> In Between The Dusk And The Dawn > by TPC-2k16 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Prologue - Cozy Glow Returns > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cozy Glow has returned from wherever in the heck Gallus had sent her. But that’s not to worry now, as she has now found herself back in Ponyville. “If Gallus wants to play,” Cozy takes out from her curly mane a small, bright blue gemstone, "Then I’ll let him play.” An evil, mischievous grin forms on her face. > Parents' Day at the School of Friendship > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     Today is Parents' Day at the School of Friendship.     Everypony and creature’s parents making the journey either north, south, east or west just to see their son(s) or daughter(s), all the while know what they’ve been up to. Along with doing plenty of arts and crafts and other festivities planned out for the day.     Well, almost all of everycreature’s parents came.     All except for Gallus, who you may remember, is an orphan.     While everyone is out enjoying the festivities of the day, Gallus is all by himself, sitting at a lonesome picnic table atop a hill overlooking everything, alone and sad.     Until Twilight finally notices the lonely griffin, feeling a little sympathy for him, and walking over to Gallus.     “Hey there Gallus.” Twilight said to him with a bright smile, the griffin slowly moving his head to look at her.     “I can see that today seems to be bothering you. Wanna talk about it?”     Gallus sits straight up, taking in a deep breath.     “Today isn’t exactly my most favorite. Considering I don’t have parents of my own to celebrate with.” Gallus puts on a sad face. > Parent for a Day? > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Say, I know of how sad you are on this particular day but, if it’s anything. I can agree to be your honorary parent for today. If that’s alright. With you.” Twilight offers to Gallus. Gallus, after hearing of Twilight’s offer, puts a talon up to his face, thinking real long hard about this. “Now that I think about it. Nah. I refuse your offer.” “Oh. Well, okay," Sounding taken aback by Gallus' reply, Twilight, trying to hide her shocked face, points a hoof over to the crafts' tent, where Sandbar and his family are shown busy crafting homemade coasters, "If you need me, I’ll just be over there.” “Okay. Thanks anyway.” Gallus waves a talon to Twilight as she walks away, her waving a hoof back. > Cozy Glow Falls > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “There you are!” Cozy shouts loudly as she sees Gallus all by himself on the same picnic table. “Wait ‘til I get my hooves on-“ Cozy is interrupted as she didn’t look where she was going, causing her to fall into a ditch. **Two Months Earlier** Applejack and her class are outside the School, AJ having with her a bunch of shovels. “Friendship is all about teamwork, correct? And nothing says teamwork like hard, manuel labor," Applejack picks up one shovel, “Which is why your assignment for the day is to dig here a trench. Together!” **Back to Today** “Hey Twilight, do you think I should’ve had the students refilled that trench back up?” “Oh, I’m sure it’s fine. As long as somecreature knows where they’re going, then it shouldn’t be too hard a bother.” > Gallus eats some Cake > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Gallus still hanging out by himself on the same picnic table. Until just then, a happy Pinkie Pie comes bouncing along towards him, her front curl holding onto a plate of chocolate cake with purplish, pink frosting, a fork stuck in it. “Hi there!” Gallus notices the pink pony. “Hello there as well. What’s this about?” He says a little suspiciously, his eyes narrow. “Well I’m like, all happy and filled with joy seeing everything, until I see you, all alone and miserable,” Pinkie brings the plate onto the table, “And I just thought, if you can’t partake in the activities for the day, you can at least have a slice of cake. Just because you’re not joining us doesn’t mean you can miss out on this very piece of cake made in collaboration by all your classmates.” Pinkie gives a big smile. “Okay. Well thanks for the cake.” Pinkie smiles back in response, happily bouncing back to where she was. “Of all the professors, she’s the weirdest.” Gallus says to himself right before he takes a bite. While Gallus is eating his slice of cake, Twilight appears looking at him from a distance. “I think today is the day I'll tell him.” > Twilight tells Gallus Something > --------------------------------------------------------------------------    An hour later, Twilight is back inside the School, sitting at her desk in her office.     Holding in her hooves a very specific file.     This being the same file that had gotten the attention of Cozy Glow to try to steal.     Just then, Gallus walks into her office, looking his usual self.     “You asked for me? You just sent me a note to see you in your office, ASAP.”     Twilight takes a deep breath. “Yes indeed I did," She holds up the file to show Gallus, "You remember this?”     Gallus takes a closer look at the file. “Ain’t that the same file that Cozy Glow tried to steal?”     “Yes is it,” Twilight levitates the file over to him, “If you’re wondering what’s in it, open it up and see.”     Gallus looks to the file, then back to her. “I shouldn’t.”     “Oh no, go ahead,” Twilight takes another deep breath, “It’s about your parents.”     Twilight immediately would get Gallus’ attention. What with him looking at her and the file repeatedly. “What about them?”     “Well, I think I may have tracked down their location. Look inside and you'll see-“     “Two train tickets to Pononto?” Gallus interrupts her after opening up and discovering what was in the file this whole time. “Ain’t that the city that’s right on the Equestrian-Griffin border?”     “Yes it is. What do you think about this?”     Gallus, thinking long and hard, looking at the two tickets, then to Twilight before finally giving an answer.     “Alright. I’ll go as long as you come with me.”     Twilight smiles at his decision. “You sure?”     “Absolutely. I figure, if you went through all this trouble just for me, I might as well accept.” Gallus gives a smile too.     “Well, we better get a move on then if we’re gonna make the next train. Together?”     “Together.” Gallus nods his head. > Cozy Glow’s Change of Plan > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     Cozy Glow had finally managed to make it out of the ditch she fell into, all because she didn’t look where she was going.     It was a struggle for her, but she did it.     “Now... now that that’s done," Cozy looks back to the same picnic table Gallus was sitting on earlier, “What the...? Where’d he go?!”     The whole ideal would make Cozy real mad, her face turning a deep red, blowing off lots of steam out of her ears.     Just then, while Cozy’s steaming with anger, a happy Derpy Hooves comes trotting by her. Not noticing the small, angered filled filly.     Cozy snaps out of her madness to try to get the attention of Derpy.     “Hey you!”     Derpy’s able to hear her, looking back over to the small filly that got her attention. “Me?”     “Yes you. I need to ask you,” Cozy points her hoof to the same picnic table, “Did you happen to see where a certain griffin went?”     “Certain griffin? You mean Gallus?”     “No, I’m looking for King Grover- YES I’M LOOKING FOR GALLUS!!”     Derpy puts a hoof up to her mouth. “Last I saw him, him and Princess Twilight were walking together. Overheard them wanting to go to the train station for the next train to Pononto," Derpy strugs, "Don’t know why.”     Cozy has a blank expression, processing what she'd just heard before finally replying back, sounding more softer, calmly: "Thank you. You may go."     Derpy just strugs, then trots on away from her.     Cozy starts thinking real hard. “Pononto huh? If they think they can get away from me that easily." Cozy takes back out the same bright blue gemstone from her mane. Tapping her hoof on it, and immediately the whole area around her is struck by a million lightning bolts. “Then, I’ll just have to make a change of plans.” > Gallus asks Twilight a Question > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      The two creatures are on their way to the Equestrian city of Pononto.     To see that if maybe here Gallus can see his parents once again.     Inside the train, the two sitting opposite from each other, Twilight passing the time by reading a book. Whereas Gallus is constantly thinking of how things will pan out.     Twilight looks up from her book to check on him, seeing the griffin looking nervous/worried.     “You hanging in there?”     “Hanging in there?” Gallus thinks for a second. “Actually, yes.”     “Okay. If you need anything, I’m right here.”     “Well actually, there is something I would like to know.”     Twilight marks her place in her book, closing and setting it aside. “And that is?”     Gallus looks straight at her. “Cozy Glow wanted that one file because of something you bought two years ago. And you and I have only been together for one year. So, if I might ask, you couldn’t have possibly bought tickets to Pononto for us to find my parents ‘cause two years ago we haven’t even met yet. So I guess my question is, what was the original reason you bought them?”     Twilight gets a look of worry for a bit before breathing a good long sigh of relief.     “Well, I was probably gonna have to tell somepony else. Since you asked, it might as well be you.”     Twilight looks around to see that nopony is paying them attention, then motions a hoof for Gallus to come closer.     “What I bought two years ago were two train tickets to Pononto, true. Just, I didn’t have either you or your parents in mind,” Twilight whispers softly, “I bought them for me... and for one other... Spike most likely.”     “So let me get this straight. Two years ago, before you even would’ve met me, you went ahead and bought two train tickets to Pononto. Okay but why? And why would Cozy care about this at all?” Gallus whispers softly to her as well.     “Because... because I... know a pony there I may or may not have a crush on,” Twilight whispers to Gallus quietly, nopony not even noticing of their conversation, “And Cozy Glow... is his sister.”     Gallus’ jaw immediately drops. What how the same pony that wants to destroy Twilight’s reputation is also the same pony who’s the baby sister of the pony she just so happens to like. > Cozy waits for the Next Train > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     Cozy Glow is at the train station, standing on the loading dock waiting impatiently for the next train to Pononto.     The more she waits, the more angrier she gets.     Cozy then angrily decides to walk over to the ticket booth.     “Hey you!” She points a hoof at the pony inside the small booth.     “I need to know when the next train to Pononto is?!” Cozy yells at the train ticket pony.     “Pononto?” The big, tall, skinny earth pony stallion asked, looking around on his small desk in the small ticket booth, going through a pile of paper. “Ah, here we are!” He says happily. “The next train won’t be for another seven days.”     Cozy looks at him in shock. “Seven days!? But I gotta get my revenge NOW!”     “Sorry mam, but you see,” The pony pulls down a map of Equestria somewhere/somehow in the tiny booth, “The city you’re asking is way far north. And frankly, no pony really wants to go there.” The pony puts on a smug expression.     Just then, a pony dressed in business attire frantically runs over to the ticket booth, not noticing Cozy and knocking her out of the way.     “I need one ticket to Pononto. RIGHT NOW!!” He says frantically and in a hurry.     “Alright!” The ticket pony says happily as he goes and gets his ticket ready.     “Have a nice trip!” The ticket pony waves away as the business pony walks away from the booth, looking a little more relieved now.     