Prologue: A Forgotten Past

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Long ago, before the rise of the Alicorn Sisters and the founding of Equestria, the world of Equis was dominated by the mighty Ramulan Empire. From the fortress city of Tambelon the Ram Lords ruled with justice and courtesy, renowned for their skill and mastery in the magical arts. Their wizards lived by a creed: To uphold the natural order above all others, and never use their magic to alter nature's sacred plan.
For Five Hundred years their wisdom endured, until one young lamb, apprenticed to their greatest wizard, allowed a seed of hubris into his heart. As his skill and talent grew so did his pride and arrogance, until the day came he declared himself above the ancient creed of his people. He seized control of the Empire, using his foul dark magic to turn and twist it into an evil place. A Kingdom of Nightmares. It was for these crimes that all peoples of Equis struck his name from their histories, and he became known only as The Fallen One. Or in the ancient tongue of his people:

Grogar.

Unsatisfied by the enslavement of his own race, the Dark Lord of the Rams turned his greedy eyes on the peaceful races of Equis. Empowered by dark spells and hexes, his enslaved legions were unstoppable as they marched across the land, obliterating all before them, and hurtling the land into an age of despair and misery.

After laying waste to Equestria and installing his disciple Discord as it's ruler, Grogar learned of the portal, and set his sights on it's counterpart. But here The Ram King encountered something he had never imagined: resistance.

It came in the forms of six mighty warriors, each imbued with the power to bend the elements to their will in defense of their home. With pure hearts and courage unmatched they fought Grogar's dark legions to a standstill. His ambition thwarted, Grogar resolved to drain the hero's world of the magic that fueled their powers, and shifted the bonds between the realms to do so. But even with their power's weakening by the day, the heroes fought on until as if from beyond time itself a seventh warrior, cloaked in crystal armor appeared. With a trepid heart he learned the very power that made the six champions so fierce, and in doing so, forged a bond with one of their number stronger than all the others, and it was this power that finally tipped the balance against the Dark Lord of the Rams.

But Grogar was not easily deterred, and in one final gamble he himself lead his foul army against the hero's last stronghold at Gallopor.

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Lightning arced through the air as if on wings, it's thunder like a dragon's roar. Grogar snarled from his throat, fangs gnashing and grinding together as his blood red eyes pried apart every crack and crevice of the rocks around him. His bat like wings spread and flexed across his back, sensing the minutest shift in the air even as a damp mist fell over the battlefield. His clawed feet scrapped the bare rock beneath them as he shifted to and fro. The wind shifted, causing his breath to come in puffs before his fanged muzzle, fog seeping through his teeth like water.

Though he could not see him, he could still sense his enemies all around him. His blood lust was wet by the constant sounds of metal blade and armor clashing above him, the clamor punctuated by the furious shouting of magical spells and the resulting blasts. It was almost enough to make him fly up out of the gorge, join his generals and finish off those overpowered runts once and for all, but he dared not pass the chance tonight had offered him.

"I know where you are, Runt," he growled, armor clanking as he turned his horned head about the canyon. "Tell me, how do you intend to succeed?"

The Seventh warrior steadied his breath, daring not make a sound. He slowly reached back across his chest, the rain and motion uniting to make him miss his own armor now more than ever, but he knew it was too heavy for the stealth required when fighting Grogar. He cautiously gripped the hilt of his greatsword, the rough leather grip jolting back memories of it's forging, and the desperation his new friends had only admitted to after it was complete.

"Do you mean to kill me?" The Dark Lord Of the Rams mocked with a laugh right up from his gullet. "You know that ceased to be possible the moment I left Equestria. And what are you here? Still a Bastard wretch, playing Knight. You are nothing, Son or Amore. I am no less than a GOD to these paltry creatures, and I intend to rule them as one should!"

"How?" a sudden female voice cried out across the gorge. "With misery and death?!" Grogar roared, lunging around on his talons as a burst of magic from his horns sent two bolts of shadow magic toward the sound, obliterating a car sized boulder to dust.

"You call yourself a God," The formless voice shouted down it's nose. "But you're nothing but a butcher playing conqueror."

'Thank you Luna' The warrior sighed silently, recognizing the young woman's spirit talent even as Grogar's rage mounted.

"Witch!," The Ram King spat. "Still hiding behind tricks when you're so called friends fight in your stead. At least you're sister and her guard have the courage to face me in person. All you can do, is Run."

"Who's running Groggy?" The Dark lord flung himself around, not even aiming as he unleashed a wave of shadow magic at the male voice, only to hear it laughing a moment later.

"Wow," he laughed, "If anything you're aim's only gotten worse!"

"RAAAAAAGHH!!!" Grogar lunged again, this time his magic taking the form of a massive clawed hand that grabbed a massive boulder and flung it like a pebble across a pond. "When this is over, I'm going to flay your skin with my own talons Prism!"

"How about grilled?" A second female, much more regal voice cried out, just before a fireball crashed on Grogar's back, singeing his wings and making the proud lord howl. He finally looked up, red eyes narrowing to slits as his hatred boiled at the sight of two forms, one royal maiden, and an armored warrior flew above him on feathered wings.

"This ends now Wench!" He roared, flourishing his still smoldering wings when the Seventh Warrior made his move.

"Grogar," He called, finally stepping from his hiding place, drawing his sword and gripping it tight. "Leaving so soon?" The Ram Lord turned, and his snarl becoming a sickening smirk at the warrior's sight. His eyes seemed especially interested in his sword in the warriors hand.

"Ah, so there it is. I had heard rumors of the Crystal Ponies skill," He laughed wryly. "It seems their talent is not limited to mere trinkets. Forgive me," He said placing a clawed hand on his chest in feigned apology. "I have misjudged you." The Seventh Warrior dared not take his eyes off his enemy, but he could feel his beloved's concern seeping down from above him.

"You truly are a great craftsstallion," Grogar purred as a bewitching quality entered his speech. "You could have many destinies. Why tie yourself to one fate, when you could seize the stars themselves?" The Warrior's companions above saw him shift, his confidence wavered, and the Dark Lord smiled. “The greatness of our fate is only determined by how far we dare reach. I say again young warrior, with my guidance there would be no limit to the wonders you could achieve.”

But just then, a new steel entered the seventh warriors eyes, ones that shifted from vibrant red to a brilliant green.

"I desire but one, noble destiny," he said twirling his sword and dropping to a fighting stance. "Greater than any fate you could offer me!"

"Oh, so unwise," Grogar muttered, then with the roar of a demon he charged the warrior, horns glowing as he dragged a horde of shadow beasts behind him. The warrior ran to the fray, body low as he sprinted toward Grogar's waiting claws and maw. He swung upward, sword blade meeting a mace of pure shadow magic. They traded blow after blow, the warrior’s sword blocking and parrying the gruesome array of weapons the Dark Lord conjured from his magic. But surprise overtook Grogar’s features when he hurled a wave of shadow magic toward the warrior, only to see it blocked by a dark magic shield. Enraged that his own spells were being used against him, Grogar charged the warrior, dropping onto all fours like his true form. The warrior barely had time to react when his shield dropped and he saw the mass of blue fur and armor leap and lunge at him. He dropped to the ground and turned his whole body so that when He and the Ram King did meet.

"Glurgh!"

It was with the blade's tip through the King's heart.

The shadows Grogar had been manipulating ripped and roiled like molten metal, then crashed over them like a tidal wave, muffling any sound in a torrent of hellish wails as the horde vanished like fog at daybreak. The warrior grimaced as he forced the sword further through The Ram King's chest even as he felt the tips of Grogar’s claws sink further into the meat of his shoulder, before he forcibly pulled himself out of the bleeding embrace and staggered back out of reach. He watched as Grogar slowly raised a claw, and grabbed the still protruding sword hilt and slowly, pulled it from his body. He made to raise it above his head, but the blood made it slip from his grasp, and it clattered to the rocky ground.

"I-Impossible," He gasped, falling to one knee as six other forms descended into the canyon. "A g-God ... cannot be felled ... by a mere mortal."

"And that's what you've never understood you big meanie," a young energetic voice said as it's owner took her place on Grogar's left. On her right another winged warrior fluttered, her timidity finally replaced with conviction.

"Our strength doesn't come from spells or magic," She said as a maiden in lavish purple armor dropped behind the dying King.

"We take it from something you forsook long ago," she smiled whilst three more winged warriors entered the pit.

"You think our friends make us weak," Luna spat venomously.

"But it is our faith in each other," her sister boomed, as Prism stepped up with wings splayed, "that make us strong."

"Stronger than you will ever be Horn boy!"

"Face it Grogar," the seventh warrior said defiantly as a storm of color spread amongst the six heroes surrounding them.

"Freindship."

"Is."

"MAGIC!!"

They threw everything they had into one final spell, it's brilliant light throwing Grogar clear across the chasm, slamming him against the wall as he roared and howled like the beast he had become. But to the hero's shock, he began to walk forward, through the spell.
"Why isn't it working?!" Prism yelled in panic.

"His aura!" The younger of the regal sister's yelled. "It's still too strong!"

"He's resisting!"

"Then what now?" The older sister frantically searched her mind, until she spied their seventh number's sword still lying on the ground.

"The blade!" She cried to the seventh warrior. "Hit him! Hit him NOW!!" He dived for the blade, grabbing it with his uninjured arm as he dove under his friends furious enchantment, raising his only at the last possible moment, when he leapt high in the air, and stabbed the blade through Grogar's dark heart, impaling him on the rock. Then the other's spell climaxed in a blinding flash of light and a shockwave that knocked them all off their feet and to the ground. For a moment it seemed all had perished, until the royal siblings guardsman groaned and rolled over.

"Okay, who let Rosey bring the Party-Pult?" The bubbly maiden in question giggled softly as she helped the slighter winged woman to her feet.

"Is, Is he?" None dared answer her question, but they all saw it. Grogar lay where he fell, body seemingly lifeless as a layer of white crystal spread out from his wound, growing until it covered he and the rock around him in one solid piece. They looked at one another, face's they had known so long, finally at the moment only a few had dared to dream of. After the longest silence of their lives, it was the older royal sister who said the words.
"It is finished."

_________________The Next Day________________

"It won't be the same without you," the same girl turned woman by conflict said, royal armor traded for a worn but still regal dress. She walked beside the seventh warrior, a young man they had all only recently come to know, but who had left an unquestionably mark on all of them.

"The same is true for me," he said sadly, armor packed over his right shoulder neatly, empty scabbard swinging loosely from his hip. The other was bandaged and immobile while the wound healed, a process he knew would be quicker by the healing spells of his home. The sun shone off his coal black skin and shined his luxurious black shoulder length hair.

"We could use you you know," she said with a smile on her pale lips, barely darker than her marble like skin. "There's a lot of damage that needs to be repaired. Healing that will take time."

"I know," he sighed, looking at the ruined walls of the city around them. Gallopor had been known as the Virgin City, but almost a decade of war had turned its pearl white walls and streets black and red with char blood. It was not a sight the warrior was unfamiliar with. "But now I must look to my own people. Knowing our foe he likely installed a puppet tyrant to rule Equestria in his absence."

"I can only imagine the sort of mind he attracts."

"Truly," he agreed, as the two shared a moment in one another's eyes. "I wish I could stay, I do, but I." He stopped when she took his hands in hers, folding a golden charm in them.

"You have a duty to your people, I know," she smiled sadly, before a shock of multi-colored hair came bolting toward them.

"Aw leaving so soon big-guy?" Prism Shield the guardsman smirked accusingly. "You didn't think you could get away without saying goodbye did you?"

"I'd rather not risk another one of Rose Granite's carnivals between you and me," he said grimly, all three glancing over to where the girl in question was downing a whole barrel of her infamous pink mead.

"Well when you put it like that," He gulped, before turning serious. "Just promise you'll drop by every once in a while okay? And don't let your ‘Kingly’ duties get you down. Remember what Rosey says; the key to all happiness."

"Is being happy all the time, yes I remember," The warrior smiled shaking the guards hand. "You know, out of all the sword-slinger's here, I think I might just miss you the most Prism."

"Don't go missing me too much," he warned. "Else I'll drag you back here and we will have that carnival."

"Noted," he said flatly, before his gaze turned soft and the two embraced in a hug. "Stay out of trouble."

"Come on, it's me we're talking about here," Prism laughed as he back into the crowd, "What could possibly go wrong for someone as awesome as your's truly?" As if on cue a woman carrying lumber turned, planks knocking the guardsman forward to faceplant in the mud. "I meant to do that."

"Of course," The warrior laughed, until his focus returned to the golden amulet placed in his hands.

"Keep it," The royal sister said grasping his hands once more. "And think of us when you look on it."

"I will," He smiled, not intending to let go of her fingers until the last possible moment. He knew he could spend eternity looking into those rose-pink orbs.

"And who knows?" She smirked. "Perhaps one day Luna and I can welcome you back with a royal parade."
"Or maybe it is I who shall welcome you, Princess Celestia?" he suggested, stretching the new title and earning a laugh they had put off for far too long.

"King Sombra," she smiled back at the warrior whose title was soon to change. "It does have a certain ring to it." He did not depart that day as he knew prudence demanded, but instead spent one more night under the sky that was the namesake of his beloved's sister. They did not care for what might have lay ahead, only for the purest of companionships they had discovered on one another's embrace.

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The tales are vague as to the fates of the Seven heroes, only a handful of their names are even known.
Prism Shield, master of the wind and sky, and Captain to royal guard of the Princess of Fire and light, Celestia, and her sister Luna, Maiden of the Sea and Tides. Also mentioned is a figure called Rose Granite, and though her role is not described in any true detail, it seems she wielded power over stone. The names of the remaining two however, the champions of Ice and Nature, have been lost to time, although some believe these roles were filled by the equally mythical Princess Platinum and her crafty but reluctant handmaiden Trepidia.
Even more more mysterious is the final resting place of the Bane of Destiny, the sword used to fell and imprison Grogar, and most disconcertingly, the Dark Lord of The Rams himself. Prophecy states however, that the Ram King is fated to return, to be released of his prison, and once again reign death on those who would oppose his unending conquest.

When the siren's call fades at last,

arise shall the horde of forgotten past.

Its queen driven by lust once scorned,

to make way for the Lord of Bloodied Horns.

His darkness will spread across the land,

which shall again know the wrath of the Ram.

Silence is all that is uttered as to the return of the heroes, and the magic that granted their powers has long faded into legend alongside their bearers. But as long as legends are told, their truths will live on: That the greatest power lies not in eldritch enchantments or magical totems, but in the unity of friends, driven by their trust and love for one another.

Chapter 1: Rapidly Changeling Circumstances

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"BE CAREFUL WITH THAT! That's 3rd century Galloporan!!"

"Sorry Ma'am," the dark skinned young man yelped trying to regain his balance on the cold rocky ground, only to stumble again. Thankfully another worker dived in just in time to catch the precious statue he'd been cradling. She sighed as they took it to be cataloged with the other artifacts, countless treasures that were going to throw everything historians thought they knew about this region out the window. It wasn't everyday you unearthed an ancient outpost of a supposedly mythical kingdom, so why was she still so grumpy?

'It's the cold,' she told herself. This was what she got for growing up in middle of nowhere Appleloosa, but like her grandpa always said, 'No sacrifice, no victory.' Crystal tucked her shoulder length straight blue hair behind her ears, wishing for a warmer hat or earmuffs, but settled for pulling the strings of her parka tighter around her head. If the manuscript fragments she found in the archives were right and as old as she thought they were, they were standing above the ruins of an entire civilization wiped out in the third century A.D.. And even if there were no structural ruins, the pottery shards and tablets they were finding this far north made this an extraordinary find all on their own.

'And no pink harpy to steal it this time,' She smiled to herself when she noticed a silhouette coming toward her through the blowing snow.

"Ms. Crystal!" One of the younger workers yelled over the escalating wind. She turned around as the young man ran up into her tent, nearly tripping on the frozen ground. "We found it," he panted through clouded breaths. "We found the entrance to the catacombs." Crystal immediately put down the pottery shard she'd been examining and followed him across the dig site, past tents and trailers dusted white by the wind and snow.

"How deep was it?" she asked eagerly as the shapes of the other diggers and a much taller male silhouette came into view.

"Not as deep as we thought actually," the man in charge said excitedly. "The lintel was only seven feet beneath the surface, and not an ounce of permafrost in sight." Even draped in furs and warming layers, Shining Armor managed to strike a heroic figure among the diggers. Officially he was there as the dig's military attache in case a group of Gryfonistan soldiers came nosing around, but Crystal had done more than her share of maneuvering to make sure she finally had the chance to act on the crush she'd been nurturing for Shining since their highschool days.

"Look at the runes," she said sliding down into the pit dug before the entrance and running a gloved hand over the intricate carvings. "These look like they were carved yesterday."

"The ice has a way of preserving things," Shining said grimly, looking to the still mostly buried door. "It's getting late Crystal and the wind's only going to get worse. We should cover it best we can and hunker down for the night." Crystal was about to object when the ground began to shake and tremble, sending up panicked cries from the work camp as trailers shifted and tables danced in place. She practically could feel the artifacts falling and breaking.

"It's the Windigoes," An older digger shouted. "They're trying to bring down the mountains and bury us! I told you we should never have dug here, this whole valley is cursed!"

"Quiet!" Crystal yelled, loud enough to make the workers and Shining Armor jump. "We're on a fault line you bug-eye twits, why do you think these are the only major structures in the area?" She turned back to the door, where a good deal more dirt had shifted back into the chamber, enlarging the entrance.

"Logical explanations or not Crystal we need to get inside," Shining cautioned placing a hand on her shoulder, and Crystal felt the last warm blood in her veins rush to her cheeks, turning her dark grey skin red. "Come on, The ruins will keep till morning." Crystal looked at the unearthed door, then up at the snow choked sky and sighed.

"Alright," She relented, "Lets get it covered and get insiiAAAAHHH!!" Another shockwave sent the workers above stumbling, and a sled full of rubble back down into the pit. Crystal felt a pair of hands push her shoulder, and next she knew she was sliding down into a frozen void.

"I know what you're all thinking," Book Worm said as he paced in front of his Canterlot High classroom. "Spring Break: the veritable teaser trailer of all the freedom offered by Summer, and a much needed rest from your academic duties." None of the students liked where this was going. Book Worm was an older balding man with pale blue-purple skin, white hair and preferred yellow and white plaid sweater vests above all other clothing, the same color as his eyes. And he was also notorious for using homework as punishment.

"But," He frowned, hands held behind his back as he turned away from the class. "Seeing as a certain soccer captain saw more merit in reading her novel than the class material." All eyes immediately went to Rainbow Dash, a Daring Do hidden unsuccessfully behind her massive textbook. "I've decided the last part of your semester will be spent on a subject she can actually enjoy: a group project on the evolution of modern literature."

Sunset Shimmer saw her friend's faces fall one by one as they sunk down into their desks, their collective plans successfully monkey-wrenched. Sunset sighed and took her pencil back out; resigning herself to whatever horror Mr. Worm had prepared for them on Dash's account this time.

"I have with me four slips of paper, each with a different literary genre, so I want everyone to pair off in groups of Six. The sooner the better." Sunset reflexively grabbed her pencils and notebook and moved to the front left corner of the room, taking a seat between Applejack and Rarity as the fashionista set her own materials down, including her ever present sketchbook, while Pinkie Pie bounced into the seat right behind her, followed by Rainbow and Fluttershy. Applejack socked the soccer star in the arm as she walked past, just hard enough to let her know where the blame fell, but still earning her a glare from the cyan girl. Sunset shook her head and looked up just as Mr. Worm began walking a hat around the room, telling the students to draw slips to determine their topic. When he got to their group, his frown fell solely on Rainbow Dash.

"Ah yes the famous, or should I say infamous Rainbooms," he said flatly, pulling the last slip of paper out of the hat. For some reason he hesitated when he saw it, glancing between the girls and the slip before handing it to Pinkie. He thought better of it though, and gave the slip to Applejack, who took it with a look somewhere between confusion and 'why-me?'

"Historical Fantasy?" She asked as the teacher beamed.

"The blending of real world events with fantastical elements," he explained smiling proudly. "I find it best to start with Sir Ink Well's Le Morte d'Amore. Now," he raised his voice to address the rest of the class. "The project will include a seven page research paper on the evolution of your assigned genre, and a visual display to illustrate said paper. The display can be anything from a poster board to a diorama." He didn't even pause when he noticed Rarity's hand start to rise. "And yes Ms. Belle a dress will suffice as well." She quickly took her hand down, and Book Worm suppressed a smile into a smirk.

"Now just to show you lot I do indeed have a heart, the only thing I'll be asking you to turn in the day you return from spring break is your thesis and a very basic outline of your paper. Rough drafts will be submitted two weeks later, then your final drafts and displays the week after. Now, turn in your textbooks to page 304."

Their next classes sent them to opposite sides of the school, but the next period was lunch, where they were all subjected to Rainbow Dash's complaining.

"I can't believe Book Worm's making the whole class do a crappy project over Spring Break just cause he's peeved at me." Nobody said anything, and they kept on chewing their food as the prism headed girl ranted. "It's so unfair! I mean it's not my fault his class is boring. I'm not even doing that bad."

"Honey," Applejack smirked after swallowing another bite of her apple, "I don't know if I would call a C average good neither."

"A high C," Rainbow corrected proudly. "Besides Rarity spends more time sketching than taking notes and she doesn't get any grief for it."

"Because unlike you darling," The purple haired fashionista said with a bit more venom in her voice than usual, "I not only succeed in concealing my work, but making good grades as well."

"Touchy," Rainbow muttered diverting her eyes from the pale girl as concern spread over Flutershy's face.

"Rarity," the timid girl asked with characteristic concern, "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am perfectly fine," she said flatly, only to groan and put down her fork as she put a hand to her temple. "Well, perhaps slightly less than fine is more accurate. It's just a headache." Though she didn't fully believe her the yellow girl didn't press the issue, but a certain pink party machine did.

"You sure?" Pinkie Pie asked through a mouthful of brownie and vending machine candy. "My little toe was itching like crazy this morning, and it only does that when something BIG has changed. Or was that the warning for Mystery Meat Monday?"

"Pinkie it's Friday," Sunset sighed, " But now that you mention it Rarity I had a bit of a headache when I got up too. Didn't last very long though."

"aaaaaaaaachooo!!!" All six looked across the lunch room where a pale blue girl with white hair had just sneezed her lunch tray's contents all over the floor. They watched as her friend, a cream colored girl with blue and pink hair helped her steady herself.

"Hey," Applejack said as familiarity rose in her mind. "Ain't that Lyra an Bonbon?"

