A Painful Good-Bye

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Seventeen years had passed and the time had finally arrived; most thought it would have taken a lot longer for that certain day to approach them. But for one alicorn, that day came to her in a blink of an eye. And she had hoped that day would never surface. But ultimately, and unfortunately, dreams will be dreams and she had to accept the reality that gazed upon her, stared her right in the face, and cloaked itself deep within her subconscious. Now as she stood, right before her was a very dear loved one about to leave her life.

Ponies from Ponyville gathered in a huge crowd in a large open field near the bridge to Ponyville as they look at a massive, familiar, friendly, violet-scaled draconian form stand before them as the moon shined the night sky, sending a glisten on its scales, letting the shadow of the draconian blanket over them as it gave them a kind, warm smile. The large being was none other than Spike the dragon. He was now a full-grown adult dragon; not by greed, but by nature. He turned his head and surveyed the crowd who gave him tearful looks and warm smiles of their own. They all knew a time like this would come someday, and it would have been very respectful to come and see their dragon friend off, to say their goodbyes before he departed for The Great Dragon Migration.

Spike's smile grew wider, happy to see that all of his pony friends had arrived to say their goodbyes and wished him good luck on his journey. He greatly appreciated that. But what would make him even happier was if five certain ponies were here to join the one who sat before him and give him their goodbyes. He certainly didn't have to wait long as his wish came true in the form of those certain ponies approaching him with loving smiles and tearful eyes.

Spike felt his heart warm up to the brim when he saw his best friends; Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy all stand in an individual line with Twilight as they looked up at him with the same happy, yet somber, expressions on their faces. Spike noticed those looks and returned the same smile, but he noticed a pair of celestial and lunar forms hovering down from the jeweled sky before landing and stand right behind the mane six. His wholesome grief turned into a sudden surprise.

Spike widened his eyes in astonishment as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna themselves arrived to meet him before his departure. The mane six and the rest of the ponies were blown away by this, as well. They all wanted to give them their traditional bows, but the princesses were not here for that. They both looked to their subjects and rejected the bows just this once to give their full attention to Spike. Like everyone around them, they too wanted to say their goodbyes to their dear friend and hero. The six friends and Ponyville residents complied and gazed up back to the adult dragon. The princesses gave him respectful smiles, letting him know that they would kindly hold off anything to partake in a day such as this and be there for him to see him leave.

Spike had no words to say. A small tear rolled down his cheek and his lips quivered; even the royal sisters came to see him off? He almost choked up, but he kept to decent composure. Though, that didn't stop some ponies from noticing. He may have a tougher exterior now, but that didn't stop him from wallowing up and feeling the loving warmth in his heart increase. Seeing the royal sisters show up to bid him farewell was just as special as his other friends being there for him -- especially Celestia. If it weren't for her, he would have never gotten adopted and be in the caring hooves of his beloved mother: Twilight Sparkle. He could reminisce with them all night about it, but time was not in his favor.

But, speaking of which, he narrowed his eyes at everyone and noticed a few were starting to cry while others slowly yet weakly waved at him. Most were hurt pretty bad to see him leave, sad to see such a dear friend and rather a large part of their lives leave their said lives, and he couldn't blame them; he was just as hurt and sad to go. But when he hovered his eyes over at the six mares before him… his heart broke in two.

They too were hurt to see him leave; however, they all had little cuts compared to a certain purple alicorn. Spike pinned his sight on Twilight, first. She wasn't just hurt, she was absolutely destroyed. She tried to keep her head up but she was too heartbroken to do so and hung her head down; her eyelids shut tight and sobbed from the pain of seeing her adopted son leave, the tears flowing down her cheeks, escaping from her clenched eyelids. She felt pressure build-up in her chest, trying ever so hard to stay strong and look him in the eyes, but it was just too much for the young alicorn. She wanted to beg him not to go, to stay here with her; but she knew that wasn't the case anymore. They both knew it.

He knew this day would come. He knew he would see his friends and family wallow in pain and heartbreak. He expected this, and it was hurting him too. But what Spike never expected -not in millennia- was how bad this day would crush his mother's spirit. It was crushing him just as much. Goodbyes are hard, that much was true – but did it really have to pound this much hurt on him and his friends? Apparently for this occasion, yes, it did.

He turned his head over to Applejack and Rainbow Dash and saw that they were looking up at him with sad, painful eyes as they sat next to one another. Unlike Twilight, they had a strong head on their shoulders and stayed strong in this sad moment.

Applejack was trying her hardest to keep her tears inside, but the shiny, sad look in her eyes and the slight quivering lower lip spoke volumes. She would really miss seeing him around, especially when he would sometimes help on the farm.

Rainbow Dash was desperately trying not to break down into tears in front of every pony who was gathered; her pride wouldn't allow her to do such a thing. She even showed it by quickly wiping a tear or two that threatened to escape, using the tips of her wings – she couldn't afford to crack and break into pieces right now. But more importantly, she was trying to stay strong for Spike for when he leaves for the Migration. Ever since he first got his wings, he was her latest 'little new flying buddy' – she always helped him out with the basics of flying as she was always in the sky herself. Granted, she didn't exactly know what formation dragons fly in, but it was close enough. Though, looking at him now, he wasn't so little anymore.

He chuckled lightly to himself at seeing the two trying to fight their tears from escaping. They were always the strong ones of the group, albeit stubborn, too, but they always showed loyalty and honesty towards him growing up -- they were not just friends, but they were like sisters to him. Yet, he gave them props for being so strong.

He then gazed toward the crying pair of Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. They were taking it pretty hard just like Twilight; Fluttershy bawled in Pinkie's fur while Pinkie hugged the sensitive Pegasus close. Though, that didn't stop the party pony from bawling, too. Of the five, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were the ones to help him emotionally when Twilight wasn't around.

Pinkie Pie always had ways of cheering him up through her wacky antics and god-tier funniest jokes. Sure, she was extremely wacky and random, but she always managed to make him laugh and got him to smile, even in the bleakest of situations.

Fluttershy's ways were much different from Pinkie Pie's, though. When he felt hurt emotionally, Fluttershy would cheer him up with kind words and treat him to a special time with her and her animal friends for tea and games -- even though he liked to keep that one a secret from everyone else. And whenever he needed a hug, she was always there to be his shoulder to cry on as she gave such a warm, cuddly hug to help lift his spirits.

Even though he kind of saw her as a sister, too, Pinkie liked to be referred to as an 'aunt' in a way. He never knew why, but he never argued, nor could he ever. So, even though they were best friends, he saw Pinkie and Fluttershy as loving, caring, cheerful aunts. And to leave them hurt him just as much as it hurt them.

And last, but certainly not least, he gazed his eyes over to the pony he cherished most of all. The one pony he didn't view as some kind of figure growing up, but viewed as someone he thought was an angel sent by the stars unknown. She was his heart and soul to him and he would do whatever it took to make her happy. He gazed at the love of his life: Rarity.

And just like the others, her cheeks were coated with mascara-tainted tears. Her lips quivered and her ears flopped down like a sad dog when she gave a pained and sorrowful face to him; just like her friends before her, she was absolutely devastated and sad to see him go. She always wore make-up for the occasion and some would think it was for dramatic effects; ponies always assumed she was the biggest drama queen in Equestria but that was not entirely true. In moments like this, she didn't care whatsoever what ponies thought or if her make-up ran. This was not an act and she was certainly not pretending. She was genuinely crushed, sad to see her closest friend leave. And, like Twilight, she was heartbroken and wished he'd stay with them forever; stay with her.

Because deep down, she realized that not only was he an amazing, kind dragon, and a great helper around her boutique. No, he was more than that, he was a great friend; a friend she cherished as much as Twilight, and everyone else did. Maybe more. Over time, she too was developing feelings for him. Feelings that she wanted to express to him and tell him how much she loved him, but now, it was too late for her to say anything. She waited too long and it came to this. She was not only sad to see him leave, but she was angry at herself for not saying a single thing to him about how she felt towards him; that saying 'actions speak louder than words'? Ha, what a load of pish-posh.

That one night she had with him when he was a young adult, as a late birthday present, was what she hoped was the ticket to give him the hint, but she cursed herself so much for not just saying it to him. She cursed herself now for not saying it sooner.

Luna shed a tear and softly quivered her lips before glancing over to a heartbroken Twilight who was in so much pain as she cried, a little pool of tears right at her hooves. She huffed through her muzzle, understanding how the purple mare felt; being trapped for a thousand years made her miss her old friends dearly. She still regretted the day she let envy take a hold of her mind and transformed her into the soulless monster that every pony feared. It's a mistake she'll live with for eons, and hoped it will never again happen. Her left ear flickered when she heard another sniffling huff.

She craned her head up to her sister and, to her utmost surprise, saw her sister about to cry. A small gasp emitted from her throat. She never witnessed Celestia tear up like that before. But, then again, she probably did the same thing after she defeated her as Nightmare Moon. She cursed that moment and she was happy to be back and by her sister's side. Luna, still in tears, looked back at Spike and the others. But, still, to her, this moment was just as sad and devastating as her defeat. She never got to know Spike all that much after her defeat, but he was special as she had been hearing from the little ponies and her sister; plus with how her sister was sobbing, she could only guess that he was indeed something special to her too.

Celestia, she too was saddened by this gut-twisting, heart-wrenching grief that her little ponies were facing. She felt her soul breaking apart as she mentally prepared to say goodbye to the closest, and oldest, friend she had ever had. Spike was more than just a subject, she almost viewed him as like a son, if not a grandson as Twilight had taken the motherly role. It was her that placed his egg under Twilight's care when she was just a filly, after all. Now, seeing him all grown up, made her heart swell up with pride, but at the same time, sink like a stone. She too knew that this day would come, and she secretly dreaded it. She wished that she could've prevented time like this from occurring, but sadly, that is not how magic or life works.

Spike looked down at all his friends and smiled wholeheartedly. He was so grateful that everyone cared for him and wished for him to stay, but it was for naught and the tears still loomed and rolled down his cheeks. He wiped them away and watched as they cried. Gulping down a forming lump in his throat, he let out a deep, calming, and gently growling sigh to soothe the pressure in his chest so as not to succumb to the sob-fest, too. But seeing his friends cry so much made it very hard for him to keep it together that it ultimately broke him to where he couldn't hold it in.

Seeing Twilight, Rarity, and everypony else the way they were was too much for him to bear. The grown-up Spike shed painful, emotional tears as he looked to Twilight and approached her, leaning his head down close to her and causing the other ponies to back away as he did so.

Twilight continued her hard sobbing, unaware, and too hurt to move a muscle or open her eyes. She wanted this to be a dream. She wanted this to stop. She tried so hard to think this wasn't real; make it all go away and not have her adopted son leave her like this. She tried so hard to think of this as a dream, a nightmare if anything, but a gentle rub against her snapped her back to reality. With a slight gasp, she fought through her emotional breakdown and looked ahead to find Spike smiling down at her softly before rubbing his snout against her again; being that he's a sixty-foot tall dragon, he couldn't hug her like he normally would as a young one anymore, so the only way of hugging her now was to snout rub, and they didn't mind at all.

Twilight slowly smiled, wiped her tears away as she hugged Spike's snout close and a bit tight. She calmed down a bit while hugging him, but her choppy breaths were still acknowledged and her hug slowly turned weak. She had a feeling he didn't want to leave seeing her cry; she couldn't be more right. Spike would not want to see his mother and his friends cry themselves to death once he left; he wanted them to stay strong, feel proud, and aware that they will be missed by him too.

Spike heard rushing hoofsteps and smiled happily as four of the mane six came up to him and group-hugged his snout from all sides. The rest of the ponies watched this lovely yet emotional moment occur and could only shed their tears once more, while a few walked away not out of spite, but because if they stay any longer, they too would break just like Twilight has. They just couldn't handle any more sadness. They weakly waved at him and gave him sad, yet encouraging smiles before leaving, wishing him luck on his journey.

Tears rolled down Luna's cheeks from seeing such a sad event. It got to her, but the sensitive hiccups of her older sister drew her attention. She looked up to Celestia who finally broke under the pressure and poured tears of sorrow and strongly quivered her lips; Celestia covered her face in her hooves and cried her heart out. Try as she might to keep a strong head up as Applejack and Rainbow Dash have shown, the pain of her breaking heart beat her at the last second. Luna smiled sympathetically and placed a hoof on her shoulder. Celestia looked to her younger sister for a moment and immediately hugged her, silently bawling just like the others. For the first time, in a thousand years, she had never seen Celestia cry like this; sure, she shed little tears when they reunited after Twilight and her friends vanquished the dark Nightmare Moon within her, but still. She shared her pain and hugged her close as she looked over to Spike and the others.

The royal night and day guards, who followed the princesses after as their personal escorts, noticed the royal sisters cry and sob. They were breath-taken by this and couldn't believe such an event like this would make them cry, yet, they can perfectly understand why as they too heard of the stories Spike had done over the years; saving the Crystal Kingdom, helping the elements stop Discord, vanquishing Sombra by returning the Crystal Heart, cornering Diamond Dogs to save Rarity and saved the equestrian games from suffering an icy grave. To those feats, they proudly gave their respects and friendships to the brave, kind, and noble dragon. The crying of their princesses didn't stop them from showing slightly sad looks as well; they surely will miss the formerly little dragon that brought light into all of their lives. But instead of giving in to their tears, they stood strong and gave Spike an honorary salute.

Twilight and the other ponies gave Spike one last goodbye hug before backing away and letting him leave, all but Rarity who was absent from the hug.

Spike narrowed his eyes down at Rarity who sat there gazing up at him with those broken, anguish-filled eyes before the pressure within her cave-in too much. She couldn't take it, she had to tell him. She couldn't let him leave without telling him the truth about her feelings. He had to know.

With a bawling scream, she rushed up to Spike and glomped his snout, or what looked like a glomp, and hugged his snout close and tight. Needless to say, he and the mane five were caught off-guard by that rush. They wondered why she took a bit to join the group hug, but when they heard her cry out loud was when the girls got the hint; this was a very heavy blow on the poor fashionista's heart, and she viewed him as not a part of the family; but someone even more special than that – a significant other. Of course, this will be very personal and hard for her to do, but Spike just took it the glomp and let her let it all out. He lightly whimpered as he shed another tear, the drop splashing onto the grass.

It wasn't until she rushed from his nose to his cheek and hugged it so he could see her and know what she was feeling. Gazing his large eye down at her, Spike looked confused at what she was doing before Rarity looked up to him with red, puffy eyes and motioned him to lend an ear. And so he did, looking curious about what she wanted to tell him, listening in as she started to whisper into his ear.

The mane five watched for a second, realizing what she was about to say when they saw the shocked look on Spike's face, the widened eyes, the dropped jaw, everything – it was right there. The truth was finally out.

Spike looked at Rarity with shocked, widened eyes before he teared up once again. She nodded sadly but gave him a little loving smile as her mascara tears drip down her cheeks, she meant what she said. He never knew and now here they were about to be separated from each other. He grabbed his chest and breathed slow, heavy breaths trying not to cry, again. Now he knew and he hated the fact that he had to leave and say goodbye to the very pony he had a crush on ever since he was little. He wanted to stay here and be with her and the others so he could lessen the pain. But it was for naught.

Yet, Spike let out a tiny chuckle before leaning his head down and nuzzling the mascara-eyed Rarity close, making her giggle just a bit as their tears gently mix together. He remembered the days he spent with her growing up to where his eighteenth birthday rolled around and came a few days later when he and Rarity shared a few secret intercourse moments together; he figured Rarity would remember those days, too. Fun times. If this never happened, he would gladly be together with her; now and forever. And he'd love every second of it. He nuzzled his snout close to Rarity, again, and prompted her to giggle once more. Hearing that made him feel better every minute. He wanted to see her smile just like everyone else. It would hurt him so to see his beloved cry in his departure.

Rarity tearfully smiled as she held his snout, looking him into his emotional eyes with her own. She had no more words, but she did the one thing she could do before walking away. Gently pulling his snout close, she leaned down and placed upon his large lips one last kiss before he can depart.

It surprised her friends some to see her actually make the move; so surprised, that Dash dropped onto her haunches as her wings locked up, Applejack's hat drifted off her head to the ground as she gazed in shock, Twilight actually stopped crying enough to look flabbergasted at Rarity's bold move, Fluttershy was blushing brightly as her mane as she covered her muzzle in surprise and Pinkie's mane and tail stood up straight as the party mare looked stumped. The princesses too were stunned, but they regained composure enough to watch. Spike was buggy-eyed from the sudden kiss, but rolling his giant eyes upwards and closing them from the happiness of getting at least one last kiss before he left, he could only enjoy it.

Rarity slowly brought their lips apart after granting him this parting gift, to show he will always be hers. She allowed her lips to gently linger for a second longer before finally backing up from the adult dragon. Smiling sadly up at him, she lowered her ears and looked down as she turned around to join her friends.

Spike watched as his former crush walked away and stood next to Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, looking at him with that beautiful smile of hers. Tears rolled down Spike's cheeks as he raised his body up. He looked down at his friends -- no, family -- and gave them one last goodbye wave with a cooing growl of love. He waved to the remaining crowd before he turned when the sound of eight clopping hooves caught his ear. The dragon turned his head just in time to see none other than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna walk up to him, passing the mane six.

Spike gazed down at the princesses, surprised yet happy to see them. He turned and leaned down to them, but not first bowing his head, folding a knee under himself and crouching as low as he can. The only thing a 60-foot dragon can do to show his respect to royalty. The Princesses appreciated the gesture and bowed back to the dragon. They stood back up and smile at him, respectfully, lovingly, and tearfully.

Spike awaited the Princesses give their goodbyes to him, but instead of a proper send-off, they lunged up and hugged his cheeks close, resting their heads on his snout. Spike never noticed the teary, red-eyes the princesses had until now. Like the mane six, they were sad to see him go.

Twilight and the rest of the ponies unhinged their jaws and went wide-eyed; surprised to see the Princesses hug Spike. To get the royal sisters to cry and hug someone, was truly a sight to behold, but it was quickly realized that much like the rest of them, Celestia and Luna are just as affected by this sad goodbye, and they will miss their friend dearly - Celestia more than Luna.

Much like Twilight, Celestia took Spike's egg under her wing when she and her guards found it abandoned under a tree near a river where a hydra lived. She never wanted to imagine what could've happened if the creature were to find the egg. Nonetheless, she chose wisely to let her faithful student hatch his egg. And now, here he was all grown-up. It pained her to not be there for him as much like Twilight had, but it was best left for Twilight.

Spike was beyond surprised, but he smiled at them and nuzzle-hugged the alicorns close before they backed away as he saw the tears in their eyes. He nodded to them a thank you for everything they've done and gave an acknowledging smile to Celestia; he knew as well and if it wasn't for her, he wouldn't be under the wing of the pony he'd proudly call his mother.

Spike bowed in respect to not only the princesses, but to the mane six and all of Ponyville for making him the dragon he was today. He then rose back up and gazed at Twilight and the rest of the ponies one last time with a sad, but grateful and loving before letting out a gentle roar as he turned around to unfold his fully developed wing. The ponies watch in awe as Spike flapped his wings and jumped in the air, taking into the sky and heading to The Dragon Migration. A single teardrop fell from his face and hit the ground in front of Twilight.

Turning his long neck, he gazed back to see all the ponies wave goodbye to him as he flew away towards the dragon migration; letting out an emotional roar, he turned slightly and waved goodbye to his family, trying to keep them in his sight as he flew himself backward until he disappeared into the night clouds.

As soon as Spike vanished, Applejack lowered her head, scooping up her hat and returned to Sweet Apple Acres with a heavy heart; Fluttershy flew back to her cottage with her mane covering her face as she tried to keep from sobbing, whimpering only lightly; Rainbow Dash flew back to her cloud home, albeit quickly so nopony can see her cry; Pinkie Pie walked back to Sugarcube Corner with her mane and tail completely deflated and void of the light pink color it once had, passing the Cake family as she walked into her room, head hunched down; and with their escorts sticking close to their sides in a form of comfort The Princesses returned to their Castle, while the rest of the civilian ponies headed back to their respectful homes, minds full of memories both good and bad, but hearts heavy with the pain of saying goodbye to a friend – one that they believe they will never see again.

All but Twilight and Rarity were left sitting there eyeing the sky. Rarity looked to Twilight who still looked just as hurt as she was and she couldn't sit there and let her friend suffer. She walked up to Twilight and placed a gentle, supporting hoof on her shoulder. The young alicorn gazed her red- puffy, teary eyes at Rarity who smiled softly at her. Spike was gone, but Rarity reminded her that she still had her friends to support her. Twilight smiled weakly but hugged her friend close, grateful to be reminded of that; Rarity returned the hug, as well. Tears from both mares rolled down their faces.

As they separated the hug they bid each other goodbye while the night was still young. Rarity left for her boutique, leaving Twilight to do what she wished. Her hoof gently places itself on her lips, she could still feel his gentle, large lips on hers. She gazed at the night sky and to the clouds one last time but shook her head sadly. It was all over, she finally told him and now there was nothing else she could do.

Twilight sat there a couple more minutes. She was still heartbroken, torn apart to see her number one assistant, her only son, leave before her eyes. She knew this day would come and she knew it would happen; She knew that someday she had to say goodbye. But, she never knew how bad it would hurt her, how bad of an impact it would put on her, or how hard it would be, until now. She looked down with pain and sorrow in her eyes. She now knew how Shining felt when she left to go live in Ponyville. Saying goodbye to him was very painful and she could tell he was trying to stay strong for her. He was always a softy when it came to her and she loved Shining for that. But something like this was unbearable. She felt like a piece of her life had been torn away from her and all that remained were memories. This pain will take a long time to heal, but she will find some way to deal with it.

Twilight looked up at the night sky and tried to stop her crying. She knew Spike wanted her to be strong, but she could almost barely pull herself together. She was alone now. No one to keep her company in the Tree Library. Yes, there was her pet owl – Owlowicious to stay by her side, but it wasn't the same without her son. It was just her now. After a little while of staring into the night sky, where her son had vanished into, Twilight finally decided to head back home to her library. She slowly got up and walked back on hoof. Her wings just didn't want to work tonight as they slightly slouch from grief.

Making it home to her tree library home, the very home she shared many memories with Spike, she opened the door to her tree home and walked inside. Turning her head to look at the spot where Spike once was, she let out a little heartbroken whimper as her ears lower before closing the door behind her with her magic and headed straight to bed.

Owlowiscious cooed gently once he saw his owner, but he knew she was in no mood for conversing for the night. He was well aware of what had happened, so with an understanding nod, he wrapped a wing around her head as she gingerly nuzzled him while passing by to her bedroom.

When she reached her bed, her window had a clear view of the beautiful moon and the jewel-starred night sky as it had before on the very first time she moved into this home years ago, but it also gave her a clear view of the same spot she saw her only son fly off to. In a soft, whisper-like tone, she uttered, "Goodbye, m-my son… m-my sweet… little…S-Spike…" Her voice broke as she soon gave in to her tears once more, crying into her pillow. Owlowicious looked worried and flew over to comfort her, only managing to hear her utter in heartbreak…

"I love you..."

The night sky only could twinkle on in this sad time for everyone; for the shining stars can only shine down on them on their journey of healing.

Within the starry night sky, Spike too was crying from the pain of finally saying goodbye to the only family he had ever known. But with the Dragon Migration awaiting him, he knew that he can't turn back. As such, he kept on flying…

Twilight's voice whispered out one last time, their sadness in complete sync with one another, whispering out at the same time with his deep, grown-up voice. "Goodbye…"

Three Months Later

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A door slammed opened as an excited rainbow-maned mare flew in and landed like a superhero. Rainbow Dash rose up and chuckled to herself, "And who says that this is hard on the knees?" she asked herself smugly before gazing over to see her friends in the Mess Hall of the Wonderbolt Academy, eager and excited to practice today's stunts for their show tonight.

"Hey, Soarin, Fleetfoot, I came by as fast as I could. I --" But Rainbow Dash paused herself, to find that the Mess Hall was not filled with her fellow teammates of the Wonderbolts, but also completely void of anypony. Not a single soul was around. To her confusion, she looked at all the tables to find not one speck of food stain, silverware, napkins, or anything. It was all clean! Not a single soul sat at any table. Even the kitchen was lacking a cook pony. This was bizarre on a whole different level.

Did she actually show up earlier than everyone else? She honestly hoped not. Granted, she loved being fast -- even hoping to be called fastest pony alive one day -- but there were times where she wouldn't mind being a tad late for something. And this was one of them! She secretly always loved showing up late just to see her other friends cheer for her to come and join them at their table. She felt a little special when they did that. It was like a tradition in some way, kind of like her Ponyville friends. But being this early made her felt empty inside. Should she wait for the rest to show up or leave and show up later to take them by surprise properly this time? She didn't know.

She raised a confused brow then smiled and chuckled to herself. Or it could be something different entirely as she strolled in the Mess Hall, "Okay, you guys can come out now. Aren't we were a little old for hide and seek?" Rainbow Dash called out but received no response. It was quiet, too quiet for her liking. Her amused smile turned into an unamused frown, letting out a snort. "Come on, guys, this isn't funny. Where is everypony?"

Looking around the lunch area, she called out again, hoping to get some signs of life around the area. "Soarin? Fleetfoot? Bulk Biceps? Thunderlane?" Not even the sound of crickets answered her, just ominous silence. She gazed into the kitchen, raising a brow as she called. "I'll even settle for you, Derpy?" She walked around some of the tables to see if anyone was hiding. If they were playing hide and seek, the first pony she would've likely found was Derpy. She was always bad at stuff like that. But still, not even Derpy was around; no sign of anyone, anywhere. Now she was really starting to get concerned. Where were her teammates?

"Guys?!" she hollered, but only received a small echo of her own voice as a response.

Okay, now things were getting weird. She stopped at the mess hall doors and deliberated the situation, wondering if there was another option to nab. And one immediately did. She perked up, "Maybe Spitfire knows where they are? It's not like them to be late." With that, she rushed out and headed to Spitfire's office. Maybe she had some answers to this strange phenomenon.

This was so unlike her teammates. It's like they vanished into thin air. But if anyone knew where they were, sure enough Spitfire would, there ain't no way she would let her team play hooky without her say-so. Not when they had a show tonight.

It didn't take her five seconds as she zoomed through the halls and was already in front of the doors to Spitfire's office, "Hey, Spitfire? You in there?" Rainbow Dash called out, knocking on the wooden door. "Everyone's not in the mess hall. Was there a delay in practice or something? Or has everypony suddenly come down with Feather Flu?" But just like what happened in the Mess Hall, there was no response. And an eerie silence was all that remained.

Rainbow Dash waited a few seconds, but couldn't hold still long enough to wait for some kind of noise, "Spitfire?" she confusedly called out, knocking once more before the door oddly creaked open by itself. As creepy as that was, she believed that Spitfire was here and that the silent treatment was awfully uncalled for. Unless she's swamped with paperwork, normally she'd answer right away, "I don't know why you're being so quiet, but I have to ask you some--" she peeked into Spitfire's office, but saw no Spitfire. She was missing, too.

She processed as much as she could, but just like the Mess Hall, there was no one around. It's like a ghost town up in here. No team, no leader, just her and this eerie, haunting silence.

"W-What the hell?" Now she was started to freak out a little. Something wasn't sitting right. A gut feeling told her this wasn't a prank; Spitfire was always in her office before meeting everyone. If even Spitfire wasn't here, now she's really starting to get scared.

"Where is everypony?!" Rainbow Dash shouted as her call echoed louder.

But, then, it dawned on her. She looked to the window and rushed to look out for anyone. She immediately opened the window, and spreading her wings, she dashed out and flew towards the training field. Hopefully, she'll find someone there. She couldn't be the only one that showed up at the academy.

Upon landing in the middle of the flyway, she scanned her surroundings for anyone here. All the obstacles were accounted for, yet looked like they've been barely used. Come to think of it, she noticed the wind velocity wasn't right either. There was a small gentle breeze, but not the strong winds she was used to in this altitude where the academy usually floated. But, just like the Mess Hall and Spitfire's office, there was no sign of anyone. No even a bird in the sky.

"Okay, this crap is not funny, all all," Rainbow Dash snapped with a frustrated snort. "Has everyone been abducted by aliens? If Thunderlane got the Feather Flu again, he must've passed it on to everypony while trying to hide it from Spitfire so not to shirk work." She rolled her eyes, recalling how her fellow Wonderbolt flyer had fallen sick when they once had to get water up to Cloudsdale for the rainy season, right when they needed his extra wing-power for the tornado. "And if that's the case, I'm gonna kill him!" She snorted in anger, if their training had to be canceled because everypony had fallen sick thanks to one sick pony – she's gonna kick that said pony's sorry flank.

"Not in the Mess Hall, not on the training field… and Spitfire isn't even in her office! Where is everypony?!" She shouted into the sky, but only received another echo. She sighed in annoyance and decided to just leave. If there was an event going on, they should've at least informed her instead of abandoning her like she didn't matter or something. What a bunch of bull!

As she was about to take off, a strange, low humming sound stopped her in her place. It sounded like nothing she heard before. She looked around for a few seconds before hearing the strange noise get mysteriously louder. It sounded like it was coming from all directions.

"What is that?" She asked herself nervously before looking up to find something in the sky. She perked up and kept her eyes glued to a strange object in the sky. If it was a pony, then finally, someone was about to show up. Rainbow Dash felt a bit of relief, but it was hard to get a lock on what it actually was. At the moment, it looked like a dark speck anyone could find on a wall. And yet, the otherworldly noise seemed like it was coming from it. At least, that was one hypothesis she could come up with.

Rainbow Dash decided to wait. She had no idea why, but a feeling in her gut told her to just sit and wait. And so she did despite being the kind of pony to hate waiting. As she gazed at the speck, she didn't have to wait long at all; almost as if something listened to her and whoever was here could finally give her some answers. Her anticipation quickly turned into shock when she realized the speck was slowly growing in size as it was getting closer and the strange noise started to get louder. Rainbow Dash couldn't take her eyes off before it became apparent that whatever this speck was wasn't growing but aiming directly at the Wonderbolt academy and aiming fast!

And it was coming right at her!

She yelped in shock when she realized this, "Okay, that's not a pony!" she got up and flew back some when the object became clear to her. It didn't look like a meteor or some kind of rock. And how it was arriving was very weird. It was spinning at a high velocity that it almost looked like a top; the glowing blue middle was another thing to add to the weirdness factor. Wait, No! With how the noise grew louder the more it headed towards her and was now clearly connected to the spinning object, it looked more like a flying sawblade!

"I gotta get out of here!" Rainbow Dash said in a panic as she turned and ran away from the oncoming object. But try as she might to fly away, the object arrived within seconds and caused her to trip on her own hooves, making her faceplant on the pavement. A giant shadow loomed over Rainbow Dash before disappearing. The athlete pegasus got up and rubbed her head before looking straight ahead to find the object had indeed arrived. It was as massive as the academy island itself and, just like before, it spun like a disk, emitting the same noise humming-like noise like before.

The size alone was actually pretty intimidating. Rainbow Dash looked up nervously and weighed in on the option that maybe, just maybe instead of sickness, it really could be aliens that abducted her friends.

She tried to speak to the thing but found no source of courage anywhere to warrant a sentence from her. But, with what she had to spare, she put on a brave face and snarled at the being before her. The light in the middle of the flying disk was bright, but Rainbow Dash ignored it long enough for her to let out an assertive, demanding, "Stop!" as it echoed.

And much to her surprise, it did and it lazily floated in the air just above the Wonderbolt Academy to reveal what it actually was. Though she would've been surprised it actually listened to her, or maybe it stopped on its own accord, she was more confused by what she was looking at. The floating object was triangular-shaped with a dirty green coloring all around it. The azure-colored lights disappeared and all Rainbow Dash could see were what appeared to be sharp ridges on the sides of this U.F.O-like creature. This was unlike anything she'd seen before in her life, yet it seemed familiar to her, too. She tilted her head and raised a confused brow as she got a clear view of what she was looking at.

"A... turtle shell?"

Suddenly, blue flames from underneath the massive turtle shell burst forth and propelled it to turn around and show Rainbow Dash three sockets. Rainbow Dash ducked down and watched in awe as two reptilian-like arms erupted from the left and right sides, showing five-digit claws. Rainbow Dash widened her eyes and tried to comprehend what she was looking at, but she never anticipated seeing the massive creature poke its head out so suddenly and stare her down like it was a god. Rainbow Dash gasped in horror as she backed away but plopped on her rear, too scared to use her own wings to fly away. Her wings had locked up in fear, just like Fluttershy's wings do.

She locked eyes with the beast like it did in return. It was no doubt a turtle, but the large tusks protruding out of its lower jaw were something she had never expected seeing from such a turtle. Then again, she never expected to see a turtle like this in her whole life. It was nightmare-inducing!

Then, narrowing its beady eyes, the massive turtle opened its mouth and let out a large guttural, yet high-pitched, roar at Rainbow Dash. And Rainbow Dash screamed in terror along with it as she instinctively covered her eyes with her left arm and waited for the inevitable to happen...

Rainbow Dash gasped heavily as she sprang up from her head, heaving deep, heavy panicked breaths with her eyes wide in shock. "What the hell just happened?" she asked herself anxiously. She frantically grabbed her face and looked around to see where she was, only to find that she wasn't at the Wonderbolt Academy, she was just in her bedroom.

Then it became clear to her what really happened. "Oh. Oh, it was... just a bad dream," she said as she took steady breathes to ease her anxiety, weakly chuckling to herself as she held her head, relieved to find it was just a nightmare.

Though the wiring sound returned, she flinched with her eyes widening in horror and quickly looked around. She looked to her right to find Tank lazily floating in his copter-pack looking at her a bit worriedly. Realizing it was just her pet and not that monster from her dream, a small smile formed on her face as she looked at her pet, "Heh, was that racket coming from you, Tank?" she asked Tank, only to receive a slow head tilt from the tortoise. She chuckled softly and rubbed her head gingerly, "Man, that was quite a nightmare. And ironic, too." she quipped before bringing Tank in for a hug as she took the copter pack off his shell. "You wouldn't believe me if I even told you, Tank."

Though seeing it was still nighttime, Rainbow Dash went back to bed with Tank by her side, gently holding her beloved pet close. The little tortoise looked up to his owner curiously, wondering what she saw in her dream, but deciding to brush it off for now, he just nuzzled her softly before going into his shell to rest; this time to be close to his master.

***Three months later after Spike's departure***

Twilight walked out of her tree library, closing the door behind her with her magic and shuffling her saddlebag against her sides. She inhaled as much fresh air as her lungs could carry before exhaling peacefully. It felt nice to take a breath of fresh air, especially on a very beautiful day such like today. She smiled softly and walked into downtown Ponyville, heading over to Fluttershy's cottage for a tea party she had kindly been invited to.

But, sadly, she was still distraught about what happened three months ago. She hoped this tea party will help her recover and ease the toll taken on her. Although it has been 3 months since the one she saw as a son had left her life, she had tried to move on. She craned her head down and glanced at the ground, thinking to herself that has really had been three months since Spike left. Yet, she felt like it lasted an eternity since she last saw him. She still hadn't recovered from that day.

Twilight groaned, frustrated in herself for not getting over it. 'Come on Twilight, Spike wouldn't want you to keep moping like this. We knew it would happen eventually. So, why can't you let it go?' she thought to herself as she shook her head to try and make herself forget that day. "He's gone… and it's over now, isn't it?" She spoke to herself, trying to get it through her head that what happened had happened, and there's nothing she can do but let go and carry on. But why did it still have to hurt so much? How could she have to let him go? Why did he have to go?

Why couldn't she let go?

"Isn't it? Isn't it over?" She sadly spoke as her eyes start twinkling sadly, gazing up to the sky, to the clouds – as if hanging on to a sliver of hopeless hope that she would spot him, with resolve that he didn't want to leave her after all; She smiled lightly as a cloud formed into his shape as it slowly passed through the sky. She almost believed she could almost see his smiling face, reaching a hoof out for him as she nearly followed after the cloud before it dispersed the dragon form it took and turned back into its puffy shape - alas, she's only fooling herself.

Spike… her son, he was all grown up… and he had vanished into the night all those months ago. It was his decision to do so. And all of her friends, the princesses, the citizens, and she herself, they had all accepted it.

He's gone, and he's never coming back. The pain in her chest that has been there for 3 months started hitting her once more with the very grief that had been hurting her for those 3 months. Whimpering, she quivered out in a defeated and heartbroken voice, "It's over, isn't it? Why can't I move on?"

Looking down, but recalling she has somewhere to be, she brought herself back into reality and pressed on through Ponyville; surprisingly not hitting anything or anyone around her through her emotional zoning, though she wasn't surprised if any of the ponies around gave her odd looks. Perhaps this meet up with her friends would help set her mind at ease, and hopefully help her forget that painful day. She crossed halfway over the bridge but suddenly stopped as her ears twitch. She gazed back.

As she did, a familiar voice called out to her as a cyan pegasus flew down and landed close to her on the bridge, giving her a greeting smile.

"Hey, Rainbow Dash." Twilight asked, happy to see that she arrived at a convenient time. "I thought you'd be the first to show up at Fluttershy's tea party? What's the occasion?" Twilight asked as a pseudo-joked, too, jabbing at her for how fast she usually was and how she'd like to brag about it all the time.

The cyan pegasus pouted and rolled her eyes at that little joke, but complied, "I had to help my parents out with rearranging their stuff; mainly their furniture. My dad bought some new furniture for himself and my mom. Gotta replace the old with new, right? 'In with the old and out with the new', am I right?" she chuckled lightly.

"I think you mean, 'Out with the old, In with the new'." Twilight looked bemused as she corrected the botched saying Dash had tried to say.

"Yeah, whatev. Same thing." Dash waved it off, knowing what she had meant. "Anyway, I had to try and speed things along to meet you guys. Course dad had to go all 'that was fast. Must be those young bones!'" she said as she did a slump followed up bad impersonation of her father to lighten the mood. It successfully got a chuckle out of Twilight; though, deep down, she cringed at how bad that joke was. She was just glad Twilight was easy to laugh, sometimes.

"That's funny, Rainbow Dash," Twilight complimented. A little humor like that was always nice. Though, a voice in the back of her head told her that Rainbow Dash could've worded that 'old and new' comment a little better. But, who was she kidding?

Though Rainbow Dash appreciated that, it was high time for them to start walking. She motioned Twilight to follow her as the continued to talk, "Anyway, off of my family's redecoration problem, what have you been up to? I see you got Fluttershy's invite, too?"

"Yup," she said with a small giggle. "And I've been rearranging some books, been going to Roseluck's flower shop, and got a free dinner at a restaurant; Princesses discount." Twilight rolled her eyes at that last part. She hated being treated like a princess, but it did have its benefits like flying around. Though she doubted she'll ever reach Rainbow Dash's level of speed, but she digressed. It was never going to be her thing because she feared she might go power-hungry over it. But the one thing she did like out of most of those benefits was, "Even if I go to a theater of any kind in any pony town like Manehatten or Canterlot, I get a discount and VIP exclusive." She was living the life of luxury with that one. It was her absolute favorite.

Rainbow Dash sulked a bit and pouted out of jealousy from hearing Twilight spew those things, especially getting a discount and VIP exclusive pass. What she wouldn't give to have that luxury every once in a while. 'Lucky bitch,' she thought to herself; she wondered if she could have something like that - perhaps a mane six discount?

"Lucky, you get all the good stuff." She then chuckled a bit, letting go of that jealous bit because it was just silly to her. If being a princess meant she could've had what Twilight had then she'd be set for life. She cursed Celestia in thought for this hierarchy blasphemy, but it just wasn't meant to be.

But that made her want to ask out of curiosity, "So, I take it being a princess is getting easier for you now?" She wondered because with how things have been ever since Twilight got her wings and title, her life must've been gotten easier, what with being royal and all.

But to Rainbow Dash's surprise, Twilight simply shook her head, "You could say that. But it is still a big responsibility for me, and it's even harder for me when everypony always has to bow every time I show up to certain spots. I know I'm a princess and all, but I'm not on that level as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are. I just wish ponies would just treat me equally like they used to and had help without being addressed as such."

As they walked, Twilight looked down at the ground and glared with an agitated snarl, irritated that ever since her ascension to becoming an alicorn, each pony she asked for help always thought that they were beneath her; but she wasn't. She was not like that. She hated that. She can try and overlook being called a princess, but every time it happened they made it sound like she was that kind of pony who'd ask lowlife ponies to lick her hoof and kiss her plot. Picturing that was just disgusting and uncalled for. She would never treat everypony like that. And she couldn't fathom there being worse than what she witnessed before. She never asked for this; she never asked for wings and a title. Yet she had to undergo that unexpected test.

Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, a little nervous and felt somewhat uncomfortable. She didn't mean to start up anything from Twilight. She was just happy for her about her new title. She didn't think she'd struggle with how much other ponies would treat her. She clearly saw it was bugging her, but it shouldn't be that big of a worry; even she knew royalty had its ups and downs. Did she think she was going to end up as a power-hungry dictator or something?
"Twilight, relax." Rainbow Dash said in a caring tone to Twilight, hoping to calm her down. She was a loyal pony, but she wasn't very good with talks such as this. She just hoped Twilight would see reason. "I'm sure everypony didn't intend for that. I think they bow out of respect. If I was a princess, I'd take pride in it." And she meant it. She wouldn't take offense to everyone bowing or talking to her like a princess. There was obviously a light side to being a princess and she wouldn't treat it like it was a means of using that power for bad. "You'll be fine, Twilight." she smiled at Twilight and hoped what she said got through to her. She didn't have to think of it as a bad thing.

As she looked at her alicorn friend, she noticed she barely reacted to what she said. Almost as if her words seemed like they went one ear and out the other with Twilight. She kept her head down as they walked, but something felt off with her. Her glare was still there, but there were hints of sadness etched in those glaring angered eyes. Rainbow Dash took a moment to figure out Twilight's behavior. She was there for her, but she'd thought some talk would cheer her up.

Then it dawned on her. Maybe it wasn't the ponies that were bothering her, but maybe, "You're still bummed he left, aren't you?" Rainbow Dash asked, pointing the blatantly obvious to Twilight. If that didn't get a reaction out of her, then she had no idea what else it could be.

Her guess was correct when Twilight snapped out of her frustrated state and beamed her eyes towards her tomboyish friend. She frantically shook her head, denying that notion and tried to play it off like that wasn't the case as she said, "What, no, I'm not sad about Spike leaving Ponyville. What makes you say that? I'm totally fine." she laughed a bit, faking and trying to hide her real emotions, but Rainbow was not buying it one bit. Twilight tried to fake her laughter to try and distracted Rainbow Dash from what she really felt deep down.

Twilight looked away and tried to play it cool, but Rainbow Dash got annoyed with her behavior. Enough was enough and she had to face the truth. "Okay, stop," Rainbow Dash sternly barked as she hopped in front of Twilight and spread her wings, getting the alicorn to halt in place. Twilight was confused by this, but the frustrated look on Rainbow Dash's face was all the more clear, "Twilight, I know what you're trying to hide." This whole act was something she was not a fan of. True, she lied to others for different reasons, whether emotional or not, but at least she owned up to it in the end. Twilight was trying to hide it and she could see through that amateur act, "Look Twilight, I know you're still heartbroken about Spike, but you've got to move on. I know it's tough, but Spike is a full-grown dragon now," She said, shining a drop of reality on the poor princess. "I know how much he means to you, but being depressed like this won't change anything and it won't make things any better for you and him."

Twilight backed up a bit and plopped on her haunches, looking at Rainbow Dash - shocked from those words. She looked at Rainbow Dash with saddened eyes. She never expected Rainbow Dash to get so serious or why it concerned her this much. But she realized she couldn't hide it from her any longer and she already figured out why she was acting the way she was. It secretly surprised her how she managed to read her so easily, but she was right, after all. Twilight lifted her front hooves in an assuring manner, "Okay, okay, Rainbow Dash. But, really, can you blame me?" yet, she tried to come up with some excuses as to why she's been acting the way she had. She knew she should move on, but it was difficult for her, "I know that I have to move on, Rainbow Dash, but I just can't." A single small tear wallowed and slid down her cheek, "You have no idea how much it hurts. I've raised him since he was an egg. I felt like a piece of my life left--"

Rainbow Dash slowly blinked and looked at Twilight as if she was watching too many drama shows or taking classes from Rarity -- ironic enough, Rarity was always dramatic but she doubted she'd be on a level as Ms. Possessive in front of her. But hearing her babble about Spike being gone was getting on her last nerve. She groaned in irritation and impatience, "It's been three months, Twilight. Get over it!" Rainbow Dash slightly yelled in an assertive tone. "You're being ridiculous."

Those last few words stunned Twilight. But then, her anger instantly manifested and boiled like water in a teapot. "Excuse me?" She tightened her jaw and snarled aggressively at Rainbow Dash; though Rainbow Dash was not affected by this level of intimidation, almost as if she became a different pony.

Rainbow Dash, secretly smirking to herself, offered to repeat herself, "I said, get the buck over it, Twilight. He's gone and he's never coming ba—"

Twilight, however, could no longer take that and blindly lashed out in a pseudo-royal voice shout, "Shut up, Rainbow Dash!" she snapped and glared at her with tearful, hurtful eyes and the mere thought of biting her tongue was nonexistent, some of the ponies around them flinched from her pseudo-royal voice.

Dash noticed their startled reactions but paid them no mind, she looked back at Twilight with lowered lids, though inside – she was a bit startled herself from the lungs Twilight had. And seeing her advance towards her would've made her flinch, but she kept her non-caring stance.

"Listen…" Twilight scowled as she stomped up to her, "You have no idea what it's like to lose somepony very important to you! You literally at times have no idea what's going on! Nor do you even care most of the time!"

Okay, now that was getting a bit personal. Dash slightly deepened her frown at that, but refused to budge as she kept her mouth shut as Twilight continued. "What makes you think you know my pain?!" the lavender alicorn yelled, letting all her frustrations and rage out on the rainbow pegasus and soon let out slow short exhausted breaths. But she was far from done with her and she had no intention of letting Rainbow Dash get a word in -- not that Rainbow Dash was going to say anything.

She mentally snickered to herself while Twilight threw her lecture-fest. She would take this seriously, but she had an idea in mind. Her first part was to just tune Twilight out and stand there motionless and look at her how Maud Pie would look at them. If Maud Pie was ever a teacher at anything -- besides rocks -- it'd be some form of patience. Normally, she'd be very impatient around other ponies, but, in this case, she'd make an exception and strongly refrain herself from expressing any emotion or talk back while Twilight unleashed more of her mother-bear rage on her.

At the moment, she couldn't make out most of what Twilight was saying, but she only managed to hear a few words or more, "Spike was my son and I was his mother." She slowly started to tear up tears of frustration, to get it through Dash's head that she has a right to worry about her son after his departure. "I hatched him… and unlike my folks, Princess Celestia, Luna or even you girls… he's the closest thing I have to a true-blooded son." She didn't care if he was a dragon, or that they weren't the same species; the love she felt for Spike was eternal and she will always view him as her son. "It's a mother's right to worry about their own child."

She sagged her shoulders down and breathed through her teeth, admitting, "I'm depressed, yes, but I'm not going around and making a big deal out of it. I'm keeping it to myself so I don't burden anyone with it." she breathed exhausted, headache-induced breaths as her bag suddenly dropped on the ground. "Is that... so wrong... of me to do?" That was the last thing she said before she finally gave her lungs a break.

Then everything around them went stone quiet as the wind gently rushed through. Rainbow Dash just stood there without a care in the world while her friend fully released all her excess emotion that drained out of her body as she panted heavily as if she went through a five-star wonderbolt obstacle course twice. Rainbow Dash blinked a few times as she came out of her self-made zoning trance and looked at Twilight with a raised brow, "Ya done?" she asked curiously, but not cautiously, because she knew Twilight's emotional rampage was not actually on her, the whole time. It was on herself. And that was the first part of her plan done if Twilight was finished.

Twilight blinked a few times in shock at those words but woke up from her emotion frenzy, feeling confused but lighter, all of a sudden. It felt like a huge weight was thrown off her shoulders and she felt a massive wave of relief cover her all over. She looked to Rainbow Dash and smiled calmly, "Y-Yeah, I actually feel a lot better." Only in three seconds had she realized she did something incredibly wrong and she grasped her mouth and gasped in terror. Now instead of swimming in relief, she was drowning in powerful, painful guilt and she felt as though she couldn't escape. She looked at Rainbow Dash with eyes full of regret and almost she felt her heart sink.

"On no, Rainbow Dash, I didn't mean--" but a cyan hoof planted itself on her muzzle and shut her up real quick. It wasn't forceful, but it pushed her muzzle back enough to make her look like she scrunched it. Twilight looked confused and eyed the hoof before looking to Rainbow Dash nearly about to laugh. Her confusion meter was cranked up to eleven. Now she wondered just what Rainbow Dash was thinking.

"Take it easy, Twilight," Rainbow Dash said while trying not to laugh out loud. "I was just trying to rile you up so you can get all that out." She saw the confused look on Twilight before retracting her hoof back so she could speak. And speak she did. Having her second part take effect.

Twilight still looked at Rainbow Dash confused and tried to puzzle what she had planned. She asked, pondering, "So, you planned this?"

Rainbow Dash smiled brightly and nodded, confirming her notion, "Uh-huh!"

"You knew how I really felt?" She raised a brow at the pegasus.

"Yup." The cyan pegasus nodded once more.

She lowered her brow as she realized that pushing someone's buttons would exactly be something Dash would do. "And you purposefully got me angry at you just so I could let out my steam about Spike's departure, didn't you?"

"Bingo!"

Twilight stared at Rainbow Dash awestruck and tried to process what she just did. 'Did she just turn into a brief therapist?" she thought to herself as Rainbow Dash kept that enthused smile up. She remained quiet and puzzled for a few minutes to gain her bearings on how to handle this. For one, she would be frustrated, again, for throwing her emotions out like that. But, on the other hoof, she would be surprised Rainbow Dash actually pulled something like this. Her tomboy friend used a method to lure her into releasing her entire emotions and she didn't seem affected by how by her frenzy. Twilight gasped a little 'wait a minute,' she then looked to Rainbow Dash and asked, "Did you tune me out while I was yelling at you?"

Again, Rainbow Dash nodded and shrugged like it was no big deal, "I'm surprised you didn't notice me fighting back. True, you did get a little personal at one point, but, eh." She shrugged once more.

She had a point. Rainbow Dash would usually fight back when it came to arguments and physical fighting, but this time? She played a card that was out of her comfort zone. It was honestly scary, yet fascinating.

"I don't know how to feel about this, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight said stumped. She felt like she got outsmarted by Rainbow Dash of all ponies.

And now for the final part of her plan. Rainbow Dash chuckled amusingly, "You don't have to think about it too hard, but--" she reached her arm out and clonked Twilight over the head with her hoof.

"OW!" Twilight grabbed her head and rubbed it. "Jeez!" She glared at the pegasus, irritated for that unexpected action. "What the buck was that for?!"

"To knock some sense into ya, ya egghead!" With Twilight back to reality, it was about time she gave her a little more to boot. "I can't have you going to Fluttershy's house acting as you are now."

Twilight flinched a little as she gazed up at Rainbow Dash at that one.