Cozy goes back to the ticket booth. “So, nopony wants to go to Pononto then now, do they?” Cozy says sounding like a smartcookie, hoofs crossed, face having a smug expression.     The pony looks at her with an awkward look/smile. “Um... heh heh.” He then gets her ticket ready for the next train to Pononto.     “Thank you very much, kind sir.” Cozy says more calmly, walking away from him, holding her ticket in her mouth.     Cozy goes to sit on a wooden bench, placing the ticket down to look at it more closely.     Soon enough, realizing then, that the next train to Pononto has two stops in both Fillydelphia and Manehatten while on the way there.     “Hey!” Cozy said right as she turns her head back to the ticket booth, but seeing an ‘Out To Lunch’ sign posted by it. > Twilight and Gallus discovers the Truth about Gallus’ Parents > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     “Okay. Here we are-“ Twilight interrupts herself when both creatures find the apartment complex that supposedly houses Gallus’ parents.     The two creatures stare in shock and awe as the four storied, brick built apartment complex appears all broken/run-down. With busted up doors and windows, shattered windows, and graffiti littered all over the building.     After about two minutes of silence, Twilight speaks up: “There must be something wrong. Nocreature could possibly live in something so... so broken.”     Gallus stayed silent, still staring at the complex.     Just then, another griffin comes walking by the two, Twilight teleporting in front of the griffin to get its' attention.     First giving a big, friendly smile, Twilight asks the most likely an adolescent male griffin, in a charming tone of voice: “Um, hi there. Me and my friend are new here, and we’re just wondering, if maybe possibly you could tell us why this place looks the way it is.” Twilight gives a squee and a smile.     “What, you mean this dump?” The griffin points his talon at the place. “The Sunny Sky Apartments have always been like this. Well, for at least seven years now. Especially since after that fire that drove property values in this part of town way down.”     “Wait. Did you say fire?!” Twilight asks him anxiously, having her face right in his.     The griffin brings a talon up to push her face away. “So, we got a couple tourists here, eh? Look, if you're looking for all the “sights and sounds” of the city, I’ll try downtown.” And just like that, the griffin flies away from the two.     Twilight looks back to Gallus, who still appears speechless.     After another minute, he finally speaks: “I never should’ve come.”     Twilight comes to his side, placing a wing over to help comfort him. “Now now. I know how you feel, and this whole experience has probably impacted you in a way I could never understand, but it’s okay. Everything is okay.”     Gallus looks right at her with sad, tearful eyes. “Let’s just go and do what you came here for. Then we can leave.” ***     “So uh Twilight... Nice to see you again.” Flash Sentry says a little awkwardly to Twilight, who’s in his living room, sitting on his couch, holding in her hooves a white teacup filled with tea, across from her being Flash himself, sitting in a comfy, tall chair, holding in his hooves a cup of tea too.     “And it’s so nice that you brought guests.” Flash motions over to the griffin, who’s too busy staring out the first story living room window, appearing all sad. Things start to get a little awkward.     But not because of Gallus, oh nono.     Twilight and Flash stare at each other from across the room in silence, taking a sip of tea once every ten seconds.     After ten minutes of silence, Gallus snaps out of his sad funk and start to notice the silence between the two, getting up from the window and going over to stand between the two ponies.     “So uh, anypony here gonna speak or-?”     A knock on the door interrupts Gallus. Flash setting his tea down on a side table and getting up to go see who’s there.     While Flash is at the door, Gallus walks over to Twilight.     “So, you gonna tell him or-“     “I will. Just give me a moment.” Twilight takes one last sip of tea before setting it down on a coffee table in front of her.     “Don’t worry. It was nothing. Just a telegram from a family member.” Flash says as he walks back into the living room. “Anyway, I should ask. Why are you and your friend here, exactly?”      “We’re here because... because, of him.” Twilight says anxiously, having one hoof covering her eyes as she points her other hoof at Gallus.     Gallus looks to her in a menacing ‘No, we’re not, just tell him’ face.     Twilight takes a deep breath. “We’re here... because of you.”     Flash looks on with a shocked, surprised look. ***     “Well, I thought that worked out good.” Gallus says to Twilight as they walk down the sidewalk of the streets of Pononto.     “Yeah, I think so too.”     “So, what now?” Gallus asked.     “We could try the homeless shelter. Flash did say that there’s a good chance your parents could be there.”     “Homeless shelter? You think that’s a good place to look.”     “Couldn’t hurt.”     From then on, the two creatures changed their direction to head to the city’s homeless shelter.     Whether or not Gallus’s parents were there, it’s still a start. > Cozy’s Train Ride > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     “Finally! Took ‘em long enough.” Cozy Glow says to herself as the train finally arrives at the Ponyville station.     According to her ticket, the train was supposed to be here two hours ago but according to rumors supposedly, a lost herd of sheep had run out onto the track about near Dodge Junction, causing the train to delay as they tried for the past two hours to clear the tracks off of sheep.     After boarding and showing her ticket to the conductor, Cozy went and took a seat at the most nearest to the exit. For reasons.     “Alright. It’ll probably take long, but I will have my revenge.” Cozy takes out a small piece of paper, on it being a poor, crude drawing of both Gallus and Twilight. Then she immediately rips it up into a million small pieces. (Two Hours Later)     The train had just made their first stop in Fillydelphia.     