"Yesir-re-de-dee it is," Pinkie smiled, "I remember them from the christmas bake sale. Bonbon's toffee was incredible! And Lyra's really good on a guitar." As usual, Fluttershy was the first to notice how unstable Lyra was on her feet and how she was squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her jaw.

"Lyra has a headache too," she said quietly, but her friends heard well enough.

"Weird," Rainbow muttered, "some kind of bug going around maybe? Meh, probably nothing." She had just gone back to her burger when Pinkie Pie's posture went ramrod straight.

"Itchy Toe!" She cried, and Sunset barely caught a glimpse of a yellow glow flash over Lyra's eyes before ...

"aaaaCHOOOO!!"

KABOOM!

Every student in the cafeteria jumped a foot up and out of their seats when Lyra's sneeze was immediately followed by the salad bar exploding in a shower of lettuce and tiny tomatoes. Sunset and her friends stared with wide eyes at the sudden disaster area, while Pinkie Pie was busy cheering the demise of the rabbit food lineup.

"Okay," Rainbow sighed, "I sit corrected." Applejack looked at Sunset, where the red and yellow haired girl was staring not at the obliterated vegetable bar, but the pair of friends across the lunchroom.

"Sunset?" she asked nervously. "You okay honey? You look like you've gone an seen a ghost."

"I think I have," she gasped, then shook her daze off as the bell rang. As the six girls stood and delivered their trays to the trash can, Sunset began to turn what she had just seen over in her head. Her next class was science, chemistry to be exact. Fluttershy was three sets behind her and two rows across and taking notes the moment Mr. Periodical started talking. Instead of her notebook however, Sunset took out her journal.

Dear Princess Twilight,

Things are going well here at Canterlot High, though you might not hear the same opinion from Rainbow Dash. Our english teacher found out she's been sneak reading Daring Do's during class, so as punishment he's given us all a big project for the end of the semester. As if we didn't have enough on our plates with graduation. We're all working together though, so how bad could it really be?

On another note, have you noticed anything strange about the portal in Equestria? Nothing's happened to it here, I think, but something happened in the cafeteria today that's left me less than sure. One girl, Lyra I think Fluttershy called her, seems to have come down with a cold, but when she sneezed half the lunch line exploded. I can't be sure but I think I saw something change in her eyes just before it happened. Also, Rarity and I both woke up with headaches this morning, and Lyra appears to have one as well. I would like to say I have a theory as to what's going on, but I not as good a scholar as you are. I'll write you again if anything else happens, but for now, good bye and best of wishes.

Sincerely, your friend,

Sunset Shimmer.

Later that day after classes had ended they all met up in their usual rehearsal room to practice. As they started unpacking their instruments and Pinkie Pie inspected her drum set it was plain to everyone Rarity was still nursing her headache, but she wasn't the only one fighting off pain anymore.

"That settles it," Rainbow groaned, wincing as she turned her upper body and slipped her guitar strap over her head. "Rares, whatever you got is spreading. My shoulders are killing me, and I ain't so much a looked at the basketball court all day."

"Mine hurt too," Fluttershy squeaked, tamborine hanging loosely in her hand as she massaged her shoulder. Applejack just grunted through a series of aches that seemed to be leapfrogging from one part of her body to the next. If Pinkie Pie felt anything, she wasn't complaining about it. Sunset's headache had come back as well, but she doubted it was near as bad as what her friends were enduring.

"Maybe we should put a hold on practice," she suggested, "Make a stop by the nurses office." Their drummer just laughed.

"Pfffft, thats a good one Sunny," Pinkie giggled innocently, "Why would the nurse be here after school is over?" For once, and much to Sunset's embarrassment, Pinkie was right. "Besiiides," the party girl smiled, "a quick jam never hurt anyone, except the bread of course. And don't we always feel a whole lot better after a song?"

"Okay," Applejack cringed with a smile, " something is definitely wrong. Pinkie Pie making sense twice in a row? Pigs should be flying already." Rarity chuckled through her headache.

"Nevertheless," she admitted taking out her keytar, "she's right. We have always felt quite a bit better after a song." The other girls nodded and after a few minutes of warm up, and with a one two three from Pinkie they started playing Welcome to The Show, with Rainbow taking Twilight's lines while an improvised guitar riff from Sunset made up for DJ-Pon3's missing turntables. All six felt their aches and pains melt away like butter as they were replaced with the familiar tingle of equestrian magic manifesting itself. One by one their pony ears appeared and their hair grew into their pseudo tails. When they all raised their voices for the last lyrics, Sunset and Rarity's fingers became enveloped in sky blue and teal auras as the same glow spread to their eyes. When the final note sounded, none of the Rainbooms moved, just stood in place and savored the rush, until Rainbow Dash broke the silence wide open.

"That. Was. AWESOME!!" She cheered, backflipping through the air on her feathery wings. "Girls that has got to be the best we've ever done on that song!"

"Yeah," Applejack laughed in spite of herself, pony ears twitching happily under her hat. "Almost as good as when Twilight sang with us at the Battle of the Bands."

"Sunset darling," Rarity smiled at the guitarist, "Whenever did you come up with that rhythm?"

"Just kinda came to me I guess," she admitted rubbing her neck behind a veritable mane of hair. "I mean I've been working on a new song in my spare time but nothing like that." Fluttershy looked on in admiration as Rainbow zipped around the room, never having been one to pass up a chance to use the benefits of their magic.

"WOO-HOO!" she yelled ecstatically, banking around the room, "You KNOW it was a good song to make our transformations last this long!"

"Totally epic!" Pinkie Pie grinned from ear to pink pony ear. "At least 20% cooler than anything we did before!"

"Hey that's my line!" Everyone laughed at Rainbows indignant yell, even Fluttershy doubled over as she sides threatened to split.

"Oh-ho man," Applejack gasped as she brushed away joyful tears. "That was almost as funny as the time Granny Smith mixed up the peppers in the chili!" But before the other five could get the full story behind that particular comparison, their tambourine player noticed something.

"Uhhh, girls," Fluttershy said turning and looking at her yellow wings. "How long do these usually last again?" Sunset gave the timid girl a confused look, one that turned to concern when she noticed her pony ears were still present.

"Usually just a minute or two after we stop playing," she said hesitantly. One by one their faces fell as they looked at the clock, seconds turning into minutes. After twelve minutes, Rainbow Dash was still floating two feet off the ground.

"Houston," Pinkie Pie said holding her pony ear as if talking into a headset, "We have a mucho-grando-problemo."

Her first sensation was one of wet, sticky warmth and something not quite liquid trickling down into her face. Crystal slowly sat up, joints popping in protest and slivers of thick slime stringing between her and the floor. The next thing she noticed was the heat, and quickly stripped off her double layers of jackets and sweaters to expose her green tank top and blue vest. It was then she noticed the thick green film of goo covering her clothes.

"What in the world is this stuff?" she wondered out loud as was her habit. "And where the heck am I?" She looked up and around; smooth polished stone walls reached up and around her, while on the wall directly in front of her was a huge honeycomb like structure, each comb easily the size of a human child. Two of the combs near the bottom were cracked open from her impact, slick glowing slime oozing out onto the floor. She looked back behind her, and could barely make out a smooth round hole in the wall, her most likely point of entry. "I must've slid down here. Hang on," she gasped in realization. "That means I'm in the ruins! This is incredible!" Then she heard something move, and the sound drew her to the honeycombed wall.

From the two broken combs a pair of tiny insectoid creatures crawled, one standing atop the shattered remains of its comb while the other struggled to emerge rear end first before falling onto it's back and flailing its legs adorably. Each had a vaguely humanoid shape, with two sets of limb where it's arms and legs should be, along with a third smaller set between. Their bodies were jet black chitin, illuminated from within by a strange blue-green glow. Their bodies were segmented, but in a way that made them seem more human than bug, with a larger torso than thorax, and triangle shaped heads with big innocent blue eyes.

The Hatchling that had kept its footing locked it's compound gaze on Crystal like a laser and quickly skittered over to her. All her life, Crystal's two greatest passions had been archeology and bugs, and she'd never run from a spider or wasp. She knew the strange creature could be dangerous, but kept perfectly still as it crawled up her leg and onto her shoulder, sniffing all the way. It skittered along her chest and shoulders, tiny hairy legs tickling and making her giggle in spite of herself, before it came to rest in her hands. It nearly fell off the end of her arm before she turned her hands so as to cradle the tiny creature, clearly no more than an infant of it's species.

"Hey there," She cooed bringing it closer to her torso, cradling it. The tiny creature buzzed a pair of translucent blue wings on it's back happily as it recognized some scent, and shifted itself like a cat before giving a sharp squeaking cry and curling up in her arms. She was so mesmerized by the little creature that she almost didn't notice it's twin nuzzling her leg. "Aww you're just a little guy aren't you?" She smiled kneeling down and scooping it up beside it's twin.

"Impressive."

Crystal nearly jumped out of her own skin when a male voice reverberated through the cavern, seeming to come from every direction at once.

"W-who's there?" She asked, holding the tiny forms in her arms a little closer and cursing herself for ignoring Shining's advice about keeping up with her flashlight.

"Be at ease young one," He said, voice taking on a soothing but ancient tone, "I can do you no harm, nor to your those you currently protect." Crystal looked to the tiny insectoids, both now awake again and looking around anxiously. She felt something inside her shift, and found a resolve she didn't know she had.

"Who are you?" She asked, her voice taking on a hardness it had never known before. The air in the chamber grew chilled and the voice seemed to hesitate.

"... I ... am a shadow," He rumbled dejectedly. "A memory of what once was, and a monument to discarded dreams, and forgotten races. One of which you hold in your arms." Crystal looked to the tiny forms nestled at her chest, and found herself curious.

"What are they?" She asked.

"Changelings my dear," He rumbled in reply, "A race of shapeshifters who once roamed the world above. But the world changed. Like you they felt they no longer had a place in the world." Crystal tensed, accidentally squeezing the tiny hatchlings in her arms tight enough to make them chirp in protest.

"W-What are you talking about?" she asked nervously, but the formless being seemed to merely shake it's head.

"Simply because I am without eyes does not mean I am without sight. You have heart Crystal, one that still pours out love for the weak and neglected, even after so many years of betrayal and ridicule. And yet," The voice paused as the combs along the wall began to glow blue one after the other until, light washing out from the center like a ripple until Crystal saw the cavern and the nest extended far beyond what she thought was a tiny cavern. She was standing at the entrance to a massive underground chasm, a canyon with a river running through the bottom, and walls covered with hundreds of square feet of Changeling nests.

"You found this Crystal," He crooned in admiration. "You found the door that opened the rediscovery of a whole species. And this time," His voice smirked, "This time there's no one to steal it from you, or twist you out of the picture." Crystal's head was swimming, memories of her senior year of college flooding back in front of her eyes. She'd managed to translate a set of scroll fragments purportedly from ancient Gallopor, but Zoom Lense, the reporter covering the discovery from National Biologic, mistakenly gave the credit to her lab partner, a pimple faced nursing major with no business being on the front page of a world renowned magazine.

"Th-That was a mix up," she said with no small amount of hesitation. While the academic praise had all gone to her, the media ran with Zoom Lense's story for two weeks before anyone made a public correction.

"Was it?" The voice asked. "Did you not think it odd that the reporter's cousin shared not one but three classes with Her that semester? And really now, what kind of world is it where learned men and women are slave to the town gossips?"

"I trust my colleagues," She said defensively, but the voice just laughed.

"To do what?" It asked accusingly. "Hold you back? They are not worthy of a mind such as yours. They do not respect you; They envy you, and feel not but jealousy for your talents. Why, imagine what will happen once your newest discovery comes to light."

She had already begun too. She could see herself emerging from the catacombs, swarmed by reporters. But she could also see her colleagues, those that had helped in her research jockeying for media attention and commenting on her young age and inexperience in the field. They would twist her discovery into an intelligent klutz's fortunate accident, and redirect the spotlight squarely onto them and their decades of awards and experience. She might get two, three weeks in the public eye tops before they systematically discredited her completely. They would turn her into a laughing stock before they let her become a star.

"And what of them?" The voice asked with heartfelt concern, "What would become of them in your world?" Crystal looked down at the chittering forms in her arms, big blue eyes looking up at her; eyes full of innocent hope and devotion. She saw those same eyes panicked and afraid, locked behind bars and inside glass cages. Their limbs and wings, delicate and beautiful to her eyes, pried off and put in jars for study. And she saw entire combs being carted away by soldiers, among them a white skinned corporal with blue hair.

"NO!" She screamed, eyes flying to her face causing her to drop the changelings, who quickly set to flying and hovering in front of her. "N-No," she sobbed, falling to her knees and hugging her arms. Her moment of glory was a nightmare in the making, but just before she was about to break into a full on crying fit, one of the changelings flew up to her and landed on her shoulder where it perched like a bird.

"Changelings are a magnificently peculiar race Crystal," The voice smiled through the inky blackness. "Shape shifters you know: They can take on any form they wish, and their hive mind allows even the smallest of them to come together to form ever larger disguises. They feed as you do, but to sustain their magical abilities they need a little something," he paused as if looking for the right word. "... More." His choice did nothing to alleviate Crystals confusion or anxiety.

"D-define m-more," she stumbled. Another time, she could have sensed the smirk in his voice, but now the sound was like honey in her ears.

"Love my dear. To fuel their magic, Changelings must feed on love." An admiring quality entered his voice. "And there is no love greater than that of a mother for her children." Crystal saw a puff of smoke out of the corner of her eye, and when she looked at the changeling hatchling on her shoulder, there sat a beautiful black and blue bird.

"Look at these pods Crystal," the voice said as an eerie glow once again pulsed through the cavern. "Feel the life pulsing within them. Yearning, hungering. For five thousand years they have been sealed down here. Back then the world was afraid of them. People saw monsters, but you," he crooned. "You my dear see their true nature. They are children; children who have been locked away and forgotten while the world changed and shifted into a hostile place. For five thousand years I have watched as they waited for a kind soul who would see them as they are. Waiting for a leader to guide them back into to the world above. A queen."

"A Queen," Crystal breathed as the changeling on her shoulder shifted its bird like form into one closer to a raven.

"The Changeling hive is infinite my dear, and unlike humans their loyalty to their queen in unwavering." Even without eyes he could see the wheels and gears turning behind Crystal's eyes as a seed of ambition took root. Crystal saw reporters astonished by the Changeling's shapeshifting abilities, covers of science, history, even fashion magazines praising them. She saw army troops hesitating as a swarm of changelings morphed into enormous shapes, ready to defend themselves at her command.

'My command,' she realized as her eyebrows turned up at the ends, and her lips curled into a smirking, then manic grin.

"Where do I sign?" If she wasn't so eager, she might have noticed the venomous smirk in the bodiless voice.

"You may think me old fashioned, but I prefer a toast." Crystal turned at the sound of another Pod breaking open, its rounded end dropping to the cavern floor as it's former occupant shook itself free of slime. The green liquid slowly trickled down to fill the pod shard, taking on a haunting blue glow. "One drink," he smiled as Crystal picked up the impromptu bowl, "And you will have the power you need to chart a new brighter future; for them and you." She stared at her reflection in the glimmering slime, blue hair plastered to the side of her face and obscuring her left eye.

"Drink Crystal," he crooned again. "Claim your destiny. Together, you will all be conquerors." Her hair hid her face, but not the wild grin spreading across it, lips curling back to reveal pointed canines the flashed blue-white in the glowing concoctions light. She lifted the bowl to her lips and tilted the vessel back with her head, but she only managed to swallow one mouthful when the taste sent her gagging and choking.

She dropped the bowl, splattering its remaining contents across the floor as she fell to one knee, her body retching with all its might to try and expel what she had just drank. He head swam as her vision blurred and her throat dried up. Crystal shook her head, trying to ward off the dizziness, only for it to be replaced by a steadily growing cacophony of chants and cries.

"Wha- what's happening?" she groaned when a lance of pain shot through her, making her gasp and cry at the sudden agony. "What did you do to me?!"

"I did nothing," he sneered. "You have merely taken the next step toward your destiny." Crystal's heart raced as her hair began to fall away in matted clumps, and her eyes grew to the width of dinner plates when blue bruises began to spread over her arms and down her legs. But the worst was yet to come, and she screamed when a jagged piece of black chitin erupted from her arm. She welded her eyes shut as more and more of the black shell burst through her skin, but also from the splitting agony as the pain of a thousand voices jockeyed with the sensation of her teeth narrowing to feral points, her canines growing into fangs. The voice's owner watched in muted satisfaction as all throughout the cavern, changeling pods glowed and cracked, their occupants slipping out and joining the growing collective stirr of movement.

"Oh how rude of me," he apologized insincerely, "I never properly introduced myself. I am Grogar, of Tambleon, and it is a great pleasure to make your acquaintance, Queen Chrysalis."

As the rapidly mutating young woman's screams and the buzz of hatching Changelings filled the cavern, Grogar withdrew his spirit through the rock, back across continents and oceans, then up into the sky where the moon hung lazily in the heavens.

The Dark Lord drank in the darkness of the night, his ethereal wings holding him aloft. Though his body remained trapped on the world below, he had long ago broken the chains binding his spirit to his flesh. Now however, something had changed. He did not need a flesh form to feel the power flowing back into the world, the pure magical energies that were already saturating every corner of it. What had been a measly drip had turned into a torrent, and the timing could not have been more perfect. Grogar allowed himself a pleasant grin as he felt another wave of power wash over him, and spread his voice to where he knew it would be heard.

"The earth shudders my Brothers. The stars shift, and our time draws near once more. But so too do those who opposed us, and already I sense the seventh has begun it's approach. Time however has taught us many lessons, none greater than this: Our enemies draw their strength from their unity, unity we must shatter."

He turned his gaze down to the land below, a city thick with concrete and steel buildings, still almost utterly void of any magical potency. Except of course, for one little girl stumbling through the streets. She passed a pair of men, and it took more power than he liked to leak his influence into their minds. Soon though they were stalking after her like hyena's after injured prey. He drifted down toward the city and remembered something his old master had told him in his youth.

Even the strongest of metals can be broken with the tiniest of cracks.

Chapter 2: New Magic, New Questions.

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When half an hour had passed and none of the Rainbooms transformations had shown any signs of wearing off, a certain level of understandable panic started to set in among them, with two reactions in particular summing up the spectrum.

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash shouted to everyone and their grandmother as she barrel rolled a banked around the gymnasium. When it became clear her wings weren't going anywhere soon, it was all her friends could do to keep the prism headed girl from flying through a window and into the wild blue yonder. Thankfully the school was practically deserted, and the janitor either had his music up too loud, or just didn't care after the Battle of the Bands. Rainbow's friends however, a purple haired girl in particular, did not share her opinion.

"THIS IS HORRIBLE!" Rarity shrieked for what must have been the fifteenth time since they left the band room. "What am I going to tell my parents? What am I going to tell Sweetie Belle?! HOW IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO FIND HATS TO GO WITH ALL MY OUTFITS?!" She was well past hysterics, pulling on her hair and pony ears as her pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

"Rarity," Applejack said slowly, taking the white girl's arms and gently lowering them away from her destroyed coiffure. "Just calm down. Take a deep breath." She did so, inhaling deeply and holding it. "And let it out." She exhaled, seeming to deflate as she did so, falling back onto a bleacher, numb. Applejack sighed and took a seat beside her, pony ears flattening under her hat in concern. It had taken her fifteen minutes to find a comfortable position that let her stetson hat hide her equine ears. Sunset was across the gym, busy keeping Fluttershy below the point of hyperventilating, and Pinkie Pie was bouncing between them giving no indication whatsoever that anything had changed in the slightest.

"This is bad," Fluttershy squeaked, wings wrapped around her shoulders like a safety blanket. "This is really, really bad."

"I don't know," Pinkie Pie said casually, wiggling her pony ears. "I think this is better actually. I can hear mice scampering under the seats, and I can still smell Cherry Berry's perfume from gym class!"

"Pinkie," Applejack sighed, but not without a smile on her face. "I'm pretty sure that ain't perfume yer smell'n." She paused, looking at each of her friends in turn, but only when she looked at Sunset Shimmer did she see the same suspicion, and she asked the question on everyone else's, excluding Rainbow's of course, minds.

"Sunset," Applejack asked tiredly. "You written Twilight yet?"

"Yeah," she sighed, knowing the message she had sent the Princess of Friendship was more along the lines of a text than a letter, but time hadn't been their luxury at the moment.

Dear Twilight,

Something else happened. We played through Welcome to the Show, and are now stuck in our pony forms. Help?

Sunset Shimmer.

"Hopefully she can find something to help us," Sunset said with a tone of resignation, gently massaging the spot between Fluttershy's wings, something she remembered seeing pegasus mothers do to calm their fillies down. "But until then we need to handle this ourselves. That means getting home without getting noticed."

"Aww," Rainbow groaned, "Where's the fun in that?" Applejack bit her tongue, having had just about enough of her cyan friend's refusal to see any downside in her wings.

"Dash this is serious," she said as calmly as she could manage. "Don't you remember all the trouble Principal Luna went through keep'n the cops away from the school after the Fall Formal? Or make'n sure Sunset wasn't arrested fer that matter?"

The red and yellow headed girl couldn't help but look away at the memory of her she-demon episode, but it had been Vice Principal Luna's willingness to forgive and even protect her that had really started her down the path to forgiving herself.

"What do ya think's gonna happen when someone posts a picture of you flying around main street on the web and some government varmits see it?"

"They'll try to catch us of course," she said casually, flying up and laying down in the scoreboard suspended from the gym's ceiling. "Don't worry girls, I'll protect you."

"Dangit Dash this ain't a joke!" the farm girl yelled, startling everyone except the rainbow haired girl lounging above their heads. "Now git down from der fore I come and git ya!" They all knew how Applejack's accent tended to get thicker with her temper, but they'd never outright made fun of her for it until now.

"Then come and git me Ground Pounder," Rainbow laughed, imitating Applejack's accent poorly. Rarity's head snapped left to look at her friend, as did Fluttershy, Pinkie’s and Sunset's, all to the orange girl slowly clenching her fists tighter as her eyes narrowed.

"What did you call me?" She asked through gritted teeth, as Rarity made the wise decision to move to the other side of the gym with the others. Rainbow rolled onto her side, one arm supporting her head as the other hung lazily over the side of the scorebox.

"Ground Pounder," she smirked innocently, "You know, landlocked, earth bound, flightless. Don't get me wrong, the ears and the hair look great on ya, but wings just make the look." Thankfully the wings came with enhanced reflexes, because the only warning Rainbow had was a feral roar and a split second sound of rending metal before a three foot section of the bleachers handrail impaled itself two feet from where her head had been.

"HOLY McCARTHY!" Rainbow yelled falling back off the score box and tumbling through the air before landing on a pile of exercise mats. "I know you been working out but dang girl!" Applejack barely heard any of it, just stood staring back and forth between where the handrail had been, and where it now hung stuck in the ceiling.