"Pretty sure if they saw you as you were, they'd probably do the same thing I did, or something different," She sat next to Twilight and wrapped her arm around her and explained as best she could to Twilight, "Twilight, with how you've been acting and missing Spike and all --" she patted herself on her furry chest " -- we miss Spike, too, ya know. But we've all moved on and we'd all love to help you, we really would." She smiled softly at her, actually trying to lift her spirits, for once.

Twilight began to calm down and lightly smile back at her friend, feeling a little better knowing they'd do anything they could to help her feel better. It brought a gentle touch to her soul, but she hoped they'd help her differently than what Rainbow Dash just did, "Heh, yeah. That's true." And she couldn't forget that fact in the slightest. They've been through so much over the years; their friendship had never been so strong. She no doubt would know they'd help her out in any situation. "Though, they would've used different tactics than this cheap shot you pulled…" She muttered to herself, but Dash managed to overhear it anyway

"Yeah, but, don't worry. We've got your back, Twilight. Don't ever think we don't."

Twilight's smile stretched a little wider, feeling better, "Thanks, Rainbow Dash. It means a lot that you and the others would help me with any problem I have."

Rainbow Dash snickered and unleashed her final part of her plan, "Even getting you a stallion?"

"Even getting me a -- wait, wait?" Twilight looked to Rainbow Dash, shocked and confused, only to have her personal space invaded when Rainbow Dash firmly planted her muzzle against her's, beaming serious eyes that would poke her at the soul.

"Seriously, Twilight, if you ever brought this up to everyone else, we would not hesitate to find you a stallion and get you laid," Rainbow Dash said in a tone shift from calm to serious.

Twilight blushed rosy-red from hearing that. She didn't even think of anything like that. Nor did she ever think that would be brought into play. She loved Spike as if he was her own, but now with this talk Rainbow Dash brought up, she never considered having a biological foal of her own; let alone have a stallion to commit to it, too.

Her serious tone then shifted back once she saw Twilight had paused in thought. Her plan was working like a charm, now for the final touch. She twirled her hoof and deviously said, "And with you being a princess and all, and having gained a few things -- " she cheekily pointed down, motioning Twilight to the hip department, much to Twilight's embarrassment as her friend even had the nerve to poke at her hips, watching her hoof sink a little into it " -- I'm surprised you haven't noticed a lot of stallions gawking at you. I'm sure they'd love to help you --"

"Ack!" Twilight jumped out of Rainbow's grasp and frantically waved her hooves, and even spread her wings and waved them with her hooves, flustered by what she was saying. "Alright, I get it!" She shuddered, frowning softly. "Just… stop it before you go too far." As much as she'd love to have that moment of settling down with some stallion, she wasn't ready just yet. Besides, hearing Rainbow Dash spew all that perverted stuff made her feel uncomfortable.

Twilight Sparkle was a few things, but perverted - she was not.

Rainbow Dash chuckled victoriously as her plan came to a full success. She stood up proudly and looked at Twilight with excitement. "Alright, now come on. Fluttershy and the others are waiting. We already lost a lot of time goofing around." Depends on what she meant by 'goofing around'. Rainbow Dash pressed on to Fluttershy's cottage, but Twilight kind of fell behind.

She felt many things go on throughout her mind now that all her frustration was out. Rainbow Dash planned out this whole thing without her knowing it and she fell for it so easily. She didn't know what to think, do or say, or know how to form the right words to say to what just happened. She never thought to be in a situation where Rainbow Dash actually scared her for once. She was never known to plan out what she did; was this really Rainbow Dash? She had so many questions yet the biggest things flowing in her mind were how she now felt how guinea pigs felt and how much she did not want to know what Rainbow Dash does in her spare time.

But another thought occurred to her. While she did mask her feelings with another, that one feeling was still on the board. It dawned on her that she never told the others her true feelings about being a princess, but she didn't want to risk facing them with that just yet, "Hey, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight called out, getting her attention. "About the whole princess argument. I meant what I said."

Rainbow Dash was confused when Twilight said that. She raised a brow and asked her, "You mean that whole princess hate was real, too?"

Twilight nodded at her with a guilty look, "Please, don't tell the others about this. I don't want them thinking I want to abandon being a princess." the mere thought of that made her thought she was succumbing to her own demons. Princess Celestia chose her for a reason, but the responsibility was unexpected and she had questions and doubts. She just wanted to learn, not rule.

Rainbow Dash saw the conflicted look on Twilight and felt a coat of sympathy cover her. She was not going to go hard on her this time, "Sure, Twilight. I won't tell."

Twilight perked up and looked at her surprised before a relief rained down on her and calmed her down, "Thanks, Rainbow." she said with a calm smile.

The rainbow pegasus chuckled, "Now come on, Fluttershy's waiting!" Rainbow Dash said with an eager tone as she and the new princess rushed to Fluttershy's cottage.

*****

A dirty-green hummingbird peacefully hovered over a pink flower. It sunk its beak in the center to consume the nectar within while basking in the serenity of the area it was grazing over. And the reason why it was enjoying a day like this was because of a friend it made that lived in a nature-themed cottage; a cottage that would pass off as a house for a little foal's show.

Hummingway was minding his own business while staying in the front of Fluttershy's cottage. While he did love the peace Fluttershy provide for him and the other animals, he was given a task. Normally, his task would be to just be a hummingbird doing hummingbird things and go on with his day. But today, his friend and caretaker asked him to be a lookout for any more guests to arrive. Three ponies have already arrived, but now he needed to wait for two more. It had him dumbfounded because he remembered Fluttershy telling him that one of them was as fast as lightning and that she'd be here in no time. Three of them showed up, but none of them were the ones Fluttershy described. Hummingway didn't really care though; so long as he did his job, he was fine.

He trailed through the air somewhat lazily floating before something caught his attention. He heard two more voices approaching the cottage and looked to find the pony with the right description and another one with her. That must be them! Focused and nodding firmly, Hummingway made a bee-line around the cottage and headed straight to Fluttershy who was standing in front of her table with the three other ponies with her. Her attention was easily grabbed.

"Oh, Hummingway, there you are! Any reports?" Fluttershy asked with a tint of worry. But a few chirps and a nod put her at ease. "Okay, thank you, Hummingway." She got up as Hummingway zipped by her; his job was done.

Excusing herself for a moment and rushing around her cottage, she then spotted Rainbow Dash and Twilight approaching, "Hi girls!" Fluttershy greeted and waved, excited they finally made it.

Rainbow Dash smiled as she and Twilight walked up to their friend just as excited, "Hey Fluttershy! It's been a while."

"Oh, it has. It's so good to see you two. What took you so long?" Fluttershy asked curiously. Normally, Rainbow Dash would be first. This was such an oddity, that it couldn't help but spark her curiosity.

Rainbow Dash knew something like that was going to arise and she chuckled awkwardly, trying to find an excuse, "We got sidetracked with a Daring Do talk." Hopefully, she'll by that and not pick up something odd like she did with Twilight.

Fluttershy raised a brow. As believable as that was, she doubted that was the case. She peeked over to Twilight who smiled at her a little awkwardly.

"Twilight, is this true?" Fluttershy asked, somewhat suspicious.

Twilight responded in kind, trying to play it off like it was true so she wouldn't ring the alarm going on in Fluttershy's head, "Oh yeah. You know us? Big Daring Do fans and all. In fact, we just talked about our favorite scenes and that might've caused us to be a little late."

"I see…" Fluttershy gave them an intense glance for what seemed like minutes on end, giving them the impression she was onto them about something, but ultimately chuckled and waved an assuring hoof to them, "Okay, I was only messing with you. It's good you made it anyway. Everyone else is waiting." she trotted back to her backyard while Rainbow Dash and Twilight sighed in relief to themselves as they followed Fluttershy.

But, as if they had synced minds, had thoughts swimming in their heads like fish in a river. Did the others arrive before them? Like Fluttershy, they haven't seen Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack in such a long while. Again, this idea Fluttershy whipped up was perfect. They haven't seen them in three months, they wondered if any of them have changed? Hopefully, they can all catch up on things they've been doing since Spike's departure.

Upon walking around the cottage, they saw a pink, round, wooden table with a decorative cover over it and six chairs of the same color surrounding it. Each chair had a theme of representing their cutie marks -- it was very unique and creative for Fluttershy to do; if she did all that, of course. Twilight and Rainbow Dash smiled, not because of the matching furniture, but because two familiar earth ponies sat at their respective chairs and awaited them to join them -- Fluttershy walked up and sat on her chair next to Rainbow dash's chair. A familiar orange mare with her trademark cowgirl hat gave them a welcoming nod and an all too familiar pink mare with a cotton candy-like mane and tail excitedly waved at them with a big smile on her face.

Without hesitation, the alicorn and pegasus joined their friends around the table. Twilight and Rainbow Dash sitting next to one another, of course.

"It's so good to see you girls," Twilight said as she placed her saddlebag down.

Applejack chuckled, "Likewise, Twi. It's been a long while. Same goes to you too, Dash."

"Yeah, it felt like years since we last saw each other. I almost thought I would forget your faces!" Pinkie Pie in a worried tone that passed off as hyperactive, but with how her friends were looking at her like she overreacted there, that wasn't the case. She was just as silly as always.

Twilight smiled reassuringly, knowing three months wasn't exactly that long, but she did get where she was coming from, "Pinkie, it's only been three months. Time goes by, but not in a sense like that."

"I'd hold your breath, Twilight," Applejack leaned to her, shaking her head. "Pinkie did the same thing to me when I got here. It's like spittin' in the wind." Even though three months doesn't seem that long, it was still long enough for some to get excited after not meeting an old face for so long; Pinkie Pie was the prime example.

The other three nodded in agreement. Though, no one was in the wrong here. It was just nice to have a get-together after so long.

Rainbow Dash looked over to Applejack and perked a little, noticing something off with her, "Hey, is there something different about you, AJ? You look a little... buffer?" Rainbow Dash pointed as Applejack looked at her confused before glancing at her arms.

Twilight noticed as well and was genuinely surprised, "Hey, yeah. She's right. What did you do throughout that time?" Since they were here, she might as well ask.

Applejack chuckled again, figuring they'd noticed like Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie and Rarity did, "I've been workin' out, is all. Pushin' myself harder around the farm." She flexed her left arm. "Workin' non-stop at the farm really gave me quite the exercise; Big Mac, Applebloom and I had to go through a lot to keep our home safe, ya know?" And to further her proof to back up what she was saying, she flexed her right arm to show just how bulkier and stronger she'd gotten. She wasn't one to show off, but this was just a demonstration; her biceps were as big as the apples she bucks off the trees. Her front and hind legs were slightly brawnier than what they'd use to be and her neck muscles were slightly bulked to where it seemed like she could lift a rock as big as Big Macintosh, if not bigger.

Though she didn't stand up to show off anymore, Rainbow Dash and Twilight got the hint rather well. Twilight was mesmerized and Rainbow Dash was kind of jealous.

"Working out for three months to end up like that? Lucky." Rainbow Dash crossed her arms and pouted, looking away with a snort.

Twilight analyzed Applejack's form and looked over to Rainbow in thought, but didn't really spend too much time on it. It was obvious Applejack and Rainbow Dash were polar opposites. One was made for speed while the other was made for strength; it was clear as water if they'd noticed it.

"So, what about you, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked curiously. "What've you been doing for the past three months?" Other than missing her friends and all, she had to have done some other stuff, right?

Pinkie Pie shoved her whole arm into her mane and shuffled around in there before pulling out a scroll to show them. As much as that would be bizarre for anyone else, they were used to something like this from Pinkie Pie.

"Oh, do I have a list of what I've done!" Pinkie Pie said as she giggle-snorted and dropped the scroll as it rolled over to the table and down to the nearest bush.

Twilight looked surprised that Pinkie actually made a list of the things she'd done for that amount of time. This was big, even for Pinkie, but she noticed the top of the scroll had bent back to show her something was off. Twilight snickered, knowing where it might lead while Rainbow Dash and the others were caught off-guard. Even Applejack was floored by it. Guess Pinkie Pie saved it until they showed up.

Pinkie Pie cleared her throat and was about to speak, but snickered and tossed the scroll away, "Just kidding."

Everyone rolled their eyes and chuckled amusingly at Pinkie's little joke. It was such a breath of fresh air that Pinkie Pie hasn't changed all that much, personality-wise, but they'd still like to know what she'd been up to during their three-month departure.

But, their answer came to them when Pinkie Pie threw her scroll away. Fluttershy watched the scroll land then suddenly poof from existence. The timid mare was baffled, but focused her attention back onto her friends -- some things are better left unanswered.

"I've actually not done a whole lot throughout that time. I just worked, planned parties -- " she pondered for a second and snickered " -- and finally solved that one issue Applejack and I had for quite a while." She smugly looked at her friends, feeling proud of that moment.

Applejack lightly clopped a hoof on the table, mentally kicking herself for forgetting that moment, "Oh, that's right. How could I forget?" She giggled awkwardly to herself. "We did finally get a result and it surprised both of our families."

"Wait, for real?" Rainbow Dash said, surprised to know that mystery had finally been solved. "Well, what was the result?"

Twilight was just as enthused. For a while, it still remained a total mystery whether or not Pinkie Pie and Applejack were related. She planned on helping them find out, but never got around to asking if they actually wanted it. To know they actually figured it out ontheir own was rather exciting. "Yeah, I'd like to know, too. This is so exciting, I -- wait?" She paused and waved at her friends to get their attention. They complied, but they looked at her confused.

Twilight looked at her friends and mentally counted from her to... Applejack? Five of them were here, but Rarity was missing, "Where's Rarity?"

Rainbow Dash was wondering the same thing now that Twilight brought it up.

"Oh, she's here," Fluttershy responded. "She's using my restroom." She pointed to the upper floor of her cottage. "She's been in there for a few minutes in case if you were wondering."

Well, that answered her question, but Twilight was worried Rarity would miss out on this golden opportunity. Pinkie and Applejack looked like they were excited to spill the beans, but they were short one pony. "Should we wait until--?"

"I'm he-eee-re!!!" a graceful singing voice chimed and grabbed their attention.

"--Nevermind." the thought occurred to her that she really shouldn't worry so much regarding what her friends do.

Applejack chuckled, amused by just the timing Rarity pulled, "Way to make a grand entrance, Rarity. Were you just waiting behind the door or something?" she teased playfully, knowing full well that fashionista of a mare just has a silly habit of making an entrance. That, and being dramatic about almost everything.

Pinkie Pie let out a small giggle-snort and Fluttershy tried her best to withhold a tiny giggle. While it was true, they did miss Rarity's antics so much. And they were happy she managed to do just that.

But, that didn't stop her from giving the three an unamused pout, especially to Applejack for that unnecessary quip, "Well, I'll have you know I did no such thing. It was merely timing." But she then looked to Twilight and Rainbow Dash and waved at them. "Oh, good to see you've made it, girls." she started to walk to the table to join them.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash slowly waved back at Rarity and they would've smiled at her, if it weren't for the fact that they now figured out who had the most 'changes' out of all of them. Rainbow Dash and Twilight looked on in shock. Not only did Applejack get buffer, but Rarity went through a huge body change, too, -- figuratively and very much literally. She wasn't her thin and curvy self anymore. No, actually… she seemed to have gained quite some pudge over those three months they haven't seen her.

Twilight noticed her cheeks slightly swelled to look somewhat identical to a newborn foal's cheeks, then she looked down to see her chest gained some fluff, too, and slightly bounced with each step she took. That or maybe that was literal extra fur she acquired and not actual fat? She didn't want to assume so quickly and just thought of another logical guess. But her form clearly looked like it could still move her around with no trouble, at all. Yet she worried about what happened to her friend over the three months they haven't seen each other.

Unfortunately, while Twilight noticed the front of Rarity's transformation, Rainbow Dash noticed what Rarity was packing in the back. And it was just mind-boggling how she was able to move so easily. While her front legs didn't look like they changed that much, her back legs were the ones that gained the most padding. Her hips, thighs, and flanks swelled so much they barely passed her shoulders. She blushed faintly. She could only imagine how other ponies must've reacted when seeing her. She would flaunt over the fact it was quite a sight, but oh how the jokes will fly later down the line. Right now, she just needed to keep her cool; hopefully.

At the moment, they didn't know what to think of her. The process took a slow start, but they tried not to make it awkward once she joined them.

It wasn't until Twilight noticed what Rainbow Dash noticed and blushed as well. She recalled what Rainbow Dash told her earlier and secretly looked down at her own flanks for a second before glancing back to Rarity as she stood next to her chair talking to Applejack. Like before, she appreciated the thought, but she wondered if Rainbow Dash didn't take to account that other mares could beat her to the punch.

Seeing Rarity the way she was now, Twilight felt a little envious and leaned close to Rainbow Dash with a somewhat sharp whisper, "And you said stallions would stare at my flanks?" she tried not to draw any attention from the others but she was still confused out of her mind by what happened to Rarity and she had couldn't help but jab at what Rainbow Dash told her earlier. Still, just what the hell happened to her?

Rainbow Dash blushed embarrassingly and awkwardly. She momentarily forgot what she told Twilight before showing up here and just assumed she'd brush it aside; apparently not! But, now that she brought that nugget of information back, she didn't know what to say. She was trying to compliment while also trying not to get Twilight all depressed. But can she blame her? She didn't know Rarity would end up looking like a literal walking marshmallow! She winced and gazed at Twilight, "Hey, I was only trying to help you! How was I supposed to know Rarity would get this big?" She whispered back while trying not to draw attention.

Twilight raised a brow at that, not buying that for a second, "Help me? You said stallions gawk at my flanks all the time. You honestly think other mares wouldn't find ways to draw attention, too?" She whispered again, making a good point that not all stallions are going to gape over royal flanks like hers; not that she wanted it.

'And here we go…' Rainbow Dash closed her eyes tiredly and silently groaned in annoyance. She had a cold feeling Twilight was now gonna be jealous because of Rarity's new 'assets' and that she was gonna be the cause of it. All she tried to do was compliment her friend with that little remark and now she was about to get an earful from the virgin mother, "Twilight, just take the damn compliment."

"What are you girls talking about?" Pinkie Pie asked as she got in between her friends and wrapped her arms around them. She noticed them whispering to each other for a bit and got really curious. Twilight and Rainbow Dash flinched and looked away from each other and Pinkie Pie, feeling their hearts race from her popping out of nowhere and thinking she might've heard them.

"Um, nothing!" They both responded

Pinkie pie snickered and raised a humorous brow at her friends, "You sure?" she said as she teased them. "I saw you two whispering and thought you girls were whispering sweet nothings like it were secret." she gasped excitedly. "Are you two secretly friends with --"

Rainbow Dash and Twilight widened their eyes in embarrassed shock and quickly plunged their hooves into Pinkie Pie's face before she could even finish what she was about to say, "Pinkie, shut up!" Both alicorn and pegasus said simultaneously before the party pony left to go sit back on her chair still smiling and laughing from their reactions.

Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy laughed in enjoyment. They knew those two were having some kind of conversation but didn't think much of it. Yet, one pony had to ask since what Pinkie Pie did throw them into such a fuss.

"Just what were you two talking about, darlings?" Rarity asked as she carefully got up on her chair and casually sat down; her chair creaked but miraculously held up just fine with the weight she gained. Though, if one were not able to pay attention, one would mistake her flanks as though she were sitting on two big, round pillows.

Just what did those three months do to Rarity to make like this? That was one question roaming around in their minds; there were more, but that was the only one strongly circling in their heads.

But, unlike the figurative stallions Rainbow Dash brought up before they got here, Twilight had to be the brave one of the two, stop rubbernecking Rarity, and speak before they start to think she's becoming a crazy mare. She giggled a little nervously and awkwardly before saying, "Oh, we weren't talking about anything important. We were just talkin' about --"

Rainbow Dash suddenly threw her arms up and interrupted Twilight. Her curiosity got the better of her and she just couldn't hold it in any longer. "Holy cow, Rarity!" Rainbow Dash blatantly said in a shocked tone that caused the other ponies to flinch from such a reaction. Rarity was held aback when Rainbow Dash asked her a question like a carefree, curious little filly, "What the hell happened to you? I mean, last time I saw you, you had a model mare's body. Now you're a walking pillow any pony would lay their head on." It was out; she couldn't take it back; Rarity heard her; the others heard her; if she had any regrets, Rainbow Dash would write them in her will.

Twilight sat there with a frozen face of panic. Silence was over the table and no one said a word. She was going to say something that didn't regard Spike or what Rarity looked like! Instead, Rainbow Dash had to screw things up for the both of them by blabbering about the freaking latter!

She knew this was going to open a new can of worms, she knew how sensitive Rarity was about her looks, and while she too wondered about what happened, unlike Dash, she would've been a bit more delicate about asking her – and made it a bit more private because asking a question of such a thing, is a bit invasive, now that she thinks about it.

'Kill me now!' Twilight thought as she gazed at her friends who looked shocked from Rainbow Dash asking that question. 'Just kill me now!' She glanced at Rarity who, surprisingly, didn't give Rainbow Dash an I'll-kill-you-dead glare that would give villains a run for their bits. Strange. But, still! Twilight wanted to smack Rainbow Dash upside the noggin' for being so rude like that. Twilight looked to Fluttershy and she had that raging glare on her face, too. She no doubt had the same thing in mind: 'Rainbow Dash, you idiot! 'But, again, Rarity wasn't lashing out or giving a dramatic lecture like she normally would. Was she okay?

Yet, Applejack broke the silence with an unamused tone, lowering her eyes at her polar opposite, "Way to be subtle there, Sugarcube." She, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were aware of how much Rarity changed, but they never said anything because it wasn't any of their business. Applejack did mention it before but only to tease around. Just asking might've been rude on her part.

"Yeah," Pinkie Pie said, not too thrilled by Rainbow Dash's question. "I know I keep files on ponies, but topics like that are a big no-no!" Yet, with all the sweets Pinkie Pie eats, she shouldn't be the one to talk, yet as chubby as she may be, she is still nimble and energetic. Only Pinkie Pie knew the answer to that one of many mysteries about herself.

Well, this didn't look good. Rainbow Dash felt bad for saying what she said. She didn't mean to cause a ruckus among her friends. She just saw something that excited her was all. She didn't think Pinkie pie and Applejack would be sensitive about Rarity's change. She tried to apologize to Rarity, but in a surprising choice of fate, Rarity looked sternly at Applejack and Pinkie Pie; not at her.

"Oh hush, you two. I can speak for myself, thank you very much," Puffing her lower lip out in a firm pout, she lifted her muzzle in a bit of a huff while Applejack and Pinkie Pie flinched and backed off from saying anything. They thought they were defending her in case she was the one that felt sensitive; they were so confused by this turn of events. A little blush emerged on the fashionista's cheeks, however. "There's no need to gang up on somepony who was only curious to know." If anything, Rarity never needed any defending. She was more than capable of defending herself. The thought was appreciative, but the behavior was not tolerated -- especially when it involved another friend. They were all mature mares by now and she was going to remind them as such. It also insulted her in some way, but not enough to make her lash out at the two mares.

"Besides, Applejack,' Rarity said specifically targeting Applejack as motioned to her new figure. "If somepony got curious about how bulkier you got, you'd think it was alright, would it?"

How ironic she said that, because the very pony who asked her about her weight gain asked her about her bulk. Applejack felt so stupid and would hide her face behind her hat knowing the revelation smacked her right across the face -- she knew better than that. "I see your point, Rarity." She wouldn't be shocked if what Pinkie Pie and herself did was outright hypocritical. She looked to Rainbow Dash and smiled apologetically; Pinkie Pie was the same, knowing Rarity was right to call them out on their behavior.

Fluttershy calmed down knowing Rarity might not've had any issue, at all. She never took to account that she could be okay answering Rainbow Dash's questions. In hindsight, she was just glad she didn't say anything. It wasn't wise to join in on a pointless argument when no one thought that the defendant didn't really need defending after all.

"Heh. Sorry about that, Rainbow Dash. We just assumed what you did was gonna upset Rarity. We just acted on impulse," Applejack apologized sincerely. She never wanted to start something when they just got back together after so long. She gazed over at Rarity, recalling her sensitive characteristic and brought it up to bat, which caused Rarity to blush deeper as her eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "You oughta remember how sensitive Rares here is about her looks."

Pinkie Pie felt the same. That was not right at all and she had plenty of ideas as an apology for how she behaved, "I'm super-duper sorry too, Dash. I thought you were gonna make fun of Rarity for how marshmallow-y she looked or take a jab at how much stallions love looking at her big plump --"

"Okay, Pinkie, I think she gets it," Rarity's blush became bright red. A simple 'I'm Sorry' would've worked. This was supposed to be a mature moment; the right kind of maturity. But leave it to Pinkie Pie to try and make it awkward. Though, deep down, she didn't deny any of that. However, her bigger frame belonged to only one and one alone -- as well as something else along the way. She was just relieved none of her friends noticed.

Though she will comment on Applejack's jab about her sensibility as she gave a tiny scoff, her blush still visible, "Come now, darlings – I'm not that overdramatic over my looks."

However, the slight raised brows and the silence they gave her begged to differ, one thought ringing through their heads about her comment; 'Really?!'

But, despite that comment, Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what just happened. She spoke her mind and thought she was going to be swarmed, but Rarity saved her from that cruel fate. She owed her big time for that and smiled gratefully, "It's okay girls. I wasn't trying to insult her. I just wanted to know why the body change. You were always so into keeping your body thin. What changed?"

If they've forgotten what happened that day, she'll gladly explain. Rarity looked at herself and knew exactly what Rainbow Dash meant by what she said. Yes, she gained a lot over time and she wasn't going to deny that. Yet, she wasn't going to let it offend her either. She smiled bashfully and rubbed the back of her head as she placed one hoof on her dome-like belly, "Okay, how do I explain this?" She blushed brightly and embarrassingly, "Um, well, first off, you're not the only one that asked me about my 'change'." Which put Rainbow Dash at ease a lot more knowing other ponies asked the same question, too. "Second, I don't really want to go into full detail, but, I'll simply say: I gave up."

That threw her friends for a loop. That was it? They expected a full dramatic story on why she decided to be what she was. Either, she got into an argument with family and she needed to eat to cope or time got to her and it put a number on her body or she was sitting too much or some other fourth thing. To hear her say she just 'gave up' seemed rather alien to them. Was this really the Rarity they knew or an imposter?

"Are you for real?" Applejack asked, confused.

Yet Rarity simply nodded and casually said, "Yes, I am. I simply gave up. Trying to keep a good image just felt like it was more work than the work I already had. I still use make-up, of course, but I just couldn't keep up with trying to keep my body fit that I just couldn't bother with it anymore."

For Twilight, something was way off. There had to be more to the story than what Rarity was leading on. As much as she knew about her friend, Rarity wouldn't just give up that easily and let herself go like that. It worried her. "Rarity, there's more to this, isn't there?" Her voice spoke of only worry and concern for her beautiful friend. She could make a few guesses on what might be wrong, but she might have one that could be an absolute winner.

Rarity looked to Twilight without a hint of retaliation and denial. Was she that bad at hiding her emotions? Wait, no! She could've sworn she thought that little act would've convinced them. But, they haven't figured it out, so she'll just partially tell them what's going on. And it wasn't like they were fools; Twilight did spark everyone to wonder if there was more to her story.

Rarity sighed, "Yes, there's more. I gave up, that much is true. But ever since Spike left, it really changed me." She looked at her friends and saw the sad looks on them. She didn't mean to bring him up, yet she had a gut feeling Twilight would relate to it, if not more than her.

She leaned back on her chair and looked up at the sky in thought while trying to secretly be careful, almost in a moment, she almost envisioned Spike himself flying home to her, but she knew she was only fooling herself. She sighed softly, still feeling gloomy, that her love left, "I know it's been three months since Spike left, but it's been difficult for me to go on without him around." So, it wasn't just simply giving up that got her like this. She felt depressed throughout the whole ordeal. Twilight was shocked, but she could easily relate. Rarity missed him just as much as she did; it was obvious, but she didn't think it would lead to this. "When Spike left, I just didn't feel like myself anymore. I lost focus on some days and I started to stress eat; normally, I would sew, but it just didn't help me like it used to. I tried to lose weight for two weeks, but when that didn't work, I saw no point in trying any further and just… gave up. Now I'm just a fat pig, and now a crying mule." she scolded herself for what she became, but there was nothing more she could do. She was depressed and she tried a lot to make herself feel better, but her heart was still broken from that ordeal that she just lost the motivation to keep going.

To think, a nice, caring dragon would make her act like this and turn her life upside down. She tried not to make herself feel like a wreck, again, because she was around friends, but she couldn't help it. She missed Spike so much that she nearly teared up and quivered her lips, her mascara threatening to leak with her tears.

But Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and the rest of the girls tried their best to comfort their pudgy friend. They felt so sorry for her and wanted to make her feel better. They knew Rarity cared for Spike and knew he had feelings for her, but they never expected her to end up like this.

"Hey, hey, don't beat yourself up, Rarity. We all miss Spike just as much as you do -- well, maybe more," Applejack tried to comfort Rarity as she looked to Twilight, knowing for a fact that she and Rarity have this moment in common.

But Rarity looked to Applejack with near-teary eyes. She was not sure of what to make of what Applejack said and it made her wonder just how much the others missed him, "W-What do you mean, Applejack?" She was so fog-headed, that she completely forgot about Twilight's feelings in all of this.

Fluttershy knew exactly where Applejack was going with this and she gazed over to a confused Twilight, then to Rarity, "She means we're going to have a small rehab session." She looked to everyone with a stern form; she was in no mood for any backtalk or complaining. Everybody was going to comply in this session.

Everyone looked at Fluttershy as if her idea made absolutely no sense whatsoever. A rehab session? But none of them had any alcohol problems -- except for Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie when they have one of their late-night parties with other friends on special occasions. But, still, they never make a habit of it. So, just what was Fluttershy talking about?

"Rehab?" Pinkie Pie asked. She didn't quite get that because this was a tea party and not a gathering of drunken idiots acting like drunken sailors on a drunken boat.

Fluttershy nodded. It seemed as though all of them still had bits of depression left from that day. She originally invited them over for a simple get-together, but she can clearly see that they all still have emotional wreckage left in their systems. Well, for some, at least. As much as she hated to admit it, out of the six of them, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and she herself had not gained a strong connection to Spike like Rarity and Twilight had. She'd be damned if she ever said that out loud, but how she felt right now regarding Spike was small. And she could see that with the other three. But, if they were to have a regular get-together, they needed to get whatever it was they had off their chest.

"Yes, well, a pseudo-rehab session. Since Spike is no longer with us, we have to know what his presence has done that changed our lives," she pointed to Rarity as a prime example, "And Rarity has shown she misses Spike dearly. And if I were to guess, you miss him helping you around your home, right?"

Rarity looked to Fluttershy shocked. She nailed that dead-center and held no punches. There was still more to it, but that was one of the key points. She was ultimately glad she wasn't going to ask further questions because she still had to at least keep up this little act before she was ready, she sighed softly in regret, "Y-Yes. Without Spikey-wikey around, life around the boutique has been very 'empty' so to speak." She wasn't going to deny that in the slightest. It was true, ever since Spike grew 60 feet tall, he can no longer help her inside the boutique as he used to, and she had grown to admire his constant company. Granted, she knew levitation magic that would help her for days, it just didn't feel right without him helping her; that, and the appreciation they gave each other. Yet, if he does return, she can't wait for what's to come, soon. "But, I've been doing other stuff, too. I miss Spike so much, but I didn't spend the last three months moping my head off." But the details will be for later since she figured Fluttershy didn't want to hear it, just yet.

Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what was going on. That talk she had with Twilight about not bringing Spike up was completely pointless now. Not only did Rarity bring him up, but she anticipated Twilight would've done that. But she didn't! The tables have turned on her and now she felt a sudden cold feeling run down her spine -- and she had one guess what was causing it. She did not move an inch; not even twitch an eye. Right next to her was Twilight now giving her a venom-soaked glare. And, yeah, she deserved it and she knew it. Her talk backfired, hard. That compliment backfired. And when this was all over she'll probably backfire blood for a few days. But, like the fate-tempter she was, she attempted to go and stare death in the face before Fluttershy cut her off by calling her name, "Huh? Wha?"

"It's your turn. We're starting this of my choosing. And it's your turn."

"Oh, um, okay," Rainbow Dash pondered for a moment. "Well, for the past three months, I haven't done a whole lot other than helping my folks and going to training practice at the Wonderbolts Academy. Honestly, not a whole lot has happened after Spike left. I do miss him, but I've moved on."

Fluttershy nodded. Rainbow Dash wasn't mean about it and she respected that. Her confirmation was correct. But now it was time for Applejack and Pinkie Pie. She looked to Applejack, but the cowgirl already knew where this was going. And with her element, she held nothing back.

"Pretty much the same as Rainbow Dash." She momentarily took off her hat and held it over her heart, while she tried not to sound mean, she will not deny that there wasn't a day that she missed Spike as well. If he wasn't around helping Rarity at the boutique, he would sometimes help out in the orchard, which she didn't seem to mind at all. "Aside from the whole workout part, I've been tending to my folks. Granny's getting up there in age; Big Mac is still being his strong, silent Big Mac self, but Applebloom actually found herself a colt that genuinely loves her." She smiled fondly at that last part, feeling so proud of her little sister for finding a coltfriend. She chuckled warmly, "It took us a bit to get used to him, but that boy has such a kind soul. Even threw us for a loop when he said he idolized us and was thrilled to be dating Applebloom." Never in her life did she ever thought ponies would be fans of the Apple Family. It was nice, but she was more than ecstatic to know he wasn't one of those crazy fans she's seen before. If that was the case, he'd be outta there faster than Big Mac's boulder toss record. "I've never seen my little sister so happy in my entire life."

Fluttershy smiled happily to hear that. But, like Rainbow Dash, she moved on, too. She nodded to Applejack before moving to view to Pinkie Pie. And like before, she spoke without Fluttershy getting a word in.

"Oh, where do I begin? Oh, wait, I know where!" she said with an upbeat smile. "Just like Applejack and Rainbow Dash, I had a few things going on in my life like my job at Sugarcube corner, babysitting the twins, dealing with that one thing Applejack and I were going to mention earlier." She wanted to mention that part in case they forgot; which they haven't, but still. Pinkie Pie slightly frowned and lowered her ears, "I still do miss Spike being around. When I would make new sweets like cookies or brownies, he'd give me critiques on them. And he was always so sweet about it." She giggled at her joke as it got her friends to either chuckle or cringe; depending on the reaction, Pinkie Pie still loved them. Just like Applejack and Rarity, she too got used to his presence around her workplace, and if he wasn't with Rarity, or helping Applejack at the orchard, he was with her – eagerly taste-testing her sweet experiments. But she couldn't help but remember the looks Spike gave to her when he got a taste. They were so rewarding and wholesome. "But, now I've gotten other taste-testers like Pound and Pumpkin cake and a few other ponies, too. They're not as detailed as Spike is though, but their reactions are more than enough."

Fluttershy nodded. It was good to hear Pinkie Pie was doing well after Spike left. It surprised her and, more than likely Twilight, that he was one of Pinkie's taste-testers. He never mentioned that to any of them, then again he would've forgotten about it or kept it a secret like his visits at her cottage. But, now it was her turn to share, "Okay, much like Pinkie Pie's little secret right there--"

"Was a secret," Pinkie Pie corrected, knowing there was no need to keep it.

"-- Right.' Fluttershy smiled a bit. "Spike and I had a little secret hang-out. Much like what we're trying to do. He came over for a visit for tea and peace." It made her feel special knowing he'd always love to show up. She enjoyed the company and the peace that came with it. Of all the places, she tried her hardest to maintain that peace around her area; even she wondered how she was able to do so.

"Wait, peace?" Applejack said, confused. "Did he not think any of what we did was peaceful?" she looked a little worried. True she was rough some times, but she had her own peace like everyone else -- it just depended on the environment.

"Yeah, what do you mean by that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked in a suspicious tone, looking at her as if she did something to convince him to think that. Was Fluttershy trying to tell them something? Because that wasn't like Fluttershy, at all.

That worry almost crossed with the others, but Fluttershy quickly shook her head, "No, no, no. That wasn't what I meant," she said in a frantic, assuring tone. "I meant he enjoyed the peaceful area around my home." She motioned to her backyard that was filled to the brim with flowers on the ground and forest trees to house her small animal friends.

That was enough to convince the five. They thought Spike was more adapted to what Fluttershy said and assumed he would rather stick around with her instead of hanging with them, or something more on the line in the gutter area, but they always knew that Fluttershy wasn't that kind of pony -- maybe. They should've remembered he was well-adapted to almost any environment. Maybe that meant they really should ask before assuming. The last thing they need was a misunderstanding.

"Yeah, he enjoyed the peaceful serenity around here. It made him feel at ease. At least, that's what he told me. But, after he left, things felt a little different for me. Without his visits, I'm just doing my daily routines with my jobs as a veterinarian and animal caretaker." With those jobs said out loud, it really was like a contest to see who had the toughest job. But with that said, they were amazed and proud that Fluttershy was able to handle them without succumbing to stress. They all can relate in some way.

"Heh, yeah, I may be a bit at fault on that one," Twilight smiled a bit awkwardly and rubbed the back of her head. She always wanted peace in her life, but with how she handled things growing up, maybe she could've learned a few lessons from others beforehand, but the thought never occurred before she went coo-coo a few times. "I may have been a little unstable with how I handled things and I might've provided a harsh environment for him. Spike always tried to help, but I have a feeling I made things worse."

"Twilight, you know that's not true," Fluttershy spoke out slightly assertive, making Twilight flinch a little. "He loves you no matter what happens." Yes, she had her unstable moments, but so does everyone else. No one was perfect and that's why Fluttershy didn't choose her first. And it was one reason why everyone other than Rainbow Dash glanced over to her.

Of all the stress they've dealt with, they never had the stress of dealing with raising a child; for Applejack and Pinkie Pie it was raising a sibling and foalsitting, but those don't compare to raising a child of your own. It was a little messed up for Celestia to just hand Spike over when he was a hatchling when Twilight was still just a filly, but they digress.

"Don't ever doubt yourself like that." Fluttershy once again asserted but gave her a little worried, if not pleading look in her eyes. She really didn't like seeing her friends doubt themselves, which very much included Twilight.

Twilight was at a loss for words. She looked at everyone else waiting for them to respond, but they all looked at her as if she was the one holding back something -- and she was. She realized what was going on and looked to Fluttershy and took a guess," I'm last on purpose, aren't I?"

Fluttershy nodded, confirming her guess, "You are Spike's mother, after all. So, I figured I'd save your answer for last. So, were there any changes when he left?"

Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy then at Twilight, this time. Yet, Twilight never looked right back at her. Twilight just sat there with eyes locked in thought, it was as if she'd forgotten what she told her. She dodged a bullet there, but everything was quiet until Twilight sighed sadly and then spoke out in a somber tone.

"I miss him so much." She said. "When he left, I feel like I achieved something, and then lost something. I raised Spike my whole life ever since he was just a baby, and to see him gone, it just hurts so much." she placed a hoof on her chest and felt the pressure about to set in, she could feel her heart begin to ache and break. She tried so hard not to tear up, but she had to say it. She hiccups a bit, "The Treehouse is so empty without him. Sure, I have Owlowicious, but I never felt quite the same. Each passing day feels so cold without his warm embrace, and I'd always get distracted whenever I try to focus on something else. At times during the night, I almost call for him for dinner only to remember that he's no longer here." She slowly sheds a tear, her lip quivering, "No matter what I do, I'm constantly reminded about my memories of him."

It appears that her son's presence had an effect on all of them, and his absence struck her deep – to a point that she almost calls for him in the treehouse as if he was still here, only to remember that he was gone. The pain struck hard and left her a quivering mess in the middle of the night, and currently, it was threatening her to break down in front of her friends.

"I'm still depressed, I won't lie, but I'm slowly getting better. I just don't know when I'll fully recover… or when this pain will stop." She choppily breathed a bit, finding herself repeating herself from earlier. "It's over, isn't it? He's all grown up, we loved him – and he loved us, but now he's gone." She whimpered, her tears swollen and slowly dripping down her cheek. "It's been over for 3 months, girls… hasn't it?" She gazed up at them in heartbreak and disbelief that she just can't seem to let it go and move on just like they all had. "What's wrong with me? Why can't I just move on?" Closing her eyes, she gazed down as her friends look dreadfully worried and guilty for her suffering so much. Resting her hooves on the table, followed by her cheek resting on top of them, she concluded to them in depression. "It's over, isn't it… why can't I move on?!" She broke down in front of them as her tears leak down her cheeks, hiding her face in her folded hooves as she cried.

The depressed look said it all. And her friends felt so bad for her. Not a quip; not a joke; not even a sarcastic remark. They all felt sorry for her.

"Oh, you must have Empty-Nest syndrome," Fluttershy sympathetically said, prompting Twilight to look up at her slightly confused.

"Empty-what?" She asked, a bit confused as she sniffled.

"Empty-Nest Syndrome. Basically, it's a form of depression every parent goes through when their child is old enough to leave the house." Having said that schpeel to them, they all looked to Fluttershy amazed she knew this or confused about what it meant. They've never heard anything like that before and not once did anyone ever mention it to them -- even Twilight was astonished. She never read up on anything like that kind of syndrome before. Where did Fluttershy get that information from?

"Uh, Fluttershy? Where in Equestria did you learn something like that?" Applejack asked.

"Yes, darling, I never learned that in school before," Rarity said in a surprised tone. She didn't think any of them learned that her whole life and if Twilight was going through that, it would explain a lot.

Fluttershy smiled proudly that she said something her friends never knew and happily said with a hint of excitement, "I found it out from my jobs and around my home. It's not just ponies that go through it, but animals do, too." She was about to share some stories with them, but quickly stopped herself and waved a hoof. "But, back on topic, that seems like what you might be going through, Twilight. And there is nothing wrong with that." She tried to reassure her that this was a natural cause and it would take some time to get over. Fluttershy understood that despite not being a mother herself.

But hearing that, that actually cheered Twilight up. She smiled appreciatively and felt good to know her friends were so cooperative when they brought this up. It made the feeling she had before when she talked with Rainbow Dash earlier very moot. "Thanks girls, that means a lot. For a moment I --" she paused herself when that conversation she had with Rainbow Dash kicked back up in her mind. She appreciated the compliment, but she felt manipulated into thinking the others would stop what they were doing and just dragged her to get a stallion to sleep with. Oh, that won't fly with her this time! It's time for some sweet, sweet revenge.

"You what, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked, confused as to why she paused like that.

Twilight cleared her throat a little and prepared her revenge, "I thought for a moment if I brought up Spike just once, you girls would stop what you're doing and try to find a stallion for me." Twilight acted innocent in front of them while Rainbow Dash mentally went stiff as she looked to Twilight in sheer shock.

The moment that was said was when the other mares processed what they just heard. Did they hear her right? They'd drop everything just to try and get Twilight a stallion so she'd shut up about Spike? That took a bit of thinking as everything went silent again. They've said a lot of weird stuff to joke around with, but even that was bizarre -- especially from Twilight.

Rainbow Dash cocked her eyes to Twilight while everyone was distracted and, to her utmost fear, saw the smug look on Twilight's face as she gave her eyes that told her 'suffer'.

It wasn't long until they all started laughing and grabbed Twilight's and Rainbow Dash's attention.

"Are…Are you serious, darling?" Rarity asked through her sophisticated laughter, finding what she said hilarious and very silly.

"Really? We'd stop everything we're doing just to try and get you a date?" Applejack quipped as she snorted hysterically, trying to fight it but her amused quivering smile spoke volumes. "Sugarcube, I know we'd love to help you and we love ya to Luna's moon and all, but I doubt you'll need our help in findin' a stallion." And she was right. Twilight was a princess. If she was ready to date, she'd already be out there with a guy by her side by now. She really didn't have any issues there.

And the filters go right out the window when Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted and waved her brows about to bring the gutter with her as she elbowed her a little, "Twilight, Twilight, you silly girl. We'd love to help, but you already got stallions wanting to go after that purple butt of yours. You're a princess and you're not taking advantage of it? I'd go to town on it; if you know what I mean?" She was messing around, but she was being honest through her antics.

Twilight blushed a mile a minute when Pinkie said all that. No wonder she and Rainbow Dash became fast friends; they're both total pervs! Well, that same goes for Applejack and Rarity, but they were not up there with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. Yet, Twilight put a fake smile and giggled awkwardly when Pinkie Pie brought up her princess title; like hell she'd use her title for her own gain. She still hated it, but oh well.

It wasn't until Fluttershy spoke up that really nailed the coffin for Rainbow Dash, "Twilight, why would you think that? You're a grown mare. Who would make you think we'd stop everything just to... to..." she pondered for a moment. Before long, she looked to Rainbow Dash who wasn't laughing with them and instead looked very hesitant. She tilted her head and looked up in thought. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity took several breaths to calm themselves down from their laughter before glancing over at Fluttershy, wondering what she was thinking.

Rainbow Dash never noticed Fluttershy getting suspicious and kept her concerned eyes on Twilight. She didn't expect this, or never felt so betrayed. Although in some way, she kind of deserved it for what she said, now the ammunition was used on her. And the sudden gasp from Fluttershy grasped her attention while Twilight just gazed with a satisfied look.

It all made sense now! Why Rainbow Dash didn't show up first and why Twilight acted so strangely. True, it was Rarity who brought up Spike, but it wouldn't have changed either way. This little rehab session would still play out. "Oh, now I get it," Fluttershy said as she gave Rainbow Dash a suspicious look, but she also had a smug smile similar to Twilight. "Rainbow Dash, you tried to brainwash Twilight, didn't you?" Rainbow Dash widened her eyes at Fluttershy, but that reaction was just the answer that she needed.

Now all eyes were on Rainbow Dash and they saw the hesitant, refrained, stiff look she gave them. The rest of the mane five were not as dumb as she thought they were and no one was gonna hide anything from them.

Rainbow Dash didn't account for Fluttershy to figure that out so quickly and now she was on the receiving end. They were never gonna let this down and give her the time of day. To try and shut Twilight up like that would not go unpunished, but they had a feeling she never meant for it like that. Still, Rainbow Dash was not gonna get off scot-free.

Rainbow Dash sat there as her friends looked at her with a thousand ways to get her back. She tried to play them and it backfired, hard and now it's coming to bite her twice as hard, right in her rainbow-colored ass.

'Buck my life!'

A Horrifying Anomaly

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Peace. The one thing everyone desired most in life. For the majority, they'd work so hard to achieve the peace they tirelessly strived to accomplish, even if it meant suffering casualties along the way. But when they earned that peace, they'd love nothing more than to learn the true meaning of it or relish in the feeling of being granted such a reward. A life lesson worthwhile over time. But, for the very few and fortunate, they were either born into it or got it by sheer luck and never realized it or they just don't care and never acknowledge the one valuable life lesson given to them. Learning the value of peace was always one of the many lessons learned in life. And for Equestria, it was no different. Griffonstone, Ponyville, The Crystal Empire, the Dragon Lands, every land owned by many different creatures all climbed up successfully or slid down failing to find the peace they sought for. They all may not see eye to eye with one another, but that one goal was one of many things they all had in common. Whether to be left alone, with friends or family, or relaxing however they see fit, they all wanted peace in their own adventurous ways.

However, one individual wanted to find peace differently. Up on an edge of a barren mountain unforeseen by any other eyes stood a mare under a dirty, torn brown hood. She loomed over the horizon to see the many landscapes Equestria had to offer. The mountain's height provided her such a view, one could pinpoint everything they saw and anything that moved were nothing but mere dots. So much foliage and life out there; She saw it all. It was quite beautiful. Even under her hood, the gentle, cool breeze of the eastern winds felt nice against her. The thought of relaxing came to mind, but her stance was firm; her focus was sharp. She looked at every spot that housed many different creatures; ponies, griffons, all alike. She bared no ability such as binocular vision, but she felt the peace emanating from every land and sensed the positive energy seeping out of the creatures they called those lands their home. Yes. Each territory and its inhabitants had found their peace and tranquilized it in their own way to which they see fit. How quaint. It was a lovely sight.

Shame she hated everything about it!

She sneered, feeling hate and disgust contort throughout her mind and soul. Equestria found the peace it sought for. Well, now she planned to take that away from them. Soon, they will know her pain. She set her red, leering eyes and analyzed the horizon like a predator stalking its prey before they finally acquired the target she looked for: Canterlot.

And she spotted the castle that landmarked the great city. Her anger grew the more she looked at Canterlot and her snarl became fierce, "You will pay for what you did," the hooded mare spoke in a voice so sub-focused and full of hatred, it would make even the toughest of ponies cower and back down from her. She was in no mood to deal with any distractions. Any crap that got in her way would either be tossed aside or left as a doormat for her to walk over. Like everyone else, she wanted to find her own peace in life. But, peace was a goal and goals had to be earned. But her goal was stripped from her and most of her life was wasted. So, now it was time to take back what was rightfully hers and retrieve the objective she sought for.

A hazy, dark, nightmare-induced cloud slowly began to blanket the sky above her, yet she paid no mind to it. Three hazy-like pillars formed and slowly landed a few feet behind her. Six lights, two each of red, grey, and blue shined and gazed down upon the mare. 'Are you sure you don't want us to crush her along with Canterlot?' the grey-eyed entity spoke to her in slight curiosity through a telepathic link. They had to make sure if that was what she truly desired. But at the same time, 'We have a score to settle with her, too, ya know?'

The mare never moved, unfazed by her hellish company, "Yes," she said calmly and directly. She was focused, but she hadn't forgotten what her ally wanted, as well, "I know you have just as much hatred for her as I do, but, I want her alive. I want her to know the mistake that she had made. She will know the consequences of her choices. Not only that, but the bitch she chose took what was rightfully mine and I will see to it I get it back."

She growled quietly to herself, but quickly regrouped her composure and told her ally, "But, don't destroy Canterlot, either. I need it in one piece so they'll know who their rightful ruler is. You can do what you want with the other lands below. I don't give a damn," she held no empathy in her tone, yet she demanded Canterlot not be touched. If Canterlot were to be destroyed, then her efforts would be meaningless. Once her targets had been found, she'd love nothing more than to make them suffer, and then she'd regain what she longed for. That was her only goal in mind.

The grey-eyed entity leered but stayed silent for a moment, trying to process this unusual request. Spare one location, but assault the rest? It hardly made any sense and it had little merit for what they had planned. Truth be told, this plan of hers was aggravating to understand and not worth their time and effort. Yet, they wondered anyway, 'You're request still doesn't add up to us. Why release us if you only want Canterlot untainted? Shouldn't this plan of yours be the opposite?'

That was a proper question and she had a feeling they'd ask about it, but the mare rolled her eyes impatiently but she had to keep it brief as she vaguely explained to them, "I don't want Canterlot attacked, but I don't want other areas destroyed. Not yet, at least." As silly as that sounded to them, she explained a little more, "Look, I know it's confusing to you and all, but all I want is to take back what's mine and the pony who took it from me could be anywhere. I've told you before what my previous goal was and I still want your help with that. I just don't want Canterlot, or anything else touched by you; not unless I say so. I need Celestia and that bitch alive for my plan to work. If you were to intervene, you would not hesitate to destroy Canterlot and its citizens on a whim -- or anything for that matter." And she was not concerned when calling them out on that last bit.

