> Guardians of Harmony: Rise of the Knights
>  by Postwarmonkey50
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“In the magical land of Equestria, we have four powerful Princesses.”

Four stained glass windows appeared, each of them having images of the four Princesses of Equestria.

“One for the day, Princess Celestia. One for the night, Princess Luna. One for family, which happens to be my sister-in-law once removed, Princess Cadance. And finally, there’s my beautiful wife, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship.”

The imagery of the window showed Princess Twilight Sparkle.

“Yes, I know, it sounds weird at first coming from me. And I bet you’re wondering who might be the lucky stallion to be her special somepony. Well, her special somepony isn’t your everyday run-of-the-mill stallion. In fact, he’s not even a pony at all. So how do I know this?”

The imagery showed Twilight standing alongside a human while hugging her.

“It’s because I happened to be Twilight’s husband and the first human to get married to an Anthro pony. My name is Beau, but according to legend from a friend we made, I happen to be known as Achilles, the Knight of the Unicorn and to be honest, I’m not on Earth anymore.”

The imagery showed Beau and the rest of his human friends he made that came to Equestria.

“Where I am is, in fact, a world that happens to be inhabited by humanoid horses that only appeared in fairy tales. But don’t say that out loud. Last time I said that, I nearly got my butt handed. Trust me. Back then, I was sent to Equestria after I died because of the goodness in my heart, but what I didn’t realize was that fate had something in store for me that I never could’ve imagined.”

The imagery showed Beau and the other humans that came before Celestia’s lover.

“I was thankful that there were others who were in the same boat as I was. All who died like I did, and who came to Equestria and in time, they too had founded their own special someponies.”

The imagery showed Beau and the other humans with knight armor and shields behind them.

“From what we figured, we would be knights, but heroes? No pressure. Like Twilight, I ended up gaining amazing friends who are there for me no matter what.”

The imagery showed the humans spending time with their special someponies and children.

“Not only did we find our special someponies, but we also found a place to call home in this new world. And I always believe that as long as we have our friends, our future will always be brighter and a promise of peace and protection.”

Suddenly, the imagery of them began to crack as if heat was burning against the window.

“But as myself and my human friends had come to realize from what we had learned from our old world of Earth…is that some promises...”

The glass began to shatter, revealing evil yellow cat eyes that shined nearly as bright as the moon.

“...are meant to be broken,” said a new voice, causing it to chuckle in an evil tone.
> Chapter 1: Lives and Loves of Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the middle of the night, in a land unlike any other, was the land of Equestria. Many were still sound asleep, dreaming their own dreams that their own Princess Luna and her husband Prince Nebula, along with their son, Prince Dark Void, had provided for them while ensuring all of them would have wonderful dreams. But it would not last as the day was approaching and the sun was raised by none other than Princess Celestia while she was standing on the balcony with her husband Prince Platinum by her side, along with their twins, Princess Sun Gleam and Prince Bright Day.

The sun soon began to rise from behind the mountains of Canterlot, allowing its bright rays to brighten up the lands of Equestria including a certain familiar town not far from them which was none other than the small town of Ponyville where friendships can be made possible, no matter how different you are.

From the Castle of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and representing the Element of Magic, was sound asleep on her bed. "Nineteen by thirteen inch pan," Twilight mumbled in her sleep.

And right by her side was Beau, the human husband to the Princess of Friendship.

His name was once Thomas Rohan back in his world, but after he drowned in a lake while being sucked in a whirlpool and got to the land of Equestria, he adopted the name Beau. He had shortly arrived after Twilight’s visit to the Crystal Empire. The two of them had gotten close in over a month. Sure enough, they got married and had a daughter. At first many were skeptical about this, but after a while, they warmed up to him and accepted him. But that's a story for another time.

"No Mom, I don’t wanna wear that," mumbled a sleeping Beau. "I don’t like to wear clothes that feel tight."

However, their peaceful sleep was interrupted when a young pony by the name of Moonlight Sparkle teleported in their room. She’s the daughter of Twilight Sparkle and Beau who looked similar to her Mother, but has her father’s personality and has a streak of pink on her mane.

"Quick! Wake up!" Moonlight shouted.

Both Twilight and Beau yelped in shock as they woke up, each shouting their own thing.

"Stick pans!"

"No Momma! Don’t make me wear the tiny pants again!"

The two of them fell off the bed in separate directions, which surprised Moonlight too. Sure enough, Beau and Twilight slowly climbed onto the bed, staring at her with raised eyebrows.

"Heh, morning," said Moonlight as she sheepishly waved at her parents.

"Moonlight Sparkle," said Beau as he sat up. "How many times do I have to tell you? No teleporting in other people's rooms."

"He’s right, young lady," said Twilight. "We talked about this and you’d be invading other ponies’ privacy."

"Sorry, but I can’t help it," said Moonlight as she excitedly held up a calendar and showed them. "Today’s the day."

Both Beau and Twilight looked at the calendar and were surprised.

"Whoa, I didn’t know it was today," said Beau.

"Right," said Twilight. "We made plans, but we didn’t think it would happen so fast."

"Well, let's hurry then," said Moonlight, trying to control her excitement. "The sooner we get going the better."

"Ah," said Beau as he stopped her. "Did you remember to take a shower first?"

"Oh, uh, of course," said Moonlight, trying to hide it with a sheepish smile.

Twilight however picked it up and looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Moonlight Sparkle."

"Okay, fine," said Moonlight with a pout before she teleported.

Beau couldn’t help but chuckle as he said, "She takes after you, ya know."

Twilight ended up smacking Beau with her pillow. "I do not," Twilight retorted.

"Honey," said Beau as he looked at her with a cocked eyebrow. "We’ve been married for seven years. I know how you think and act. For example, every week you sleep with a book underneath your pillow ever since you got paranoid that someone would steal your favorite books. This week…Dr. Evergreen’s guide to Paleontology."

Twilight was a bit surprised at first, until she dug under her pillow and there it was as Beau predicted: Dr. Evergreen’s guide to Paleontology. She looked at him with a cocked eyebrow and then smirked. "Bet you don’t know…"

"That you like your pancakes soft and fluffy, coated with strawberry maple syrup, with melted butter in between and a cherry on top with lots of whipped cream." Beau cut her off, as he leaned closer to her and whispered, "With chocolates and nut flavored sprinkles in between."

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock as she leaned her head backwards. "Okay, please don’t do that ever again."

Beau couldn't help but chuckle as he said, "As you wish, my a-dork-able princess."

He stood up and walked over to her, then sat next to her. "So, you wanna go first in the shower?" Beau asked.

"Actually," said Twilight as she bit her lip with a smile on her face, then looked at Beau, "I was hoping that we could do it together."

Beau immediately beamed at that and said, "Now you're talking."

He ended up lifting her up, making her yelp in surprise and giggle while they made their way towards the bathroom.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

At Sweet Apple Acres, while the sun continued to slowly rise, an Earth Pony named Applejack, farmer extraordinaire and representing the Element of Honesty, was sound asleep as her head rested on her husband’s chest.

Her husband happens to be the second human who arrived in Equestria. Back in his world, he was known as Buck Armstrong, but after he sacrificed himself to save a young child from being run over. After he got to Equestria, he was later named Bucky by the Apple Family. Since he arrived there, he began to work alongside them. But after he had saved Applejack’s younger sister Apple Bloom, Applejack felt attracted to him for not only saving her sister, but because he had such a soft heart when it comes to younger siblings and both he and Apple Bloom had a brother/sister relationship since then.

He arrived shortly after Beau and Twilight became a couple. He worked on the farm and both he and the Apple Family became close. And sure enough, when Applejack was in heat, Granny Smith gave Bucky her blessing to be together and they gained a happy life ever since.

Applejack was the first to wake up and gave a big yawn. Then she rubbed the back of her head and looked at her husband. She couldn’t help but smile when she saw him still sound asleep. She then had an idea. She ended up climbing on top of him while placing both her hands onto his chest. She slowly moved towards his lips and placed a firm kiss on it, making him moan through their kiss and waking him up while he slowly placed his hands on her hips. They broke the kiss and looked at one another.

"Morning AJ," said Bucky with a smile on his face.

"Mornin' to ya too, Sugarcube," said Applejack.

As the two of them got up, there was a knock on the door.

"Ma. Pa. Are y’all awake?" said their son, Apple Slice. "Can I come in?"

"I’m afraid you can’t," Bucky said playfully.

"Why not?" asked Apple Slice.

"You didn’t say the Apple Family Password," he responded.

There was complete silence at the door, but they could’ve sworn they heard grumbling. Then he said, "I’m a cute little apple dumpling with a side of pie in the face."

Bucky nearly laughed out loud with Applejack nearly joining in. She then said, "Come on in, Sugarcube."

Apple Slice walked in the door with his face all red from the embarrassment, but at the same time, they could hear giggling from Apple Bloom and Granny Smith while also laughter from Big McIntosh.

"Something we can do for you, Apple Slice?" asked Applejack once she climbed off the bed.

"Yeah," said Apple Slice. "I was wondering if we’re going to make it today."

"Make it?" asked Applejack.

"Ah think Apple Slice wanted to know if y’all are going to be on time with Princess Twilight and the others at yer special gathering today," said Apple Bloom.

"Oh yeah," said Bucky. "We forgot that we were going to be there today."

"We'll be there after we’re done with our chores for the mornin’," said Applejack. "We'll have plenty of time after that."

"Okay ma," said Apple Slice. "I'll start with the chickens, considering that their eggs should be laid by now."

"Not to mention sell it at Sugarcube Corner," said Big Mac. "Mrs. Cake is going to need it for a cake order this evening. Maybe she’ll get a chance to make it."

"If Pinkie Pie doesn't beat ‘em to it first," said Applejack.

"I'll see y'all outside," said Apple Slice as he left.

Once Apple Slice and the rest of the family went downstairs, Applejack ended up slapping him on the shoulder playfully. "Y'all really like to make Apple Slice say that, don’t ya?"

“What can I say?” said Bucky. “When we found him covered with a pie on his head while eating an apple dumpling at the Apple Family Reunion after he was born, he said those exact same words. Everypony thought that it was adorable. But your, ‘I'm Applejack! More Apple Fwitter?’ line still can't be beat or your baby picture.”

Applejack ended up blushing bright red. "Oh, hush you."

He then stood up and wrapped his arms around her. "And besides, it shows how much you’ve grown from an adorable baby to a beautiful country gal."

"Aw, now y’all are just teasing," said Applejack with a blush and a smile after Bucky kissed her.

He then placed her hat on top of her head and said, "Ready to get to work?"

"Sure am, but after we have something to eat first," said Applejack after she accepted the hat while the two of them left.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

At Carousel Boutique, home to the Fashionista of Ponyville. From atop the ship was the master bedroom. From within her room was a unicorn pony named Rarity, Fashionista extraordinaire and head of her boutiques from all over Equestria and also representing the Element of Generosity.

She was sound asleep with her sleeping mask over her eyes, whilst she was cuddling her husband. Her husband happens to be the third human who arrived in Equestria.

Back in his old home, he used to be known as Jim Silver. He came from a rich family and lived in a large mansion, until his parents died because of a drunken taxi driver. Though he was able to get justice for them, Silver was so consumed with guilt that he sold his old home and bought a new one that was secluded from the outside world, so that he wouldn’t be in contact with anybody.

However, whilst he was on his way, the plane he was on malfunctioned and crashed, where he shortly died. He was suddenly brought back to Equestria. Rarity found him outside and burning, and because she was fascinated by his magnificent mind when it came to designing clothes, she took him in and gave him a job.

And after he defended Rarity from her old hated rival named Suri Polomare, he helped her reveal the truth of why she kept doing what she did. Rarity instantly felt attracted to him. Three months later, with Rarity calling him Silver, their love for one another became stronger than ever. Though Rarity’s parents felt a little uneasy, Sweetie Belle had no problem with it. But with Spike on the other hand, was heartbroken to say the least.

He was later cheered up thanks to a certain special someone who made him feel better, but we’ll come to that later. And during their trip to Las Pegasus, their love for one another blossomed. Once they got back, they were able to make it to Applejack and Bucky’s wedding.

Silver mumbled a bit in his sleep, for like anyone who would sleep, he wouldn’t want to wake up, no matter what the day brought. That was until he suddenly caught a familiar aroma. He soon woke up and began to sit up. Whilst he would stretch and yawn, Rarity woke up as well and rubbed the back of her head a bit.

‘Morning Rarity.’ said Silver as he aimed to kiss her. But instead of her cheek, he kissed her horn instead, making her yelp.

‘S-Silver.’ said Rarity as she took off the sleeping mask and blushed. ‘Please not while our daughter might be an earshot of us in the house.’

Silver chuckled nervously. ‘Whoops. My bad.’

Rarity suddenly smelled something and said ‘What is that wonderful aroma?’

A door suddenly opened, revealing to be Crystal Gem, whilst she was using her magic to push in a cart. On the cart were some coffee, as well as some sunny side up eggs, hash browns and pancakes with banana slices.

‘Morning Mother. Morning father.’ said Crystal as she brought them breakfast.

‘Crystal,’ said Rarity as she was surprised by what she saw ‘Did you make them yourself?’

‘Of course Mother,’ said Crystal ‘I felt like trying to polish some of my breakfast making skills. That and Aunt Sweetie Belle offered to cook before she left but I quickly declined for uh, ahem, various reasons.’

She then placed the cart nearby and placed bed trays over them so that they could properly eat their breakfast, with Crystal saying ‘Or if one must know in an uncouth manner…her cooking stinks.’

‘Crystal,’ said Rarity, scolding her daughter ‘You shouldn’t say things like that.’

Silver chuckled and looked at her with a smirk on his face. ‘Really? Weren’t you the one who used her soup as a repellent for the bugs, used her cookie blocks to build something and used her so called grape juice to help reduce your pores?’

Rarity couldn’t help but blush a bit and crossed her arms. ‘I have no comment.’

Sure enough, Sweetie Belle stood by the door and said ‘Morning Rarity, morning Silver.’

‘Morning Sweetie Belle,’ said Silver ‘Sleep well?’

‘Sure have,’ said Sweetie Belle ‘Me and my friends are going to go out for a while to help someponies find their Cutie Marks.’

‘Alright Sweetie Belle,’ said Rarity ‘Just be careful and be sure that you will be home on time.’

‘Okay Rarity.’ said Sweetie Belle as she walked away.

‘While we’re talking,’ said Crystal ‘We might want to get our morning started and prepare for our evening out.’

‘Evening out?’ asked Rarity.

‘Oh yeah,’ said Silver as he remembered ‘We wanted to gather the others to spend our time at the park this evening.’

‘Oh, right of course.’ said Rarity as she too remembered ‘And before we get to that, we might want to finish with our first three orders.’

‘Good thing our other orders are done for the next month.’ said Silver.

‘I’ll set everything up at the sewing room.’ said Crystal whilst she left.

As he took a fork and took a bite from his pancake, he said ‘She certainly takes after you. Crystal has a future in the fashion business.’

Rarity sighed after she took a sip from her coffee and said ‘Agreed. I couldn’t be more proud.’

‘You think we should send her to Manehattan to study more about fashion?’ asked Silver.

‘Maybe when she’s a little older.’ said Rarity when she also took a bite out of her pancake. She enjoyed the taste of it and said ‘My, she certainly has come far when learning in the kitchen, hasn’t she?’

‘True,’ said Silver as he suddenly had a smirk on his face once they finished their breakfast. ‘But she’s not old enough for something else.’

‘Like what?’ asked Rarity.

‘Like this.’ Silver responded as he planted a few kisses onto her neck, causing her to partially yelp, but held onto him.

‘S-Silver,’ said Rarity, but she ended up smiling and planted a kiss on her husband’s lips.

‘You know,’ said Silver as he broke the kiss ‘We still have thirty minutes before the shop opens. You wanna have some fun before we do?’

Rarity looked at him for a Moment, then ended up using her magic to place the empty plates aside and closed the door whilst using a sound concealment spell to block any noise from leaving the house.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

From the cozy cottage a little further from Ponyville there lived a sweet Pegasus, who happens to be an animal caretaker and represents the Element of Kindness, named Fluttershy. And resting with her in bed happens to be none other than her human husband, Genus.

Genus was known as George Newton back in his world. From where he came from, he worked at a local animal shelter. His job was to find any stray or injured animals from the streets and bring them over to the shelter where they could be looked after until they would either get new owners or that they would have a proper home. His only friend happens to be his dog Trusty, whom he got after he graduated from his high school. Unfortunately due to an accident that Trusty didn’t mean to cause, he accidently turned on the gas valve, resulting in the two of them dying from gas poisoning.

When he woke up, he found himself and Trusty against a tree. And when he saw Fluttershy coming towards him, he thought that she was an angel because of her wings. During his stay, he admired her kindness and her good nature to help other animals in need. And during his time staying with her, she helped teach him how to interact with the animals and better care for them. Soon enough, he fell in love with her. They soon got married and gained a child, whom they named Warm Breeze, who loves animals like his Mother and also gained his father's personality. Though he had a hard time trusting Discord due to his past, he was able to bond with the guy. Even Warm Breeze looked up to him and Discord enjoyed being Warm Breeze's godfather.

Genus held Fluttershy close to him while stroking both her hair and back at the same time, making her purred like a kitten.

Warm Breeze took a peek and saw that his parents were still asleep. He then turned around and whispered, "Uncle Discord. Uncle Discord."

Discord suddenly appeared and said, "You called…"

He placed his hand over the Lord of Chaos’ mouth and said, "How do you feel like giving both of my parents a big wake-up call?"

He whispered to Discord what his plan was, which the Draconequus listened to. He then smiled and finally spoke, "Ooh, I like that idea already."

He snapped his fingers, causing both Fluttershy and Genus to suddenly be in a large enough space and sleeping on a catapult. The catapult suddenly launched the two of them in the air, which caused the two to be awake and scream for dear life. But before they knew it, the two of them fell on top of a giant stack of pancakes, covered in whipped cream and syrup.

Slowly but surely, the two of them sat up and both of them had really grumpy looks on their faces. And from out of nowhere, Discord teleported near them with Warm Breeze on his shoulder.

"Good morning, lovebirds," said Discord with his gleeful smile. "How’d you like our big wake-up call?"

"You’re lucky we’re sticky, Discord," said Genus. "Otherwise, I'll punch you where the sun don't shine."

"Oh, come now," said Discord. "We had to wake you up. Don’t you two know what today is?"

He snapped his fingers, causing a large calendar to appear while big numbers flashed.

"Oh," Fluttershy gasped as she looked at the date. "I forgot that it was today."

"I could've sworn that it was going to be next week," said Genus.

"Well don't you just stand there, eat those pancakes," said Discord. Then he realized something. "Oh wait."

Within a split second, Discord snapped his fingers, causing them to be teleported into a giant hot tub, taking them by surprise as they fell in. They immediately popped out as they were all wet. He snapped his fingers again, causing the two of them to be naked, making Fluttershy yelp as she covered her breasts with her arms while Warm Breeze covered his eyes. At the same time, two tray sized boats appeared, with some pancakes and coffee on top.

"Ta-ta," said Discord as he waved to them. "Enjoy your breakfast."

He snapped his fingers, making both him and Warm Breeze disappear, leaving the couple alone.

"Well," said Fluttershy as she lowered her arms once they were alone. "He did go through all this trouble."

"True," said Genus as he suddenly smiled and drifted close to her. "And maybe before we feed the animals after we're done, we could have a little fun along the way."

He slowly grasped his arms around her, making her yelp as their bodies were close. "G-Genus."

"Oh, come now," said Genus as he gently kissed her. "Don't tell me you weren’t thinking the same thing."

Fluttershy slowly placed her hands on his wrists and smiled. "Well, maybe just a little."

"So," said Genus. "A bite now or after our fun?"

She hummed a bit while she thought about it. She then smirked and said, "Why don't we do it right now?"

She instantly grabbed him and pulled him into a strong kiss as they went underwater, making them keep their eyes closed while they enjoyed each other's lips.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

From up on the clouds stood the home of a certain Pegasus athlete, the rainbow-haired Pegasus Rainbow Dash who happens to be both a Wonderbolt and the Element of Loyalty. Alongside her was none other than her husband, Bolt.

At Bolt’s old home, he was once known as Cole Bolton. He had a hard time growing up, for his father was an abusive drunk and he would hurt him and his Mother. Eventually, his Mother has had enough of his father’s abusive behavior that she decided to press charges against him and sent him off to prison where he’s facing fifty years to life in prison without parole. By the time he got into junior year in college, Bolt would go around looking for jobs but no matter how hard he tried, no one would hire him. He was really close to his Mother though, as well as his uncle and cousins, the Bolton Brothers. He eventually applied for a job, but after he accidentally sneezed so big, he lost his balance and fell on his head, killing him in the process.

Sure enough, he woke up in Equestria. However, he was scared out of his mind. He met a pregnant Applejack, and ended up jumping out of the window to escape. Sure enough, he was tackled by Rainbow Dash in order to calm him down. Within a short while, he and Rainbow Dash began to form a bond. However, as he watched her performance with the Wonderbolts, she ended up hurting her wing and fell, which Bolt ran towards her with great speed and caught her. Rainbow Dash was suddenly surprised by this action. Two months later, they fell in love and were dating. Though they had a bit of a hiccup because of the ‘cute’ part, she quickly forgave him when he apologized. And after their night, they got married a few months later. And not long after that, she gave birth to their son, Bolt Junior, who had his Mother’s hair and eyes, but his father’s skin color, but he also gained his mother's wings, considering that he's a fast flyer too.

The ray of the sun woke Bolt up first, but not Rainbow. She was sleeping like a brick. He looked to his right and saw she was still sound asleep. He thought it looked adorable, including her cute snoring. He suddenly smirked and got a great idea. He ducked under the cover of the blanket and moved close down below her waist. As he was close enough, he slowly took off her panties without waking her up. She really was a sound sleeper. He moved slowly down to her pussy and held his tongue out.

From Rainbow, as she slept, she suddenly changed her expression a bit, feeling something. She moaned and groaned while she was moving. She moved her body a bit as she was squirming. She suddenly felt so hot that she ended up moaning really loud. That got her to wake up as she quickly sat back up with widened eyes, panting.

Bolt lifted himself up, gaining her attention. "Morning, cutie pie," said Bolt.

With one swift motion, Rainbow grabbed him and planted him hard onto the bed. She had that look in her eye, as if she wanted to say something.

"So," said Bolt as he smirked, "Got you all hot and bothered, did I?"

Without saying a word, she planted her lips hard onto her husband's and the two passionately kissed, not wanting to let go of one another. But as they continued to make out, the bed creaked and squeaked from their constant movement. At the same time, a certain boy, Bolt Junior walked in, groaning.

"What is all that…?" he mumbled, until he saw them making out. "Blegh, again with the mushy stuff?!"

Both Bolt and Rainbow stopped and looked at their son while they blushed. Thankfully, the blanket was over them. Otherwise, they would have a hard time explaining why they aren’t wearing their lower garment.

"Oh come on, Junior," said Bolt. "Sooner or later you're gonna have to drop the ‘not liking the mushy stuff’ attitude. Your Mom did when we started dating."

"Though I, uh…" said Rainbow as she rubbed the back of her head. "I'm still not comfortable with the whole ‘cute’ comment."

"True," said Bolt as he slowly rubbed his hand to her flower, which caught her off guard. "But you can't deny that you love being flustered."

Her wings expanded a bit and grumbled under her breath, "Not now, Bolt."

"Ugh, whatever," said Junior. "I'm going to sleep for another hour. And then I'm gonna make myself a stack of pancakes and eat it all."

As he left, both of them sighed in relief with Rainbow slapping his chest. "You idiot. We nearly got caught."

"Sorry," Bolt said sheepishly. "But once you got into position, I just couldn’t resist. So, should we do the same thing?"

"Oh, we should," said Rainbow with a smirk.

Suddenly, Bolt realized something as he said, "Oh crud, I forgot. We're supposed to get ready to spend time with the others today."

"Well, we have plenty of time," said Rainbow as she quickly zipped towards the door and closed it this time before turning back to him with a smirk. "If you're willing to go for another twenty minutes?"

Bolt smirked as he tossed the blanket aside. "Then what are you waiting for?"

Within a split second, Rainbow zipped straight towards Bolt and tackled him over, causing them to engage in their full make out session.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

From within Ponyville, a place where everypony buys their cakes and other confectionery treats known as Sugarcube Corner was not only the home to the Cakes, but also the home of a certain party pony planner throughout Ponyville and Equestria. Her name was Pinkie Pie, party pony extraordinaire and also the Element of Laughter. Alongside her was her human husband named Frosty.

Back in Frosty's old home when he was once known as Barry Frost, he lost his parents in a bank robbery when he was young. Since then, his older sister Emily had looked after him and they formed a powerful bond that made them inseparable from each other. Though because of the huge loss that Frosty had endured, he lost his ability to laugh. Heck, he even lost his ability to smile as well. However, years later after their parents were buried, there was an earthquake at Emily’s apartment and the two of them were trapped before they were crushed by the debris. They suddenly appeared at Ponyville and everypony noticed how unhappy Frosty was. So naturally, some were afraid to talk to him. All but one, however.

Pinkie Pie made it her mission to help him smile no matter what. Through many attempts and many struggles, Pinkie still couldn’t make him smile. That was until Emily helped Pinkie out with a party, his birthday party to be precise. And thanks to the effort, Frosty had regained his smile again. Since then, both his and Pinkie Pie’s relationship had grown closer. They were best friends and before long they became a couple. Soon after that, they were married. And not long, she gave birth to non identical twins, whom they named Pecan Pie, who had his father’s skin color and Lemon Pie. Though they were a handful, they're just as energetic as Pinkie Pie. It had been a challenge, but if Frosty could put up with his wife, then he can do the same for the kids.

Both Pinkie and Frosty were still sound asleep, moving and mumbling at the same time. Pinkie, while in her sleep, grabbed Frosty and pulled him closer, allowing him to rest on her bosom. They were really soft. He mumbled in his sleep with a smile while one of his hands groped on her right breast, making Pinkie moan while smiling.

All of a sudden, the door slowly opened. And from out of nowhere, two certain kids popped out, smirking as they looked at their parents, then each other, and then to them again. Though they were only a year and a half older, they had already spoken their first words and were already as crafty as their Mother. They tippy hoof/toed into the room. They were crawling like insects and didn’t make any noise.

They zigzagged the room and placed at least twelve party cannons all around, aiming at their parents. They then silently snuck back outside with a long string attached. They closed the door behind them and then held the string at the ready, holding it firmly while they kept their smirks.

"Fire in the hole!" shouted both the Pie Twins as they pulled their string really hard.

If anyone had been outside early, they would’ve been greatly startled. For the Moment the party cannons went off, the roof was literally raised as confetti were flying everywhere while the roof instantly fell back in place.

From within the parents’ room, Frosty was coughing confetti out of his mouth, with Pinkie’s eyes widened, causing her to snort, giggle and then full out laughter.

Within a split second, the Pie Twins appeared as they both sat on the bed and said, "Morning Mom. Morning dad."

"Morning Pecan and Lemon," said Pinkie as she giggled and hugged them. "Great job on the waking up department."

"Yeah, great," mumbled Frosty as he was somewhat groggy.

"Oh, don’t be such a grump muffin," said Pinkie as she kissed her husband, which he couldn’t help but smile, even enjoyed the sweet scent of cotton candy from her mane. "We still have a great day ahead of us."

Then both the Pie Twins started to jump on the bed as if it were a trampoline as they shouted, "Special day! Special day! Special day! Special day!"

"Okay, okay," said Frosty as he instantly caught them and hugged them while giving them raspberries on their tummies, making them giggle loudly. "We’ll get there, don’t worry. But first things first, we need to fulfill a ton of agendas today."

"That we do," said Pinkie as she instantly pulled her list out of her mane. She then opened it and read it out loud saying, "First, we need to prepare a new batch of lemon muffin surprise for Derpy…"

"Before she tears down half the town while shooting laser eyebeams," said Pecan Pie, causing them all to shiver for they do not want to go through with that again.

"Then we got to prepare a special cupcake platter for Cranky Doodle and Matilda on their wedding anniversary," said Pinkie as she continued to read. "Then bake some new cake flavors we experimented on before we decided to display them."

"I'm just glad you didn't put the jalapeno red velvet cake on display," said Frosty before he gagged.

"Hey," said Pinkie while she crossed her arms with a pout.

"Sorry honey, but it's the truth," said Frosty. "Remember what happened last time you tried to make a chili pepper blue jelly cake."

"How was I supposed to know he was allergic to jelly and chili?" said Pinkie.

"Pinkie, I love you," said Frosty as he wrapped his arm around her. "But next time, make a cake that other ponies can actually stomach."

He noticed that she still had that sour look on her face. That, he needed to fix. He whispered to the Pie Twins that he needed to try something, which made them comply as they quickly left the premises while also shutting the door slightly.

"I know what’ll make you happy," said Frosty as he instantly pulled her shirt off, taking her by surprise while he quickly placed the whip cream between her breasts.

Before Pinkie could react, Frosty had placed his head between it while licking. She began to giggle and moan at the same time while letting them collapse onto the bed before they continued.

At the same time, the Pie Twins were walking down the hall as Pecan Pie asked, "Do you think the others are awake yet?"

"Let's see," said Lemon Pie as she pulled out both a pocket watch and a list. "They and their parents are already awake. That only leaves…"

Pecan Pie looked at the list and said, "Uncle Spike and Aunt Emily."

************************************************************************************************************************************************

From within the room of the Castle of Friendship, Spike the Dragon, Twilight’s #1 assistant and adopted little brother, was resting peacefully in bed. Sleeping next to him was none other than Emily, Frosty’s older sister.

Emily was once in the same boat as Frosty, but after their parents died, Emily had to be the parent and look after her little brother. It was hard for both of them. After they died from being crushed under the debris by the earthquake, she was the first human female to be in Equestria with her brother being the sixth human to be in Equestria as well.

During that time while she was trying to help Pinkie to make her brother smile, she also noticed a lonely and depressed dragon. From what she heard, he had a crush on Rarity for a long time. Unfortunately by the time Silver came along and became a couple with Rarity, Spike had sunk into a deep state of depression and no matter how many times others had tried, it wasn’t working. Emily, on the other hand, decided to give it a try.

During the first few weeks, she spent a lot of time with Spike in order to cheer him up. But during that time, the two of them had become quick friends. And during that short time, they became a couple too. But the two of them weren’t ready to have a child yet or get married, but that doesn’t stop them from loving each other. And from that day on, Spike was really happy that he was able to find love again. And deep down, he realized Silver was right. There would be someone for him, but he didn’t realize that it would be someone from another world like Beau and the others.

During their sleep, Emily kept snuggling against Spike, which he did the same. But from their very bedroom door, it slowly began to open. And poking their little heads out of the door were the Pie Twins, along with Bolt Junior, Warm Breeze and Apple Slice.

"Remind me why y’all talked me into this?" asked Apple Slice.

“Last time they slept in, they nearly slept through Moonlight’s birthday,” said Junior. “Let them try again.”

"So we brought a ton of stuff for one heck of a wake-up call with their favorite pies," said Warm Breeze as he held two of their favorite pies ready.

Slowly, Junior and Warm Breeze flew in and began to hang a few strings in the air while Junior tied up a chocolate in the air with Warm Breeze using a rope to tie the diamond. Once they were done, both Warm Breeze and Junior slowly lowered themselves down and landed near the door while Apple Slice slowly opened the door with both the Pie Twins tying a strong stretchy rope, stronger than a slingshot, at the door while placing their pies inside.

"Alright, ammo is set," said Pecan Pie.

"Pegasi cousins," said Lemon Pie with a grin, "Lower the bait."

Following the order, the two Pegasi lowered their bait near both Spike and Emily. At first the two of them were still asleep until they caught the scent of the bait. Slowly but surely, both Spike and Emily sat up, smelling what caught their attention as they kept their smiles while at the same time, both Pecan and Lemon pulled their makeshift slingshot, with Junior, Warm Breeze and Apple Slice joining them.

"Wait for it," said Lemon Pie. "Wait for it…"

However, the blanket that Emily had used to cover herself fell, revealing she was naked, which freaked out Pecan Pie as he said, "I shouldn't be seeing that!"

Pecan Pie instantly let go of the rope and covered his eyes, while the makeshift slingshot slipped out of their hands. The pies flew straight at their faces. However, the Moment they made impact, there came a large explosion which caused the castle to jump and startled many of the residents of Ponyville.

The kids were all shocked by what they saw as their eyes were widened in shock. Both Spike and Emily were now wide awake with both their eyes widened in shock while Spike blew a puff of smoke out of his mouth.

Beau and Twilight appeared out of nowhere via teleporting with Twilight’s magic, while they were also thankfully dressed with Moonlight following suit.

"What in the wide world of Equestria happened?!" shouted Twilight.

The kids pointed inside. When they looked, they saw Spike and Emily covered in soot as if they had just survived an explosion, taking them by surprise.

"Whoa, what happened here?" said Beau.

From out of nowhere, Discord appeared and said, "Now that's what I called a spicy pie."

Warm Breeze looked at Discord with a stink eye and said, "Uncle Discord, what did you do?"

"Well, I saw the two pie flavors you had and I thought they looked too bland. So I decided to get them two more pies with some ‘explosive’ flavor, if I might add."

"Why would you launch pies in their faces?" asked Twilight sternly.

"Well, don’t look at me," said Discord as he defended himself. "It was their idea."

He pointed at the kids, causing them to smile sheepishly with Lemon saying, "It was just going to be a harmless prank. Would’ve had more time to prepare if Pecan hadn’t let go."

"It’s not my fault Aunt Emily exposed her headlights!" exclaimed Pecan.

The kids and the adults noticed, causing the boys to block their eyes, with Twilight blocking Beau’s eyes. Emily looked down, yelped and covered her chest with her blanket.

"Spike," said Twilight sternly.

"Hey!" shouted Spike. "You ever heard of respecting other creatures’ privacy?!"

"Ever heard of locking the door?" retorted Beau, which caused Spike to slap his forehead. Why didn’t he think of that?

"So," said Discord, "Now that everyone is awake, all of you will need to finish your agendas and be at the park by noon. We don’t want to be late for our outing."

"And who invited you?" asked Emily.

"Well someone needs to keep an eye on the kids," said Discord.

"He does have a point," said Warm Breeze.

"That and he lost a bet to Uncle Genus too," said Junior with a smirk on his face.

"Ugh, don’t remind me," said Discord. "I still have no idea how in the world he beat me in a staring contest."

Discord then looked at his watch. "Whoops, gotta go. Ta!"

He soon disappeared, with Twilight closing the door as she said, "Just finish on time, Spike."

As soon as she closed the door, the kids ran off to meet up with Crystal whilst Beau and Twilight went to the other direction.

As the couple walked, Beau said, "You can remove your wing from my face now."

"Not until we finished washing up and getting dressed," said Twilight.

"Oh I get it," said Beau as he teased her. "You just don’t want me to look at anypony’s boobs except yours, right?"

"No, I'm not!" Twilight denied loudly.

"You know, you could always use a spell to make yours bigger, right?" said Beau, taking Twilight by surprise and shock. "Ignis told me about it. He never shuts up about it either."

Twilight groaned in frustration, not wanting to think about stuff like that.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

Many hours later, after all of them had done their morning routines, all of them had soon regrouped at the park. Sitting at their usual spot on their usual friendship outings. At first it was only with the Mane 6, but with their husbands, wife and kids, things were now really different, with Discord taking care of the kids as some of them had fun, others, not so much.

Beau was resting on Twilight’s lap whilst the two of them would read a book thanks to her magic.

Applejack and Bucky would enjoy their ciders whilst they looked at the horizon, with Applejack resting on her husband’s shoulder.

Rarity was looking over at the few designs she had planned to display, especially with the new designs her new designers brought in, whilst Silver would offer Rarity a few sandwiches, which she accepted after Silver kissed her on the cheek.

Genus and Fluttershy were feeding some of the animals that chose to come with them, especially Angel Bunny, being its usual obnoxious self, with Genus thinking How that rabbit became obnoxious is beyond me, before Trusty appeared from out of nowhere and licked his face, making him laugh before his most trusted canine companion walked over to play with Warm Breeze.

Bolt and Rainbow Dash were busy competing of who would drink their ciders the fastest, until Bolt cheated and ticked her, much to her annoyance, which caused her to tackle him over.

Pinkie and Frosty were handing out the cakes and cupcakes to the rest of their friends to make sure that they would all have enough.

Emily and Spike would also enjoy each other’s company quite often, which allowed Spike to rest on his girlfriend’s lap whilst she fed him some gemstones, whilst the next one she served whilst holding it in her mouth, which prompted Spike to take it whilst kissing his girlfriend at the same time.

The kids on the other hand, were enjoying themselves too, whilst Discord was dressed up as a lifeguard for some reason and watched how the kids were having fun.

Moonlight was busy with her usual science experimenting, however, both the Pie Twins fooled around, causing a small explosions. She then got mad as she looked at them.

‘Hot Carroty Dog Lemon,’ exclaimed Peacon Pie playfully ‘The anger of the Moonlight is upon us!!’

‘Quick, to the Pie-Mobile!!’ shouted Lemon Pie.

The two automatically pulled out their own wagon with a big fan on it. Peacon turned the fan on whilst Lemon would drive as the two of them shouted ‘Tally ho!!!’

The two instantly drove off, with Moonlight chasing them, whilst Discord was laughing whilst he tossed his popcorn in the air whilst he shouted ‘Boy, this is more entertaining than watching Schmooze wander in the Grand Galloping Gala a few years back.’

Both Apple Slice and Bolt Junior competed with one another, just like both their Mothers whenever they had some free time, which also caused some concern for the others.

Warm Breeze on the other hand decided to help Crystal Gem with making the little furry creatures some miniature sweaters so that they could sleep soundly and comfort during the next winter that would come.

‘Gotta say,’ said Beau from his usual spot ‘This is quite relaxing.’

‘I’ll say.’ said Fluttershy once she was done helping out Angel Bunny ‘We barely get to do this together. We should do this more often.’

‘I’ll look at all of our schedules so that all of us would have the time to do so.’ said Twilight.

‘Just make sure you don’t overdo it honey.’ said Beau.

‘Oh come on, I don’t overdo…?’ said Twilight before she was cut off.

‘The Pudding Pie incident.’ said Emily, causing everyone to shudder and shiver at that.

‘Not something we wanna go through again.’ said Rainbow Dash.

‘Yeah, or like Bucky and Bolt.’ said Frosty.

Some were wondering what he meant, with Silver looking at his daughter and asked ‘Crystal, do you remember that incident between Bucky and Bolt?’

‘Ugh, how could I forget?’ said Crystal ‘It happened back at the Sweet Apple Acres Barn.’

She then projected an image of their display. They saw both Bucky and Bolt, both holding guitars, and what looked like Bucky was trying to teach Bolt how to play guitar.

‘Okay Bolt,’ said Bucky ‘Play me the harmonic minor scales in the key of a D.’

‘Oh, like this?’ said Bolt. But the Moment he strung the string of the guitar.

‘WRONG!!!’ shouted Bucky.

Bucky then shoved a red paint can over Bolt’s head, causing Bolt to tackle him whilst beating him up as Bucky shouted ‘Get your fingers out of my nose!!!’

As the image disappeared, everyone looked at both Bucky and Bolt stunned by their display, with Bolt saying ‘He shoved a red paint can over my head!!!’

‘I uh…get really passionate about country music playing through guitars.’ said Bucky as he blushed whilst rubbing the back of his head.

‘Huh,’ Applejack as he wondered something ‘So that’s why y’all volunteered to play our music during our Apple Family Reunion Last year.’

As they continued to have their conversation, both Apple Slice and Bolt Jr. continued to compete with one another, until the two of them accidentally tripped, causing them to fall into a nearby bush with a loud grunt.

‘Okay.’ said Bolt Jr. ‘I’m hurt now.’

‘Why am I seeing spinning apples?’ said Apple Slice ‘It’s not harvesting time yet.’

However, the Moment they regained their consciousness, they were suddenly shocked by what they saw, causing the two of them to scream very loud, gaining everyone’s attention.

‘Junior?!!’ shouted Rainbow as she quickly got up.

‘Apple Slice?!!’ shouted Applejack as she and Rainbow ran towards where their sons were screaming.

Within mere Moments, the Mane 6, their husbands, Spike, Emily and all of the kids quickly came together to find both Apple Slice and Bolt Jr. hugging one another, trembling in fright.

‘What’s gotten into you two?’ asked Bolt.

Both the kids instantly aimed at what they were pointing at. The Moment they looked, what they saw took them all by surprise. The creature was wearing a ceremonial robe and armour, and has a symbol of what appeared to be an axe on its chest, who had a thick grey beard and short puffy grey hair, whilst his coat itself were a mixture of grey and brown. But when they took a good look at it, it wasn’t just any creature, it was a Caribou.

‘Whoa,’ said Rainbow when she took a good look at the creature ‘What…is that?’

Beau moved toward it and observed it whilst he said ‘Well, judging from the horns, the face as well as the hooves, I’d say it’s…’

And right on cue, both Twilight and Beau said at the same time ‘A Caribou.’

‘Ah’ve never seen one up close before.’ said Applejack.

However, Fluttershy noticed that he looked injured and hurt, with her saying ‘Oh the poor thing’s hurt.’

She quickly came over to it and placed her hand on top of its head. Genus stood on his knee and placed his fingers by its neck.

‘He’s still alive.’ said Genus as he looked at them ‘But we’re gonna have to try to treat its wounds.’

‘We’ll bring him to my Castle.’ said Twilight as she picked the Caribou up with her magic.

‘So much for a good day at the picnic.’ grumbled Spike.

‘Be nice honey.’ said Emily as they made their way back.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

After they got back at the Castle of Friendship, Genus, Fluttershy, Applejack and Bucky were able to properly bandage the Caribou’s wounds whilst Emily trying to reduce the temperature of its forehead whilst he was on one of the beds of the Castle.

‘This is unprecedented.’ said Twilight ‘From what I could tell, there hadn’t been a trace of Caribou history since the founding of Equestria.’

‘Still,’ said Beau once he came over ‘Why’s the guy all banged up?’

‘He must’ve been attacked on his way here, according to his wounds.’ said Genus.

‘Still,’ said Emily ‘We should tell Princess Celestia about this.’

‘Already on it.’ said Spike as he began to write down on a scroll. Once he was done, he used his fire breath and sent the letter as it headed straight to her.

‘So, do you think she’ll…’ said Silver before he was suddenly cut off when Princess Celestia and her husband Platinum, along with Princess Luna and her husband Nebula, appeared in a flash.

‘Did I read this right?’ said Celestia with wide eyes ‘Did you say…?’

Then they saw it, a Caribou, lying unconscious on the bed, taking them by shock. The two Princesses slowly walked over to the Caribou with widened eyes.

‘It has been so long.’ said Celestia ‘We have not seen the Caribou in over a thousand years.’

‘Wait, you’ve seen them before?’ asked Twilight.

‘Indeed Twilight Sparkle,’ said Princess Luna ‘We encountered the Caribou kingdoms a long time ago Moments after we became Alicorns.’

They showed them imageries from a thousand years ago, showing them the beauty of their kingdom as they were in awe.

‘This is called Caribouria,’ said Princess Celestia ‘Long before Ponykind came along, they were the masters of their own kingdom. The Caribou were founded by a wise leader who united all of them when they were in disarray.’

They then saw images of the Caribou mastering in arts that none had ever seen, surprising Twilight as Luna said ‘And during their first days of union, they have mastered all form of magic that not even Equestrians from both yesterday and today could ever think of. They learned how to grow, they learned how to create and they learned on how to defend.’

The sisters showed them images of other creatures coming to them, which surprised them as Luna said ‘Overtime, other creatures would come and wish to live on their lands. Half of them went to their respective lands that the Caribou king had given them, whilst the rest of the creatures would continue to venture beyond Equestria and every other kingdom, some whom all civilization came from.’

They then showed them images of their pasts when they were young, long before the Alicorn magic in them grew.

‘We once visited the land to learn of other cultures, learning their way of life so that we could one day teach them to Equestria itself.’ said Celestia.

They showed images of the Caribou King from back then.

Luna then said ‘Along the way, we met a kind king known as Dorian, a wise and noble of all kings. He was also truly the kindest who had ever lived. Half of the magic we now know, he taught us everything we know.’

Celestia suddenly soured as she recalled someone ‘And then there was his pig of a son.’

They showed images of a young Caribou.

‘This was his youngest son Dainn,’ said Celestia ‘He was the elder son from back then. However, he had a habit of judging certain races, namely females, because he claimed we didn’t deserve to have government authority, and also added, that a certain species like males were the superiors.’

The others were confused by what Princess Celestia meant, until Beau said ‘She means he’s one of those types who thinks that men are better than women and that they were weak.’

The ponies were shocked by this, whilst their husbands and Emily groaned at that, gaining their attention.

‘Wait,’ asked Rarity ‘You have one of those too?’

‘Unfortunately.’ said Emily and the guys.

They made the imagery disappear whilst Celestia suddenly looked saddened and said ‘That’s not even the worst part.’

‘What could be more worst than that?’ asked Spike.

Luna nearly teared up, but Celestia held onto her hand in order to reassure her, with Luna saying ‘He tried to spy on me whilst I was bathing for one…’

They were partially shocked by this, with Frosty saying ‘Wow, that guy really is a pig.’

‘And…’ said Luna, until she shed a tear and cringed

Celestia quickly went over to hold her, with her looking back at them and said ‘He nearly raped her.’

That part shocked them all, which in turn caused Nebula to get so angry he tossed a bookrack out of the window, with Twilight shouting ‘Nebula!!! I needed that!!’

Celestia continued as she said ‘But unfortunately, half of our government officials, as well as military divisions, heard what happened and were outraged, so they ended up attacking the Caribou as well.’

‘After that,’ said Luna once she was able to recollect herself ‘King Dorian heard what happened and ordered them to stop. He was also outraged by what his own son had done, so he ended up erasing his mind and banished him beyond their kingdom, never to be seen again.’

‘But because of what the ponies had done,’ said Princess Celestia ‘The king had no choice but to declare that Ponykind and other races like dragons and so on, were forever forbidden to set foot in their kingdom, so we were forced to leave.’

‘That’s awful.’ said Rarity as she was surprised to hear this.

‘Ever since then, our kind was forbidden to set foot on their kingdoms.’ said Princess Celestia ‘After Luna’s banishment, I have tried for centuries to re-establish ties with Caribouria and Equestria, but Once King Dorian made up his mind, we can never change it.’

‘So uh…what the heck’s a Caribou doing here now?’ asked Rainbow Dash.