"How in sam hill did I?" she breathed, realizing she wasn't even out of breath, when Pinkie Pie came bounding up into her face.

"OooH! Do it again! Crush something else! Wait, are you gonna go Hulk? Please don't go Hulk, that would be bad. Not mention it was Fluttershy who did the whole rage strength thing in seaso."

"PINKIE!!" Sunset yelled, running up to her. "I think she gets it." The party machine looked at her friend, now several shades of orange paler than normal, and Pinkiepie's hair lost some of it's poof.

"Dang," Rainbow gasped looking at the handrail in the ceiling, then back at her wings. "Just what did that song do to us?" Applejack looked at her hands, her mind slowly registering a flurry of new sensations.

"AJ," Fluttershy asked from across the room, before the farm girl gave a nervous laugh.

"I'm, fine Shy," she said, flexing her arms and rolling her shoulders a little. "Matter ah fact, I feel better than a cow at a chicken dinner!" She looks around, before her eyes settled on the bleachers themselves, which folded out from the gym wall. She crouched down, placing both hand on the bottom bleacher and pushed, forcing the seat underneath the one above it while the inner mechanics groaned in protest. She kept pushing, until the whole bank had folded up under itself and into the wall. Applejack was only panting slightly, and by now Rarity and Fluttershy had joined Sunset and Pinkie in the middle of the gym.

"Oh my," both gasped, while Sunset and Rainbow gawked silently, and Pinkie bounced in excitement.

"OH Oh! I wanna try!" She said, running across the gym and trying to pull one of the handrails off the other rows of bleachers, without much success. "Hmm, Oh! How about those?" She sprinted over to a set of weights, and tried to lift one as big as her torso of the ground, but only managed to turn her face a deeper shade of pink. "Hm, No," she sighed putting down the barbell, then looked up and pointed. "What about that?" Her friends followed her finger up toward the scorebox where Rainbow had been lounging, and Rarity managed a laugh.

"Pinkie darling, I don't think you can lift something already hanging from the ceiling."

"You sure?" Pinkie Pies voice asked not from behind, but above them. Sunset spun around to look at where Pinkie Pie had been, then up to where the pink girl was now waving at them from on top of the scorebox. "Cause I saw this one guy lift a car floating in mid air once. Course he was a traveling magician." Her friends, though used to Pinkie's usual randomness, were still surprised. Oddly only Fluttershy managed to actually say anything.

"Pinkie Pie, I don't think now is a very good time for your umm, you know."

"My umm what?" The party girl asked innocently from her perch. "You girls have never complain about my gags before, on or off screen. Course I did see one of those Anime veins appear on Sunset's head once, but that was back when she was still a she-demon, just not raging yet."

"Pinkie dear," Rarity called tiredly, "We know you mean well, but I would appreciate if you tone down your antics for a short time."

"Why? It's not like I'm doing anything weird," she shrugged. "Well, except for having pony ears. And being a half pony. Oh and this." Without warning Pinkie Pie vanished in a flash of bright red light, then reappeared in another flash right in front of her friends, and giving all five heart attacks.

"Jesus Pinkie warn a gal will ya?" Applejack snapped, already re adjusting her hat after the jump scare caused her pony ears to pop it off. Sunset stared at their bubbly friend, and whether it was the shock of her sudden appearance or just a build up from what had happened to them today, she managed to override a reflex she had trained into herself.

"How?" Sunset asked, only for Pinkie Pie to shrug.

"Magic I guess. Isn't that what these things are usually explained to us as?" Sunset's mouth hung open for a moment, before she realized that really was the best explanation they had at the moment.

"Okay," she sighed, "Sit-rep. Not only will our pony-forms not go away like normal, now it looks like our magic is showing itself in other ways." Rarity looked down at herself, hand nervously running through her carefully styled but now ruined hair.

"What kind of, other ways darling?" she asked.

"Well," Applejack said finally fitting her hat back over her new ears. "From what I can gather, Pinkie's got some kinda flashy teleport'n ability, and I got super strength. You know, if this is our magic showing itself, maybe we all got some crazy new powers."

"Yeah," Dash smiled drinking in the idea. "Hey, if we really did get super powers from that song, imagine what'll happen when we play another one."

"Lets not," Fluttershy squeaked, "and say we didn't. I just want to get home without my wings being seen."

"Fluttershy's right," Sunset said firmly. "Magic powers or not we still need to figure this out. Hopefully Twilight will have an idea on how to fix this, so until she writes back I think we should all."

"All what?" Rainbow asked, flying up in front of Sunset, tone and expression both accusing. "Hide in our rooms and tell our parents we're too sick to move until Princess Twilight returns our call? Do none of you see what is happening? How come all this awesomeness is happening to us, and this time all you see is crap about to hit the." Without warning the gym doors swung open behind her and the outline of a tall woman appeared on the far wall.

"Fan," she finished, swallowing hard as she turned to face the shadow's owner with her fellow rainbooms, ears flattened against their rainbow hair, two with wings folded sheepishly behind their shoulders. To say vice principal Luna looked unamused would have been far too generous, even for Rarity.

"The term you're looking for Ms. Dash," she said flatly, "Is spirit talent. And if each of you wish to venture out in public without ridiculous hats or long coats again, you'll meet me in my office. Now."

Manehattan was known as the city that never sleeps by countless people around the world.

'They're wrong,' she thought as she passed another closed store front, entrance barred with a drop down gate to keep thieves out. Though her age was obvious to any onlooker, she was also unquestionably beautiful despite her mess of dark blue hair, streaked through with bands of Pink and purple pulled up in a pony tail. Her eyes shone with a subtle combination of dissecting curiosity and admirable innocence behind her thick rim glasses.

Twilight Sparkle knew this part of town had its fair share of gangs and thugs to worry about, but this was the only neighborhood where rent was low enough that she could afford to run her own lab. Okay so maybe lab was too generous, but at least it was a place with cheap electricity and plenty of indoor space for her experiments. And most importantly, it was far enough away from campus that she didn't have to worry about those idiots from the University looking over her shoulder.

Twilight briefly thought back to the path that had lead her to where she was now. Two years ago she had graduated from the Crystal Academy ahead of her class and after accepting a number of generous scholarships had moved from Canterlot to Manehattan University. She was nervous about leaving home for the first time, but her parents had never been anything less than supportive of her dreams and goals. Her older brother, Shining Armor, and his girlfriend Cadance helped her get through the first weeks of living on her own and learning to take care of the puppy her aunt had given her. Shining of course had to ship out a few weeks later, some archeology dig up near the arctic circle, but Cadance still dropped in to say hi when she could take off from her job as Manehattan's premier up and coming matchmaker.

Her old babysitter had become as much a big sister as Twilight could ever ask for, and words could not describe how much she'd helped during Shining's first deployment. Twilight thought about how Cadance and Shining's relationship had grown over the years, from friends by circumstance to boyfriend-girlfriend for four years and counting. She was still wondering when Shining was going to pop the question when she heard something scrape the sidewalk behind her.

That something, she saw glancing back quickly, was the steel toe boots of one of the two men walking behind her. She turned back and kept walking, hand reflexively drifting down toward her purse and the can of pepper spray she kept handy. Just to see if they really were following her, she crossed the street at the next intersection, walked down the block a little ways, then crossed back over. They never once left her trail.

Now Twilight's heart was creeping up her throat, and in her panic she decided to try and lose them by running down an alley and out the other side before they saw where she'd gone. Twilight had never been a fan of horror movies growing up, otherwise she would have known just how bad an idea her plan was.

She bolted for the first alley she saw, sprinting between two brick buildings, nearly tripping over a sack of trash and a half full metal trashcan next to a recycle bin, before she skidded to a clumsy stop. In front of her was a ten foot wall of chainlink fencing, and behind her Twilight realized, were her two pursuers.

"St-stay back," She warned, grabbing her pepper spray and raising it with shaking hands. "Don't come any closer!" If the men heard her they didn't show it, and started walking down the alley, their shoulders shifting and a slight sway in their walk. Twilight had seen enough nature documentaries to know the look of a predator circling its prey, and she took a step back when the man on the left, a tall, thin, but well muscled man with dark red skin and highlighter green hair picked up a rusted pipe and started twirling it like a police baton.

"Nowheres te run kid," He sneered, voice heavily accented Manehattan, as his much wider and broader partner chuckled in a deep voice. He was a shade of light blue and had a shaved head sporting a square jaw and crooked teeth that jutted out from his upper lip like tusks.

"Nowhere to hide neither," He laughed, cracking his knuckles in macho display, clearly the brawn of the pair.

"Name's Acid Trip," The red man smiled venomously, "And my friend here is Kick Start." The blue man punched his fist into his open palm.

"And you're coming with us," he chuckled walking closer and closer. "So don't do anything stupid, like scream or nothing." The moment Kick Start was within range Twilight sprayed him right in the eyes. Kick Start yelped and cursed as the burning consumed his senses, but to Twilight's shock he barely stumbled back before shaking his head and looking her dead in the eye.

"That wasn't very nice you know," He snarled through clenched teeth and squinted eyes, clearly more angry than hurt. Before she could squeeze off another spray a hard left handed slap knocked the bottle from her hand, while the other punched her in the gut, winding and doubling her over.

"Careful Kick," Acid Trip scolded walking up, "Remember these little girls break easy." He closed in on Twilight and raised his pipe to hit her, but the purple girl kicked her leg out and up into his crotch. "Herk!" He gasped through clamped teeth as he dropped the pipe and both hands went to cradle his gentlemen's region. KIck Start's had shot to her throat, locking around it like a vice and starting to squeeze. Twilight kicked at scratched at him, but his grip only tightened. Just as her vision began to blur from oxygen loose, something inside Twilight Sparkle snapped.

"Get," she snarled, hands clenched into fists.

"Away." The trash cans sitting nearby began to rattle, their contents within dancing like baking popcorn.

"From ME!." A deep pink, almost red aura enveloped her hands and flashed over her eyes, and before either Acid Trip or Kick Start knew it, a wall of the same color energy exploded out from their would be victim, catapulting both criminals back and out of the alley like cannon balls.

Twilight fell to her knees, panting and gasping as she tried to reintroduce her lungs to air. Before she could even begin to make sense of what had just happened, she heard the groaning curses and swears of her attackers getting back up, then the sudden rending of metal wire as the fence behind her was ripped up the middle like wet cardboard and a man's voice shouted at her.

"Fly, quickly!" Twilight took off through the new escape route, and she didn't stop running until her apartment came into sight. She bounded past the doorman, down the stairs and locked the door to her basement accommodations behind her. She leaned back against the door and slid down to the floor, gasping and panting as her mind reeled.

Just ten minutes ago her world had made perfect logical sense. Now she was struggling just to remember what she had been thinking when she did whatever she had done to those two crooks. Unfortunately, her world wasn't finished being strange.

"Well that could have gone worse," the male voice from the alley said, making Twilight jolt up, turn around and back away from the door.

"Wh-who are you?" she asked, fear welling up inside her. Grogar could practically smell the terror she was feeling, and put on one of his more fatherly performances.

"I believe a more pertinent question at the moment is not who, but what." Twilight felt a rush of cold air slip over her shoulders, and she turned around just in time to see the faint outline of a tall broad shouldered man standing before her, but like fog in sunlight he vanished as quickly as he appeared.

"I am a Nagzul, a wraith," he explained to a wide eyed Twilight. "Many centuries ago, my soul was condemned to a formless existence wandering the living realm." He was expecting a flurry of questions, but instead the purple girl glared at him and crossed her arms.

"Okay where's the camera?" She asked flatly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I bet you think you're so clever," she deadpanned. "Scaring a girl half to death, then make her think she's in the middle of some fairy-tale with ghosts and magic. Puh-lease, there's no such thing as magic." Grogar realized he should have recognized a scholar of logic, but he suppressed an invisible manic grin when he realized the knowledge of magic had indeed been forgotten to the commoners.

"Is that so," He asked challengingly. "Very well, then if you would be so kind as to explain my presence here."

"Simple," Twilight smirked. "You're not. You're just a recording playing from a speaker someone hid in my lab along with a holographic projector to make your fancy ghost-phantom image."

"Wraith my dear," he corrected cooly. "And I assure you, I am no illusion. Nor were those ruffians who attacked you part of a deception. Though I do fail to see what you needed my help for."

"Of course they were part of the tri, wait," Twilight stopped catching his last words. "Your help?"

"You summoned me my Dear," Grogar lied matter-of-factly. "Quite impressive actually. I've only known a handful of mages capable of even talking with a spirit, much less summoning one." To her credit, Twilight only looked surprised for a moment before shaking her head and gathering her wits.

"Yeah right," she scoffed, "Lemme guess, you're an ancient spirit come to help me, and I'm a magical fairy princess from another dimension. Get real."

"I can't," He flatlined. "Non-corporeal phantom remember?"

"Will you drop the act already!" She finally shouted, yanking at her hair and pulling more than a few strands free of her pony tail. "I know it's a trick, so just give it up!"

"Bark, bark!" Both the girl and wraith's attention was diverted to a small purple and green dog running up to them, yapping angrily as he rushed to his master.

"Spike!" Twilight cried, kneeling down to scoop up the little pup as he ran into her arms as was his habit. He switched from guard dog to puppy in an instant, licking her on the face as she giggled at the coldness of his tongue.

"What a charming little dog," Grogar said without much feeling, truly detesting such animals for their ability to sense him no matter what his disguise. In fact the moment he spoke Spike turned around in Twilight's arms and his lips curled back as a snarl built behind his teeth.

"Spike what's wrong?" She asked, "There's nothing ther ..." Twilight's brain skipped like a record when she remembered dogs never bark at nothing. Grogar couldn't resist a smile.

"All a trick is it?" he said slyly, before he became very serious. "Whether you believe my words or not you did summon me, and that was a self defense spell you cast on those hooligans, so I suggest you start believing in fairy tales my dear. You're in one."

Pain. Unrelenting, agonizing pain. That was all that greeted Chrysalis when she awoke. Memories of her fall into the catacombs and her deal with ... Grogar had he called himself? returned to the front of her mind, along with pure dread of what had happened to her body.

"Oh God," she whimpered through the pain as she sat up and looked down at herself. Gone was her charcoal skin and blue hair, replaced with jet black chitin covering her like armor. Long locks of stringy, sticky hair fell about her face, all the way down to the small of her back, feeling like spider's webbing when it brushed her cheeks. A deep breath made her realize her mouth had changed too, her lower jaw considerably more flexibly, and a quick prod of her tongue revealed all her teeth had become pointed and needle like, with her canines transformed into vampiric fangs.

She held her head as her senses swam, feeling a large mass of chitin bulging out above her brow into three razor sharp ridges that not only held her webbing hair out of her eyes, but gave the impression of a twisted crown. She looked down at her arms, their shape still mostly human save for her hands, which now sported three long spindly fingers between two only slightly thicker thumbs, each digit topped with a hooked talon like claw. The black shell covering her torso was womanly and alluring, sparing none of the curves she had prided herself on as a human, with her bosom and waist covered by an extra layer of vibrant azure chitin. She leaned forward, whimpering and cradling her head as a steadily rising cacophony of voices rose inside her skull, threatening to drive her mad, until she felt a hard but warm hand on her shoulder, and the voices dropped in volume.

"Well, well," a scratchy male voice mocked from somewhere behind her. "This is the new Queen of the Changelings?" Chrysalis rose to her feet, now a pair of avian claws connected to long digitigrade, cat like legs. "Funny," he scoffed. "Usually they come out looked like a banshee's arse. This one's too pretty." Chrysalis felt a new set of lids fall over her eyes, illuminating the dark cavern like infrared goggles, before clearing to something resembling normal vision.

Before her were two creatures, neither in any way human, but both clearly male. One was thin and willowy, branch like limbs dangling from his twisted grey hunchbacked body, which caused his snake like head to jut forward. His red eyes only added to the fearsomeness of his appearance, slanting back along and up his skull like knife marks more than true organs. His body seemed to be shifting all the time, as if blowing in a nonexistent breeze, like he was made of smoke.

"Careful Shadowfright," the deeper male voice of the being beside him warned. "Don't forget when you wake one changeling, you wake them all." Shadowfright shot a glare at his compatriot, eyes narrowing and glowing blood red before turning back to Chrysalis, but she was less worried about the ghost like creature, and more about his titanic friend.

"Of course Tirek," Shadowfright hissed sarcastically at the larger being, "As always your council carries the gravest of weights."

Tirek was a behemoth in every sense of the word: Seven feet of dull, rusted, impenetrable black and red armor towered over every other being in the caverns. Titanic shoulder pauldrons widened his already massive upper body, fitted over a chestplate made to resemble that of a hugely over muscled man, with a horned helm atop his head sporting a visor that completely hid his face. His lower body was no less large, stomach protected by a dozen belts of solid metal, thighs covered by a skirt of linked plating, and heavy metal boots that came to his knees.

"Ignore the phantom your highness," Tirek groaned tiredly, "He has never had a concept of propriety amongst royals, even when he did have a body of his own."

"Look who's talking," Shadowfright sneered at the wall of walking metal. Tirek snarled and lunged for him, only for Shadowfright to faze through his armored gloves like smoke, floating as a cloud through the cavern before reforming behind Chrysalis. "And there are benefits to not having a body." Tirek's only response was a bull like snort before turning back to Chrysalis.

"As I said, ignore the shade. I am Lord Tirek," he said bowing despite his bulk, "faithful sworn-sword servant of Emperor Grogar." Chrysalis barely had time to return the courtesy with a small curtsey before Shadowfright's contempt flooded the cavern.

"You'll have to forgive him," he sighed with an eye-roll. "His people were always overly formal, and the royals were the worst. You can call me Shadowfright, personal liaison between the allies of Emperor Grogar and the forces of Nightmare."

"I am," Chrysalis stumbled for a short moment before remembering Grogar's words. "Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings."

"Finally!" Shadowfright yelled in relief, "A queen that doesn't waste time on imagined titles. I knew our master would find a loyal ally in you."

"Where is he?" Chrysalis asked, not forgetting the shade's words as many more changelings began to gather around their queen. Their chattering and buzzing drew the attention of Tirek, but Shadowfright seemed to be ignoring them outright.

"Our Lord," Tirek explained, shifting uncomfortably as the number of changelings around them steadily increased, "Has left for distant lands in search of new allies."

"Yesss," Shadowfright hissed, "There's an old saying I'm sure you know: The more the merrier when it comes to blows." His rhyme descended into a fit of giggles, and Chrysalis wondered if the shades body wasn't the only thing not all there.

"Lord Grogar has commanded us to offer our assistance to you your Highness," Tirek continued over his compatriots high pitched laughter. "A newly revived hive such as yours must feed soon, and in great amounts."

"And that's the problem with your world," Shadowfright whined, mood flipping like a coin on a see-saw. "Humans these days are nothing but war, hatred, and bigotry, with occasional bouts of genocide. Not exactly prime feeding ground for a race that feeds off positive emotions."

"Leave that," Chrysalis snapped, before her mouth parts curled back in a wicked smile of dripping fangs and pointed teeth, "to me." She put her back to her new allies, turning to the gathered mass of chittering, hissing Changelings. The voices had been growing in her head again, but no instead of a harsh racket or pleading shouts and cries, they were speaking together, waiting, and asking for orders.

"Sisters," She cried, pale green eyes flashing a brilliant shade of blue as those of the Changelings did the same. "Brothers. My children. Too long you've been imprisoned down here. Too long you've waited for a Queen to lead you back to the world that shunned you. Too long you've been starved of the nourishment you need." The buzzing intensified into a roar as thousands upon thousands of pairs of changeling wings beat together as their owners crouched lower and lower to the ground, fangs and claws bared in wild anticipation. And Chrysalis was drinking in every ounce of the pure admiration welling up from them as she turned to Shadowfright.

"I'm afraid I may have shut the door on my way in," she sneered. "Would you mind opening it?" Even without a mouth, the Nightmare Shade was grinning from ear to ear.

"It would be my supreme pleasure, Your Highness."

"My fellow Changelings," She cried turning once more to the hive, before unfurling her own translucent blue tattered insect wings. "LETS FLY!" Shadowfright's body collapsed into a cloud of inky mist, flying through the caverns, up through ancient catacombs, until he found the collapsed entrance that had allowed the new queen entrance.

The first thing the diggers heard was a massive explosion, like the earth itself had been torn open. They scrambled as a geyser of snow, ice and rock erupted from the tundra, and looked up in terror as a grey cloud of smoke seeped up from the crater. Shining Armor rushed outside his tent, just in time to see the mist replaced with a flood of screeching black bodies flying up into the sky like locusts. His enduring memory however, would be the single female form hovering among them, glowing eyes drunk on the power and panic incited by her swarm.

Chapter 3: Ancient Truths

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Besides teaching grades 2nd through 5th at Canterlot Elementary on the ground floor of the highschool building, Cheerilee also headed the Parent Teachers association, along with the local Girls Scouts of Amareica chapter. With today being the last day of school before spring break, she thought it would be a perfect time to get all her scouts together for some nature lessons. Everfree Park, infamous though it was in local legend, was the perfect place for a short hike, some leaf collecting and pressing, an all around educational quiet afternoon.

Unfortunately, she had once again figured without including three preteen girls determined to outdo all the other scouts in merit badges, and she certainly hadn’t planned on them wandering off from the main group.

“Scootaloo,” Sweetie Belle called even as her friends wandered deeper into the park. “Shouldn’t we get back to the others? We didn’t even tell Ms. Cheerilee where we were going.”

“Of course we didn’t tell her,” The groups orange purple haired tomboy scoffed. “If we had told her she’d have said no.”

“Where are we going anyway?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“We’re going to the, uhh,” Scootaloo stopped for a moment then yelled up the trail ahead of them. “Hey Applebloom where are we going?” The farm girl was so far ahead of them, her friends could barely see her bright pink bow bobbing up the trail.

“Remember when Applejack had her friends sleep over last week? Well, Pinkie Pie told me all about this huuuuuge mine her family used to run, till they closed it down and gave it to the city and they turned it into a lake. And according to this map,” She said pulling a brochure she had picked up during their tour of the ranger’s office out of her back pocket. “We should be able to get there if we follow this trail.”

“And we’re going there why?”

“To get our naturalist badges of course,” Scootaloo said, now practically skipping up the path. “Just think of the look on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon’s faces when we show Ms. Cheerilee all the samples and stuff we’re going to get from the lake!”

“An if we’re lucky,” Applebloom grinned excitedly, “We’ll catch a frog or salamander to take back too!”

