> Lightning and Stitch (#2)
>  by LightningStar626
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1: The New CHS Hideaway
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Spies: Lightning and Stitch (#2)

Chapter 1: The New CHS Hideaway

"Lightning, where exactly are you taking us?"

"You'll see~."

~Lightning Star led Karly Crystal and the seven Rainbooms around CHS, blindfolded. Now that she and Karly have spent more than two days at CHS, they were experts at navigating the school's hallways. (Despite Lightning going in the wrong direction the second she entered the school today). She directed them through the corridors, making sure she didn't guide them into objects along the way, until, slowly and gently, she stopped at a large doorway with two doors. She flung them open and led everyone inside.~

Sunset Shimmer was contemptuous. "Lightning…"

"Don't worry, I'm not planning anything nefarious. I have a surprise for all of you. Just follow the sound of my voice." Lightning said, the girls feeling her walking again. "Stop. Alright, everyone. You can take them off now."

~Slowly slipping their blindfolds off, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie and Karly stared at the surprise that awaited them. The room that they were in however, was empty, and nothing out of the ordinary. The Rainbooms recognised it as the music room where they would go into to either practise their bandwork, or just hang out. Although, nothing was there. They turned to Lightning, who was smiling and waiting, but they had no idea to what this surprise was.~

"Uhh, this is our music room." Applejack said, contemptly.

"Yeah, we come here all the time to play our instruments! Why have you brought us here?" Rainbow added.

"She's right. Is there anything in here we should know about?" Sunset asked.

"Yes!" said Lightning. "And I definitely didn't know this was your 'hang out'. But, hey, that's even better! Come here, come here!"

~The spy girl went over to the grand piano in the room, and began to play a small tune on the keys. It sounded like the theme of a certainly children's TV show, which was a tune no one in this world has even heard of, but the Rainbooms were impressed to learn that Lightning could play the piano. Their impressions were then greatly increased as suddenly, once the tune was finished, a green light illuminated from under the flooring where the piano stood, and it slowly began to rise to the ceiling, revealing something underneath it. Everyone leapt back instinctively as the light hit their shoes. A black stairway, leading down under the ground and into darkness caught their attention next. It seemed ominous yet strangely exciting for the girls. Twilight (Sci-Twi) straightened up her glasses before turning to Lightning.~

"What's this?" she asked with amazement.

"Follow me, and all will be revealed…" said Lightning mysteriously.

~She walked down the stairs with a grin on her face as the rest followed her carefully. The piano closed above them once they reached the bottom of the stairs. Then, they were met by a door with a special hi-tech lock that can only be entered by scanning the thumb. Lightning assured that it was already programmed to recognise the DNA of all the Rainbooms, Karly, Lightning, as well as Steven Secret, Karly's uncle. This reminded Karly to ask where her uncle was, but Lightning ignored her and scanned her thumb on the door lock. The door opened immediately but all it led to was a small compartment no bigger than a vending machine. It could still fit at least ten people though, as the girls were ushered into the tight spot by Lightning. They pressed up against each other at first, but they wiggled into a better position once inside. As Lightning got in last and closed the door, she pressed a button living inside the small box and let the steel doors close in front of them, sealing them inside. That's when the girls realised it was an elevator.~

"Might want to brace yourself in a second." Lightning warned.

Karly focused her gaze. "Why's tha…"

~She was interrupted by the cables holding the elevator straining. The box tilted for a short while. Then, suddenly, the whole lift dropped down at an intense, frightening speed, and everyone's feet flew off the floor. Karly and the Mane 7 screamed, feeling weightless, while Lightning stood there in a calm, stable manner. She began to explain something as they kept falling.~

"Yeah, we needed to be sure this wouldn't be discovered so we put it down at about five-hundred levels." But she was unheard of because of the screaming. "Oh, stop screaming, you'll be fine."

~They continued plunging and plunging for a while, and like that, it felt as if it had been falling for hours. Karly honestly thought they were falling down a bottomless pit, because they just kept on going. Finally, the elevator hit level five-hundred. And, once it did, the elevator stopped with a jolt, and everyone suddenly dropped downwards onto the bottom pad of the shaft like stones, all tangled up in one another in a ball. They did not expect the halting at all. Only Lightning landed on her feet.~

"We're here." she smiled.

~She stepped out once the doors opened and she acted like nothing had happened, but everyone else was shattered. Groaning, feeling nauseous, and faces that were as white as a ghost. From what they just went through, Twilight was speechless from the impossible laws of gravity that just happened, and it was an absolute wonder to her how none of them had any broken bones, or even had a scratch from it. So, after failing to process what just went down, everyone disentangled themselves, stood up, and kept following Lightning, still confused.~

"Uhh…uhh…" Nobody could say a word at the moment, but Lightning knew what her friends were thinking.

"I know, I know, that was a little- WHA-OH! I take it your hearts are pumping like crazy right now, but let me assure you, the lift won't do you any damage, and you'll get used to it in no time. It's going to be worth it. Now come on! You must see this!"

~Lightning was so eager, it even surprised Pinkie Pie.~

~After going through one more hi-tech security system and doorway, the girls were ready to see what the surprise was. And when they saw it, it was certainly something they were not expecting. What they saw was a largely open space room, in the shape of a domed circle. There was a hole in the middle, protected by a glass fence, that revealed another floor underneath, and the openings beside the room they were on revealed at least three more rooms. One led downstairs to the ground floor. Everyone looked down on the balcony, and saw red, blue, orange and green large, square tables all circled in the corner. Against the wall near the tables was a blank, black screen monitor. Looking back on the current floor they were on, they saw two areas that looked like a lab/gadget room and a dressing room with fancy outfits and disguises. Twilight and Rarity's faces lit up.~

~The Chief (Steven Secret) was looking through some files on the red table downstairs. He suddenly looked up through the balcony to see the nine girls. He held his arm out warmly.~

"Hello, agents," he said. "Welcome to our new E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A superhero, secret agent hideaway!"

"And that's the surpriiise!" Lightning said, smiling eagerly. "Sooo- What does everyone thinnnk?"

Karly and the Rainbooms stood in silence, as they were completely paralysed by shock and amazement. "...What exactly was wrong with the old building we found, Lightning?" Karly asked, once she found her tongue.

Lightning scoffed at the question. "I wanted to start fresh in this new world of wonders! Three words for you all: Living in style! Come, come, I'll show everyone around!"

~Skipping up and around the balcony, Lightning hurried over to the first two areas. They were one step level down, and had no doors or four walls, just a couple of glass protector screens for watchers or rookies. The floor changed from wood to concentrate after the step down and as they entered, they stared at all the fancy, sci-fi-like facilities all around them either on the table or hanging up on the walls. Strange compartment boxes lived in the corners while the rest were covered up in bookshelves, gleaming computer monitors and workstations. In the middle was a funky, stone grey table with a giant robotic claw attached to its side. It was the complete definition of a secret-tech lab, and Twilight was determined not to flip out. They all began freely looking around, personally and approvingly, just to see what else there was to offer. Pinkie Pie began messing around with the flasks and potions, filled with colouring, boiling liquids, and when she held one up to get a better look through it, the reflection made it so her head was the same size. Twilight went to look at the claw against the table. Lightning smiled at her.~

"You are going to love this, Twilight! This is our lab and gadget room! Here, we can forensic evidence we find when solving a crime, as well as design useful gadgets for missions. We currently have one under way, as you can see here." she held up a tiny glass ball with a pink liquid shaking inside. "I got the inspiration for this gadget when Pinkie Pie set off that explosion in the science room yesterday."

"That was…very unexpecting." Sunset Shimmer sighed.

"Who knew that putting confetti in a flask with sodium would make everything go from white to pink!" Pinkie Pie giggled, still playing with the flasks.

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Y-yes- ha ha! Anyways, like that, I invented this foaming pink paint bomb. Pull the pin here, and roll it on the ground under your enemies' feet, and in under three seconds it will explode into a foaming pit of pink paint. Everyone around it will be covered up and blinded by it! I took the liberty of doing blue and green paint too."

"Whoa! That's amazing!" Rainbow Dash awed.

"Well, I'm certainly looking forward to working here!" said Twilight, ecstatically. "And this claw!" she had no more words.

"What is the area next door, Lightning?" Rarity asked, pointing over on the right. "I am very curious about it."
"I knew you would be, Rarity." Lightning said, and she began to head on over there. "So, this is our dressing room. Here, we fashion all the types of disguises we might need on various missions, as well as armour, and a few hidden items inside some of them." She took off a pair of glasses from one of the mannequins and put them on Rarity. "Like these glasses. Now, they may just look like something just to disguise your eyes, but if you press this hidden button here."

~She put her finger on the side of the lens and, all of a sudden, in Rarity's point of view, her entire vision beamed into a blue and black void and she could see through the walls and people, seeing and knowing what they were carrying. Everyone could see her eyebrows raise.~

"Boom! X-ray mode!"

"Whoaaaaaa…" The Rainbooms wowed.

Rarity wowed herself too, before she clicked another button on the glasses by accident and saw something she didn't wish to see. "Oh my goodness!" She immediately took off the glasses.

"Uhh, what did ya see?" Applejack asked.

"I'd…rather not say." Rarity said, blushing intensely. "Nonetheless, it's a very…nifty invention- thank you for showing us that, Lightning."

"My pleasure. Okay! Moving on!"

~She led them towards one of the openings that revealed three more rooms. One went to the left, one went to the right, and one led straight ahead. The one on the right had a very long corridor whilst the other two didn't. Lightning pointed to that one first.~

"Down there is the training room, which we will get to later after the production, which you will be seeing in the screening room here." and she pointed to the left door. "Once Chief Secret is, uhh, finished with the documents he has downstairs, he will take you in there to watch a forty-five minute production on all this spy business."

"I remember having to watch that," Karly said, recounting the memories. "Don't worry, it's very simple and easy to memorise."

Lightning nodded. "The room straight ahead leads to Chief Secret's office. Visit it whenever you like if there are any problems that need to be dealt with or spoken about in a meeting. And back down heeerrreee…"

~Turning back and down through the main lobby and around the circled balcony, they entered the opposite opening over, which led into another corridor, much longer than the last one, with nine doors. Four doors were on one side, while four more were on the other. The only one was at the end. Each one was labelled with one of the girl's logos and name. From left to right, then across, this was order: Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Sunset Shimmer, Lightning Star, Karly Crystal, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack.~

"...are our rooms, slash, offices. It has a wide open space, a bed, a desk, and I have filled it with all the things you know and love. Check them out!"

~Pinkie Pie was the first to zip over her new room, easily knowing which one it was. There was a long silence as the girls waited for her response. Suddenly, Pinkie emerged from around the door again both forcefully and excitedly. Her eyes glinted towards Lightning.~

"You gave me a mini bakery, a chocolate fountain, an unlimited supply of cupcake ingredients, and CONFETTI BOMBS?!"

"What a girl needs to feel comfortable." Lightning replied.

"Just don't overwhelm yourself, Agent Pie." Steven said as suddenly approached them.

~Pinkie Pie hyped up a gasp before once again tossing herself back into her room and most likely onto the plush pink bed Lightning had put in there for her as they all heard the sound of a spring bouncing. The others then got excited, after seeing Pinkie's reaction. Sure, Lightning, Steven and Karly had only known them for two days, but judging and seeing everything they've now been shown so far, it felt like they've known each other for years, and that they knew everything about them. The six raced off into each of their rooms to see what there was to offer.~

~Only Karly remained outside with Lightning, still in awe at the sight of her and her friend's own personal secret hideout. She couldn't believe it, after spending over five years of stopping crime without one, they finally had it. A place to meet, to re-group, to recharge. It was like a home. Or rather, 'A home away from home' as her Uncle Steven would put it. Karly looked up towards him and he smiled down at her and patted her shoulder.~

"Are you okay, Karly, my dear?" he asked.

"I…I am just in disbelief at all this. How and when did you build all of it?"

"We had a lot of help." Lightning answered. "As you know, one of my uncles is a builder. So, with him, my ideas, and about fifty-hundred builders, this only took the two days we've spent here."

Karly was impressed. "Wow."

"Well now, I don't know what you're waiting for, go check out your new room!"

~With that, Lightning forcefully shoved her partner/best friend over the door with her name on it. And without any hesitation, she wandered in.~

"You really outdid yourself, didn't you, Agent Star?" Steven winked.

"Maybe…" the spy replied shyly. "You know, It's always good to impress and make a good impression on people. I want these girls to feel comfortable in our agency, and more importantly, feel comfortable around us and..."

"I know, I know. And they will. It's going to take alot more than fancy rooms though for them to earn more trust towards you. While you showed courage towards them when fighting Devil and those Dazzlings, it does not happen in less than a week. It's only the beginning of your friendship and teamwork, and we must make the most of it. Understand?"

"Of course."

Steven patted her shoulder. "That's my agent. This agency is going to be a success. I can see it in your eyes."

"Hey, don't forget who's really in charge," Lightning pointed at Steven, then to herself. "You just do your thing, and I'll do mine."

"Go on then. I'll prepare the introduction in the screening room."

~With that, he turned around and went off over to the other side and down the corridor, disappearing to his office. Lightning watched him before deciding to go back up to the music room and chill. But instead of taking the falling elevator that got them here, she took another, better, safer route. By going into her room and pressing her hand against the wall directing next to the door, she revealed a small red button from behind where she put her hand. She pressed it and closed her eyes, and by some crazy, magical miracle, she ended up back above the ground in the music room. It was like a quick teleporting device that can be used for emergency getaways.~

~Nonetheless, it got Lightning back up to the top. She laid back onto the piano and breathed a well-made sigh of relief.~

"You sure did good, Lightning. And using this small music room was spot on! I just wonder if there's anything in here that I could bring down for the girls." she said to herself.

Just then, a voice came out from behind the door of the room. "Hello? Twilight?" it sounded scuffy, yet small and kind.

"Uhh- Who's there?" Lightning demanded, glancing sharply.

~She heard scraping coming from the lower half of the door. Like something was trying to get in but failing because they couldn't reach the handle. Lightning went to investigate, but when she opened the door to peek through, there was nothing there. Perhaps it was just a figment of her imagination. But, as she closed the door and began to head back to the piano, she spotted a little purple and green-haired puppy gazing up at her from below her feet. He wore a spiked collar and had lime green eyes with floppy ears and a tuft of hair on the top of his head. Both were silent for a second until the dog spoke to her.~

"Uhh… Hi. I don't think I've seen you around before. Have you seen Twilight? She's the one that cares for me. She wears glasses, has dark blue/purple hair…"

The bemused girl looked at the dog in dismay. "Uhh...suuurrre. Come. Down here."

~She entered in the tune opening up the piano again, and while the dog was a little surprised and sceptical, he followed her in nicely. Lightning was a little bewildered herself. Twilight never mentioned anything about owning a pet. Where was he during the invasion of Devil and the Dazzlings a few days ago? And how is it that he is able to talk? Can animals just talk naturally in this world? She wanted to ask him all this but felt a little unsure talking to a talking dog. So, she decided to wait for an explanation once she presented this dog to the Rainbooms, supposed that he is actually Twilight's dog. Of course, the dog himself was no different. He had many questions to ask Lightning too. Firstly, about what they just went through coming down here from under the piano. They made it to the elevator once again, and after a quick, painless drop down, and screaming, they made it to the hideout.~

The dog was blown away. "Whoa! Wh-what is this place? Have you been living down here this whole time without us realising? Wait, you're not going to experiment on me, are you?"

"What- No! H-hey, calm down, little guy." laughed Lightning, though she was very nervous. "Don't worry, I'll explain everything. My name is Lightning Star, and I'm a new friend of Twilight's. I'll show you to her, then we can go from there. Okay? Ahh, here she is now."

~Just then, Twilight emerged from her new room/office with a satisfying smile across her face. She looked up to Lightning and was about to go all out about what she had to say in her mind about her room, when she spotted her dog at once.~

"Spike!" she exclaimed.

"Twilight! I found you!" Spike said happily, kicking and wagging his tail about.

Lightning smiled. "I believe this belongs to you."

~Spike abruptly jumped up and landed straight into Twilight's arms. As the two hugged, Fluttershy and Rarity came out to see what was going on. When they noticed Spike, their faces beamed into happiness.~

"Spike!"

"Spikey-wikey!"

They joined in on the hug and petted Spike passionately. "Oof! Hey, girls! Good to see you!" he barked.

Karly and the other girls suddenly appeared from their doors too. "Hey, what's all the commotion?" Applejack said.

The dog turned to them. "Oh. Hi there!"

"Spike!"

"SPIKE!" Pinkie howled.

"What the- You…You spoke!" Karly cried in amazement.

"Well, I didn't cough, did I?" Spike answered brightly. But Karly was too bewildered to say anything.

"So, do you want to introduce yourself, talking dog?" said Lightning.

"Sure! I'm Spike!"

"He's my dog and my faithful, loyal companion. He's been with me for as long as I can remember." Twilight said, stroking him passionately.

"He's...chatty. I mean- he can chat! I mean- he can talk!" stuttered Karly.

"It's a long story." Fluttershy said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"But anyways, Twilight, who are these girls?" Spike asked, pointing his snout towards Lightning and Karly.

"This is Lightning Star and Karly Crystal." Twilight explained.

"They are awesome secret agents for whom we are going to help stop bad guys!" Rainbow Dash said, clenching her fists.

"W-well, I guess when you put it like that." Karly said.

"Really? That's amazing! I've always wanted to meet a secret agent, even become one!" Spike jumped, wagging his tail faster.

"Well, you're in luck, Spike! Because we are training your one and only owners to be SA's!" Lightning said.

"Well, when they get the approval." Karly added, smiling.

Spike's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. "You're messing with me."

~But one large shake of the head from everyone put him in his place, and Spike howled with excitement.~

"Oh my goodness! Wh-when, when?! When do they get the approval?"

"Soon. Very soon. The chief is preparing the production right now, but, uhh, since it won't be ready for some time, why don't we all go and do something? It'll help us bond and get to know each other better." Lightning explained.

"Sounds fun. I suppose it'll be for the best since we are going to be working together." said Rarity.

"Glad you agree. However, I have no idea where we should go. I don't really fancy staying here in the school. Any suggestions?"

"We could go to the mall!" said Pinkie.

"You have a mall?"

"Sure we do! What, you think we spend all o' our time in school with nowhere else to go?" Applejack smirked. Lightning rolled her eyes and chuckled.

"Well, staying at school and learning about it can still be an option." Twilight suggested.

"Don't you even, Twilight." Rainbow groaned.

"Yeah, we can do that later!" Pinkie added.

Twilight sighed. "Alright."

"Come on then!" Sunset called. "Let's go and show Lightning and Karly what Canterlot City has to offer."

~The group bustled into cheers of agreement and excitement.~

"Can I come too?" asked Spike.

"Of course you can." Karly said.

"The more the merrier!" Lightning smiled.

"Now, how do we get out of here?" Twilight asked.

"Please don't tell me we have to go up that horrible elevator again." Fluttershy shuddered.

"Oh, no, don't worry, I created a much better way to get back up to the school." Lightning assured.

~Like that, she eagerly led them into her room and pressed the same red button and asked everyone to lock hands. Pinkie screamed as they teleported.~

"UP, UP AND AWAYYYYYY…!"
> Chapter 2: A Day Out at the Mall
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 2: A Day Out at the Mall

~With their heads now beaming under the light of day, Lightning, Karly and the seven and Spike began their route towards the mall, with Rarity leading the way. As they walked, Lightning began to see many familiar faces around the roads; a few even stopped to wave at them. Lightning slowly waved back.~

"You live in such a small community, don't you, girls?" she said. "Cause I am seeing CHS students everywhere!"

"Yes, it is a pretty tight community, but hey, I say it's nice to know everyone and see them every day, no matter where you go." Twilight replied.

"But besides that, there's still so much to see!" Rainbow added.

"Like food! How about we grab a bite?" Pinkie offered.

"I could eat." Lightning said. "But where should we…"

"I know just the place! Follow me!"

~The party girl charged on ahead, taking Lightning with her by the wrist. She shouted in surprise as she was pulled, and the rest ran after them. They made it to the mall, but they didn't go in through the front doors. Instead, Pinkie led Lightning towards the back where a pink and blue 1950's American style-like diner stood sticking out, and she could tell it was a 50's diner, because of all the bright, baby-coloured neon lights, as well as the pink thunderbird car decoration on the roof. Needless to say, Lightning was bedazzled. Karly read the title stripped across the top in lights as she caught up, panting a little.~

"Coinky-Dink World."

"YEAH!" Pinkie smiled. "Remember what I said to you the first time we met in the previous story?"

"Huh? Oh- that's right! You said that you worked here, didn't you!?" Lightning clicked her fingers.

"Yep! Part-time, three times a day, every seven hours! It's grrreat! I've been working here for only a few months, but I can assure you, I always know what every of my regular customers need before they even know it!" Pinkie said, flicking her wrist. "I also get free desserts!"

"Of course you do." Karly giggled.

"I mean, this is no surprise to Karly and I, since we also have a Coinky-Dink World in our city." Lightning said.

"We just never get a chance to try it." added Karly.

Pinkie gasped. "Well- you simply must try it now, now that you're here! I wouldn't mind having a few more new regulars!"

~With that, she swung the cafe doors open, then raced off to swipe the menu. Everyone got comfortable in a round seated booth as Pinkie scanned the menu then headed up to the counter.~

"Here! I'll go place everyone's orders!"

"Don't you need to know beforehand what we'd like though?" asked Lightning. "I haven't seen the menu yet- I don't know what's there!"

"Don't worry. I'll know."

~But before Lightning could protest, Pinkie was already at the counter, placing the orders. Figuring it was now impossible to argue, Lightning just let her do her thing and sat down in the booth with the rest of the girls. They began to make some conversation while they waited.~

"So, what's life like in your world?" Applejack asked first.

"Not much different from this world, but yet is different at the same time. If that makes sense." Lightning answered.

"What do you do there?" said Rainbow.

"Well, you know, we save the city, stop Devil from taking over, and…"

"What about when you're actually being teenagers?" asked Twilight.

"We go to…school. Spend time with our friends, whenever it's at the beach or studying in the library, or eating."

Karly nodded with Lightning. "Most times we like to hang out at our favourite burger restaurant called Burger Blast. Of course, there's also Chick, a place that does mostly chicken, annnd…The Pizza Shack."

Lightning sighed lustfully. "Ohh, The Pizza Shack is amazing. Ten out of ten for the pizza- it is gorgeous! But, we hardly ever go there to hang out."

"Why don't you?" Sunset raised her brow.
"The prices are ridiculously expensive. It's like, twenty quid, for a simple large margherita that's only, like, twelve inches long! Two extra for PINEAPPLE!"

~The girls and Spike burst out laughing. At that moment, they all felt something special, and there was a major conversation of common things now going back and forth between them, and everyone was sharing secrets. Twilight admitted about going to another school called Crystal Prep, before going to CHS, and Sunset told Lightning and Karly all about what her life was like in Equestria. Both girls were certainly intrigued by it and listened with astonishment.~

~When Pinkie came back with the food, all of the Rainbooms told the two teen spies about how it all began. The Fall Formal certainly caught the eyes of Lightning, and she had a hard time believing Sunset Shimmer was a cruel and dishonest bad girl who transformed into a raging she-demon.~

~The Battle of the Bands also had Lightning filled with crossness. She legitimately felt livid just by listening to all the things that happened to them because of the Dazzlings and kinda their own fellow classmates too. Karly, however, was just glad the mess and fights they caused was cleaned up.~

~The Friendship Games seemed like a repetitive story of the Fall Formal to Lightning and Karly, only this time switching Sunset with Twilight. The only differences they could make were the Shadowbolts, plant beings with teeth, a magic extracting device, and lastly, motorcycling, to which they found extremely outrageous.~

~And finally, Camp Everfree was now the icing on the cake, and from there they learned the origin of where exactly their geodes came from and what they are to them. A gift, and a source of connection towards their personality that they must now cherish. Karly smiled and Lightning winked. Now it was their turn to tell their stories. And they started with how they see each other as.~

"Wow. You two do everything together!" Pinkie Pie started.

"Of course. Best friends to the end, you know? I mean, who else is going to listen to your problems?" Lightning smiled, putting her arm around Karly.

"And give you words of wisdom to make you feel better?" she added.

"Save them from perilous situations?"

"Help them re-organise your notebook collection?"

"Share your nachos with them?" Lightning held up a nacho that was dipped in with cheese and gave it to Karly.

"I don't know." laughed Twilight.

Sunset shrugged. "Still. Don't you ever, perhaps, spend time with your…family?"

~At the mention of the word 'family', Lightning choked on the drink she was gulping, and a little bit of water spluttered on the table. Quickly and viciously cleaning it up with the shirt sleeve, she wiped her mouth and cleared her throat.~

"I…uhh…"

"What's wrong?" Sunset asked.

"Nothing! I just…don't talk about my 'main' family very much. Can we…can we skip this topic- or perhaps lend the question to…someone else?"

~Sunset Shimmer obviously didn't want to, but now seeing how distraught Lightning suddenly was, she agreed. The rest of the Rainbooms saw this too, but never dared to question it at the moment. Karly, instead, took the lead.~

"Here, Lightning, I'll take it." she said, rubbing her best friend's back. She created her throat. "I live with my mother, brother, grandmother and uncle Steven in a small house near the city. My mum works a lot however, so I rarely see her. Our grandmother, and sometimes Steven, raised us in the meantime."

"What about your father?" asked Fluttershy.
"He's about."

"But, do you know where he is now?"

"No. My parents divorced after my little brother, Bron, was born. My dad just…wasn't doing enough for the family. He had no job, no life, no purpose. And, one time…when my mother, grandmother and I went out, Bron had an accident on our staircase and broke his arm; Dad never noticed because he was too busy playing games. Nobody found my brother until hours later, and like that, Mum just had enough, and she kicked out my dad, followed by the divorce."

"Oh, I'm really sorry."

"It's okay. I was eight when it happened. I sometimes visit my dad, but it's not nice. He moves a lot. I haven't seen him since last year in February."

"Oh, you poor thing." said Rarity.

She shrugged. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't burden you with all this. Maybe we should move on."

"Karly, you're not a burden. We support you. And you can always talk to us whenever you feel the need to vent." said Sunset.

Pinkie nodded. "We're good at listening!"

Karly breathed a chuckle and a small smile. "Thanks, girls."

~The Mane 7 smiled back with a friendly laugh. Lightning felt better herself after that too, and began to forget about her own problems for now. She honestly had no idea how much better life will be when the Mane 7 will now care for them as much as she cares for Karly. By the time they had finished brunch, it was time to move on.~





~One small step into the mall was enough to make Lightning and Karly skip ahead and look about, completely awestruck. Two floors, shops everywhere, filled with fashion, literature, sports, games, and entertainment, and a fountain in the middle. This place had everything anybody could have ever dreamed of!~

"Whoa…! This place is like the freaking O2!" Lightning marvelled. "But with better shops and furniture."

"Just about." Sunset said. "So, where do you want to go first?"

"There's so much to do, and so much time." Rarity added.

Twilight began listing. "There's music, clothing, games, books, sports, books…"

Karly put her hand to her chin. "What do you girls suggest?"

"Ooo! Ooo! I know." Rarity said, and she urged everybody along somewhere gently.

~They came across a small fancy fashion-forward shop named: Four Season Fashions. Rarity eagerly went inside while Applejack and Rainbow Dash groaned, bored already. Lightning looked at the clothing inside.~

"Clothing shopping?" she quired.

Rainbow groaned. "Ugh, you just had to go and ask that, didn't you?"

~She directed the question at Karly who shamefully looked at the ground. They were in that shop for the next forty-five minutes, and funnily, nothing progressed. Rarity just kept on going through outfits, and in and out of the fitting rooms while everyone else slumped and sat on the waiting chairs, waiting boredly.~

Rarity came to them, holding up two dresses. "Hmm… Girls, which dress do you think works better for me? This? Or this? Which one do you think goes better with my eyes? Be honest."

Lightning hummed continuously. "Ummm…"

"I think they'd both look stunning on you, Rarity. And the sparkles on them will bring out both eyes!" Spike answered, wagging his tail.

"Ooh, thank you, Spike! You always know what to say! I'll get them both!"

"Wow. To think that a dog knows more about fashion than me." Lightning said, unblinking.

"Uhh, Rarity, I hate to burst your bubble, but we should go an' do somethin' for Lightnin' and Karly." said Applejack.

"Yeah! So, will you just get what you need so we can go somewhere that's not boring!?" Rainbow grumbled.

Rarity made a scowl, but Lightning stood up. "Why- What did you have in mind, Rainbow?" she asked.

~Rainbow Dash smiled at the question before speeding off in a bolt of rainbow thunder. Nobody saw exactly where she went, but Twilight and Sunset made their few guesses. It rounded them up all the way back down the escalator and towards the shop that sold sports items. Lightning smiled.~

"Ahh, sports. Now, this is a topic I am quite familiar with."

She suddenly heard Rainbow's voice. "Lightning, heads up!"

~The spy girl turned to just see a football flying straight at her and towards her head. She reached out quickly with both hands and caught the ball without any thought. Staring at it, then bouncing it down on the floor a few times, she smiled as Rainbow approached her.~

"Nice catch!" she said.

"Nice kick." Lightning replied, and handed her the ball again.

Rainbow turned to Karly. "Hey, Karly, think fast!"

~Rainbow then kicked the ball directly at Karly, just as she was entering, expecting her to catch it like Lightning. But instead, she flinched and held still. Letting the ball hit her hard, she stumbled back and fell on the floor. The girls gave a hardy 'Rainbow!' in exclamation while turning to her incredulously, but Karly assured them and stood up, clutching her head. She gave them a thumbs up.~

"I'm okay, I'm okay! Ugh, sorry! Not a sports girl!"

"Mayyybe we should move on to something else." Sunset said.

~And that's exactly what they did. This time they ventured towards the opposite of sports, and entered into a small book shop. Twilight's eyes gleamed as if she was seeing lights and wandered as if she was in a palace made of crystals. The walls, filled to the brimmed with shelves and books, caught her immense attention immediately, and she sped off to the science and astrology genres.~

"Reading!" Karly exclaimed. "I've certainly dabbled with a few books before in my time."

"Me too!" said Twilight, joyfully. "And I can't believe the new volume of 'Astrology's Greatest Discoveries' has come so early! Part sixteen, page one hundred and ten, chapter…"

"Pffft! Nerd alert!" Rainbow called, to which was then followed by her, Pinkie and Lightning laughing.

Twilight gave them a dry look. "Very funny." she ignored them only to catch Lightning now scanning the shelves. "Anything catching your eye, Lightning?"

"Ehh. Not at the minute. I'm more into action, adventure and mystery genres of books. Other kinds like romance make me sleepy."

"You got that right." Rainbow agreed. "I'm gonna go find the Daring Do section."

~As Rainbow headed off to another display, Fluttershy turned to Karly to ask about her interests, only to see she wasn't where she last saw her. That was, until they heard a little bit of scuffling, and then saw Karly on the ground, legs crossed, reading patiently through a book she found. Twilight peeked over just to see.~

"Ooh. What's that book about?"

"I don't know, I just started reading."

"How about you read some of it to us?"

"Umm… Sure." Karly coughed politely. "Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, long before there was such a city as Etheria, deep in the dark labyrinth of the Wuloric forest, there was a…"

~Karly stopped in her sentence as everyone suddenly heard the sounds of soft snoring. They all turned towards Lightning, fast asleep in her seat already. Pinkie gave her a quick nudge. Her eyes shot wide open.~

"AHHH- Kill it with fire! Huh?"

"What's attacking you, sleepyhead?" Pinkie laughed.

"Ugh, listening to people read..." Lightning droned.

"How about we head on over to another shop then before you fall asleep again?" Sunset chuckled.

~Lightning and Karly nodded silently. So, after waiting for Twilight to finish up purchasing, they headed off somewhere else.~





~Sometime later, all the girls were busy, wandering off separately into their own place of interest. Only Lightning, Karly, Sunset and Spike remained wandering. That was, until, the flashing front picture of a game coming from the front window of one of the stores, captured Lightning's eyes. She stopped mid-way from talking and walking and back towards the shop to stare.~

"Hello! What's this?"