‘Yeah, if the laws are in place, how come he’s traveled here?’ asked Bolt.

‘If we’re gonna have answers, we need to wake it up.’ said Platinum.

‘How?’ said Twilight ‘We’ve tried everything.’ said Twilight.

Emily thought about something, smirked and said ‘Not everything.’

They looked at her and wondered what she’s had in mind, however, something caught Frosty’s attention, for he’s seen that look before.

‘Emily,’ said Frosty with a look on his face ‘What are you thinking?’

‘Something very un-lady like.’ said Emily with a grin.

They wondered what she was planning, until she walked over to the Caribou, turned around, and bent over, with Frosty realizing what she’s planning.

‘Oh no.’ he grumbled.

‘What?’ said Spike ‘What is she planning?’

Frosty then said ‘In three…two…’

And just like that, she let out a huge fart. Causing the Caribou to smell it, widened his eyes in shock, and began to gag and cough and sat up and trying to breathe. As Emily stood up right, the Caribou shouted ‘What is that repulsive odor?!!’

Everyone else stared at her in shock and disbelief, with Rarity twitching her eye and said ‘Why…would you… do something that repulsive?!!’

‘It worked didn’t it?’ said Emily with a smirk ‘Besides, I did it before.’

‘Uh,’ asked Twilight ‘To whom?’

‘Me.’ responded Frosty, causing everyone to stare at him in shock, whilst he said ‘Which was highly unnecessary by the way.’

‘Not my fault you refused to wake up every time you overslept on a school day.’ retorted Emily.

The Caribou kept gagging for a few minutes, until he was finally able to breathe normally, until he was able to look and recognized the royalty. He instantly stood up and bowed to the royals.

‘Hail Princess Celestia and Princess Luna,’ said the Caribou ‘I am glad I could make it to you lot in time.’

‘There is no need to bow, fellow Caribou.’ said Princess Celestia.

‘But please, who are you?’ asked Princess Luna.

The Caribou stood up and presented himself.

‘My name is Balin Proteus,’ said the Caribou ‘Son of Fundin Proteus, descendent of Edolus Proteus.’

The Princesses were surprised to hear this, as Celestia said ‘You’re Edolus’ descendant?’

‘Who’s Edolus?’ asked Rainbow Dash.

‘He was a Caribou who first brought us to Caribouria so that we could learn to properly manage our magic.’ said Princess Luna.

‘But what brings you here?’ asked Princess Celestia.

‘Ill news I’m afraid your highnesses.’ said Balin as he kept his head lowered.

‘What kind of news?’ asked Princess Luna.

The Caribou looked straight at them and said ‘Lord Dainn has returned on our kingdom.’

The two Princesses were shocked by what he had revealed, even the ponies who had a brief hint of knowledge about him.

‘But…how?’ asked Princess Celestia ‘I thought he was banished and from Caribouria.’

‘Not to mention powerless and had his mind erased.’ said Princess Luna.

‘That’s just it your highness, he remembers.’ said Balin, much to their shock.

‘Tell us, what happened?’ asked Platinum.

Balin sighed, and said ‘Long ago, as we were about to prepare the ceremony of the blessing, a rite of passage that would allow a member of the royal family to be protectors of Caribouria, he came, and with new allies.’

He stood up, walked back and forth, telling the story whilst he said ‘Instead of returning with a forgotten memory, he returned with great anger, but he also had a new power, wielding a powerful battle axe that we have never seen before.’

He lowered his head and said ‘They attacked both the royal family and their supporters, and killed them all, including his own father, King Dorian.’

They were horrified by what he revealed, whilst he looked up and said ‘Not only that, but so did the city of Caritas, the capitol city of Caribouria.’

‘When did this happen?’ asked Applejack.

He looked at Applejack and said ‘Roughly around the time your grandmother’s family had founded Ponyville.’

All of them were shocked, for they had no idea that this would occur many years ago.

‘Yeah, okay, that’s bad and all…’ said Rainbow Dash ‘But if all that’s happening there…?’

‘You’re wondering why it should concern Equestria? Well it should.’ said Balin ‘For once he gathers the full might, he will wage war throughout the entire world, starting with Equestria.’

All of them in the room were horrified to hear this, with Balin looking at the royals and said ‘Lord Dainn wants revenge on you two as well, he hasn’t forgotten by what you two had done.’

Now they were really worried, given his grave impression.

‘But wait,’ said Frosty ‘They can’t invade Equestria. The pact…’

‘He is trying to find a way to break the seal.’ said Balin.

‘Wait, breaking the seal?!!’ said Princess Celestia ‘But he can’t!! Since we were in Caribouria, it was forbidden to break the magical seals!! If they do…!!’

‘Then all evil that every kingdom had worked hard to contain would be released and create doom for the world.’ said Balin ‘All Thirteen houses, each run by a powerful figure of the royal family, those who were loyal to King Dorian, contain a piece of a large scroll that would allowing him to gain the power he needs.’

He lowered his head and said ‘But today, only five of them remain. And if all of them would fall, then all of Caribouria would have no choice but to bow to him and follow his command.’

All of them were shocked at first, until Rainbow said ‘Then what are we waiting for?!! Let’s get over there and…!!’

‘Rainbow, we can’t!!’ interjected Twilight ‘We’re forbidden to set foot there because of the laws.’

‘But how is he able to get past?!’ said Rainbow as she pointed at Balin.

He showed them a special seal on his arm and said ‘Our Rune makers were able to create special seals that would allow us to travel in places undetected. With this I was able to escape and headed straight for Equestria as fast as I could.’

‘Then we must alert all of our armies,’ said Princess Celestia ‘Have half of them meet us at the borders to prepare and repel an invasion, whilst the other half would remain guarding our cities and civilians to keep them safe.’

‘I fear it won’t be enough.’ said Balin ‘Remember, Dainn’s magic is much stronger than we could’ve imagined.’

‘But…there has to be something we can do,’ said Applejack ‘We can’t just sit here and do nothing.’

However, as they continued to talk, both Peacon and Lemon Pie noticed something from their dad. The two suddenly giggled loudly, gaining everyone’s attention.

‘What’s funny kids?’ asked Pinkie.

‘Daddy’s eyes are glowing and flickering.’ said the Twins at the same time.

They wondered what they meant, but one look at Frosty, all of them were shocked to say the least.

‘What?’ asked Frosty.

‘Frosty.’ said Emily ‘Your eyes are flickering and flashing.’

Frosty looked at her and said ‘Wait, so are you.’

They were surprised by this as they saw their eyes were flickering and glowing. Until Spike said ‘Whoa, looks like they’re not the only ones.’

They noticed that it was not just Frosty and Emily, but Beau, Bucky, Silver, Genus and Bolt. Everyone was surprised by this, even Balin, for his knowledge of Equestrian magic was greatly known. Twilight wondered what it meant, until she recalled Spike’s spikes glowing right by the time when…

‘It can’t be.’ said Twilight out loud.

They then saw magical images of their husbands and Emily’s faces appeared above the humans, causing them to fly to a different direction. All of them quickly headed straight towards the one place Twilight hadn’t thought would be possible. As they barged through the door, the images of the humans went straight to the one spot no one had seen coming…the friendship map. It appeared at the images of the humans were now forming a circle, hovering above the kingdom of Caribouria from Equestria’s border, causing the said ponies to gasp in shock.

Even the husbands were greatly shocked to see what was happening. In their experience watching them getting summoned by the map, never had they thought it would be possible for them of all people to be summoned.

Balin Proteus had heard of the Friendship Map and what it was capable of. He never thought he’d see it work first hand. But as he looked at the humans, he realized that this could work.

‘I think we may have found a way.’ said Balin as he looked at the humans.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

Sure enough, within the next few hours, the husband 6 and Emily had already gathered their things at the Castle of Friendship and are starting to pack up their things. However, the Mane 6 weren’t thrilled with this idea, as they all didn’t want their husbands to face something this dangerous.

‘But we don’t want you to go out there Beau, it’s too dangerous!!’ said Twilight, clearly not wanting to see her husband going.

‘It’s the only way we can protect Equestria Twilight, you know that better than I do.’ said Beau as he tried to reason with her.

‘But maybe we can find a way to come with you.’ said Twilight.

‘You know the reason you guys can’t.’ said Beau.

‘But we’ve got more experience on this.’ said Applejack ‘We were able to get through this lickety split when it comes to solving problems.’

‘Uh, didn’t you guys get your flanks handed to Starlight when you first got there?’ asked Bucky.

‘Ugh, don’t remind me.’ said Rainbow Dash ‘I still can’t believe we lost like that. I could’ve taken her if I was faster.’

‘Like you were “Faster” when you got captured by Caballeron so easily, little miss “I’m the fastest pony alive in all of Equestria” and ended up screaming like a little girl all tied up?’ said Bolt.

She looked at him shocked, with Bolt saying ‘Pinkie Pie and Daring Do told everybody.’

Rainbow then glared at Pinkie, causing the pink pony to giggle sheepishly.

‘And besides, you saw the map.’ said Silver after he packed half of his shirts ‘It picked us for a reason. If we don’t get over there, then Dainn will invade Equestria. We can’t let that happen.’

‘Yeah and if all of you can remember,’ said Frosty whilst looking at them ‘We were outcasts on our world, and ever since we got here, we finally could start anew.’

‘And we refuse to lose our new home like this.’ said Emily.

‘And besides,’ said Genus ‘All of our families and friends will be in danger. And if we don’t stop him, we won’t have a home to go back to.’

‘But it’s far too dangerous,’ said Fluttershy ‘We don’t want to lose you guys.’

‘We have to do this.’ said Beau ‘And…’

He lowered his head and said ‘It’s the only way to prove ourselves.’

The ponies were surprised by this, and wondered what they meant.

‘When we got married,’ said Bucky ‘We all promised to protect you lot and our families through sickness and health.’

‘But all of you are always constantly in danger,’ said Silver ‘We know you lot became the element bearers and we can respect that.’

‘But we couldn’t help but feel helpless.’ said Frosty ‘We felt weak and insignificant because we couldn’t do better.’

‘Especially the fact we nearly got turned into personal sex toys to a certain bug faced maniac who wanted to carry our sperm and birth our babies!!!!!’ shouted Bolt.

The guys looked nervous, whilst the Mane 6 growled and got really angry, with Twilight’s horn sparking, Applejack cracking her knuckles, Pinkie Pie going to her Pinkamena persona, Fluttershy stare angry, Rarity grinding her teeth and Rainbow Dash was also steamed up.

‘If I see that uncouth bug faced freak again after what they did to our husbands it’ll be too soon!!!’ shouted Rarity.

Silver slapped Bolt at the shoulder and said ‘Nice going.’

‘Well it’s true,’ said Bolt ‘Besides it’s not our fault that she got interested in us.’

Beau looked at Twilight and said ‘The point is…we want to do more to help others. And this is the only way.’

Twilight’s ears drooped, for she wasn’t comfortable with this idea, neither were Spike and the rest of the Mane 6. But they knew that their husbands were right. They weren't allowed there and this was the only option to defend Equestria from its enemies. And if what they said about Lord Dainn is true, then they would need every advantage they could get.

‘Alright.’ said Twilight, reluctantly agreeing, but shed a few tears ‘I just don’t…’

Beau placed his hand on her shoulder and said ‘I know Twilight. But if the situation was reversed, you would’ve done the same. Besides, if Dainn comes to Equestria, they need their element protectors, now more than ever.’

‘Just…be careful, okay?’ said Twilight.

‘I’ll try.’ responded Beau.

************************************************************************************************************************************************

After a few hours of preparation, an Air Skimmer, one that Balin secretly brought with him, was parked at the center of Canterlot, with the Husbands and Emily bidding their loved ones farewell, with the royals also present.

Twilight hugged her husband, as well as giving him a kiss and said ‘Please be careful.’

‘I will.’ said Beau ‘And we will return. I promise.’

Beau stood on his one knee and hugged his daughter, with Moonlight hugging her father tightly with fallen tears.

‘I’ll miss you daddy.’

‘I’ll miss you too Moonlight.’ said Beau.

Applejack, Apple Bloom, Apple Slice, Big Macintosh and Granny Smith was bidding farewell to Bucky.

Granny Smith hugged Bucky and said ‘Be careful out there sonny.’ whilst shedding a tear or two.

‘I promise Granny.’ said Bucky.

He looked at Big Mac and said ‘I’ll see you soon Big Mac. Take care of the others whilst I’m gone. Promise me?’

‘Eeyup.’ said Big Mac as he gave his brother in law a hug too.

Apple Bloom instantly hugged Bucky, with Apple Slice in tow.

‘Please be safe pa.’ said Apple Slice.

‘And we’ll always think of you.’ said Apple Bloom.

‘I will too.’ said Bucky.

Bucky then stood near his wife and said ‘I know you’re not much of a tear shedder and you don’t like to be mushy, but…’

Applejack instantly kissed him, taking him by surprise. But as she broke it, she said ‘Think of me when y’all are over there.’

‘You know I will.’ said Bucky as he placed his forehead against his wife as the two kept their eyes closed and smiled.

Rarity hugged Silver with her arms around his neck and Silver’s arms around her back. Crystal nearly cried, for the way they were holding one another, then looked at one another, was straight out of a romance novel.

‘Be careful once you arrive there Silver.’ said Rarity.

‘I know, beloved.’ said Silver as he looked at her ‘And no matter how wide the ocean, or deep the hole, or the darkest of tunnels, I will always love and come back to you.’

Rarity couldn’t help but smile as her tears were falling, with her saying ‘ “A tale of two ponies”. You really are such a romantic.’

‘Because I married the most romantic pony of all.’ said Silver as they placed their foreheads against one another.

Silver stood on his knees and held Crystal Gem close. Crystal was on the verge of tears as he said ‘Don’t worry Crystal. I’ll be back someday. I can promise you that.’

‘Please be careful father.’ said Crystal.

‘I will.’ said Silver, hugging his daughter before their departure.

Fluttershy couldn’t stop sobbing, for she couldn’t bear to see her husband go off on his own.

‘Hey, it’s okay Fluttershy.’ said Genus as he kept her in his embrace ‘I know how much it’s eating you. But we’ll have each other’s backs, don’t you worry.’

They then looked at one another with Invictus drying her tears as he said ‘Dry those tears Fluttershy. Save those for those who really need it.’

She let out another sniff and said ‘Promise me you’ll be safe.’

‘I promise.’ said Genus, giving her a kiss. He then looked at Warm Breeze, who was just as worried about his dad. He stood on his knees, held onto his shoulders and said ‘You’re the man of the house now Warm Breeze. Your Mother will need you, as do her animals. And take good care of Trusty, okay?’

‘Promise dad.’ said Warm Breeze as he hugged his father.

Bolt knew exactly that Rainbow’s not one for feelings and emotional things, even Junior was like that.

‘So uh…I’ll see you again when I get back.’

‘Yeah uh, sure.’ said Rainbow as she partially looked away.

‘And Junior,’ said Bolt as he looked at his son ‘Take care of your Mother, okay.’

‘Yeah, will do.’ said Junior in his same tone.

The two then offered to shake his hand, with Bolt taking them and said ‘See you.’

He took a step, but noticed that they didn’t want to let go.

‘Uh, see you soon.’ said Rainbow.

‘Yeah, see ya.’ said Junior.

‘Uh, okay then.’ said Bolt.

However, the Moment he took a step, they instantly went ‘Daddy/Honey don’t go!!!’

And at the same time, the two of them hugged Bolt in a tight hug, whimpering, with Bolt not being able to help himself and smile whilst hugging the two most important ponies of his life. Though they may not be all mushy and stuff, Bolt knew how they think and felt, so he couldn’t blame them. He hugged them in a tight embrace as tears began to go down too.

Pinkie Pie held onto Frosty, for she was afraid that she wouldn’t see him again.

‘It’s okay Pinkie.’ said Frosty ‘When I get back, we’ll be back to baking cakes in no time.’

‘I know.’ said Pinkie, trying to keep her smile and to make sure her hair didn’t deflate ‘Just keep smiling for me out there. Please?’

‘You know I will.’ said Frosty, whilst within a split second, he got hugged by Peacon and Lemon Pie, both who didn’t want their dad to leave either, but he hugged them and kissed them on their foreheads to ensure things will be fine.

At the same time, Spike said his farewell to Emily.

‘Be careful out there Emily.’ said Spike.

‘You kidding, and let the guys have all the fun.’ said Emily before she snorted in amusement and said ‘I don’t think so.’

Spike couldn’t help but chuckle and said ‘I know. I’ll see you soon when you get back.’

‘Don’t worry, you’ll see me again someday.’ said Emily, until she smirked and whispered in his ear ‘And once I get back, I’m gonna tie you up and milk you dry.’

Spike couldn’t help but feel flustered over that comment, with Emily giggling whilst she kissed Spike.

Within Moments, Balin came along and said ‘The Skimmer’s ready. It’s time.’

Before Beau and the others depart, they were stopped by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

‘A Moment first.’ said Princess Luna, gaining the husbands and Emily’s attention.

‘Once all of you are there.’ said Princess Celestia as she instructed them ‘Asses the situation to see how bad things are.’

‘And during your stay there.’ said Princess Luna ‘Find out what happened to the Royal Family. Find out if there are any other surviving members. If there are, then you must help them in their time of need.’

The husbands and Emily bowed to them, with Beau saying ‘You can count on us your highness.’

They bid their wives, friends and children a final farewell, causing them to board the Air Skimmer Balin had readied for them. Once they boarded, the Skimmer soon took off, with the Husbands and Emily looking as the view began to shrink away.

‘It still doesn’t feel right.’ said Bolt ‘I’d feel better if they did this.’

‘You’re not the only one.’ said Bucky ‘But like Beau said, this is the only way and the only option.’

‘Come on,’ said Emily ‘Let’s rest up for a bit and save our energy once we get there.’

Everyone walked back inside their rooms during their flight.

But from afar, a mysterious figure in a cloak, watched the Air Skimmer leave.

‘Little do they realize that something greater awaits them.’ said the figure with a female voice. ‘Once they get there, their destinies will unfold. They will be tested, and then…hope of the future.’

She then walked away whilst the Air Skimmer headed straight for Caribouria, where the husbands and Emily’s first adventure, continues.
> Chapter 2: Caribouria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been five days since they left Canterlot and the Husband 6 along with Emily continued on their journey with Balin so that all of them would safely reach their destination in time. To pass the time, everyone tried to entertain themselves. Genus did some bird and animal watching, Silver began to try thinking of some new designs for the next fashion release, Frosty and Emily were chatting about their loved ones back home, with Emily saying that she felt embarrassed that Pecan Pie saw her naked, which caused Frosty to laugh about that. Bolt decided to be a lookout in order to make sure that they wouldn’t get ambushed or attacked, Bucky thought to make everyone a quick lunch while Beau looked at the horizon, wondering what’s ahead.

‘There’s no need to worry, laddie,’ said Balin as he joined Beau on deck. ‘We’ll be there by next sunrise.’

‘I hope so,’ said Beau as he kept looking ahead. ‘But I can’t help but feel like we’re in way over our heads.’

‘If the Friendship Map chose you humans to go there, then I’m sure that it had a good reason,’ said Balin.

‘You seem to know a lot about…’ said Beau before he was cut off.

‘The Friendship Map that was created around the time the Castle of Friendship came to be after your wife and her friends defeated Tirek and sent him back to Tartarus?’

Beau looked at him, shocked.

‘Let’s just say…our kingdom has kept track of Equestria and other kingdoms in case another ancient evil awakens.’

‘Wait,’ said Beau as he realized that this was something that the government from his world would do. ‘You mean to tell me that you tracked us and took care of threats before Equestria did?’

‘Indeed,’ said Balin while he and Beau looked at the horizon. ‘It was my people who convinced the griffon race to stand down by sending representatives. Same with the dragons. We didn’t bother with the yaks because they know well enough not to start a war unless they’re all provoked.’

‘And the changelings?’ asked Beau.

‘Ah,’ said Balin as he had a look of regret. ‘That, I wished we could’ve done more.’

Beau was confused by this while he looked at Balin.

‘You see, the changelings weren't like the ones your wives had fought in the past,’ Balin explained. ‘In fact, what they look like now, they used to look like that back in the day before Equestria was formed.’

‘Then…how…?’ said Beau as he was more and more surprised about this.

‘Grogar,’ said Balin.

‘Wait, Grogar?’ said Beau, remembering the history lesson he had learned from Twilight. ‘As in, the Godfather of all Monsters who was eventually defeated by Gusty the Great?’

‘The very one,’ said Balin. ‘But…he also had a brother.’

Beau was greatly shocked by this. ‘How…?’

‘Trust me,’ said Balin. ‘If there’s one thing my people are good at, it’s keeping secrets.’

He looked ahead and said, ‘Back then, the two of them had others who joined their ranks, known as the Council of Monsters. While Grogar would torment ponykind, Salazar and the others would continue to wreak havoc on the other races. Salazar personally turned the changeling race into an evil primordial muck because they stood against him, which Starswirl founded and did nothing to help them. To be fair we could’ve done the same thing, but we also had our own problems to deal with back at Caribouria.’

‘So…how were they?’ asked Beau.

‘Don’t know,’ said Balin. ‘Everyone knows how Grogar was defeated, but as for Salazar and the rest, no one knows. They were also defeated, but Salazar wandered in places where no one would find him.’

Beau was surprised to hear this. This was something that he would share with Twilight. Knowing her, she would definitely geek out.

Deciding to change the subject, Beau asked, ‘So what can you tell us about Caribouria?’

Balin couldn’t help but smile and said, ‘It would be something like one of your kingdoms during ancient times. What do you call it, New Zealand?’

That last part shocked Beau greatly, with Balin still having that grin on his face. ‘You know…?’

‘About the humans? Indeed we do,’ said Balin. ‘Long ago in this world, before Equestria had formed, humans also lived here. Until after the Council of Monsters fell, there was a great tragedy. So the humans had no choice but to move to a new world. But they couldn’t be at any other place, so they chose to travel to one spot that no one would suspect.’

‘Like what?’ asked Beau.

‘I believe you called them pilgrims, am I right?’ said Balin.

Beau was left speechless. The humans that once lived in Equestria were among the first settlers that would one day build their future American nation.

‘Anyway, back on topic,’ said Balin after he got off track. ‘Our kingdom was beautiful beyond recognition. In fact, other creatures would come and settle on our kingdoms because of the beauty they wished to be a part of. Except for ponykind, you know how well that turned out.’

‘Wait,’ said Beau when he remembered what he sensed from Balin earlier. ‘What do you mean by was?’

Balin looked down and said, ‘Ever since Lord Dainn took over, he threw away all advanced magic and burned all of our books containing them, so that we could be returned to the old ways. The barbaric ways.’

He looked at Beau and said, ‘Anyone who dared to challenge them were slaughtered and the magic that helped maintain the beauty of our home died out. As did half of nature.’

Beau was horrified to learn of what happened to their kingdom. ‘And you said the other remaining houses still stand?’

‘Aye, five of them,’ said Balin. ‘They happen to be creatures from different races. Those who chose to remain while the rest traveled to their own respective kingdoms.’

‘Any creatures we should know about?’

‘There’s the triplet dragons known as Zane, Zander and Asher of the House of Dragon. Then there’s Borealis, the Griffon Lord of the House of Griffon. Then Hera, the Hippogriff Lady of the House of Hippogriff. Then there’s Wolfsbane from the House of Wolf. And finally, there’s Princess Cyprus of the House of Changeling.’

‘Wait, what?!’ said Beau, worried that they might be the same changelings from a time before they got reformed.

‘And in case you’re wondering, they’re not what you think,’ Balin assured him. ‘You see, Chrysalis used to have twice as many changelings, but these ones were merely at least ten thousand over five hundred years ago. Our king cured them and restored them to their former glory. They were so grateful that they wished to settle on our lands so that they could repay their debt. After choosing a large plot of land, they settled and helped us out a lot. Their changeling magic is quite handy.’

‘I can only imagine,’ said Beau, but then he thought from the inside of his mind. ‘Wait till Twilight hears about this.’

Beau then thought about something and looked at Balin. ‘But if Dainn’s as bad as you say he is, why hasn’t most of the population fought back?’

‘Most of them are too scared to fight because they know what he’s capable of,’ said Balin. ‘There were plenty of Rebel Cells all over the place, but many of them from at least twenty towns and six cities have already been slain. They’re still out there, but we don’t know how long that’ll last.’

‘I assume that counts as the same with the other houses?’ asked Beau.

‘I’m afraid so, lad,’ said Balin.

Beau then looked down and said, ‘And you’re sure that there aren’t any living heirs?’

‘The Royal Family had been killed when they were gathered at our capitol,’ said Balin. ‘We don’t know if anyone survived there.’

‘We’ll have to start somewhere,’ said Beau.

‘And I know just the place,’ said Balin. ‘Now come, let us rest. We still have a long way to go.’

The caribou and human then turned around and made straight for their rooms while Balin’s crew continued to pilot their ship.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



The next morning, the skimmer had just crossed the border, while at the same time, Balin and the inhabitants had looked at the observation deck.

‘Lady and gentlemen, welcome to Caribouria,’ said Balin as he showed them the view.

The ship continued with its present course, flying through Caribouria airspace. But as they had entered the territory, they were shocked to see the state of the country. For there were barely any grass left on their kingdoms, most of their forests were laid to ruin and many of the wild animals were dead.

‘Oh…It’s horrible,’ said Emily as she was shocked by what she saw while her brother comforted her.

‘Man, this is worse than we realized,’ said Bucky while he looked around.

‘Good thing Fluttershy’s not here to see this,’ said Genus with widened eyes. ‘Otherwise, she’d have a total meltdown.’

‘Man, this Dainn dude really is evil,’ said Bolt as he looked at the devastation of the country.

‘Before we do anything, we’re gonna need more information,’ said Silver.

Beau looked at Balin and asked, ‘Are there any Resistance Cells nearby that we could go to?’

‘There is one,’ said Balin as he scratched the bottom of his chin. ‘Follow me.’

All of them followed him to his cabin. Once they got there, he showed them the map of Caribouria.

‘As you can see, there are at least a handful of cities, ones where the houses are in charge,’ said Balin as he pointed at the map. ‘Then there’s the larger towns and a lot of small villages that are in charge of fishing and skimmer travel. We’re heading there, the town of Carrabin.’

‘But won’t we get caught there?’ asked Genus.

‘Not to worry,’ said Balin. ‘The skimmer I got is marked with the symbol of Dainn’s Elite Guard. No one would dare go near this ship. They would simply imply that Dainn’s personal agents are there for their personal inspection so we’ll be able to sneak past them undetected.’

‘If we go in there, we’ll need some proper disguises,’ said Silver. Then suddenly, he had an idea and looked at Balin. ‘You wouldn’t happen to have any fabric around that would match their agent’s uniforms now, do you?’

Balin raised an eyebrow at the question, not knowing how to respond to that.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



Within a few hours, the skimmer slowly approached the large town of Carrabin. One of the crewmembers who were loyal to Balin came down to the cabin where the Husband 6 and Emily were trying out their outfits, courtesy of Silver.

‘Sir, we’re approaching Carrabin,’ said the Crewmember.

‘Very well,’ said Balin. ‘Tell the crew to be prepared just in case.’

‘Yes, sir,’ the Crewmember saluted before he went back to tell the rest of the crew.

As Balin went inside, he was surprised. The Husband 6 and Emily were wearing clothing that made them look like Dainn’s Elite Guard with their hoods covering their heads while wearing death masks on their faces as well as the armor and shoulder guards to hide their human features. To them, the outfits they’re wearing nearly reminds them of Assassin’s Creed III.

‘Wow, I’m impressed,’ said Balin as he nodded in approval. ‘You really look like Lord Dainn’s Elite Guard.’

‘You sure we won’t stand out of the crowd?’ asked Bolt.

‘Yeah, we don’t know what we’re going to expect when we get there,’ said Genus.

‘Not to worry,’ said Balin. ‘Lord Dainn’s Elite Guard underwent certain mutations to alter their appearances, so all of you should be safe. However, they’re easily knowable with their aura, weapons and masks that disguise their eyes and voices.’

‘I don’t suppose you have something in mind?’ asked Frosty.

Balin smirked while rubbing his chin. ‘As a matter of fact, I do.’

Balin left to fetch something. And within five minutes, he brought back a cart full of weapons, masks and strange looking jewels.

‘These jewels will allow you to mask yourself within the crowd,’ said Balin. ‘They help generate the same aura as the Elite Guard while also allowing you to understand others in different languages in case they use a false pretext.’

They began to wear the jewels underneath the uniforms so that no one would notice.

‘The Elite Guard tends to wear weapons and armor to make them look terrifying.’

They began to place the armor on as well as their weapons to make sure that they would pass themselves as proper guards.

‘Wow, fancy,’ said Emily as she looked herself over. ‘I feel like one of those medieval black knights.’

‘Now for the coup de grace,’ said Balin as he brought out the masks. ‘These masks will help you disguise your voice and will also give you the red eyes for effect so that no one would suspect a thing from you.’

Beau was the first one to accept the mask. He looked at it and saw that it had the look of a skull of the Caribou. He turned the mask around and slowly placed it against his face while covering his head with his hood.

‘Testing, testing, one, two, three,’ said Beau but with a demonic voice, which surprised the others, even himself. The first human nodded while approving of the mask. ‘Wow, impressive. This will definitely help.’

Bolt on the other hand, suddenly got excited while he held onto the mask and made him remember something that he watched since he was a little boy.

‘Hey guys, check this out,’ said Bolt as he placed it against his face. ‘Luke, I am your father.’

They all groaned at that, which confused Balin.

‘I assume he is acting like some sort of villain from a movie?’ asked Balin.

‘Unfortunately,’ said Bucky, rolling his eyes.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



Within ten minutes, the skimmer slowly docked at an empty spot. While at the same time, a handful of guards led by a captain approached the ship, which happened to be a handful of wargs. Werewolf-like creatures who happen to serve as the backbone of Lord Dainn’s military.

The gallows plank began to ascend and was placed onto the edge of the ground with a Warg Captain standing close by.

‘All who enter the ship will be acquired to do an immediate…’ But the Warg Captain was cut off when his eyes widened in shock.

Coming out of the skimmer was Balin in chains while accompanied by none other than Lord Dainn’s Elite Guard as they stepped down. Even the wargs behind the captain were suddenly afraid as they ascended. But what the wargs didn’t know was that Balin was pretending to be a prisoner while the humans took him into custody, wearing their disguises.

They soon stood near the Warg Captain while he and the rest of the wargs were nervous.

‘Is there a problem?’ said Beau while pretending to be the leader of the Elite Guard.

‘Uh, no sir,’ said the Warg Captain nervously. ‘We didn’t know we would expect…’

‘Expect the Elite Guard of Lord Dainn himself to come to this town?’ said Silver as he pointed at the ship. ‘Or did you not notice the ship we arrived in?’

‘Well, I…’ said the Warg Captain nervously before he was cut off.

‘As for why we are here,’ said Bucky. ‘Lord Dainn has commanded that we come to inspect the situation here when he heard rumors of Rebels in this area.’

‘I can assure you that I have the situation well under…’

Suddenly, Bolt grabbed him by the collar and said, ‘You dare challenge the command from our Lord?’

‘Uh, no sir!’ said the Warg Captain frantically. ‘We meant no disrespect!’

‘Be glad we’re in a good mood today, or we’ll feast on your very corpse after we fed you to the vilest of beasts!’ said Bolt while being in character.

‘Of course sir! Be our guest!’ said the Warg Captain.

‘We will be the judge of that,’ said Bolt as he tossed the Warg Captain away, making the captain collapse onto the ground.

Sure enough, Balin and the humans left while the wargs quickly dispersed and let them pass.

‘By Lord Dainn’s wrath, they truly are terrifying,’ said one of the wargs, terrified.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



They continued down the streets until they were finally able to make their way to an abandoned alley. They quickly hid while removing Balin’s bonds.

‘I’m impressed,’ said Balin with a smirk while rubbing his wrists. ‘All of you truly make convincing villains.’

‘Well it goes to show you how much we learned from watching them work,’ said Beau after they were able to remove their masks while making sure no one was watching.

‘Okay we’re in. So now what?’ asked Genus.

‘Now we find any Rebel Cells,’ said Balin. ‘If they were able to escape, we’ll be able to find them beneath all this mess.’

‘How the heck are we going to find any Rebels here?’ asked Silver. ‘There’s so many of Lord Dainn’s forces in this town. For all we know, they might be dead or captured.’

‘All the more reason for us to look around the town without us getting caught,’ said Balin. ‘We’ll have to split up from here. But whatever you do, don’t bring any unnecessary attention.’

‘Right,’ said Beau. ‘We’ll just have to travel in teams of two.’

‘Aye,’ said Balin. ‘Any suggestions?’

‘Let’s see,’ said Beau as he thought about it, but made up his mind. ‘I’ll go with you, while Bucky will go with Bolt, Emily will go with Frosty and Genus will go with Silver.’

‘That’ll work,’ said Genus. ‘Where will we meet?’

‘We’ll meet at the town’s entrance,’ said Balin. ‘Once we find what we’re looking for, we’ll find some transport out of here.’

‘Alright then,’ said Beau before he placed the mask back on so that they could continue with their disguises. ‘Let’s move out.’

They soon began to split up with their groups and began to split up in different directions.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



Silver and Genus walked down one part of the street, which happens to be the market district. But as they walked down the streets, many of the guards were antagonizing the smaller businesses. They saw the guards tossing out most of their businesses while tossing torches inside and burning them.

There were even a clothing store or two that had their owners kicked out and were beaten up with batons while the wargs were busy tearing the clothing apart just for the fun of it, as well as laughing their butts off. But at the same time, there were many animals that were busy being sold as pets, but were reduced into snacks as the wargs broke their necks and ate them, much to Genus’ horror.

‘All those animals,’ said Genus under his breath as he looked down. ‘Fluttershy would definitely have a meltdown if she were here to see any of this.’

‘I know,’ Silver whispered to him. ‘Now I’m glad they hadn’t come along with us. Who knows what would happen if they did?’

One of the wargs continued to walk until it bumped into Genus. The Warg wanted to growl, but then Genus did the unexpected. He performed ‘the Stare’ at the Warg but with the mask, it made his stare twice as menacing, causing the Warg to yelp in fear and run away. The other wargs noticed this and quickly backed away.

‘That was satisfying,’ said Genus as they continued to walk.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



From Emily and Frosty’s side, they began to walk through the poorer districts. They looked around and noticed how many of the citizens were on the streets, moaning in pain from their hunger and not having the strength to get up. Every bit of their happiness had been drained from them.

Frosty shuddered at this. ‘They remind me of Pinkie Pie, but a lot worse.’

‘I know what you mean,’ said Emily. ‘I can’t believe Dainn would do something like this to his own kingdom.’

‘You heard what Balin said about him,’ said Frosty. ‘He’s a sexist and he doesn’t care about anyone else but himself. But one day, he’ll get his just deserts.’

‘But first we have to figure out how we can help,’ said Emily. ‘We don’t exactly have the same power as Twilight and the others do.’

‘Point taken,’ said Frosty.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



From Balin and Beau’s position, they were somewhere from the abandoned district where many homes have been vacant for who knows how long. But Beau simply followed Balin, figuring that he would know where to go if things got out of hand.

‘Holy…’ said Beau as he looked around. ‘When you talked about Dainn, I never figured it was this bad.’

‘Believe me, lad,’ said Balin. ‘We have suffered much under his wrath. Myself and the others did what we could to form the Rebellion. The five houses lent whatever aid they could, especially the fallen houses. Half of them are currently in hiding while the other half were taken to prison camps in order to keep them from rising up against him.’

‘You’re the founder?’ asked Beau.

‘One of them,’ said Balin as they continued down one part of the road. When all of a sudden, he stopped Beau, then looked at the entrance of the house. ‘We’re here.’

The human and caribou walked towards the nearest house, allowing Balin to look around then quickly opened the door with Beau following suit. At first, the house looked empty until Balin walked towards the center of the room, allowing him to find a perfectly camouflaged trap door.

‘This way,’ said Balin as he guided Beau down the stairs.

As they walked down the stairs and made it to the bottom, a bunch of spears were aimed at Beau, making him raise his hands. The light was switched on, revealing a large platoon of creatures which are a combination of dragons, hippogriffs, changelings, griffons and wolves.

‘You brought an agent here?’ the wolf growled, clearly a lieutenant.

‘Easy Wolfang, he’s with me,’ said Balin.

Beau ended up removing the mask and hood, revealing his face which shocked the creatures in the room.

‘A human?’ said one of the dragons.

‘How is that possible?’ said one of the hippogriffs.

Beau cleared his throat and introduced himself. ‘My name is Thomas Rohan. But back in Equestria, they call me Beau.’

Some were surprised by this, with one of the wolves saying, ‘You came from Equestria?’

‘I did,’ Beau confirmed.

‘Princess Twilight and her friends, though the Element Bearers, were forbidden to set foot on our kingdom because of the pact we made. But since he and his companions aren’t ponies and the Friendship Map was the one that summoned them, they were the logical choice,’ Balin explained.

They were taken aback by this as they lowered their spears.

‘They were summoned by Princess Twilight’s map?’ the Wolf Rebel asked.

‘She did,’ Beau confirmed.

‘And how do you know the Princess?’ asked the Griffon Rebel in suspicion.

‘She’s my wife,’ said Beau, which surprised every creature in the room.

‘This definitely changes things,’ said the Changeling Rebel.

The wolf known as Wolfang looked at Balin and asked, ‘Why are you here?’

‘We need transportation to Moria,’ said Balin as he looked at them. ‘The rest of the leaders will need to see them.’

‘It’s going to be difficult,’ said Wolfang. ‘With the wargs here, it’s only a matter of time before they find our base. We need to evacuate while we’re at it.’

‘Will all of you be able to make it?’ asked Beau. ‘The way this town is, the innocents are already suffering out there.’

‘We are aware of that,’ said Wolfang. ‘We already have a plan placed in motion, which will buy us time. We have a large enough coach for travel, but we’ll need to find a Grogu Beast.’

‘A what?’ said Beau.

‘They’re basically like a large rhino, but those things are twice as strong and twice as fast. They’ll help us the moment we find one,’ said Balin.

‘There’s one at the edge of the town,’ said Wolfang. ‘My scouts will retrieve that and a coach for you.’

‘Alright,’ said Beau. ‘We’ll meet at the town’s entrance.’

‘Very well,’ said Wolfang. ‘We will meet you there.’



******************************************************************************************************************************************



At the same time, Bolt and Bucky continued down the road to find out what they could.

‘Damn,’ said Bolt. ‘And I thought countries like Afghanistan and Iraq had it rough when the wars broke out back in our world. But this…this is just barbaric.’

‘I agree,’ said Bucky. ‘This is truly horrible.’

They then saw a crowd was busy gathering, much to their confusion.

‘Whoa, what’s going on?’ asked Bolt.

‘Let’s go find out,’ said Bucky.

They followed the crowd straight towards the center, wondering what was going on. But realizing they needed information, Bolt grabbed the closest citizen and pulled him close to his face.

‘You,’ said Bolt. ‘What is going on here?’

The citizen panicked and said, ‘There’s going to be a public execution, for the wargs have just captured the Commander of the Rebellion.’

Bolt released the citizen as he ran, with Bucky looking at him. ‘We’re undercover here, get over it.’

The two humans decided to continue to the center of town. They saw the crowd had gathered, with Bucky and Bolt wondering what it was about. One of the wargs spotted them and signaled them to come past the crowd. Using the opportunity, they walked towards the center until they approached what appeared to be a wooden stage, the type that people use to execute prisoners.

One of the captains appeared, who appears to be a caribou, bearing Lord Dainn’s seal.

‘Citizens of Carrabin!’ shouted the Caribou Captain, allowing them to be silenced. ‘We gather here for the execution of one of the high ranking Commanders of the Rebellion! The ones who dare to defy our Lord and Master, Lord Dainn! The Rebellion has gone on long enough! And unless the Rebels reveal themselves, this one will be executed!’

The two caribou guards brought up the prisoner with a bag over their head. Bolt and Bucky noticed this. But they heard loud grunting and tried to free themselves from their captors.

‘Whoa. Whoever he is, he’s a feisty one,’ said Bolt.

‘Who do you think it is?’ asked Bucky.

The caribou guards soon brought them up, with the Caribou Captain saying, ‘This prisoner will die! Let her be an example to those who would dare to defy Lord Dainn’s rule!’

The two caribou guards removed the bag, revealing the prisoner’s face to be a woman while she kept on grunting. Bucky, however, wondered why she looked familiar to him. That was until he saw the scar underneath her lips. He widened his eyes and quickly pulled out his locket and opened it, revealing the picture of his sister. He took a good look at it and saw the scar. Then he looked at her again. Within seconds, he was able to match the picture with the girl up there. Bucky widened his eyes in shock, realizing who this person was.

‘Daisy,’ muttered Bucky.

They then soon brought the girl and placed her head on the table. One of the guards raised the axe in the air and shouted, ‘Let her die with her heresy!’

‘HOLD!!!’

Everyone stopped, and the caribou guards looked until they saw Bucky who raised his hand. Bolt thought he was out of his mind, while Bucky walked towards the stage.

‘What is the meaning of this?!’ said the Caribou Captain.

‘Lord Dainn has sent orders!’ shouted Bucky through his disguise. ‘Any of the commanding officers of the Rebellion are to be taken into custody and be delivered to the Lord himself!’

‘You have no authority here!’ shouted the Caribou Captain, not feeling intimidated by him.

‘You dare to challenge Lord Dainn’s orders?’ said Bucky while sounding serious.

‘She will be executed for her…!’ said the Caribou Captain before he was cut off.

Within a split second, Bucky pulled out what appeared to be a mace. And with a large smash and cracking sound, everyone gasped at the actions of one of Lord Dainn’s agents. The Captain of the Caribou, instantly dropped onto the ground with widened eyes in shock while he slowly raised his hands over his head, revealing his broken antlers.

‘Oh my Gah!’ shouted one of the caribou citizens before passing out.

The Caribou Captain looked up in shock, even the caribou guards were shocked by this. Bucky overheard one of them saying that by cutting off their antlers, the caribou was forever disgraced in front of his own peers and people.

Bucky looked at the others sternly and asked in a threatening tone, ‘Anyone else?’

The caribou guards shook their heads for they did not wish to lose their horns either. Bucky then said, ‘That’s what I thought. Put a sleeping spell on her. We’ll decide what to do with her.’

One of the caribou guards complied and placed sleeping dust on the girl, causing her to pass out. Bucky approached Daisy as he slowly picked her up and placed her over his shoulder. As he turned around, he slowly looked at the caribou guards and said, ‘When Lord Dainn gives an order…you comply. Understood?’

They rapidly nodded, not wanting to mess with the Elite Guard. Bucky then stepped off the stage and made his way to Bolt. Everyone quickly cleared the way as they allowed them to pass, with them going straight for the gate.

As they were out of sight, Bolt said, ‘You mind telling me what the hell was that about?’

‘I’ll explain once we get outside,’ said Bucky.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



Within the next hour, everyone, except Bucky and Bolt, were all gathered at the town gates while waiting for their mode of transportation, including the beast that’ll pull them far away from the town.

‘Ugh!’ Emily groaned. ‘What is taking them so long?’

‘Don’t worry, they’ll be here,’ said Genus. ‘We just need to be ready to move out.’

‘Look, there they are,’ said Frosty as he pointed at them.

They saw both Bolt and Bucky coming. However, they saw them carrying someone on one of their shoulders.

‘What the…’ said Beau as he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He walked towards them. ‘What the hell?!’

‘That’s what I said,’ said Bolt as they came.

‘You’re not gonna believe this,’ said Bucky.

He placed her gently on the ground, which shocked the rest of the humans, even Balin.

‘Another human?’ said Silver. ‘How’s that possible?’

‘Wait,’ said Balin as he recognized her. ‘Commander Daisy?’

‘Commander?’ said the humans around him.

‘She’s third in command of the Rebellion,’ said Balin.

‘Re…’ said Bucky. ‘No, that’s impossible. How did she…?’

‘You’ll have to explain that to our leader,’ said Balin. ‘Because that’s where we’re going.’

Emily looked behind Balin and said, ‘Eyes up. Our ride’s here.’

They saw one of the Rebels coming with a Grogu Beast, towing their transportation. They then stood near the others, with the Dragon Rebel saying, ‘We successfully evacuated and brought the beast. The Grogu Beast is yours to use.’

‘I’ll ride it,’ said Balin. ‘I’m the only one who knows how to ride them. Once all of you are out of town, head for headquarters. Let them know what happened.’

‘Of course,’ said the Dragon Rebel as he took off to meet with the other rebels.

Sure enough, the humans boarded at the back of their coach while Balin took the rider’s seat and took the reins to control the Grogu Beast. Emily chose to ride with Balin while Beau and the others remained with Daisy. Emily kept a close eye at the town walls. Once all of them had disappeared into the forest, Emily sat back and looked at Balin.

‘Alright,’ said Emily as she spoke to him. ‘I think we’re in the clear.’

‘Then let’s go check up on the commander,’ said Balin once they stopped the carriage.

They all stopped at a very secluded spot while they were able to let her rest on the ground as they watched her, but had to maintain their disguises to make sure no one would be suspicious.

‘How the heck did you know that she’s your sister?’ Bolt asked.

‘For one thing,’ said Bucky as he took out the locket and showed them her picture, ‘she looks exactly like this, but older.’

They looked at the picture, then to her. ‘Okay then, what else?’ Silver asked.

‘See the scar on her lower lip?’ said Bucky as he pointed it at her lower lip. ‘She got that when she played with a stapler and accidentally stapled her lip.’

‘Ouch,’ said Bolt. ‘The only painful thing I ever did when I was five was placing my hand on a stove.’

‘So you knew her?’ Balin asked. ‘I knew that she once too hailed from your world, but I never figured that she’d end up here.’

‘It doesn’t seem possible,’ said Bucky. ‘She died of cancer when she was eight. How did she end up here? What happened to her after that?’

‘Don’t know, maybe we can ask her once she wakes up,’ said Genus.

‘I got this,’ said Bolt as he suddenly had a glass of water in his hand and dumped it over her, instantly waking her up as she coughed and spat out the water. Bucky looked at him sternly.

‘What? It would take too long. Besides, we’re on a clock here.’

After much coughing, Daisy regained her vision but then she noticed what she thought was the enemy, causing her to stand in position.

‘Stay back!’ shouted Emily.

‘Easy,’ said Beau. ‘We’re friends.’

‘You expect me to believe that, you scumbag?!’ shouted Daisy.

‘Look, just calm down and…’ said Bucky before he was cut off when Daisy grabbed him by the shirt collar while pulling out his knife.