Which was still a fair accusation -- they won't deny it. Still, her plan was an odd one to them. But seeing her display such a colossal amount of focus and determination on this one goal, the grey-eyed entity that accompanied her couldn't help but give her some respect for it. So, he'll just roll with it. Still, he wondered. Whoever did set her off back then really must've landed a painful mental impact. She was hell-bent on finding them and ending them with her own hooves. He had no clue who this individual was, but he didn't know if they should feel sorry for them or -- no, he just felt sorry for the victim. Like hell, he'd deny his partner her path to get whatever she wanted. However, they had a bone to pick with a few particular ponies, too -- one, in particular, themed like the sun. If she and her sister were still around, it'd be a bonus for him if they were given the chance to kill them. But, alas, this pony before them hindered that little side quest for her particular beef with Celestia and whoever was at Canterlot -- maybe they'll get a chance at axing the moon princess; they've gotta have, at least, that. In any case, whether aiming after one pony or dozens, it mattered little; he'd still get to have fun. But it still boggled him why she needed their help, other than --

'Wait,' the entity said telepathically, realizing something. The mare lifted her head, curious before giving a light smile when they finally got what she meant. 'Oh, you want us to do that thing we do. Heh, silly me, I can't believe I almost forgot about our own ability.' The entity chuckled to itself, almost tempted to blush for nearly forgetting their own ability.

The mare chuckled lightly from that, amused that her ally finally got a clue. But before she could utter another word, the last thing she heard from any sources she could find before any of this started was that the pony she sought was visiting some other kind of place; if she heard that right. That's not good news for her for many reasons. One issue with that was she couldn't quite remember which location it was. And to know her target is always on the move proved tedious. This was going to be troublesome. She'd hoped her target would make it easy for her and remain in Canterlot. So, the only option she had in her arsenal was to grab her attention. And Canterlot was the phone. So regardless if she was there or not, Canterlot was still her destination. And once that pony answers... just the mere thought of meeting her face to face made her blood boil like bubbling hot tea. She gritted her teeth, just itching to go right now. Find that pony, take her out and take back what was taken from her; that's all that mattered.

An eerie, somewhat annoyed groan suddenly snapped and brought the mare out of her rageful trance as another voice spoke out, 'You still haven't answered the question, pissant!' Unlike the calm, collected voice, this one spoke of impatient malice and crazed, eager bloodlust. And she had a feeling this one would talk next; 'I don't care what you want you little bitch. You released us - big thanks for that, by the way - but we don't take orders from you--'

He was not going there! She sharply gazed back. A faint glow of red anger shined in her eyes, showing impatience in herself and no hint of fear towards the red-eyed entity, "You best bite that forked tongue of yours if you know what's good for you!" the hooded mare barked, not in any mood to deal with this one's crap. The red-eyed entity froze, his jaw clenched at the audacity of her tone. "I didn't release you so you could resume your bloody rampage." By sheer determination, ferocity, and fearlessness, she forced the red-eyed entity to refrain from saying another word and reminded him of his place. "We made an agreement, did we not? I know you have some kind of history with Celestia and Luna, but need I remind you that I would like to have Celestia alive; she will know her biggest mistake; imprisoning you is not one of them." She didn't care about the skirmish they had years ago. She needed Celestia alive so she could teach her that wisdom can lead to everlasting doom. Growing up, she was told by many ponies -- her parents included -- that Celestia was a wise and all-powerful mare that never lead anyone astray -- like she was some kind of goddess. How her wisdom led them through thick and thin and made Equestria what it was today. And that the choices she made were never wrong. When she was young, she believed them, but now ... -- the lies she was told from them made her want to vomit. If Celestia made good choices then the one choice she made was so wrong she was too blind and arrogant to see it. What a bunch of sheep-minded idiots! Now she'll have the opportunity to correct her mistake and make her see the error of her choice! But, unlike Celestia, Luna got a pass since nobody, ironically, gave her attention before. No wonder she became Nightmare Moon.

The red-eyed entity hissed at the mare, refusing to back down from her sudden lash. That jab at them was uncalled for, but she ultimately had a point. Celestia was on their shit-list, but that didn't mean anything to the crazy telepath; she was just a mere pony like every other on this floating rock; she was nothing special. His sole purpose was to cause nothing but destruction and mayhem. And yet, they're being ordered to not attack one specific spot all because some little pissant of a pony wanted something another pony took? Why must they be in this ridiculous alliance if their release meant it would lead to something stupid? Unlike the grey-eyed entity who was chilled about it, the red-eyed entity was not completely on board with it and he wanted her to know it, 'I still want nothing more than to see you and everything else as bloody smears under our feet when this is all done.' Even if she did get what she wanted, this alliance would end and he'd turn on her without a second thought.

Yet the mare remained unfazed by their empty threat. She rolled her eyes and looked away from her uneasy ally. She was annoyed that this red-eyed entity had to run his mouth, but there was nothing she could do much about it, much to her dismay, "Whatever. Even if you wanted to see me dead, that's not gonna happen when we're --"

"Now, now, settle down, you two," the blue-eyed entity quickly intervened, getting in between the two, his eyes shifting between his sibling and their ally, their somewhat savior for their freedom. Unlike the other two, this blue-eyed entity was more calm-like and tolerable, somewhat soft and soothing to the ears when speaking -- very approachable compared to the other two entities. The blue-eyed entity spoke out and tried to calm the situation between the mare and his aggressive brother. They both had different desires, but they must know a common fact, 'This alliance will not work if we continue to bicker amongst ourselves like this; at the very least, it’s making us look like children.’ That earned him a snort from his irate sibling, but he ignored it and continued, ‘We all hate Celestia for different reasons and we all want to get what we want from this,' the blue-eyed entity said as it ultimately picked the mare's side over his vocalized brother. It wanted nothing more than to rid Celestia, but there was something else they neglected to remember.

'But, she is right. She freed us from our prison and gave us a fairly decent explanation of why she did so. As silly as it may sound to you,' Yeah, even the blue-eyed entity had to play devil's advocate on that last part as he gazed to the mare, almost as if apologetically as he added his own two-cents; whatever her issue with the princesses was sounded silly to his brothers – he himself felt more sympathetic towards her. Though, the mare didn't care what the other two thought. The blue-eyed entity immediately returned to reiterate to his brothers, 'We still have to abide by the code that we honor and we owe her a great deal for it.' the second he mentioned that, it caused the two to obviously react. The grey-eyed one made a combination of a wince and a pout on his muzzle and slightly rolled his eyes while the angry one furiously scowled with matching narrowed eyes, glaring down at the ground instead of the mare – almost in an immature manner.

The two other brothers hated that he had to bring that up -- especially the red-eyed brother; what he wouldn't give to thrash his blue-eyed brother for introducing this obsessive mare that code. The grey-eyed brother didn't care so long as they were out of that prison -- to him, that code meant nothing. But, even after so many years, his brother still had an obsession with it? Why? He'll never know. Guess going rogue didn't reach him, yet. Although…

'Touche.' The grey-eyed brother agreed. Despite his obsession about that silly code he said they had to follow, he had to agree with him – after all, his blue-eyed brother is the calmer and wiser one of the three and he had that point in reminding them what their small ally had done for them. They owe the mare big-time for freeing them, and if their red-eyed brother didn’t cooperate and kept fighting with her, their goal will take even longer to achieve.

'Dammit… and damn you, brother! I hate it when you use that code against me.' The red-eyed deity snorted smoke from his nostrils, seeming to be pouting almost childishly. He was still aggravated that this mare thought she could get away with speaking like that to him, his grey brother doesn’t give a shit and now his blue brother just had to bring up that damn code of theirs.

The blue-eyed entity nodded to the grey-eyed sibling with hints of a slight smile, seemingly pleased with his agreement. He then spoke to his crazed sibling, giving him certain information he'd oh so love to hear despite being irate by the fact they had to ally with this mare, 'Brother, your short temper gets in the way too easily. She released us and gave us our freedom. Something that all three of us are grateful for.’ Even he’s no stranger in showing gratitude for what she did, yet he still spoke to his brother to settle him, ‘I know as well as you do that we hate Celestia and Luna for what they did, but they also had help in our imprisonment. We can do what we want again and I say we should get back at them, don't you think?' the blue-eyed entity said, being sly in his placid nature, smirking slightly with a slight wiggle of his scale-ridge brows. He held more than a good point. While the mare wanted to hunt down Celestia and whoever else that someone was, the multi-colored-eyed brothers did get their freedom back thanks to this mare and it looked like she didn't care what they did so long as they stood out of her way. Perfect! They could have their opportunity to get back at the others who aided those puny alicorns. It was a good suggestion. Great, even!

The red-eyed brother slowly smirked, letting out a chuckle, and gradually calmed down to the suggestion. As much as he hated to admit it, his brother was right. Celestia was nothing but a speck; the real prizes were much more important. He refrained from getting into another argument with the mare and focused on what his brother told him, for once, 'I know you're playing me by getting my hopes up and I can tell you’re enjoying this, brother, but I see your point.' Indeed, his blue brother smirked slightly in enjoyment for succeeding in getting him to cool down and listen for once. With a nod and a growl, the red-eyed entity gazed at the mare, 'Canterlot is yours, ya little bitch.'

The mare paid no mind and turned away from her otherworldly ally and leered back to Canterlot. She had no knowledge of them having the ability to read minds, but she jumped the gun and her mind flip-flopped when it came to these three; she didn't know what to make of them. They were just so different with their personalities. How they even manage to find common ground with each other without driving one another crazy during their time being imprisoned, she’ll never know. One side of her regretted releasing this abomination from his prison while her other conscious side was genuinely glad that at least two of them had the decency to be tolerable and reasonable to have a conversation with as well as taking her side; but in their case, they also had the decency to be grateful for her actions.

With each entity, she seemed to share a different relationship among them. If it weren't for the blue-eyed entity, she would've likely lost her marbles even further if she went on about her childhood dream. He at the very least managed to settle her down when she got too aggravated. Somehow, he always found a way to coo words of wisdom and somewhat comfort into her ear that got her to get back down to earth. She was grateful that she had his support, in a way. He had a mature and wise head on his shoulders.

The grey-eyed entity didn't seem to care one bit what she wanted or did, just so long as he got what he wanted out of this alliance, but he was tolerable to talk to and he helped her stay focused when needed with his chill attitude. Yet, he too supported her despite his view of her goal being different than theirs. He was like the in-between, gray zone that allows her to speak her mind without regret. He wasn’t as smooth-tongued as the blue-eyed one, but he at least made her comfortable.

It was only the red-eyed entity she had an issue with; he out of the three, seemed to just want her dead for the sake of feeding his blood-hungry thirst. Hell, it was very clear that he just straight-up didn’t like her and found her a, in his words, small pissant. The way he tried to put her down with his high-and-mighty attitude pissed her off, and if he didn’t like her, she didn’t like him – and quite frankly, she didn’t give a shit either.

Thankfully, luck was on her side knowing the other two knew how to keep him stable enough to cooperate. It was good to know she had, at least, two of them have her back and needed to talk to while the other could use some work or he can just leave her the hell alone. But, to her utmost solace, she'd lie to herself if she didn't admit she needed this thing's help to achieve her goal. If she went after Celestia blindly, she'd fear the worst. With her ally by her side, she was more than prepared. But, then it dawned on her: it was very bizarre to have voices talk to her when they were not created from her subconscious; it was a real ironic mind-twister and she was relieved she wasn't going crazy, to an extent. Telepaths are unusual creatures.

She gazed to the three who seemed to be reaching an agreement among each other once they settled their irate brother down.

The grey-eyed entity agreed with his wise brother’s words, but sighed lightly. He growled lowly to him as he gave his two-cents, 'Dear Brother, you know that code is a bane to the two of the three of us. I don't know why you insist on keeping it around.’ He knew his brother was the humble one of the three, so that may be one reason. But it will still be a mystery to him. ‘But, we at the very least owe her for releasing us from our imprisonment, I suppose. As that saying goes, “help me, help you”, or whatever. She needs us… and like it or not, we’ll need her.' Like his blue-eyed sibling playing devil's advocate for the mare, he was doing the same with his red-eyed brother, but disregarded his destructive hunger. He looked down at the mare with a callous look and firmly reminded her, 'Just don't forget, our gift to you is not a plaything. Use it if you have to when you really need it.' He snorted a bit of hot air on her. While he’s chill, it’s not wise to get on his bad side.

The mare nodded to him. She was only going to use it if Celestia or anyone else decided they wanted to fight back.

'I hate you both,' the red-eyed entity scoffed at his brothers, his eyes shifting to the both of them, disdained by how they had to team up with this speck of a creature. They should've killed her without even listening to a word she had to say, but no. They had to hear her out. Ain't really fair for him when two make the calls. But, whatever. As long as he got to slaughter, he's cool with it. He glared icily at the hooded mare and said his piece, 'And that same goes to you, ya little pony cu--'

"Shall we be going now?" the calm brother interrupted his mad brother.

The mare never moved, but with a flick of a hoof, she gave them the go. Her plan had started and her ally was more than ready. "Do what you want and go. Have a party among yourselves for all I care. I don't care what you three do as long as I get what I want. Just remember our agreement – I’m looking at you, Red-Eyes…" He glowered at her for the nickname and for implying he has bad memory, “–You get to let everything out of your system on anyone you want and rampage to your heart’s content, but Canterlot is mine.” As long as they left her area of choice alone for her to do her part, she allowed them free reign.

For once brushing off her remark towards him, the red-eyed deity’s eyes narrowed in delight and he seemed to grin at her in a sadistic matter from the words she said about their agreement. Words that actually excited him: Free reign and rampage as much as they desire. 'Finally! Words that actually mean something and something we can actually finally agree on!' the aggressive brother spoke impatiently and eagerly, loving that they’re finally getting some action. 'I haven't killed anything in seconds!' If she were to describe his attitude right now, he almost sounded like a happy colt during Hearth’s Warming… if his Hearth’s Warming gift was carnage and destruction. 'Come on, already! Let’s go!' He gazed at his brothers eagerly and impatiently, trying to get them moving, 'I wanna see some blood, gushing out of their little bodies - raining down from the sky and flowing like a waterfall! Let’s wreck this shit!!' He grinned darkly, eager to get started.

Sighing lightly with a smartass roll of his eyes, his blue brother gave the last word, 'We need to do something about that thirst of blood-spilling of yours when this is all over.'

No sooner did they agree, the three entities disappeared and the mare stood strong as an ominous black cloud slowly began to manifest over her like a virus attacking a vital organ, blanketing the sky as the sound of thunder sang their destructive songs. Then flashes of lightning began to dance, yet they never hit the spot where the mare stood. The wind began to pick up yet no rain was produced. Her cape flowed with the wind as she stood motionless, not once reacting to the storm. It only took minutes until Celestia's sun was blocked off from her view. She looked up, glancing as light from the lightning flashed once. The mare began to haze against the wind as she manifested into a stream of mist before flying up and merging with the sinister, tenebrific cloud as multi-colored, ominous, soul-piercing orbs appeared and headed straight for Ponyville first, eliciting harmonic, eerie-tuned, bell-like cackles.

***

A gentle breeze rushed into a cave and blew out three torches. It didn't go unnoticed, though, as a mare within that small cave snapped out of her trance from reading one of her favorite books and looked around concerned as she glanced at the dead torches. "Oh dear," she said in a worried tone as she placed her book down and got up from her soft padded chair to stretch. She had no idea how long she was hooked onto her book, but the missing flames from those three torches gave her room a somewhat ominous view; two working torches and three dead to the world made her cave-like room look bleak and uncomfortable. With only two working torches, it, unfortunately, broke her concentration from reading -- and she got to a good part.

She sighed disappointedly, but this little issue could be fixed. The mare with an elegant appearance near similar to that of Princess Cadence walked over to the three torches that went out on the left side of her room and took a look at how long they had been in use. Her detective mode was on, but nothing important caught her eye. The torches were barely burnt and could still be lit if needed. Either the bark her husband came home with was a bark from some kind of joke tree, or this could be an unusual sign.

She raised a brow, confused. "Huh. That's strange?" she said to herself. Only three torches and not the rest? She would go fix it herself, but an odd feeling suddenly coursed through her body. Almost as if something was amiss. She pondered to herself, thinking that this might not be a joke after all and that some kind of force was trying to tell her something. But what? She shrugged to herself before a familiar voice called out to her while she could even figure out what was giving her that itch.

"Everything alright, babe?" A calm male voice called out to her, yet he sounded almost worried, too.

She smiled softly and responded in kind, "I'm fine, honey," the mare walked out of her cave-like room and talked again to his voice, "I just had three torches randomly go out on me while I was reading." She walked down the rocky hall-like tunnel that looked like it was dug by very large gophers. But, lucky for her there were torches on each side to help her see her path. It didn't take a minute for her to reach the end of the tunnel as she headed into a large dome-like area that was the center of the cave. She looked around to find the voice that called to her but all she saw were five extra tunnels eight feet apart from each other -- one tunnel to the left of her and four to the right -- and the large exit leading outside where she could see the sun show the outside world. Yet, there was still no sign of her caller. She tilted her head confusedly and walked out a bit. “Honey, where are you?” She was unaware of it, but she was being watched and followed by a shadowy figure who clung to the ceiling of the cave, peering down at her with red eyes as it waited.

Within the shadows, it waited patiently as it smiled wickedly; mouth full of pure white, sharp teeth. It didn't hang down like a bat would. Instead, it clamped its claws on the ceiling, pinning itself as it continued to wait for the right moment to strike as it's 'prey' stood right in the center of the cave.

A few more steps and she was right under it, just close to the exit. Then she stopped and never once looked up. Perfect. The shadow figure then detached itself from the rocky ceiling and freefell directly above her; arms out.

She knew she wasn't hearing things. She heard her husband call her. She wanted to meet up with him to have a chat, but he was nowhere to be seen. She stopped near the entrance of the cave before getting a sickening feeling that something was off. She couldn't quite figure out what it was, but something in her told her to move. Then she made a smug smile and stepped to her right. She heard a faint gasp and flapping of wings, but it ultimately ended with her 'stalker' plummeting down next to her with a hard thud.

"Ow," a muffled voice said as she looked down with a cute giggle.

A red dragon helped himself up as he stood up, dusting himself off with a small frown. Feeling defeated at failing to get her. "Man, I thought I almost had you there that time!" the red dragon said slightly frustrated. It wasn't until he heard his wife giggle at how funny he landed.

"You goofball. You know you can't get past me with that," the mare bragged a little. This was another attempt dashed and yet he still tried to spook her. She didn't know if he was aiming to scare her, but it always ended in failure and it always amused her. And she was never told him to stop. It was too fun and she was never bored with it. Whether he was losing on purpose or actually trying to scare her, it was never a dull moment. Well, to one of them, at least.

He pouted at his failed attempt, but saw that smile on her face and snickered lightly, "Hasn't stopped me before, Sakari. I'll get you one of these days." he said with a goofy, toothy smile prompting his wife to giggle at his unusual smile before she suddenly launched herself on her hind legs and got close to him with her forearms on his brawny shoulders.

"You can try all you like, honey, but we all know how it turns out in the end," Sakari smiled, a little smugly but also a little concerned, too. As fun as it was to watch him fail, she didn't want him to get hurt, either. She loved her goofball of a dragon, but even dragons have their limits. “Are you okay, did that hurt?” She cooed in concern for him, something that always got his cheeks a-glowing.

The red dragon wrapped his well-toned, slightly muscular arms around her sides and looked her in the eyes with a soft smile, "That still won't stop me, ya know." He loved her to no end and would do anything for her, but he was determined to try and surprise her. Why was it his goal, he had no idea. It wasn't to fulfill any sort of goal he sought or to prove he was better. Well, maybe the former. If his antics brought any kind of goal to the table, they would've brought that beautiful smile of hers out. Seeing that it made him feel at ease -- like it was rewarding to him. He blushed when she checked him for injuries. “I’m fine, hon… I’m perfectly fine.” He zoned out for a moment, harking back to when they were younger. She found him annoying a few times with how he acted, but she had always tolerated him, too. It made her unique and a first for him; not all dragonesses tolerated his antics and saw him as either a nuisance or just a 'dumb jock' of a dragon among the teen dragons. Sakari actually took the time to get to know him and it was one of the things that drew him so close to her. That, and he owed her a lot for a lot of things.

Sakari was the same. As he had her in his beefy arms, she felt the warmth emitted from his embrace. And she loved it so much. Growing up, he always loved to see himself as the tough one among dragons -- whether it was towards friends or some of his family members. But then she came along and changed all of that. She proved she was capable of handling herself with his kind and doing so won his heart. She did find him rough around the edge, but eventually, he opened up to her and the more she knew about him it drew her closer and closer to him. Not just him, but she wanted to learn more about dragon culture and so on. Yet, as they grew up together, he realized that she was more than capable; she adapted so well with him and his kind that it felt like she was born among them all along. It was so weird on such a high level, that it out-scaled Torch himself. He wanted to get stronger for her and prove he was just as worthy; even though he already did. But, she wasn't gonna complain about how bulky he'd gotten over time. Not quite herculean like most, but he was lean enough to lift a 50-ton boulder and flexible enough to outmaneuver even a pegasus. The scars across his body were also a good sign of growth, too. Well, most of them.

Suddenly, that old fairytale of knights saving a princess from the evil dragon rang in her mind. An old folktale told as long as she could remember; maybe longer than that. When she was told that as a filly, she hoped that one day she'd be with a stallion she could call her 'knight' and live happily ever after with him. The thought of it now was very corny to her. Yet, as life went on, her choices changed and they brought her into a situation so ironic that whoever wrote that folktale should really write a different tale, but have similar elements. She blushed faintly at the thought. Instead of a knight coming in her life to rescue her, this princess got the dragon instead. And she couldn't have it any other way.

As much as he adored having his wife in his arms, he couldn't help but noticed her blush. He raised a brow, curiously, and asked, wondering, "I see that blush, babe. What'cha thinkin'?"

As much as she loved having her warrior-built husband cradle her and having thoughts of what to do with him later, she flinched awkwardly and shook her head, mentally lunging herself out of the lustful fog in her rollercoaster of a mind and frantically flipping all the switches off to get back on track. She blinked at him and blushed almost embarrassed, "Uh, nothing. I was just... uh... gonna let you know everything's fine." She giggled bunglingly as she smiled her own goofy smile at him. She had to get a grip on herself and focus on why she was out here; she was an adult but she was not gonna lie to herself and say she didn't act like one; guess old habits die hard. She knew he was a goofball and loved to play games, but they've been together long enough for her to have hunches that he can read her rather well.

And right now, her hunch was right. He sharply looked at her and tried to pinpoint why her behavior and mannerisms were so off right now. But, much to her surprise, he casually shrugged and, before she never got a chance to get a word in, chuckled at her silly smile, "Okay, I can't keep a straight face when you smile like that." He thought it was adorable; she was adorable to him. He knew how to read her, but he didn't really care. Sakari was a tough girl and she could take care of herself; he knew that. He knew what she thought and what her actions might be. He was smarter than he looked and he liked to act tough, but deep down he was a massive softy; after all, she found that out when they fell in love. He figured her out, and he never took advantage of that knowledge; nor did he want to. He wanted a pleasant relationship, not an abusive one. If anything, that knowledge would only be used for teasing reasons, and he made sure she knew that.

She giggled sweetly and adorably at him, but then turned the silliness off and got neutral serious as she said, "I know. But, please, Garble, do be more careful when you do stuff like this. I know you're a dragon, but even dragons get hurt, too" She loved that he always fell for her type of antics, but there were moments where she brought out her caring side afterward, she even displayed it as she kissed a teeny bruise on his cheek. While she was always concerned about how he treated himself when it came to trying to spook her, she also felt that Garble intentionally wanted her to win every time; if that was the case, she'd be fine with it, but there was so much her heart could take. But, it felt so good to her to know that Garble wasn't what ponies made him out to be. She remembered hearing rumors about how he wanted to kill all ponies and make dragons the top species of Equestria. At first, she came close to believing that, but doubt reigned strong and she confronted him about it, wondering if it was true. She expected a harsh denial from him and rash retaliation because of how defensive dragons can get. She was ready for that moment, but she wasn't ready for him to get on his knees and gave her a look that exploded shock and guilt.

She was completely caught off-guard by that; she felt bad for him. The fact he pleaded to her that what he said was not out of spite or hate toward ponies; it wasn't true, at all. He even admitted to her that he was a total idiot for saying all of that. Guess it was one way to apologize without actually saying 'I'm sorry'. But her caring nature chimed in like a bell and seeing him plead his heart out to her gave her the answer she wanted; though, she wasn't gonna deny that he was being overdramatic about it; thank the gods his little sister wasn't there to watch him become such a mess. But she had managed to stop him and assured him that he had nothing to worry about. He spoke the truth and held no malice saying it; that alone made her believe him. She remembered their hug they gave each other while she separated their current hug and gave him a loving smile.

Garble blushed faintly when she kissed his little bruise, but snickered cocky-like and boasted a bit, "Heh, not as much as others. I take on anything that -- " he noticed the raised brow on Sakari's face and stopped before he could finish what he had to say " -- heh, right, I won't do anything crazy like that, again. I'll try to be more careful." Saying that brought a smile back to her and he could help but melt over it.

"Thank you, Gar-Gar," she said, teasing him with that certain nickname that only one other dragoness would call him.

His blush then became bright and he scrunched his snout, his eyes bugging at the mention of that. He still hasn't forgiven Smolder for telling Sakari that nickname she gave him. He groaned lightly and defeatedly said, "You get a pass, babe." But looking over her head, he found an opportunity to get a chance at getting her. He just needed to distract her.

"Say, Sakari, about what I asked earlier?"

"Yes, Garble?"

"Is everything okay? I heard you talking to yourself in your room," Garble asked curiously.

Sakari perked and almost forgot about that. How silly of her. She chuckled lightly and explained to him that weird encounter she had earlier, "You might find it a little strange, but three torches went out when I was reading."

Garble raised a brow as he crossed his arms. It wasn't the strangest thing he heard, but it was pretty odd of her to say, "Three torches went out? You sure it wasn't a wind current?" That would be the best logical guess -- especially when he was the one that said it.

As much as she loved hearing him say that smart answer -- because she loved teaching him stuff now and then -- that wasn't it, "That was a great guess, hon, but I don't think that was it. If it was, wouldn't you have felt something, too?"

She had a good point. He was already in the cave when she had her unusual encounter. He would've felt a wind current brush through and traveled not just to the master bedroom, but to the other rooms their cave provided. But with what Sakari said about three torches going out -- and only three torches -- that had to have meant something. For some, this was just crazy talk, others would find it odd or strange, or they just wouldn't believe it or cared either way. Garble knew better than to not take his wife's word for granted. With what this world provided, every day is a new day for stranger things.

Garble snickered and rolled with it, "Alright, I'll bite. If it isn't the wind, what do you think it could be?"

Sakari shrugged, "My guess it could either be a sign of something or some kind of omen. That something big is about to happen." Sakari was never really into diving into supernatural stuff like good or bad omens or anything of the sort. But she was a believer in signs or messages from the beyond. Anything could tell something to anyone. "Something must be going on somewhere and I'd like to know where."

As Garble heard, he tried to not crack a smile but he started to fail. He just hoped Sakari didn't notice, "Do you think it could be that?" Sakari was gonna be in for a surprise.

Sakari raised a brow at Garble's odd behavior, not knowing what to think, but she fell for the unknown trap when asked, "Could be wha -- AAAHHHH!!!!!!" but Sakari ultimately screamed in unexpected shock when something grabbed her right leg and caused her to turn herself into a brief missile and launched herself into Garble's arms, shaking like a dried-up leaf as she did. Garble laughed like a baboon as he held her like a rescued princess.

"Oh man, you should see your face!" Garble said as he continued to laugh. He kept a steady stance, but he didn't know how long he had until he collapsed with his wife. He almost laughed himself to near tears; he was having the time of his life. And it was all thanks to his sneaky accomplice who arrived at a perfect time.

She didn't know what just happened or how to react to it. Sakari felt like a pawn in some way and she didn't like it. She really didn't understand why Garble was laughing at this, but she had to guess he planned this from the start; if that was the case. She was so distracted with what she was talking about, she never expected her husband had an accomplice with him. She didn't hear anything. It pained her that she never picked up what he was doing before it was too late. And it sure didn't help her case knowing her heart raced a mile a minute, so she took steady breaths to help calm herself down so she could try to figure what the bloody hell just happened. Her mind could not process this information fast enough, but it became obnoxious and tedious that she had slow down to pull herself together long enough to ask just one question: Just who the hell snuck-up on her so easily?

She pouted in slight frustration and bopped him a few times on the head to get him to stop laughing, "It's not funny Garble. You know how I am when I get scared." she tried to get her husband to quit his laughing, but his howling laughter turned into small chuckles.

As much as he knew, it was still a rarity to get Sakari to react like that. He much enjoyed having her in his arms and giving that 'angry' pout. She can try as much as she wants to be serious, he always found her look adorable; well, anything she does is adorable -- mostly. He casually smiled and said in a flirty manner, "Clingy as hell and look very adorable doing it?" he gave her a toothy grin and tried to be suave with her.

Sakari blushed faintly and wanted to thwack him upside the head, again, but the sound of gentle giggles sang in her ears. She almost forgot about their visitor. Just a neck turn away, she looked over and found the sneaky snake that helped Garble to scare her. She then closed her eyes and contemplated, regretting the fact she never took to account it would be one of them -- and she really should've expected it. She knew one of them was so quiet, they'd eventually use that gifted quirk. She'd be proud, but she would've loved it if they'd use that on someone else.

'Am I already getting rusty at being a mother?' she mentally said to herself as she looked at a young, teenage Pegasus colt with light red fur, a plain-styled darker red mane and messy cut tail sat down and basked in his successful 'sneak-attack'. He looked up at Sakari and Garble with a playful smile, chuckling occasionally. He knew he'll pay the price later, but it was always funny to his mother's reaction; it told him he did a good job at what he did and held no regret doing it.

Sakari pouted at them for this uncalled-for act and wanted to scold them for this act, "It's not funny you two! You really scared me!" she barked at them, but the dragon and young colt thought otherwise. That unintentional tag-team tactic was golden and it worked like a charm.

“That’s the point!” Garble guffawed at that; where he failed, his son succeeded.

"I'm sorry, mom. I just couldn't help myself," The young colt said to his mother and his tone held no praise to his action. He just wanted to do it for the hell of it to get a reaction out of his parents. He watched as Garble placed her down but even with what he said, she still gave him a slight scowl. His playful demeanor shifted as he felt nervous looking at his mother. He knew his father would get a kick out it, but he could never tell with his mother.

Sakari gazed at her son and huffed in frustration. She was gonna get him back for that; both of them, "You know better than to sneak up on your mother like that, Ruby!" Momma-mode was active and they knew it -- and Ruby was her first target.

Even though they were just messing around, Garble spoke up and tried to defend his son. It wasn't planned, after all, "Oh, relax, babe. We're just messing around." If he wasn't able to get at her, his chip-off-the-old-block would. For Garble, he's never been so proud of his boy; though, he does take after his mother a little more than himself. It was still nice to know Ruby had his sense of humor.

But Sakari wasn't having it. She was gonna teach some lesson here and her son was gonna learn a very valuable one, "No, Garble, I'm crossing a line here," Sakari announced, "and I'm gonna have a word with our son here that it isn't nice to scare someone -- especially if said someone is their own mother." She glanced back to Ruby who was now nervous.

Garble frowned a little and was gonna object, but he paused himself when he noticed Sakari's left ear and right wing occasionally twitched and jerked. He blinked a few times as he watched. It lasted a second, but figured out what Sakari had planned and smiled a little; she was onto something and he had to roll with it. He wasn't gonna tell Ruby, so he was gonna stand back and watch. He knew she'd get back at him later. But for now, "Alright, babe. I won't stop you."

When he said that, Ruby felt his heart skip a beat as his mother approached him. Like a puppy who did something bad, his ears drooped and he hunkered down a little, "M-Mom, wait, I was only playing. I saw you two talking and... and... I'm sorry," he tried to convince his mother that he didn't mean anything by scaring her. But his words went on deaf ears as Sakari stood over him looking down at him like an alpha to a cub.

She watched as her son shook similar to how she did and heard him plea for forgiveness, but she retorted with, "No, Ruby. Sneaking up on your mother was not a wise decision. I'm sorry, but you're gonna have to be punished." She could almost see the fear coursing through her son's body and it fed her intentions well. As Ruby cowered before her, it felt good in a way. Feeding the inner demon within her and showing Ruby who was boss, "And 'sorry' won't cut it. I'm afraid I'm just gonna have to do this..."

Ruby looked down and braced for what she had planned, he felt bad, but he shamelessly asked, "Do w-wha -- Ahhh-ha-ha" a pair of hooves reached out and ticked his underside and caused him to laugh out loud.

Ruby dropped on his back as Sakari laughed along with him, "I'mma tickle the snot out of you!" Sakari said with no punishing intent. She was kidding the entire time and just wanted to scare her son for the hell of it. All while hearing Garble laugh behind her -- he was still on her list, but he'll get it later.

"N-no, no. Ahh! Ha-ha! Mom, stop, I'm gonna pee-he-he-he!" Ruby said as he kicked about being assaulted by his mother's overpowered tickling. He cursed himself for being so ticklish, but he couldn't help it. He was happy he wasn't in trouble, but for any god who listened, he wished she'd stop the tickle torment. And it was bad enough dear ol' papa dragon wasn't gonna save him, either.

As much as she loved tickling her little boy, she eventually stopped before he actually went with his word. She giggled softly as he sat up to catch his breath. From looking at him, he looked like a puppy that ran a five-mile trail.

"Not so funny now, is it?" she asked smugly, ironically speaking.

Ruby gingerly looked up at his mother. That wasn't funny, at all. And why didn't she go after Garble next? He glanced over to his dad who just stood there like he was in on the whole torture, "You... could've helped... dad!" He said through his breathing, thinking he was gonna have help.

But, Garble just shrugged. What was he gonna do when Sakari pulls a stunt like that? "Hey, don't look at me. I ain't no helicopter parent. I'm just a bystander in all this." When it came to playful family moments, he was not gonna pick any sides here and they were gonna know it.

Sakari rolled her eyes when he said that. 'That's gonna change real quick, Garble,' she thought sternly and will see to it she had an opportunity to teach him that lesson. Yes, she knew their kids were old enough, but they were still their kids. It annoyed her, but she'd be hypocritical if she didn't think the same thing. However, Ruby was still her kid and she would always be around if he needed her. It was her natural instinct to do so. And noticing the same disbelief on his face as she had made her glad he was her flesh and blood -- guess great minds think alike and they know when to spot someone's bullshit. She leaned close to her son and nuzzled him softly.

"But that won't stop us from loving you and your brothers and sisters," Sakari said as Ruby blushed. "By the way, you did great. I couldn't even hear you sneak up on me."

Ruby smiled sweetly and bashfully at his mother's kind words. She may be hard at times, but she had a good sense of humor. He was just glad she was easy on him instead of his siblings. "Thanks, mom. I've been practicing my stealth skills for quite a while."

"I bet you have, son," Sakari smiled proudly. Practicing indeed. She always knew where her family would be if they pulled stunts like hiding or trying to scare her. It's a habit that she was glad her children got out of, mostly. But, if they still had the motivation to do what their father always does, then Ruby actually managed to break through that mold. She wouldn't say he was a protege, but he was improving in stealth. His siblings... wait... "Oh, I almost forgot, where are your brothers and sister, anyway?"

Garble perked up. He had an answer for that, "Speedy and Twinkle are at Ponyville. I told them to go get some groceries."

Ruby nodded, "And Blaze and Destiny are playing with aunt Smolder." He pointed out of the cave where a huge dark shadow and a shadow passed by.

"Smolder's here?" Sakari asked, unaware she was gonna show up. "I thought she was going somewhere with friends?" As if she'd say no to a visit from her little sister-in-law, she was curious as to why she showed up, all of a sudden.

Ruby shook his head and thankfully had an answer for her, "Guess not? She told us her friends had other things to do, so she wanted to surprise us." he shrugged nonchalantly. "Blaze took no time to greet her and Destiny was just chatting with her, too. I never got a chance to say hi or join in." Ruby pouted a little but held no ill will.

Garble chuckled figuring out what he meant, "Still having trouble keeping up with your aunt, huh?" It doesn't happen often, but some dragons can be competitive. Smolder is no exception and since Ruby and his siblings came into the world, a few of them was bound to give his sister some competitive fun. "Figured Blaze wouldn't pass up spending time with Smolder."

Ruby beamed at his father and quickly said to him, "That's not it. I'm not competitive like you, Blaze, Destiny and Speedy -- Twinkle is the only exception but she barely joins in any of our games anyway," He didn't know what set them apart from himself, but he always knew he was different from his siblings. "Mom and Twinkle are only competitive if someone riles 'em up." and Ruby said that like it was a straight-up fact to them. His mother and sister could try and deny it all they want, but it was the truth.

A truth Sakari could not deny -- yet tried to always hide it as if it was false. She did try to say something to her son but paused in thought. She looked to Garble who had a 'he's gotcha there' look. "Oh, don't give me that look, Garble," she bickered but sighed in defeat. "Okay, I guess you do have a point there, Ruby."

Ruby smiled. Garble spoke up and waved over to the entrance, "Well, let's not waste any time. Blaze and Destiny can't be the only ones hangin' with Smolder, Garble said eagerly as he rushed to meet his little sister.

Ruby was about to follow, but a pink arm stopped him before he could. Ruby looked up to his mother and saw the mischievous look on her face. Ruby tilted his head, "Mom?" he gingerly said, knowing full well when she made that look, something was going to happen.

"Watch, son," Sakari said as Ruby listened and looked back to his father rushing out of the entrance.

Ruby watched. His father was out of the cave yet nothing happened. He pondered for a moment. Just what was his mother trying to do or trying to show him? He kept his gaze at the entrance. He heard his father call out 'hey, Smol--' a large orange streak came by faster than his eyes could pick up and swept Garble away before he could get a word in. Ruby perked up in shock before he heard his mother laugh her flanks off and removed her arm from him.

"I don't get it, mom?" Ruby said, confused by what he just saw. Did his mother expect something like that would happen?

Thankfully, his mother answered once she calmed down, "Karma, Ruby." Sakari didn't know Smolder would pull something like that, but she had a feeling something was about to happen. That's why she stopped him. "Well, not Karma in a sense something bad was going to happen. More like payback." And she knew karma was coming, it was only a matter of time. Granted, it was from someone she knew and not by herself. But, still, it was funny to see.

"Oh, I see now," Ruby said but shrugged. In a way, karma gave him the payback he didn't know he needed but got anyway. Or, well, it was aunt Smolder who did it and he guessed karma was Smolder and -- he rubbed his head trying not to think too hard about this. "I think?"

Sakari looked at her son trying to think hard about what she tried to teach him and chuckled softly, "Don't strain yourself now, sweetie. Come on, let's go meet your aunt." it was a little lesson that didn't really need much to think about.

But, that being said, Ruby and Sakari headed out to go meet Smolder, Destiny, and Blaze. Yet, the thought of what occurred in her room still lingered in the back of her mind, however. She didn't know what started it, but hopefully, spending time with her family will take her mind off of it.

***

"Wait, what?!" Twilight exclaimed, shocked out of her mind.

"Ha! I knew it!" Rainbow Dash said, thinking all along that it was true.

Applejack and Pinkie Pie nodded to their friends in confirmation, having grateful smiles to show how much they've accepted it. That and seeing their friends' reactions would be priceless.

"Yup, yup, yup," Pinkie Pie replied happily to Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

Applejack chuckled, "Results were right. Pinkie and I are cousins!" the farm pony wrapped an arm around her cousin and noogied her playfully, making her squeak and giggle.

Rarity smiled softly. She was glad that mystery was finally solved and laid to rest. She didn't know if they'd ever find out, but it was good to know they finally solved it, "How did you girls figure it out?" she asked curiously.

"Oh, yes," Fluttershy said, "And how did your families take it?"

Applejack and Pinkie Pie looked puzzled at first, but they answered them simultaneously to speak for both sides of their respected families, "They were thrilled!"

Pinkie Pie was the first to explain her family side of the story and was happy as she told them and rambled hyperactively, "Marble and Limestone were a bit unsure by it because Limestone is super awkward talking to stallions and Marble had this secret crush on Big Mac before finding out he was her cousin and now every time she sees him she feels *really* awkward around him --" and somewhere in Equestria, Limestone and Marble had the sudden urge to clobber Pinkie when they see her "-- Maud was cool with it. She got along quick with Applebloom and Big Mac and I could've sworn Big Mac and Maud arm-wrestled at one point; something about being the stronger sibling."

Even Applejack wondered about that moment. Probably a draw due to the fact they had to get a new table after the other one split in two.

"And my parents and Granny Smith became fast friends like Maud, Big Mac and Applebloom did. All in all, our families got along real well." Pinkie Pie finally stopped and took a brief breather before giving her friends a big grin, finishing her side of the story.

Though, Pinkie Pie smiled and thought it was no big deal and was just a short story. Her friends looked at her as if what she just told them was something she memorized from a novel or scroll and each one of them tried to catch just what the hell she said.

Rainbow Dash was the first to speak out of the group and asked her, confused, "Uh, what was that part about your sister having a crush on Big Mac?" Of all the things she caught, she only caught that? Pretty sure that was one thing the others caught to amongst the zany story Pinkie Pie spew.

Applejack rolled her eyes and waved that part off as if that never happened. As silly as it sounded, Pinkie was right, but she took her side of the story a little shorter, "Okay, long story short, our families are happy. The Pies and Apples are getting along great and we became a big, loving family because of it." That being said, the other mares caught that better than what Pinkie Pie said and all gave a comical simultaneous 'Oh!'

"That's good to know, Applejack," Twilight said as she grabbed a piece of cornbread and took a bite. "Wow, this cornbread is good," Twilight said as she looked to Fluttershy and asked, "Did you make this, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy shook her head, "It wasn't me, Twilight."

"Oh," Twilight looked to Pinkie Pie as another good candidate, but Pinkie Pie shook her head, too.

"Nopie-lopie, Twilight," Pinkie Pie said. "I've never once made cornbread in my entire life." Though that would be a good idea when she got back home.

Twilight raised a brow. Okay, so it was Pinkie Pie and it wasn't Fluttershy. Then who? Her answer came quickly when a white hoof caught her attention. She looked over to Rarity smiling proudly. Twilight blinked a few times until it hit her right across the face. "Rarity? You made this?" Twilight asked, softly shocked by this revelation.

Rarity nodded and smiled softly like she made a new achievement, "Yes, darling. I took some lessons during the last three months," she chuckled and merely teased herself. "I gotta have other hobbies, right?" She was best known for her fashion trends all around Equestria and was decently praised for her ideas and showcases she presented in the shows she participated in. But, behind closed curtains, very few ponies, and one certain dragon, knew she was just a mare living a normal life. Still, even she didn't mind poking fun at her obvious dream now and then.

Twilight smiled a tad awkwardly at that, chucking aside she almost forgot her friends have other hobbies aside from what their cutiemarks signified. She refrained from saying anything and just chuckled along with Rarity, "True, but still, these are good, Rarity."

"Yeah! I mean, what are we, one-note ponies?" Pinkie Pie quipped, looking to her friends jokingly but slightly looked off at the reader when no one was looking, giving them a questioned look.

Ignoring Pinkie's little comment there, Rarity smiled, appreciatively at Twilight's compliment, "Thank you, darling," Rarity slightly blushed, "It took some time, but I wanted to make it as perfect as I can," with that being said, she succeeded with proudly and wanted to share her work with the others.

"It's very sweet and fluffy. Way better than crumpets," Fluttershy said, complimenting her as well. The others couldn't agree more.

The praise she got made her flustered, "Oh stop girls, you're making me blush," as if she wasn't already. Rarity smiled at the needed attention and giggled a little, feeling somewhat giddy like a school filly with butterflies in her stomach. She then slightly flinched in pain and her flustering demeanor faded into a worried look as she placed a hoof on her belly. Fluttershy and Twilight took notice and grew worried themselves.

"Rarity, are you okay?" Fluttershy asked feeling apprehensive and getting the rest of the mare's attention.

Rarity lifted a reassuring hoof and smiled to them, easing any tension that might happen, "Yes, Fluttershy, dear. I'm alright. Just had a small stomach cramp is all." she giggled a little awkwardly to them, acting as if what was going on was no big deal.

But, Twilight thought differently, "Are you sure? You seemed fine before?" Having a sudden cramp like that and try and cover it up? Something didn't seem right. "Are you --"

"Are you sure you aren't eating more of that cornbread of yours? Trying to fluff yourself up to get another stallion?" Pinkie Pie interrupted and joked with Rarity. The other mares blushed beet-red and either almost choked on a snack or drink or squirt said drink out of their noses. Now was not the time for jokes like that!

"Consarnit, Pinkie!" Applejack said as she coughed, "Warn a mare next time you say something like that!" the last thing she needed was to die from having food lodged in her throat.

Rainbow Dash complied to that, "Yeah, I almost blew tea snot out of my nose," she wiped her nose with a napkin. But no one needed to hear that.

Pinkie Pie rubbed the back of her head and smiled apologetically at the athlete mares, "Sorry, couldn't resist."

Twilight and Fluttershy were not so amused by Pinkie's unnecessary joke. Something was clearly wrong with Rarity and she went and made a joke like that? The alicorn and pegasus rolled their eyes before looking back to her friend who slightly giggled at that. Okay, something was definitely off here.

Rarity giggled nonetheless at what had occurred. She knew Pinkie Pie didn't mean any harm in that little joke. True, she wanted to harp at her for joking about her weight, but at the same time... it's Pinkie Pie. Can anyone really be mad at her for it? Yes, it was fun to joke around about it, but she couldn't help but reply to her regarding it, "Darling, as I said earlier, I was going through a rough time trying to get over Spike's leaving and I gave up trying to keep my figure in check," she explained, "I don't see the point in it, anymore." though, she couldn't help but pout about the cornbread bit. "Though the cornbread is not the issue and its low fat."

But Pinkie still had to apologize, nonetheless. She loved to joke, but sometimes there was a time and place. And right now, Rarity was going through something and she obviously upset Fluttershy and Twilight with the way they were rightfully frowning at her. So, now would be a good time, "Heh, still. I'm sorry, Rarity. It was a force of habit."

Rarity smiled and waved her hoof assuringly, accepting that excuse, "Pinkie, it's quite alright. I know you were just joking." That's what Pinkie does and she knew this, after all. She did appreciate her friend's concern, though. Well, all of them, really. Even going as far as to support her and each other if they needed it. Yet, she had a feeling the kind of support she needed her friends might not know what to do with. Should she tell them? She didn't know. So, for now, it's just a cramp. Well, maybe they have the right to know one thing if one of them asked.

"I do have one question for ya, sugarcube?" Applejack said.

And there it is. Like clockwork at its finest. She sighed softly and looked to Applejack, ready to answer her question, "What is it, Applejack?" She was more than willing to answer.

She hesitated for a moment, nervous to ask since it involved Spike, "Why did Spike leaving cause you to gain weight?" It was a sensitive topic but with how Rarity was acting, she figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. All this talk about it, she had to wonder.

That was a good question and it did spark some curiosity among the six. They all beamed their eyes on Rarity and wondered the same thing. Was it depression? That would've been a logical reason, yet Twilight was still going through depression and she hadn't gained any weight. Rainbow Dash still thought she needed to get over it, but that was just her.

Well, this took a turn. Now all eyes were on her and she had all the attention; granted, it wasn't the kind of attention she was used to. Rarity bit her lower lip and blushed sheepishly. She wanted to hide her secret until the time was right, but seeing inquisitive eyes built-up a little peer pressure. But, she gathered enough strength to not succumb to that and kept a good composure. She looked at Twilight for a moment and thought about what her reaction might be if she said the truth. Would she flip out? Would they all flip out? She had two parts of this news and would they be able to handle them? Rarity calmly sighed and looked at her enthusiastic friends. Well, here goes nothing. It was time to jump the gun. Hopefully, this piece of news will ease them into it

"Alright, I guess I won't hide it anymore since you girls are so eager to know," Rarity said under bated breath while everyone waited with eager anticipation. "I was in love with Spike and I still am to this day."

And then she waited. That silent gust of suspenseful wind came rushing by and she felt it brush against her fur. It put a slight chill in her spine but it didn't draw her attention as much as seeing her friend's reactions. Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to process what she said to them and the expected results were outright hilarious.

"What?!" they all said in synchronous shock and surprise. Again, as expected, Rarity knew what their reactions might've been; now would be a good time to let them soak it in and enjoy the show. She was just happy no one was flipping out in a bad way or else things would get seriously awkward.

Pinkie Pie gasped loudly at this big news and smacked her cheeks with her hooves. Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Applejack just looked at Rarity as if this was something out of character for her and never expected something like that. They were floored.

But, unlike the others, Rarity was more nervous about Twilight's reaction. She was Spike's mother after all and to hear one of her friends had fallen in love with her son might've been rather awkward for the both of them. Nevertheless, she gingerly looked over to Twilight nervously to find out what her reaction might be. As she thought, she saw Twilight shocked as all hell; wide-eyed, jaw agape and all. Rarity was perplexed, she could've sworn Twilight would've had the biggest reaction out of all of them, but she was just stone-cold silent.

Her white cheeks reddened bashfully and a little awkwardly from their reactions after telling them the truth, yet she slowly nodded and could only tell them in a sheepish, "Surprise." She smiled softly and shyly. Much more than what Fluttershy could ever do.

The girls were all still trying to soak in what they just heard. From day one, Spike fell in love with Rarity and they all thought the same thing she did; that it was just a little crush and he would eventually grow out of it. Guess they thought wrong; Twilight was wrong; Rarity was wrong. Right under their muzzles, they never expected that little crush to turn into dedication. And with that strong dedication, Spike finally won Rarity's heart and Rarity kept it from them until now. That easily explained why Rarity did a number on herself after so long. Minds were blown and revelations were answered. It all made sense now!

As amusing as it was to watch her friends put on an emotional show for her, she didn't want them to get too excited -- that might come later. Rarity looked over to Twilight and chuckled, loving the fact she hadn't burst in rage from her announcement. She reached out and waved a hoof in front of Twilight's shocked-prone face to try and snap her out of her trance, "Darling if you keep your mouth open like that, you'll attract flies." She joked, but it did wake Twilight for her to gain some bearings.

"Why didn't we see the signs before?" Rainbow Dash spouted being the first to speak among the shocked silence. "I thought Spike was over that? I thought you waited for him to grow out of that phase?" It made sense for her to be depressed that he'd left because she was his friend. But it didn't make sense that she'd fall in love with him, too. Was a romance like that even possible?

"How? When? Where? What? WHAT?!?!" Pinkie Pie grabbed her head and tried to make sense of all of this. Rarity was in love with Spike the whole time? How? A pony having an attraction for a dragon was unheard of. The pink mare had to know, "This is insane! When did cupid fire an arrow in your ass?" If push came to shove, she'd be all on board for reviewing an interspecies relationship. Like hell, she'd be against it. She'd love to see how it played out. Pony on pony was one thing, but pony on dragon? Now, this was something she could not let go of.