The three friends continued up the trail until they emerged on the overgrown banks of the lake that had once been a massive strip-mine. It had been bare rock when the miners left, but now so many trees and plants had grown up around the edge you’d have never known it was ever anything but a lake. But appearances could be deceiving, and it was only when the sun caught the water’s surface right the lakes sheer depth became apparent.

“Come on!” Applebloom yelled, rushing down the slope toward the lakes rocky banks, Scootaloo right behind her. Sweetie Belle however stopped when a cold tickling wind brushed the back of her neck, and she looked back along the trail as something darted into the trees.

“Sweetie Belle come on!” Scootaloo cried, already scouring the shore for a hapless amphibian.

“But I thought I,” She started before remembering the sooner they got something to bring back to Ms. Cheerilee the sooner they could leave. “Coming.” She scrambled down the slope, reaching the bottom just as a form made of smoke slithered out of the trees.

‘Too close,’ Shadowfright hissed to himself, slithering through the air to peek over the bank at the trio. He hadn’t planned on an audience, but he was more than close enough for the job Tirek had in mind. He weaved himself through the underbrush, down into one of the tiny streams that fed the lake, and quickly vanished into the murky depths.

Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo continued searching for leaves and little animals to bring back, not noticing the bubbles slowly rising to the surface of the lake.

The last thing any of the Rainbooms had expected was for Vice-Principal Luna to walk in on them in the gym, but it quickly took second place.

"Ma'am," The ever polite Rarity asked as they followed the older woman down the halls toward the main offices.

"Patience Ms. Belle," She said for what felt like the hundredth time. "There are facts you must know that I'd rather not have to repeat." The six transformed girls exchanged concerned looks, none of them completely certain what the vice principal could have in store for them. When they arrived at her office, tucked behind her sister's and partly hidden behind a fake potted tree. Luna silently reached into her blouse and pulled out a necklace, from the end of which hung a plain silver key, the kind you would expect to use in a castle dungeon.

Sunset shimmer knew from memorized images of the schools floor plan Luna's office wasn't much bigger than a supply closet, or an interrogation room for that matter as Rainbow Dashs's memory served, but when she unlocked the door and opened it for them, that was not the case at all.

The room was comfortable and spacious, easily larger than the school's main atrium, with thick rugs on wood floors, and two sets of brass stairs leading to a second floor and wood brass railings that ran around the room's upper rim. At the opposite end of the room was a large stone fireplace, surrounded by plush velvet and leather chairs, around which were piles upon piles of books.

"Make yourselves comfortable," Luna said shrugging off her jacket and hanging it on a tall carved wood coat rack. "I'll be back shorty with the others." It took her leaving up the stairs and into the labyrinth of book shelves to snap the girls out of their shock.

"This," Rarity gasped looking around at the room, "This isn't possible." her prism headed friend gave her a flat look.

"UH, Rares, you grew hair down to your knees in probably five second flat, and you got pony ears sticking out of your head. This, is the impossible thing?"

"... Fair point." Fluttershy quietly made her way to the fireplace, wings still held tight around her shoulders, and Rainbow quickly joined her in hopes of soothing her best friend's anxiety.

"Dad-gum" Applejack remarked, looking around and whistling at the size of the room. "Who knew Ms. Luna was hiding all this in here huh?" Sunset's head was still whipping around, looking left, right, up and sideways for any sign of an illusion.

"But, this can't be real," she said, rushing back out the door and feeling along the wall to where it met a window not two feet from the frame. "It's, it's."

"Bigger on the inside?" The Rainbooms looked up to the second floor, where Canterlot High's most recommended physics teachers stood smiling at them. "In a way it is," he said happily, making his way to the stairs, "and in others it's exactly what you think it is Sunset; an illusion. Just not the kind you're thinking."

"Time Turner," Luna said emerging from the book cases on the second floor. "I hope you're not showing off in front of the students again. I'm not sure the school can handle another incident like that one with the painting."

"I said I was sorry," the nougat brown man sighed. "Not my fault the Baalek landed in the tennis courts."

"Anyway," Luna spoke up, "I think it's time we explain everything to our guests hm?" she gave a quick nod toward the girls, which earned an understand 'oh' from Time Turner.

"All right then," he said, british accent thick and cheery. "to really explain this we're gonna have to set the clocks back about." But Applejack's patience was wearing thin after a long day of surprise assignments, anthro transformations and super powers.

"Doc," Applejack groaned, using the shortened version of the name he asked all his students to call him. "If ya'll don't mind, could we just get the short and simple version?" Time Turner looked to Luna, who merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Fine. The six of you are magical elemental warriors destined to defeat an ancient evil bent on destroying all life as we know it and plunging two worlds into a never ending age of darkness and death."

Nobody said anything until Pinkie Pie's jaw literally hit the floor, after which she made a cranking motion beside her head to roll it back up again.

"Long version please?" she asked, fishing a note pad and pencil out of her hair. Time Turner smiled a victory smile and snappped his fingers toward the chairs by the fire. Once all six girls had taken a seat, except Rainbow Dash who perched herself on top of one of the taller chairs, Luna let out a deep breath.

"It began long ago," she started looking into the fireplace where a pile of embers still smoldered. "Long before the founding of our country, or any of the ones on today's map. A time academics have either written off as lost or clouded in myth." Sunset had her journal her journal out and started taking notes, hoping this was information Twilight and the other princesses back in Equestria could use.

"Funny thing about myths," Time Turner remarked, "Sometimes they're true. In those days, roughly of let’s say one, one and a half thousand years ago, much of what you know as the United States of Amareica was ruled over by two kingdoms; Gallopor, and Hayrule. Now keep in mind the world was a much different place back then, not nearly as dreary as it is now. Back then it was just as magical as your red and yellow haired friend’s native land." Fluttershy squeaked with a start and the others all sat a little straighter, none more so than Sunset who felt her heart had just skipped three beats.

"How do you know that?" The teacher cracked a cheeky grin, eyes twinkling with mischief as he took something out of his long overcoat; a silver pen like device with a blue jewel on the tip.

"You don't think you're the only one with a way between the worlds do you?" He smiled, as Luna huffed to get them back on track.

"When Earth was still filled with magic, Gallopor and Hayrule thrived on generations of mages and champions. Until one day, something came through the portal from Equestria, and with him a nearly unstoppable army."

"His name," Time Turner grunted fishing a thick dusty door out of a stack near the fireplace and placing it before the girls, "was Grogar, The Fallen One." The picture was heavily simplified but no less frightening, displaying a demonic dark blue figure with the torso of a man, the wings of a dragon, the legs of an eagle, and the head of a demonic ram. His horns were black, as was his armor, nearly as dark as the shapeless mass of dead bodies at his feet. It was the horns curving out from his head however that stirred Sunset's memory.

"He was from Tambelon," she said, drawing the attention of her friends and the teacher. "When I was a student in Equestria, at Princess Celestia's School, we had to learn all about the ancient empires of Equis. One of them was the Ramulan Empire of Tambelon, but I've never heard of any ram named Grogar."

"Not surprising," Time Turner sighed. "Groh'gar literally means Fallen One in Tambelin. It's what he called himself after a particularly nasty spell erased all memories and records of his real name from reality."

"Grogar wanted to control our whole world and it’s magic," Luna continued, "And he brought an army of equestrian war beasts and enslaved warriors with him for just that purpose. He conquered every kingdom he could find until only Gallopor and Hayrule remained. Together the two kingdoms greatest mages and sorcerers created six weapons they could use to defeat Grogar, each formed from concentrated elemental magic." Time Turner flipped through the book until the pages showed a stained glass like image of six crystals in a circle, each shaped and colored like the element it represented. There was fire, water, earth, wind, ice, and a sixth shaped like a leaf, which reminded Sunset of the tomes some Unicorns used to teach nature spells back in Equestria.

"These were the Elements of Unity, and when wielded by six chosen champions, gave them the edge needed to stop Grogar. Stop," she sighed as her shoulders sagged. "But not defeat."

"The stories get a little hazy at this point," Time Turner sighed, turning a new set of pages. "But most of them agree that it wasn't until a seventh warrior arrived from Equestria that Grogar was defeated, and sealed inside a crystal tomb; held tight by the combined energies of the heroes’ unity and elements."

The new pictures showed six figures in a half circle, each with one hand raised and shooting out a different color beam of light. The beams met at Grogar, now half encased in a jagged block of white rock, with a seventh figure, completely gray, appeared to be running at him with a long sword.

"Okay," Rainbow Dash said leaning forward from her perch. "This is great and all, but what does this have to do with us and our pony forms?" she wiggled her ears and splayed her wings for emphasis, despite five more examples sitting nearby. Luna bit her lip and stifled a laugh into a soft giggle.

"Your 'pony forms,'" she quoted with a straight face and some effort, "are a manifestation of your magic; Equestrian magic brought here when Princess Twilight Sparkle visited us."

"She was the first Equestrian to use the portal in centuries," Mr. Turner explained. "Well willingly at least. You see," his voice shifted to teacher mode as he ran into the bookshelves, and came back with two glasses of water. "It's like this.

Let’s say this glass is Equestria, where Sunset and Princess Twilight are from, and the other, is Earth, and the water," He said lifting the two glasses and pushing their ends together so none of the water escaped. "Is magic. For the longest time almost all of the magic has been going to Equestria." He tilted the glasses so the Equestria glass was lower, leaving no water in the other glass. "Now however something," he slowly tilted the glasses back level, more and more water flowing into the glass representing earth. "Is causing the flow to shift back even. Now, any theories as to why this is being this now, and not this as it was then?"

Rarity and Rainbow Dash had both had Time Turner's class before so they knew what to expect as far as nonsensical explanations, and they knew better than to raise their hand and give the doctor another crazy theory to jump on. Rainbow Dash however, was also Rainbow Dash.

"So using the portal is making magic come back?" Time Turner looked like he'd just had his happy bubble popped with Nightmare Moon's horn. Luna flashed a quick toothy smile, knowing the girl had just summed up the next twenty minutes of Turner's explanation.

"In basic yes," Luna said, taking the lead from the now despondent Doctor. "Your friends continued use of the portal in front of the school has in essence tipped the balance between the worlds. Now magic is flowing back into our world from Equestria like water running down a hill. The six of you just happen to have more than almost everyone else right off the bat.

Unfortunately," she sighed as her tone turned grim, "That also makes you targets for Grogar."

"Um, Mrs. Luna?" Fluttershy asked raising her hand politely. "Didn't you say Grogar was sealed away a long time ago?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said supporting her best friend. "What could horn-boy do trapped inside a hunk of rock?" Only Dash failed to notice the sudden look of pain that flashed across the vice-principal's face, but as fast as it appeared it was gone.

"When Grogar realized he couldn't defeat the Elements of Unity, he used a spell to drain earth of it's magic, thus weakening the Elements and their bearers. After he was imprisoned magic continued to drain, and it was that dearth of power that kept him dormant."

"Until now," Applejack finished, starting to realize their magic could be a double edged sword.

"Yes. With every bit of magic that comes back, Grogars power grows." She looked like she was about to continue, when Rarity raised her hand. "Yes Ms. Belle?"

"What does this have to do with us?" There was a bluntness to her voice that made her friends flinch. For a young woman so refined and cultured, Rarity's voice tone and face had started losing its carefully crafted courtesy the moment they walked into the room. Luna could also sense she was on thin ice.

"The Doctor and I are part of a secret society; one created to ensure that when Grogar and those who serve him do return he does not do so unopposed. Mr. Turner," she nodded toward the physics teacher.

"There is a prophecy, handed down through the leadership of our order that tells of a day when The Dark Lord returns to life, and when the Elements of Unity give their power to six new champions." Sunset and her friends all exchanged glances, looking for reassurance in each other’s faces. Ending Sunset's reign as school tyrant and beating the Dazzlings had been one thing, but this Grogar sounded like an entire other league.

"Are you sure?" Sunset asked, knowing her anxiety wasn't helping her friend's, but it was a question she needed answered. "That this prophecy is referring to all six of us or just ..." she sheepishly trailed off but Luna understood.

"Or just five of you," she finished, earning a nod from the yellow and red head. "Your past might not be a shining example of humble kindness, but if the Battle of the Bands proved anything, it's how far you've come since leaving Equestria Sunset Shimmer."

"But are you sure?" Nobody was expecting the forwardness of Rarity's question; one they were still talking to a school official, two Rarity was almost never confrontational. "Are you certain, beyond any doubt that we are the "Champions" mentioned in your prophecy?" Luna sensed something in the young woman's voice and frowning face, but it was lost on Time Turner.

"You six have had the most contact with magic of any human being in the last thousand years," he said matter-of-factly. "You even manage partial transformations just from singing together. Frankly there's really no one the Elements could choose but you." Rarity's frown warped to a scowl.

"You assumed," she dead panned standing from her chair and looking down at Luna. "You assumed that because we saved the school from three greedy attention seekers and showed a girl the error of her ways that means you can just send us after some mythical monster and God knows what else?" Her tone was near screeching now and her friends were starting to tense up, none more than Fluttershy.

"Rarity ..."

"Don't," the fashionista snapped, lunging at the yellow girl like a snake. "I have Had It with magic and insufferable nut jobs," she turned her glacial glare on Luna and Time Turner. "Who try to put saving the world off, ON CHILDREN!" She turned on her heel and stomped out, brushing against the chair Rainbow was perched on just enough to make the flier loose her balance.

"Hey Whoa," She yelped, falling on her side. "Rares wait!"

"Rarity," Applejack yelled as the purple haired girl slammed the door, and one by one their ears and extended hair collapsed into dim sparkles. "Well don't just sit there," she shouted at her friends, "come on!" Luna could only watch as the rest of the rainbooms ran out after their friend, with only Fluttershy looking back before following her band-mates out the door.

"Well," Time Turner frowned. "That could've gone worse."

"Not by much," Luna groaned slumping into her chair and closing her eyes before leaning forward and looking back to the second floor. "Are you sure they're the ones?" Another man emerged from the bookshelves of the second floor, balancing himself on the railing and looking at the door.

"Two of their spirit talents have already begun to manifest, and I sense the others will soon as well. They are the ones." He looked at Luna, now looking at the door to the school.

"That doesn't make Rarity any less right," she sighed, berating herself. "We had fifteen hundred years to prepare for this, and all we can do is throw the responsibility on six teenage girls."

"Six girls," The new man said descending the stairs, "Who came together to take down the Sirens in one night. Those witches were a thorn in our side for centuries." He looked at the school official, whose expression hadn't changed, though he hadn’t really expected it to.

“Fifteen hundred years and you’re still the same mothering princess you were when we met.” He knelt down beside her chair, plaid sweater vest still neatly as ever. “It’s not your fault that the Elements haven’t been recovered. No one could have predicted what was about to happen back then, and if they had, would we really have listened? Would any of us have?”

“Pah,” Time Turner scoffed. “Speak for ye self scaly. I warned you lot those cheeky buggers were up to something.”

“Doctor as much as I appreciate your Gallopfreyan humor, I really don’t. Now’s not the time to revisit past mistakes.”

“Oh your one to talk. Remind me again, how long were you asleep last time hibernation rolled around?”

“I may have sworn an oath of non-violence but you would do well to remember my true nature.”

“QUIET!” Luna boomed, causing the room’s brass and metal fittings to shake. “That’s quite enough from both of you,” she scolded, standing up and stomping over to the arguing men. “Whatever mistakes were made before today are no longer important. What is important is our mission today. Grogar is coming back, we’ve all felt it. It’s not a question of if anymore, but when. Book Worm is right.” Time Turner looked like he was about to protest with a flurry of accented expletives, but Luna’s glare silenced him in an instant.

“The best we can do, is make sure the new Elements have the skills and knowledge they’ll need for whatever lies ahead. We’ve known this for centuries.” Time Turner and Book Worm looked at one another, agreeing to silent forgiveness, when the English teachers snapped up and left toward the door.

“What?” The Doctor asked, putting himself between Worm and the spot his eyes were trained on. “Is someone trying to open the door again? I told you we should install a DNA scanner on that thing, this magic business is getting terribly unpredictable.” Luna ignored his ramblings and stood beside Book Worm, eyes following his.

“What is it?”

“A friend,” he said in flat dread. “Seems she's just woken up. And she’s angry. Very, very angry.” Luna bit her lip; the last thing they needed now was one of Book Worms “friends” waking up.

“Are you surprised,” Time Turner asked with a laugh. “You’re not exactly all sunshine and giggles after you wake up from hibernation either. Oh well, come on then where is she?”

“Everfree Park.”

“Oh bollocks.”

By the time Applejack and Dash caught up to Rarity the fashionista was in the parking lot, shoving her keytar into the back of her car. She climbed behind the wheel, only to find Rainbow Dash standing in front of the hood.

"Rainbow I don't have time for this, move!"

"Not happening sister," the soccer star barked, folding her arms and widening her stance as Sunset, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie caught up. "Now how about you get out of the car and we talk this over."

"Please Rarity?" Fluttershy begged, hands clasped. Rarity looked at her for a moment, then started the car, but Rainbow stayed where she was.

"I'm not moving Rarity."

"And I'm not getting out of this car," she snapped back, before Pink curls filled her rearview mirror.

"Then we'll just come in," Pinkie Pie smiled from the back seat, and before Rarity could lock the doors the others had all piled in, Sunset, Applejack and Pinkie Pie in the back while Fluttershy eased into the front passenger seat. Rainbow of course jumped on the car's roof and tapped her knuckles on the sun roof until Rarity opened it and turned the car off.

"Rarity," Fluttershy began in a much calmer voice than the others had expected. "Why did you talk to Vice Principal Luna like that?"

"Because she!" Rarity bit her tongue before it could run away with her brain. She looked back up and around at her friend's faces, five girls she'd been through so much with, and took a deep breath.

"Fluttershy darling," she said, voice reclaiming some of its charm and accent. "There's a piece of paper in the glove compartment. Could you take it out?" The girl yellow girl nodded slowly, opening the tiny compartment and fishing out a single yellow envelope folded around a pair of papers embossed with a raised gold emblem.

"Two weeks ago," Rarity confessed. "I was accepted to the Manehattan School of Art and Design." She looked down at her skirt in shame. "Full tuition scholarship."

"That's great!" Pinkie Pie cheered, reaching around the seat to hug her friend, choking her slightly.

"Sugarcube," Applejack said grasping the situation a tad better than the girl beside her. "Why didn't you tell us?"

"Yeah, we could've thrown you a congratulations party."

"Because it would have put a death notice on our friendship!," she near yelled, almost immediately trying to calm herself again. "With graduation coming up, I ... I was afraid you would think I was abandoning you." Sunset looked away from the mirror to her knees and Pinkie and Applejack both glanced at their respective doors. None of them could deny feeling a little betrayed that Rarity had made plans without telling them. Only one of them saw Rarity was avoiding the question.

"Why didn't you apply for a school closer to Canterlot?" Fluttershy asked in the calmest softest voice possible, one even Sunset at her worst couldn't have gotten angry towards. Rarity looked at the steering wheel, eyes distant and evasive.

"...Because I want to go there," she finally sighed, leaning back in her seat looking up out through the car door window. "For the longest time I've always been the one sacrificing. Whether it was a fashion expo the same night as one of Sweetie's chorus concerts, or staying home to baby sit while my parents went out or on a business trip. I know Princess Twilight said I'm supposed to be the Element of Generosity, but it's hard to be generous when everyone expects you to be. I am so tired of being put upon, I just wanted to do something that would be for me that would help me with my life.”

She sank a little further into her seat, so far it seemed she might pass through it.

“I thought that after I earned a degree, things might change. I could get an actual job at the Carousel Boutique instead of an internship, maybe even start my own fashion line.” She stopped when something wet dripped down her cheeks and she immediately whipped it away before she thought her friends could see her crying.

“I’m sorry girls, I guess I just thought after the Battle of the Bands, I thought we were done with magic and evil and.” She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up to see Fluttershy smiling at her, hair pushed back behind her ears letting a wave of reassurance wash out from her teal eyes. The shy girl pulled her friend into a hug, and Rarity finally let one soft sob escape.

“It’s okay,” she whispered. “I don’t think any of us were expecting to find ourselves in this situation again. And while we might not be done with magic or,” a strand of hair fell back in front of her eyes as fear flashed across them. “Monsters yet, we aren’t done being friends either.”

“Yeah, Rainbow said leaning over to poke her prismatic head through the sunroof. “Who cares how tough this Crowbar guy is? Long as we’re together there’s nothing we can’t do!” Applejack couldn’t have agreed more.

“Sugarcube, I promise, no matter what comes out of the woodwork, or what you decide, we’ll be right behind ya fish on a line.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie cheered, pulling out a noise maker and tossing some confetti. “Now turn that frown around. It’s not like this could be any worse that finding out your sister used all the gold fabric on an art class project again right?”

“That is true,” Rarity smiled, before her eyes snapped open. “OMYGOSH SWEETIE BELLE!” She turned the key hard, the engine roared and she slammed it into reverse, causing a certain girl still on the roof to come tumbling into the car.

“Hey what’s the big idea?” Rainbow yelled from the front passenger floorboards, feet still sticking out the sunroof. As Fluttershy and the other girls in the back scrambled to buckle themselves in, Rarity was beginning to panic.

“I promised I would pick up Sweetie Belle and her friends up after school! They said they were going to the park to try and earn their merit badges!”

“Eeyuup,” Applejack groaned as Rarity nearly put the car on two wheels around a corner, squashing her between Sunset, Pinkie and the door. “Applebloom said someth’n about that too. Jesus Rares slow down!” She yelled and braced when another turn appeared in front of the frantic sister.

“Ohhh,” Pinkie Pie groaned, clutching her stomach and mouth. “Too much candy.” Sunset scooted closer to Applejack even as she protested for personal space. She stopped though when from underneath her Keytar case Rarity’s purse started to buzz. Sunset reached down and retrieved the fashionista’s vibrating phone.

“Rarity you have a text from Sweetie Belle,” she said just as another short line of worrying letters popped up. “It says,”

“TRAFFIC!!” Rarity slammed on the brakes, skidding to a stop inches from the bumper of the pickup truck in front of her.

“OH COME ON!” she yelled leaning out the window. “The light’s not even red you simpletons! MOVE IT!”

“Wait,” Sunset breathed, ears perking up. “You hear that?” The rainbooms all listened until the sound of a siren became louder and clearer, and Rainbow dash wriggled herself up right and back through the sunroof.

“Fire trucks!” she reported as two bright red and white ladder trucks roared past the intersection ahead of them. “And three police cars right behind them, all heading down Royal Boulevard. Toward Everfree Park.” Rarity and Applejack's blood ran ice cold.

"That's where the girls are!"

“Sunset darling,” Rarity swallowed dryly. “What did Sweetie’s text say?”

“Uh hold on, I think I dropped it.”

