I think about it the more confused I get. If we come back from this mission alive, I definitely have to ask them how they manage to perform such an extreme task.

"Hey there Eldon, mind if I join you for a moment?" a voice behind him asked and Neighhab appeared alongside him shortly after.

"Uh, no, not at all Neighhab, what brings you here at this time?"

Neighhab took off his hat and crossed his forelegs over the edge of the ship. "Ah nothing much lad, this is just my favourite time of the day is all," he replied. "By the way, I'll be making that announcement about you momentarily, plus those friends of yours caught a cook trying to break into my room. In fact, her highness should be appearing just about now." As if on queue, Twilight appeared through one of the doors and immediately began trotting over to Eldon. "I'll take my leave now, I better check out what's going on with the cook."

As Neighhab trotted away through the door that led to the residential area, Twilight approached Eldon. "Eldon! You won't believe who we just caught," she said.

"Oh really? You sound as if you know this pony."

Twilight nodded her head. "That's because I do Eldon. It turns out that our culprit is none other than Trixie!"

Eldon looked at her in surprise. "Wait, Trixie? You mean the Great and Powerful Trixie? That Trixie?" he asked.

"Yep, the one and only Eldon. She's currently being guarded in the mess hall for the time being though, so she shouldn't be going anywhere soon."

Eldon simply nodded in return and returned to looking out over the edge of the ship. A breeze from the south suddenly came through, ruffling his hair and slightly increasing the speed of the airship. "This view reminds me of the days I spent on the beach back home. It's... peaceful," he said. "It brings up happy memories of mine."

"Oh? Would you like to share some?" Twilight asked, his words having intrigued her.

"I don't see why not. There was this one time that my brother and I-"

"Wait, you have a brother!?" Twilight exclaimed and Eldon nodded.

"Yes Twilight I do, although he's more of a pain in the butt. Anyway, we were at the beach one day when-"

"Could you tell me some more about him?" Twilight asked, interrupting Eldon again.

"Uh... alright then. Like I said before he's a major pain in my side. He's about three years younger than I am and will always argue even though there isn't anything worth arguing over. His eyes are a couple shades lighter than mine, same with his hair, and that's about it."

"What does he do though?" Twilight asked. "Does he take part in anything? Does he enjoy reading? What about-"

"Eh... not to be rude or anything, but you know what Twilight, I think I should cram at least another hour of learning magic and such before bed. Do you want to come with?"

Twilight appeared to be disappointed for a split second before she quickly nodded. "Of course Eldon! Teaching you right now is my highest priority, so please, after you." Eldon took one last look at the sunset before turning and heading towards the door on the far left, closely followed by Twilight. Inside they walked side by side down the hall, when suddenly a door to their left opened and they were both pulled inside into the darkness.

"Hey! What's going on here!?" Eldon yelled and struggled to break free of whatever was holding him. "Twilight! Are you still here?"

"Yes, I am," Twilight replied when suddenly multiple candles were lit, revealing a group of ponies who were garbed in black suits. As Eldon's eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, he was able to make out that they were in a room that was five times as big as theirs, with multiple doors behind him that led out into the hall. He watched one of them step forward, but the only thing he could see that wasn't black was the pony's eyes.

"Greetings your highness and the bearer of the seventh element, it is a pleasure to meet the both of you at last. You may release them now," he said. Eldon was able to tell that the pony was male due to his rather deep voice. The ponies that were holding Eldon and Twilight released them from their grasp and went to join the group.

"What is going on here exactly?" Eldon asked again when he suddenly realized it. "Wait... are you the...?"

"The Special Pony Operation Force? Yes, yes we are," the lead pony said, finishing Eldon's question and giving him an answer at the same time. "As you already know we have been assigned to accompany you on your mission to the Crystal Empire." Twilight opened her mouth to say something but the SPOF member continued. "We've already gathered intel on most if not all ponies on the ship. None of us are safe on this ship so do your best to avoid any unwanted attention. Stay away from the crew."

"Sir, permission to speak sir!" a different pony asked.

"Permission granted."

The pony held out a small slip of paper. "We found this piece of paper on the back of his necklace, apparently it's the number of somepony who calls himself Flim..." At the mention of the name, Eldon's blood began to boil.

"Is Flim on this ship?" the lead pony asked Eldon and Eldon shook his head.

"Not that I know of... but if he was he would be missing some teeth..."

The lead pony held the paper over one of the candles and it quickly incinerated. "Then he is not of importance right now," he said.

"There are still two members on this ship you are missing by the way. What about Neighhab and Silver Eye? Surely we can trust them right?" Eldon asked.

The pony shook his head. "We are still unsure about the status of those two, but for now you should do your best to not engage them. If you do, just tell them that you have somewhere to be, make something up. We shall soon meet again you two. SPOF, salute!"

The group of ponies before them saluted just as the candles were blown out, putting the room back into darkness. A few seconds later, Eldon and Twilight saw a flash of purple light and they found themselves back in their room. Eldon quickly turned to face Twilight. "That was the SPOF!?" he exclaimed. "I have to say, I'm pretty impressed at what they've been able to accomplish in such a short amount of time!"

"Yes, Celestia wasn't kidding when she said she would be sending her most elite... but their warning has also left me a bit troubled," Twilight replied. "Stay right here Eldon, I'm going to go and check on the others and tell them what happened." Eldon watched Twilight leave the room and he went over to his bed where the books were still. He quickly reverted back to human form and gathered them up, gently placing them on the nightstand afterwards.

Ten minutes slowly went by when Twilight appeared again and locked the door behind her. "There, the others are now aware and are safe in their rooms," she said.

"Wait a minute, what about Trixie? Where is she spending the night?" Eldon asked.

"Oh we just made her apologize and she reluctantly gave us some sort of knock-out tonic, which apparently was intended for me as some sort of petty revenge. She is currently in her own room so there is no need to worry about her."

Suddenly they heard the PA system crackle to life in their room. "Good evening passengers and crew, this is your Captain speaking," they heard Neighhab say. "Just want to let you know that if you see a creature walking on two legs, he is not a threat, I repeat, not a threat. You'll be able to tell who he is because he is about two, maybe three ponies tall, that is all."

The PA went silent and Eldon sat on his bed, a look of relief on his face. "That's better, now I won't have ponies wondering if I'm some sort of stowaway or monster in my human form."

"Well that's good to hear, but I think I'm going to call it a night Eldon," Twilight replied and she yawned. "We'll... we'll continue your studies first thing in the morning because we won't have time to once we are in Changeling territory."

"Yeah... I think I'll call it a night as well," Eldon said and he laid down on his bed, although his body was much too big and extended over the edge of the bed. "Good night Twilight."

"Good night to you as well Eldon." She quickly put the flickering candle out and rolled over. It wasn't long until the two finally fell asleep.

Deep in the darkest reaches of the cargo bay, a lone pony looked to be talking to nothing but the air. "Yes... everything is going according to plan," Silver Eye said. "The ship is on the course that'll lead every foul pony on this ship right to you."

Whatever he was talking to suddenly laughed. "Excellent work Silver Eye... you shall be greatly rewarded once you've delivered everypony on that ship to me, understand?"

Silver Eye nodded in return. "Of course... as you wish King Sombra..." The shadowy figure disappeared as the traitorous first mate made his way back to his quarters, eager for tomorrow to arrive.