While the train is busy at the station, Cozy decides to quickly head to the nearest ‘Equestrian Union’ (pony world equivalent of Western Union) to send a telegram to someone real important to her plan.     “Alright, I got it. Just need the name and address of the pony you want it sent to.” The EU clerkspony tells Cozy.     Cozy slams onto the counter an index card with the name and address written on it.             “Just make sure to not do anything wrong. If this gets sent to the wrong pony, then my plan is ruined. You got me?” ***     Flash Sentry opens up the door to see on the other side an Equestrian Union telegram deliverer pony.     “I’ve got this...” The pony looks more closely at the address line, “Telegram to be sent here. To a Mister.... Flash Sentry," The pony tells him sounding bored, “From a... Miss Glow- no, a Miss Cozy Glow.”     Flash thinks to himself, like 'what does Cozy want now(?)'. Why just thinking of it does bring a smile to his face.     “Alright. I’ll... I’ll bite.” Flash said as the deliverer pony hands him the telegram, soon after walking away, looking still the most bored.     Flash immediately rips open the envelope with his mouth, then using one of his wings to take out the telegram.     Reading as followed:           Ol’ Big Brother of mine: It appears that you should have a pair of guests visiting you today. One I’m sure you’ll know fondly of. Currently, I’m on my way to see you and should be there by nine o’clock tomorrow night. Just... make sure that they’re still there. Please. I would really love to see them both. See you later,     Your little ray of sunshine,                     Cozy Glow     After reading, Flash thinks of the two guests currently in his house.     “If Cozy really wants to see them, I guess I can stall.”     Flash Sentry walks away from the doorway, closing the door with a slight tip of his wing. > What Now? > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     “Well, what now?” Gallus asked Twilight. “We’ve checked almost all homeless shelters in the city and still no sign.”     “I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for... this particular situation. We just need to-“     “I don’t know!” Gallus abruptly interrupts her. “I’ve been thinking and, I've gone basically my whole life not seeing my parents and... we should just stop!” Gallus crosses his arms angrily.     “Now now. We’ll find them.” Twilight goes over to comfortably place a hoof on his shoulder. “We just need to-“ All of a sudden, just now, out of nowhere, immediately, Gallus’ flank starts glowing.     Twilight and Gallus both look down at it then at each other, face to face.     “Again?!” The two say at the same time. > The Case of Gallus' Glowing Flank > --------------------------------------------------------------------------     “I don’t get it. I don’t bleeping get it!” Twilight angrily freaks out about to herself, pacing back and forth while Gallus just sits on the sidewalk, his flank still glowing, watching her pace around, unamused.     “What could it mean? What could it possibly mean?!”     Just now, a happy Flash Sentry comes walking up to the two.     “Howdy.” Flash nods his head at the two, though getting no response back.     “Okay. Anyway, it’s getting about that time and I was just wonderin’ if you two would like to have dinner. With me. The two of you. Both.” Flash puts on a cheesy, somewhat unconvincing smile.     “We would love to but...” Gallus nods his head over to Twilight, who still hasn’t seen that Flash is here.     Flash Sentry moves closer to Gallus, whispering: “Ah, gotcha. Don’t worry, I’ve seen her worst.”     “Oh really.” Gallus whispers back, smirking.     Then the two just start laughing, hysterically.     Twilight finally breaks from her freak out routine, noticing the two creatures laughing.     “Huh? What’s so funny?”     Flash continues laughing as he gets up, going over to Twilight and gives her the biggest kiss on the lips Twilight's probably ever had, Twilight immediately in shock as Flash whispers in her ear: “You know I’ve always wanted to do that, right?”     Seeing what just happened, Gallus still continues to laugh hysterically as he takes out from somewhere nestled in his feathers a small photograph of Silverstream, staring at the photo unconditionally while still laughing.     While the two still continue to laugh hysterically, Cozy Glow, from afar, worryingly stares at the three of them.     “My my. What’s gotten into them?” Cozy says in her ‘innocent’ voice. ***     “Everything is perfect. Everything is fine.” Twilight quietly says to herself. ***     “So, we never actually figured out why my flank glowed?” Gallus asked Twilight, the two creatures seated at a booth inside of a local diner.     They both actually had just finished eating breakfast, as the waitress had just come to take their plates/empty glasses, then handing them the check.     Flash had to get to work real early this morning and couldn’t be with them.     “I mean, I like this trip we’re on and all but, I don’t know.”     “I completely see where you are and such," Twilight says as she levitates out from somewhere a small plastic card, placing it on top of the check, “It’s just, the Tree of Harmony is confusing. We’ve already saw that it means that the map isn’t calling you so... who knows.”  Twilight just shrugs at that.     The waitress comes back to grab both the check and the card Twilight placed on it.     “We’re really in a logjam considering that, aren’t we?”     Twilight nods her head with uncertainty. ***     “Everything is perfect. Everything is fine.” Gallus quietly says to himself. ***     It’s around 11:30 at night, a tired Flash Sentry walking back home after a long day at work.     When right in front of him does he notice his 'I guess baby sister’ Cozy Glow, a sour expression on her face.     “Oh... hey there... you.” Flash puts on a weak smile, saying sounding tired.     “Yes, the pleasure’s all mine," Cozy says non expressively, “So, what can you tell me?”     Flash rubs his hooves over his eyes. “Why, everything seems to be okay. I guess. You wanna hear about today?!”     “No need to," Cozy starts walking away from him, “Oh, and if they oh so desire to leave, let them. My plan is already taking shape.”     “Alright. See you... later!” Flash shouts back as Cozy walks the more farther away.     “See you later indeed.” Flash quietly says to himself, giving a big yawn. (The Next Morning at the Train Station) Twilight and Gallus are together at the city of Pononto’s train station.     “Well, we didn’t really find what you were looking for exactly but-“     “It’s alright. We came and did what you wanted and that’s important, I guess.” Gallus interrupts Twilight, giving a smile.     Twilight gives a smile back, though thinking to herself a lot still that her and Gallus weren’t able to locate his parents, thinking too that Gallus may not look/feel the same but deep down, he’s probably disappointed.     “I’m sure everything will go back to normal once we’re back home.” Twilight said, not realizing that things are just about to get extra weird.     As the two are about to step onto the next train to Ponyville, Cozy Glow appears behind them, quietly tiptoeing her way over to the two, doing so while taking out the same blue gemstone out from her mane.     Right when Twilight and Gallus both stop, she slightly taps Gallus’ shoulder, causing him to turn his head back to her, and looking in shock at who he happens to see behind him. “Huh?!”     Twilight looks behind her too to also see Cozy Glow. “Wha...?!”     Cozy stares at the both of them with a devious smile. Then tapping the gemstone three times before all at once, the three of the them magically disappear, leaving in a shock of lightning. (In Tartarus)      Tirek was and still is inside his cell located in Tartarus.      Feeling and looking quite bored until right in front of his cell, the centaur, as told by Wysteria, and used as an April fool’s prank by Twilight’s friends, Galbus, magically teleports right in his face.      “What. What are you doing here?!” Tirek askes in shock as he sees the guy stare at him from the other side, menacingly.      Not saying anything at all, the centaur openly opens his mouth to suck out all of the magic (at least of what Tirek originally has) out of Tirek, the centaur falling down onto the cell’s floor, looking more weaker than ever.      Galbus looks down at the weaken centaur, laughing to himself menacingly, then with a snap of his fingers he magically teleports himself right out of there. ***      Pinkie Pie is happily bouncing along down the School's corridors until she sees a pony, wearing a tan trench coat (covering his whole body to say), a tan fedora, and big black sunglasses.      So of course Pinkie decides to greet him, considering how she never met him before.      “Hi there! You need anything?”      “Need anything? Why, yes I do.” The pony said to her, motioning a hoof for her to come closer.      As soon as Pinkie does, he whispers into her ear: “Don’t be fooled. The time for vengeance is upon you.” Pinkie gives the pony a weird look. “Okay.” > Cozy Glow > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      Cozy Glow appears inside of a regular ol’ hospital room, what’s with there being one single patient, all hooked up to an IV.      Though the pony can’t see her, let alone know she's there.      “Good. Now I can go forward to step two.” Cozy walks out of the room into a busy hallway, nurses and doctors running ecstatically to where they’re needed.      Cozy puts on an evil, devious smile, seeing all the chaos happening around her.      “If Twilight wants to play," Cozy takes out the same blue gemstone, “I’ll play along with her.”      Tapping the gem ten times, Cozy finds herself inside another hospital room.      Though this time, there appearing Twilight Velvet, laying on the hospital bed, looking big (pregnant), Night Light by her side, holding one of her hooves for comfort.      The two not being able to see or notice the little filly in the same room as them.      The same evil smile reappears.      “Today will be the day Twilight Sparkle will wish she was never born.” > Galbus > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      The centaur known as Galbus teleports himself inside a modern looking house, more suburbanlike (think of the house looking US 1950s suburban.)      Galbus walks into the living room, going over to where the coffee table is, having on it being three pictures.      One of Twilight, one of Gallus, and one of Cozy Glow.      Taking all three with one hand, he stares at them rather with a bit of empathy before tossing the pictures into a fireplace, the fire appearing to be going strong.      “I will find you... and I will destroy all thee ever loved.”      With a snap of his fingers, Galbus teleports himself out of the house. > Twilight and Gallus > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      Twilight and Gallus both find themselves in a small, single room nursery.      “What just happened!?!” Gallus immediately asked with panic, looking around the room to find there being all the basic baby ponies nursery items in the room.      Right as Twilight is about to speak, the door out of this room opens up automatically.      The two creatures stare at each other with worry. ***      “Ah hello. A door just automatically opened on its own.”      “Anycreature here?!” Twilight and Gallus both say as they walk down a hallway.      “So uh, still think we should’ve came?” Twilight says a little sarcastically.      Just then, the two arrive at a clearing, across from them being another hallway, where north and south of them there being two other hallways.      “Okay, this is weird.” Gallus says to himself. > Pinkie Pie > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      “So what you are saying is that Cozy Glow has a powerful gemstone that can do anything for her.” Pinkie tells to the same trench coat pony.      “Affirmative.”      “And Galbus wants, no, needs to find it so he can destroy everything all everypony ever loves.”      “Yes...”      “Alright! So, what size shirt do you wear?”      The pony opens his mouth in confusion.      “Large! Good. Because we’re about... to... get... rough.” ***      “That was fun!” Pinkie says cheerily, poking her head out from under her bed’s covers.      “Wha... Ma’am, if I may-“      Pinkie covers his mouth with her hoof. “No questions. Because we’ve got an Equestria to save!” > Something Weird Happens > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight and Gallus walk further into the open clearing of the four hallways.      “This is all so weird.” Gallus says in amazement.      “I know. What does it mean?” Twilight puts a hoof to her chin, thinking long and hard.      When just in that moment, the blue gemstone that Cozy Glow used to bring them here magically, all of a sudden, teleports itself into Gallus’ talon. “What the-“      “Hey you!!! Give me back that gem! It’s MINE!!!!!!” Cozy appears in the hallway to the south of them, shouting at the top of her lungs before running over to them.      “There they are!” Galbus appears in the hallway to the west of them, running over to them too.      “Weeeeee!!” Pinkie joyously shouts along as her and the trench coat pony from before run at them too, appearing in the hallway north of them.      “Oh boy.” Gallus says nervously to Twilight, her gulping in despair. ***      “Huh? Well that was a weird dream.” Princess Cadance asks herself right as she awakens from that gosh darn dream she just had. > Cadance Explains Everything > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      Cadance walks into the Crystal Palace’s Dining Room, wearing her usual white robe with purplish, gold linings. The initials, PC, embroidered on it.      She goes to sit at the head of the table, a plate of blueberry pancakes with lots of whip cream and syrup, plus a bowl of richly imported oats and a glass of orange juice waiting for her by her seat.      Her husband, Shining Armor, seated across from her, though him not noticing her as he’s too busy playing with their daughter, Flurry Heart.      Cadance waits patiently for five minutes before finally speaking to him: “Hon? There’s something I need to ask you.”      Shining Armor looks up from his daughter and towards his wife. “Uh huh, just tell me everything?” Saying sounding his usual happy self.      She takes a deep breath. “It’s about the dream I just had. I think it may be trying to tell us something.”      “Hmmm, a dream you say?” Shining says with a more serious tone.      Cadance nods her head.      Shining Armor gets up from his chair, walking over to her, holding one of her hooves with his. “I'm sure everything is perfect. Everything is fine.” Shining says comfortably.      'Everything is perfect? Everything is fine?' “My dream said that same exact thing. Twice I should say.”      Just now, Shining levitates over to him a small notepad, pen included. “If this is bothering you, just tell me. and I'll write it down for you. I’ll understand if I know what it is.”      Cadance looked to him then to Flurry, who seems to be making a mess of her breakfast, then back to Shining before taking a long, deep breath.      “Okay. I’m ready if you are.” ***      “And all that, is exactly what happened.”      “Wow. Well, that certainly seemed like a wild dream.” Shining Armor said as all around him are a bunch of college ruled notebooks, all filled with what Cadance said her dream was like.      “We should definitely tell somepony else about this. Luna I’m thinking.” Shining makes appear a blank scroll, with quill of course.      “Oh no hon. The princesses are too busy to deal with this. We instead need to go to Twilight right away.” ***      “So wait, say that again!”      “I’m saying I had a dream. And it was a doozy. You were the main pony in it... along with one of your students. Gallus, I believe is the name.”      Cadance was in Twilight’s office at the School, explaining to her everything that had happened.      “It doesn’t make sense. Why would you dream of me?!”     “I know it doesn’t make sense but, you and Flash were so like, cute together.” Cadance says the last part teenage girlish.      “Wait, what?!”      “Like, omigosh Twilight, do you have, like, a bad case of FOMO!”      “FOMO? I don’t. I don’t know what that means.”      “Fear of missing out. Like gosh Twily, you are sooooooo adorable.”      “Oookay,” Twilight brings a notebook and pen to her, “Just tell me everything. Even the minor details.” *** “Wow! That truly was a doozy.” > The Release Of The Book > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      And so, after Cadance told Twilight all about her dream, Twilight then decided that what just was told to her was too good to be kept in the family.      So Twilight decided to publish a book about the whole dream.      The book’s title is ‘Cadance’s Dream’ (Two Months Later)      It’s been two months since Twilight published to the whole world a book telling about Cadance’s dream.      And the book, to everypony’s surprise, became a bestseller almost overnight practically.      Why, just read the reviews given by all of Equestria's most notable book reviewers:             “Absolutely nothing I’ve ever imagined. I give it ten hooves out of ten hooves!” -The Manehattan Times            “I don’t know if this is considered fanfiction or what, but I like it.” -The Equestrian Press            “Meh... it’s okay, I guess.” -Scrolllist ***      “Alright girls. The next book we’ll be reading should be obvious.” Yellow Days says to her book club right as she brings up a copy of Cadance’s Dream.      All the other members joyously nod their heads in approval, smiling big.      “Well, now that it seems we all agree on it." Yellow Days opens up the book to the copyright page, the other members doing the same as she begins reading:      “This book is a work of fiction...” (You know how the rest goes.) ***      “Honey, I’m leaving you.”      “Wha... but why?”      “‘Cause ever since you got it, you’ve been paying more attention to that book than to me.”      “Huh, What was that?” Her husband asks as he didn’t listen to that last part because he had his head buried deep in the book. ***      “Alright class! For your final book report of the year, everyone of you must read, and write, a book report on what you learned from this book, and how it can help others.” Miss Sheerilee says to her tenth grade Ponish class, bringing up a copy of Cadance’s Dream on her desk.      A wide groan of disapproval can be heard from all her students. ***      “Well, everything that just happened is sure out of the ordinary.”      “Everything is perfect Spike. Everything is fine.” Twilight says calmly to her dragon. > Gallus Gives Silverstream Something > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silverstream is in the hall, standing by the water fountain until Gallus walks over to her, having one talon behind his back, holding something. “Hey Gallus!” Silverstream says happily. “Hello yourself.” Gallus shows to her that in his other talon is a small but thick book. “I’ve got you something. A whole book.” > Cozy Glow Gets A Copy Of The Book > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      Cozy Glow is inside her jail cell, trapped in Tartarus for who knows how long.      Until just now, to her left appears a magic portal, walking out of the portal being both Twilight and Gallus.      Gallus holding the book, Cadance’s Dream. It being gift wrapped and topped off with a bow.      “Oh, and what do you two want?”      Gallus says nothing as he slides the gift wrapped book in between the bars, then the two creatures walk back into the portal, it zapping away almost immediately as they leave.      “Well that was... different?”      “Different?! At least you get visitors! Nocreature has ever sent me a present before!” Tirek shouts angrily, crossing his arms, and pouting his lips.      Cozy just strugs at that, then goes to tear off all of the wrapping paper.      “A book? Why in the wide, wide world of Equestria would they send me this?”      Cozy again just strugs before opening up the book, starting to read on page one. > Twilight and Spike Play Go Fish > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      “Sooooo, got any fives?”      “Nope. Go fish.”      Twilight and Spike are right now playing a ravaging game of ‘go fish’.      “Got any sevens?” Twilight asked right before Princess Cadance bursts into the room.      “Twilight, we need to talk!” > Cadance Has Another Weird Dream > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      “It’s, I had another weird dream.”      “Okay. And you’re telling me this why?” Twilight asked, now sitting on her throne.      “Because you were there. But not just you. Everypony else in Equestria was there.”      “Yeah, one question. Shouldn’t we tell Princess Luna about this? I mean, she is literally the only one who can go into dreams and such.” Spike asks either one of them.      “I told you. Both princesses are extremely busy... with princess things.”      “Okay.” Spike walks out of the Throne Room, leaving the two sister-in-laws alone.      “I should tell you of what I dreamt of.” Cadance levitates an open, blank scroll to Twilight, along with a quill.      “If you feel you’re up to it, then go ahead,” Twilight gets the scroll and quill ready, “I’m ready.”      Cadance takes one long breath. “It all started out normally. And by normal, I mean it started out with me going on a spaceship. We were just about to take off for the planet of chocolate chip cookies until out of nowhere, all of a sudden, the stars started falling from the sky. Each and every last one of them, hurling down on the nation of Equestria, sending a mass wave of destruction everywhere once they landed.”      “And once everything seemed hopeless, like, after knowing that nopony could stop it, out of the blue, appearing on a hillside, some regular ol’ unicorn. He, or she, just then so simply cast a simple spell that immediately make everything go back to normal, making the stars go away and back up to space. If you know what I mean.”      “And that was all that had happened.”      After listening to Cadance, Twilight reads a quick rundown of everything she just wrote.      “So what you’re saying is, the stars will someday magically fall from the sky and destroy everything we hold dear?”      Cadance nods her head.      “But it all “went away” by some regular ol’ unicorn who was able to cast a spell, therefore returning everything back to normal?”      “Yes. What do you think it means?”      Twilight looks to Cadance, then to the scroll she wrote on before taking a big, deep breath. “I know you don’t want to, but we have to tell the princesses.” > Kyle tries to get the Attention of a Girl > --------------------------------------------------------------------------      Kyle is just an average, young teenage stallion.      Who has a crush on a pony who he’d never thought he’d be into.      Her name is Rose Streaks, a fairly popular mare who doesn’t really share the same interests as Kyle.      Though that didn’t stop Kyle from trying out for last year’s track and fields team.      Even though he failed so miserably during tryouts, he still was able to be notice by his crush.      And according to Kyle, that’s a win.      Even if everypony that was there starts to give him the nickname ‘Pole Fail’. (You see, instead of pole vault, they called him ‘Pole Fail’.)(Because he failed at pole vaulting.))      Still, he would’ve preferred to be on the team so he could've gotten much closer to her.      And so that leads us to today, as Kyle will try to get his crush’s attention by jumping his dirt bike over the principal’s cart.      Wearing a helmet of course.      Because his mom would only let him do it if he had a helmet on.      And that somepony recorded the whole thing for her to see. And to film it horizontally, not vertically.     