> Rise Of the Dragon Queen
>  by Mystic Sunrise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Dream Song, Call of The Orbs
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle was flying, and it was the greatest feeling in the world. This must have been how Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy felt when they flew every day.

Mountains, rivers, plains, and cities passed beneath as she soared over Equestria on powerful wings. Her whole body thrummed with power. And she wasn't alone.

All around her Twilight felt others fly with her, four of them. Four she loved more than she had anypony else. Why she thought of it like that she didn't know, but it felt right all the same And she knew they felt the same for her.

Even though she couldn't see them at the moment, Twilight never wanted to be separated from the four around her, a feeling they all shared. Just as the thought crossed her mind though, a bright light filled her vision and the feeling of togetherness began to fade.

Terrified now, Twilight tried to reach out to her sisters, to hold onto that feeling. They reached out for her as well, but the distance grew to great and they passed just out of reach. Just before her vision faded completely, she heard them call out to her, loud and clear.

"We will find you. We will all be together again, forever."





With a start, Twilight awoke in her bed of the Golden Oaks Library. Outside it was still nighttime. Her clock read 2 am.

For a moment, she tried to catch her breath. She was glad Spike was staying with the Cutie Mark Crusaders tonight. She didn't want to have to explain her dream just yet.

But why did it feel like so much more than that? Why did it hurt so much? Like she was missing pieces of herself. It didn't make any sense. And Twilight hated when things didn't make any sense. Except for Pinkie Pie. But that was a battle she had given up on months ago.

But this. This was different. It felt like she was waiting for something now. Four of them. And once they had all come together, it would all make sense. To all of them.

Or at least that's what Twilight hoped for anyway as she settled back down onto her pillow. She loved a good mystery.

Smiling, Twilight soon passed into the same dream again, hopes high for whatever the future might bring.





Princess Luna, for the first time in a long time, had no idea of what she was looking at. So much so in fact that she had dragged her sister into the Dream Realm with her.

Princess Celestia didn't understand it much either. But one thing that she did know concerned her deeply. "This is Twilight's subconscious," she said as she looked at the orb before them, her frown deepening. "But this magic. It is not like any I have ever seen before."

Luna frowned as well at this. "And you have known Twilight Sparkle since she was a filly. Has she ever done this before?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. And I cannot think of why she would start now."

As she finished, Twilight's subconscious pulsed, a wave flowing outward in every direction. It was rather pleasant a feeling as it passed through the sisters. A moment later, another pulse came toward them. As it struck Twilight's form, she wiggled excitedly before another pulse flowed out from her.

This time though, there was a faint song to it. Timid at first and unformed, it started small, unfocused, needing to join with another to be complete. As another pulse came to it, it began to form into something new, something that promised wonder and beauty when complete. This went on for some time, the song becoming louder and more focused as it went along.

Celestia smiled. "They're singing to each other. Like whale song, they're talking, trying to find each other and come together."

Luna gave her sister a look. "What are they saying?"

Celestia shook her head. "I do not know. I doubt that Twilight or those she sings with know either. But one day they will, and the song will be complete."

"And what then?" What happens when the song is complete?" Luna asked.

Celestia shook her head as she turned to leave, causing Luna to catch up to her. "I'm not sure, and a part of me is glad not to know."

Luna rolled her eyes. "That is a first." She looked back the way they had come. "What do we do now then?"

Celestia smiled as she too looked back. "We leave them alone. If they are looking for each other, then in time they will, no matter what we do."

Luna nodded as they paused a moment. The song continued, but it had slowed and no longer grew with each passing moment. Now it seemed to be waiting.

Soon though the sisters turned away and soon passed from the area of the Dream Realm. Celestia needed her rest after a rather trying Day Court the day before, and Luna still had her Dream Patrol to finish for the night.

But for the rest of the night, and for many more days to come, their minds returned to the song, and what it could mean.





Spike was used to finding Twilight in odd situations. Growing up with her, that was usually at least once a week or more. But since moving to Ponyville, it had become less severe. Pinkie Pie notwithstanding of course.

So when he came home, he was understandably confused to find his big sister literally bouncing around the room with a spring in her step and humming to herself.

Oh, and this was before breakfast. Heck, the sun was barely even up yet. "Who are you, and what have you done with the real Twilight?" He grumbled as he came in.

That got Twilight's attention as she turned to him. "Good morning Spike! And I'm fine. In fact, I've never felt so great!" She said with a huge grin.

Spike gave a look over. No bags under her eyes, no frazzled mane, and no eye twitch, which was always a good sign, so he relaxed as he went to get coffee for all. "So what were you humming? It sounded nice."

Twilight stopped as she thought a moment. "You know? I have no idea. It just came to me I guess. Like in a dream or something."

And for the life of her, she couldn't understand why it felt like she should know what the song meant. It had been with her since she had woken up. Her dream from the night before was still on her mind. But the details were even now becoming fuzzy.

"So what were you looking for?" Spike asked.

She shook her head. "Research. I'm looking for something in particular, and maybe you can help Spike. Ever hear of something called the Orbs of Dragonkind?"

Spike scrunched his nose. It sounded familiar, but not off the top of his head. "Can't say I have. Why? You've never asked about dragons before."

Twilight sighed. "I don't know Spike. Call me curious I guess. None of the books here have anything on them either."

He tapped his chin. It was a long shot, but there was one pony who might be able to help, but Twilight might not like it. "You could always ask Princess Celestia? If anypony knows, it's her."

Twilight thought about it for a moment. Her mentor would be a good place to start. With her long life, she must have come across something about the orbs.

It couldn't hurt to ask at least as she smiled. "Spike. Take a letter please."





Princess Celestia's response came a few hours later as Twilight was enjoying lunch with Fluttershy. With the disaster of the Grand Galloping Gala behind them, things were finally back to normal.

Fluttershy looked worried as Twilight read the letter with an odd look on her face. "Is something wrong Twilight?"

Twilight shook her head. "No. It's just, I feel like I'm missing something. I was hoping Princess Celestia would know more."

"Does she? About whatever you're asking?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight nodded as she began to read the letter aloud.

"My dearest Twilight. I must apologize for not writing sooner for I had to do some digging of my own to find what you asked about.

What you mention are indeed called the Orbs of Dragonkind. Only five are known, each tied to a specific color of dragon: Black, Blue, Green, Red, and White.

Though their powers are not fully known, it is said that those who possess one can control dragons of that specific color and that when all five are brought together by those destined to bear them, they will give birth to a power Equus has never seen before.

No one knows what that could mean or even where the orbs are if they even exist at all. Even the eldest of dragons do not know for they are a myth even to them.

I must admit Twilight that my knowledge of this is limited for this myth is far older than even I or Luna. I am curious as to why you are asking about them now? I know your love of history, but this is obscure even by most myths' standards.

Your's, Princess Celestia."





Nopony said anything for a moment before Fluttershy worked up the courage. "Um. I don't mean to pry, but why are you asking about," she gulped, "dragons?"

Twilight sighed. "I'm not sure. I don't even know why I'm asking about these orbs. It just won't leave me alone. Something is coming. I just know it."

"Is that good or bad?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. But I have the feeling we'll find out. Whether we want to or not."

That seemed to take the air of any questions either one of them had for soon both had dropped the topic and were talking of other things.

Unknown to either though, the change Twilight had predicted had already begun.





Deep in the Unicorn Range, a long thought extinct volcano erupted in sudden fury. Luckily it was far enough away from habitation that none saw the eruption but the local wildlife.

In the crater, the sudden eruption had done more than unseal the magma chamber, even as the chamber itself began to fill. Near the midpoint, a cave mouth was revealed as a section of rock gave way. Nothing could be seen inside for a time.

Slowly, a rock near the center of the cave began to crack open like an egg. In a moment it shed its skin with a loud crack. Revealed within was a bright red orb. It seemed just large enough for a regular pony to carry around their neck comfortably.

Soon the orb began to glow, silently calling out to its sisters, and the one it was destined to join with. After a time the glow faded, its task seemingly finished. The orb passed into dormancy, content to wait, as it had for years beyond count.





The yaks of Yakyakistan had very few things they would not do, and the few they didn't, they usually smashed. But even the most hard-headed elder of a yurt knew one thing above all others.

Never, ever, climb Mount Everhoof.

For time beyond memory, it had been seen as the home of the gods, where mortals were forbidden to tread on pain of death or exile.

All knew the sounds and tempers of the glaciers that cascaded from Everhoof's sides. To not know them meant death for those who slept in the mountain's shadow.

This night, however, all eyes turned in its direction for all could hear the tremendous cracking and tear of a glacier on the move. But this was far louder than had been heard before.

The yaks could only watch in stunned silence as an entire section of the mountain detached and began its slow descent to the valley floor below.

In later years, this area would be called the Everhoof Icefall, a confusing maze of snow, ice blocks, and serracks the size of Canterlot Castle.

Sometime later, another piece of the mountain, much smaller this time, fell down to the valley below. No one saw this one though.

As the block came to rest in the Icefall, it seemed to be waiting for something. After a time, the block of ice began to crack open like an egg before exploding into countless pieces.

Inside was a solid white orb. It glowed for a time before fading into the darkness, waiting as it had for so long.





On any map of Equestria, this area was called the Undiscovered West. None knew why, but settlement had never pushed this way. Very few even came this way, but those that did never failed to remark on a sight few could believe existed.

A tree far taller than any tree had any right to be. It towered over the surrounding forest and its top branches cleared the clouds above. For this reason, it was called Grandfather Tree. Many said it aired calm and reflectiveness on those who saw it.

No saw then when, for no reason whatsoever, the entire tree fell over, crashing to the ground with a resounding boom that sent animals running for cover for miles around.

As the dust settled, a wide section of the forest had been cleared as the roots had been pulled out of the ground and now hung limply in the breeze. Far up the trunk though, a seemingly random chunk of bark fell away, rolling some distance before coming to a stop next to a smaller tree.

Some time passed before anything else changed. Those few animals that had returned barely paid any mind to the chunk of bark, focused more on the fallen monarch before them.

If any had looked that way, they would've seen the bark cracking before falling away from a central point. Once it began though, all could feel a tremendous power had been revealed and looked over at it. What they saw left them confused.

A green orb sat there, surrounded by the cast-off pieces of its prison for who knew how long. Though it looked safe, no animal would go near the orb.

All felt the power it radiated, and yet at the same time, they could feel that this was just the tip of the iceberg of what was there and only now waited for someone to release it.





This area between Manehatten and Fillydelphia was known for its violent and unpredictable storms and weather. Ones that rose suddenly and without warning. Pegasi for centuries had tried to control them with no success. It seemed the storms were drawn to this area, but none could say why.

But one thing was known for sure. The storms seemed to center around one area in particular. A stretch of coast little used except by fishermen to mend their boats and dry their nets. Few ever went more than a mile or so inland.

Located some miles inland from the coast, a stretch of hills lay undisturbed. Only the local wildlife visited them. One set was riddled with a network of caves. Most were used only to get out of the rain or as a temporary shelter. None showed use by ponies.

Near the mouth of one, a particularly violent lightning strike rocked the cave mouth. As if it had been waiting just for this, a stalactite broke off and crashed to the ground.

As it did, the rocks fell away from the center, revealing a solid blue orb. The lightning seemed drawn to it as it struck the orb multiple times before the storm seemed to lose its strength and begin to abate.

Released from its confinement, the orb glowed slightly before returning to its waiting state.





Deep in the Hayseed Swamp, far from what few paths existed through the area, lay a ruin forgotten by time. Very few history books made mention of the structure. Those that did said it was once used by a cult dedicated to some forgotten dark god, though none now knew for sure.

Whatever the truth, little remained above the muck now. Only a crumbled wall and a single room were all that was left above ground.

Underneath the little floor remaining, a half-flooded chamber lay filled with the rotting debris of the cult, mostly pieces of broken wood and broken pottery now.

Inside one intact jar, a seemingly normal rock began to rock back and forth before shattering, destroying the jar around it. Out rolled a solid black orb that rolled over to a far wall. Soon it began to glow, revealing a mural above it.

A dragon with five heads.





Though none saw the orbs when they were all revealed, their emergence had an effect on five mares. All of different ages and backgrounds. None knew of the bond they shared. But they all had one thing in common, one that some in Equestria might call destiny.

All of their journies began on the day of the so-called Lesson Zero incident.





Everyone shared a confused look as Twilight walked into the Throne Room, her saddlebags packed to the brim with everything you'd see on a camping trip.

"Ya going somewhere sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. "I'm going on a trip. I don't expect I'll be back for a while."

Spike hoped up. "We'll come with you!" The girls nodded, even if Rarity didn't look fully convinced of the idea.

Twilight shook her head. "Sorry guys. But this is something I have to do myself. I just need the space right now."

Princess Celestia was concerned. "Twilight. Is this about the Want It, Need It spell?"

Twilight shook her head. "No. It's just." She sighed. "I want to travel Equestria, meet new ponies, see new places. Maybe that mess has something to do with it, I don't know."

"I love meeting new ponies!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Everyone chuckled. "We know Pinkie. But this is something I have to do myself," Twilight replied as she gave them all a hard look. "Pinkie Promise you won't follow me?"

Nobody, especially Spike, liked the idea. But the look on Twilight's face said she wasn't going to budge on this, so they went through the motions. But they didn't have to like it.

Celestia sighed, knowing as well that once Twilight Sparkle had her mind set on something, she rarely ever changed it. "When do you plan to leave Twilight?"

Twilight smiled. "Tomorrow morning. I'm staying with my parents tonight. You guys are welcome to come over. I'm sure they won't mind."

That seemed to help a little as the girls smiled at the idea.





Pearl Rose had never left Fillydelphia before, no matter how much she begged her parents. She was ten. That was plenty old enough. Her dad was a dockmaster at the port and her mom was a branch manager for the First Equestrian Bank. They got to go all over Equestria.

Pearl loved her parents, she really did. But sometimes she wished they didn't worry about her so much.

Now though, she knew she was in huge trouble if they caught her. She had snuck out of the house, everything she could carry in her saddlebags. Something was calling her, something she couldn't resist. In fact, Pearl never wanted to fight this feeling, it felt too good.

Looking back, she fought back her tears. By the time her mom and dad found her note, she would be long gone. It hurt, no matter what she felt.

"Mom, dad. I'll be back, someday," she whispered as she adjusted her saddlebags and spread her wings.

Casting one last look at home, Pearl vanished into the night.





River Breeze wasn't sure this was a good idea, but something was telling her it was time. Time to find out what was calling to her, out there somewhere beyond Vanohoover's bounds. It was exciting of course, but she had no idea where this would take her.

Her life had been pretty ordinary by most standards. School, friends, family, and sports. Nothing seemed that odd.

But then something had awoken inside her, something that had forced her to lose sleep as she dreamed of flying over Equestria with four others that she wanted desperately to meet, a feeling she knew they all felt, even if they didn't know it yet.

So here she was, all she needed on the seat next to her as the train left Vanhoover behind. With no destination in mind, River Breeze settled in for the long trip as her magic reached for a book in her bags to pass the time.





In later years, Lavender Rain would say a random meeting with Twilight Sparkle would lead to how she had been at the time. Even if Twilight herself didn't remember it, much to her embarrassment in light of later events.

For those who knew her, Lavender had never really stood out in Ponyville. Applejack counted her as one of her best customers, and if not one of her best friends, as a friend nonetheless.

Recently though, her friends had noticed how much she had become in the wider Equestria, which was odd seeing as she had never much cared for it before.

But when they found her packing for a long trip, they knew something was going on with her, but Lavender herself was vague on why.

"I don't know why myself honestly. I just have this feeling. Something's calling me, and I mean to find it and why."

Her friends knew better than to argue with her, so they only smiled and wished her luck on her journey and to come back safe.

Now as the train pulled away from Ponyville's station, Lavender settled in for the long ride ahead, no destination in mind for the moment.





As the train pulled away from Canterlot's station, and she settled down with a good book for the long ride, Twilight didn't know another mare had the same idea as her.

Pumpkin Spice was the daughter of a minor family of the Canterlot Elite, and while most were elitist snobs and were proud of it, Pumpkin's family had always been known as humble and for their humility.

They could be as cutthroat and ruthless as the rest of course, but those times were the exception and not the rule.