~She stared inside with her face deliberately pressed up against the glass. Looking inside at all the games, CD's, and videos, Sunset appeared at her side.~

"This is our gaming store. Why? You play?" asked Sunset, excitedly as to see that she might have another gamer friend.

"Sure do! I've owned at least four consoles, and played games in many different ways. Though, I've never heard of these games before. Much different from our world." answered Lightning.

"Really? What games do you have in your world?"

"Oh, plenty! Four of my personal favourites are called Minecraft, Terraria, Pokemon, and Undertale. But, of course, there are some others though, such as Mario, and Rayman, and…"

She was called off suddenly by a male's voice calling out to Sunset. "Hey, Sunset!"

~A yellow-skinned male teen was suddenly spotted, waving at them from a short distance just inches away from the escalator. He had slick blue hair and deep blue eyes that shined in the reflection of the sunlight, illuminating from the glass above. He carried a heavy guitar-shaped case on his back.~

"Oh. Hey, Flash." Sunset greeted. "Nice to see you here."

"Pleasure's all mine," he replied.

Karly blinked at him. "Oh, hey. I remember you. It was at CHS… you went with Celestia, before you went off and…helped with the roof..."

"Yeahhh, that was sure something, alright." Flash admitted.

"Yeahhh, crazy." Lightning laughed nervously. "So, what's your name, stranger?"

"Flash. Flash Sentry." Flash introduced. "I rock my guitar, and always look slick when doing it. I'm a good friend of the girls and always will be there to cheer them on."

"We also dated for a while." added Sunset.

Lightning raised her brows. "Dated? Huh. What went wrong, may I ask?"

"It's a long story."

"And I wish I could explain it but I gotta head to the guitar shop to fix a string. See ya."

~The four of them waved goodbye, and the girls continued on with the day talking about games. They then went inside the shop to explore more closely, with Sunset telling Lightning about all these games, and once they were done, they went off to find the others. That was until Sunset noticed what looked like a guitar pick beneath her feet. She picked it up to see a blue shield and yellow bolt logo on it.~

"Flash's guitar pick." she identified.

"He must have dropped it when he stopped to talk to us," said Karly.

"Here. I'll return it to him. You guys stay here."

~The fiery girl wound her way up the moving escalator before disappearing down the second floor towards the guitar place. Looking about her, Lightning peered over then turned to her partner.~

"Welp, Karly. Looks like it's just me, you and Spike. For the time being."

"So it seems."

"Do you want to do something while we wait?" asked Spike.

"What can we do? We have already explored a lot." Lightning shrugged.

"Alot still isn't everything. We could possibly head to the pets and see what Fluttershy is doing, or to the party store when Pinkie Pie is looking, or back towards the…"

~Before Spike could say anything else, something outside the mall caught Lightning's attention. Her gaze followed there at once. Bouncing by the glass doors, as agile as an antelope, was the strangest, wildest, fluffiest-looking Shiba Inu puppy Lightning had ever seen, its ears high and attentive. It was a relatively small dog, standing at around one foot, two inches in height, which was roughly about thirty-nine centimetres. It was donning a cobalt blue coat with a white belly and legs, however, the fur on the centre of its back was a dark blue and in the shape of a curved rectangle. It was very fluffy, especially around its face, ears and paws, and it had a short, fluff-filled tail. What it didn't have was a collar, meaning it had no home.~



~It had obviously seen Lightning, Karly and Spike and as it came to a halt between them, and where it stood, it began to stare at them with its blackpool eyes uncomfortably for a long period of time. Then, it shot off back the way he had come from.~

"Karly, did you see that?" Lightning said.

"See what?" she replied.

"Another dog. Just outside those doors. It was just…staring at us."

"Do you think it's lost?" Spike asked.

"I don't know. But, I'm gonna find out." And at once, Lightning hared up after the strange dog.

Karly rose in surprise. "Wait, what- Lightning, wait!" she cried. "Where are you going?"

~She made to follow but stopped to assure Spike, as he was set down on the ground by her.~

"Stay here, Spike." she ordered. "I won't be long."

~And like that, she was out the door, leaving Spike alone in the mall. He immediately went to find Fluttershy. Karly yelled for Lightning over and over again. She looked about through the city but could not see her. Then suddenly, it began in an instant. Rain. One minute it was cloudy and dark, but not usually so. In the next, lightning, gale-force winds, and blinding rain exploded from the early summer sky.~

"LIGHTNING! Lightning!"

~Little did she know, this would be one of the most violent storms in Canterlot City history. But Karly could not stop now. She noticed two sets of wet footprints on the pavement, one human, one dog. She knew right away that the human ones were Lightning's.~

"LIGHTNING! WHERE ARE YOU?! There's a storm coming, we need to get back!"

"KARLY? KARLY! I'M HERE!"

"Lightning!"

"The dog went this way! Come on, let's catch it!" Lightning went to run in that direction but Karly stopped her by grabbing her hand.

"Lightning, I wouldn't bother about it! I'd bother about getting inside! The weather forecast said nothing about a terrible storm- so, we need to prepare ourselves!" Karly shouted.
"An unexpected storm isn't going to stop me! Besides, that dog would need help! If it stays out here, it may be blown away!"
"We will too if we do not get back inside!"

"It's not that bad! I just want to find that dog!" she ran off.

"'Lightning! Wait!" cried Karly.

"Just give me a minute!"

~Karly tried to stop Lightning but as she's said before, she is not the athletic type, and when she hopped over a fence to chase after her friend, she fell and scraped her expose knee right on the stones sticking out of the gravel.~

"Oww…" she droned, shortly before feeling her knee and seeing blood coming out from it. Tears came to her eyes. "Come on, Lightning, this is not the time to JOKE AROUND!"

~It might have been something in the air, but after a while, both Lightning and Karly began to feel light-headed. The world of Canterlot City certainly was strange and slightly unreal, and the only sounds they could hear were those of their panting lungs and the constant splatting of the rain chucking down on them.~

~In spite of the mistiness, Lightning found it to be much refreshing, and she was glad of the wet weather. The wild dog, although looking-like it was lacking adequate survival skills, did not seem to mind the rain one bit. No one knew how long they had been running, yet still they could not catch up with the fleeing figure of the dog.~

~Soon, they reached a site where buildings were being constructed. Karly looked around. Half a dozen building tools were placed about haphazardly as she kept on moving. At this point, her clothes were soaked and muddy, clinging to her skin. She could not go on any longer. As for Lightning, she refused to stop. To continue to the dog's trail, she raced under some scaffolding made of red steel beam poles. But she was not being cautious. Emerging to the other side, she stopped for a breather. That was when Karly and the dog saw it. Sitting on the roof's edge, less than forty centimetres above, was a box, loaded with bricks and metal. As the next roar of thunder occurred from above, it shook the beams and knocked the box over, spilling out its contents. Wild-eyed and unkempt, the dog spotted it falling downwards towards Lightning. And they were falling too fast to be stopped. As he came to a halt, the Shiba began barking wildly, trying to warn her off.~

"Bricks! Bricks!" he cried in a harsh voice. "Back away! Not safe!"

Lightning was taken aback. "Did that dog just talk?"

"Lightning, LOOK OUT!"

~With the bounce of a broken trampoline, Karly frantically, and instinctively, twisted and lunged at Lightning. Her eyes went wide and she drew in a harsh breath. It seemed as if everything were moving in slow motion, then at full speed, then slow motion again. The outcome, however, was successful, and she pushed Lightning to safety. But what about her own cause? At that moment, Karly looked up; heard the clattering of heavy metal and shattering of glass, and watched in terror as the bricks, metal and glass exploded on top of her. Since Lightning was caught off guard, when Karly pushed her, her head shot forward, and slammed into a red steel beam. A sharp, searing pain throbbed in her forehead. Then, there was nothing.~
> Chapter 3: Karly Crystal Disappears
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 3: Karly Crystal Disappears

"Lightning! Are you alright?"

~With the sound of that familiar voice, the world came back slowly and vaguely, as if she were swimming towards the surface in a cloudy pool of water. Lightning could see herself in the construction site, brushing dust away from her face, her body stabbing into the gritty earth. In actuality however, she was lying on her bed back in the hideout underneath Canterlot High School. Lightning stared at the ceiling of her room, still shivering and dazed. Her hand travelled absently to her bandaged forehead as she struggled to force her eyes open.~

"Don't move, Lightning. Rarity's getting another bandage."

~The words barely registered in her mind; they meant nothing to her. Aside from shivering, she hadn't moved since she'd been on the bed. Her hands and arms were completely, eerily still. Her breathing was rapid but shallow, like that of a small animal. Everything was blurry, moving in and out of focus, including sound. Slowly, instinctively, Lightning turned her head toward the shaded figure that spoke to her in the corner of her eyes. A girl...red hair...black leather jacket…must be Sunset Shimmer. A strange creaking sound suddenly came from the door as air escaped from the nearby radiator. Lightning's vision was returning slowly, starting with the images close to her. Plasters, ice packs and doses of medicines were on her lap, on her bed, as well as the fluffy, purple and green dog, Spike, that was cuddling up next to her. Nothing made sense though. Lightning's mind was weaving through unfamiliar images, one right after another. It wasn't until she heard more voices that forced her to concentrate better.~

"Oh, thank goodness, she's awake!" cried Rarity first in heavy relief.

"She's aliiive!" Pinkie Pie cheered.

A moan escaped the spy girl's lips. "Oww...what happened?"

"Wha-oh, Lightnin'. Don't try to talk or move 'round so much," Applejack said. "You're pretty banged up."

"It's just us, the Rainbooms, and you're back in the hideout. We're gonna get you patched up, alright?" said Twilight Sparkle.

~Lightning rolled her head, focusing on them with blurry eyes. She did her best to concentrate, to make her words as clear as possible.~

"okay… You have Karly too, don't you?"

~The Rainbooms' mouths contorted a little, almost sluggishly, then they shook their heads.~

"No… We only found you... Karly?" Sunset quired.

~A jolt of fear suddenly shot through Lightning right then after hearing those words. Like a wave, it started crashing down and she felt herself sinking inwards.~

"Karly was hit in the head too! You haven't seen her?" Lightning's words came out clearly, and so forcefully enough, it startled the girls and Spike.

Sunset spoke again. "We don't know- "

~Lightning struggled to get out of bed, but the duvets across her body held her in place. She untangled them quickly, ignoring the pain in her wrist and elbow. The Rainbooms all took an involuntary step backwards as Lightning forced them away. Her knees were swollen, and she almost lost her balance as she stood.~

Fluttershy held onto her as support. "Umm, I don't think you should be moving, Lightning…"

~The spy girl ignored her as she tried to get out of the room. However, her skin was pale, sickly, and her latest groan had opened her head wound again.~

"Lightning…" Twilight said softly.

"We have to go back out and find her! She's terribly hurt!"

~Lightning whirled around, but the rapid movement almost made her lose balance again. She grabbed a hold of Fluttershy. The corners of her vision faded to black as she struggled to keep the dizziness at bay. A scream suddenly came out, despite the spinning in her mind.~

"No, no, no, no… Karly!"

~The Rainbooms put her back into bed. Lightning's eyes travelled from one girl to the other, still having trouble focusing on them all. She was in pure terror.~

"Karly!" Lightning screamed again as loud as she could.

Sunset grabbed her arm, her eyes directly into hers. "Lightning, calm down for a moment- "

"You've got to help me find her! She needs me!"

"LIGHTNING!"

~The Mane 7 and Spike's sudden outburst finally got Lightning to calm down, and once she got to her senses, she scanned the area. Finally understanding, the girls stepped ahead and exchanged glances before Sunset shifted onto one knee, obviously uncomfortably, and gently put her hand on Lightning's shoulder.~

"Lightning, we understand that you are worried, and we know it's hard, but we can't help if we don't know what happened. So, can we go through some questions? It won't take long."

~Lightning bit her lip before nodding silently. Exhaling sharply, she sat up a little, trying her best to stay composed. The bandage wrapped around her forehead and right eye felt like a large red spot, and her cheek was swollen and bruised too. She took a deep breath in, and opened her eyes, showing that she was ready.~

Sunset sighed. "Good. Now, first off: What happened? Do you remember what happened?"

~Suddenly, with a rush, it all came back. The wild dog, the construction site, hitting her head on the beam. Lightning turned in her bed. Squinting through the mild flashing in her eyes, she focused down on Spike.~

"We were in the mall… There…there was a dog…"

"Oh yeah! The dog you saw!" Spike jumped up. "Did you find it?"

~He could feel a presence as he put his paw on Lightning's arm. His eyes were gentle and curious. He squatted before her, and she nodded.~

"Yeah, I did. Only for a while. We were chasing him through the storm and he led us to the site where Karly…Karly…" she couldn't continue talking.

"Could you, perhaps, give us a brief description of this dog?" Fluttershy asked.

"I-I could… I could try to draw him…"

"With that injured arm? I don't think so, darling." said Rarity.

"No, really, I can. I'm left-handed."

~Lightning reached for a sketchbook and pencil planted next to her bed. She was in shock and still dizzy, unable to focus for more than a few seconds at the time, but she pulled through painfully. Her balance was off, she jogged at least three times- her clothes were still soaked and stained red, and her right eye was covered, but they never forced her to stop. Twilight got out a flip pad herself and prepared to take notes. They went over all the basic descriptions first.~

"First of all, he, oww, looked young. No more than three months old, I'd say." It took a few seconds for Lightning to continue speaking as she was drawing. "I don't know… one and a half feet tall, maybe shorter, forty pounds or so. Just small. Blue and white fur, black eyes… just a normal-ish puppy."

"Any distinguishing features? A scar, birthmark, things like that?" asked Twilight.

Lightning repeated the question twice to herself. "He had a…hole in his left ear, I think," she offered, "No scars."

Twilight jotted this information without looking up from her pad. "Do you remember what he was wearing? Was he wearing anything? Like a collar?"

She closed her eyes, thinking. "No. No collar. I think he's a stray."

Twilight and Sunset exchanged glances. "Certain it was a male dog?"

Lightning nodded. "Oh, yes. Definitely male."

"What breed?" asked Fluttershy.

"A Shiba… I think- it looked like a Shiba Inu. And…that's it."

~The pencil clattered to the floor as it left Lightning's blood stained hand. The sketch was still a little joggy and not so accurate, but it was the best she could do. Twilight closed her notepad with a snap. Sunset reached for the sketchbook and as it left Lightning's grasp, she breathed under her breath a sudden sigh of anger. The girls looked at the drawing ever so thoroughly. Fluttershy thought he was pretty cute while everyone else was just curious.~

"Well, I don't know what to say." Sunset said at length.

"Me neither. We need to process this more closely." Twilight added. "Lightning, what time did this happen?"

Lightning shrugged, feeling helpless and weak. "I don't know… maybe quarter-past twelve. I didn't check the time."

~Instinctively, the seven glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. They had found Lightning at half-past twelve. It was now twenty-past one in the afternoon. Meaning, more than an hour, at the least, had already passed since the accident. All of the Rainbooms and Spike knew they had to get a move on right away. But the storm had not stopped, and if they went out, with or without proper clothing, it could lead to hypothermia. It wasn't a place for anyone to be in a storm like this, let alone a teenager. A person could literally vanish. They hadn't had a storm as bad as this since the Storm King on spring break. But every minute was precious.~

"Right. We are going to head out there, and get started on a search right away." Rainbow prompted.

Lightning crooked a smile. "Thank you, girls- "

"But," Twilight interrupted. "We are going to need to find this dog first."

"What? Why?"

"He is a witness. He might have known what happened to Karly. So, if we find him- he could give us some leads."

"I am not associating with that animal! He is the reason I am sitting in this bed, covered in plasters and bandages, and that Karly has gone missing!"

"How can you be so sure?" asked Fluttershy, her eyes in disbelief for the sudden accusation.

"It led us there in the first place! Okay?! It brought me and Karly to a construction site, lured me into a trap, somehow set off the stack of bricks lying at the top of the scaffolding, and tried to demolish me! Only… Karly pushed me outta the way, only to get hit herself!"

~Lightning lowered her face into her hands. Karly was injured too, but somehow managed to get up. Where was she? How did she recover? Where would she go?~

"Hmm… Maybe there is more to this story than what we've got so far." said Twilight. "Is there anything else we need to know?"

~Lightning closed her eyes to reach right into the deep ends of her mind for anything that she might've missed. It was then that it hit her- the obvious. The most interesting possible type of news, something the girls would have never thought to ask. He can answer them.~

"...it spoke."

"What?"

"The- the dog! It- it spoke to me. Right before I passed out!"

"Spoke? As in- spoke in words? But, that's impossible! Only Spike was granted the ability to speak in this world!" exclaimed Twilight.

"What did it say?" Pinkie wanted to know.

"My head's too fuzzy- I can't remember. I don't think it really matters. We just have to find Karly." said Lightning.

"But, how? We don't have any signs to know where she could be." Fluttershy said shyly.

"We'll start at the construction site where it all happened. We'll wait for the storm to die down, then, we'll go back and see what we can find." Sunset said.

"But, what if the storm doesn't stop for hours?" asked Rainbow.

"And what if we lose something important during that time? Like, anything evidence worthy?" asked Rarity.

"I'm not sure… Maybe Spike could get a scent." Sunset suggested.

"I could try." Spike replied.

"Then, by all means, we shall leave as soon as the storm stops." Lightning sighed.

"By 'we', do you mean all of us, including you?" Rainbow asked.

"Of course! I have to find my best friend!"

"But you're injured, Lightning. On the head nonetheless. Moving around could be the worst thing you could do." Sunset said.

"I guess, it's not as bad as losin' a best friend." Applejack said, in Lightning's defence.

"Yeah! We should all fit in, if we are going to find Karly Crystal!" Pinkie said.

"Exactly. I'll be fine." Lightning said, even though a soft groan put them at unease.

But Sunset had no choice, Lightning was too stubborn. "Okay. Just promise me you will get some rest." she sighed.

"Right here, right now. Promise." Lightning held up her pinky finger but Pinkie pushed it back down.

"Do it my way! Pinkie promise!"

"Pinkie promise?" Lightning questioned.

"Yeah! It's a promise I came up with when I was younger! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye~!"

"Okaaay?"

~Lightning pushed the bed covers off of her chest so she could cross her heart. Then, she pretended that she had a cupcake in her hand, and stuck it in her eye (her good eye). Suddenly, she was met with Pinkie Pie's face right into hers, staring sternly and intensely at her.~

"Do NOT break it. GOT IT?!" she bellowed.

"Got it." Lightning said, and Pinkie Pie smiled as if nothing had happened.

"Come on then, y'all," Applejack spoke up. "Let's give Lightnin' some time to rest an' for the storm to stop. Once it does, we'll head on out and find this little vermin and Karly!"

~With that, Applejack and the others exited through the door. Fluttershy fluffed up Lightning's pillow quickly before taking Spike with her too. They found Steven on the other side as he was just finishing. He smiled and told them the spy introduction production was ready, but after hearing what they had to say about Karly, Steven's smile disappeared. Suddenly, he was feeling so many emotions, mainly negative ones, and began making so many phone calls about everything. The unknown whereabouts of his niece put him in an uneasy state of mind, and he put the production on hold and told the Rainbooms to go and look for her as soon as they could, just like how Lightning said. But as they did with Lightning, they said the exact same thing, and had to wait.~





~Lightning arose from her rest at the chiming of her clock. She would have slept more, but found it almost impossible now. So, instead, she stared at the clock, watching as the minutes passed by with frightening regularity. It was about four in the afternoon. Karly had been gone for nearly more than four hours now. Four hours! They needed to go now.~

~Steven and the girls, meanwhile, have been mapping out the land. Torches and walkie-talkies were handed out along with extra batteries. Taking their camping gear from their last trip, the seven and Spike packed whatever else it is they think they might need for the search. Steven was still on the phone, desperately hoping for information. He tried calling hospitals to see if perhaps Karly had been found by someone and was taken for medical help. Alas, he got the same answer from all of them: No one.~

"Well, I've called all the nearest hospitals. Unfortunately, nobody named Karly has been appointed there." he said sadly.

~Lightning was just coming out of her room, so she heard him say that. Her dizziness abated only slightly as well, but she still could not keep her balance long enough to walk through the door's threshold. Bright lights hurt her eyes, but she needed to participate in the search. What kind of best friend would she be if she didn't? Karly was out there. She had to be...~

"Oh, Karly, where are you?" Lightning whispered to herself. "Why did you have to save me?"

Twilight noticed her. "Lightning, you should get some more rest."

"The storm had stopped though." Rainbow said. "We need to head out now."

Rarity agreed and turned to Lightning. "We took the liberty of packing some equipment for you." She handed her a rucksack.

"Oh. That's… wonderful. Thanks, Rarity."

"Of course, darling. I mean, a friend, lost in a storm. That's all we need to hear."

"In that case, you oughta get going," Steven said. "Please bring my niece back safely and try not to get hurt."

Sunset turned on her torch. "Let's do it."





~Lightning, The Rainbooms and Spike reached the spot over the fence where Karly fell. There was a red spot on the floor. Lightning, along with Spike and Twilight, headed north first, clearing the way, while the rest of the team laid back. Within minutes, they could see where it all happened. The construction sites. They were just barely on the outskirts of the Canterlot City forest. They all felt a sinking sensation in their stomachs. Did Karly go into the woods? Why? Would she even have made it that far? Lightning had her arm around Twilight's shoulder to keep herself steady. She guided her and her dog and friends over to the sites and, as they walked, she kept repeating Karly's name and whispering.~

"I still can't believe this has happened. And on the third day of exploring this world."

"Hey. Have some faith, Lightnin'." Applejack soothed. "I mean, we know this city an' these people. Calamities have happened around here before, and we always solve 'em."

~Lightning didn't respond. She was too busy worrying and muttering.~

"You'll be okay too," Applejack went on. "In a couple o' days, that ol' head of yours will heal an' you'll be thinkin' straight again!"

~Still, Lightning felt instinctively that something bad has happened to Karly. Once they made it to the surrounding site of the works, one of the builders, a heavy set man who was losing his hair, darted in their direction. After gesturing them to stay where they are, he started towards them.~

"'EY! You girls supposed to be here?" he asked, pointing his podgy finger at them.

"Probably not. They could cause trouble while we're working. I'm afraid you are going to have to back off." said the second builder who began escorting them back out.

"Wa-wait! It's important!" Lightning stuttered.

Rarity backed her up. "Yes, sirs, our friend has gone missing, and her last known location was here. She was hit in the head, so is it possible that you've seen a…"

"She was probably taken to a hospital or something." the worker interrupted.

"N-no, we called all of the one's near the area. She's not there." Sunset explained.

"Listen, kids. I don't pay attention to what happens around here. All that matters to me is getting the work here done. So, clear off before I call your parents."

At this, Lightning grabbed the builder by the shirt and brought him down to her face level. She glared menacingly. "Listen, I'm not joking around here. Either you let us search this place, or I'm just going to knock your block off with a ton of bricks! Just like what happened to Karly…"

"O-Okay, okay!" the builder said. "Geez, no need to get snippy 'bout it."

~He walked off, fumbling, before informing the rest of the crew about the girls. It turned out that he was the man in charge of the whole operation so whatever he said, goes. He returned to the girls afterwards and told them just to stay clear of the dangerous areas of the construction, then continued on with his day. The Rainbooms were agitated.~

"Well...that happened." Sunset said.

Lightning glanced at the Rainbooms then calmed down when she saw their faces. "Sorry. I'm just worried about Karly… She doesn't just randomly go missing." she sighed.

Fluttershy reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "We'll find her, Lightning. We will. Just please don't alarm yourself anymore."

~After drawing in a long, uneven breath, Lightning tried to draw in her strength, and got it. They got down to business.~

"Okay, Spike, start sniffing around. See if you can smell anything that could be important." Twilight ordered.

"Sure thing, Twi!"

~And as he did, the eight girls split into two groups and took off in opposite directions, shouting Karly's name independently, while also stopping occasionally to listen for sound. The rain, however, was increasing once again and deafening. After a couple of minutes, Spike ran back to the site and made to sniff for another scent. The eight voices- Lightning's, Twilight's, Sunset's, Rainbow's, Applejack's, Fluttershy's, Rarity's and Pinkie's- were the only human sounds in the area.~

~Soon enough, the rain made it impossible for them to hear each other, let alone another person, but they continued anyway. Lightning's voice cut sharply; a terrible scream of despair. Rainbow Dash took off at a lope, shouting Karly's name over and over, running a hundred yards up and down, firmly caught up in Lightning's fear. In the spy girl's mind, Karly could hear them, and she was willing her to listen to their voices.~

"Oh, Karly, please come back…"

~She was still out there, and Lightning knew she was still alive. She had to be. Lightning felt it deep down, and the feeling would be one in a million. They just had that special connection that is believed that all best friends share. All of a sudden, she spotted something. Even in the semimistiness, she turned and saw a colour of blue standing in the field. She froze. Her eyes were half-open, and her vision began to spin. She squinted at the blue figure before her. Her head was still hazy. Finally, gathering her senses, she started toward it.~

"You!" her words came out loud.

~As she shouted, Lightning's eyes flickered with a mixture of anger and hope, and her expression seemed to be clear. No doubt about it, it was the blue and white, wild Shiba Inu. It had appeared, and was watching Lightning in silence. It made no sound at all. She stole a quick glance across the fog and rain to see if she could spot the Rainbooms, then back, but by then, the wild dog had disappeared. Until, she heard a snap by a foot so soft, it could only be a paw. She took off after it at once and caught up quickly.~

"Oi! Get back here!" she shouted. "Where's Karly? What have you done with her? Speak up! I know you can!"

~She expected the dog to respond but all it did was backwards stare at her, then kept on running, barking nothing. They pressed on through the overgrowth of the forest suddenly and to one side, the dog steeled himself for what he was heading to. A gorge, straight ahead of them, filling with rain water from the sky and drifting deeper into the land. It wasn't a down-right straight drop to death but was most certainly a steep slope that could lead to horrible injury. Muddy, scratchy, filthy and seemingly exciting. The dog blinked as he made it to the edge and looked down. Then, the dog looked up to Lightning, with an expression of surprise on his face, but she was not holding back. She lunged, without thinking or seeing the gorge behind the blue Shiba. He dove out of the way as soon as he could make it and saw as Lightning barely halted. Her feet were right on the edge with no way to balance herself. Suddenly, her body was betraying her again, and it was a pretty excruciating moment, as her head began to feel pain and her vision blurred again, due to the rain and the running.~

"AHHH!"

~She kept screaming and fighting to hold still but her legs couldn't stop. She fell off and expected to crash and roll on the slope, until finally, something caught her at her jacket fast and held her in place. She turned her head to see Sunset Shimmer holding on firmly. She was followed by Applejack, then Twilight, then Pinkie Pie, then Rarity, then Fluttershy, then finally, Rainbow Dash and Spike at the very end. They were like a human chain. Lightning stopped screaming and looked with tears in her stinging eyes.~

"Rainbooms!" Lightning cried.

"Don't lean forward!" Sunset cried. "You'll drag us all down!"

"Umm, girls?"

~Fluttershy was looking in the opposite direction of the gorge. She was staring at something and as they all looked to see, they almost stopped breathing. The Shiba, sitting down at the end of their chain, looked at them, towards the eight girls with big hiking rucksacks in silence, a few seconds at most. He was cold and wet, and when Rainbow felt those small paws nudge against her leg, it was sobby. Suddenly, those nudges turned to shoves as the Shiba gradually began pushing Rainbow's balance off, and getting her and the others closer over the cliff. She couldn't do anything to stop him.~

"Hey! What are you doing? Knock it off!" she said, trying to push him away with no avail.

"He's trying to push us off the edge!" Pinkie shrieked.

"Hey!"

~Spike growled to get the dog's attention before leaping upon him to stop him from pushing the girls any farther. He never dared to throw paws or teeth and fight with him since he has never done that before nor want this to be a violent matter. But, at this point, already Spike's committed to this confrontation. So, he stood and watched, ready to pounce if the dog did anything fierce. And do something fierce, he did, but was never meant for it to go so far. What the Shiba did was push back with its hind legs on Spike's stomach to push him off, but in doing so, Spike grabbed the Shiba by the fur of his neck and slammed both him and himself across the floor and the girls until suddenly they sended each other tumbling down the slope and into the water below.~

"SPIKE!" Twilight cried.

~The girls watched as they splashed in and drifted away, floating. The storm really began flooding the gorge underneath them now, so Lightning, seeing as they had to follow, came to terms with what she had to do. She pulled herself forward, ignoring Sunset's order, and like that, she and the Rainbooms fell and rolled down the slope too, screaming. They all landed in the water after Spike and fell unconscious.~
> Chapter 4: Far from Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 4: Far from Home

~Lightning's eyes didn't flutter upon waking on the surface. Instead, she groaned and opened them slightly, noticing the overhead sunlight. She was as still as a stone. Ignoring it, she turned her head groggily and peered at her surroundings. It had stopped raining, and the flooding had gone. She saw herself lying in some gravel in a shallow puddle that came from the river.~

~Lightning tried to sit up on the ground to take a breather, but the accident had begun to take its toll on the rest of her body. A shooting pain coursed from her wrist to her shoulder, like a surge of electricity. She stared at her reflection on the river's glare and tried to fix the bandages around her head and over her eye. At first, she removed it, but after seeing the horrible damage, she immediately put it back on, not wanting to look at it. She called out to the Rainbooms.~

"GIRLS?"

~There was no answer. After a lot of panting and groaning later, the young spy finally felt better enough to stand and try to fix herself up a little by attempting to dry her clothes where the wind was mostly blowing. She held her sleeveless jacket up high and let it catch in the breeze. Then, she hung it over the nearby branch of a dead tree. She checked her watch. It was now seven in the evening, Karly had been missing for almost seven hours, while they had been asleep and lost for three! Lightning was shell-shocked; pale and exhausted, and her eyes were red and glassy. She didn't mean for her and the Rainbooms this time to vanish. She needed to find them fast. They couldn't have gone far, she thought.~ 

~Roughly putting her jacket back on, she ran along the river edge, despite the injury now throbbing in her legs. A familiar wooded area was seen nearby so that gave a hint that they could not have drifted far. Lightning kept to the river's side, in hopes to see someone, until finally she heard a groan. Lightning rose her head expectantly, and saw Rarity, Twilight and Applejack just crawling out of the water, soaked and covered in bruises.~

"Oh my gosh- Twilight! Rarity! Applejack!"

"Lightnin'!"

~Lightning hopped over to the three girls and helped Applejack to her feet immediately. She removed her hat from her head and twisted it to get the water out like it was a flannel. They turned to the other two.~

"Are you okay?" asked Lightning.

"Am I okay?!" exclaimed Rarity. "Look at me! My clothes are drenched, my massacre is running down, and- "

~The fashionista suddenly stopped as she felt her stomach and chest ache. It was as if something heavy had been placed on top of her for a long time and now that it had been removed, her body was slowly coming back to shape. She fainted into Applejack's arms. Lightning was horrified.~

"Oh, Rarity…"

"You can say that again. My head hurts an' it feels as if an apple tree fell on me." Applejack sighed in pain. "What about you? Are you alright, Lightnin'?" she then asked, turning to the said girl.

"Me?" Lightning softly clutched her head all of a sudden, and adjusted her bandages nervously. "Ahh, not so great. The tumble put pressure on my head and I felt it open again along with a shoulder and wrist cramp."

"Why ever would you pull us down then?" Rarity said, annoyed at her at the stunt she pulled at the slope.

"W-well, Spike fell so, I felt we needed to- "

"Spike!" Twilight suddenly rang out after staying silent for a while. She remembered what happened, and was concerned. "Oh my gosh- Where is Spike?!"

"He fell down into the river first. Goodness knows where he is now, I- "

~Suddenly, the sounds of whining and whimpering were heard not too far ahead. Twilight immediately recognised them to be her dog's.~

"Spike!"