“And I got it,” Pinkie Pie chirped, holding up rarities phone. “Hmm, 5r @ part. Big angry frying Liz nerd. HA, and you girls think I’m crazy.” No one heard Pinkie Pie’s next joke over the screeching of tires and scraping of metal as Rarity forced her way through the traffic.

"You, you're real," Twilight stammered, numbly walking over to her computer desk and collapsing into a chair.

"Not in a scientific sense no," Grogar said off handedly looking around her lab. "Which judging by your abode is the only sense you've known until now."

Twilight's lab was in truth, a very spacious glorified basement. The walls were red brick, with ancient mortar spread unevenly between them creating a less than uniform surface. The room was littered with second hand equipment, including a computer with a high definition screen, the most expensive piece in the room, an antiquated mass spectrometer, a DNA scanner that had clearly seen better days, a tesla coil and a curious assortment of robotic parts piled off in one corner.

"So what you're telling me," Twilight said slowly, though for her or Grogar's benefit it was hard to tell, "I summoned you with some, "magic" spell, without even meaning too?"

"Many forms of basic magic rely on instinct," Grogar explained, examining the Tesla coil as the girl began type on her computer. "What you cast was a third tier guardian summons, quite impressive for someone who's never heard of magic until now."

"Okay then," she said in the tone of a sudden idea, though her eyes were fixed on the screen. "So if I summoned you then I can unsummon you as well?"

"Not, exactly," Grogar fibbed deftly. "What you cast was a Guardian summons, meaning I cannot leave you presence until your life is no longer in danger."

"What danger exactly?" she asked hesitantly, not knowing if she could handle any more revelations today. It was precisely that instability Grogar knew he could use.

"Ancient danger, though your people's memory of it has likely fallen into myth and legend. Many centuries ago I fought a great and powerful evil seeking to plunder your world."

"When you say your world, I take that to mean you're from another." Grogar was pleased to see the girl had an eye for detail, but also realized he'd have to be careful with his story.

"Keen ears you have. Yes, I am not of this world. I was sent here from my home to aid the champions of your world in combating the evil that threatened it, but the price of the final victory was great." Twilight's eyes darted back and forth behind her glasses, wheels and gears turning in her head where she sat at her computer.

"They turned you into a wraith," she theorized with some certainty.

"And condemned my soul to never know peace," Grogar sighed in despair. "Now however, Magic has returned to your world, and I fear the return of the evil I fought to protect it from is not long due."

“But what does any of this have to do with me?” Twilight asked as Spike hopped up into her lap, lifting her hand with his head for her to pet him. The display was so cute that Grogar was thankful he no longer had a stomach.

“Your magic,” Grogar explained. “When under attack, you cast a guardian summons and a force barrier, neither of which are easy even with years of study. The fact you performed these spells on instinct no less, shows you have incredible potential.” Twilight never once looked away from her computer monitor; she needed the safety the feeling doing research brought her just to process what the spirit was telling her.

“Magical potential? Me?” She almost laughed. "I'm sorry but I think you've got the wrong girl. I am a physicist, not a witch."

"The correct term is mage my dear, and unless there was some invisible un-sensible other in that alley with you and those ruffians, yes. You are. And who says you cannot be both?" Twilight stopped typing, then turned around in her chair to look towards the sound of his voice. "Are you familiar with the saying that humans only use ten percent of their brains?"

"Yes and it's wrong. The human brain is a network of electrical impulses. If we only used ten percent of it we'd only be ten percent as smart as we are."

"Good, now how do molecules heat up?"

"They vibrate," Twilight answered, a little annoyed at the game of questions.

"Everything you see is in a constant state of vibration, thus the near flawless illusion of solidity. Mages you see, are born with the ability to sense subtle shifts in the molecules around them, that's one reason your studies come so easily to you my dear." Twilight's head was still spinning, but now it was a familiar gyroscopic spin.

"But wait, if you're telling the truth then is what I did magic or science?"

"Both," He answered quickly. "Now to put it into practice. Step one, locate a target." Twilight rolled her eyes but stood up all the same, glancing around her lab before her eyes locked onto a pile of old college invites and information packets she had never gotten around to shredding.

"Step two," Grogar said, his spirit moving behind the young woman. "Clear your mind, and see the molecules. Step three, will the vibrations faster."

She still wasn't completely buying into the spirit's story, but scientific practice dictated she test whatever methods she could, so she cleared her mind. She imagined the molecular structures of the individual papers and pamphlets, then imagined them accelerating to the point of.

Fwoom!

"AH! NO!" Twilight jumped out of her chair, nearly tripping over her computer’s snake nest of cables as she grabbed for the fire extinguisher. She finally managed to reach it and put the fire out before the smoke could trigger the sprinklers. “Great,” she groaned looking at the pile of foam soaked scorched. “How am I going to explain this to my landlord?”

“I could teach you a blissful ignorance enchantment,” Grogar offered as the scientist plopped back into her chair, “Though I think that may be a tad advanced for you at the moment.”

“This can’t be happening,” Twilight groaned running her hands back through her hair as it fell onto her computer desk, when she heard her cell phone ring. “Spiiiikie,” she called. “Go fetch.”

“Bark!” Spike yipped excitedly, scampering off and returning with the still ringing phone in his mouth. Twilight had invested in a tough case a long time ago. Her sour mood instantly vanished when she saw the caller ID, and pressed the phone to her ear.

“Hi Cadance,” She smiled, no longer caring she had a formless spirit in the room with her. “What’s up?” Instead of her usual upbeat tone though, Cadance’s voice was sullen and nearly hollow.

“Twily, Shining called. Something happened at the dig.” Grogar took careful note of how the young woman’s face fell as her speech became frantic.

“What happened, was there an accident? Is He hurt?”

“No your brother’s fine,” Cadance breathed with less relief than she should have. “There was a cave in and some workers were killed. They’ve called off the dig.” Twilight couldn’t help but smile at the implications, the thought of Shining coming home early, but those hopes were dashed.

“And they’re redeploying Shining and his group.” Twilight’s smile evaporated, and she swallowed hard in a vain attempt to stop her voice from shaking.

“Di-did he say where?”

“No. Only that they’re going to make him serve out the rest of his tour somewhere on the border.”

“Oh, Okay,” she muttered coldly, slumping back into her chair.

“I’m having some of the girls over for a movie Friday night. You’re always welcome to join us.”

“Thanks Cadance, I’ll think about it.”

“If you ever need to talk Twilight my door is always.”

“Bye.” Twilight tapped the end call button and dropped the phone on her desk.

“Something the matter?” her so called guardian spirit asked, moving closer to her but still unseen.

“My brother,” Twilight sighed. “He’s in the army and was helping some archeologists with a dig up north but now it’s been cancelled. He’s being sent somewhere else until his term is up.” Grogar sensed the disappointment of crushed hope in her voice, but there was something else under it; resentment. Twilight was mad that her brother had called someone else before her, and worse still had given her a message through that someone, instead of calling her himself. His transparent visage twisted into a smile.

“I had truly hoped humanity had moved past armed conflict,” he sighed, putting on an invisible face of disappointment. “Such wasteful uncivilized conflicts. I can barely remember the time of Mages, when magic protected borders instead of weapons.” Twilight Sparkle only sat quietly for a moment more before her curiosity bested her.

“What kind of magic?” Grogar knew he had hooked his prey, and proceeded to entice her from the water.

“Powerful magic. Spells and incantations mages spend years mastering, but whose power can last for generations.” Twilight looked down at her hands, a faint but visible aura of pink energy spread up to her fingertips. After what for Twilight seemed an eternity she looked up toward the spirit’s voice, and she asked the question Grogar had waited for.

“Can you teach me?”

Chapter 4: Trial by Ice and Fire

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“Hurry!” Scootaloo cried running as fast as her legs would go, fellow scouts and Crusaders right on her heels.

“Scoots,” Sweetie Belle shouted between breathes. “If we, don’t make it, out of this. I. Blame. You!”

“Me? This was all Apple Bloom’s idea!”

“Was not!”

“Was too!”

“Was not!”

“Was too!” A monstrous roar cut their arguing short, and Sweetie looked back and up just long enough to see a huge blue shadow swoop over them, blocking out the sun for a terrible second.

“Run now talk later!” she shouted picking up her pace, her one thought to get with her friends back safe to their group. She just hoped Rarity had gotten her text before she dropped her phone in the lake. Ahead of them was the tree line, and beyond that a wide grassy field, and the park ranger station.

Rainbow Dash wasn’t the type to be afraid of speed, but right now as Rarity weaved her way through traffic she was terrified. As Rarity kept the gas pedal nailed to the floor, Applejack had taken off her hat and stuck her head out the back side window, anything to see their destination sooner.

“Come on Rares!” Applejack screamed over the wind rushing in from the open window, “Can’t this junk pile go any faster?!” The fashionista had her teeth clamped too tight to respond, almost as tightly as Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy’s grip on their respective ceiling grab handles.

“We’re gonna die we’re gonna die we’re gonna die we’re gonna die,” Fluttershy kept repeating as she rocked to and fro with the car’s frantic maneuvering. Sunset had bolted her eyes shut the moment the speedometers needle passed 70. She had never liked fast vehicles, not even the trains back in Equestria. One of them however, was absolutely giddy at the speed.

“Waahooooo!” Pinkie Pie had scrambled out of her seat in the back, up onto the console and through the sunroof, where she was now standing with her arms spread wide. Her face was locked in a smile that was more teeth than anything, and her hair was like a cloud of cotton candy racing above the car. She even stayed upright when Rarity put the car on two wheels through an intersection, only to finally panic when she saw the road ahead. They could already see the iron gates of Everfree City Park, but in front of that was a line of cop cars nose to bumper across the road. Thankfully though, Rarity’s mind was going faster than she was.

“Where’s the turn off for the game trail?” She asked without looking back, remembering Applejack’s cousin had once worked at the park. The farm girl though had a harder time remembering.

“Uhh, I think it’s.”

“WHERE?!”

“HERE! HARD RIGHT!” Rarity yanked the steering wheel almost out of its mounting, returning the car’s two right wheels to the air, and this time it was only Rainbow Dash’s shoving herself and Fluttershy against the tilt that kept them from rolling.

“Sunset,” Rarity called back, car now bouncing over a worn dirt and gravel road. “See if you can call Sweetie. Find out where my Sister is.” Sunset started fishing for rarities phone in the floor while Applejack already had hers out, bringing her head in out of the branches and leaves to dial a number.

“Ah it’s no use,” She groaned, “The park ain’t got squat reception past the gates. The whole place is a dead zone.” Fluttershy tensed up even more, now practically suspended by her grip on the handle.

“Why did you have to say dead Applejack?” she squeaked as Rarity’s car jolted over a particularly large rock in the road.

“We need to find Ms. Cheerilee,” she said avoiding another large rock. “Hopefully they’re still with her.”

“The park ranger station an visitor center,” Applejack suggested. “That’s the place she’d take them for a scout trip. Look for a sign, anything to tell us where we are.” Rainbow leaned across Fluttershy to try and get a better view out the front passenger side window. Sunset finally opened her eyes just as Pinkie Pie dropped back into the car and her old seat in the back middle, flashing her a wide toothy, bug spattered smile before pointing behind them.

“Hey look: 5r.”

“Five-er?” Applejack asked, before Rainbow Dash clarified.

“FIRE!” Rarity stomped on the brakes and the car skidded sideways through the gravel, stopping just yards from a wall of blazing brush.

“No!” Rarity cried, leaping out of the driver’s seat and rushing toward the fire, Sunset jumping out and running up behind to stop her before she got too close.

“Rarity don’t,” she yelled grabbing her by the waist with both arms. “Just stop for a second and think for Celestia’s sake!”

“Think?!” The fashionista barked wrestling free of the red head’s grip. “My Little sister is somewhere behind that, I don’t have time to think! I need to save her!”

“Well we ain’t do’n it goin that way,” Applejack said joining them from the car, along with the others, Fluttershy still clutching the now broken roof handle. Rainbow Dash looked up and down the blazing line of forest.

“I say we go around. This thing can’t go on forever can it?”

“But which way?” Fluttershy asked, now realizing the number of animals and wildlife in danger from the fire. They each racked their brains, looking for signs in the forest around them only two of them could even recognize, until Sunset’s ears caught a sound she never expected to hear again. It was rough like sandpaper and shrill like a bird of prey’s screech, but roared like a thousand lions.

“That sound,” She breathed, following it with her ears and eyes. “This way, follow the fire!” She bolted into the woods to the left of the road, her friends right behind. They ran along the fire’s edge, darting between trees and jumping over stumps until at last they emerged on an open field of grass, the ranger station and visitor center visible, a single two story building dominating the field’s center, on the next rise. Pinkie Pie stole a look left and spied a group of police officers and park rangers huddled together, and she suddenly felt a tickling shiver run up her spine.

“Come on,” Applejack yelled, pulling out ahead of the others at a dead sprint.

“We’re almost at the.”

The roar was deafening, sending all six girls down to the ground clutching their ears to try and block it out, but leaving their eyes wide and open to see the top half of the ranger station engulfed by a torrent of flames raining down like water. Sunset followed the glowing heat up to its source, just as the police officers and rangers opened fire on the beast’s leathery wings and thick scaly hide.

“Faust protect us,” She gasped as the massive red and blue Dragon let loose another torrent of liquid fire, scorching the field and anything below its wings to cinders. Its body was long and thin like a snake, but below its short neck was a powerful torso supporting a pair of wide blue wings easily 30 feet across, and a jagged ridge of azure spines that ran all the way down it’s back to the tip of its spiked tail.

“A dragon?!” Pinkie Pie yelled in pure disbelief as the flying serpent banked through the air, exposing two powerful back legs and clawed feet. “Really? I thought we weren’t doing a Witcher crossover for another month?” Sunset forced her feet under her, staring up at the terribly beautiful creature, while Rarity froze, elbows propped up in the grass where she had fallen, eyes locked on the burning remains of the Ranger station.

“Sweetie Belle,” she squeaked, face already warm from the fire as the flames painted her skin pale orange, the same shade her friend as she shot past in a flat out desperate run.

“AJ!” Rainbow yelled, but the orange girl kept running even as her hat was blown off into the trees behind them. Dash looked at Rarity, then at Applejack’s shrinking form, made up her mind and took off after the farm girl. When Rarity saw a blur of rainbow colored hair rush past her she scrambled to her feet and followed.

Sunset saw them headed toward the building, nearly sprinting after them before a primal airborne roar shook the trees down to their roots. She looked left, where policemen were still picking themselves up from the dragon’s last pass, and to the fire and first responder trucks bounding up the park’s dirt path toward them. She looked right, where Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie both lay staring, the yellow girl’s eyes fixed on the dragon as it flew overhead. She ran over to Pinkie whose hair had lost almost all of its curls, an idea forming in her head.

“Pinkie,” She said jolting the girl’s shoulders a little to get her attention. “That teleporting thing you did in the gym, can you still do it?”

“I think so,” she said uncertainly, hair regaining a little poof. “What do want me to do?”

“We need to keep it occupied,” she explained as the dragon leveled its wings for another swooping pass. “Just long enough to let more police and firefighters get here. Distract it.” The Pink girl’s face blanked, but only a moment before it broke out in a wild grin, and her hair ballooned back to full volume as a sparkle of light signaled the return of her pony ears.

“One distraction ala-mode, coming right up!” She cheered before vanishing in a burst of pink light.

“Fluttershy,” Sunset called, kneeling down to the frozen girl, shaking her shoulder if only to get her attention. “Shy.” All it did was cause her to squeak and try to curl up in a ball, but Sunset pulled her upright and stopped her.

“Shy look at me,” She moved her face as gently as she could so they looked at each other. “I know you’re scared, but I need you to go find Ms. Cheerilee and her students. We don’t know they were in the ranger station for sure, so they might be somewhere else.”

“I, I’ll find them,” she stuttered, voice and body shaking like fall leaves in a spring storm. Her eyes were wide, horrified at what she was imagining within the fire’s blaze, and they only grew wider when Sunset got up and started walking away.

“Wh, Where are you going?!”

“To help Pinkie!” she shouted back, careful not to admit she had run out of plan.

The dragon’s fire breath had blasted the ranger station wide open, blowing out all the windows and doors, so the three big sisters had no trouble getting into the building’s burning remains, even as the flames creeped down to the bottom floor.

“APPLE BLOOM!”

“SWEETIE BELLE!”

“IS ANYBODY IN HERE?!” Rainbow shouted over the roaring flames crawling down the walls, jacket pulled off and held over her mouth to try and block out the smoke. Rarity held her hands over her mouth, eyes watering from the smoke and heat, while Applejack search furiously.

“Apple Bloom!” Her voice was already hoarse from the smoke and yelling. “Little Sis!” She kept shouting even as the heat of the fire scorched her throat, and weakened the beams overhead, until one above her split in two.

“Look out!” Rainbow tossed away her jacket and dived for Applejack, tackling the farm girl down and forward before the beam cleaved through the floorboards where she had been.

“Thanks,” she gasped looking at where she had been only seconds before, now a gaping hole in the floor. Rarity ran to the sound, only to find herself trapped on the other side of the hole, looking down into it while the burning beam painted the void orange-yellow.

“The basement,” she breathed, realizing the most logical hiding place, then yelled to her friends. “I’m going to check downstairs!”

“Otay,” AJ nodded, “We’ll keep look’n up here. Holler if you find anyone!”
“I will!”

“Good luck,” Rainbow yelled, before another falling beam widened the hole and the floor beneath the fashionista groaned, threatening to collapse as well. She darted back outside, coughing and hacking as her lungs tried to expel the smoke. She ran around the burning building until she saw the entrance to the building’s old storm cellar, only to find a fallen timber from the overhanging roof had dented the doors so badly they refused to open.

“Come on,” She growled, clenching her teeth as she tried to pull the doors open, but only banged them against the concrete frame. Then she felt her blood run cold when two tiny voices cried out from behind the doors.

“W-who’s there?”

“Help Us, please!”

“I’m coming.” Rarity pulled on the doors with all her might, only for the handle to slip through her fingers. When she tried to grab it again, her hand passed right through it. She barely had time to recall the strange powers Pinkie and Applejack had acquired earlier when a sudden blast of hot air from behind startled her. Her balance ran off, and Rarity fell head first into the basement doors, then through them tumbling end over end.

While her friends searched for their loved ones, Fluttershy was trying to find a police officer, firefighter, park ranger, somebody who could tell her where Cheerilee and her students were that wasn’t busy or hurt. She flitted through a crowd of rushing first responders and firemen lugging giant hoses until she found a firefighter and a police officer, both very important looking, talking beside one of the ambulances.

“Um, excuse me,” she squeaked, trying her best to get noticed without interrupting their conversation. “Sirs?” The Police officer turned around and looked at her, skin the same color as his navy blue uniform, with strange yellow cat like eyes and a slightly upturned nose.

“Yes?” His voice was smooth and soft despite his vampiric appearance.
“I’m looking for a friend, she was here earlier with some children. Ms. Cheerilee?” The firefighter looked at her from under his broad helmet.

“I know her. She and her scout troop were some of the first ones out when we shut the park off.” Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief. “But she said there were five girls missing from her group.”

“I-is there anyone looking for them?” The moment the words were out of her mouth an orange glow shone through the trees, followed by another enraged roar. The policeman ducked down behind the ambulance, but the fireman kept standing.

“We need to figure out just what’s going on here first.” Fluttershy thought his tone was wrong for something as terrifying as a dragon attack, but she didn’t think very long about it after she heard Sunset’s voice.

“Fluttershy? Can you hear me?” The yellow girl jumped when her friend’s voice came out of nowhere, and only freaked out more when a look around revealed Sunset was nowhere in sight. She moved away from the two men, who had begun to give her concerned looks.

“Sunset? Where are you?”

“Still at the ranger station. I’m using a telepathy spell to talk to you right now.”

“Spell?” She wondered before remembering she looked like she was talking to herself, and closed her mouth. “But I thought you couldn’t use your magic here.”

“So did I. Something must’ve happened while we were stuck in our pony forms. Did you find Ms. Cheerilee?” Fluttershy moved to another ambulance, careful to stay out of anyone’s way.

“No, but a fireman said she and her scouts were some of the first people to leave the park, only she was missing five girls.” Fluttershy could actually feel the dread coming from Sunset, fear of who might be missing, and knew she had to do, say, think something. She just hoped her thoughts sounded braver than she really was feeling right now. “Sunset, there’s a lot of hurt people here. We need to stop the dragon.”

“Right.” The feelings of dread ebbed, and Fluttershy felt something resembling confidence return to her friend’s voice. “Okay, here’s the plan.”

The dragon was no longer circling the main park in search of targets. Now it was darting left and right over the trees, completely focused on catching and incinerating the pink pest. All it knew was one moment it had a fresh kill in its sights, then there was a flash and the girl was there, followed by the most horrible burning in its eyes.

“Hey Scaly, over here!” The beast’s snake like head snapped left with its body, following the voice and smell through the veil of blindness. Pinkie Pie knew throwing confetti and sprinkles into a dragon’s eyes probably wasn’t the best way to get its attention, but she had it all now. The problem was what to do with it.

“Catch me if ya can!” She teleported to another tree, keeping just out of range but still insight of the flying lizard. Her hair was filled with pine needles, leaves, and lords of sugar only knew what else, but she had a job to do. She spied another tree, teleporting to it just as Sunset Shimmer’s voice filled her mind.

“Pinkie?”

“Woah nelly!” She nearly missed the branch, appearing just behind it but managing to grab it with her arms before she fell. “Sunny? Where are you? Can you tele-potty too?”

“Tele-wha, Pinkie I’m using a telepathy spell! I’m not talking to you you’re hearing my thoughts. Well, some of them anyway.”

“Ooooohhh, neat. YIPE!” One pink flash later Pinkie was watching her last perch burn to a crisp, before the dragon started to circle the smoking pole. “Sunny, now might be a reeeeeaally good time to tell me what step two is.”

“Working on it.” Pinkie knew she was only hearing Sunset’s thoughts, but she could swear she heard a light bulb switch on. “Just keep it flying in circles for a few more minutes, then when I tell you, lead it back to me.”

“Okey-dokey-loki! OY! Zilla monster!” The dragon twisted in midair, body following its roaring head and gaping red hot jaws, and locked in on the sound of nervous giggling.

Meanwhile Rainbow Dash and Applejack were still searching the ranger station, meaning Applejack was looking into burning rooms and shouting at the top of her lungs while Rainbow dodged flaming timbers falling from the ceiling.

“AJ we have to go!”

“NO! There’s still rooms we ain’t checked.” There wasn’t just concern in her voice, there was panic too, an old terror Dash had never seen on her face before.

“AJ We don’t even know that they're in here!” The farm girl spun back around and looked at Rainbow, eyes full of nothing but fear.