Kyle knows this will be dangerous, even though he had jumped worst (much less worst than the time he jumped the windmill factory), but still, pull this move off and Mr. Clover will undoubtedly, probably, give him lunch detention for the rest of the year.      But it’ll all be worth it when Rose Streaks sees him successfully triumphing the jump. Maybe she’ll be so impressed that she'll ask him out on a date to the newest restaurant in town.      A pony can dream. ***      “Now what in Celestia’s flank is going on here?” Principal Clover asks no one in particular as he happens to find a whole group of students standing outside in the parking lot, walking over the more closer to see that right between his own cart are two poorly built wooden ramps.      “And what are you doing to my cart?!”      “Ah hem,” Ponyville High School Student Council leader (and known snitch/real downer) Chestnut Bottoms gets the attention of the principal, “It’s Kyle. And he says that he plans to “jump” over your cart. With his dirt bike.”      “Oh really now.” Mr. Clover grabs hold a megaphone that apparently was just laying on the pavement, then going to find the pony who plans to do such a thing.      “Now listen here punk! Do whatever it is you’re doing, and not only will I give you lunch detention for the rest of the year, but I’ll make sure you get three times the extra homework! Understood!”      Though Kyle didn't even hear him at all. Probably ‘cause he had his helmet on for starters, and his hearing isn’t so great.      Before preparing his bike for the jump, Kyle looks into the crowd of ponies, seeing that right in the front row was his crush, looking the more expressionless as time went on. 'She actually came. SHE ACTUALLY CAME!!!!!'      Kyle thinks to himself as in that moment, with a sense of pride, knowing that his crush actually came to see him,  Kyle prepared his bike, then at the fullest of speed he could muster, just took off on the bike.      Going at top speed, Kyle jumped the ramp and the rest was history. *** Well, it went as you expected.      If you expected his bike to abruptly stop in midair once he was in between both ramps, crash landing on the principal’s cart.      Principal Clover looked so mad, his face was a whole shade of red plus of other colors that nopony had never even seen before, why he blew off so much steam, he could’ve practically identified as a steam engine.      The other students, after seeing the stunt being a total failure, just walked away, either to tell their friends of how much of a failure Kyle is, or to instantly forget about the whole thing.      Kyle wasn’t too badly damaged. He just broke his neck, every other bone in his body was okay. Heck, he at least got a few days off of school, two of those being in the hospital, and having to wear a neck brace for a little while after. Even if he has to do three times the makeup homework. And sit in lunch detention ‘til the rest of the year. But lucky for him, there was only a month left to the school year.      The principal’s cart, on the other hoof, it was completely totaled. Meaning that Mr. Clover had to cut even more of the school’s budget to allow himself to get a raise so he could purchase a new cart (‘Cause who really needs CTE classes when the principal can instead buy a new cart.)(Of course it would’ve never happened if some certain pony didn’t decide to impress a girl he liked by doing something that would’ve done a lot of damage.)      But it all appeared worth it as one day, while in lunch detention, Rose Streaks visited and asked him if she could, oh I don’t know, help with all the homework he now has to do.      “Really?”      “Y- yes. I guess.”      Hearing this, Kyle jumps up into the air, his happiness at an all time high. (Epilogue)      “So uh, you mean it?”      “Yeah.”      “Oh.”      Kyle and Rose Streaks silently stare at each other, a slight blush appearing on Kyle's face. This is now awkward.      “Yeah... I gotta head.” Kyle picks up all of his stuff, putting them in his backpack and walking away from the table where his crush still sits silent.      After a minute or two, Rose Streaks gets up, takes a sip from her water bottle, and walks over to another table, where all her friends are at.      Why was this situation awkward?      Simple. Rose Streaks asked if he has a crush on anypony. > “The Stars Will Aid In Her Escape” > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- And on the day of the thousandth moon, once Nightmare Moon has fully been successfully freed from her banishment, the stars, the very same that helped her escape her banishment, shall no later rain down from the sky, crashing into the pony nation known as Equestria. Bringing destruction in their wake to every part of the lands. All while doing this for the Princess who had been imprisoned on the moon, acting like this to honor their Princess, to punish all those who treat their Princess horribly. To enact revenge on the ones who brought her to the moon in the first place. But that’s not to say this event isn’t preventable. On that fateful day, a unicorn, who will be known to nopony in particular, shall bring it upon himself to stop this tragedy from ever being told. That unicorn shall save everyone. ***      “That truly does sound bad.”      “I know. So, will you help me then?” The centaur Galbus asked Starswirl the Bearded, the pony recently reading about the prophecy of how the stars shall fall once Nightmare Moon is freed.      “You can count on me.” Starswirl nods his head in approval at the centaur’s request.      “Just one question though. Nightmare Moon was supposedly freed from the moon many moons ago, yet the stars still remain in the sky. What could be holding up the stars and our inevitable doom?”      “I haven’t the slightest reason why. But we must move on. The sooner we find the pony, the sooner this whole event won’t ever happen.” Galbus tells, as him and Starswirl start to prepare to go on their way.      Starswirl bringing up a blank scroll and quill, writing on it to warn the Princesses of Equestria of what could transpire.