Pumpkin stood out for another reason though. On top of being an only child, she was the only earth pony in an all-unicorn family. Neither of her parents could explain it. But they had never held it against her and loved her no matter what.

So her leaving home was a heavy blow, and coming off of Discord's recent Day of Chaos, as it was being called, their nerves were frayed beyond belief. Pumpkin was old enough to be on her own of course, but they still worried. Especially since she had no clear idea of where she was going.

"I need to find myself, and I can't do that here. I need to see Equestria for myself, not just from my room," was how she had said it.

Her parents didn't like it, but they could see she had meant it. So after more hugs and kisses than a mare her age should ever get from her parents, they had given their blessing and had helped her pack.

Now here she was, smiling as the train finally left Canterlot behind. Pumpkin had no destination in mind for the moment and was content to enjoy Equestria's beauty from her window.

Occasionally her eyes would wander over to the lavender unicorn reading a few feet away, but never for very long. Something about her felt familiar, but Pumpkin had no idea of why she pushed it aside for now.
> Red Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pearl had no idea how long she had been away from at this point. She knew her parents must be worried sick about her and wondered why she had left home and where she had gone.

At this point, she was wondering why she had left home herself. But the feeling that had driven her to do so was still there. In fact, it had been growing stronger for the last few days. Whatever it was, Pearl knew she must be getting close to it now.

She had been traveling northwest the whole time. The last signs of civilization had been three days ago, and that had barely been more than a few small houses and a general store in the middle of nowhere.

Pearl's bags were filled with enough food to last her until she returned to the small town. How she'd pay for it was another story, but she figured she could work off her debt if she had to. The mare at the store had been nice enough to give it for free.

But Pearl never took anything for free. Her parents had always taught her that if someone did something like that for you, no matter what it was, it was always fair to repay them in some way for their generosity.

But that could wait as she came to a halt and looked at the volcano before her. It was active judging by the smoke rising from the crater. Nopony had said anything about an active volcano around here. Why? Somepony must've seen it or the smoke by now.

Then again maybe not. She was now deep in the Unicorn Range. Nopony had ever come this way, no mines were active or ever had been, and there had never seemed a reason to come this far was how the townsponies had explained. No one seemed to know why though.

But Pearl knew one thing for sure. Her journey was nearly at an end. Whatever was calling her was in that volcano. Now she just had to make a plan to get to it, and not die in the process.

Easier said than done she thought with a gulp.

***

After this, Pearl decided as she peeked over the crater's rim, she was never complaining about the heat ever again. Like never ever. It was almost too much for her this close. Her Pegasus heritage helped somewhat, but it was still more than she had ever known.

Luckily the magma was far enough down that she didn't have to worry about it catching her if she flew down, but now what? 

Pearl looked around through the heat haze. Nothing at all stood out from where she was, so why was she out here? There was nothing here? There had never been anything here.

She sniffed as she settled herself on the rim. This was dumb. Why had she ever thought this was a good idea? There was nothing out here. Especially not for her age, and especially not for her.

"I just want to go home," she whispered as she felt her tears fall. She didn't care. She was ten, she was all alone in a strange place, and she just wanted to go home, she wanted her family.

She stretched her wings as she turned and prepared to leave. Her parents were going to furious with her when she got home. She'd be lucky if she wasn't grounded for the rest of eternity as punishment, but at this point, Pearl didn't care. She would just be happy to be home again.

Just as she was ready to take flight though, a gleam caught her eyes further down the crater. As she turned to look closer at it, she could see a cave opening in the wall. Caves had always been something Pearl enjoyed, and this one looked opened recently, and that had her excited.

Figuring it wouldn't hurt to at least look at it, she flew down to the cave mouth. Aside from the heat, it wasn't too difficult and she was soon in the cave mouth.

Walking in, the heat dropped somewhat. A relief to be sure, and Pearl was glad for any at this point, but her main focus was what was on the floor before her.

A red orb, just small enough to fit in her hooves, lay surrounded by shattered pieces of rock. Up close, she could see that it was finely crafted. But that didn't make any sense. It was obviously crafted by somepony, but why leave it out here? Why hide it at all?

Pearl shook her head as she reached out to touch the orb. It was cool to the touch and was rather pleasant to feel now that she thought about it. But now what?

Something was telling her to take it, that it was hers by all rights. Pearl wanted to, but how? She had no room in her bags to hold it, and she didn't have anything to make a necklace to hold it with.

As if sensing her thoughts, the orb began to glow and float toward her. Before she could react, a frame began to wrap around the sphere. A moment later the glow faded. Now the orb sat between two intertwined dragons, their snouts touching at the top.

Pearl thought it was beautiful as the necklace floated to her and secured itself tightly but comfortably around her neck. It didn't feel like much either as she played with it a moment. It really did feel like hers now, whatever that meant as she giggled.

"I guess that means you want to come with me?" She asked the orb. The dragon's eyes seemed to glow, as if in confirmation. She giggled. The orb's red color stood out brightly next to her pearl white coat. It was just a few shades of red darker than her mane color as well now that she thought about it.

Before she could do more, however, Pearl felt her flank glow a moment. Looking back, she grinned widely at what she saw. A red dragon now lay in repose on her flanks, her eyes closed.

"My cutie mark," she squeed as she jumped in the air in joy. "Yes! Best day ever!"

She giggled all the way out of the cave and back out into the crater. "Wait till mom and dad see it. They're going to be so happy," she gushed proudly as she soon turned her flight out of here and back toward civilization.

Unseen behind her, the volcano began to calm down, the smoke no longer rising from the crater.
> Black Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

While Twilight would later admit that it had been worth it in the end, at the moment she was wondering what on Equestria she was doing out here in the middle of nowhere.

Her journey had taken far south of Canterlot to a little known corner of Equestria. Very few lived out here and towns were extreme in the rare. Luckily the local ponies had been friendly. While few ever visited their small town, they had let her stay with one of the local families.

Twilight may not have known why she was out here at the moment, but it was relaxing. Nightmare Night had just passed so she was glad she didn't have to worry about the festivities.

Though now that she thought about it, she wondered Princess Luna had taken the news that Equestria had a national holiday dedicated to her former self Nightmare Moon. Twilight didn't think she had taken it well.

But that could wait as her mind went back to the night before and the bit of local lore she had been told by the earth pony family she was staying with. Apparently there was an old abandoned ruin deep in the swamp. Few had ever seen it, but all knew of it.

What was odd though was that nopony knew what it could be. The village was still new enough that it wasn't on any of Equestria's maps yet. Some ponies thought it might've been from an earlier, long-abandoned settlement, while others thought it could've been some old temple.

Naturally, Twilight's curiosity had been roused. She loved discovering new things. Maybe she could tick this mystery off the list. The villagers had been more than happy to point her in the right direction. It wasn't more than a day's walk from the village this time of year.

They had warned her though of the dangers of the deep swamp. Quicksand and deep water were at the top of the list for few predators lived there it seemed.

And now Twilight was glad of their warnings as she avoided another quicksand trap. "This thing had better be worth it," she grumbled as she continued. on. If she was remembering right, the ruin should be close by.

She hoped. For all she knew, she could be lost out here, and then what? Her magic could get her back to the village, but it was a risk. She had never teleported that far before. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that she thought as she came to another clearing.

And stopped in her tracks, for there in front of her was the ruin she had been looking for. Like she had been told, it wasn't much to look at. Just a wall and some loose stone scattered about, all half sunk into the swamp.

As Twilight trotted closer, she gave the structure a closer look. Up close, nothing about it seemed to say what it had once been or how old it was. Walking around to the side, she could see it was only the one wall now and parts of a floor that lead into the water. No help there.

Her eyes though were drawn to an opening in the floor and what looked like a set of stairs leading down. Maybe another room? Walking carefully, not fully trusting the stonework, Twilight made her way down to see what could be seen. Igniting her horn as she reached the bottom, she looked around.

It wasn't much to look at. Just a half-flooded room with bits and pieces of who knew what scattered here and there. Several jars stood along one wall, all empty when Twilight peaked inside them. The far end was flooded, so she turned her attention to the wall opposite the broken jar, a feeling growing inside of her.

And jumped back with a frightened yelp at what the light from her horn showed her. After a moment she realized it was only a wall mural. Trying to calm her breathing, Twilight walked over and took in the mural in better detail. It depicted a five-headed dragon in flight, its eyes boring into her. One head, in particular, seemed fixated on her.

But that didn't make any sense. Dragons only had one head as far as she knew. Hydras could have more than one of course, but this was definitely a dragon. What was odd was that none of the heads resembled any dragons she had ever seen. She only knew of three of course, but even they shared much of the same body plan.

There was no color to the mural now, but the craftsmanship remained. Twilight didn't know much about art, but even she could see the artistry that had gone into making this.

Beneath the mural, almost directly under the right front head, in fact, was a black orb about the right size to fit comfortably in Twilight's hoof. As black as it was, it still gave off some light.

For some reason though, it seemed to be calling to her, and to her shock Twilight found she wanted to hear its call. On some level, she knew the orb was hers and always had been.

But that didn't make any sense. She had never heard of an orb like this before, let alone one that was hers. But the feeling would not leave her alone, and it was getting stronger by the second.

Not sure why or how she knew, but Twilight decided to take the orb with her. Maybe Princess Celestia would know more about it? It was a good place to start at least.

But how would she carry it? Her saddlebags were packed to the brim as it was, and she had no other place to put it, and she didn't have the materials to craft something either.

Seemingly reading her mind, the orb began to float above the ground. As Twilight watched, two golden dragons encircled the orbs, with their snouts touching at the top.

As they finished, it floated over and secured itself tightly but comfortably around Twilight's neck, before the glow ended as abruptly as it had begun.

Twilight gave her orb a bemused look. "Well, I guess that answers that question," she said with a giggle. The orbs eyes glowed as if giggling with her.

With that, she turned back to the stairs and began to climb back up to the top portion of the ruins. How she was going to explain all of this to her friends and Princess Celestia was beyond her at the moment.

At the moment though, Twilight focused more on getting back to the village she had come from. She did not want to be out here after dark.

***

Unseen, color returned to two heads of the mural. One red, and one black. Even the body itself began to take on a new color after so long awaiting this day.
> White Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This, Pumpkin Spice decided with a shiver, was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her entire life. Bar none. Not even leaving her life in Canterlot had been this stupid.

Here she was, far north of Equestria in some Celestia forsaken land, low on strength and the will to continue on. Whatever was out here calling her wasn't worth freezing over she was sure of.

The natives were even worse if it was possible than the weather. Yakyakistan was a bucking joke of a country if she had ever seen one. What little she had been able to get out of them hadn't helped her mood either.

Something big had changed recently and the whole country was on edge. Or at least that's what she had been able to glean in the yurts she had stayed at.

The gods were angry they said. The Mother of Mountains would soon vent her wrath on those who displeased her.

Utter nonsense of course. There were no gods on Equus, let alone angry ones. Pumpkin had only pretended to listen to the yaks rambling on and on.

Backwoods idiots still believed Celestia and Luna were some kind of sun and moon gods respectively. Though both denied it all the time, some refused to listen.

Pumpkin knew better of course. She loved and respected the sisters as much as any, but she had grown up with a clear mind. If gods were real, then they would be beyond any comprehension and not be concerned with such small and insignificant matters.

She had kept all this to herself of course. No use annoying her hosts anymore than she already was just by being there in the first place.

In all the nonsense though, she had been able to learn one thing that would help her on her journey. Mount Everhoof had recently changed drastically. One whole side of the mountain had detached and crashed to the valley below.

Growing up in Canterlot as she had, even Pumpkin knew that name. Everhoof was the tallest mountain on Equus. Things like that just didn't happen overnight. But apparently, that was exactly what had happened. So now she found herself on the way there.

There was also the fact that something was calling to her from the base of the mountain. It was growing stronger by the minute as well. Assuming she didn't freeze to death first of course. Just her luck she didn't pack anything warm and now she was paying for it.

If nothing else, if she did freeze to death, she would stick out in all this snow. Her pumpkin orange coat was hard to miss, and her mane was only a few shades lighter at that. Her pumpkin pie cutie mark couldn't be missed either.

She was brought back to the present as she noticed the ground begin to slope up. If she remembered right, this would give her a perfect view of the mountain.

"Anything but snow would be nice at this point," she grumbled as she began to climb.

***

Pumpkin could only stare in shock at the mess that covered the valley floor. It looked nothing more like an icebox had exploded, and then had babies.

Ice block bigger than most towers in Canterlot lay in a confusing jumble all over the place. Beyond them lay the base of Mount Everhoof itself. Gigantic didn't do it justice she thought as she picked her way carefully down the slope, trying to avoid all the pieces of ice that lay there.

As she came to the bottom of the slope, Pumpkin felt two things all at once. The cold no longer affected her as it once had. In fact, it felt rather pleasant all of a sudden. And the feeling that had drawn her here was now at its peak. Whatever it was, it was close now. Very close if she had to guess.

But where though? Pumpkin didn't want to spend more time here than she needed too. With that in mind, she turned where the feeling was strongest and began to walk.

***

For over an hour, Pumpkin picked her way through the ice field, slipping and falling more than once. Hooves were not meant for this kind of thing she decided. More than once she had lost her way and the feeling had faded. Retracing her steps took time, but in her heart, she knew she must be close now.

Even as the thought crossed her mind, Pumpkin saw a gleam out of the corner of her eyes. Turning, she was surprised at what she saw. Up against a piece of ice, an orb lay glistening in the sunlight. It almost blended in except for its off white color. It was just large enough to fit in her hooves.

As she walked over, Pumpkin could the exquisite craftsmanship that had gone into the orb. Whoever had crafted it had been an expert for sure, but why leave it out here?

She shook her head. If nopony else wanted it, then it would be a shame to leave it out here in the cold north. And the feeling that had lead her here? It leads right to this spot, to the orb. Pumpkin only felt it was right she took it with her.

Before she could even begin to think of how she would carry it, the orb gleamed a moment before vanishing. Pumpkin yelped in surprise as she felt it fasten itself comfortably around her neck.

Looking down, she saw that the orb was now encircled by a golden band in the shape of a dragon curling around itself. The eyes seemed to look right at her.

Pumpkin giggled as she played with the orb a moment. "I guess that means you really do want to come with me huh?" The dragon almost seemed to nod excitedly, but that might have been the cold talking.

With her quest complete, Pumpkin turned around and began to pick her way back out of the valley and the way home. The cold no longer bothered her at all. But she would be glad to get back to Equestria and the warmth. If she ever saw snow again it would be too soon.

***

In the flooded basement, another head on the mural glowed a moment before revealing a white head on the dragon's body. All three of its forward heads now had color in them.

As that change ended, another began. The water began to drain away and out of the room, the broken pottery began to reassemble itself, and even the walls began to have color restored to them as the grime of millennia was washed away.

On the surface, the walls began to reassemble themselves as well as the ruin began to rise from the swamp. It would take time of course, but soon the building began to look like something once more, and now only waited for it's master's birth.
> Green Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This, River Breeze, decided as she settled down for the night, was exactly what she had needed. Nothing out here but nature, and she couldn't be happier with that.

Her trip south from Vanhoover had been boring. Nopony on the train had bothered her and the hours had flown by, and soon she was in Canterlot. While seeing Equestria's capital would normally be exciting, it had taken a back seat to the feeling that had begun to grow in her.

Something was drawing her west. It had begun when she had gotten off the train and nearly ran over a lavender unicorn. While both had apologized, the feeling had really stared when they had parted.

For some reason, it felt like River should've known the mare. It seemed she wasn't the only one to think so either, for more than once she had caught the unicorn giving her an odd look from a window.

Nothing about them had been hostile or rude, but there seemed to be more to them than simple curiosity. River had felt the same as well. Once the train had pulled away though, the feeling had ended, and for the time she put it of her mind.

Her attention had soon turned to what was drawing her west, but the Canterlot Archives didn't have much to go on. All the maps called it the Unexplored West. Very little was known of it and few had ever been that way she had read.

Yet something was drawing her out to that area, and the feeling was growing stronger with each passing moment. A part of River had been hesitant to go out that far. If something happened to her, there was nopony to help her.

But a larger part of was anxious to go and explore the region, to see things nopony else had ever seen before and return. In the end, River's curiosity had won out and she had made up her mind to go and follow her heart.