“I’m not losing her too Dash!” Rainbow didn’t get the chance to figure out the farm girl’s last statement before the ceiling groaned, and Applejack shoved her back just before the beams above them gave way, showering down tiles and burnt wood.

“AJ!” Rainbow threw herself back up and shoved her way through the charred debris until she saw a glint of blonde hair. “Hang on, I’ll have you out in no time!” She kept moving ceiling tiles until she found Applejack’s legs, only to see her left foot pinned under a beam. Thankfully she looked more annoyed than hurt.

“I’m stuck.”

“I can see that,” Rainbow snarked, tip toeing up beside her pinned friend. “Okay, on the count of three, I’m gonna lift and you’re gonna have to crawl out. One.” The ceiling groaned again, followed by more debris collapsing behind them.

“Three!” Rainbow heaved up as hard as she could, lifting the blackened beam up high enough and holding it long enough for Applejack to crawl away. When she was clear Rainbow dropped the beam, and it hit the floor so hard the boards under them splintered and cracked as more and more beams overhead started to do the same.

“Time to go,” Rainbow said helping her friend to her feet, only to nearly fall again had it not been for Dash.

“Crap,” Applejack winced as she tried and failed to put weight on her left leg. “I think it’s mah ankle.” Rainbow didn’t wait for permission and slung the farm girl’s arm over her shoulders. Applejack had no say in the matter as Rainbow dragged her hobbling and stumbling out of the building, only moments before the ranger station gave one last titanic groan and the second story and roof telescoped down into the ground floor.

They hobbled across the field to Sunset and Fluttershy, where the orange-yellow girl was rapidly carving and digging shapes into the grass and dirt with a stick. She had surrounded herself with a series of circles, eight small circles ringed by one large one Fluttershy was still carving out, with yet another smaller circle at the center of it all, and covered in bizarre rune like symbols Sunset gouged out of the ground.

“Sunset?” Rainbow called hoping to get the red head’s attention, “What are you doing?” Really her tone asked, ‘have you gone demon-crazy again?’ The former Equestrian didn’t so much as look up from her ground carving.

“It’s a Star Circle,” she explained as Fluttershy ran over and helped Rainbow lower a dazed Applejack off her feet. “Created by Starswirl the Bearded to help young unicorns learn to control their magic. It should help me focus mine into a half decent attack spell.”

“Applejack,” Fluttershy said softly, trying to get the orange girl’s attention, but her eyes were fixed on the burning building.

“I left her. I left her and now she’s gone.” Rainbow knelt down beside her friend as Fluttershy felt along her leg for an injury.

“AJ I told you, you don’t know Apple Bloom was in there. We checked most all the first floor, and if there was anyone hiding in the basement Rarity would’ve, HOLY CRAP RARITY!” Rainbow jumped up and ran back to the ranger station and she was only ten feet from the building when the bottom floor caved into the basement below.

Five minutes ago:

Rarity tumbled through the storm cellar doors and down the tiny flight of stairs, onto the bare concrete floor and what should have been a hard landing. Instead she sank into it like a foam mattress, and standing was just as tricky. She was up to her shins in the floor, and she realized it felt like she was wading through water. She began to wonder if this was her equivalent of Applejack and Pinkie's new abilities when two tiny terrified voices cried out.

“Hello?!”

“Are you still there?”

“I’m here,” She called, treading through the dark basement toward the voices, still nearly knee deep in concrete. She wished she could just step up out of it like the water it felt like, then she felt something hard brush her arm. She reached up and found a metal handle attached to a table, and hauled herself up on that. Her feet came out of the floor, which only retained its water like surface for a moment before it was solid under her again. She felt her way around the table and other pieces of equipment, what felt like a vice clamp, an electric screw driver and other power tools.

It was only when she felt her hair brush one of the table legs and the faint muscle twitches atop her head that she realized she was back in her anthro-form, but she forgot all about it when she saw two girls huddled against the back wall, but instead of her Sweetie Belle and the crusaders it was their bullies; Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon.

“Please,” Silver Spoon sniffled, glasses broken and gone, her braided hair fraying. Rarity looked to the girl’s left and saw little Diamond was pinned face up under a massive metal cabinet, free only from her waist up. “We hid down here when the fires started and Diamond she, she.”

“It’s all right,” she said hugging Silver Spoon the way she would Sweetie after a bad day of school. It didn’t matter to rarity that these girls picked on her little sister and her friends every day, all she saw was two scared children who needed help. “Diamond? Can you hear me?” The pink girl looked scared out of her mind.

“Uh-hu. It, it hurts.”

“It’s okay darling,” she said as much to the trapped girl as to herself.

“Everything’s going to be okay.” She whipped her eyes around the room, shapes only half visible in the dark, a dark that was turning to harsh orange light as the floor above them burned. Diamond Tiara whimpered as the ceiling above them crackled like a campfire, and Silver Spoon darted back to her hiding place by the wall when embers began to fall around them, light painting the gem of Diamond’s necklace deep purple. Rarity knew she couldn’t lift the tool cabinet off of Diamond without help, but Silver Spoon was nowhere near strong enough to help. The doors above them were still stuck shut as well, but then she remembered how she got into the basement in the first place.

“Diamond, I need you to stay calm, and keep still. Can you do that for me?”

“I, I think so,” she sniffled as Rarity looked at her friend.

“Silver Spoon, I need you to come here. We’re going to get Diamond out from under this thing.”

“How? We’d need one of my daddy’s cranes to lift that up.”

“Everything’s going to be okay girls, I promise.” She motioned the white haired girl over to her friend and placed her hands on Diamonds. “Now when I say pull, I need you to pull Diamond as hard as you can out from under this. I’ll take care of the rest.” Silver Spoon nodded nervously and Diamond shut her eyes as Rarity placed her hands under the cabinet if only to be in contact with it. With nothing to go on but her tumble through the storm cellar door and wading through the floor, she imagined the metal cabinet and its contents becoming as thin as air. She was afraid it wouldn’t work, before the metal began to phase through her fingers.

“Pull!” Silver Spoon yanked hard on her friends arms, dragging Diamond away from the cabinet before it turned solid again and banged down on the floor.

“We did it,” she cried, only for the snap and crash of a timber from above to remind Rarity of the danger over their heads.

“Time to go. Diamond darling, can you move?”

“Nu, no,” the tiny girl said in pure terror, more afraid than she had been trapped beneath almost a half ton of metal. “I, I can’t feel my legs!” Another wad of timbers came crashing down on the work bench behind them, snapping it in half like tooth picks.

“Wrap your arms around my neck,” Rarity snapped, already hoisting Diamond off the ground. “Silver Spoon, climb on my back.” She could only hope her new ability and all those piggy back rides she gave Sweetie Belle would pay off. With the two girls wrapped around her, Rarity forced herself to stand under the weight and rushed for the door, stumbling left and right between the falling debris and her passengers combined mass.

Rarity dodged a flaming timber, then recovered her balance, and forced herself into one final lunging charge for the stairs and door. She kept her eyes on the stairs in the growing orange light, blocking out the screams of the two girls she was carrying as her throat dried and cracked. All she could think of was getting them to safety, no matter what.

For a split second she heard Sweetie Belle’s angelic little voice ringing out over the snapping and crashing of burning wood around her. Time appeared to slow, and in the toxic smoke addled haze, Rarity thought she could see someon on the stairs up to the storm doors; a woman surrounded by glowing white, a silver jewel studded crown atop her head.

The ground floors collapse into the basement blasted the warped storm cellar doors off their hinges, flinging them through the air like playing cards as Rainbow Dash went tumbling back head over heels. She landed on her side, only to feel another body slam into her gut and bowl her over. She realized the person’s weight on her ribcage was keeping her from breathing, before she saw the smoke and soot marred white skin behind a mess of white and pink-lavender hair clinging to the fashionista like a life preserver.

Rarity gently lowered Diamond Tiara to the ground as Silver Spoon let go of her shoulders, allowing blood to flow back into her arms. Fluttershy was already on her knees beside them when three more girls came charging out of the woods behind them.

“Sis!”

“Rarity!”

“Dash!”

Applejack twisted around in the grass, tears welling thick in her eyes as she watched her sister run toward her. Apple Bloom slowed down just enough to avoid running her big sister over, and the two apples held each other, if only to confirm the other was real. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo never got to hugging; a hand warning and glare from Fluttershy threw up an invisible barrier as she looked over Diamond and Silver Spoon’s injuries. When Rarity removed herself from the pile however, Sweetie Belle latched onto her immediately. All three were blubbering apologies faster than Pinkie Pie on a sugar high while Fluttershy checked Diamond Tiara to see just how badly the girl was hurt.

“I’m so sorry Rarity,” Sweetie Belle sobbed into her big sister’s chest. Rarity shushed her and tried to calm the trembling girl as she herself started to hiccough.

“Rainbow, are you okay?” Scootaloo helped the cyan girl upright, who replied with a nervous laugh as tears well to her eyes.

“Me? I’m the one that should be asking you. Now come’ere.” She pulled the orange tween into a hug, followed by a noogie that did more to lighten the little girl’s mood than words ever could. “That’s for waking up the dragon.”

“Hey,” She laughed defensively, trying to escape the older girl’s grip. “What makes you think WE woke that thing up?”

“Lets be honest squirt, this would not be at the tip of you three’s top 20 screw ups, but it definitely ranks.” Scootaloo quickly looked away, and Rainbow started to laugh until she noticed how ashamed the little girl looked, and settled for another hug instead. “I’m just glad you’re all safe. But between you and me,” she whispered. “Next time you wake up a dragon, don’t forget to tell me so we can borrow a saddle from AJ.”

The farm girl said nothing, just held her little sister close, not trusting her mouth of form the words in her head. The moment she’d even considered Applebloom was in danger, a thousand different scenarios flashed through her mind, all ending in an all too familiar way.

“Girls,” Fluttershy spoke up, trying to get someone else’s attention. “Diamond need’s a hospital, and Aj, you need to have that ankle set.”

“Shy’s right.” Sunset threw her stick away, circle completed. “Take the kids and get out of here as fast as you can.” Applejack knew she wasn’t a genius, but that was the last thing it took to figure out what Sunset meant.

“An leave you to do what? Get fried crispier than homemade chips?”

“Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.” She moved to the middle of the circle, concentrating as hard as she could as the lines began to glow, but only barely. She blocked out her friend’s voices, trying to muster the magic for even the simplest self-defense spell. It was like drawing water from frozen rock. Slowly she could feel the energies flowing toward and around her, power different from her old home.

“Holy crap she’s doing it!!” Rainbow shouted, pulling Scootaloo back from the faintly glimmering teal swirl growing around Sunset. "She's got her magic back!" The former unicorn held her breath and tried not to show the strain she was feeling.

She had been on fire before, felt raw power coursing through her, but this was infinitely more painful. Her blood felt like it had turned to acid, and the wisps of energy swirling around her burned like hot irons when one blew too close. One large wisp caught her jacket at the sleeve, and while it didn’t set the leather on fire, she felt something wet begin to trickle down her arm.

“Is she supposed to be bleeding like that?” Sunset bit back a scream as the voices outside the vortex ran together in her pounding ears, clawing for the concentration she needed to send the signal to Pinkie Pie.

“Get her out of there!”

“How? That thing must be a bajillion degrees!” Sunset felt the temperature skyrocketing inside the magical maelstrom, magic lancing around her like lightning. She could feel the spell turning wild, running away from her like an overloaded cart down hill and jerking out of her control.

For the first time since being blasted by the elements of harmony, Sunset felt her own magic turn on her. Even with her eyes screwed shut she could see the colors of the writhing magic shift from teal to a deeper blue until it passed through purple, and became an all too familiar pitch black. Then the magic swirling in front of her became a face, a red face with fangs, pointed ears, and eyes as black as the void Nightmare Moon’s eternal night. Her knees buckled as the face’s body loomed over her, wings splayed out behind her, cackling over the magical typhoon.

“Help me.”

Sunset felt another magical aura appear, envelope her, and next she knew she was torn from the center of the vortex. She stumbled into the grass as the tempest of energy behind her rippled and split, before the spell too collapsed into an explosion that sent everyone in a two mile radius diving for cover.

There was no smoke, just a flash and a sound so loud it defied logic. The magical vortex held just enough strength to direct the column of arcane energy straight up. It punched a hole in the handful of clouds overhead, and they quickly fell apart.

Sunset was barely conscious, aware only of the pain stinging from her cuts and burns, and the haze of pink falling in and out of her left field of vision. It took everything she had left just to raise herself up enough to turn her head to look where Pinkie Pie was laying beside her. Her poofy hair and the tips of her pony ears were singed in more places than one, and she had nearly as many burns and cuts on the rest of her body as Sunset.

“Came as soon as I could,” she smiled weakly, eyes rapidly sliding shut. “Sorry about the Dragon.” She passed out before Sunset could even understand her meaning, just as a winged shadow appeared overhead.

The dragon followed the scent of insidious sweetness over the wind back across the park, and began circling the moment the smell had been joined by burned hair and dripping blood. The presence whispering in its ear nearly giggled with demented delight.

“This is just too easy.” Shadowfrights smiled was manic as he floated beside his airborne engine of destruction, invisible among the rising plumes of smoke. “Well?” he barked gleefully to the scaled flier. “Don’t just drift there you overgrown pteranodon, Get down there and incinerate them!” The beast narrowed it’s still mostly blind bloodshot eyes, and it’s lips curled back in a snarl, fire building in its gullet as it descended.

Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow Dash had each grabbed their own little sisters up out of pure reflex when the spell collapsed. Fluttershy threw herself over Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara, as the shockwave blasted over them like a hurricane’s gale. It was the combined weight of the two girls she was protecting that kept the yellow teenager rooted to the ground while the others tumbled and rolled, though not very far in Rarity and Sweetie Belle’s case. Thus it was Fluttershy that first felt the soft thud of something large landing. Rarity had just dared to open her eyes again when a wave of warm air passed over her back like a ragged blanket.

She turned her head and body just enough to see the dragon raise its head and shoulders up from a dusty landing, blue wings now folded into long front legs, red tail whipping back and forth like a snapped cable as its blue belly glowed orange, and then yellow.

“Rarity?” Sweetie Bell squeaked, her big sister’s pony ears folding flat and her pupils shrinking to pinpricks. In the split second it took the glow in the dragon’s belly to travel up its neck, three things happened. Applejack, and Rainbow Dash grabbed their little sister’s even tighter and turned their bodies to shield them anyway they could. Fluttershy nearly crushed Diamond and Silver in a death hug, but not one tight enough to stop the little pink girl’s necklace from flying off her neck towards Rarity.

Shadowfright saw the dragon let loose its fire, only for a wall of white to erupt before it, blocking the searing beam and bathing the park in thick fog and steam.

“WHAT?!” He turned his smoke a lighter shade of grey and slithered closer, letting himself be blown above the fog until he could see just what had happened. Instead of eleven well-dressed piles of ash, the girls were unharmed behind a rapidly melting wall of pure white ice. None of it made sense until he saw the teenager with purple hair holding and guarding her sibling.

“No,” he gasped, recognizing the white jewel now shining on the girl’s forehead. “That’s not possible.” Shadowfright turned tail and flew as fast as his formless body would carry him. As the nightmare shade fled, the dragon looked on at the new wall of frozen protection in surprise. But not quite as surprised as that of those behind it.

“Sunset,” Applejack breathed, eyes locked on the massive wall of ice.

“That, wasn’t me,” she gasped, looking at the melting shield as Rainbow and Fluttershy noticed another development.

“Oh my. Rarity,” Fluttershy started but couldn’t begin to find the words. “What happened to your, um?” The fashionista extricated herself from her protective embrace of Diamond and Silver and looked nervously at her timid friend

“My what Darling?” She quietly wondered what could have happened to her to make Fluttershy rate it above the weirdness of a wall of ice appearing out of nowhere, but thankfully Rainbow was a bit more enthusiastic.

“Whoah, where did that come from?” Her tone left Rarity more annoyed for lack of a description than terrified.

“Where did what come from?” Rainbow opened and closed her mouth, looking very awkward, like she was explaining the birds and the bees to one of the crusaders. In the end she simply pointed at her forehead. Rarity yanked out her compact and checked her face. A few scratches and soot, nothing a bath and makeup couldn’t cover up. The horn jutting out of her forehead however.

She nearly dropped her compact when she saw it; a spire of shimmering crystal tapering to a needle point perched just below her hairline. The tip reached just above the tops of her pony ears, and had grooves spiraling all the way down its length.

“What on earth?” No one had a chance to answer her question as the shrinking ice wall behind them cracked. On the other side the dragon dug its claws into the cold slippery surface, determined to get to the prey on the other side. The wall cracked again, chunks of ice breaking off and falling away as the girls scrambled away from their rapidly breaking defense.

Rainbow hauled Sunset to her feet and Applejack forced herself to stand on her bad ankle. She picked up and cradled a still unconscious Pinkie Pie while the crusaders huddled together behind Rarity as the purple haired girl stared at the breaking wall. They backed away further as the claws of one of the dragon’s folded wings appeared over the wall, then the other, until the monster had hauled itself on top of the icy rampart. The fog had condensed into water and drenched its scales, and now the dragon was not only half blind, but doing a scaled up demonstration of just how mad a wet hen could be. Apple Bloom couldn’t take her eyes of the dragon, not until steam began to rise off its glowing chest.

“Aj?,” she squeaked looking at her big sister's, eyes full of fear. With Pinkie still in her arms and her nakle screaming at her to get off her feet, the farm girl moved between her sister and the dragon, even knowing she had no chance of stopping what was about to come out of its mouth. They all braced for the fire, but instead of in front of them, the blast came from behind.

The fireball hit between them, far enough from the girls to be harmless, but close enough to the dragon that the red and blue behemoth yelped and screeched, then fell, startled off its slick icy perch. The Rainbooms and the Crusaders looked up to see where the blast had come from, only to see an even larger form, not unlike the one now lying in a heap, glide over them to a graceful landing.

Four clawed legs touched down almost soundlessly, powerful lavender wings billowing as they brought the creature’s serpentine body to a stop. Its spiked head and body were covered in brilliant pearly golden scales, but also countless scars. This new beast was larger than the first dragon by at least three times. Then the wet ground before it glowed with the fire in its gullet, and the Rainbooms braced for another fire blast, but instead of flames, words came from the dragon’s mouth.

“Vuth!” It shouted, voice deep and rumbling like a waking volcano, only for a higher, much younger voice to answer.

“Fey tir do daar!” The red- and blue dragon snarled back, voice almost female compared to the larger dragon’s deep baritone. “Daar los dii niraat!”

“No,” The golden dragon thundered in English, “They are not.” He slowly stepped forward, head low and wings folded close to his body. The smaller dragon backed away, fire and steam flickering from between its jaws. If the golden dragon was intimidated, he did not show it.

“It’s alright young one,” he said as gently as a father to any frightened child. “Clear your mind. Calm yourself and see through the deception placed upon it. Nahkiv Lo.” The long horns of his crest began to glow light purple and the smaller dragon’s eyes flashed over the same color, then shook its head. The golden dragon stepped back a little as the younger one had its mind cleared, before the day delivered one more surprise, and Vice Principal Luna climbed down from the great dragon’s back. He twisted his head and long neck back toward her, and they seemed to exchange words before Luna walked toward the still wide eyed girls, and the dragon toward its smaller kin. She walked up the Rainbooms, still protecting their younger siblings and unconscious friends. She looked tired, worn out to the point of looking years, even decades older than she had just hours ago.

“I’m sorry,” she sighed in a voice heavy with both regret and embarrassment. “But to be fair you left before I could tell you the whole story. I’m afraid I may have excluded a few details.”

Chapter 5: It Starts Again

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One text by Applejack to her big brother and a hour later the crusaders were all safe at the Sweet Apple Acres Ranch. The Demeaning Duo as Sweetie Belle had termed Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara were in an ambulance on the way to the hospital and a pick up by their parents. All five tweens had promised for all they could muster not to tell a soul about what they had seen. Granted not only did they have two older siblings, a role model bordering on idol, and Fluttershy to convince them, they also had a vice principal and a pair of fire breathing dragons to consider breaking a Pinkie Pie promise too.

Once Luna and the great dragon knew their secret was mildly safe the vice principal had the rainbooms climb onto the gold dragon, Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity riding on its back while the gold drake took Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie in his front legs. Applejack tensed tighter than a rubber band on a plane propellor, but he was very careful about not scratching them with his claws. Luna flew behind them back to the high school, riding the smaller red and blue dragon who had been decidedly quiet after the larger dragon finished their conversation.

While Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but hold her arms out in the wind, Rarity was trying to make sense of the alien sensation of air rushing past her pony ears and her new horn. While it felt just as much a part of her as her hands or feet, it was cold and slick to the touch, not unlike the ice that had appeared and shielded them. It wasn’t long before they returned to the school, the two dragons landing on the soccer field behind the main building to let their passengers dismount. Luna was first, and able to stop Fluttershy before she rushed her unconscious friends.

“Wait,” she said, clutching her shoulder to hold the yellow girl back as the great dragon gently placed Sunset and Pinkie down in the grass of the field. He backed away and lowered his head to look at the injured teens, then muttered something under his breath. His horns and crest once again glowed with the same soft purple light, and before everyone’s eyes the injuries on both girls began to reverse themselves. Skin that had blistered in the searing heat of Sunset’s spell faded back to normal colors, while cuts and shallow scrapes knitted themselves back together. Even Applejack yelped in surprise when the swelling that had started to overtake her ankle shrank and vanished like an untied balloon.

“How da heck?” Applejack hopped on one foot and pulled up her pants leg to confirm her ankle was in fact healed, just as Sunset and Pinkie groaned awake

“Ohh, Celestia,” The former unicorn moaned sitting up only to lean forward and cradle her head in her hands. “Did somepony get a good look at the cart that hit me?” Pinkie Pie’s response was a laugh, a dry laugh but a laugh nonetheless.

“Sorry I missed it,” she said rubbing her stomach. “Oowwie zowie, what happened?”

“Apologies,” The great dragon boomed, trying and failing to speak softly. “I’m afraid I am a tad out of practice when it comes to healing enchantments. The aches should dissipate soon.”

“Oh good,” Pinkie Smiled, finally turning to face her doctor. “Thanks misteerrrrRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!” One flash of pink later and the party girl was gone, reappearing twenty feet up the nearest light post and shaking like a chihuahua.

“Pinkie it’s alright!” Fluttershy shouted, running to the base of the small tower. “He’s a nice dragon!”

“HAH! Easy for you to say,” Pinkie scoffed from her perch. “You weren’t bait for the last one!”