‘I won’t surrender to the likes of Lord Dainn!’ shouted Daisy, until she punched Bucky in the face while tearing something off at the same time.

‘Commander, relax!’ shouted Balin. ‘They’re telling the truth!’

Daisy noticed Balin, then said, ‘Balin? What’s the meaning of…?’

However, she was suddenly cut off when she noticed something shiny in her hand. She looked at it and was surprised to see a locket. A locket that she hadn’t seen in years. She slowly opened it and to her shock, it was a picture of her when she was six.

‘No it…it can’t…’ said Daisy as she couldn’t believe it. Then she looked at the one she punched earlier.

Bucky looked at Daisy slowly and took off his disguise, with Daisy’s eyes slowly widening. She dropped her weapon in shock as she couldn’t believe who she was seeing.

‘B…Buck?’ said Daisy in shock.

‘Daisy,’ said Bucky as he was just as shocked as she was.

Bucky slowly stood up as the two kept staring at one another. Within mere moments, the two long lost siblings embraced one another in a tearful hug, for brother and sister have finally reunited.

‘I don’t believe it,’ said Daisy as she hugged her older brother through her whimpering tears. ‘You’re alive. You’re actually here.’

‘I can’t believe it’s you,’ said Bucky through his tears. ‘You’re actually here. How is this possible?’

Bucky held onto her face as they continued to shed tears, with Daisy saying, ‘I somehow ended up in this world after I died. I don’t know how any of that’s possible. I thought I was the only human here.’

‘Well, actually,’ said Bucky as he gestured to the rest.

As she looked at them, Beau and the others slowly took off their disguises, and to her surprise, they were all humans.

‘That’s impossible,’ said Daisy. Then she looked at Bucky. ‘How?’

‘We don’t know,’ said Bucky. ‘From what we uncovered is that those with good hearts somehow made their way to this world.’

‘That’s what I heard too,’ said Daisy.

One by one, the humans introduced themselves.

‘My name is Thomas Rohan, but everyone calls me Beau.’

‘Mine’s Jim Silver, but everyone just refers to me as Silver.’

‘I’m George Newton, but they call me Genus.’

‘Mine’s Cole Bolton, but folks call me Bolt.’

‘I’m Barry Frost, but folks call me Frosty. And this is Emily Frost, my sister.’

‘Hi,’ said Emily as she waved.

Daisy was taken by surprise by this. She then looked at Bucky and said, ‘How…where did all of you arrive?’

‘How about we ask questions while we’re on the road?’ said Bucky.

‘Good idea,’ said Balin. ‘I’ll keep on driving. Emily, would you mind?’

‘Not at all,’ said Emily as she put her disguise back on and accompanied Balin.



******************************************************************************************************************************************



Sure enough, all of them were back on the road, traveling straight to their headquarters with Bucky having a lot of catching up to do with his sister.

‘How long have you been in this world?’ asked Bucky.

‘Ten years,’ said Daisy. ‘I woke up on the outskirts of Moria. Balin and the others found me. Fearing what Dainn would do to me, they took me in. But I felt like I wanted to do more, so I chose to be part of the Rebellion. At first I acted as a scout, but I earned my place in leading the Rebellion against Lord Dainn.’

Bucky lowered his head as he was suddenly ashamed. ‘I should’ve known you’d be here. I could’ve helped.’

‘You didn’t know,’ said Daisy as she smiled while placing her hand on top of her brother’s. ‘And if I’d known you’d end up in this world, I would’ve come to find you.’

She then sat back on her seat and asked, ‘So how did you end up in this world?’

‘I, uh…’ said Bucky as he rubbed the back of his head. ‘Died after saving a kid from a speeding car.’

Daisy was taken aback by this and said, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. Mom and Dad must’ve been devastated.’

‘Tsk, yeah right,’ said Bucky in disgust, then rolled his eyes and looked away. ‘Devastated.’

Daisy was surprised by her brother’s behavior. ‘What’s wrong?’ she asked.

Not wanting to hide this from her, he said, ‘Mom and Dad broke their promise.’

‘What?’ said Daisy, clearly confused.

Bucky looked at her. ‘They disowned me Daisy,’ he said, taking the little sister by shock. ‘They blamed me for what happened to you.’

‘But…’ said Daisy, clearly shocked beyond words. ‘But that’s not true. You’re not the reason I had cancer.’

‘No, but the medicine they bought you did,’ said Bucky. ‘Remember when you got sick that day when you were five?’

She nodded, with him saying, ‘They bought that medicine from a con man. And when you got cancer, the doctor asked how you got it. I showed it to him and he said the medicine they got you was what gave you cancer. And wouldn’t you know it, my parents blamed me for it. Even when I told them not to do it.’

Daisy was shocked as she covered her mouth. Bucky then looked down in sorrow.

‘After you died,’ he continued, ‘Mom and Dad stopped caring about me and blamed me for whatever problems they had. Dad became an abusive drunk and Mom divorced him and won custody over me, only to kick me out when I was eighteen. They didn’t even attend my graduation.’

He then looked up and said, ‘And for the past three years after my graduation, I tried to find work and a place to live. I had a job at a cinema, but I quit after my manager threw a hissy fit when I was taking a few extra minutes off from my lunch break. I was so fed up with his shit I shouted right in his face that I quit. Our folks offered that I would stay, but I knew they’d treat me differently. So I yelled at them and said that they broke their promise that we would love each other.’

He then looked at her and said, ‘Ever since then, I cut all ties with our parents and I never looked back. I died shortly after that.’

Daisy was horrified by what he went through, causing her to hug her big brother and said through her tears, ‘Oh Buck, I’m so sorry.’

He hugged her back, then after they broke it, she asked, ‘But where did you end up?’

‘I ended up in Equestria,’ said Bucky.

‘Equestria?’ said Daisy. ‘Home of the ponies?’

‘That’s the one.’

He then smiled, thinking about how he met Applejack. ‘After I died, I ended up in a place called Sweet Apple Acres. An apple farm, mind you, in a town called Ponyville. At first I was confused as hell when I couldn’t make heads or tails of where I was. But noticing from the apples I ended up on an apple farm.’

He then snickered and said, ‘And before I knew it, I ended up being ensnared with a lasso.’

‘Lasso?’ said Daisy as she giggled a bit.

‘Yeah,’ said Bucky as he thought about it. ‘It turns out she was a part time owner of Sweet Apple Acres and thought I was an apple thief and was going to steal from her.’

He stared a bit upwards as he continued, ‘Not only that, her family’s well respected. Her family founded Ponyville and made the town what it is today when her grandmother was only a filly.’

‘Really?’ said Daisy as she was now drawn into the story.

‘You see,’ said Bucky as he explained the Apple Family origins, ‘her family had travelled far and wide collecting seeds so that they could find a perfect place to start a farm. But when they reached Canterlot, their ruler Princess Celestia, saw how tired they were and that they needed a place to settle. So she chose a large plot of land for them to settle, right next to the Everfree Forest.’

‘Wait, what?’ said Daisy, surprised. ‘Isn’t that forest dangerous?’

‘Oh, it is,’ said Bucky as he thought about it. ‘But it was because of the forest, their town prospered.’

Confused by this, he continued the story, ‘Once they settled, they began to farm the land but unfortunately they were low on food. So Granny Smith, the grandmother, travelled into the Everfree Forest at night to find food so she ended up finding the Zap Apples.’

‘Zap Apples?’ said Daisy. ‘Wow, those are pretty rare.’

‘They are?’

‘Yep,’ said Daisy. ‘Caribouria used to produce Zap Apples, but the trees died out a century ago. We don’t know why though. But please, continue.’

‘Okay,’ said Bucky before he cleared his throat. ‘She began to pick a ton of them, but then the Timberwolves began to chase her out of the woods and she found a way to scare them. Then the next morning, they baked the Zap Apples in a big feast while they planted all of the seeds the next day. Within seconds, they grew into the apple trees they have now. But during that time over the years, she observed the Zap Apples, predicting the weather conditions, when the Timberwolves come and how the Zap Apples disappear if you don’t pick enough of them in time. And during her time making Zap Apple Jam, she found ways to improve it. She learned to be extra nice to the bees and in return they end up making the sweetest of honey. She gave a stern talking to the glass jars…’

Daisy cocked her eyebrow at that.

‘Don’t ask. If you think that’s weird, she painted the entire room with pink polka dots, saying that they like pink polka dots.’

Daisy nodded her head while smiling oddly. ‘Now I’ve heard everything.’

‘It gets better,’ said Bucky. ‘After that, ponies began to come far and wide to buy their jam. And a pony named Stinking Rich bought a ton of their products. And with their permission, he sold them to some very high class customers. Pretty soon, they ended up getting a nice little town. Soon after that, Ponyville was founded.’

‘Wow,’ said Daisy, amazed by the story. ‘So she did all of that when she was little? Talk about being brave.’

‘You’re not wrong there.’

‘But uh,’ said Daisy as she scratched the back of her head and wondered something. ‘Who was the one that tied you up in a lasso?’

‘Her granddaughter, Applejack,’ said Bucky, who then ended up daydreaming about her. ‘Boy, was she something.’

She noticed the look, causing her to smirk. ‘Buck? Is there something I should know?’ Daisy asked playfully.

Shaking his head back to reality, he continued, ‘At first she thought I was going to steal her apples when we first met. I begged and pleaded that I wasn’t the thief and I didn’t mean any harm.’

He then looked down and smiled gently. ‘But her little sister, Apple Bloom talked her down before things got too far.’ He then looked at his sister and said, ‘You would love her, Daisy. She reminded me so much of you, full of smiles and joy.’

Daisy couldn’t help but blush and smile at that.

‘They took me to Granny Smith,’ said Bucky as he continued, ‘as well as their older brother, Big McIntosh or we like to call him Big Mac for short. Trust me, they don’t call him that for nothing. They even offered me a job working there. Sure it was hard at first, but they made me feel right at home and I helped out in any way I could.’

He then looked down and said, ‘That was when their house was on fire.’

‘On fire?!’ Daisy said, shocked. ‘What happened?’

‘Granny Smith left her apron next to the stove while it was still on, causing it to catch fire.’

‘Ugh!’ Daisy groaned. ‘Rule 101, never place your apron near the stove and make sure it’s turned off.’

He chuckled at that, but continued, ‘And Apple Bloom…she got trapped inside. I rushed in to save her, but we got trapped. I ended up bashing the window open and I let her use me to break her fall. But my lungs were filled with smoke, so they took me to the hospital. When I woke up, Applejack was there to thank me for helping Apple Bloom.’

He looked at Daisy and said, ‘I even told her about you. Trust me, she would love you to pieces too.’

Daisy smiled at that, with Bucky saying, ‘I told her I was thankful of her for taking me in. And before I knew it…she kissed me.’

Now Daisy’s smile widened at that as she leaned forward, with Bucky saying, ‘And during that time, I couldn’t ignore my feelings for her. I even asked her out. I was afraid her family wouldn’t approve, but they did. Applejack thought about it and she accepted. After a few months, she uh…got into heat.’

Daisy blushed at that. ‘Wait, heat? I would’ve thought they didn’t have that. You know, because they’re part human and all, hence anthropomorphic.’

‘Apparently not,’ said Bucky. ‘And after our uh, passionate night, we even became lovers.’

He looked at Daisy again with a smile on his face as he said, ‘A few months later, we got married. And after that, she gave birth to our son, Apple Slice.’

‘Whoa,’ said Daisy, amazed. ‘So not only are you married, but you’re also a dad?’

‘Eeyup, pretty crazy right?’ said Bucky. ‘At first I thought my life wasn’t going anywhere. But that all changed ever since the day I met her.’

Daisy leaned forward and asked, ‘Do you happen to have a picture of them?’

He smiled as he took it out from his pocket and gave it to her in order for her to look at it. She saw the picture of him and the Apple Family, with Apple Slice in tow as he looked maybe five or six years old.

‘Wow,’ said Daisy when she saw the family. ‘I’m impressed. So who’s who?’

Bucky pointed at the picture as he said, ‘That there’s Granny Smith. She may be old, but don’t underestimate her. She did a lot of crazy things and she’s the bravest pony I’ve ever known. That there is the eldest, Big Mac. He used to talk a lot back in the day, but he decided to tone it down so that he could give others a chance to talk. That there’s my wife, Applejack, the most honest pony in Equestria.’

Daisy took a good look at Applejack, which made her smirk and nodded in approval. ‘Wow. I can see why you love her so much.’

‘That I do,’ said Bucky as he continued. ‘The one with the pink bow is Apple Bloom, Applejack’s little sister and also a member of the CMC.’

‘CMC?’ Daisy asked with a raised eyebrow.

‘Cutie Mark Crusaders,’ said Bucky as he chuckled. ‘You wouldn’t believe all the stuff she and her two friends had to do just to earn their Cutie Marks. They were nuts. But they eventually gained them. So they became dedicated to helping others to achieve their destinies. They’re awesome.’

He then pointed at his son. ‘That there is our son, Apple Slice.’

‘Aw,’ said Daisy as she looked at her nephew. ‘He’s so adorable.’

‘You think that’s adorable,’ said Bucky with a smirk as he pulled another picture out. ‘Take a good look at this. Had this taken on his first family reunion.’

Daisy took the picture and had a good look at it. She saw a baby colt, eating an apple dumpling while he had a pie on the side of his head. This made her laugh until she calmed down. ‘Oh my gosh, that is so adorable.’

‘Yeah,’ said Bucky as he laughed a bit. ‘When we saw him under the table eating an apple dumpling, he also had a pie on the side of his face. His exact words were, ‘I’m a cute little apple dumpling with a pie in the face’.’

Daisy and Bucky laughed at that, with Bucky saying, ‘I even make him say that every time whenever he wants to come into the room when we wake up in the morning. But it wasn’t as cute as Applejack’s.’

‘Really?’ said Daisy.

‘Yeah. On her first family reunion, one of her family members found her sitting underneath the table with empty plates and her words were ‘I’m Applejack! More apple Fwitter?’.’

‘Aw,’ said Daisy as she thought it was adorable.

‘Yeah, Granny Smith said that it was also the exact day that they found out that she has an appetite of a full grown stallion. She’s sometimes embarrassed about it, but not as embarrassing as that time when she burped so loud she blew her big brother’s hair back.’

‘Really?’ said a surprised Daisy. ‘Wow. That must be some burp.’

‘You don’t have to tell me twice,’ said Bucky.

She gave him the pictures back, while she kept her smile and said, ‘I’m really proud of you, Buck. You have gained a family since you got here.’

‘I was actually the second human to come here,’ said Bucky.

‘Second?’ Emily wondered. ‘Then who came first?’

‘That would be him,’ said Bucky as he pointed at Beau, who was looking out of one of the windows in order to watch his surroundings.

‘His name is Thomas Rohan, but now the ponies call him Beau,’ said Bucky as he explained. ‘He died when a whirlpool pulled him in and he ended up drowning. He somehow ended up in Equestria. He even fell in love with Princess Twilight overtime.’

‘He married a princess?’ said Daisy. ‘Lucky.’

‘Yeah. Her folks and especially her brother had a hard time accepting him,’ said Bucky. ‘But thankfully, they grew fond of him when they got a chance to know him. They soon had a daughter named Moonlight Sparkle.’

He then pointed at Silver. ‘That there is Jim Silver, but now he’s just Silver. He died in a plane crash back in his world. He’s the third human to be here.’

‘Who did he marry?’ asked Daisy.

‘He got married to a unicorn named Rarity,’ said Bucky. ‘She happens to be a Fashionista, designing clothes and everything. She ended up offering him a job and it turned out, he’s really good at it. They soon got married and a while later, they even had a daughter named Crystal Gem. She looks like her mother, even has her personality when it comes to fashion.’

He then pointed at Genus as he said, ‘That there is George Newton. But folks call him Genus. He died of gas poisoning…’

‘Gas poisoning?’ asked Daisy. ‘How the heck did that happen?’

‘His puppy dog Trusty happened,’ said Bucky. ‘Apparently the dog accidentally turned it on while he was looking for a doggy treat. Both of them died of gas poisoning and somehow, both of them ended up in Equestria.’

‘The dog too?’ said Daisy with a cocked eyebrow. ‘Wow. No one goes to the afterlife without man’s best friend.’

‘Yeah, no kidding,’ said Bucky. ‘He became the fourth human to arrive here. He woke up in front of a Pegasus’s house where he met Fluttershy. She’s really kind and she helped him out when he needed it the most. She even helped him become a better caretaker of the animals. Soon enough, those two became a couple. They got married and have a kid, even though she’s very shy.’

‘How shy are we talking?’ asked Daisy.

‘Someone with a slight sense of autism,’ said Bucky.

‘Oh, the poor girl,’ said Daisy. ‘And I guess she must’ve had a hard time interacting with others because of that.’

‘You don’t know the half of it,’ said Bucky. ‘She’s always afraid and the way other ponies treat her, I don’t blame her for not wanting to live in Ponyville with the others. But uh…’

‘What?’ said Daisy with a cocked eyebrow.

‘You do not want to see her angry or use the Stare.’

‘The stare?’

‘Let’s just say her staring power is so great,’ said Bucky. ‘She was able to stare down a wild Manticore and a dragon to calm them down or scold them for being mean.’

‘Really?’ said Daisy, clearly impressed by Fluttershy’s own bravery. ‘Wow. Now I really want to meet her.’

She cleared her throat and said, ‘Who got here next?’

‘The fifth human over there,’ said Bucky as he pointed at Bolt. ‘His name’s Cole Bolton, but others called him Bolt because he saved Rainbow Dash’s life.’

‘Let me guess,’ said Daisy as she took a wild guess. ‘She happens to be a speedster of sorts?’

‘She sure is,’ said Bucky. ‘But she can also be pretty arrogant, overconfident, judgmental, and don’t get me started on being a total Adonis.’

‘Oh, one of those types,’ said Daisy as she rolled her eyes when he described her. ‘And let me guess, she’s also extremely competitive and also a showoff?’

‘You have no idea,’ said Bucky. ‘But she’s not so bad once you get to know her.’

‘And what happened to Bolt?’

‘He fell off a ladder after he sneezed,’ said Bucky, leaving Daisy with a deadpan expression.

‘You’re joking, right?’ Daisy asked.

‘No joke, true story,’ said Bucky. ‘But anyway, after he arrived, Applejack and I found him unconscious with that nasty head wound. We took him in and the moment he woke up and saw Applejack, he ended up jumping out of the window.’

Daisy ended up laughing while she leaned backwards, which gained the others’ attention but chose to ignore her while she continued to talk to her brother. ‘Are you serious?!’

‘No, true story,’ said Bucky as he chuckled a bit, but cleared his throat and continued, ‘But Rainbow Dash ended up tackling him over and calming him down. Sure enough, he settled in and worked at a temporary job at the farm. Then one day during a flight show…’

‘Flight show?’ said Daisy.

‘Yeah, it turns out they have a Pegasus aerial team known as the Wonderbolts,’ said Bucky. ‘Rainbow dreamed of becoming one for years and she finally became one. But while she showed off, she ended up hurting her wing when it suddenly cramped. And before anyone could do anything, Bolt dashed towards the stage, passing everyone and security. He ended up cushioning her fall.’

‘So he saved her life?’ said Daisy.

‘And she fell head over heels for him for saving her,’ said Bucky.

‘Ah, romance classic,’ said Daisy as she nodded with a smile.

‘But she’s a bit uncomfortable for being called cute,’ said Bucky. ‘Because it turns out, she has a bit of an insecurity side.’

‘And she’s afraid of being judged by others?’ said Daisy.

He nodded. ‘Bolt kept calling her cute and those two nearly broke up in a fight. Well, she did it first. Anyway, he apologized to her. She quickly accepted it and they ended up having a uh…passionate…’

‘I know what they did,’ said Daisy as she raised her hand, much to Bucky’s surprise. ‘Buck, come on, I’m eighteen. I’m old enough to know this stuff.’

‘Fair enough,’ said Bucky.

‘So who got here next?’ asked Daisy.

‘Those two,’ said Bucky as he pointed at both Frosty and Emily. ‘That there is Barry Frost, but folks call him Frosty. The sixth human to arrive and Emily being the first human female to arrive in Ponyville.’

‘First female?’

‘We didn’t know if there were others so we just took an educated guess,’ said Bucky. ‘Anyway, those two died in an earthquake while their building collapsed. They ended up arriving during Fluttershy and Genus’ wedding. We were a bit surprised at first, but we let it slide.’

He leaned over and said, ‘But he had a hard time smiling.’

‘Why?’ said Daisy.

‘They lost their parents when he was a kid,’ said Bucky, much to Daisy’s shock. ‘He hasn’t been able to smile since. But one mare was able to.’

‘Who?’

‘Pinkie Pie,’ said Bucky. ‘The party planner of all of Equestria.’

He leaned close to her and said, ‘And also a fourth wall breaker.’

Daisy widened her eyes in shock and said, ‘Oh boy, like Deadpool?’

‘Like Dead…’ said Bucky before he stopped himself. ‘Wait, how did you know about…?’

‘They showed him on Ultimate Spider-Man,’ said Daisy.

‘Oh yeah, right,’ said Bucky, remembering that she watched that episode when she was seven. ‘Anyway, she tried everything to make him smile and in the end she did. And because of it, he and Pinkie grew closer. Soon enough they became a couple, got married and had twins named Pecan Pie and Lemon Pie.’

‘Oh boy,’ said Daisy, fearing that the kids would be like her. ‘And what about Emily?’

‘She ended up with a dragon named Spike.’

‘A dragon?’

‘Twilight’s number one assistant,’ said Bucky. ‘He even had a crush on Rarity, but he then fell into depression because he lost his chance to tell her. Emily ended up helping him out of his funk. And in the end, the two of them fell in love and became a couple too.’

‘Aw, that’s so sweet,’ said Daisy. ‘So it’s just you guys?’

‘Strangely no,’ said Bucky. ‘After Frosty and Emily, more humans arrived in Equestria.’

‘Really?’

‘Eeyup.’

‘Like who?’

‘Let me think,’ said Bucky.

He told her of the next humans who arrived in Equestria. There was Platinum who later married the ruling monarch, Princess Celestia. Then there was Nebula who married Celestia’s sister, Luna. There were also rumors of another human, but they don’t know who. Then there was a human named Fortis who married a model named Fleur De Lis. Then there was a human named Blade who married a princess named Cadance, though Daisy was shocked to figure out that Cadance was already married to Shining Armor but had agreed to form a harem with one another. And a while later, another human named Ignis arrived and married Sunset Shimmer, the former baddie. Daisy was more and more surprised to hear this and to discover that there are more humans in Equestria.

‘This is incredible,’ said Daisy. ‘I’d never imagined that more humans would arrive in this world. Especially in Equestria of all places.’

‘I know right? I was just as surprised when I heard more humans arrived here,’ said Bucky.

‘At least you landed in a peaceful country that didn’t have any problems,’ said Daisy, only for her brother to laugh at that, making her confused. ‘What?’

‘Oh, they did have problems alright,’ said Bucky.

‘Like what?’ asked Daisy.

He then told her of the many problems Equestria had in the past. First they had Grogar, the Godfather of all Monsters, but a pony named Gusty the Great defeated him by taking away his Bewitching Bell. Then there was a pony who could erase minds with the Memory Stone, but Clover the Clever put a stop to it by taking the stone away, which Sunset and her human friends had to destroy in the far future. Then there were the Windigos, wind spirits who turned the Three Pony Tribes’ homes into frozen wastelands, but were defeated when the subordinates wised up and united. There was Discord, who spread chaos all over the place until the two ruling sisters, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, defeated him by using the Elements of Harmony. Then there was Tirek the Centaur, but was defeated by the Princesses. Then came Sombra, the corrupted unicorn of the Crystal Empire, but was defeated by them but not before he made the Crystal Empire disappear. Then there were the sirens, who were banished to another realm by Starswirl the Bearded and the Pillars of Equestria. And then Princess Luna turned into Nightmare Moon because of her jealousy towards her sister and that ponies loved Celestia’s day instead of Luna’s night. Celestia had no choice but to banish her to the moon, causing their links to the Elements of Harmony to be severed. She even defeated Queen Chrysalis and her changeling race.

A thousand years later, Twilight Sparkle came along with Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Rainbow Dash. When Nightmare Moon came back, they journeyed through the Everfree Forest to face her but along the way, they discovered that they represent the Elements of Harmony. Applejack represents Honesty because she never tells a lie. Fluttershy represents Kindness because she’s always nice to everyone around her. Pinkie Pie represents Laughter because she loves making others smile. Rarity represents Generosity because she’s always giving others what they need and expects nothing in return. Rainbow Dash represents Loyalty because she’s loyal to a fault. And finally, there’s Twilight Sparkle, who represents the Element of Magic because whenever her friends are with her, they help create the magic of friendship. But he also explained about their faults too.

How Twilight always stressed out over the smallest details. Applejack once lied so much when she was little, she and her whole family ended up in the hospital and she can be too stubborn to ask others for help. Fluttershy’s always shy and afraid to face dangers yet when push comes to shove, she tends to go overboard with her anger. Pinkie Pie tends to overdo things and has a habit of forcing friendships onto others, for she tried to get a donkey named Cranky Doodle to be her friend and wouldn’t take no for an answer. She even tried to force her friends to get to know her sister Maud and become friends with her, but she had a bit of a monotone expression and doesn’t show it like her sister. Thus, they had a hard time trying to bond with her. Rarity has a habit of being a drama queen and was most times selfish when it comes to certain things. Even Rainbow Dash can be selfish, hotheaded, a dunderhead and never thinks of the consequences of her actions. She even has a hard time trusting folks around her despite giving them a chance to know them.

Anyway, they defeated Nightmare Moon using the Elements of Harmony and freed Princess Luna from her own darkness. They defeated Discord when he tried to drive them apart. They, with the help of Twilight’s brother Shining Armor and his newlywed Alicorn bride Princess Cadance, blasted Chrysalis and her changelings away from Equestria. They, with Spike’s assistance, helped defeat Sombra when the Crystal Empire came back. After that, they had to stop a unicorn named Trixie when she got corrupted by an Alicorn Amulet because she was jealous of Twilight. Twilight, after she became a Princess, stopped Sunset Shimmer from ruining more lives from the human world then let her new friends help her on the path of redemption. They defeated Tirek after he escaped from Tartarus. Twilight helped Sunset defeat the banished sirens known as the Dazzlings before they could take over the world. They stopped a unicorn named Starlight Glimmer when she took over a village filled with ponies and manipulated them into giving up their Cutie Marks so they wouldn’t think they were special. Then Twilight had to talk some sense into Starlight before she could destroy the timeline. They had to help save the Crystal Empire when Flurry Heart, the first ever Alicorn born princess, accidentally destroyed the Crystal Heart that protected the kingdom from the Frozen North. And finally, Starlight, Trixie, Discord and a reformed changeling named Thorax had to launch a rescue mission when Twilight and her friends, Spike, Flurry Heart, Cadance, Shining Armor, Celestia, Luna, even the husbands and Emily were captured by Chrysalis.

After the whole story, Daisy stared at him with her mouth agape.

‘Okay, I take it back,’ said Daisy. ‘They definitely have a lot of problems.’

‘I know right?’ said Bucky while rolling his eyes.

‘And you’re saying that Princess Twilight and the others are the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?’

‘That’s right,’ said Bucky.

‘And Chrysalis wanted you guys to implant your sperm into her so that she could birth your babies?’ said Daisy before shaking her head in disgust. ‘That is seriously messed up.’

‘Yeah,’ said Bucky with a chuckle. ‘Bolt hadn’t gotten over it. Said that Chrysalis was this close into turning us into her personal harem of sex toys. Trust me, he’s been ranting about that for five years now.’

Daisy couldn’t help but laugh about it. Bucky then leaned forward and asked, ‘So how did you end up here?’

Daisy looked down, saddened, with Bucky realizing something.

‘Oh, I’m sorry,’ said Bucky. ‘I didn’t mean…’

‘No, it’s okay,’ said Daisy. ‘We should talk anyway.’

Daisy took a deep breath and told him from the beginning.

‘After I died from cancer,’ said Daisy as she began, ‘I woke up in Caribouria. At first I thought I was in heaven, thinking that I was in paradise.’

She then looked down and said, ‘Until I was captured.’

Bucky was shocked to hear this, with Daisy continuing the story. ‘I was taken to one of their camps, where they would attempt to starve most of the prisoners. From what I overheard, they would starve you to death and would force you to join their forces. And once you join them, they will feed you. But I also heard that they take their women into the breeding camps to get raped so that they could breed their own warriors. I was scared out of my mind, thinking that I was going to die out there again.’

Bucky couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He gripped his hands in secret, for what they were about to do to his sister was unforgivable.

Daisy was able to form a small smile and said, ‘But thankfully I was rescued.’

‘Rescued?’ Bucky asked. ‘By whom?’

‘The Rebellion,’ said Daisy. ‘Just as I was about halfway to their camps with ten other prison cages in tow, I was saved by what I couldn’t believe my eyes. I was saved by a human.’

‘Another human?’ said Bucky. ‘In Caribouria?’

‘Yep,’ said Daisy. ‘I was saved by a female human. From what I could tell, she was about eighteen years old. She and a caribou named Thorin Oakenshield saved me and many other prisoners. Many chose to fight for the Rebellion and I asked if I could be part of it. At first they said I was too young to be part of it, but the woman…’

Daisy couldn’t help but shed a small tear and said, ‘She took me in. Both she and Thorin raised me.’

She looked at Bucky and said, ‘By the time I turned ten, I asked one more time if I could join. They agreed, but first I was trained in their ways. Within two years, I flourished into a fighting machine. Then for the past five years I continued to fight for the Rebellion and was able to go to other towns and villages, convincing them to be part of the cause. At first it worked, but as the years continued to go by, many grew more and more afraid. Our numbers were dwindling, even with the resources we have.’

She looked at him and said, ‘I eventually became a commander, third in command of the Rebellion. But I never stopped thinking about you and the life I was forced to leave behind.’

She nearly whimpered, but kept her smile as she said, ‘But then here you are, sitting right in front of me. You have no idea…how happy I am…to see you again…’

The two of them ended up embracing one another once more, holding each other tighter, not wanting to let each other go, ever again. The others watched as the siblings reunite, even Frosty held his sister close, which she greatly appreciated.

Daisy broke the hug and wiped her tears. She stood up and walked over to the front, then said, ‘Balin, how far are we to our base.’

‘We’ll be there by dawn,’ said Balin. ‘Don’t worry Commander, I won’t let you down.’

She smiled and said, ‘I know you won’t.’

She soon sat down and said, ‘And maybe once we’re there, all of you could ask the leaders why you’re here in Caribouria.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Beau as he finally said something after the long trip. ‘Once we get there, we’ll talk to whomever is in charge, especially of why we’re here.’

Soon enough, they continued with their journey, hoping that they will make it safely to their destination.
> Chapter 3: Moria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The journey to Moria was quite longer than expected. Avoiding the patrols was not that easy. However, thanks to their disguises, they immediately backed off.

‘Are the Elite Guard really that intimidating?’ asked Emily when she looked at Balin.

‘They are indeed,’ said Balin. ‘Lord Dainn personally mutated his Elite Guard into monsters beyond recognition. They may be your shape and size, but they are still powerful and have a much more intimidating presence.’

‘So how did you get the masks and weapons to operate like theirs?’ asked Emily.

‘Long ago, a Dragon Captain of the Guard named Conan with his brothers Sir Ulric, Captain of the Dragonic Knights and Jarvis, a powerful Dragon Wizard, were defending their borders near their House of Dragon from an invasion,’ Balin explained to her. ‘With their cunning and smarts, they were able to defeat Lord Dainn’s forces. They even discovered a way to destroy at least a legion of Lord Dainn’s Elite Guard. They stripped them of their masks and weapons and found a way for them to mask their presence. Now we use them as spies. But we dare not let them personally spy on Lord Dainn. When he created the guards, he had the ability to sense them. So if any of them would try to spy on him, he would detect it and would kill them in an instant. Which is why we only focus on his High Council. They have the most pull of his forces, but they answer directly to him.’

‘Wow,’ said Emily while she was amazed by the story. ‘No wonder all of you are more cautious.’

‘Those were desperate times,’ said Balin, remembering the days of his youth when he too had to fight for their people’s freedom.

Emily then looked at the back of the wagon and saw both Bucky and Daisy holding onto one another. She couldn’t help but smile at this. She looked at Balin and asked, ‘Did Daisy ever talk about her brother?’

‘Bits and pieces,’ said Balin. ‘She must really love him.’

‘Bucky told us about her too,’ said Emily as she looked back at the siblings. ‘To think, she was here all this time. I thought we were the only humans who arrived.’

‘We thought so too,’ said Balin. ‘We thought it was impossible at first for humans to come back ever since the great tragedy.’

Emily was confused by this, but chose to be quiet so that she wouldn’t lean on it too much.

‘Still,’ said Emily as she looked back to the others. ‘I wonder what it would’ve been like if there were more humans in Equestria. I mean don’t get me wrong, this world is great. But we can’t help but feel misplaced from time to time.’

‘But from the looks of them, they’re really happy,’ said Balin.

‘Oh we are,’ said Emily. ‘I was actually surprised to see romance blossom between them. I never imagined that Frosty could marry a fourth wall breaking pony and I would fall for a dragon.’

‘A dragon?’ said Balin as he looked at Emily. ‘As in the dragon who’s always by Princess Twilight’s side?’

‘That’s the one,’ said Emily. She couldn’t help but smile. ‘He really is a romantic dragon and a goofball. And I couldn’t help but fall in love with someone like that.’ Emily chuckled for a bit before she sighed. ‘I miss him already.’

‘When things have settled,’ said Balin. ‘You will be reunited with him soon.’



*****************************************************************************************************



One hour later, the sun had begun to set while at the same time, Balin noticed their surroundings looked different. He recognized it and said to the humans, ‘You can remove the disguise, we’re close to Moria.’

They began to remove their disguises and were back to their regular clothing. Once they were done, they took a peek as Balin said, ‘Moria straight ahead.’

They saw a large mountain, which took them by surprise when they saw the size of the place.

‘That’s Moria?’ asked Bolt.

‘It used to be one of the largest mines in all of Caribouria,’ said Daisy while she filled them in. ‘The mines used to dig and ship every bit of treasure all over Caribouria and made sure that they had riches. But then it went bust a hundred years ago when the mine ran out. It had been abandoned for some time. But about twenty years ago, the Rebellion decided to converge it into a base. All the entrances are shut tight and sealed so that no one would suspect a thing, all but one that the Rebels only know about.’

‘Huh, clever,’ said Silver as he crossed his arms and looked at it.

‘If all the entrances are all sealed,’ said Beau. ‘How are we getting in?’

‘Through that pathway,’ said Balin as he pointed at it. ‘It leads to a large lake.’

‘And let me guess, it’s guarded by a giant octopus?’ Bolt quipped. Both Balin and Daisy looked at Bolt, then to each other, then back to Bolt. Within an instant, Bolt widened his eyes in shock. ‘Whoa, I was just kidding. All of you have a giant octopus?!’

‘Let’s just get a move on,’ said Daisy as she was already annoyed by Bolt's antics. Once they stopped, they abandoned their wagon and took the Grogu beast with them. As they walked up a path to the large lake, Daisy whispered to Bucky, ‘Is Bolt always like this?’

‘That’s nothing,’ said Bucky as he whispered to Daisy. ‘You should hear his wife bragging. She may be the Element of Loyalty, but she’s one of the most hotheaded, egotistic, stubborn and not extremely bright Pegasus in Equestria.’

‘I heard that!’ shouted Bolt.

‘Well it’s true, genius!’ said Bucky. ‘Would it kill her to try and wise up a bit and not be a constant whiner!’

‘Oh, her I know,’ said Daisy as she rolled her eyes. ‘Honestly, I know she’s supposed to be loyal to her friends but she always has a hard time trusting someone and always judges them the wrong way and gives them a hard time without the benefit of the doubt. Even giving her friend a hard time despite knowing how she thinks and acts. And they call her the Element of Loyalty.’

Soon enough, they began to reach the top of the ridge, showing a large lake up ahead. But from above, they saw what appeared to be a bridge of sorts, but it was worn down and torn asunder.

‘I assume that was the main entrance?’ said Genus as he pointed at the bridge.

‘You’re right on that one,’ said Daisy. ‘The bridge had to be destroyed so that they would think this place is abandoned and that no one would look twice at finding our base.’

They walked around the lake while they watched the center of the lake bubbling and gurgling, which they realized the giant octopus was there. Soon enough, they stood near the stone mountain. And within moments, a blue light began to shine through the lines, revealing a large door.

‘Wow,’ said Frosty. ‘I can see why this is a secret entrance.’

‘Wait,’ said Emily as she looked at the top of the door. ‘There’s something written on top.’

Sure enough, words in a different language appeared, which surprised the guests when they saw it.

Balin read for them, ‘The Mines of Dorian, King of Caribouria. Speak ‘Friend’ and enter.’

‘What the heck is that supposed to mean?’ Bolt asked.

‘Oh, it’s simple. If you’re a friend, then you speak the password,’ said Balin.

But just as Balin was about to speak, he suddenly stopped, as if he had forgotten something. Daisy noticed it and slapped her forehead. ‘You forgot the password, again?!’ she groaned.

‘Can I help it when they keep changing the password?’ said Balin. ‘Not my fault they keep changing the password because they forgot the original one.’

As both Balin and Daisy continued to bicker, Beau noticed something from the door that caught his attention. The word ‘Friend’ made him realize something as he squinted his eyes after carefully watching it.

‘It’s a riddle,’ Beau muttered. But strangely, he could read the text. It resembles ancient Ponish and modern Ponish, but it also resembles the human language from long ago.

Beau slowly walked toward the door and placed his hand against it. He closed his eyes and said, ‘Mellon.’

Within a split second, the door made a cracking sound as it began to open, taking the humans by surprise. Even Balin and Emily were surprised that the door suddenly began to open, while Beau removed his hand and moved a few steps backwards.

Balin was stunned as he looked at Beau. ‘How…?’

Beau looked at them and explained, ‘Some of the texts I recognized. It resembles Equestria's language, even a few others from different kingdoms. Strangely, they resemble a dead language from our world.’

He looked at the door and said, ‘The door said ‘speak friend’, which meant that you had to speak that word in a different language. So obviously, the original people who first discovered the mine weren't just caribou, but also other creatures who once interacted with one another before all of them were divided.’

Balin was surprised by this, for he never thought it would be possible.

‘Wow,’ said Daisy as she crossed her arms with an approved nod. ‘I’m actually impressed. Glad there’s a human who likes to study.’

‘Which is why he’s married to Princess Twilight,’ said Emily, gaining Daisy and Balin’s attention as they looked at her. ‘She tends to over study too when it comes to knowledge.’

‘So, should we go in?’ asked Silver. ‘I don’t like the idea of feeling exposed out here.’

‘Don’t worry,’ said Balin. ‘Once we’re inside, we’ll be perfectly safe here.’

Balin was the first to go inside with Daisy following suit while Beau and the rest of the humans entered the mountain entrance with them. Once Emily and Frosty were the last ones to enter, the door closed behind them. Thankfully, instead of facing darkness as they entered, there were lit torches inside so they were safe.

Balin continued to walk until he signaled the group behind him to stop. And from out of nowhere, five Caribourian guards suddenly appeared. Four of them held their spears ready while the captain of the guard stopped them and said, ‘Halt! Who goes there?’

‘Stand down, Corin,’ said Daisy as she walked up to the Captain.

‘Oh, Commander,’ said the surprising captain, known as Corin, as he walked up to Daisy. ‘Thank goodness you’re safe. When we heard about Carrabin, we feared the worst.’

‘The Rebel Cell were able to evacuate in time,’ said Daisy, but lowered her head. ‘But I’m afraid Dale and his group didn’t make it.’

‘Dammit,’ said Corin as he cursed himself before he looked at Daisy. ‘Then you’d better speak to Thorin. He’ll want to hear this.’

‘Sure will,’ said Daisy. ‘We also need to introduce him to our guests.’

‘Guests?’ Corin asked. Daisy motioned to Beau and the others. Corin and the guards were shocked to see more humans. ‘Impossible.’

‘Which is why it’s important,’ said Daisy. ‘Where is Thorin now?’

‘He’s talking with Colonel Lizzie right now,’ said Corin.

‘Who?’ asked Beau.

‘He means Lizzie Silver,’ said Daisy.

Silver’s eyes widened in shock as his heart felt like it was going to stop. He felt a lump in his throat and he felt like he was going to pass out. ‘No. It…It can’t be…’ Silver muttered to himself.

‘Come,’ said Corin as he gained their attention. ‘Let us head to them now.’

The caribou captain was the first to walk ahead as the two guards followed him with the humans in tow while the last two guards followed behind. The stairs they took were going all the way up. But as they finally made it to the top of the stairs and through an opening, what they saw took the Husband 6 and Emily all by storm.

For what they saw from inside the mountain was truly much larger than what any of them had imagined. And instead of jagged rocks, every bit of it was carved. For inside the mountain was a city itself. Every bit of the city had stone stairs, houses, forges, anything that one could imagine.

‘Whoa,’ said Bucky as he looked around in awe. ‘This place is incredible.’

‘Glad you think so,’ said Balin while he decided to give them a history lesson of Moria. ‘As we continued to mine the mountain, we eventually began to build a city from within. Many chose to live here and continued to make any kind of riches one’s heart would desire. Soon enough, within five hundred years, we had created the first underground city from within the mountain, dubbing it Moria. Our lord and king Dorian oversaw the riches flowing here, making sure his people would get their fair share. Even the neighboring houses all over the kingdom. He truly made it a paradise.’

‘But after the mine ran out, everyone abandoned the city, for there was no point in staying here,’ said Daisy as she kept up the history lesson. ‘But about ten years after Lord Dainn took over, the Rebellion had been formed. They formed Cells all over the towns, villages and cities but they wouldn’t be safe, considering that Lord Dainn shows no mercy. But twenty years ago, Thorin Oakenshield discovered this place, remembering the place his father, King Dorian, told him. Soon he brought the leaders of the Rebel Cells here. They decided to use this as their own headquarters. The Cells soon abandoned the cities, towns and villages and came here. They sent their spies and small groups to help others as well as raids. But as for the civilians that lost their homes, they were lucky enough to evacuate and come here. Soon enough, they made this place their new home, doing whatever they can to grow food and provide shelter.’

‘And so far, it was working,’ said Corin. ‘But we don’t know how long it will last. We fear that one day if we’re discovered, there would be no escape and the civilians here would be in danger.’

As they continued to climb the stairs from one spot to another, the Husband 6 and Emily were amazed and marveled at the designs of the place. For they had never seen the inside of the mountain as it was the most beautiful thing they have ever seen. But Silver on the other hand, he had his head lowered, for his sister was also in this world and alive. He didn’t dare to look up, for he was still ashamed of what happened between him and his sister.

Sure, to be fair he was a child, but he was still ashamed of what he had said to her. Blaming himself for what happened to her as well. They eventually made their way to the final top of the stairs as the council room was up ahead. Beau, on the other hand, noticed Silver had been silent for some time, causing him to look at him.

‘You okay, Silver?’ Beau asked worriedly.

Silver instantly stopped, causing the others to stop as well.

‘Y-you guys can go on ahead,’ said Silver as he took a step away. ‘I’ll remain here.’

‘Dude, what’s wrong?’ asked Bolt.

Silver didn’t answer, causing him to move to a nearby spot and sat down. The others were concerned about him, but Emily on the other hand noticed. For she had a feeling he was feeling off. She had a hunch that this Lizzie person was somehow related to Silver, but she didn’t want to jump to conclusions.

‘What’s wrong with him?’ asked Balin.

‘You mentioned someone named Lizzie Silver, right?’ Emily asked.

‘Yes, why?’ Balin answered.

‘Did she happen to die when she fell down the stairs and somehow ended up here?’ Emily guessed.

Both Balin and Daisy were surprised by what she said, causing the latter to look at one another, then back to Emily, while the rest of the Husband 6 instantly figured out what she meant.

‘Wait, she’s Silver’s sister?’ Genus asked.

‘Sister?’ said Balin.

Daisy on the other hand realized something, for she could tell the resemblance between them. She looked at Silver, who still had his head lowered while he still felt ashamed of himself.

‘Uh, you guys go on ahead,’ said Daisy as she kept her gaze at Silver. ‘I’ll catch up soon.’

As she went over to Silver, the others entered the room where the council was. They were looking at what appeared to be a map of all of Caribouria, with the council and generals looking over the map. Standing by one of the caribou generals was a female human, which the husbands recognized as Silver’s sister.

‘Wait here,’ Balin told them as he entered the room. ‘Lord Thorin.’

Thorin Oakenshield, the Leader of the Rebellion, wearing his golden shin guards to protect his legs, brown leather pants, silver chest armour with the symbol of Caribouria on top, bearing metallic looking shoulder guards, whilst on his wrists guards were made of gold as it covered both his entire wrists and elbows, with metallic protection on the top of his hands, bearing a thick black beard and long black hair, something that most would recognize from a story book.

‘Balin,’ Thorin greeted with a smile as he walked over to his caribou comrade, embracing one another and then held one another’s shoulders. ‘Where have you been? We’ve been worried that something might have happened when we lost contact with you.’

‘I was able to sneak out using the rune spells I found,’ said Balin as he showed him the markings. ‘I had to go seek help.’

‘You know very well Equestria can’t help us,’ said Thorin, reminding Balin of the laws his great-uncle decreed. ‘Nor the Element Bearers, despite all the good they did in the past.’

‘But I didn’t come back alone,’ said Balin. ‘You would not believe who else I discovered in Equestria.’

He gestured at the others who entered the room. But as Thorin and Lizzie looked, they were both shocked, for standing before them were more humans: Beau, Bucky, Genus, Bolt, Frosty and Emily.

‘Impossible,’ said Thorin. ‘I thought Lizzie and Daisy were the only humans in this world.’

‘Not really,’ said Beau, gaining their attention. ‘We actually arrived in Equestria.’

‘Equestria?’ said Thorin as he was clearly surprised. ‘We had no idea that there were more humans in this world.’

‘Trust me, we were all surprised when we came here after our sudden deaths,’ said Emily.

‘So how did all of you…?’ said Lizzie.

‘Drowned after getting sucked into a whirlpool,’ said Beau.

‘Got run over by a car after saving a kid from getting hit,’ said Bucky.

‘Died from gas poisoning after my dog accidentally opened the gas valve in our home,’ said Genus.

‘Fell off a ladder and hit my head,’ said Bolt.

‘Died in a collapsing building during an earthquake with my sister,’ said Frosty.