Rarity blushed and scrunched her muzzle at that kind of question, "I don't remember when, darling. It's been a long while--"

"Long while?!" Applejack joined in with a slight sharp bark, but unlike the other girls, she tried to restrain her emotions. Keyword being 'try' as this juicy truth was a lot for even her to handle. "Rarity, you've been in love with Spike and you never told any of us? Why tell us now instead of telling us before this whole three-month thing started?" At the amount of time, even when Spike was here, she -- they -- could've said something instead of leaving them in the dirt like that. She was happy Rarity finally found someone she loved to call her soulmate, but she was also hurt and frustrated she and Spike kept this news from them -- even Spike kept it from his own dadgum mother! Yet, at the same time, she can't blame Rarity for keeping this a secret. Something like this was unheard of and for Rarity to spring this on them, she was completely mixed about now.

Though love can be a mysterious force, this kind of news was still alien to her. Almost. She had one moment during the three months where two of her animal friends fell in love; a male wolf and a female cougar -- a canine and a feline. Something like that would be mass hysteria to other ponies if they didn't understand the situation. But, not Fluttershy. As much as it seemed weird to her, it was no different and she wasn't gonna flip over it like the others -- to an extent. Rarity's news about her falling for Spike was still something no other pony had ever tried before. Like the others, she thought Spike would move on from his little puppy crush on Rarity, but she never anticipated for Rarity to twist this story and actually fall in love with Spike. It really made her ponder. Just how did Spike pull it off? And why did it feel like this was the start of a cheesy soap opera? As much as hearing Rarity's news was shocking, the mere thought of the latter was pretty funny.

Rarity froze. Okay, now the show got a little serious. Her friends seemed mixed about her news and she had a feeling that would be the case. Then again, she couldn't really blame them. A pony falling for a dragon? Never in any history was that ever put in any books, scrolls, or on a display window in Celestia's castle. Yet, here they were discussing it like it was research that hadn't been written down. Deep down, she wouldn't lie to herself and say it was weird, and like before when Spike had that crush on her when he was younger, she would merely brush it away like it was pointless puppy love; a puppy crush that he would grow out of overtime. At least, that was before and now here she was among friends telling them that fate had twisted her and slammed irony right in her face. And she doesn't regret it.

For her friends, hearing that a pony and a dragon fell in love together? The mere thought of the two 'bonding' like that seemed alien to them. Nevertheless, she had to settle them down so she could explain, hopefully, "Girls, let's calm down and take a deep breath. Before you all lose your minds, let's think rationally." Try as she might to calm the situation before things could get out of hoof, she knew they'd react in different ways. Positively, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy seemed like they're taking it well. Rainbow Dash looked like she was lost and didn't know what to think, almost making her stir crazy. But, Applejack? Oh, Applejack had her worried the most. She seemed level-headed on the outside, but inside of the cowgirl lied demons of truth she knew were itching to come out. She could tell her friend had much more to say to her and she braced when the moment came. In hindsight, she was just glad her mental lie-detector didn't raise her red flags, and then she'd be screwed. However, if one scary pony wasn't bad enough, she looked over to Twilight. She was the last to take in --

Twilight threw her arms up, "Oh no, no, no, no! Hold the buck up, Rarity! I'm not calming down after what you just said," Twilight spoke to her, excitedly before placing a hoof on her muzzle to get her to shut her muzzle. Rarity's muzzle was forcefully scrunched as she looked up at a very enthused, very thrilled, smiling Twilight who just unlocked not only her motherly instincts but her scientist instincts, too.

A bead of sweat slowly slid down the side of Rarity's face as she looked at her bookworm friend, a bit shocked, slightly wary, and finally concerned after finally receiving her slightly delayed reaction. Twilight didn't have the messy mane going and her eyes were not dilated into crazy dots, but Rarity still couldn't shake the feeling she just opened Pandora's box -- and that really worried her. While yes, it did involve her son, Twilight seemed eager to dissect the info out of her as much as her abilities allowed -- hopefully, not literally.

Twilight held nothing back. Her son was involved and Rarity said she fell in love with him; questions had to be addressed and she was not gonna take ‘no’ for an answer. She was a mixed bag of defense and offense and offense sadly and frighteningly played first as she gripped Rarity's slightly chubby cheeks, "You just told us something we never expected to happen -- especially something like this from you. Now, I want you to spill it," Twilight said eagerly as all hell to get the details from her rotund friend -- every last bit of it.

It was one thing for her son to crush over Rarity, but for Rarity to throw this curveball had to be caught. And she caught it easier than any lesson Celestia threw at her. A pony falling for someone of another species? That had to be studied to the highest degree; as a mother, scientist, and author; this had to be documented. She couldn't contain herself.

"I want to know everything, Rarity.” She grasped her cheeks and leaned in, their heads touching as she at first glared at her, “Why did you hide this news from everyone?” But then she grinned in delight, her eyes sparkling in amazement. “When did this happen? What did Spike do to persuade you? Did he act professionally?” She let go of her friend’s cheeks to point at her on the question of acting professional, as she knew Rarity was all about professionalism when she showed off her work or even herself to other ponies.

But, Twilight then held her own cheeks as she swooned and giggled to herself as she now realized this may also be delicious ammo – despite her son being long gone. “Was it adorable? Was it awkward?” This is about her son, after all. And knowing him, it may as well have been adorable, whatever he did – but she really had to know from her. She then gasped deeply as another thought came to her; she then got right in Rarity’s face again, their noses scrunching together as they touched. “Where were you when you two first confessed?!" Twilight bombarded her with question after question, and she was being relentless about it, too. She grabbed her shoulders and shook her excitedly, "Tell me, woman! Tell me-eeee!"

At this point, even their friends were worried. Twilight was definitely Twilighting hard, and on a whole new different level this time.

“She’s losin’ it.” Pinkie whispered to Rainbow Dash, uncharacteristically concerned by this type of freaking out of Twilight’s; it was one thing when she’s stressed, but this was a 180 from that. Rainbow Dash could only nod slowly.

Rarity looked a little nervous. Twilight never behaved like this before and it really didn't seem like her to lash out in such a manner. Comparing the two, she'd take Applejack over Twilight. But, she should've seen it coming, yet she didn't. She scrunched her eyes and placed her hooves on Twilight's arms. If only Twilight could remove her hooves from her body and let her breathe, she could speak. She'd gladly explain to her if she'd just calm down. Her hooves were pressing a little hard against her skin and it started to hurt.

Thankfully, a yellow hoof reached out and firmly grasped Twilight by her horn, easily pulling her head back and dragging her back, "Ow, ow, ow, horn, horn, horn!" Twilight yelped as Fluttershy easily pulled her away from Rarity and forced her to walk back to her chair and sit back down like a mother would a young filly -- ironic as it was.

"That's quite enough, Twilight," Fluttershy said in a stern tone as Twilight rubbed her horn, gently. "We know you're eager to know -- we all are -- but that doesn't give you the right to force Rarity to talk like that --"she then glared at the others in case they pulled the same stunt "--none of us should." Thankfully, the other three complied. They just wanted to know what was going on.

Rarity gingerly rubbed her cheeks and then her arms to null the pain away before thankfully saying, "Thank you, Fluttershy." She'll owe her for saving her skin later. She then took a moment to think before scooting back a little from Twilight’s seat. After that ordeal, maybe she should just save the rest until Twilight had a few dozen chill pills. Perhaps, instead of just pouring the news out like an avalanche, she'll give the girls baby steps. She knew telling them was gonna be a trip and she prepared for their reactions, she just wasn't prepared for that kind of reaction -- she didn't know if Twilight went Twilynanas or if she was just too excited. Either way, Fluttershy saved her skin.

Okay, now it was time for the first step, "Okay, I know all of you have questions, and first things first, I kept it a secret for a long while because I didn't want to just throw it out there like it was some hot take or something." she made a valid point. And that was one point Applejack can wholeheartedly accept.

Rarity chuckled and cooed as she recalled how Spike ‘persuaded’ her; bless his little heart how he tried, "I don't quite remember where but I do remember he wasn't all that professional. But bless him and his little heart, he tried." The memory of them meeting each other and caving-in to Spike's goofy yet adorable charm was all she could handle, "It was his goofy yet adorable charm that won me over." To think, her ideal stallion would have riches and a well-behaved attitude, but her heart mysteriously felt empty from that. Riches and fame were great, yet she couldn't help but think she dodged a bullet there. "Spike was being himself and it won me over. We had our first date and... I may have done more than just fall in love with Spike." She looked away bashfully and blushed, almost hesitant to go further with this. "The reason I never told any of you until now was... well... I've been dealing with a lot of 'things' and I had to deal with them on my own -- sort of. I had Sweetie Belle helping me, so it's family things, I think." Rarity said as she smiled innocently at her friends, much to their confusion.

"Things?" Fluttershy asked puzzled.

Pinkie Pie giggle-snorted at that, "Things, huh? Would those things happen to be you two boink --" a steel grazing muzzle poofed into existence and strapped over Pinkie's muzzle, shutting her up before she could get worse with her unfiltered mind.

"Too far, Pinkie Pie," Twilight said unamused as Pinkie Pie tried to pry her grazing muzzle off her face. That was the last thing Twilight needed to hear right now while she’s listening intently to Rarity’s every word, even writing down notes, biting her lip in eager excitement. This was getting really good – sure, her son may not have been professional, but he achieved his goal: managing to win the heart of the unicorn he loves.

Despite what Pinkie Pie was about to say, even though she was right. Rarity nodded slowly and nervously said to Fluttershy, "Yes. 'Things'. And one of those things are --" she assumed it was right around that time and there was no hiding it now. She was about to reveal her biggest secret to them until she immediately paused and looked up as she stated in a confused matter, raising a brow, "-- an odd cloud forming in the sky?" That took everyone off-guard and they looked at Rarity confused by what she meant. An odd cloud?

"Uh, a what now?" Applejack said as Rarity pointed up. Curious, they all turned to see what Rarity was talking about and looking at, only to be greeted by an unknown black cloud forming in the sky and spreading like a virus as thunder started to ominously rumbling.

As if confusion didn't hit them enough already, this one hit the hardest. Where did that cloud come from? And why was it behaving so differently? "Rainbow Dash, is there a storm scheduled for today?" Fluttershy asked. She wasn't a part of the weather team Rainbow Dash was in, but she always had a schedule on standby thanks to her and today seemed like it was gonna be a nice day.

Yet, Rainbow Dash was just as baffled by this bizarre phenomenon. "No? There wasn't a storm scheduled ‘til next week. Even Spitfire told me!” Spitfire was not only captain of the Wonderbolts, but she kept an eye on the weather too – even telling the other Wonderbolts ahead of time when a storm is coming. “The hell's going on?" Rainbow Dash tried to piece some theories together while eyeing the cloud. Did a cloud generator in the Weather Factory malfunction and produced a new dark cloud? Or did someone make it without an authorization? She was hoping for the latter; no pony was to create clouds without her knowing about it. As she and the girls watched on, they began to notice small flickers of light within the cloud. Rainbow Dash was puzzled. 'A thunderstorm? No. It couldn't be.' She would've smelt water by now -- all of them would. Was this a dry thunderstorm? Something didn't add up.

The black cloud seemed to travel at a fast pace after they just noticed it above a mountain. It coated the sky like spilled juice spreading across a marble table. Already, it washed above their heads and darkened Celestia's morning sky; thankfully, there was enough sunlight for them to see where each other were and for them to see their own hooves in front of their faces, but that was of little concern as a ghostly chill fell upon them as they all glanced up at the horror-driven cloud.

Rainbow Dash's right ear twitched. A strange cackle-like noise caught her attention and she sharply looked around at the sky to find the source, "Did anyone else hear that?"

Everyone looked at Rainbow Dash confused, but they all tried to listen for the noise she just heard. With what's happening right now, anything out of the ordinary could happen -- even the possibility of goblins manipulating these clouds.

They carefully tried to listen in as best they could, but try as they might they couldn't hear what Rainbow Dash heard.

"Darling, whatever it is you heard, I can't hear it," Rarity said, the other mares vouching for her.

"I can't hear it either. You sure you're just hearing things, Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie Pie asked, wondering if she was just scared because of the weird cloud above them.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. She wasn't going crazy. She knew she heard something just now and she couldn't be the only one, "No, I heard something out there that didn't sound right." She looked up at the abnormal cloud in frustration and tried to remember what she learned from her old class in middle school regarding the number of clouds Cloudsdale was responsible for making.

'Cirrus? No, this cloud isn't producing any ice. And the air isn't cold. It's normally warm,' that rolled that type of cloud out. 'Stratus? No, all of us would be smelling water and this freak cloud is too high up. This cloud seems too dry.' Okay, so any of the Cirrus and Stratus types are out the window. But there had to be another kind of cloud Cloudsdale produced. 'Uh... what was it?' Rainbow Dash thought to herself, unaware that Twilight noticed her laser-pointed focus on the cloud.

A sudden burst of bright crooked lightning instantly burst out and struck the ground with decent force. The ground strongly shook underneath them and caused a bit of panic from each pony. Fluttershy noticed a couple of trees being uprooted and was dismayed by that -- the strong sense of urgency to help any of her animal friends, if any got caught in the crossfire, weighed in on her. Her natural instincts were about to kick in if the sudden arrival of a strong gust of wind appeared out of nowhere and snapped her out of it. Fluttershy and the other mares blocked themselves from being blown away.

"What's going on?" Twilight called out, unsure of what to think of this random storm.

"I don't know, darling. This is the weirdest storm I've ever seen," Rarity replied as she blocked her face from the wind with her right arm.

"Whatever it is, I sure don’t like the looks of it. Do you think Discord might be behind this?" Applejack asked over the wind, keeping her hat in place so it wouldn't be blown away. It was the only reasonable guess. Some wacko storm showed up out of nowhere and started to cause havoc? Discord had to be behind it. There couldn't be anyone else.

Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Twilight agreed with that statement. Of all the other beings in Equestria that could manipulate things better than anyone else in some chaotic fashion, it was Discord.

"No!" but Fluttershy snapped and semi-lashed out at Applejack for saying such a thing. It's been how many years and everyone was still blaming Discord? Yes, Discord had done a lot of mischievous things over the years, or decades for that matter, but he hasn't really hurt anyone throughout that time. He was just having his own fun, without physical harm being included. He even told her that a few times when they hung out, confessing while he’s aware that his mischief can get a teeny bit out of control or aggravating to others like her friends, he’s never actually hurt anypony with his magic – that’s just not in him. And if anyone was gonna badmouth him in front of her, then damn it, she was gonna defend Discord -- especially from her friends and especially from an action he would never commit. "Discord would never do something like this," Fluttershy said, protectively. "Discord never had any interest in manipulating the weather. Even he knows that's dangerous."

She made good points, but Applejack still had second doubts. Discord was trying to start a new life, but old habits die hard, "Fluttershy, I know he's your friend, but --"

"But, nothing!" Rainbow Dash interrupted. "Fluttershy's right. It's not Discord. Applejack, would Discord do something like that?" Rainbow Dash pointed to the clouds burping out more lightning bolts that seemed to get closer every second they talked. Applejack might reconsider what she said when she saw the cascade of lightning hammering down. Rainbow Dash had a point. "We can talk about this inside. And, I don't know about you but I don't want to be roasted pony under what's making this cloud."

"I agree. Let's head inside before who knows what could happen next," Rarity said, eagerly wanting to head back to Fluttershy's cottage where it's safe. With the wind beginning to pick up, they couldn't talk through this kind of circumstance.

Having all come to an agreement, the mane six made it back to Fluttershy's cottage. Rarity, however, was a tad bit slower than the others and she nearly tripped on a dent in the ground.

Applejack quickly dove after her and caught her, holding her by her back and belly, "I gotcha, Rares." The moment she caught her, she felt a small force push against her arm over her belly. "Huh?" Applejack looked puzzled and looked to Rarity who looked at her shocked before a lightning bolt came down a mile behind the two mares, causing them to flinch and instinctively gallop back to the cottage and head inside.

And just as the door closed, the cloud was already upon them, hovering over the forest and above the cottage, turning the bright blue skylight into a realm of pitch-black darkness that Nightmare Moon would appreciate.

In the sheltering cottage, while the mares got ready for the impact of the storm, Fluttershy noticed Angel hiding and shaking under the couch. Curiously, she approached and crouched down to meet his eye level, "What's wrong, Angel? Why are you scared? It's just a storm, it'll pass," She said reassuringly as she tried to calm her pet rabbit. She tried to convince the white rabbit to come out, but Angel kept shaking like a leaf and frantically shook his head. He was too scared to come out. Something wasn't right. And Angel wasn't the only one. Any of the smaller animals who managed to take shelter in her cottage hid from plain sight, terrified out of their minds. Fluttershy was growing more concerned with every scared face she saw from her woodland animal friends.

A few birds flew in their homes hanging from the ceiling, mice scurried into their homes into the wall, and even a fox was too scared to leave the cottage and made a b-line under a pile of wood inside the fireplace.

With Fluttershy tending to what animals made their way to the cottage, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Twilight were quickly on high alert and rushed around the cottage to either lock, barricade or bolt down every window and door the cottage offered. Once that was done, all three ponies huddled back to the center of Fluttershy's living room; all three looking serious.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie just sat this one out and kept a lookout for anything unusual. Rarity cautiously looked out the window to the backyard to see if there was an end to the storm. Unfortunately, there wasn't as the storm kept its looming presence up. She shivered at the sight looming outside of the cottage or lack thereof. All she saw was nothing but eerie darkness. She's dealt with darkness before like caves, tunnels, and her own home when the power goes out. But this? This was something far different than what she's ever dealt with.

Just what kind of cloud was out there? The more Rarity looked outside the window, the more she thought something was gonna crash through and attack. Not wanting anxiety to get the better of her, she quickly looked away and took deep breaths to calm her nerves down to relax her whole body. She shouldn't get stressed, not right now. She had to remain strong and she calmly looked down, secretly rubbing her belly while Pinkie Pie and the others weren't looking -- not just for her sake.

Pinkie Pie just watched Fluttershy talk to her scared, shaking little devil of a rabbit, trying to coax him to come out into her arms and that they’ve been through storms before – that this storm wouldn’t be any different. But this made her worried about her own pet, her precious little Gummy. If this kind of storm was not a normal storm, then what were the chances of it rolling to Ponyville and hurting others -- including her Gummy and the Cake Family. She couldn't bear to think of the worst. She hoped this nightmarish, mutant storm would pass quickly. She'd try to attempt to make everyone feel better, but something in the back of her head told her that might not the best idea -- not right now, at least. Like Rarity, she looked over to a window that showed Ponyville and the bright clear sky, only to then see the darkness heading right for the small town.

"Angel, please tell me, what’s going on?" Fluttershy softly said to him, kindly demanding him to tell her what's going on. But the little rabbit would not budge. Something clearly had him spooked, like he knew something dangerous was coming. But what? Every one of her animal friends acted the same way and she just didn't know what to make of any of it. What were they seeing that she wasn't? Granted, storms can be frightening, loud, and unpredictable, but they always passed in the end. What made this storm different compared to the others?

"Okay, What's going on, Rainbow Dash? Is there something we don't know that you do?" Twilight asked, wanting to drag as much information out of her as possible so they all could know what they're dealing with. A storm cloud showing up unscheduled seemed rather sketchy for somepony to do if Discord wasn't involved in this.

Applejack nodded, glancing at Rainbow Dash like she found an answer to a riddle no one else knew, "Alright, if it isn't Discord, then what else could it be?" Was there something she was missing? If so, Who, or what, else could be controlling that thunderstorm outside?

Rainbow Dash nodded as serious as she could be. She was gonna explain as best she could to Twilight if it meant easing anything they might think would give them a panic, "Alright, I don't know if any of you learned this in school but, -- " she pointed outside where it was so dark, vamponies could thrive out there " -- out there is a Cumulonimbus Cloud."

Twilight easily understood what Rainbow Dash meant -- there were many different types of clouds Cloudsdale produced, but she was never taught that in school; she only read about them maybe a few times in educational books she found in other libraries. She would speak up about what she learned from her old school to Rainbow Dash, but she'd only get in Rainbow Dash's way if she got any info wrong; she used to be a unicorn, not a pegasus. And she made the right call. Hearing Rainbow Dash theorize or explain anything regarding what she was familiar with was a rare occurrence and she wished she'd brought something to document it.

"A Cucumber-what now?" Applejack asked confused beyond belief. She was somewhat homeschooled growing up and her family never gave her any lessons on identifying clouds. So, she was out of the loop. And the fact that Rainbow Dash had her stumped was saying a lot more than it needed to be.

Rainbow Dash slightly rolled her eyes at Applejack botching up the name, but continued her explanation, "Alright, how do I explain it; a Cumulonimbus cloud is the only cloud of its kind that produces all those lightning and rain you see outside. And thunder comes next. Sometimes we call it a thunderhead because it sounds awesome."

"Oh, kind of like Thor with his hammer from those stories dad used to tell me," Applejack said in a perked tone, realizing where Rainbow Dash was going with this. Hearing something like that brought a bit of joy to her since she loved hearing about Thor growing up. But there really wasn't time for joy right now.

"Eh, close enough," Rainbow Dash replied, seeing the comparison but not really where she was going, at all. "A thunderhead is not quite as powerful as that. A thunderhead is not as focused."

"So, what does this have to do with the cloud outside?" Twilight asked as she looked out to the storm brewing as lightning flashed in the sky.

Rainbow Dash looked out the window and saw flashes of light shine down and blasting away more trees from their roots, "Because the one outside is not a Thunderhead."

Everyone looked at Rainbow Dash confused by what she meant. She gave them info that seemed somewhat helpful, but twisted it and said that it wasn't the cloud they were dealing with? What was she playing at?

"Rainbow, that doesn't make any sense! How can that be a Thunderhead if it isn't a Thunderhead?" Twilight asked, getting impatient with this whole drama-esque scene.

Rainbow Dash gazed back at her friends. Her face had nothing but seriousness to it and anything she had to say that was funny was out the window and into that dark void outside, "Because that Thunderhead is either being controlled or something inside is creating it." And if her memory served her right, she remembered dealing with gremlins that magically create storms and manipulate them to do their bidding, but something about this storm felt different.

"She's right," Fluttershy said as she jumped into the conversation after finally getting Angel to talk.

Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy and curled an eyebrow. Was Fluttershy able to get Angel to talk, or something? She was wondering because she couldn't be the only one noticing something off here, too, "Did the little furball finally say something?" she asked curiously.

Fluttershy nodded and nervously said, "Yes. I got Angel to calm down. He said that he and everyone else are scared -- terrified, even. He told me that he's sensing something outside; something unusual and different… something dangerous." But her concern and worry was far more acknowledged when she glanced at the window showing the blackened scene outside. She was on high alert; scared and ready for flight mode, but she couldn't allow herself to cower now. This was her home and it was used as a shelter for her friends. She had to stay calm, too. "Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah?" Rainbow Dash replied.

"You're right. W-we're not dealing with a normal cloud here. Something's out there controlling it."

Considering the thunderhead outside was much thicker than how a normal one should be, yeah, this was not a regular thunderhead.

Twilight spoke and jumped in, wondering just what they could do to make sure everyone was safe from this mutant storm, "Should I cast a spell? I can cast a shield spell and deflect the lightning so it -- "

It wasn't until a sudden noise of unknown origin came out and sang to them. Each one paused and took an earful of what they heard. It seemed faint, at first, but they could make out a faint chirp-like sound outside the cottage. It sounded soft for the most part, almost mimicking either a locust being perched far away or the call of a baby bird begging for its mother to feed it.

The ponies then stared at the backdoor and never looked away as the soft chime began to slowly increase in volume. The locust-like call then shifted in pitch and sounded more like an unusual bell being played by some careless filly. Whatever it was, they didn't know what to make of it. They've never heard of anything like this before in their entire lives. The noise was so creepy and haunting, yet, at the same time, sounded bizarrely hypnotic, too. They couldn't understand what was happening or even comprehend where the noise was coming from. Was this the noise Rainbow Dash heard? It sounded so alien!

As phenomenal and terrifying as it was, they couldn't dare move, not even an inch. They were more terrified than amazed by it. Not once did they look away from the door as the bell-like calls rang out. Yet, they continued to rise in volume. Each one of them felt like if they moved that risky inch, all unknowingly or knowingly thinking the same thing, whatever made the chilling noise would go after one, or all, of them. They didn't want to risk that chance.

They stood their ground. Fight or flight mode was cranked to eleven. Hearted raced and nerves twisted. They anticipated, nervous to even think what was gonna happen next.

'Bidibidi-bidi-bidibidi' was all they heard as it grew louder and closer to them. It was obviously clear that something was out there and it was approaching the cottage. Approaching them! Whatever was out there making that sound, the ponies couldn't shake the feeling that they were being stalked. Over and over they kept their attention on the noise, but as they listened it almost sounded like it was coordinated like there was more than one. If that was the case, then the situation grew more and more disturbing and unsettling.

But one had to risk it and whisper to Rainbow Dash, "W-Was that the noise you heard before?" Fluttershy asked, shaking like a panicked puppy while everyone else stood like statues, eyes glued to the door, the windows, and the doorknob to see if it would turn.

The noise arrived and the ponies tensed in anticipation and fear, but strangely, and miraculously, it seemed like it crawled above their heads on top of the ceiling before it suddenly went quiet; like the noise just turned off in a quick snap. Remembering what Fluttershy asked, Rainbow Dash hesitated to talk to her, thinking she'd start the whole noise back up if she even muttered a word and she would cause a mass panic among her friends. But, she jumped the gun and nervously responded before gulping down a pocket of air down her throat, alarms were going off in her head and her tough act was null and void, "Y-yes, that’s it. That’s the noise I heard --"

BOOM!

As if they've forgotten all about the storm, the storm came back with a harsh reminder and woke the girls up with a flash of powerful lightning that crashed a few feet away from the cottage and the shockwave firmly rattled the foundations. The ground exploded from impact and the loud sound from it startled the girls into screaming in pure terror and instinctively gathered around in a group hug in the middle of the cottage -- each one shook like maracas. And Fluttershy’s poor animal friends screamed in their own cries and some hid even deeper in their hiding spots, shaking like leaves or covering both their eyes and their ears. All of them were praying for it to be over. But, it was far from over. The storm let loose another cascade of lightning that flashed all around the cottage. Each strike they heard caused them stress and panic. One after another, they heard more explosive sounds orchestrating like they had specific spots to hit; they didn't sound random.

Each strike from the lightning grew more violent with every second. Twilight tried to conjure a shield to protect the cottage and her friends, but the outbursts outside disrupted her concentration. She was too scared to use her magic and she was not alone. Her friends were equally as terrified and could not muster the nerve to move from their spot. Were these lightning bolts coordinated? It wasn't possible!

The cottage rattled with each blast from the explosion, but it baffled Twilight when she realized the cottage was still intact. How? It didn't make any sense! Then she heard the bell-like noise again, but this time it sounded more like... laughter? Cackling bells? She tried to move, but another lightning bolt caused her to panic and she and her friends soon screamed out in fear and plead, begging for this hellish storm to stop.

The rushing winds, the blinding lightning, the explosive rounds, they want it all to stop. Make it stop!

A couple more lightning rounds struck the area around the cottage, blasting the ground and caused the ponies to scream, again. Was a bolt gonna crash through the cottage next? They didn't want to find out as the winds grew stronger outside but not strong enough to uplift the cottage. However, the rushing winds didn't let up at all as they began to sound like the roars of Windigos. Thankfully, there weren't any outside, but it didn't stop the cottage from rocking and nearly knocking decorations and furniture down and it sure as hell didn't stop the ponies from panicking.

Was someone getting a sick kick out of torturing them like this? Were they deliberately missing the cottage? No one knew. They just wanted this torture to end.

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie began to cry, pleading for the storm to cease. They've had enough!

Outside, lightning struck one spot after another, striking a few trees and tearing them like paper. The trees fell and crashed to the ground. Some knocked over other trees like dominoes. Few fires started but they didn't spread across the environment. Others split in half, yet remained standing. Again and again, they struck, hitting one target after another. Birds who couldn’t make it to the cottage were forced to quickly abandon their nests to find a near den or a way inside to the cottage because every tree that was being struck either snapped apart or was uprooted. A lone grizzly bear was unfortunately caught in the storm as it tried to find shelter but sadly fell victim to one half of a falling tree, roaring out desperately for help as half of the tree fell on it. Another lightning bolt struck right in front of the cottage and exploded a small creek under the bridge, taking the bridge with it.

It felt like forever. But Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and Applejack noticed the hell-storm was starting to cease. They didn't know how long they've been bundled up together but they were relieved to hear the lightning slowly drift away. So now a silent, calm atmosphere took over, yet the sky was still miserably pitch black and eerie. Any lighting within the cottage was absolutely gone and all they could hear now were the fainted breaths of each other. Was there more on the way? They really hoped not.

Twilight acted smart and used her horn like a torch to light up the surrounding area so she could see, "Alright, who's not dead? Sound off."

"I'm alright, "Applejack replied first, a bit shaky but slowly regaining her bearings.”A bit shaken, but I’m still standin'."

"I'll be fine after I stop hearing this damn ringing in my ears," Rainbow Dash rubbed her ears. As if her own sonic rainboom didn't cause enough ear-ringing.

"Is it over?" Fluttershy asked, too frightened to even look up as she lay on the floor, face covered in her mane and arms.

"What, in the name of all things pure and sacred in Equestria, kind of storm was that?" Rarity asked as she struggled a bit to sit back up.

"And how are we still alive? I thought for sure a lightning bolt would hit us," Pinkie Pie wondered. She was just as shook as everyone else, but she was still clear-headed enough to wonder what just happened.

Pinkie Pie held a good question. Of all the explosions they heard, at least one should've brought this cottage down, but it still stood. Rainbow Dash, being the brave one of the group, stepped out from the huddle and hesitantly looked out the window to check if things were clear, though the darkness proved otherwise.

"Ugh, damn it. It's still --," but the darkness started to fade just a little. And she could see the fires light up to show what the carnage had done. "Err, was dark out." It didn't take long for her to notice the darkness was... moving? As if something flew over them.

"What do you see out there, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked as she walked up to her to look. She didn't like what she saw and wished she stayed back.

Though she was still shaken from that whole onslaught, Fluttershy stood back up and walked over to the back door. If no one was gonna look outside, then she would. Twilight quickly noticed and stood beside her; she desperately shook her head, begging her to not go outside. But she had to. She had to see what was damaged and she had to know if her other animal friends were alright. She opened the door and peeked outside…

…Only to gasp in sheer shock as she saw a heartbreaking and grotesque sight. She fully swung the door open and flew outside, causing her friends to panic and yell out her name as they went after her.

But as they followed her, they were introduced to the same horror scene Fluttershy saw.

The forest was almost completely destroyed. There were large gaping spots or mangled spots between trees where one should've been but were uprooted so badly that it resembled an open wound. Bits of fire scattered in random places, but thankfully it didn't spread to make things worse. The grass beneath their hooves was charcoal black and the air smelt of burnt wood and fauna that some of the mares couldn't help but let out a quick sneeze. Even the sky was still coated in that awful cloud, but at least they didn't catch sight of any more lightning. Of all the destruction they've seen in their lives, they've never seen anything like this. They were surprised that they didn't hear --

Fluttershy screamed bloody murder near them.

-- There it was.

The other mares couldn't have any more time to process the destruction before them as they quickly rushed over to meet Fluttershy who sat there as pale as a ghost looking down at the bodies of what used to be a couple of her bird friends, who unfortunately fell victim to the strong winds and the lightning – just a few feet away from making it to her home before they were claimed.

"H-Hummingway, Melody," Fluttershy said in soft sorrow. She placed a hoof on her chest and noticed her chicken coop was all but obliterated, nothing but rubble, broken eggshells, and scattered feathers, "Elizabeak, Clucker, Blitz," a tear ran down her cheek. All her chicken friends, the hatchlings, their unhatched eggs; they were gone. They were all… gone. She tried so hard to keep it together but a low, pained, groan near her and her friends bellowed.

She looked over. Her eyes widened as big as dinner plates from what she just saw and the emotional thread snapped, "No!" she cried out as she rushed like a bullet over to the source of the pained call.

Her friends watched but quickly tried to follow her. Fluttershy dashed over a good distance away from her cottage but her friends noticed her come to a halt near one half of a collapsed tree. They tried to make sense of what Fluttershy saw that made her come over here, but their answer came in the form and sound of a female grizzly bear whimpering and trying desperately to cling to any life she still had. Half the tree was over her body and it crushed her lower spine. She was in bad condition and trying to move her was not gonna be an option. Fluttershy's lips quivered as she held her arms over her head in a state of panic. She tried so hard not to cry but her friend was dying in front of her and she didn't know what to do. Tears ran down her cheeks as she heard the pained whimpers of her grizzly friend. It wasn't Harry, but... "G-Grace... No, p-please. Hang in there. I-I’m here… you’re going to be okay, now…" Fluttershy reached out and held Grace's claw, pleading her to hang in there, before hearing her breaths become shorter and quicker.

"Sweet Celestia…" Rarity softly said as she covered her mouth with her hoof, shocked to see such a horrible sight.

Twilight walked up and stood next to Fluttershy. She knew her friend wasn't gonna make it, but she'll be damned if her friend went out under a dead tree. She looked at the burning tree with sharp focus and kicked her magic on, horn igniting with a purple aura.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight, confused, but the purple aura around the tree quickly fixed that as Twilight easily lifted the tree off the injured bear and placed it a couple of feet away. Twilight panted a little from putting in that effort, but even if that was an easy fix it was still a heavy lift.

Fluttershy looked at Twilight with teary eyes then looked back to Grace. Twilight saved her the ache of trying to get that tree away -- she'll thank her later. Fluttershy kept Grace's paw in her hold as she focused on her but Grace was no better than she already was. The bear whimpered and breathed out exhausted, pained, short, grumbly breaths. Her lower spine was broken and one of her lungs collapsed. But the grizzly kept one eye on her dearest friend, knowing she wasn't gonna go alone. At least she'll go knowing someone dear to her and cherished was by her side. If only her mate and cub were here for her, wherever they are. Grace let out a whimpering groan to Fluttershy, pleading to her beloved friend.

Fluttershy's ears perked, "Harry?" that's right. Harry must still be around. He must be hiding with his cub. Grace must've been separated from her family for this to happen. By the gods, she wished she could fix this, but what Grace told her, "Yes, I'll make sure he knows," Harry and his cub were not gonna go without hearing Grace's message.

Her request taken, Grace used up the energy she had left to give one last thankful, loving snout nuzzle to Fluttershy before laying her head down after a wheezing breath escaped her jaws while she closed her eyes. Her final breath.

Fluttershy looked down at her fallen friend and placed her paw down next to her head. Her lips quivered again and she sobbed out loud in front of her friends. Some of her animal friends were killed and she was left grieving. What sick monster would do this? They didn't deserve to die! Fluttershy was heartbroken and in pain. The only thing she had left was to find Harry and tell him... about this.

Neither of her friends said anything, but they felt so bad for Fluttershy. Applejack took it upon herself to go over and sat next to Fluttershy placing a caring hoof on her back. Fluttershy snapped out of her grieving stupor and looked over to the southern mare. Just like all friends who needed it, Fluttershy hugged Applejack, heavily bawling in her fur. Applejack sighed softly and hugged her sorrow-filled friend close patting her back as she let her let it all out.

Rainbow Dash scanned the rest of the forest. Some animals have survived the storm but they were just as scared as the ones in Fluttershy's cottage. She looked at the destruction around her and tried to make of what they just went through, "No cloud can do this to a forest in seconds," she muttered to herself. This was not a thunderhead. What she saw before -- something was controlling it. Something big. And it caused all this destruction. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight with a serious tone, "Twilight?"

Twilight gazed over to Rainbow Dash, thinking she might be thinking the same thing, "If this is not a cloud, then what exactly are we dealing with, Rainbow Dash?" Twilight asked before the cackles started back up again. Lucky for them, it sounded like it was moving away. But that never gave them any form of relief.

The ponies look up to see the sky-covering black cloud floating above their heads and drifting to target. They were right to keep their guard up as they watched the cackling cloud head straight to Ponyville.

"I don't know what the hell that thing is, Twilight, but we have to warn everyone in Ponyville." She pointed to the small town. "If that cloud makes it over to Ponyville, it could cause more damage than it already has here." And the damage was already brutal enough.

"Hey, Fluttershy," Applejack said to her in a calming tone. "I know you're grieving, but your friend wanted you to pull through." Applejack never spoke bear, so she had to play it safe with what she was saying. If they were going to Ponyville, they needed everyone to join. Fluttershy pulled her face out of Applejack's fur and looked back at Grace's corpse for a moment. Grace’s message repeating itself in her mind; she couldn’t leave without passing it on to Grace’s mate.

"Please," Fluttershy said in somber tone. "Just let me find Harry, first. He needs to know what happened. I'll catch up later."

Twilight, Applejack, and the others did not object to Fluttershy's demand. If she had to do it for her fallen friend, why stop her?

Fluttershy backed up and left the other mares behind to go find Harry and his cub. As she flew away, her friends talked amongst themselves.

Twilight nodded, "I can teleport us to Ponyville. It'll be faster than just going by hoof." That was a smart idea. If they go by hoof, the storm will beat them to Ponyville and they’ll be too late to warn them.

"What about Fluttershy?" Rarity asked, concerned if they were leaving their friend behind.

Yeah, no, that was not gonna happen on her watch, "Don't worry, I'll come back and get her when she finds Harry, but for now -- " she pointed to the cloud above " -- we gotta go to Ponyville, tell everyone of this dangerous storm and hopefully evacuate them to somewhere safer, or lead them to shelters.”

"Well, we can't do that if we just stand here. Let's go!" Rainbow Dash said, impatiently. Lives were at stake here and they were in no position to diddle around.

Twilight nodded and with a charge of her magic, she cast a spell that sent her and her friends to Ponyville.

It Arrives

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Magic enveloped a pocket of air, then quickly expanded before evaporating and releasing the ponies it transported. They didn't know if they arrived on time or too late. Her timing was a bit off, but Ponyville was just minutes away behind them, so it wasn't a stressful deal.

Twilight gazed up at the airborne chaos above them. Nervousness coated her. She still had no clue what they were dealing with but she didn't take any chances to find out. Not only that, but she left one of her friends behind! She saw lightning blast down occasionally, but she didn't know if that hit anyone.

"What do we do now, Twilight?" Applejack asked, concerned about what just happened. She was worried about Ponyville, but they left Fluttershy behind. Like Twilight, she and the others were concerned, too. The storm was so unpredictable, that they had no clue who or what was gonna end up on the receiving end of a lightning strike.

Twilight had two options up in the air, but one was proving to win this tug-of-war. She growled at herself, "We need to warn everypony. Fluttershy can handle things on her own, right now." The others would've objected to that, but considering their odds right now with the wild storm above them, they had no choice but to comply. And with no time to spare, they rushed to Ponyville and left Fluttershy behind.

****

Meanwhile, in Ponyville, ponies went on and enjoyed their day like nothing would ever ruin it. Some ponies casually walked alone or with friends and/or family. Other ponies tended to their shops serving for their customers or stayed at their respected homes to do anything they saw fit. A couple of young colts and fillies played hoofball in the local park while other ponies talked to one another about random topics.

"Go long!" Rumble called out as he threw a hoofball at a light blue earth pony filly who easily dodged another colt and caught the ball.

"Nice toss!" Topaz complemented as she hurled the hoofball at one of their pegasus friends.

Roseluck smiled sweetly as she gently placed a vase full of freshly bloomed scarlet roses on her stand, "Here you go, sweetie. Are these roses for anyone special?" She asked curiously to her customer.

An adolescent unicorn mare magically placed ten gold bits down and carefully levitated the roses as she smiled with a gleam of positiveness to it, "Yes, they are. They're for my mother. She wants some roses because they make her home feel very special. I heard your rose shop was the best here, so I thought I'd come by." The dirty tan unicorn spoke in a tone so sweet and cute-like, that one would mistake her for still being a filly. Her mane was a mix of orange and brown that draped down over her shoulders and back and her tail had the same colors as her mane that hung over down to where her knees are. She was like a walking sundae with how she looked. The only thing that stood out about her was her cat-like eyes. Those pupils were a mystery in themselves.

The young unicorn looked at the roses and smiled again, "And I can see those rumors are true."

Roseluck was caught off-guard. She blushed faintly, feeling so bashful and appreciative of her comment about her roses. One of her whole life's goals was to plant perfect roses – hence her namesake and the rose cutie mark on her flanks. She did love all types of flowers, but she always had an eye for roses and saw them as the prime plant for anything romantic and/or special. She loved seeing smiles on ponies' faces when they'd give their loved ones, family, and friends her roses. And today, It brought such a warm feeling to her heart to hear that another set of roses would be used to make a home feel special. Roseluck couldn't help but smile gratefully and nearly shed a joyful tear, "Aww, thanks. That means a lot."

But, then she wondered something, "Um, before you go, what's your name, sweetie?" She's never seen this mare before. She's quite familiar with the current residence here in Ponyville. But, she was a new face. Was she visiting? She definitely looked like she wasn't from around here.

The young unicorn blushed a little embarrassingly from that question. Buying roses and the only thing she neglected to do was introduce herself. Where were her manners, "I'm sorry, m-my name is Twinkle Rosene." She said with an innocent, apologetic grin.

After Twinkle paid for the roses and bid a farewell to Roseluck, she walked away with an excited smile on her face. The unicorn used her cherry-colored magic to levitate a list in front of her. The roses, unfortunately, were not on the list since her father told her and her brother to buy groceries; her father did hand them extra bits but said no word about it. She wondered if it was intentional, unintentional, or maybe it was just her father being a total silly breezie, again. Whatever the case was, I'm sure her mother would appreciate the roses.

Wait, something did seem off here, but what – she gasped to herself before looking around, "Speedy? Where'd you go?" It now occurred to her that while she was buying those roses, she lost track of where her brother went. She paced a little before walking a little further near the Ponyville bridge.

"Aww, come on, it was just a compliment," a familiar voice rang in her ears. Twinkle perked her ears and quickly looked behind her. She pouted in slight annoyance. While she was happy to find him, she wasn't too thrilled finding him unnecessarily preoccupied.

A few feet away from her stood an adolescent burgundy pegasus stallion with a thick pitch black mane that had the color and fur trail perfectly down from the back of his head to his back right between his wings to his equally pitch-black tail; it looked like an unnatural mohawk. He was standing in front of two mares who shared equal annoyed glares as she did. Twinkle noticed him flex his arms and flare his muscles, but that didn't really faze the mares, at all.

She rolled her eyes. As always, and she'll never understand why, when she and Speedy go to Ponyville she always found her brother flirting with mares. She, honestly, thought it was a complete waste of time for numerous reasons. A lot of the mares he's met before when they came here either don't care about him and his wooing and just brush him aside like he were a gnat, not be interested and would want to spend their time doing anything else than deal with him or they don't really swing that way and would rather see a bear trap clamp his twig and berries off. She would gladly intervene and get Speedy away from those mares, but she decided to go against that idea. Why? She wanted to see how things played out – his previous attempts turned into either a mare just walking away with a justified glare, a brutal scold from them, or just a flat-out, jaw-breaking slap across his face. The formers were entertaining in their own ways, but the latter was way more hilarious. She knew he'd never learn, so what was the point? No matter the results, though, it was always rewarding for her.

So, what was it gonna be this – slap – never mind. That answer came quicker than she thought. She winced as she watched Speedy instinctively back away from the mares. He looked like a scared puppy with his tail between his legs. It was almost sad, but she just wasn't in the mood to care.

She tried to hold in her laughter but merely snickered as her older brother saw her and walked back to her with his left cheek so red that it almost looked like he had a pulsating, bioluminescent light in the shape of a hoofprint. He saw his sister try not to laugh and he just sighed, unenthused by it.

"So, how was your little visit?" Twinkle asked with a slight snicker, dying to hear how her brother approached this.

Speedy rolled his eyes at her, "She couldn't take a compliment." He rubbed his cheek and winced in slight pain then snorted, annoyed and frustrated that they couldn't handle a damn joke. "All I said was she had beautiful eyes and she and her friend got all huffy with me." All he was doing was trying to be nice and make them laugh, he wasn't trying to flirt or anything. He had no clue why those two went up at arms with him. That slap was highly unnecessary.

Yeah, that was a bald-faced lie if she ever heard one, and him being a bit noticeably dramatic wasn't helping his case; she saw him flex in front of those mares. He was flirting with them. While he should know that there's a time and place for something like that, Twinkle did notice Speedy wasn't trying to force things on them. Speedy looked like he was just trying to be funny – hell, even try and make new friends with them – but they didn't see it that way. On one hoof it was wrong for that one mare to slap him, on the other hoof it was justifiable since Speedy was around that age where he wanted to be in a relationship. And from what she's seen thus far, finding that right one was gonna be tricky for him. She peeked over Speedy and saw the beige-colored and mint-colored mares walk away nuzzling each other. And seeing how those two were acting, that was never gonna happen with them.

She looked back at her older brother as he looked down as if he was thinking about something. Whatever he was thinking, it had to wait because they had a task to do, but, at the same time, she couldn't leave him looking like a sulking sloth.

Unlike Speedy, Twinkle wasn't interested in dating. If she were a walking library, a romance aisle would be non-existent. Dealing with the drama would be too much of a hassle for her and she was already doing other things that earned her time rather than just waste it on a downward spiral. So, advising on this subject was not gonna happen with her. Just a regular chat with mom and dad would be a much better option – obviously; well, mom more so over dad in this case. She had a feeling his influence might be at play here and dear ol' daddy's advice backfired, hard. And as hilarious as it looked, she didn't like seeing him so down after another failed attempt.

She placed a hoof on his shoulder and got his full attention. She wasn't in the mood to be dealing with his shenanigans, but she smiled softly at him nonetheless, "Don't worry, Speedy. You'll find someone, eventually." She said supportingly. "There are other fireflies to catch" Even though she's not interested in dating and she was justifiably done with his antics, that wasn't gonna stop her from supporting her brother. "I don't think here would be the best spot." Right now would be a better time for him to take a break.

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right. Speedy tried for a couple of months looking for someone in Ponyville and every mare he encountered rejected him, "I guess so." He didn't want to give up, but a break sounded good. Ponyville was just too stern, but their resources were great. No wonder their parents always asked them to come here.

Speaking of, "Hey Twinkle, did you find the – "

"Citizens of Ponyville, I need your attention!" a loud voice called out, getting not only Twinkle's and Speedy's attention but the whole town's attention, too, as five familiar mares came rushing over the bridge and announcing their presence.

"Who are they?" Speedy asked, curiously.

Twinkle tilted her head and eyed the purple mare front and center from the other four. Something about them felt familiar but she couldn't quite put her hoof on it, "I don't know, brother. But, they look scared about something." But it didn't last a second before her muzzle was greeted by a peculiar scent in the air, almost... smokey?

Then she looked up to her far-right and widened her eyes in shock. What seemed like an ordinary, peaceful day quickly turned at a dime. An enormous black cloud-like anomaly began to float over and slither like a snake over Ponyville. The daylight quickly dimmed. Twinkle, Speedy, and some ponies around their vicinity were confused; scared, even. The sheer darkness of this abnormal cloud just didn't sit right with them. Yet, they watched on, baffled but worried. Some asking questions like 'What is that thing?', 'where did it come from?', 'is it gonna destroy us?'.

Twinkle and Speedy kept their gaze on the cloud, but the purple mare's sharp calls brought them out of it, "Everypony, get to safety! You're all in serious danger!"

What did she mean by that? Twinkle took one step, but one of the mares, an orange mare with a cowgirl hat, spotted her and her brother and quickly came up to her, a look of worry in her eyes.

"What's going on?" Twinkle asked, concerned.

"And what kind of cloud is that? Is there a storm approaching?" Speedy asked the mare, frightened but curious at the same time.

"We have no idea," Applejack replied. "We're wondering that ourselves. The only thing we know is that whatever's coming ain't no storm. And we want all of you to take shelter as soon as possible." These two were the first Applejack saw, so it was fair to warn them first.

A warning Twinkle and Speedy took seriously. Whatever was coming, they had to go, now. Grocery shopping can wait. Twinkle looked to Speedy and nodded before quickly using her magic to teleport herself and her brother away from Ponyville. Applejack returned to her friends as Twilight continued her announcement.

****

"That was fun! Oh, the fires, the dancing wind! How I've missed carnage like this," The red-eyed brother gleamed with joy, having expelled some of his power on the forest below them. It wasn't enough to satisfy him, but it gave him the luxury of knowing he can still cause carnage.

"Was it carnage, brother?" The blue-eyed brother asked, unsure about that. "You missed a house just below us and only several animals perished under your little warm-up." Not the kind of fun he expected from his brother, but it had been years since they've destroyed anything. So, it was obvious they were rusty, out of practice so to speak.

The red-eyed brother did not care if it was a warm-up or not, fun is fun and he was gonna enjoy it. But the mention of the house below them did catch his attention and he felt embarrassed for missing that. He even blushed when he realized, "Aw, shit, you're right. I suppose it can be considered a warning shot." Then he asked enthusiastically with an eager child-like grin. "Can we go back? I wanna practice my aim a little more."

But the gray-eyed brother spoke up and said, "No. You've had your fun. Now it's time we let our presence known." If it was time for the right moment, now would be good. The forest area was nothing more than a waste of time.

"As if we hadn't already made our presence known," The blue-eyed brother quipped. They were encased in a self-made cloud covering their bodies. So, he wouldn't doubt them thinking this was a typical thunderstorm.

"Regardless who knows, you three will have your moment," As much as the hooded mare hated to be sidetracked from her goal, the idea of showing others their return would be an interesting watch. They'll be aware and it'll mean more fun for her boys. She looked down and saw what looked like Ponyville and motioned to the small town. "You guys can stop there if you want. I know copperhead over here would like some action." She tried to joke, but the different color-eyed brothers looked down at her so confused, they couldn't tell if she was being serious or was insulting the red-eyed brother.

"Copperhead?" the red-eyed brother said, confused by what she meant. "The hell are you on about?" If she was attempting to make a joke, she really sucked at it.

"I think she was talking about you, brother," the gray-eyed brother guessed as he looked to the red-eyed brother, just as confused as him, tilting his head slightly in bewilderment. The guess made his psychotic brother seem to pout and snort out smoke in unamusement.

Even the blue-eyed brother was confused, he hasn't been familiar with jokes, and if their ally was trying to make a joke, then she's going to have to work on being more specific with the name-calling. He tried to break it gently to her, "I, uh… hate to break it to you, my dear, but if that was supposed to be a joke or so, I'm afraid ya lost me. We all have copper-colored scales." The blue-eyed brother somewhat bashfully told the mare who widened her eyes and then facehoofed, realizing that not only did it look like they were rusty with their firing – but they also couldn't even tell the difference between a joke and a jab at one of their heads.

The hooded mare sighed disappointingly and rolled her eyes as she said, "You know what, nevermind. Just land before my good mood wears off." Why did she even bother? She never did have a funny bone, anyway.

****

They gazed at the dark cloud above them. They all didn't know what to think, but the citizens of Ponyville knew a nightmare when they saw one. It almost felt like Nightmare Moon had returned once again. Yet, Princess Luna never showed herself. Each one had fear, confusion, anxiety, and/or curiosity all clouding their minds. They didn't know what to do in this sudden situation. Instincts told them to run, hide or scream, yet the call from their saviors got only some of their attention.