~She immediately turned towards the sound and headed off at once. It didn't take long to find what she was looking for. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were there too, same bruises and pale faces. They were looking down at the purple dog. Twilight jostled her way past them to see. Spike turned, his face soaked by the heavy river. His cheek had a deep, fresh scratch, partially hidden by splattered mud, and his left foreleg was swollen and crooked and bruised. He collapsed to the ground, whimpering in pain. Fluttershy placed her hand over her mouth in shock.~

"Spike!" Twilight exclaimed.

"W-what's wrong with him?" cried Rarity.

Applejack dropped to one knee and put her hand on Spike's back. "He's hurt bad. I think it's his leg."

"You're right. It looks like a terrible sprain." Fluttershy said. "Oh, poor Spike."

"Let me see," Rainbow said, and began rubbing the fractured leg. "That doesn't hurt, does it?"

"OWW!" Spike whined.

"Oh! Sorry!"

"Quick, we need to clean his wounds and patch them up. Where's the med kit?" Lightning ordered.

"We don't know…" said Fluttershy.

"What?"

"We lost all o' our stuff when we entered the river," Applejack explained. "We have nothin'."

"Unless Sunset and Pinkie might have recovered some stuff. But we need to find them first." Twilight said.

"You haven't seen them?" asked Rainbow.

Lightning blinked in surprise. "No, have you? Or at least, any leads to Karly perhaps?"

The question was sudden but Fluttershy realised that she and Dash should have expected it. The shy girl shook her head. "No, we're sorry."

~Lightning pressed her lips together, staying silent. She seemed to be evaluating the answer before finally turning away, seething in anger. She kicked a rock wedged in the floor, but since it was wedged in real good, all it resulted in doing was hurting Lightning's foot.~

She cursed in pain. "AHHH!"

~She recovered quick but growled fiercely like an angry lion.~

"Right, we're gonna need to look about. We can't have lost THREE of us now! Let's just quickly do what we can with Spike, then head towards the trees."

~The girls shuffled to obey. Fluttershy wet a washcloth and brought it to the riverside and gently wiped Spike's face. Rainbow Dash then removed her jacket and wrapped it around the puppy to keep him warm. Finally, Twilight took him in her arms and carried him. It was a struggle as he weighed at least forty pounds, and her arms ached, but she couldn't do much else but be there for him. After that, they took off in the forest in hopes to find Sunset and Pinkie.~

"You know, since we are in the forest near our city, we must be quite close to Camp Everfree," said Twilight.

"Camp Everfree?" Lightning questioned.

"Yeah! It's the place where we got our geodes." Rainbow smiled, remembering that glorious day.

"From the most gorgeous crystal cave ever to exist!" added Rarity.

"Huh. I wonder then…" Lightning said, looking down. "Do you think Karly might have gone there?"

"Well, I don't know about that. She doesn't really know of its existence now, does she? But, I suppose, if we do find the camp, we could ask our friends living there, Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce." Twilight explained.

"Ooooh~ Timber Spruce! It'll be good to see him again- Ehh, Twi?" Rainbow winked, nudging Twilight's arm.

"Wh-what?" Twilight stuttered. "Oh! Well, I g-guess!" she laughed nervously.

Lightning was confused. "Uhh, is there something that I should know?"

Rainbow smirked. "Yeah- Timber Spruce is Twilight's boyfriend."

"Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed, her face blushing red. She laughed nervously as she turned to Lightning. "What she means to say is, Timber is a very close friend of mine. We've been on a few dates, but we've never made anything official yet. We just don't want to rush things, you know?"

"Nope!" came a high-pitched voice. "Sure, they like each other, but they would rather wait a few months before becoming a couple!"

"WHOA!"

~Pinkie Pie made her grand entrance by dropping down from the imaginary ceiling and landing right in front of the girls.~

"Ohh- Pinkie! There you are! Glad to see you're okay! Is Sunset with you, too?" Applejack said.

"Right here, AJ."

~They saw an orange-skinned hand peek out from the distant trees, then Sunset Shimmer came out from behind. Both she and Pinkie had bruises on their knees and legs but so far looked fine from their upper bodies. It seemed as if they got hurt the least out of the gang from the violent catastrophe.~

Lightning looked in her eyes shamefully. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"Not as okay as you." Sunset responded, but tried to be reasonable. "Lightning, I explicitly said not to push forward- Why did you do that?"

"It-It was for a good reason!" Fluttershy suddenly spoke up.

"Yes," Twilight agreed. "Spike fell, remember? And if we didn't go in after him, he would have been lost, and hurt, with no one to help!"

"Well, he still got injured, but yeah…" Lightning said, thankful for Fluttershy and Twilight backing her up. Sunset looked at them, then nodded silently, understanding. "Anyways," Lightning went on, "Any chance you saved any equipment for when we fell? We've lost everything."

"We were able to recover a few backpacks but I think the rest were swept away. We got yours, Pinkie's, Rainbow's and mine." Sunset answered.

"What?!" Rarity exclaimed. "My hair dryer! My makeup! My extra pairs of Sapphire Shores' furnishment! It's all gone!?"

"Yeahhh… Sorry, Rarity."

~The fashionista couldn't believe what she was hearing, and fainted again. Even Fluttershy was a little upset, because her bag contained the most important things they needed for this journey, including nourishment, cleaning products, medical supplies, and others.~ 

~Lightning immediately went to her bag to check for anything missing. A few items were wet and shoddy but not as bad as she thought they would be. That was, until she pulled out the sketchbook that contained her sketch of the Shiba Inu. Flipping to the page with the drawing, she looked at it in disgust, now feeling even more hatred for the dog, and now blaming him for their unfortunate 'mishap'.~

"This is all your fault…" she muttered to herself.

~She snatched the pencil from the side pocket of the rucksack, and proceeded to scribble all over the page and the sketch hard until the pencil turned blunt. The Mane 7 watched with concern but did not say a word.~ 

~After that, Lightning put her stuff away, threw the pack back over her shoulder, and marched into the woods, without another word. The Mane 7 followed with Spike still being carried by Twilight. The puppy had fallen asleep at this point to refrain from feeling his injuries, and over the fact of his fight wearing him out.~ 

~After a few minutes of the eight girls walking, they stumbled across a round opening of sun, grass and a lake. It seemed pretty from the outside but inside felt frightening. It was like a hole, surrounded by steep stone and large tree roots that dipped all the way down, and seemed impossible to climb. The eight gazed around wondrously.~

"Whoa…this place is lovely," said Fluttershy, trying to see the bright side of things.

"But troubling. We have no idea where we are." said Lightning, wishing she had a map.

~Just then, Sunset gave a gasp and everyone turned.~

"What is it, Sunset?" Lightning asked.

"Don't look now, but down there on the right, there's a low ledge. I think I see the Shiba Inu, and he's climbing up!"

~Just then, the flying figure of the Shiba Inu scaled hurriedly up the steep stone slope over on the right. The girls jumped back in surprise at his sudden appearance, before he failed to make his way out, and dropped back down into the hole, panting.~ 

~All eight poked their heads out behind a nearby boulder and watched as he tried and failed again. Lightning got out her sketchbook. As the dog fumbled around, barking and shrieking, she couldn't help but sketch him again, now getting a better look. Slowly taking a closer, but cautious, peek, she began scribbling again. This was the first time the Rainbooms saw him properly too, and as they watched his impressive movements, amazed, Fluttershy realised why he couldn't get out. His paws and belly were scratched, and his leg looked broken, just like Spike. That was when she remembered that he fell down into the river too, he must've endured the same injuries as Spike. Maybe he needed help too. Just then, Lightning has finished her redraw.~

Everyone gathered to look at it, as Lightning muttered. "Why doesn't it just…run away?"

~With another peek over the rocks, Lightning tried to get another better look at him. The dog pawed at the ground as she pushed forward to see him. Suddenly, she got too close to the edge and slipped on the moss, causing the pencil she was holding to loosen out of her grip. It clattered to the ground, and made noise, causing the Shiba to notice it, then them. Everyone fell silent. The dog crouched down low as he stared at the girls curiously, making the sounds of a lion cub's low growling.~ 

~Lightning tilted her head at the dog condescendingly, as he titled back, suddenly sensing a special form of communication.~





~When the night turned black, it mercifully became much cooler than that morning. Hazy clouds blew in the sky, keeping the moon from venting its full fury. It was a little before eleven o'clock when the girls finally settled where they were. Thankfully, Rainbow Dash was the one who carried their camping gear and tents. So, they set them all up. They placed Spike down first on a pile of extra coats they had packed, as they had no beds, but as he tried stretching his legs and arching his back, a sharp stabbing pain plunged into his leg and he howled in pain. Fluttershy immediately ran to his aid but there was nothing she could do.~

Rarity sighed. "Poor Spikey Wikey… I simply cannot bear to hear the poor darling whine any longer."

"Me neither," Fluttershy added. "We just…we just have to find something to help him!" She turned to get up and leave for the forest when Rainbow Dash took her arm.

"Whoa! Fluttershy! What are you thinking?! You can't go in there! It's too dark!"

"Dash's right. We're gonna 'ave to wait 'til mornin' if we wanna get somewhere," Applejack said.

"I'm just confused about that puppy." Pinkie said, jumping down from a tree. "Whose side do ya reckon he's on?"

"I don't know," her friend, Sunset, replied, "But we'd better not take anymore chances now."

"Yeah. Let's face it, it's all because we followed him that we got hurt and lost in the first place." Rainbow said, grumbling.

"I wish I knew why." Twilight sighed. "I mean, I feel like he knows something about Karly, but why force us down the river? What does he have to gain? Why us?"

"What do you think, Lightning?" Pinkie asked.

~The spy said nothing, for her mind was distracted. She just kept staring down below into the hole where the Shiba's silhouette lurked, still wandering and still whimpering.~

"I don't think it's best not to bring anything up with her at the moment," Twilight whispered. "She's still very upset."

Fluttershy nodded in agreement, then had a thought. "Hmm… Do you think then… I can try talking to her?"

"What?" Twilight and Sunset chroused.

"Maybe she just needs someone who can listen to her." Fluttershy said. "Th-think about it. Something else is bothering her. She got really upset when she found out Karly disappeared, and she's always upset at that poor animal… And not because she blames him for Karly's disappearance." She pointed down towards the slopes.

"Actually, yeah. You may be onto something, Fluttershy." Sunset said. "Okay. We'll give you the opportunity to talk to her then, and maybe, you can find out what else is troubling her."

"You think so?" Pinkie Pie smiled.

"Yeah!" Sunset replied confidently.

"B-but I don't want to pressure her, though. I just…would like to speak with her alone and try to get her to open up- a little." said Fluttershy.

"Of course, of course. Don't worry so much." Sunset assured. "Here, we'll discuss it with her later in the morning. And hopefully, for better luck, we can sort all these messes out at the same time. That'll make her feel better."

~Nodding in understanding, the girls agreed towards the plan among each other, then tried to last the night. It would be best to leave as soon as they could tomorrow morning so that they didn't have to sleep as much as they should under these now poor conditions. Rarity, especially. Nothing would make her more happy than to be back home or at least in their new secret hideaway, cuddling up in her nice, new warm bed. She did not expect the journey to be this difficult, now without much gear, but they must have some faith. For Karly Crystal and Spike.~





~By the time everyone woke up the next morning at dawn, the Rainbooms peered down to look for the Shiba Inu, but he was gone. He must have escaped during the night and ran off, just as Lightning wanted to happen. But this wasn't good news for the others, as they still needed him to tell them if he knew anything. They'd have to find him later. Because at the moment, Spike was still bruised and couldn't move, as much as walk, so Twilight had to take him in her arms again. By now, the bruises on the girls had almost healed, so they obtained some strength back in order to continue on with their quest. But first, they needed their sniffer to track, so finding Karly had to wait too, much to Lightning's annoyance. Spike came first, and they needed medicine fast.~

"Twilight and I will search the north of the forest." Rarity said, pointing in that said direction.

"Me and Applejack will look around eastwards!" Rainbow said.

"Ooo! Ooo! Sunset and I will look over to the west!" Pinkie smiled, taking Sunset by the hand.

"So, then that leaves with Lightning and Fluttershy to explore the south." Twilight said, addressing the two, and nodding at Fluttershy specifically.

Lightning shrugged. "Alright then."

Sunset smiled. "Alright, guys, once you find something that might help Spike, let the rest of us know with a signal, and we'll meet up in the spot where you found it. Okay?"

"Okay!" The Rainbooms chorused.

"Then, let us split up!"

~And just like that, at Sunset's command, the eight girls split up two by two and headed off in different directions. Rainbow and Applejack ran for it, while the rest walked sensibly.~







~Song: Beware the Forest Mushrooms/Forest Maze- (Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars)~







~Twilight and Rarity had a hard time examining their surroundings. The trees gave out very little rays of sunlight, and it felt as if there was no breeze at all. It was strangely frightening. But, for Spike's sake, they had to continue. Twilight could feel him weakening in her arms with every movement she took. As Rarity cleaned the pathway of bushes and vines using her diamond discs, she began looking around and up at the tall thick trees that stretched high up for herbs, berries, or anything that could resemble medicine. But alas, she found nothing.~





~Rainbow Dash and Applejack weren't having very much luck either. While their side of the forest had more shine to it, it didn't mean it had less density. It was still dark and gloomy, without a single strand of hope. Rainbow even jumped when she heard the sound of a single tree branch snapping. Applejack tried to reach inside the hollows of the trees for any delicate plants, but all she ended up doing was enraging a squirrel that lived inside one of them that began to peck at her with its teeth. They decided to stay away from the trees.~





~Sunset Shimmer and Pinkie Pie darted down towards the rustling bushes beneath their feet. Pinkie stuck her head into one of them, but after a quick rummage around, she came back to Sunset with no results. All she got were a few pines in her hair and brown marks on her pink face. Next, she tried going up a tree to look far across for anything nearby. It was quite the climb, but she got to the top with ease, much to Sunset's impress. Putting her hand above her eyes, Pinkie squinted as she looked over the open vast area of the forest. The light was strong from up there. Leaning out to get a further, better view, she stretched her arm out from the tree's stalk while still keeping a hold and swung around it a number of times. All she could see were the other sharp pencil tops of the trees, and the tiny versions of Rainbow Dash and Applejack, for whom she waved to but never got a response back. She climbed down and joined Sunset once again in the bushes.~





~Lightning and Fluttershy reached an area off the forest that was a little less dense, where the trees grew further apart and the branches and bushes didn't scrape against them continually. Here they were able to search more quickly, and Fluttershy could see three birds, or rather their figures, soaring in the sky. The ground was elevated slightly, it was usually dry, and animals flocked to the area. There were none in sight, however. Fluttershy bounced forwards to look for them, concerned as to where they went, but Lightning just thought she was scared.~

"First time being alone in the forest?" she asked.

"Oh, no." Fluttershy said softly. "I come here on a regular basis to check on the wild animals living here."

"Oh yeah, your superpower is communicating with animals, right? How does that work exactly?" asked Lightning.

"Mostly I just understand what the animals are thinking instead of feeling. They show their emotions quite emphatically, so it's easy to read their minds." answered Fluttershy.

"Ohhh, I see, I see."

~Fluttershy was happy that a conversation began to bloom. She didn't want to immediately unexpectedly talk about yesterday without a line up. However, it was still pretty hard to muster up the courage to ask. Even though Fluttershy was looking at her, she seemed far away, lost in a kind of listless daze. So, as quietly as she could, Fluttershy made her way over to Lightning, and took a deep breathe in.~

"Umm, Lightning?" Fluttershy finally said.

"Yeah?"

"About…what happened yesterday… Do you want to talk about it?"

Lightning shook her head angrily. "Ugh! Come on, Fluttershy, you're the last person I ever expected to ask that. Besides, I've already told you everything!"

At once, Fluttershy glanced down nervously. "I-I know, and I do not mean to sound brash, but you seem stressed and tense about all of this, more than an average person would, and I… We want to help. Why don't you want to talk?"

"...Look, I admit that I am now having problems about everything, but I just don't want you to worry, and I don't want to boggle my emotions."

"But you'll worry yourself even more if you don't say." Fluttershy answered nervously.

"But, I…"

"It's always good to speak up to people, Lightning, instead of bottling up your emotions, even if you hardly know them. They can be good listeners and help clear up your problems. Princess Twilight taught me that herself. Come on, you can tell me anything. You can…Trust me."

~Lightning didn't seem to understand as she squinted at Fluttershy, who was now standing before her with her arm out, smiling. Her thoughts were still hazy. Suddenly, the look of trust and kindness flashed into Fluttershy's eyes, and Lightning felt a sense of great comfort. Birds and squirrels and other woodland creatures suddenly appeared too, to show as well that Fluttershy is the kindest, most delicate soul she will ever meet, and trust. They all had the same look in their eyes as her. At once, Lightning eased up, and took a deep breathe in, then out.~

"Huh. I suppose I have been pretty frustrated and now distant for a while." she admitted. "I may have never met this Princess Twilight before but she sounds like she's a good mentor…"

"She is. She's done many things to bring us back together, she even reformed Sunset Shimmer when she used to bully me, and she helped us defeat the Dazzlings. We have been keeping in touch ever since…" Fluttershy smiled.

"I know, I know the story- you told me about it in Coinky-Dink World." laughed Lightning. She sighed. "Okay, I'll talk."

~They both sat down beside an open tree side to side, and as Fluttershy beckoned a few animals to come over and join them, Lightning began explaining, while fiddling with the bandage on her eye.~

"It's just…I've never had much support in my life. Karly was the only female that I can talk to most of the time." she paused for a moment. "And…if I lose her, I don't know what I'd do with myself. I can get really lonely. I do have other females in my life, yes; but none of which I am closer to than Karly."

"Wh-what do you mean by that?" Fluttershy asked.

"It's complicated to say…"

"Is this about your family?"

"...Well, sorta…" Lightning mumbled. "Let's just say, I have a hard time spending time with them."

"You don't spend time with your mother, or anything? Why? What does she do for a living? Do you have any siblings? Brothers or sisters? What do you do when you're at home?"

Lightning didn't want to answer, back there was no use lying. "Fluttershy, I…"

~But before she could get to the point, Fluttershy's geode began to sparkle, distracting them from the conversation. Fluttershy then cupped her ear as if she was listening for something, then rose up from her seat unexpectedly, and took off in a random direction without another word. Lightning was left confused.~

"Fluttershy?"
> Chapter 5: Forgiving Friendship
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 5: Forgiving Friendship

~Lightning was having a hard time keeping up with Fluttershy, and even wondered where she was even going. In fact, she was moving so fast, Lightning almost lost sight of her through the trees. She rushed down a sudden but narrow, empty pathway between the bushes. Then, she stopped, and bent down and looked more carefully at the ground.~ 

~At that moment, Lightning caught up with her and was confused as to why she was now kneeling on the ground doing nothing. That was when, finally, she looked down herself and realised. Fluttershy was following dog tracks. There appeared to be a lot of criss-crossing and, occasionally, a lot of sniffing around. Fluttershy took off again, and even when Lightning yelled at her this time to stop, she didn't slow down. Whatever it was, something was seriously wrong in nature's force, it prevented her from stopping.~

~But soon enough, Fluttershy eventually came to a full stop, in a little clearing in the woods. Lightning panted up behind her to where she was squatting. She looked up at her forlornly, then pointed ahead.~

"Lightning, look! That poor dog- it's caught in a trap!"

~Lightning peeked over the bush they were hiding behind. There, she saw the Shiba Inu once again and, as Fluttershy said, he was caught in a beartrap. His hindleg and foot were captured tightly in the iron jaws, while his forelegs bled from all the scraping he was doing, trying to get it off. Lightning gave a snuffle, then spoke fiercely.~

"Hmph! Well, serve that Shiba dog right! He's cruel and unkind."

"Lightning!" Fluttershy exclaimed.

"What? I know what I said!"

"That is no way to treat these poor creatures. No matter what they've done- good or bad- no one deserves to be abused like that."

"I don't want anything to do with it, okay? I'm not taking any chances."

"That is not my way. Especially with animals. Come on, we need to help."

~At that, the shy girl revealed herself to the dog from the bushes and approached him very calmly and very caringly. With her hand raised to show peace, she slowly petted the dog to establish trust, and thankfully, he allowed her to get closer. Lightning, on the other hand, still didn't budge. Her grudge for the animal was still strong. But then, all of a sudden, she couldn't hold it back anymore, or bring herself up to ignore them. Despite her anger, the painful whines from the dog were just too much for her to bear.~ 

~Suddenly, her kindness kicked in and she raced over to Fluttershy's side to help. She was about to put her hand down on a crucial piece of the trap that could possibly hurt her or possibly get her stuck too. So, thankfully, Lightning stopped it. She put her hand on Fluttershy's hand, and pulled it upwards.~

"Whoa, Fluttershy! Be careful. Traps like these are not all easy to manage. Here, let me." she offered.

~After clamping on the Shiba's snout so as to not get bitten, Lightning examined the trap and found its snare point. She was taught that every trap has a point where it can be snared and released, but it won't work unless you have the right skills and steadiness for it.~ 

~So, after finding the right point of the trap where it was activated, Lightning lightly pressed down on the button, and the jaws opened, setting the Shiba free. After he dragged his legs out from the trap, the three had another very cautious stare-down. Until finally, the most amazing thing happened that Fluttershy never expected to occur.~

The dog gazed up into their eyes, and spoke. "F-Fank you."

Fluttershy was taken aback. "H-huh?"

"I said, fank you." the dog repeated. "Mighty civil of you ta help me like that, even after all the trouble I 'ave caused yer."

~There was no mistake that that voice was coming from the dog. Both Lightning and Fluttershy could hardly believe it, and more so, Fluttershy had to double check her magic wasn't activated while he spoke. After seeing that it wasn't, her eyes lit up.~

"I told you he could talk!" Lightning cried.

But all Fluttershy did in response was push Lightning aside. "In-Incredible!" she started. "N-no, please! No trouble at all, little one. I am always obligated to help animals in need."

The dog sighed. "I didn't mean the trap, I meant tossin' y'all into the river."

"...oh."

Lightning scoffed. "Pffft! Yeah, no kidding."

"Lightning!" Fluttershy scolded. She turned back and ruffled the dog gently. "Please, it-it's okay. What's your name, little guy?"

"Name? I don't 'ave one. Imma only a dog, just roamin' around the forest, tryna survive, ain't I?" he woofed. "I should get goin' now."

~He turned and made to leave like a shot, but as he pressed down on his leg, it made a loud crunch, and the weight of him collapsed underneath it at once. He howled in pain.~

"Oh my goodness!" gasped Fluttershy. "Are you okay?"

The dog groaned. "Not particularly. Me paws are bleedin' and me ribs done 'alf 'urt. Not to mention this ol' crooked leg!"

"Here, Let me help."

~Fluttershy carried the dog over to the shading of the trees they were at before the trap. She made sure his position was comfortable enough, then, once she was sure, she turned towards Lightning.~

"Lightning, do you think you can get me some water from the river over there?"

"I…" Lightning was about to argue, but stopped, knowing it wasn't worth upsetting Fluttershy anymore. "Sure I can."

"Thank you."

~At that moment, Fluttershy and Lightning exchanged a trustworthy smile. And, as another kind gesture, Lightning took off her jacket, and gave it to Fluttershy to use as a makeshift blanket and tender to the dog's wounds. This made Fluttershy happy to know that Lightning cares for animals just as much as she does. Despite everything that's happened, she still had kindness.~





~With the dog now firmly in the warm arms of the girls, Lightning and Fluttershy decided to set off a signal, by calling for some birds, and sending them off to find the others, and let them know what's happened. As the birds were doing that, the three decided to set off along a pathway towards a cave, the Shiba just happened to know about, where they could shelter and settle in for the night safely. It turned out though, he had actually saved the rest of the Rainbooms' packs from the river, and dragged them there to dry off and be safe. Fluttershy was absolutely relieved by this, seeing now as she had her medical equipment back, and could now actually medic on the dog.~ 

~Eventually, when the rest of the girls showed up and reunited, they were relieved too. The eight were quite unexpected to see an open vast little cavern. It really seemed perfect to rest in. So, after lighting a small fire, and making sure Spike and the Shiba Inu had everything they needed, they began to discuss. Sunset approached where the Shiba Inu was resting. He perked up at her.~

"Uhh…Hello." Sunset Shimmer said. "You must be the Shiba Inu Lightning has told us so much about."

"The one that got away, too." Rainbow said smugly.

"Hmm! Glad I 'ave not bin forgotten." the dog woofed. "Pleased to meet yer."

The girls gasped and stumbled back. "What the?!"

"Who said that?" Pinkie cried, glancing around.

"Me, of course!" the dog answered. "Wot, never seen a talkin' dog before?"

Twilight mumbled in disbelief. "I…we…uhh…"

"We've never seen a second talking dog before." Sunset said.

"More specifically, we've never seen a second talking dog that talks funny!" smiled Pinkie.

The Shiba raised a brow. "Do I talk funny?"

"At certain points, ya do, yah." Applejack laughed.

"It 'as bin awhile since I last 'ad 'uman interaction bafore, that's why."

"Oh, well, please, by all means, darling, we are not at all fussed about addressing a talking dog." Rarity said, knowing that they have one already.

The Shiba rumbled a laugh. "Fanks."

"Don't ya mean 'Thanks'?" Applejack corrected.

"Ih- Wot ever."

~The girls and dog broke into small laughter. Meanwhile, Fluttershy was tending to Spike. He was still sleeping deeply and, while his wounds were beginning to heal, his cuts were still infected. That was, until Sunset suddenly came up behind them.~

"Hey, Fluttershy. While Pinkie and I were searching our part of the forest, we found these. Think they could come in handy?"

~She opened her hand to reveal small colours of different forest berries. About the size of hailstones, they came from some bushes nearby to where they were looking. Fluttershy took them and, after close examination, smiled.~

"Ohh. I remember these berries."

"You do?" Sunset said.

"Hmm-hmm. A mouse brought them to me one time and told me to give them to a bird with an injured wing. By the next day, only after a few hours, the bird was flying high once again!"

Lightning pouted curiously. "Huh. Well, I guess if it worked for that bird, it'll work for those two."

~So, after crushing the berries into a liquid with a stone in a mortar rock, Fluttershy made a plant/berry salve and applied it onto both Spike's, and the Shiba's wounds and leg. At first, it stung incredibly hard, like a dozen bee stings, but it cleared up after a minute later. She then gave the dogs some water when they woke up and, as they wet their faces, they relaxed happily.~

"Hey, Spike…" Fluttershy said first. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better now. Thanks." Spike replied after a long time of not talking.

"Oh, Spike. That's wonderful!" Twilight said in relief, hugging her companion once again. "Good thing too. Because at least sixty percent of forest berries are poisonous."

"Poisonous?" Lightning gasped.

"Don't worry. I can confirm wich are bad, an' wich are good." the Shiba assured her. "These were good. Worked wonders!"

Sunset chuckled. "Thanks."

"Sooo, wot on earth are ya doin' 'ere?" the Shiba asked, getting back on the main topic.

"Aside from the fact you dragged us down here?" Rainbow questioned.

"We're looking for our friend, Karly Crystal." Sunset replied.

"Who you took away from me! Where is she?!" Lightning demanded.

"Lightning, please!" Twilight soothed. "What she means to say is: Do you know what happened to her?"

The puppy gave a sniff. "Karly Crystal…? Ye mean the girl with the magenta scarf, an' shy features?"

"Yeah, her!"

"Hey! No need to be aggressive! Please! Gimme half a chance, an' I'll tell ya! This is all just a misunderstandin'." the dog retorted. "It's just this. I'll admit, I took 'er. But, only 'cause I wanted to 'elp. When ya chased me to the construction site an' got injured, I felt bad an' felt I needed to do somefin'." he explained. "So I took your friend, an' dragged her away to this forest an' gave her those kinds of berries to stop her bleedin'."

~Lightning stared at the mixture of berries at the side and at once felt relieved that Karly was okay.~

"Then, I went to get you, but ye were gone…" the Shiba Inu continued. "So, I headed back, but your friend was gone too. I tried to look for her, when yer started chasin' me."

"Why did ya go back to the site, then?" asked Applejack.

"To getta whiff of 'er."

"That would explain why I smelt your scent too." Spike barked.

"Well, this is starting to make sense, but it doesn't explain why you tried to push us into the river!" Rainbow yelled.

"That? I was tryin' to get ye to this forest to get ye searchin'." the Shiba said, blushing. "But I didn't mean for it to go so far. I'm so ashamed! I'm sorry- I caused so much trouble. An' 'urt you, too." he addressed Spike who was licking his wounds.

"It's okay." the purple dog replied. "Now that I know you didn't mean it. Don't worry, I've been through worse."

"So, don't yer see? If I ain't bin 'ere, then yer friend would have bin lost. I've run me paws off for these past twelve hours through these 'ere woods. But. I've not noticed one fing 'bout 'er since."

Lightning frowned but said nothing. "Well, thank you for that," Sunset said. "We really appreciate you looking out for her after what happened."

The dog gave her a sheepish smile. "Yer welcome," he said. "Still, she's now lost in this forest 'cause o' me."

"Hey…don't blame yourself," Fluttershy said sympathetically. "You could have never known that she would recover quickly and disappear like that."

"What matters right now is that you are not responsible for her, and Lightnin's, accident." Applejack said.

"Entirely." mumbled Lightning.

"What was that, Lightning?" said Fluttershy.

"Nothing."

"Well. Nevertheless, if we are still going to find Karly, we must continue on in the morning." Sunset said.

"I agree." Twilight replied. "And since we've got all our camping gear again, I don't think this night will be as uncomfortable as the last."

Sunset laughed. "You got that right."

"Indeed," Rarity smiled. "Well, let's not dilly-dally then, girls. Let's set up camp so I can finally rest in a proper bed!"