‘And Silver died in a plane crash,’ said Emily.

‘Silver?’ asked Thorin.

‘Yeah, Jim Silver,’ said Emily.

Lizzie was shocked to hear that name. For it was something that she hadn’t heard in a long time. ‘He’s here?’ she said. ‘Where is he?’

‘He’s outside,’ Beau answered. ‘I think he got scared for some reason and Daisy’s talking to him right now.’

Lizzie looked down, for she was afraid that this would happen. She figured that he would panic if she were here.

XXX

Back outside, Silver continued to sit outside with both his hands on his head while he said, ‘I can’t do this.’

‘Do what?’ Daisy asked, not knowing why Silver’s acting this way.

‘Facing my sister,’ said Silver. ‘I hurt her a long time ago.’

‘But that wasn’t your fault,’ said Daisy. ‘She fell down the stairs…’

‘And I made her cry,’ said Silver as he looked at Daisy through tears. At the same time, Lizzie took a peek to see what was going on.

‘Why do you say that?’ asked Daisy.

‘On my sixth birthday, I was jealous because my sister was getting all the praise and my so-called friends didn’t want to spend time with me and they thought I was a waste of space,’ said Silver. ‘I went back to my room, only for her to come in and try to calm me down. But I shouted at her and said hateful things to her. I even ended up throwing a cake in her face and she ran away crying, only for her to not pay attention to where she was going.’

He looked down in shame as he said, ‘After she died and when she was buried, I found the gift she got me in my closet. I realized too late that she was trying to save my party and the kids didn’t want to be friends with me in the first place. I never felt so alone in all my life. So…defenseless. And I carried that guilt with me ever since.’

Lizzie couldn’t help but place her left hand over her mouth while she was shedding tears, not wanting to make any noise.

‘After both my parents died, I kept blaming myself more and more,’ Silver continued. ‘Though I had riches and everything, seeing that I was the sole heir, it couldn’t replace my family. I felt so broken. I felt so empty that I didn’t have the will to live. So I sold our home and everything, bought a property somewhere secluded where no one else would even think about looking for me. I Even stack enough supplies to last me ten years so that I could probably die of loneliness. After I died in the plane crash, I somehow ended up in Equestria. I met Rarity there and she accepted me without a second thought and offered me a job. We spent a lot of time together, fell in love, got married, and we even raised a child. I was happy for the first time.’

He looked away and said, ‘After when there were ponies who harassed her and her friends, the guys and I defended them from the crowd. After that, we helped them write a new journal, where everyone would write down their past adventures. But when they wrote the part about Sweetie Bell thinking that her sister ruined her birthday…it brought that memory back.’

He looked back at Daisy and said, ‘How can I even look at her in the face, knowing now that she’s alive? And I don’t blame her for hating me for what I did. I just wish…I could make things right. I really do. I…’

‘Jim?’

Silver immediately perked up and stood up, looking at the direction where the voice came from. And there she was, his sister, alive and well. Both of them were staring at one another, while Daisy backed away slowly in order to give them some space. Neither knew what to say or knew what to do. Silver looked down in shame once more.

‘Lizzie…’ said Silver. ‘I’m so…’

And without warning, he was suddenly receiving a big hug. He was surprised at first as he looked at her, not knowing what to say. She kept him in her grasp, with Silver doing the same thing, but slowly.

‘I…I don’t understand…’ said Silver as he nearly choked. ‘Why would you…?’

‘Because I don’t carry any hate towards you,’ said Lizzie as she released him from her hug. ‘I accepted what happened between us. And I have forgiven you. Now you must forgive yourself.’

She then looked down and said, ‘Plus, I already know.’

‘You…do?’ asked Silver.

‘Of course,’ said Lizzie. ‘The caribou used special magic to look at other worlds.’



*****************************************************************************************************



Many years ago, after Lizzie had been brought to Caribouria, she looked around with the guidance of Thorin. But as he showed her a special mirror to watch other worlds, she was curious about something. She looked through the mirror, and there she saw her little brother. But instead of being happy, she saw him seeing the gift she had for him, causing him to cry, which made her cry too, seeing that he now knows the truth.

Then she saw how her parents had perished because of the drunken cab driver. She saw how broken her brother was, which broke her heart even further when she saw how lonely he was. He literally had no family left, and even though he had riches, it didn’t give him any happiness. He sold the mansion and bought a place that was very secluded, no contact with the outside world, and with enough food that would be bought for years. But as he took the plane overseas, the plane entered into a violent storm, causing the plane to crash.

Then within mere moments, he ended up in Ponyville, Equestria, right near a boutique of all places. Lizzie saw how Rarity met him and instead of leaving him outside, she brought him inside and tended to him in order to help stabilize his temperature. After looking after him, Rarity offered him a job, which he accepted. Lizzie was quite impressed to see how well her brother designed clothes. To think when he was little he wasn’t interested in fashion, but thankfully, after all the times she made him read them since he was four, it actually began to pay off.

Soon enough, things went smoothly, until Lizzie noticed the way Rarity was looking at him, even the small blush, causing her to smirk, for she knew where this was going and to her surprise, she saw her brother defending Rarity from Suri Polomare, and was able to get some information out of her of why she tried to steal Rarity’s idea. Soon enough, Rarity admitted her feelings for him, and he did the same, allowing them to embrace, which made Lizzie smile.

Within the year, the two of them had gotten married and eventually they had a daughter named Crystal Gem. Lizzie could see just how happy Silver was, and how he was raising her. Then came a surprise to her, that he was defending Rarity from a crowd that criticized her, and how he shoved another pony into another’s ass. Then he told them the truth, and heard everything he said. She couldn’t help but smile and shed a tear, for she saw how her brother had opened up and admitted his mistake.



********************************************************************************************************



Silver was greatly surprised that Lizzie had watched him the whole time.

‘And truth be told…’ said Lizzie, before she snickered and whispered, ‘The part of you shoving that pony’s head into another’s ass was quite hilarious.’

‘Yeah,’ said Silver as he rubbed the back of his head. ‘Not one of my proudest moments.’

Lizzie held her brother’s hands and said, ‘And like I said Jim, you need to let go of your past and forgive yourself. It’s time to move forward. I’m just so sorry that I didn’t contact you or anything, but with the state Caribouria is in, we couldn’t take any risks.’

Silver looked down and said, ‘I would’ve really liked it that you did. You would’ve met your niece.’

‘Crystal Gem’s really lovely.’ said Lizzie as she couldn’t help but hug herself. ‘I wish I could give her a big hug.’

‘Anyway,’ said Silver as he looked at her, but he couldn’t help but hug her again, ‘I’m so happy to see you again.’

Lizzie couldn’t help but smile and hug her brother again as she said, ‘The feeling’s mutual.’

After they broke their hug, Lizzie noticed Daisy as she said, ‘Daisy.’ She then hugged her too. After the hug, she held onto her shoulders. ‘I was worried. What happened?’

‘We heard rumors that Lord Dainn had found one of our Resistance Cells at Carrabin and were in danger. I took a team with me and we were able to evacuate the Cell there,’ said Daisy, but she ended up lowering her head. ‘But my team didn’t make it.’

Lizzie held Daisy close in a hug, then broke the hug as Daisy said, ‘If my brother hadn’t freed me, I would’ve been dead too.’

‘Brother?’ asked Lizzie.

‘Yeah,’ said Silver as he gained her attention. ‘Her brother was also sent to Equestria after he died. He’s the second human to be here.’

Lizzie couldn’t help but chuckle as she said, ‘So it’s a true sibling reunion.’

‘Sure is,’ said Silver with a smile of his own. ‘I’m sure all of you have questions?’

‘We do,’ said Lizzie.

‘Good,’ said Silver. ‘Because we have some questions of our own.’
> Chapter 4: A Prince's Tale
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sure enough, all humans were in the same dining room near a fireplace. They had proper food before them, though it was initially a bit awkward that they were served meat, considering that they were in a room for Herbivores. Still, they were reminded that they were also allied with the wolves, and though the wolves would come by for shelter, they would have meat ready and sorted for them in case they needed something to eat.

The Caribou were amused by their appetite; it was as if they had never had meat before.

“Wow,” said Thorin as he watched them eat. “You eat as if you’ve never eaten meat before.”

“Can you blame us?” said Bolt with his mouth full, but he was able to swallow his food and said, “We landed in Equestria, a land that doesn’t eat meat, and the ponies used to freak out when we told them what our diets used to be. For most of us, it’s been years since we had meat.”

“Then you guys should’ve landed here,” said Daisy. “You could’ve had tons of meat here. They have non-sapient animals that the wolves and dragons in this land eat meat, so it’s not a problem here.”

“I’ll say.” said Lizzie “Though from what I see from all your figures, Equestria seems to be treating you well.”

“Well, we try.” said Bucky “The lot of us had fallen into hard times when we used to live in our world.”

“Yes,” said Thorin as he held onto Daisy. “Daisy told us that she died of cancer and somehow ended up here. We were thankful we rescued her from her prison and brought her here. She was quite resilient when she wanted to join our cause.”

“Yeah,” said Bucky, “It was hard for me.”

“And from what Daisy told me, “Said Thorin as he had a concerned look on his face, “Your parents treated you like you were a mistake, and they broke their promise about loving each other and you.”

“Yeah,” said Bucky as he looked down, “Death has a funny way of changing someone after they were gone.”

“And how did all of you end up here in this world?” asked Thorin. “I would ask Daisy, but I think I would prefer to hear it from all of you.”

“If you want answers, talk to Beau.” said Frosty after he wiped his mouth with his napkin. “He was the first human to arrive in Equestria. We would say the first human in this world, but Lizzie has that title.”

“Very well then,” said Thorin as he looked at Beau first. “You may start.”

Beau cleared his throat and said, “It started like this….”

Beau told them that he wasn’t close to his family and that during his youth, he became a prodigy after spending so much time studying through books and everything else. And because of his isolation from studying, he never bothered to form relationships with others or even find a loved one. Then one day, he spent time at a nearby lake, enjoying some time swimming. But during his swimming, he ended up being sucked into a raging whirlpool and was pulled into the water. Before he realized it, he drowned. Before he knew it, he was somehow in Equestria or at Ponyville near a lake. That’s where he met Princess Twilight. And he made a bad impression by calling her a humanoid horse, and she threatened him, causing a ton of laughter to go all around. She soon took him in and had a hard time living.

The two of them bonded and were slowly getting to know each other. After Celestia welcomed him in Equestria and helped make him a citizen, he realized they had much more in common. She became his first friend in time. But a month later, they became a couple and had a daughter named Moonlight Sparkle.

Bucky then had his turn. He explained that he and his sister were very close when they were little, and their parents sometimes spoiled her over the years. But in due time, Daisy was diagnosed with cancer. After she died, their parents blamed him for what happened to her and ended up disowning him. As a result, they never even showed up for his graduation ceremony. And after having a hard time finding work, he ended up saving a kid from a moving vehicle and got hit by a hit. He then woke up in Equestria, but in Ponyville and the farm called “Sweet Apple Acres.” He met Applejack there, although when they first met, she thought he would steal her apples, and she ended up lassoing him in the process, which Daisy couldn’t help but laugh at. Sure enough, as he worked on the farm, he began to bond with the Apple Family.

Then one day, as they were working, their house suddenly caught fire, and Applejack’s little sister, Apple Bloom, got trapped inside. He ended up running inside and saving her without a scratch, but the fire mostly affected his lungs because of the smoke. Applejack thanked him for saving her sister. Then two ended up having a moment as they kissed. Four months later, he asked her out. After a few dates and a special night, they became a couple. But they chose to get married at the Apple Family Reunion because that’s when the entire family would come together. Silver spoke next. Like Lizzie, he came from a very rich family. They loved their parents very much, and no amount of money would ever replace them. However, fate took them away from him when a drunken cab driver killed them.

Though Silver won the case and the Driver got arrested, losing them left a huge hole in his heart, and the loneliness began to consume him. So, he left for an isolated spot where no one could ever find him until the plane he was on malfunctioned and crashed, killing him instantly. Next thing he knew, he woke up near Carousel Boutique, where Rarity had found him, and she took him in to help him reduce his temperature.

She offered him a job because he suddenly had the mind of a fashion designer. And during their work, an old rival named Suri Polomare walked in, and she and Rarity ended up arguing. He put a stop to it, and he helped uncover why Suri did what she did. After sorting things out, Rarity grew close to him, and the two fell in love. After the past three months, they shared a special moment at Las Pegasus, and they were closer than ever.

Genus explained his past too. He told them that he worked at an animal shelter back in his world, where it was his responsibility to help stray animals on the street, help nurse them back to health, and ensure they had a good home. But after he returned home to his dog Trusty, the two rested on the couch; however, they ended up coughing and feeling light-headed. He was too late to realize that his dog accidentally opened a gas valve, causing the two of them to die of gas poisoning. They both woke up in Equestria, near a cottage outside of Ponyville. There he met a Pegasus named Fluttershy, who looks after animals for a living. He admitted that she looked like an angel when he met her, which caused some to chuckle at that. During his stay, he was able to help her out with her tasks.

The two of them shortly fell in love during his stay. Over time, their relationship continued to grow and blossom at every turn. Sure enough, Genus asked Twilight for advice, and before they knew it, he proposed to Fluttershy, and the two got married shortly after and gained a child, naming him Warm Breeze.

Bolt took a turn after Genus. He told them of how he struggled to find his place in the world growing up, but also during that time, he had to survive his life through his abusive father but was later sent to prison when his mom filed a divorce and complaint against him. While working a few years after graduating, he lost his footing on a ladder, fell hard on the floor, and hit his head. Before he knew it, he woke up in Equestria. But everyone laughed out loud when he mentioned the part where he jumped out of the window the first time, he met Bucky’s wife because he had a hard time grasping where he was.

But it was during that time he met Rainbow Dash, the Element of Loyalty and the fastest Pony in all of Equestria. As he ran through the town, she tackled him and was able to calm him down. The two of them became friends shortly. However, everything changed one day during her Wonderbolt performance. She suddenly boasted and ended up hurting her wing. As she fell, he acted out of instinct and ran towards her, caught her, and was able to break her fall. She was surprised by the act of bravery that he showed her. Then two months later, she ended up having feelings for him, and the two ended up dating later.

But after a visit from her parents, Bolt ends up teasing her about being cute, and she gets embarrassed and ends up yelling at him, and it turns out she has trouble showing her feelings and has a ton of insecurities. He soon apologized to her, and she accepted it. After their night, they got closer, and soon they had a son, which Rainbow called Bolt Jr., which was quite adorable.

Frosty and Emily came up next. Both explained that they lost their parents in a bank robbery when Frosty was just a child. Emily had to be the parent and look after him. It was a hard time for him, and he couldn’t smile at anything, no matter how hard anyone tried. And while Frosty visited Emily, a sudden Earthquake came. The building they were in collapsed, taking their lives in the process. They somehow teleported to Equestria, where Genus and Fluttershy were about to get married, and Frosty still felt embarrassed that they would interrupt a ceremony like that.

Sure enough, Twilight offered them a place to stay, which Emily accepted, but Pinkie wanted Frosty to stay with her, to which they agreed. Pinkie became obsessed with throwing them a party, but Frosty couldn’t smile. Life was cruel, and he lost his will to be happy. But after much struggle, Pinkie was able to make him smile finally. On the other hand, Emily spent most of her time with Twilight’s dragon assistant, Spike.

He had a crush on Rarity, but it came crashing down when she fell in love with a human and had a child, so Emily spent a lot of time with him to cheer him up. Before they knew it, Frosty ended up having a romantic relationship with Pinkie Pie, as did Emily with Spike.

“And that’s how we all got here.” said Beau.

“Interesting.” said Balin as he leaned in. “So it’s just you lot?”

“Not really,” said Bucky “Turned out more and more humans arrived after we did.”

“Really?” said Lizzie. “I didn’t think it would be possible.”

“Who else got here?” asked Daisy.

“There are three humans who came to Canterlot,” said Bucky. “There’s Platinum, who was close to being blind, But Princess Celestia was able to heal his eyes, then fell in love and got married and gained twins.”

“Then there’s another named Nebula,” said Silver. “He had narcolepsy, but Princess Luna cured him of that. They also got married and have a son.”

“Then there was another named Fortis,” said Genus. “He met up with a model named Fleur de Lis and got married.”

“Then came a human named Blade,” said Bolt. “He married Princess Cadance, which is somewhat strange because she’s already married to Princess Twilight’s brother, so they did a harem wedding.”

“Is that even a thing?” asked Daisy.

“Eh, never gave it much thought.” said Bolt.

“Then came another human named Ignis,” said Frosty. “He met up with Sunset Shimmer, a former enemy who used to be Princess Celestia’s student, but she was able to redeem herself and is now a good pony. Those two also got married.”

“More and more humans arriving,” said Thorin as he thought about it. “Interesting.”

“Now then,” said Beau as he leaned in, “Our origin story aside, what about you, your lordship.”

Thorin rested his elbows on the table as he rested his head on his hands, thinking hard.

“I’m sure Balin has told you a bit about humanity?”

“That we used to live in this world?” said Beau, which surprised the rest of the humans.

“We were?” said Bolt.

“I think it’s best that Thorin can explain,” said Lizzie. “He knows about this world’s history more than any of us.”

“Indeed.” said Thorin. He looked at them and said, “Long ago, long before Equestria. Long before the Pony Tribes. And Long before Caribouria. Many creatures lived in this world in peace. Humanity is among them. For many, it was paradise. Everyone is living in harmony more than they could ever imagine. That was…until monsters started to appear. We have no idea why, but we knew that every race would not survive against them. So, we consulted with the Power of Harmony itself with another kingdom of Cunabula. With their help, we could create powers of Harmony throughout certain parts of the world. Each was bearing the Tree of Harmony.”

“Wait, what?” said Silver as he stood up. “The Tree of Harmony wasn’t the only one in Equestria?”

“Indeed.” said Thorin, “And you must not tell anyone of this. Princess Twilight and her friends need to sort this out independently.”

They looked at each other, then at Thorin, and nodded in agreement while Thorin continued with the story.

“They placed a Tree in the territory where the ponies would reside. Then one in the land of Zebras. Then one in the land of the cats. Another in the land of the dogs. And in the skies of the birds, another in Caribouria, as well as many others.” said Thorin

“And along the way, we helped chose to bear their elements, each one representing the elements.”

“Whoa,” said Frosty. “That sounds amazing.”

“But wait,” said Emily as she realized something. “If there were other trees worldwide, why didn’t anyone know about it?”

“I was getting to that.” said Thorin. “After the trees were placed and the element bearers were chosen, they, in turn, ended up having special warriors to help protect them, being the first and last line of defense.”

“Until one day,” said Balin, “We uncovered that all of the trees were destroyed and the Element bearers were destroyed worldwide. We feared that it would happen to the trees in Caribouria, Equestria, and the trees from the Zebra, Cat, Dog, and Bird territories. That was until we uncovered a horrible truth.”

“What’s that?” asked Bucky.

“We were betrayed by our own.” said Thorin.

They were surprised to hear this, with Thorin saying, “We discovered that a handful of Knights had grown out of fear, thinking that harmony, as well as friendship, would bring their downfall, so they ended up killing and destroying everything. All but the six that we chose to hide to ensure that no one would destroy them, but the element bearers had to sever their links to conceal them further. We uncovered that the knights betrayed and sold them out to the Legion of Monsters, led by Grogar and his brother Salazar. The Knights united and launched a full invasion led by Gusty the Great. They soon destroyed them. But…it came at a price.”

“The Changelings being turned into what they were during Chrysalis” reign.” Said Beau.

“And the humans who were the unfortunate victims of their slaughter.” said Balin “So to ensure that everyone would remain safe, we had to erase all existence of the trees and the knights, including the humans, who all were forced to leave this world and reside in the world all of you live. Half of them became Pilgrims, the first settlers to settle in what you call America, while the other half left and resided in the rest of the world to ensure they would remain safe.”

Now the humans, sans Lizzie and Daisy, were taken aback by this, for they couldn’t believe that the first settlers and others once resided in this world.

“Now then,” said Thorin, leaning towards them, “Promise me you won’t say anything until the time is right.”

The humans looked at one another, wondering if they should keep it a secret. But knowing Equestria, considering they faced many threats, they didn’t want to take any

chances until they were no longer threatened. They looked at him and said nodded in agreement.

“Now then,” said Beau, “Back to the matter in hand.”

“Yes,” said Thorin, “But before that, we’ll tell you more about our kingdom along the way.”

He leaned backward and thought about the glory days of Caribouria “Like every other kingdom, our kingdom was the pinnacle of perfection.”

*********************************************************************

********************

The country of Caribouria was more beautiful, greener, and beautiful than anyone could imagine.

“Our kingdom was unlike anything beyond our borders. Long before the other kingdoms had been formed, ours had existed the longest, even during the older days when humanity once resided on this world.”

In every village, town, and city, every citizen was happy.

“Every citizen of Caribou of Caribouria were at peace with one another, happy with one another, and enjoyed the peace and prosperity that the heavens had granted us since the beginning of our ancestry. Even the creatures from different races who chose to stay in our kingdom had enjoyed the harmonious life they all shared.”

Among them was King Dorian, who led the kingdom with honor and just, and the royal family had special powers.

“Our family had been the protectors of our kingdom for centuries. My Uncle was King Dorian, the High King of Caribouria. Every citizen loved him for the peace and love he had given them. But among them, besides his sons, were six brothers, each who had received the blessing.”

From atop the capitol was the Great Light of Caribouria. The Great Light from atop our capitol signified our family’s rule and showed that as long as a member of our family had gained the blessing and the light shining from the top, there would always be hope.

*********************************************************************

******************

“You mention the blessing.” said Emily “What purpose does it serve?”

“The blessing is when a member of the family is at the age of eight,” said Balin “They bring the child towards the fire of Caribouria, the purest source of magic our kingdom has ever wielded. When a family member gains the power, they receive the power of all the elements and can protect our land from even the greatest dangers.”

“And your uncle, King Dorian, received the blessing?” asked Beau.

“That’s right,” said Thorin. “But the power had long been passed ten years before I was born. As did some of my other family members. The reason for that was because it was time for the young to watch over the kingdom, considering the old could no longer watch over Caribouria.”

“Well, considering that he might be older than Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, I can’t blame him.” said Bolt, causing Beau to jab his elbow at him hard, making him wince as he said, “What, I’m just saying.”

“No, it’s true.” said Thorin as he chuckled. “My Uncle had been the ruler long before Equestria had been formed, so it’s understandable.”

Thorin looked down and said, “But by the time I turned around eight, I was about to receive the blessing.”

“Wait, why at such a young age?” asked Emily.

“Because when you’re eight years old,” said Lizzie, seeing that she had learned a bit of Caribouria’s history when she first came here, “You gain certain attributes that allow you to become something important. Either a wizard, a soldier, an agent, or an important politician. In the Royal family’s case, they would receive the blessing that would allow them to become protectors of Caribouria to protect them from the greatest of threats.”

“That’s right.” said Thorin.

*********************************************************************

*********************

At the age of eight, Thorin walked through the capitol streets while looking around in awe.

“Though I was born in a different part of the country and spent most of my life in the high mountains, walking through the Capitol of Carinthia is a marvel I couldn’t believe. The people were happy, the city was prospering, and the light above the city was as beautiful as the stories had described.”

The Honor guard escorted Thorin and his family to the royal flame chamber.

“From what the stories have also told me, the Flame Chamber happens to contain the eternal green fire, where a member of the royal family would gain the power to protect the lands.”

The doors opened, revealing the room. From within, beautiful glass windows and tapestries were decorated all over the place, each dictating the history of the Caribou and all the creatures. They chose to live in their kingdom and remained great neighbors while the rest of their kind left to find a kingdom of their own. And right at the center appeared to be a beautiful shrine, holding the eternal green flame as the colors alone was more beautiful than anything anyone could ever describe.

“The Flame Chamber was unlike I have ever seen. From within the room were beautiful tapestries and stained glass windows that decorated and depicted our entire kingdom’s history, coexisting with those who chose to stay within the kingdom instead of leaving it like half of their races. And from the end of the room was the eternal green flame, shining beautifully from its shrine, as all who would be attended would be granted its power to help protect its kingdom from its greatest threats.”

King Dorian gestured for young Thorin to go to the flames as it continued to shine as bright as a star. Thorin walked over to the flames and marveled at what he saw.

“The flames were unlike anything I have ever seen. Even from the stories, I could feel the strength of our people and land through it, like I was connected to it, like true harmony beaming through it.”

Soon, Thorin stood near the eternal green fire. At the same time, his father, his uncle Dorian and other uncles, his cousins, family members, the Captain of the Royal Guard, and more watched with Pride as Thorin was about to receive his blessing.

“Like my ancestors before me, it was traditional that once a member of the royal family gained the blessing. Once they bathe in its fire, they will gain the power to protect their lands from the greatest dangers.”

Thorin reached both of his hands towards the fire.

“I was about to receive the gift…until…they came….”

Within a split second, they heard screaming from their guards outside, gaining

everyone’s attention as they quickly turned around and looked at what was happening.

The Honor guard quickly stood in position to protect the royal family, with Thorin

hiding behind his father while King Dorian stood ready with his sword unsheathed.

Within a second, the doors opened, causing two Caribou Guards, now dead, to be launched through the doors and landed near them, causing them to look at the entrance.

From the entrance, four figures appeared as they walked through the doors.

“There were five individuals who entered the room of the eternal flame. Five that we thought we would never see or hear from again.” The first was a large crow with a black hood over his head, bearing the symbol of the Crow and brandishing his spear.

“There was Poe, the leader of the Crow Tribes. He was once part of the Griffon Empire until he and his people were exiled for personally bringing them to ruin because he lusted for greed and power, as well as attempting to kill the Griffon Elders.”

Then came a large dragon, whose scales were as black as coal, eyes as green as the murkiest swamps, and bearing its sharp fangs, wearing armor that nearly resembled Dragon Lord Ember’s, but with armor that was as black as its heart, bearing a scepter/sword in his hand.

“There was Smaug the Terrible. Once a powerful Ruler of the Black Dragon Eye Empire until the Dragons overthrew him and the dragons who were loyal to him, including the rare Ice Dragons. After that, they were banished from the Dragon Lands by the newly appointed Dragon Lord.”

Then came another, who was as uglier as the most deformed wolf you could imagine. His yellow eyes were so menacing that they could pierce through ones soul, with sharp teeth and Leather armor that appeared to be stronger than it looked, wielding a double-bladed sword.

“Then there was Azog the Defiler. He is a leader of the mightiest horde and enemies of Caribouria, leading his Warg army, a large group of Werewolves who are just as vicious as their sense of hostilities.”

Then finally, a large bear was among them. He was more muscle than brain and wore armor resembling the Persian Empire. His eyes were just as yellow, and his teeth were the mark of a savage.

“And finally, there was Mor’du, a large bear who’s the strongest. His goal is to be stronger and kill anyone in his way. My father defeated him long ago, and thus, he was banished from Caribouria.”

“What is the meaning of this?!!” shouted King Dorian as he and his brothers stood in front of their loved ones, with Thorin’s father, Thrawn, standing next to him.

“Oh, my apologies, your highness,” said Poe in a sarcastic manner. “We are just here to attend the blessing. After all, it is a special day, is it not?”

“You have no business here!!” shouted one of Dorian’s brothers. “Who allowed you here?!!”

“I did.”

Everyone looked at the door and saw a fifth. The fifth walked in, bearing black armor with gold stripes on his chest, legs, arms, and fists, bearing a black hood, wielding a mighty axe that none had ever seen before, and stood next to the enemies of Caribouria.

“And we learned too late that he had returned.”

The mysterious figure removed his hood, revealing a face that one would never want to see again, a face that made the older royal family gasp as they recognized the very Caribou from a long time ago, bearing a sinister smirk with a left blind eye. At the same time, he had a scar over it too.

“Lord Dainn”

The Caribou looked at King Dorian and said, “Hello…father.”

The older family gasped in shock, with the fourth brother saying, “That’s impossible. He had his memory erased.”

“Not anymore, Uncle.” said Dainn with a wicked grin. “I remember everything, from the ponies of Equestria, including my untimely banishment from the kingdom.”

“Why are you here?!!” shouted Thrawn. “You have no business here anymore!!”

“Oh, but I do,” said Dainn, “To retrieve what is rightfully mine.”

“You have lost all right to be part of the family and kingdom after what you tried to do to the sovereign rulers of Equestria long ago, Dainn!” said the second brother.

“You were going to drive our kingdom to a perpetual war!!” said the third brother

“One that would bring shame to our subjects and ruin to our kingdom!!”

“And that is why I have returned,” said Dainn. “To finish what I started, to take back what is finally mine!!”

“This kingdom does not belong to you anymore!” said King Dorian. “You are no longer heir to this kingdom or have any right to be called a Prince anymore!! Your brothers will be the rightful rulers, but only I will choose who will succeed me where you have failed.”

However, Dainn didn’t seem to be phased about it one bit. He suddenly pulled out what appeared to be a bag from his waist belt and held onto it firmly. But from below the bag, there appeared to be blood dripping, which caused some to be concerned about what was in the bag. Without making a face, he tossed the bag toward them. But the moment the bag reached the ground, it instantly opened, causing three heads of Caribou citizens to roll out in front of Dorian. To their shock, it was none other than three of Dorian’s other sons who were beheaded and without their antlers. The Caribou King looked at Dainn in shock. Dainn grinned as he showed his true wrath to his father.

“Not anymore.” said Dainn. But as he took a few steps forward, his armor instantly closed his face, forming a helmet that looked like the skull of a Caribou.

“We realized too late that it was a coup.”

And from the entrance were many dragons, crows, wargs, bears, and Caribou who were corrupted with darkness because of their yellow eyes. But it wasn’t just there; from the corners of the room and secret entrances, many more came out, surrounding the royal family and their guards, blocking their exits.

“It’s a trap.” said Thrawn as he looked around.

“Defend yourselves!!” shouted king Dorian as he and his brothers, along with the royal family and Honor Guards, drew their swords and armed themselves. At the same time, they fought with courage and might against their adversaries. But at the same time, Thorin quickly hid behind one of the pillars, scared out of his mind, not knowing how to defend himself from such an enemy.

And thus, the great fight had begun. The Honor Guards and the Royal Families fought against the attackers. Though the Royal Family put up a spirited defense, they were no match for Dainn and the others.

“Though my family and our guards had put up a spirited defense against the attackers, they were no match for the power that Lord Dainn and his followers displayed.” From his hiding spot, Thorin spotted how the fight began to fair, and so far, it didn’t look good.

Dainn deflected one of his uncle’s attacks with his axe, then he used the axe to drain the energy out of him, causing him to scream, then turn skinny and grey, making him collapse onto the ground.

Azog used his double-bladed sword to swing at two guards with a mighty swing, causing the sword to go right through their weapons and slice them in half, making them drop limp onto the ground.

Mor’du used his mighty strength to punch his enemies away with great strength while grabbing one of them, lifting it in the air, and smashing him hard onto the ground. Two more Thorin’s Uncles tried to attack the mighty bear, only for Mor’du to grab the two of them by their necks and instantly snap them while dropping them onto the ground lifeless.

Poe used his spear like a baton and a bo-staff as he spun it around and used it to block his enemies” attacks while also killing them as if he was an expert Shaolin Monk. But at the same time, he used his spear to summon a crow-like swarm, causing them to go to the guards and rip them all to shreds.

Smaug used his Sword/Scepter to kill his enemies easily, moving his blade around, even using its blaze ability to swing its flaming sword around and slice them to pieces. He ended up fighting the Captain of the Guard. Though the Captain nearly gave the dark Dragon a run for its money, Smaug breathed his fire, burning the captain alive as he collapsed onto the ground.

Thorin watched from his hiding spot, helpless as he watched his family and their guards being slaughtered.

“My father and Uncle Dorian fought their hardest and did their best.”

King Dorian fought with all his might, using his sword and staff to fend off the Assassins. Thorin’s father, Thrawn, also took up a spirited defense. But at the same time, just as King Dorian turned around, Dainn stood in front of him with a grin.

“The throne is mine.” said Dainn, causing him to use his axe to drain his life force. Within mere moments, Dorian ended up becoming skin and bones while dropping onto his knees, with a look of death on his face. He moaned like a zombie as he looked up at his former son.

And in his final words, Dainn said, “Long live the king.” and swung his axe against his father, killing him as his crown fell off his head and rolled over to the floor near where Thorin had been hiding.

At the same time, Poe and Mor’du attacked Lord Thrawn, but he proved to be more than a match for them as he backhanded Poe against the wall while he stunned Mor’du, making the bear warrior collapse onto the ground.

Thorin saw his chance to run until Dainn suddenly appeared in front of him, grabbed him by the throat, lifted him to his face, and said, “You are unworthy.”

Dainn tossed Thorin hard onto the ground, causing the young Caribou to feel pain. Thorin turned around and saw Dainn slowly approaching him. At the same time, Thrawn had drawn his famous dual swords and held them in position. He fought Smaug and Azog head-on, clashing blades and moving like water until he overpowered them as they collapsed onto the ground.

“Why?” said Thorin as he crawled backward, afraid to fight him, let alone face him as fear had taken over his body. “Why?”

“Because you’re weak.” said Dainn as he lifted his axe.

But before Dainn could finish the job, Thorin’s father, Thrawn, tackled the demented Caribou over, trying to pin him onto the ground. Thrawn instantly looked in his son’s direction and raised his left hand, causing it to glow green. And within mere moments, a portal opened somewhere far away from them, gaining Thorin’s attention. He looked at the portal as it had opened to a location Thorin recognized, but he looked back and saw his father still fighting, not wanting to lose him.

Thrawn punched Dainn, trying to subdue him, with him looking at his son and shouted, “Thorin, run!!”

Thorin did just that as he ran toward the portal while Dainn managed to push Thrawn off of him. As Thorin ran and was halfway to the portal, he suddenly tripped over one of the fallen guards, while Dainn backhanded Thrawn as he fell on his back, gaining Thorin’s attention as he stood up. Dainn stood over Thrawn and lifted his Axe. As Thrawn screamed, Dainn dealt with a finishing blow, killing Thrawn in front of a horrified Thorin.

“My father. He died trying to save me. I never saw him and the rest of the family again.”

Thorin made his way to the portal and jumped through it, allowing it to close to ensure that nobody would follow them.

*********************************************************************

*************************

The said visiting humans, namely Beau and the others, stared at Thorin, horrified by what had happened. Thorin looked down, not wanting to think about certain things further, while Lizzie (Silver noticed) held onto Thorin’s hand to cheer him up.

“My God.” said Emily as she couldn’t believe what he had gone through.

“And by my guess,” said Bolt as he tried to piece things together, “That you couldn’t fight back because you didn’t receive the blessing in time.”

“That’s right.”

*********************************************************************

*********************

And from a different location, Thorin had managed to jump out of the portal and was at least two miles away from the capital city, with him standing on all fours and panting out of fright.

“After I got out, I realized what happened wasn’t in secret. It wasn’t just a coup; it was a full invasion.”

Thorin looked back and was horrified, for he saw their entire city, Caribouria itself, was set in flames as a building or five fell to pieces while screaming could be here from the innocent suffering Dainn’s wrath.

*********************************************************************

********************

“They killed everyone in the city?” asked Beau.

“It was genocide,” said Thorin “The entire city got reduced to ashes within mere hours.”

*********************************************************************

****************

A distraught young Thorin kept looking at the city, then to the top as tears ran down his cheeks.

“I wanted to help my people more than anything, but I was powerless, as was Caribouria itself.”

He watched as the Great Light of Caribouria, the symbol of hope for the kingdom, slowly faded away as if it were a candle, further spelling doom for the entire kingdom.

“Without the family line, the Spirit Sages that kept the light alight sensed the active family members were gone, so it couldn’t stay alight forever.”

Thorin then walked away, lowering his head in shame as if he had just been exiled, heading to the nearest High Houses to warn them of Dainn’s return and his coup.

“And because of that, the magic of our lands died out, along with its hope and future.”

*********************************************************************

**************

After his story had ended, every human present was horrified by Thorin’s tale and the fall of his family and kingdom.

“The power of Caribouria faded away.” said Thorin. “That’s why I didn’t have the power to help save my people when they needed a protector the most.”

The humans had no idea how to respond to this. All of them were speechless at this news.

“Damn,” said Bolt, “This is worse than we thought.”

“How long ago was this?” asked Bucky.

“It happened…during the time Ponyville was founded.” said Balin as he thought about it.

“But wouldn’t they have attacked Equestria by then?” asked Silver.

“They would,” said Thorin. “But thankfully, I could go to each house and warn the rest of our people and allied houses of the news. There was panic at first, but the Houses began to fortify their positions so that we do not lose our homes to the monsters. We tried as best we could to stall them, but morale was dropping low. Back then, others joined our cause, and we had fifty thousand strong fighting alongside us, but with all of our Cells destroyed in half the country, there’s only ten thousand left.”

“But the other Houses didn’t offer their support?” asked Frosty.

“We tried at the beginning,” said Balin “The Thirteen Houses were so frightened all of them had closed their doors to us and are defending themselves rather than fighting together. They agree that Dainn is a threat and needs to be stopped, but they can’t agree to do anything about it.”

“The Houses of Dragon, Griffon, Hippogriff, Wolf, and Changelings are among the strongest, but we don’t know how long. The other Houses tried their best, but their leaders and people, even half their soldiers, were captured and taken to a prison that would put Tartarus to shame while the other half of their soldiers were slain. Those

who were able to escape joined our cause, but they’re starting to lose hope.” Said Thorin as he surmised their situation.

“We had hoped Equestria would help us.” said Balin.

“But no thanks to my bastard of an uncle.” said Thorin with a spat and venom in his uncle’s name as he pounded on the table hard, startling a few others around him. “He placed the seal all around our kingdom. If it weren’t for that damned seal, I would’ve asked all the kingdoms to help us in a heartbeat.”

“But yet all of you are here.” said Lizzie. “How and why?”

“How much do all of you know about the Friendship map in Equestria?” asked Emily.

“Few bits and pieces.” said Balin. “We know how they summon any pony out there to go on a friendship quest. The Mane 6 was always chosen, but it rarely summons others to send on a mission like Starlight and Spike.”

“The map ended up summoning us here.” said Beau, which took them by surprise.

“The map called you here?” asked Daisy. “Why?”

“We don’t know.” said Bucky. “It’s a mystery for all of us too.”

“But regardless.” said Bolt as he stood up. “For what purpose we’ve been sent here? We’ll do everything we can to help.”

Thorin sat deep in thought, for if the map summoned them to Caribouria, it must’ve been for a good reason. He looked at them and said, “Very well. We’ll discuss this in the morning. Until then, we have rooms ready.

“Thank you, Prince Thorin.” said Beau as he bowed in respect for the Caribou.

*********************************************************************

*****************

Later that night, nightfall had covered the entire countryside. Though many of the citizens and soldiers were sleeping, the night guard kept watching to ensure that their only place of protection would be safe from any intruders. But from within the rooms, Beau and the others were prepared to turn in for the night, but they chose to make conversations before resting.

“How the heck are we going to help them?” asked Frosty.

“He’s right,” said Silver “We’re in way over our heads with this.”

“We have to find a way to help somehow,” said Emily “The map picked all of us for a reason. I’m sure we’ll be able to find a way before things escalate out of control.”

“And if we don’t stop them,” said Bucky, “Our families and friends will be in danger.”

“He’s right,” said Genus. “Well, we all had already lost our homes after we died; I don’t want us to lose our new one.”

“We won’t.” said Beau, determined as he stood up. “Our wives stood up to evil plenty of times, and we made a promise that we could protect them. We failed to protect them after what Chrysalis did to us. I don’t want us to repeat our mistakes again.”

They looked at one another, then at Beau as he said, “The map picked us for a reason. If we were sent here, it must be bigger than any of us could imagine. The only way we can succeed is by working together. For our families and friends.”

The others looked at one another, then at him, and all nodded while standing up, placing their hands together. “For our families and friends.”

Suddenly, they heard a loud humming noise, making them look out at the door. They slowly walked out of their rooms and headed straight for the noise. They followed it down the hall until they finally made their way to a clearing. When they got out, they were standing on the edge, and taking them by surprise, were the large bonfire from below, which looked like a large forge to create their swords. And from around it were tons of Caribourian citizens, warriors, and elderly, with Thorin, Lizzie, Balin, and Daisy sitting nearby. But what caught their attention was the humming they made, as if all of them were in perfect harmony, never missing a note. It felt so enchanting one could not turn it away, no matter how hard anyone could try. When all of a sudden, Thorin, holding his smoking pipe, stood up and stood near the fire.

(Thorin)

Far over, the mountain home

To green landscapes

And trees so high

We must return

At the break of dawn

(Thorin &amp; Balin)

To find our long-forgotten home

(Thorin, Balin &amp; Caribou soldiers)

The winds were howling throughout the night

Telling our tales of lives of old

The sunshine bright

The moon alight

The sky so blue; alight with hope

The husbands and Emily were surprised by the song they sang, causing some to sit

down and listen to the enchanting song as if they had just been placed in a trance.

(Lizzie)

Far away, the forgotten lands

The blue oceans

And brightened shores

We will set out

At the midday

(Lizzie &amp; Daisy)

To find what has, been taken away

(Lizzie, Daisy &amp; female Caribou)

The storm is coming, beyond the darkness

The waves are crashing

In the bright day

The sun burns bright

The cooling moons

The heart of home, calls us home

Beau and the others suddenly thought about their families and friends, thinking of

them so far away from them, longing for their embrace, making some shed their tears.

(All)

Far beyond, the great plains of home

The fatherland

And motherland

We will come home

Within nightfall

To finally, be back home

The songs of angels, calls us forth

The people cried

Throughout the lands

Their freedom’s bright

Their love alight

And True Harmony, to Salvation

*********************************************************************

********************

Later through the night, the Husbands and Emily were fast asleep in their rooms, sleeping soundly so they would not be disturbed by the outside sounds. The halls of Moria were all peaceful. The halls a mysterious figure walked down the hallways, wearing a cloak that covered her face while carrying a staff in its hand. The same figure that witnessed them leaving Equestria. She walked straight towards the husband 6 and Emily’s room. She first stood before Beau’s door, used her magic to unlock the door, and walked right in.

There he was, sound asleep in the confines of his bed. She stood near him and watched him sleep as he was dreaming of Twilight and Moonlight; he even mumbled the two of their names. The stranger slowly placed her hand on the left side of his face, rubbing it as he hummed in his sleep. The stranger gave a soft smile and shed a tear for some reason. She soon wiped it away and took a few steps back until she was near the door. She used her staff to tap on the ground a few times, causing a flash in the room, with the rest of the husbands and Emily appearing from out of nowhere. And just like that, they collapsed onto the ground, making them yelp as they collapsed onto one another; while Beau woke up, he shot his head up and looked at the display as all of them exclaimed loudly.

“Get the fuck off me!!” said Silver.

“Get your ass out of my face!!” said Emily.

“You get your face out of my ass!!” said Frosty.

“Yuck, did you even take a shower?!!” said Genus.

“I did take a shower, ya brainless mook!!” said Bolt.

“Will you just get the fuck off me!!” said Bucky.

“The hell?” muttered Beau as he saw the strange sight. That was until he saw the stranger in a hood with her staff and shouted, “The hell?!!”

Beau instantly got out of bed, with the others quickly getting up when they also saw the stranger.

She raised her hand and said, “Peace, fellow humans.” The stranger removed her hood, revealing her face as a Unicorn as she said, “My name is Bright Star.”

They were surprised to see a pony in Caribouria.

“Wait,” said Bucky, “I thought there were no Ponies in Caribouria.”

“There aren’t.” said Bright Star. “I can be unseen, and I can be everywhere if need be.”

“Why are you here?” asked Bolt, as he was suspicious of the Unicorn.

“I know why all of you are here.” said Bright Star. “I know that all of you have been summoned by the Map from the Castle of Friendship to help the kingdom of Caribouria.”

They were shocked that she knew about that.

“How the hell did you know about that?” asked Silver.

“I have my ways.” said Bright Star.

“But it doesn’t answer my question,” asked Bolt. “What are you doing here?”

“I came here to help.” said Bright Star.

“Help us?” said Genus.

“How?” asked Frosty.

Bright Star spoke to all of them and said, “All of you have come here to aid a kingdom under a tyrant’s control since Ponyville was founded. All seven of you are in way over your heads. You may know how to defend yourselves, but all of you have no chance against a power that he controls through his wrath. Even Princess Twilight and the others could not defeat Dainn with the powers of Harmony.”

They lowered their heads, for she was right; there was no way they could face Dainn on their own. They may have learned how to defend themselves when they once lived on Earth, even a few lessons from Shining Armour, but it wouldn’t be enough.

“However,” said Bright Star, “There is a way for you to help.”

They perked up at that as they looked at her.

“When the Trees of Harmony were all planted all over the world,” said Bright Star, “There were special protectors beside the element bearers, all who had vowed to protect the world from eternal darkness. They were known as the Knights of Harmony.”

“Knights?” asked Beau.

“All of them were more than capable of defending their home from threats they had not seen before. All of them were enemies of the Knightmares, led by the council of Monsters, with Grogar being their leader.”

They were surprised to hear this, with Bright Star saying, “The Knights were also led by their founders. I was one of them, along with a human and another Unicorn named

Gusty the Great.”

Beau was surprised that Gusty was a Knight, him thinking Twilight would have a field day if she were to find out.

“And you think that with that power,” said Genus, “We would be able to help this kingdom?”

“Indeed.” said Bright Star. “However, not everyone can claim that power and use them. They must first prove themselves worthy of wielding that same power.”

“Prove ourselves?” asked Silver.

“How do we do that?” asked Bucky.

“I have taken the liberty of placing certain trails and tests for each of you.” said Bright Star. “The paths will be dangerous, and there is a likely chance that not all of you will succeed. The choice is yours.”

The husbands and Emily looked at one another, thinking about their situation. On the one hand, they couldn’t just trust a stranger that offered them something that would be too good to be true, but if they don’t have what they are looking for, Equestria will be doomed if they don’t have what they are looking for Dainn ever succeeds. Seeing that they had no other choice, they each knew what their answer would be. Beau took a step forward, for he spoke for the entire group.

“We’ll do whatever it takes to help our home.” said Beau. “We already lost our old home a long time ago; we refused to let it happen to another.”

Bright Star smiled and said, “Very well. The trials will commence momentarily.”

“Wait,” said Silver as he realized something. “But what about Thorin and the others? What if we’ll be away for far too long.”

“Time will simply stand still in this world while all of you venture to your trails.” Said Bright Star. She lifted her staff and said, “It is time. Good luck, and may the power of Harmony protect you.”