Once Applejack returned, Twilight warned the citizens, "Everyone, listen. This isn't a thunderstorm. Something is controlling the cloud above us." She motioned to the cloud that was lazily floating in the sky above their town. "We don't know what it is, but you all need to seek shelter or evacuate Ponyville." She hoped they'd all listen. If they panicked and started a stampede, there'd be no controlling it.

Some citizens heeded her words and backed off, but others were so fixated and mesmerized by the nightmarish occurrence that they couldn't hear her.

"Least they aren't starting a stampede,' Rainbow Dash noticed. "Think they'll listen?" She asked because she's been around the block to know ponies are basically scared of everything if they don't know what it is.

Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, Twilight wanted everyone safe and with them just standing there can be taken differently, "I hope they do. They need to get to safety as soon as possible."

"What was that about Applejack?" Pinkie Pie asked, earning a confused look from the farm pony. "Who were those two you talked to." She's never seen anything like them before, especially when both of them had unusual-looking eyes.

Applejack just shrugged. She had no idea but she thought it'd be alright to warn them beforehand, "I don't know. That's not really my concern, cousin."

Rarity felt uneasy. More uneasy than usual. Aside from the cloud above them, something else made her feel a little ill. Nervousness? Guilt? Anxiety? A lot of things were flooding her mind and they weren't going easy on her. Applejack's look was not a good start, Fluttershy's departure made things worse, all those deaths in the forest were hard to forget, it really did a number on her mind and body. She had to go find a place to rest, but there was a situation that had to be dealt with. Oh, why did it have to be today? She tried her damnedest to keep a calm composure, but her stress was getting the better of her. 'I can't keep going on. Won't someone help us?' She thought to herself as she looked away from her friends and the crowd in front of them, almost hyperventilating while grabbing her head slightly tight.

'Don't worry, hun. I'm on my way!' Rarity stopped and snapped her eyes open. She looked around shocked and confused. Did someone just talk to her? She looked at the crowd but saw no sign of any magic from the resident unicorns being used. If it wasn't any of them, then Who was it and why did they sound oddly familiar?

"Hello?" Rarity called out to herself, but no received response. She was fortunate none of the ponies around her noticed her panicked behavior, but she couldn't help but say something. Someone talked to her, but who?

'Go to the sweet store!' another voice suddenly called out to her, but this one sounded younger; much younger. But she couldn't make out whether it was a colt's or filly's voice. Two voices were in her head?! And it seemed like only she could hear them. Had she gone mad?

Rarity looked nervous, "Oh great, now I'm losing my mind," she said hesitantly, thinking this whole day had driven her to insanity. Yet, she didn't feel totally off. She didn't need to cause a scene or panic immediately. Truth be told, Rarity felt a little awkward with herself by what just transpired. Still. What did the voice mean by 'sweet store'? Did they mean Sugar Cube Corner? If that was the case, then, why? Obviously, it had to have meant shelter, but she wondered if Pinkie Pie was aware of something they didn't? She rubbed her temple to ease any stress she may have before calling her over to ask her questions but the shout of a frightened citizen shouted drowned her thoughts.

"It's coming down!"

The mane five quickly turned their heads. In a shocking twist of reality, or even if one could call it that, a huge part of the cloud suddenly curved and dove down like a foggy waterfall, heading directly near the bridge.

They didn't have enough time to talk. They didn't have enough time to evacuate. They didn't even have enough to heed their warnings. It came as a sudden shock. Most of the citizens panicked and ran away like a horde of ants heading back to their dens. Only ten unicorns remained and watched the anomaly before them.

Twilight and her friends just stood there as the wind began to pick up, intensely. They held their ground as best they could, trying not to get blown away.

But, bravely, Twilight rushed and stood in the middle of the bridge, gazing up at the cloud. She glared defensively and, with no other option than to stand her ground, aimed her magic-covered horn at the oncoming ominous downpour cloud. She began to concentrate, igniting her horn in a bright flow of lavender aura. There was no time to think of a logical plan and the cloud suddenly dipped down. If this thing had any form of impact, she needed to take measures and protect her town at all cost. Worrying about Fluttershy was out the window, for now. Even if she were still alive, she hated to admit it and regret thinking it, she was on her own.

"What are you doing, Twilight!?" Rainbow Dash called out, confused and anxious about Twilight's move. She better not be trying to stop that cloud herself! A cloud that big would be too much even for an alicorn like her. What was she thinking?

As she concentrated, she barely spoke to them as she tried to focus her energy on this last-second plan, "Got to... cast... a force-field. Must protect Ponyville. You four need to get to shelter! I'll try to hold it off as much as possible." She didn't know if this spell was gonna be strong enough, but she had to at least try. If she didn't, the cloud could have a high chance of causing severe collateral damage to Ponyville. And seeing what happened to the forest earlier and how extremely lucky Fluttershy's home survived that ruthless onslaught, she had to try and, at least, lower that chance.

"Are you sure you're strong enough to keep that cloud at bay?" With how powerful Twilight's magic was, Rainbow Dash didn't know if she was strong enough to cast a force field to block a cloud like that. She'd be taking a huge risk.

"I won't know unless I try. Now go, please. Help the others and get to somewhere safe," Twilight barked, ordering Rainbow Dash to do her task. Rainbow Dash nodded and rushed to the others to help them, not questioning Twilight's decision. But that didn't stop her from worrying.

There was no time to argue. Twilight made her decision and so should they. Applejack in particular had a clear mind to escort anyone in the vicinity who didn't run like they were supposed to. She placed a hoof over her head to keep her hat from being blown away by the rushing winds, but she noticed the ten unicorns that remained behind. Steadily, she headed up to one of them, but then caught Rarity fumblingly rushing away.

"Rarity!" Applejack called out, but it looked like it went by deaf ears. Applejack groaned a little before she rushed over to her, Pinkie following after.

Rainbow Dash heard Applejack but saw the remaining ponies eyeing the cloud, not doing a whole lot. What were they doing? She was about to sore over to them but they suddenly moved in unison like a triangle, heading for Twilight.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted, immediately. She had no idea what these unicorns had in mind, but what could she do about it? They outnumbered her and she lacked any magic. It wasn't until she watched all of them light up their horns like Hearth's-warming lights.

Twilight sharply focused to gather more of her magic. Just a little more and the force-field should be ready. She just didn't need any distractions –

"Twilight!" A familiar voice called out to her and easily broke her concentration, cutting off her magic. Twilight growled in annoyance. Are they serious right now? Now was not the time and place! Who would dare interrupt her? She sharply looked back and glared, but was shocked to find a familiar face standing before her with nine other unicorns already lending their own magic to cast a force-field.

"Amethyst?"

A pink unicorn with a violet, lavender streak, mane, and tail, stood in before Twilight. Like her, she had no idea where this cloud came from but it clearly meant trouble. The nine other unicorns behind her were the same way but they were quick on the draw to cast a force-field spell around all of Ponyville.

"What are you doing? You should evacuate or get to cover," Twilight freaked out. She was supposed to protect Ponyville while citizens got to safety. Why were she and the other unicorns here?

But Amethyst wasn't having any of that bullshit. She glared at Twilight and threw a fact bomb she thought Twilight read in one of her books, "Take cover? Are you kidding me? You think we're just gonna stand idly by while you risk your life and get yourself killed by whatever this thing is?" she barked at Twilight for her decision. Yes, it was a noble act but she's read and seen a lot of that to know how much of a cliché it was – and it got on her nerves. Not to mention, for too long, every time something bad happens – she and the other citizens of Ponyville had always been running the other way, but no more.

This time, she and her fellow unicorns are going to take a stand!

Twilight flinched a little and tried to retort. All she wanted to do was protect Ponyville and save lives, "But, I was just – No, I'm your princess and I order you and everyone to take shelter." As much as she hated doing that, she really didn't want to have others get hurt because of what she was trying to do. As a princess, she was sworn to protect everyone and everything she held dear. She wouldn't forgive herself if any of her friends got hurt.

Amethyst, however, was in no mood to hear any of that. She rolled her eyes annoyingly at that command and waved it off like it was a toddler demanding candy. Yes, she was the next princess, that's great and all, but Ponyville was her home, too, and she and the other unicorns were gonna protect it with their lives, as well. "Twilight, it's great you're exercising your princess title, but I don't give a flying shit. The other unicorns and I have been training while you and your friends have been away to go do some friendship quest. We're not gonna run away like we used to do. This time, we are gonna stay and protect our home."

Amethyst could not make it any more clear to Twilight. No more running. No more fear. Every time their flight or fight response kicked in it was always flight. Well, no more. It was about time that fight took over and Amethyst and her friends were gonna show it. They were gonna cast force-field as Twilight intended, but twice as strong. The only thing left was standing right in front of her...

"Now, Ms. Alicorn princess, are you still gonna do this alone, or are you gonna have friends back you up?" Amethyst smiled confidently. Her whole idea was to train hard with friends to at least keep up with Twilight and her magic. If Twilight were to join them, an alicorn's magic would amp up the force-field to unknown measures. It probably wasn't gonna be near Celestia's or Luna's level, but Twilight was still plenty skilled with magic, so it should still work regardless.

There was nothing Twilight could say to get her to go. Amethyst was keen on doing what she wanted to do and she couldn't think of any way to object. From looking at the unicorns, it seemed like they were mixing their magic together to create a hardened force field. A great strategy and Amethyst seemed like she really needed Twilight's help for this. She briefly noticed Rainbow Dash heading away to meet up with Applejack and the others, so saying no was out of the question. Twilight sighed in defeat and nodded with the same confident smile, "Alright, I'm in."

The two words rang like music. Amethyst was ecstatic that Twilight joined her. And what timing as the roaring winds grew stronger when the cloud was about to land. It was all or nothing, "Okay, I'll step back and join the others, you do your thing and let's make this spell stronger than a dragon's stamina." Amethyst started to back up.

Twilight nodded again before facing the cloud, "Right, this should be – wait, what?" What did Amethyst just say? Whatever. Twilight shook her head and regained her focus. She concentrated as her horn reignited with magic.

Guess doing this alone was out of the question. She didn't expect her fellow – well, she can't really call herself a unicorn anymore. Damn it all, what wouldn't she give to have her old life back. Or what could she give to stop this nightmarish scenario? – magic wielders to help her out. It would make a lot more sense if more magic was put in play here. Now she just hoped it was enough.

Getting back on track, Twilight concentrated and conjured as much magic as she could muster. Her horn began to store magic and build up her power. She gained an extensive amount of knowledge in magic throughout her life and became quite powerful because of the training she did, but she was no super mare and she knew exactly what her limits were. And today, she was about to take a risky chance and see if she could surpass those limits. She had to for this moment.

Twilight's horn began to glow bright, again, powering up her horn with more of her magic. She never channeled so much of her magic all at once. She began to worry. Her fear of messing up coursed through her; she didn't know what she was in for. Would this cause any effect on her body – a massive strain? A coma? Would her horn be destroyed, or would it kill her? That last part was the last thing she didn't want to think about. Her body remained intact, that much was great news. But she started to hesitate because of not only the harsh winds building up, but because of the challenge she gave herself. She was thankful for Amethyst and the other unicorns for their help, but she just couldn't but think –

'Ah, screw it!' She threw her hesitation away like a used candy wrap. Amethyst and her friends were confident in their abilities, why can't she. Ponyville didn't just need a guardian, there can be more! And she would not let them down, let them all down! Twilight ignored any more annoying negative thoughts that sang in mind and unleashed a huge beam of magic that aimed at the force field. Her magic collided and mixed with the ten unicorn's magic. The force field thickened and the girth soared across Ponyville.

Some of the ponies that safely made it to their homes peaked out from either their windows or doors. But to their amazement, they witnessed a beautiful light over their homes. A powerful dome that glistened and danced much like an Aurora Borealis over their peaceful town. Their fears and worries began to whither knowing they were gonna be safe.

Rainbow Dash and Applejack stood outside of Sugar Cube Corner and watched. Throughout their lives, they witnessed a lot of things and trekked through many adventures, but today might as well put all of that under the water. Magic from eleven different ponies conversing into one to make a barrier seemed unreal, but here it was being showcased like a finale to a New Year parade.

Suddenly, the wind stopped and Applejack noticed, "Looks like they did it." She said with hesitant relief.

But Rainbow Dash didn't respond. Though the barrier had them protected, something still didn't add up. She leered through the bright barrier and kept it there for a little bit. Suddenly, her vision began to zoom in unexpectedly catching a glimpse of orbs colored red, gray, and blue that seemed to be dancing about in the cloud. Rainbow Dash freaked out and instinctively blinked before plopping on her flanks, "What the hell?" she said shocked as she rubbed her eyes.

Applejack tried to help Rainbow Dash but the ground beneath them began to shake, causing them to freeze and hold themselves in place as they looked ahead of the bridge.

The cloud made landfall. The impact was powerful and it shook the earth like a newly formed tremor. Houses, shops, and decorations shook in rhythm and scared everyone in the proximity of their respective dancing foundations. Everyone braced for something to crumble, collapse or explode. But, remarkably, despite the tremor shaking everything, Ponyville was still one piece. How?

Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and any pony outside who wanted to witness what was going on saw a sight that brought a sense of hope to them.

Eleven ponies stood their ground, launching beams of magic up in the air and brightening sky. Seeing them the way they were was like looking at a beacon. And that beacon paved the way to lead a path out of darkness and into a new light. The barrier worked. The impact from the cloud caused a thick foggy tsunami to roll over and blanket the barrier in darkness. But that did deter Twilight and the unicorns from breaking concentration. With their magic combined, barely anything was fazed. They succeeded in protecting Ponyville, but they didn't know how much time they had before the fog cleared up.

As of now, they made it their duty to keep the barrier up until then.

****

They landed in front of Ponyville. Before they knew it, they caught a glimpse of something shiny in front of them. It intrigued them and wondered why it covered the small town before them. But before they could investigate, their landing caused more than just a grand entrance. The three brothers and hooded mare saw the unknown aura get swallowed up by the aftermath of their descent. Wait, that wasn't supposed to happen!

The hooded mare started to grow annoyed by the hazy curtain of her ally's landing blocking her view, but then heard a loud ripple come after. She was officially confused. Where did that…? Suddenly she took a whiff of the air around her, noticing it seemed a bit thicker around her and her ally; and when she did, she quickly blocked her muzzle, wincing in deep shock and disgust. She groaned in shock, "Oh, for crying out – are you guys freaking serious right now?!" she snapped through helium breath – sounding like a high-pitched squeaky toy, turning her head and glaring up at them who looked at her in confusion – especially with how her voice sounded.

The first two heads look at one another in confusion before taking a whiff as it soon ended up in their nostrils and they almost nearly gagged with wide eyes. It wasn't until they started to realize why exactly she was holding her muzzle and glaring at them like that, before the gray-eyed and blue-eyed brother beamed their respective glares at the red-eyed brother. Both brothers looked as appalled as she did, but the red-eyed brother rolled his eyes away and chuckled deviously, both at his ally's squeaky voice but also not bothering hiding what he did.

"Oh! Brother!" The blue-eyed one scolded him, glaring at him, really not amused by his immaturity.

"Seriously?" The gray-eyed one scoffed, shaking his head at him.

But the red-eyed brother kept his mischievous smirk, "As if I was gonna hold it in any longer," he said carefree of his action before the fog faded from existence.

The hood mare groaned in annoyance, "You could've at least warned us, Pyrah! My mouth was open and everything!" She rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Ponyville. 'Well, whatever. Now we can see what the hell's going on."

Then all three got a glimpse of what they saw earlier and the gray-eyed brother was somewhat mesmerized by the sheer power of the dome, its glow shining and reflecting in his eyes, "Well now, the ponies came prepared. I figured their foundations would've crumbled when we landed." Their weight would've at least toppled some structures, but he was genuinely surprised, a shame he'll change that in a bit.

The hooded mare nodded in agreement. Whoever was down there was quick to the draw and in doing so must be using powerful magic to cast a barrier that strong, "You're right, Grevada. Whoever is down there must be – wait?" then it slowly dawned on her, could one of the targets she's looking for reside down there? It was a sudden guess but she had to take this chance. "Don't start just yet. I wanna see what's going on down there."

That stirred up Pyrah's patience and he glared over to the hooded mare in rage, "Are you serious? We were just getting started on our attack! Now you want us to stop?" He said in a sour tone, having fed up with all this waiting, and here she was barking orders, again? "I knew you'd try something like this!"

"Pryah, relax!" Grevada barked, ordering his brother to stand down. "Obviously, there's something going on and our little friend here is curious." Just like her, he wanted to know what these ponies had planned for them to generate such a strong defense. And lashing out was not gonna be an option, for now, at least.

The last brother nodded, "I agree. For all we know, this could be an opportunity to form a plan – gah!" the last brother winced and groaned for a moment as he reared his head back a bit, eyes shut tight in a spurt of pain. Pyrah and Grevada quickly noticed before they suffered the same occurrence as they let out similar sounds of pain as they reacted similarly like him, with Grevada looking like he was in pain and actually almost near tears, as seen through his tightly shut eyes – almost looking like he had been struck bad, while Pyrah was trying to tough it out as his brows furrowed and his teeth bared while he let out a pained growl, shaking his head desperately about – as if to try and make it stop.

Something didn't feel right but they didn't know what caused it.

The hooded mare barely felt it, but she knew her ally sensed something was off. She turned her head to see them writhing as if they were hurting – actually hurting, which got her concerned for once. "Pyrah, Grevada, Anidelpha? What's wrong?" Although she was mysterious, she shed her shell just a bit enough to show concern for the brothers when she noticed they genuinely seemed to actually be in pain. Her tone changed to a hint of worry and almost somewhat care for them. "Are you guys alright?!" She's never seen her ally act like this, at all. What the hell was wrong with them?

Luck was on her side when Anidelpha shook his head frantically to shake it off and he looked to her reassuringly with a faint hint of a smile down at her, "Don't you worry about us. We're still standing. We're fine." But he knew exactly what happened, and his brothers were right behind him.

"We're okay! No cause for alarm!" Grevada agreed as he gave a little chuckle, a hint of a smile on his muzzle as he reassured their ally as well, before he came to his senses, shaking the brief moment of pain off enough to give her the affirmative that they're okay; but now things have gotten interesting, "Looks like someone briefly linked with us before canceling themselves out." Whoever it was, they were in close range to do so. Which meant the culprit was near and he had a hunch they were within that barrier.

Pyrah would've been annoyed by this sudden discovery, but then he smiled wickedly, once the realization hit - now knowing that there was another among them once he shook his pain off just like his brothers have, "Ooh, some little pissant thinks they can link with us? Us, of all things? Ha!" He laughed, making a taunting wink as he made a jab to whoever dared tried to connect with them, "Hope they didn't see anything too personal. Don't want them knowing what we're thinking." Whoever it was that they sensed had their full attention. Now they were more than eager to know what this town was made of if they had another wielder with them. So the number one question they thought was: just who were they connected to?

The hooded mare paused before looking back at the barrier-encased Ponyville. For someone to link up with her ally like that all of a sudden raised a lot of flags. Another wielder? Links? Looks like there was more than one target around this area and she was gonna find out. This got real interesting real quick.

"This day just got a lot more… interesting~" She cooed softly with a little smirk of interest, sharing that thought with her ally, all three heads lowered down to join her to take a look at what they're dealing with, purring with her while having amused smirks on their muzzles.

****

Canterlot was quiet. The bright city that ponies called the most fanciest area in all of Equestria stood momentarily silent as the citizens noticed the bright skies slowly dim; almost as if the princess of the night was bright her night way too early. Confusion racked everyone's brains. Were the royal sisters planning an eclipse? Did the princess of the night betray them, again? Was Celestia drunk and mistakenly took over Luna's moon? To them, they had no idea. Ideas and speculations were thrown about, but they still had no idea.

But the idea of Princess Luna betraying them was not the case. Not after all she had done ever since she came back to them, thanks to Twilight and her friends.

At the castle that loomed over Canterlot like a palace, in the left tower where a dark room resonated in, Princess Luna blissfully slept in her bed as the time passed by. At least it would've been peaceful if an uneasy feeling crept up on her like a sleep paralysis demon. She grunted and groaned uncomfortably before she shot herself up on her haunches, gasping in sudden shock. Her eyes widen and her heart raced a mile a minute, she didn't know what just happened or comprehend the dream she just had. She gently rubbed the sides of her head against her temples before she threw her sheets off and hopped off her bed. Confusion melded strong. Had the Tantabus escaped from her dream and reared its ugly head? She walked up to her balcony doors – only one way to find out.

She opened her balcony doors. She expected the light of her sister's morning sun to shine through and burn her retinas to cinders like it always does when she opens her doors

Instead, what she assumed was something to brace for barely happened. 'Strange.' Princess Luna fully opened her balcony doors and walked out. She wished she did. She looked up and saw that her sister's peaceful day had been infested and overshadowed by an ominous dark cloud. The sight of it brought her such dread and worry. It reminded her so much of what she used to be back then. She hoped her citizens didn't think she was the cause of this. She'd never do such a thing. The cloud already brought horror to her and she was already a victim of damaged emotions. To top it all off, she noticed the cloud was mainly over Ponyville. But why? What sense did that make? She was so confused. She had to do something! But what?

"Oh please… Please let this be another nightmare. Please!" She pleaded for what was occurring right now to be another nightmare in the dream realm. The creepy feeling she had felt while sleeping wasn't what she thought it was. It was a message. A gut feeling that something was wrong – very wrong. And she was right.

She had to fix this, but she needed help. Where was her sister? She looked around her balcony before looking over to the other tower where Celestia's bedroom resided, but, to her relief and worry, Celestia stood over her balcony and watched down, as well. Luna could tell Celestia probably had questions about this and was likely petrified like her. Right away, she ignited her horn with magic and teleported herself over to Celestia's balcony. Celestia was already aware of this unknown cloud's arrival. She knew her younger sister had just shown up, but her attention was vice-gripped on that cloud.

Luna stood by her side and watched, feeling uneasy about what was going on. And more of what Celestia thought. Did she believe she was the cause of this? Celestia's precise glare on the cloud was hard to read but she must have a hint of familiarity with it. Guilt coursed through her veins like venom from a viper. She had to say something to her; let her know she wasn't the cause of this.

But, it was too late; Celestia spoke up and said to her, serious and confused, "That cloud? There's something… familiar… about it…," Celestia kept her gaze on the anomaly as she tried to place what was familiar about this cloud to her. Something about this cloud rang bells that radars couldn't detect, just yet. When she first woke up, the moment she walked out of her room she saw her bright sky slowly dim. A weird, shadow-like cloud loomed over Ponyville and slowly blanketed the sky like a virus. Right away she knew this was not her sister's doing and something else was in play here. And that something was so very familiar; she just couldn't put her hoof on it on where or what. She had a hard time processing this.

Her thoughts were cut off when Luna began to plead to her, "Sister, this isn't my doing. I swear I had no part of –"

"Luna, it's alright," Celestia said. "I already know you had nothing to do with this." She revealed she knew that her youngest sister would've assumed that she had something to do with this, but she gave her the truth that she knew this wasn't because of her little sister. "If this was something like the Tantabus, we'd be sure to fix that right up." She looked at her sister with a reassuring smile to calm her down. "Let your guilt wash away. You're not to blame for this." Luna's past actions have been righted before and her sins have been cleansed. Celestia wanted her sister to know that and that everyone had moved on and forgave her. The relief on her face brought a small amount of joy to her.

"Oh, thank you, sister," Luna said, feeling the unnecessary weight she gave herself fall off her shoulders. "I for sure thought this was my doing. That I casted a spell while I was asleep or let the Tantabus out." To know this was not her fault made her feel all the more better but still left her with dozens of questions.

"But, even still, what in the world is making such a cloud?"

That's something she wanted to know. This phenomenon was something otherworldly. Unlike Luna, though, who likely couldn't sense it, she could. And it felt so familiar to her yet looked so new, it was tricky to wrap her brain around it. Almost as if it was a masterful puzzle even she had a hard time putting together. Heck, it was almost like a master puzzle that even Starswirl himself would be stumped while trying to figure it out.

While Celestia was in thought, Luna now thought they should take action since the cloud was hovering over Ponyville and they had friends down there that could use their help – even a certain former student would likely need their help on this one, "Shouldn't we do something, sister? Twilight is down there and she could need our help."

Even with these thoughts and feelings lingering over her, Celestia ultimately shook her head and refused to help, "No, Luna. This is something Twilight and her friends can handle herself." As noble as it is for Luna to go and aid Twilight, this was something that they needed to keep to stand down on. Twilight was alicorn now, and she was capable of handling things without them. She's proven that.

Still, she needed to figure out exactly what this cloud was and why it was here specifically.

Luna looked at her sister with an unsure glare, disappointed with her decision. Really? With what's going on right now, Celestia was not gonna help Twilight and friends? "Sister, with all due respect, don't you think that's a poor decision? What if Twilight needs our help? What if she can't handle this on her own?" That statement was gonna backfire and she knew it. With how Celestia had been acting the moment she laid eyes on that cloud, she'd hoped she'd jump in and help Twilight defend Ponyville like she was gonna do. What the actual hell?

Granted, she gave Luna that and agreed that was a rotten choice. But Twilight needed to fight her own battles and not rely on her for help. Celestia nodded, "I understand your concerns, Luna. But, I have complete faith in Twilight. She has gone through so much throughout her journeys and showed us what she's capable of." Celestia believed Twilight had this situation covered. She never doubted for a moment her former student wasn't capable of solving a problem such as this.

Luna looked up at Celestia as if she had the most deluded mind on the planet; her bullshit radar malfunctioned so badly that she just couldn't hold her words back anymore, "Are you delusional, Celestia?" Luna said with a twitch in her eye. "Having faith in someone else under that kind of situation does not solve anything!" she sharply pointed at and glanced over at the cloud before giving her 'oh so highly intelligent' sister you-are-so-stupid glare. "I don't know what those thousand years have done to your head, but I think I speak for anyone with a brain-cell left who heard what you just said would say, oh, I don't know...help a fellow alicorn out!" Luna had noticed for a while that Celestia had been neglecting the option to help out her former student when she needed it; now and then was rare, but still. Luna wanted to help out Twilight more than she did, but Celestia insisted that 'Twilight could handle it'. Well, now the lunar princess was up to her neck in so much of her sister's 'beliefs' that now was a good time to screw her head back on and tell her to, "Pull your head out of ass and wake up!" Luna panted heavily from letting all her frustrations and annoyance out, looking at Celestia like an exhausted wolf after cornering its prey.

Celestia widened her eyes and leaned her head back after witnessing her sister go through that temper tantrum. She blinked a couple of times and waited for her sister to cool down until she was ready to speak, "Uh, well, yes. You're right." Truthfully, she was just horsing around for time while saying that, but Luna did have a point in saying that. The moment was unnecessary and understandably cliché. Perhaps this moment did require both of them to help out.

"Maybe we should help out Twilight this time. She probably does need our help," It relieved Luna to know they were going to help this time. However, she noticed her older sister look a bit closer at the cloud, a look of focus yet contempt on her face as she squinted lightly at the storm cloud. "Hmmm… It's really strange though, little sister…" She looked to her little sister, giving her younger sibling her personal thoughts on what to make of this cloud, "I feel I know this type of cloud before… but I just can't place where--" Celestia said until the sound of unearthly bells chimed through the air and knocked emotions out of the sisters.

Both mares looked at each other with eyes of similar shock and haunting realization. Hearing that noise gave them chills as the final piece of that puzzle came to them – especially Celestia, whose contempt and early confidence suddenly transformed into a haunted look of horror once she realized what exactly it was that they were dealing with.

"Oh no..." Celestia whispered to herself in horror, as all the humor and positive vibes she felt quickly drained away, replaced by earth-shattering shock and dread as her eyes slowly widened to the size of her own sun in horror and fear, her pupils shrunken to pinpricks in fright; something that really startled Luna once she saw such emotion take place on her face.

Now it was all coming back to her; with those unearthly bell chime sounds, Celestia remembered exactly where she saw this type of storm before. Panic started to rise in her once she could now just barely make out those little colorful orbs within the storm cloud above Ponyville, increasing the horror she felt as it confirmed to her exactly who it was right above that innocent little town. "It can't be!" She spoke out in fear, really catching her sister off guard. She thought that nightmare was over. That she didn't have to deal with it anymore, deal with them anymore. "He's supposed to be sealed! How in the wide world of Equestria itself did he escape?!"

Luna was just as scared, but she was also confused by what her sister meant by that, "Sealed? Sister, what's going --"

"No time for explanations, Luna. We need to rally our troops now!" Celestia darted away, heading out of her room and into the hallway. Luna followed after her, trying her damnedest to catch up.

****

Twilight and her allied unicorns gave it their all. They kept their magic keened and focused on supporting the force-field they cast. To their ungodly luck, they succeeded, protecting Ponyville from succumbing to the parasitism of the cloud's darkened haze. Outside was a dark and grim world that no creature should ever be in, but inside shined lights so blissful and hopeful it paved the way for every pony there that there was nothing to be feared and that this bioluminescent catacomb was gonna be a safe haven until the dark finally ceased.

"Come on Twi, you got this," Applejack watched with anticipation and worry. They were safe so far, but that didn't stop her from worrying about her friend.

Rainbow Dash was the same way. She glued her eyes on Twilight and the other unicorns, hoping they would last as long as they could, "You got this Twilight! Don't give up!" Rainbow Dash cheered, even if her words went by deaf ears. But, still, she looked back up at the cloud and tried to focus on what she saw earlier. It was hazy, but she thought she saw something clearly moving about in that cloud. Whatever it was inside that cloud, whatever what was causing this cloud itself, it was big… really big.

Inside Sugar Cube Corner, Rarity watched through a window at Twilight's and the other unicorn's attempts to protect Ponyville. She felt bad for leaving, but what use could she be? In the state she was in, she'd just be in the way. She heard sobbing behind her and she looked over to find Pinkie Pie tending to the cake twins who were crying from all the commotion outside. Mr. and Mrs. Cake were there to ease their kids, too. Seeing them like that made her ponder. She looked down and placed a hoof on her swollen gut. If she wasn't gonna be any help outside, she was sure gonna be help with other means. But, the thought of those voices still lingered in her mind. After one of them told her to go to Sugar Cube Corner, they just went silent; off the radar. Who were they, and why did one of them sound so familiar? This was getting so jarring; she just wished everything would settle down right now.

Pinkie Pie noticed Rarity acting a lot stranger than usual. She had Pumpkin Cake nestled in her arms so she could try and calm down, but the whole time she never took her eye off Rarity, and Rarity never suspected a thing. What was Rarity doing? Pinkie Pie was so confused and was about to call her over until she saw her arm on her chunky belly and the somber look she gave it. Pinkie Pie softly gasped and widened her eyes. Rarity was chunky, but not that kind of chunky. Pinkie Pie froze to process what she just discovered. This was gonna take a lot of time to think about. But, for now, there were other problems that needed to be dealt with.

Time felt slow to Twilight. She couldn't let anything distract her, but the roaring winds seemed as though they were getting louder and louder. She didn't know how long she and her allies could keep this up, but she had a feeling it was putting a strain on all of them. But Twilight pressed on. Her eyes were shut tight as she kept her focus on the barrier, but then her mind began to suddenly wander off. Twilight opened her eyes to find herself in a dark void of nothing. What? How? Where was she? How'd she get here? Did she fail? Her mind twisted with questions, but she felt like she was still on that bridge casting the barrier spell. Just what was going on here?

"Hello?" Twilight's call echoed.

But, in an odd twist of reality, her call was answered but who answered was someone she was not familiar with, "Who... are you?" Twilight flinched. Whoever spoke to her sounded demonic in nature. Guttural and intimidating, yet curious and confused as she was.

Twilight was about to answer back, maybe ask whoever this was if it was responsible for the cloud outside the barrier. Yeah, that had to be the case, "My name is Twilight Sparkle. Who are--?"

"Twilight... Sparkle?" the horrific voice cut her off as two gigantic, bulbous, horrifying eyes shined bright red down at Twilight and shifted down on her to look at her.

Twilight was caught off-guard as she gasped from the sudden appearance of those large eyes looking down at her. She hunched down like a scared kitten as she gazed upon something she had never expected to see in her entire life. She had no idea who she was meeting, but her eyes locked on the ones before her. No irises, no retinas, nothing. They looked like enormous crystals and Twilight saw her shivering reflection coming off them as clear as day.

"Yes, you have potential. ...We will meet soon," the voice said, rather surprised, yet impressed, someone willing linked themselves to them to awaken them. An award seemed fitting for power such as this.

Twilight was still confused. "M-Meet? Who are you? What are you?" she tried desperately to ask this giant anomaly as many questions as she could. She felt like she was brought away from her goal but also felt like she never left at the same time.

But her questions went through deaf ears. Above the giant eyes shined three curved pillars of dirty yellow lights that ignited, crackled, and surged with powerful electrical purple-hued energy. Twilight hunkered down and watched as the pillars shine brighter and brighter. Twilight covered her eyes, but that did little to help as she was enveloped in god-like light that she started to lose control of what she was doing.

The battle between offense and defense was cut in an instant. Twilight screamed in fear and panic before she pumped more magic in the barrier, making it unstable for the unicorns to keep up.

Amethyst opened one eye to see what the hell Twilight was doing only to barely see that Twilight was throwing her head around, looking in pain, and fidgeting about as if something was harassing her. The other unicorns became restless, too. Twilight's movements were disrupting their concentration and she was suffering along with them. Amethyst was about to call out to Twilight, but the link between their magic became too unstable and none of them could withstand it any longer. Their training worked for a while, but they weren't prepared for something like this.

Amethyst and her friends released their magic grip with Twilight as Twilight let out a panicked scream. They tried to book it and run but the barrier above them caught their attention and saw that it was beginning to wave and sway. Whatever Twilight was doing was making things worse. Amethyst yelled out Twilight's name to get her attention and hopefully wake her up, but she didn't respond. Twilight still behaved like she was being assaulted. "Twilight!"

Twilight's frantic movements became too much and the magic barrier protecting Ponyville eventually contracted before exploding into a huge bomb of light. The impact was so strong it blew away the cloud above Ponyville. Remarkably, Ponyville was untouched by the explosion, but Twilight was forced to sever her link with the barrier. While Amethyst and her friends managed to cut their magic links with the barrier to avoid any issues, Twilight wasn't so lucky and the severed link backtracked too fast for Twilight to see and it resulted in a magic explosion to her face. The force of the explosion sent Twilight careening back like how a Minotaur would flick a bug. Rainbow Dash and Applejack saw her coming their way and Rainbow Dash punched the accelerator and zoomed-in Twilight's way. "Twilight!" She caught Twilight but was easily caught in the force and both alicorn and pegasus flew over Applejack's head and crashed through the roof of Sugar Cube Corners with a hard impact. The sudden impact drew the attention of the residents inside.

"Twilight! Rainbow!" Applejack shouted in shock and rushed into the bakery before anyone else could, ignoring the motionless, dark cloud behind them while six flaring, multi-colored eyes beamed down, humming and spying on them and the rest of the small town when the barrier had disappeared.

That explosion knocked away the parts of the cloud above the small puny town. Whatever that was, their defenses are down and they could see everything going down. Now they had a chance to find who tried to connect with them.

*****

A unicorn guard stood before the princesses in the middle of the hallway leading to the bottom chambers. Celestia and Luna stopped their galloping as Celestia's guard take some heavy breaths and tried to give the royal sister unfortunate news, "Princesses, we have an emergency! A large storm cloud has appeared over Ponyville," the royal guard inhaled large amounts of air before he continued, "And, reports have come in that something might be controlling it. No details on what, your highness. Just these strange noises, these unearthly noises and ominous hums," A beat of sweat slid down the side of the guard's head, exhausted from searching for Celestia, out of breath, and somewhat terrified of the situation that loomed upon them.

But the details mattered little to Celestia. She knew who it was and she was more than ready to handle it, "We are aware of its presence. But, I'm glad you showed up when you did." She knew the time would come and she knew her guards would be ready.

The guard looked confused for a moment before he looked over to Luna who was just as confused. He looked back at his princess and asked firmly when he gathered his bearings and saluted his princess – ready to receive orders, "What are your orders, then, Princess Celestia?"

Princess Celestia was confident. With what she had planned in secret, she could finally bring it into fruition, "Gather all the guards, troops, and aerial support and lead them to the underground bay – day and night ponies alike; gather everypony. We are about to launch an all-out assault." On paper, it sounded extreme – like they were about to go to war; but looking at this situation, it just might be the case. But the project Celestia had worked on in secret had to be made in case something like this was to eventually arise. There was no backing down now. "And make sure you inform the general, first."

The guard gave Celestia a prideful, loyal salute, "Yes, your highness." Then he left as fast as he arrived.

Princess Luna was still confused about what just happened and what was going on. She grew anxious and worried and she needed answers, "Sister, please. I need to know what's going on! What's controlling the cloud? What do you have planned?" She looked at her, frightened but desperately wanting answers to what was here and having her sister act this way. "What are you hiding from me?"

Celestia wasn't gonna be cryptic about it. Luna deserved answers, but in the hallway was no place for it, "Follow me. I'll tell you everything when we get inside the underground bay just below the castle, but, before I do, I need to make some calls. I didn't learn anything before but I'm sure she can help me this time; help us. Twilight and the others will know, eventually – if they can make it." She hated to think of that, but regarding what was going on she had hoped they'll arrive on time to save her and Ponyville. "You're right about one thing, sister; Twilight can't defeat this entity - not alone."

As Celestia began to walk, Luna asked worriedly, "Who, sister?" Celestia was acting weird, a mysterious cloud arrived, Ponyville seemed under attack, what had this day in such chaos? And not the kind Discord approved of. "Who exactly are we up against?"

Celestia stopped. She didn't look back to face her sister, but she knew she had to at least answer that question so she'd know who they were facing. She hated saying his name – especially out loud - because it brought her so much dread, yet it's a name she'd didn't think she'd have to bring up in a long time but she said it to Luna in a tone so serious and foreboding, even Luna felt unnerved and shaken from how ominous it sounded...

"King Ghidorah."

A Guardian Emerges

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It happened so suddenly. Like a flash, she didn't expect and never braced for. In a blink of an eye, the peace she longed for crumbled and scorched under her hooves as she ran across the grass.

All she wanted was to get together with friends and have a wonderful tea party. Catch up with them after not meeting for three months. Everything was going so well. Now, she ran through the forest tundra, evading burning trees and shrubbery that got in her way.

The smoke thickened the air around her, making her cough occasionally. It was getting difficult for Fluttershy to breathe and all she could see were burning foliage and dark smoke. The level of heat around her felt uncomfortable, but she was not gonna stop. She had to find Harry and going west was the right way. She hoped she didn't get lost. She briefly looked up, considering the option to fly and avoid the burning tundra around her. But, she hesitated at the thought; she didn't want to risk getting struck by an oncoming lightning bolt, especially after it caused that damage around her home.

Yet, strangely enough, when she did look up she saw no trace of sparks igniting in the sky. Was that a perfect opportunity to fly? Fluttershy didn't know but she had to try. Fluttershy spread her wings and flapped –

A big burning piece of tree bark broke off and fell on top of Fluttershy's back, scrapping down hard across her left wing and left haunch. Fluttershy let out an agonized scream as the feathers on her wing caught on fire and her leg was almost rendered useless. In a panic, Fluttershy ducked and rolled across the ground to try and brush the fire off her skin – she succeeded, but she was far from safe and she accidentally smacked the right side of her head hard against a rock. Fluttershy grabbed the side of her face and cried out in unbearable pain.

She tried to get back up as she held her head but every inch her body made felt like she was being assaulted by scorpion stingers and being stomped on by a hippo pod. She was agile and maneuverable, but she was leagues behind Rainbow Dash and she cursed herself for how fragile her body was. If only she took the time to focus on a decent workout and hardened herself physically like some of her friends, this would've been so much easier. She looked at her hind leg and wing and groaned in pain and shame. She was scraped and burned across her body and what's worse was the fires spreading around her. She started to get scared, fearing her life would end right here. Not like this. All she wanted was to find Harry and tell him what had happened, what she had seen, where she had been. What had happened to the forest. What had happened to her. And what happened to Grace, his beloved mate.

Memories started to flow by of her with her animal friends. How everyone had a good time, enjoyed her company and among each other. Herbivores and carnivores alike; there was no bad blood. If there was, she'd straighten it out. She made it her goal to be there and fix any problem her animal friends had whether it be for company, playtime, or if one got injured she'd nurse them back to health if she could or be there if they needed moral support. She would try her damnedest to help them if they needed it. It got to a point where even other animals had her back in taking the same role as her – Harry was one of them.

A mighty predator yet he had such a tender heart. A grizzly bear with such raw power but barely used it. Much like Angel and the others who resided in her cottage, Harry was not too far behind and he always had her back when she needed it. She remembered meeting him as a teenager, an adolescent who had shown up around her cottage one day and he first scared the other animals for how big he was – causing them to panic a little and run from him; how he relished in showing off how strong he could be. Fluttershy was startled, at first, but she saw that he actually meant no harm; he just wanted some fun by doing a few jumpscares. And on that fateful encounter, she approached him with a sincere and welcoming smile on her face. She remembered how he tried to scare her off, too, with a bear's signature stance of standing up tall on two legs and letting out a mighty roar. But, she just stood there with no hint of fear in her eyes – just a kind smile and nothing more. Though she received a frightening roar from him in an attempt to scare her, Harry received a playful boop on the snout in return from her. Fluttershy nearly chuckled at how confused yet surprised Harry had looked, but it sure was enough to stop him and show just how much of an innocent teddy bear he actually really was.

To this day, she still had no idea how she does it; some ponies called her a 'child of Gaia', whoever that was, or just mother nature in pony form. Complements, aside, she just did what she did. It was in her nature, ironic as that was.

But, over time, Harry grew up and eventually found another grizzly to call his mate. Grace was her name and how it fit her so well. Fluttershy didn't know how he had done it, but Harry won Grace over somehow and Grace was just as sweet as Harry was – even giving hugs out to anyone who needed it.

But, just like Harry, Grace was a pure grizzly bear and she was no pushover, either. One day a gang of six fight-happy, trouble-making wolves made themselves unannounced at her home and they decided the cottage was easy pickings, intending on striking down and killing any little creature that will try to stop them. Fluttershy was terrified of them; attempting to reason with them seemed like a deathtrap waiting to happen. But just when one was about to lunge at her, sweet Grace stepped in like a surprise hero from a movie, letting out a mighty roar at the wolf and she then showed Fluttershy just enough to convince her just exactly what Harry saw in her. Lunging into battle, a few bites at those who dared get too close or tried to get past her, and a few hard swipes, they were all it took and the wolves turned tail and ran with said tails between their legs, whimpering in fear. And from then on, Grace and Harry became like guardians watching over her home if anything were to stir up trouble.

Life went on until she soon found out Grace was carrying a cub in her; she was over the moon and felt so proud of Harry and Grace for this next step. Harry, of course, was as nervous as a woodland chipmunk to know he was gonna be a papa bear but she was there to comfort him and let him know that everything was gonna be alright.

The birth of their cub was a memory she would not forget. She couldn't recall how many times Harry fainted from seeing Grace push when it was time to deliver. It was hilarious but it ended when they heard the whimpers and high-pitched calls of a small grizzly cub nestled beside Grace. A small baby boy cub that they named Daryl. Quite an interesting name, but she'd roll with it.

Then, everything was right with her world up until Spike left for the migration, and then three months later, this freak storm happened. Fluttershy wasn't one to use foul language, but damn it all, why did this have to happen? She used what strength she had left to push herself up and lean against the rock she hit her head on. She could still feel the fires approaching around her and the heat coating her skin. She could still breathe but the smoke just made it tricky. She should've gone with Twilight. She could've been with them instead of here. Hell, for all she knew Harry could've taken Daryl and left.

She chuckled to herself. Burned, bruised, beaten, and fragile to the core, yet here she was still alive, "How do I keep getting myself into these things?" She asked herself, recalling events like the Manticore, Hydra, etc. She survived it all and now here she was inside a burning forest about to be cooked alive. It was rather funny and ironic. All those dangerous animals she'd encountered and her cowardly soul survived them all.

Cowardly?

Even with all the dangers of the world, she still called herself a coward? She's been called that dozens of times; more so than names like 'stupid' or 'pansy' or even a 'doormat'. They were right. She was a coward and she wasn't scared to admit it. Yet, here she was risking her life to find her friend and his son and she failed. If Harry was around, she would've hugged him; and given Daryl a hug, too. Unfortunately, she wasn't gonna get that chance. So, what more could she do? She closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

A sudden drop fell and landed on her burnt cheek. Then another fell on her forehead. Fluttershy opened her good eye and looked around before another drop landed on her muzzle, startling her. Confused, she looked up and was shocked to find a new cloud pushing back the much darker cloud. She was baffled but relieved to see something good.

Then two more drops landed beside her, then five more. Then it began to rain. Everything was being pelted with cold drops of water, including herself.

Fluttershy smiled softly at this unexpected change. Finally, a miracle came through. It felt nice and the sudden wind began to blow the smoke away while the cold temperature began to moisten the air. Fluttershy could breathe normally again, but moving was not even an option. She was hurt and with no medical aid by her side, all she could do was wait until someone arrived.

The rain felt good. It drenched her fur and washed away blood that tainted her body. She closed her eyes again, feeling tired but she was awake enough to feel the rejuvenating rain cleanse away the damaging flames and soothing winds blow away the rotten smoke.

Her worries about dying were now out the window and she could soak in the fact that someone watched over her and protected her from suffering a gruesome fate. But, that still didn't save the fact one did end up like that. She opened her eye again and a tear leaked down her cheek. She couldn't stay here. She had to move on. She needed to tell Harry.

She had no idea what or who summoned this rain, maybe it was that Gaia creature, or something. She wasn't sure, but she could not let this opportunity go to waste.

She began to push herself back up. She groaned in pain from the damages she received but she couldn't stop. She needed to get up. For once, she was gonna throw away her cowardly stature and be strong like her friends. She grunted painfully but she pushed herself off the rock and landed back on her hooves, letting out a pained yelp as she did.

She did it! But she wasn't out of the frying pan, yet. She looked around and could see clearly that the rain washed out most of the flames. That was a great sign. But she looked down at the charred grass and followed her gaze to her right. As she looked, she was met with a wave of relief and tons of fortunate luck. Just a half a mile away, in front of a grass field fit for anyone to walk through, was a large den built from the ground up in all sorts of foliage like branches, logs, and so on. It was a good-sized den that looked like it would hold two medium-sized animals; the trees above it provided excellent shade and right now they served as a natural shield for the soft rain. Fluttershy recognized that den anywhere and she hastily limped to it as best as her body could allow.

Unbeknownst to Fluttershy, an eerie animal-like shadow loomed within the trees behind her and leered sharp, predatory, yellow eyes at. It began to follow her quietly and slowly like a ninja out on a mission. Each step never made a single noise.

*****

Harry planted himself in the back of his den with his cub nestled close to his body. They were fully aware of the storm that broke out and the smell of flames could not be any more obvious. He had the option to run with his son, but his beloved mate was still away finding them food. He hoped she was alright and that she would make it back safe, and that she would be with them, so they could leave together.

Not only that, but he wished Fluttershy well in protecting herself from this bizarre, devastating disaster. How this all happened he did not know, but he knew he had to stay and wait. He heard tiny whimpers under him and he looked down to find a small bear cub nestled against his fur.

His son, Daryl, was scared and shaken. The little cub had no idea what was going on, but a soft nuzzle from his father eased his worry a little, but like his father he missed his mother, too. He looked up at his father with innocent, frightened eyes as he whimpered to him, with a growl of fear and almost near tears. He wanted this nightmare to end.

Harry saw the look in his son's eyes and understood him. He wanted it to end, too. But he just didn't know how it started, or what caused it. If it were a storm, he'd hear rain by now. All he heard was nothing but destruction and the searing flames dancing outside, and then his nostrils were pelted with the stench of burning smoke that started to enter his cave. He braced himself and kept his son covered with his paw. He knew that the flames would soon be upon them, he could feel the heat starting to come in with a few embers. He braced himself against his son while his son cried out in fear from the hell blazing outside.

'Dad!' His son coughed out from the smoke and in fear, groaning in worry as he could see the smoke and fire coming in. 'We're trapped!'

Harry lowered his head down from the smoke and shielded the cub as much as he could, nudging him deeper into the den towards a secret tunnel small enough for his son to squeeze through, and it led right out of the den. He noticed the fearful look in Daryl's eyes as he gingerly nudged him towards the secret exit, just in case, he groaned softly and rested his forehead against his son, knowing just how terrifying this is. They both didn't want to die, but whatever was happening out there seems to want to make sure that they do. But he wasn't about to let it take his son, when the right moment comes, he'd tell his son to get through the tunnel and run. Run away and never look back.

'Daddy, I'm scared…!' Daryl cried against his father, begging him that they would somehow get out of here alive. The fires were starting to flood the entrance of the den, further increasing his fear as he braced against his father's body.

Harry nudged him into the secret opening, gingerly holding his paw and giving his son a little reassuring lick on the cheek before lying down and carefully blocking the exit with his body to prevent the smoke and fire from getting to his son. He looked to the fires that were coming in and braced himself for what was going to come. There was no way he was going to let his son be burned alive. If this was gonna be it, he's going to go down protecting his boy. At least he'd hope his son would make it out of it.

He was about to close his eyes until the faint scent of water caught his snout. Then the sound of rustling sang to him. He lifted his head but couldn't tell if the fire finally reached them thanks to the annoying smoke around them. Daryl curled his small form against his father, whimpering in fear, and shivered occasionally, unaware of what was going on.

Harry looked at the entrance intensely and waited for something to happen. Then the wind suddenly blew into the cave and pushed out the smoke and embers that invaded his home. Harry braced himself but was instantly met with a soft breeze as the ambiance of soft rain began to sing and the sound of scorching fire began to slowly dim as if it walked away and gave up a search that ran cold. The little embers that got stuck in the opening of his cave dying from the soft rain.

Harry waited for another minute before he let out a heavy sigh of relief. The fire was gone before any more damage could be done and the rain came at the nick of time. He dipped his head down and nudged his son to look.

Daryl flinched and looked up at his dad before he gazed over to find his home was not gonna burn. He squealed excitedly, but he was still hesitant to move. He was not gonna risk getting burned even if the rain came down.

Harry understood that clear as day. But he was more than willing to head outside to check if the coast was clear. He got up as Daryl rolled on his back with a surprised squeak before he rolled himself back up and curiously looked at his dad, wondering what he was doing.

Daryl called to his dad with a curious grunt, but Harry walked up and poked his head outside. The flames around the forest were put out, but he saw the damage it had done. The grizzly let out a small wheeze from the damage of what he could see. Trees stood tall as they always did but the scars from the fires took their toll on them and he couldn't make heads or tails if any other animal survived this onslaught.

He was about to walk out of his den until something called to him, "H-Harry!" a familiar soft and gentle voice soothed his ears.

Harry perked up. His eyes pinpointed where the voice came from. It didn't sound like Grace's voice, but that didn't stop him from letting out a low groan, calling back, and letting them know he was there. A silhouette of a pony could be seen within the soft rain and right away, he knew just who it was; it brought the grizzly such joy and relief to know she was alive, and that she was searching for him and Daryl.