Finding what she needed in Canterlot had been a bust. So she had made a quick trip down to Ponyville to see if she could have better luck. Quaint as the town had been, River hoped she never met Pinkie Pie ever again.

That mare had way too much energy, though she had been as friendly as the rest of the town. But how the locals handled her was beyond River. Though the local fashionista Rarity had said it was better not to think about it too much.

And she couldn't agree more.

But that was beside the point. From Ponyville she had been able to get all she had needed to survive in the wild for quite some time, so from there she had gone west. Now she was deep in unexplored territory. River was on her own.

And that suited her just fine. She needed alone time. College life, while exciting, was exhausting and she needed the long break. This area was perfect.

Plus whatever was calling her out here was close, she could feel it. She didn't know how, but she was sure it was close. Maybe within the next day if she was lucky.

And to be honest, River hoped that was the case. Something else had begun to grow within her in the last few days, something that couldn't help but want.

It reminded her of the dream from a few months back. That song had never left her. Her cutie mark wasn't a musical note for a reason. Its green color stood out next to her deep blue coat and served as a nice contrast to her blond mane and tail.

The faces were becoming clearer as well. All five of them were connected. They wanted to be together. No. They needed to be together, in a way River couldn't explain. But it felt right all the same as she put her book down and soon passed into a dreamless slumber.

***

The next morning, after an early start, River found herself walking along a path with no real destination in mind. It was a beautiful sunny day without a cloud in the sky. The feeling that was drawing her this way was growing stronger with every step. It was almost impossible to not break into a run and rush toward whatever it was.

But River kept her head about her. It didn't do her any good to go rushing off madly, no matter how much she wanted to. Her parents had taught her better than that.

Growing up as an only child and as the only unicorn in an eath pony family, she had learned early on to think things through and not rush into them. Her parents might not've been able to help her with magic, but they had taught her to be smart. Despite being a unicorn, they had never shunned her and loved her no matter what.

It had paid off many times. While Vanhoover's Academy of Magic was nowhere near as prestigious as Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, it was still a top tier school and highly rated by the E.E.A.

Which River would be lucky to get back into after this. She hadn't exactly had free time, or at least not this much, and the school was very strict on students leaving for no reason.

As the thought crossed her mind, she suddenly saw what looked like a break in the tree line ahead. Maybe it was a clearing? It would be a nice change of scenery at least after all these trees.

A moment more brought her to the break in the trees. It was a clearing. Nearly a mile across with trees on all sides, and in the center was the largest tree River had ever seen. Even fallen on its side it was still huge and majestic. Walking up to it, she couldn't see what had caused it to fall. No scorch marks or axeman's cutting marks, so what had caused it to fall?

Walking around the fallen giant, River was surprised at how healthy it looked for having fallen over some time ago now. Near the midpoint, she came across a hole in the side. It looked natural, as though something had fallen out. But what and where could it have gone?

And why did it feel like she should know this place? It didn't make any sense though. She had never been here before in her life, and yet it felt like she belonged here.

Her mind swirling with odd thoughts, River suddenly became aware of something she had missed. Whatever was calling her, it was here, in this clearing. But where?

Looking around she didn't see anything, but the feeling was still there. Seeing no other option, she began a slow circuit around the edge of the clearing. For a time she found nothing, and her frustration grew.

As she came to another spot though, her hooves bounced off something hard in the grass. Jumping back in surprise, River looked down to see what it was. There, next to a tree, was a green orb, just big enough to fit in her hooves as she picked it up. Whatever it was, it was beautiful and a masterwork of craftsmanship. But why was it out here and who had left it here?

River shook her head. Maybe somepony in Equestria could help her figure this out. She wasn't going to leave it that was for sure. But something told her that it was hers by right, whatever that meant.

As she was thinking things through, the orb began to glow, and before River knew what was happening, it changed shape slightly, with two dragons now encircling the orb with their snouts touching at the top. Before she could react more, it fastened itself securely around her neck.

She gave it a bemused look as she played with it a moment. "Guess that means you do want to come with me huh?"

The dragon's eyes glowed. She giggled at the feeling as she turned and began to walk back the way she had come. Whatever this thing was, she liked it, and maybe she would keep it once she got back to Equestria.

***

In the regrowing temple, another head on the mural filled in, this one gree in color. Now only one head remained to be filled in.

The temple itself was almost fully rebuilt now. The island it was on was now several feet above the surrounding swamp. It too could feel the end was in sight.

***

On a train north to Ponyville from Appleloosa, Twilight and Pearl felt their own orbs begin to glow. Looking down, they saw the eyes of the dragons glowing slightly.

Pearl poked hers. "Is this a good thing?"

Twilight nodded. "I think so. I don't know how or why, but it feels like we're almost complete now."
> Blue Orb
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

This, Lavender Rain decided as she tried to keep her flight steady, was probably the dumbest thing she had ever done in her whole life. No doubt about it.

Her trip from Ponyville had been uneventful. With no other destination in mind, she had gone to Fillydelphia for she had family there that she had not seen for a long time.

While the reunion had been great and had eased her concerns, the feeling that had drawn her away from home had begun to grow in intensity. It wasn't painful, but it was becoming harder and harder to fight.

And a growing part of Lavender refused to fight it. It felt too right, too pleasant, to fight. Why it had started to grow while she was with her family she didn't know though.

But after a few days, the call had become too irresistible to ignore, so while she would have loved to stay longer, she had eventually left the city behind and gone into the wilds of Equestria.

This part of the Eastern Seaboard was well known to Pegasi. Even those who had never lived in Cloudsdale knew of the area. Most called it the Stormwracked Coast.

None knew why the storms there grew up out of nowhere or why they seemingly hovered over one area in particular, least of all Lavender herself.

Her family had stories of those who had tried to control or disperse the storms. Very few had come away without injuries of some kind, though none had been life-threatening.

It was if something were controlling the storms from the center, where all converged in time. Something that wanted nothing to do with ponies or Equestria at all.

Yet here Lavender was, going to the exact same spot, for reasons that she still couldn't explain, but it felt right all the same, and so far nothing had happened to her.

Whatever the reasons for the storm, she thought as she dodged another lightning bolt, she had never seen storms like this before. Ponyville wasn't known for its bad weather, but even they knew strong weather when they saw it.

This was something else. It wasn't natural at all. Something had to be at the center of this, but what? Lavender could probably answer that herself as she continued through the rain.

Assuming she came through this in one piece at all of course, and at the moment, she wasn't sure if that was possible. Maybe she was losing it, but the storm seemed to be getting stronger if that was possible. But every fiber of her Pegasus magic was telling her that the storm was indeed getting stronger as if it was testing her.

As if it wanted her to fight her way through it and find the source of it all. How that made sense she didn't know, but in her heart, Lavender knew it to be true. Just getting there was proving hard enough though.

Lavender was known as one of the better members of Ponyville's weather team (top five according to Rainbow Dash herself no less), but she thought even Rainbow would have trouble flying through this weather.

Not that she would ever tell her that of course. Oh no. She would never hear the end of it if she did, and she respected Rainbow too much to even think about saying that to her.

But if her feelings were right, she should be close to whatever was out there. The trouble was that she had no idea of what she was even looking for, and if she found it then what? Her saddlebags were still in Fillydelphia, not that she had brought much, to begin with.

Just as the thought finished, Lavender caught sight of something in the distance, illuminated by a flash of lightning. Was that a cave? Or was she losing it? At this point she would take whatever she could get, she turned her wings in that direction. Going by the flashes of light, it didn't seem to be very big. But if it gave her shelter from the storm for a while, then Lavender wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Besides her wings were getting tired from all of her flying.

After a few more moments, she saw the cliff face rear up before her. As she thought, there was a cave in the side of it. It was more than big enough to let her land inside and walk around. As she landed inside and let her wings finally rest, Lavender vowed to never complain about weather duty again. Not after flying through all that.

Loong around, it didn't appear that the cave had ever been visited before. It went off into the gloom and a distance she couldn't make out, but for the moment she was happy to just be out of the rain as she shook herself to try and dry off.

Another crash of thunder and flash of lightning made her jump in surprise. That had sounded like it was right on top of her. For the moment, it looked like she had nothing to worry about. Or so she hoped anyway.

As another flash illuminated the cave, Lavender was surprised to see something resting on the cave floor not a few feet away from her. Odd. Did somepony leave it out here?

Walking over, she was surprised to see what it was. It was an orb, blue in color, and just big enough to fit in her hooves. It was beautiful for sure, but how did it get out here?

And why did it feel like it was calling her? In fact, it was calling her to her she realized after a moment. But since when could an orb ever do that to somepony?

She shook her head. Whatever was going on, it felt wrong to leave it here. Nopony could ever find it if she did and it didn't feel right to just leave it all alone.

But how would she carry it? She had no bags with her. Even if she went back to Fillydelphia to get them, there was no guaranty Lavender could find the cave again.

The orb seemed to guess her thoughts though. Even as she watched, it glowed for a moment before vanishing from the cave floor. In a moment she felt it secure itself tightly but comfortably around her neck.

Looking down, she found a pair of dragons looking up at her. They had enveloped the orb now. She smiled at the feeling that was washing over her at that moment. "I guess you don't want me to leave huh?" She asked.

The dragon's heads nodded eagerly. Or maybe she was just seeing things. Giggling at the thought, Lavender admired her new accessory. The blue stood out nicely next to her deep lavender coat. The orb's colors almost matched her light blue mane.

Looking back at the entrance, the storm still raged outside, but it felt like it had begun to lighten up a little as if taking the orb was calming it. For the moment Lavender was more than happy to wait it out here in the cave. It was dry and she had no place else she needed to be at the moment.

"To Ponyville then. We are almost together now girls. Our time is almost here."

***

The final head of the mural filled in with a flash. Now all five heads had color, the last being blue. Outside the temple was now fully rebuilt, and now it too waited.

***

Across Equestria, Pearl, Twilight, Pumpkin, and River all felt one more string tie them together, and in their minds, the faces of those they sought were now clear as day to them.

Unnoticed, their orbs also connected. Only a few strings remained now, and then their time would come.

***

On their train north, Twilight and Pearl scooted as close to each other as they could. Neither seemed to notice they had though. Even though they had just met, it felt like they had known each other their whole lives.

Unfelt, Pearl's connection to her parents was severed. At the same time, their connection to her was severed as well. None of them would ever know they were family.

Across Equestria, all things connected to her disappearance vanished and the memories of the event were erased as if they had never existed, to begin with.

***

Coming down to Canterlot, Pumpkin felt her orb begin to warm up. She smiled as the feeling filled her. She would not be stopping for long in the capitol it seemed. She had no reason to.

Unfelt, her connection to her parents lessened.

***

From the west, River felt a new bond form with one she hadn't met yet, yet it felt right all the same. She was never going back to Vanhoover now. The school was something she no longer cared about.
> Homecoming
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight wasn't quite sure how she had ended up in this situation as she looked down at her younger companion, Pearl's nose in a book at the moment, but she didn't mind it too much.

Her trip back from the swamp had been uneventful. While she had been unable to tell the villagers what exactly she had found, her orb seemed to keep their attention.

Several had been known for their jewel crafting experience, so Twilight had been more than happy to let them take a look at it. But it had turned out to be fruitless. Whatever it was made of, it was like nothing that existed in Equestria, or Equus, at all. And their confusion had only grown when Twilight had explained how it had transformed into its current form.

Disappointing yes, but Twilight had taken it in stride. It wasn't a lot, but she did now have a bit more to go on with the orb. Hopefully, Princess Celestia would know more.

So she had decided to stay a few more days in the village before beginning the long trip home. Just getting to the nearest town had been an adventure all of its own.

Luckily the village was only a day or so from Appleloosa itself, so she had gone there. From prior experience, Twilight knew they had a line to Ponyville she could catch.

It had been while waiting for a train that she had, quite literally, run into Pearl. She had been shocked at how young the filly was and that she was traveling alone it seemed. It wasn't impossible of course, but it was rare.

What had been the kicker though had been the orb that hung around her neck. As red as Twilight's own was black. Something about it had struck her as odd.

And when she had asked where she was going and where her parents were, Pearl had only said "I don't know. I don't have any place to go, and I don't have a family."

That had struck Twilight as odd, but something told her it was right all the same. So she had invited Pearl back with her to Ponyville. Pearl had jumped at the chance and had said yes before Twilight could even finish the sentence.

So now here both of them were. More than one pony had given their orbs odd looks, but no one had said anything, though the odd looks continued even now.

Twilight's gaze though was drawn to the filly's cutie mark. It stood out to be sure. "So how did you get your cutie mark Pearl?" She asked, pointing at it.

Pearl's smile would've made Pinkie Pie proud as she too looked at it. "I got it the same day I got this," she said, poking her orb. "Right after I got it actually. I don't know what it means, but I always did like dragons."

Twilight giggled. "That must have been some adventure getting it. I know mine was a bit of one. It was in the middle of a swamp."

Pearl giggled. "You got it easy then. I had to get this from an active volcano." She saw Twilight's eyes widen in shock. "Oh don't worry. I was fine. I actually love the heat."

Twilight had several questions about that but held off for now. "So what was it doing in a volcano then? How did it even get there?"

Pearl rolled her eyes. "Hay if I know. I was just happy not to get roasted trying to get it."

Twilight chuckled a bit as she looked at hers. "I bet. I wonder though. Why do they look alike? I mean besides the color."

Pearl was wondering the same thing. "I don't know. I get the feeling we'll find out when we meet the others. I don't think we could miss them."

Twilight nodded. She too wanted to meet the others. For a time now, a feeling had grown in her that while she had and Pearl had seemed unique, she felt there were others like them.

Why she thought of it like that, she didn't know. But something told her that it was right. If there were two orbs like her and Pearl's, logic dictated that there were more of them. How many was another question of course, but this was better than nothing.

To add to it all, the dream from a while back kept coming to mind for some reason. The faces had begun to become clearer as soon as she had put the orb around her neck. Not enough to recognize faces, but enough to see they were ponies.

One of them, in fact, had been Pearl herself. Twilight had been able to hide her shock at that when they had first met in Appleloosa. If Pearl was having the same thoughts though, she was keeping them to herself for the moment.

And Twilight wasn't one to stick her nose into somepony else's business. Especially when they still hardly knew each other. Though it felt like they had known each other for a long time, they got along so well.

Strange. But neither Twilight nor Pearl minded too much. Pearl was as much a lover of reading as Twilight was, even if they didn't always like the same series, and so they had bonded over that. It was nice for Twilight to find somepony who loved literature as much as she did.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the train intercom burst into life. "Ponyville Station will be reached in the next hour. Please be ready."

Twilight shook her head as she settled back in her seat. She would be lying if she said she wasn't homesick and missed her friends. It would be good to get back.

She wondered what all she had missed in her time away. She also hoped Spike had stayed out of trouble. Twilight vowed to make up for the birthday she had missed the week before.

Pearl though didn't know about Spike yet, and she couldn't wait to introduce them. If Pearl's comment about loving dragons rang true, she had a feeling they would get along great. Hopefully at least.

Pearl struggled in her seat. "Um. How do you think Ponyville will take me?" She asked, giving voice to a question that had been bugging her for a while now.

Twilight smiled as she placed a hoof on her shoulders. "They will probably wonder where you came from and why you came with me. But Ponyville's residents pride themselves on not sticking their noses into other pony's business too deeply."

Pearl gave her a look. "Really?"

Twilight nodded. "Oh, they'll wonder for sure, but if you don't want to talk about something, they won't ask about it. I know a lot of ponies wondered about me when I moved there, but nopony ever asked."

She paused a moment as she remembered a certain trio. "Well, except for three certain fillies. But they're the exception, not the rule."

Pearl looked worried at the idea. "Should I worry about them?"

Twilight shook her head. "No. Whatever else, they are still some of the nicest ponies I know." She paused before smirking. "But they will ask about your cutie mark and demand you tell them the story of how you got it. Especially since it is so unique."

Pearl took a lot of pride in that as she puffed out her chest and grinned widely.





Spike knew something was up the moment he woke up that morning. It wasn't that he was sleeping at Sweet Apple Acres, or that Applejack and her family were already up and about. That he was used to.