She tapped her staff onto the ground so hard that another light engulfed them. No one was in the room when the light faded away, for all of them had disappeared without a trace.
> Chapter 5: A Knight's Trial part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From an unknown location, Emily had been unconscious for some time. She moaned a bit and struggled to open her eyes. She slowly sat up and rubbed her forehead.

“Whoa, what hit me?” said Emily “Frosty, do you have any idea what…?”

However, she noticed that her brother wasn’t around. Come to think of it, neither were the others. She looked around and noticed nobody was there but herself.

“What the…?” said Emily as she slowly stood up.

When she looked around, she was surprised to see where she was. All around her appeared to be a place that nearly resembled Canterlot, but the buildings were larger, they were all in ruins, and there were plenty of broken statues. She was surprised to see how few statues were whole, especially because they were dragons.

“Whoa, this place has seen better days.” said Emily.

“Indeed, they have.”

Emily turned around and saw Bright Star, only she was a projection, floating as if she was a fairy from the Legend of Zelda, except she had a body and not an annoying tiny ball of light that everybody could step on or swat away with a flyswatter.

“What is this place?”

“This…” said Bright Star as she slowly looked at the place. “Is the city of Dragonia, once home to the dragons from long ago. This place was peaceful; the dragons, like the ponies, were once in harmony until Smaug the Black Dragon came along and destroyed everything with his power. The Knights were able to defeat and take away most of his power, but the damage had already been done, and they were forced to leave when this land no longer sustained life. Half the Dragons lived in Caribouria when they came to King Dorian for help; the other half traveled to what you know as the Dragon Lands.”

Emily remembered the bad history that the ponies had with the dragons from what Dragon Lord Ember had told her when she visited.

“Is this…” said Emily as she tried to grasp on something, then looked at Bright Star and asked, “Is this why they lashed out and attacked ponykind?”

“Because their home was destroyed, they waged war against others for no reason. A thousand years had passed, and the anger had faded. Spike taught Ember to tame it and help it be civilized. Thus, the Dragons accepted the change.”

Emily couldn’t help but smile in pride, for she was really proud of Spike for what he did. Emily thought about something, looked at Bright Star, and asked, “So…why am I here?”

“This is where your test will begin,” said Bright Star, pointing to the shrine’s top. “Your goal is to travel to the top of the shrine. Along the way, you will need to overcome obstacles that will help you get to the shrine’s top. Once you get to the shrine, you will face the guardian that protects what you seek. The guardian will allow those worthy of passing and seeking its power for the wielder to succeed as a Knight.”

“I see.” said Emily as she looked at the top, a bit nervous, but if it meant protecting her new home and, most importantly…Spike, she’ll do whatever it takes to keep her hubby safe.

Determined, she looked at Bright Star and asked, “What will I expect to encounter?”

“You will encounter a few things along the way,” said Bright Star. “And the only tool you need is your resolve. I shall wait for you until you return.”

Within moments, Bright Star disappeared, leaving Emily alone. She slowly looked up at the shrine. This was going to be a very long climb.

“This could take a while,” said Emily, but she sighed, “But I have to do what I have to do.”

She ran towards a stone stairway that led in the other direction. She climbed to the top of the stairs until she reached one of the stoned buildings. She thought about what to do, but all thoughts were cast aside as she was able to make her way towards her destination and climb onto it. She was able to get a good view of the place.

“Damn,” said Emily as she looked at the area. “This is gonna be tricky. There aren’t any straight paths. Most of them have either been destroyed or covered in vegetation. Smaug really did a number on this place.”

She looked down and saw at least a ton of trees all over the place and a cliff. She couldn’t help but smirk as she looked at the spot.

“Good thing I’m a star athlete. I am a champion at wall climbing, Parkour, and some training since college.” said Emily. “But now’s not the time to be overconfident. If I’m gonna make it to the shrine’s top, I gotta work fast.”

She soon climbed the stone stairs and headed toward the ground. She jogged towards the wall slowly to try and spare her energy if she was going to face something up on top of the shrine. She soon stopped near the climbable cliff. She dusted her hands several times and took a few breathers before she began.

She was able to find something to grab onto, allowing herself to scale up the wall and climb onto what rock she could. Without any climbing gear, safety harness, and rope, climbing up a ten-foot-tall cliff would be harder than she thought. Bit by bit, she found something to grab, then pulled herself up to climb up the wall while also trying to find a proper footing. Some parts were close calls. Sometimes her foot would slip, and sometimes a rock would come loose. But she couldn’t give up, not yet. For there was no other option.

After a grueling hour, she finally made it to the top. She found a rock nearby and sat down, taking a quick breather before she moved on. She looked ahead and noticed plenty of deep trenches and ditches, ones she couldn’t just walk or swing over. So, it would be a great challenge if it were to come to that. However, she noticed many trees around, with branches that were connected. She realized it would be a bit of a challenge, but then she remembered that one training she did involve walking on branches and required a lot of balance. Once she was done resting, she stood up and made her way toward a fallen tree connected to a larger tree.

Once she was on top, she used her balance lessons while also running on them simultaneously. Those hard times training that one summer camp had finally paid off. She jumped from branch to branch, making her think she was Connor Kenway from the Assassin’s Creed 3 game.

“And my brother thought that learning to climb and run like the Assassins from the Assassin’s Creed games was a waste of time.”

However, from the tenth tree, she slipped and nearly fell, but thankfully she grabbed the branch with both her hands. Dangling for her life, she was surprised that she nearly slipped up. She quickly climbed up and moved towards the tree once she was safe.

She wiped her forehead and said, “Damn, that was close. Note to self, don’t ever get cocky and overconfident when it comes to Parkour.”

She suddenly mumbled, “Though I wish Rainbow Dash could’ve done the same a while back.”

After many jumping trees later, Emily made her way to the last tree branch, which led straight to a clearing. She was surprised to see the shrine nearby. However, getting across was not going to be easy. There was no bridge but a very large gap leading to a nasty fall.

“Darn it.” said Emily to herself. “Now, what do I do?”

She then looked up and saw that there was a way for her to grab something. But it was pretty far. There was a 50/50 chance that she might miss, but she had to try.

“Okay,” she said, “Here goes nothing.”

She took a deep breath and ran to the tree branch. She jumped with all of her strength when she was nearing the tip. She reached out towards the ledge as far as she could. The moment she looked like she was about to fall, she was able to grab onto something, which made her tighten her grip in the process. She took a few deep breaths.

“Holy shit.” said Emily. “That was close.”

She was able to climb up and reach the top. The moment she was on the ledge, she was surprised to see what the shrine looked like.

“Wow, this place is beautiful.” said Emily. “I wonder why the Dragons never bothered to come back after a thousand years?”

She walked towards the stone stairs that led straight towards the stairs. That was until she heard crying. She looked to her right, and to her surprise, it was an eight-year-old dragon girl, who surprisingly looked like Spike but in a female version, crying while

huddled against a corner. Feeling sorry for the poor girl, she walked over to the girl, stood on one knee, and asked, “Hey, are you okay?”

“No,” sniffed the little girl. “No, I’m not alright.”

“What’s wrong?” asked Emily.

“I was bullied by the other dragons.” said the little girl. “They accused me of being a runt and said I would never fit in, no matter how hard I tried.”

“Why would they think that?” asked Emily.

“Because I’m young and I don’t know what it means to be a true dragon.” said the little girl “My mommy always told me about a special shrine from the top of this place, saying that there is a spot where dragons could learn the true meaning of what it means to be a dragon. So, I came here to see for myself. Only I can’t fly. I hurt my wing while on my way here.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” said Emily as she held onto the young dragon’s shoulder. “You can’t climb.”

“I can’t.” said the young dragoness. “I’m too scared to.”

Emily thought about continuing her journey but couldn’t bear to leave the poor girl behind. She looked around a bit and noticed a few plants she recognized from Zecora when she last visited.

“Wait here,” said Emily, “I’ll be right back.”

Working fast, she quickly gathered all the plants necessary for what she wanted to make. She used the rocks and leaves to mash the grass and leaves together, turning them into a salve. As soon as she was done, she looked at the Dragoness.

“Now you might wanna hold still.” said Emily. “It may sting a bit, but it has to be done if it’ll help you heal.”

She carefully placed the salve against her hurt wing, making the dragoness wince in pain. Once Emily was done, she tore off her long sleeves, hoping Rarity wouldn’t kill her for tearing up the fabric she had worked so hard to make for her. She then used the sleeves to make a proper bandage to wrap around her injured wing.

“There we go,” said Emily after she was done. “Your wing should feel better over time.”

“Thank you.” said the dragoness as she looked at Emily.

On the other hand, Emily looked at the top of the shrine, where the young dragoness said that what she needed to learn about being a true dragon might be up there. If it was up there, she needed to find out. She then looked at the young Dragoness.

“What’s your name?” asked Emily.

“Storm Fly.” said the little dragon.

“Well then, Storm Fly.” said Emily with a smile and slowly extended her hand to her.

“Why don’t we go together. Maybe together, we can find the answer we’ve been looking for.”

The little dragoness was surprised at first. She was frightened, but she smiled and placed her claw hand on Emily, allowing the human to help her stand up. Sure enough, the two of them walked together, making their way toward the Shrine, where both could find what they’d been seeking. They walked through certain parts of the ruins. From every rubble, Emily helped pick up Storm Fly and carried her most of the way, not wanting her to get hurt. Storm Fly wrapped her arms around Emily while resting her head against her chest. Emily couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

“Maybe one day…Spike and I could have a little one of our own.” thought Emily to herself.

They soon reached the stairs. From the looks of it, it was much farther than she realized. She motioned Storm Fly to hold onto her as she gave her a piggyback ride to the top. She kept holding onto her tightly to avoid letting the little dragon fall. Sure enough, Emily had reached the top of the stairs. And right before her, she saw the shrine appear inside a building.

She then allowed Storm Fly to stand on her feet and said, “Well, this is where I need to go.”

“Oh?” said Storm Fly. “You need to go in there?” asked Storm Fly.

“That’s right.” said Emily “Something in there is very important that could help a kingdom in despair. What about you? Where will you go?”

“Oh, in there.” said Storm Fly as she pointed at another building. “If I’m going to learn what it means to be a true dragon, I need to go in there.”

“Okay then,” said Emily. But then she thought about something and said, “tell you what? After you find what you’re looking for. Do you want me to escort you home?”

The little dragon perked up at that and said, “Really? You’ll go with me, even when I’m so different.”

“Of course.” said Emily. “It doesn’t matter how different you are. What everyone else says about you doesn’t matter. You’re special just for who you are. And that’s more than okay in my book.”

The little dragon couldn’t help but smile with tears in her eyes and instantly wrapped her arms around Emily, giving her a hug, with Emily hugging her back. After they broke the hug, Storm Fly remembered something.

“Oh right, here.” said Storm Fly as she handed something to Emily, but it was wrapped in some cloth. “You might need this. Just in case.”

Emily smiled and accepted it while saying, “Thank you. I’ll make good use of it. I’ll see you soon.”

“See you soon.” said the little dragon as she walked to the other building.

Emily looked straight at the building she was supposed to go in. She took a deep breath and said, “Okay then, here we go.”

But before she went in, she noticed a small waterfall nearby. She was quite thirsty, so she went over to have a drink. After taking a few sips, she pulled out a water can she always keeps with her just in case, which helped her out on many occasions. She used it to fill it with water, allowing her to close it and continue with her path.

Emily walked towards the shrine and went right inside the doorway. She continued to walk down the dark hall, hoping that she could reach the end in time. She doesn’t know what she’ll face, but she knows that whatever is on the other side, she needs to overcome it; otherwise, she and the others won’t stand a chance to help Thorin to stop Dainn and save their home.

Sure enough, she made her way toward the other side. The room was very large. What looked like a stadium on the inside? In the center appeared to be a ring. But when she squinted her eyes, she noticed a chest on the other side of the ring. She assumed that whatever was in the chest would most likely be the prize she would be seeking.

She walked down the stairs but, at the same time, looked around to spot any dangers. But the more she walked down, the more she felt that someone was watching her. Her hunch was correct when she reached what appeared to be an arena. A large entity landed near her out of nowhere, making her jump backward, for she hadn’t expected something like that to happen.

For appearing her, was a dragoness, who appeared to be the same height and size as Dragon Lord Ember, but her armor almost looked like a Valkyrie from the ancient Norse times. Emily kept her guard up, not wanting to take any chances. She saw the gift Storm Fly gave her but chose to place it aside so it would be safe from harm.

She walked to the center, standing where she needed to.

“You being here,” said Emily, “I assume you know what I’m here for?”

“Indeed I am.,” said the Dragoness.

“Then you know why I need it, right?” asked Emily.

“This one begs for forgiveness.” said the Dragoness. “But to obtain what you seek, the rite of passage must be earned.”

“I see.” said Emily.

Emily knew Dragons would like to fight more often than she could count. She knew that it wouldn’t be easy. Luckily, back in the human world, Emily had learned how to fight. She learned Karate, jiujitsu, and Kung Fu; Ember even taught her how to fight the last time they visited the Dragon Lands. She stood at the center of the ring, with the Dragoness doing the same.

“Before we get started,” said Emily, “I’d like to know your name.”

“Saphira.” said the Dragoness “You?”

“Emily Frost.” said Emily.

“Then let us begin.” said Saphira.

“Alright then, Saphira,” said Emily as she was pumped up, “Let’s do this.”

The two of them bowed to one another in respect. Then they stood back up and readied themselves for a fight. The two of them stared at one another, waiting for either of them to make a move. After a minute of standing, they charged and tried to strike each other, only to block one another.

Emily tried to deliver a few punches, but the Dragoness dodged left, right, down, and blocked four times. Saphira did the same, with Emily able to dodge and block, but the Dragoness was quite crafty, especially when she caught Emily a few times with the tail as she used it as a makeshift whip.

Saphira used her tail to grab Emily and tossed her further away. But thankfully, the human girl landed safely on both her feet.

“Wow,” thought Emily as she wiped the sweat away from her mouth, “She’s a lot tougher than I thought. But I can’t give up now. Everyone’s counting on us.”

She charged toward the Dragoness and delivered a high kick, but Saphira could dodge it, allowing the two to continue their fight. The two kept blocking to and fro, trying to oust the other. Emily was able to get an advantage over the Dragoness and remembered using some moves she remembered from her favorite female avenger, Black Widow.

However, just as she thought she’d win, the Dragoness pulled out a sword and lit itself in flames. Now Emily was in trouble. She didn’t have training this intense when she started out. Oh, how she envies the Shaolin monks for undergoing such intense training. She kept dodging left and right to avoid any blade strikes. But she couldn’t avoid the flame. When she wasn’t looking, the Dragoness ended up kicking her away. Emily skidded on the ground until she was close to the item that Storm Fly gave her. Emily struggled to get up, for she wasn’t going to give up, not now, not ever. But as she looked at what Storm Fly gave her, she was surprised to see what was inside; a Dragon Halberd. The Halberd is a long green shaft topped with a saber-like blade within its jaws, while at the other end was a trident head modeled after a dragon’s claw. She was brought out of her thinking when she saw Saphira attack. Emily realized that she didn’t have any other choice but to use the Halberd.

She quickly dodged, grabbed the halberd, and stood in position. Saphira noticed the weapon but ignored it, focusing on her opponent. Saphira charged again and struck, but Emily used her weapon to block it. To her surprise, the weapon kept the heat away from her, which could work to her advantage. She twirled the Halberd around as if it were an extension of her arm. She kept blocking left and right and parried some attacks, but the Dragoness was quite tough.

As the two kept their distance, waiting to strike one another. Emily had an idea, two in fact. One, she began to twirl the Halberd around as if it were a bo-staff. This confused Saphira, not knowing what she was planning, but she kept her stance.

“If you think I’m foolish to attack you without a plan, you’re surely mistaken.” Said Saphira.

Then Emily did the second part of a plan, which was the biggest insult language that would make any dragon angry. Dragon Lord Ember taught her something that would make any dragon angry. Emily smirked and said, “At least I’m not the biggest Darkle Feeble Beiger!!”

The Dragoness widened her eyes in shock, instantly making her angry, and charged towards her, which Emily was counting on, allowing her to swat Saphira backward and skid on the ground. She quickly got back up, and Emily kept her stance and maneuver.

“What’s the matter Agley Dauber?!!” taunted Emily. “Can’t beat a human?!”

Saphira got even angrier and charged while her sword was still on fire, but Emily swatted her hard on the gut, making Saphira grunt. And with great force, Emily swatted her away, making the Dragoness crash against the wall, then fall hard onto the ground.

Saphira groaned in pain as she stood up. But the moment she was on both her knees, Emily appeared from out of nowhere, aiming the trident part of her halberd straight at her. Both panted, exhausted from the battle.

“Do it then.” said Saphira. “Let us finish this fight.”

Emily then realized that this wasn’t what Spike would do. He would do what was right, accept those in a heartbeat, and even help those in need, no matter how different they were. Maybe this is why she loved him so much. She lowered her halberd and stood on one knee, pulled out her water can, and presented it to her, offering her some water. Saphira looked at it for a moment. At first, she was hesitant, but she realized that Emily had a good spirit, which a dragon can tell. She smiled and accepted it, allowing her to take a sip while Emily sat down, for it was quite the battle she endured.

“You have done well for a human.” said Saphira, impressed by Emily’s skills.

“I did some training back in my old home.” said Emily. “I still train every day. And it helps to put a little brother in his place every now and then.”

“I noticed.” said Saphira. “But if I might ask, how did you know about our language?”

“I learned it from my hubby, who happens to be a friend of Dragon Lord Ember from the Dragon Lands.” said Emily.

“Really?” said Saphira. “I’ve heard about another dragon kingdom, but we weren’t sure where. And you say that you learned it from your lover?”

“Yeah,” said Emily “His name’s Spike. He’s also a dragon.”

Saphira did a spit-take and was shocked to hear that. “You…fell in love…with a Dragon?”

“Yeah,” chuckled Emily. “When my brother and I first came to Equestria, we were confused and puzzled about where we were. But we soon got used to living in Equestria. My brother fell in love with a certain pony. She represented one of the Element bearers and helped him smile. Those two are crazy for each other. They even had kids later on.”

“And what about you?” asked Saphira after she handed Emily’s water can back.

“I helped Spike get out of his funk.” said Emily.

“What was wrong?” asked Saphira.

“See, when he first came to Ponyville with Princess Twilight,” said Emily “He had a crush on a certain fashion pony named Rarity, who happens to represent the Element of Generosity. But he failed to realize that it wasn’t going to happen, but he didn’t give up on trying. That was, until a human named Jim Silver, but now goes by Silver, came along, and Rarity fell in love with him. Poor Spike had been heartbroken, so I tried to help him in his time of need. Soon enough, we just clicked. And we’ve been going steady ever since.”

“Impressive,” said Saphira. “No one would fall in love with a dragon right off the hilt of a sword.”

“They haven’t met me.” said Emily “Sometimes love can surprise anyone.”

“On that, we can agree.” said Saphira, allowing the two to share a burst of laughter.

Until a voice called out, “Mommy, are you done yet?”

They looked to their left, and to Emily’s surprise, it was none other than Storm Fly.

“Storm Fly.” said Saphira. Storm ran over and hugged her mother, which surprised Emily.

“Wait, she’s your daughter?” asked Emily.

“Of course, she is, why…” said Saphira, until she noticed her daughter had a bandage on her wing. “What happened?”

“I had an accident.” said Storm Fly. “But the human here was nice enough to treat and bandage my wing. She even brought me up here so I could wait for you outside.”

Saphira looked at Emily, surprised, with the said human blushing at that.

“You…helped my daughter?” asked Saphira.

“Well, of course,” said Emily. “What am I, a monster? I would never leave a child or anyone else like that. It’s both wrong and cruel. I would do whatever it took to ensure they would remain safe or help them in their time of need.”

Emily was able to stand up and continued.

“We may be different, but a certain somepony named Sunset Shimmer once taught me. Everyone in life matters, no matter how insignificant or invisible they feel.”

Saphira was surprised by the wisdom she displayed. Maybe humans weren’t so bad after all. She smiled and stood up.

“You are kind and compassionate, Emily Frost,” said the Dragoness. “You even help those in need without hesitation, and you helped them despite being different. You have more than proven yourself. Come with me.”

Saphira led Emily to the chest with Storm Fly in tow. As they stood near it, Saphira unlocked the chest. As she opened it, it revealed a large item, allowing her to pull it out.

“What is that?” said Emily when she wondered what it was.

“This is called a Driver.” said Saphira “The power of the Knights once flowed through this, but since its original owner died, it remained inert. Now it seeks a new owner who understands the true meaning of compassion and love.”

The Driver suddenly glowed pink, allowing it to float right into Emily’s hand, taking her surprise, with Saphira smiling and saying, “It has chosen a worthy successor.”

The two of them stood up while Emily bowed in respect.

“Thank you for the opportunity.” said Emily. She handed the weapon she used for combat back and said, “I think this belongs to you.”

Saphira merely nodded no and pushed it back to her, surprising Emily.

“The weapon is part of it, too.” said Saphira. “Use them wisely.”

Emily smiled and bowed again, then said, “Thank you.”

She then noticed part of the floor beneath her was glowing, with Saphira saying, “It seems your test is done. Now go, return to your friends. Your trial is far from over.”

“Alright,” said Emily, “I hope we meet again. Get to know one another.”

Saphira merely smiled and said, “I look forward to it.”

And just like that, Emily disappeared back to where Moria resided.
> Chapter 6: A Knight's Trial part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier, at the same time after they disappeared, Frosty was also unconscious for some time. He slowly began to stir and slowly woke up. He soon sat up and rubbed his head.

“Damn, I have the worst hangover, and I didn’t even take the heavy cider to beat Bolt in the contest with.” said Frosty. Everything was silent, for he noticed that nobody was around while saying to himself, “That would’ve been funny if there were more people to listen to it.”

He slowly stood up and looked around, noticing that he was in the middle of a forest. He wondered where he was.

“Huh,” said Frosty, “I wonder where in the world I am. I don’t recognize this place, yet…it feels so…familiar.”

He walked down the woods, thinking about what he should do. But unknown to him, a shadowed individual followed him while also revealing some floppy ears. Frosty continued to walk through the woods, wondering where to go next, while the floppy- eared individual kept popping up from one spot to the next.

But as Frosty walked, he decided to entertain himself as he sang an old song that he once heard a long time ago.

(Frosty)

Oh, I come from Alabama

With my banjo on my knee

And I’m going to Louisiana

My true love for to see.

Oh, Susanna, now don’t you cry for me

For I come from Alabama, with my banjo on my knee

The individual who listened to him singing thought it was entertaining, so he came

out, revealing a strange-looking Anthro rabbit wearing a type of sweater that would be

the size of a child. He dusted himself and walked over to Frosty.

(Frosty)

For it rained all night the day I left

The weather was o so dry

The sun so hot

I froze to death

Susanna, don’t you cry

Oh, Susanna, now don’t you cry for me

For I come from Alabama, with my banjo on my knee

The Anthro rabbit liked the song, and before Frosty realized it, the rabbit began to

sing with him:

(Frosty &amp; Rabbit)

I had a dream the other night

When everything was still

I thought I saw Susanna

A-comin” down the hill

Oh, Susanna, now don’t you cry for me

For I come from Alabama, with my banjo on my knee

Both Frosty and the Rabbit stood still and sang together with smiles on their faces:

(Frosty &amp; Rabbit)

A buckwheat cake was in her mouth, a tear was in her eye

I said, “I come from Dixie Land; Susanna, don’t you cry!”

Oh, Susanna, now don’t you cry for me

For I come from Alabama, with my banjo on my knee

However, just as Frosty had a few steps away, the rabbit sang, “Good evening, friends!!!”

Frosty jumped in shock and instantly looked back, with the rabbit saying “Boo.”

“YEOW!!!”

Frosty fell over his back from fright. He quickly lifted his head and looked. It looked like Buster Bunny from Tiny Toon Adventures. He couldn’t explain it, but the likeness was uncanny.

“Eh,” said the rabbit as he ate a carrot. “What’s up doc? The names Jester, Jester Bunny.”

Frosty groaned as he rolled his eyes. “Oh great,” thought Frosty, “A rip-off version of Bugs Bunny.”

“Why the long face, pal,” said Jester Rabbit as he leaned in closer with his head twisted like Pinkie Pie on a good day. “Don’t you wanna know why I…”

“Now hold on there, bub!!”

Then they saw a black anthropomorphic duck with a white vest coming down, stomping his way toward the rabbit.

“You gotta be kidding me,” thought Frosty to himself again. “What is this, the Looney/Tiny Tunes recap?”

“I thought we agreed that I would be the one who would host the trial here.” said the duck as he was close enough

“Plucky, we’ve been over this,” said Jester Rabbit while rolling his eyes. “You had your chance a hundred years ago and blew it. Besides, the other Guardians agreed I would be a viable choice, and you got kicked out after failing to fulfill your contract.”

“Hey, they gave me an unfair candidate to host a trial for.”

“You’re so-called trial led him to disaster, and he was unworthy from the start because he selfishly wanted the power for himself.”

“How was I supposed to know that goat was going to do that to him?!!”

“Newsflash, ducky, you have no sense when it comes to hosting a trial!! You’re staler than a moldy carrot on a good day!!”

Now Frosty was confused by what was going on.

“So, how will we solve who’s going to host him?” said Plucky Duck.

“I got an idea,” said the rabbit as he suddenly pulled out a shotgun, much to Frosty’s shock. “The human gets to shoot one of us.”

“Oh shit,” said Frosty from within his head, “This does feel like Looney Tunes.”

The rabbit handed Frosty a shotgun, which he felt uneasy about. He looked at him and said, “Uh, what am I supposed to do here?”

“Oh, that’s simple.” said Jester Rabbit as he aimed it at the duck. “You have to shoot him because its duck season.”

“What?!!” shouted Plucky Duck as he grabbed the shotgun and pointed it at the rabbit.

“Oh, no, you don’t!! It’s rabbit season!!”

Suddenly, things got crazy as they switched the shotgun back and forth.

“No, duck season.”

“Rabbit season!!”

“Duck season!!”

“Rabbit season!!”

When all of a sudden.

“Rabbit season!!” said Jester Rabbit.

“Duck season!!” said Plucky Duck.

“Rabbit season!!”

“I said its Duck season!! Now shoot me!!”

Frosty suddenly looked at the readers (Yeah, talking to you, Bronies out there), shrugged, and shot Plucky, covering him in soot. The duck slowly looked at the rabbit and said, “You’re despicable.”

Plucky fell over and became unconscious. Frosty looked at the duck, the shotgun, then back to the rabbit.

“Do I even wanna know?” asked Frosty as he tossed the shotgun away, only for it to go off and make Frosty duck in an instant.

Jester Bunny hopped around in a bouncy ball shaped like a horse. “When we were picked as guardians, the choices were between me and Plucky, the duck. Unfortunately, things ended in disaster when Plucky tested out the last candidate.”

“And what makes me any different?” asked Frosty.

“Well,” said Jester as he floated around Frosty. “From what I could read, you’ve mated with an individual who has a knack for making others laugh.”

Frosty’s eyes widened while also looking at Jester and said, “How do you…?”

“Know Pinkie Pie?” said Jester “Oh, that’s simple, she’s a member of the fourth wall breaker’s club. Meaning we can break the fourth wall that leaves others baffled.”

“Break the…” said Frosty, but his eyes widened; looking at the rabbit and said, “So that’s why Pinkie does what she does!!”

“Yep,” said the Rabbit as he landed on his shoulder, “She’s talked about you a lot. She even helped make you smile when you first got here. Before she knew it, she fell head over heels for you.”

Frosty couldn’t help but blush at that, but he also smiled, thinking, “Wow, even out from beyond, Pinkie Pie talks about me. Now I love her more than ever.”

“So then,” said Jester Rabbit as he leaned over while being face to face with Frosty,

“How’s about we test you to see if you are worthy?”

“Worthy?” asked Frosty.

“You know,” said Jester Rabbit, “To see if you’re worthy to wield whatever you need to defeat the big bad. You know, the classic.”

Frosty thought, ‘Knowing that rabbit, he’s going to pull Bugs Buster and Babs Bunny on me the moment I do this race. But it’s not time to think about it. If it means protecting my home, I have to take it.’

“So, what do you say?” said Jester Rabbit.

“Alright, I’ll do it.” said Frosty. “But go easy on me. It’ll be my first time. So…what do you have in mind?”

“A race, silly filly.” said the Rabbit.

“Yep,” thought Frosty to himself again, “Knew he would suggest that.”

Jester pulled out a map and showed Frosty the racing route. “See, we start from here. Once we do that, we’ll go through certain parts of this place with our special checkpoints. The end of the race will be at the end of the race. We’ll determine if you’re worthy if you beat me in a race.”

Frosty sighed while rolling his eyes. He didn’t want to do it, but for the sake of Equestria, he had to do it. Not just for Equestria but for his family. “Alright, I’ll do it. But I’ll probably hate myself in the morning.”

“Hey, that’s my line.” said the rabbit, making Frosty confused.

Soon enough, the two of them were ready, with Plucky standing on the side, forcing him to be the guy to start the race.

“On your marks,” said Jester as he moved a few paces forward. “Get set,” and within a split second, he was halfway away from Frosty as he shouted, “Go!!”

Frosty groaned aloud, “Of course, he would pull a Bugs Bunny on me!!”

Frosty then ran as if his life depended on it. He kept on running until he could catch sight of the rabbit. “Hey, there he….”

But he spoke too soon as he suddenly had a pie in the face, making him land on the ground. Jester then came out and laughed at Frosty before darting off, with Frosty wiping the pie from his face, for he was now mad. He ran after the rabbit with all his speed. He was able to catch up with the rabbit again.

“Okay,” said Frosty. “This time I….”

But this time, he was tricked, for he ran into a brick wall, making him collapse onto the ground. Thankfully his head wasn’t bleeding, with Frosty groaning in anger, “Okay, that’s it!!”

He ran after the rabbit once more, but no matter how hard he tried, he kept encountering a whoopee cushion, pie in the face, rubber chicken, humming bees, as well as a handful of wild animals, especially the few bears that he somehow recognized from the Bugs Bunny shows.

He was about halfway to the race, but he just sat down and said, “Oh, who am I kidding? How the heck am I supposed to prove to him I’m worthy if I can’t even beat a stupid fuzzy animal!!”

He nearly shed a tear and said, “I’m sorry, Pinkie. I’m so sorry.”

He then heard a throat clearing. He looked to his left and saw the duck leaning against the tree, making him groan and ask, “What do you want?”

“Easy there, bub,” said Plucky. “I’m here to help you.”

“You, help me?” said Frosty in disbelief.

“Well, of course,” said Plucky. “You think you’re the only one sick and tired of that rabbit showing off whenever he tests others? I’m the most highly skilled one there is, I even did a lot of advanced stuff before he came along, and he made me look bad. You’re not the only one who wants to put him in his place.”

“But how the heck am I supposed to beat him?” asked Frosty. “He keeps pulling a Bugs Bunny on me, and I can’t beat him. How the heck am I supposed to beat him?”

“By beating him at his own game.” said Plucky.

“Uh, I don’t know if you’ve noticed,” said Frosty. “But I’m not exactly a fourth wall breaker like you here.”

“No, but I can show you.” said Plucky as he pulled out a tent with the words “Advance Fourth Wall Breaking lessons. Plucky said, “You can learn everything there is to know about breaking the fourth wall.”

“But…I don’t want to be a cheater.” said Frosty, then looked down and said, “I don’t want to let them down. I don’t even want to let my wife down.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” said a familiar voice. To Frosty’s shock, it was none other than Pinkie Pie, along with Peacon and Lemon Pie.

“Pinkie! Kids!” said Frosty as he stood up, baffled and shocked. “How…how did you get here?”

“Oh, Pinkie sense silly.” said Pinkie with a playful wave from her left hand.

“Our Pie senses were tingling, and we felt that you were in trouble.” said Peacon Pie.

“So, we rushed over with the power of the 4th Wall,” said Lemon Pie before she suddenly popped out of nowhere with a Sigmund Freud outfit and sat next to her father, then spoke in a German accent. “Now tell me, what seems to be the problem?”

Frosty sighed, then spoke to his family, “I was being tested by a rabbit who also breaks the 4th Wall like all of you. I’m being tested by trying to beat it in a race, but no matter how hard I try, it keeps pulling a Bugs Bunny on me. Sometimes I wonder if I’m even cut out for something like that.”

He looked down in doubt and said, “Like if I’m worthy enough to be a husband and a father.”

The Pies were a little surprised by this, but Frosty went on.

“When I first met you, Pinkie,” said Frosty as he began, “I was a bit skeptical; I didn’t want to laugh because all joy I had was sucked out of me after I lost my parents.”

He looked at Pinkie Pie as he continued, “But after you met me, you never gave up trying to make me smile. When I did, I fell head over heels for you. I loved your laughter, your smile, and how you tried to make others smile. You do a lot of things that I couldn’t. I wished I could do all the things you did, so I could repay what you did for me. When Chrysalis kidnapped you, I felt so helpless. I…don’t want to let you and our kids down again.”

They were silent for a moment until Pinkie sat at his left, with Peacon sitting on his right and Lemon sitting on his lap. The three of them hugged Frosty.

“Aw, Frosty,” said Pinkie after she wiped a tear away and broke the hug. ““You don’t need to prove yourself. You’re perfect just the way you are.”

“Yeah,” said Peacon Pie, “We don’t care if you’re different. Your mommy’s hubby and mine and Lemon’s daddy.”

“Yeah,” said Lemon Pie, “Whether you’re a 4th Wall breaker or an average Joe, you’ll always be the daddy we love.”

“And besides,” said Pinkie Pie as she reassured him, “You never let us down. You’ve always been there every step of the way.”

She suddenly whispered to him, “Especially on our “happy ending” massages.”

Frosty couldn’t help but blush out of embarrassment like that. For, in a way, she did have a point.

“And besides, we’ll always love you, no matter what.” said Pinkie Pie. She suddenly picked him up, placed him on both his legs, and said, “Now, what are you waiting for. Get going and beat that rabbit at his own game.”

Pinkie and the kids kissed him full Animaniacs style, pulled away, and disappeared, taking him by surprise. He couldn’t help but smile and said, “Thanks, guys.”

He then turned around, aimed straight for the tent, and said, “Move over, bub!! Papa’s gonna be a 4th Wall breaker!!”

He instantly dashed straight into the tent while the duck watched. The tent made tons of comedic noises, tons of booms, tons of party poppers, tons of fireworks, and finally, cannon firing. He finally came out, wearing a diploma, graduation robes, and a hat. He looked at himself and was surprised.

He looked at Plucky and said, “How long was I in there?”

“About ten seconds.” said Plucky.

“Why is Hasbro, Warner Brothers, and Disney not bothering to fund all of this?!!” exclaimed Frosty.

“You know how most are with their budget cuts.” said Plucky, “So, what are ya gonna do?”

Frosty began to think, for if he had to face a 4th Wall Breaker, he had to use the power of 4th Wall Breaking. He snapped his finger, for he had an idea. There was a way to beat him at his own game. A little “Tortoise beats Hare,” to be precise.

“I think I have an idea.” said Frosty. “But I’m gonna need some help.”

He then reached his hand for something, dug around a bit, and pulled something with him. Plucky was surprised to see what he pulled, with the duck smirking and said, “Oh, this is going to be good.”



5 minutes later



Jester was hopping away from up ahead, heading straight for the finish line. That was until someone was standing near a tree, none other than Frosty. He then ran ahead, with the rabbit catching up. He was at first surprised to see Frosty but decided to hop next to him to mess with him a bit more.

“Hey there, bub,” said Jester. “Didn’t know you would catch up so fast.”

“I did.” said Frosty as he playfully jogged. “All because I remembered to tie my own shoes. But you’re lucky you don’t have shoelaces, but rocket boots instead.”

“Huh?” said Jester as he looked down. To his surprise, he was wearing jet boots. He instantly stopped and said, “How the heck did I…?”

But before he could react, the jet boots activated, causing him to fly straight in the opposite direction. Frosty couldn’t help but chuckle as he said, “Wow, now I know why Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck like to do this kind of stuff.”

He then revved up like a car and darted straight toward the finish line, waiting for the rabbit to come past him. Soon the rabbit returned from the same spot he was launched from, panting from exhaustion. Then growled after he took the shoes off.

“Nobody makes a monkey out of me,” said Jester. “And I’m not even a monkey.”

He soon darted after Frosty, trying to catch up with him. Until he saw a shooting gallery, instantly stopping as he saw a vendor (Who was Frosty in disguise) standing in attention with his stick.

“Step right up folks,” said Frosty “Shoot all ten targets while singing the little Indian song and receive a grand prize!!”

Jester kept looking in one direction, thought about it, and said, “Oh, alright. Maybe a quick game.”

Jester picked up the weapon and began to shoot at the targets, then he began to sing.

“One little two little three little Indians. Four little five little six little Indians. Seven little, eight little nine little Indians.”

Frosty suddenly popped up from nowhere, surprising Jester as he shouted, “Ten little Indian boys!!”

Frosty opened up a little box, causing a large boxing glove to pop out and punch Jester ten feet away from him. Frosty ended up jumping out and ran for the hills. Meanwhile, a few feet away, Jester got up from his landing spot and said, “Well played, doc. Well played.”

The rabbit continued to chase after Frosty, determined to try and catch up with him and beat him in the race. But as he continued his way, he suddenly heard native music. Jester stopped and looked around, following the sound. As he finally, he suddenly saw a native (Frosty in disguise) dancing around while native songs were being played. Frosty stopped and spotted him.

“Ah, a native.” said Frosty in an African accent. “Welcome to the forest of the Frosty Wosty Clan.”

He placed a funny-looking flower over the rabbit’s neck, which the rabbit somehow liked. Frosty pulled out a carrot (disguised as dynamite) and handed it over to him, and said, “Have a carrot.”

The rabbit accepted the carrot and began to chew on it, unknowingly that the dynamite was lit. Frosty then ended up being in position and said, “Exit…stage left.”

As Frosty darted off at the speed of light. And just when the rabbit was about to take another bite, the dynamite exploded, leaving him covered in soot, and he fainted from the explosion.

“Oooooohhh!!” went Jester as he got really angry. “That guy is asking for it now!!”

The rabbit darted like a speeding rocket to catch up with Frosty. But instead, Frosty was resting against a tree while drinking a soda, enjoying the forest air. He then saw Jester Rabbit dart right past him. After Frosty finished with his soda, he tossed the bottle away in a recycle bin with a smug look.

“I’m glad that the writers and editors let me do this.” said Frosty. He shook his head and said, “Whoa, better be careful there. 4th Wall breaking is more my wife’s thing.”

Half a mile later, Jester had set up a bunch of crazy barricades all over the place so that Frosty couldn’t get past him. He placed barbed wires, dug trenches, placed rock piles, and placed log piles. After he placed the final log down, Frosty chuckled.

“That ought to slow that hairless monkey down.” said Jester as he dusted his hands.

“Eeyup, that’s a tough one.” said a mysterious voice.

Jester shook the person’s hand and said, “You said it, brother.”

However, when Jester took a good look, it was none other than Frosty with a smirk on his face. He kissed Jester on the nose, making the rabbit stammer in shock. Causing the said rabbit to dart like a speeding rocket further away from him.

He quickly crossed a vine-like bridge and cut the vines, allowing them to fall to pieces. Then he quickly climbed onto the tree to see if there was any sign of him.

“Lovely view, isn’t it?” said a voice.

“Yeah, it is…” said Jester before he stopped in shock.

When he looked up, he was once again in shock, for right above him was Frosty. The rabbit stammered in shock, with Frosty kissing him on the nose again. The Rabbit quickly darted down the tree and ran straight for the finish line. First, he jumped like a rabbit, then he jumped like a frog, then he ran with his legs spinning like a wheel, then he ran as if he was the flash. With the finish line in sight, he jumped and skidded on the ground.

After he crossed the finish line, out of breath and panting, Jester slowly looked back and began to laugh, for he had just won the race as he slowly stood up, puffing his chest in pride, knowing he had just beaten his opponent.

“Uh, hey, uh, Speedy?”

Jester immediately winced, then looked back in shock, with Frosty resting against the tree with his umbrella drink and looking at him with a smirk. “What uh, kept ya?”

Jester then began to stammer, getting mad but also very speechless. Then yelled, “How did you do that?!!”

“Oh, I’ll tell you.” said another voice.

At the same time, both Frosty and Jester spotted Plucky, along with a turtle that Jester knew all too well.

“Oh no.” muttered Jester as he released his grip from Frosty’s shirt.

“He was able to learn an important lesson here,” said the turtle. “Of how overconfidence can be ones downfall, how slow and steady wins the race. And more importantly, how he was able to release a ton of good gags.”

“I’ll say.” said Plucky as he laughed. “He used your own gags against you.”

“I guess I just needed a reason to keep on laughing.” said Frosty.

“That,” said a familiar voice as it was none other than Pinkie, Peacon, and Lemon Pie, all with their own cheering outfits. “And you channeled your inner fourth wall. I’m so proud.”

“Therefore, Barry Frost of Earth, otherwise known as Frosty from his wife,” said the turtle while randomly pulling out a stick that said “Honorary 4th Wall Breaker” and knighted him with it. “I hereby dub thee, honorary 4th Wall breaker. And you being worthy of receiving your prize.” Pinkie instantly hugged her husband, as did Peacon and Lemon Pie. Frosty hugged his family and said “Thank you so much for the support.”

“No problem, Frosty.” said Pinkie as she kissed her husband. “See you back at Equestria.”

Pinkie, Peacon, and Lemon Pie disappeared within a split second as they were all back at Equestria. Frosty couldn’t help but chuckle, for he had something to look forward to once he got home.

“Alright, Jester,” said the turtle, “Hand him the chest.”

Jester grumbled and handed Frosty the Chest. The turtle went over and opened the chest, allowing him to pull something out.

“Not only with your power to smile during dangerous times,” said the turtle, “But you also have learned to perform gags and make others laugh through your silliness and comedic spirit. And because of your ability to make others laugh, you too have become worthy of by proving yourself.”

He pulled out the item and presented it to him. Frosty wondered what it was, with the turtle saying, “That there is called a Driver,” said the turtle. “Like many others before you, the power of the Knights once flowed through this, but since the original bearer of laughter died, it remained inert for those who are unworthy. But after it sensed your comedic spirit, it has chosen you.”

The Driver suddenly glowed brown, allowing it to float right into Frosty’s hands, taking him by surprise, with the turtle walking over and saying, “After all these years, it has finally chosen a new owner. Use it well.”

Frosty stood up and bowed, saying, “Thank you, o wise one.”

Jester gagged at that and said, “What a kiss up. I would’ve won without any shenanigans”

Frosty overheard that, making him smirk. He suddenly pulled a War hammer out of nowhere, lifted it like a golf club, and shouted, “AH, SHUT UP!!!”

And with one big swing, he swatted Jester far away, making the rabbit fly toward the horizon. The others couldn’t help but clap their hands, with Frosty bowing. Suddenly, the ground beneath him began to glow, with the turtle saying, “Your test is now over. Time for you to go back with your friends.”

“Catch you on the flip side, human.” said Plucky as he waved goodbye.

“I’ll hold you up to that!!” said Frosty as he waved goodbye, then suddenly looked right at us and said, “Hey, Postwarmonkey 50 and Dragonknight92!! Why are you still lingering around me?!! Get a move on and finish this chapter already. Bolt’s already waiting!!”

Frosty suddenly shook his head, held the side of it, and said, “Whoa, that was trippy.”

And just like that, Frosty disappeared and returned to Moria to reunite with his friends. The turtle chuckled and said, “I like him. He’s silly.”
> Chapter 7: A Knight's Trial part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the same time, after all of them had disappeared from Moria, Bolt was unconscious, but his hair moved a bit for some reason. He slowly began to wake up as he slowly opened his eyes. Things were blurry, but he was eventually able to see everything. That was until he saw a fish go by him.

“Wait, was that a school of fish?” thought Bolt. That was until he widened his eyes in shock. “But that means I’m…?!!!”

He suddenly stood up and gasped out loud, as if he couldn’t breathe, for he was underwater. No, not underwater, under the ocean. But as he flailed and wailed, he suddenly realized he could breathe.

“Wait,” said Bolt as he was able to speak, “I can breathe underwater?”

“Why, of course, you can.”

Bolt was surprised to hear a voice underwater. He widened his eyes in shock. Behind him was a Seapony. She looked like Rainbow Dash, besides the tail fin.

“Bout time you woke up,” said the Seapony with a smirk on her mouth.

Bolt was taken aback, for she looked like Rainbow Dash; she sounded like Rainbow Dash. But does she act like her? He wondered…

“Aw, you look so cute.” said Bolt in a sweet tone.

Suddenly, she felt flustered, blushed, and slapped him as she said, “S-shut up!!”

Bolt had an unamused look on his face, then thought to himself, “Yep, she’s definitely like Rainbow Dash, alright.”

The seapony cleared her throat and said, “So, welcome to your trial.”

“Trial?” said Bolt “What Trial?”

“Something that tests you out.” said a voice.

Bolt’s ears perked up at that. He turned around and, to his shock, were four individuals he knew all too well, for they were none other than his cousins.

“What?” said Bolt softly, then spoke so they could hear him. “John? Bobby? Clint? Coop? How the heck is this possible?”

“Oh, we’re not your cousins.” said John.

“We just happen to have chosen this appearance to make you more comfortable.” Said Bobby.

“Comfortable?” said a confused Bolt.

“We know how close you chose to be with your cousins ever since what your father did.” said Clint, making Bolt wince at the mention of his father.

“We know how much you missed them,” said Coop “They were the only ones who felt like they were both brothers to you.”

Bolt looked down, saddened, for it was true; he missed his cousins. John swam up to him, placing his hand on Bolt’s shoulder, gaining his attention.

“Hey, no worries.” said John “Everyone loses those they care about from time to time.”

“Death is a natural part of life.” said Bobby. “But life goes on, and we must find a way to go with it.”

“Okay, okay,” said the seapony who looks like Rainbow Dash, “Enough with the mushy stuff. Can we get a move on?”

Suddenly, Clint wrapped his arm around her, surprising the seapony with a blush, and said, “Now, Coral, we talked about this. When we give trials….”

“We need to be patient, I know.” said Coral. “I just don’t like waiting for so long.”

“You know, you remind me of my wife,” said Bolt, until he had a deadpanned expression as he said, “You both have the patience of a sparrow.”

“Excuse me?!” shouted Coral as she was over his face.

“He has a point, ya know,” said Clint. “You need to learn to take things slow from time to time.”