Harry ran out, rushing over to Fluttershy. Daryl scampered behind, following his father. Harry let out excited hollers, but he immediately skidded to a stop when he saw Fluttershy in front of him, looking worse for wear.

Fluttershy watched as Harry approached and was thrilled to see he was unharmed. Though the shocked look on him was expected, too. She was banged up and she knew it. But, she kept a smile on her face to let Harry know she was alright. That she was still standing and not going anywhere.

But Harry wasn't convinced. Fluttershy's entire frame unnerved him to no end. Her yellow fur was now a faint pink. The right side of her face was swollen and bruised. He winced in shock from how bad her left side looked – her left wing looked was void of feathers and nearly resembled a fried chicken wing, and along that was a badly scraped burn mark that left a charred trail across her body down to her leg, barley grazing her cutie-mark. And she was drenched from the rain. Fluttershy looked like hell and Harry couldn't hold back how much it hurt him. The bear felt so guilty. He could've gone out to look for her if he knew she was gonna do this.

Daryl walked up to his father and squeaked at him. He looked ahead to find someone new in front of him. Or, at least it could've been someone new if Daryl didn't recognize who it was. The cub smiled happily and rushed up to Fluttershy, reaching up and hugging her close with a joyful grunt. 'Auntie Fwuttershy!'

Fluttershy smiled back and giggled at the cub's excitement. She was happy he recognized her long enough to feel comfortable. Poor cub could've been so scared if it was someone else.

But, Fluttershy looked up to Harry, again. Her smile dipped and became a somber and sad frown. Harry looked at her, confused. It took him a minute before he realized what that look meant. He quickly looked around the area and knew right away something wasn't right. Fluttershy came here, all alone. Why did she come here alone? Harry grunted to her, asking where Grace was. She had to have seen her. She wouldn't leave her alone unless something was going on.

Fluttershy kept her sorrowful gaze on Harry. She tried to muster the words to tell him, but for some reason, she couldn't. Her breathing became quick and difficult, almost as if what she wanted to say became recluse and stagnant. Her good eye shut, her lips quivered, the pressure became too much. She let go of Daryl as Daryl backed up, looking at Fluttershy confused and concerned. "H-Harry… I…"

Harry watched as Fluttershy dropped down and cried in front of the bears. Her drenched mane covered her head, but that didn't stop them from the pain she let out before them. Not just because of the pain from her injuries, but what she held in. Harry couldn't take it and he walked up to Fluttershy and carefully carried her in his arms, hugging her like he usually would. Right away, Fluttershy planted her face in his fur and bawled as she hugged him quite tightly. All she could muster was a hesitated, muffled pained, "G-G-Grace!" before breaking down in his fur. That was all she could get out of her system before everything that had happened took its toll on her, especially with what happened. It was right then Harry knew what she meant by that.

His eyes widened in shock and horror. He didn't want to believe it. He wanted it to be a nightmare. But, he had Fluttershy in his arms, crying in such agony. Fluttershy was never known to be a liar, Harry almost considered it but from how Fluttershy looked... he just couldn't deny it. He grunted lightly at his caretaker and his closest friend, he wanted to know what happened to her. Where she was. And if he could see her.

Fluttershy snapped her head up and looked at Harry with a red, puffy, teary eye. He wanted to see her? But, she looked back to Daryl and then to Harry. She didn't know if Daryl was ready for that. It would tear him apart. But Harry shook his head. Like him, Grace would've wanted her son to give her his goodbyes. He may be too young to understand, but he'd pull through. Fluttershy took a moment to think as she rubbed her good eye before she nodded, granting him his wish. Though Harry would be damned if he was gonna let Fluttershy walk.

Daryl playfully swiped at some leaves that floated in the air thanks to the gentle wind. The fire was all but gone and now he didn't have to worry about any danger around him, so he got too distracted to pay any attention to what his aunt Fluttershy and dad were talking about and was more fixated on what the environment provided as entertainment for the little cub. He then sat down and, for once, took in the cool temperature the moist weather created. The energetic cub looked around. The mist in front of him was so thick, he could barely see what was in front of him, he waved his paw through the mist and it swirled around his paw like a wisp. He thought about going off to see if he could catch the mist for some silly reason but then he remembered what his dad told him and didn't want to risk another roar from him. He was only a couple of feet away from his father and Fluttershy, so keeping an eye on him was no issue.

He went to swipe at some more leaves until a faint snap-like noise caught his attention. He looked straight ahead of him and watched the misty wall, confused yet curious. He sat down and eyed it for a moment, fixated on what he just heard. His dad and aunt Fluttershy's conversation was muffled to him, his little ears acting as radars. For others, the ghost-like terrain looked creepy and understandably unwelcoming, but for the little cub, it was like playing a game of hide-and-seek.

He knew he heard something and he was keen to find out who it was. If something scary was out there, his dad would not hesitate to scare them off, so there was no need to worry; he was well protected. His ears twitched a bit as the sound of a much louder snap echoed in his ears.

Daryl's eyes widened. There was no denying it, something was with them and hiding from them. But what? He tilted his head confusedly.

What could be approaching? Was it a monster? Was it another friend of his father's and aunt's?

Could it be his mother?

Daryl perked his ears excitedly at that. It had to be. There was no other way it couldn't be.

His mom! She'd found her way back!

Daryl got up on all fours and let out a welcoming, happy holler to call his 'mother' and let her know he was there. A shadow suddenly came into view; it was big; around the size as his mother's. The young cub couldn't take it anymore, the mental shackles binding him broke off and he dashed for the shadow. He let out another excited holler, so thrilled he would get to see her again, a big grin on his little face. But as he ran, the shadow began to grow in size. Daryl quickly stopped and looked up in shock. The shadow was now twice as tall, about as tall if not taller than his father. Did it grow or was it that big when he got close?

Daryl's excitement shifted to fear as he hunched down, starting to shake from the sight. Did an elephant stumble over here? If it did, why was it here? It wasn't until two shining, yellow eyes appeared – then the shadow began to grow a little more. Daryl's fear turned into terror; he almost ran into a complete stranger and yet it seemed like he had never gotten close to it. Daryl's body began to really shake. He then looked down at the shadow's legs until a claw phased out of the mist, gripping the ground, just inches from him.

A couple of loud, squeaky squeals grabbed Harry's and Fluttershy's attention as they looked just in time to see the cub hurrying to them. Daryl rushed by and ran behind his father, shaking like a distressed puppy.

Concerned, both grizzly and pegasus looked over to where Daryl ran from to see what it was that spooked him. They wished they hadn't. Immediately, Harry was on the defense and growled at whoever dared approach them. Now was not the time to be dealing with any unwanted guests and he'd be damned if they were going anywhere near his son and injured friend. Harry glared defiantly and protectively at the shadow and roared at it in an attempt to scare it off.

But it never budged. It's as if Harry's warning meant nothing to it and it just brought the creature even closer to them as it approached while the grown bear growled and roared at the creature.

Fluttershy was scared and worried. So, she was followed, after all! Great, just what she needed right now. Bad enough she went through hell to find Harry, now someone or something followed her. But, who was it? How could she not hear it? She wiped tears away from her good eye but tensed up from Harry's roar. Once Harry stopped, she carefully wiped the tears off her black eye and looked out to see that the shadow was about to take form. Even if she couldn't see its form, she knew it was massive; by her estimate, she guessed it looked twenty-five feet tall. Then she heard the creature's footsteps. They sounded so light for something so big. She looked up at Harry and saw his attempt to scare off the creature failed, and that his bravery slowly crumbled into fear once he realized that his attempts to frighten what was approaching them were failing. Harry wasn't normally scared of other animals, but this felt so different.

She looked back at the creature as it made its presence known, leering down with the same yellow eyes it gave to Daryl. As the mist cleared, she saw what the creature looked like. She was mesmerized, yet still terrified. Bigger than an elephant, but not as much as a hydra.

The creature was bipedal and displayed a strong, cotton-white, armor-like skin with smooth-like plates that overlapped one another and ran down its chest to its underbelly. Its four legs were armored the same way but the front legs had black patches in front of its shoulders and had four rows of spikes that lined down on the sides of its front legs and the armored forearms were a tinted black; the back legs were the same but thicker. Its claws were a deep shade of purple, but Fluttershy knew what they were meant for.

"Whoa," Fluttershy said quietly before she looked up at the creature's head and upper body.

Large, spike-like protrusions curved on top of the creature's shoulders and yellow glowing lights flickered from under them. She didn't know what they were, but from the looks of them, they nearly reminded her of the back of a shark's fin tail if they were more like cylinders and armored. But its head really gave her that shark-like feel.

Its head almost resembled a great white's torpedo-like build and the horn-like spikes on its head were a great indicator. But that's where her shark comparison ended when she saw the long tusks hanging from the sides of the creature's jaw – almost like an elephant's tusks but much, much thicker. She then looked at it as a whole and realized it looked more agile like a jaguar but stood proudly and nobly like an alpha wolf.

Come to think of it, the large creature seemed to bear no intention to harm them. Fluttershy looked at its cat-like eyes thoroughly and saw no ill-will, malice, and hatred, but saw calmness, gratitude, and – once it looked over to her – pride. It looked proud... of her? Something felt off here.

She wondered something before she looked up to Harry, "Harry, could you put me down? I don't think it's here to cause harm," Fluttershy asked calmly, but Harry looked at her as if she asked him to put her on her death bed. There was no way he was gonna let go of her, not after the hell she'd been through. What made her think this creature wasn't gonna turn her into its next meal?

Harry shook his head, refusing to do so and even took a step back from the mysterious being, nudging his son back as well.

Fluttershy smiled softly and understood Harry's denial. She didn't trust this creature either, but she was willing to hear it out since it came here for a reason, "Harry, I know you're just trying to keep me safe. Believe me, I don't trust this thing either, but, you can trust me on this on. I've handled tons of dangerous animal's before – Manny the manticore, Cleo the crocodile – " she snickered and sneakingly teased her bear friend " – you."

Harry widened his eyes at that remark and pouted at her for that. Yes, he knew he was kind of a trouble-maker when he was a teenager, but that was then and this was now. And now was not a good time to tease him when there's a giant shark-tiger-wolf thing right in front of them! She said she didn't trust it, yet she still wanted to talk to it? Did she really hit her head that hard to think it was a good idea to talk to this giant amalgamation of some of nature's deadliest predators? What's next, a giant komodo dragon with spikes down its back that stood as he did? Fat chance of that!

But Fluttershy was content that nothing would happen and that the new creature wasn't here to harm them, "Harry, please, calm down. Trust me on this, he may look scary but – "

'Forgive me for my intrusion,' a female voice called out to them, making them pause and look at each other as if they were struck with hallucination darts. The voice sounded strong and focused like a take-action leader, but calm and welcoming like a friend-in-the-making.

Daryl peeked from behind his father and gazed up at the giant creature before him, then noticed its eyes flashed a bright white.

'I've come here not to cause harm, but to search for someone,' the voice announced.

Fluttershy and Harry looked up at the creature, bewildered and surprised – well, embarrassed in Fluttershy's case.

"Er, I mean 'she'," Fluttershy blushed, looking away awkwardly for such a silly accusation.

Harry would've laughed, but he was more fixated on how this humongous she-devil-looking monster was able to talk without moving her maw. This must've been a spell or something, but Fluttershy's friends weren't around to do any of that, so... how the bloody hell did this giant chimera learn to speak like that? Was he in the presence of a goddess or something?

But the creature wasn't appalled. She just brushed it off and resumed, 'If you'll allow me to introduce myself, I am Balkzardan. I am one of Gaia's children and one of the guardians of forests.'

Fluttershy widened her good eye and was stead-silent from that kind of introduction. Did she hear that right? She pointed a shaky hoof at Balkzardan and asked her hesitantly, making sure she wasn't hearing things, "G-Gaia? As in Mother Nature? Goddess of the forest? Deity of Equestria? That Gaia?"

A simple nod from Balkzardan was all it took to answer Fluttershy's question.

Fluttershy could faint right now but also wanted to bop herself on the head for not noticing it sooner. Now she understood why some ponies referred to her as a 'child of Gaia'. Gaia was the goddess of life! It all made sense now. As a filly, she heard so many stories about Gaia and how she used her powers to protect the forests of Equestria from any threats. How she was the most beautiful creature and how she molded Equestria's forests into her own image. But, the stories were very vague on her actual appearance; some say it was an alicorn, an earth pony mare, or a giant condor. Even still, now that she remembered, she believed Gaia was real and that the forests still looked as beautiful as they always did. But, she couldn't recall stories of Gaia ever having children. Let alone something like Balkzardan. This was truly something to take in.

That answered one of his questions. Unlike Fluttershy, Harry never heard of anything related to Gaia or Balkzardan; no stories, folktales, rumors, nothing. This was all new to him and it still confused the ever-loving daylights out of him. He looked at Fluttershy and still thought he shouldn't let her go, but the excited look on Fluttershy's face told him a lot. He looked back at Balkzardan and noticed the noble look in her eyes. If what Balkzardan said was true, then he probably should abide by her word. He still didn't trust her, but he trusted Fluttershy to know she could handle this.

Harry gently placed Fluttershy down on the ground. Fluttershy was confused and looked at Harry who looked back with a trusting smile and a slight nod. Harry trusted Fluttershy more than anything and he'd be here if she needed him.

Fluttershy then looked at Balkzardan and limped over to her, ignoring the pain she had before. An animal created by Gaia just revealed herself to her; it was such a phenomenon, that she just had to get closer to her. An opportunity such as this was something she never expected to get; she had several questions to ask her. Like she and every pony in Equestria always did, they'd bow to Princess Celestia and Luna to show respect and welcome upon their arrival; Balkzardan shouldn't be any different, right? Fluttershy wanted to show some respect to her. The guardian of the forest remained as she was and allowed Fluttershy to come close, but she tilted her head at how injured Fluttershy looked.

This would simply not do and she was glad she arrived when she did.

Balkzardan watched as Fluttershy attempted to bow, but the deity stopped her, 'Fluttershy, please refrain from that,' Balkzadan requested and Fluttershy quickly complied as she gazed up a bit worried if she offended her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just wanted to approach you properly and give – wait," Fluttershy looked up at Balzardan, surprised as she realized that she had called her by name. "H-How do you know my name?" Fluttershy never introduced herself, nor did she ever mention anything about it. Was she all-knowing?

Balkzardan eyed Fluttershy for a second until the yellow holes on her shoulders began to flicker. Fluttershy looked confused until she noticed the mist began to slither to life and circle around her and encase her body, making her disappear from view. Fluttershy yelped in pain which caused Harry and Daryl to call out in worry. Harry was about to go on the defense until he and his son saw the unthinkable; Fluttershy's wing began to repair itself and the scraps and patches of furless skin began to regenerate.

Fluttershy didn't know what was going on or knew what Balkzardan had planned, but she started to feel her pain begin to subside. Her black eye began to twitch until she was able to open it again. The pain in her back suddenly vanished and her stubby featherless wing became heavy, again. She looked at her injury to find it was gone; she was whole again!

The mist faded away and Fluttershy could be seen completely healed. Fluttershy looked back at Harry and Daryl with a good-as-new face and bright smile before she looked back at Balkzardan who felt proud of her work. Harry and Daryl were more than thrilled to see their dearest friend completely healed; it was a miracle, but how? They didn't care, either way, Fluttershy was healed and Harry wanted to give her another hug, a real big one to really show his relief and happiness.

"You healed me," Fluttershy said to Balkzardan with a smile of gratitude and respect. "Thank you." She bowed before Balkzardan.

But Balkzardan simply smiled down at her and shook her head at her, and humbly said to her, "You're welcome, but there's no need for formal greetings, Fluttershy. In fact, I'm just as honored to meet you myself." Saying that brought a wave of honor to the pegasus and Balkzardan knew it.

Fluttershy stood back up and felt so bashful she said that; she didn't know how to respond to that. It nearly brought her tears. A goddess saying she was honored to meet a mere mortal like her, what can anyone say to something like that? How could she approach that? Never before had she wanted something so much in her life she didn't know she needed until it came and said it right to her face.

But, Balkzardan continued, 'You may not know it, but I know of you and your friends since you saved the world on multiple occasions. The guardians and I commend you six for your acts of heroism,' She then looked at the sky and gazed at the dark cloud over Ponyville. Her noble, calm attitude then turned into a serious one as she looked down at Fluttershy, again, showing eyes of concern and worry.

'But, I'm afraid today is a day that my friends and I must step in and aid you all in stopping an evil far greater than anything you've faced before,' Balkzardan said with a hint of an offer in that tone. And Fluttershy picked that up the moment Balkzardan said it.

"Wait, what?" The small yellow pegasus curiously asked

'Fluttershy, before I explain, I must ask you something,' Fluttershy looked at Balkzardan, curiously. 'Will you link with me? I would love to have your help in this fight.'

Fluttershy's eyes then widened at that request and she just sat there as she tried desperately to process what the hell she just heard, "You... want me to what and what now?"

'I would like to link with you, Fluttershy. Your loyalty to the forest has earned a great deal of respect from me and the other forest guardians. But, I'm afraid they are too scared to join us in this fight.'

Fluttershy rubbed the side of her head and looked away from Balkzardan in thought. She still had questions that needed answering, but considering the circumstance, she didn't have that much time. Throwing the thought of other forest guardians aside, her friends must be worried about her and whatever attacked them must be at Ponyville right now. Yet, she still needed to show Harry and Daryl before she can agree to this.

She looked back at Harry and Daryl who watched, suspense covering their entire bodies like a blanket. They were just as confused, but they had to know what happen to Grace. That was her main goal from the start. She looked away from them before she gazed back up at Balkzardan, "I still have a lot of questions to ask you, but... I will do it on one condition."

Balkzardan looked puzzled by this sudden request but was interested to know what the condition was. She should've expected something like that, but the whole time she thought Fluttershy would've just jumped right in, but, still, 'Anything you wish, Fluttershy.' She was willing to cooperate, but it had to be quick since a big threat was already upon them.

"Take us back to my home. I have something… actually, someone… my friend and his son need to see," Fluttershy said as she motioned Harry and Daryl who now looked very concerned and worried by what she meant by that.

Balkzardan nodded, 'As you wish, Fluttershy. Are you ready?'

With a nod from Fluttershy, Balkzardan's eyes shined a bright yellow. Fluttershy gasped softly as her eyes shined like Balkzardan's.

Harry and Daryl watched in bewilderment as these two started this up. Fluttershy and Balkzardan suddenly stood still like statues and it kinda freaked them out. They don't know what just happened, but they hoped Fluttershy was alright. First, some freak storm appeared and set afire, then Grace went missing, then Fluttershy got injured, and now a giant Gaia dog-shark thing showed up and needed Fluttershy for something.

Harry sighed exhaustively and took a seat, he felt as though he could really go for ripe fruit or hard cider. 'What I wouldn't give for a drink of that cider those hillbilly farmer friends of Fluttershy's make… after today, I'm gonna need at least a barrel of the stuff.'

Daryl just plopped on his stomach and tried to make sense of today. 'What is going on today?...'

As she locked her gaze onto Balkzardan's, she waited patiently but nothing happened right away. Fluttershy was a tad confused and was about to ask Balkzardan if there was something she needed to do to make this process work until her body felt numb all of a sudden. She closed her eyes a second until she slowly opened them and suddenly found herself in a space-like void that displayed multiple screens, showcasing creatures she never knew existed. She took her first step into the void, but she couldn't hear her steps. But that was little concern as she ventured through, watching any screen that crossed her path.

She didn't know what to make of all of it, but it was quite an exhilarating experience. She saw so much but knew so little.

It was hard to describe any of these creatures, but one crossed by and she saw one creature that resembled a reptilian mole with red skin, a long horn on its head, and floppy ears; it looked kinda cute to her, yet still so scary and mesmerizing, too. The window began to fade right as she noticed the red creature was protecting an egg. How very strange, but very fascinating and otherworldly. A creature like that existed in Equestria? She chuckled at herself for asking such a ridiculous question.

She looked over to find another screen to find another giant creature emerge from the ocean and walked on to land. Like the other one, this one was reptilian. However, this one had lighter red skin with brown and black bumpy patches all around its body aside from the tan underbelly. It was bipedal and stood much taller than the other reptilian giant. It sported fins from the top of its head down to its back and its tail opened up to show a much larger fin; in a way, it resembled a fan when it did that. Fluttershy was astonished. Was this some kind of marine reptile she never knew about? She knew about sea snakes, whales, sharks, dolphins, so many sea-life. But, not once has she heard anything about this creature. It looked like it belonged in a bygone era. When, she had no clue. But, the thought of meeting a prehistoric creature never crossed her mind. Were prehistoric species still roaming Equestria? How was she not aware of this? Fluttershy felt so dumb, but she was honestly excited and yet she was so terrified to know this giant existed. No, to know all these giants existed. If only she knew their names, she'd make it her next goal to meet them.

As that one screen disappeared, she looked around to find another one before it present itself to her and showcased a creature she thought wasn't possible to exist. Unlike the last two who were reptiles, this one was mammal-like in appearance. A giant mammal-like creature just resting on the side of a mountain like it was meditating. Fluttershy could barely make out its appearance, but she noticed its face looked dog-like and it sported thick dirty yellow fur that covered its chest up to the shoulders and over its head and ears. It kind of looked like a lion's mane the way it was presented. Fluttershy squinted a little before she noticed its ears were droopy. She tilted her head but chuckled, getting the idea they might be floppy like the first creature she saw. How funny. Though, despite the ears, the creature looked more fierce than cute. Then it dawned on her, with the way it was and how it looked, it felt like it was a king looking over its kingdom; she looked down to see where it was looking at then noticed a plateau with few buildings and a large shrine with a statue facing the creature.

She tilted her head a little in confusion before she took a closer look to find something familiar, "Is that a... farm?" Then a pony walked out of the farm and looked up at the creature. It looked like a mare and she held her hooves up as if she were praying. "It can't be...?" Fluttershy focused a little more on the mare praying to the sleeping giant. It was tough to see who the mare was, but all she could make out was a strangely familiar yellow-colored mane.

Before she could look any further, the screen quickly faded and the mare along with the giant disappeared. Fluttershy snapped out of her investigative stupor and looked straight ahead, getting back on track and trekked on. Still, that farm looked vaguely familiar and the mare in question couldn't have been her; it must've been a coincidence or something. Perhaps Balkzardan would now? Fluttershy nodded to herself; that was her only option. It didn't take long until she found Balkzardan herself standing next to a screen. Fluttershy approached her but watched over the screen.

She wished she hadn't.

The screen played a scene so horrifying, it made her take back what she thought about the giants she saw minutes ago. A city under attack by a gargantuan creature covered entirely of gold. A three-headed deity so nightmarish, it represented one of her biggest fears. One she thought she got over after she and her friends became friends and allies with the dragons. But, seeing this thing rekindled that fear as it let out that eerily familiar bell-like sound before the beast let out a terrifying roar. Lightning and fire shot down from its body and ignited everything it touched into a blazing sunder. Its screeching howls and cries echoed as helpless ponies and other creatures suffered as they all succumbed to the scorching cocoons created by the monster.

Fluttershy looked away and ducked her head into her mane as the cries of anguish and roars of destruction rang like ear-bleeding music in her ear. Why? Why would a dragon like that be so cruel? To kill everything and everyone. Why was Balkzardan showing her this?

"Please, make it stop. I don't wanna hear anymore of this," Fluttershy pleaded, begging Balkzardan to cease this display of carnage.

She complied and stopped the screen with her paw, "That is who we're up against, Fluttershy. His name is Ghidorah – King Ghidorah. A dragon of all dragons."

Fluttershy shakingly poked her head out and looked up at Balk with teary, fearful eyes, confused as all hell, "Why? Why would he do such a thing? Why is he so cruel?" she asked, utterly mortified by the fact a dragon used all that power for evil. It wasn't right!

She knew before dragons were terrifying creatures – especially the adults – but she didn't think the adults would go that far to kill everything on sight. There had to be a reason, but what? And, for the past years, nowadays, ponykind had made friends with the dragons – albeit shaky and tense, but she was thrilled to know there were dragons that were nice and so eager enough to talk ponies. The alliance is still fairly new, but the two species had made it work and no one ever attempted to start a war with one another. Why would they? A pony would be an absolute moron to start a fight with a dragon; it's suicide!

But, still, from what she saw on that screen, this dragon looked way more dangerous than the ones she encountered before; unstable, malicious, sadistic, and evil. And having three-headed dragons just amplified that by three. Even so, she never knew a three-headed dragon even existed, nor if she knew two-headed dragons existed. Was it the only one? This was insane!

Though, when she cautiously watched the screen, again, it seemed like it was attacking a city she was not familiar with. She wondered to herself about what Balkzardan was showing her. Did this happen in the past? How long she didn't know. Then a white speck came into the corner of her eye. Curious, she began to look a little closer until the sounds of different roars, shrieks, and howls washed over King Ghidorah's. Before her eyes appeared four other giants of different species; the same lion-dog giant she saw earlier roared at Ghidorah and took a fighting stance, then a giant flying turtle-like creature that floated in the air above blue fire appeared and bellowed defiantly at Ghidorah, and... two giants that resembled butterflies? She never knew insects could get that big; then again she really shouldn't question it. They both looked so distinct from one another. One was coated in colors of red, white, yellow, and orange; it looked so beautiful and very powerful despite its fluffy appearance. But the other butterfly just rubbed her the wrong way. Nothing about it made her think this thing was peaceful. Shades of black with red and purple colorings all adorn its horrific body; its red eyes even sparked her to flee despite it fighting back against Ghidorah. The two seemed to work together like yin and yang. How bizarre!

"Who are they?" Fluttershy asked. "And who's with them?" She blinked in surprise as she started to see something familiar about that speck, "Wait --" she focused carefully on the white speck among them. It darted across the screen as it tried to distract Ghidorah so the four giants could attack, but it seemed to barely faze him. Was it firing magic at the dragon? "Is that…?" The screen then zoomed in on the speck to show just who it was firing at this monster and Fluttershy immediately gasped in complete shock upon who she saw on the screen, "Princess Celestia?!"

She was befuddled. Celestia was there? Why? She looked up at Balkzardan as the chimera-beast nodded, confirming she was not seeing things. Fluttershy looked back and held her head, getting a bit of a headache from taking all this in.

'What you see before is a fight that took place long ago before you and your friends even came into the world. The creatures you see before you are known as Guardians, and Princess Celestia knew us quite well.' She smiled faintly at Princess Celestia on the screen. 'She was an ally… a friend, in your case this century… that we cherished so much before the battle even took place. Well, more so than others,' Balkzardan glanced at the dark butterfly before she looked down at Fluttershy who was rubbing her head so she wouldn't get herself a head-splitting headache.

"So, where do you come in? Did you join the fight?"

'I did and I wasn't alone.'

The screen showed Balkzardan rushing to join the fight and behind her charged two other giants that looked eager to throw down. Both were reptilian but looked vastly different from one another.

One was a dark brown creature that had its neck somewhat curved down. It possessed crests on its head that curved like a perfect crescent moon – Luna would've been intrigued by this giant if she had been there herself – and a very sharp nasal horn. It had scaly ridges that went down from its neck to its chest and appeared to be equipped with a whip-like tail. Fluttershy was intrigued by just how battle-focused this armored giant was. It looked like it was made for this fight.

The other one, however, seemed more like it was too invested to join the fight. It rushed in like a mad rhino and gave no damns who it knocked over. It was taller than the other one and had bulky arms to match the spring in its steps when it used its powerful legs to jump high in the air and dropkick Ghidorah hard enough to crash him to the dirt. It stood over Ghidorah and let out a gargle-like howl as it beat its chest in victory like an older sibling would when they'd whoop their friends or younger siblings in a game of wrestling. It bared ridges that traveled across its body and the light blue streaks distinguished which ridges were in place. Even though it was reptilian, it kind of acted like a happy chimpanzee when it slapped the ground. Fluttershy giggled when it danced on Ghidorah's back and slapped his heads a few times. In fact, seeing this goofy reptile and how it looked made her think of a dancing corn-on-the-cob with fangs. It was funny despite how tragic everything else was. Now was not a time and place to be acting like that.

But Ghidorah swatted him away with his tail and got back up. The fight still went on.

'My comrades and I fought as hard as we could, and we ultimately succeeded,' Balkzardan explained as she showed Fluttershy a scene where Princess Celestia, the two butterflies, Balkzardan and the crescent-horned reptile used what they had to seal Ghidorah away in a pillar and plunged it into a nearby mountain where Ghidorah would never see the light of day, again.

"So, what happened after that? Did you guys celebrate your victory?"

Balkzardan lightly shook her head and had a somber look in her eyes – while she would want to celebrate a hard-earned victory, Ghidorah did some irreparable damage that day – and on that day, there just wasn't enough energy nor was it the time for celebration, 'The battle was too much for all of use to bear. Ghidorah ended up killing a few of our allies and what was left of that city barely stood and too many lives were lost. We all ended up going our separate ways after what happened. We haven't seen each other in years and I doubt they'd want to.' With how that fight went down and the injuries they sustained, she'd be surprised if any of them would want to go for round two. She said her allies were willing to join, but that was a big if.

Fluttershy felt bad for her. After all the trouble they went through, someone was able to release Ghidorah? How? "Ghidorah was sealed away in a pillar. Someone must've released him. Have you figured out who?"

That was a good question, but she didn't know, "I wish I did. The only thing I know is that someone had released Ghidorah and he shared his powers with them; a soul link."

"Soul... link?" Fluttershy asked, confused by what she meant by that. "What does that do?

Balkzardan smiled confidently and was thrilled she asked her that question, the forest guardian replied to her with a little something that would no doubt make Fluttershy feel much, much better, 'It allows us to merge our souls into one and we will be able to feel what each other feel. Best part, you will gain my strength and powers once the link is set.'

Fluttershy perked up and looked at her as if she just said something that could only be done in movies. Was she serious? Was she for real? "You're kidding me, right? I get to have your powers? Really?!" Her fears and worries suddenly snapped into an erupted excitement that would make Pinkie Pie proud. "I get to have the powers of a goddess?"

Balkzardan was about to reply when Fluttershy gasped out loud in realization, "Does this mean I can help my friends win this fight?! How powerful am I going to be? What powers will I have? What powers do you have?!" She asked Balkzardan who looked down at her wondering where she got this level of energy from. It was quite funny, but welcoming and heartwarming to see her so curious to learn more about this.

Balkzardan snickered amusingly and told Fluttershy, 'Allow me to show you.' Her eyes shined a bright yellow as Fluttershy's mane began to static.

*****

Harry and Daryl waited for something to happen, for one of them to say something. Fluttershy and Balkzardan had stood there for what felt like minutes, hours? They couldn't tell; even with the sun blocked off, it felt like time was at a stand-still.

Harry got up and was about to walk over to Fluttershy to check if she was alright. It made him wonder if what Balkzardan said was true, that there was a greater threat out there and that she needed Fluttershy's help, but why specifically? The grizzly was so confused but he was worried, too. Worried that Fluttershy might've fallen for some kind of trap.

Daryl just sat there and looked at Balkzardan. He wasn't even gonna attempt to get close to her. She was massive, scary-looking, and not someone to play with. Her shiny eyes didn't make things any better either. One minute she had pupils, then next she didn't. This big creature was weird.

Harry walked around to see if Fluttershy was alright, but was greeted with hypnotic blank-white eyes. Harry flinched and groaned in confusion until those horrifying eyes of Fluttershy's began to surge electricity around the edges which got him to jump, startling him quite badly. Harry ran back to Daryl and as he did, Fluttershy's wings whipped open and bolts of electricity shot out from the tips of each feather. Her pink mane stood straight and shined a bright golden yellow. Harry dove and got over Daryl to protect him from what was going on, his son groaning in confusion, asking him what was happening. Fluttershy suddenly became a lightning rod? Since when the hell could she do that? It made no sense!

Suddenly, he felt the air around him begin to swirl. He gazed back and saw the misty air flow around Fluttershy as she began to float in mid-air without using her wings, yet Balkzardan remained unfazed by this. Was she the cause of Fluttershy's sudden shock-splosion? Just like his son, Harry was starting to get scared, too. A couple of lightning jolts shot out and blasted the ground near him. Harry dared not look.

Daryl howled in fear as the ground around him and his father exploded in bits near and far around them. What was Fluttershy doing? If she was trying to scare him, she was doing a good job. The little cub squealed as the booms went on.

Then a flash enveloped behind them, Daryl curled up and covered his eyes. Harry shut his eyes tight and braced for impact.

An explosion of light erupted like a morning sun then quickly faded as if it were a ghost. The noise from the explosion still rang in their ears, but they were not gonna budge until everything calmed down or flat-out stopped.

Seconds felt like minutes; minutes felt like hours. And, still, Harry didn't budge. He kept a grip on his son while his back was turned. He didn't know what just happened, but he hoped nothing bad happened to Fluttershy. Tinnitus kicked in hard and all they could hear was unbearable ringing. Then it slowly began to fade and Harry and Daryl began to hear the soft winds and light rain around them. Harry was relieved, barely. But, did he dare move himself? Like his son, he was too anxious and scared to move.

Then, a gentle hoof pressed against his back, pushing against his fur like a button, "Harry, are you okay?" Fluttershy said as though nothing had ever happened.

Harry's ears flicked, hearing her voice. He opened his eyes and thought for a moment that he tricked himself, thinking Fluttershy was alright. He didn't know if he should jump the gun and go for it or simply ignore it and hope this hallucination went away; Daryl thought the same and just wanted this nightmare to end.

But, Fluttershy called to him again, "Harry, you can turn your head now. It's all over. You can come out too, Daryl."

That right there was when both bears realized this was no hallucination. Fluttershy was alive! Harry let go of his son and quickly turned to meet his friend before he lunged and gave her a cheerful, solace hug, letting out a joyful roar. He was so happy she was alright and back to what she was. Daryl grinned and hurried to his aunt before jumping into his daddy's arms and joined in hugging her in joy.

Fluttershy was caught off-guard but giggled in delight that Harry and Daryl were so thrilled to see her, "Oh, Harry, it's alright." But Fluttershy returned her hug back and snuggled up to him, holding Daryl close in one arm while her other one was wrapped around Harry's waist. "I'm sorry if what happened scared you two."

Balkzardan remained momentarily quiet as she watched this; the bond that these creatures had with the pegasus, it was quite heartwarming to see how much they cared for her. She smiled lightly to herself as she watched them hug their dear friend in joy; she didn't want to interrupt their moment.

Harry placed both his son Fluttershy down before Daryl charged in and gave his auntie Fluttershy another hug. Fluttershy giggled again as she brought the young cub in for another tender hug... until she opened her eyes and looked up at Harry with a smile.

Harry widened his eyes and flinched so hard he collapsed onto his back as if someone slammed a whammy across his face, grunting in shock and almost fear at what he just saw. Fluttershy and Daryl looked at him confused, before he quickly righted himself and shakily pointed a claw at Fluttershy, huffing and grunting at what he's looking at. He tried so hard to talk, but all that came out were stuttered grunts and growls

Fluttershy placed Daryl down but Daryl looked at his father as if he suddenly became a paranoid squirrel or something. His father mentioned something was off, but he didn't know what he was talking about. Daryl looked up at Fluttershy and was about to ask her what his dad was on about before she looked down at him. He suddenly widened his eyes, too, and hopped away from her, as well, letting out a shocked squeal as he did and rushed over to his father, hopping into his arms for safety. He was startled and a bit frightened by what he just saw from Fluttershy.

Now Fluttershy was confused beyond belief. Both her bear-friends acted like they've either seen a ghost or had watched too many zombie movies during their visits at her cottage or here at their home; though that one, how these two managed to get cable all the way out here to their den was beyond her. "Harry, Daryl, I'm fine. It's still me." Fluttershy said a little more casually. "What's wrong with you two?"

She raised a brow at them as she gazed her golden, cat-like eyes at them, unaware of what they were seeing.

Ghidorah's Return: Vengeance And New Discoveries (Part 1)

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Fluttershy returned home with Harry, Daryl, and Balkzardan, all four looking around at the damage; Balkzardan winced in dismay at what she saw and the bears were stunned by the damages around the area, but Fluttershy was silent. Like before, everything was still a wreck – all but her home. Barely scratched, but still intact. They even noticed the poor fallen forms of the birds and the ruined chicken coop – the feathers of what used to hold the chickens slowly blowing away from the mess.

Harry gasped lightly, realizing that despite their best efforts, some of his little friends that he had here at the cottage couldn't make it into the safety of the cottage fast enough. Balkzardan frowned softly as she examined the damages, deep down – she already knew. Only Ghidorah would pull such a cruel cheap shot like this.

Fluttershy… she looked up at the sky, now realizing who it was that did this damage around her home, thanks to being filled in by Balkzardan. The sky was still pitch black and any form of movement of it moving on was out of the question. Even if she used Balkzardan's weather manipulation power, it'd feel like a waste.

She gritted her teeth and snarled like a canine, Ghidorah did this. He did this to her home. She didn't care if he was a massive three-headed dragon monster… she swore, right here and now, that Ghidorah will pay for this. She was almost caught in her anger for that monster if it weren't for the sound of a concerned grunt that caught her attention.

Harry looked at Fluttershy worriedly. She promised him earlier to take him and Daryl to see Grace. He didn't forget the talk they had before Balkzardan showed up. They arrived as she said; so, where was she?

Fluttershy froze in hesitation, remembering where she was. She looked at him firmly, but with a hint of sadness and regret, despite being still just like Balkzardan, but deep down she was scared and nervous to even show him. She feared he and his son wouldn't take the loss real well. Yes, they had that talk and she gave him the news, but she felt reluctant. She didn't want Harry and Daryl to suffer any more pain than they'd already got. She felt just as much pain telling them as much as experiencing losing Grace, but she had to tell them soon or else anxiety would keep her from accepting how Harry and Daryl would handle it.

Balkzardan, having shrunk down to Harry's size, approached Fluttershy calmly and gently nudged her side, 'I wouldn't keep it from them, Fluttershy.' Balkzardan said. 'It's best if you show them instead of hiding it. They need to know…' Like Fluttershy, Balkzardan felt the same way about all of this. Fluttershy's idea to spare them from suffering such devastating pain had good intentions, but it would cause a rift among them and put them at odds with one another. And they were already here, so there was no point to it.

Fluttershy nodded up at her and looked back to Harry, 'Y-You're right. They deserve to see her.' Fluttershy looked over to Harry, gazed down sadly, and simply motioned him and his son over to the fallen tree near them quietly. The bears look over and found the tree she pointed out, and then they all approached it.

Once Harry looked around the area near the fallen tree, he was immediately struck with shock and horror when he suddenly spotted the body of his mate, his eyes widen in disbelief and horror. He let out a low groaning gasp before his son rushed up, squealing with glee upon finding his mother.

'Mommy!' Daryl howled in delight as he ran over. 'Mommy! It's you!' He groaned happily, ecstatic to find his mom.

But, Harry… he paused and looked at what used to be his beloved mate, Grace. Her form would've fooled someone that she had been asleep with how still her form was, but piecing what happened together – it was anything but.

Her lower body, crushed from the weight of the fallen tree, and despite it being removed, the damage had been done and she could only use the last of her energy to tell Shy to tell him of what happened to her, before laying her head down and taking her last breath, her final thoughts thinking of him, Daryl and Fluttershy.

Pain and sorrow racked his entire body. Harry reached a paw and tried to call his son back, but he couldn't. His calls were lodged deep in his throat as the unbearable pain of his heart breaking in two began to creep around his body. He slowly dropped down on his backside as tears began to roll down his fuzzy cheeks. Just one look and he knew what was wrong. His mate, his true love, and the mother of their beautiful little cub… was gone. The storm had claimed her; His beloved Grace was dead, and she had left them behind – to continue on without her. He never got a chance to say goodbye.

'Grace…' He weakly groaned, looking at the body of his mate in sheer heartbreak.

Daryl rushed up to his mother, squealing so happy and delighted to know she was there. Was she asleep? He placed his small paws on the side of her head and pushed on her a couple of times with a few happy grunts. That always woke her up. Daryl waited for a second with a bright smile, cooing to her. 'Momma, you can get up now! The storm's over.'

Nothing?

Odd, why didn't she wake up? Curious, Daryl let out a small shriek before he planted his paws on her cheek again and shook her to wake her up, a little harder this time. 'Mommy, c'mon. Naptime's over!'

Again, nothing? What was going on?

'Mother?' He grunted in concern, 'Why aren't you waking up?'

Why wasn't his mother waking up? Daryl didn't understand, he gazed around her, was she hurt? 'Did the storm hurt you, mommy?'

She had to be playing with him. She'd sometimes be stubborn, but she would always wake up whenever he shook her by the head. Daryl ran around to the front of his mother's head and let out an underdeveloped roar to desperately try and wake her. 'Momma, wake up! What's wrong?!' He let out a weak bellow in her face, 'Wake up!'

If she was in a deep sleep, that was his only option; that would've woken dad up, too.

…But there was still no response. Why? Daryl looked at his sleeping mother, confused and grew worried. He approached his mother's face and nudged her nose, waiting just a little bit – wanting to hear her, to hear her say something.. anything! He listened closely, only to hear nothing. No snore, no groan, no breathing. His mother wasn't waking up!

Really worried, Daryl began to hyperventilate. Something was wrong with his mother, he knew it. 'Mother?' He groaned pleadingly, 'Mother?!' Gazing to her chest, he gasped lightly and scurried over, crawling under her paw, letting it blanket him some. He nuzzled into her fur and listened to her chest, wanting to hear her heartbeat… but to his horror, he didn't hear anything. He had only seen this type of state when his parents brought home fish – at first, the fish would respond a bit, but… then oddly, they stopped – not a sound, not a flap of their tails, not a gasping breath, nothing. Oddly, he couldn't hear a sound from his mom… just like…; the realization soon hit him.

Horrified, the cub started shaking, whimpering lightly as he looked at his mother in fear and horror, tears starting to form in his eyes, 'M-Momma? Y-You can't be… you just… can't be…!!'

Before the others knew it, he started bawling out loud and tried desperately to wake his mother up but to no avail, 'MOMMA!!! GET UP!!!' He screamed at her, trying to get her to rise. Climbing on her back, he shook her shoulders desperately, globs of tears running down his face as he wailed. 'Mom! Mommy! Wake up!' He whimpered as he slid down, but continued to slap his paws on her body, pleading with all his heart that she could hear him. 'Momma…! Please…!' His wailing started to die into whimpers, yet he begged still, 'Don't leave us, momma…'

Fluttershy watched in utter pain as her beloved friends wallowed in grief over their loss. She watched in dread as Daryl looked around the area, likely for someone to help his mom. He charged out a few steps and cried out in vain, 'Help!!! Somebody! Please!!!' He looked around desperately for someone to come help them as he hyperventilated, calling out at the top of his lungs, 'Anybody! Help my mommy! Please!!!'

'Daryl…' His father sadly but weakly grunted to him, unable to take this much longer, gazing at his baby boy in grief. He wanted to deny this just as much as his son did, but he was no fool. '…She… She's gone…'

His son whimpered and sniffled as he regretfully gave up when he realized no other creature was here but them, hiccupping one last whisper for help. 'Help…' Breaking down into tears, the cub let out tearful whimpers before he looked back to his mother's body, sadly returning to her side. Carefully climbing under her arm like how she would cradle him close when they slept together, he looked up at his mother's relaxed, unresponsive face and placed his head on his mother's furry cheek. His cries were muffled in her fur from his heartbreak and anguish.

She looked over to Harry who sat still before his mate with his head hung low. Sounds of soft, huffing groans could be heard before she hesitantly walked over to him.

"Harry?" Fluttershy tried to grab his attention as she placed a hoof on his back, hoping to get a response. She got one as he slowly turned his head, red eyes of pain and sadness leered down at her.

'Not now, okay...?' He growled at her a bit firmly, but begging her to leave him be, so he can have a moment

Fluttershy quickly backed off as Harry wiped his teary eyes with his paw before he gazed back at Grace's corpse. He slowly made his way over to her side and laid his body down next to her, as if being near her would warm her body up. He sadly gazed down at his grieving son who nestled and quietly sobbed into her fur, he looked up at her face with great pain. Gingerly rubbing her cheek with a paw, her head only nestled in his claws, her face showing no signs of waking up. With a grieving groan, he rested his head on top of his wife's head, shedding tears of sorrow; he had no words to say, his wife was gone… Fluttershy had fulfilled her promise of bringing him and Daryl here, and now he knew why she had been looking for him, looking so upset when she did. Despite his firmness with her, he knew he couldn't put this kind of blame on her. This wasn't really her fault, he knew it. But, now… the only thing he can do now is bid his wife goodbye, without her being able to hear him and their son crying for her.

Fluttershy got the message and went back to Balkzardan who felt just as bad for them as she did. Balkzardan watched the two bears with regret, she had winced sharply when she watched Daryl discover on his own why his mother wouldn't respond to his attempts at waking her, and she felt great sorrow for Harry when she saw that anguished, heartbroken look in his eyes when he looked at his caretaker… it was a look she too had on her face once before long ago.

As she joined her, Fluttershy wondered something, if Balkzardan was the daughter of Gaia, "Balkzardan…" She looked up at her slowly, her new friend gazing down at her with her attention grabbed, "Is... is there any way to bring Grace back?" She asked somberly. She gained so much knowledge from Balkzardan after they merged souls and was excited to share this info with her friends, but her excitement neglected to let her ask that part. If there was a way, she would try and do whatever she could to find it.

Balkzardan hesitated when her little friend and merge partner asked her that. She didn't want to outright lie or be straight with her, that would just worsen the pain; she knew Fluttershy was agitated and wanted to push death away from her friend. But, in her years of experience, she's learned the hard ways of life and she pleaded for it to stop; the pain was too much for her. The grieving was overwhelming. "Fluttershy," she said to her in a somber tone but also tried to keep her calm demeanor.

She had to choose her words wisely here. Even with powers like hers, not even she could fight death back… it was just out of her claws. "I'm so sorry… but… not even gods can help escape death's touch. There's nothing I can do to help her..." She's lost so much growing up. Friends, family, and followers, as a creature born from Gaia, she was given a long lifespan. To some, it would be a blessing; others would find it a curse. But, Balkzardan was split down the middle. Her youth made her believe that it was amazing and that she could be with her followers much longer. But, as time moved on, she began to realize her error of belief and watched as her followers – who she considered friends and family – faded one by one. Even the next generation began to reject her and refuse to worship her for reasons she did not know.

Seeing that the future was going down a dark path and how it was treating itself, Balkzardan could no longer accept any worshipers. She was now a free spirit to do as she pleased. She never looked back, but she could sense that the current generation of her past followers was dwindling in numbers. Yet, there was no call for help, no prayer, nothing that warranted her attention. She ventured on and scoured Equestria for many years until she took refuge in the very forest Fluttershy called her home.

As much as she wanted to help and as far as her knowledge went; even with the powers she currently had that could provide, even if she wanted to, she wasn't sure she could even return life to Fluttershy's fallen friends, or poor Grace… she hated to say it, but from the looks of it, there wasn't anything she could do. "I'm sorry…" She sadly said to her merging partner, looking regretful.

As much as she hated to hear that, it wouldn't be wise to lash out at her for being as honest as she could. Fluttershy got her answer and now there was no other option left to try and bring Grace back. She tilted her head down a little and closed her eyes to mourn her friend once again. But after shedding a few tears, then she began to snarl. Her teeth sharpened as they grit and grind. Her grief turned into anger, and that anger turned into rage; Rage turned into hate! If there was anyone to blame for any of this, it would be the pony that released King Ghidorah from his prison. If she was not gonna bring Grace back then her only option was to find that heartless pony... and beat them with every inch of their life.

Her blood boiled, her teeth clenched, her hooves balled up, and her heart raced! Adrenaline kicked up like a jet engine. Her wings spread open as electricity crackled between her feathers and then streamed around her entire body. Balkzardan watched as the once timid, kind, and peaceful Fluttershy took a backseat, and in her place stood a sparking, deiform phoenix of vengeance and fury.

Fluttershy looked up at Balkzardan. Her eyes beamed with eagerness and determination; she was ready to fight. And with Balkzardan's teachings, fear had no part in any of this.

Balkzardan shared the same determination and willfulness to fight. She may not be as powerful as King Ghidorah, but that wasn't gonna stop her. And besides, her fellow guardians were not far behind.

"You ready?" Balkzardan asked Fluttershy. The charged-up mare gave the thunder tiger a confident smile.

Fluttershy nodded, "Let's kick some ass."

Balkzardan brightly scattered into light particles and, like a river, streamed over to Fluttershy and began to merge with her. Like a will-o-wisp glowing in the night sky, Fluttershy's body began to light up, catching her grieving friend's attention just barely as the light spread, shining as bright as the sun. They looked on in disbelief as Balkzardan's power transformed her...

Like Balkzardan, Fluttershy's head sprouted a shark-like fin that met at her forehead. Her yellow fur was replaced with a smooth cotton-white as armor-like plates coated parts of her body from legs up to her neck; She bore no spikes on her armor like Balkzardan had but she possessed black ridges on her shins and forearms that overlapped one another in fours. Her tail slithered and morphed from its pink droopy style to a long, white whip-like tail that nearly resembled the bark of a cedar tree. The stubs of her wings hardened and turned into dark-colored, wing-like protrusions with a single claw between the joints; her feathers were vaporized and in their place formed electric feathers that generated power – almost as if they were ghosts of the previous feathers.

Fluttershy folded her new wings and snapped her eyes open as small sparks flew out. She looked around before she gazed at her new form, surprised and somewhat shocked. She expected to merge with her new friend, but she never expected something like this.

Then it dawned on her, "Huh, now I know how Twilight felt when she became an alicorn." Though, unlike Twilight's case, she didn't float in the air like some cheesy cartoon cliché where the main character underwent some kind of transformation. Hell no! This was the kind of transformation that was down-to-earth and quick on the draw. That was the kind of badass transformation she liked and it felt great that it happened to her. Not only that, but she felt powerful, too.

She smiled deviously. The number of ideas to kick whoever was behind this whole things ass was in the millions. She then thought about the abilities Balkzardan mentioned. Weather manipulation was one, but... there was also...

"That's right, I almost forgot," admiring her new form was gonna have to wait. She turned to face Ponyville and hunkered down a bit like she was in a track race. She gazed back a little to see Harry and Daryl, eyeing her in awe, disbelief yet the grief they had was still in them as they almost clung to Grace's body, their eyes wide in shock at her transformation. They almost wanted to ask what she was doing, but they couldn't – because a part of them, deep inside, may already know what she was doing. She softened her firm face and let them see the regretful look in her eye, but the loving face she had always given them… "I promise… whoever unleashed the bastard who did this…" Her glare returned as she looked to the stormy sky, "…I will make sure they pay dearly." She scowled before her body began to charge up. She will get revenge; mark her words she will get revenge for Harry and Daryl; Grace's death will not be in vain. Fluttershy looked straight ahead at Ponyville with a firm glare...

'Extreme Speed,' Fluttershy thought as she launched herself forward, instantly making a highspeed dash to Ponyville with lightning trailing behind her.

****

Twilight started to regain consciousness. Her eyelids quivered as she grunted groggily. Slowly, she started to crack her eyes open, but that proved to be kind of a challenge. Whatever hit her earlier hit her harder than anything she's ever felt before.