~Rarity immediately reached for her gear and had Applejack set it up in the cave as quickly as possible. The tent wasn't very large but it had two compartments, and although they had to squeeze in a bit, it at least offered to protect them from the cold of the night. Once it was set up, the fashionista wrapped herself up in her travelling cloaks and blankets, then everyone curled up and quickly fell to sleep.~





~Although she tried, Lightning really couldn't sleep. By midnight, when it was all dark and quiet and everyone else was sleeping peacefully, she slipped from her tent, and snuck past the slumbering Rainbooms, towards the mouth of the cave they were in. The pale light moon filtered down from the view as Lightning sat and watched it. Nobody stirred, so she was all alone. At least, she thought she was.~

~Suddenly, she spotted the figure of the Shiba Inu lying beside her, awake, also staring at the moon. Lightning supposed he couldn't sleep either, but never dared to ask or make any small talk with him. Even though she finally learnt the truth, she couldn't help but stick a little blame on him, and feel annoyed, since they still had to find Karly and hope she was still alive. Eventually, not wanting to stick around anymore, Lightning turned to head back to sleep. But when doing so, her foot caught on a strap and she knocked over Twilight's backpack, and a packet of dog treats, that she packed for Spike, fell out and scattered separately on the ground.~

~Song: Forbidden Friendship- (How to Train Your Dragon)~

~The Shiba's nose perked up at once. His eyes darted over to scattered treats, then to Lightning with a brightly look. Once again, the two had another stare down without a single thought in the world of what to say to each other. As Lightning bent down to begin picking up the treats, she held out the last one, and offered it the Shiba Inu. He silently raised his brow.~

~ Taking one paw forward lightly at a time, his snout reached the tips of Lightning's fingers. Then, after much low growling and moments of thinking twice, he gently took the biscuit. Half of it was in his mouth, while the other half dangled out of it. Finally, he began chewing. The half that wasn't in his mouth fell off. Lightning caught it and offered it again, but this time, the Shiba refused it. Glancing at it, then back to Lightning a few times, she understood what he wanted her to do with it. She gave him this grossed out, 'are-you-out-of-your-mind' face, but saw no other way to make him stop staring. After one moment of hesitation, she took a bite. It was exactly how she imagined a dog biscuit would taste. Dry, dusty, hard to crunch, but still edible. After she swallowed and shuddered from the taste, the Shiba silently chuckled, not believing that she actually ate it. Lightning looked back at him, annoyed, but gave in and chuckled alongside him.~

~At that moment, Fluttershy awoke first. There was a strange humming sound coming from outside the cave. She felt in the darkness for someone, when she nudged Twilight and Spike. It took them a moment to rouse, then they stood bolt upright to also hear the sound. They leaned over and undid the tent flap. All three poked their heads out at once, brushing against the open zipper sides.~ 

~There in the moonlight reflection, they saw Lightning and the Shiba were smiling at each other. Fluttershy gazed in wonderment. They were actually getting along? Suddenly, Lightning made to pet the dog, but he growled rashly and retreated into the opposite corner. It was clear that he wasn't comfortable with Lightning completely yet either, despite the attempted signs of peace. He curled up into a ball, among the flat pebbles and sand, and tried to fall asleep. Lightning felt awkward at that moment until she noticed Fluttershy, Twilight and Spike appearing from the tent. They kept mouthing the words: 'Don't give up. Bond with him'.~ 

~The spy girl shrugged. After giving a failed communication, she doubted it would work a second time. But, after sighing, she claimed forward towards him again. He opened one lazy eye at the sound of her approaching him. He growled in annoyance. Wriggling onto his stomach, he turned his back on her and hung one paw out to the cave exit. Lightning leaned over to take a look then back towards the girls who silently gestured at him. She raised her hand again. But, just as she did so, there was a sharp head turn by the Shiba and Lightning immediately retracted her arm and walked off. Twilight, Fluttershy and Spike exchanged disappointed glances.~





~After a few hours, the Shiba awoke and stretched and yawned, then slowly rose and wagged his tail. Eagle eyed, he noticed that Lightning was still not asleep. Instead, she was sitting against the wall with her sketching book and pencil in her hands. She seemed to be sketching more sketches of the Shiba, taking inspiration from everything that he's done up to this point. She felt a presence watching her after her third sketch and realised it was the Shiba, he was staring down at her artwork.~

~Lightning Star said nothing. What could she say? Drawing is just what takes her mind off some things, without technology, too. She continued on without minding about the dog. After all, he was just eyeing the sketching with a curious frown, that quickly transformed into desirable cooing sounds. He seemed to be fascinated by drawings, and wanted to try them out himself. He scurried off. Then, with a clattering sound of her bag being tipped over, Lightning leaned back and turned to see the Shiba playing about with one of her other pencils and papers. He was sketching by himself.~ 

~At that moment, Lightning's glistening cheeks broke into a grateful, blushing shock, and her blue eyes were amazed at what she was seeing. The seven Rainbooms and Spike woke up to the noises. They watched at the door of their tents as the Shiba dog drew. They laid just as mesmerised as Lightning was. Once he was done, Lightning took a look at the pencil and the picture. The dog chewed the rubber off on the end, and the drawing was not as perfect as expected, but it was the first time she had ever seen a dog sketch.~ 

~There were no words said. Lightning couldn't make out what the drawing was, but it didn't matter. She was impressive, no matter what. She smiled gratefully at the dog and went to pet it again, but he still would not allow her to touch him, growling and pawing away in response. Lightning halted. But then, the Shiba eased up and his pupils enlarged. There was hope. So, after seeing that glint in both their eyes, Lightning tried again, extending her arm. The Rainbooms held their breaths. Finally, Lightning stopped her hand.~ 

~There was a freeze in time. The Shiba stared at the hand, his eyes bright with excitement. He needed no further encouragement. Finally, after another long pause, and to the Rainbooms' utter delight, he leaned towards her, closed his eyes, and felt his head touch her palm. His fur- it felt super fluffy like a cloud. Lightning opened her eyes. As she slowly ruffled the top of his head, she felt butterflies in her stomach. Pleasantly satisfied, she removed her hand. The Shiba looked up towards her, then, the next moment, he felt himself and Lightning floating upwards on a dreamy cushion of air that sent both of them fast asleep. The Rainbooms smiled.~
> Chapter 6: Woodrow the Wise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 6: Woodrow the Wise

~By now, the sun had risen on day three of the search for Karly Crystal. When they awoke suddenly, Lightning and the Shiba discovered that they were lying with each other in a heap on the cave floor. Spike started to bark. They pulled away immediately and awkwardly. The Shiba looked with a doggy grin on his face, but Lightning felt flustered.~ 

~Soon enough, not wanting to waste more time, since the day dawned bright, the girls gathered together their supplies again, fixed Lightning's bandage, carried Spike, and began travelling quickly across the forest again. The Shiba Inu followed, dragging his leg behind him. Lightning could sense he was following them, but couldn't quite understand why. He told them what they needed to know, they didn't need him anymore. Finally, Lightning spoke.~

"I know you're behind us."

~The Shiba said nothing. After a few more steps forwards and feeling frustrated, Lightning yelled.~

"Come on, Shiba! You already gave us all the information we need to know, you don't need to follow us!" she grabbed a stick off the ground and threw it in his direction. "Go on! Go back into the forest!"

"Lightning, he wants to come with us," said Fluttershy. "Can't you see it?"

"W-well, yes, I can. But why?"

"Why?" Twilight laughed. "Didn't you see what happened last night? We saw something between you two in that moment."

"Yeah!" Spike piped up. "You two were getting along!"

"Yup! And now, he's stuck to you like caramel on a toffee apple!" Applejack winked.

"Really? You think he's taken a shine to me, or something?" Lightning asked discreetly.

"Most definitely!" Rarity agreed.

"So, you think he should come with us?"

"It would be best," agreed Twilight. The others nodded.

~So, like that, Lightning quietly gave in and accepted the Shiba as their new travelling companion. She even learnt how to beckon and make a gesture with her hand to encourage him to come over. She twisted her wrist a few times to reach out to him and whistled, he flashed towards it like a wolf and came over swiftly.~

"Looks like you just learned how to call him over. Bravo!" cried Pinkie.

~Lightning turned to the pink-haired party girl, who smiled elatedly. Even the Shiba puppy knew what was going on and barked as if he understood. The ten began making their way through the landscape once again. The Shiba's leg still proved to be in a bad way, but despite it, he could still move exceptionally well. And, thanks to Fluttershy's healing skills, it cleared up rather quickly. Even Spike was beginning to walk properly again, after he insisted to Twilight that he could.~

~After an hour of walking, the wind faded vividly and a heavy stillness hung in the air. The only sound was the chilly tinkle of the brook nearby. Then, the world seemed to go uphill. Rising from all sides were steep slabs of fissured rock that appeared quite impassable.~

"Never seen this part of the forest before," said Sunset.

"Have we been going in the wrong direction?" asked Fluttershy.

"I hope not!" Rarity gasped.

"Well, even if we are going in the wrong or right way, we still need to find Karly first." Lightning reminded them.

The Shiba began tapping his paws loudly. "Hmm. Oh! Wait! I know where we are! 'ey, an' I know someone 'ere that can 'elp." he barked.

"You…You do?" Twilight quired.

He nodded. "Anyways, 'is name's Woodrow the Wise. 'E lives not too far from 'ere. C'mon!" With that, the Shiba raced up and off as fast as he could, leaving the others to follow.

"There's a guy living in the Everfree Forest?" Sunset questioned.

"Apparently." Rainbow shrugged.

~That led them to ask so many questions. Who was this Woodrow the Wise? Why is he living in the forest instead of with the rest of human society? How long has he been living here? And why? As they journeyed and crossed the slabs that laid ahead as well as they could, the Shiba stopped. Lightning and the Rainbooms felt confused. Just then, they heard a voice. Each one whirled about to see where it came from. Was it Karly? Surely they couldn't have found her already?~

"Who ya lookin' for?" cried the voice again.

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Applejack demanded.

~The voice sounded deep but goofy-like. Lightning stared, glaring through the trees. The voice sounded very close. But, no one was there. That is, until a pair of yellow, derpy eyes opened. Then, approaching them across the darkness of the trees was a tall, skinniest, bearded, human-like figure. He strode with such ease that it would be forgiven for thinking that those slabs were flat ground. He wore a sheepskin jerkin with leather breeches and had his arms stretched out so his body was in the shape of a religious cross. On his arms and shoulders were over ten birds and bats. Some were perched on his open arms and some were hooked underneath, hanging upside down, and onto his legs.~

"It's me. Look. Here I am."

"Are you…Woodrow the Wise?" asked Twilight.

"I am. Brilliant, ain't it? Who are you strangers?" he replied.

"We are the Rainbooms, and we need your help."

~He drew near and stood, legs astride, before them. He didn't look hostile at all. Suddenly, he saw the Shiba puppy below Lightning and greeted him with a scratch under his chin.~

"'Ello, Woodrow." he barked.

"Stitchy! Oh, I 'avent seen you in ages! How are ya?"

"I am well, fank you."

"Huh? Did he just call you Stitchy?" Fluttershy said.

"Oh. Yup. 'E gave me that name after I constantly got stitches when headin' up these 'ere slabs. Can't complain 'bout anyfin' else other than that now, can I?" 'Stitchy' chuckled.

Just then, Lightning had an idea. "Huh. I…actually kind of like it." she said. "Reminds me of a certain favourite Disney character of mine. Mind if I also call you that? Though, for me, I think it'll be better if I called you Stitch."

"Stitch?" the Shiba repeated. "Huh. I like that. Yeah. Okay."

~Like that, it was decided that the Shiba would be called Stitch. And the fact that it was Lightning's suggestion, really made Fluttershy think she was growing much closer to the dog. She was about to say something about it, but Rainbow coughed intentionally.~

"Ahem. Hello? Can we pay attention to this again?"

"Right! Have you seen a brown-haired, different blue-eyed, teenage girl anywhere? She's gone missing, you see." Lightning said politely.

"Oh yeah! I think I remember seeing a girl like that come by! How is she? Oh right. Ya just said she's gone missing. I shan't bother."

"You…can help us find her then, right?" Sunset asked.

"I can. Fantastic, eh? I wonder how I will do it?" he questioned.

~He gazed up at the sky, thinking, and when doing so, his heavy head almost made him fall on his back. Rainbow suddenly started getting mixed flags and feelings for him.~

"Does anything out of this guy's mouth make sense?!"

"Yeah, Stitch, are you sure this is the all-mighty Woodrow the Wise guy you rely on?" asked Lightning.

"Absolutely. Fanks for usin' my new name, too." Stitch smiled a doggy smile.

Twilight stepped forward and helped the man. "Please, Mr. Wise. This is serious. We need your help. We are kinda lost ourselves as well, so we'll need a way out."

Woodorw nodded vigorously. "I see, I see. Well, if it's serious, we're gonna need a seriously good solution. I think I 'ave one back at my place. Follow me."

~So, Lightning, the Rainbooms, and Stitch and Spike, followed their strange guide onwards through the forest.~

"Better watch ye selves though." Woodrow said. "These woods- are not a happy world."

~Song: The Forest Canopy- (Original song)~

Woodrow: Entering the forest canopy…~

What lies ahead is a mystery,~

Many twists and turns you will find in this place…~

No time to lose, better pick up the pace,~

There are many secrets in this grove…~

Search and you might find a treasure trove,~

Many hidden gems if you look hard enough…~

What's an adventure without shiny stuff?~

Lightning: Deeeeep in this wooood, we are loooooo-oooooost,~

(Now I know we) Gotta find a way out of this maze…~

But all the turns put me in a daze,~

I don't wanna know what awaits at the end…~

But I suppose I must always defend,~

Everybody's wishes will be rendered…~

Not void or surrendered…~

When such evil might coooooome!~

Stitch: We're on this adventure too, wot do you know?~

That's why we go…~

Through these woods togetheeeeeer,~

Woodrow: Following the light ones,~

Following the light ones,~

Following the light ones,~

Following the light ones,~

Fluttershy: (Take my hand and) We can go together through the trees…~

Applejack: Fightin' our way ta the end with ease,~

Spike: Now that we're together, we need no fear…~

Sunset: Look to your side, we will always be here!~

Rainbooms: We will make our way across the land…~

Up to the sky and below the sand,~

Twilight: Something tells me that we're about near the end…~

Pinkie: Well I'm just glad we have made a new frieeend!~

~End of song~

~After moving deeper in the darkness, they found themselves outside a dilapidated, decaying building. It was lit by one lamp which glowed an ominous green. But, there was nothing to fear. The man of the forest, Woodrow the Wise, was to be trusted greatly, as Stitch knew that positively.~

"Welp. 'Ere we are." Woodrow announced.

~Upon entering the building the girls were very much welcomed, despite the interior not being very well presented. What they saw was a long, dingy room with a low ceiling, lit by the same green lamps outside the house. The walls were made of stone, with a build up of rot and wet moss that made them look unnaturally slimy in the light. There was one large table in the middle of the room covered with a mess of paper, books and strange objects, such as a rolled up pile of brambles that looked like a bird toy. As the animals settled in before they did, Woodrow made a drink made of hot water and tree sap and offered it to the girls. They all refused politely, expect for Pinkie.~

Woodrow got down to business. "Now. About your friend. What 'appened to her exactly?"

~At that, Lightning and the Rainbooms began telling the story to him up to the point where they met Stitch. How Lightning and Karly were injured, how they were swept away by the river, and how Stitch came to them and was rescued. Then, he shared his side of the story, as he knew precisely what happened and what he did to resolve it.~

"She's been missing for almost three days now… We were wondering if she came through here. And according to you, she did." Lightning said.

"An' if she came through 'ere, she might've passed this place an' taken the light pathway." Stitch barked.

Upon hearing about that, Woodrow's eyes turned frightened. "NO! NO-NO-NO-NOOO!"

"What?- What is it? Do you know where that pathway leads?" Sunset asked, shocked by his reaction.

"I do. I mean- I do! Ye-yeah! I do! It belongs to the wolves."

"Wolves!? Wh-what wolves?!" Fluttershy stuttered.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. I would be in way too much danger…"

~He peeked out from his windows to check if somebody was watching, then closed his mossy curtains.~

"I'm really sorry, but there is nothin' more I can say."

"Why? Is something going to happen? Is…someone going to come after you?!" Fluttershy cried.

"Look, you must tell us if we're going to find Karly!" Lightning insisted.

"Ohhh- alright then."

~Woodrow drowned his voice out in that last sentence, seemingly feeling like he didn't want to speak. But, after clearing out the house and boarding up the windows and doors with logs to soundproof the area, he leaned in close to the girls until his lips were directly on Lightning's ear. His birds and bats remained still. Then, he whispered.~

"It's the Timberwolves."

"Timberwolves?" Lightning questioned.

"They are giant wolf-like beasts whose bodies are comprised entirely of twigs, logs, and leaves." Twilight explained.

"They have horrible breath, too." Woodrow added. His mouth suddenly dropped in dismay. "OHHH NO, I 'ave said too much! Now they will surely come after me!" he suddenly stopped. "Actually, thinkin' 'bout it, I probably 'aven't said enough."

~He laughed off his mishap, while the others looked on with disappointment. They waited impatiently for what he had to say next.~

"Look, if ya need to find your friend, what you need to do is to keep headin' north from 'ere, an' you'll find the territory, trust me, ya won't miss it."

"Are you positive that Karly might have gone there?" Twilight asked.

"Most definitely. It's the only delicate pathway out of the forest. That's why they lurk there though."

"Oh my god…" Lightning breathed. "Then…that might mean… Karly!"

~Without a second thought, Lightning bolted out the door, sending the entire barrer blocking the door off to the side. She didn't wait for anybody. As the Rainbooms gathered together their thoughts, they screamed after the spy.~

"Lightning!"

Rarity turned to Woodrow. "Th-thank you, Woodrow- Your wiseness- Sir!"

"Y-yes. Seems as if we are going north." Twilight spoke hurriedly.

But before long they got up to leave quickly, Woodrow yelled. "Hey! That was my idea! Well, it's alright, you can have it. Welp. Goodbye, ladies wearing wigs. I will never forget you."

Twilight and Rarity looked confused, until Rarity spoke, "Um, excuse me? These aren't- "

"Come on, you two!"

~Rainbow Dash dragged the last of the girls out and between the smashed logs and together with the dogs, they chased after Lightning to the light forest pathway. Storm clouds pitched into the sky.~
> Chapter 7: Whispering Riddles
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 7: Whispering Riddles

~Lightning Star sped through the broken forest, filled with a great sense of urgency. As she noticed the storm now after her, she felt the adrenaline beginning to race through her. The seven Rainbooms, Stitch and Spike hurried after her too, but had a hard time keeping up. They were all trying to remain calm. They wanted to stop and wait for the storm to come and go, but that was not an option anymore. They left Woodrow's tree cottage almost thirty minutes ago, so it would simply take too long and be pointless to turn back, they had to move on. Sunset Shimmer tried desperately to find some shelter. She knew that they couldn't go on any further like this.~

"Lightning, slow down!" Twilight cried.

"I gotta find her! I gotta find her NOW!"

~Flurries of water began to patter on their heads, growing heavier and heavier over time. Thunder began to boom and lightning began flashing behind the clouds. Lightning was the first to look up, and, as she stepped back, another bolt of lightning lit the sky hiding behind the clouds, and Lightning caught a glimpse of it.~

"Looks like anotha storm is brewin' in." Applejack said.

"This is not good," said Rarity.

"Lightning! We need to settle down!" Sunset called, cupping around her mouth.

Lightning turned back to face her, narrowing her eyes through the rain. "No! Not right now! If Karly's made her way up to this pathway here, she may be in great danger!"

Stitch made to protest. "But, Lightning- "

~Bang! Flash! Boom! Flicker! The sounds of lightning flashed again, startling the girls. Then suddenly, it felt as if the last bout of bolt struck Lightning right in her already damaged eye. The world seemed to grow dark and quiet around her after the thunder continued flashing, and she pictured herself in and at the exact moment she hit her head on that steel beam back at the site. Both of her eyes regained sight, but, from the witnessing and feeling the pain again, her head began throbbing. Suddenly, without any control in herself, she took off again, blindly. Everybody shouted.~

"LIGHTNING!"

~Lightning ran completely blind-sighted into the kinked root of a tree that sent her tumbling down a grassy, muddy slope. She cursed with every painful bash she took to every part of the body, until finally, she stopped by crashing into another tree at the bottom of the hill. A huge branch then came down from the leaves, and struck her hard. It hurt excruciatingly, but Lightning was past caring. Then, she passed out from the injuries.~





~Stitch immediately smelt blood and leapt over in a panic. In the stunned silence, the Rainbooms also jumped and approached, checking on Lightning's well-being. But she didn't move.~

"Lightning?! Lightning!?" Stitch barked. He rubbed his nose against her in an attempt to wake her up. "BOSS!"

~He howled and scratched at the ground with worry until finally, there was a groan and a cry, and Lightning got up slowly. She was holding her left forearm in her right hand while her left hand held her head. She looked pale. She closed her eyes again, kneeling among the pile of twigs and swayed slightly before speaking groggily.~

"Oww…"

"Lightning! You're okay!" Stitch smiled, wagging his tail.

She droned. "Uh-huh. Wait. Did you just call me 'boss'?"

Stitch stood over her, blushing. "Uhm…"

"Oh, never mind that now. What happened?"

"You, uhh, took a rather nasty fall…again." Applejack answered.

"Yeahhh, is getting hurt a hobby of yours, or something?" Spike asked.

Lightning groaned while laughing. "Not if it's intentional." she pulled her hand away, revealing a smear of blood dripping from underneath her head bandage. "Ahhh-ow-oww!"

Rarity cringed. "Ooohhh. Hold still, darling."

~Rarity snatched up a bandage from her rucksack and pushed Lightning's wrist aside. Then, peculiarly, she smiled and began sewing the bandages together and around Lightning's head so they'd pin together with the thread and needles she carried with her. After she was done, the fashionista stared at the bloody but less disarrayed wound, and considered it done. Lightning felt it and found it was pretty secure. She smiled.~

"Huh. Thanks, Rarity."

"Not a problem, darling. It's what I live to do." Rarity smiled, packing away her stuff again.

"Okay, now that that's been sorted out, where have we ended up?" Rainbow quired.

~The girls looked up past the rain, but realised that they were literally in the middle of nowhere once again. They could still see the towering trees, and overgrown shrubs, just not the pathway. It had disappeared completely. Fluttershy began to panic.~ 

~As the sun began to set, it made the forest a lot more terrifying and dangerous than it already was again, adding darkness. Twilight had to light the way with her torch as they began trudging through. Most of the trees were destroyed and knocked down along the straight way they were taking, with branches and gravel littering the floor. The ground began to feel damp underfoot, too, because of the rain, but it wasn't so bad. Sure, their feet sank in the mud, but it wasn't so deep. Only Rarity was left in horror.~ 

~But, before she could make a slight complaint, Twilight, who was leading ahead, stopped in her tracks and silenced. A decaying, sweaty smell in the air made them retch, and they heard low growling coming from all directions. Stitch took a glance, then gasped. Rainbow saw it too.~

"Hey guys, look! There's someone there!" she pointed.

Twilight turned her torch in her direction. "Wait, really?"

Fluttershy gasped. "I think he's in trouble! He's surrounded by those timberwolves!"

~Everybody spun around expectantly, their hearts pounding. There, they saw pairs of slant yellow eyes, about six of them, creeping out in the darkness ahead. Then, they also saw a man with slicked, white, pointy hair, and his face masked by the piercing shadow. He petted the timberwolf nearest to him as he revealed himself to the girls. He was armed with a staff and a fearsome axe. A long sheathed knife hung from his broad belt and a crossbow was slung across his back too.~

"I think it's another forest man!" whispered Pinkie, though this one looked far too stern to be like Woodrow or even anyone from a kind nature spirit.

"Oi!" he cried.

~Holding back the timberwolves, he immediately approached the girls and gave them a frosty look. Stitch and Spike hid behind their feet.~

"What are you strangers doing, trespassing on our domain?" he demanded.

"Please, sir, we didn't know we were on anybody's private property," Sunset replied politely. "We were washed up by the river below and are travelling across the forest to the city beyond."

The man eyed her suspiciously. "Why do you wish to come this way?"

"It seems to be the only way." Lightning replied.

"Actually, we are a bit lost too. If you'll kindly show us the way, we'll leave your land as soon as possible." Rarity added.

"You are by the lair of the Timberwolves," the man replied. "You can call me Whitey, and I'm a timberwolf whisperer. This is our domain. None pass down here except with my permission, and I give that to a few. Why should I grant you a pass?"

Lightning was at a loss for words, but Fluttershy stepped forwards. "Please, sir, we don't wish to intrude but nor do we want to go all the way back. Have pity on us travellers and please let us through..."

"We also need to find someone." Rainbow spoke up.

"Yes. Have you seen a shy teenage girl anywhere?" Applejack asked.

Sunset comforted Lightning as she spoke. "She has two different blue eyes."

"Her hair is ashy dark brown." Twilight described.

"And she is wearing a light, impractical, causal dark purple coloured sweater with a magenta scarf." Rarity added.

~Whitey narrowed his eyes, until he looked with interest down at Stitch and Spike, and then at his timberwolf. Its lips parted in a sort of toothy grin.~

"Ahhh, yes. I do believe I have seen someone like that. Very well. I will grant your request." he said with a smile.

"Really?" Twilight perked. "Well, then- "

"But," he interrupted. "It shall not be for nothing. What will you pay me for my pains?" his eyes gleamed. "Gold I like, and silver and money. Do you have any?"

~The Rainbooms shook their heads, hiding their geodes from his greedy eyes. Then Lightning was about to say something when Stitch gave her a sharp but sly bite on the ankle that made her cry out in pain. She turned to him incredulously. Stitch gave an apologetic look, but as she bent low to rub her ankle, he whispered through the side of his snout.~

"Keep quiet. Say nothin'."

Whitey eyed them inquistively. "Are you sure you have no money for me?"

"The only thing we can offer is what food we have in your packs," said Fluttershy with dignity.

Whitey looked disappointed and hesitated for a moment. Stitch really did not trust his cunning eyes. "Very well." the wolf whisperer snapped. "I shall take all you have as the price for your passage."

~Lightning obviously didn't want to, but for the sake of getting a clue to finding Karly, she obliged. So, one by one, they handed over their sacks. He flung a couple of them across his shoulders and gave the rest for his wolves to carry. Then, he stomped off, leaving the girls and dogs to follow. After skirting the trees for a while, he came to an abrupt halt. The Rainbooms wondered what he was about to do. He turned to them.~

"You cannot traverse the forest lair, but there is a path beneath the woods that leads to the next path. I shall take you that way."

~With that, he tapped his staff against some low leafy branches. Immediately it opened back to reveal a dimly bushy path between the packed trees. He strode in. The girls and Stitch and Spike hesitated.~

"I do not wait for strangers," he growled. "Come on."

~With much misgiving, they entered, with the pack of timberwolves slanting behind them. At once, the branches rumbled back into place, shutting out the most daylight with a resounding whoosh. Whitey gave a hollow laugh that echoed and boomed along the road. Whitey removed a torch from one of the backpacks and lit the pathway and trees, marking spooky shadows dance on the rough bark. The eight girls hesitated with trepidation as the whisperer's laughter echoed in the silence and mild hooting of a single owl.~

"What's wrong? Are you afraid?" he boomed. "I mean you no harm. Have we not struck a bargain? I shall honour the value of what you have paid me. Come, follow me."

~The girls, with no choice but to trust him, began to file after Whitey. The branches began to feel not very high, and Applejack and Lightning had to stoop most of the way, which made it a very uncomfortable journey for them. Their path twisted and turned but all the while rose steadily. Where or to what they led, none could guess. They trembled with the knowledge that they were completely at the timberwolf man's mercy. He was moving fast. At length, the path dipped slightly and they entered a lofty open-ish area from which several paths led off in different directions. Here, Whitey stopped. He turned to the girls and gave them a shrewd look from beneath his beetled brows. The Rainbooms said nothing.~

Then, Rarity spoke. She fixed the timberwolf whisperer with a solemn look. "You gave us your word you would lead us to the exit and to our friend."

"Ah, yes…my word. As truly as you gave me yours. Indeed. All you had to give me was your supplies, eh?" Stitch and Spike feel uncomfortable under his piercing gaze. The man continued. "Let us play a little game before we proceed. Do you like games? I will ask a riddle or two. If you guess the answer correctly, I will lead you further, but if not…"

"But that's not fair," interrupted Lightning.

“Wait a minute,” said Pinkie Pie. She laid a restraining hand on her spy friend’s arm. “I think that’s a great idea, Mr. Whitey! Only, let’s make it more interesting.” she pulled a cheerful, but sly look while tapping her fingers together. “We’ll ask you a riddle as well, as you are older and wiser, we only have to answer yours if you can answer ours. If you can’t answer, you must lead us on.”

“Pinkie, I don’t think- ”

“Trust me, Lightning.”

~The spy girl bent down in fear but saw a subtle wink come from Pinkie’s eye. She knew what she was doing. The whisperer and his wolves looked irritated, and Pinkie wondered if he would take up the challenge.~

"Oh, very well," he snapped. "But I ask mine first." Pinkie agreed. Whitey peered at each of them in turn before speaking. "From whom fly ten, to Whitey's lair; colourful, bold and rich, and seems so very fair?"

~The girls gave uneasy glances. They knew the answer and tried to guess the whisperer's cunning's purpose. Whitey smirked. Pinkie Pie, however, was not to be outdone.~

"Okay! Here's mine," she said. "What's the difference between a wet day and a lion with a toothache?"

~Whitey frowned and muttered to himself. The girls and Stitch and Spike waited anxiously as he strode round and round in small rapid circles. At length, he stopped.~

"I give up," he said angrily.

"Then we don't have to guess the answer to yours," said Rainbow firmly. "Now you must keep your bargain and lead us to the end."

~Whitey growled to himself but reluctantly agreed. They set off through one of the trees, the girls almost running to keep with him.~

"Well done, Pinkie Pie," Applejack huffed. "Where did you get that one?"

"Holiday cracker," she replied with a giggle. "Do you know the answer?"

"I think so," Rarity answered. "Umm, one is pouring with rain, and the other is roaring with pain."

"Yep!" she giggled. "Pretty bad, isn't it? Hehehehe!"

~On and on they hurried until the girls lost track of how long they had been walking along the pathway. There was nothing else to do but keep up with the flickering torch as it wound its way ever upwards along this endless road. Ages later, it seemed, they came to another fork in the road. Whitey called a halt and promptly sat down.~

"Time for the next game of riddles, I think."

~Lightning, the Mane 6, and the dogs glanced at Pinkie Pie, hoping she had a good one ready.~

The whisperer recited: "Trailed beyond the sea, with a heart full of red; who can this be, people never dread?"

~Everyone looked at one another in dismay. Whitey knew too much. If they had to answer this one, he would surely demand to know more information from them. Then, the game would be up. He's after something from them. But what?~

Pinkie spoke up. "A hissss, a bellow, and a 'gloop'; four lines on yellow, then they stop. What is it?"

~The wolf man sank his head on his chest as people do when they are thinking. He muttered Pinkie's riddle over and over again to himself. Even Twilight, Sunset and Lightning looked puzzled. Pinkie just smiled. At last, Whitey leapt to his feet and glowered at her.~

"I don't know," he growled.

"Then lead us on, please, as we agreed," Sunset said quietly, though she felt afraid.

"Very well," Whitey snapped. "But be warned, you shall not get the better of me again." With that, he stomped off, leaving them to follow once again.

"Whew, well done, Pinkie," whispered Twilight. "What's the answer? Even I can't work it out."

Pinkie chuckled. "Oh, it's easy, Twi! It's an elephant skating on a bowl of cold custard!"

Lightning wrinkled her nose. "Oh, that's pathetic."

"Ahhh, don't be a party pooper," Pinkie retorted. "It did the trick!"

~Some while after, they began to reach a starlit sky and the cold rain shining beneath its light. Brighter and brighter it went as far as the torch was no longer lighting. Chill air blew upon them but it did not matter. Anything to be out of hateful forest and away from the wily man. The girls plodded wearily after the tireless Whitey. They dropped by the time they reached the light.~

"Thank you for leading us," said Fluttershy, stepping forward. "If you'll just show us which is the path, we'll be on our way."

But Whitey suddenly barred their way with his staff. His lip curled in an evil leer. "Not so fast, if you please. I do not feel satisfied for my labours. Nor do I believe you have told me all you should. So, I have one more riddle for you, and this time you shall answer first. If you are wrong or cannot answer, I shall keep the mongrels." he pointed to the dogs. "If you guess correctly, then we shall speak of what you might pay me for the last part of the journey. Now here is my riddle." he smiled sardonically. "Where meets in the forest, and is white and blue, who's responsible for her, the little dog two?"

~Stitch knew the game was up. Whatever answer they gave would betray them and himself. Without a moment, he rushed at the timberwolf man, dove for his legs and bit down as hard as he could. The unexpected move caught Whitey and his wolves off guard and balance, so it gave the girls their only chance.~

"Scram! Now!" Stitch cried, as he scrambled to his feet and leapt onto Lightning's shoulders.

~Nobody needed to be told twice. After Fluttershy snatched Spike off the ground, they sprinted toward the exit, while Whitey the whisperer bellowed with rage as they slipped around him. Springing up, he pointed his staff at them and muttered an order at the wolves, which triggered them like a sound of rumbling thunder. At once, they chased at breakneck speed after them.~

"Run faster! They're coming! Ahhh- !" Spike cried.

~The wooden beasts began speeding up, barking and snapping closely. It's like they could smell his fear, and it was giving them energy. Suddenly, up ahead was a half of a wedged, spiked boulder. Lightning stopped abruptly and turned around. She dug her hands into the ground and as an aura of bright blue conjured around her and emulated from her geode, ice replaced the dirt and the timberwolves slid across it and past the others into the spiked rock. Throwing her legs up first, Lightning then pressed down over the rock and boosted herself over it, ensuring that she landed on her feet safely so she could continue running. The rest of the girls followed around it.~ 

~Just then, Fluttershy heard voices. High, cold voices that filled in her head as if they were coming from inside of her. She couldn't see the faces of the creatures that were speaking, but she knew that they were saying these words. Her geode began to glow with a vivid light pink intensity that lit up the forest.~

"Dogs!"