“I don’t like to go slow!!” shouted Coral.

“Anyway,” said John as he gained their attention while looking at Bolt, “Our trial is very simple. We need you to help us.”

“Help you with what?” asked Beau.

“Why to retrieve our treasure.” said Bobby. “They were all stolen by an enemy of the sea known as Piranacon and his Sea Witch.”

“In other words, we are to be like pirates.” said Bolt.

“Precisely.” said Coop.

“Something tells me this isn’t going to be easy.” said Bolt.

“Nope,” said Clint “For you to help us succeed, you’ll need an upgrade.”

“Upgrade?” said Bolt with a flexed eyebrow.

The four Bolton cousins” bodies began to glow instantly and transform. Once they were done, Bolt was stunned and taken aback by what they had turned into. The four cousins have turned into large creatures who greatly resemble his favorite TV show, Street Sharks. John had turned into Ripster, a Great White Shark. Bobby had turned into Streex, a Tiger Shark. Clint had turned into Jab, a Hammerhead Shark. And Coop had turned into Slammu, a Whale Shark.

Bolt’s mouth was a bit hung open, with Coral swimming close to him with a smirk and said, “Pretty awesome, huh?”

She could close Bolt’s mouth, but he suddenly realized something and said, “Why do they look like Street Sharks?”

“Again,” said John with Ripster’s voice, “We wanted to turn into something you were familiar with.”

“So that means we’re gonna have to give you the same power we do,” said Bobby with Streex’s voice. “But only temporarily, of course.”

All four of the Guardians raised their hands, allowing them to energize themselves and fire a bit of energy each at Bolt, causing him to glow and transform while he closed his eyes. Once they were done, he opened his eyes. He was a shark.

“Whoa, cool.” said Bolt as he admired the form.

“You chose a Megalodon?” asked Coral.

“The Megalodon shark has been one of my favorite sea predators since I was a kid. Whenever I saw that shark, I was mesmerized. I made many fanfiction stories about me becoming one and fighting alongside the Street Sharks. They were my all-time favorites.”

“See,” said Clint in Jab’s voice, “Told you he’d like it.”

“So,” said John, “Shall we?”

The lot began to swim towards their destination, wherever it might be for Bolt to face his next test.

They swam and swam for about an hour until finally, they arrived at their destination. When they arrived, Bolt was surprised to see what it was. They were Schooners, Galleons, Brigs, Frigates, and Man-O-Wars, littered throughout the entire area.

“Whoa,” said Bolt, “That…is a lot of ships.”

“Welcome to Shipwreck Grove,” said Bobby.

“Where thousands of ships had been sunken during the last great sea war.” said Clint.

“Great Sea War?” asked Bolt.

“Long ago,” said Coop, “The sea was littered with thousands of shark men who would sink any cargo ship. Then one day, Caribouria gathered all their warships and headed straight to their territory. But the Shark Men surprised them with ships of their own. The battle lasted for almost three days. Though the Shark Men and their ships have been destroyed, many forces of Caribouria had lost their lives trying to tame the sea.”

“Damn,” said Bolt, “Twilight would have a field day with this information. So, I assume this Captain is in charge of this area?”

“That he is,” said Coral, “Along with hundreds of his Piranha warriors.”

“Then we’d better try to sneak our way…” said Bolt, until Coral cut him off.

“Forget sneaking. Let’s go there now!!” shouted Coral as she darted off.

“Coral!!” shouted John, for he couldn’t believe she was doing it again.

“Man,” said Bolt as he looked at Coral, “She is like my wife.”

Bolt and the rest followed suit to ensure that Coral would be safe. As they swam, John shouted, “Coral!! Get back here now!!”

“What’s the big deal?!” shouted Coral as she swam ahead. “The treasures in the big ship, and it’s right….”

However, Bolt saw a stray harpoon going straight toward her and shouted, “Watch out!!”

He quickly swam toward her and grabbed her, causing him to shield her as he was shot in the shoulder, making him shout in pain. As he stopped, Coral was shocked that Bolt got hurt; even the Guardians went over to see if he was alright.

“You good?” asked Coop.

“Just pull the thing out of my shoulder.” said Bolt, allowing Bobby to pull it out, making Bolt wince in pain.

“What in Tartarus was that?” said Clint.

On the other hand, John looked closer at the spear’s tip. He realized what it was as he said, “Piranha Khans.”

The Guardians stood in a circle formation to protect Coral and Bolt. But he was just as ready to face them. All around them were all Anthropomorphic Piranhas, all wearing what appeared to resemble the Khans from the days of ancient China. From the looks of them, these guys don’t like to mess around. At the same time, appearing on what appeared to be a seahorse was ridden by a Piranha that’s armor looked different. From what Bolt could guess, that guy resembled a lot to Genghis Khan.

“Who dares enter the territory of Captain Piranacon!!” bellowed the leader.

“We’ve come for the treasure you’ve stolen!!” shouted John.

“Are you really?” said the captain with a coy grin.

“That treasure doesn’t belong to you!!” shouted Coop “We are the rightful guardians and protectors!! And you are not worthy of keeping it!!”

“Oh, but we shall.” said a familiar voice. Right next to the Piranha leader was what appeared to be a Sea Witch of sorts. But to Bolt’s shock, the Sea Witch looked like Chrysalis. “Soon, the treasure shall belong to us, and once we unlock it, we will….”

“YOU!!!” shouted Bolt as he cut the Sea Witch off, causing him to charge towards the Sea Witch, taking her by surprise as she was instantly tackled over.

Everyone watched in shock and surprise that not only did Bolt charge and tackle her, but he was beating her up.

“Uh, I think he might know her.” said Coral as she pointed it out.

“Get this barbaric brute off me!!” shouted the Sea Witch.

Both of her eels came to defend her, but out of instinct, Bolt chomped on both of them hard, killing them in the process.

“Get them all!!” shouted Piranacon, allowing the Piranha to attack head-on, with the sharks having no choice but to fight.

“Guess we are doing this then.” said Coop as he and the others charged.

John swam around at an alarming speed, munching on a few Piranha warriors. Coop smashed a few with his double fists. Clint used his hard head to bash through the Piranha blockade, while Bobby smashed his way through by grabbing a huge boulder and smashing them. But Bolt was so focused on the Sea Witch he didn’t realize that they were being surrounded. Realizing they needed a quick escape, Coral had to perform the biggest cover they’d ever seen; by going fast.

“Gotta go fast!!” shouted Coral as she swam super-fast. She swam so fast she created the biggest tornado-like whirlpool, sucking most of the Piranha warriors away, while Piranacon had to get to cover quickly.

Seeing an opportunity, Coral Dash grabbed Bolt and shouted, “We gotta go!!”

“Let me at em”!!” shouted Bolt. “Let me at em” so that I…!!!”

Coral pinched his neck, causing Bolt to grunt and instantly pass out. Coral couldn’t help but smirk and said, “And John thinks it was a waste of time learning to knock others out with a simple pinch.”

Coral swam away, carrying an unconscious Bolt. The Guardians quickly flee because they now have an opportunity to retreat.

*********************************************************************

************

After such a disastrous move, the guardians continued to try and stay in cover while Clint scolded Coral.

“What the heck was that all about, Coral?!” shouted John.

“Hey, I know what I was doing!” said Coral.

“No,” said John, “we told you to stick with the plan!! If you want to be part of a team, you gotta learn to work with them.”

“Hey, at least I’m not the one who attacked the Sea Witch all berserk.” said Coral.

“Yeah, what was that about?” said Bobby.

“Hold on.” said Coop as he went over and instantly slapped Bolt, making him wake up.

“Damn, I hate that.” said Bolt as he sat back up.

“You mind telling us what that was about?” said John after he and the guardians were back to normal, as was Bolt.

“None of your business.” said Bolt as he grumbled.

“I ain’t buying that.” said Coral “The way you looked at her and snapped. You’ve seen her before, haven’t you?”

Bolt looked around and saw that all eyes were on him. Bolt groaned as he stood back up. He grumbled and said, “She looked a lot like Chrysalis.”

“Wait, Chrysalis?” said John “As in the former Queen of the Changelings?”

“That’s the one.” growled Bolt.

“The heck did she do to you?” said Coop.

“Oh,” said Bolt as his left eye twitched rapidly, “Not much. Other than the fact that she tried to use me as her own PERSONAL SEX TOY!!!”

They were taken aback by what he said, then looked at one another, then back to him.

“She did?” said Clint “Whoa dude, that’s mondo messed up.”

“How did that happen exactly?” asked Coral.

“See, a while back,” said Bolt, “Starlight Glimmer, an old student/friend of Twilight, left with her friend Trixie to visit her old village. But at the same time, after she left, Chrysalis had sent her Changelings after us, captured us, and attempted to take over Equestria by capturing its defenders. When she took a good look at us, she wanted to have sex with us. And she tried to <gulp>, rape me too.”

He then began to have flashbacks of what happened during their capture at the Changeling Hive and what Chrysalis nearly tried to do to him. After the flashbacks, he

quivered in fear while rolling like a ball, leaving the others stunned by this information.

“Whoa.” said Coop “You weren’t kidding. That was bad.”

Bolt then tried to calm down, looked down as he sat normally, and said, “I felt like I failed her.”

They wondered what he meant, with Bolt saying, “When I first arrived in Equestria, I was out of my mind, surrounded by beings I don’t even recognize or know. Then I met Rainbow Dash. At first, she was infuriating, but I grew to like her over time. She always tries to show off, but I soon realized she wasn’t comfortable talking about her feelings. I couldn’t help but have much respect for her that she’s afraid to be judged, especially with her flying skills.”

He then looked away and said, “But when I saw that she was about to fall, I don’t know what possessed me. Instead of standing around, I jumped ship and headed straight for her, desperately wanting to save her. When I did, I was scared out of my mind that she was hurt. But she was okay, and she was also more shocked to see who had saved her. After I saved her, she ended up having a crush on me. I returned my feelings to her, and we ended up dating. Granted, we had our ups and downs, but we could get past our differences and got married later on, even had a son, Bolt Junior.”

He looked down in sadness and said, “But when Chrysalis captured us, I never felt so helpless. The one time I saw her in danger, I couldn’t save her. I was trapped. I felt like I failed her. That’s why I sometimes try to be brave for her. Her loyalty is what gave me the strength to move on. But…I want to do more. I want to help more. I… want to keep her safe. I want to do this because I love her so much that I can’t bear to live without her.”

The sharks were silent, for this was deep. They could sense loyalty in him, but his loyalty to his family was the strongest they’d ever felt.

“Hey now,” said John, “Don’t feel so down, man.”

“He’s right,” said Bobby. “Though you don’t need to worry about Chrysalis, be happy that your wife still loves you.”

“And that both of you have a child to boot. A child that loves you both to pieces.” Said Coop.

“Yeah, dude.” said Clint. “And if you still have problems, try to talk about this to friends instead of just keeping it bottled in. Folks who get you.”

Coral felt sorry for Bolt. She groaned for she wasn’t going to like it. She swam next to Bolt and sat down next to him.

“The guys are right, Bolt.” said Coral. “Look, I may act boastful, and I’m sure she does. But we both had to use it because we were hiding our fears. We’re afraid to die alone as well as our loved ones. But because of our loyalties to our friends and to what they stood for, it’s what gave us the strength to carry on and help us through our most difficult time.”

She held his shoulder and said, “I’m sure you feel the same. But don’t let one mistake make you feel any different. The only one that can stop you is yourself.”

Bolt kept pondering over what they said, for they were right. His loyalty to his family is strong. And he needed to do this…for them. He slowly looked at Coral.

“Can I…hug you?” asked Bolt.

At first, she felt a bit flustered, but she rolled her eyes and said, “Fine.”

Bolt hugged her, which Coral returned. She had to admit, it felt nice. They broke the hug, with Bolt saying, “Alright…I’m ready for another go.”

“That’s the spirit.” said John.

“So, what do we do now?” asked Clint.

Bolt smiled and said, “I think I have the idea.”

He stood up and began to draw up a plan with a nearby stick he found. He began to make a map of the terrain and said, “Alright, here’s what we’ll do.”




One hour later




The guard had been doubled back at Shipwreck Cove because of earlier events. But at the same time, two Piranha warriors tried to tend to the Sea Witch’s injuries, making her wince in pain.

“Those sharks will pay for their interference with our plans.” said Captain Piranacon.

“Never mind those four,” said the Sea Witch with a snarl. “That bastard of a Megalodon will pay for what he did to me…BEFORE I EVEN HAD THE CHANCE TO FINISH TALKING!!!”

Piranacon swam close to her and said, “Not to worry, beloved. We will make him pay for what he did to you and your pets.”

As the Piranha Khans continued to patrol all around, they failed to notice a couple of figures swimming through the shadows. As one of the Piranha Khans passed through a certain ship, a pair of hands grabbed it and ended up being pulled with all its might. From the next ship, the same happened to another. Then another from another ship. And another, and another, and another, and another. It had been going on for the past half hour. And from within what appeared to be a Frigate, many Piranha Khan forces were knocked out and tied up.

Bolt tied the last group up nicely and tight. After he was done, Bolt dusted his hands as he said, “And Rainbow Dash thought it was a waste of time learning how to tie someone up using the Ponyhead Knot. Thank you, Applejack.”

On the other hand, Coral pouted and said, “I hate sneaking around.”

“Better than your plan, Prism Head.” retorted Bolt, making Coral gape her mouth open in shock.

“What did you say?!” said Coral as she was face to face with him, with the rest of the four guardians watching in concern.

Bolt then thought about something and ended up having a gentle smile. He leaned in and whispered in her ear about something. Her eyes slowly widened in surprise, and she blushed. She leaned backward and ended up rubbing her head nervously, but she kept her smile. The other guardians were surprised to see what he did, with John swimming towards Bolt.

“Whoa,” said John. “What did you say to her?”

Both Coral and Bolt looked at one another, then at them.

“Sorry.” said Bolt with a shrug.

“Trade Secret.” said Coral in agreement.

Though deep down, Bolt knew what to say. One day, before he and Rainbow married, she was nervous; she even tried to pin him hard on the ground and got hostile. But he ended up saying a handful of words that caught her completely off guard. Though no one might know what it was, all they could tell was that Rainbow and Bolt had loved each other more than ever. And they have kept the relationship strong ever since.

But back to the topic at hand. Bolt and the Guardians, even Coral, continued to swim, trying to find their way around, trapping more and more of the goons in the process. They finally finished trapping the last of their targets, cutting the captain’s forces in half.

“Alright,” said Bobby, “Now that’s taken care of, now what?”

“We’ll draw more of them in our little traps,” said Bolt. “That way, they won’t be able to overpower us.”

Meanwhile, Coral looked at where the bad guys were and widened her eyes in shock while she said, “Uh, I see four flaws in your plans.”

“Really, what?” asked Bolt.

“Them.” pointed Coral.

As they watched, to their shock, it was Piranacon and the Sea Witch talking to four anthropomorphic sea animals, who were his officers. One looked like a lobster, one looked like a squid, one looked like a shrimp, and one looked like an electric eel.

“What can we do for you, master.” said the Eel.

“I want you all to take the chest to a different location. Seeing that we’ve been compromised.” said Piranacon.

“We live to serve my liege.” said the shrimp.

“Oh, crud,” said Bobby with widened eyes. “If they move the chest, then we’ll never find it.”

“Then we gotta act fast.” said Coral.

“Then we’ll have to make a move.” said Bolt.

“Alright, this is what we’ll do,” said John “The five of us will handle Piranacon and his goons. Coral, you get the chest.”

“Why do I have to get the chest?” said Coral in disappointment. “I wanna kick butt too.”

Bolt suddenly had an idea. He had to try pulling a Twilight Sparkle if she was like his wife.

“What’s that, Coral?” said Bolt. “Are you saying that you’re too slow and too much of a chicken to try and get that chest?”

That immediately caught her attention, making her look at him and say, “What did you say?”

“I’m just saying,” he playfully shrugged. “If you’d rather not use your speed to help catch our prize, then you’ll have to be considered second best and the slowest slug ever.”

He looked at her with a smirk and said, “Unless your chicken?”

Now that caught her attention, getting her all mad as she said, “Oh yeah?!! I can get that chest, no problem!!”

“Prove it.” said Bolt while squinting his eyes.

That was her trigger word. Because of it, she instantly charged straight toward the ones carrying the chest away.

“Wow, nice job.” said Coop, looking at Bolt.

“She’s a lot like my wife.” said Bolt. “If they ever met, those two would act crazier than Pinkie Pie on a good day.”

“Heh, we’ll take your word for it.” said Bobby.

“So, I assume this is the part where we kick butt?” asked Clint.

“You bet your ass we will.” said Bolt as he cracked his knuckles.

At the same time, Piranacon tried to calm the Sea Witch down, saying, “Do not despair. Once we find them, we will….”

“You’ll what?!!” shouted John.

They immediately looked and saw Bolt and the Guardians, in their shark forms, waiting for them to make the first move.

“You.” growled the Sea Witch as she was angry, seeing Bolt again. “I will make you regret what you have done to my face.”

“Really?” smirked Bolt as he said, “Looks like someone else already beat me to it.”

The guardians couldn’t help but laugh at the insult he had just given her, making her face red with anger.

“I will make you eat those words.” said the Witch with a growl.

“Bring it on, Calamari.” said John.

“Attack!!” shouted Piranacon.

The remaining forces attacked full force, allowing Bolt and the Guardians to attack head-on. John tackled a ton of them like a bowling ball, Bobby bit most of the Piranha Khans, and Coop slammed them with his fists as if he were the Hulk. Clint toyed with them around, trying to get their attention, while Bolt continued to cause them trouble and led them to more traps that he and the guardians had placed in case things went south.

“Come and get me, little fishies!!!” shouted Bolt.

As the Piranha Khans chased him, they failed to notice the traps. As some passed certain sports, Bolt broke a few support beams, allowing parts of the ships to fall on the Piranhas, crushing them beneath the ships. After he was done, he dusted his hands with a smirk on his mouth.

“I think even Rainbow would’ve been impressed.” said Bolt as he darted away.

At the same time, the remaining Piranha Khans continued to fight the guardians, with the captain too preoccupied to pay attention to what was happening around him. On the other hand, the Sea Witch wanted to fight because her temper was growing.

“I will make living sardines out of those meddlesome guardians.” said the Sea Witch.

“Predators don’t make good sardines!!” shouted Bolt as he charged towards her.

“Oh no, not again!!” shouted the Sea Witch as she was once again tackled over.

While the guardians were almost finished mopping up the stragglers, John, on the other hand, had a beef to pick with Piranacon. He swam towards him and floated near him.

“You’re going to pay for taking what doesn’t belong to you, Piranacon.” said John.

“Oh, I will enjoy this.” said the captain as he readied himself for a fight.

Once they were ready, both charged toward one another and wrestled as they’d never wrestled before. At the same time, the Sea Witch continued to be battered by Bolt as he kept swinging her around, and thanks to his new shark abilities, he could make short work.

As he pinned the Sea Witch against the wall, she shouted, “Why are you beating me up so much!!!”

“Let’s just say that you look a lot like the Changeling Queen who tried to take over Equestria through selfishness and greed.” said Bolt, then went, “And for the fact that she tried to use me as her own PERSONAL SEX TOY!!!”

He threw her hard against another part of the ship, with her using her staff to fire her magic beams, but they kept missing him. He charged toward her like a battering ram and rammed her hard against the ship. He pinned her hard. Something then happened with his senses. Instead of seeing the witch, he kept seeing Chrysalis, a stranger human stranger he had never seen before, and the man who had caused him the most pain…his father.

He got angry and ended up pounding her hard, over and over and over and over, while screaming in anger, not towards the Sea Witch, but at the two people and Changeling that had caused him so much pain in the past.

After the thirtieth punch, the Sea Witch was wounded, while he picked her up and looked straight at her in the eye. “You will never hurt anyone ever again.”

The Sea Witch began to chuckle while she said, “You can talk a big game all you want, but soon the chest will be ours. And your little rainbow friend will be walking into a trap.”

“Trap?” muttered Bolt. Then he realized something in shock; she was talking about Coral. And she was in danger. Bolt looked at the Guardians and saw that they were still fighting. But then he remembered what his wife had taught him about not leaving a friend hanging, which means all of them. He then released her and looked in the direction that Coral swam.

“Hang on, Coral, I’m coming, “said Bolt, instantly causing him to swim in her direction to save her.

But he wasn’t going there defenseless, that much he knows. But as he swam, he spotted something that could give him an edge. As he swam downwards, he grabbed something out of the wreckage and flew straight for Coral. Bolt took a good look, and it appeared to be a Double-Edged Sword, but the holster almost appeared to have an image of a shark on it, while at the center almost appeared to be a shark’s teeth, while the blade itself almost looked like a lightning bolt.

“Hmm,” said Bolt as he looked at it. “Nice sword” before he swam with all his speed.

*********************************************************************

******************************************

At the same time, while the goons were tasked with taking the chest away, Coral followed them close behind, swimming with all her speed as if she wanted to do an underwater Sonic Rainboom.

“Alright, there they are.” said Coral when she finally could catch up with them. She pounded her fist together with a smirk and said, “Time to show them what I can do.”

And with great speed, she swam towards the two goons. She used her speed to make an underwater tornado. Once it was strong enough, the current of the tornado instantly pulled them away, allowing her to swim to the chest and grab it.

“Ha!! Gotcha!!” said, Coral. She began to boast with pride and said, “Oh yeah, who’s bad, who’s bad?”

“Oh yeah, who’s cornered like a sitting duck.”

Coral instantly stopped with her eyes widened and her pupils shrunk. She slowly turned around and saw Piranacon’s Lieutenants, the anthropomorphic shrimp, lobster, squid, and electric eel, all bearing their weapons and ready to pounce.

“Uh, hey guys.” said Coral with a nervous grin. “What brings you around?”

“Oh, a lot of things, really.” said the lobster. “Robbing, pillaging, and oh yeah.”

He pinched his claws and said, “Keel hauling sea lubbers from trying to take our booty.”

“Oh crud.” said Coral, knowing she was in danger.

Just when she was cornered, she heard a loud yell.

“SHARK ATTAAAAACK!!!”

Within a split second, Bolt tackled the Lieutenants over, taking Coral by surprise when she saw Bolt tackled them over and making them crash against the wall. As Bolt swam right side up, he couldn’t help but smirk.

“I always wanted to say that.” said Bolt to himself.

He quickly swam back to Coral and said, “You, okay?”

“Wha…” said Coral, surprised to see Bolt “What are you doing here?”

“You were in danger.” said Bolt. “I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Pff,” said Coral while rolling her eyes, “I could’ve taken them.”

“Sure, you could.” said Bolt sarcastically.

“But why’d you come back for me?” asked Coral.

“Because you’re my friend,” said Bolt. “My wife once told me that if anyone’s in trouble, never leave them hanging. My only concern was to make sure that you were okay.”

Coral was a little surprised by this; she couldn’t help but blush and smile a little while looking away. She looked back at him and said, “Thanks.”

At the same time, the Lieutenants returned, wanting some payback for what Bolt did.

“We’re not finished yet, ya monkey-faced fish!!” shouted the Lobster.

Bolt growled, for he did not have time for this. “Oh, you guys are so asking for it.”

“Yeah, bring it.” said Coral.

“Coral,” said Bolt, “Get the chest to a safe spot.”

“What?!” shouted Coral. “But…!!”

“And once you do,” said Bolt as he slowly looked at her, “let’s kick their butts.”

Coral smiled in glee, grabbed the chest, made sure that it was hidden well, and joined up with Bolt. He gave her a sword, gaining her attention while saying, “I also got you a weapon.”

She took the sword and was in position. The two of them prepared for a full strike. As they prepared for a fight, Bolt noticed the other guardians slowly surrounding him. They must’ve dealt with Piranacon. Bolt smirked while the sharks surrounded them.

“Now then,” said the Eel, “Before we kill the both of you, any last words?”

Bolt whispered to Coral about something. She found it strange but agreed to it.

“Just three.” said Bolt with a smirk.

And before they could react, Bolt, Coral, and the Guardians shouted, “Shark Slammu Slam!!”

They charged straight toward them, taking the four of them by surprise. With great strength, they bashed against the Lieutenants like a large herd of Football players. After squishing them hard, the four Lieutenants collapsed, knocking them out cold.

Once they were out and the Guardians united, Clint said, “That. Was. AWESOME!!!”

Everyone celebrated as they high-fived one another, for this was truly the great battle they had ever had.

A while later, after making sure that Piranacon, the Sea Witch, and their cronies were locked away, the Guardians and Coral regrouped with Bolt at a safe location, with the chest residing with the Guardians after they were turned back to normal.

“I gotta admit,” said Clint, “I had my doubts when we attempted the second time, but you really came through for us.”

“That’s what friends are for,” said Bolt. “We’re loyal to a fault and always have each other’s backs.”

“That’s good to know.” said Coop.

“You did well out there, Bolt.” said John. “You even came for Coral when you realized she was in danger.”

“My wife once taught me a thing or two about loyalty.” said Bolt. “Even though she can be stubborn sometimes, she’d never leave her friends hanging. And from what she taught me, neither would I. My loyalty is to my home, friends, and family.”

“And yet,” said Bobby, “I noticed you have trust issues.”

Bolt nearly flinched as if they could see through him. But he decided to not give himself away and asked, “What do you mean?”

“Trust me, bro, we can tell.” said Coop.

Bolt figured that he couldn’t hide it from the guardians, for seeing that they could also know about stuff, he decided to come clean.

“Two reasons actually.” he started. “First part is my father. He was an abusive drunk who later got sent to prison because we couldn’t handle him anymore. Plus, he didn’t even want me. All he ever cared about was boning my mom.”

“Whoa, what?” said Bobby in shock.

“Damn, that was rough.” said Clint.

“But there was…another reason.” said Bolt.

He moved a few inches forward, then spoke.

“My Uncle owned a university called Bolton U. My cousins took place after they promised their dad they would look after the place. There was a doctor among them called Luther Paradigm. He was a leading scientist in genetics. For years he was friends with their father. I also trusted him when I first met him when I was sixteen. He even helped me get my first job during that summer vacation, and I was really good at it. They kicked him out when they caught him experimenting on the animals and the students. A few weeks later, he returned for revenge and burned it to the ground.”

The Guardians were shocked to hear this. Bolt gripped his fists, angered by thinking about that moment.

“When he set the university on fire, my cousins lost everything that day. Everything they and their dad had built was reduced to ash, all because they disagreed with his methods when experimenting on innocent people and animals who didn’t have a say in anything. Everyone knew that it was Dr. Luther Paradigm who destroyed the place, but they couldn’t make the evidence stick despite there being witnesses. Now my cousins were left with nothing and had to start a new business again.”

The five of them were shocked by what he revealed. Trust two people who thought they would love you but ended up being backstabbed and hurt when they didn’t do anything to you. Clint swam next to him and placed his hand on Bolt’s shoulder, gaining the human’s attention.

“Sorry to hear that, bro.,” said Clint.

“But you know they can’t hurt you anymore, right?” said Bobby.

“I suppose.” said Bolt while rubbing his right arm.

Coop suddenly smiled and said, “Why don’t you have a fish burger with us? Food always helps calm us down.”

Bolt perked up at that, looked at them, and said, “Did you say Fish burgers?”

They saw the look in his eyes, causing them to look at one another with a smirk. Coral groaned and said, “How can you guys even eat that stuff?”

“Hey, don’t complain.” said John “Besides, you love that stuff too.”

Coral couldn’t help but roll her eyes, for they have a point by that part. Half an hour later, Bolt had joined the guardians at their lair. Thankfully, their lair was a cave with a large air pocket. Coral would’ve complained about it, but thankfully she can go between land and sea as she turned her mermaid tail into pony legs. While the place looked like a makeshift home, at the large table was a large plate stacked with fish burgers, while their plate was filled with fries, with a kelp shake on the side.

Thankfully the burgers were large, considering that they chose to eat them in their shark forms. Why? Because it makes chewing on the burgers much easier. They continued to munch it down; even Bolt was more satisfied with the burgers. After the tenth burger, Bolt released a large belch and sighed contentment before turning back into a human. “Oh boy, that hit the spot.”

“No kidding.” said Coop as he felt the same “We’re glad someone also likes fish burgers beside us.”

“Yeah,” said Clint, “We’re not much of a fan of Coral’s sandwich.”

“Hey!!” said Coral. “I liked the sandwich.”

“Let me guess,” said Bolt as he guessed, “A Pasta and Potato sandwich on sourdough?”

Coral looked at him surprised and said, “How’d you know?”

“My wife likes them too.” said Bolt “Blame her metabolism. She’s the fastest flyer, and sometimes it’s hard to keep up with her.”

“You fly?” asked John.

“I wish I could.” said Bolt. “Twilight helped create a cloud I could ride and walk on when I arrived. It’s fine and all, but….”

Bolt couldn’t help but sigh as he said, “What I wouldn’t give to have wings like her and be able to fly alongside her. Same with Scootaloo.”

“Scootaloo?” said Bobby.

“Yeah,” said Bolt “The two may not be siblings, but they have a strong sister-like relationship. She really wanted to fly, but her wings didn’t grow properly. Not to mention….”

He looked sad when he thought about her, then looked at them and said, “When I asked her aunts why she can’t fly, they told me that she couldn’t because she was born with Avian Unireflexia.”

“Uh, what’s that?” asked Bobby.

“It’s a disability that keeps any Pegasi from flying.” said Bobby. “For a Pegasi that’s grounded and can’t be able to fly. That would be like a Unicorn that can’t use its magic.”

“That’s right.” said Bolt. “Sometimes I wish she could fly with Rainbow. But she’d be devastated if she discovered that she couldn’t fly. Her aunts didn’t tell her, nor did her parents. They want to spare her from the pain, but if they kept it a secret from her, she’d end up resenting them, even Rainbow.”

“Harsh man,” said Clint.

“That’s why I want to do the right thing for her,” said Bolt. “And I also want to fly alongside Rainbow. My wife means everything to me, same with my son. I want to fly alongside them, to be by their side.”

Coral couldn’t help but smile and said, “Clearly, your loyalty to your family is the strongest.”

“Let’s just say they made me what I am.” said Bolt “If it weren’t for them…I don’t know where I’d be.”

“Then it’s only fair that I give you this.” said Coral as she handed him the case while opening it.

Bolt was surprised by this and asked, “Are you sure?”

“Of course, she’s sure.” said Coop “She is the Guardian, after all.”

“Wait, what?” said Bolt surprised. “But I thought all four of you were guardians.”

“Oh, we are,” said Bobby. “But we’re always helping her when she needs some serious muscle.”

John whispered, “Truth be told, she may be a ditz, but she’s got a heart of gold.”

“I heard that.” said Coral as she looked at them with a stink eye. She looked at Bolt and said, “But yeah, you’ve shown true loyalty out there by being there for those who can’t help themselves. Therefore, it’s only fair that you receive this as a reward for passing your trial.”

She opened it and presented what was inside while she explained everything. “What you see here is called a Driver. Like many knights known for their loyalty, the most loyal of them would bear this until the day they passed on. But after sensing your spirit, the most loyal of them, you are worthy of wielding this artifact.”

The Driver glowed blue, allowing it to float right into Bolt’s hands, taking him by surprise. Coral said, “Use that thing well and kick anyone’s butt who tries to mess with your friends and family.”

Bolt couldn’t help but smile while he held onto it while looking at them and saying, “I will…I promise.”

The Guardians gave Bolt a bear hug. After the hug, he began to glow from his feet.

Coral said, “Catch you later. Hope to see you again.

“Yeah,” said John, “We’ll even invite you for some fish burgers next time.”

“I’ll hold you guys to that, “said Bolt while smiling and waving at them goodbye moments before reappearing back in Moria.

After he was gone, Clint said, “You know, he’s not so bad after all.”

“Yeah,” said Coop, “I’m gonna miss that guy.”

“Come on guys,” said John, “Let’s spread the word. They’ll need to know that the guardians will soon return to this world.”

Soon enough, they left and began to spread the word; for the rest of the husband 6, Emily’s trials had only just begun.
> Chapter 8: A Knight's Trial part 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After all of the husbands and Emily had disappeared, Genus was out cold from the sudden teleportation from the stranger they had never met. Stirring himself awake, he slowly opened his eyes. However, when he opened them, he noticed that there was a lush field all around him.

“What the…” muttered Genus as he slowly began to sit up.

When he looked around, ne noticed he was under the shade of a tree. But when he looked around, he was surprised at what he saw. All around him, he looked like he was on an African Safari, but it didn’t look like the one in Africa. Among them were also tons of trees and lushes of green, which looked like the Amazon Rainforest from Rio de Janeiro. It was quite beautiful. The forest was unlike anything he had ever seen. He was in places like the Everfree Forest, Whitetail Wood, and that other place he went with Fluttershy last month.

“Wow,” said Genus as he stood up. “Where in the wide world of Equestria am I?”

He looked up and saw a few birds up there, talking to one another.

“Excuse me?” said Genus, gaining one of the bird’s attention. “You mind telling me where I am?”

The bird whistled him a couple of times; thankfully, the lessons he received from Fluttershy about how to talk to birds had helped him quite a lot. After the bird was done, Genus thanked the bird, allowing the bird to fly away.

“So, I happen to be in a place called Amajaro?” said Genus as he thought aloud. It then clicked to him as he said, “Wait, Fluttershy and I took a trip here a year ago. We took Warm Breeze with us that day.”

He began to look around, trying to find his way around, wondering where he needed to go.

“Wow,” said Genus as he looked around, “I forgot how big this place was.”

But after he took two steps, he suddenly heard a faint moan, which surprised him. He couldn’t place his finger on it, but he had a feeling that the moan sounded familiar. He kept his ears perked up, trying to follow that noise. But when he went around the corner, he widened his eyes in shock.

For what he was looking at was none other than a lion. Not just any lion, a lion two times bigger than any lion he had ever seen. Its fur was as white as snow, it had a more majestic look, and it nearly resembled that of a tiger. But all in all, it had been the most beautiful creature he had ever seen.

But there was something wrong with it. It looked like it was in great pain; it even looked pale. Letting his curiosity get the better. But as he was nearly close to the lion, the lion growled at Genus, warning it to not let it get near it.

“Hey,” said Genus as he showed his hands, signaling that he meant no harm. “It’s okay. I’m not here to hurt you. I want to help.”

Just as he was close enough, he heard a shout, “Who dares come near the majestic beast?!!”

Genus nearly yelped while he sharply looked around, trying to figure out where the noise was coming from while figuring out that it must be a female. But just as he turned around, he was suddenly grabbed and thrusted against a tree. As Genus got a look at her, he saw that she was wearing an outfit that resembled Daring Do a lot. But what shocked him was that the one person, or pony, that threatened him was none other than…

“Fluttershy?!!!” shouted Genus, not believing what he was seeing.

“Fluttershy?” said the familiar-looking Pegasus. “My name’s Fluttershine. The bravest pony in all of the safari.”

Genus flexed an eyebrow at that while he observed her.

“Whenever others talk down to me, I’m not afraid to speak my mind, and I love to sing in public and not let others judge me. Cause if they do, I’ll smash their heads with watermelons.”

Genus was quite surprised, for she may look like Fluttershy, but she was more assertive than she normally would. But the difference from this kind of assertiveness, she’s in control and does not let things go out of control. At least that’s what Rarity and Pinkie Pie told Genus when he wanted to get to know her first.

“Uh, okay?” said Genus as he slowly stood up.

“So,” said Fluttershine as she walked towards him, stood near him face to face with a stern gaze, and said, “Why are you really here?”

“Honestly, I was busy looking around, trying to figure out where I am.,” said Genus. “I heard the sound of moaning, and before I knew it, I saw him injured.”

“A likely story.” said Fluttershine. “Don’t you think?”

Out of nowhere, a rabbit sat on top of Fluttershine’s head. To Genus” surprise, it was a bunny that looked like Angel.

“Of course, she would also have an Angel Bunny.” muttered Genus, then spoke to the rabbit and said, “And I assume that your name’s Angel?”

Then suddenly, the rabbit said, “The hell are you talking about, boy? I am a pure- breaded rabbit that doesn’t like silly names. Besides, I may look like a rabbit, or maybe a bunny to most folks, but I ain’t no angel.”

Genus stared at the rabbit wide-eyed, for he sounded exactly like that one actor he knew back from his old home; Kevin Heart. The moment the gears had finished processing, Genus laughed out loud and fell over, laughing his guts out, which puzzled both Fluttershine and the rabbit with the Kevin Heart voice.

“The hell is so funny, man,” said the rabbit. “You got a problem with what I’m saying?”

Genus tried to collect himself, but it was much harder. “Sorry…I just…I just…” He again laughed as he couldn’t contain himself.

“Okay, that’s it.” said the rabbit as he jumped off Fluttershine’s head and kept jumping on Genus, trying to teach him a lesson. The rabbit kept jumping and thumping and trying to punch him, but the punches had no effect. Which made the rabbit growl and say, “Stupid rabbit hands. Why the heck am I so girly?”

He instantly picked up the rabbit and said, “Maybe because you’re a Pff, PIPSQUEAK!!!”

He laughed again, making the rabbit growl, for he was getting tired of folks making fun of how he talked, especially his size. The white lion suddenly moaned out loud again, gaining Genus” attention.

“Oh right, the lion.” said Genus as he let the rabbit go and instantly went over to the lion.

Fluttershine again stood before him and said, “And what are you planning to do?”

“Fluttershine.”

The pony perked up and looked at the lion, which Genus also looked at it.

“Let the human pass,” said the lion, surprisingly a female.

Reluctantly, Fluttershine let Genus pass. allowing him to go to the lion. He sat on his knees and observed her. He looked at the lion, observing her. He slowly felt her stomach. She didn’t wince, which meant it wasn’t food poisoning.

He slowly stroked her back; she didn’t wince either, which meant she had no back problems. Then he felt on her legs and didn’t wince, which meant that it wasn’t broken bones. He then took a look at her face. He slowly held her head and observed it. However, something caught his attention. Her left eye had a couple of purple veins. He then looked at the left side of her neck and saw what it was, which made him widen his eyes.

“The hell are you staring at there?” said the rabbit as he jumped off Fluttershine’s head and onto the lion. He looked at what Genus was looking at, which shocked the rabbit. “Oh, hell no, this ain’t good.”

He pulled out something that surprised Fluttershine too. For what Genus was holding was none other than a poison dart.

“She’s been poisoned.” said Genus as he looked at Fluttershine. He went over to the lion, slowly placed his head close to her, and asked, “What happened?”

The lion then whispered in his ear, unable to speak loudly. Genus listened carefully. The lion explained that while it was out on the field looking after the animals, she was attacked by a poacher in dark armor. While defending the animals, she got shot by its poison dart, but not before injuring the poacher enough to make him leave. She had been slowly feeling ill and could barely move, so she chose this spot, for it is the most secluded part where no one can find her.

Genus looked around, thinking of a way to help her. He then suddenly realized that he still had his backpack that he had packed with him just in case. He took it off and quickly took out what he needed; a chemical testing kit. He placed what he could together and mixed a few chemicals. Then he took the bit of poison left over from the dart. He poured it from inside the chemicals, causing it to change into blue, making him realize what it was.

“Venox,” said Genus. He looked at the others and said, “It’s a slow-acting poison. They first inject something like this to a dangerous beast, wait for a few weeks, then, in the end, die. She was poisoned about an hour ago, so there’s still time.”

He placed his kit away and took out a few herbs. “This should help slow the poison more often so that she can at least breathe and be aware of her senses.”

He went over and crushed a few herbs for them to be small enough to place on her neck. He moved some of the lion’s hair out of the way and placed the herbs inside, making the lion groan in pain, but it was somewhat working.

“Ooh, that wound doesn’t look too good.” said the rabbit. He looked at him and said, “Now look, I don’t like you, but clearly, you know what you’re doing. How are we gonna help her?”

“The only thing that can help her is a plant called the Aurora Stella Floss,” said Genus “Known as the Aurora Star Flower. The only problem is, I don’t know where to look.”

“Hmph,” said Fluttershine with crossed arms. “If you must know, the only place we can find such flowers is high on a mountain over there.”

Genus saw that the mountain was at least five miles away. Knowing it, it was also five miles up, which would take a long time to reach unless there was a different path. But the only way to be sure is if he travels there to find out. He stood up with a determined look on his face.

“If there’s a cure up there,” said Genus, “I’m going to get it.”

“You nuts, man?” said the rabbit. “You have any idea how dangerous it is up there, especially with that poacher dude out there.”

“I’ll take my chances.” said Genus.

“Good luck up there.” said Fluttershine with a smirk.

“Oh no, you don’t.” said Genus as he grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him.

“You’re coming with me.”

“Pff, as I’d ever…” said Fluttershine before she was interrupted.

“Do it, Fluttershine,” said the lion with a growl, “Or I will find a way to feast on you in the afterlife.”

Fluttershine looked at her, then groaned loudly, saying, “Alright, fine. But that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

She then grabbed his shirt by saying, “Come on,” and walked until she stopped and pointed at the rabbit, saying, “You too, Heart.”

“What?!” exclaimed the rabbit. “Why me?!!”

“Because I said so, bub,” said Fluttershine. “Now come along before I have to go get the Tazmanian Devil to make you out of rabbit stew again.”

The rabbit groaned again and said, “Okay, fine.”

As the rabbit came along, Genus couldn’t help but smirk and thought, “If only my wife could say something like that to Angel.”

Thanks to the herbs, the lion could use her strength to cover herself with camouflage magic so that she could stay hidden from the Poacher. But as Genus, Fluttershine, and Heart Bunny were about half a mile away from their lion friend, a mysterious stranger was watching from the hilltop. It was a certain armored individual dressed in a cloak and sporting a helmet with small horns. He watched from afar with his crossbow as he saw the two of them walking down. He lowered his crossbow, knowing he had to follow them, for if he could tell them where the lion was hidden, he would soon seek his prize. And thus, he slowly walked away and headed through the woods. At the same time, Fluttershine continued to guide Genus through the wilderness as they finally reached the jungle.

“Alright then,” said Fluttershine, “If we can cut through there, we’ll be able to reach the mountain there, no problem.”

“That’s going to be a problem,” said Genus as he studied the ground while looking at the prints. “There are more dangerous beasts lingering through here. We’ll need to take the safe passage if we’re going to make it to the other side.”

“Pff, that’ll take too long,” said Fluttershine “We can go through the woods and be done with it, no problem.”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?” said Genus.

“I wouldn’t bother with her,” said Heart Rabbit. “That girl’s more stubborn than a thousand pack mules combined.”

Genus groaned, for this one is more stubborn than Rainbow Dash.

“Fine,” said Genus, “But I’ll lead the way.”

He shoved her out of the way and grumbled, “She’s nothing like my wife.”

They continued down the dangerous path, trying to ensure they weren’t attacked. However, Fluttershine wasn’t making it easy for them to be safe, considering she was singing out loud, which could attract dangerous predators. The rabbit hopped a bit after them but began to feel exhausted. Genus noticed this, walked over to him, and picked him up.

“Hey, what the hell are you doing?” said the rabbit.

Genus placed him on his head and moved on forward. “You were getting tired.” Said Genus. “You’re also small and wouldn’t be able to move on any further. Hence why, I decided to help you out. Cause the way I see it, you look like you really needed help. I know you don’t like to ask others for help, I can tell, but sometimes, all it takes is a little kindness that’ll help you get far in life.”

Heart Rabbit was surprised by this statement and looked thoughtful over what Genus had said. “Wow. That’s deep. Who taught you that?”

“My wife.” said Genus “She was timid for a long time, but because of her friends, she learned how to be brave. Then I met her, we fell in love, and we ended up being married later on. We even have a kid.”

“Whoa, really?” said the rabbit. “What’s their names?”

“My wife’s name is Fluttershy, and my son’s name is Warm Breeze.” said Genus

“Both of them are Pegasi.”

“Really?” said the rabbit, now interested. “What’s she looks like?”

Genus pointed at Fluttershine. The rabbit took a look and was surprised. Then whispered, “You’re kidding. She looks like her?”



“Yeah, but she’s the opposite of my wife.” said Genus. “My wife tried to be assertive but ended up hurting her friends” feelings. So, she chose to only use it if absolutely necessary.”

“Wow,” said Heart Rabbit, “Wish Fluttershine was like that.”

“I wish she was.” said Genus as they continued to walk.

Fluttershine suddenly stopped them as she heard a loud rustling through the woods.

“You hear that?” said Fluttershine.

Genus and Heart Rabbit listened carefully to what was going on out there. Though thanks to Heart’s ears, he could hear the slight growling.

“Oh no.” said the rabbit as his pupils shrunk while his ears drooped. “I know that

growl.”

And from right out of nowhere, a large creature pounced, causing the group to quickly jump out of the way. When they looked, it was none other than a Manticor. He looked around at the group and roared at them.

“Oh,” said Fluttershine as she smirked and cracked her knuckles. “You wanna play pussy cat? Well then, let’s go right now!!”

She charged towards the Manticore and tackled it over. She wrested the creature, trying to pin it down while the Manticore itself tried to shake the annoying Pegasus off with all its might. Heart Rabbit kept cheering her on, for even though they don’t get along, he does love a good brawl.

“Yeah, come on!!” shouted the rabbit. “Kick the ugly cat in the booty!!”

Genus couldn’t believe this. Fluttershy would never hurt the animals. This is really different. He needed to find a way to stop this, or they’d waste more time than they already had. However, he noticed that there was slightly something off about the Manticore. It didn’t look savage; it looked like it was in pain, struggling with something. He observed the Manticore while it was moving around. Then he suddenly saw something that caught his attention, a large thorn underneath its right paw.

“Wait,” thought Genus to himself, “This is almost like what happened when Fluttershy first went out to the forest.”

The Manticore threw Fluttershine off of it, making her crash against a bush. Just as she was about to attack, Genus stopped her.

“What are you doing?!” shouted Fluttershine.

Genus slowly walked over to the Manticore and signaled it to calm down. The Manticore slowly looked at Genus as it slowly tilted its head.

“Here,” said Genus “Let me take a look.”

The Manticore cautiously looked at Genus while the Manticore showed its right paw, revealing the large thorn. He slowly reached out towards its paw, using his left hand to hold it and his right hand to hold onto the thorn.

“Alright,” said Genus as he looked at the Manticore, “On the count of three.”

The Manticore nodded, with Genus saying, “One. Two. Three.”

Within a split second, he pulled out the thorn, making the Manticore wince.

“There you go.” said Genus as he observed the thorn and said, “Wow, that’s one heck of a horn.”

And within a split second, the Manticore pounced on him and ended up licking him a couple of times while purring. He couldn’t help but giggle over the creature’s thanks. The Manticore allowed him to get up.