She then heard muffled voices next to her as the ringing in her ears slowly cleared. How far, she didn't know and couldn't tell. Her head throbbed too much to even make a guess who was with her or where she was at. She drained so much of her magic that she assumed she was gonna be in a coma or something. All she knew now was that she wasn't in a coma, she was very much alive and she was somewhere with someone. And as for that someone, the only words she was able to pick up from them were 'wake up', 'rags', and her name. She then felt something soft, light, and warm embrace her body, and something fluffy and just as soft cup the back of her head. She had no idea what was going on, but she was fine to know she didn't wake up to any trouble. Once her brain finally stopped its unbearable rattling, she could only make a few guesses as to where she was at. And judging what was on her, she was in some kind of bed. A hospital, maybe? That would be a great relief for her. She mentally sighed to herself, but that quickly backfired when her body began to tense up as the pain she received before came back to catch up on old times.

Twilight grunted and groaned from this unbearable pain. She made a mistake using up all her magic like that and now her body was straining to stay together. Ironic as it was, no amount of healing magic could fix what she caused on herself. But, she had to know where she was at. So, much like how her brother deals with physical pain, she powered through it like a soldier and slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and all she saw was an orange blur but she could barely tell who was in the room with her. The muffled voices came back and seemed as though they were talking directly at her. Try as she might, she couldn't hold it back any longer and the pain came back. She winced in agony and held herself close, "Ow, son of a – " she cried out from the pain but the orange blur suddenly reached out and placed what felt like a hoof on her shoulder. Twilight froze from the touch.

"Take it easy, Twi," the ringing in her ears finally cleared as she heard a familiar southern voice next to her. Twilight blinked a couple of times before her vision finally cleared up, "You're gonna be fine, now." Twilight saw Applejack, but Mrs. Cake and Rarity were with her, too.

Twilight was relieved she was among friends, but, 'fine' was not the right word to use to describe how she felt right now. "A-Applejack, w-what happened?" she asked as she tried to sit up, but another hoof placed itself on her shoulder once Applejack removed hers and stopped her before she could. "Where are the others?"

"I wouldn't get up so quick, dear," Mrs. Cake said, calmly and had to prevent Twilight from pushing herself so soon. "You and Rainbow Dash took a nasty crash through our roof. You two were lucky you both landed on a bed." When she and her husband rushed to the guestroom just upstairs they found them unconscious but alive. Pinkie Pie didn't waste any time helping before they went to work.

"The others are fine. Rainbow Dash woke up minutes before you and she went outside with Pinkie Pie," Applejack explained to hopefully calm Twilight down. "Rarity, the cakes and I have been keeping an eye on you."

Twilight looked at Mrs. Cake, calmly. As much as she wanted to get up, Mrs. Cake had a point. She lay back on her bed but grunted in pain when she did.

"Twilight, darling, how are you feeling?" Rarity asked, worried out of her mind about what happened to her and Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash got up fine earlier, but Twilight looked like she wasn't gonna wake up for a long time, then hearing her in pain didn't make things any better. She felt ashamed she didn't learn any healing spells growing up. It would've been really helpful right about now.

Twilight grunted before she looked at Rarity and cracked a small smile at her to let her know she was fine, even though, "I feel like I got stomped on by a Celestia-damn hydra and my head hurts like I got flicked aside by an adult dragon – like that red one we dealt with years ago, but, other than that, I'm doing just fine," Twilight tried to joke with her to lighten Rarity's mood a little, but she did feel like hell. That made Rarity lighten up a little, but she wouldn't deny that the worry and scare in the room was an obvious elephant.

"I'm fine, girls. Really. Don't worry about me," Still, she couldn't remember much of what happened earlier. It was all so bizarre. Twilight rubbed the left side of her head to ease her slight headache but she hissed sharply and jerked her hoof away. She must've hit her head harder than she thought. Just her luck.

Yet, Rainbow Dash was involved in the crash? When did that happen? Twilight looked at Applejack, Mrs. Cake, and Rarity, worried and curious about what happened while she was out and what happened to everyone else. She had to know about Rainbow Dash. What happened after that crash. "What happened to Rainbow Dash?" then it dawned on her that the cloud outside might still be out there! "Is.. is that cloud still around?" She started to remember and the cloud was the first thing that came to mind.

Twilight expected worried looks from her friends, but to her utter surprise and confusion, all three of them shared the same confused look as if they had no idea how to answer that question; in fact, they couldn't.

"Well, it's a little tough to explain, but..." Applejack replied.

But Rarity chimed in and calmly explained it as best as she could. For what they saw when Twilight was out cold needed a proper explanation, "Well, Twilight, while you were unconscious, Rainbow Dash woke up the minute you two crashed into Sugar Cube Corner."

Twilight raised a brow, confused as all hell as to what Rarity just said, "Okay, I'll bite. Are you telling me that she woke up before me? That's good, right?" She didn't see anything wrong with that. Rainbow Dash waking up before her should be good news. So, why were they behaving so dumbfoundedly?

Rarity shook her head, "No, Twilight. Well, yes, it's good she did, but what I mean is that when you two crashed, you were unconscious on top of her and she got up like nothing ever happened. No scratches, scraps, bruises, nothing. It's like she brushed it off like it was nothing."

Twilight looked a little befuddled before she widened her eyes in disbelief when the realization finally hit her. Was she being serious right now? No, she had to be joking right now, "Wait, wait, that can't be right. Both of us crashed, right? Then both of us should have been unconscious if the impact was that hard. You're telling me she just got up and walked it off like it was no big deal?" That didn't make any sense at all. And Rarity said she was on top of Rainbow Dash out cold, too; that part made sense. But she couldn't wrap her head around the part about Rainbow Dash. Her head was already hurting enough, she didn't need this brain-twister!

Applejack spoke up next, still confused about all of this, "Honest, Twilight, it was the most weirdest thing we've ever seen too. We would've confronted her about it, but we had to let you know first." Applejack looked at Twilight with firm, serious eyes. She wasn't lying if her life depended on it and what she and the others saw looked like it belonged in a dream. She was no wizard at math, but seeing two ponies crash into a building at such a high speed to create a strong impact should've equated to two very messed up, very battered, very broken, very without-a-doubt KO'd ponies in the impact zone. Apparently, math decided to exit stage left while saying 'to hell with this!' and never came back.

And believe she did. One of the best things about Applejack was her habit of always telling the truth; whether good, bad, or just wanting to be a bitch with her gift, Applejack's tongue never told a single lie. And that the truth was always her specialty. So right now, if Applejack was acting like this, then no doubt there was something going on here. Whatever Rainbow Dash did got her, Rarity, and Mrs. Cake nervous and speculating.

Then it started to come back to her, piece by piece, "Okay, I believe you girls." Ever since that thundercloud showed up, things haven't been acting right. And speaking of said cloud, Twilight looked out the window next to her and saw darkness linger over the sky. Ponyville wasn't encased in a dark haze, so that was good. So, the first thing that needed to be done was to go find the others and see what they know, "Still, Applejack, I don't know how long I'll be here, so I'd like for you to go and find – "

"Twilight!" Pinkie Pie suddenly burst the guestroom door open and made a mad dash towards Twilight, leaving a small gust of wind passing Rarity and Applejack. The excited pink mare lunged and pulled Twilight in for a hug so tight the others thought they heard Twilight squeak like a squeaky toy. As much as she liked to admit it was easy to find Pinkie Pie, Twilight didn't expect her to suddenly bust in shedding tears and nearly crushing her already hurt ribs. Pinkie Pie knew from the get-go Twilight was awake and she couldn't help but make a dash faster than Rainbow Dash's record-breaking dash to go see her; that was her Pinkie sense in a nutshell. And she was glad it was right. Pinkie Pie was so happy to see Twilight was awake and not dead. That would've been a bad day for not only her but everyone else, in her honest opinion, there's been enough doom and gloom for one day.

"Pinkie, ...choking, ...not breathing," Twilight was thrilled to see Pinkie Pie was back, but damn it, she could use some air right now! Not to mention, "Body...in... incredible... pain!" If her body didn't sound like it was breaking, her body sure as shit did now and it became incredibly obvious.

Applejack winced and quickly called out to Pinkie Pie, "Pinkie, let her go! If she wasn't hurt before, she is now!" Applejack got that Pinkie Pie was happy and relieved, but she needed to cool her jets and let Twilight breathe for Celestia's sake!

"Huh?" Pinkie Pie looked back at Applejack then back at Twilight who looked more purple than her already purple face and tried so hard to keep air perfectly sealed in her lungs, but were failing miserably. Pinkie Pie gasped, "Oh!" before she quickly released Twilight so she could inhale as much air as she could before breathing easily, "Sorry, Twilight." Pinkie Pie smiled apologetically and innocently before she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Twilight took a few deep alleviating breaths as she was finally able to steady herself after enduring Pinkie Pie's infamous death-grip hugs, holding herself carefully yet steady with wide eyes from such a grip. But she reassured her, "It's alright, Pinkie. At least you popped my back into place," She joked, but she wouldn't lie to herself thinking she didn't need more of a reason to get severe pain medication after that, although her lungs were still intact, and that was awesome in her book. She looked at Pinkie Pie and chuckled at her, despite being in slight pain, and wanted to let her know she was alive and well. But, she still needed to get up regardless if she was still injured because of the issue outside. If that cloud was still out there, they need to know what it was doing.

Twilight's calm demeanor shifted to serious. At this point, she didn't care if she was injured, she had to be out there, "But, I can't stay in this bed any longer. I have to know what's going on outside. Why a cloud is suddenly came to life." She threw her sheets off her and slowly tried to get out of her bed, but she was stopped when Rarity spoke up.

"Careful, Darling," Rarity warned her, "That nasty crash nearly tore you up. All of us are surprised you're still in one piece, but please don't strain yourself." Then it clicked to Rarity, she brought over a mirror outside of the hall and place it in front of Twilight so she can take a look at herself. "Take a look, Twilight." She almost forgot about that. It probably wasn't a smart move to show Twilight her injuries. But, she had to know one way or another. Probably should've done that before.

When she looked in the mirror, Twilight gasped a little at what she saw. She widened her eyes in shock and got a good look at herself, her eyes drifting down toward her body. That explains why she had a bit of trouble moving. Her head and horn were wrapped in white bandages but a gauze pad with a fainted, dried bloodstain stuck out from the left side of her head, being wrapped and pinned by a single secondary layer of bandages – that explained the sharp pain in her head.

The rest of her body from her back legs to her chest were wrapped in similar bandages with some blood stains seeped through. She looked at her wings and noticed her right wing had another gauze near the stem and it almost lacked some feathers on it as if they were pulled out. Her left wing was snug against her body being held and wrapped by a second layer of bandages that were wrapped around her ribs. She tried stretching her wings to no avail; they were pinned pretty well. She winced at herself for what she became and couldn't believe she survived the ordeal. Not only did she feel like a wreck, but she also looked like living roadkill. She was beside herself but she didn't fuss about it. It did embarrass her a little to find herself looking almost like a mummy, though her friends were right – she was alive, and that should really matter.

She glanced at her friends once Rarity moved the mirror back outside the hall. Ignoring the sore pain in her body and the injuries she sustained, she had to know what happened while she was out. Was there an attack? Did anyone else survive?

"What happened while I was out?" Twilight asked, a look of firmness in her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"You were asleep for four whole hours, Twilight. Four. Whole. Hours!" Pinkie Pie chimed. "We tried everything from water to balloons, but nothing would wake you up. You were unconscious longer than Rarity when she hears about or sees a celebrity pony." Pinkie Pie joked as she smiled crookedly, trying to joke to lighten the mood. So, jabbing at one of her friends was the best thing she pulled out on her mane, aside from the water bottle, balloon, and various other things she stored in that pocket dimension she called her hair.

Rarity wasn't too keen on that little jab and just couldn't help but give Pinkie Pie a light scowl and her lower lip out in a puffy pout at her bubbly friend, "Hey!" Pinkie Pie just snickered and cheekily and cutely stuck her tongue out, expecting a look like that from Rarity.

Twilight tilted her head in slight confusion, blinking a few times and trying so hard to process what she just said. She was out for four hours? Really? "No, no, that can't be right, can it?" She looked to everyone else for a second opinion. Pinkie Pie was always good with jokes and it was hard to tell if she was serious or not; hopefully, someone else can confirm that.

Lucky for her, someone did! Applejack chuckled at Pinkie's silliness and shook her head before she stepped in and took over, confirming her cousin's words, "It's true. What Pinkie said was no lie, sort of. You were actually unconscious for two hours, not four; that was an exaggeration." Applejack didn't look at Pinkie Pie, but she heard her whistle behind her; she knew what she did! "We tried all we could to wake you up, but we couldn't budge you even if we tried our hardest. And I thought a hungry ox on Hay Day was impossible to budge. We thought that crash tore you up something fierce. So, we just decided to wait until you woke up on your own."

"That's what I just said!" Like Rarity, Pinkie Pie made the same pouty face at Applejack but Applejack did not give two ounces of a damn about it.

Jabs aside, though the throw-back by Applejack was well deserved, Rarity spoke next and explained her side of the story, and felt some pony needed a little bit of praise, "But, lucky for us, Mrs. Cake had a first-aid kit to patch you up before you could wake," Rarity said as she patted a very bashful, blushing Mrs. Cake on the shoulder when she was revealed to have the appropriate kit to help patch their friend up. "Really, she did all the hard work." She would've gladly stepped up and helped Mrs. Cake, but mother-mode was on high alert and she had no issue with patching Twilight up. She made a mental note to ask Mrs. Cake for advice later when this whole cloud shenanigan was dealt with.

Mrs. Cake blushed brightly and smiled enthusiastically. The praise wasn't well needed, but she appreciated it nonetheless, "Oh, it's was no trouble, at all. I just didn't want to see our new princess all beaten up." It wasn't. Once they got Twilight on her bed, she went to work right away. Her husband also worked on the hole left in the roof, albeit with extra wooden boards, but he did pitch in, too. But, it was more important to save the princess.

Twilight smiled at Applejack's honest answer and was glad to know it wasn't longer than four hours. Pinkie Pie had to work on controlling her excitement, "Thank you, Applejack. It's good to know it wasn't that long." Still, she looked at Mrs. Cake astonished that she went through so much trouble just to get her to recover. "And thank you, Mrs. Cake. I'll make it up to you and your husband when all of this is over." Though deep down, she wished Mrs. Cake didn't refer to her as a princess, but she refrained as always.

Then she started to panic. Rainbow Dash hadn't returned and there was an unknown force outside that might be dangerous to Ponyville, "What are we still doing standing around? We have to stop that cloud before it – " Twilight hopped off but Applejack quickly caught her so she could trip over herself.

"Whoa, whoa!" Applejack carefully held onto Twilight's shoulders. "Relax, Twilight. I wasn't finished, yet," She released the alicorn and continued, "The cloud is still out there, but it hasn't done anything, so far."

Twilight raised a confused brow once she gained her barrings. She may have woken up, but her body didn't win the race and was a little late, "It hasn't?" For the past few hours, the cloud hadn't done a single thing? Twilight was now curious more than anything.

Mrs. Cake shook her head and told Twilight, "No, not at all. All it's been doing is just standing around making weird, ominous noises… and a creepy sound like bells ringing, unlike anything I ever heard." Just like her, everyone else nodded in agreement. So, there was no point in checking in. "But, I'm guessing Rainbow Dash is still out there keeping an eye on it."

At least she now knew where Rainbow Dash was. But she still wanted to see the cloud, too. Twilight struggled to move but her legs were only wobbling her to fall back down, "Uh, a little help, Applejack?" Twilight asked as Applejack caught her before she went down. Her arm wrapped around her shoulder.

"Okay, you're in no condition to walk, but we know there ain't nothin' gonna stop you," Applejack said. "Might as well just use me as crutches for now." Applejack chuckled, making a joke that got a legit laugh out of not only Twilight but Pinkie Pie and the others, too.

But then it dawned on Applejack, "Wait, Twilight, before we go out there. I gotta ask you something." Twilight looked at her curiously. "What exactly happened out there? You looked like you and the other unicorns had everything under control. Then, suddenly, you exploded back to here. What happened?"

That was a good question and they almost forgot that even happened. Twilight, Amethyst, and the other unicorns involved with that barrier all seemed like they had everything under control. Then, suddenly, she started to freak out over something and that disrupted the flow of keeping the barrier in place. And, all of a sudden, there was an explosion, and Twilight was sent back, making it to where they are now.

Twilight paused when that question was asked. She took a moment to think back about an answer to it. Applejack was right. Amethyst, the other unicorns, and she did have everything under control and it seemed like they had things in the bag. Then, everything just went black and she couldn't figure out where she was. Until she saw... something. She couldn't quite figure out exactly what it was or who she met, but she recalled it was interested in her, for some reason. Then it started to flash before she snapped out of her stupor and went crazy.

If explaining to her what happened to Rainbow Dash was hard, then this was gonna be damn near impossible for her to explain to her friends. In fact, how could she explain it? Was it a demon? A ghost? A giant spirit? Its eyes looked bug-like so could it be one of Chrysalis's relatives trying to get a hold of her? She just didn't know and it baffled her.

"Uh," but she had to keep this on the down-low. She didn't want to confuse her friends any further, so she had to come up with something. Anything! They were waiting for an answer, "I, uh, I... sneezed! Yeah, I sneezed."

Everyone just looked at her confused, as always. Really? She just sneezed and that was what made the barrier crumble and almost got herself killed? Applejack looked a little suspicious when she noticed Twilight wasn't acting all serious with it. She then looked to Rarity for a second, then back to Twilight, and pondered.

"Alright, then," Applejack said, buying it, for now. Even Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Mrs. Cake were having a tough time believing it, but they'll roll with it. They had more pressing matters to attend to.

Twilight was relieved, but she mentally pummeled herself for lying to her friends like that. 'This'll bite me in my ass later. I know it will, I just know it.' Twilight thought as she predicted what might happen down the line. Seeing as how Applejack was a walking lie detector, that was so clearly the case!

As they walked into the hallway, Mrs. Cake heard her foals crying in the master bedroom. She sighed softly and knew what that meant, "Looks like my husband is having trouble calming the twins down. You girls go on ahead."

Pinkie Pie wanted to say something but she knew she had to be with her friends if there was bigger trouble. She watched Mrs. Cake leave but felt like the twins would've calmed down if she were there, too. But, it was all for not, "I'll see you soon, Mrs. Cake. If you need help with the twins, I won't hesitate to come back and help." Mrs. Cake took note of that, but when she left it was just them now.

Once they were outside, they were met with a sight that looked like it came straight out of a horror movie. The cloud was there, above and around Ponyville. It nearly covered the skies in thick darkness, blocking the sun's light. It moved like it mimicked the wind yet it seemed like it stayed perfectly still. What baffled the ponies just as much was that the theory of a dark haze looming through Ponyville was out the window because Ponyville was perfectly intact and not covered in mysterious black fog like they thought it would be. Not even a hint of light mist. Nothing. Other ponies and buildings could be seen as clear as day; everything was in one piece. Her friends were right. The cloud never budged, but that didn't stop it from making it give them an unwanted chill down their spines. This wasn't making a whole lot of sense.

Twilight took a moment to think about what they were dealing with. Then she thought back about what Rainbow Dash told her and the others, 'If what Rainbow Dash said was true and that clouds wouldn't normally behave this way, then, what if...' her ears perked up, and her eyes widened, "What if it isn't a cloud?" It may be a crazy thought, but there couldn't be any other reason and now she just realized.

Her friends looked at her confused by what she meant by that. Not a cloud? That can't be right, can it?

"Uh, Twilight? I think you hit your head harder than we thought," Applejack said, not sure how to process what she just heard. "I don't recall anything controlling a cloud that big."

Rarity nodded, agreeing with that notion. It just didn't add up one bit, "She has a point, Twilight. What else could it be other than a cloud?"

Twilight shook her head and threw their words out of her ears, but a small ounce of her couldn't help but agree that it did sound outlandish, "I know it sounds crazy, but think about it. What if this isn't a cloud? What if something inside there is producing this … whatever it is?" She motioned to the hazy wall before them. But, still, this was beyond anything she could comprehend, and trying to figure out what was be causing it would be a much bigger headache. If what Rainbow Dash said was true, then this would be something different, something new, and something possibly way more dangerous than they could handle. The thoughts kept rushing through her head until Pinkie Pie erupted her vocal cords and got her attention.

"Well, why don't we ask her? She's right there with Amethyst," Pinkie Pie Pointed to the bridge where Rainbow Dash and Amethyst stood.

Pinkie Pie was right. There was no time to waste anymore. Twilight nodded and motioned her friends to move. They needed to tell Rainbow Dash what they discovered... or what Twilight discovered. They rushed as quickly as they could to Rainbow Dash. Applejack held Twilight steadily as she did, even though it really would've been best if Twilight stayed in bed, but she never listened to her. So, why bother?

******

"So, what are we doing just standing around?" Pyrah asked, getting impatient with his brothers and their little stowaway, all three who are keeping their eyes keenly on the town, searching for who dared tried to link with them. "Let's kill these gnats before I get bored here!"

"Calm yourself, brother," Anidelpha said. "Did you forget a link bearer resides in this location? It's best we try and find out who it is before we attack."

"Tch, whatever," Pyrah huffed and looked away. "I still think we should attack anyway. I'm itching for blood here!"

Yet, he was ignored by his other brother and their little ally who eyed Ponyville carefully. Grevada knew damn well someone tried to link with him and his brothers. Unlike them who wanted one thing, he wanted both. Talk first, then destroy; it was a perfect balance he at least abided by.

"Shit, I'm not seeing anything… even with our size, I can't make out anything down there," Grevada said, mildly agitated. He looked down at his ally, "What about you? Do you see anything?"

The hooded mare, however, didn't have a lot of trouble and spotted little in that small town. And that little was right in front of them and never moved an inch. She tilted her head, curiously and announced to him, "There," she pointed through the mist wall down at two ponies who stared at them with powerful concentration. "I believe she came to us, boys." It was a hypothesis, but she had a feeling one of those ponies could be the link-bearer that bother them earlier.

Grevada, Anidelpha, and Pyrah lowered their heads down to her level and peered down in her direction, spotting a pegasus and unicorn leering up at them, looking all serious and stuff. From their point of view, the two ponies were unaware of their presence. But to the brothers, it was a hilarious sight seeing them show no fear. But, oh they will when they see them.

But, to the hooded mare, something about what happened had her pondering. If a pony was able to link, what does that mean for other ponies who can do the same? Can all of them do that? No, that couldn't be the case. Something didn't add up here and it seemed like she had to take this personally. As much as she hated to admit it, she'd have to put her plan on hold and find out just what the hell was going on. What was a link-bearer?

"Ooo, nosey neighbors, huh?" Pyrah cackled menacingly, eager to deal with them. "Let me have a go. I want to see some roasted –"

"I'll talk to them, Pyrah," the hooded mare cut in.

He faceplanted on the ground and growled, looking very displeased "—Bitch!"

"Are you sure?" Anidelpha asked, curious about her intentions there. "I don't know if that's a great plan. What if they accuse you of something like this?" He knew she was a strong spirit, but even she couldn't take on a mob of ponies possessed with accusations. They could jump her like a pack of zombies. And he really didn't want that.

That was a good observation, but she doubted that would ever happen. Anidelpha did not know about today's ponies and how unbearably dense they can actually be. She heard rumors that one pony shared a lie with another and that pony believed them without a second thought; it caused a pandemic of hate and malice that she couldn't help but laugh at her own kind for how easily moronic they can be. If only she met the one who started that, she'd shake their hoof, claw, or whatever.

She merely shook her head with a light chuckle and said in a focused tone, "You forget how gullible modern ponies can be, Anidelpha." She then snickered deviously, already forming an idea that could possibly fool these morons down below. "I'll act as a survivor that crossed through this wall you three made. They'll wonder how I survived and ask what I've seen. I'll play it off like I saw something, and... Pyrah, you'll get your fun." As much as she hated him, she knew she couldn't leave him out specifically on this part. "If one of those ponies is a 'Link-bearer', they'll try to link back up to you and you'll get a chance to scare them as much as you want. I'm sure scaring is on your to-do list or something."

Pyrah's to-do list actually involved blood, carnage, and screams. His epicurean view of a burning world was a sight he longed to see and he wanted nothing more than that. He scoffed at the thought of scaring measly whelps. Scaring was not as fun as – then again… that had him thinking. He loved killing, that much was obvious, but he also adored the fear on his victims' faces before he executed them. Hearing them scream was a marvelous chorus to him and it did make sense to hear that rather than going for an immediate kill. He looked at the hood mare surprised before he ultimately cooperated with her on this, for once, "Fine. At least I'll have SOME fun with this." He found it hard to believe this pony was thinking of him when she planned this. She really does care! And he absolutely hated it.

"Hold it," Grevada said, yielding the mare before she could go. He noticed something off as he quickly brought up something crucial she should hear. "If you're going to use that plan, you might want to remove that hood of yours. It'd be best if they see your face rather than that disguise."

He didn't really care what went down, but he was keen on finding errors when it was necessary. But, this plan she concocted seemed thoroughly calculated. But, there was a piece in that plan she neglected to tell them. Almost as if she wanted to hide it for a bit before telling them. Grevada kept that note mentally locked and if what she was doing was true, he'll bring it up to her.

The hooded mare took a minute to think about that. She felt contumacious about throwing the hood away; hesitant, even. Ever since she went down this path of revenge, the hood – no, her robe was the only piece of her life she had left that defined who she was. Because of it, she hid herself from the world and confined her appearance so no one would look at the monster underneath. What Grevada said was a good point, but would she risk throwing away something she held on to for so long? Ponies were oblivious creatures, that much was true, but they weren't that oblivious to notice something off with some random stranger. She winced at the thought and shook her head, refusing to remove her robe.

"I see your point, Grevada," the hooded mare said before she swiped her hood back to reveal a vanilla-colored unicorn mare with a mahogany-mane that reached to her shoulders. She leered her cotton-white eyes with dark-gray circle patterns around them down at Ponyville; the underside of her eyes was also accompanied by a light-red coloring that trailed down to the bottom of her jaw. Her umber irises beamed at the two ponies still in her sights.

"But, I'm still going along with my plan," The hooded mare known as Scarlet Gem started to ignite her horn with electrical magic before she disappeared in a sudden bolt of lightning, heading directly to Ponyville.

Ghidorah's Return: Forming Alliance And Shocking Revelations (Part 2)

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The sound of strong wings flapping echoed throughout the halls of the Canterlot Castle. Celestia soared as fast as her body would allow, not even thinking of what was around her. If there were cameras on her, everyone would come to an agreement that her great speed would put any Wonderbolt member to shame – make them jealous, even. But showing off was not on her to-do list today. Far from it, really. She was in a hurry and was unaware of the traction she was creating through her lightning-like speed. Before she could venture to the Underground Bay, she had to do one thing real quick. Time was not on her side.

As she passed, royal maids and guards watched on, perplexed by the sudden rush they felt before a strong gust of wind immediately blew through, forcing them to either duck down or block themselves so they wouldn't fall over. A couple of guards failed miserably and were blown away. The wind finally died down, but that didn't stop them from wondering what just happened and what just flew by them. They all looked straight ahead and wondered the same thing that crossed their minds when something that strong zipped by them.

"Was that... the princess?" a royal guard asked, picking himself up after being knocked over, rubbing his head while picking up his helmet that had fallen off from the force. He's been knocked over when it came to training with his fellow guards, but being thrown like a ragdoll by the princess herself felt completely different. He didn't know if he should feel honored or scared.

"I haven't seen her fly that fast in years. I hope she's doing okay," A maid mare said after she dusted herself off before another voice called out to Celestia. They all looked up to find Luna flying above them, trying to catch up to Celestia.

"Sister! Cease your flight at once! Let me catch up!" Princess Luna called out, trying desperately to catch up with her elder sister. She ignored the onlookers underneath and pressed on. Though she did hope they were unharmed. Sometimes, she cursed being the younger sister. Though she was strong and capable, she was still leagues under her sister. And in this case, speed was a factor here.

Regardless, Luna couldn't blame Celestia in this situation. Whoever this King Ghidorah was must really have her on edge. Just what she had planned was another thing that loomed in her mind, as well. Not only that, but she wondered where she was even going, for that matter. This was unusual to her. Almost always, Celestia figured out a plan to fix any situation that crossed their paths; most of the time she relied on her former student to fix the situations, heaven forbid why, and she was left to do other things while Twilight did the work she was supposed to do.

Luna rolled her eyes. At some points, she found it so ludicrous that her older sister would do this. Twilight ascended to an alicorn after finishing some kind of 'test' Celestia gave her. What was it again, finishing one of Starswirl's spells? Luna then facehooved herself. Of all the tests Celestia came up with, she went with that? Starswirl didn't finish that spell because he got lazy! He already knew friendship because he was friends with the other pillars. She didn't need to put Twilight through that.

But, she did. And now Twilight became a princess through some cheap chore she could've easily fixed herself. Nowadays, she still failed to see how Twilight could solve situations Celestia put her in that she could've easily solved herself. 'Even as a princess, there are many things you need to learn yourself under any situation,' Luna remembered that all too well and the confused, concerned look she gave her sister when she said that bullshit to her.

'Really contradicted yourself there, didn't you, dear sister?' She thought to herself sarcastically. Sometimes, she wondered just how in all of Equestria Twilight hadn't caved in and called Celestia out on her lazy ass, yet. Apparently, that mare had patience much, MUCH stronger than the strongest adult dragon's willpower. She commended Twilight, but at the same time, she felt sorry for her. Luna lightly groaned to herself, annoyed by the outcome her sister came up with. Twilight was a grown mare, that much was true, but so was Celestia! If Twilight needed the help, Celestia could've gotten off her fat sun-rising ass and helped her, but... power of friendship. And that's how she came back. Many thanks to Twilight, but even she thought maybe friendship could take a backseat every now and then.

Then she pondered. If she were in the same shoes as her sister, the least she could do was physically be there to help her student(s) if they really needed her. And if a mess was made that she cause, she wouldn't let them clean it up. How Twilight got so damn lucky to have survived all those events was beyond her, but she was relieved she pulled through.

But, now came today and it brought out a different side to Celestia that Luna was not familiar with. This side of Celestia was more serious and so hardwired that it seemed like she needed to be prepared. To say it rivaled the time she fought her as Nightmare Moon and trapped her in the moon was on a different level. Almost. That day was still an emotional event. But, today? Today felt more like the start of an apocalyptic event.

Luna tried to keep up as best she could to catch up to her sister but her efforts were for naught as Celestia cut a right corner and disappeared. By the time she turned that same corner, Celestia was already gone. Her wing muscles, tired and slowed, the poor moon princess panted exhaustively and slowly descended to the floor. She sat down and looked straight ahead, her heart thumping like a jackhammer and her body aching from giving it such a workout. Her sister was gone and she was left alone. Despite being exhausted from almost overexerting herself, she growled in frustration and stamped the floor, irritated Celestia didn't stop to explain just who or what this King Ghidorah really was. She was being so vague about it, Celestia would've given puzzle solvers a massive migraine.

Just what the hell else was she hiding?! Did this Ghidorah know her? Is that why she's so panicked?

It didn't make any sense to her. Was King Ghidorah seriously that big of a threat compared to the likes of King Sombra, Tirek, Chrysalis, and Discord? Why could Celestia say anything else to her? She didn't know if she should be worried, irritated or annoyed. Because, right now, she really wished Celestia would just pump the breaks for five freaking seconds and explain the whole story to her. She sighed deeply and drooped her head a little, sulking by the fact she was out of the loop and left hanging while Celestia did what she did. 'Explaining everything at the Underground Bay' she says. It would've been easier if she just told her as they were going. Celestia was out of reach and to hell with using her wings, again. Last thing she needed was for her wings to sprain. So, a new plan had to be in order.

Her breathing now steady, Luna composed herself, "Alright," she looked around thoroughly before she placed a hoof on her chin and theorized which location Celestia would go to if she was in that big of a hurry? Then one guess immediately came to mind, "I guess I can check in the throne room?"

Then that's the spot she'll go to, first. She was still aching and exhausted, but she was far from being completely tired; she still had a bunch of energy to spare. And what better way to use it on a good ol' teleportation spell? She concentrated as her horn with dark blue magic and instantly teleported herself out of the hallway.

Meanwhile, in the throne room, Celestia shoved the large doors with little to no effort and galloped to the center of the large room. Despite pushing her body to its limits, she seemed like she barely made a dent in what she could actually do. However, there was no time for any distractions of any kind. She had to make this call quick and hoped her old friend would pick up immediately. Only one, but this one call could aid her in this fight with King Ghidorah. She hadn't spoken to her in such a long time and she felt bad for calling her. But, in a dire situation like this, it had to be made. Because her knowledge could hold valuable keys to stand, at least, a good chance to bring Ghidorah down.

Celestia stopped at the center of the throne, but before she could get any closer, Luna erupted through her teleportation spell and caused Celestia to jump back a little, "Hold it, Celestia!" Luna barked, using her royal canterlot voice on her.

Celestia was shocked to see her sister would pull such an act, but immediately glared angry daggers down at her and snarled in agitation for this interruption, "Luna, just what do you think you're doing?" she said, angrily.

So, she was right after all. She would show up here, but her glare meant nothing to her as her own glare met her sister's with the same agitated energy.

"What am I doing?!" Luna shouted, angrily and demanding. Like how Celestia snarled at her, she snarled back with just as much anger and annoyance. "I should be asking you the same thing!" She was fed up with the silence and with being ignored by her older sister. Celestia refused to stop, so she was gonna make her stop. All she wanted from her was to know just what in Starswirl's beard was going on here and why it was so important to come here of all places. And why were they not going to the Underground Bay like she said?

"You said you were gonna tell me everything when we got to that 'Underground Bay' you mentioned, but I don't want to wait! I want to know now. Who's King Ghidorah? How do you know him? Does he know you? What's an underground bay? And why the hell are you so fixated in coming here first?" Luna erupted on Celestia, panting in slight exhaustion. "I want answers, Tia. Can you at least tell me something, damn it?!" Like her subjects, Luna wanted to help out her sister as best as she could. But she couldn't do that if she didn't know jack shit about what they were in for. She wanted answers and she wanted them now! Her glare slowly melts as she added in a hurt tone, "I'm tired of being left in dark." As ironic as that sounded coming from her.

Celestia kept her glare up, but she hesitated to respond. She was in a hurry, but Luna was right. She really had no way to walk around this and she clearly left without so much as waiting for her sister to catch up since she had to use a teleportation spell. She begrudgingly sighed but nodded. She had kept it away for so long and never once mentioned it to her sister; she'd hoped it wouldn't have come to this, but Luna deserved to know everything that was going on. But, only a few things before they got the ball rolling. Celestia still had to make that call, "Okay, fine, but only a few of those questions, Luna."

Luna smiled a little and calmed down as she sat down, 'Finally!' She thought to herself as she listened intently.

It wasn't hard to forget that day. Celestia felt like it happened yesterday. She didn't want to go into full detail with the story, so she'll have to keep it brief. Though she wanted her sister to still get the message, "I knew King Ghidorah a long time ago. I knew him while you were imprisoned in the moon as Nightmare Moon…" That little subject made both of the mares wince, knowing that wasn't an easy time for both of them. But Celestia continued, "While you were imprisoned, dear sister, I had made a remarkable discovery I thought wasn't possible."

To this day, it still baffled her. While she was on one of her vacations going to some random sanctuary-like island in the middle of the ocean, she came across some kind of creature that resided on the island that nearly made her faint, "Luna, you might find this hard to believe and you're probably going to think I sound crazy, but…" She sighed as she went to tell her about her discovery, "… giant creatures roam all over Equestria. And the first one I met was a giant hippo-like creature that stood on two legs." It sounded outlandish and silly, but she wasn't making it up. It probably wasn't the best way to put it, but that's how she could describe her first encounter with a giant creature. She would bring up its child-like behavior since it now occurred to her but baby steps were probably a better option so Luna could process what she told her.

Luna blinked a couple of times after she just heard that sentence come out of her sister's mouth. And it was a tough one to process, "A giant... hippo... creature?" She wasn't gonna be that pony to deny what was told to her. She knew giant creatures like the Roc, Hydra, and adult dragons existed. But, a giant hippo? She scoffed lightly, as if almost amused by the thought of one walking on two legs. "A hippo that stands on two legs…" Letting out a chuckle, she made an offhanded guess, twirling her hoof, "And I suppose the next thing you're gonna tell me is that a giant spider exists?" It did sound weird, but she also couldn't help but joke along with what she thought was a joke from Celestia.

Unfortunately...

"Oh, you're aware of that one? I thought you didn't know about any of them?" Celestia said, looking quite surprised.

Luna paused her laughter and briefly looked blank-faced at what her older sister just said. She thought for sure she was joking but Celestia wasn't laughing; she was serious! Her eyes widened at the mere thought of a giant spider existing in Equestria and, well, now she'll have another reason to strengthen her nightmare-removing skills. Because now it'll be for herself! "What the--?! I was just kidding!"

"Well, I'm not," Celestia said. "Giant creatures as vast as the eye can see exist in our world and King Ghidorah is one of those giant creatures. I also made friends with a few of them, too."

Luna was about to ask more questions to this mind-boggling revelation, but Celestia continued and explained, "They're called Guardians. And they owe their power to protect Equestria from threats that are deemed too powerful for any creatures like us to handle."

Luna perked her ears and widened her eyes, again, "Guardians?" she asked, confused. "If they are around like you said, why have they not assisted us when Discord attacked?" If any of these creatures were around, then surely one of them could have aided them in their battle with Discord. They sure-as-shit got lucky to imprison him in stone when he was too caught up in his own ego. So, what gives?

Celestia merely shook her head and responded, regretfully as that was a valid question, "They didn't see Discord as a potential threat, even with his chaotic magic. Because his reasons were not to actually harm anyone. All he wanted to do was to have fun." Though his kind of fun was something they couldn't tolerate, so it was best they took care of it. Besides, if any of them were to tag along, they'd most likely take care of Discord without any hesitation. Though, she can clearly see why the Guardians didn't see Discord as much as a potential threat; with his behavior and needs of having fun in his own unique way, if they were involved - it would be like the Guardians were actually punishing a child rather than taking down a threat.

Then, Celestia dipped her head a bit and looked down in a somber glance, "However, King Ghidorah was a different story, entirely. They broke their oath as a guardian and went rogue. We had no idea what their reasons were, but they attacked Equestria and would not stop until they reached their goals."

"They?" Luna was confused by that. "Was it more than one?" This King Ghidorah sounded like it was one individual, but Celestia made it sound like there were many. It sounded scary, but intriguing.

She looked to her sister and shook her head, "Sort of. King Ghidorah was known by many names: 'The One who is many', 'The golden army' or, more commonly... 'The Demon with Three heads', and 'A Three-headed Monster'.'"

Three heads? Luna took a bit to think. What other creatures could have multiple heads, "That sounds like a hydra. Is King Ghidorah some kind of hydra?"

But Celestia shook her head, again, and revealed what King Ghidorah actually was. A hydra was a good guess, but, "Worse. He's an ancient dragon that once roamed the Dragon Lands. A massive deity that dragons looked up to. And he relished in it. Well, one of them did and saw them as more of a family than actual slaves or worshippers. The other two had different ideologies: one just didn't care about his worshippers and would rather mind his business and the other..." Celestia couldn't really understand the last one's intentions and why he was so fixated on violence. Of the three, the left one seemed more reasonable while the middle had his own agenda and the right one was just mentally unstable.

So, explaining this to Luna was not gonna be easy. She had to make it quick, "The last one had rather disturbing intentions." Then, the next part hesitated her for a second as it still harmed her to this day. So, she had to be careful with herself, "But, one day, he decided to give up his guardian status and cause havoc everywhere they went." It was a tragic memory to bring up and she shuddered to even look back at it. So many lives lost; dragons, ponies, griffons alike fell in a devastating hell-blaze. She felt tears forming slightly, "Everywhere I looked on the field, everywhere Ghidorah went… all I could see was death." The sight of all the death and destruction was more than enough to not only get her attention, but he gained the attention of the other guardians and they all stepped in to aid her and end King Ghidorah once and for all, "But, I couldn't stand aside and watch any more carnage. I stepped in to stop King Ghidorah and many other Guardians arrived to help me in the fight. It was a devastating battle, but we were fortunate enough to prevail and defeat King Ghidorah."

"Then what happened?"

"We sealed him away in a small pillar and hid him in a mountain where no one could find him, and where he could never be released again" or, at least, that's what she hoped. But, someone managed to find him and release him. She sighed, "At least, that's what I hoped… until now."

Celestia started to walk around Luna as the night princess tried her hardest to process what the hell she just heard. Giant creatures exist and are hidden all around Equestria. Her sister befriended a lot of these creatures, but one ended up betraying them. They're called Guardians, but Titans made a lot more sense; in her honest opinion. King Ghidorah was a three-headed dragon that other dragons looked up to, but... the mere idea of a dragon having three heads seemed like it came out of someone's dream. She's never heard of a dragon like this before. She shook her head in thought as she sat down, closed her eyes and crossed her arms. She knew knowledge about dragons had been very scarce and that any pony with common sense would never dare go over to the current dragon land and interview at least one; it'd be like a suicide mission. Even with Ghidorah gone, dragons are still tough to interact with.

Then, Luna's eyes snapped open as a new realization kicked up for her. If all the guardians she met haven't woken up just yet and with King Ghidorah out of his prison, what did that mean for her right now? There had to be a reason for her to be in the throne room and not in the Underground Bay. The realization clicked, again.

"Who are you calling?" Luna asked as she got back up to look at Celestia who looked back at her with an eyebrow raised. "The Guardians aren't around, correct?" She assumed they all perished in the fight against King Ghidorah and with him back, how the hell was she gonna fight back against this guy?

"You obviously are intending to use a communication spell to call someone you knew long ago," Luna theorized, not holding anything back that she needed to say. "It can't be a guardian, so you're intending to call someone to aid you in this fight. Who is it?"

Celestia's horn kicked up golden magic. A proud smile formed as Celestia knew Luna wouldn't hesitate to figure this stuff out. She chuckled lightly, "Luna, my dear little sister, you and your quick wit never cease to amaze me. You're right. I am going to call someone. And the thing is, I've been secretly preparing for his return and with her aid, she'll help us gain an upper hoof."

Luna raised a brow and looked so confused, "Who?" She genuinely wanted to know just who she was talking about.

"I'll gladly introduce you," Celestia casted the communication spell as a magical screen suddenly appeared in front of the royal sisters and floated steadily as Celestia sat down and told Luna one more thing, "Her knowledge has always been strictly, and specifically, on dragons," she looked back at the screen with an all-too-prepared glance that would make any organizer shit bricks. "With her knowledge, we should be able to bring King Ghidorah down to his knees."

Luna walked up and sat next to her sister as she looked at the screen. She eagerly waited and was curious to know just who this dragon expert was. If her sister actually knew someone then sure they would -- wait. If there were any record scratches around, they'd be in full blast. A bullet of realization shot between her eyes as what her sister just said immediately threw everything she learned before out the window. She looked at her sister utterly appalled and furious for this unnecessary lie, "Wait a minute, somebody already had knowledge of dragons and you didn't bother to tell me?! Oh, What. In. The. Absolute. Fu–"

Celestia cut her off and called out and said to the screen, "Call... Sakari Rosene."

*****

The sound of roughhousing rang out outside a rocky mountain Sakari and her family resided in. Growls, grunts, slams, kicks, all those noises Sakari was familiar with. Yet, she stood there with her son next to her and they watched as four dragons conversed at one another and wrestled with each other until one or two of them got exhausted and gave up or just called it a day.

But, neither would let up.

Sakari and Ruby sat next to each other and watched entertainingly as Garble pulled a double clothesline and lunged at his opponents; competitiveness and pride were written all over his face. He succeeded and caught both of his opponents at once by their necks, knocking them on their backs with ease like they were run over by a locomotive. He skid to a halt and turned around, but the two he knocked over just got back up like what he did was mere child's play. Though they did rub their necks to get rid of any uncomfortable pain.

Garble had a cocky smile and a determined look, but the two dragons he wrestled with were not deterred and they were now more than eager to bring Garble down.

The dragon on the left was a young-adult dragon. He resembled Garble in some ways, but his muscles were leaner and not as muscular as his; he was strong but not quite there, yet. His body was more of a dark orange, but he bore a tan underbelly like him; aside from the slight thick scar that trailed lateral across his chest. Unlike Garble's tail which was more spear-themed, the younger dragon sported a longer, more whip-like tail that reached over his shoulder and down to his hip. Curved, sharp, sawblade-like ridges lined down from his head to the end of his back where it stopped at the start of his tail. His face nearly resembled Garble's face, but the differences were the milky-white head crests on each side of his head that curved up perfectly to resemble bull horns and the confident snarl on his face was similar to his mother than him. His wings were folded but matched Garble's wings perfectly – the only key difference was the spiked protrusions that curved on the elbows of his wings. But, the young dragon's pride, spirit, and determination burned as bright, just like his.

And that made Garble very proud of his son, Blaze.

The one on the right, however, needed no introduction as Garble was far too familiar with his sister. She was older now, but Smolder would forever be his baby sister. Smolder stood next to Blaze slightly crouched, like a leopard about to pounce on its prey, with the same confident and eager look on her face; she wanted to win this roughhouse. As a gentle wind blew through, Smolder secretly attempted to use the purple scutes that traveled from her head to her back to gain an advantage in speed over her brother. As she got older, her body became slightly hourglass in appearance. Curvy, smooth, lean, and flexible. She was no stranger to having other dragons try and swoon her over because of how beautiful they thought she looked – and she knew it. Crystal-clear blue eyes, light scales, lean build, and very gentle claws. But she also noticed how all those male dragons eyed her curvy thighs and decent-sized cordiform chest. To say Smolder liked it was an understatement; she relished the fact that she evolved into what she was now. She loved having eyes on her for the fun of it; abusing her own looks to get attention and seeing them gawk made her laugh and she enjoyed every minute of it.

Though while she enjoyed her new form and the attention she got, she would occasionally have some dragon or dragoness try to cop a feel with her... and she absolutely hated that. She hated being touched by strangers! Lessons would be learned the hard way one way or another – and Smolder made it abundantly clear that she was a clear-cut sign of 'look but down touch'. Because some dragons tend to forget one crucial detail: She was still Garble's sister!

Curvy, sexy, and beautiful, she knew too well the moment she grew up. All the unbearable molts she went through to end up like this was worth it in her eyes. And despite that, her looks didn't stop her from being very agile and strong. She was still tough as nails and a tomboy to her very core -- her molts changed her appearance but they never changed her personality. And she'd prove that if any perverted dragon attempted to touch her in any way. She was not scared to beat their asses and hand it to them on a silver platter sprinkled with their own pain-induced tears; if she wanted a mate, she'd be ready on her terms. The only ones that were allowed to touch her were those asking for a fight, a spar or if friends and family wanted a hug, that's it. Like her family tree, fighting, roughhousing, sparring, it was all in her blood and she had the burning passion and spirit to prove it.

Even though her muscles nearly matched Blaze's, she was more mature than him and he still had room to grow – she outclassed him like her brother. But, speaking of Garble, she didn't have much muscle to show like him, but she was capable enough to be just as powerful as he was.

She then glimpsed at Blaze and chuckled softly, her scales were a lighter orange compared to Blaze's scales, but she sported the same tan underbelly, too. And the crests on the side of his face matched her's almost identically. Aside from her tail that had a heart-shaped scute at the tip and his tail being whip-like, Blaze could easily pass off as being her son – even though she was clearly his aunt and Garble was his father. It seemed so unreal when he was born.

So, why not go after him, then? Simple! Smolder and Blaze were not only family, but Blaze looked up to her like she was a mentor and a best friend. Unlike his other siblings, Blaze felt like he had more of a connection with Smolder and he thought she'd felt the same. There were no favorites involved; far from it. Smolder loved her nieces and nephews equally, but Blaze felt more connected with her than the others. Almost as if she was like an older sister or something.

But, the best thing when he's with her was when they tag-team against Garble. When alone, they lose rather easily, but not this time. Oh no! This time they were gonna win, again.

"Hey, aunt Smolder," said Blaze in an eager tone. "You ready to kick dad's butt?" He didn't care if his dad was gonna ground him, he was gonna win.

Those were words Smolder loved to hear. Her claws sharpened and her eyes fixated on Garble. His son was on her side and there was no hope he was gonna win this round, "I think you know the answer to that, Mini Me." Smolder joked and smiled cheekily. She didn't need to look to know that what she said embarrassed Blaze. The little frustrated growl was a hilarious indicator.

Blaze's cheeks flared up and he wanted to facepalm so hard when she said that, "Will you stop calling me that?!" Blaze looked up at Smolder with a flushy pout on his face. He did admire Smolder and looked up to her, thinking she was awesome. But that nickname she gave him really didn't sit right with him. Garble was his father and Sakari was his mother. He looked near identical to Smolder, that was true, but she was his aunt. Why did she feel the need to call him that? It made no sense!

"It's so weird!" He growled out, pouting like the child he was.

She couldn't contain it. As serious as she tried to be, Smolder guffawed at Blaze's reaction. She was completely aware that Blaze was biologically Garble's kid, but ever since he first hatched he bore traits that resembled her in some ways that it became hilarious and eerie. Garble, of course, was against the idea of that nickname; that was a no-brainer right there. But, Sakari was fine with it and saw no harm in it – even being congruent with the idea. Both of them always had a laugh when it was brought up.

"Because it's cute and I love the faces you make when I say it," Smolder said giving no shits about it as she pointed a clawed thumb at a very fuming Garble who obviously heard what she said, shaking with bared fangs and clenched fists. "That, and it really gets your dad going."

Getting impatient with the two, Garble called out to them to get the ball rolling, "First off, he's not your kid! Second, are we gonna continue or chit-chat the entire time?" Garble was all pumped up and ready to throw claws. And all this talk was not doing him any favors.

"Yeah! We're getting bored over here," Another voice barked, having the same impatience as Garble. Smolder and Blaze peered over to the second combatant.

Sadly, that 'tag-team' they wanted wasn't gonna happen because they completely left out that Garble wasn't the only one to face them.

Next to Garble stood a very impatient, but eager-to-wrestle, short rose-red earth pony mare with dirty-orange hair that barely drooped over her neck and a short tail of the same color. She was shorter than Blaze, standing up to his stomach -- but, she was a hair taller than Ruby. Compared to Blaze and Smolder, she wouldn't stand much of a chance being a short-stack pony. But, Blaze kind of forgot she was there and now she had him on edge with how her glaring, cyan, cat-like eyes beamed directly at him. She knew she couldn't take out Smolder, but Blaze was easy pickings for her. She didn't care if he was a dragon, being his elder sister and the eldest of all the siblings had its perks – intimidation being one of them. And Destiny made sure she was the strongest among her siblings.

Garble merely chuckled at his daughter's eagerness for this. Unlike Blaze who had kind of a soft heart, Destiny was more like him in every regard … and he still couldn't believe how ungodly scary and ironic it turned out when Destiny was born. He grew up hating ponies until he ended up married to Sakari and then out popped Destiny and she became just like him… sort of. But like how his kids looked up to Smolder, Destiny still looked up to him somewhat like a hero. It felt good and weird, but mostly good. He never recalled what he did to make Destiny the way she was or how he got her to look up to him, but he was just happy and proud that she turned out to be a 'daddy's little girl'. And with her by his side to lead, it made him feel nostalgic about the old times with him and his old gang.