And it wasn't even the fact that Twilight wasn't in Ponyville, and hadn't been for months now. So long that her birthday had already come and gone, something that he and the girls had celebrated privately, with Pinkie Pie promising they would give her a proper one when she got back.

But it wasn't like Twilight didn't write to them. Every so often, Spike would burp up a letter from the unicorn in question. They were nothing out of the ordinary, just Twilight happily explaining where she had been and what she had done.

Her latest though had got them all excited. She had said she was now on her way back to Ponyville, and that she had something to show them. What it was, she didn't say, but she sounded excited about it nonetheless in her letter.

That wasn't all though, and this part had caused quite a bit of confusion among the group as they had read it. Twilight wasn't coming alone. She was bringing a friend with her. Who it might be, she didn't say.

Of course, none of them minded that much. They may have been the Elements of Harmony, but that didn't mean they had to stick just to this group of friends. Pinkie was basically friends with all of Ponyville, and even Fluttershy had friends who didn't live in the small town.

Spike was curious as well. He minded even less than the girls if Twilight made new friends outside the group. She needed more than just the girls if he was being honest.

What worried him though, was where this new pony might stay. If they were new to Ponyville period, they probably didn't have a place to stay. Knowing Twilight, she'd probably put them up with the two of them.

And while Spike didn't really mind the idea, Golden Oaks Library wasn't really meant for three to be living there. It barely put up with him and Twilight living there as it was.

But all that aside, he was just happy to have Twilight back. He missed her more than he thought he would. He didn't see Twilight as his mom (yuck), but he held onto the unicorn as a younger brother did to an older sister.

And she couldn't have picked a better time to come home either. His draconic instincts were going on overdrive it felt like. His birthday had just been the other week, and while it was as subdued as a Pinkie Pie party could ever be, it had awoken something inside him.

When he had finally asked Princess Celestia what it might mean, the Solar Princess had replied that the Dragon Migration was due to begin any day now, and he was now finally old enough, in dragon years, to join the migrating Flights. It might be his heritage telling him it was time.

Spike wasn't really sure how to feel about that. Of course, he wouldn't deny what he was and where he came from. But a part of him was fighting it. He had grown up among ponies, and he almost considered himself one.

But it was a small part of him, and as the days passed, it was growing smaller and smaller. He had finally confessed to Applejack that if the Migration flew over Ponyville, he would more than likely join them as well.

Applejack hadn't looked happy at the thought, but she could also see that Spike meant it as well, and let it never be said that Applejack would stop someone who wanted to know more about themselves. When the news had finally broken to the rest of the girls though, it was a different story.

They had made all kinds of excuses why he shouldn't go and that he should even forget about the Migration at all. But he had put his foot down on that idea. In the end, Spike had forced a Pinkie Promise out of the girls that, if he did go, they wouldn't try and stop him.

Nopony liked the idea, least of all Rarity, but they could also see that Spike meant every word he had said as well. So they had promised to not try and stop him if he did join the Migration. Whether Twilight would say the same thing though was another story.

But this feeling right now? This was something else altogether, and Spike did not like it one bit. It wasn't an unpleasant one for sure, but something was very wrong, and he was tied to it in some way.

As he got up, unable to get back to sleep like this, Spike wasn't sure what was coming. But something told him that nothing would ever be the same after this.





Princess Celestia wasn't a morning pony, as those who knew her best could tell you, but today was proving the exception, and it was grating on her nerves.

The fact that her faithful student Twilight Sparkle was on her way home was something she was happy with, of course. But in her last letter, Twilight had said that she had found something that she hoped her mentor might be able to help her with.

Of course, she was always happy to help Twilight. But something seemed... Off, about the unicorn. There had been the faint whiff of magic on her letter, magic that did not belong to Twilight's own. But at the same time, it was Twilight's magic. But that didn't make sense.

And now Celestia had been woken by Luna earlier than she was normally awake for, and was being shown something in the sky above Canterlot. With no other option, Celestia looked up, blinking away her sleep.

And felt her eyes widen in surprise at what she was seeing. That couldn't be right. It wasn't impossible. But there it was.

In the sky above Equestria's capital, five stars were on the move, arranging themselves in a pattern only Celestia, Luna, and one other knew about. But it couldn't be possible.

"The Dragon Queen," Luna breathed. "It's supposed to be a myth. Did Torch ever say anything about this in my absence?"

Celestia shook her head. "No. I asked him after Twilight left. He doesn't believe it's real, and he's old enough to remember many things. This isn't one of them."

"And what of the Orbs?" Luna asked.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "He said Twilight is on a fool's errand if she is searching for them. Even if somehow they do exist, why would they go to a pony?"

Luna rolled her eyes as well. "And what of the Draconic Prophecy? You know what it says about them."

Celestia nodded. She remembered it well, even if she didn't put much stock in it.

'Under the light of the Queen's constellation, when the King Killer Star rises, the Orbs will find those who bear their mark, and She will burn the loveless hordes from Equus.'

No one knew what that meant, or even where it had come from. No dragon had ever penned it, nor had ponies, or any other race of Equus. What it meant by the Loveless Hordes made even less sense, since no known race on the planet was like that.

And what the King Killer Star was, not even Luna knew. While she had no connection to the stars, only the moon (something she had repeatedly told many ponies since her return), she knew quite a bit about them. And yet she was stumped on this.

As the stars continued to move, Celestia felt her mood darken. Something was very wrong, and she didn't like it. Not one bit.





That same morning, two trains pulled into Ponyville Station. Onboard them, five ponies felt the bonds that connected them all, strengthen just that little more.

And destiny's tune began to play.
> A Dream Reborn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the train began to slow down, Twilight sighed as she put the book she was reading away in her saddlebags. Standing, she stretched her legs for all they were worth. She'd forgotten how tiring these trips could be.

Pearl though seemed light as a leaf as she beat her wings and took to the air, hoofing her own book over to Twilight, who stowed it away next to the others. "Now what?" Pearl asked.

Twilight looked out the window. She could just see the platform of the station and five ponies waiting on it. What she didn't notice however was the one dragon she missed most. "My friends said they would meet us at the station. Since you're new, Pinkie's going to insist on throwing you a 'Welcome to Ponyville!' party."

Pearl giggled. "I could use a party. There was never enough back where I came from. Does she do that to everypony new to town?"

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Yes. Most don't seem to mind, and it's a good way to get to know your new neighbors with a good start. It worked for me. Well, the second one anyway."

Pearl gave her a confused look. "What happened with the first one?"

Twilight sighed. "I blew it off and didn't bother to stick around for it, even if Spike did. And then Nightmare Moon happened and. Well. You know the rest of that story."

Pearl nodded. What pony in Equestria didn't know that story by now? It was headlined all across the country the day after that fateful Summer Sun Celebration. Though Pearl herself was more a Princess Luna fan if she was being honest.

As the train finally came to a halt, the two of them joined the line of ponies ready to disembark. Nopony paid them much attention, though a few gave their orbs odd looks, but nopony said anything.

As soon as the two of them had left the car, Twilight was assaulted by a bouncing wall of pink and the air was squeezed out of her lungs in a bone-crushing bear hug. "Twilight! Did miss us?! Well did ya? Huh? Huh? Huh?"

Twilight's response wasn't exactly forthcoming as she could barely breathe at the moment. "Pinkie. I'm happy to see you too, but air. I need air!"

Pinkie happily obliged, as she dropped the unicorn without a thought. Her gasp was even bigger as she finally saw Pearl. "Is this a new friend of yours Twilight?"

Twilight could only nod, but Pearl was more than happy to fill in for her. "Yeah. I'm Pearl Rose. I can't believe I'm actually meeting you guys."

That got a blush out of all the girls. It wasn't often they were reminded they were rather famous. Rainbow looked proud of course, but the others only smiled. 

Before anypony could say more, Pinkie ran off in a blur of pink. Rarity rolled her eyes a little. "Well, it's official then. Pinkie is going to set up your welcome party Pearl. No stopping it now."

Pearl watched the bouncing ball of pink vanish into the distance. "I didn't think anypony but Rainbow Dash could move that fast."

Rainbow scoffed. "Kid. Pinkie might be fast. But I'm still the fastest pony around!"

Everypony rolled their eyes. But Twilight soon turned her attention to an important detail that was missing from the group. "Where's Spike? Shouldn't he be here?"

The girls visibly deflated at that. "Spike left to join the Dragon Migration a few days ago. He made us Pinkie Promise not to try and follow him," Fluttershy finally replied.

"Believe us sugarcube. We wanted to though," Applejack added.

Twilight was shocked by the announcement. But a part of her wasn't too surprised Spike had chosen to follow his own kind and maybe, just maybe, find out about his heritage. Her ears wilted. "I hope he's alright."

The girls nodded and remained silent for a moment, thinking of their friend. Pearl didn't understand any of what they had said, but she could feel something was there between them all.

After a moment, Rarity's gaze turned to the orbs that hung around Twilight and Pearl's necks. "Moving onto something less sad, what in Equestria are you two wearing? I've never seen orbs like that before."

Twilight looked down at her own. "We don't know. Not what they are, who made them, or even where they came from."

Pearl nodded. "All I know is that it feels like it belongs to me, and me only." Twilight nodded her ascent. 

Twilight slipped hers off, even though a part of her felt nopony else should ever be allowed to touch it but her. "Could you maybe look at it Rarity? You know more about gems and this kind of thing than I do."

Rarity took the black orb in her own magic. It seemed to resist her for a moment, but maybe she was just seeing things. "I will try darling. But my expertise is limited. But I will do what I can."

***

A few hours later, the party for Pearl was in full swing at Sugarcube Corner. While the turnout wasn't huge compared to some parties, a few ponies had turned up aside from the Mane 6.

Pearl, meanwhile, had been cornered by the Cutie Mark Crusaders. While Twilight had warned her of how they could sometimes be, the reality was much more so. 

"Come on. You gotta tell us how you got such a cool cutie mark!" Scootaloo practically whined. "I mean, it's not as cool as Rainbow Dash's, but it's a dragon!"

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle rolled their eyes. "But yeah. How did ya get it?" Bloom asked. "Nopony I know got one like it."

Pearl rolled her eyes. She'd figured she would be telling this story a lot in the days to come. She poked her orb. "I got it the same day I got this. Right after I put it on actually."

Sweetie looked at it closer. "Where'd you get it from anyway?"

Pearl puffed out her chest. "An active volcano. Flew right down into the crater and pulled it out of a cave. Didn't seem right to leave it there."

That shut the trio up for a good few moments, as their mouths dropped in shock. "Okay. That is cool. I guess," Scootaloo eventually managed to get out. But they could all see she meant it.

A few feet away, the Mane 6 listened as Twilight finished telling her story. They had already heard Pearl's own for themselves. Rainbow could admit she was proud of the filly for doing something like that.

Rarity shook her head as Twilight finished the story, floating the orb back to her. "I'm sorry to say, darling, that I have no idea of what this could be made of, let alone what it really is. This is beyond what I know."

Twilight nodded as she fastened the orb around her neck. "It's not your fault Rarity. I'd have been surprised if you had known actually."

"What about Princess Celestia?" Applejack asked.

Twilight nodded. "I plan to ask her next, and maybe Princess Luna. They have to know something about these things. They know practically everything there is to know!"

"You're not the only one hoping that Twilight!" Pinkie said happily practically dragging three other ponies with her as she bounced over to the group. "They have orbs too! Now you're a set!"

Twilight and the new ponies looked at each other in surprise. Twilight recognized the Pegasus, Lavender Rain, as a fellow Ponyville resident, though they really didn't each other. The other two she didn't know, though the pumpkin-colored mare looked familiar for some reason.

"Okay, this can't be a coincidence," Lavender said, as she poked the blue orb around her neck. "I thought I was the only one with one of these. Until I met Pumpkin and River that is. Now you have one too Twilight?"

Twilight nodded. "I didn't think there was more than what I and Pearl had. You're right. This doesn't feel like a coincidence. But why is that?"

The others shrugged. "Did you have to get it from some Celestia forsaken place too?" Pumpkin asked.

Twilight nodded, as Pearl soon joined them. "I found this in some ancient ruin in a swamp far to the south."

"And I found mine in an active volcano," Pearl added. "Where'd you guys find yours?"

"Deep forest in the middle of nowhere," River said.

"Frozen wastelands of Yakyakistan," Pumpkin added.

"Some cave in a giant thunderstorm somewhere between Baltimare and Fillydelphia," Lavender finished.

Twilight thought about all of that for a moment, and something finally clicked. "We all seem to have gotten them from someplace that made us work to get to them in some way. But why? And they're all the same, aside from the colors. Again, why is that? Why us?"

Nopony could answer her, for none of them had an answer. "Maybe Princess Celestia knows?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight smiled slightly. "I hope so. I don't know where else to look." She looked at the others and her smile grew. "You're more than welcome to stay in Ponyville. Pearl is staying with me. Do you girls have a place to stay?" 

River and Pumpkin shook their heads. "I live in town. But, I don't feel like going home at the moment," Lavender added.

Twilight nodded. "Then you can all stay with me for as long you need or want to. I won't stop you if you want to stay someplace else or want to leave. With Spike gone, I have more room to spare now. We can make it a sleepover!" She practically squealed.

Rarity and Applejack shared a knowing look, while the girls just rolled their eyes.

***

"I still can't believe you live in a library, Twilight," Pumpkin said as they all settled down for the night. "Canterlot doesn't allow it last I heard."

Twilight giggled as she settled into bed. "My old tower used to be a part of the Canterlot Archives, but they all but gave it to me when I was the only one to ever go into it. I think it's still under my name as well."

"Plus Golden Oaks Library used to be the home of the first Town Librarian way back when. No wonder you and Spike get to live here," Lavender giggled.

That got a chuckle out of the group. For tonight at least, it was just the five of them. The rest of Twilight's friends had been invited as well, but nopony had taken her up on the offer. They did this so often now, that it didn't really bother the unicorn too much.

River looked through a nearby window towards Canterlot. "Do you think Princess Celestia got your message?"

Twilight nodded. "I know the Dragon Fire Mail spell goes straight to her. Usually, Spike is the one to send letters. But I know the spell if he's sick or not around to help with it."

"I hope she has some idea about these things," Pearl said, poking at her own orb. None of them felt comfortable taking them off, even if they didn't think anyone here would try and take them. They just felt too comfortable where they were.

Twilight nodded. "If she doesn't, maybe Princess Luna will. She is more into obscure and unknown artifacts. If they don't, I don't know who else to ask."

Nopony could argue with that. They had exhausted all their options in Ponyville, and no one else in Equestria knew them well enough to try and help them.

Twilight sighed as she lay back in her pillows. "I don't think we'll get any further tonight. Maybe tomorrow will bring us better luck. I hope so." She ignited her horn and pulled the blind down across the window. "Good night girls."

Various affirmations were the reply as the rest of the group turned in as well, and soon they all passed into a dreamless slumber.

***

Once more, Twilight found herself flying over Equestria. Her smile would have made Pinkie Pie proud. It was the same dream from those months ago, but now something had changed.

She still felt the four around her, but now, she could begin to see them more clearly. Not to the point where she could see who they might be, but it was becoming clearer with each passing moment.

Where before, the five of them had only seemingly flown together, now they could all feel that they flew as one, all five of them working together to propel their body forward. It felt natural for them. More than that. It felt right.

They couldn't see what their body looked like, but they could feel the power it contained. For a moment, Twilight thought she saw a shadow pass over a nearby cloud. A five-headed dragon. But that couldn't be right. Could it?

Finally, though, they landed. Twilight hadn't wanted the flight to end if she was being honest, as she turned to look at the others around her.

And then the song started. First, it was nothing more than a background hum, one they all recognized. Twilight's smile grew as first her, and then all of the others gave voice to a song they had all but forgotten. The memories of that night came rushing back, as they all separated into their own forms once more.

Soon the light around them began to fade, finally revealing the ponies that Twilight had sung with that night. All eyes widened in shock at who was revealed around them, as the song ended.

"That was you?!" Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender, all asked at the same time. Around their necks, their orns glowed brightly, seemingly connecting with one another.

Pearl giggled. "Well. Didn't see that coming."

Twilight nodded, still stunned. "No wonder it felt like we knew each other when we first met in Appleloosa. We already did, even if we didn't know it."

"But why us? What do these have to do with it?" Pumpkin asked as she held up the white orb. "This can't be a coincidence that we sang together, and then we all went searching for these at the same time."