“I’m right here you know,” The red and blue dragon deadpanned, now sitting back on its haunches with its wings folded across its chest. It was also being given a very, very wide berth by everyone except Luna and the great dragon, who sighed as he ran a clawed hand down his scaly face.

“I do apologize for Winglet’s behavior. She can be a tad irritable when someone gets under her scales.”

“Irritable?!” The dragoness shrieked.

“She?!!” Pinkie yelled in disbelief, only for the she-dragon in question to shoot a glare up at her more searing than any flame.

“What’s that supposed to mean you little pink snot?!”

“Hey,” Rainbow Dash yelled, surprising everyone when her wings and pony ears reappeared, allowing her to zip up in front of Winglet’s muzzle. “That’s Pinkamena Diane Pie to you scaly! And you better count yourself lucky my buddy Sunset here didn’t fry your lizard but with one of her spells.” Sunset’s eyes went from the great dragon straight into the ground so fast it was as if she was trying to dig a hole to hide in.

“Tough talk coming from a two leg,” Winglet snarled.

“Well at least I’ve got thumbs, charcoal breath.”

“Feather brain!”

“Fire-spitter!”

“Alright you two,” Luna said calmly stepping between the floating teenager and the she-dragon. “If you’re really going to waste time seeing who has the bigger wingspan, why don’t we take thing inside before someone sees us?”

“A fair point,” The great dragon nodded, casting a critical eye on the smaller dragon, tone shifting back to that of a parent dealing with a rebellious child. “Winglet, you know what to do.”

“Aw come on,” She groaned, looking back at the humans around her, trying her hardest to shrink into her wings. “Do I really have to? In front of them?” The great dragon’s only response was a slow nod.

Winglet sighed, getting down on all fours and letting her body go lax as the great dragon muttered a spell, and his horns glowed once more. Before their eyes the she-dragon began to shrink, blue and red scales replaced by brightly colored feathers and tough skin, reducing in size until a massive fire breathing dragon had been replaced with a tiny red and blue parrot.

“There,” she sighed, glaring up her new beak with all the righteous fury of a fluffy kitten. “Satisfied?” Her answer came in a flash of pink light behind her, followed by being scooped up by the same color hands.

“Eeeeeeee!! You are so cute!” Winglet flinched at Pinkie Pie’s squealing mood shift, desperately trying to breath in the death hug she’d been locked in. The drummer girl’s friends could only laugh and shake their heads, knowing it had only been a matter of time until Pinkie switched back to her “normal” peppy step. Even Fluttershy was no longer intimidated by Winglet.

“Aw you are cute,” She cooed walking over to stroke the red and blue parrot’s head. “Such a pretty bird.” Rainbow stepped closer, making no effort at all to hide the smirk on her face.

“Hehe, looks like you’re the feather brain now scales. Does polly want a.” Winglet wriggled out of Pinkie’s grip and flapped right into Rainbow’s face.

“Say cracker and I swear to the Old Gods, I’ll let ya have it on principle!”

“I’d heed that warning if I were you,” The great dragon smiled as Luna led them back into the building, his own form now shrinking and changing as well, but if the rainbooms were expecting another animal, they were in for an even bigger shock. Wings retracted into the great dragon’s shoulders as he walked, their lavender webbing spread over his rapidly shrinking body and shifting to an off purple blue. White horns became hair, and as he finally stepped inside the main building,his glittering golden scales separated into white and yellow diamond patterns across his chest, until they became the scratchy fabric of a plaid sweater vest. The great dragon sighed, flexing his shoulders in pure relief.

“Great caesar's ghost, I almost forgot how heavy those wings can be. They do absolutely nothing for my old back either.” He turned around to face the six gobsmacked faces. “What?” No one said anything until Fluttershy of all people regained control of her limp lower jaw, though it was more a squeak than speech.

“M, Mr. Book Worm?!” The dragon turned lit teacher could only smile as Winglet flapped over to sit on his shoulder.

“Well what were you expecting?” she asked rhetorically. “A talking beaver?” The comment knocked Rainbow Dash at least part way out of the shock of seeing an awesome dragon turn into her least favorite teacher.

“No. But something in the small, furry, shouldn’t be talking variety.” The dragon-teacher only shook his head as the dragoness in disguise laughed while they walked through the door to Luna’s office and back into the plush, luxurious, bigger on the inside room behind it.

“Disguises vary among my kind,” Mr. Worm explained as he took a seat by the fireplace, Winglet flying from her perch to one of the railings on the rooms second floor. “Not every dragon who comes through the portal becomes a small furry animal. In fact any being, human, equine, or otherwise can keep their own form from world to world if they know what they’re doing. But perhaps I should introduce myself.” Sunset, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack all noticed how the disguised dragons posture changed, shifting from the slight but serious teacher they knew to something regal and ancient.

“My true name is Bibliopyphus Wyrm, and I am the seventh king of the united dragon tribes, the Gaonu, the Tapo, and the Lekol, or water, fire, and earth dragons respectively. For the past dozen centuries I have been chief advisor to Luna and her associates in matters of the arcane and the prophecy of Renewed Darkness.” He paused, sitting back in his chair to give the girls time to digest what he was telling them, and found himself slipping back into his teacher role when Applejack raised her hand. “Yes?”

“If ya’ll’re really dragon royalty, why disguise yerself as an english teacher of all thangs?”

“Duh,” Winglet scoffed flapping down to the farm-girl’s chair. “So he could keep a low profile eye on Canterlot. You know incase someone wanted to take advantage of the situation.” The older dragon cast a critical, warning eye on the younger dragoness.

“Winglet.”

“What it’s true isn’t it?” She defended, oblivious to the mute warning signs she was being given. “I mean where else can you find ancient royalty, and the last known bearer of one of the Elements of Uni.”

“WINGLET!”

“What?!” She stared at Book Worm, surprised and startled by his sudden tone change, until she noticed the calm embarrassment written all over a certain vice principals face. “Oooppsie, slip of the beak.” As it turned out, none of the rainbooms would have known who she was referring to until she looked at Luna. Sunset was the first to start piecing the puzzles together.

“Royalty?” She asked as Luna sighed in defeat, slumping beside Book Worm’s chair.

“Yes. Like our dear english teacher there’s more to me than I allow most to see. Once upon a time I was Princess Luna Selena Moon, a member of the royal family of Gallopor, and Bearer of the Element of Water. And to answer the question of ancient yes, as of this past October I am one thousand five hundred and twenty two years old.”

“I KNEW IT!!” Everybody looked back and up at Rainbow Dash, who was just finishing a loopty-loop in mid air and doing a little Go-Rainbow victory dance. Applejack was probably the most confused about the tomboy’s reaction.

“Sugarcube, are ya’ll tell’n us you knew our vice principal’s an immortal magical princess and our Lit teacher’s a dragon king?”

“No, But I knew it had to be something cool!” When her victory dance continued to only earn blank stares Rainbow’s mood visibly deflated. “Aw come on guys. Why in the world would all this magic and evil stuff happen in Canterlot of all places? What are the bad guys gonna fight over, strip malls and parking space? There had to be some kind of hocus-pocus awesomeness already happening.” Rarity, Applejack, Sunset, Pinkie and Fluttershy all looked back and forth at one another, almost as surprised at Rainbow’s theory as they would be if Pinkie Pie was eating brussel sprouts. Book Worm’s expression however was flat, and Luna looked pleasantly impressed.

“Quite the mind hidden under that brash attitude,” she commented, earning a tired grunt from the great dragon.

“Now if I could only get her to use it in class.” He cleared his throat as loudly as a dragon in disguise could without setting fire to something, easily redirecting the rainboom’s attention back to Luna and himself.

“Rainbow Dash is correct. The city you know as Canterlot sits atop the center of a vast nexus of what my people know as Suleyk Rath, rivers of power.” He muttered under his breath, and the carpet under their feet changed. Dark red fibers shifted to tans, greens and blues, snaking and spreading over the carpet's surface until a rug had become a map of the world, familiar landmasses and cities criss crossed with thin sand blue lines of fiber that seemed to glow. And they all intersected in Canterlot.

“In olden days,” Luna explained, “magic would flow across these ley lines like electricity through metal. Canterlot’s location over the epicenter of this natural network once allowed countless magical entities to exist and inhabit the land. And though these lines have been more or less dormant for the last thousand years.” She turned a scathing eye toward Winglet, and the disguised dragoness withered under the ancient princesses glare. “They are clearly becoming more active.”

“Hey don’t look at me,” Winglet hissed flapping down to the floor to glare up at Luna. “I didn’t ask to get woken up from hibernation by some stink’n dig-happy humans. I was just defending myself!” Applejack and Sunset were already thinking something wasn’t completely right with the younger dragon, and Pinkie Pie was the one who starting to figure it out loud.

“What humans?” She asked leaning forward and looking down at Winglet. “Nobody’s done any digging near the park since my great-great-great granddaddy sold the mine to the city. You know he wanted them to turn it into a theme park? He thought he’d convinced the mayor to make the mine tracks and tunnels into roller coasters, but then they got lazy and just filled the whole thing with water.” Book Worm nodded a silent agreement, and had to force away the smile brought on by Pinkie’s choice of words. Winglet’s proud demeanor was cracking with fear.

“Winglet,” he said getting up and kneeling down to the disguised dragonesses level on the floor, her proud demeanor cracking with fear and slow understanding. “There were no diggers.”

“I know what I saw!” She shrieked more to herself than anyone. “They had these big machine shovels, and explosives, and, and the landslide it.”

“Dang,” Rainbow gasped leaning toward Sunset. “Sounds like she had one heck of a nightmare.” The former unicorn said nothing, still shaken by her own experiences from the failed spell.

“What happened after the landslide?” Book Worm watched the red and blue parrot carefully, ready to return her to hibernation if things turned violent.

“I, I dug myself out,” she croaked, throat dry from her own inner heat as she struggled to find the words. “Then I, I heard, everything just turned into a blur. I remember flying blind, burning and stinging in my eyes.” Pinkie Pie not so subtly scooted her chair back a foot or so, when Winglets eyes shot open. “Wait! There was a voice, this voice in my ear telling me where to look. Telling me where to find the diggers.”

“This voice,” Luna said stepping forward and kneeling next to Winglet, though her tone was anything but friendly. “Was it male? Did it rasp like a cold northern wind?”

“Ye-yes your majesty,” she whimpered, now fully reduced from a proud dragoness to a scared little bird. The vice-principals brow furrowed as she hissed through clenched teeth.

“Shadowfright that hades spawned shade.”

“Who an what?” Applejack asked as Book worm got to his feet and started pacing.

“Shadowfright: A nightmare shade who feeds on fear the way a siren feeds on anger and malice. He was once an avatar of dreams, until Grogar corrupted him into a creature that subsisted solely on those that inspire terror.” he gently scooped up Winglet from the ground, cradling her in the crook of his arm. “He must have taken advantage of Winglets hibernation, and turned her slumbering mind against her.”

“H-how bad was it?” She asked, not daring to look at any eyes except Book Worm’s. Her tone was one Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity all recognized; the same one the crusaders used when they realized one of their schemes could have caused some serious collateral damage. “How many people did I hurt?”

“Winglet please.” But before he could say anything else the she dragon is disguise had flapped out of his arms and up to his face and finally snapped.

“How many did I hurt this time?!” She screeched. Book worm’s mouth opened a closed, looking at Luna for help, but she had always seen honesty as the best policy

“...One. A little girl.” Winglet slowly stopped flapping her wings, falling to the floor as she stared at the blue woman. “She will live, but her injuries were great.” The tiny she-dragon said nothing, just scratched at the floor with her talons and stared at the carpet. Applejack couldn’t help but think of the terrified look on Diamond Tiara’s face when she saw the dragon perched over them, matched only by the fear in her eyes when she saw the sullen looks worn by the EMT’s helping her into the ambulance.

“No one saw you,” Luna said, attempting to show the young she-dragon a silver lining. “The concealment spell placed on your den was still working when you were woken, and only those already touched by magic could see you.”

“What does it matter who saw me?” She sighed dejectedly. “I hurt a girl who didn’t deserve it, and probably scared the other four halfway to the river styx.”

“Now you stop that this instant.” None of the other Rainbooms said anything when Rarity got out of her seat and walked up behind Winglet, but no one, Winglet especially, had been expecting her to pick up the red and blue parrot. She held Winglet’s wings against her body, turning her so they were face to face. “Not one bit of what happened today was your fault. Sweetie Belle might not be the bravest girl, and while I know quite a few people who would say what happened to Diamond was the work of karma, you are not responsible for one bit of it. You were tricked darling, plain and simple.” Winglet did her best to look anywhere but at the fashionista.

“Easy for you to say,” she huffed. “You weren’t the one being used as an attack dog.” She opened her wings and Rarity, not wanting to hurt her, let her go. She flew off into the labyrinth of book shelves, leaving Rarity to watch her feathers vanish among the aisles as Book Worm walked up beside her.

“That was a very kind thing for you to do Ms. Belle.” He was smiling even as he cast a questioning eye on the young woman. “But I was under the impression you no longer wanted anything to do with magic.”

“I’m dreadfully sorry for the way I acted,” she said softly, apologizing as much to her friends as Luna and her teacher. “After we beat the Sirens, I suppose I thought we wouldn’t have to deal with magic anymore.”

“Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing,” The great dragon nodded, smile sage like and kind as any grandfather. “But if there is one thing I know absolutely, it’s that the Element of Ice would never choose its bearer lightly.” Book Worm laughed despite his best efforts when Rarity’s expression shifted from ashamed to confused. “Of come now my dear, where did you think that frozen barrier was conjured from? In the world Sunset Shimmer and Princess Twilight Sparkle hail from you are a unicorn, endowed with a magical power all your own. Power the element now sitting on your forehead allowed you to access once it deemed you worthy.”

“Mr. Worm, er, Wyrm?” Rainbow Dash asked with anxious anticipation, trying and failing to pronounce the Great Dragon’s read name. “How exactly does one of these elements “deem you worthy”?”

“It depends on the Element,” He said with an enigmatic smirk. “Some value the ability to inspire joy, while others value wisdom, and courage.” The soccer stars pony ears perked up a mile high at the latter as Book worm turned back to Rarity. “The Element of Ice treasures charity above all other qualities, for it is on the coldest nights that generosity and selflessness are needed most.” Rarity knew he was trying to praise her, but she could only bring herself to look at the floor.

“I wasn’t being very generous when I stormed out of here earlier today. The only person I was thinking of then was myself.”

“Within every little flurry there is the potential for a blizzard,” he remarked wisely. “The Element of Ice only accepts those willing to commit the ultimate sacrifice.”

“HOLD IT!!” Pinkie Pie shouted, teleporting up right between Rarity and Book Worm, holding up a black box with white lettering that read TV-Y. She looked around for a minute before sticking the box just to the left and above their heads, then pulled out a magic marker and wrote a 7 next to the Y. “There we go,” She smiled before teleporting right back into her seat beside Rainbow and Fluttershy. The two fliers could only shake their heads.

“Sometimes Pinkie you really do scare me,” Rainbow sighed, as Fluttershy nodded, while Pinkie just kept smiling.

“All antics aside,” Book Worm began again, more than a little confused by the pink girl’s actions. “The Element of Ice chose you Rarity because it saw you were willing to do anything to protect those around you. Even if it meant putting yourself between them and a bewitched she-dragon.”

“Speaking thusly,” Luna spoke up, looking into the rows of books and shelves. “I think it’s time someone went in after our little dragoness.”

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about her,” Book Worm smiled, glancing back at the empty seat between where Applejack and Pinkie Pie had sat down. “Something tells me Winglet is in most capable hands.”

Sunset shimmer wasn’t exactly sure what she had been thinking when she snuck off into the library, just that she couldn’t stay with her friends. She kept telling herself it was to find Winglet, but deep down she knew that was a thin lie at best.

“Winglet?” She called out, peeking around yet another row of shelves stocked to bursting. Everywhere she looked there were books of all sizes and colors. Some shone like freshly minted coins, looking like new editions while others appeared weathered and older than time itself. There was even the odd scroll or two mixed in with the endless collection, and Sunset was fighting a very real urge to take one out and start exploring. She knew her thirst for knowledge was one of the reasons Princess Celestia took her on as a personal student, but somewhere along the line that thirst had turned into a lust for power that cost her everything.

‘One door closes, another creaks open,’ she told herself half heartedly. Since her attempted conquest of Canterlot High, Sunset knew she had probably learned more about the magic of friendship than she ever had with the Sun Princess back in Equestria. Here she had friends she could depend on, and be her normal brainy, if a little condescending, self around. Even Twilight Sparkle had been willing to give her a second chance. Of course she was the Princess of Friendship so optimism came with the job, but still.

Sunset thought back to the bag she had left behind with her friends in the main part of the library, archives or whatever this place really was. She knew it would take time for Twilight to sort out all the information she’d jotted down earlier, and even longer to authenticate it with Equestrian records, but right now it felt as if the whole thing was bearing down on her like a Canterlot Express train. Twilight was the one supposed to be fighting monsters and saving people with the power of harmony, unity or whatever they were asking her to do, not Sunset Shimmer.

But her train of thought jolted to a halt when she spotted a tuft of blue and red feathers on the floor, then heard the tell tale sniffle of tears above her head. She looked up, and there on one of the bookcases highest shelves was Winglet, head resting on her folded wings where she lay between two thick heavy almanacs.

“Winglet,” She called up as softly as she could.

“Go away,” she sniffled. “Just leave me alone. Read a book or something I don’t care.” Sunset was about to take her advice until she noticed a wheeled ladder further down the aisle. She rolled it over and climbed up to where Winglet had hidden herself, desperately trying to ignore how high up the shelf was.

“Why read a dusty book when you can talk to a friend?” Winglet only looked up a Sunset for a second before she turned around, leaving the yellow-orange girl looking at her red and blue tail feathers.

“How can we be friends?” She asked with sarcasm wet from tears. “You didn’t even know my name until fifteen minutes ago.”

“Well then lets start.” Sunset did her best to keep some kind of balance even as she shifted the books to get a better view of the parrot’s face. “My name’s Sunset Shimmer.”

“...Winglet,” she replied after a pause. Sunset suppressed the urge to sigh, knowing from experience making friends was rarely easy, especially after they’d been through something as traumatic as what Winglet had.

“It’s nice to meet you Wingl,” But before she could finish the tiny parrot whirled around to face her.

“Okay what is it with you? One minute I’m burning down your homes, putting people in danger, the next you want to be friends?!”

“...Yeah?” Sunset answered lamely, earning a tired groan from Winglet.

“Just what kind of messed up world did I wake up to anyway?”

“I’d tell you but I’m not exactly from around here.” Winglet seemed just as confused by Sunset’s words as the smirk that had crept onto her face, but she quickly stopped trying to figure it out and went back to sulking.

“Just leave me alone. Besides, who wants to be friends with a monster? Or a punah who goes on a rampage because of a bad dream?”

“Probably the same people willing to befriend a raging she-demon after she tried to enslave their classmates and turn them into an army.” It wasn’t until Winglet looked at Sunset with her expression of pure confusion that the former equestrian realized how cute a tiny multicolored bird could really be. “It’s a long story,” she laughed as Winglet turned back toward her, eyes now both confused and curious. When she saw the dragoness in disguise was all ears, Sunset told her story, from the first time she looked through the mirror that acted as the door between the human world and Equestria, all the way through to her attempted takeover of Canterlot High and transformation into the infamous raging she-demon.

“Wait,” Winglet perked up. “They just blasted you with the rainbow cannon and poof? No more evil powers? Kinda anticlimactic if you ask me.” Sunset couldn’t but laugh, though it was a dry one.

“Believe me, it felt anticlimactic too. But the blast really did more to clear my head than anything. It let me see how twisted I let myself become just because I couldn’t get my way.”

“So what, now you’re on inter-dimensional parole here?”

“Kind of,” Sunset supplied, not having really thought about her situation as far as Equestrian law was concerned until now. “Twilight says I can come back any time I want even if it’s only a visit but …” She trailed off as she struggled to find the words to explain something she’d been wrestling with since the battle of the bands. “It just doesn’t feel like the right time yet. I did a lot of bad things before Twilight and the girls showed me the light.”

“Literally,” Winglet snerked, causing Sunset to laugh in spite of her own anxiety.

“Yeah, literally. They showed me the rainbow light right in the face.” She tossed her hair back and tried to make the “Firing ma lazer face” Pinkie was always pulling at the worst times, but ended up looking scared stiff, and sent Winglet laughing right onto her feathery back. That sent Sunset laughing too, but they stopped when Sunset’s unsteady perch nearly toppled the book case over.

“That was a close one,” Winglet said between tear filled gasps, tears of sadness replaced with joy.

“Too close,” Sunset agreed, trying get her own train of thought back on the rails. “But yeah, I guess you could say I’m on parole here.”

“For how long?” Sunset could only shrug.

“I’m not really sure. It just feels like it wouldn’t be right to go back yet. Like I need to make up for what I did here you know?”

“Yeah, like a penance flight,” Winglet suggested, and for the first time in the conversation made Sunset the confused one. “It’s a dragon thing. Whenever one of us harms an innocent creature or anything less powerful than us, we have to go on a solo flight across the mountains in Prance and Germaneigh. Its supposed to help us see the error of our ways,” she said with dry sarcasm. “But I don’t know how you can see anything in a mountain blizzard.”

“Have you ever been on a penance flight?” Sunset’s mouth asked before her brain could stop her. Winglet’s mood deflated faster than a popped bouncy house.

“Once,” she said sadly. “It was after my first hibernation. I’d dug my den in a forest, but when I woke up the humans had built a town on top of it. When I woke up I panicked, then they panicked, and before I knew it they were coming at me with swords and spears. I was just,” Sunset put a hand on Winglet’s feathered head before the she-dragon in disguise could go any further, instead opting to fall silent as the girl stroked her feathers.

“Whatever you did you only did in self defense right?” Winglet nodded, and Sunset began to feel a warmth inside her just different enough from those she remembered to be strange. “Then it wasn’t your fault. Just like what happened today wasn’t your fault either. Winglet looked away from Sunset again, and for a moment it seemed she would go back to sulking, but the smile creeping across her beak said otherwise.

“Thanks Sunset,” she sighed leaning into the girls petting just a little more. “I guess it’s not so bad when you really think about it.” Her expression turned sour as a thought crossed her mind like a rain cloud in front of the sun. “Still probably gonna have to go on another penance flight though.” Her head dropped back into her wings with a sigh. Sunset didn’t know very much about Dragons, not the ones in this world at least, but it was hard to imagine anything resembling a lizard liking the cold.

‘Horsefeathers,’ she cursed silently, wracking her brain to try and figure out a way to cheer Winglet up again. ‘Come on what would Twilight or Spike,’ Her thought stopped as a new idea sprouted in her mind, one she just might be able to get the dragon king to agree to.