“You’re welcome.” said Genus. “Do you happen to know which way to go? We’re in search of an Aurora Star Flower.”

The Manticore nodded and pointed in the direction they needed to go. Genus looked back and petted it, saying “Thanks.”

The Manticore licked him one more time and departed. Genus walked back to the group, with the rabbit surprised, and said, “The hell did you do?”

“I helped remove its thorn.” said Genus. “It helps to observe the animals if they’re in good condition. In the end, all it takes is a little kindness.”

“Yeah, and what if it decided to have you for lunch?” said Fluttershine with a scoff.

“Better than your plan, you brute.” said Genus before he walked off.

Fluttershine merely huffed while they continued on with their path. They soon made their way to another clearing, where a lake was nearby. At first, it looked drinkable, but Heart Rabbit stopped them.

“Whoa now, hold on there.” said the rabbit, “Something’s not right.”

“What?” chuckled Fluttershine. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of….”

He grabbed her head and turned towards the direction to the left. There, she saw a handful of dead animals near the lake, all attempting to drink from the water.

“Oh, I see.” said Fluttershine.

Deep down, Genus was appalled. She didn’t care about the animals at all. Normally, anyone could’ve felt pity for them, but she didn’t.

“Let’s just keep on moving.” said Genus.

But just before he could take another step, he heard something, causing him to quickly tackle Fluttershine out of the way. At the same time, an arrow struck the ground, taking the rabbit by surprise.

“Holy shit!!” shouted the rabbit.

The three immediately looked up and saw an individual, who appeared from out of nowhere, staring down at them. It was a certain armored individual dressed in a cloak and sporting a helmet with small horns. He watched from afar with his crossbow and lowered it. It jumped from the tree branch and landed on the ground. He slowly stood up and looked directly at them.

“You know,” said the Poacher, “You lot have been giving me quite the trouble, trying to keep me away from my prize.”

“What the hell?” muttered Genus.

“What is he talking about?” said Fluttershine.

Heart Rabbit gasped, then whispered, “The Lion.”

Genus and Fluttershine also realized that, which shocked both of them.

“Once I’m through with you,” said the Poacher as he readied his crossbow, “I’ll make you tell me where my prize is.”

“We need to get out of here,” whispered Genus. “The more we delay, the more we…”

“No way, I got this!!” shouted Fluttershine as she charged ahead.

“No, wait!!” shouted Genus.

The Poacher used his auto crossbow and fired his arrows, but Fluttershine kept dodging from tree to tree, branch to branch. The moment she had a clear shot, Fluttershine jumped from wood to wood, branch to branch, then tackled the Poacher over.

The Poacher pulled out what appeared to be batons and tried to score a couple of hits, but Fluttershine kept dodging his attacks. She delivered a strong roundhouse kick against him, causing him to stammer backward, then formed them together to become a bo-staff. But swing them around as he may, it wasn’t enough to stop the assertive pony, who used a back flip kick to kick his bo-staff away, causing to fall near Genus.

“Wow,” muttered Genus as he looked at the Bo-staff, then to Fluttershine “Impressive.”

Fluttershine continued to trade punches with the Poacher until she could kick his helmet away. At first, the poacher stammered, but he regained his footing. “You made a big mistake following me.” said Fluttershine.



The Poacher slowly looked at Fluttershine. But when he showed his face, Genus widened his eyes in shock.

“No…” said Genus as he saw the Poacher’s face. For he had the exact same face that the person he knew had, the very face that while Genus was away to get some food for the shelter, that very man was the one who sold the Shelter he worked at the food that poisoned his animals “It can’t be…”

“Oh, believe me.” said the Poacher “In fact, I have you to thank.”

“Thank me?” said Fluttershine.

“I was hunting my prize for a while. Until I met you along the way.” said the Poacher. “During my time hiding in the shadows, you kept bragging about where the lion was. Even helped provide me the scent to track it down. Even helped provide info.”

Genus was shocked that Fluttershine was responsible for the lion’s predicament.

“Clearly,” said the Poacher as he drew both his knives, saying, “You’re not as smart as you think.”

“I’ll show you.” said Fluttershine as she attacked again while blocking the knife attacks.

Genus saw that Fluttershine was matched, but not for much longer. However, the more he looked at his face, the angrier he got. That very face, he could never forgive and forget. Because of him, the animals back at the shelter were dead. He looked at the bo-staff but knew it wouldn’t be enough. But then he noticed something fell off the Poacher’s belt, which appeared to be an anesthetic gas bomb. And seeing that the Poacher’s helmet was off, he figured he could buy them some time.

He quickly grabbed the bo-staff and bomb and began to tie it up; he then looked at the rabbit and said, “I need you to find something that looks like a lasso.”

“What?” said the rabbit.

“We don’t stand a chance against him.” said Genus. “So let’s try it my way. Unless you want him to corner us, we risk losing our lives and our only chance to save that lion.”

The rabbit quickly complied and darted towards anything that he could find. Genus kept his focus, ensuring that the lessons he learned back at school would work. After a couple of tries, he could make a spear-like object whose tip would explode.

“That should do it.” said Genus.

He heard a grunting noise and looked up. To his shock, he saw Fluttershine was pinned down and was this close to being gutted.

“Now then,” said the Poacher “Any last words?”

“Hey, bubba!!” shouted Genus, gaining the Poacher’s attention. “Take a whiff of this!!”

He threw the bo-staff with all his might, allowing it to make contact with a tree behind it, creating a large puff of smoke, with the rabbit shouting, “Genus, here!”

The rabbit tossed him a vine that would be a very effective rope. Without time to react, Genus used the vine to snag Fluttershine and dragged her away before the smoke enveloped the Poacher. As Fluttershine was wrapped up, Genus quickly grabbed her.

“Put me down, right now!!” said Fluttershine.

“No time!!” shouted Genus as he ran off, while at the same time, the Poacher fell off of the branch unconscious and he crashed onto the ground. With Genus carrying Fluttershine on his shoulder and Heart Rabbit riding on his shoulder, he ran for his life as if he had never run before.




One hour later,




After so much running, Genus was far enough from the poacher, and thanks to the lessons he learned from the animals, he was able to mask their scent so that the Poacher wouldn’t be able to track him.

“Alright,” said Genus as he set Fluttershine down and untied her. “We should be safe….”

But within a split second, she slapped him, surprising the rabbit.

“I didn’t need your help!” said Fluttershine. “I was handling things fine on my own.”

“Oh, like you were any better?” said the rabbit as he was appalled by her attitude. “You nearly got us killed out there. Plus, is that any way of thanking him for saving your life?”

But at the same time, Genus grasped his fists; for now, he was really angry.

“If that hairless ape hadn’t gotten in my way, I could’ve taken him,” said Fluttershine “And further more…”

Having enough of her, he shouted, “THAT” S IT!!”

And with great force, he shoved her, making her fall on her butt, and looked at Genus in shock while giving her his own stare and was now really angry at her.

“Your worthless little bugger!!” shouted Genus. ““It was because of you he nearly knew about the lion in the first place!! We could’ve taken the safe route, but because of your impatience and lack of thinking, you nearly got us all killed because you wanted to take shortcuts!! Wake up, you worthless bitch!! No one will ever be nice to you and take things seriously if you keep acting out this way!! I’d feel sorry for any poor sap who’d be friends with you!! It’s no wonder you’re alone!! You’ve got no friends!! No family!! But I do!! My wife is twice the brave pony you are, but even she wouldn’t go that far by ignoring others” warnings!! Heck, I wouldn’t even hang out with you if my life depended on it!! You’re nothing but a worthless Pegasus!! I wished you never existed and had friends, to begin with!! You’re the most heartless Pegasus I ever met because you didn’t give a damn about the animals or anyone else!!”

Fluttershine widened her eyes in shock. And from out of nowhere, her tears began to build up and fall, sniffling and whimpering. Genus was shocked to see that face, the very face his wife had whenever she was scared or yelled at. And within a split second, she ran away; for now, she was really hurt.

Genus suddenly felt different on the inside. The way she looked, it looked like he was yelling at Fluttershy. Something he never ever wanted to do in his life. He leaned back against the cliff that they were supposed to climb.

“What the hell did I do?” said Genus as he sat and looked down in shame.

“Not that she had it coming and all,” said the rabbit as he hopped over and looked at Genus. “But that was really mean.”

“I didn’t mean to.” muttered Genus.

“Still,” said Heart Rabbit, “The way you yelled and got angry has nothing to do with how Fluttershine acted.”

He looked down and said, “There is a reason. It’s something related to what happened back at my old home. Something that I wasn’t very proud of.”

“Don’t you think you owe an explanation to her then?” said the rabbit, who then hopped to his shoulder and said, “In return, she might tell you why she’s been acting that way too.”

He then looked in the direction that Fluttershine ran. The rabbit was right; he needed to make things right. He took a deep breath, stood up, and walked in her direction, trying to find her so that he could apologize and make things right.

*********************************************************************

*************************************

From nearby, a part where there was a view of the entire valley, Fluttershine curled herself in a ball, shedding a few tears and partially whimpering over the human’s harsh words. How he looked at her and yelled at her was something bone-crushing that she had never felt in a long time. The more she thought about it, the more she kept curling herself while lowering her head.

She heard rustling from the bushes, but she didn’t bother to turn around, for she knew it was the human. She instead looked ahead, not wanting to look at him. Genus came out and walked towards her. He then sat next to her, curling up and watching the valley. Genus didn’t know what to say, what to do.

“Look, I…,” said Genus. But he stopped, took a deep breath, and said, “I’m sorry about how I exploded back there. I wanted us to take a safe route because I knew any other path would be dangerous. And I didn’t want you to get hurt, even if you were capable. Plus, I was angry because seeing that poacher’s face reminded me of the man I hated in my world.”

He looked up and explained his story.

“Long ago before I died,” said Genus, “I worked at an animal shelter on my summer breaks, then by the time I graduated, I applied for a full-time job. Then one day, the animal shelter was running low on food. We wanted to purchase more, but we were low on money. But thankfully, a friend of mine could give me a large amount for free because they were overstocked.”

He looked down, disheartened. “But when I was on my way back, I discovered that they bought enough cheap dirt from someone else. But when I returned, all the animals got sick beyond recognition. It turned out the food for the animals they bought were tainted, past their expiring dates, and were also poisoned.”

Fluttershine perked up on that and looked at Genus while he looked away and said, “I had to personally put down every single one of those animals to sleep. All fifty of them. Fifty that I rescued looked after, bred, and raised as if they were my own. I still remember their pleading and saddened eyes when they realized I had to do it, and I had to bury them all too.”

He gripped both of his hands, remembering the one responsible.

“The worst part was, they never caught the guy, for he’s been doing this kind of scam all over the Country.” said Genus as he looked ahead. “But sure enough, he died in a car accident a month later. I was glad he was gone, but I was disappointed that I didn’t get any justice for those animals.”

He looked at her and said, “That’s why I lost my shit earlier. And I took it out on you. For that…I’m really sorry.”

There was a bit of silence between them. He’ll understand if she’ll never talk to him. That was until…

“Do you wanna know why I’m always like this?” said Fluttershine, gaining Genus” attention.

She took a couple of deep breaths but was able to let them out.

“When I was younger,” said Fluttershine, “I was constantly bulled because of my timid personality. Then one day, one of my friends tried to defend me, but they wouldn’t back off. So, she challenged her to a race.”

Genus recalled what Rainbow and Fluttershy told him a while back.

“But during the race, one of the ponies I knew and trusted rigged the race by cheating.

And in doing so…” said Fluttershine before she whimpered and shed a few tears. “She ended up having one of her wings cut off.”

Genus was surprised by this as he looked at her, for he couldn’t imagine anyone would do that in a race, even when it comes to cheating.

Fluttershine looked down and said, “Ever since that day, I vowed to stop being weak and promised myself to be brave. But I also promised I wouldn’t just trust anybody, not the way one of them betrayed me. That’s why I am the way I am.”

Fluttershine was quiet until she felt an arm wrapped around her, surprising her. When she looked, she saw it was Genus, who had wrapped his arm around her and held her close. At first, she wanted to protest, but instead, she wrapped her arm around him. Before she knew it, she whimpered and hugged him tightly, and he returned the gesture. They sat like this for the next ten minutes, trying to vent out what they’d been feeling inside. After she vented, the two stood up, allowing her to look at him, for he recognized that was the face.

“I’m really sorry.” said Fluttershine.

“Not as sorry as I am.,” said Genus.

“Don’t be.” said Fluttershine “Truth be told, I needed to hear that. Thanks for snapping me out of what I’ve been burying after all these years.”

“My wife once told me that even though sometimes everyone likes to be listened to,” said Genus, “We just need the time to understand them and that sometimes in life all it takes is a little kindness.”

She lowered her head in shame, saying, “I wish I could’ve learned all that sooner.”

He lifted her chin a bit, allowing her to look at him as he smiled while he said, “You still can.”

She ended up smiling too. The two of them had come to an understanding.

“Aw, see.” said Heart Rabbit as he came along, gaining their attention. “Told you all you needed was to talk things through, and there will be folks who will understand you.”



“Now that you mention it,” said Fluttershine as she looked at the rabbit, then to Genus, “You’re the only one who understood me.”

“What can I say.” said Genus with a shrug. “I’ve been taught by my wife, who represents Kindness.”

“Uh, yeah, sorry to interrupt the kind of bromance; whatever thing is going on here?” said Heart Rabbit. “But we need to get moving to get that their flower, otherwise that their poacher of a hunter will end up waking up and hunting us down until we’re at his mercy.”

“He’s right.” said Fluttershine “We need to get to the top of the mountain and fast; otherwise, we won’t be able to help save the lion in time.”

Genus then thought about something. He remembered a while ago when they ran into the Poacher, he decloaked himself, like he was a Chameleon or something. And because of the helmet, he could see them as if he could see their thermal readings. But he also noticed that his eyes had looked slightly off like he needed the helmet to see properly. Though he may have overpowered Fluttershine without the helmet, he could temporarily see without it, so his eyes went a bit white before losing sight. That’s when it clicked. The cloaking, the helmet, the eyes, the gadgets. He was acting like the Predator from the Predator movies. Though he wasn’t comfortable enough to watch it when his friends back on Earth made him watch it, he could see how a Predator, like any animal, would try to take down its prey, so he had some idea on how to overcome it.

“I know what to do,” said Genus.

Fluttershine and Heart Rabbit looked at Genus as the Rabbit said, “Well then, if you’re gonna help, then spill it.”

“You two go and get that flower on top of the mountain,” said Genus before he turned around and looked where they ran from. “I’ll deal with him.”

The two were shocked by what Genus said. “Are you nuts, man?!” shouted Heart Rabbit. “You have any idea how dangerous that their dude is. And how the hell are you planning to take him on when you got nothing but the clothes on your back while also facing some dope shit in his dumbass uniform.”

“It’s the only way.” said Genus as he looked at them. “I know how he hunts; I’ve seen moves like that before. I know how to beat him. And I’m also the only one who knows what he’ll think next. So, while I try to distract him, you guys get the flower up top no matter what.”

Fluttershine could see that he was scared but willing to face that beast. She thought about it, then took a deep breath and said, “Are you sure about this?”

“I am.,” said Genus. “I won’t lose another friend as I did to my animal friends back home all those years ago.”

Fluttershine then suddenly hugged him and said, “Good luck.”

She then bent over, picked up the rabbit, spread her wings, and flew off to the top of the mountain while Genus slowly looked back and took a deep breath.

“Alright,” said Genus with determination, “Here we go.”

He went into the woods to prepare himself, for if he was going to make it, he’d have to go full-on Predator. He began to pull his upper clothing off instead of his pants; he used the rocks to carve a few sharps rocks, which would make a fitting spear and arrow. With the help of some of the animals, he found the right and strong enough wood to craft his weapons, making himself a strong enough bow, a ton of arrows, two spears, and what appeared to be a knife. He even began camouflaging himself with the mud, trying to mask his sense to gain an advantage over his prey. Once he was done, he even wrapped his own made bandana and said to himself, “Let’s get dangerous.”




1 hour later




From within the forest, the Poacher woke up, and boy, was he mad. He wanted to get the creature who outsmarted him, for no one would humiliate him and take him away from his prize.

“That ape is dead when I see him.” said the Poacher to himself while he readjusted his weapons. “First, I’m going to hang him up my wall, and then I’m gonna show him what I’m capable of.”

But then he suddenly stopped as he saw smoke from the horizon. He knew that that was where they were, making him smirk from underneath his helmet.

“There you are.” said the Poacher and made his way toward the smoke.

He continued to make his way toward the smoke, but unknown to him, some plants were suddenly placed all over that even the toughest chameleons couldn’t camouflage themselves under.

He soon made his way to the smoke, revealed as a campsite. He slowly walked over to it, trying to figure out where they went. However, from atop the trees, unknown to him, a certain man, camouflaged with much mud and green, was Genus, who slowly began to aim his arrow at a certain spot that the Poacher didn’t see before.

With a calm breath, he then released the arrow. But instead of the arrow heading straight toward the Poacher, it went straight toward explosive gelatin, which the animals of the wood were very thankful to provide him some. When it made contact, the gelatin exploded, causing the Poacher to be launched forward and crash against what appeared to be a boulder. This allowed Genus to quickly move to prepare the next part of the trap.

The Poacher stood up, feeling groggy, but then began to grip his fists in anger, looking around but finding no trace of his prey.

“He is so dead.” said the Poacher to himself.

The poacher stood up and picked up his crossbow to find him. But again, he decided to use a cloak on himself to have a better chance of eliminating his target. On the other hand, Genus jumped from tree branch to tree branch, trying to make his way to the second spot.

“Good thing I’m the top gymnast in my class.” said Genus to himself as he kept moving forward.

After jumping so many trees, he was able to find his way to his secondary spot. A trap he had thankfully set up. He remembered that chameleons can lose their ability to go invisible by damaging the nervous system. So, with the right amount of fire and explosives, the Poacher will lose his ability to turn invisible.

Genus slowly pulled out two arrows that would allow him to get a direct hit at his target. He kept his position, maintaining his awareness and ensuring that he stayed well enough to be camouflaged so that no one could detect him. He kept waiting and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. He slowed his breathing, trying to stay calm. Then a bird flew by, whistling to Genus. Thankfully, Fluttershy taught him how to understand them, and he knows the bird says the Poacher is close by.

Soon enough, the Poacher began approaching the spot where Genus had him in his line of sight. He aimed down his sight at the Poacher. Even though the Poacher may be camouflaged, he could see that the invisibility wasn’t doing any good at the plants he had planted.

The Poacher slowly approached the large log and walked over it, trying to find any sight of his prey. Genus had a perfect line of sight once more. He aimed the arrow at what appeared to be water but was secretly highly concentrated water that he collected from fireweed, the most flammable substance he could find. Once he took a deep breath, he fired at the puddle, creating another spark from a rock that he placed next, causing the concentrated fire, causing it to explode while the Poacher was doused with it at the same time, making the poacher scream as he was lit on fire, allowing Genus to fire another shot, creating another explosion from another Gelatin, causing him to be launched from the log once more and against the hard rock. Genus was off again and made his way towards another spot…the battlefield of his choice.

At the same time, the Poacher slowly got up and, to his shock, lost his ability to turn invisible. But he also noticed that his outfit was damaged, making him rip it off, and he noticed that his equipment was damaged. He only had six arrows for his wrist bows and his gauntlet blades. Angered by this, he severely tossed it away, growled a bit a couple of times, and let out a menacing scream that caused to stir most of the birds to fly away.

Meanwhile, after they had finally reached the mountain, both Fluttershine and Heart Rabbit had heard the loud scream as they looked towards the direction, and saw where the birds were flying from.

“Okay, I may not know the noise of every animal or human.” said Heart Rabbit as he looked at Fluttershine. “But even I know that there’s really bad.”

“We’ll need to hurry.” said a determined Fluttershine. “The faster we find that flower, the faster we’ll be able to go back and help him.”

The two of them darted off to find the spot where they could find the flower. But from down below, the Poacher continued on with his path, but this time chose to remove his helmet, for he wanted to look directly in the eyes of the one who tried to take him away from his prize and now his ability. Soon enough, he had made his way toward the clearing. From within the clearing, there were barely enough trees, and there was no grass, but there were a handful of trees, hills and some parts that appeared to be watery. But the Poacher didn’t pay mind to them, only his prey.

Before he could react, the path behind him was suddenly blocked by a wall of fire, taking the Poacher by surprise when he watched it all go up in flames. But as he stared, from at least a few feet behind him, stood Genus, holding what appeared to be a spear, with a handmade Tomahawk in his right hand. The Poacher slowly turned around, looking at Genus, who looked right back at him in anger.

“Who are you.” said the Poacher.

“You first.” said Genus.

“Hmph, fine.” said the Poacher, “I was born on a world known as Earth. My name was once Howard Thomson.”

That name, that very name, was what haunted Genus for so long since he was a rookie during his summer breaks before he graduated.

“Then it is you.” growled Genus.

“Hmm?” hummed the Poacher as he looked at him with a flexed eyebrow.

“You may not remember,” said Genus, “But I know you all too well.”

“Do you really?” said the Poacher.

“Does the Animal Haven ring any bells.” said Genus.

That’s when the Poacher realized something as he looked at Genus. That very moment, that’s when the Poacher recognized him with widened eyes.

“You.” said the Poacher “Now I remember you.”

“And I know you all too well.” said Genus. “You poisoned every single one of those animals. Animals I rescued and raised and ensured that all of them were safe.”

“So, what,” said the Poacher. “Like I’d ever give a fuck for those stupid animals.”

“They were safe, going to have to have good homes, and they were living creatures!!” said Genus, then pointed a spear at him and said, “This is exactly why I made sure that they fired you!!”

The Poacher was shocked by that, got angry, and said, “You…you were the reason I was fired?!!”

“You were trying to sell the animals to illegal fighting matches!!” shouted Genus. “Which is against animal rights, by the way!! They’re illegal for a reason!!”

“I just wanted to make some money!!” shouted the Poacher.

“Not at the expense of the animals and making the shelter look bad!!” shouted Genus.

Genus gripped his fists and said, “I hated you after all these years. You escaped custody until you died in a car accident. You may have escaped through death, but now.”

Genus planted his spear hard on the ground and pulled out a torch, which surprised the Poacher as Genus shouted, “You’ll get what’s coming to you!!”

He instantly tossed the torch at the right spot, creating large fire walls around them, causing the Poacher to quickly put his helmet back on as his eyes couldn’t handle it. At the same time, Genus quickly ran for it, trying to cover his tracks and ensure that he would have the element of surprise.

The Poacher looked around, trying to find his target, but could not find him anywhere. On the other hand, Genus uses it to his advantage through one of the trees, aims the arrow at the Poacher, and shoots his leg, which causes the Poacher to scream in pain. Genus continued to jump from one ditch to another and fired another arrow, which struck against the poacher’s left shoulder, making the poacher grunt, but pulled the arrow out regardless. He fired two arrows, but both missed Genus as he kept moving. Soon the wall of fire began to surround him, which was a problem, for the poacher couldn’t see through the fire, especially through the helmet. All he could see was static, and the heat of the flames was messing with his senses. But just before he could respond, Genus suddenly appeared from out of nowhere and swung his tomahawk, grazing the poacher’s helmet while Genus went past him again.

The Poacher was now really angry as he screamed whilst looking around, until Genus appeared from out of nowhere again and swung his tomahawk. Then again, and again and again, making the Poacher fire two more of his arrows, but they kept missing Genus by a fracture. The Poacher continued to frantically look around, but found no trace. Genus kept appearing again and again and again, bashing the Poacher by the leg, by the gut, by the arm, by the chest, and by the back.

“Show yourself, you fucking coward!!” shouted the Poacher, but once again, Genus took cover behind one of the burning trees trying to camouflage himself.

Genus panted, trying to make sure he was well hidden. However, the Poacher was not letting up, for he was going to kill him one way or the other. However, unknown to Genus, the Poacher used his helmet to help attune his senses further. After a second attempt, his senses were able to detect heartbeats. He could detect Genus” heartbeat while he tried to take a breath to calm down.

Genus kept his breathing under control until he heard a crackling sound. He took a peek, and to his shock, he saw that the Poacher had his arrow at the ready, which had dynamite connected to it. Which could only mean one thing…

“Oh, shit.” said Genus as he quickly ran. That’s right, for the Poacher knows where he is.

The Poacher fired his one arrow, but Genus was able to jump out of the way before it exploded. Unfortunately, the second one blew at least inches from him, blasting Genus sideways as he crashed against a tree and landed hard on the ground, making him groan.

The Poacher came along and placed his foot on top of Genus, making him groan as he tried to get it off. But the Poacher, on the other hand, wasn’t going to let up as he pulled out two of his wrist swords from his wrists gauntlets whilst growling at Genus.

“I’ve waited a long time for this.” said the Poacher as he raised his arm in the air.

But right before Genus bit the big one, the Poacher was struck on the back by something, which made him shout in pain. Genus looked and saw it was Fluttershine, who was able to save his life. But as he looked to his left, he noticed his handmade Tomahawk, allowing him to grab it and chop the Poacher’s leg, making the Poacher get off of him, and before he could react, Genus grabbed the Poacher’s wrist gauntlet and removed it. The Poacher noticed and saw Genus putting the gauntlet on his right wrist, allowing him to get the wrist sword out and stand ready to fight.

The Poacher attacked Genus, but Genus was too fast, allowing him to chop off his right arm quickly, disarming him literally, and making the Poacher shout in pain.  Genus then grabbed the gauntlet and tossed it away, allowing him to step on the Poacher in return. Fluttershine and Heart Rabbit saw that the Poacher had been beaten.

“Damn,” said Heart Rabbit. “Never expected that.”

“It cannot be…” muttered the Poacher in pain as he could not get up while Fluttershine and Heart Rabbit arrived at the scene. “I am the best hunter there is. It was my right…to be the best…and use what I had.”

Genus lowered himself to the Poacher with a sneer and said, “You never were and never will be.”

The Poacher grabbed Genus” leg and said, “Get it over with then.”

Genus was about to deliver the blow, but then he stopped himself. He remembered that this wasn’t what the animals would’ve wanted. Nor…nor…Fluttershy. Genus remembered that Fluttershy told him once that she tried to be assertive, and she ended up being abusive and mean to the residents of Ponyville and even hurt her own friends. Then she remembered that time she encountered that wolf; what was her name, Nahmat. How she used Fluttershy’s stare power against her, and that it ended up breaking her and turning her into an emotional wreck.

Now that he looked at himself, he realized he was going down the same path as Fluttershy. She would be afraid, disgusted, and ashamed if she saw him. This isn’t what he wanted. He… just wanted to avenge the animals used by a man that the shelter once trusted. This one doesn’t deserve death, for it would be the easy way out for him.

Genus pulled away his spear and lowered it. He kept staring at the Poacher and said, “No. Killing you won’t bring them back. I made sure that Justice had been found. So, I’m offering you a one-time deal. Leave now. Run away from here, Howard. And never return.”

Genus removed his foot from the Poacher’s chest and said, “But if you ever show your face here again. I will not be merciful.”

He turned around and walked away. However, the Poacher wasn’t going to have any of it. He got angry and grabbed a rock while charging toward Genus. But before Genus could react, the Poacher grunted as he suddenly stopped. When Genus looked, he saw that Fluttershine had grabbed one of the Poacher’s fallen arrows and jabbed it through his chest. Within moments, Fluttershine released the arrow, causing the Poacher to fall over, no longer breathing or moving, for he had fallen.

Genus looked at Fluttershine, who merely looked back at him. The two of them were silent, but Genus said, “Uh, thanks.”

“You’re…welcome.” said Fluttershine.

“Now that the poacher’s gone, the Safari will be a better place.” said Heart Rabbit. “But in the meantime, we’d better get this back to the lion and fast.”

“Agreed, let’s go.” said Genus as he, Fluttershine, and Heart Rabbit quickly left to help the lion from her suffering.

Sure enough, they made it to the lion, who was still hiding but was unconscious, for the poison to be slowed. Genus wasted no time getting to work as he began to crush the flower and mix it with other ingredients to make it into the medicine she needed. After much mixing, the liquid had turned into what it needed, allowing Genus to pour the contents into a leaf for him to pour into her mouth.

Fluttershine held the lion, allowing Genus to pour the contents within the mouth, while the rabbit held the mouth to make sure not a single drop had lefts the lion’s mouth. Soon the last of the contents were emptied, allowing Fluttershine to rest the lion’s head on the ground. The three eagerly looked at the lion to ensure she would get better. Lo and behold, the black veins began to fade, and the lion’s breathing was normal. The lion opened her eyes and lifted her head, allowing the three to sigh in relief when they saw the lion was all better.

“Thank you,” said the lion as he looked at Genus. “My name is Sekhmet. Thank you for saving me from my ill-darkened fate.”

“The least we could do,” said Genus. “But I didn’t do it on my own. I have both Fluttershine and her rabbit friend to thank for helping me.”

The lion stood up with a smile as she said, “And as thank you for what you did for me, I would like to offer you a gift.”

The lion gently waved its paw, revealing a type of chest. Genus wondered what was inside. When the lion opened it, it revealed to be a large item, with what appeared to be a butterfly axe in tow.

“This is called a Driver, which once belonged to the most powerful Knights of Old,” said the Lion. “Though the Knights may be powerful protectors, they also know when to stay their hand from an innocent or an unarmed opponent. For within their hearts shine a kind of Kindness that none had ever imagined. And because of the kindness you have shown despite the violent nature you were forced to use, you have proven yourself worthy of wielding it.”

The Driver glowed red, allowing it to float right into Genus” right hand. At the same time, the weapon also hovered and landed in his left hand, which he was surprised was quite light, but he could also sense that the axe blade itself was quite powerful, especially with the lion symbol on both sides the weapon.

“Use this weapon and power for good.” said the lion as Genus looked at him. “But only use it when absolutely necessary. For a true Knight never attacks unless they are being attacked and would try to trust before mistrusting.”

Genus accepted them and bowed to the lion as he said, “I understand. I’ll do my best.” After he bowed, Fluttershine approached and said, “Thanks for helping me believe again. And thank you for being my friend.”

“The least I could do,” said Genus. “When we have the chance, I’ll come back to visit both of you; that’s a promise.”

“You’d better,” said Heart Rabbit. “I was just starting to like you.”

Genus nodded while, at the same time, the vortex from beneath Genus appeared, which signaled that his trial was now over. That said, he waved to them as he said,

“I’ll see you soon, one day.”

“Goodbye, friend.” said Fluttershine as she and Heart Rabbit waved goodbye. “See you soon.”

“See you soon, Fluttershine.” said Genus.

Within mere moments, Genus vanished, allowing the lion, Fluttershine and Heart Rabbit to walk away.

“Come,” said the lion. “Let us spread the word. The guardians will soon return.”
> Chapter 9: A Knight's Trial part 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the same time, Silver was slowly beginning to wake up from a different location, making him groan as he slowly began to sit up.

“Oh man,” said Silver as he rubbed his head, “I haven’t felt this poorly since Rarity, and I did that Triple Order for the Fashion Week show a few years back.”

He looked around and noticed that the area wasn’t familiar to him. However, when he looked at the trees and a few others, he recognized the landscape, for they slightly resembled his old video game, the Witcher 3. He remembered that during his dark days of living in loneliness, he used to play it all the time, trying to cope with the loss of his parents.

“Wow,” said Silver as he looked around. “Never figured that I would be in a place that’s almost Witcher level.”

He slowly began to stand up, wondering where he would go. For he still needed to learn where he was supposed to go. He followed the signs that showed which way the town was. But as he traveled, he realized that even if he got to a town, there would be those who wouldn’t treat humans equally. If there’s one thing, he knows about most villages, they don’t accept outsiders to be in their village. But as he walked around, he heard a cart coming. He quickly hid to ensure that he wouldn’t be found.

He slowly waited until the cart had passed. Silver kept his position, not wanting to give himself away. That was until the cart suddenly stopped. Things were silent for a few moments until…

“You okay there?” asked a voice.

“Shit.” muttered Silver. He slowly got out and revealed himself to the stranger.

However, when Silver got a look at him, he was surprised to see an anthropomorphic wolf. He didn’t seem like a threat, though it’s hard to tell with the scars over his fur, he must’ve been through a lot.

“Uh, yeah, um…I’m fine.” said Silver as he approached the wolf. “Do you happen to know where I am? I seem to be lost here.”

“We’re near the village of Wolf’s Bane Haven,” said the Wolf. “There happens to be an Inn there. They’re trying to send out a contract to others to slay a beast that’s somewhere in these lands.”

“Mind if I come along?” asked Silver. “I’m new around these parts and don’t know where else to go.”

The Wolf looked at him with a flexed eyebrow as if studying him. After giving some thought, he nodded and said, “Very well, you can come along.”

“Thank you.” said Silver as he approached the cart. “I promise to pull my weight, too, I won’t hold you back.”

“I’ll hold you to that.” said the wolf as Silver boarded the cart. “What’s your name?”

“Jim Silver,” said Silver as he boarded the cart, “But folks at Equestria call me Silver.”

“Equestria, huh?” said the wolf as he commanded the cart to move using his Grogu Beast. “Never heard of that place, I imagine it’s pretty far.”

“Farthest as you can imagine.” said Silver, then he looked at the wolf and asked, “What do they call you?”

“Name’s Lobo.” said the Wolf. “I also happen to be new to these lands. Work tends to be hard to find nowadays, so I travel to find what I’m looking for.”

“Good to know.” said Silver as he looked ahead, but then he saw that the Wolf was offering him a cloak.

“You might want to disguise yourself.” said Lobo as he looked ahead. “Folks don’t take too kindly to outsiders, but we’ll find a way to manage.”

“Got it.” said Silver as he put the cloak on.

“Don’t worry,” said Lobo “We’ll find you a new outfit too once we get there.”

“As I said, I’ll pull my weight around,” said Silver after he put the cloak on. “I won’t let you down, promise.”

The wolf merely smiled, for the way he offered to help shows that there is indeed some generosity in there.

Soon enough, they made their way towards the Town, allowing them to find a place to park their cart, disembarked, and headed straight towards the nearest shop. They began to look around, but Silver noticed the store owner had a problem with things at the back, even these were so disorganized it would take him weeks to figure things out.

Silver couldn’t stand to see the store clerk struggle, so he decided to help organize things and fast too. The clerk was surprised to see how well the stranger was organized. Soon enough, the entire shop was neat and organized, with Silver handing him a list and manifest showing what items were there and helping sort things out and fixing things that could’ve spelled disaster.

“Thank you so much,” said the Store Clerk as he shook Silver’s hand. “I can’t thank you enough for helping me out. Wish I could repay you.”

“There’s no need.” said Silver with a smile. “It’s always good to be generous to those who need it. When things don’t work out, we always stick together and help those in need.”

Silver then walked out as the Store Clerk smiled with so much gratitude.

“Wait,” said the Store Clerk, causing Silver to stop and turn around. “I have something for you as a way of saying thanks.”

Soon enough, Silver walked out dressed in a new outfit, as well as a mask to keep his face concealed, except for his mouth and a cloak over his head.

“I have to say, I’m impressed.” said Lobo as he walked out of the store. “Normally, no one would help a stranger like that.”

“Well, from what my wife taught me,” said Silver, “It doesn’t matter how different you are or how little you have, sometimes, it pays to be generous to those who have nothing. Sometimes helping those in need through generosity, it is always best to help those in need.”

Lobo kept his face hidden but smiled underneath, for that’s a feeling he knows all too well. He then realized something and said, “Maybe he can help me after all.”

They made their way to a local inn, where the populace was mixed with griffons, hippogriffs, centaurs, and so on. There were also plenty of wolves all around. Silver kept his disguise and made sure no one would see through his disguise.

“Come,” said Lobo as he directed Silver to the bartender’s table. “Let’s get a drink while getting some information.”

They sat near the table, allowing the bartender to bring them some meat and drinks. As they drink, Lobo asks, “I assume you know who I am.”

“Indeed, I do,” said the bartender. “Been a while since we had one of you pass here a while back.”

“Do you have any work for us?” asked Lobo.

“As a matter of fact, we do,” said the bartender while handing them a document about a dragon. “About before you lot showed up, there happens to have been a dragon a while back that kept raiding some of our supplies.”

“What kind of supplies are we talking about?” said Silver as he was curious “Food being the obvious supply.”

“You catch pretty quick, but most of our food storages are alright, but this dragon stole blueberries and half of our milk storage. No idea what she would use them for. Dragons always take meat, but she didn’t bother them, she seemed interested in those items.”

“So, you wish for us to deal with it.” asked Lobo.

“That you should,” said the bartender. But then he leaned in and said, “And there’ll be an extra reward if you’re able to take care of another problem.”

“Another?” asked Silver.

“There happens to be a sorceress that also resides from the Grand Hall up the mountain,” said the bartender. “The Grand Hall happens to be where we held the festivities, but it’s been very difficult ever since she took it over. We can’t throw the festivities here, otherwise, it’ll attract the attention of some unwanted creatures.”

“We’ll take the payment upfront,” said Lobo. “After that, we’ll survey the situation. Once were done, we’ll be able to do the job.”

“Oh, thank you, kind sirs, ‘said the bartender, relieved to hear that.

“Where was the dragon sighted last?” asked Silver when he and Lobo finished their meals and drinks.

The bartender showed them a map behind him and said, “The dragon has been sighted up on that part of the country uphill. We know that place well, it used to be our largest factory to make rum for this and other villages. If the dragon is removed, we’ll be able to get some workers to fix the place up to restart the business.”

“Thank you.” said Lobo as he paid for the meal. “We’ll be on the way.”

The two of them exited the placed and made towards their cart, with Silver saying, “So the dragon has taken refuge inside the brewery. A strange place it would use to hide in, though.”

“If the dragon’s there, the factory must be big.” said Lobo, then looked at Silver. “We will need to act fast.”

“We’ll see if it’s sleeping first.” said Silver “Dragons are more dangerous when they’re awake.”

“You have some experience with them?” asked Lobo.

“I uh…my wife has told me a lot about dragons, even showed me.” said Silver, thinking about Spike and the constant times he’d tried to flirt with her since before he got there.

“I see.” said Lobo as they continued to trek their way to the top.

They continued to walk up the path, the villagers weren’t kidding when they mentioned how far it was. Then again, Silver couldn’t blame them, for you need to be farther away from home instead of next door when it comes to business. For it spells trouble if they do something like that.

Soon enough, they had reached the top. Silver was surprised to see how big the place was.

“Whoa,” said Silver as he looked at the building. “For a small village, they do have a big business.”

“Folks can’t get enough of their wines,” said Lobo “Any other place buys them twice the price because of how it tastes.”

“Look,” said Silver as he pointed at the hole in the roof, “That must be where the dragon flew in.”

“Then let’s go.” said Lobo as he and Silver walked down the hill.

They made their way to the entrance. But instead of rushing in, they quietly opened the door and peeked inside. They slowly walked in, with Lobo stopping Silver and pointing to the left. There were tons of berries and canisters of milk standing next to the large machine. But what caught their attention was a type of crystal underneath the large machine.

“I’ve never seen that before.” said Silver.

“They use those crystals to make the wine cold to keep it fresh.” said Lobo “Therefore, the trip would last very long, and by the time the wine is at the normal temperature, the ones who buy them would’ve already stored them at a place where it could be served and drink.”

“And from the looks of those crystals,” said Silver as he took a closer look, “They look brand new as if they’ve been recently installed.”

“There’s twenty more of them.” said Lobo as he looked around. “That would explain why the villagers” reported only specific crystals were taken.”

Silver looked at the tap nearby. He saw something that caught his attention: what appeared to drop coming out. He looked to his right and saw a cup. He picked it up and placed it under the tap while turning it on. The tap slowly dropped the contents in it before he closed it.

Silver looked at the contents, sniffed them, and then tasted them. To his surprise, it was…

“Ice Cream?” muttered Silver.

Silver then realized something. The milk, the berries, some of the ingredients, especially the machines. They led to a conclusion, which caused him to groan and say, “Now I know what the dragon needs them for.”

“You do?” said Lobo.

“Yeah, she’s busy ice cream binging.” said Silver.

“What’s ice cream?” asked Lobo. Silver handed the cup over, causing the wolf to taste it.

“Ice cream is sometimes enjoyed as deserts, snacks, or in this case…” said Silver as he pointed at all the wine-making machines “Stress eating when you’re greatly upset.”

“Let me guess, your wife?” asked Lobo.

“Unfortunately,” said Silver while rolling his eyes, “She eats a lot of that stuff.”

They suddenly heard crying, which caused them to be quiet and look in the direction where it was coming from. They slowly walked towards the noise as it grew louder and louder. When they took a peek, they saw a dragon, appearing to be a female, consuming ice cream while crying and sobbing simultaneously. They could see tons of buckets around as if she had been consuming a large amount of them.

However, when Silver looked at the dragon, its color scales looked familiar. It was all white, but instead of spikes on the dragon’s head, it was hair. Silver was curious, causing him to walk over to the dragon, much to Lobo’s shock.

As Silver got close, the dragon noticed, causing her to toss the bucket, with Silver merely turned left to dodge it.

“Don’t look at me!!” shouted the dragon. “I’m hideous!!”

Silver, remembering when he saw how Rarity had complimented the serpent at the Everfree Forest on their first adventure, decided to take a page from how she calmed the beast.

“Why would you ever think that?” said Silver, which confused Lobo on what he was doing.

“Because I am!!” sobbed the dragon. “Look at me, I used to be so beautiful, but now I’m a monster!!”

“That’s preposterous.” said Silver. “You are still very beautiful.”

The dragon sniffed and said, “I beg your pardon?”

Lobo flexed an eyebrow at that as he watched the human.

“For one thing.” said Silver as he started, “The whiteness of your scales. They say that snow may be cold but also very beautiful. Your scales are like the color of the snow, if snow can be beautiful, so too can the color of your scales.”

The dragon was slightly surprised, causing her to slowly observe her scales. They were white, just like the snow, which she found quite surprising.

“Oh my,” said the dragon as she looked at her scales. “They do look like snow, don’t they?”

“Exactly.” said Silver, making himself realize that he was getting through to her, but he continued trying. “And your wings. Yeah, sure, they may look different, but the way I see it, you’re just a beautiful angel who’s misunderstood. You were just misunderstood because no one can see an angel when they see one.”

The dragoness looked at her wings and realized they may look different, but he didn’t see it. Silver suddenly caught a hint of growling, which he realized was coming from Lobo. At first, he was curious, but he let it slide as he tried to get through to her.

“And your hair.” said Silver. “Oh my gosh, your hair. They may be a bit messy, but the way I see it, they run like silk.”

He walked over and could feel a piece of her hair dangling. “And they even feel like silk, pure even.”

The dragoness rubbed her hair and realized it did feel like silk. She couldn’t help but blush at the compliments, even if he seemed different.

“And your body…” said Silver as he pointed at it. “Your body shows how attractive you really are, it shows how hard you worked to maintain such a beautiful body.”

Now the dragon felt really flustered over his compliments, while Silver could feel the grinding of someone’s teeth and claws scratching on what would be a wall. Silver noticed that Lobo looked like he was going to lose it. But he ignored it, for he was close to breaking through her.

“And those eyes,” said Silver “Those eyes of yours, they shine so bright that the most beautiful of diamonds.”

That seemed to do it. He could tell he had gotten through to her. The dragon slowly leaned forward and said, “My…you really know how to speak to a woman, don’t you?”

“Sometimes, when some think that they’re not beautiful, they tend to be in despair,” said Silver as he slowly went to the dragon and rubbed its muzzle. “But they don’t realize that there’s beauty everywhere, they just don’t take a moment to soak it in before judging so harshly.”

The dragon sniffled again, saying, “Oh, if I wasn’t already married, I would’ve taken you in a heartbeat.”

“I get that from time to time.” said Silver.

He then noticed two large ice creams in larger buckets. He walked over and scooped himself a small bowl while taking the bigger one for the dragon. Thankfully they had spoons in them, so it would make the conversation easier. He sat across her while he focused on the dragon.

“Now then, tell me.” said Silver while handing her some ice cream while accepting his own, saying, “What seems to be the trouble? Why do you think of yourself differently?”

The dragon sniffled once more before accepting her ice cream and ate it slowly to explain her situation.

“Well, it’s like this,” said the Dragon as she was chewing on some ice cream and tried to explain her situation. “I wasn’t always a dragon, you know. I was once a Princess of this kingdom. I became the ruler after my father passed away. I did my best to rule my kingdom. Until one day, the sorceress, jealous of my beauty, suddenly turned on me and…and…turned me into a dragon.”

“Really?” said Silver. “Was there another reason why she did what she did?”

“No.” said the dragon, “I didn’t even do anything to her.”

After containing his anger, Lobo snuck beside him and whispered, “It was a while ago. The beauty was part of it, the other part was that she was selfish because she kept hoarding things to herself like a spoilt brat.”

“Wow,” muttered Silver. “Was my own wife like that before I met her?”

He looked at the dragoness and said, “And you chose to hide out here ever since?”

The dragon sniffled and said, “Yes.”

Silver stood up and asked, “What’s your name?”

The Dragoness sniffed and said, “Belle.”

Silver smiled, walked over, holding her dragon claw, and said, “Well, Belle. My name is Jim Silver. But everyone back at my home calls me Silver.”

Belle looked at the human and smiled a bit, with Silver saying, “So how about we go out there and find a way to help you.”

Belle was slightly surprised but asked, “Why are you helping me? We’ve recently met, and you’re willing to trust me. Why?”

“Because you’re my friend,” said Silver, which surprised Belle. “Just because were different doesn’t mean we don’t have a place in the world to help those in need. Sometimes being generous can help one cleanse ones soul.”

Belle had never considered that before, while at the same time, she heard someone else.

“Who else is there with you?” asked Belle.

“Another friend.” said Silver, then looked in the direction and said, “You can come out now.”

Lobo slowly appeared, but he kept his hood over his head to hide his face for some reason, why, Silver didn’t know, not yet anyway.

“Apologies.” said Lobo. “I didn’t know if I should make my presence known until I knew it was safe.”

“It’s alright.” said Silver “Now then, about the Sorceress. Did the villagers say

anything else about her besides what they already told us?”

“From what I could tell,” said Lobo as he thought about it, “She would sometimes hit the villages near the ocean. And since there are only four villages capable of that, I’d know of one she might go to.”

“Then that’s where were heading.”

The three left the factory and traveled to where the sorceress resided. As Lobo said, they continued to take the road that led them straight toward the village near the ocean.