River rolled her eyes as she looked down at her orb. "Seeing as how much trouble we had to go through to even find these things, I'm not complaining."

Lavender nodded. "And I don't know about you girls, but I don't plan to ever give this up. Over my dead body maybe, but the orb belongs to me. It called to me, I know it did. Why else would we have them?"

The others nodded. Twilight giggled after a moment. "You know what? I'm actually looking forward to seeing what these do. They have to do something. I don't know what that might be. And you know what? For the first time in my life, I don't mind not knowing."

The girls all smiled at that. "Can we just go back to flying?" Pearl asked. "That was fun. Maybe even keep up that song. We made it sound pretty good."

All nodded, and for the rest of the night, that's what they did, enjoying each other's company and never letting the song die.
> One Last Hope
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The moment Twilight saw her mentor's and Luna's faces, she knew what the answer would be. "Nothing?" She asked, a part of her hoping against hope that she was wrong.

Princess Celestia shook her head as she floated the orbs over to the girls. "I am sorry my little ponies, but whatever these are made of, it is far and beyond what even I or my sister know."

Luna nodded, not looking much happier. "We even asked Dragon Lord Torch, since they are clearly connected to dragons in some way. He did not know either, though he was able to confirm one thing about them."

"What's that?" River asked, trying not to show how in awe she and the others were at being this close to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. Only Twilight seemed to be acting normally.

Celestia looked at the green orb around River's neck. "These are in fact the Orbs of Dragonkind, as I suspected they might be when you wrote to me, Twilight. He does not know why they would appear now, or why they would go to you girls specifically."

Twilight tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Luna looked at Twilight's black orb. "The orbs actively resisted our magic, in a way I have never seen before. Sister and I had to use all of our magic just to try and analyze them, let alone move them around. Even the best teachers at the School for Gifted Unicorns had trouble with them."

Celestia nodded. "I even asked Chancellor Neighsay of the E.E.A for help, since he is known for his ability to work with difficult magic. He had as much trouble as we had."

The girls' ears dropped. "Go figure. Guess we'll never know what these things do then," Pearl grumbled as she poked at hers.

Luna sighed. "We are sorry. But whatever crafted the orbs is a magic beyond even what we know. All we know for sure now is that these are the fabled Orbs of myth and legend, that dragons did not play a part in their creation, and that they seem aroused, almost, when they are with you."

Celestia nodded. "I am not sure, but the orbs have seemingly bonded to you all and are distressed if they are separated from you. Almost as if they are alive. But I cannot say for sure."

Lavender looked at her orb. "No wonder I feel weird if I take it off. It's felt like mine, and mine alone, ever since I got it. I don't even feel the weight anymore."

The others nodded, for the same applied to them as well. Twilight bowed her head, as did the others. "We're sorry for taking so much of your time, Princess Celestia, Princess Luna. Thank you for what you have done though."

Celestia chuckled as she lifted her student's head with a hoof. "It was no trouble Twilight. Though I wish we could have told you all more, it was nice to see all of you." Her eyes twinkled. "And if we hurry, we can still catch the rest of the dessert competition that brought you all to Canterlot."

That got a giggle out of everypony, and with no place else in mind, they headed back to where the judging was still in progress. They tried not to think about the mess that had happened on the Friendship Express on the way here.

Luna though fell in beside Twilight. "Before we get more distracted. Do you plan to stay in Canterlot much longer, miss Sparkle?"

Twilight shrugged. "I'm not sure really. Rarity wants to see more of Canterlot than she did the last time we were all here, so we might stay awhile." She gave the princess a look. "Why? Is there something going on?"

Luna shook her head. "No. But your brother is due back in several days. He has been wanting to tell you something important for some time now, but you've been away for so long that he's never had the chance."

Twilight perked up at the mention of her BBBFF. She and Shinning Armor hadn't seen each other in a long time it felt like. This was perfect. "What did he want to tell me?"

Luna grinned mischievously. "It is not my place to tell you. Though I suspect you will not mind when you do find out."

Twilight pouted, but one look at Luna's eyes told her that she wasn't getting any more out of the princess. "Fine. Be like that."

That got a giggle out of the whole group at least. "You never said you had a brother, Twilight," Pumpkin said.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "You guys never asked. Nopony's ever asked about him. I don't know why. Shining's not that boring. You don't get made Captain of the Royal Guard for nothing."

That got a shocked gasp out of the girls, as they finally came to the courtyard where the competition was being held. "Your brother is Captain of the Royal Guard?" Pearl asked with a wide eye look.

The commotion drew the attention of the rest of Twilight's friends, as they soon joined the group. "You never said you had a brother, Twilight," Applejack said with a slight frown.

Rainbow nodded. "Yeah. And he's Captain of the Royal Guard?! What else aren't you telling us about your family?"

Twilight could see that she was backed into a corner now. Even Fluttershy looked interested. She sighed, smiling sheepishly. "I guess I should tell you girls about him, shouldn't I?"

The others nodded, making a point to block any escape attempt. Celestia and Luna stood back but looked rather smug at the prospects.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll tell you guys the full story."
> The Night Before
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight sighed as she plumped down at the table her friends were sharing. "Well, that went nowhere."

The girls shared a look. "Princess Celestia didn't buy it?" Rainbow asked.

Twilight shook her head. "No. She said that I'm overthinking it and that Cadance is just stressed out from all the wedding preparation." She rolled her eyes. "I don't think it's that simple."

Rarity took a sip of her drink with a thoughtful nod. "Well, darling. A wedding is a stressful time for any more. More so when you are a princess. And she is being married to your brother no less. The lucky mare."

The girls giggled. They all agreed that Shining was a catch for any mare. A part of them was a little sad that they weren't the lucky mare, and had been sure to tell Twilight that when they had discovered the news.

Twilight chuckled. "Rarity. I've known Cadance all most my entire life. I've seen her stressed before. Hay. I've seen her mad before. This isn't like those times at all."

"What do you mean?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight's eyes grew distant as she remembered. "It didn't happen very often. But there were times when she was my foalsitter that I did something really dumb, or something she told me not to do. I didn't listen every time."

Pinkie gasped in shock. "The horror!"

The group giggled, no more so than Twilight. "I know right? But we all do dumb things when we're young. The point is, for all that Cadance loved me, she was not above punishing me if she felt it needed to be done. And if I did something really stupid, mad wouldn't do it justice."

"How'd your parents take it?" Applejack asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "They applauded it. For all that she got mad, Cadance never once went overboard with a punishment. And when she got stressed, usually with school or just something in her life, I was more than happy to try and help her. Like she did with me."

"How did that go?" Pinkie asked.

Twilight giggled. "It didn't always work. Heck, it rarely ever worked. But Cadance appreciated what I was trying to do anyway." She sighed. "But this? This isn't like any of that. Even at her worst, Cadance never snapped at other ponies, or talked down to them."

Rainbow rolled her eyes. "She is getting married. Maybe it's just bringing out her bad side?"

Twilight lifted her head and looked up at the Castle Ballroom. Tomorrow was the rehearsal, and then the wedding itself the day after. "I want to believe that, Rainbow. I really do. But something tells me that it's not that simple. When has it ever been that simple for us?"

The girls shared a look. They really couldn't argue that last part. "Well, darling. Let's not think too much about it tonight. Tomorrow is a big day after all. And then the real fun starts."

Pinkie pointed a hoof at Twilight accusingly. "Yeah. What's next? You're going to bust in, "She's evil!", Cadance cries and runs out, your brother kicks you out of the wedding, we all disown you for our own selfish reasons, and Princess Celestia is going to say "You have a lot to think about?!"

Twilight looked horrified at the very idea. "What? No! Why would I do something like that? I'm not that crazy."

Her friends just gave her a deadpan look, making Twilight chuckled sheepishly. "Okay, fine. I tend to overreact to a lot of things. But I'm trying to be better at it. And whatever else I think, I won't do that to Cadance. Maybe it is just the stress of the wedding."

"And if it is just that?" Applejack asked.

Twilight sat straighter in her chair. "Then you girls can tell me that you told me so as much as you want. I'll even swear reading for one week to prove I got the message. Pinkie Promise," Twilight finished going through the motions as well.

Pinkie gasped in surprise. "Oh wow, you really mean it to. Now I know you're serious. Right girls?"

The girls nodded. Twilight was a mare of her word, whatever else might be up with her. But as they all prepared to say goodnight, Fluttershy looked around with a worried look. "Um. Not to pry or anything. But where are Pearl and the others?"

That stopped Twilight in her tracks as she looked around. She had almost forgotten about them. "I don't know. I haven't seen them all day."

Rainbow rolled her eyes as she hung in the air. "With how much you guys seemed to be glued to each other anymore. Kinda surprised you didn't go with them."

Twilight shot her a look. "I'm not their mom, Rainbow. We don't have to do everything together. I hope they're alright."

Applejack laid a hoof on her shoulder. "Don't worry too much, sugarcube. They're all big fillies. They can take care of themselves. We'll see them tomorrow probably. Can't leave the city now, can they?"

Twilight chuckled. "I know. Call me a worry wort if you will. I can't help it."

The girls shared a laugh before bidding each other good night and heading for their Guest Rooms in Canterlot Castle. Twilight meanwhile turned her hooves to her childhood home. While she could have used her old room in the castle, it just felt right to stay with her family.

As she made her way along the streets she knew so well, Twilight couldn't shake the feeling that she was being watched. Nopony was allowed to be out and about after Princess Celestia had lowered the sun and Princess Luna had raised the moon. Not since the Shield had gone up around Canterlot.

Twilight could do so with impunity of course. Being the Personal Student of one princess had its perks, ones that not even Luna could revoke unless there was an immediate emergency. It wasn't something that Twilight was one to flaunt, however. But she still saw their benefit.

But still, this feeling of being watched and followed would not leave her alone. And as Twilight turned off the Royal Mile and onto Mane Street, she couldn't help but notice the shadows that seemed to be following her. Just her luck.

Fortunately, Twilight could see her home just ahead. A light in the Living Room showed that at least of her parents was still up. If she could just make it, then she would be fine.

"And where do you think you are going, pony?" A voice whispered in Twilight's ears, making her freeze in her tracks. There was a venom in that voice she had never heard before. Not even from Discord or Nightmare Moon. Turning around, her eyes widened at what was behind her.

A pony-sized insect would be the best description Twilight could think of. Its green eyes looked at her with a cold and hateful stare. As she watched, several more of the same appeared, until she was surrounded. None of them looked very friendly.

Twilight tried to smile. But it came out forced. "Um. Hi. I'm Twilight Sparkle. I don't believe we've met before? Whoever and whatever you all are."

One of the insects chuckled. "We know who you are. You have caused our queen much annoyance recently. Who and what we are is none of your concern."

Twilight tapped her chin. "I don't know any queens though. Equestria doesn't have any."

"Not for very much longer," another of the creatures said, as they began to close in on Twilight. "But that is none of your concern. You won't be alive long enough to care. We have orders to eliminate you. With extreme prejudice if necessary. And to make you suffer."

Twilight gulped in fear. She could feel that they meant every word of it as well. Looking around, she couldn't see anypony else that might have seen what was going on. She was on her own.

She growled as she lowered her head, the orb around her neck starting to glow. "Bring it on then, bug paste. This unicorn isn't going down without a fight!"

That seemed to annoy them, for before Twilight could even think to cast some kind of spell, one leaped forward and struck the base of her horn. Aiming right for the most vulnerable spot. Twilight gasped as her magic cut out. It wasn't a permanent thing. But it was enough to deprive her of her best chance to fight these things.

"And what will you do now that you have no magic?" One asked.

Twilight whimpered as they closed in. What did she have? She wasn't strong like Applejack, nor as fast as Rainbow Dash. She had nothing without her magic. Her friends wouldn't get here in time, and her family didn't even know where she was. She was all alone.

"Hey! Horseapples for brains!" A voice boomed out, right before a beam of magic struck several of the creatures, instantly turning them to dust. Twilight and the others turned as Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender ran up, River's horn still glowing. "Twilight has us!" Lavender growled as she laid into several of the insects, the rest of the girls going for the rest of them.

It was enough for Twilight as she shook away her lethargy. Her magic was still out. But she was still strong enough to take out several more of the creatures that the others hadn't been able to get. For a vicious, vindictive, time, Twilight and the others enjoyed the pain they were dishing out.

A few moments later, all of the creatures lay on the ground, all the worse for wear, while Twilight and the girls fought to catch their breaths, all of their orbs now glowing brightly. "That was way more fun than I thought it'd be," Pearl huffed, a tongue of flame dancing momentarily dancing in her mouth.

Twilight nodded, a drip of acid falling from her mouth. It splattered harmlessly on her hoof, but none of them paid it much attention. "Where have you girls been? We've been looking for you all day."

Pumpkin shook her head, a cold wind ruffling all of their manes. "Trying to figure out what's going on around Canterlot. These aren't the first of these things we've found. I think the city is infested with them."

Lavender looked down at the creatures, lightning seeming to play all along her body. "None of them have told us anything useful. We haven't even been able to tell Princess Celestia or Princess Luna about them."

Twilight was concerned now. "Then we have to tell them. If the city is full of them, the princesses have to know."

One of the creatures chuckled weakly. "It's too late for that, now. Canterlot will fall, and then all of Equestria. This is just the scouting force. Hundreds of thousands more wait outside the shield."

River punched him, a green haze coming from her mouth. "You talk too much, you know that? Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can handle all of that."

He chuckled as he bit down on a pill inside his mouth. "Fools! Those two hags don't even know how close the danger is to them. And they will never believe you."

Before the girls could say more, each and every one of the insects dissolved into a puddle of green goo, ones that quickly evaporated away into nothingness.

Pearl snorted. "Well, that's a bust. They all do that if we beat them up."

Twilight nodded. "Suicide pills, so that they don't talk and reveal anything if they're caught." She sighed. "And they're right. We can't prove any of this to Princess Celestia. Not like this."

Pumpkin looked at the shield around the city. "Do you think they're right? If there is something outside the shield, then we need to do something." She looked at Twilight. "These things are shapeshifters. It's probably how they got inside the city. They can pass for anypony they want to. We've seen them do it."

Twilight's ears fell, as a thought came to her. "If they can, then that means they can be right next to the princesses, and they wouldn't even know it." She sniffed. "I was right. That isn't the real Cadance. The Cadance I know would never act as she has."

The girls all piled into a hug, one that Twilight was happy to return. "But what can we do?" River asked. "We can't fight that many."

Lavender looked down at her orb, as did the others. "Not like this, we can't. Maybe it's time we stopped playing nice."

The girls all shared a look, before nodding. Pulling apart, they instinctively fell into a pattern. Twilight on Pearl's right, with River behind her, while Pumpkin took up the position on Pearl's left, with Lavender behind her.

With one voice, they spoke. "Then it is time I show the world the true power of the Dragon Orbs."
> Wedding Crashers, Dragon Style
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, the rest of the Mane 6, Shining Armor, Princess Cadance, and Princess Celestia, had gathered in the Ball Room of Canterlot Castle, ready for the wedding rehearsal. The girls were in their bridesmaid's dresses, Shining was in his best dress uniform, and even Princess Celestia looked more majestic than usual.

Only Princess Cadance wore nothing at all, save her regalia. Her wedding gown was still not ready, and Rarity was beginning to worry that she would never have it ready in time. The princess didn't seem to like anything she did to it.

All was in readiness to begin. All but one thing that is, as everypony looked around for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Has anypony seen Twily? She's supposed to be here," Shining asked, a little annoyed that his sister wasn't here.

Her friends shared a concerned look. "Not since last night," Applejack replied. "She didn't go home?"

Shining shook his head. "No. Mom and dad said she never came home last night. And you girls were the last ones to see her."

Princess Celestia frowned. It was not like Twilight at all to be late for anything. If she was sick, then she would have sent a warning that she wouldn't be able to make it. That Twilight had not reached her parents' home did not feel right at all. Something was not right.

Cadance meanwhile did her best to pretend to be worried. On the inside, however, she was gloating. Served that purple annoyance right for almost ruining everything. She would reward whichever drone had finally done the deed.

For the moment, though, she just sighed in annoyance. "Do we have to wait for her? We don't have all day."