"What a waste!"

"A little waste, but what a taste."

~Confusion set in. Who…what was saying that? Was it the trees, or the wolves? Their mouths weren't moving. Was it just a trick her mind was playing on her? Suddenly, she and Spike were surrounded by the horrible deformed wolves, all alone. She tried to let out a scream, but all she could manage was a cracked 'Eeep!' Slowly, fearfully, Spike raised his paw and pointed it at the nearest creature, a particularly dark and repulsive timberwolf monster that was just barely feet away from him and Fluttershy.~

"Shall we eat them then?"

"Yesss, let's feed our hungry stomach now."

"And have ourselves a tasty snack!"

~They began dancing around the frightened girl and dog. Rainbow Dash saw this as she turned to check, and alerted Lightning and Stitch as they passed.~

"Lightning! Fluttershy and Spike need help!"

"What?" Lightning turned to see them. "Ahh! Oh no! H-How are we going to get to them?"

"I have a plan! But you'll have to Trust me!"

The words rang in her ears and she was surprised. Lightning looked across to Stitch, then back at Rainbow confidently. "...Okay. I've got your back."

~The two locked fists, then prepared to fight. As a signal, Rainbow gandered down towards the left with her head, and commanded Lightning to head to the right. They bolted in opposite directions. As Fluttershy and Spike thought there was no hope in escaping, a voice came out from outside the circle. The timberwolves stopped dancing and froze. Literally. Their stoney, wooden paws were stuck to the floor by ice as Lightning appeared, now in her lizard form. She blew a current of fire, and drew it in a circle around herself and her friends. There was a sudden blast of flames once the circle was complete and it knocked all the wolves back in one fell swoop. Then, Rainbow appeared, speeding and kicking rocks into their mouths as they roared with rage. There was sudden chaos. The creatures then fled from the clearing, whimpering and choking, clearly running away, afraid of Lightning and Rainbow Dash. The Rainbooms came out from hiding and checked on Fluttershy and Spike. Sunset spoke firmly.~

"Let's get out of here."

~The Rainbooms nodded sincerely and turned to go- and that was when Whitey appeared, and made his threat.~

"Just you wait, you little brats. I'm going to get you for this."
> Chapter 8: Farmer Bonsai and the Forest Rustlers
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8: Farmer Bonsai and the Forest Rustlers

~Fluttershy took Spike and Stitch together on the next pathway. She anxiously hopped from one foot to the other. A lot was to unpack from that crazy encounter, but nobody knew what to say, or even where to start. If anything, they were too tired to speak. The third night was still high, but the Rainbooms didn't want to rest just in case Whitey and his terrifying timberwovles appeared again, and came bolting after them.~ 

~Thinking about that, Lightning glanced towards Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, and she was charmed, knowing fully that she could trust them now. What they did back there with Whitey and his wolves was inspiring and she was happy that they have become a part of her allegiance now, along with Fluttershy. This made her realise that this adventure was helping them bond, just like what Chief Steven wanted. All that was left to trust was Twilight, Applejack, Rarity and Sunset. And speaking of her, the fiery girl was leading the party. But, worried about where they were going, the blackness didn't make it any better. She looked at the time on her phone.~

"It's coming up to midnight now, we really should find somewhere to shelter."

~But where? And more importantly, how? They've lost their items once again, and this time, they were not getting them back. Spike, Stitch, and the Rainbooms have survived this long enough, but they were not invincible. They were wet, they were tired, but most importantly, they were hopeless. That is, until they reached the top of a green hill, where the Rainbooms stopped as if they were in a trance. Lightning was about to ask what was wrong, but then she turned and saw what they saw. Right before them, lying still and dark in the night shadows, was a calm mountain lake, as well as a dock, boats, buildings, a campfire, rock quarries, and tents, all in a square circle, with gems printed on the front.~



"Is this…?"

"Camp Everfree!" The Rainbooms chroused.

~Suddenly, all seven made their way promptly down the hill, almost falling on their faces, they were jogging down so fast. Pinkie Pie was the first to make it down, so she approached the door of the main house and repeatedly banged on it, non-stop. The door opened after the twentieth hit. There, in his pyjamas, the Rainbooms were met with a familiar figure that they knew oh so well.~

Twilight cried his name. "Timber!" 

"Twilight?"

~Timber Spruce was immediately embraced the moment he said Twilight's name. He was bewildered to see his 'girlfriend', and her companions at his front door in the middle of the night. Loads of questions came to his head.~

"What- What are you doing here?! And so, late at night, too?" he yawned.

The tech girl sighed. "Oh, Timber, I'm sure you have alot of questions on your mind right now, but we've been through alot. Can we talk about it in the morning?"

~Timber was confused but, seeing their faces drained out of all energy, nodded in understanding. Taking and lighting a torch, he led them over to the tents. The sweet-smell of beddings were neatly laid out softly and calmly, and it filled the girls with delight. All eight instantly crashed down upon them, and Stitch and Spike dozed off. Then, moments later, drowsiness overtook the girls, too, and, likewise, they all soon fell fast asleep.~





~It did not take long for the girls to rouse by the time the next morning rolled around. They felt refreshed, as it felt as if they had slept for days. The Rainbooms left the tents and led themselves across the green grass where they soon reached the centre of the camp. There, they saw Timber Spruce talking with his sister, Gloriosa Daisy.~ 

~Timber Spruce was a young lad, with tan brown skin and forest green hair. He had a look of charisma in his eyes, and a loving smile. He seemed like that good-natured, outdoor, goofy-looking guy, Lightning thought. As for his sister, Gloriosa looked to be about five to seven years older than him. She also looked good-hearted and full of spirit. And that proved to be true as she approached and greeted the girls as if they've known each other for years.~

"Hi, girrrls!" she started. "Timber told me that you arrived here last night. How are you feeling?"

"Much better now, thank you, Gloriosa," Sunset smiled.

"Sorry we came in ever so unexpectedly, but we had no other choice." Lightning apologised.

"No, no, it's fine, no need to apologise! Our doors are always open to you,…" she stopped as she addressed Lightning.

"Who are you?" Timber asked.

For a brief instant, the flushed face of the spy girl clouded. Then, Twilight spoke. "Oh right! This is Lightning Star, our new friend from another world."

"Wow." said Timber. "What happened to your eye?"

"Oh. It's a long story," Lightning said, trailing her hand over her bandaged eye. "In anyways, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Please, pleasure's all ours!" Gloriosa said happily. "I'm Gloriosa Daisy, the camp director, and this is my brother, Timber Spruce."

~The two siblings lent out their hands, and Lightning shook them both warmly. To her, Gloriosa Daisy certainly sounded like that over-enthusiastic, friendly, American camp and nature guide. With a reef of daisies around her head, bright-wearing colours, and pink hair and skin. As for Timber, Lightning could see why Twilight had a thing for him, and she gave the tech girl a backwards smug as she was talking to him and catching up. She was blushing so hard.~

"So," said Lightning. "Do you guys live here?"

Gloriosa nodded, evidently pleased by her reaction. "For as long as we can remember! It's a quiet place, but we love the tranquillity. And since you are a friend of Canterlot High School, you are very welcome to stay as long as you like until you get back on your feet! If there's anything I can do for you, too, please let me know. I've got this!"

Lightning chuckled. "Thank you."

"We've been through so much, so it would be great to rest today." Fluttershy explained.

"I'll say!" added Rarity.

"Really? Why? What's happened? Tell us."

~At Gloriosa's bidding, the Rainbooms told of all their adventures. When they had finished, the camp leader gave them a solemn look, and Timber asked if they were harmed.~

"No, we're fine," Sunset assured him. "But, we've met some pretty…interesting people along the way."

"Yeaaah, are you aware that there is, like, a bearded forest man living down there with the birds and the bats, as well as a timberwolf whisperer that loves riddles and nearly tried to kill us!" Lightning exclaimed.

At that, Gloriosa and Timber stared blankly. "...No. Not at all." said Timber.

"W-well! Besides that, you're here now, and safe." Gloriosa assured.

"Would you like us to call a cab maybe, and help you get back?" Timber asked.

"I think we can manage it. Camp Everfree isn't too far from the city." Twilight chuckled.

"Besides, we still need to find my best friend." Lightning reminded them for the three-thousandth time.

"B-BUT," Rarity tutted. "For the most part, I'd like to freshen up before we go. We've been dawdling in this forest for days without showering, nor many changes of clothing, and now, not a single hairdryer to tuff up this loose strand! I need this."

~Everyone agreed. So, with that, Gloriosa guided them down until they came to the crystal camp lake. The sight that met Lightning's eye was magical. All the colours of the rainbow flashed and flickered about the crystal-like ripples. It was like a diamond shining in the morning sun. Rarity couldn't wait to sustain and refresh herself in it. Gloriosa took eight life vests from the cabin next door and once they put them on, Lightning, the Rainbooms and Spike dove into the lake. The water was warm and sweet, and the moment they bathed in it, a thrill ran through their bodies. Only Stitch remained on the top of the dock and watched.~

Lightning noticed him. "Hey, Stitch! Aren't you coming in?"

The dog shrugged. "Ehh. I can't remember the last time I ever took a bath. Or rather, took any sort of thin' that involves cleanin'. Besides, I hate water."

"Hate water? You've been living in the forest, toughing it out all your life! This is the place where it rains the most- almost nine times every month, and you hate water!? What happened back at the construction site, then?!"

"I can survive the rain, it's just gettin' into the water. I can't swim." Stitch admitted. "No one taught me 'ow."

"Welp. That's about to change. I can't have a pet that can't swim. Come. Follow my lead."

But before Lightning could show him anything, Stitch woofed in surprise. "Did you just call me a… 'pet'?"

"Uhm…w-well... I meant- friend. I can't have another friend that can't swim…"

"Huff!"

There was an awkward silence that Lightning broke with a sigh. "I'm sorry…" she said. "If that offended you in any sort of way, I..."

"No, no, it's fine." Stitch interrupted, assuring her. "It's just bin a while since I wos lasted called that."

~Lightning wondered what he meant by that. Was he someone else's pet before he came here? Did he have a life before this one? Her thoughts were suddenly shut off when the Shiba barked again.~

"Anyways, I'm sorry, but I refuse to go hobblin' in that water!"

Lightning gave him an evil smug. "Don't knock it 'til you try it, Shiba."

~All of a sudden, Lightning seized the dog firmly by the paw, and yeeted him into the lake without a moment to blink. Stitch screamed as he landed with a splash and, at once, his head emerged above the surface. He began flailing about desperately for help. Splashing those all around him, the Rainbooms went over to him and helped him calm down. Then, they allowed Lightning to take it away.~ 

~Transforming into her penguin form, the girl dipped her head underwater and began tracing with her flippers in the lake. Slow, paddling-like movements, encouraging Stitch to copy her. He watched with contentment, then stared down at his doggy paws. He clawed at the water, then kicked to give himself a boost. He repeated this action two more times until finally, he felt as if he got the hang of it. Claw, kick, claw, kick. He was doing it. He was swimming. He howled in excitement as he approached Lightning with a grin and licked her face. She was surprised while Fluttershy smiled.~





~Later, the heroines all got changed into some spare Camp Everfree outfits that Timber and Gloriosa had lying around. For the Rainbooms, they had the exact same outfits they wore during their time here with their school. As for Lightning, they equipped her with a brand new short-sleeved blue and white Camp Everfree shirt, with logo, as well as a sleeveless jean jacket to throw on top, matching her jeans. Afterwards, they all settled down at the campfire to have a pancake brunch, and tell some tales.~ 

~Lightning introduced Stitch first to the two camp directors, and explained how they just met, before going on about their goal of finding Karly Crystal, as to why they were in the forest. Gloriosa and Timber listened with intent. They knew about what happened throughout, just not about why they were there in the first place. Now, they did, and they were quite shocked to hear.~ 

~Suddenly, interrupting their conversation, an unfamiliar man on a horse came emerging from the forest behind them. He looked to be in his mid-fifties and his skin was very pale and sickly, suggesting he was quite ill. His tufted grey hair and stubble made him look quite comical. He was dressed in a charming farmer-like outfit, along with red buckling suspenders holding up his rough jeans and a red chequered shirt. As he got off the horse, he straightened up his straw hat and the wheat held in his mouth.~

"Gloriosa Daisy," he spoke in an old, deep, kind, country-like voice. "I thought I might find ja here."

"Oh! Hello, Farmer!" said Gloriosa. "So nice to see you!"

"Hmm? Who is this gentleman?" asked Rarity.

"This is Farmer Bonsai. He lives just down on the other side of the lake in a cottage. He was a good friend of our parents." Gloriosa explained.

"Sure was. I don't see as many people 'round these parts as I do now though." he said.

"Really? Why? Where do you come from?" inquired Applejack.

"I own a farmhouse down by this land. Been in ma family for three generations. Came down here with my old trusty steel, Dusty. What a gander he is, don't you think?"

~He pointed to his beautiful blonde coated horse, whose ears pricked up and eyes rolled. It clipped its hooves on the earth and showed its strength by pushing against a large log. Fluttershy went up to the animal and rubbed her hand gently down on its soft nose. The horse stood still, then, it suddenly nuzzled against the girl and made happy, little snorting, neighing sounds.~

"Oh, he is beautiful." the shy girl marvelled.

The farmer chuckled lowly. "Why, thank you, little lady. Ya hear that, Dusty? That's the second compliment you've gotten from a girl this week!" the horse whinnied as if it understood.

Sunset narrowed her eyes in thought. "Second compliment from a girl? What do you mean by that, Mr. Bonsai, sir?"

"Oh. Well, not too long ago, I came across another young lady trailin' along in these woods," said Bonsai. "Bout the same age as you; pink scarf, rosy cheeks, two shades of blue eyes…"

Lightning arose suddenly. "Karly… That was our friend! Th-The whole reason why we were in the forest in the first place! Which way did she go?"

"Oh, she asked me to direct her towards the city, so I gave her the assistance she needed and pointed and she went on her merry way."

~Lightning's breathing slowed down from excitement to relief. Sunset was surprised by her reaction.~

"You're not mad that we've been going around the forest in search of her for days?" she asked.

"No. I'm just happy that she is okay, and in one piece."

"So, that means she must be on her way back home now, right?" Twilight asked.

The farmer nodded. "Yes."

Lightning smiled. "Well, that's wonderful news! I guess that means we can just…" suddenly, she trailed off from her sentence and glared. "Wait…"

"Wot? Wot's 'rong?" Stitch barked.

"How can we be sure you are telling the truth?"

By that, the farmer got nervous. "Well, I…I…"

~He tried to make out the words he wanted to say, but the change in Lightning's voice and stern look made him unable to comprehend the words. She's already been fooled once, she was not about to let it happen again. She approached the farmer, and was about to lash out and interrogate him when Applejack and Sunset stopped her.~

"Lightnin', stop,"

"Yes, I have a better, less drastic way of finding out if he's telling the truth. Sir, may I?"

~Sunset held out her hand warmly, and while the farmer was still very nervous and confused, he took it, expecting a simple but oddly-timed hand shake. A pale red glow rose from Sunset's neck and it felt like the sighing of the wind in the trees. Then, the girl's eyes turned white and she allowed herself to flow into the farmer's brain for memories. After a while, she came back to, and turned to her friends with a sincerely nod.~

"He's telling the truth." she said, and at once, Lightning relaxed.

Bonsai, however, was confused. "I'm sorry, but what did you just do? Your eyes turned white for a brief moment."

"Please, do not panic, sir, Sunset here just simply read your…memories." said Twilight.

"My memories?" The farmer was still confused until Gloriosa came to him and whispered something in his ear. His eyes lit up. "Ahhh…so you are the girls who saved this here camp from Gaia Everfree. Huh. No wonder."

"You've heard about us?" Pinkie said.

"Sure have. Your stories make the daily headlines in the newspaper."

"Newspaper?" Lightning said.

~The farmer reached down under his horse's saddle and pulled out a black and white newspaper. Lightning's eyes opened wide when she and the Rainbooms saw themselves in the photos on the front page. The story's headlines read everything about the times at CHS. The Fall Formal, The CHS Musical Showcase, The Friendship Games, even the time here at the camp. The paper looked old, but there was no proof of fake printing. The girls were amazed.~

"Wow. They've really caught my eye, haven't they?" Rarity admired at the pictures.

Lightning stuttered. "I'm…I'm speechless."

"Me too. I don't believe this… Where did they even get these pictures from?!" Rainbow exclaimed, throwing her hands forwards.

"From our classmates, I presume." Applejack answered, still looking at the newspaper.

"Millions of people must know about this then…" said Sunset.

Pinkie smiled. "Cool! We're famous!"

"Actually, that's not cool." said Twilight unfortunately. "This means that loads of people know about us and our powers. It's great that we saved our school and Camp Everfree, and all, but this could be dangerous."

Lightning agreed. "Yeah! What if criminals will find out about this? It'll make you targets for power and people to watch out for when they are committing crimes! This will then include me too!" she breathed a sigh. "Okay, okay, calm down, Lightning. After all, who reads newspapers nowadays? Perhaps we'll get lucky."

Rarity took out her phone and scrolled through it a bit. "It's not just the newspapers, it's all online too!"

"Oh, who's gonna believe what's online, too?" Lightning laughed nervously. "If anything, they will think it is photoshopped. Scepticism!"

"Nope!" Pinkie said, pulling out her phone. "Reading the comments, they think it's real."

"...Grrreat."

"Is this too late to fix it then?" Fluttershy said.

"No," said Lightning. "It just honestly means I have a lot more work to do. In the meantime, we will just have to be careful…"

"Okay. We'll worry about that later." Fluttershy shrugged.

~After that, they all calmed down and offered Farmer Bonsai to join them for brunch. He obliged.~

"So, Mr. Bonsai, what are you doing here, instead of hardly working back at your farm?" asked Sunset.

The farmer sighed. "I came to chat with Gloriosa, and warn her about the forest rustlers that have been stalkin' up some trouble around here." he explained.

"Forest rustlers?" the girls quired.

"Ay. They've been comin' here about once every year. Muckin' up my crops, feedin' themselves on 'em, even to the birds that swoop down and finish what's left. I'm already havin' trouble keepin' them alive as it is. And what's more, they even took one step further this year, and stole my herd! I had about fifty of 'em! Only Dusty remained..."

"Oh yeah, I fink I've bin seein' 'em around these parts," Stitch claimed. "Horrible 'umans, they are."

"Indeed. They used to only terrorise me, but now they're comin' over here."

"What?!" Everyone chorused.

"They're coming to our camp!?" Timber cried.

"But…for what reason? Camp Everfree doesn't have anything I would think they could possibly want." said Sunset.

"I'm afraid I don't know either. I only found out what they were plannin' because I heard them when I was takin' Dusty here for a walk."

~Bonsai gestured at his horse and he perked up and nodded, as if he understood and felt his owner's feelings. He then snorted a sigh, feeling useless. Rainbow Dash and Applejack stepped out boldly.~

"We gotta do something about this then!"

"Yeah, No way are we havin' a bunch of creeps comin' in here and messin' up our campsite!"

"Really? You will do that?" Bonsai asked, surprised.

"Really? We will do that?" Lightning repeated, shocked.

"Of course. I know how to deal with rustlers. Granny Smith taught me how throughout the years." said Applejack. "What I reckon we do is we should look for them and where they stored ya herd, before they come to us. That way, they won't bother us here at the camp."

"Yeah! Maybe Stitch and I could get a scent to where the rustlers and your herd might have gone!" Spike added, wagging his tail.

"And we'll return back what was stolen for you." Sunset finished, smiling.

"You girls would do that for me?" Farmer Bonsai said softly. "Thank you."

"It's no problem. Helping people is our thing." Rainbow said.

"But what about Karly?" said Lightning. "Can't we at least find her first?"

"You're a superhero." Stitch said brightly. "Helpin' folks like the farmer 'ere is your main goal, right?"

"Yeah, but I- "

"Well then, there ya go." he turned to Spike. "Spike, let's get-ta whiffin'!"

~The two dogs bounded a few feet ahead, and began to sniff around the farmer and his horse for a clue. While they were wandering, some strands of grass accidentally got stuck up their noses, but because it was so thin and small, all it did was make them sneeze cutely. Suddenly, Spike glowed.~

"I got a scent. Come on!" he encouraged.

~He scampered away with the rest eagerly following him. Except Lightning, who had her arms out in confusion.~

"But I- Ugh!" Lightning finally groaned and headed off too.
> Chapter 9: Honesty and Magic
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9: Honesty and Magic

"We should be gettin' close now. I can feel it." said Applejack.

~Lightning, the Rainbooms, Spike, Stitch, Gloriosa, Timber and Farmer Bonsai, travelled at least ten miles away from the camp, but Gloriosa and Timber easily knew the way back. It was such a shock that the suburban forest still looked exactly the same from when they began. From the moderately sized trees, to the shrubbery bushes that prickled the pathway and around everyone's ankles. Lightning wondered if they were even moving at all. Finally, when she figured that forest would keep on going, they came out of the shading and into an open green field.~

"How much longer do we have to travel?" Rainbow asked, clearly tired of all the walking they have been doing.

"Not long," Stitch said. "I smell somefin' strong."

"I think I can too," said Lightning, "Ugh, it's horrible! It smells like my friend's old farm house!"

"That might mean that the herd is close." Applejack confirmed.

"My herd is close?" Bonsai asked.

~The cowgirl nodded. As the fields were getting lighter and lighter, the grass was becoming less shaky. That's when Stitch and Spike realised the greens around them had been partly munched on. Twilight and Applejack noticed this too. No doubt it was eaten by cattle. More specifically, no doubt it was eaten by Bonsai's stolen cattle. They kept on moving.~

"I still can't believe there are rustlers out here in the forest." Timber said.

"Me neither. Usually our town is very peaceful." Gloriosa added.

Applejack shook her head. "It is very strange. I mean, I live on a farm myself but I can say with confidence, I've never had any rustlers comin' in, theivin', ransackin', terrorisin', causin' trouble, huntin', manhandlin'..."

"Maybe it's because you live closer to the city, Applejack." Sunset said, interrupting.

"And because we've never experienced the outskirts very much." explained Twilight. "As well as, I guess, we're just more used to magic, than actual real life dangers."

"All those points could be very well true. I do live quite far from Canterlot." Farmer Bonsai admitted.

"Have ya ever tried buildin' a fence or a scarecrow to keep 'em rustlers an' birds out?" Applejack asked the farmer.

"All my wood's gone," he answered sadly. "I have no axe to chop down trees. The only thing I have to protect the crops from birds is my horse, Dusty, but he's gettin' old and sick. He can't handle the rustlers."

~Dusty heard what his owner said and whimpered. Fluttershy comforted him.~

"Oh, it's okay, Dusty. He just needs a little bit of strength and confidence. That's all."

"Well, we'll see about that. Look."

~Lightning pointed out in the fields and there, in forms of fifty, were bovines. They were all branded with the initials 'F.B' on them. The farmer immediately recognised them as his own.~

"That's my herd, all right."

"But I don't see any rustlers." whispered Lightning.

"Maybe they went off to steal another herd…" Rainbow guessed. "Which is great! This means, we can take back what's ours, get outta here, then come back to ambush them!"

"No," said Applejack sternly. "They're out there. Somewhere."

"Are you sure?" asked Fluttershy.

"Only one way to find out."

~Applejack fell backwards towards the ground, then, like a wildcat, she began carefully skulking her way in the long patches of grass until she came safely hidden behind some wedged out boulders. Lightly trending, the others followed her. Now, they were closer. Lightning took out her ears to listen again, but she could still hear no sound at all, nor see any strange rustlers. So on Applejack went, still leading, keeping in the grass.~

Lightning frowned. "I still can't hear anything, Applejack."

"Use your raccoon ears. Didn't ya tell us that with those you have super hearin'?"

~She was right. So, as secretly as possible, Lightning allowed her ears and tail and mask to grow. They were restless, and began moving about immediately, picking up sounds. Then, Lightning heard a noise.~

She stumbled back. "Oh my gosh. Applejack, you're right! I hear them!"

"Well, quick, sugarcube, get down before they see us!"

~Quickly, Lightning Star was dragged down to her knees by Applejack and behind another rock along with her other companions. But, as Lightning's ears became focused again, she could hear better. There were snores- snores of men, and she saw that it was coming from the hay bales piled up nearby where the herd was. Then, they saw the feet of eight sleeping cowboys.~

"They're…sleeping?" Fluttershy quired.

"Well, rustling is a lot of hard work!" said Pinkie.

"This could not be anymore perfect." Twilight said, grinning.

"I can see the evil glint in your eyes- What are you thinking?" Lightning chuckled.

"I'm thinking- we go with what Rainbow suggested. Let's sneak up on them and take whatever weapons they might have to defend themselves. Then, we get the drop on them while we have the chance. After all, it's not all for nothing." The girls were gobsmacked. They expected something like that from Rainbow Dash, and even Lightning Star, but not from Twilight.

Lightning double-checked. "You think so?"

"Yes."

"OKAYYY! Which one of us is going to go over there first?" Pinkie asked.

"Depends, which one of us would you say is the bravest?" asked Twilight.

Rarity gestured over to Lightning. "I want to say you, Lightning."

"Wha- why me?"

"Remember when we were swallowed by that iguana? Every one of us was terrified, except you." Sunset reminded her.

"Also, your element is literally bravery!" added Pinkie.

Lightning scoffed. "Pffft! That still doesn't prove anything!"

"It literally does!- "

"Come on, Lightnin', it ain't SO bad!" Applejack said. "Tell ya what, let's-a all go an' do it. At the same time. That way we'll always watch each other's backs. Then together, we can bust up an' buck-a-roo those crooks RIIIGHT outta our camp! You're brave, compassionate, loyal, kind. You're like the perfect apple that fell straight from the perfect apple tree! And I mean it, when I say that. Trust me, you have what it takes."

~Applejack's words made a lot of sense towards Lightning, even though it was hard to understand her accent and 'country-isms'. She knew she had what it takes, but was modest about it.~

Nonetheless, she smiled. "Thank you for your honesty, Applejack. Nobody's really perfect, but what you said, I appreciate. Okay. I'll do it."

"We'll all do it. We will follow your lead and be with you the whole way." said Twilight.

"Me too!" Stitch barked quietly.

"Me three!" Spike added.

Lightning smiled. "Okay. Let's go for it."

~Stitch clambered onto Lightning's shaking shoulders as she whispered something indistinctive. Then, the group of ten set off down towards the rustlers while the farmer, Timber and Gloriosa watched. It was all very exciting towards Pinkie, but less so, and more pressuring, towards Fluttershy, as her heart started beating rapidly. The sunlight above their heads was very bright, and because they were crouching low in the grass, only their scalps burned in the heat. The strands brushed against the faces, forcing them to close their eyes and navigate their way towards the hay bales via sound and smell. But that wasn't a problem for Lightning, and her raccoon ears and black nose. She put her hand on Stitch's fur and whispered.~

"Don't bark or growl, Stitch. Keep close to me."

~He nodded and nuzzled her face to let her know he understood. Together, they kept to the ground and came to the hay bales. The cattle were unphased by their existence. The ten finally came to the bales after a hand reach forward and prickly confirmation. Spike leapt down from Fluttershy's arms but as he hit the ground, he landed in front of the face of one of the bovines, which gave a loud, hefty snort in surprise.~

The Rainbooms flinched. "SPIKE! SHHHHHH!" Twilight whispered angrily.

"sorry…" Spike whimpered.

~The wildebeest turned to the other side, and the rustlers made low growling noises. Thinking they were about to wake up, the Rainbooms fell back under the grass. They peered through the strands with anxious, round eyes, but it was a false alarm. One of the rustlers just scratched his belly unfathomably, then turned to get into a better sleeping position. That gave Lightning an opportunity to look where he was lying. There, she saw a dagger, a lasso, and a horseshoe. Lightning snatched them up. Those were the only weapons they had.~

Applejack gave a thumbs up at her. "Okay, now let's round up the cattle, an' go!"

~But as the girls prepared to take them slowly one by one, Lightning and her foot made a wrong, horrible step. She stomped on one of the tails of the beasts and it made a large squeal of pain before it came up, in defence, and sank its teeth straight into the back of Lightning's ankle. She wasn't the kind of girl that screamed bloody murder, but in that moment, it was the most painful thing she experienced since she crashed into the trees and that steel beam.~

Lightning shrieked at full voice. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH-OWWWWWW!"

~The Rainbooms turned in sudden disbelief and became frightened at the sound of Lightning's screaming. Without any thought, they jumped and collapsed on top of her to prevent her from crying any louder. But, by that point, it was already too late. At that moment, the flashing purple eyes of one of the rustlers opened and he peered down at the tangled pile of teenage girls he saw before him in astonishment. They didn't like the way he was looking at them. His ten-gallon cowboy hat was shading his eyes and his intense mouth that held a piece of wheat inside seemed crooked and cunning. It made him look intimidating. Now Fluttershy's heart was beating. It was beating really fast and really loud, and she couldn't help but stifle a whimper. Suddenly, the man sprung up and attacked.~

"MOVE, MOVE, MOVE!" Lightning commanded.

~She rolled out of the pile then pushed the seven out of harm's way, and they rolled on the grass in different directions thoroughly. Stitch gave a little growl. At that point, the other rustlers awoke from their sleeping states and joined into the 'supposed' ambush. They acted cold and inhuman towards them, all in silence too. That's when Lightning realised she needed to do something. Since the Rainbooms still haven't gone through secret agent training, she figured it'll be impossible for them to fight back. Without their geodes, at least.~ 

~Suddenly, as one of them was about to sneak up on her, Applejack, using her strength, grabbed onto his collar and ferociously hurled his body far off into the sky. Every vein pressed up against her skin glowed bright orange. They heard him land with a thud, but it didn't sound like he hit the ground. Instead, he landed on the back of one of the snorting cattle, causing it to go insane! From the sudden punch it felt on its back, feeling like it was under attack, it grunted, snorted and started to buck crazily like a mechanical bull. This caused even more cattle to do the same thing, and before long, there was a stampede of cattle running and heading straight for everybody! Lightning's eyes shattered.~

"OH, BOY!"

Applejack exclaimed. "The herd!"

"My herd!" repeated Bonsai.

"We gotta stop them!" Rainbow declared.

"I'm on it!" Pinkie yelled, and she punched the air above her. "CHARRRRGE!"

~Pinkie Pie ran into battle with her left arm raised up high, screaming along the way. She hopped onto one of the backs of the stampeding cattle, and fishing through her pockets, she pulled out her secret weapons. Her confetti exploded into fireworks the moment they touched the sky, and that lured the cattle away so they wouldn't run off, straight ahead. It was then also that the rustlers noticed Farmer Bonsai hiding. They gazed at him with a jagged look of fury plastered all over their faces.~

"I hope you know how to fight, old man!" they said.

~All at once, they charged towards him, ready to attack, only for Gloriosa and Timber to step in and hit them back with tree branches. Applejack saw this, and devised a plan.~

"You handle the rustlers, we'll take care of the cattle!" Applejack ordered.

~The team split into two. Sunset, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie set off to distract and deal with their pursuers, while Applejack, Rarity, Twilight and Lightning went to derive the cattle and push them in the right direction towards home. As to stay low, move faster and manage in the calefaction, Lightning transformed into her leathery, scaly lizard skin and scurried underneath the stampede. The spikes on her back warded off any dangers and the prevention of being trampled. However, all it did was scare them off in another wrong direction. Applejack pulled out a lasso from underneath her belt and began cracking it on the ground like a whip.~

"GIDDY UP, FELLAS! C'MON- LETS GO! GIDDY UP! C'mon now! YAH!" she yelled, directing the cattle.

~The loud crackles of the rope being snapped was enough to lead the cattle out safely. Lightning marvelled at her performance. Meanwhile, Sunset and Rainbow skulked low in the grass before poking their heads out, in search of where the rustlers hopped off to. But the rampaging cattle stomping past them, dusting the area, made it hard for them to see.~

"Let's go!" Rainbow urged to Sunset.

But Sunset's eyes widened as she turned back behind them. "Rainbow Dash, watch out!"

"Huh?"