“Hey Winglet?” The red and blue parrot looked at her with one eye. “How about you tag along with my friends and I?”

“What do you mean?” she asked making a disgusted face. “Be like your pet or something?”

“No,” Sunset giggled as she imagine Winglet at Fluttershy’s place in a bird cage. “Just come with us. I’m already on my own kind of parole from Equestria. What if instead of going on your penance flight, you stayed with us? Twilight asked the girls to help me learn the magic of friendship, and if they can teach me how important friends are, they can help you too.” Sunset held out a hand to Winglet, the other holding her to the ladder. The she-dragon in disguise looked at it like it could easily pet her or bite her.

“I don’t know about this magic of friendship stuff,” she huffed, before standing up and waddling over to Sunset, taking her hand gently in her talons and letting her lift her to her jacket’s left shoulder. “But if it means not getting ice in my scales, count me in.”

“I should warn you though,” Sunset smiled leaning back from the ladder, her arms starting to cramp slightly from holding her in place so long. “Between Rainbow Dash’s pranks and Pinkies, well, Pinkie-ness, things can be a little crazy around us.”

“Hah, you want crazy? I knew this drake once who tried to do a WOAH!” Both girl and bird yelped as Sunset’s weight pulled the ladder up and away from the book case, leaving them balancing it like a pair of stilts.

“It’s okay,” Sunset gulped. “Just don’t panic.”

“See, why does that always end up sounding like an invitation to panic?” Sunset tried to think of something to fire back with, but then her balance deserted her and the ladder tipped back forward, carrying its passengers head long into countless books. Sunset felt their landing cushioned by worn leather and fabric for only a second before she realized the shelf was now tipping with them. The entire book case leaned over, sending its contents showering onto the floor as it crashed into the book case across the opposite aisle. Sunset and Winglet could only watch as the falling book case set off a chain reaction, entire rows of shelves falling like dominoes, making them winch with each new crash.

Meanwhile back near the main door, Luna and Book Worm were still answering questions.

“What is this place exactly?” Fluttershy asked hovering a few feet in the air so she could better see just how far the rows upon rows of book shelves extended.

“Legends has more than a few names for this place,” Luna smiled. “We call it the Archives. It’s a collection of knowledge of all kinds from across the centuries.” Book Worm couldn’t help but smirk as he spotted Rainbow Dash pluck a book from the shelves, it’s title hinting at the adventure described within.

“I was once it’s keeper you know,” he said proudly. “I learned many valuable lessons in my time as archivist, though I never quite expected them to pay off in a classroom.” Applejack pulled out a book with a cornucopia filled to bursting with fruit on the cover and skimmed the pages, only to find they were written in a text of circles and dots.

“Just how many books do ya’ll got here?”

“All of them,” The great dragon smiled, chest puffing out a little. “We make a point of having at least one copy of every book ever written, and an account of every story ever told. But books are not all we have within these halls.”

“Ooh! Do you have a zoo too?” Book Worm had to back pedal when Pinkie suddenly appeared right in front of him, hopping up and down like a bunny on expresso.

“...Yes actually, we do, though I don’t think zoo is a very accurate term. More of a, “collection.” Our natural history section contains two living specimens of all living animals, safely,” he added when Fluttershy turned her shocked gaze on him. “Kept in suspended animation. There are even pairs of creatures mankind's actions have rendered extinct, the thylacine and the dodo to name a few.” At that moment Rainbow decided her new book’s story was moving too slowly, leaving her to close it and turn her attention to the room’s color shifting carpet.

“So what’s up with the rug?” he asked as the carpet’s fibers continued to pulse in vibrant shades. Luna chuckled as she knelt down and placed a hand on the rug, then with a quick flick of her wrist sent the entire image spinning like a globe.

“A little gift The Doctor picked up in Saddle Arabia. All you must do is think of a place, anywhere at all, and the carpet.” She put her hand back on the rug, stopping the rolling image so it displayed a road map of downtown Manehattan. “Will show it to you.”

“So it’s like google earth only its runs on static electricity?” Rainbow surmised hovering high above the rug-map for the best overall view.

“It’s much more than that my little student.” Luna moved the carpet’s image again, the fibers changing color faster than any of their eyes could blink before it settled back on Canterlot, specifically the area around the school, where a white bot of fiber was shining brightly. It didn’t take Rarity long at all to realize what the light was.

“That’s me?” she asked if only to confirm her own theory, earning a nod from their english teacher.

“Your element to be exact. The map is displaying your magical aura, which the element of Ice has enhanced by a considerable amount. Each of the Elements of Unity you see, appear on this map as beacons of light. When one awakes, this will show you where to find it.”

“Hold it one apple-pick’n minute.” Both Luna and Book Worm turned as Applejack stepped up alongside them. “Ya’ll mean they ain’t here?”

“If by not here you mean we didn’t keep six of the most powerful magical items this side of Eternia all in one place, then no, they’re not here.” Everyone heard Rainbow groan, the soccer star realizing what this meant for their first days as heroes.

“Great. So our first heroic quest is gonna be a glorified scavenger hunt. That’s just perfect.” Luna was about to lecture the girl on just what bearing the elements meant, when Pinkie Pie sat up in her seat, eyes locked on the bookshelves to their left. Her friends and their teachers confusion only grew when she began sniffing the air. Applejack, feeling just a bit braver than everyone else, slowly approached Pinkie Pie, eyes following hers.

“Pinkie, what is it?”

“I smell,” She paused, inhaling deep through her nose as her eyes narrowed. “Comedy.”

“Comedy?” Book Worm’s question left his lips just as the sound of crashing bookcases reached his ears. He turned around just in time to see the book cases around them begin to topple into each other. “NO! Not good! This is not funny, not funny at all!”

Contrary to this Rainbow Dash was laughing her head off, while Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were barely managing to suppress their own sputtering laughter, leaving Rarity and Fluttershy to gape at the sheer scale of the destruction.

It wasn’t until the bookcases dominoed into the stone column attached to the fireplace that the rain of book stopped, revealing a swath of fallen shelves, jumbled and tumbled tomes and texts, at the very back of which stood a red and yellow haired girl with a red and blue parrot on her shoulder.

“Umm, oops?” Sunset smiled weakly as Winglet tried to make herself as small as possible on her perch. Even from almost 50 feet away, they could still see the smoke starting to billow out of Book Worm’s nose.

“So much for getting off on parole,” Winglet remarked grimly while Sunset started back toward the others. Unfortunately, Luna had heard the she-dragon’s comment, and it gave her an idea that brought a dangerous smirk with it.

“I think that’s an excellent idea,” she said slowly, waiting until the troublemakers had reached earshot. “You know Book Worm, it has been awhile since the archives were last inventoried. This could be a blessing in disguise.”

“A blessing?!” The great dragon shrieked, still in dismay at the mess, but he stopped when he realized what Luna was hinting at. “Yes you’re right. The literary sections have been in need of a good dusting, and it’s been a dreadfully long time since this place had a proper caretaker.” All six rainbooms recognized their lit teacher’s tone now, the same one he had turned on them earlier before he rewarded Rainbow’s slacking off in class with a group project.
“Then it’s settled,” Luna smiled, cheerfully turning to Sunset. “Congratulations my dear, you’ve got the job.”

“Job?” She wondered out loud, though Book Worm's smile made her wish she’d stayed quiet.

“Of course. Seeing as you were gracious enough to remind us how long it’s been since this place had a proper archivist, it’s only fitting that archivist be you.”

“What?!”

“And Winglet shall be your first assistant.”

“Say WHAT?!”

“Now for some ground rules,” he smiled, seeming to not have heard either of them. “First of all no parties. Though you will all be spending a great deal of time here, this place is a library and museum, not a playground.”

“Awww,” Pinkie sighed.

“Second, all items must be sorted thoroughly by category, then alphabetically. Except in the extinct species annex where subjects should be sorted by the date they disappeared.”

“Last and most importantly,” Luna said, pulling out of her pocket six small key shaped charms not unlike the one hanging from her necklace. “No one enters the Archives without one of these.” She went around and handed all six rainbooms their own charm, each with a different shape for the teeth. Fluttershy’s was shaped like a butterfly, Rainbow dash’s like a lightning bolt, and Rarity’s like a simple diamond. Applejack wasn’t exactly surprised when her key bore the shape of her namesake fruit, nor was Pinkie when hers came shaped like a party balloon. The only one who was surprised was Sunset when she saw her sun shaped key. She knew it probably resembled her cutiemark more than anything else, but it could just have easily belonged to Princess Celestia as well.

“These keys,” she explained, “will allow you access to the archives no matter where you are. All you need is a door with a lock and keyhole, and the keys will make that door a portal back to the Archives.” She was about to ask if there were any question, when Fluttershy raised her hand. “Yes dear?”

“What if we say no?” She asked softly, but just loud enough that everyone heard. “What if we decide we don’t want to save the world?” Rarity looked away from her friends and the teachers, waiting with her fellow Rainbooms for an answer to the question that had been floating at the back of all their minds.

“Then that is your decision,” Book Worm said, sounding like both a teacher and the ruler they now knew him as. “Our destinies are not written in stone young one. We must find them for ourselves, both through our successes and mistakes. Life is like a journey with no destination; It only ends when you stop walking forward. No one can make your decisions for you if you don’t let them.”

“Fluttershy.” The yellow girl jumped a little when Luna stepped toward her, but her timid nature slackened at the vice-principals warm smile. “We can’t make any of you choose to carry this burden, but you, all of you, are the best chance the world has right now. Grogar is coming, and his servants won’t stop until they see him returned. They’ll do anything, hurt anyone to get what they want.

Remember, no one can make you accept this burden, but it is a burden you will be sparing another from. I only ask you keep that in mind when making a decision.”

Sunset, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash all looked at one another as the enormity of what they were getting into settled in. This wouldn’t be like fighting the Sirens, or helping Princess Twilight bring Sunset back to her senses. This was going to be a long knock down drag out fight, but were they really ready for it? Could six teenage girls really keep the world safe from an evil older than anything they had ever encountered?

“Well,” Rainbow finally said. “I don’t know about you guys, but monsters and magic definitely beats my spring break plans. Count me in.” Applejack took one last look at her cyan friend before speaking up.

“Same here. Not quite sure how this’ll affect Bloom and Big Mac back on the farm, but if it means keeping them safe then sure I’ll throw my hat in the ring.”

“Yeah,” Pinkie Pie yelled just a little louder than everyone else was ready for. “Everyone deserves to be happy, no matter what color, size, shape, or how many limbs they have. If this Crowbar guy wants to say other wise, he’s got another thing coming! Someone better warn Bilbo, cause I’m going on this adventure too!”

“Quite right darling,” Rarity smiled, her pony ears and tail finally fading into sparkling shimmers, as her horn became a glittering diamond necklace. “While I understand now it is our choice of what to give back to the world, we cannot always control what the world needs from us. I will help you anyway I can,” she said casting a critical eye around the Archives. “Starting of course with a little interior design. Good heavens when was the last time you redecorated this place?”

“The Renaissance,” Book Worm scoffed, looking at Fluttershy, who was once again trying to hide behind her long hair.

“I really don’t know how I could help,” she said meekly, before confidence started welling in her eyes like a thawed fountain. “But if this Grogar and whoever’s working for him are putting innocent people in danger, I’ll be there to help however I can.” Rainbow cracked a smile that nearly split her face apart, leaning over and clapping an arm around Fluttershy’s shoulders, startling the poor girl nearly a foot off the ground. Then everyone’s eyes went to Sunset Shimmer, who looked awfully nervous for a girl who just over a year ago, had entertained fantasies of power. But for as afraid as she looked, there was something in her voice that gave Luna hope for something greater.

“Even after all I did to you, trying to destroy your friendship, stealing Twilight’s crown, you girls stuck by me when everyone else shunned me.” She looked at each of her friends and bandmates, and saw the same reassuring looks that had helped her realize the true meaning of friendship. “You showed me the way back to the light and out of my own darkness. Now it’s my turn to do the same for others.” She looked sideways at Winglet, where the she dragon is disguise was still perched on her shoulder.

“Meh, I don’t know about fighting evil and saving the world,” she shrugged. “But you helped me stop moping in my own self pity. Not to mention I’m your assistant now so you’re kinda stuck with me anyway. Lead the way boss.”

There were nods of agreement all around, except for Book Worm who yelled at Pinkie Pie when the girl set off a confetti bomb, showing them all in metallic gold and blue paper. Winglet had to take off when a certain blue flier who flapped over and pulled Sunset and Fluttershy into a double neck hug.

“Ah lighten up Sunny. Like I said earlier: So long as we stick together, there's nothing we can’t do!”

“Then it’s settled,” Book Worm beamed, even as he brushed confetti out of his hair. “Tomorrow you’ll begin your training in magic and combat. With a little help and luck, you’ll soon be ready for anything Grogar throws your way. Well, I really must be off. See you all tomorrow morning.” Book Worm turned and left through the door, leaving behind five teenagers suddenly dreading their next questions.

“Morning?” Rainbow asked Luna with eyes pleading she had heard wrong.

“Why of course,” the ancient princess smiled. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow what with it being your first day of training and learning about magic, well, for five of you anyway.” Rainbow’s wings collapsed into light as she realized her sleeping in plans for spring break had just been torpedoed to davy jones locker. The most annoying thing was Luna seemed none the wiser to the soccer star’s sudden mood shift.

“If it was up to me we’d be training through the night.” And it was at that moment all six rainbooms and their new she-dragon assistant realized the hero thing they’d signed up for wasn’t sounding so attractive anymore.

Later that same night half a state away, a small army of trucks was making its way across the flat plains at the center of Amareica. As the stars filled a moonless sky, one of the vehicles in the convoy, a large black and gold charter bus turned off the interstate and into a small town for gas. Trouble with small towns is most businesses close not long after the bartender shouts last call. The only building with any lights on was a dilapidated gas station, and it was here the bus pulled in to fill its tanks. Right after the driver out the door was Heavy Base, a tall young man with electric yellow green hair and skin the color of swamp water.

“Come on Heavy,” his bandmate Black Noise called from inside the nice air conditioned bus. “Driver said to wait inside.”

“The driver can shove it in the fuel pump,” Base spat, fishing a tiny plastic bag out of his pocket, drawing out a thin homemade cigarette and heading toward the dumpsters beside the run down store. Heavy had endured mild claustrophobia since he was a kid, and after six straight hours on the road with three immature bandmates and a well-used onboard toilet he needed to calm his nerves.

He struck a match and lit his smoke, leaning against the gas station’s crumbling wood walls as he breathed deep the soothing aroma and let his senses blur.

“Well hello there,” a sultry voice purred from his left. Heavy jumped forward a little, forcing his eyes to focus just enough to see the outline of a very attractive woman slink out of the night. Her skin was deep pink, and her long straight dark blue hair fell like water over her face and shoulders, all the way down her back. Her violet tank-top and miniskirt left very little for his imagination, and the black hole riddled stockings stretched over her long legs left even less.

“Helloo,” Heavy Base smiled, eyes drinking up the sight before them.

“Come here often?” she asked walking closer, high heels clicking on the pavement. Her eyes were the most beautiful shade of green he had ever seen, and everything about her face seemed perfect.

“Just passing through,” He leaned further back into the wall, his cigarette relaxing him to calm coolness. “My band’s got a gig in Cloudsdale tomorrow morning. Kicking off a new tour you know?” Her eyes went adorably wide, amazed at the prospect of talking to a real rock star. At least that was Heavy’s smoke addled reasoning.

“Oh wow,” she gasped, skipping closer to him, so close he could look down her top without seeming to look away from her face. “Can I have your autograph?”

“Sure,” he smiled, wiggling his eyebrows and taking his cigarette from his mouth. “Where would you like it?”

“Hmm, how about.” She cooed in a backroom voice, snaking her arms up around his shoulders and neck. “Here.” Next thing Heavy Base knew the woman had pulled him down into a tongue filled lip lock, and his senses exploded. His cries of victory were muffled by her lips, just like his screams of panic when her tongue slithered down his throat and turned prickly. Her eyes went from green to blue and she held him to the wall with inhuman strength as he squirmed and writhed until he finally went limp, and her tongue slurped back out.

“Now,” Chrysalis sneered, mandibles flicking over her fangs as her disguise melted. “What else can you do for me?” Heavy Base’s eyes were now covered in a glassy green, wide and as dead as his voice.

“Your will is my command my Queen.” The Changeling Queen twisted her face up into a smile as several Changeling drones emerged from the dilapidated gas station, the largest one skittering to her side.

“You know what to do,” she smiled, and the drone nodded obediently, then locked its compound eyes on the mind addled rock star.

“Hey Heavy come on man!” Black Noise called from the now fueled and ready to go Bus. “Come on, where is he?”

“Right here bro,” Heavy’s voice said as he fast walked out from behind the gas station building. “Just had to stretch my legs.”

“Yeah whatevs man,” His bandmate slapped his across the back as he climbed up the bus’s stairs and the door closed behind them. Chrysalis hung back in the shadows of the old gas station, turning Heavy Base’s discarded cigarette over in her hands before taking a quick puff.

“Hmm, not bad.” She took another draw, simultaneously breathing in the fumes and drinking in the screams that came pouring from the bands charter bus. “Careful not to break anything boys,” she warned even as something large clanked up behind her. “We can’t be late for our own party now can we?” She turned around, not knowing if it was the aroma of the cigarette that kept her from flinching at the sight of Tirek, or if she was actually getting used to his near constant presence. If she was honest the latter scared her much more.

“Excellent work,” he rumbled from somewhere deep inside his armor, red and black plating gleaming in the pale starlight like a phantoms reflection. “But are you certain this is the best transportation for our purposes? I fail to see how kidnapping a few troubadours and bards will help your changelings collect love.” Chrysalis had quickly realized Tirek’s speech and ideas of social norms were more than a little out of date, but she couldn’t bring herself to correct him. One it was just annoying, two if his armor was any indication the last time he saw the light of day or night before now was the Middle Ages.

“There’s an old Amareican proverb,” She started with a fang filled smirk as the commotion inside the tour bus died down to a few agonized moans. “It says; Ask not what you can get for you captives, but what you can do in their place. There isn’t a teenager in Amareica that hasn’t heard of Stasis Lock. This new tour they’re starting tomorrow,” she said with no small amount of mirth. “Has been sold out for four months. They’re not just loved, they are adored and obsessed over by their fans.” Tirek’s horned helm slowly nodded as understanding crept into the dark titans head.

“And we shall harvest this adoration from them like ripe wheat. Once again milady you have earned my admiration.” It sounded as if the dark knight was actually smiling behind his expressionless helmet, and he graciously stepped to one side as a pair of changelings skittered past to help their hive mates load the cocooned band members into the buses luggage storage. “It should be a small task to conceal the bards. Soon we shall have the nectar needed to fuel your changelings. It seems everything you have planned thus far is going very.”

“WE GOT TROUBLE!!” Tirek growled, a sound more like rusted metal engine parts grinding together than any animal noise, as a cloud of smoke condensed behind him.

“Shadowfright,” Chrysalis scowled, “How nice of you to join us.”

“Spare me the welcome wagon queeny,” The nightmare shade spat, visibly shaken. “We got trouble. Big, huge, ice cold trouble!”

“Cease your yammering!” Tirek shouted, any semblance of a good mood gone. “Now tell us; what has transpired to instill terror in the avatar of fear?”

“The Elements,” Shadowfright hissed, leaning in close. “The first element has revealed itself. The element of Ice has chosen a bearer!” And just like that, Tirek’s mood swung back to calm.

“So, it has begun then,” He remarked grimly even as the tone flew right over Chrysalis’s head.

“I’m not sure I follow,” She said slowly, trying her best ot sound less ignorant than she was.

“The Elements of Unity,” Shadowfright spat as if the name was a curse. “Six gems of concentrated elemental magic, the same ones used to imprison Lord Grogar fifteen hundred years ago! With magic flowing back through the portal, they’ve woken up and if we don’t do something they’re going to choose a whole new team of brats to get in our way again!”

“Shadowfright,” Tirek boomed to get the nightmare shades attention off his own panicked rambling, though his accusing tone was hardly more appealing. “Why have you not informed our Lord Emperor of this yet?” Before Shadowfright looked something like a child who realized the parents were coming home to a party trashed house, now his terror was full on brown pants.

“I was uh, well I was kind of, actually hoping you could tell him?”

“No.” Shadowfright meeped and dove behind Chrysalis while Tirek’s words turned distant. “There is but one element to contend with now, and it is in the hands of an adolescent. A child playing hero. Hardly a threat to a force such as ours.”

“Yeah, that’s what we said last time too!” Shadowfright reminded his armored companion. “And how did that turn out? You buried alive and bound to that blasted armor, and Me stuck on the other side of the veil playing dream jester!”

“Our only true mistake was not seeing the runts destroyed when they were still inexperienced and learning. This is not a blunder I will make again. Besides,” he smiled beneath his helmet’s faceplate. “What praise would our master shower on you if he was to learn the first element was snuffed out before it’s companions could show themselves?”

“Oooh. Oooooooooohhhhhh!” Understanding struck him like a lightning bolt, one that sent a sly, slime drenched smirk curling up both sides of his smokey grey face. “I like that idea.” Chrysalis smiled too, even though inside she was a little nervous about having her changelings face an enemy so soon after waking up, but Lord Tirek’s confidence was contagious.

“Tomorrow we hit Cloudsdale,” She smiled, leading her fellow generals back to the kidnapped band's tour bus. “And the night after, Canterlot.”

Author's Notes:

Thus ends the beginning of our story. I hope ya’ll are having as much fun reading this as I am writing it, so grab some popcorn and get comfortable cause this ride ain’t nowhere near over yet!

Soon our heroines will come face to face with the newly crowned Queen of the Changelings and her deadly entourage. So far Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Rarity have found their special powers, but can Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer and Fluttershy do the same before Grogar’s cronies arrive? Can they keep Chrysalis from sucking Canterlot dry, or are they really in over their heads?

And what will become of this world’s Twilight Sparkle? Will she see through Grogar’s deception in time, or will her thirst for knowledge lead to her undoing? Find out next time, in Elements of Unity!!

Okay, teasing future plot aside, what do ya'll think? This chapter enhds the first act of the story, so I need to know now more than ever, am I doing a good job? Am I doing the characters justice or am I butchering them? Is the plot moving too slow to hold your interest, or am I taking things too fast?

Elements of Unity: The Ram's Revenge

by Unnamedwriter

Prologue: A Forgotten Past

Chapter 1: Rapidly Changeling Circumstances

Chapter 2: New Magic, New Questions.

Chapter 3: Ancient Truths

Chapter 4: Trial by Ice and Fire

Chapter 5: It Starts Again