Everypony shared a look. Again, there was that feeling that something was very wrong here, and it was staring them right in the face. But they ignored it for the moment as Princess Celestia shook her head. "I am sure Twilight is fine. She is a big mare and can take care of herself." She spread her wings. "Let us get started, shall we?"

Sighing, the girls took up their spots as Shining and Cadance took the traditional bride and groom spots. This was only the first part of the rehearsal, and so many parts were still missing. Those would be added as they went along.

Before anypony could do more, however, the entire room shook violently, sending all but the two alicorns crashing to the ground. After a moment, the tremors ceased.

"What the hay was that?!" Rainbow grumbled as she pulled herself up. "I thought Canterlot didn't have earthquakes?"

Princess Celestia shook her head, concern evident in her expression. "It does not. The city was designed to make sure that whatever ones there might be, we would not feel them. I do not know what caused that."

Even as she finished though, the room was cast into shadow as all light from outside was blotted out by a massive shadow. It almost looked like a dragon. A dragon with five heads. But that couldn't be right. Could it?

Pinkie pointed at the shadow. "Maybe we should ask that thing? Looks pretty big to me!"

At that moment, a member of the Royal Guard ran in, a look of shock on his face. "Princess Celestia! Someone is here to see you. And they refuse to take no for an answer."

Princess Celestia rubbed her forehead. This was not what she needed right now. "Does it have anything to do with what caused that tremor, and what is causing this shadow? If not, they will have to wait."

The guard nodded. "She does. She also says that it was either this or stick her heads through the walls or windows."

Everypony shared a confused look. "Her 'heads'?" Cadance asked, not trying to hide her own surprise.

He nodded. "Indeed, your highness. But this is something you must see for yourselves. I cannot do it justice."

Celestia growled. This was not what she needed to be dealing with right now. But she put on her best smile. "Very well then, private. Take us to meet whoever this is. She had better have a good reason for doing all that she has."

The guard nodded, as Shining fell in alongside him while the rest followed behind the two of them. Whatever else he had going on at the moment, he was still Captain of the Royal Guard. He would handle this and then get back to what was really on his mind.

Besides. How tough could this be? So she might be big. Big deal. He'd dealt with worse before. This would be no different.

It was a feeling that the entire group seemed to share. While Twilight was who knows where her friends were sure they could handle whatever this was. They'd dealt with Discord. How hard could this be?

That feeling lasted for the entire time it took for them to come out to the Castle Courtyard to meet whoever this was. And then all of their jaws dropped in shock and surprise when they finally met her.

Calling the dragon big was an understatement. She was easily taller than Canterlot Castle itself. So much so that she was bending down just to look at them. Her red scales stood out against the blue sky, while her tail ended in a barbed scorpion's stinger.

But what really threw them all for a loop were heads. All five of them. Each one a different color: Red, Black, and White, in the front, while a Green and Blue head sat further back. And each head was visibly different from the other not just in color, but in their structure. The Black head had two curving horns protruding from her skull, while the Blue head had a massive brow horn. The green had what almost looked like a fan running down from the back of her head to the tip of her snout.

The White's head swooped back in a graceful arc, while the Red head seemed to be the only one with visible ear flaps like Spike did.

And then everypony saw what was embedded into each of the heads. Merged into each of their brows was an orb that matched their scale colors. Five very recognizable orbs in fact.

"That's not possible. It can't be them," Celestia thought to herself, while Rainbow Dash summed it up for all of them.

"Oh come on! How is this fair?!" She grumbled.

"Um, Rainbow? Can you please not yell at the five-headed dragon? She doesn't look very happy," Fluttershy whispered to her friend.

"I didn't know dragons could have more than one head?" Rarity asked, trying to remain calm.

Celestia shook her head. "They cannot. Only a hydra can retain more than one head. Conjoined twins have been known to happen. But they've never lived for very long."

The Red head lowered herself down so that she and Celestia were eye to eye. "You seem to know quite a bit about dragons, princess. But you do not know everything about us."

The Black head lowered herself so that she too was eye to eye with everypony. "As you can see, I am not a normal dragon. None of us are."

The White and Blue heads chuckled. "I think we're scaring them too much, girls. I think we should just get to the point."

Everypony shared a surprised look. Why did it now sound like there were five minds, instead of the one that seemed to have first been there? Celestia shook her head, pushing the question aside for the moment as she stepped closer to the dragon before them. "Well then. You seem to know much about us. But we do not know a thing about you. Who are you, if I might ask?"

The Green head lowered herself to join the others. "You can call me, Tiamat. That will do for now."

Celestia nodded. It was a good start at least. "Well then, Tiamat. To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit? We are in the middle of something at the moment."

The Black head smiled. "And that is why we are here. Equestria faces a crisis. Canterlot has a threat against it. Yet you lot seem not to care about it at all." 

The White head turned to look at Shining Armor. "Tell me, captain. Has your bride been acting strangely lately? Not at all like she usually does?"

Shining scowled. Not this again. "Yes. But she's been stressed out by all of the wedding preparation. Any mare in her spot would be snippy."

Tiamat laughed, a rather melodious sound if there ever was one. "That's your best excuse? Wedding stress? How you ever made Captain of the Royal Guard is beyond me," the Red head chuckled.

Shining growled, his horn igniting in a blaze of magic before Princess Celestia placed a hoof on his shoulders. "Hold, Captain Armor. Attacking her will do us no good, except to antagonize her."

Shining bit his lip, but did as he was told. But that didn't mean he had to like it. Celestia meanwhile looked back at their guest. "You speak as if you know something, Tiamat. Will you share it with us?"

The Blue head nodded. "I believe that this is not the real Princess Cadance. That she is a fake. She is the one who made the threat against Canterlot. Even now, her army waits outside the shield to sack the city and to do who knows what with its inhabitants."

Cadance bit back a growl of anger, even as everypony else shared a shocked and horrified look. "Hey! Nobody talks to the princess like that! What gives you that right?" Pinkie asked angrily.

"If you don't mind that is?" Fluttershy said quietly.

The Green head lowered to look Cadance right in the eyes. "Let's find out, shall we? Are you the real Princess Cadance?"

Cadance frowned. "Of course I am, you overgrown lizard! What kind of idiot thinks otherwise? And the day before my wedding as well," she said, letting her tears fall.

Shining rushed to her side, doing his best to console her, while the others gave Tiamat a harsh look. "That wasn't very nice," Applejack said, snorting in annoyance.

"I must agree with Applejack. No one talks to a princess like that. Let alone someone who doesn't even know her," Rarity added with a huff.

Celestia frowned as she turned back to the drake. "That is a serious accusation, Tiamat. You are accusing my niece of being something she isn't. What proof do you have of this?"

Tiamat chuckled as she pulled herself back. "I have all the proof I need, Princess Celestia. But if you must have physical proof, there is one way to prove beyond a doubt that this is not your niece."

The Black head nodded. "The Truth Revealed. I'm sure you know the spell?"

Celestia nodded, taken aback at the suggestion, even as the girls shared a confused look. "The what now?" Rainbow asked.

Celestia shook her head. "The Truth Revealed. It will reveal the true form and nature of the one it is cast on. No magic or natural abilities will be able to hide you from it if it is cast on you."

Now Cadance looked terrified about something as she began to back up. "Why do I have to do it? What did I ever do?"

Tiamat's five heads came together, closing their eyes a moment. "If you are the real Princess Cadance, this will have no effect on you," the Green head said, as all five heads breathed together, forming a cloud of rainbow colores that slowly settled over the young alicorn.

For a moment, nothing happened, and the group began to think that this whole thing was a waste of time.

And then Princess Cadance burst into a wall of green flames. When they died down a moment later, an insect the size of Princess Celestia herself was revealed. The new figure's eyes widened in shock and horror at what had happened to her.

Celestia's gaze, meanwhile, hardened. "Chrysalis. I see you haven't learned your lesson since the last time we met. Where is my niece?"

Chrysalis laughed. "Fool! Like I'll tell you that! That pony will never be found. Not where I sent her. But it longer matters. I have enough love. Even now my children are breaking through the shield."

Shining felt the headaches he had been having since he first put up the shield vanished. He shook his head a moment before glaring at Chrysalis. "Those were not spells to help me, were they?"

Chrysalis cackled. "Of course not, you simple-minded idiot! All I had to do was play the bride-to-be, and you fell for it. Your love has kept me well fed."

"And what does that mean?" Pinkie asked, scratching her head.

Celestia shook her head. "She is a changeling. A race that feeds off the love of other races. They can also transform into anypony or other creature they want. Chrysalis here is a Changeling Queen, however. A cut above the normal changelings."

Chrysalis nodded. "Indeed. As a queen, it is my duty to make sure my children are fed. Equestria has more love than I have ever seen! We will never go hungry again."

Tiamat's heads growled as they all leaned in and glared at the queen. "No, they will not. Leave now, and you and your hive will live," the White head said.

Chrysalis laughed. "And if I don't?"

The Black head sneered. "Then your hive dies before the sun sets tonight! You will die last."

"Your choice," the Red head said, smiling.

Chrysalis laughed, before firing a bolt of magic aimed squarely at the Red Orb embed in the central head, causing that head to blink in surprise while the queen took to the air. "Fools! Canterlot will be ours by the time the sun sets!" She yelled, before speeding off into the distance, soon lost to the haze.

Celestia sighed as she came to the side of Shining Armor. "Are you alright, Shining Armor?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Just a little dizzy. But she's right. My shield won't hold much longer." He slumped down in defeat. "She took too much of my love."

Celestia nodded, looking back at another of the guard. "Organize a search. Find Princess Cadance. And wake my sister. She will able to help you find her."

Rainbow looked out toward the shield around the city. They could all see a large black blob beginning to form outside of it. "And what about that? We can't fight all that."

Tiamat chuckled, as she spread her wings. "Leave that to me."

Celestia shook her head, smiling slightly. "I am grateful for all you have done, Tiamat. But this is not your fight. You are hopelessly outnumbered if the entire hive is out there."

The Blue head giggled. "Numbers mean nothing to me. It's time to stop playing nice."

"And besides," all of her heads said as one, as Tiamat took to the air. "It's time to see what we can really do."





"Ya think we should help?" Applejack asked as Tiamat flew off. "Doesn't feel right to just let her take of it."

Princess Celestia shook her head. "I doubt we would be much help, Applejack. Changelings use their vast numbers to overwhelm those they are after. I only beat Chrysalis the first time since she singled me out to single combat."

The girls shared a look. "Why would she do that?" Rarity asked.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "She was confident that could beat me without help. And while she was quite strong, she was still far below what it would take to put an alicorn down by pure magic."

"Guess she learned something new then," Rainbow grumbled, as the shield around Canterlot began to show noticeable cracks.

Celestia nodded, her ear dropping. "Luna is going to have a field day with this. Assuming that we are all still here tonight, I expect to get an earful. All of us will I assume."

"Why Princess Luna though?" Fluttershy asked.

Shining winced. He was not looking forward to this. "Princess Luna is the Commander in Chief of Equestria's military. While it's technically a shared role with Princess Celestia, I and every other commander ultimately answer to her. And she is not very forgiving in this regard."

Celestia nodded, smiling slightly. "My sister is very protective of all of our ponies. More so after her time away. She was not pleased with me sending you to handle the dragon some time ago. But she was even less pleased with Discord's escape and how easy it was for it to happen. Assuming nopony is killed, she will be furious that we let changelings into the city. But she should let all off with a very stern warning."

The girls shared a look. That didn't sound very fun at all. "What about Twilight though?" Rainbow asked.

Everypony winced. Only now did they realize how much they probably should have listened to the unicorn. Shining especially felt bad for how he had reacted to his little sister's warnings. "Twily can take care of herself. If she's still in the city, she'll be fine. Mom and dad would make sure of it," he responded.

That eased the girls' fears a little, but they still had a ton of questions, and it was Pinkie who finally gave voice to the one they were all asking. "Did anypony else notice those orbs each head had? Was it just me, or were they-"

"The same orbs that Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender, wear? Yes. Those were in fact the same orbs. I recognized their magic," Celestia replied.

"But why would she have them?" Applejack asked, looking toward the shield. "Ya couldn't pry them off those girls if ya tried."

Celestia shook her head. "I'm not sure, Applejack. I'm just not sure. All we can do now is hope that she knows what she is doing."





As she flew toward the shield, Tiamat began to worry. She was still young, still unsure of herself and what she could do. That she hadn't crushed the city with her weight was a miracle.

It was a feeling all of her head shared as well, as they all shared a concerned look. If that was the entire hive out there, she was outnumbered a thousand to one at best. Dragons were tough. But even they could be worn down in time by vast numbers, or just a lucky hit on a weak point.

Her orbs all glowed in sympathy, sending waves of calm through her. "Do not fear. They do not know what they face. Numbers alone will not save them," came a melodious voice in all of Tiamat's heads. A voice that was both beautiful and deadly at the same time. A voice she had come to trust. "Our full power is at your command. Let us be the warning all of Equus needs."

Tiamat's heads smiled, as she finally passed through the City Shield. Even as she did, she was careful not to destroy it. Canterlot needed all of the help it could get at the moment, as she finally saw what was in front of her. Vast did not do it justice. Changelings beyond number floated before her, their numbers blotting out the sun.

In front of them, all floated Chrysalis, who only smirked as Tiamat came to a halt before the swarm. "I give you credit, freak. You have more guts than most do to face down my entire hive."

The White head frowned. "This is your last chance Chrysalis. Leave now, and your lives will be spared."

"Stay. And none of you will live," the Blue head added.

Chrysalis laughed, pointing a hoof at the dragon. "My children. Kill her! Leave nothing behind! Not even a skeleton. I want nothing left but a memory!"

The reaction was instantaneous. The whole swarm descended on Tiamat, murder, and death in their eyes.

"So be it. You have chosen death, and we're more than happy to give it to you," the Green head said, as the attack began.

Her tail crushed scores of changelings with every swipe, her wings created hurricane-force winds that their tiny bodies couldn't withstand, her talons ripped through whole blocks of the creatures, while each of her heads could consume hundreds at a time.

Who knew changeling tasted like chicken?

But still, the hive came on. No matter how many fell, there seemed to be an unending number of them. Within a short span of time, Tiamat was bleeding from scores of wounds, and each of her heads bore more than their fair share.





"She can't keep this up. There's too many of them," Rainbow said, her usual bravado gone. "Can't we do something?"

Celestia shook her head, her heartbreaking watching Tiamat slowly being overwhelmed. "No. They're replacing their numbers faster than Tiamat can kill them. She can't keep this up forever. Even dragons have a limit on what they can do. Chrysalis can afford to throw away her hive like this. They have the numbers to spare and will replace them quickly."

"What about the Elements?" Rarity asked.

Celestia shook her head. "They will not work without Twilight. And we do not know where she is. And I fear we do not have the time either to find her."

"Then what can we do?" Applejack asked.

Celestia's ears fell, as she watched Tiamat slowly losing ground. "Hope. And pray that she has something that we do not know about."





Tiamat growled as she bit down on another clump of changelings. This was going nowhere. They just kept coming, and she was losing ground, gradually being pushed back to the shield. If they broke through, then it was all over.

Her Black head spat as she swatted them away with her horns. "This is stupid. We can't kill them fast enough. We need a new plan."

Her Red growled, her tail swatting away more. "I need more power. Something that will end this."

At that moment, the orbs flared to life. As one, they merged completely and totally into each of her heads. Once they vanished, each head felt something new. Something powerful, sprung to life in their throats. A power begging to be unleashed.

Tiamat's heads shared a look, a savage glee rising in each of them. "Let them taste the full power of the Dragon Orbs," the Black head hissed. Together, they breathed in, before sighing.

A massive wall of flame erupted from the mouth of the Red head, burning to ashes and then dust, the vast majority of the changelings before her. Turning her head left and right, she burned away vast swathes of the swarm, utterly destroying those further back, such was its power.

The White and Blue heads took up the same approach on her left side. The White's frozen breath freezing solid whole swathes of the swarm, even those she couldn't see. The frozen bodies fell to their deaths on the valley floor far below. The Blue's lightning only added to its potency, also taking out those the White had missed.

The Black and Green's assault was, if possible, even more deadly. The poison gas of the Green head mixed with the Black's acid to make a toxic soup that not only made the changelings drown in their own dissolving lungs, but were eaten away at the same time.