~Rainbow made a turn in that direction, only to be pounced on by a large figure. They both rolled around in the grass until he forced Rainbow on the ground. It took two of the rustlers to pinion her arms, she was fighting so hard.~

"You girls shoulda minded ya own business!" the rustler sneered.

"This is our business! You're threatening our campsite!" retorted Rainbow.

"What? How do you know that? Ugh, doesn't matter! Make like a leaf, and GET OUT!"

~He shook Rainbow at her shoulders roughly, but before he could do anything rash, Sunset threw her whole weight at one of the rustlers, hitting him off Rainbow, and she got an arm free to knock the other one off. This caused his eyes to go crazy.~

"YEEEEEE-HAW!"

~Back with the cattle, Lightning was stuck in the middle of the stampede. She didn't have Stitch with her, and was scared he might have been trampled. Where did he go? What happened? Was he hurt- or worse? She didn't want to move.~

"Stitch, where are you?!" she called.

~But there was no way he would hear her over the loud stomping of hooves, or for her to hear him! All she could hear were the tapping clippers, and a step of boots? Lightning's thoughts were then cut off by a rope whipping around her from behind. Desperate, she jabbed her elbow back full force into her assailant's stomach, but he still grabbed hold of her. Lightning cried out again, this time for help.~

"STITCH!"

~He heard her call. Suddenly, Stitch darted out from underneath and bit the man's leg as hard as he could. He screamed and tried to shake him off, letting go of the rope and Lightning in the process. When Stitch finally let go of him, the rustler looked down at his leg to see a perfectly grim bite. It was pretty gnarly, and slobbery too. He could not believe that such a horrific bite had come from this young little pup. He was enraged. Lightning and Stitch immediately got out of there.~

"Thank you." Lightning said to the pup, carrying him in her arms.

"Don't fank me yet!" he barked. "C'mon!"

~Stitch pointed with his snout to a large rock, and Lightning swooped in to land behind it. Catching their breaths for a moment, they watched as the cattle leapt over towards the smoke billowing out from behind the trees back towards Camp Everfree. They left the campfire lit so they could find their way back, if they couldn't reach Gloriosa nor Timber. Lightning smiled with confidence and was about to head off after them, to make sure they make it, only for Spike to appear, and scurry behind Lightning, whimpering. A rustler came after, appearing on the rock, talking smoothly.~

"Come on now, I know you're there… Come out and play."

~Stitch and Spike growled at the rustler but Lightning did her best to lower their voices so they wouldn't be seen or heard. Then, they heard a scuffle going on. There were three rustlers, one holding Dusty, one holding a dagger, and the third fighting the cowgirl, Applejack. Crack! Biff! Bang! The fight was going on strong and heavy. Stitch and Spike looked terrified at the scene while Lightning gasped. Applejack saw her and called out.~

"Lightnin', help me out here-!" She was interrupted by a punch that knocked her hat off her head. "Get off of me! Don't make me use my magic powers against y'all!"

Rarity's voice came, shouting. "APPLEJACK!"

~Everyone turned to see her coming forward through the wreckage. The girl began to tremble, but she bravely picked up Applejack's hat and stuck it on her own head. She was not about to let Applejack stay in danger any longer. Just as the rustler successfully had her pinned down, the other turned to face Rarity. Then, he lashed out with his fists. The young fashionista dodged the first but, with a move as quick as electricity, the second hit her in the stomach. Then, the rustler grabbed his opponent's left wrist and threw her down roughly. Rarity tripped and turned, and while she was looking for something to balance herself, she smashed her hand hard on the point of a rock, causing her to scream.~

"RARITY!" cried Lightning.

The fashionista winced in pain. "My hand…"

The man gave fake sympathies. "Ohh, that's a shame. Guess this is a lesson y'all need to learn the hard way."

The rustlers laughed and Lightning growled. "Dusty! I need you!"

~The horse sprang up with a great whinny of power and raced to Lightning's aid. The spy girl swung on the reins and clambered onto the horse's back just as it was galloping by. Dusty was a wise horse, and Lightning was grateful for his unerring instincts as they wove between the raging cattle. He carried her as fast as she could go, charging towards the rustlers harassing Applejack. Suddenly, the stallion made his opening. In a move so quickly, the horse struck one of the rustlers full on the chest, crushing him underneath. Then, Dusty brought up his pitiless hooves and bucked the second one right on the face, sending him back. A large red horseshoe-shaped mark appeared on his forehead when he got up. Seeing that, the other two released Applejack and fled for their lives.~

But Twilight wasn't going to let them escape. "Lightning, aim for the rocks!"

~She pointed at a neatly laid pile of boulders just leaning over two rocky slopes near an exit pathway. Lightning nodded and conjured up the fires and frost from her penguin and lizard forms. Twilight also had the audacity to stir up a little bit of her own levitation magic to help. This was the first time the girls saw two of their supernatural powers being combined. With Lightning's hot and cold magic, mixed with Twilight's wish magic, they made a powerful, purple magical fire-iceball, and sent it hurling towards the boulders from above. It struck the bottom like a flaming meteorite, sending multiple little fireballs all over in the aftermath, and causing a landslip so violent, it knocked the two fleeing men over in a cloud of dust. When it cleared, their escape was blocked off.~ 

~Twilight and Lightning met with each other's eyes smugly. However, the rustlers were not about to be outdone. Purple with rage, the two charged down at Twilight and Applejack, only for a large ramming bull to deliver the final blow. Out of nowhere the snorting mammal came at the two from an unknown direction and rammed his head and horns straight up against them. Both were catapulted into the distance, over the rocks, never to be seen again. Lightning slithered from her mount and patted Dusty's shoulder pad, as he sniffed the air and then tossed his head and neighed in victory.~

Applejack sighed. "Phew! That was clutch. Thank you, Lightnin'."

Lightning chuckled under her breath and shrugged her shoulders. "No sweat. And thank you for helping my magic, Twilight."

"Oh! You're welcome." Twilight replied awkwardly. "I…can't believe everything worked out perfectly!"

"Yeah, we sure showed those rustlers what for!" Applejack answered, winking and nudging Lightning's arm.

"Well- the cow also did...show them." Lightning laughed nervously.

"Are we sure those ruffians won't be coming back any time soon?" Rarity asked, still wincing.

"Not that I can see!" Rainbow said, as she, Sunset, Fluttershy and Pinkie approached them.

"When the others saw those two go flying, they ran after them, cowering in fear." Sunset chuckled.

"Should-a seen their faces. Price-less!" Rainbow laughed.

"Well, I'm just glad we rescued the herd." Fluttershy stated.

"So am I." came Farmer Bonsai's voice and he petted one of his cows. "Girls, I can't thank you enough for gettin' my herd back. It means a lot."

"N-No problem, Farmer Bonsai. Glad we could help." Sunset smiled modestly.

"This calls for a celebration! Campfires and s'mores back at the camp!" Pinkie cheered.

"Oh yeah! Follow me, everyone!"

~Lightning pointed and made to go in that direction. Gloriosa and Timber were confused.~

"Camp Everfree is that way." they noted.

Lightning turned around. "I knew that!"
> Chapter 10: Scar-y Stories
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 10: Scar-y Stories

~The sun was melting above the horizon as the gang made a return. It wasn't as close to being night-time, as the sky was still pretty blue, it was like a late afternoon, but it faded into a bright orange the lower people looked. The farmer made his way to his house first and welcomed everyone in, as they directed the herd and returned them to their pens, where they belonged. His cottage looked old and grimy and the windows were crudely shattered. The roof was made of straw and wood but looked sturdy enough to hold on for a few more seasons.~

~Bonsai's cottage was also surrounded by lots of different crops and vegetables, but half of them were withering away, and the other half looked like they were eaten to bits. As for the inside of the building, the girls had to duck down a bit to get through the door and get in, and once they were inside, this is what they saw. A collection of tools were sleeping on a patched-up sofa, all tied together with a red, silky bandana. The old-fashioned nineteen-fifties television was on, and statically playing an old British TV show about cooking vegetables. The table, sink and floor were covered with straw and the small rubbish bin in the corner was overflowing. The old farmer stared out of his shattered window and looked at his shrivelled crops in despair.~

He released a deep sigh. "What a world…"

~Immediately, the girls got to work. Growing new crops by planting more seeds was easy as pie, and making it rain was easy too, thanks to Lightning's ice powers. Applejack and Rainbow Dash used their powers to cut down some trees for wood so the farmer can build the fences he's dreamt of. They would have chopped down more of them, but Fluttershy's scolding glare told them otherwise. Also, to take into account what happened a few days ago, the squirrels of the forest would not be happy. So, they chopped down a maximum of five trees and left it there.~

~Using the branches scattered hazily around the ground too, Twilight, Sunset, Gloriosa and Timber started a small campfire. As for Pinkie, she reached into her hair and pulled out a packet of marshmallows (Nobody didn't bother to ask how she got them). Tearing the packaging open, she stuck some marshmallows into two large sticks. Then, she jabbed the sticks into a large burlap sack full of straw so the sticks looked like arms. She added another smaller but rounder sack of straw on top of the first one next, and drew a poorly-made face on it, but that didn't matter. Finally, she tied the sacks onto a wooden pole and nailed it firmly into the ground, revealing to have been building a scarecrow. Pinkie Pie puffed and patted herself on the back after finishing, sighing in huge, overreacting relief.~

"PHEW! Done and done!" she said, clapping her hands together and swiping them across each other to wipe off the dust.

~The only person that was not helping was Rarity. This was because of the injury on her hand she got during the fight. It had gotten worse. The girls, of course, noticed but as they kept talking to her, and checking, Rarity just kept nodding and sheepishly tucking her hand away, saying she was fine. When in fact, she was less than fine. She got herself up on a deck chair to rest, but she couldn't do much else to help them or herself. She picked up a glass and went to pour out some water, dispiritedly, when the clear liquid felt her hand and stung like a bee. Travelling up through her veins, she dropped the water into the grass with a cry. She looked at her hand. Between her index finger and thumb, it began swelling, and a red throbbing dot appeared where the sharp point of the rock punctured into it. Almost blood began to show.~

~Rarity sighed, beyond the pain and suffering, when she felt someone approaching her. Thinking it was Applejack, her white face caught a deep blush, with her rosy cheeks turning from light to red. However, when she turned to greet her country-style girlfriend, she saw that it wasn't Applejack. It was Lightning. Without saying a word, the spy girl took a roll of woven white gauze out of her pocket, and swiftly applied it around Rarity's injured hand, taping some cotton wool over the dot first. There was an awkward silence, then, Lightning spoke, sitting down and slumping forwards.~

"Hiya, Rarity. How are you feeling?"

"All right," she replied sheepishly, though she knew it was not true. "Not- not great. B-but all right! N-no need to worry so much about me!" She was laughing so nervously, bullets began sweating down her head.

Lightning saw them. "I know you're fibbing. Does it hurt that much?"

Rarity sighed, knowing she can be honest with her. "Yes. And I don't understand how- I- I never had something like this before! Please, darling, do not worry about me, I am less of a concern to you right now."

"My heart disagrees. You have been so generous and helpful to me from the very beginning. Even though you've only known me for a short number of days, you never let that bother you. So, I need to return the favour, no matter what you say. After all, it's the generous thing to do."

"Thank you," Rarity rubbed her hand and smiled wanly as she slumped forward in her seat, just the same. "How long will the pain last?"

"Oh, only for a short time," said Lightning, along with a cheesy, little laugh. "D-Don't worry. You'll be fine- you'll be…j-j-just like me…"

Rarity turned pale to pink, then back to pale again. "I'll take it."

Just then, Twilight Sparkle arrived, slumping her shoulders. "I'm glad to see everything around here is growing back to normal. And I'm thankful we were able to chase those men away with our magic. I suppose you could say it's gotten alot better now, even after I was afraid."

Lightning rose from her seat zealously. "You were afraid to use your magic? Why?" she asked, puzzled.

"Midnight Sparkle, remember?" Twilight adjusted her glasses. "When I turned for the first time, I could not control myself, and was afraid I never would ever again. She haunted my dreams. I'm glad I didn't physically hurt anyone at that time, but I could have. I would have, if Sunset hadn't stopped me. I had all that power at my fingers, an access to an abundance of knowledge!" Tears streaked down her purple cheeks. "I still feel bad about it. I was prepared to tear the world apart just to know how it all worked."

Lightning jostled in her seat before tugging on the sides of her jean jacket tighter over her shoulders. She hugged the tech girl with one arm. "Well, at least you didn't kill anybody. Try to live with that for the rest of your life."

"You- You've done that?" Rarity asked in an attempt to be intrepid.

"I'm a spy. It's my job. Mostly it's just as a last resort though. It rarely happens."

"Will we have to stoop down to that level?" Twilight asked.

"That's for you to decide. I wouldn't recommend it, but only when criminals and villains are being…difficult. Just try to arrest them if you can."

"I…I see. Well, I must say, it's such an incredibility to find someone who is able to control the power Equestrian magic holds with such ease. I used to theorise that only those who originate from Equestria or have great influence and education were permitted to control a geode."

"It is supposed to be difficult then?" said Lightning.

Twilight stippled the ground with her foot. "Well, from my experience, yes. But I suppose everyone is different. You are a good person, you have no traumatic or dark past, and…I'm glad to have you and Karly as part of our team. From what happened with the Dazzlings, and Devil, up to now, if it weren't for you and Karly, I don't know what would have happened or what would have become of us. I guess what I'm trying to say is that… Thank you, Lightning… and, you have my trust. Truly."

"Mine too, darling," said Rarity softly.

~Lightning gave a weak smile. She was happy that Twilight and Rarity have gained her trust, though she was still very worried about the girls altogether. Having no experience with actual bloody pain, or death, they're basically getting a wake-up call, a hit with reality. Lightning wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing. She wasn't even going to mention at all that villains would probably want to kill them too. But, she figured they would find that out on their own. After all, they already experienced it earlier. Her thoughts were put on hold suddenly when Pinkie came to them, all bubbly and cheerful.~

"Hey- Hey guys! Come check out my scarecrow!" she said impatiently, basically dragging both Lightning and Twilight out of their seats and over to where it was. Rarity followed. They came face to face with the straw-filled scarecrow after a few steps of walking. It stood with a slant.

"Scary." Lightning said, grinning.

"Thanks! This is exactly what the crops need to grow!"

Rarity gazed at the scarecrow curiously. "Hmm. Mind if I add in one more thing?"

~Rarity quickly trotted off into the cottage and came back out again holding a stitched up straw hat, a red tartan scarf and a large navy pea coat. She then proceeded to decorate the scarecrow with the clothing, so it looks more human-like to fool the birds.~

"There we are." the fashion girl smiled.

"Now, it's perfect!" Pinkie Pie said as she wrapped her arm around Rarity, and the other around Lightning.

They heard Sunset's voice. "Annnnnnd- Done!"

"Campfire's ready, girls~!" Gloriosa called out.

Pinkie pulled out two large sticks from her hair. "Yayyy! S'mores time!"





~The girls gathered around the firepit as Pinkie Pie groped about in her hair for marshmallow packets, chocolate bars and biscuits. For the fifth time in a row, the night proved to still be as dark and alluring as the previous four. Only this time, the Rainbooms were enjoying themselves, averting their gazes up to the blinking stars and the moon that was outshining the rest. For once, they felt that they were at peace. Especially Lightning.~

Applejack smirked. "Hey, y'all, take a look at the fireflies."

~The cowgirl pointed up and on the tip of her finger, the fireflies of the night illuminated the sky with their flickering chartreuse lights. They danced among the patterns in the stars and mimicked their every twinkle. One of them perched itself upon Stitch's black nose and he twitched and smiled to himself. He and Spike began to follow them. They felt like dancing along with them.~

"Like a thousand lil' light bulbs." Stitch muttered.

~He rolled about in the dirt, letting the moist grass fleet against his soppy cobalt fur. Lightning watched pleasurably before her eyes saw no more beauty and instead the single flow of red liquid emerging down from her injury. She removed her bandage at once to clean up. Applejack noticed.~

"Still feelin' that annoyin' head of yours all woozy?" she chuckled almost.

"Well, it still stings, like a lot, but, it's not as bad as it was back at the start." Lightning replied.

"Well, no. But, it might still leave a mark."

"You mean like a scar?" she murmured. "Great. Another scar to add to my 'collection'."

"Another scar?" Rainbow questioned, listening in on the conversation. "What do you mean by that?"

~In response, Lightning stretched her eyebrows up, giving a full view of her forehead. After being reluctant at first to look, Applejack and Rainbow leaned in close. They squinted their eyes a bit and just in the roots of her golden hair, they could see about five cicatrices on Lightning's face. One was in between her eyes, three of them were high up on the forehead, almost covered up by her forelocks, and the last one was the largest, at about four centimetres, across Lightning's cheek, inches below her left eye.~

"Oh yeah! Huh. How come we've never noticed them before?" Rainbow inquired.

Applejack shrugged. "Iii guess we just didn't look hard enough." she said, before turning to Lightning. "However did ya get them?"

Pinkie jumped in before she could answer. "Anybody wanna 'nother smore? Dashie? AJ? Starzyyy?"

Lightning was bleary-eyed. "Did you just call me 'Starzy'?"

"Sorry, Pinkie, but Lightnin' was just 'bout to tell us how she got these here scars." Applejack stated, gesturing to Lightning, who then showed the rest her scars.

"Goodness!" Fluttershy gasped. "What happened to you?"

They expected a long story to progress, but Lightning didn't answer. She just stared at each of the seven absentmindedly. "Who has the best scary campfire story lined up!?"

It was a very peculiar and sudden change of subject, but Pinkie Pie answered. "Ooo! Ooo! I have one!"

~As Pinkie happily started with her story and everyone stopped to listen, Sunset curiously slung over her shoulder towards Lightning, whose eyes narrowed with gloom. As well as rubbing her head and scratching Stitch's back at the same time, Sunset looked with envy, and finally decided to get to the bottom of this. Without anybody knowing, she looked down upon her geode and slowly lifted it closer to her face as it began to glow red faintly. Then she looked down at Lightning's hand and slowly went to touch it. However, to her horror, Lightning noticed immediately and jumped to her feet.~

"Sunset, what are you doing?"

Sunset stuttered. "Um...I- Well…"

"Were you about to see through my memory to find out what happened to my family?"

"I…"

"Seriously?!"

"Lightning, you seem upset about it and I want to help, but if you don't tell us what is wrong, we can't help." Sunset answered calmly.

"So, you thought it would be a good idea to stick your nose in my memories?! MY privacy?! You…YOU- !"

~A thunderous wave of anger began to build inside of Lightning, marching up her chest and to her throat where literal fire bursted out on her tongue. There was a tugging feeling on either side of her head and Lightning realised in a flash of shock that she had shifted into her komodo dragon skin. Sunset sat frozen with a cold sweat running across her face. The Rainbooms' camp stories halted again, and Fluttershy rang out nervously.~

"Lightning?" she crouched beneath Rainbow and the sitting logs.

"What the- ?!"

Lightning screamed angrily. "I can't believe you have no patience, NO PATIENCE WHATSOEVER! WHAT THE HELL GIVES YOU RIGHT TO DO THAT!?"

Sunset tried to reason. "Lightning, I just- "

"DON'T TOUCH ME!"

~A strong wave of fire emitted in Lightning's eyes that traversed all the way down to her hands. Massive fireballs emerged from her palms, but she was too blinded by her rage to notice. Suddenly, she let loose, and fire sprouted everywhere. The Rainbooms landed on their stomachs, ducking out of harm's way, and while six of them succeeded, Fluttershy felt a sharp pain on her arm. She looked down. A small part of her left yellow arm had been scorched. She let out a cry. At once, Lightning's fire evaporated and she snapped back to reality, hands trembling and eyes shrinking.~

"FLUTTERSHY!" The Rainbooms chorused.

Lightning's vision swam and she refocused down onto her clenched hands slowly. "Wh…wh…what the…?"

Rainbow immediately went over to help. "Fluttershy, are you okay?"

Fluttershy straightened up, wincing from the burnmark. She spun to Lightning. "Lightning, be careful!"

"But I… I didn't mean to do that…"

"I thought you could control your magic!" said Twilight, picking herself up bodily from the ground.

"Well, I- I thought I could!"

~Lightning paused and tried to say sorry, but all that came out was a hiss. She was still in her lizard form. So, pulling together what remaining energy she had, she shifted back into a girl. Her shirt and jacket stuck to her back when the spikes retracted, and when she uncurled her fists, she saw four crescent-shaped wounds in each palm. Her lizard claws had broken the skin.~

"I-I'm so sorry, Fluttershy," Lightning's voice sounded raspy, like dry leaves. "I must've hissed my tongue by accident. Is the burn bad?"

"No…I'm fine. Don't worry." she waved her hand in persistence, letting her friends know that she was okay. But then, she turned to Lightning with her nose scrunched. "Anyways, it isn't me you should be apologising to!"

"Huh?"

"It's Sunset. You tried to hurt her!"

"I agree. You can't let your emotions get to you, Lightning. Your friendship is much more important than this." Twilight spoke with integrity.

Lightning retaliated. "Sunset and I haven't done anything worthy of friendship. Besides, why should I apologise? She was the one who was about to- "

"No!" Fluttershy interrupted boldly, much to Lightning's immense surprise. "I don't care who was about to do what! Both of you, apologise, NOW!" she calmed down to a whisper after realising she raised her voice a little too loud, even for her sensitive ears. "Please…"

~Lightning and Sunset locked into each other's eyes. Then, something began stirring inside of Lightning's heart. Was it sadness, or guilt? Whatever it was, she did not want to be thinking about that right now. She was livid at Sunset's actions, and felt assaulted. Sunset almost invaded her private thoughts, some of which nobody knows about, not even her closest friends. So, as much as she loved Fluttershy, Sunset was not someone who she trusted anymore, and her gut told her otherwise. Breathing in and out the deep smoky air with excessive force, she left the campfire in a huff.~

She whispered to Sunset underneath her breath one final time before departing: "Maybe you should watch what you do and think it through, Sunset Shimmer. Because now, it's going to take you much longer to earn my trust. If you can."

~As the spy girl disappeared back towards the tents, she pushed past Gloriosa and Timber just as they were coming up to join them for some chocolate smores. Needless to say, they were confused, and curious as to what they missed. After inspecting Fluttershy's arm, they explained what went down.~

Twilight put her arm around Sunset's neck. "Don't worry, Sunset. Lightning will come around. We all want to know what she's hiding, but we must let her decide in her own time. Just be patient." Sunset looked doubtfully at Twilight but smiled. Just a little bit.





~Sunset Shimmer was unsure what to do. She could see the first faint light of morning breaking on the horizon through the crack of her tent, but felt as if she had hardly slept at all. She rotated on the other side to see if her friends were awake when, to her alarm, Lightning was nowhere to be seen.~

"Lightning?" she spoke with a croaking gasp.

~In an instant, Sunset threw off her sleepiness, leapt to her feet and turned to see Stitch crawling towards her in his sleep. She bent down and laid her hand on his fluffy, cloud-like fur.~

"Stitch, have you seen Lightning?"

The Shiba gave out a yawn and stretched out his paws. "Not since the argument."

Sunset growled sadly. "I feel awful about what I did."

"Hey, don't be," Stitch said. "I know 'ow you feel. You just wanted to 'elp."

But Sunset didn't want to let it go. "Come on," she said, struggling to her feet. "We gotta find her."

~So together, they exited the tent and walked back towards the lake and onto the dock to stand, facing the sun rising in a blaze of golden fire. Sunset and Stitch were admiring the scenery quite fondly, when they saw her. Lightning had her arms wrapped around her knees, and stared at the view too near the dock's edge. Sunset and Stitch were unseen but crouched down behind a bench.~

"Looks like she came down for a glance too," Stitch observed. "Wonder wot she's thinkin' 'bout."

~The two of them gazed down on Lightning and were about to sit beside her, but stopped when they heard her mumbling to herself. With a solemn look, she calmly lifted the magical thread around her neck and cupped her geode in her hand.~

"I don't want to tell them just yet," her voice told herself. "I guarantee they will understand, but the memories are just too ahead of myself. And I'll keep thinking so. How will I tell them anyhow? Will they help when I have my revenge? I suppose it all counts on how I see what they are worth, and…"

~Lightning's soliloquy came to an end as she heard a low snigger, and felt the presence of two certain characters staring at her from behind. She spotted their long casting shadows darkening over her. Glancing back, she saw Sunset's face, grim and anxious.~

"How long have you been standing there?" Lightning demanded, her brow furrowing with suspicion.

"Long enough." Sunset answered. "Is this seat taken?"

~She pointed at the hard wooden patch beside her. At first, Lightning wanted to say something in regards to preventing her from sitting there, but, after a thought, and with nothing for her to say, she allowed her to sit by gesturing her hand towards it. Their legs dangled over the edge with their feet just an inch above the water. Sunset put her hand on Stitch's head as she looked at them both.~

"Lightning? Can I ask you a question? Back at the campfire, when you used your fire manipulation…can you describe to me how you were feeling?"

"How was I feeling?" she repeated. "I was feeling…angry. At you." her shoulder fell loosened. "But I really didn't mean for that to happen."

~Lightning shook her head, balling herself tightly together. She hated, absolutely HATED, having to explain to Sunset and Stitch just how much rage had got a hold of her. But it was so bad. Because, in the end, she hurt someone, and it was out of her control. Sunset sympathised, telling her that Twilight felt exactly the same. Going on about their previous adventures, and their chats about forgiveness, Lightning confessed something.~

"You know, when Karly was talking about her family in Coinky-Dink World, I'm surprised you stepped in to give her support. Normally I'm the one that does that."

First being supportive and having anger issues? Sunset was surprised. "Maybe we are more alike than we thought." she said.

"I guess." Lightning tugged on her jacket. "Still, you shouldn't have tried to force the truth out of me back there. I'm not ready to tell you all about it yet. It's…hurtful for me to say. As well as refreshing the bad memories."

"I know…"

"I mean- Weren't you also hesitant to tell Karly and I where you came from, back when we met? How is that any different?!"

"Touché."

"Touché, indeed!" Lightning sighed. "Sometimes I just don't understand anything around here at the moment. Or even…much about you still, or this Equestrian magic of Friendship or whatever. Friendship is just so hard! I'm trying my best to understand, and make everyone proud but really,... I don't know what the hell I'm doing."

~This was exactly what Twilight was telling her about. If a powerful fiery outburst happens inside her again, then it would seem like war, at least in her eyes. But she knows that she can't make any promises when it comes to controlling emotions. If she's sad, or angry, or stressed, then that's that. Lightning is unafraid of using her magic, because it's brought such beauty and wonder to her world, but now, she began to have doubts. A tear ran down her cheek. Sunset could read her thoughts.~

"...When I was Princess Celestia's student back in Equestria, I thought friendship was a waste of my time." Sunset gazed upon the lake's reflection as she began to recount her stories. "I only cared about my studies, and becoming the best. I thought that I was nothing but somepony who had power and potential. Later on, I saw that I wasn't powerful enough, I wanted more. When I found out about the crystal mirror leading to this world, I wanted to know more about it, but Celestia said I wasn't ready."

Lightning glanced at Sunset, a rueful expression on her face. "...What did you do about it?"

"I disregarded her orders, and learned about it anyway throughout the books at her library. I was enraged that she kept it from me, cause I thought I deserved to know and deserved to stand at a better, higher place. When she found out about my presence, I lashed out. She ordered to have me removed from the castle, but I got the jump on the guards before she could, and I…I went through the portal."

~Lightning stared wide-eyed upon the words 'disregarded', 'lashed', 'jump' and 'portal'. She had no idea what similar story Sunset had between Twilight's.~

"I realised that I was wrong," Sunset continued, "I should have respected her wishes, but I didn't. Now, I'm forever cursed with that guilt, and I'll never be able to make it go away."

"I just wish you realised that lesson too before you decided to try to mind read me."

"I know. I'm so, so sorry, Lightning. I feel terrible about it and I should have never done it in the first place."

~And, in that moment, Sunset said it with such sincerity, and actually had the backbone to approach her and apologise early in the morning, Lightning could not be mad at her anymore. All the hatred and grudge she had against her just dissipated afterwards, and she felt compelled to apologise back.~

"...It's okay. I accept your apology. After all, no damage was really done in the end. And…I'm sorry for getting all up and angry."

"You 'ad every right to be." Stitch piped up. "Your anger was famished and 'ad ta be fed at some point."

"Yeah." Sunset said.

Lightning frowned, her hand to her heart. "So, does this mean that there is a chance I might become my own Midnight Sparkle- or something? Because of this?"

"N-no," Sunset laughed. "Equestrian magic only takes over when the user has too much power; not how they use it. You have no greed, no desire for more strength, and that's a good thing. Back then, Twilight and I were blind-struck by the incredible power we held before our very hands, and that led to our downfalls."

"Wait, what? You too?"

"Yeah. Remember the Fall Formal?" Sunset touched her geode. "All the magic you see before you was brought to this world by me. And…it's been hard to have a normal life these days. Everyone would be having one if it weren't for me."

"You're blaming yourself for bringing magic here? D-Don't! Sure, magic has led to bad things, but from what I can tell, it's also brought good things. I mean, if it weren't for magic, we wouldn't have met. Our two worlds would not have combined." Sunset gave a hardy blink. Lightning continued. "And, isn't it also possible that the magic is keeping us together? It's become a part of us, has it not?" their fingers touched. "Sunset, what's in the past is now in the past. You've changed now, you've changed a lot. You haven't been to Equestria since, like, for a while, I take it. You've learnt so much about this world, and the magic that comes and goes. I still need to. Don't go looking to me for magical advice yet, cause I have none!"

"We'll be there for you, Lightning. Don't you worry. I know you don't trust me yet, and I know I can't change the past, but, please give me another chance…"

"I will. Thanks, Sunset."

~With that, she battered Sunset with an affectionate arm around the shoulder and ruffled Stitch. Fifteen minutes later, they watched in wonder as the sun came at its call and ascended shimmering upon the horizon in an endless flashing stream of light. Then, suddenly, abruptly, Stitch heard a noise, and the sound of several dogs growling. Stitch gazed behind his shoulder. He found himself staring at the lined up trees of the forest in the darkness of gaps. It wasn't a very comfortable sight at all. He wanted to run over there, this way and that and alert the girls by yelping with caution that something was lurking there. But, with effort, he ignored it. For now.~
> Chapter 11: Forest Ambush
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11: Forest Ambush

~The next hour, having gotten dressed back into their original attires, now fresh and spiffy, and leaving Camp Everfree behind as planned; the Rainbooms, Lightning, Stitch and Spike set off together on their fifth day's trek. The sign on the path led them straight to the city.~

"You stay safe now, girls," said Farmer Bonsai. "Travellers who go that way- and there have been very few- are said to have good luck. Nothing to worry about."

Pinkie Pie waved him goodbye. "Thanks for everythinggg!"

"We sure appreciate ya lookin' out for us an' our friend." Applejack said happily.

The farmer raised his head. "You will do great. I hope we meet again sometime in the mere future."

~With that, the girls departed, as Farmer Bonsai, Gloriosa Daisy and Timber Spruce waved goodbye and walked away, back to the camp to earn their living. Whisking the summer leaves up with a kick and letting the air catch them again, the girls slipped carefully between the trees and shrubs once again.~





~All was quiet as the journey towards the city began. Only the sounds of bronzed leaves that had not yet rotted away left horrible crunches below the girls' feet. Although it was summer, the ground was still littered with flurries of them. Not much else grew, though their track was clear to see. There were no further landmarks to guide them into the correct direction.~

~As Lightning admired the ceiling of branches and leaves, she found herself walking next to Fluttershy. She was holding her arm in her hand directly where the burnmark was located. Lightning could tell she was uncomfortable. In fact, all of the Rainbooms besides Sunset were feeling that way. They didn't know what happened this morning, and still thought Lightning was in a bad, untalkative mood. So, she spoke up.~

"How's your arm, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy didn't reply at first, and simply squeezed her arm, continuing to hold it tightly as they walked onwards, taken aback by the jolly-sounding question. Finally, she mustered a response. "It's okay."