But, as bizarre as it was, Garble took an initiative and found one advantage that he thought was ripe for abuse: they always acted as a duo and messed with other dragons. Unlike his old crew, Destiny was not one to back down from a challenge; chore or prank. And today was gonna be a showcase. Today, Smolder and Blaze are gonna see that they weren't the only tag-team of the family. He grinned deviously and looked down at his daughter before he noticed her grinding one hoof across the ground, kicking up dirt with a devious smirk as she crouched, swaying her hips.

With her getting all riled up like this, Garble had a little plan, "Hey, baby ram, you ready to throw down?" Garble asked, enthusiastically. He had a hunch his eldest was eager and ready to brawl. And just like him, she would be pumped up just as much. And his hunch was right when she glanced at him with fire in her eyes.

Destiny took no time to respond and said in such an eager, excited tone, "Born ready, dad." She snorted, muscles tensing. Her urge for combat swelled with every second. Her head lowered, her glare never once escaping her target. She was more than ready to clobber her little brother.

Garble chuckled and looked over to his little sister who actually had a slight nervous look to her. She knew this was gonna be a challenge, but she stood strong to not give him a hint she was backing down. Excellent, Garble expected that. "Are you sure, Destiny? You think you're big enough to handle them – "

He tried to get Destiny all pumped up to her fullest, but the short-stack was having none of it, "Yes! Yes, I'm sure!" she kept grinding her hoof on the ground under her. "Are we gonna do this or not?! I wanna win this game, again!" Destiny barked, growing more impatient as time went by but felt confident as she gazed at Blaze, ready to humiliate him. Garble reeled his head back, but chuckled again.

Blaze genuinely felt nervous. In every sense, he should easily take out Destiny with the advantages he had, but she too had some, as well. Height and size meant nothing to her when she had muscle to match even her own father. Memories of when they first wrestled started to flow and how she took him out every match. It was embarrassing and shameful, but he was happy there was not pride damage to go along with it. It was all for fun, but he'll be damned if Destiny didn't take this shit seriously.

His claws flexed. No... this time, he will win. He was a dragon and she was a pony. There was no way he'd lose to her; not now, not ever! Not anymore! He slowly unfolded his wings and stood tall, stretching them as far as he could as they made a perfect curve, like secondary arms flexing, that shadowed over Destiny and Garble and glared at Destiny as if she were a mere speck to him. The action caught everyone's attention.

Garble was just about to signal for the match to start, until Blaze called out in a fiery, stern tone to Destiny, "Oh, you think you're hot shit, Destiny?!" Blaze snarled almost angrily at his elder sister. That mouth of hers really got on his nerves.

Sakari perked her head with a gasp and glared shockingly at Blaze, "Blaze, language!" Sakari said, letting Blaze know that those types of words are prohibited around this volcano home. But, her words sadly went by deaf ears before she noticed Blaze and Destiny start to growl at one another, a sign that tempers were starting to flare badly.

"Just cause you're the oldest doesn't make you high and mighty. I am sick of your arrogance, Destiny," Blaze roared out. "If I didn't know it, I'd say you're acting like this because you're trying to walk in dad's footsteps. But … let's be real here, you may be the oldest, but that doesn't save the fact we all know you're still tiny, shorty!" Blaze lunged a mock charge at Destiny, daring her to act and do something about what he just said – because he knew he was right.

For once, Destiny wasn't gonna lie to herself thinking she was impressed by her brother's sudden attitude change and intimidation display; now things've gotten very interesting. But, it didn't faze her one bit; she wasn't the least bit intimidated by Blaze, but it did get her just as pumped as she smiled wickedly and flared her serrated teeth at him, "Oh, I know I'm hot shit – "

Sakari snapped her irritated gaze at Destiny, "Destiny!" she shouted as she stood up. She was not going to tolerate this sort of language in their home, not when it comes out of her children's.

At first, it seemed like this was gonna be a tag-team match, but now Garble and Smolder thought otherwise as they both looked at each other from a distance, surprised. This sudden behavior with the kids told them that one was harboring some pent-up emotions toward the other. And yet, this level of sibling energy reminded them of... well, themselves. It was so uncanny that it was scary, yet entertaining. But, Garble also felt called out because of Blaze's little rant, but then shrugged it off like it was no big deal. He actually loved his kids equally.

Ruby actually felt the intensity in the air among his older siblings. Were they actually about to hurt each other for real this time? He hoped not. He didn't understand why Blaze was so angry. Destiny was nice and chill, most of the time. Well, to him, at least. Why was Blaze acting like this?

"-- Because I know I can beat you down and make you cry uncle in 5 seconds, Blaze – just like dad makes uncle Fume and uncle Clump when they go at each other." Even if her father's old gang wasn't related to him in any way, she felt they too were family, plus it was fun hanging out with them for dragon activities. So, they were honorary uncles to Garble's children, "So face it, little brother, you have never beaten me in any of these wrestling matches no matter how hard you try -- and you sure ain't gonna win today," she was so confident in her abilities that she just didn't care how angry her little brother got. But her snickering suddenly stopped when she heard Blaze bring up her attitude about their father and then her height and size. Her ears perked and her eyes widened in shock before she contorted it into a blood-rage glare. Of all the things Blaze would bring up, he said the one word that should never be brought up to her by anyone – family included. It was the only damage he could do to her, but that was the only damage he was gonna regret.

Destiny snarled and retorted in retaliation, small puffs of flames escaping her muzzle, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?! It's not my fault I'm like this! You're really pushing it, Blaze." She snarled at her brother, daring him to tread another step.

Blaze just rolled his eyes at how sensitive Destiny can be with her height. It was silly, but he didn't care. She had this coming for a long time and it was time she got called out on her superiority complex, "Like how you push me, Speedy, Twinkle, and Ruby to madness when you open that endless mouth of yours? I don't know what's more annoying, the fact you're trying to be better than us or the fact you can't deflate that planet-sized ego of yours to impress our father." He pointed to Garble who held his hands up innocently as if he did something he didn't do.

But, that tipped Destiny over the edge. Her 'ego' was not that big and she doesn't run her mouth all the time. It's only when it came to moments like this outside, but Blaze's accusations were getting on her nerves and they were gonna stop now. But, her anger got the better of her and she roared at Blaze for his bothersome attributions, "Will you shut up already?! You're really pissing me off!" She was about to charge, head lowered and teeth flared at Blaze, and eyes full of rage.

That arrogance will be her downfall and he was gonna make her learn that lesson. He knew what he said got under her skin, and that's what he wanted. It was so easy to get her all riled up and blind with anger. He unsheathed his claws and flared his own serrated teeth back at her, "Then bring it, you pint-size hypocrite. 'Bout time someone shut that cocky mouth of yours!" He inhaled a bit of air and blew out a burst of flames, daring Destiny to come at him. No more being scared, he was pumped and primed for action.

His wish was granted. Destiny's instinct and urge kicked in like a battery and she roared in fury as she charged like a rhino after Blaze, glaring in pure unadulterated fury.

Blaze flapped his wings and lunged after Destiny, soaring after her like a bat out of hell -- streams of smoke sizzling out of the sides of his mouth as he returned the glare.

Ruby gasped in shock and frightfully looked away unaware his mother disappeared. Garble and Smolder didn't want to intervene as they widened their eyes only slightly by the heat packing in there. At first, they both figured Destiny and Blaze had some sibling rivalry going on here and allowed them to handle it themselves with this match. Smolder and Garble would've continued their dispute, but it was really all for fun. Destiny and Blaze seemed like they had something they needed to sort out. If blood was drawn, they'd step in... at least, that's what their plan was. Garble and Smolder stepped out and flew next to one another, watching the next-gen-irony fight take place.

Destiny and Blaze were about to close the distance. Blaze's claws were out in front slashing at the air and Destiny's hooves cracked the ground with each step she took, putting some power into her charge. Both siblings had adrenaline pumping, their hearts raced, and their competitive nature on the brim of exploding; they were but a few feet away from each other, right about to clash...

… Until their mother dashed in and held both arms out firm like barricades. It was too late for Blaze and Destiny to stop and they slammed into Sakari's hooves with a hard bash.

Smolder flinched in shock and attempted to help her sister-in-law, thinking the bite might've been as bad as the bark. Garble, however, held his arm out and stopped her from joining; he knew all too well they should not interfere; Sakari had it under control.

The dragon and pony siblings watched and were astonished to find that Sakari not only stopped her children from crashing into each other, but she caught Blaze by his snout and Destiny by her head, stopping them dead in their tracks.

Before they even knew what stopped them, the next-gen siblings widen their eyes in shock as they were suddenly being twirled around with relative ease before being tossed like rag-dolls over to Garble and Smolder. Destiny hollered in fright as she somersaulted in the air before Garble reached out and caught her. Smolder stretched her wings and quickly flew up with her arms spread out. She easily caught Blaze and held him close before she floated down back to Garble.

They didn't know what just happened, but whatever threw them made Blaze and Destiny so dizzy beyond belief that the urge to vomit was reaching its boiling point.

"What the—Ow…" Destiny groaned lightly, her head spinning from that ragdoll toss. "Spinning… spinning… wanna hurl…"

"Dizzy… I'm dizzy!" Blaze sputtered out as his eyes were spinning around from that ordeal.

But, Garble chuckled at not only at his kids' reaction to being thrown – he chuckled that it was from his wife who did it. He then smiled at how wicked that was, but he also felt a tad sorry for Blaze and Destiny for being victims of Sakari's strength. That's why he stopped Smolder; Sakari was just as strong, if not equally as strong as he was. So, there was no need for them to step in.

Still, at the same time when they were fighting, he heard Sakari call out to them to stop and they should've listened. But, they didn't and now they had to learn. He softly spoke to his daughter who was still under the influence of her dizziness, "Hey, Destiny, you alright?"

Destiny mumbled, "I'll... live..."

Smolder did the same with Blaze. She held him and gently nudged his head with her snout, "Hey, Mini Me, you alright? That was a nasty spin you took." She said in a caring tone. Just like Garble, Smolder knew how strong Sakari could actually get. Even when she was still a hatchling, she knew Sakari was strong and was more than capable of handling herself – poor Clump never stood a chance against her.

But, Blaze managed to snap out of his dazed stupor and groggily look up to find himself in his aunt's arms. "A-Aunt Smolder?" Blaze asked. "What just happened?" He had no recollection of what just happened. One minute he was after his sister, then the next thing he knew he was in his aunt's arms. It wasn't until Smolder pointed ahead that he looked and winced at who was approaching them.

Destiny was the same when she snapped out of her dazed funk. She was not ready for a scolding from her mother.

But, Sakari approached. A look of disappointment and anger dwelled within her fierce eyes. She was none too enthused as she looked at her two kids. She felt slightly guilty for having to throw them the way she did, but the way they behaved was a bitter pill to take and she'd have no more of it, "I want you two to listen and listen good." Sakari said as she enforced their attention onto her. "I get that wrestling is fun and all, but I will not have any of my kids using that kind of foul language during playtime." She looked at Destiny and Blaze sternly, a firm lower lip tightened.

She noticed the anger and rage they held against each other and picked up the intentions they thought about. Sakari was appalled and sickened by it. This was supposed to be a moment of fun among family and to hear two of them had hidden animosity towards one another – that needed to be addressed immediately. What they tried to do with each other, she was relieved she stopped them before things could get worse, but this had to be said to them, "But, if there's anything I will absolutely not tolerate, it's my own kids trying to tear each other apart." Destiny and Blaze winced as Sakari barked that part at them. "This wrestling game is over. Now, I want the both of you to go to your rooms, think about what you said to each other, and talk this out. And if I hear any commotion, any sign of you two trying to tear each other apart like you were about to moments ago, so help me, both of you will be grounded. Do I make myself clear?"

Destiny and Blaze paused in thought and looked at each other, scared out of their wits. When dad gets upset or at the least very angry if any of them did something wrong, it can be very scary and they steer clear from him so he can cool off. Dad was easy to predict.

Mom, however, was on a whole different level. They loved her and respected her like they do with their father. She was not just a mother, but a best friend and mentor to them, too. But, compared to Garble, Sakari wasn't as active to go out and play like she used to do. She'd always tend to hang with their laid-back siblings like Twinkle and Ruby – which honestly was fine to them. Their mother doesn't have to join in and play with them. They got that. But, right now this played differently. When they would do something wrong in front of their mother, she will not only punish them but she first starts off with a scary method she would always use on them to make them feel like they're in front of a judge, jury, and executioner wrapped in one package: an icy-cold glare that not only judged them for their penance but spears their souls to make them remember who was in charge.

That method tormented them for years growing up and it still held merit today even if they're older; it told them to not mess around and be honest with her. If they didn't respond to her, she'd judge the actions of what they did, even so far as guessing until one of them breaks, then the jury part decides what the punishment would be. The worst was the executioner. If neither of them answered or straight up lied to her, both would get punished anyway. And their father would not have their backs, at all.

Today was not gonna be that way, thank the dragon god above, but a simple answer was what she wanted –

"Well?" Sakari asked impatiently, demanding an answer.

"Y-Yes! Crystal clear, mama!" Destiny and Blaze said in unison, answering her as fast as they could without hesitation, nodding quickly.

Sakari appreciated the lack of hesitation, but that still didn't mean they got off scot-free, "Now then, you two? To your room, now." Sakari used her tail to point at the cave across the living room behind her. Smolder and Garble let go of Destiny and Blaze as they did what they were told, quickly scrambling away to go to their room and think about what they did, so to avoid any other punishment from their mom.

Sakari watched before she gazed back at Garble and Smolder, mainly Garble, and said in a slight tired tone as she pouted at her husband, "I blame you for influencing our kids with this type of language." How else did they learn that kind of language? She thought it was obvious from the start.

Garble perked up and shook his head defiantly, "Me?" He said in utter shock. "Oh, hell no! No you don't, Sakari." He pointed at her and retaliated her ridiculous accusation with a pout. "Don't you go and throw the blame card on me. You're not so innocent yourself, ya know." He remembered moments when Sakari slipped and said some words their kids heard. He may have done some stupid shit, he'll admit that, but he was not gonna be at fault for this one.

Sakari dramatically gasped at Garble like he blew the whistle at her for a crime she had no memory of committing, "What? Moi? I would never do anything like that. I would never curse in front of our children. I was always careful with my wording. You, however, always slipped up, and now Destiny, Ace, and Speedy are influenced by it because of you." She said in a pompous tone as she lightly pushed her hoof into his chest and then beeped his snout. The gall of him to accuse her of such a thing was so outlandish, she'd laugh. In fact, she actually tried to keep that 'perfect' posture up and not let a sneaky laugh come crawling out of her throat, but it wasn't because of blaming Garble. She was secretly surprised he hadn't caught the little bit of sarcasm in her tone and realized she was playing with him.

But, Garble never picked it up. Garble just huffed a bit of smoke in front of Sakari and lightly batted her hoof away, "Okay, cut the prima-donna bullshit, Sakari. You know damn well you're not as innocent as you might think. Just think, what if you slip up in front of Ruby?" He pointed to an empty space that used to be Ruby, but Garble and Sakari never noticed.

Smolder did and tilted her head confused about why he left, but she never bothered to go after him and just stayed and listened to her brother and sister-in-law bicker.

Which quickly got on her nerves.

Sakari pouted at Garble for that jab, "Oh, don't you even go there. Even if Ruby is growing, he should be the innocent one compared to the other cluster we have." As much as she wanted Ruby to be innocent, she knew that was never gonna be the case in the near future, but he was still her little baby. Well, littlest baby.

And that quickness earned its title as Smolder crossed her arms and raised a brow at the bickering parents. Their squabble would've been entertaining to her, at first, because she always found it hilarious, but today played a different part and she got fed up with them and how they were acting right now. After what Sakari did to Destiny and Ruby, it kind of dampened the fun and the mood to wrestle was all but gone.

"Hey!" Smolder barked, causing Garble and Sakari to flinch and gaze at her, shocked. Smolder puffed a few smoke rings out of her snout and just gave them an annoyed look that reminded them of an irritated mother dragon, ironic as it was, "Are you two gonna keep acting like a sitcom couple, or are you two gonna talk like a regular couple? Because this shit is getting old pretty fast."

When she was little, Smolder visited Sakari's parent's home a couple of times while Sakari and Garble were away doing stuff. She would hang around at her own parents' home, but it got boring real quick there. And what made Sakari's parent's so enjoyable were the gadgets and doodads they had at their home. Dragons never had stuff like sofas, tables, and other furniture back in the Dragon Lands, so it was like walking into a new world for her. One gadget, in particular, she loved the most when she came over was a hard box called a television – or TV for short. She didn't know why it was called that, but she sat with Sakari's parents and they'd watch these cheesy, but funny, sitcom shows when they came on. Smolder wasn't used to technology like this, so it surprised her, obviously. But, she quickly adapted to it and she'd watch shows of ponies acting so goofy, it'd make her chuckle and give her opportunities to make fun of them -- Sakari's parents did not mind that, either. They did the same thing, too. Her parents themselves, in her honest opinion, were a bundle of laughs, too, and she loved hanging out with them.

Compared to the influence Sakari's parents gave her to how Sakari and Garble handled their kids were very different boards to fill. But, Smolder knew her experience with Sakari's parents was pleasant. Sakari and Garble, however, reminded her of those sitcoms she watched and it just didn't sit right with her.

Sakari and Garble winced at Smolder. At first, Sakari wanted to play around with Garble by acting like a pompous wife toward him before she shut her shit down and actually admitted to slipping up in front of her children. In reality, she loved to play around with him and get him all riled up; it really amused her to see him like that, but she made it so she wouldn't push his buttons too hard. But, with Smolder here and how she snapped at them for how they behaved – more so with how she acted -- that was not the best time and she got why that'd irritate her younger sister-in-law.

Garble was well aware, too. Well, he didn't at first because he blindly fell for Sakari's act. But, like his wife, he knew this was just for fun and he expected a kiss from Sakari by the end of it. But, Smolder was not the kind of dragon to stand around and watch an argument go on any further – even if the argument ended calmly. And after what happened with Destiny and Blaze kind of shot that down. Garble had a feeling Smolder still wanted to play with her niece and nephew, so he understood why she felt so nettled. He made a mental note to cheer his baby sister up once she calmed down.

"We're sorry, Smoldy. We were just goofing around was all," Sakari apologized as she tried to reassure her and also justify her actions for doing what she did. "But, I just didn't want my kids hurting themselves, is all – and use foul language like we do. I'm always a mom first, then a best friend." Though the throw she did was a little excessive, she'll apologize to her kids for that one. But, she saw that Smolder never budged when she said that. She just stood there with eyes full of disbelief and she wanted to make that abundantly clear to Sakari. What Sakari said never went through and she assumed she was bullshitting her way out of it.

Then it immediately occurred to Sakari that she did just sent her kids to their room during a wrestling game, so that might've dampened the play-mood with Smolder. That was understandable and Sakari did not blame her for that.

Sakari had to pick her words wisely and not sound like an arrogant mother. Even with five kids, she was still learning, after all. Smolder was kind of a start when Sakari was growing up and it was a ton of fun -- some ups and downs, but mostly fun. And over time, she picked up what her little sister-in-law was thinking, and right now she had that feeling, "Okay, I know what you're thinking, Smolder, and I can assure you, I didn't ground them, I swear. Quite the opposite, really." Her hooves were up and her eyes gave genuine honesty to her. She definitely recalled not telling her kids they were grounded. She was not gonna ground them over something that they could just talk over. She wasn't that heartless. She just didn't want them to start actually fighting in front of family members – especially when she saw the type of heat the two seemed to have towards each other before they charged. "I just sent them to their room so they can cool down. With how personal it seemed to be getting between the two, I only want them to talk things over. Nothing more."

Smolder calmed down a little and took some thought into that. Sakari was right; she never did say they were actually grounded – that was just to get them to start talking things over in their room. She thought for sure Sakari was gonna pull a 'blind-mother' move and be arrogant about her actions and power or something like that. If it came down to that, Smolder would've left without saying good-bye. Sakari once told her she made a vow to be a good parent and if she were to ever pull dumb moves like arrogance, negligence, or other bullshit like that, then Smolder can turn around and never see her face, again. As extreme as that was, Smolder didn't think about that, at all. She was just surprised Sakari took motherhood so seriously, "Okay, I guess you got me by the tail there." As long as there was some sense into all of this, she was fine. Besides, Sakari was also crafty, too. If she were to be angry with her, Sakari would always try and find a way to make things up with her.

"But, there's still a time and place for what we did, is that right?" Garble asked, knowing full well both of them were not gonna get off scot-free for trying to goof around.

And he was right, too. Smolder gave him a dull, sour look and nodded, "Ya think, Gar-Gar?" There was a time and place for anything, and right now was not the case. But the slightly stunned face of her using that name in front of his wife always made her giggle, as did Sakari, who ultimately did find that name cute.

"Anyway," Sakari said, now that they brought that up, again. "What I was trying to get at was that we both slip up; it happens," Sakari wasn't gonna deny that she might've taken lessons from her parents at heart and now it's passed on to her; now she's doing it with Garble and it never got old with her. Sakari was still quirky, as always, and she was not gonna get rid of that any time soon – not even motherhood was gonna bring that down.

Garble nodded in agreement before Sakari reached up and planted a sweet, loving kiss on his cheek, "Besides, it's just what we do. And I know our kids are gonna pick it up, too." She smirked and rubbed noses with her husband who blushed some, "Especially from this big goof." Sakari looked back at Smolder with a kind smile.

But, Smolder looked away from the lovey-dovey stuff they were doing and blushed a little. She still couldn't believe Sakari got Garble into all that mushy stuff, "Okay, I know that. But –" Suddenly, something occurred to her when Sakari brought up her kids. She looked at them, confused, "– speaking of your kids, Sisi, where's Twinkle and Speedy?" Of all the kids here, those two haven't shown themselves in a while after Garble told them to go get groceries. What was taking them?

Now that she mentioned it, Twinkle and Speedy haven't returned, yet. They should've been back minutes ago. Sakari looked up in thought, "You're right." She wondered what was holding up the children, grocery shopping doesn't normally take more than a few minutes, "They should've been home by now. What's taking them so long?"

Just as she said that, a pink, smoky, distortion erupted before them like a small smoke bomb and immediately split open like a book to reveal a vortex within. Sakari flinched and looked back in shock but Garble and Smolder jumped back instinctively like cats when they see cucumbers.

They assumed they were gonna get sucked in and disappear within the vortex, but it never did anything other than just appear and startle them. It remained still and never attempted to do anything out of the ordinary. The three before it watched on in confusion and curiosity as it just floated there, making zen-like hums.

Garble and Smolder remained as they were, confused by the vortex but they never attempted to go near it. They didn't know if something was gonna jump out and fight or if something was gonna snatch them up and pull them inside. Whatever the case may be, they knew damn well to stay away.

That couldn't be said for Sakari, unfortunately. While the thing didn't make much of a racket, which explained why the kids never came back, it didn't really do anything else and it made her more curious than defensive like her husband and sister-in-law – even still, she should follow their lead and stay on the defense, too.

She began to approach, cautiously.

"Sakari!" Garble called out to his wife in utter worry and fear, wanting her to get back and stay away from whatever was floating on their property. But, to his dismay, she never responded – she heard him, but she wanted to know what this thing was. His instincts were colliding like rams head-butting each other. He wanted to lunge out and drag her plump ass back so she could be safe but, at the same time, he didn't want to risk startling whatever the vortex was.

Sakari then stood in front of the vortex and eyed it carefully. Again, it never did anything. It didn't seem like it wanted to cause harm and it just floated like any damns it had were thrown out the window. So, the big questions were: just what was she gonna do with this thing? How was she gonna get rid of it? Was talking to it gonna solve it?

That last one felt like it was a dumb move since it seemed like it wasn't sentient. But, Sakari shrugged her shoulders and gave it a shot just to be silly since it didn't look so threatening.

"Hello!" she casually called out, prompting Smolder and Garble to flinch in shock from the sheer stupidity of that choice Sakari did.

"Are you insane?" Garble said, nearly freaking out and thinking now whatever was behind that knows she's there.

"That's not a smart move, sis," Smolder said in a slight panic, on board with what Garble said.

But, Sakari turned her head and looked at her dragon family oddly as if they haven't seen magic before, "Are you two dragons, or chickens?" She joked, but considering how they were behaving, she was thinking the latter. "It's not a portal and you two know this. You've seen magic before. Hell, even you two can use magic!"

Having that pointed out to them, Smolder and Garble looked at each other like they'd forgotten a test answer on a quiz. She had a good point about them wielding magic, but their type was different compared to ponies and that still didn't get them to budge when Smolder asked, "Okay, I see your point, but how do you know it's not a portal? It sure as hell looks like one." Whether she knew magic or not, she still found it hard to believe that whatever the hell was in front of them wasn't a portal -- It floats, swirls and hums. There could be no other signs that told them that this wasn't a portal.

But right as she said that, the vortex started to spaz and twitch as if it were responding to their voices. Then, through the void within, another voice responded back with a 'Sakari?' as if it tried to specifically ask her something.

Sakari swung her head back and looked up at the vortex in shock before she responded in kind and asked it, "Did you just say my name?" Smolder and Garble heard that loud and clear and now were more than ready to fight, but Sakari held an arm out, letting them know that they need to back down. She focused as she processed what she just heard. That voice sounded oddly familiar to her, almost elegant and welcoming. It reminded her so much of -- a revelation flew right at Sakari's face in the form of a face-hoof.

"Wait," she called out, feeling embarrassed of herself. "I know what this is," She said to Garble and Smolder who had their confused faces back on. Now she remembered what this was? She couldn't have picked an awkward time!

"Well, out with it, babe," Garble ordered. If Sakari knew what this was, then she should really spit it out before he and Smolder take action. "What is it?"

She looked back at Garble and Smolder and motioned to them to settle down. She had enough of them getting all tense and it really tested her patience. Yes, it was understandable, but they were all strong enough to face whoever came at them, "Will you two relax? There's nothing to worry about because this 'vortex' is actually a spell." She pointed at the spell as the dragon siblings slowly started to relax.

"A spell?" Garble asked.

Sakari nodded as she looked back at the spell before her, "Someone is casting a transmission spell -" she looked at it oddly, though, sensing something off with it "- but something is off about it."

Smolder eyed the spell and tried to make heads or tails on what Sakari was talking about. Someone casted that spell? How and who? Well, mostly who? Smolder knew it must've been a unicorn or some magic wielder like that. She stood up and walked beside Sakari and asked, "So, how are you gonna –" Sakari simply went up to the transmission and gave the vortex a good thwack with her hoof, like she was slapping a TV antenna to fix said TV, "– fix it?"

And just like that, the screen became clear and they saw who was behind the spell. Smolder lifted her arms at this absolute obvious move that she couldn't even begin to know how easy that was. This whole scenario could've been solved with just that?! She would've done that, but she assumed it was a portal! She crossed her arms at this unwarranted tomfuckery.

Even Garble was at a lost with what the hell just happened. His head suddenly hurt a little and his patience was bone-dry. He sighed and walked off to let his wife deal with this, arms thrown up and then hung low as he grumbled "Fuckin' pony magic…" Maybe a really hard apple cider could ease his mind.

Celestia perked her head, surprised as the spell finally worked, "Ah finally. I thought I messed up the spell there." And who so happened to be in front of the screen was the one she wanted to contact. Relief couldn't be a much better feeling for her, "Oh, Sakari! So good to see you." Celestia smiled as Sakari gleefully smiled back, thrilled to see it was an old friend contacting her.

"Tia! This is a surprise," Sakari said. "To what do I owe the occasion?" She then noticed her little sister was there by her side. Now things got very interesting when her younger sister was involved. This had to be important. She was about to greet Luna with open arms ... if it weren't for Luna giving Celestia a leering scowl that Celestia had yet to notice.

"Uh, is she okay?" Smolder pointed at Luna, noticing rather quick that Luna didn't look too happy.

Celestia looked over to Luna before she reeled her head back at the scowl. Now she noticed and now she thought she'd get it later, "Oh, don't mind her. I was informing her about the situation we're in... well, Equestria is in." Celestia casually scooted Luna off-screen before she gazed over to Smolder and tilted her head, curiously. "Oh, who's this?"

Sakari raised a brow at the mention of Equestria being under some kind of situation. If this call was about that, then that really needs to be addressed. For her to call her for this meant something was troubling her, "This is Smolder, my sister-in-law," she introduced Smolder rather quickly before she brought the spotlight back onto What Celestia was talking about. "But, what was that about Equestria being in a situation?"

Smolder was curious, too. This pony seemed like she was high above the ranks. That flowing mane and the jewelry she had felt like a dead giveaway; jewelry she wouldn't mind having in her collection. The other one seemed like she was about the same, but a little low on the totem pole. She didn't know what to make of them just yet, but it seemed like Sakari knew them before. If Sakari mentioned them to her, she likely forgot about it.

Celestia cleared her and got straight to the point, "Right, yes. Well, I'm sorry to call you at such an awkward time, but... I need your help." Celestia spoke to her in a semi-pleaded tone. A tone Sakari had never heard from her friend before.

"What's wrong, Tia?" Sakari tilted her head, wondering what was happening to get her to speak in such a way.

Celestia looked down with regret momentarily before looking up at her old friend as she revealed, "King Ghidorah has returned."

Then, all sense of goodwill was out the window and panic almost took over the moment that name was spoken; Sakari widened her eyes in great shock at the mention of that name. She plopped down on her rear and stared at Celestia in disbelief, hoping she was lying. "W-What?" She whispered in shock, she regained her voice as she responded, "But… I thought he was imprisoned!" She had thought that when Celestia told her long ago, but the distress in her eyes said otherwise – which was a big red flag.

Twinkle and Speedy suddenly appeared out of thin air in front of their home thanks to Twinkle's magic. They made it back home, but they immediately saw their mother and aunt Smolder talking through a spell.

"Mother!" Twinkle called out, worried. "We have a problem. Ponyville is under attack."

Sakari heard her and there was no thinking it could anything else. She never thought she'd see the day when she would be needed for a situation like this. All the research she did on Ghidorah in secret would now be used. She just didn't expect it to happen so suddenly. She should've seen the signs when the wind blew all but three torches -- even if it was a coincidence.

Smolder felt unnerved somehow and it sent a little shiver down her spine. That name brought a cold feeling to her body and she didn't know why. That name sounded strangely familiar, yet she couldn't place where exactly she heard it from. She felt so nervous and very timid all of a sudden. Why, though? It was just a name. It shouldn't have her on edge. And yet, it did. She looked over to her niece and nephew and immediately walked over to them and away from Sakari and Celestia, wanting to know what they saw. Whatever was going on she needed to know so Garble could be informed, too.

As they explained what they saw to Smolder, Sakari immediately nodded to Celestia, "I'll help, but I'm gonna bring a team with me. King Ghidorah is gonna be a challenge. More so than anyone had ever faced."

Celestia knew that all too well, "I'll save the explanation, but please, hurry. I don't know how long it'll take before he attacks." And with that, the spell cuts off and Sakari was left pondering what kind of plan she should make.

King Ghidorah had returned. This was not good – no, no, not good for anyone at all. Throughout her years, she spent her time researching dragons of many kinds – King Ghidorah included. She gathered so much information and research such as hobbies, behaviors, and activities that it just boiled down to them being much like ponies … just more aggressive in some parts. Oh, the books she can write with the knowledge she had obtained during her stay – later on, living among them. It wasn't until one day she became so fond of dragons she ended up marrying one and spawned offspring of her own. Those days were a real trip and back. It was another great addition to her research, but she was not gonna tell her husband that, at all. Her family was her family, not research test subjects. She loved them and cared about them so much that she wouldn't even think of that. And yet, she waited for the right time to share this information. For Celestia, that time was any time, but for the rest of the ponies, they were not ready.

But, King Ghidorah, himself? King Ghidorah caught her interest the most. A golden demon spawned from Tartarus itself and bore souls of three. That alone made her wonder if this dragon was one entity or many, or even a dragon at all. An enigma not even the greatest minds could figure out. Only a hoof-full of books had ever mentioned him but the information was all the same: a former guardian that one day betrayed Equestria and spread terror across the world. He was eventually stopped by Celestia and the other guardians. But, the books never mentioned how they stopped him or what he actually was. She pondered about him for a long time in secret and she had to, at least, gain information from reliable sources. And since she was well acquainted with plenty of dragons, it wouldn't hurt to ask them for any information about him.

That turned out to be much more of a challenge. She asked dragons like Clump, Maar, Ember, and even Torch himself if they knew anything about Ghidorah. But, each one ended in the same reaction – tensed and unnerved, even haunted or almost scared at best – which slightly stunned her when even Torch was afraid to tell stories about Ghidorah… and he's not one to scare easily, or at all. She would know, he's the most massive dragon she had ever seen in the Dragon Lands, after all. It made her curious even more and she was surprised when Torch and Ember worked up the nerve and courage to explain their stories to her. She was thrilled but her journey only led back to the same spot. She wanted to know what made him tick, what were his weaknesses, and what made him go crazy. That information was all but gone and all that was left was the stories of terror and fear he left. It wasn't much to go on, so she assumed his biology was equal to that of his fellow dragons. It just raised one question...

Just who released King Ghidorah from his prison?

She then looked over at her family and her home. If they so much as get a whiff of this, they would not hesitate to join her. Dragons were known to go in headstrong and take on any challenge. But, would Garble and Smolder take on a challenge that involved a demon dragon? It was risky, too risky even for her children. That was a powerful no for her. Only four were young adults, and one was still young, but they were still her children. It was way too dangerous, even for them. Yes, she knew her kids could handle themselves in a fight. They made that perfectly clear amongst themselves. But against someone like Ghidorah? Oh, hell to the no! Hell no! Absolutely not! So help her, she would even outright forbid it.

But, then again, what if they don't have to fight Ghidorah? They can still be helpful with their skills in other places. If it was possible, she and her family can subdue the culprit who released King Ghidorah. They could take them out and bring them to Celestia and Luna for questioning. But, if it was a group, then that could be a problem. But, it felt like it was just one pony. Sakari knew her kids would argue with her about not tagging them along and kicking ass. She didn't want to handle that, so... what other choice could she make?

She just had to think of a plan.

Garble rubbed the back of his head as he walked into his cave home with a slightly frustrated scoff. He did not know what the hell just happened outside, but he was gonna let Sakari take care of it. She usually took care of all the weird stuff that happened around them. In fact, ever since he got married to this mare, his life changed so much. If he were to guess, maybe it all started with her saving Smolder when they first met, or something? He couldn't exactly remember when it started at the moment. But, the only thing he knew right now was that he needed a cider to calm his headache and ease his thoughts.

He knew he had to stick with his wife to see what that whole void thing was about, but he just didn't want to handle it at the moment. He was no stranger to weird stuff, but pony magic was one of those things that really tested his patience. Granted, some forms of it were very handy like levitation, but anything above that really just confused the shit out of him… plus, it made him look like a fool for not knowing much about it. Not only was Sakari a walking box of it, but his daughter Twinkle was following in her hoofsteps. On one claw, he was proud. Having a child that knew more magic was something to brag about and hold with gusto. But, on the other hand, he feared Twinkle might get carried away with it. How? He didn't know, but her laid-back attitude proved that might not be the case.

Garble shrugged to himself. Despite having a wacky family, he loved every one of them. He wasn't much for sharing his feelings like his little sister, but he had his own ways. Now he felt like he really needed that drink. He had so much in his mind that they collided with each other at the same time to the point he felt an oncoming headache.

But, two familiar voices caught his attention and he looked over to the far left of the cave to find Destiny and Blaze talking. Ruby was in there to try and calm them down but it looked like he wasn't doing any good. This definitely needed his attention. A hard cider was gonna have to wait.

He slowly started to approach as he listened closely, ear flaps perking to catch everything being said out loud.

"What the hell was that out there, Blaze?" Destiny asked, snapping at her brother about how he acted out there. Since she calmed down, she had the right mind to ask him what his problem was and why he said what he said. Did he really think that?

Blaze raised a scaly brow and crossed his arms, giving his sister a deadpan, unfazed look. He was not gonna take any more of her nonsense. Even if they're not having a wrestling match, he still felt like she had to be called out for the stuff she pulled, "What was what? The fact that actually I called you out on your bullshit or did I actually bruise your ego, for once, short-stack?"

"Bullshit? Ego?" Destiny said, bewildered but tensed at the name-call. "What are you even talking about? I thought we were acting out as we always did when we play wrestling games like this? What's gotten into you?" She was really confused and his outburst started to hurt her – especially when he jabbed at her size. She always hated jabs about her size, and it didn't help that one of her siblings called her out on it. Honestly, when a sibling did it, it really hurt.

It made no sense. Outside, all she wanted to do was have fun. She wasn't aware Blaze was genuinely upset. Why? Why didn't he tell her this? Why hide it? 'High and mighty ego'? She never recalled ever acting like that. The stuff she said outside was all meant for show, not to cause any issue. She didn't know why Blaze had a stick up his ass, but he needed to stop. This accusation was getting out of control

"What's gotten into me?" Blaze pointed to himself then pointed a stiff clawed-finger at her. "I should ask you the same thing. You've always acted like you were so superior to all of us. The moment we were born, you always treated us as if we were mud under your hoof." He growled at his sister and flared his teeth down at her, his temper about to spike, again. He had enough and she was gonna know, whether she liked it or not. "Twinkle, Speedy, all of us! You treated us like dirt for no reason. Latching on to mom and dad like you were an angel or some shit. For years, you've been doing this and I've had enough!" If his face wasn't red enough, it surely was.

Destiny flinched in response but took a moment to think back on her childhood. Now that he mentioned it, she did act a little brat-ish back then, but she didn't think she ever treated her siblings so poorly as she got older. During the games they play, she always got competitive, but outside of that, she felt like she mellowed out since then. Yes, she recalled being a little clingy to her dad when she was little and had a few moments where she roughed up her siblings every now and then, but she never thought that she was superior. Did she? She just had a hard time figuring out exactly what Blaze was specifically talking about.

"Blaze, I don't know what you're on about? I honestly don't. You're making it seem like I bully you every day," Destiny said trying to plead with her younger brother that she wasn't what he thought she was. She'd never go so far as to do something like that. "Yes, I ruffled you guys up when we were younger, but I didn't think it would get to you that badly. When was the last time I actually treated you like dirt?"

"Blaze, she's right," Ruby chimed in, coming to Destiny's aid and backing her up against Blaze's claims. "Destiny never treated me badly. She was always nice to me. Can't you calm down and see –"

"You stay out of this, pipsqueak." Blaze snapped at Ruby who gasped when he said that name, thinking he took her side. "You have no room to talk either, Mama's Boy." His anger got the better of him. His glare was intense. He had enough and he didn't care who he took his anger out on so long as it came out. He was unaware he had Ruby in tears. "Yeah, in fact, little mama's boy and little daddy's girl having each other's backs? I'm not surprised." He scoffed in disgust before pointing at the two with a very mean-looking glare "Why don't you two just crawl back to –"

"Blaze Tyrian Rosene!"

Blaze immediately froze. All his anger, frustration, and building rage suddenly evaporated and a cold, shuddering feeling of terror coursed through his body. He snapped out of his heated fury and saw reason, again. He slowly turned his head and saw his father walk up to him, a look of what he thought was real disappointment on his face, his eyes looking firm upon hearing what he just heard his son call his siblings and what he was about to say if he hadn't intervened.

"D-Dad?" Blaze shakily said.

The kids winced deeply at his entrance. The disappointment on their father's face was not good. But the fact that it's to a point that he uses one of their full names? They knew that when that happens, you really screwed up – big time – to get Garble to that point.

Garble crossed his arms, frowning firmly, "Blaze Tyrian Rosene, you better not think of finishing that sentence…"

Gulping, realizing his father overheard what he was saying, Blaze tried to give an excuse as he winced, "I can explain --"

Garble simply lifted a claw to silence him, "Save it, son," He said in a slightly firm, enforced tone. He heard everything when he walked in. The first time, outside, he didn't want to intervene because it would've been a good opportunity for his kids to let out all their energy. Simple roughhousing and nothing more was what he liked and that's what he thought was being played out. Clearly, he was wrong when he stepped into the cave. Now? Now he could see something else was going on and this time he had to step in and stop this before one of his kin got hurt. That wouldn't have been good for anyone. And Blaze out of all of them? He expected, maybe Destiny or Speedy, but Blaze throwing a fit was off to him. Garble crossed his arms and leered down at his son, disappointingly, yet curiously, at his son for his behavior.

Blaze just looked down at the ground, waiting for his dad to scold him. He got too angry to see reason and he lashed it out at his siblings. Like all homes, there were rules to follow. The house he lived in had them and he stupidly broke the most vital one: never, ever, EVER lash out at friends and family. His mom and dad were very firm with that specific rule and if any one of them were to break it, the punishment was about the same as disobeying mom. Disobeying dad was a different thing, but it felt the same as always. What was there to even say? He knew he was in trouble.

Garble didn't like that his son wasn't facing him but leered at him for a minute before he glanced over to Destiny and Ruby for a moment to check on them; they were hurt but not physically; the last thing he needed was for his children to suffer mental scars, especially from other family members. He then focused back on Blaze. He remained quiet as a rat for a few minutes to soak in what he just saw before he spoke to them in a very calm manner that surprised Destiny and Ruby, "Blaze, look at me."

Blaze did just that. He hesitantly looked up at his dad, expecting to see disappointment and rage. His body felt weak with guilt and pain, but he did as he was told. To his surprise and confusion, Garble merely gave him an empathetic look instead of a furious glare. Blaze didn't know what to think of that. He thought his father was gonna tear him apart, ground him, berate him, or something. What was his father waiting for?

Then Garble spoke, but not as a scolding father like his kids thought he was going to do, "Son, I want you to look at your brother and sister for a second."

Blaze looked at him oddly before he turned to look at Destiny and Ruby. When he did, he saw Destiny holding Ruby but both of them had a look of fear in their eyes. Ruby was in near tears and whimpering in his sister's arms; Destiny had a slight defensive glare on her, and it was directed at him while she held her brother. They were scared and it was obvious they wanted Blaze to stay away from them. It wasn't hard for Blaze to read that on them and the guilt hit him harder than before. He looked away, ashamed of himself for what he did. His anger got them to fear him and didn't know what to do. He looked up at his dad, feeling heartbroken.

Then, Garble saw it. The heartbroken look, the weak stance, the lack of knowledge, and a weak heart. There was no denying what Blaze was thinking right now, and Garble knew exactly what it was. Seeing Blaze right now reminded him so much of himself; like he was looking into a mirror image of how he looked when he ... – "Blaze, I want you to know something: it's not right to bottle in your anger like that and then release it the way you did. It not only hurts others, but it hurts you, too."

There was some truth to what Blaze said, though. Destiny did treat them like how he described it. But, Garble caught on to that act before Sakari could and he set the record straight with her and managed to change her act. As she grew up, that part of her was restrained for the most part and she'd only let that out when it involved playing competitive games. Now that was something he could work with.

But, Blaze was normally the chilled one of his kin. He watched his kids carefully over time and learned a lot about them. Or so he thought. He never expected Destiny to get under Blaze's scales, even though she never intended to. Now, he stood before his son and saw him about to break down.

Blaze couldn't handle the pressure anymore. The guilt was too much and the dams finally broke. The young dragon's lips quivered as he wept in front of his father, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I-I just wanted Destiny to stop treating me so badly," Blaze cried as he poured his emotions out in front of his family, wiping his tears away with his palms only for more to stream out. "I hated how she always tried to win your attention and tried to be your favorite."

Now it all made sense. Blaze repressed memories of when he was younger. Garble should've known better. He was fortunate enough to catch Destiny's behavior, but he failed in time to find the results of it. He and Sakari agreed that they'd raise their kids to cooperate and always let them know if anything troubled them – that included each other. Had he caught Blaze's mannerisms before, this wouldn't have happened. Maybe. Perhaps he still had a lot of learning to do with his kids.

Destiny felt bad. She had no idea she got under his skin like that long ago. It now came back to her and she remembered how much of a little shit she was and how she treated Blaze, Twinkle, and Speedy. Ruby got the easy treatment from her. She knew damn well that she loved her father to death, but she looked up to him as a role model, a mentor, and a friend. She didn't mean to make Blaze think she was trying to play favorites over them. But, that was still no excuse. Now instead of wanting him to go, she felt guilty herself. She wanted to make it up to him but it wasn't until her father knelt down and hugged Blaze.

Ruby, Destiny, and Blaze were caught off-guard by that. Garble wasn't much of a hugger and everyone knew this, the only exception was with his wife. He always gave pats on their heads and 'good jobs' and some stuff like that. He was more of a tough-love kind of dragon. He made that clear before, but now?

"D-Dad?" Blaze said through a strained breath.

"It's alright. Just let it out," Garble said calmly as he started to tell a small story to his three children that he held back for such a long time.

"When your aunt Smolder and I were younger, I had to watch her all the time when your grandparents weren't around. I didn't like the idea, at first, because watching her was a pain in the butt," he snickered at himself, remembering the arguments he had with his mom and dad about watching Smolder. Oh, how the beatings came in pairs. "But, when I started to get used to watching her, I started to act more like my father ever could. It seemed like I was raising Smolder more than my mom and dad did. Funny as it was."

Ruby and Destiny listened and gave their full attention as they sat down while their father told his tale. Blaze listened, too, but kept close in his dad's comforting arms. He embraced the moment and never moved an inch. He always got hugs from his mother and it was always nice and sweet to have comfort given from her, but he never got a comforting hug from his father until today. It felt so new and he didn't know what to think, only that it felt just like his mother's hug: warm and comforting.

Then, Garble looked down, a little saddened. The next part still stung him to this day. He and Smolder were on the best of terms, but one day had him feeling like utter garbage. Like he had no right being a guardian to her anymore after what he did, "But, one day, when Smolder and I were playing... I let my anger get the better of me. I used to have a lava board that I really treasured back when I was a teenager. I took care of it to make sure it stayed in great physical condition so I could use it to go lava surfing. I never wanted any-dragon to touch it, not even my own family." Lava surfing was his favorite sport and he couldn't help but cherish the board he had. Ironic as that was, considering how greed can change a dragon. Though if 'Greed-Induced Bigness' was involved with the greed he had, then everyone would be in real trouble. It was more of a defensive greed than anything.

"When I was told to watch Smolder, I took my eyes away from her for just a few minutes, but I told her to stay put. She did, but that didn't stop her from trying to entertain herself. I even had my lava board near her, too." He'll admit that was a stupid move on his part.

Having said that part, Destiny and Ruby had a feeling they knew where this was heading – especially with the fact that their aunt was younger than they were when this happened, but they listened anyway.

"She threw a little pebble that caused a chain reaction. Rocks fell from a hill, right where my board was. I heard the rocks coming, but it was too late for me to do anything. My lava board was torn to shreds. Poor Smolder didn't mean to do it. It scared her, but when she saw me--" he sighed softly in regret as he said specifically to Blaze "-- I was so mad… I let my anger get the better of me, and I yelled at Smolder so badly, that I made her believe she was living in a nightmare. I was that pissed off at her. It was only when she gave a little 'I'm sorry' and one look at those tear-filled eyes that it made me look at myself… like I was an absolute monster." And the thought he did that still hurt him to this day. "The way she looked at me…" He actually looked very guilty, as he could remember the fear and heartbreak in his little sister's eyes that day, it really made him feel like he had become a monster that day due to his greed for his lava board, "…How she stood crying and weeping right in front of me, it made me feel like complete garbage when I yelled at her like that. She did nothing wrong. She didn't know it would happen. She was so scared and being the prideful, greedy dumbass that I was that day, I made things worse."

Destiny and Ruby couldn't believe what they were hearing. Their father scared their aunt that badly all because of an accident? It made them want to go back out there and give their aunt Smolder the biggest hug they could muster.

"S-So, what happened after that?" Ruby asked.

Garble smiled softly and looked to Blaze who wrapped his arms around him, "I actually swallowed my pride and held Smolder in my arms, just like this. I calmed her down as best as I could, told her I was being a really big idiot – if not a really big jerk and … I told her that I was sorry and that I loved her very much." And he still did. Smolder got on his nerves every now and then, but she was still his little sister and no matter what she did, he will always love her, from now until forever.

Blaze couldn't hold it in anymore. After hearing that story, he held onto his dad close and bawled all his emotions out into his scaly chest while Destiny and Ruby watched in heartbreak. Now it all made sense why he told that story. Destiny then looked at her father and noticed a couple of tears sliding down his cheeks, too, as he held Blaze in his arms. She held a hoof on her chest and nearly fell into tears herself as she felt the guilt hit harder.

She had to say it. She should've said it long ago, "I'm sorry, Blaze. I'm really sorry for how I treated you." She hoped that got through to him and she hoped he believed her.

But, after Garble and Blaze let go of their hug, he immediately turned and lunged at his siblings, hugging them close and tight as he whimpered out his apologies, "I'm sorry, too. I didn't mean what I said. It just slipped out… I just …"

But, Blaze was cut off when Ruby and Destiny returned the hug and smiled warmly at him. They had their brother back, that's all they wanted. And they had their dad to thank for that.

"We forgive you, Blaze," Ruby said, accepting his apology as he nuzzled into his brother.

"It's all fine now, bro." Destiny reassured. They can now let bygones be bygones. Though they'll need a bit of time to recover, it was great to know he felt genuinely bad he did what he did. They thought he was gonna attack them if Garble didn't step in.

Garble stood back up and wiped his tears away before he crossed his arms with a proud smile. Dragons were never supposed to be this emotional, but it was alright to throw away pride every now and then for occasions like this. He was just happy Smolder and Sakari weren't here to see all of that. He knew Sakari was trying her hardest to be a good mother, but she knew as well that Garble was gonna try and be a good father the moment she saw how much he cared for Smolder. He still got a chuckle at Sakari's reaction when she told him they were gonna have kids. Granted, it was a shock, but he was just as happy as she was.

And from how it looked, he could tell himself that he was molding his kids just fine.

Then it clicked to him after his kids got done patching things up, "Oh, I almost forgot. Blaze, Destiny, if you two thought your mother grounded you, she didn't. She just wanted you to talk things over. That was all."

That was a relief for them. That was one thing that crossed their minds before the emotional train set sail. They thought they were in trouble, but it was so good to know it was a false alarm.

However, as Garble mentioned their mother, he jumped when said mother shouted out loud with a sharp, "Garble, get out here now! And bring the kids, too!" She sounded like it was urgent and Garble looked at the entrance curiously, but a tad worried by the tone in her voice. The kids thought the same thing.

"Looks like our little therapy session is over. Come on, we better see what your mother wants." Garble said as he, Destiny, Blaze, and Ruby headed back to go meet up with Sakari and Smolder.

The Battle for Equestria: Spike vs. King Ghidorah

by Dashzilla93

A Painful Good-Bye

Three Months Later

A Horrifying Anomaly

It Arrives

A Guardian Emerges

Ghidorah's Return: Vengeance And New Discoveries (Part 1)

Ghidorah's Return: Forming Alliance And Shocking Revelations (Part 2)