This went on for what felt like hours, but was only a few moments, with no sign that Tiamat was running out of power anytime soon. In fact, she seemed to be getting more and more powerful the longer she went on.

Finally, though, Tiamat cut off her breath weapons. She felt it had been enough. And she had never felt more alive! In fact, as her heads looked their body over, there wasn't a single scratch or wound on them. Not even a blemish remained. Looking rather smug, they all shared a happy look, as the smoke in front of them. Only one changeling was left alive.

Chrysalis looked around her in shock and horror. There was nothing left. The Hive Mind that connected all those parts of the hive was silent. Not even a faint whimper remained. "How? What are you?!"

Tiamat plucked her out of the air with a claw. "And the coward survives. Why am I not surprised?"

The Black head giggled. "Oh come on. Let me finish this. Please?"

The others giggled as the Red head lifted Chrysalis up to her. "She's all yours."

Chrysalis fought to free herself, but it was hopeless. Tiamat was just too strong. She looked defiantly at the Black head as it held her closer. Her eyes widened in horror as she momentarily locked gazes with the dragon, and saw something in those eyes that terrified her. "You? How?"

The Black head smiled as she opened her jaws. "Wouldn't you like to know," she hissed before tossing the queen into her mouth.

There was a brief moment of searing, indescribable pain as the jaws bit down on her. And then Queen Chrysalis knew no more.





"Okay. That was awesome!" Rainbow cheered, as Tiamat turned back toward Canterlot and began to fly back their way.

"Um. Good thing she's on our side then. I hope," Fluttershy squeaked.

Celestia could only nod, still in shock at what they had just watched happen. An entire changeling hive. Wiped out. In less than an hour. If she hadn't seen it for herself, she never would have believed it possible.

A silent message from Luna knocked her out of her shock. They had found Cadance, in the old mines underneath Canterlot. She was in bad shape, but she would be fine with food and bed rest. That at least put Celestia in a better mood, as Tiamat landed before them, looking rather smug with herself.

Celestia smiled up at her. "I must thank you, Tiamat. I never would've thought it possible. But it seems that there is still more out there that I do not know about."

Her five heads chuckled. "Oh, I think we can add one more to that list. Right girls?" The Green head asked. The others nodded, before closing their eyes, bringing their heads together.

In stunned silence, the others watched as Tiamat began to glow, before rapidly shrinking down to their size. Once she did, she seemed to split into five distinct shapes. Everypony's jaws dropped in shock at what and who was revealed when the light faded.

Twilight Sparkle picked changeling queen out of her teeth. "Bleh! Chrysalis tastes as bad she looked!"
> Questions and Scolding
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I think I speak for everypony here when I say. WHAT?!" Pinkie finally exclaimed, trying to put her jaw back in place. But it was a losing battle.

"You're Tiamat?" Shining asked, his mind unable to make sense of what his eyes were telling him.

Pearl grinned. "That's us!" She burped, a puff of smoke coming out her nose. "Spicy. Who knew changeling tasted so good?"

The girls giggled, while the others were still lost. "But how? That shouldn't be possible. No magic can do that. And I have lived for long enough to see most magic in the world. Not even Discord's magic can do this," Celestia asked.

Pumpkin picked the last of the changeling out of her teeth. "We're not really sure. But it feels so natural now that we've done it. Hay. Just being a pony again feels weird after everything we did."

Twilight nodded. Out of her friends, she had changed the most. Her mane and tail had gone black, with only her two color stripes remaining from her original look for them. "If there's one thing I can think of, it's the Dragons Orbs we each have."

Rarity looked at the group closely. Something was missing from each of them. "Speaking of the orbs, darling. Where are they? You've never let them out of your sight before now. Let alone took them off."

Lavender stretched her wings for all they were worth, lightning playing along each of her feathers. "They merged with us, and we merged with them. I can still feel it inside me right now. It's a lot easier this way I think than carrying them around our necks all the time."

Nopony could argue with that. River, though, looked peeved about something. "Now that we've got all that out of the way. Let's talk about the sheer amount of stupid going on around here."

Fluttershy gulped. "Um. What do you mean?"

Pearl snorted as she pointed at all of them. "Did you already forget that we just saved your sorry butts and all of Canterlot from an invasion? All because you cared more about a wedding?!"

Twilight nodded, her gaze hardening. "I was almost killed last night. Mom and dad are probably worried sick about me because I didn't go home." She nodded at the girls next to her. "They saved me. We spent all night clearing out the city of changelings. How many you might ask? Too many."

Celestia frowned. "You had nothing to back up your claims, Twilight. What was I supposed to do? Take your word over the word of my niece?"

Twilight spat a glob of acid, the glob landing before Celestia and Shining. "That's your best excuse, Celestia? You're right. I had nothing to back up what I was saying. I admit that. But did you blatantly forget or ignore that Canterlot was under threat?"

Pumpkin nodded. "You'd fought Chrysalis before. You knew what she could do. Kinda obvious when you think about it."

Celestia bit back a growl. As much as she wanted to, she could not argue with the facts. 

Now it was the turn of the rest of the girls, as Twilight looked at her Ponyville friends. "Now then girls. Let's talk about you, shall we?"

Rainbow frowned. "What did we do?"

Lavender rolled her eyes. "It's a miracle you made Weather Team Captain, Rainbow, with that kind of attitude."

Pearl nodded. "You guys seemed far more interested in a wedding of a pony you barely knew, than your friend."

The girls winced, hard. Pumpkin sighed sadly. "All Chrysalis ever did was insult or belittle you ever since we got to Canterlot. I don't know about you. But I wouldn't have taken any of that. Princess or not."

Twilight's gaze softened as she looked at Pinkie and Fluttershy. "Fluttershy. In all the times you dealt with Chrysalis, did you ever feel anything that felt like kindness or good?"

Fluttershy shook her head, remembering when she'd had to deal with the disguised queen. "No. All I ever felt was hatred and anger. I used to think that it was just that nothing seemed to be going right. But now? That hatred was aimed at everything and everyone around her. There was no love in her heart. I don't know if she could have been saved or not."

Twilight nodded, her heart aching for her Pegasus friend. "Pinkie. Do you think Chrysalis could have ever been happy? You tried your best. But..."

Pinkie thought about it for a moment, before her mane deflated. "No. Unless it was doing very unpleasant and not very nice things to ponies maybe. But I don't want to think about what those could have been."

Applejack removed her hat. "You're right, Twilight. We were being stupid. Don't rightly know why now that I think about it. Do ya hate us for it?"

Twilight paused a moment, before breaking into a wide smile, and pulling the girls into a group. "Oh, girls. I can't hate you for that. Disappointed maybe. But I still love you."

The girls were more than happy to return the hug, huge smiles on all of their faces.

Pearl gagged as she watched the mushy scene. "Yuck. Maybe we should've stayed as Tiamat. Less mushy and icky stuff that way."

Shining chuckled. "You'll understand one day, Pearl."

Pearl just rolled her eyes. "If it involves all of this, I think I'm happier not knowing about it."

Everypony chuckled, but River soon had a concerned look as she looked around. "Not to ruin the moment. But what about Princess Cadance? The real Princess Cadance I mean?"

Twilight's eyes widened in horror. In all the excitement, she'd completely forgotten about her old foalsitter. And it seemed like her friends had as well, judging by their horrified looks.

Princess Celestia, though, just chuckled. "Cadance is fine. Luna and a Royal Guard detachment have found her." She paused a moment. "They have just arrived at Canterlot General Hospital."

"How is she?" Twilight and Shining asked at the same time.

Celestia sighed. "She is in bad shape. Luna doesn't know how long she was down there in the mines, but it must have been some time." She saw everyone's concerns mount, and her smile. "Luna was able to stabilize her. A few days of bed rest, and some proper food, and Cadance should be fine. Young though she may be, Cadance still has the biology and physiology of an alicorn. It will take much more than this to cause any permanent harm."

Everypony breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Guess that mean's the wedding is off," Rainbow grumbled, earning a glare from Rarity.

Celestia giggled. "Right now, a wedding is the last thing we need to worry about. Captain Armor and I will be having a rather stern talking to from my sister I fear about all of this." She looked at Twilight's Ponyville friends. "As will you, I am afraid. I cannot say what will come of it."

Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender all shared a worried look. "What about us?" Lavender asked.

Celestia pinched her snout. "I'm not sure. All of Canterlot will have seen what Tiamat did. It will only be a matter of time before it gets out that the five of you and her are one and the same." She smiled at the crestfallen looks she received. "However, your heroics in stopping Queen Chrysalis will matter far more than the fear you will have caused."

Pumpkin puffed out her chest. "Being a hero does sound nice."

The group shared a laugh at that.





For as long as she had known her, Twilight had never seen Cadance look so bad. She had never thought her foalsitter could ever look so bad. It just made what she had done to Chrysalis worth it even more.

Cadance bore the bumps and bruises of however long she had been down in the mines. She was so thin that the girls could almost see her bones through her skin. Her eyes were bloodshot and weary, but she was still able to smile as the girls came in.

Pearl was the first to break the silence. "Cadance. You look like crap."

Despite her obvious discomfort, Cadance was still able to roll her eyes. "Thank you, Pearl. I hadn't noticed," she snarked, smirking as the others giggled.

Lavender, though, was still worried. "Are you okay, though? I've never seen somepony look this bad."

Cadance's smile softened. "I'll be fine, Lavender. Alicorns can take a lot more than this. Auntie Luna says that, in a few days, I should be fine with food and a lot of sleep." She rolled her eyes. "I'm having a hard time believing that. But she has been an alicorn longer than I have."

Twilight rolled her eyes. That was true. But there was something she still had to know. "Was that you, that day? Or?"

Cadance's smile grew. "That was me, Twily. Chrysalis didn't replace me for at least another few weeks. She replaced one of the maids in the castle. I didn't realize until it was too late that that maid had the night off on my order, and she isn't one to do something like this."

Twilight sighed in relief. That was a massive weight off of her shoulders.

Cadance though gained a rather knowing look. "Now. I heard there was quite a commotion going on outside Canterlot's earlier. Something about a five-headed dragon that destroyed the entire Changeling Hive."

The girls grinned nervously. "You heard about that?" Pumpkin asked.

"Pumpkin. All of Canterlot saw it. Tiamat's five heads matched exactly the colors of the orbs you girls have," Cadance replied, her smile growing. "I can still feel their power. Even after you absorbed them. My question is. How?"

River sighed, seeing no point in denying it. "We don't know. It just happened. But, and I think I speak for all of us, it feels right. If that makes any sense?"

Cadance shook her head. "Not really. But it's not my place to know a lot about any of this." She looked at Twilight. "Love the new mane look, Twilight. Black looks good on you."

Twilight giggled, as she ran a hoof through her now black mane. "Thanks. I'm still getting used to it though. But I do like it."

Everypony chuckled at that. "So, how did you know we're Tiamat?" Pearl asked, still having trouble believing it herself.

Cadance rolled her eyes. "One of the Royal Guard who came to get Auntie Luna saw the five of you change back from her into your pony forms. He is one of the most reputable guards, so I was inclined to believe him. But I can feel the power you girls now control, the orbs that are now literally a part of you. It doesn't take an alicorn to put it all together."

Lavender looked out a nearby window. It offered a grand view of Canterlot from this high up. "Where is Princess Luna anyway?"

Cadance sighed, her ears picking up the verbal beatdown going on right that second in the Throne Room of the castle. "Having very not nice words with Auntie Celestia, Shiny, and your Ponyville friends, Twilight. I won't repeat what she's saying. But, to be blunt. She is peeved beyond belief."

Twilight's ears flattened. She felt bad about how she had spoken to the others earlier. Her feelings were still the same. But she felt she could have said them better. What was done, was done, though. No point in beating herself up about it.

Cadance's smile turned into a rather devious smirk. "Luna's wanted to meet you, Twilight, since the Summer Sun Celebration. She was crushed you weren't there in Ponyville on Nightmare Night, even though your friends helped her more than I think they know. I think she's rather smitten with you."

Twilight's face turned bright red, unable to think of a proper response to that. Princess Luna might like her, like that? She wasn't sure how she felt about the idea, though she had no problem with two mares liking each other like that.

Quickly shaking her head, she tried to think of anything else, but her brain seemingly had decided to go a different route. The others giggled at how flustered the unicorn was quickly becoming.

"Not to ruin the mood. But what does this mean for the wedding?" River asked.

Cadance sighed, laying back on her pillows. "I still love Shining Armor. That will never change. I'll be having words with him later about how he could fall for Chrysalis' bad acting as he did." She looked down at her battered body, tubes feeding into her legs, the heart monitor beating at a stable pace. "But I'm in no shape or mood for a wedding right now. So it's postponed for the moment."

The girls sagged a bit, but they knew that it was for the better. None of them were really in the mood for a wedding at the moment either. Right now, Twilight was most worried about her parents. She hadn't gotten home the night before. They would be worried sick about her.

Cadance seemed to guess what was on the unicorn's mind, for her smile softened. "Go on, Twily. Your parents are probably worried sick about you by now. Don't let me keep you waiting. I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere right now, even though I am starting to feel a little better now."

Twilight's smile grew, as she ran to the door. "Thanks. I hate doing this to them. Mom is going to ground me at this rate. Probably forever." She looked at the girls. "You girls can come. But it's going to get really mushy really fast at this rate."

The girls chuckled, as they followed her out of the room, leaving Cadance alone for the moment. "Mushy sounds good right about now," Pearl said.

Cadance giggled, as the girls' voices grew fainter. Alone, for now, she allowed herself to relax, closing her eyes as her condition finally caught up with her. It hurt, she wouldn't deny it. She just hoped it wouldn't last very long.

And as Twilight and her friend's voices finally faded away into nothing, her smile grew. United and together as the five of them were, there was nothing that could stand up to them. She believed in Twilight, Pearl, River, Pumpkin, and Lavender. She believed in Tiamat.

Equestria was in better hooves with them together.
> Five Heads? Not Always Better than One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pumpkin stifled a yawn, as she looked around the clearing the group had come to. "Is there any reason you dragged us out of bed so early, Pearl? The sun's barely up yet."

Pearl grinned unrepentantly, fluffing her wings in excitement. "I think it's we test out what Tiamat can really do! We haven't done anything since the wedding. I'm getting bored just sitting around all day."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "Because we haven't needed to. I'm all for knowing more about what we can do. But couldn't we have done this in the afternoon?"

Lavender gave a knowing look. "Says the mare who stays up all night reading?"

Twilight gave her a flat look. "Touché." She sighed. "And I would be lying if I didn't say I wasn't curious and had a ton of questions." She pointed at Pearl. "Like. Can any of us be the central head? Or is it always Pearl?"

Pearl rolled her eyes. She rather liked being Tiamat's central head. And their body was red. Didn't that answer the question by default? But a part of her was curious as to if any of the others could take her place.

River tapped her chin. "And there is something else. Are we running the risk of completely losing ourselves? If we become Tiamat more and more often? I haven't felt anything like it since we got back from Canterlot. But it's been bugging me."

The girls shared a concerned look. It was something that they had all been thinking of, in fact. None of them felt anything that would suggest that could happen. But the thought remained.

Pearl tapped her chest. "I can feel everything she is within me. Her power, her strength, and her wisdom. But I've never felt like she was trying to overwrite me. That I'd be subsumed into her conscious."

Twilight nodded. "I've felt the same.  Her soul is our soul. This isn't reincarnation. We are not Tiamat reborn into five different bodies. I'm not sure what this is, or why we were chosen to be Tiamat."

Pumpkin gave her a look. "Do you think we'll ever know for sure?"

Twilight shrugged. "I don't know. But just knowing somethings about what we can do would be nice. It's been driving me nuts since the Changeling Invasion."

Lavender gave the area around Canterlot the stink eye. "Do you think we got the whole hive? There was a lot of them."

Pearl shook her head. "Doubt it. If Chrysalis was as smart as she liked to think she was, there were still changelings left behind at the Hive. Plus their newborns and whoever looked after them. I doubt Cheeselegs was that stupid."

Pearl was rather proud of herself for that, as the girls giggled. She had been spending time with Fluttershy recently. And while the shy Pegasus wasn't fully happy about what Tiamat had done, she still understood why she had done so.