Even Applejack was taken aback. "Funny," she said surprisingly. "You seem to be in a better mood despite last night's grouse."

"That's because…Lightning and I settled our differences early this morning." Sunset explained.

"You did?" Rarity said.

Lightning smiled weakly. "Y-yeah. We realised our mistakes, and I had a panic attack about it." she explained before sighing. "It's just… I'm sorry to everyone that saw me. My anger just- it can't be controlled very well. And I think that was the reason my magic became unstable too. So that's what I need to learn. For now though, I'm relieved it's over."

"...So am I," said Twilight. "I'm glad to see you've seen through your ways, and thankfully, figured out the issue."

"Me too." Rainbow added, chuckling. "And here I thought we'd have to give you a big, old lectern about the importance of magic and friendship."

Sunset laughed. "Technically, we do. It's just learning how to control it when feeling emotions." Sunset put her hand on Lightning's shoulder. "I'm the one who's supposed to teach you about the magic, so how about we start a little bit with what you can do now? We still have a little while before we reach the end of the forest."

~Lightning smirked and gripped onto her geode firmly, and raised her head up high to get a good feel to it. Hitting the low-lying branches and contorting weeds out of the way, her inner raccoon hovered above the ground as she bolted ahead.~




~Flipping through the gaps of the tall, boding trees, Lightning kept on soaring as the Rainbooms and Spike and Stitch could hardly see where they were going. All were disturbed by the sudden darkness balancing in their visions, except for Lightning, who didn't seem to be bothered at all by the darkness. It only seemed to happen when she was always in her raccoon form.~

Sunset shook her head. "Wow. It's sure gotten dark all of a sudden."

"Yeah, that can't be right. It's, like, the middle of the day still." Applejack said.

"I guess the farmer just never told us this side of the forest got so dark," said Pinkie Pie.

"It's 'nough ta make ya fur bristle, though." Stitch shuddered. "Do we really 'ave to go this way?"

"We've got little choice." Twilight answered. "There are no other paths and, if this does lead to Karly, and the way home, we must follow it. Whatever happens."

~The crowded branches of the thick oak wood trees hung over them menacingly. Now the girls were seriously in the depths of the forest once again. It felt as if the trees were tightening together into a pack the further they walked, almost ganging up on the octet and their two dogs. Lightning halted to a stand still on the ground and began to ponder on her atmosphere.~

"Hmm… If I know Karly well, which I do, she would take an unfortunate wrong turn and panic." whispered Lightning. "But I know, afterwards, that she will remember the first rule about being lost."

"What's that?" asked Stitch.

"Stop, sit down, and think." she replied.

~Then again, sitting still would be a hard idea, Lightning thought. But if Karly was dead, she would have been discovered, and then there was little anybody could do except grieve. If, however, she was still alive, and had been taken prisoner perhaps, then it was possible that her captors would remove her to a place of hiding on the far side of the woods, near the mountains where Devil's castle used to lay. All she knows is that she was still not home, because Steven would have notified her on her wrist watch gadget.~

~Eventually, the path they were following petered out, and there was still no sign of an ending. They had no option but to walk in a straight line as the forest would allow, and they started weaving in and out of thick clumps of trees, coarse carpets of stinging nettles and other more creepy looking areas they did not dare to go near. Gradually, the woods began to thin and, with a golden light improving massively ahead of them, they realised that they were near the outskirts. The ground grew partly stony underfoot. Then, Lightning spied a building.~

She cried out excitedly. "There it is. Canterlot City! There's home!"

~Forgetting the tangled knots below and vast trunks around her, Lightning darted as fast as she could towards the light. Then, with the warmth welcoming them, the girls peeked out from the leafy greens to see the reflections of the several glass windows from their school catching the sun in the distance. And as the tension of the forest momentarily slipped away, they relaxed in these surroundings, and bustled into cheers.~

Twilight drew an X in her notepad along with a simple map. "Now, we just need to find Karly."

"And since the farmer directed her here, like us, she must be close," Sunset said.

~Lightning got all giddy and excited. Not wanting to spend another minute wasting time, she ducked underneath the bushes, still in her raccoon form, and began crashing around in them. The Rainbooms laughed at how much of an animal she was when doing that, when they noticed the sun gazing inwards from behind a few ominous storm clouds. That was an unfortunate harbinger. But then, what made matters worse, was that Stitch and Spike were watching strange shadows in the depths of the forest. Swarming and squirming around them, making them feel like they were under constant surveillance. And every time one of them stood on a dead branch, and made a crunching noise, they both shot around, hackles raised, to see if anything was by them. The last thing that happened was Spike yelping at a leaf that touched his behind.~

"Is everything okay, Spike?" Fluttershy asked.

~He didn't answer. Instead, he and Stitch grew even more alarmed and began running in small circles, sniffing the ground for all they were worth.~

"Easy now, boys," Applejack urged. "There's no need to panic."

I-I'm not panicking," Spike squeaked. "I'm just terrified, that's all!"

"Of what?" asked Lightning, peeking out from the bushes.

~In all honesty, the forest behind them did not look so chilling anymore to Lightning nor Applejack this time around, they could hardly see anything as they peered in and it was the unknown factor that they found rather unnerving. However, if Farmer Bonsai said there was nothing to worry about, then they trusted his judgement. Everyone stopped. Stitch strained his eyes into the gloom. Then, he saw it: a faint shadow fitting between the trees ahead. Moving with caution, he began to follow from tree to tree. He had a sense that this particular shadow was goggling at him- like the behaviour of a ghost. He frowned grimly.~

"I'm not movin' any further." he prompted.

Lightning frowned. "What? But, Stitch- we are so close to getting home! We just need to search this area for Karly, then we can- "

"No." he interrupted. "I don't trust this area."

~He spun around and the others followed his gaze in confusion. There, they saw the lustrous eyes. About five of them. Deep claw marks buried deeply on the bark of the trees, too, and this caught the others' attention and they saw what Stitch saw.~

Lightning could not make sense. "Stitch, I can't…see…why…"

"What's happening?" Rainbow panicked.

~A wailing noise emulated from the creatures. Thunder flashed perfectly in sync with the blinking, and everyone got a glimpse of the owner's full bodies. There was silence once again, then in a heartbeat, a chanting of words they understood were heard.~

~Song: Howling- (Original song)~

Mysterious voice: Whether it's night, or whether it's day…~

You're never getting out, we come to play,~

We are creatures of the dark, and creatures of the deep…~

We never tire, we never sleep,~

In this forest, we wait all day…~

For the chance to hunt down our prey!~

Howling!~

~It was coming from all around them but at the same time, it felt as if it was in their minds, echoing around them eerily. Clearly spoken with menacing words, it sent a chill through the eight girls. Lightning felt her raccoon ears twitching in the air, then her nose firmly picked up a horrid scent. When she opened her eyes, her pupils shrunk down to pinpricks.~

"Girls. Run." she muttered.

"What?" said Sunset.

"GO! RUN! NOW!"

~Rainbow Dash sped off at the speed of light and Lightning promptly shoved the rest to move back into the shadowy forest. As soon as they took off, timberwolves came thrashing out of their hiding spots, pursuing after them, their barking just as powerful as their thundering footsteps. The chanting started again, fiercer and more threatening.~

Mysterious voice: We are gonna get you…~

We're coming for you now,~

We're creatures of the dark…~

We seek and plough,~

You can run, but you can't hide…~

No way for you to change this tide,~

We never tire of what we do…~

And what we do is scare you through!~

Howling!~

~The girls felt their pathway heading off uphill. Very uphill. They were climbing up to the base of a stony hill that was just as high as a mountain. With snaggy cliffs, and a very long way down, back into the tree branches. It'll be a nasty fall if no one was careful enough. Lightning turned back to face the wolves, and was horrified. The timberwolves were now horribly deformed, with disgusting dark mattered moss for fur, and faces masked by the piercing shadows. They moved with beating chests, making them more monkey-like instead of wolf-like. Fluttershy screamed.~

"Timberwolves." Lightning panted.

"TIMBERWOLVES?!" Pinkie shrieked.

"DON'T LOOK BACK!"

~She couldn't help herself. The party girl kept turning her head back every three seconds as she scrambled around the forest. Rarity was sprinting after her, but once onto flat ground, a blur sped in front of them and blocked their path. The timberwolf grinned, showing off its jagged stone teeth to their faces. The girls skidded to a stop and circled up. Stitch approached them from behind while more timberwolves emerged.~

~Only Spike set off faster, running off hither and thither among the trees, getting further and further away from the Rainbooms all the time. All of a sudden, there was a faint hiss followed by a high-pitched cry shooting around the air.~

"Spike!?" Twilight called, but there was no answer.

"What's happened?" shouted Lightning.

~She felt something rush past her like a cold wind and swung herself around. Nothing was there. Twilight darted forward to where she thought she had last seen Spike. She called the dog's name as she went, yet however hard she looked and however keenly she listened, she could find no trace of her companion.~

"Is Spike okay, Twilight?" Lightning called.

"No… He's…he's gone. He's not here!"

~More wind-like sensations rushed past Lightning and the Rainbooms, chilling them through. Shaking violently at this sudden terror, Fluttershy screamed. All she, the girls and Stitch could do was huddle together and let these monsters of the forest ring around them, until they were trapped.~

~Stitch hid behind everyone's feet. Rainbow Dash tried to find a way to escape, but the wolves showed up surrounding them at their legs. If one foot stepped out of the ring, the wolves would gnaw it right off.~

"The dog is safe," said a loud, bone-chilling voice. "For now."

"What? Who's there?" demanded Sunset. She couldn't tell where the voice had come from.

~Before they knew it, the timberwolves crouched down formally, but kept their guards up, as three men wearing wolf masks sprung out from the tangle of trees and stood looking at them.~

Their disguises could not fool Lightning. "YOU!" she exclaimed.

~There was nothing to hide as the one man slanted forward and removed his mask. Familiar purple eyes opened up in front of Lightning's bewildered ones, and he frowned upon her face, along with his cronies, who revealed their eyes, too, shot with a thirst for blood.~

Applejack frowned. "Great. Done in by three rustlers and their pack of timberwolves in the middle of a creepy forest."

The rustler sneered. "Four, actually." he corrected harshly. "Somebody is looking forward to seeing these dogs eaten alive, and it's not going to be us."

~Twilight and Fluttershy tried to escape the circle but were prodded with spears and snapped at by wolves.~

"Where's Spike?" Twilight demanded. "Where's my dog?"

~The man gestured behind the girls, who all turned around immediately and, with a gasp and a jump, spotted Spike in the tight grip of another timberwolf, who was large and exceptionally darkly. He was being pressed down against the floor with only his head sticking out. The timberwolf grinned inanely as Spike squirmed under his paw.~

"Get off him! Let go o' him!" Stitch cried.

"Not a chance!"

~The masked man cursed and spat. Stitch leapt upon Lightning's arm and shoulders as she stretched it out as a makeshift platform. Then, growling from behind his teeth, his mouth erupted in rage like a truly sadistic wild animal. He needed to fight. The timberwolves laid their eyes on him.~

"You think you scare us, little dog? Expect us to…run away?" The high, cold voice filled Stitch's head as if it was coming from inside him.

~The creatures leered then let out sharp, ugly laughs. That was the mark. Stitch leapt and attacked with his fangs. The laugh quickly became a bloodcurdling wail on one of the wolves as Stitch crunched into the bark of its leg. The other wolves started laughing and wailing as they pressed in on the Shiba. The sounds of them were unbearable this close and rang harshly through Stitch and the Rainbooms' ears, bursting their minds and filling their whole bodies with fear. In a sweeping movement, the timberwolf that Stitch was biting whipped with its paw and sent him bouncing into a tree. Lightning cried his name, but could do nothing as the ring of monsters around her closed.~

~Before he knew it, Stitch was being lifted off the ground and held in the huge jaws of a wolf, slobber was drooling down from its fangs, all over Stitch's body. The timberwolf's eyes glazed. He tasted delicious.~

"Wh-What are you going to do to them? "Fluttershy demanded.

"That's for Whitey to decide." the lead rustler answered. "But, I don't think many theories need to be crafted. Our dark leader requires lunch for his hungry, hungry timberwolves."

"WHAT?" the seven Rainbooms chroused.

"You monsters!" Rarity screamed.

"Hey, it's just nature. Wolf's gotta eat." the rustler grinned under his brows. "Don't worry, though, we'll let you girls go. As long as you don't try to stop us…that is."

But Lightning wasn't having it. With a tingling sense of anger, and glaring through the gaps of her hair as it brushed all over her face, she shouted. "Give. Them. BACK!"

~Suddenly, Lightning roared and swung her tail forward. Timberwolves viciously moved in on her, but her super equestrian strength blew them all away fiercely. She almost pulled Stitch free, but was counterattacked by a rustler charging forward, and grabbing Stitch by his hindleg. He pulled him back before recapturing his other leg until he was pinioned again, this time in his arms.~

~The other rustlers engaged in battle with Lightning after that. One went in for a punch, but was blocked by what appeared to be a wall of hard diamond that they were conjured out of nowhere. The rustlers were far from baffled, however. Instead, they advanced on the one, who conjured up the diamonds, Rarity, and cornered her and the others towards the standing edge of the mountains large cliff. Just then, Rarity was pushed back by the force of her diamond shield in between after the rustlers shoved it, and she was flipped backwards, stumbling off the cliff. Narrowly catching the lip and clinging for dear life, she shrieked like an out of tune bird at the top of her lungs as she dangled dangerously down below.~

"HANG ON, RARITY!" Rainbow cried over the rushing wind.

"LIKE I HAVE A CHOICE IN THE MATTER!" she cried back.

~But the power in her already injured hand could not hold on. However, before she could slip off, Fluttershy quickly caught her by the hand. Then, as she started slipping, Rainbow jumped in and caught her by her hand. Pinkie held onto Rainbow next, then Applejack held onto Pinkie. But, all they succeeded in doing was dragging each other down.~

~Finally, it came to Sunset, Twilight and Lightning. But as they were about to appear to the terms, the three were shoved by timberwolves, forcing them into Applejack just as her feet teetered on the edge. They all fell at an alarming rate, but Lightning clutched on the edge quickly. Sunset had her arms firmly wrapped around Lightning's legs, while Twilight was holding around hers, then Applejack. Like that, there was a chain of eight Rainbooms swinging from the ledge, with Lightning being the only one gripping on with her weak hands. The weight of all seven girls was pulling her down, but she was determined not to let go, despite the painful stretching she felt in her arms. They were about to rip off any second.~

Pinkie Pie began screaming. "PANIC, PANIC, PANIC, PANIC, PANIC! SOMEBODY PANIC WITH ME!"

Lightning yelled and flexed up and down in her position. "Pinkie, pull yourself together! We'll find a way to- "

~She stopped when she noticed the wolves and the rustlers standing atop the cliff, staring at her and the girls underneath them at their mercy. They had the option now to decide whether they should abandon them here and just leave with their dogs, or make the heartless choice of putting them out of their misery. Nobody had to guess what choice they went for.~

"- OWW!"

~One of the men ferociously stomped on one of Lightning's hands, forcing her to loosen her hold on the ledge completely, and letting her and the others only dangle with a few of Lightning's fingers on the other hand left hooking on.~

Pinkie shrieked. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIEEE!"

~Slowly and painfully, the rustler pressed down on Lightning's other hand with his foot, as she held back tears of terror. The Rainbooms didn't dare to look down at what awaited them, but the burning curiosity wouldn't listen, and it got the better of them. Fluttershy screamed. The view was dramatic. They saw nothing but green darkening down in the distance and the atmosphere heightening in their vision the longer they looked, feeling like it was much further down than it actually was. Vertigo struck them all, and Fluttershy closed her eyes, trying and failing to keep her nerves calm.~

Stitch growled, his black eyes swelling. "No! Leave them ALONE!"

~The Shiba barked, bit and wriggled for all he was worth, but his captor clamped his hand tightly over his snout. Fluttershy and Rarity looked through with tears and begged with their eyes. But the men remained emotionless. Eventually, Lightning's sweat made her fingers start peeling off by themselves. The man pressed down harder. Finally, she was unable to take it anymore. Without anymore fighting, Lightning let go.~
> Chapter 12: Star Family Secrets
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12: Star Family Secrets

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

~Both Lightning and Stitch screamed in unison. The figures of him and the rustlers gradually drew further and further away from Lightning's vision as she and the Rainbooms began slipping to their doom and into the darkness of green underneath them. There must be a way to escape death, but the quick falling clouded her mind. Something told her to give in and let their lives fade away. The Rainbooms screamed in their final lucid moments, and they recalled what brought them up to this point, getting ready. But, just when Lightning thought themselves to be heading to the track of the afterlife, she heard a wince followed by the feeling of her arm being grabbed. Curious, Lightning strained her eyes painfully to see who it was, and when the figure came to focus, she has recognised it to be none other than the girl they have been looking for since the very beginning.~

"KARLY?!"

~She was answered by a croaking gasp and in the next moment, Karly had hooked onto everyone else. The seven Rainbooms couldn't believe it either. There was a tingling of power. Next, after coming to grips that it was the Karly Crystal directly in front of them, all felt their surroundings change from one area of the forest to another. However, they were still falling. Karly had to act fast. Quickly harnessing her magic, she teleported them and herself to the safest place where they can drop. They kept on falling and falling until finally, all nine screamed as they hit the water of the lake of Camp Everfree.~





~With a light flashing over her head and the water waking her up gratefully, Lightning came to and swam to the surface. She noticed Karly floating beside her, still but awake. She couldn't swim, and Lightning knew this. So, as strong and healthy as she was, Lightning carried Karly through the water and out. It was hard work, but she pulled through. Each of the Rainbooms emerged from the lake too, dragging themselves out one by one.~

~Relaxing her grip on her load and letting her clamber to the ground, Lightning looked in horror at her bedraggled bestie. Karly's hair was matted, wet and torn, and a red mist filled her eyes. Dried blood covered the side of her forehead, too. She was clearly exhausted, breathing hard and feeling sick, but she needed to explain herself.~

"Light…Light…" the girl spluttered but was unable to speak.

~Lightning stretched out a hand to help her friend, but the trachled Karly collapsed to the ground, unconscious.~

Lightning checked her pulse. "She's passed out. She teleported all of us at the same time to safety, I- I guess her body just couldn't handle the huge amount of magic."

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. "D-don't worry. I've experienced something like this before when I use my magic. She will wake up soon."

~Lightning half-carried, half-dragged Karly back to the campsite, along with some help from Applejack once Lightning spent all her strength. The effort was arduous. Before her knees crumpled from exhaustion however, Lightning brought out the smallest cold sheen of ice, and plastered it on the back of hers and Karly's heads. Sunset hauled her up again. Swiftly, the girls got Karly into an open tent and space to rest. Fluttershy arranged a bed by gathering all the pillows, while Rarity cleaned her by using the water dripping from the ice and soap to run over her filthy, splattered clothes. Sunset instructed Lightning to sit with her.~

~A moment later, there was a groan, and Karly was conscious again. Lightning stood before her in the shade and stared as Karly slipped upwards behind the pile of pillows and cranked up into a sitting position, the faint outline of a smile softly donned on her face.~

"Hey, Lightning," she finally said.

Lightning chuckled, as did the Rainbooms. "Karly," she said, almost whispering. She didn't wait a second longer and embraced her. Their eyes were closed. "I'm so happy to see you!- I feared the worst."

Lightning kept squeezing her, but then Karly felt her head being examined by Rarity for injuries. "Darling, you are hardly scratched up!" the young fashionista said.

"Yeah, Lightnin' said you were hit by a ton of bricks- ! Wh-what happened?" Applejack asked.

"I…I don't actually know." Karly answered.

"What? Then… How did you find your way back here?" Lightning asked, placing her hands on Karly's shoulders.

"Well, the last thing I remembered was taking a clout to the head… Then, I woke up in the forest without feeling anything. It was…it was weird. I didn't know where I was, it took me hours to navigate the way home… I was so frightened."

She was interrupted by Lightning pulling her into a hug. "Oh, Karly- That's...That's all my fault! If I hadn't raced out to the construction site…"

"Its okay, Lightning. I'm okay, you're okay. Just let bygones be bygones… Really, all I would like to know now is how I managed to survive without experiencing any…"

"You were taken in by Stitch." interrupted Fluttershy. "He…must've given you the berries we found."

"Berries?" Karly repeated. "What berries? And who's Stitch?"

Lightning was about to explain, but then realised that he and Spike were not here. It all came back quickly. "- oh my god, Stitch!"

Fluttershy gasped too. "Oh yes! He and Spike were…were taken."

~With words tumbling from their lips, the Rainbooms told Karly all that had happened to them since she and Lightning had that accident. She listened with both patience and confusion, dropping back a few memories of her own and confirmed them to be true, like meeting Farmer Bonsai and Woodrow the Wise. Whitey, on the other hand, he had not. It had all been a lie to lure them into a trap, Lightning thought. Now, they gotta make him pay.~

Rainbow cut to the chase. "We gotta get Spike and Stitch back!" she declared.

"But… We're talking about fighting timberwolves! Are you sure we can handle that?" asked Rarity.

"We got magic," Rainbow replied. "And since we've got Karly back, we'll find them in no time! Come on!"

~The Rainbooms agreed in silence, and they all headed back towards the area to where the pathway led. However, Karly didn't move. Not because she was too weak to move, or frozen in place while trying to process all that's been spilt on her, but the thought of Stitch, and saving him, when he was responsible for her injuries, didn't set her in a right state of mind.~

Lightning noticed. "Karly?"

"Lightning… I don't understand, why would we want to help him?" Karly asked.

"Why would we…? He's our friend!"

"Friend?"

"A…loyal friend, yeah…" Lightning glossed over the facts in her mind while looking down at the floor. She continued. "He helped us find you, and knew the dangers to alert us. He saved us, supported us, and… he even saved you, too! I thought in the past that he was responsible for your and my accident, but he's not. This experience led me to learn that. He's now like one of my own, like a friend, like a pet, like a…"

"Like family?"

"YES! Now, he and Spike are in trouble, and who knows how long we have left! How long they have left…"

Karly frowned upon Lightning's deep emotions and could see what the connection was immediately. "... Is this because like your sister, you don't want to lose anymore family members, and you blame yourself for not being better? I keep telling you, Lightning, it's not your fault, I, out of everyone, can see that. You were never near towards the murder and neither their death could have been foretold. But, I understand."

~Karly smiled but the air rendered into silence. Lightning's jaw dropped slightly as her mouth quivered. Suddenly, she felt as if some blunt object struck her in the heart, and she winced in pain. Like a brick punching glass, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. The Rainbooms blinked by what Karly said. Turning to Lightning, they now wanted more information… and answers.~

"What?" Karly said. That was when she realised that the Rainbooms STILL didn't know. "Oh…"

"I…I…"

~There was no saying in the rest of Lightning's sentence because she was wavering so hard out of shock. The tone in her voice changed to sadness. WHY would Karly bring THAT up? Why here? Why now? She couldn't be seen with anyone right now. Shutting her eyes to hold back the grizzling, she jostled past the girls and made a beeline out of the tent and towards the mountain again.~

Karly called out. "Oh no- LIGHTNING!"

"Lightning, wait!" Sunset yelled, and made to go after her.

~Lightning ran as fast as her legs could carry her. She wanted to get away from everyone that she knew. Rarity, Fluttershy, Twilight, Sunset…even Karly. In fact, all she wanted to do was to escape the forest, return back home, curl up in her room and cry herself to sleep. She glanced back over her shoulder and saw the girls chasing her. As they ran, the Rainbooms began to raise their voices, enough to hear over the wind and upcoming rain. Sunset started.~

"Is…Is that what this was all about, Lightning?"

Twilight added. "You lost your sister?!"

"How did that happen?!" Rainbow yelled. But she got no answer.

"Lightning! Stop!"

~Rarity drew her arm back then forth, bringing out a gleaming crystallised shield in front of Lightning to block her path. It was no match for her, though, as the spy girl persisted, swiftly tossing the large piece of precious stone to the ground and leaping over it like it was nothing, without saying a word.~

Applejack continued to run. "Lightnin', we get it, if that's the case!"

"Please, you must understand, we never judge! Never this!" Fluttershy called over.

"Please, why didn't you just tell us?!" Pinkie yelled.

~Lightning didn't answer to any of them. She clutched her head, with her hands over her ears, wishing to hear no more. The voice inside her mind began to grow and tears began to flow, despite Lightning trying to hold them in. It was hurting her chest.~

Applejack started up again. "You said you had a big family, but was that really the truth?"

"Did you lose anyone else?!" Rainbow Dash added.

"Why don't you tell us?" Pinkie Pie added.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

~Lightning ripped her geode from her neck and threw it at the girls in a fit of sad rage to scare them off. Sunset caught it just before it hit Fluttershy's face and as she took it to herself, running her thumb over the blue crystallised patterns, they continued to shout questions. Lightning's anger increased overtime.~

Sunset babbled impatiently. "Wh-what about the rest of your family?!"

"No!"

"What about your father?" asked Twilight.

"NO!"

"What about your mother?" asked Rarity.

"NOOO!"

"Whyyy?!" Pinkie screamed.

At last, Lightning couldn't take it anymore. "STOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP!"

~Back she held her head like a madman, shrieking a curse to the sky. The instinct left everyone scared and their legs shook, stopping at the sound of her shrill voice. Karly and the Rainbooms all stood in breathing silence. They noticed that they were at the semi-top of the cliff once again. And there, in the moment, they realised the time had come, and Lightning knew it too. She had no choice now. She had nowhere to go. Altogether, the nine girls approached up the jagged cliff. With Lightning at the front, she felt a mixture of tensity and fear as she leaned over.~

"Fine, girls… You want to know the truth? Well…"

~The night sky swivelled into fades of black, purple and orange, as the stars began to align into shapes of people and began to form a story.~

Lightning narrated. "The truth is- that twelve years ago- I did have a family. There was me, my mother, my father, and my older sister. We were- like the puzzle pieces to a giant heart that will never be dismantled…"





~The scene in the sky changed and the Rainbooms and Karly saw that a girl child had been born. Clutching her as she cried was a fair mother, rocking her back and forth in her arms, and a strong father by her side. Also next to them, was a small, curious young girl. She smiled when she saw her baby sister.~

"We were…inseparable. Or so I thought…"

~As a few years went by, the stars showed the scene of Lightning and her sister playing together while the parents watched happily. But everyone could see, the happy scene would not last long.~

"It was the day after my fourth birthday…a dark day to be alive to witness this…"

~The scene swirled once more, and they could see the older sister and Lightning fleeing for their lives, with their hands clenched tightly together. Fear and dread filled their faces, and the pathway seemed never-ending. Until, at last, it brought them to a warehouse that Lightning recognised it as the final room. Still, the sisters fled, twisting and turning among the crates and always glancing behind them. The eldest was looking for an escape route that wasn't the door. At last, she came within an air vent in the wall, enough to squeeze in. She ushered Lightning in first, but yet as she made to enter, four strangely hooded figures emerged from the shadows. A knife flashed in one's hand.~

"My sister and I were taken away from our parents by some men with cold hearts. They wanted us for abuse and power. My sister and I tried to escape. We made it to a warehouse nearby. But…as I entered a vent to get away, my sister was caught…"

~The Rainbooms gasped as they watched the knife's blade plunge and tore into the back and out of the chest of the sister. She cried out and fell down, still alive, but in pain. The figure then stabbed again, this time, aiming for the head. The sister dropped dead in her tracks after red spilt everywhere.~

Lightning witnessed the murder with trauma and fear flashing in her eyes. She froze in terror, paralysed at the sight before the blade of the knife stuck through the vent covers and pierced her on the cheek. It slid across from the side to the nose, causing hot blood to pour down, blending in with her tears, and irritating her face. Young Lightning cried and stumbled back into the ducts, feeling her cheek. Finally, she crawled away, escaping.~

"I then watched from the vent as one of the four men from the gang stab my sister to death. I only escaped with nothing but this scar on my face. My parents then found me hours later walking alone in the rain, traumatised by the events, and picked me up. There, I explained what happened. And…and..."

~In the final vision, the father and mother appeared, standing before each other, fighting and heart-broken, with Lightning hiding behind her father, a bandage plastered where the cut on her cheek was. The young spy heard their arguments with the mother being more distraught about her eldest daughter than anyone. Suddenly, she collapsed, and the father froze in terror. He dropped to his knees and took his wife in his arms, but it was too late. She faded away until there was nothing more than a grave and flower petals before him and Lightning. They hugged quietly as a heart above them shattered into pieces.~

"Hurt that her eldest daughter was gone, my mother eschewed herself away in shame and depression. I didn't see her for over four months. Then, in that final month, I heard a gunshot. My broken-hearted mother died shortly after that… Having put herself down, instead of living the rest of her life knowing that her eight-year-old child…was murdered."





~The scene of stars faded until they could only see the sky and stars returned to normal. Bizarre emotions filled the Rainbooms' hearts. At last, they knew the truth. Lightning's sister and mother died brutally. They thought of the cruel, unbeknownst men- the murderers- the men that killed the sister, and wondered where they were now. Had they been caught? Was justice served? Then, the heinous act of her mother's death angered them. How she died of a broken heart for her first daughter, yet left her second and husband alone still in the world to grieve more. They didn't understand any of this.~

Lightning fell to her knees trembling and her eyes swelled up with tears. "I swore from that day on that I would avenge them." she said. "I wanted to find the men responsible for my sister's murder, and exact revenge for what they did! But I…never have…F-FOUND…"

~Lightning's sentence was overcome with whimpering and sobbing. Then, her pipes broke down and the dams of water in her eyes broke into waterfalls. Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie stood up and all threw their arms around the girl as she continued to cry. Silently consoling her to let it all out, Lightning let herself succumb to the love and heartwarming embrace of her three new closest friends- which eventually turned to six- since Twilight, Rainbow and Applejack joined in too, also trying hard to not cry. This went on for about a few minutes until Lightning's tears soaked the Mane 6's shirts heavily.~

"I'm really sorry, Lightning," Sunset said gravely, "I had no idea… I just assumed you had terrible family issues, and a bad relationship with them."

"Oh no… It was the complete opposite of that. My mother and sister loved me with all their hearts. But now…I…I don't even remember their names." Lightning confessed, much to the Mane 7's shock. They could tell they meant alot to her.

"You poor thing," Fluttershy sobbed, hugging her tighter. Pinkie Pie was crying her eyes out too.

"I just wish you told us sooner." Sunset then sighed.

"I didn't want you to worry…it's not your problem. It's mine only and mine alone. I did nothing to prevent my sister's death, and just sat there and watched it happen! So, I have to make it right!"

"Lightning, you were only four years old at the time, what could you have done at that moment? Please, don't blame yourself for what happened, it's not your fault." said Karly, wiping away her own tears. "I…I'm sorry I brought it up."

"From what I just heard, I agree with Karly." Twilight said. "You couldn't have prevented such a terrible crime at that age, nor could have predicted it to happen."

Lightning heaved a sigh. "I don't know… They died, that's all that needs to be known."

"Wh-What about you dad?" Fluttershy asked. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

"Yes. Don't worry. He's as fit and healthy as he can be, you may even meet him very soon," Lightning sniffed. "But still. This doesn't change the fact that my mother and sister are gone, and that the men responsible are still at large. I promised myself I would find them, but it's been years, and I haven't found even a single clue or evidence. Not who they are, or even their names. It's been eating up inside me, and I can't stop it. I just…don't want to fail my family's name as a poor agent, nor my sister, or my mother."

The Mane 7 and Karly silenced the atmosphere. The world around them seemed to be glistening via the stars. Then, Sunset Shimmer stood up bravely. "Well. In that case, it's going to be a goal."

"A goal?"

She nodded. "We're all in this together now, Lightning. You already know so much about us, now it's our turn to know so much about you. And so far, as I can see, you're a brave, compassionate girl. What happened in the past made you stronger; it made you the girl we see before us today. Remember?"

"It's not too late to uphold that promise you made all those years ago. You still have ya whole life ahead of you, an' the people you have around you love you, and can help you with that. Believe me, 'cause I know how it feels to lose a parent..." Applejack said.

"As we are absolutely horrified to hear everything that's happened to you- you must have hope, darling. Those insufficient ruffians- those heartless brutes that killed your sister- a child- will not get away with this!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Hmm-hmm! And we will do whatever it takes in our power to help you find him! Even if it takes us ten years- or twenty years! Since we're now working together an' all, we must cherish it, and restore this heartbreaking moment!" Pinkie Pie chirped, wiping her tears.

"We are your friends now, Lightning. Your family. Spike and Stitch too. At first, you didn't want anything to do with Stitch, and you blamed him for what happened to you, and Karly. Now, you know that it wasn't his fault, and he was only trying to help. He's your pet now. You love him, and he loves you." Twilight said compassionately.

"Yeah! You two are perfect for each other, what can be more awesome than that? I know losing your family like that is hard, but you must stay strong. And now, since you've soaked my jacket with your crying, you owe me!" Rainbow Dash smirked, nudging Lightning softly.

"I always knew you would become attached to Stitch- but, I never expected this to come as well. Lightning, we believe in you, and sympathise with your pain. We'll do whatever it takes to help, because… We're here for you." Fluttershy finished. "And…"

"We trust you." The seven said altogether sweetly.

~Lightning didn't reply. She was just in awe of all the kind words the Rainbooms had to say about her, and…it felt as if they were pushing off all the negativity that were weighing her down off of her shoulders. She had never felt as much love as ever from anyone until now. Eventually, her sad tears turned to happy ones, and they washed away her sorrows. She looked up at the sky, and saw nine figures of friends all in a group hug, silent and meaningful, made of the stars.~

She didn't know how to express anything. "Wow… R-Rainbooms, I…"

Sunset put her finger against the spy girl's lips. "Here, wipe those tears away."

~She lifted a large, lace-edged handkerchief from her pocket and dabbed Lightning's eyes dry. Then, without warning, she pulled the spy girl up into her own big, loving, supportive hug. Lightning felt even more gracious. Squeezing her face into the dip of Sunset's shoulder, she let her pent up sadness explode again and flow into her embrace. Finally, Sunset let go, but still kept an arm around Lightning's neck.~

"So, what do you say? Friends?" she held up the face of Lightning's geode.

Lightning stared for a long period of time, then, she felt her chest puff with courage. "Friends." she said proudly, and snatched her geode back.

"That's our girl."

~They chuckled ever so softly. As all nine gathered in for a group hug, they looked up to see constellations of Stitch and Spike in the sky. They turned to confidence.~

"Sooo, Stitch and Spike?" Karly asked.

"Stitch and Spike." Lightning and the Rainbooms chorused.
> Chapter 13: The Eye of the Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 13: The Eye of the Storm

~Everyone knew what they had to do. Lightning Star, Karly Crystal, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity, Applejack, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, allowed the pulses of energy to flow through their hearts. Their friendship blossomed and felt stronger than the last time they used it altogether. With their powers combined, they exploded into a vast, pure white, glowing energy. Their ears, tails and wings tingled in the light as the transformation from human to pony took place while being surrounded by the storm. Their ears elongated, reverting back to their pony state once more. Their hairs lengthened, forming a ponytail each in a sparkling flash, and, as their feet left the ground, the nine of them nodded to one another.~

"Hang tight, girls!" Lightning said.

~Suddenly, all nine were boosted into the sky by a pulse of fire and ice. Lightning could still feel the raccoon inside of her, despite now being a pony. She proceeded to take off. The Rainbooms and Karly all took a deep breath before running and flying through the storm too, hovering beneath Lightning, where they locked hands and grabbed onto her. They were off.~

~As they soared above the sky, they watched the earth from down below, passing all the memories and people they endured during this journey. Farmer Bonsai's cottage, Camp Everfree, Gloriosa and Timber, The Lair of the Timberwolves, Woodorw the Wise, his abode, and the river. The clouds swirled in the sky and lightning cracked onto the trees, sparks and flames underneath, before firing themselves back up. Lightning dove underneath them all, while keeping track of the rest as they wove about in the wind, riding over or around it. The fearsome cry of a dog from behind brought everyone to a stop and they spun around. The cliff downwards was sobbing, and the trees were shaking. Lightning didn't bother to hide her thoughts. There- was where he was.~





~In the stormy, shadowy forest, Stitch and Spike were being presented to Whitey by the rustlers and the timberwolves. The dogs shrank back against their captor's fur as Whitey advanced on them. He gave a booming laugh.~

"Ah, foolish ones! That ambush worked better than I planned, for it is only you two that I desire." he gloated.

"No! Please! Let us go! Please don't kill us and feed us to your wolves!" Spike screamed.

"And how will you prevent me from doing that?" Whitey taunted.

"S'alright, Spike," whispered Stitch. "We can 'andle this."

"The only thing you can do now is to release yourself into death's warm embrace, and let my wolves have the satisfaction they deserve."

~Whitey laughed, but the moment he tried to take Stitch away from the rustler holding him, the Shiba brought his snout down and sank his teeth into his hand. The whisperer howled and dropped to his knees, giving Stitch an opportunity to break himself and Spike free, by pushing, biting and shoving. By the time Whitey looked up, nursing his wounded hand, his prisoners were free and running away. He cursed loudly. Quickly, Stitch and Spike emerged from the forest and ran into a narrow crack between two rocks. The men and the wolves caught up with them and tried to reach in and grab them, but they found that they could not do so easily without getting bitten themselves. They tried pushing against the rocks to move them, but nothing worked.~

"Well done!" Spike cried.

~Stitch looked rather pleased with himself and chuckled as the timberwolf whisperer raged and fumed before them. It was some time before Whitey's fury subsided, and then a cunning gleam came into his eyes. He sat down crossed legged and gazed at them between the crack of the rocks.~

"Well, well, now you are in a fine pickle," he said. "I cannot reach you, but you cannot escape. Between us, we have made you a neat prison, have we not? All my timberwolves and I need to do is to wait until hunger and thirst combine to break your wills. So, when you are ready, surrender yourselves in front of me, and we'll consider the matter at an end."

~The dogs turned to one another in dismay. Actually, they were very hungry and especially thirsty. They couldn't reach the rain water either. Just thinking about it and hearing it patter made things worse. Whitey knew this and, with a smirk on his face, he took a long swig from a flask that he carried in his belt.~

~Suddenly, the rustlers turned their heads to one side and the wolves' ears perked up. They heard something. The sounds of something coming from afar. Whitey regarded the dogs with a mocking stare, thinking that more wolves are coming to join the party. Stitch and Spike said nothing. To remain trapped here would be disastrous, but having to deal with more wolves would be worse.~

Just then, there was a familiar voice that echoed from the trees. A howl. "AAAWHOOOOOO!"

~At that very moment there was a deep rumble and the ground shook beneath their feet. Whitey stopped in his tracks an the two dogs shrank back wondering what was going on. The next instant, a blistering white rainbow light dazzled their eyes, blinding out everything. Some timberwolves screeched in terror. They turned to their heels, and fled for their lives. But the treacherous Whitey was not about to thwarted. Just when Stitch and Spike was within his grasp. Someone was behind that terrifying, blazing light that had burst into his forest. Whoever this was must possess a power far greater than his own. Whitey gazed about him, and then he spied nine dark shapes in the branches of the oak trees.~

"Well, well! Look who survived." Whitey smirked. "And this, I take it, is Karly? Must've taken quite the time to get her to come here. Is she afraid?"

"No, she is not," Lightning said quietly. "And you don't seem to be either. Even though you should be."

Whitey shrugged, making no difference. "Of course I am not afraid. I will not be killed by your power. My wolves will not be driven from their home either."

"Honestly, that's the least you deserve, ya violent varmint. You, and ya big goons!" retorted Applejack.

The lead rustlers gave an icy smile. "Well, lemme tell ya something then. Only one team will make it out alive, but as long as we have the dogs, we hold all the cards, and we intend to play for a looong time."

"If you want to see your dogs alive, for more than one moment, I suggest you pipe down and fight for them."

"Exactly," said Whitey, stepping back a few paces. His voice became full of menace. "You won't get far with them dead!" His hand flashed for a fresh bolt for his crossbow.

"NO!"

~In the same instant, Lightning leapt down and kicked Whitey and the two timberwolves closest to Stitch and Spike hard to the ground. Dropping down on her elbows next, she barely dodged a wolf that came assailing at her. Then, the rest of the wolf army came crashing in upon her. Into battle they went! It wasn't anything like the Rainbooms've ever fought before. 'We need to be careful', Sunset thought.~

~Assailing on the first two wolves that came at them, Karly threw herself in between them and Lightning. She taunted at them, a plan hidden behind her back. As expected, they leaped forward to attack her, that's exactly what she wanted them to do. She dodged gracefully, then grabbed them at the scruffs of their necks. Then, before they could gruff and struggle and overpower her with their strength, she transported both them and herself above the cold depths of the rising water of the river below, midair. Karly let them fall, then returned back without a hinge. She watched as two figments made a splash in the distance. Two down.~

~Karly was impressed that she was hiding her fear extremely well. She guessed in that moment there was nothing to fear. Suddenly, there was a burst of confetti and one wolf's branch limb came flying over her head. Karly whirled. Pinkie Pie was using her magic against the wolves, as well as a secret little explosive she got her hands on at the beginning. Lightning's eyes lifted. Pinkie had snagged the foaming pink paint bomb from the lab, and was using it against the enemy. With her combination of her own magic, together, they made an even bigger explosion and impact. The rain seemed to be doing nothing either to melt it off. It was like Pinkie's signature weapon. Who would have know?~

~Fluttershy was cowering and shielding herself from the storm. So many terrifying things were happening at once, she just couldn't handle it. She couldn't fight timberwolves, she couldn't even tame them! It would've helped if they needed a thorn to be pricked out from their bodies or something, the problem is, they were COVERED in thorns! Twilight and Sunset arrived by her side to encourage her but nothing seemed to fit her actions. That was, until Spike barked. He yelped as he missed a claw that reached under his and Stitch's hiding spot and tried to scratch him. Stitch bit at the claw after another attempt of a grab, but being trapped in the small area with nowhere to go, it was rather fruitless.~

~That was the answer for Fluttershy though, and something inside her snapped. Her eyes downed towards a rock with a round curve that looked like a fist with sharp knuckles. Lifting it with both hands, she was in no availability to show what she was going to do. Bringing it high over her head, with all her might, Fluttershy brought the rock down on top of the timberwolf's head in one fell swoop and struck them hard. The wolf was out cold in a flash, and Stitch and Spike crawled out and over his body, happy to see them. Sunset and Twilight took them in their arms each and fled without an amazing word to say.~

~Meanwhile, Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity squared off against the rustlers. A fist impacted one of them in the stomach, but they held strong to punch back. Strength was almost matched with theirs altogether, but Applejack knew their tactics and knew not to fall once again. Making themselves the ultimate fighting trio, Rainbow distracted, Applejack attacked, Rarity defended. They were back at it and forward again over sixteen times before panting escaped everyone's lips. Becoming tired was not an option though. The head rustler started shouting.~

"You girls just don't know when to quit, do ya?" he began. "Why couldn't you just mind your own business!?"

"This IS our business!" Applejack said, she raised her voice over the storm. "As a matter o' fact, it's MY business to make sure you rustlers never harm anyone ever again!"

"What you're doing isn't hunting, it's murder! And you know that…, don't you?" Rarity glowered beneath her brows slowly.

"So what?" a rustler quired, shrugging. "All we're doing is keeping Whitey and his pack happy."

The lead rustler nodded. "Why else do you think we steal Bonsai's cattle? And then, this year, wanted to storm your precious Camp Everfree?"

~Applejack stopped short to jaw-drop. It all made sense now. Working under Whitey, the rustlers were satisfying his thrist and feeding his wolves the farmer's livestock. That's what they were planning to do for the camp earlier too. Enraged, Applejack threw herself at the leading rustler and brought both of them crashing into the wet mud, soaking themselves. The rain pattered heavily upon them. Rainbow and Rarity had to help fast, but being surrounded by the other rustlers, what could they do? Their eyes directed to a nearby oak tree. With bark as thick as steel, an idea popped in Rainbow's head, and she whispered it as loudly as she could through Rarity's hair, into her ear. She grinned smugly. WIth one single swing and hand movement, the edge of her diamond made the perfect blade and she cut through the tree trunk like butter. With one hop, the incision was enough to make it fall. Rainbow bolted for Applejack and tackled her out of harm's way. As for the rustlers, they dove out of the other way to save themselves. But, just as the tree struck the earth and made the ground shake, they lost their balance and flipping up and over down the steep rocky hill into the water below. Soon enough, they were drifting off like the timberwolves.~

The girls cheered in victory. "Thank ya, girls." Applejack said.

~But it was too soon to celebrate. Lightning flashed from behind them and, when it was black, a great force impacted the three girls, knocking them into Fluttershy, Twilight, Sunset, Stitch and Spike as they stopped, being blinded by the flash. Lightning and Karly came at the worst time too, as they collided with the Rainbooms to the ground when they came rolling. Their geodes flung from their necks, and their transformations petered out, returning their ears and tails to normal. Lightning got up first and reunited with Karly, followed by everyone else. The wind was turning too strong. So strong, in fact, that everyone had to scream in order to be heard. She did a quick head count to see if all were present, but one of them was short. She realised who it was immediately.~

"WAIT! WHERE'S STITCH?" Lightning cried. "SUNSET, HE WAS WITH YOU!"

~The girls looked down beneath Sunset's ankles for the Shiba Inu, but he was gone! Then, the sky flashed above them, followed by a very loud scream coming from Stitch. Everyone whirled in the direction and, with terror-struck all over their faces, they saw him through the hard rain. Whitey, sprinting to the very edge of a cliff, was clutching onto the dog, trying to squeeze the life out of him. Stitch felt his body being compressed and he gritted his teeth together to null the pain and cry out. Once he made it to the edge, Whitey rubbed his stubby hand against him with anticipation.~

"AHA! NOW I'VE GOT YOU," he gloated.

~Whitey took a few steps back. Then, he raised his axe over his head and with a cry of rage, he charged with all his might at Stitch, intent on splitting him right down in the middle. Sunset lunged forward, picking up a watery, flaming branch, and stood before the Shiba and the whisperer. She swung with all her might and knocked Whitey right off his feet. He released Stitch by the grasp of his neck, and Sunset caught him in her arms, dousing the branch to the ground. Before they could collect their wits, however, Whitey began to slide head first down the cliff. He used his leg to grasp onto Sunset's leg for support, but all he succeeded in doing was dragging her down with him too. She screamed in surprise. Lightning, Karly, the six Rainbooms and Spike then watched, horrified, as they saw Sunset, Stitch and Whitey slither towards the edge of the precipce, then fall off.~

"AHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed.

"SUNSET! STITCH! NOOO!" cried Lightning.

~Sunset tried to dig her feet in, only it was no help at all. The ravine fell at an unswerving sweep. Unbidden, a strange cry came to her lips, and she felt a hot shiver rush through her. Then, they saw that they were about to land on a little jumbled ledge sticking out from the cliff wall. So, with agonising slowness, Sunset and Stitch slid towards it, and came to an uncertain standstill, landing on their feet, and lying helplessly splayed out on the edge. The girls and Spike looked down over the cliff's lip frantically. They needed to reach them, but had to do it safely. Panic began to well up in Lightning's heart as she turned back in search of her geode.~

"HOLD ON, YOU TWO!"

~Sunset held Stitch tight as they waited for their rescue. However, they could not stop for a breather. Suddenly, Whitey appeared and advanced on the fiery girl and blue dog. His eyes were crazy, and he was bleeding in all different places. His hand reached for his fearsome axe once again. Sunset dove to the side, narrowly avoiding a violent swing. Then, she did it again, then again. But there wasn't much room to dodge. They were only metres away from dropping again. When they looked down, they couldn't see the bottom, just grey fog glazing. Stitch leapt up and bit Whitey on his arm again. His eyes widened as the axe clattered out of his hand, and fell backwards off of the cliff's ground. The three then wrestled each other down beneath with surprised strength coming from the dog, who was baring his teeth.~

Whitey screamed. "IF I DIE, WE SHALL DIE TOGETHER!!"

~Sunset headbutted forward at Whitey's face and nailed him on the nose. Then, she swept her legs out, bringing Whitey up and off her body. Stitch ducked as the whisperer's legs came spiralling at him, and he whirled back to Sunset's side as he dropped. As the fiery girl leapt to her feet, she felt a pair of arms wrapping around her shoulders. Screaming and thinking it was Whitey again, she elbowed backwards with all her might, but it was only Lightning, coming to rescue them. Her raccoon ears flailed in the air as she began whisking them away. Stitch clambered into Sunset, and both smiled in relief as they began traversing their way up to safety.~

~However, Whitey was not about to make it easy for them. Suddenly, he leapt out and cracked his arms before wrapping around Sunset's frame as she was being lifted off the ground's ledge. He held her tightly while Lightning's grip began to slip. All three of them were too heavy for her. Sunset struggled and kicked her legs, but Whitey had a surprisingly strong grasp. Stitch appeared from out of Sunset's arms, and pounced on Whitey's face to let go. That was when it happened. When Stitch bored down on Whitey's face, he was hit three times on the back by him before being delivered a swing that threw him off. Lightning's eyes froze in terror. Stitch did not land on the ledge. He missed it by a metre and was now falling to his doom. Lightning and Sunset screamed in unison as Whitey shireked.~

"WHAT'S YOUR PLAN, NOW?!"

Sunset made her choice. "Lightning… Go. Save Stitch."

"WHAT?!" screamed Lightning.

"Go! I'm serious! I'll hold Whitey off. You just make sure you both make it out alive!"

"But, Sunset- !"

"There's no sense in us both being put down. This is the best way… And…and no matter whatever happens, TRUST ME. Now- GO! Save him."

~There was no time to protest. So, like a towering wave crashing down on him, Lightning released her hold on Sunset, flew down and whisked the Shiba upwards to safety in the nick of time. They landed on the upwards cliff with the girls, sprawling. Sunset watched with relief.~

~The cliff crumbled. Everything seemed to fall into slow-motion. Sunset had lost her breath, and fell into the whiteness of her mind, as she flashed back on her memories. That was, until she was grabbed by the face and punched, followed up by a hard kick across her stomach by Whitey. Despite falling to their demises, the whisperer still fought for all he was worth. Sunset tried desperately to hold him back. Bateful eyes glared hatred and malice as Whitey- for all that he was- prepared to hack her to death. His great shadow blotted out from under Sunset, as she strained against him before bracing for impact.~

~Then, all at once, something began to shimmer to her left, and she heard a whistle renting in the air that grew ever so loudly. She looked up. To her amazement, when she was able to look, there- in the wind and storm- came Lightning, winging towards her as fast as she could go, to all her might; her speed was simply breathtaking. Whitey followed her gaze, and released her out of shock to what he was seeing. He caught Lightning's deathly stare upon him, and for once, he was afraid. With one final resort, Sunset lifted up her leg and kicked Whitey's stomach, sending him back.~

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Whitey screamed.

~He had no time to react back. Summoning all her strength and speed, the mighty shapeshifting raccoon girl seized Sunset in her arms, and with a swoop, halted her from falling. The two hovered in place and watched in terror as Whitey spend his force worthlessly. Soon, he disappeared beneath the white fog, into the black void, vanishing forever.~

Sunset looked up to Lightning's face gumptiously. "See? I told you to trust me!"

~Both were panting vigorously in relief, but Lightning still managed a grin. Moments later, the two streaked back in to a land back on the top. Lightning put Sunset down. As she planted her feet firmly on the ground, the girls did not waste a minute. The moment they reunited, they hugged Sunset and rubbed her with affection for all they were worth.~

"SUNSET!"

~They all laughed and cried with whoops of joy. Sunset let herself be encased by the embrace of her friends, before she opened her eyes and through an opening, saw Lightning, hands on her knees, panting her heart out from the thrill of experience they endured. She noticed Sunset staring at her and, as they locked into each other's listless eyes, they marvelled at how great everything was, and how they felt towards each other. It was fantastic.~

"What a rescue, huh?" Lightning said.

"And what a close call it was!" Pinkie Pie gasped. She was about to dance a jig, but Sunset stopped her.

Then, with the girls letting her go, Sunset approached Lightning with an earnest stare, then wrapped her arms around her into a tight hug. "Thanks for saving me, Lightning. You were just in time."

"I was in Princess Celestia's time. Is…that how it goes?" she laughed.

"Not really," laughed Sunset.

~The others crowded around them and embraced all together again warmly. They didn't move for a long time. Lightning looked up one by one towards Karly's face, then to Sunset's, then Rarity's, Twilight's, Applejack's, Rainbow's, Pinkie's, Fluttershy's, then finally, Spike's, and Stitch's.~





~Meanwhile, Whitey's world had fallen apart. He survived the fall, but was deeply wounded and had broken his leg upon landing. As he pulled himself to his feet and began dragging his leg about, a howl filled the air, and the spectre of several timberwolves appeared before him. Their faces were impassive but their growling was full of menace.~

"My friends…" Whitey said.

"You have failed us, Whitey,"

"We treated you as worthy, but you have proved unworthy of our trust."

"Because of your failure to provide, the pack is defeated, and the cause is lost."

"You gave us up, and for that there can be no forgiveness and no mercy."

As the voice left his brain, Whitey stood open-mouthed. He tried to protest. "But, but, but…"

~It was no good. The spectres vanished, leaving Whitey all alone to face his upcoming punishment. His stunned silence was broken by a bad smell. Green steam began to seep around the misty abyss. Moments later, he heard a scraping noise. Before Whitey could react, a great claw of sharp flint swiped at the back. Red splattered. With a scream and gasp of dismay, Whitey leapt clumsily and fled for his life. He got into the mist and stumbled his way around the rocky walls. There, he saw his timberwolves looking for him; their claws flashed and murder were in their eyes. At that precise second, the air was rent by a blood curdling scream.~





~The shriek was heard from a mile away, and was picked immediately by the tremendous waves of Lightning's raccoon ears. The senses of the Rainbooms' ears picked up half a second later. They looked over the edge with grievance, and witnessed the wolves scattering away, signifying Whitey's painful, gruelling demise.~

"Oh my dear... We've killed him!" cried Fluttershy, utterly horrified.

"No, we didn't." said Lightning coldly. "He was killed by his own wolves, and a deadly sin. Most villain deaths will go like that."

~The Rainbooms turned down again, horrified. Never before had they seen an antagonist of theirs die. It felt…strange, but somewhat intensely satisfying. Suppose it was better him than them, Rainbow thought. It was survival of the fittest. They tried their best to ignore it and move on- After all, they can't turn back the clock now. As they turned towards each other again, Twilight noticed Sunset panting and shaking up, almost looking like there was a lot of lightness in her head. She reached her hand out to her.~

"Sunset, are you okay?"

"I…I really thought… I was… a goner just then…" she panted.

"But you were amazing back there." Rainbow panted.

"Yeah…but…"

~Sunset's sentence cut short as it was overcome with her quivering lips. She wrapped her arms around Lightning again, and softly felt the tips of the shapeshifter's raccoon tail tickling, stroking, and rubbing her back. Sunset tried to hide the tears of immense fear welling up inside her eyes, failing.~

"I…I was so scared!" she exploded, rubbing her face in Lightning's chest.

Lightning patted her back. "There, there…it's okay, it's over now." she whispered.

"And I say good riddance," Spike whispered with a scowl.

Stitch stirred at his side. "Agreed," he then turned to Lightning, who was on his other side. "Hey, boss," he woofed quietly.

~Lightning giggled. Stitch sprang for her arms and she caught him at once. His doggy paws tucked neatly onto her chest and he nuzzled for all he was into her face. Karly, too, gave her greeting to Stitch and ruffled his head, he seemed to like her and her fragrance a lot, and everyone crowded for one more group hug.~
> Chapter 14: Hideout Sweet Hideout
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 14: Hideout Sweet Hideout

~Spike ran ahead of the Rainbooms as they reached Canterlot City's land. The sun was rising on its sixth day, and as the peaks of the mountains caught the first rays of sunlight, the storm was finally over. Raccoon Lightning soared ahead through the sky as if she were part of the clouds, accompanied by Sunset, who was astride her back, arms around her neck, and Stitch, who was tucked comfortably inside Lightning's arms. The wind pushed underneath all of their legs and it felt as if Sunset was elevating higher and higher. For the first time, without magic, she was experiencing the freedom of flight and it- Was- Amazing. Which is exactly what Lightning wanted- to show her the freedom she possessed with these powers, and show her what she has already learnt.~

~Her speed tuned down as they gazed upon the mountains to appreciate its beauty and the morning sky; the fading colours of bright blue and yellow blending together with the fluffiness of the clouds. Flying through them really made it feel even more special. Seeing it made Sunset feel at peace with the world, and her heart was consumed with a great desire to be able to soar through the air by herself.~

"Okay. I will admit. This is amazing." Sunset said, pulling her hair away from her face. "You're amazing."

~Lightning laughed and patted her hand on her shoulder. She was glad that Sunset was enjoying the ride. Stitch too- With his mouth open wide, he let the wind flap his jowls around and his tongue lag behind. He looked ridiculous to his onlookers as they held in laughter.~

"We should probably land now."

~Lightning nodded. Eventually, they came back down to the ground, meeting the others as they followed them from the air on foot. Sunset touched the earth first, and wobbled a little in place before her balance returned. Then, as she watched Lightning and Stitch hit the ground, all gazed up at the sky where they moved the clouds into the shapes of their logos. The memory of this flight will stay with them forever.~

Pinkie swooped in and pulled Sunset into a hug. "Heyyy! How was flying, Sunset?! Was it fun!?"

"It was… extraordinary." Sunset replied.

Lightning nudged her. "See, Sunset? I love these powers that have been bestowed upon me! I don't think I ever want to lose them."

"Don't worry. You won't. Not for an extremely long time." she laughed.

"I'm just happy all this is now over. I may be exhausted, hurt, and…partially traumatised, but… I'm glad." Karly said.

"Yep. We're almost home, it's a beautiful day, and everyone's finally here and at peace." said Applejack, her nose burning in the warm summer's breeze. "I gotta say, this adventure has been the wildest, craziest, an' most intense one we 'ave ever been on! …an' the bloodiest."

"You can say that again!" Rarity said, and she fiddled with her bandaged hand. She sighed. "To think that blood would spill from my own body…!"

Lightning rolled her eyes. "Everyone bleeds, Rarity. Look forward to it."

Fluttershy hummed as she cuddled Spike in her arms. "Mmm-hmm. I never really expected so much to come out from us during this time too."

Lightning knew what she was referring to. "Yeah…"

"I'm sorry again to hear what happened to your family, Lightning," Spike said, being caught up with everything.

"That's okay." she said. "I'll avenge them one way or another."

"An' we will be wiv you along every step o' the way!" Stitch barked up. "I promise- I will always be by your side for everythin'."

"Us too." Sunset said.

"...I know. Thanks, guys. Especially you, Stitch. I'm happy to have you in my life, even after everything that's happened. You're perfect for me. You're brave…you're loyal…you're smart. Seriously, that way you barked at the timberwolves we faced, you'd think they were ten times your size."

"Never trust the eyes of a timberwolf an' always show no fear. Otherwise, they'll gobble ya right up!" Stitch began imitating a timberwolf, growling, pawing and pretending to be fierce when, to his watchers, he just looked silly.

Fluttershy giggled. "Let's not forget he's also funny and cute!"

"Annnd fluffy! Ohh- C'mere, you adorable little biscuit!"

~Lightning leaned down, snatched Stitch up in her arms and whirled him around like a doll. He licked her nose with his tiny tongue.~

"H-hey!"

~Lightning spluttered as she softly set the dog down and she rubbed her nose with her sleeve. He ran off again after being released, along with Spike and Pinkie following behind too. Everybody watched them delightfully, before sprinting after them before they disappeared from view.~





~A gust of wind curved its way through the girls and Lightning ran her hand through her hair and over her eye bandage to keep it clear. It didn't seem to bother them too much. After all, they were radiant in the warm June sunlight and taking in more of that than any other weather. Stitch and Spike too, as they playfully rolled around in the grass and fought with each other funnily and fiercely. It was now clear that they were destined to become best dog friends, thought Twilight. They continued on scuffling down the hill until they reached the border of the city and came on through. Reaching the stone pathway leading up, it didn't take more than a minute to finally reach the safe zone of their school, Canterlot High. Pinkie felt as if she could kiss the ground and hug the walls once they made it close enough. They gazed towards the portal in all its praised glory. Lightning studied it in silence before patting it lightly on its side. Sunset gave a mischievous smile.~

~From inside the building, the Rainbooms, dogs, and Lightning and Karly observed the halls. Busy as always. Students were coming in, and coming out, walking fast, or walking slow to get to other places. Yep- this was home. Karly wasted no time and headed to the secret room, where their new hideout laid. Darting through the hallways, through the Rainbooms' music room, under the piano and into the secret hallways, she entered the dangerous elevator, reached over and touched the button herself, without a care in the world this time for when the lift dropped at its rapid speed. After falling five-hundred floors, the ride ended suddenly, with the swinging rotating three times before coming to a stop.~

~Inside the E.Q.U.E.S.T.R.I.A Hideout, a single bright white bulb lit the underneath area where Steven Secret checked his reported files for the sixth time in six days. All the other lights had unfortunately burned out the few days before after waiting for so long. 'Another day without a word.' he mind spoke to him. His thoughts were interrupted by the single sound of a lift chiming. His head lifted slowly. From the corner of his eyes, he watched with astonishment through the balcony as the girls entered the main lobby of the hideout. He turned around to double check he was not hallucinating this time and, when his eyes and brain confirmed it was them, a little gasp escaped through the gap of his mouth.~

Unexpected tears then began to spill from his eyes. "Karly. GIRLS!"

~Lost in the moment, Steven ran up the stairs and over and hugged Karly as tightly as he could. She did the same back with ferocious intensity, closing her eyes in shock. For six days, they'd waited for each other to hug again. Lightning put one arm around Karly's neck, then ran her hand down her back, pulling herself into the hug too. The seven Rainbooms joined a minute later, holding back happy tears. Watching them together, Stitch and Spike stood off to the side, as mesmerised by the moment as they were. Just then, an embarrassed blush began to surge through Karly's pink cheeks and neck and she finally let go. She was a little breathless after that but kept a warm smile across her face. She could not be any happier, nor anybody else.~

~After everyone dismantled from the hug, Steven's eyes met with Stitch. The dog cocked his head, gazing at him with his big round eyes. They exchange a smile.~

"Who's this dog?" Steven wanted to know.

"This is Stitch. A stray puppy we met during the search." Fluttershy introduced.

"Lightning's keeping him!" Pinkie added.

Steven blinked in silence. "You're going to adopt him?" he said at last. "What would your dad say?"

Lightning shrugged. "I like to think my dad will be alright with him. He gives me good company, he's adorable… Heck, maybe he could even make a good guard dog."

~Taking one good look at the Shiba Inu, Steven decided off the bat. He was not exactly Lightning's legal guardian, but he is as close as he can be to one.~

He offered a grin. "Well, who am I to judge then? We already have one dog, what's another?"

~Hearing that, Stitch jumped up into Lightning's arms, both faces beaming. She hugged him for a long time, laughing as he licked her face again. Her expression flushed her cheeks. She turned her gaze to the Rainbooms, the same joyous expression showed on their faces.~

~Steven suggested next that they should go out and enjoy the day, but Lightning opted to stay behind; she wanted to rest after a long week now, and let her head and eye finally get their chance to heal. After that, she was going to legally adopt Stitch. She gave Steven, Karly, the Rainbooms and Spike a goodbye nod before clambering into her room. She collapsed into her bed, letting Stitch curl up under her arm with his head on her stomach. She gently placed her hand on his head, and before she knew it, she felt herself leaning down and kissing him on the forehead. Her lips mingled with the warmth of his fur, and the tenderness seemed to last long. Finally, he buried his face in her arm and slept soundly and comfortably for the first time in forever. After three months, Stitch had finally found a family.~

~THE END~