Pumpkin stretched her legs. "So. Should we get started then? Ponies are going to start wondering where we ran off too if we stay out here long enough. I get enough weird looks as it is."

The girls nodded. Having no real idea of how to do it, they took up spots next to each other based on where their heads were when they were Tiamat, and let their minds reach out to each other. Soon their bodies began to glow and merge together into a familiar large form and shape.

Within a few moments, Tiamat had taken shape once more, as the glow around her body vanished. Opening her eyes and looking around, she was surprised by two things right off the bat.

One was that she was still five minds, all sharing the same body. The girls had not Mind Melded into their Hive Mind, which was their most powerful form. Strange. But it still felt right like this.

The other shock was, as Twilight and Pearl turned to look at each other, was that Twilight's Black head and Pearl's Red head, had switched places. Now the Black head was Tiamat's central head, while the Red head had moved over one spot. The rest of the girls were still where they normally were.

Twilight rolled her eyes, careful where she pointed her horns. "Well. I guess that answers that question," she hissed. "This feels weird."

Pearl gave her a look. "How do you think I feel? Maybe this is normal. But this is still weird for me," she grumbled. "How did we even do that? I didn't think of it, and you didn't, Twilight."

"Does it really matter?" Pumpkin asked, glaring at the two with a frigid look. "Can we focus on what we came out here to do? I'd rather not listen to you two argue all day."

Twilight and Pearl rolled their eyes. "Point taken," Twilight mumbled. "So now what do we do? We didn't spend enough time like this last time. We were just one mind for most of it."

Lavender lowered her head so that she and Twilight were eye to eye. "You tell us? You're the central head now. I get the feeling that you have more control of our body than normally."

The girls nodded. Twilight blinked as she looked down at their body. It did feel like she had more control over Tiamat than she normally did. Normally, she could only move her head and to a limited extent, their right-left, and right rear legs. "I don't know, girls. It does feel like I have more control than usual. But I'm still worried."

Pearl and Pumpkin nuzzled her, their looks softening. "Come on, Twilight. You've got this. We believe in you," Pearl whispered. "We wouldn't all be here if we didn't. You brought us together. We believed you when nopony else did in Canterlot." She grinned. "So come on! Take us for a test drive!"

Lavender nodded, as she and River joined the cuddle pile. "Besides. The worst we can do is have a good laugh at how clumsy we are, later. And really. Who's going to critique us?" She asked with a knowing smile.

Twilight blushed, as the girls giggled and pulled back. "Fine, fine. But if this doesn't work, I'm blaming all of you," she grumbled. But her smirk said how she really felt about all of this.

Closing her eyes, Twilight concentrated on just walking for now. Flying could wait for later. Assuming this even worked at all. Her other heads followed suit. After a moment, they all felt Tiamat take a tentative step forward, all four legs moving together naturally. Soon, Twilight was able to walk around the clearing like she had been doing it her entire life.

For the others, it was a strange feeling. They could all feel their body moving, and to some extent, they were able to move it with Twilight. But Twilight was mostly in control.

After a while exploring the nearby forest, Twilight had grown used to being to handle Tiamat like she was, and even the rest of her friends had begun to relax, their worries mostly put to rest.

Unfortunately. Maybe they had relaxed a bit too much.

Comfortable with her ability to walk now, Twilight wasn't really paying attention to where she was going and tripped over a massive fallen tree that was blocking her path, sending her falling toward the ground.

She tried to arrest her fall. But the girls all had different ideas of how to stop falling flat on their faces. And when five minds all have different ideas of how to stop their body from falling over...

Twilight squawked as she finally lost her grip and gravity took over. Her massive bulk crashed to the ground with a thunderous boom, sending every animal and bird for miles, running for cover. Pearl's, Pumpkin's, River's, and Lavender's, heads, all became entangled in the mess. None of the girls were able to pull themselves out easily. 

"This is so embarrassing," River grumbled, as she pulled her head out from under a wing. "Nice going, Twilight."

Twilight just gave her a dirty look, as she tried to push Pearl's head off of her own.





It took longer than any of the girls cared to admit, but they were finally able to untangle their heads from each other and turn their body into a sitting position. Easier said than done with their size.

"Let's hope we don't do that every time we're Tiamat," Lavender said with a huff.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I said I was sorry, okay?! I didn't see that damn tree. And I didn't hear you girls say anything about where I should be walking."

The girls hung back slightly. None knew why. But a feeling of subservience to Tiamat's central head filled them. None of them, of course, were subservient to anyone. Let alone one of their own. But the feeling remained.

For Twilight, she could feel almost the same. But for her, the feeling was that the others bowed to her in this form, and when she was the central head. She would never, ever, say that aloud of course. She loved the girls too much. They were supposed to be a team.

None of them were more important than the others. And so, Twilight crushed the feeling with contempt. But she knew it was still there, deep down inside her. She wondered if Pearl felt the same when she was the central head?

Pearl, in fact, did know what that felt like. It wasn't something she liked to think about.

Twilight's look softened. "Come on, guys. We're a team, remember? And I admit that I really should've been looking where I was going. But that's why we came out here, isn't it? To get to know more about ourselves in this form? About Tiamat?"

Pearl giggled, as she nuzzled under Twilight's head. "Point. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying that. Or not being the central head."

The others giggled, as they joined in the hug. "Yeah. This is too much fun. Sure you made a bubu, Twilight. But any of us could have done the same thing," Pumpkin added. "Don't forget. You brought us all together that night. Not just in Canterlot. But in Ponyville as well."

River and Lavender nodded. "Speaking of Ponyville, though. The whole town probably heard that. How are we going to explain that to Mayor Mare?" River asked.

Lavender snorted. "Why do we have to explain anything to her? Ponyville knows who we are now." She gave Twilight a knowing look. "You're a national hero three times over, Twilight."

Twilight rolled her eyes. "I know, Lavender. Ponies tell me that every day. No matter how much I tell them I'm no more important than any of my friends." She smiled at all of them. "That includes you, girls."

The girls blushed. An impressive feat considering their hard scales. "So what do we tell them, then?" Pearl asked.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "That we just tripped. It's not that big of a deal." She sighed. "I can already hear Rainbow and Pinkie laughing at us for not watching where we're going." She grinned at her friends. "So. Are we going to sit here all day? Or pick up where we left off?"

The girls nodded, Pearl giving her a pointed look, as they stood back up. Twilight took the hint and continued down the path they had been following before all of that mess.

As they continued, growing more and more comfortable as Tiamat with each step they took, Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, River, and Lavender, all shared a similar thought.

They still didn't know much about what their new form meant, or what it meant to be Tiamat. Nor did they have any true idea of what the future might bring for any of them. But they knew one thing for sure. In their hearts, and in Tiamat's heart.

They looked forward to whatever the future might hold.





In Golden Oaks Library, a letter materialized in a burst of Dragon Flame Mail, dropping onto Twilight's writing desk as it did so. It bore Princess Celestia's personal seal. A small portion of what was written was visible near the top.

'My dearest Twilight. You must come to Canterlot at once.'
> End Of the Universe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The universe was no more. All that now remained of the world of Equus, and all of the countless other worlds and species that once made up this side of the multiverse, was a black tear where once the universe stood.

A shapeless mass soon began to take form, its eyes glowing in front of the tear. Soon the mass began to take on the form of Tiamat, the last survivor of the dead universe. But now she was far larger than she had once been, her eyes glowing for a moment until fading to normal.

Atop the head of each dragon, sat the head of a pony. Pumpkin, Lavender and River. Each atop the head of a different dragon. Twilight’s own head was on a fourth dragon's head. Atop the crimson skull, was Pearl’s own head. Each appeared to be asleep, their pony heads smiling as their body fully formed.

Pearl opened her eyes first, and immediately assimilated and subsumed her sister's and lovers' minds into her own. They all moaned in delight and pleasure at the feeling of being one once more, cooing as Pearl rubbed her heads together. 

"It is done," Pearl said in her fivefold voice. Like the others, her eyes were filled with age and memory that went beyond her apparent age. Gone was the filly she once was, though she still looked it. The same held true for all of them. None of them were the same as they once were.

Looking around, though, Pearl was stumped at what she was supposed to do next. Living past the end of the universe had been unexpected, but she welcomed it. They all did. But now what? She didn't plan this far ahead. None of her lovers had. She could feel it in their merged hive mind.

Before she had taken more than a few steps forward, however, something halted her in her tracks.

“Halt!” A boundless voice boomed through the void as another shapeless mass with glowing eyes appeared in front of them. “You dare to tread on the sacred realm of the gods and hope to leave it alive? Foolish."

Pearl trembled as they slid to a stop. So much so that she dissolved back into five minds. The mass slowly took the form of a large multi-headed dragon that resembled Tiamat but was far larger. All five mares blinked as atop the head of each dragon, sat the head of a pony. 

The girls were surprised as they saw themselves. Twilight, Pearl, Pumpkin, Lavender, and River. Each atop the head of a different dragon. Twilight’s mind seemed to have halted as she saw her own head on the fourth dragon's head. But all five were surprised when the lead head lowered down, showing that atop the crimson skull. Was Pearl’s own head. Just like the five of them.

Was this what others felt when they saw them for the first time? No wonder those freakouts happened.

“It is forbidden for any to come here.” Pearl’s head spoke with a deep voice. Like the others, her eyes were filled with the very image of infinity. And held little compassion for mortal beings. But softened slightly as she gazed at all of them “You are all of my own creation. And…" She paused in surprise.

"Who are you?" Lavender asked, giving voice to all of their thoughts. "What are you?"

All ten heads smiled. "I have many names. Countless if you will. And just as many titles. But you may call me Lumena if you like. I had forgotten about this and the five of you."

"And what would that be?" Pumpkin asked, not liking any of this. "What is this place? How did we get here?"

Lumena spread her wings. "This is the Void. The space between universes, and what is left when a universe dies. In time, another universe will grow here, before it too dies. So has it always been. So it will always be."

The girls all shared confused looks. What the hay did any of that mean? "Then what happens to us now?" Pearl asked, not liking any of this or the looks in Lumena's eyes.

Lumena's Pearl head smiled as she touched her snout to hers. "That depends. All of you are immortal. Nothing short of the end of the multiverse itself will kill you now. Other universes exist out there. Many where Tiamat does not exist. Observe them if you will. Or go where you will."

Twilight suddenly felt how dry her mouth was. Having long ago learned to control her acid, she still hadn't been able to completely get rid of frequent dry mouth in either her pony or dragon form. "I could use a drink if it's all the same to you girls."

River nodded. "Same. Feels like I haven't had a drink in centuries. With interest."

The others rolled their eyes, while Lumena's heads only smiled. "Come. There is a place where you can get all of that and much more. Very few know of this place."

"What is it?" Lavender asked.

In response, Lumena touched them with both of her wings, and together they vanished, leaving the tear behind. But soon, it too faded away into nothing. Leaving a blank void behind.





When the girls could see again, they had appeared in what looked like the Common Room of a bed and breakfast inn or rest stop on Earth. But with a variety of ponies (some of whom the girls recognized from their own world) alongside humans, this was not Earth. "Where are we?" Twilight asked.

Oh, and they had somehow been returned to their pony forms. Even though they didn't remember wanting to turn back into them at that moment. Strange.

"Welcome to the Inbetween Inn!" Announced an energy being, an alicorn version of what looked like... 

"Pinkie Pie?" Pearl asked.

Energy Pinkie Pie nodded. "That's me! I'm from a universe where we all ascended to a higher plane of existence. The Tenth Dimension in fact!"

Twilight's brain hurt. This was definitely Pinkie Pie if she had this effect on her. "So we're between universes? I didn't think that was even possible. Even after all of this."

Pinkie shook her and pointed out a nearby window. "Not quite. We're between multiverses! Take a look."

The girls did, and their jaws dropped at what they saw.  At first, what seemed like galaxies soon were revealed to be something more entirely.

One looked like a giant tree. Another appeared to be in the hands of a gigantic human (a few actually). Another had a gigantic, sixteen-armed version of Sunset Shimmer using twelve arms to hold onto it while her remaining ones fixed cracks in it.

Another had four massive beings, two of which Twilight could only describe as serpents and her mind refused to acknowledge further, and two massive Alicorns, one white and looking shaped like a nebula and the other looking like the night sky shaped like a pony, looking over it. Another galaxy consisted of twelve gigantic orbs circling a central point, appearing to be two sets of six matching ones. Another seemed to simply be strange shapes assembled around a single point in the center.

And so on and so forth, and those were simply the ones they could see clearly. "Okay. There's something you don't see every day." River shook her head, in awe that she was looking at entire multiverses.

Pumpkin meanwhile looked around the room.  At one table was set a human with brown hair wearing a red shirt and black jacket, a magenta camera hanging from his neck, eating with a young woman with long brown hair (a small white mechanical bat floating around her), and a young man with middle length black hair wearing a jacket. All three were Japanese.

Another table seated a young human boy wearing a white hat that made her think of a bear and wearing a blue shirt, a sword sheathed on his back, and talking with an odd-looking yellow dog. Across the table from him looked like gender-flipped versions of them, though the dog's alternate self was a white cat.

Another table seated Button Mash, Sweetie Belle, and Rumble, all three wearing odd clothes. At another sat a Sweetie Belle counting strange crystal shards. Still, another was home to an older, black-haired human wearing a white lab coat and looking at a watch.

There was also...Doctor Hooves sitting with Derpy and talking to what looked like the versions of them from Sunset's universe and humans who merely resembled the Doctor. There were also eight or nine different Pinkie Pies. And that was just the start.

"So everyone here is a dimensional traveler?" Pumpkin finally asked, her brain unable to make sense of it all.

"They are," another version of Twilight said, materializing out of thin air. This one was an alicorn, however, a sight that boggled unicorn Twilight's mind. 10D Pinkie didn't seem to mind, however. "You get will get used to it after a while."

Pinkie nodded happily as she threw a hoof around alicorn Twilight's shoulder. "Long time no see, Lumey!"

Lumena, or so the girls guessed, shot the pink mare a look. "Pinkie Pie. What have I said about calling me that?"

Pinkie just smiled wider. "Oh don't be such a spoilsport, Lumena! You brought guests. Lighten up. Relax a little."

Lumena blushed while the girls giggled. "Are any of them evil?" Lavender asked, not totally trusting everyone in the room. No one seemed shocked to see them appear out of thin air as they had, or Lumena vanish as she did, so she was willing to not say anything.

10D Pinkie shrugged. "Eh, some of them. But they generally behave. Everyone here is just trying to relax for a little while before they get back to whatever they were doing before. Even villains need a break once in a while. Just as long as they don't start making a scene, or threatening everyone, they're fine."

The girls all shared a confused look. But they had long ago learned, the hard way sometimes, that when it came to Pinkie Pie, it was just better to go along with it and not question anything. "So how do we pay for anything? We don't have any bits," Twilight grumbled.

Pinkie giggled. "That's okay! It's all free anyway! Perks of being Tenth Dimensional! I can just create everything with a thought!"

Twilight smiled. No matter what or where Pinkie always seemed to know what to say when she needed cheering up.

"Anyway, enjoy yourselves! We have the best cooks in the Omniverse. Feel free to socialize! You might visit some of their worlds one day. You never know," Pinkie said with a wink and a nudge.

Lumena chuckled. "I will leave you, girls, to it, then. My work never ends, and there is something that needs fixing before two universes are destroyed. No matter what Shenlong might say otherwise. And he will be getting a tongue-lashing for this."

Before they could ask what she meant, Lumena faded away, as if she had never been there, to begin with. "Is she always like that?" Pearl asked after a moment. "And what the hay was she talking about?"

Pinkie could only shrug helplessly. "Don't know really. She's hard to talk to when she's in this kind of mood. And I mean more than usual. I think Shenlong is a dragon god of some sort from a bunch of different universes. Something to do with kitsunes I think. Which doesn't make much sense to me. And that's saying something! And we do get kitsunes in here a lot." She tapped her chin. "They always seem to belong to the same family. Different universes though."

The girls sighed. But staying here for a while did sound like fun. Who knew? Maybe there was something cool to be heard from their fellow travelers. Pearl was interested, though, in what Pinkie had said near the end. There was a certain nine-tailed pest she missed, and she wondered if this could be his family.

It couldn't hurt to ask anyway.