Silver looked at what she was hauling, and as it turned out, it was an entire cart filled with canisters and large cups. He looked at her with a flexed eyebrow, with Belle noticing as she noticed him staring.

“What?” said Belle.

“Why are you carrying that with you?” asked Silver.

“What?” said Belle. “I need it in case I need to calm down again. Besides, they taste so good.”

“They sure are.” said Silver, but then he also knew another thing about Ice Cream.

“But aren’t you afraid that they’ll melt?”

“Oh, not to worry.” said Belle. “These are specially designed to keep things cold. Meaning the Ice Cream couldn’t melt, no matter how hot a day.”

“Really?” said Silver, then he muttered silently. “Wow, Ponyville would have a field day if they had stuff like this.”

But then he thought, “Then Pinkie would probably go overboard with the ice cream again.”

They continued to follow the path that would lead straight to the village, while at the same time, Silver had secretly been putting something together using materials he had somehow obtained during his first travel. After an hour of walking, they finally reached within view of the village.

“Village up ahead.” said Lobo.

“We’d better get going.” said Silver “The Sorceress might be up to no good.”

They soon approached the village. The villagers didn’t seem bothered by the large dragon. Belle kept looking around with pure nervousness, fearing that folks would fear her, and ran away as they did before. However, he gently patted her foot, gaining her attention, showing his smile, indicating that she didn’t need to be afraid, not as long as friends around didn’t think of her differently.

However, as they walked, she overheard the village children talking.

“I wished our village was in such a poor state.” said one child.

“Yeah, no thanks to that stupid princess.” said the second child.

“Yeah, that bitch made everyone’s life miserable.” said the third “Always taxing us, always taking what little we have. Honestly, why’d we have a bitch like her around?”

The Dragoness got angry as she growled while flames were coming out of her nose. That was until she felt something stop her and saw Silver looking at her angrily.

“Don’t even think about it.” said Silver.

“But they dared insult me. Me, a princess.”

“Yeah, and for a good reason.” said Silver, but then he changed his attitude while saying, “Instead of being angry, why not give them something to take their mind off of things.”

“Like what?” said the Princess.

Silver looked at the Ice Cream canisters and had an idea. He went to the back and took one and three bowls. At first, the dragoness was shocked to see one of her ice creams be taken away, but she didn’t want to cause a scene, making her grumble.

Silver was close enough and said to the kids, “Excuse me?”

The kids looked at him and wondered what he was, with one kid saying, “What are you supposed to be?”

“Someone who likes to give a tasty treat.” said Silver.

He opened the canister, revealing the Ice Cream. The kids then wondered what it was while, at the same time, allowing Silver to dish the ice cream into the cubs with their own makeshift spoons. He handed it to them, allowing the kids to accept them. At first, they were curious about this until one of them tasted it. Within a split second, one of the kid’s faces lit up, and they smiled wonderfully.

“Mmm,” mumbled the one kid through her mouth. “This is so good.”

“Yeah, these taste amazing.” said the second.

“Come on, guys,” said one of the kids to the others.” This is amazing.”

Soon every child came together and had some ice cream. They all enjoyed it, with Belle watching as the children enjoyed some ice cream. She couldn’t help but notice how all of them were smiling. She couldn’t stop smiling, even if small, for watching a child smile was something she hadn’t seen in a long time.

After the ice cream and the children left to do their own activities, one child said, “Thanks for the ice cream, Mister. I wish there was a way to repay you for something this delicious.”

“Your smiling is all the thanks I’ll ever need.” said Silver with a smile before the child left.

Belle was surprised to have overheard what he said. At the same time, Silver comes back with the empty can, and Belle asks, “Why did you do that?”

“Sometimes in life when one has nothing,” said Silver, “Sometimes it pays to be a little generous to those who have nothing. A little generosity can help a long way. My wife once taught me that.”

Belle thought about it. In a way, she was once like that too. That was until…

“Help!!” shouted someone. “The Sorceress is causing trouble!!”

They looked toward the other side of the village, where they saw smoke rising. Thinking that the Sorceress was there, they needed to take immediate action. They soon made their way toward the other end of the village. Silver signaled Belle to stay there while Lobo and Silver checked it out. They took a peek and saw that the Sorceress was casting a spell that caused a fireball to be shot.

Silver couldn’t make out who it was, but as he squinted his eyes, he noticed that the hair looked familiar, but he couldn’t place his finger on it.

The Sorceress sighed and looked to her right, saying, “I’m so bored.”

“SURI?!!” shouted Silver, but clamped his mouth shut and quickly hid.

The Sorceress turned around but noticed that no one was around.

At the same time, Lobo looked at Silver and said, “You know her?”

“From somewhere else.” said Silver.

But before he could explain anything further, they heard someone clear their voice. This surprised them, making them slowly look to their left, and they saw the Sorceress crossing her arms and looking at them with a flexed eyebrow.

“Uh…” said Silver before he chuckled nervously and said, “Hi there.”

“And just what do you think you’re doing here?” asked the Sorceress.

“We’re here to stop you.” said Lobo as he got up. “And to have the princess restored to her former glory.”

“Oh, please.” said the Sorceress as she used her magic and tossed him away, making him crash against the barn. She then looked at the human and said, “And now for you.”

“Hold it.” said Silver as he raised his hand. “I’m not the aggression type, that’s never solved any problems.”

The Sorceress flexed her left eyebrow. She noticed that the strange creature hadn’t kept his defenses up and didn’t look like he wanted to attack her.

“Why are you doing this?” asked Silver. “Why did you turn the Princess into a dragon.

I know you couldn’t have done any of that without reason. If you did what you did, you must have a reason, didn’t you?”

The Sorceress kept her focus on him, and she noticed that he did wish to know, he wanted to hear her out. She took a deep breath to calm down, then landed in front of him while sitting on a wooden rail.

“If you must know.” said the Sorceress as she thought about her past. “Long ago, the Princess and I used to be best friends when we were little. Over time as we grew older, she became beautiful. But she also became cold about a month before she took the crown. I was also jealous of her beauty. But when she took the crown, she left me behind, took my home away from me, and kept taxing and taking away what little the people had. Eventually, I had enough and decided to teach her a lesson by turning her into a dragon.”

“Really?” said Silver. “Wasn’t that a bit harsh? Didn’t you try to talk to her?”

“I tried that for years.” said the Sorceress. “But no matter how hard I tried, she left me behind like I meant nothing to her anymore. She even used her own friends, which is why they broke apart and left her long ago.”

“Kinda sounds familiar.” said Silver.

“What do you mean?” asked the Sorceress.

“My wife was also like that.” said Silver “Long before I met her, she took her friends to see a play, but she let someone use her generosity to their advantage. She ended up enslaving her friends and guilt-tripped them into doing what she wanted. It was a miracle that they even bothered to stick around. And when they wrote a friendship Journal to help teach others to learn about friendship, the readers ended up getting the wrong message and ended up boycotting her business and thinking that she didn’t deserve to exist, not to mention they thought that she wrote a bunch of lies on it.”

“Wow,” said the Sorceress, “That must’ve been rough.”

“You have no idea.” said Silver as he rolled his eyes.

Before the conversation could go any further, the Sorceress saw something, causing her to quickly push the human out of the way and for her to jump away, while at the same time, a great fire had been blown, revealing it to be Belle.

“You!!” said Belle. “You have some nerve to show your face around here.”

“Well, look what the cat dragged in, ‘said the Sorceress as she floated in the air.

“I was once a beautiful Princess, and you took it away from me!!” shouted Belle.

“I took everything away from you?!” shouted the Sorceress back. “You were the one who took everything away from the villagers!! Pushed everyone away who actually gave a damn about you!! I looked up to you more than anyone, and suddenly, you treated us like garbage from out of nowhere?! I tried to reach out to you for years, and suddenly you also took my home away and had the gall to say that it’s my fault all this happened?!”

Belle got angry and shot her fire at the Sorceress, which caused her to fire an ice spell to stop it in its tracks, which ended up creating a smokescreen, which the Sorceress had planned. Once it cleared, the Sorceress floated above and said, “If you wish to settle this,” said the Sorceress sternly, “We’ll finish this at the Grand Hall. I’ll be waiting.”

The Sorceress flew away, with Belle angry that she got away again.

Silver got up and rubbed his head, for he got his head hit a bit.

Belle shouted, “You dare talk to the enemy! After what she did to me?! Who turned me into a monster?! Why I ought to...!!

But before she could continue, she felt a strong slap on her face. Belle held onto it and, in shock, looked at Silver, who revealed that he was the one who slapped her. At the same time, as Lobo arrived, he saw Silver get angry and yell at her.

“Shut the fuck up, you worthless bitch!!” shouted Silver, which shocked Belle as he continued, “She wouldn’t have acted out this way if it wasn’t for you!! You two used to be best friends ever since you were little!! And before that, you ended up taking the crown, and you were so selfish you pushed everyone out of your life!! Including your own best friends!! This whole thing is your fault too!! You treated everyone like slaves, you took their homes away, you took what little they had left, and you abandoned your own friends!!”

Belle gasped and said, “How dare you.”

“I dare because if something is wrong, it’s wrong!!” shouted Silver. “I don’t care how royal highness you are or that you used to be a princess!! You are mean, cruel, greedy, rotten, bossy, and bratty, and nobody likes you!!”

There was complete silence for a moment, and before he could react, Belle suddenly shed tears, bawled in crying, and ran away.

Silver groaned in frustration as he pinched the bridge of his nose. Then muttered, “No wonder the Sorceress turned her into a dragon.”

“That’s not far from the truth.” said Lobo, gaining Silver’s attention as Lobo stood next to him.

Silver looked at Lobo and said, “I knew she’s a princess and all, but the way she’s been acting, I can’t believe they made someone like her a princess.”

“You can blame her father for that.” said Lobo.

This gained Silver’s attention, he said, “What?”

“Her father’s why she’s like this.” said Lobo. “I won’t go any further than that. If you want to know, you need to talk to her about it.”

Silver looked in the direction that she ran. He realized he wasn’t very nice to her, making him groan in frustration as he said, “Why the heck does this always happen to me? This is the Friendship Journal all over again.”

“Friendship Journal?” asked Lobo.

“Long story.” replied Silver, then he looked ahead and said, “I need to make things right.”

He walked towards the direction where Belle ran. He continued to follow the path, realizing that this would lead to a different part of the beach somewhere. As he took a few more steps, he heard the sounds of sniffling, making him realize that she wasn’t that far. As soon as he got around the corner, the dragon sat there, sniffling as tears ran down, looking at her reflection in sadness.

Silver walked over to her and slowly sat next to her. He didn’t make any noise, for he sat there, waiting for her to open up until she was ready.

“What?” said Belle as she was still filled with tears. “Come to say something ghastlier to me?”

“Not really.” said Silver as he looked at the horizon. He remembered how he got Suri to open up, so he attempted to do the same for her.

“Ask me this,” said Silver “What made you go down that path in the first place?” Belle continued to look ahead of the horizon, thinking about her past. No longer able to hide it, she sighed and revealed the truth.

“When I was a little girl,” said Belle, “I was born under a wealthy family. Royalty, if you will. I cherished many friends with all my heart, even if we were very different. I even married to a one who loved me for who I was and became the husband I always wanted. I was very happy.”

Then she looked down in sadness. “But my father.” she started. “My father was a very cruel man. He did many things that we were not proud of and made us question our family’s heritage and legacy. He wanted a son, but he had me instead. He was cruel, he molded me into what he wanted me to be. Someone cruel. After he died and I took over, I mistreated the villagers as my father did. I drove my friends away, even my husband. The Sorceress was my best friend, but I ended up pushing her away and taking everything away from her, which is why she turned me into a beast.”

She looked ahead and was saddened while tears were falling. “When I took over, I tried hard to be better than my father, but his ghost still shook me terribly. I became a cruel ruler, just like he wanted me to be.”

She looked down again and said, “I didn’t even bother apologizing to her and those I hurt. I was so fat with pride, rotting in stink holes and stewing in my own anger, I chose to try and survive through this nightmare.”

She then looked away and said, “But you couldn’t understand.”

On the other hand, Silver looked ahead and said, “You might be surprised.”

Belle looked at him with a flexed eyebrow.

“Like you, I was also born into a wealthy family. When I was six years old,” said Silver, “I wanted to make myself presentable, wanting to impress everyone, but then I misheard the whole thing. They preferred to be with my sister than me. I ran back into my room and thought she had ruined my birthday. She came in and tried to talk to me, but I got violent and angry at her for what she did. My friends didn’t want to spend time with me because they thought I was a waste of space. Then in my anger, I threw a cake in her face, and she ended up running away, crying. But she didn’t pay attention to where she was going. And…she fell down the stairs, killing her instantly.”

Belle was shocked by the revelation, she placed her hand over her mouth.

“After she was buried, I found the gift she got me in my closet. I realized too late that she was trying to save my party, and the kids didn’t want to be my friends in the first place. I had never felt so alone, so defenseless. And I carried that guilt with me for years.”

He looked away and said, “And a year later, both my parents died in an accident. I kept blaming myself more and more. Though I may have riches and everything, I was the sole heir. It couldn’t replace my family. I felt broken…so empty…that I didn’t have the will to live. So, I sold my home and everything and bought a property somewhere secluded where no one else would even think about looking for me. I even

stacked up enough supplies to last me ten years so I could probably die of loneliness.” Belle shed a few tears, sympathizing with Silver.

“But then came an accident that killed me.” said Silver. “But somehow, I survived and was teleported to a different kingdom.”

Silver couldn’t help but smile and said, “Then I met Rarity. She accepted me without a second thought, offered me a job, and took me in. We ended up working together, spending a lot of time together, and eventually fell in love. We got married shortly after that, even gained a daughter, naming her Crystal Gem.”

He looked at Belle and said, “I also had everything robbed from me, but because of my impulsiveness, shortsightedness, and idiocy, I lost everything. But I got a second chance because fate had something different in mind. Like, I know Fate has something in store for you. You need to believe and actually try to help those in need.”

“But how do I do that?” asked Belle. “I’ve been following my father’s path and wallowing in guilt and anger, I’ve forgotten what that’s like.”

Silver placed his hand on Belle’s, gaining her attention, Silver smiled and said, “You start by taking the first step.”

Belle pondered in thought about this, and in the end, she couldn’t help but smile over Silver’s words of encouragement. She then asked, “So where do we go from here?”

“If I remember.” said Lobo as he approached the duo, gaining their attention as he said, “The bartender from the town said that the Sorceress resides at the Great Hall.”

“Oh, the Great Hall?” said Belle as it piqued her interest. “It used to host so many elegant parties there. And thankfully, I know the way.”

Silver stood up and said, “We got a long walk ahead of us.”

“Allow me.” said the Dragoness as she rested on the ground “Climb on my back, and I will take you there.”

“Are you sure?” asked Silver.

“I’m positive, darling.” said Belle.

“Very well then.” said Silver as he and Lobo climbed on her back.

Once they sat down, Belle spread her wings and flew to the sky, heading straight towards the Great Hall and confronting the Sorceress.

*********************************************************************

******************

After a long flight, they could finally make their way toward the Great Hall upon the

mountain. Belle could land at least a few feet away from the entrance, with both Lobo and Silver climbing off and looking right at the entrance. 

“Such wonderful memories.” said Belle. “I remembered mother took me here when she organized the celebration.”

“But I assumed your mother passed away and your father had forbidden you to attend these events.”

Belle looked at Silver with a flexed eyebrow and said, “Sometimes you terrify me when you make a guess.”

“It’s a force of habit.” said Silver.

“So how do we proceed?” asked Lobo.

“We’ll need to scout it out first,” said Silver. “Then we’ll devise a plan before we do anything else.”

“Agreed.” said Lobo.

“I’ll go scout on ahead,” said Silver. “You two stay here and watch my back.”

Belle and Lobo agreed as they stayed behind so Silver could scout things out. He walked towards the doors of the Great Hall and slowly opened them. When he took a peek inside, to his surprise, it was the Sorceress singing while wearing a beautiful dress as there were many male spectators, which he assumed were her henchman.

(Sorceress)

Gotta get your old tuxedo pressed

Gotta sew a button on your vest

‘Cause tonight you’ve gotta look your best

Lulu’s back in town



Gotta get a half a buck somewhere

Gotta shine your shoes, and slick your hair

Gotta get this guy a boutonniere

Lulu’s back in town



You can tell the mailman not to call

You ain’t comin ’home until the fall

And you may not get back home at all

Lulu’s back in town.



After watching that performance, Silver was quite surprised by her singing. He whistled and said, “Wow…I’m impressed. She really knows how to dress and sing in style too.”

At the same time, Lobo and Belle arrived and looked through the door.

“What’s going on?” asked Lobo.

“She’s performing for her audience.” said Silver as he pointed at her.

They saw her singing in there, which surprised Belle.

“My word.” said Belle. “Such a voice. And such an amazing dress. Why didn’t she tell me how talented she is?”

“Probably because you were too busy being like your dad.” said Silver.

“Er, good point.” said Belle.

Soon the lot of them walked in, with the Sorceress saying, “Thank you, thank you, you’ve been a terrific audience. Are there any requests?”

“I do!!” said a loud voice while a table was launched at the Sorceress, shocking the audience as they saw that Silver, Lobo, and Belle were in the same room, causing Belle to throw another table at her.

“Insolent dragon.” said the Sorceress as she was now angry. “You dare to strike…?”

A chair was tossed at her back.

“You dare to strike…?”

A table was tossed to her right.

“You dare to strike…?!” said the Sorceress, completely annoyed.

A tablecloth was tossed against her face, temporarily blinding her, before she grabbed it and tossed it away.

“Quit it!!” shouted the Sorceress as she was now ticked off. Suddenly she was shocked as her pupils had shrunk a bit, she was shocked to see what was coming, and she muttered, “Oh no.”

Suddenly, a giant piano was tossed against her, crushing her onto it. Silver looked at Belle in shock and said. “Why would you throw a piano?!!”

“Oh,” said Belle as she was now embarrassed. “Beg pardon darling,” said a blushing

Belle. “I sometimes get too deep in the zone.”

The piano suddenly exploded, revealing the Sorceress in her full robe as she was ready for a rumble. She looked at her henchman and said, “Well, don’t just stand there, defend your mistress.”

The Henchman charged toward the group, with Lobo pulling out his sword, Silver holding a mace, and Belle ready to use her fire. Soon the fight began to break out as they began to fight.

Lobo used his sword to block left and right, but with every perfect chance he got, he punched one to the left, punched one to the right, delivered a strong kick to the one, and finally, used the bud of his sword to knock one out.

Silver used his mace to bash them left and right while trying to avoid their attacks. Silver kept dodging them left and right, with him saying, “I gotta remember to thank Rarity for the self-defense class she signed me up for once.”

He noticed another two coming towards him. He suddenly ducked backward, dodging their attacks as they knocked themselves out. Silver got back up and said, “And to thank her personally for our private yoga lesson.”

Belle used her fire to keep them at bay, while at the same time, she used her claws and tail to smash them and tossed them away, but also to ensure that she didn’t hurt them, for she knew that they were just innocent pawns and victims for what the Sorceress was doing. And to be fair, what she did wasn’t any better either.

Once they were done, they faced the Sorceress, with Belle saying, “It’s over, Serena. Please turn me back to normal, this has gone on long enough.”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” said the Sorceress.

Silver then suddenly remembered something from old folklore. That when magic is involved, it always comes with a price. He didn’t know if that would apply now, especially since Equestria barely does something like that. But he knew that he had to try.

“You lot remind me of my last pawn for pushing past his limit.” said the Sorceress as she suddenly charged up her hands with her magic. “But me? I could do this all night.”

Just before another fight could come out, Silver shouted, “Wait!!”

Lobo, Belle, and the Sorceress looked at Silver, wondering what he was doing.

“If I learned a long time ago,” said Silver as she dropped his mace and looked at the Sorceress while he asked, “Magic always comes at a price when it comes to asking for something.”

“And your point is?” asked the Sorceress.

Silver stood straight, took a deep breath, and asked, “What would I need to give you to lift your spell over the Princess.”

The Sorceress flexed an eyebrow, but she simply smiled while powering her magic down and said, “Well, now you’re getting interesting.”

“Silver, what are you doing?” said Lobo, with Silver reassuring them that everything would be alright.

The Sorceress flew down and landed on her hooves, walking over to Silver, both Lobo and Belle tensed up, thinking that the Sorceress might be up to no good.

“I want something from you that’s very precious.” said the Sorceress as she told him, “Something that you worked very hard to conceal.”

Silver then instantly knew what she was talking about as he slowly closed his eyes while she said, “Something that, when lost, you can never regain. Something…so shattering.”




Ten Minutes Later,




After cleaning the mess up after the henchman was cleaned up and the townspeople arrived from far and wide, Silver was standing on the stage and did the unexpected while the piano started to play.

(Silver)

Am I blue?

Am I blue?

And these tears, in my eyes, telling you

Silver continued to sing in front of a large audience while a spotlight shone on him, with the audience watching him, all of them were in awe when they looked at him, even Lobo was impressed when he looked at him.

(Silver)

Am I blue?

You’d be too

If each plan that you had, done fell through.

Belle and the Sorceress were crying as they wiped their tears with the handkerchiefs that Lobo provided just in case.

(Silver)

There was a time

I was your only one.

Now I am the sad and lonely one.

The Sorceress was impressed by what he had given, something that no one could imagine.

“Beautiful.” said the Sorceress as she admired his voice.

“So, you’ll keep your end of the bargain?” asked Lobo when he looked at the Sorceress from the corner of his eyes.

“A deal’s a deal.” said the Sorceress, who then looked at the dragon and wolf. “He can stop now.”

“Are you kidding?” said Belle as she leaned over. “Not on your life.”

They continued to watch him sing under the spotlight as everyone watched him sing.

(Silver)

Now she’s gone.

Now I’m through.

Am I blue?

Now she’s gone,

And were through.

Am I…blue?




3 Minutes Later,




After the song, everyone in the Great Hall began to cheer while they clapped their hands, for he sang amazingly. He soon stepped off the stage and rejoined Lobo, Belle, and Sorceress, giving him flexed eyebrows and smirks.

“Didn’t know you could sing,” said Lobo.

“My mother and father used to sing me that song when I was little.” said Silver. “Heard it so many times I even practiced to sing for them. But after they were gone, I didn’t see the point anymore. But I sometimes sing without anyone else hearing.”

“You mean you didn’t even sing it for your wife and daughter?” asked Belle.

“No.” said Silver, but then he looked away and said, “But maybe someday.”

“Still,” said the Sorceress, “You have performed well. You truly have a precious gift. And per our agreement, I will lift the spell.”

And right on command, the Sorceress cast the spell, causing Belle to glow brightly. Within mere moments, she turned back to normal. Silver was surprised, for Belle looked exactly like Rarity. But he had to remember she wasn’t his wife, so he had to play it safe.

Belle was very happy that she was back to normal and with clothing that she liked.

“Oh, it feels so wonderful to be back.”

“You sure are.” said Silver. “But remember what we promised.”

Belle remembered for she did promise him that. Belle looked down with closed eyes and sighed. She walked over to the Sorceress with a saddened expression.

“Serena.” said Belle while she rubbed her arm, “I’m…so sorry for what I put you through. What I put everyone in the kingdom through. You didn’t deserve any of that. My father… molded me to be what he wanted and forced me to become something that turned me into a monster. When he died, and I took over, I tried so hard to be better than him, but his ghost shook me terribly. I became a monster, just like he wanted me to be.”

She looked at her with tears and said, “I should’ve tried harder to reach out to you. I should’ve tried to fix things. But…I was a coward. As a Princess, I was supposed to have courted you with the respect you deserved. And for that…I am sorry.”

The Sorceress Serena had been quiet for a few moments until she finally wrapped her arms around Belle, taking the former dragon by surprise, making her smile and hug her.

“Apology accepted.” said Serena, then broke the hug, but still held one another as the Sorceress also looked sad. “But if anyone should apologize, it’s me. It wasn’t fair or right of me to turn you into a dragon. If only I’d tried harder to reach out to you, none of this would’ve ever happened.”

“I think that were both at fault here.” said Belle. Then she had a determined look but still kept her smile and said, “But to make it up to the people of this kingdom, let us throw a feast for the people, something to help spark the special kind of bond that keeps us together, no matter what comes in the way.”

Serena smiled and said, “I think I’d like that.”

“That may be fine and all,” said Lobo, gaining their attention. “We have the food, but we do not have the dessert.”

“Dessert?” said Belle. Then she suddenly smirked and said, “I think I can help with that.”

Half an hour later, the entire Great Hall had been filled with people, with tables filled with food as many enjoyed the good food and company, as well as the musical entertainment they provided for the people. Everyone, even the children, danced and enjoyed the ice cream.

From atop the stage, Belle, Serena, Lobo, and Silver watched as the people were happy and enjoyed the festivities.

“Congratulations, Princess.” said Silver before he looked at her. “The festivities are a huge success.”

“Everyone played a part in it.” said Belle. “From now on, I vow to never be what my father wanted me to be. And be the Princess I always wanted to be.”

“That’s good to hear.” said Silver. “And I hope you and Lobo will continue to live that life.”

Belle looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, him saying, “I know he’s your husband.”

At first, she was surprised by his saying, “When I complimented you, he got really jealous, and it looked like he wanted to rip me to pieces because of those compliments.”

Belle couldn’t help but shake her head of amusement, saying, “My husband’s always been the jealous type.”

“That’s nothing.” said Silver. “You should’ve seen what I did to a couple of folks who insulted my wife?”

“Really?” asked Serena when she and Lobo came over and overheard the conversation.

“What did you do?”

“I uh…” said Silver “Shoved one of their heads into another’s ass.”

They were surprised by what he did, with Lobo saying, “Wow, and I thought the last guy I roughed up had been through a lot.”

“What can I say.” said Silver. “My wife’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me, even our daughter. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”

Lobo couldn’t help but smile and said, “Truly, the power of Generosity lives in you. Therefore, I’d like to give you something.”

He then pulled out what appeared to be a large chest and placed it before him. “As our way of saying thanks for helping us.”

Lobo placed the chest on the ground and opened it. Silver looked inside and saw a strange-looking object with what appeared to be a Rapier in tow.

“This is called a Driver,” said Lobo as he showed it to Silver. “It belonged to a group of protectors, Knights if you will. They always give their all when facing dangers and ask for nothing in return. Their generosity to others knows no bounds. And given what you have given us, it shows that you are worthy of wielding this.”

The Driver in the chest glowed green, causing it to float up and land right into Silver’s right hand, while the weapon did the same to his left. Silver looked at the weapon and stood up, holding his hand behind his back and his sword like a gentleman in a fencing tournament.

“Perfectly well balanced. Light, yet with a very strong metal to it.”

“You know your weapons.” said Lobo.

“I get by.” said Silver as he lowered his weapon.

“Now that you have what you need,” said Serena as she approached Silver, “promise that you’ll continue to use the weapon for good.”

“I promise to give my all.” Silver bowed to them.

Belle approached Silver and kissed him on his right cheek, then said, “Continue to be a Knight for those around you.”

Within a moment, a vortex appeared beneath Silver, signaling his trial was over. Before he disappeared, he said, “Take good care of your Princess Lobo.”

“And you take care of yours once your quest is completed.” said Lobo.

“Count on it.” said Silver before he vanished.

“There goes a brave man,” said Lobo.

“Come, we have much to do after the festivities.” said Belle.

“Indeed.” said Serena, “It’s time to let the world know the knights have returned.”
> Chapter 10: A Knight's Trial part 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the same time, Bucky was slowly beginning to wake up from a different location, making him groan as he slowly began to sit up. He noticed the sun was a bit sharp in his eyes. He looked up and couldn’t help but shake the feeling that he knew that sunshine before.

But the moment he lowered his head and looked straight, to his surprise, it was Appaloosa, only it wasn’t. Though the sign may say so, the city looked like Carson City in the 1860s if he remembered his history lessons well.

“Whoa,” said Bucky, “Where the heck am I?”

He stood up and dusted himself. But as he did, he noticed that he was wearing what appeared to be cowboy duds.

“Whoa, what the heck am I, some sort of Westerner?” said Bucky as he looked at himself.

He looked ahead at the city and said, “Well, if I’m going to pass my trail, I might as well find out where I need to go and what I need to do.”

He soon walked to the city to find what he was looking for.

*********************************************************************

*******************************

He soon made his way toward the city and was surprised. The city may have the appearance of the 1860s, but it was livelier than New York and Manehattan. But ponies and humans from within the city.

“Wow,” said Bucky, “Western and Modern eras, eat your heart out.”

They saw many humans and ponies going back and forth, trying to live their lives to the fullest, trying to make ends meet, but he could see many living in peace together.

“Maybe one day,” said Bucky to himself with a small smile, “More humans could come, and we can live side by side.”

As he walked, he then heard a loud conversation.

“Please, I’m begging ya.” said the voice. “Ah, really need that medicine.”

Bucky stopped in an instant’ he was shocked to hear what the voice was. He quickly went back to investigate. When he looked around the corner, to his shock, he saw that it was Applejack, only she was wearing a dress that made her fit in well. Which was strange. But to his shock, she was talking to the Flim/Flam brothers, no doubt trying to trick her out of her money.



Not wanting to jump to a conclusion yet, he decided to hide around the corner and listen in close to their conversation.

“We have said it before, and we have said it again,” said the one that looks like Flim.

“The price is 50 bits, nothing more and nothing less.” said the one that looks like Flam.

The one that looked like Applejack groaned, for it looked like she had no other choice. “Alright, fine. I’ll pay for full price.”

“Excellent choice.” said the one that looked like Flim as he handed her the medicine.

The Applejack lookalike was about to hand her money to take medicine. However, Bucky could spot something a mile away. He saw that the two brothers had sly smiles on their faces. And he noticed that one of the bottles was opened, and thankfully, all his time working at the farm, he could smell certain things from a mile away.

He smelled a familiar scent. A scent that he hadn’t caught since…he widened his eyes in shock, for he knew what it was.

“Stop!!” shouted Bucky as he went over.

The Applejack and Flim/Flam brothers lookalike looked at Bucky surprised. But as fate would have it, a sheriff and two of his deputies were walking by, and they saw what was happening.

“Don’t you dare.” said Bucky angrily as he grabbed it.

“Hey now, what’s the big idea?!” said the Flim lookalike.

“We’re trying to sell medicine here!!” said the Flam lookalike.

Bucky dumped the contents into a nearby plant. Within a split second, it died and turned to ash, which shocked the Applejack lookalike, even the Sheriff and Deputies. Bucky showed them the bottle.

“Then how do you explain this?!!” shouted Bucky as he tore off the label.

The label showed a skull on top, which was Hydrochloric acid poison. Which shocked the Applejack lookalike, along with the Sheriff and two Deputies.

“You two have been selling Hydrochloric acid poison!!” shouted Bucky.

One of the deputies whispered to the Sheriff, “That’s what the doctor confirmed about the last four autopsies.”

The Sheriff nodded as he and two deputies went over to the two sellers.

“Uh, we don’t know what you’re talking about!!” said one frantically as they were sweating.

“Oh really?” said the Sheriff as he and two of his deputies made their way to the sellers, shocking them.

“I think you two should come down with me to the station.” said the Sheriff as he and the one deputy put cuffs on the brothers. He looked at the other deputy and said, “Take that with’ we’ll let the doctor check on them and have the courts decide what to do with them.”

One deputy took the contents while the other deputy and Sheriff took the two troublemakers to jail.

After they were gone, the Applejack lookalike was stunned by what happened’ then Bucky turned to her and asked, “What were you thinking, trying to buy medicine from con men.”

“Ah, didn’t know,” she said. “Ah wanted to buy medicine, and most stores didn’t have what they had, and the doctors didn’t help either.”

“Still,” said Bucky, “What you did was reckless and irresponsible. That medicine could’ve been the death of her.”

“And how do ya’ll know that?” she asked.

“You’re not the only one who lost a sister to con men.” said Bucky.

The Applejack lookalike was shocked by what he said, then he turned around while telling her what happened.

“When my sister was six years old,” said Bucky, “I was about fourteen at the time. My sister was sick, and my parents couldn’t afford to buy the medicine to help her. Then one day, they went and bought medicine from a con man. I told my parents they shouldn’t buy medicine off the streets, for they should buy it from a doctor who knows what he is doing. But they didn’t listen, and they bought the medicine.”

He noticed that she was concerned while he continued, “When they gave her the medicine, it did help her, but it turned out the disease in her relapsed, causing her to gain cancer. She fought it for two years and made me and my parents promise to be happy.”

He gripped his hands, thinking about that specific day. “But after she died, my parents went downhill afterward. My father became a drunk, and my mother divorced him. But deep down, they blamed me for what happened to her. I was the one who warned them not to take it, but they didn’t listen. And by the time I finished school, they ended up disowning me. I spent years trying to build a life for myself but no one.”

He turned around and said, “Then I died trying to save a kid and got sent to another world.”

The Applejack lookalike was stunned and shocked over what he went through after what happened, all because of con men. And she was going to make the same mistake his parents did. She couldn’t help but hug the stranger, feeling sorry for him for what he had gone through.

She hugged him a bit and said, “Ah am so sorry. Ah had no idea. Ah can’t believe ah was going to make that mistake.”

He sighed a bit and said, “It’s alright.”

He turned around to face her and said, “My name’s Buck Armstrong. But back home, they call me Bucky.”

“Name’s Apple Jewel.” said the Applejack, Bucky remembered that Applejack called herself Apple Jewel to snap Rarity out of her senses when she wanted to impress Trenderhoof a while back.

“So, what appears to be wrong with her?” asked Bucky.

“Ah, really don’t know.” said Apple Jewel. “She looked sick, only it didn’t look like the flu. Ah, don’t know what’s wrong with her.”

“Could you take me to her?” asked Bucky “I’d like to take a look for myself.”

Obviously, this one didn’t know if she could trust him. But she trusted him because he helped her stop making a big mistake.

“Alright,” said Apple Jewel, “Ah, trust you.”

The two of them soon departed and headed straight for her home.

*********************************************************************

**********************************

Soon as they got there, he was surprised to see that her home looked almost exactly like Sweet Apple Acres’ only the difference is they had workers to help instead of themselves. They continued to walk down the path until they finally reached their destination, the house.

There, to Bucky’s surprise, looked a lot like Granny Smith. He remembered that Granny Smith was the one who founded Ponyville, so it would make sense that she would most likely be the guardian.

“Apple Jewel,” said her grandmother. “Where in tarnation have ya been.”

“Ah was trying to buy some medicine, granny,” said Apple Jewel “Ah wanted to buy some from two sales ponies.”

“Ya’ll should be ashamed of yerself!!” said her grandmother, knowing fully who she was trying to buy medicine from. “Ya’ll know we can’t trust them, folks, very well, not after what they tried to do last time.”

“Ah know granny, but ah was desperate.” said Apple Jewel. “But ah met a feller who stopped me from making a horrible mistake.”

The Grandmother saw Bucky standing next to Apple Jewel, flexing an eyebrow. “And who are you, stranger?”

“My name’s Bucky, ma’am.” said Bucky. “I stopped her from buying that medicine because I lost my sister because of con men. I exposed the ones who tried selling medicine to your granddaughter, so the sheriff arrested them.”

She was slightly surprised but still eyed him as she stood up, walked over, and looked at him closely. “So why are ya’ll here now?”

“Because I’m here to see what’s wrong with your daughter so I can determine what’s wrong with her.” said Bucky. “I lost my sister a long time ago’ I’m not going to let another be lost.”

She looked at him again and could tell he was telling the truth.

“Oh alright, ya’ll can look.” said the grandmother, but still eyed him. “But ah’ll still keep an eye on you.”

Bucky entered the house while the others followed suit. As he entered the house, there was a Big Mac lookalike too, but he looked injured for some reason. But his main focus was on their sister. If he had to guess, she would look like Apple Bloom. When he entered the room, he was surprised, for she looked like Apple Bloom but an eight- year-old.

Just as he was about to enter, Apple Jewel gave him a mask to cover his face, which he accepted. He slowly walked over to the little filly and examined her. He looked at her eyes, then her ears, then her throat. He even felt her temperature, and boy, was she burning up. He even felt her pulse feel something off. The others waited outside, wondering what he was looking her over for. After half an hour of observation, he walked outside and closed the door to ensure she slept soundly. He walked back down the stairs and rejoined the rest of the family. Some noticed and stood up.

“So, what’s wrong with her?” asked the Big Macintosh Lookalike.

After taking his mask off, Bucky took a deep breath and looked at them.

“It doesn’t look good.” said Bucky. “From what I could tell, this is no ordinary sickness.”

Bucky gestured if he could sit down, which they allowed, allowing him to sit down, with the others joining suit.

“From what I could observe, she’s got infections like scarlet fever and infections to her ear, skin, gums, mouth, and throat.”

“Meaning?” asked Apple Jewel.

“She has a respiratory infection,” said Bucky “In other words, bacteria like Pneumonia, with a hint of tuberculosis.”

The family looked at him, shocked, for they hadn’t realized it was that bad. They looked at each other worried, with Apple Jewel asking, “What can we do?”

“The only medicine that can really help her is Penicillin.” said Bucky.

The others were shocked to hear this, with the Big Mac lookalike saying, “But they’re damn expensive.”

“There’s got to be a better way to get the medicine.” said Bucky as he thought about it. “Because she’s got about a month before she succumbs to her sickness, and I don’t need to explain what will happen after that.”

They began to think about it until Apple Jewel realized something. “There is one way.”

Bucky and the other two looked at Apple Jewel, wondering what the plan was.

“There’s a boxing event that happens in two weeks.” Apple Jewel “Mash’s brother was able to get to the semi-finals, so it’ll be a close call. And with the spectators in the tournament, the prize money will be twice as much to help get that medicine.”

“Absolutely not.” said the grandmother.

“But Granny, it’s the only thing that can help get us enough money to buy the medicine Apple Butter needs.”

“Apple Butter?” thought Bucky to himself. “Huh, kind of like Pear Butter. Would make sense, considering that no one could tell the difference, because Pear Butter’s Cutie Mark is a preserve jar, and Pear Butter and Apple Butter look the same.”

“But ya’ll know very well that yer brother Bright Macintosh gone and injured himself during the harvest, so he can’t fight.” said the grandmother.

“Even Big Mac’s named after his father?” thought Bucky. “This keeps getting weirder.”

Normally he wouldn’t be involved in something like this, but seeing the little girl on that bed, too sick to move. He had to help her. Which is why he made up his mind as he looked at them.

“I’ll do it.” said Bucky.

The three family members looked at him, shocked as he said, “I’ll take Bright Mac’s place when I enter the tournament and give the prize money to you so that we can get that medicine.”

“Are ya’ll crazy?!” said Apple Jewel. “Why in tarnation would ya’ll do that.”

He walked over to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking straight at her in the eyes while she looked at him.

“What I’m going to tell you is the honest truth.” said Bucky. “I want to help your sister. I want to fight in your brother’s place to help get what she needs. I want to help because I don’t want her to suffer the same fate my sister did when she succumbed to her fate. That’s all I ever want to do. Nothing is more important than family.”

Apple Jewel kept staring into his eyes when he told her. There wasn’t an inch of a lie in his voice and eyes. He was telling her the truth. Apple Jewel, realizing this was too good to pass up, made up her mind too.

“Alright,” said Apple Jewel, “Ah, trust ya, and we’ll help ya too.”

Bucky smiled a bit, then realized something and said, “Although, I’m a little out of practice. I may need to retrain myself to get back into fighting shape.”

Bright Mac stood up with a grin and said, “Ah, think ah can help with that.”

They took Bucky to their barn, which happens to be five times larger than the barn back home. When Apple Jewel and Bright Mac opened the barn doors, Bucky was surprised. For inside was everything, he needed to get himself started with training.

“Now then,” said Apple Jewel, “We have two weeks to get ya prepared. It’ll take a lot of hard work in case ya’ll are unprepared.”

“You kidding,” said Bucky. “I married a country gal and learned to work hard every day to spend some time with her. I can do this with my eyes closed.”

“Now his determination ah like.” said Big Mac.

“Then let’s get to work.” said Apple Jewel.

*********************************************************************

************


(Cue montage moment)


In the early morning, Bucky ran for five miles, trying to go from point A to point B to try and build up his stamina. Next, he did pull-ups. It felt like forever, and he could barely keep up, but he could make it. Then he lifted weights on his back using his knees. It was a struggle, but he was able to keep on going. Next, they let him use a sledgehammer to pound on hard metal. He kept dropping it when his hands started to ache, which they noticed, but he decided to keep going.

Next up, he did some pushups, focusing on his left and right arms to build strength. Then they tried to make him catch a chicken because it helped him build up his leg work to be nimbler. Then he did pull-ups while they held onto his legs to build up dexterity. Next up was jump rope, which was quite the struggle. Then he boxed against hard objects to make his fists stronger.

Bucky dropped to the ground and panted from exhaustion. Apple Jewel and the others wanted him to stop, but he looked back at the house and thought about that little girl, one suffering. He gripped his hands and got back up, not wanting to give up on her.

They tied a few large, heavy objects around him, making him pull as hard as he could. He continued to move forward, even if it was the biggest struggle he had ever endured. They tied a weight to a rope as it was tied around his head, trying to make him lift it with his head while he would also train his neck muscles. Afterward, he punched a few heavy objects again, then ran the distance under the sun’s heat. Apple Jewel then took what appeared to be a tire-like object and bashed it hard against his gut to improve his body resistance whenever they wanted to punch him hard in the gut, which afterward made him throw up as he stood on his legs while holding onto his knees for support.

They placed a circular object at the center while they placed a hard dummy in it, which could punch back. As Bucky stood there, trying to block while the dummy kept trying to fight back in the process, he also got punched in the gut so many times he felt like his ribs were going to break. He then pulled some heavy objects towards him, then afterward, he lifted the object over and over as if it were a tractor tire. Then he kept lifting weights to improve his body strength.

Some nights, he was in a large tub filled with ice and water for his body to recover, while his fists were battered and bruised from all the punching he had to do. But the next day, as he jogged, he collapsed from the exhaustion, causing both Apple Jewel and Bright Mac to look worried. But just before they wanted to do anything, their grandmother stopped them as she saw the determination in his eyes.

Once more, he stared back at that house, thinking about that little girl. He kept thinking about his own sister. Sure, she may have come back from the dead by some miracle, but he blamed himself for not being able to do anything. That he failed her. Watching that little girl, he will not fail her. Bucky then pounded the ground hard, causing a crack to appear, then he stood up and kept on going, much to their surprise, but the grandmother was greatly impressed.

He was slowly beginning to improve. He jogged faster as he got from one point to another and did push up a bit faster. Lifted weights faster using his legs and back. He got better with the sledgehammer as he hit the ground harder with the bandages covering his hands. He performed his pushups much better too. He quickly caught up with the chickens, but they still avoided him. He performed his pull-ups faster. He jumped rope by moving his legs at half the speed they’d never seen before. Even punching the hard objects got better.

And from every step he did, he remembered as he said, “One step at a time, one punch at a time, one round at a time.” over and over as if he was starting to remember his training.

And pretty soon, he was now at his best.

Bucky performed pushups perfectly, even with only one arm to the other. He succeeded in catching chickens as his legwork was greatly improved. He pulled up flawlessly as they held onto his legs. He jumped rope effortlessly and was so good that he jumped in the air while still skipping. The objects he punched were starting to get dents all over.

Bucky then ran with great speed with the heavy objects tied around him. He easily lifted the weights using his neck, and the objects began to grow with more dents as he was able to make them deeper’ he ran with great speed under the blazing sun’ Apple Jewel bashed the tire-like object against his gut as he had now endured that kind of pain.

Bucky punched the dummy hard, which shattered while standing at the center. He resisted the next dummy as he did his best to block it and was able to gain much endurance. He pulled and lifted every heavy object effortlessly as he had gained much strength.

He soon completed his training and cheered for himself as he raised his fists. Apple Jewel and her brother were amused with smiles as they could see how well his training went. The Grandmother watched the whole thing and chuckled.

“He is ready.” said the grandmother as she watched with pride how well their training had succeeded.

*********************************************************************

*************

After two weeks of hard work, the fight night had come, and the entire city’s crowd had gathered to watch the fight. Bucky was waiting for the match to come up in the waiting room. He began to move in motion, trying to make sure he was in the fight. Apple Jewel and her grandmother watched to ensure he was okay, while Bright Mac had to stay behind to ensure that Apple Butter was okay.

Apple Jewel asked, “Ya’ll sure you want to do this.”

Bucky stopped for a moment, turned to her slowly, then walked up to her. She was surprised that he had now faced her, but he looked her dead in the eyes and told her what was on his mind.

“Listen here and listen well,” said Bucky. “I made a promise to you and was also one hundred percent honest with you. I’m doing this for your sister. She’s in bed, sick to the bone, clinging for her life, waiting for that medicine. I refuse to watch her suffer any further. I’m doing this for her. I couldn’t help my own when she was diagnosed with cancer, I refused to let another one suffers further. That…is my honest truth.”

Bucky returned to resume his quick movement while Apple Jewel watched him, stunned as he could answer her truthfully. She felt touched that he was really doing this for her sister. She decided to look outside to see how things were going. Bucky took a quick break and looked at the poster. To his surprise, he was fighting a minotaur. But not just any minotaur’ it was a minotaur who looked a lot like Iron Will.

“Who am I fighting tonight?” asked Bucky when he looked at the grandmother.

“That feller right there,” said the grandmother as she showed the poster while explaining, “That’s Iron Fist. One of the toughest boxers in the entire city. Champion for about five years. Bright Macintosh would fight him because he was reaching the top.”

“How did he get injured anyway?” asked Bucky.

The Grandmother growled and said, “That no good lying snake in the grass, Piling Rich.”

Bucky flexed an eyebrow, wondering if it was Filthy Rich.

“When ah was little, mah family were the ones who founded this town,” said the grandmother. “Piling Rich’s grandfather helped sell our products and made the town what it is today. But Piling destroyed everything his grandfather worked for when he took over. He nearly wanted to ruin our business, but the entire town sided with me because of the good mah family did when we were helping the townsfolk. In their time of need.”

Bucky then realized there was more to this fight than easy prize money and medicine. 

“There’s more to it, isn’t there?” asked Bucky while the grandmother looked at him. “That not only do you win the medicine and prize money….”

Bucky then realized in shock and looked at her. “They become sole owners of the town. Your family would run this city with no one to question you, and everyone would be willing to help you because of what you did for them.”

The Grandmother didn’t respond, meaning what Bucky said was true. She looked out of the window and said, “Ya don’t understand. Mah family was the one who helped build this city. Ah, want to make things right and help them regain some of their lives. If ah can’t, then this city will continue to suffer. Ah, can’t let that happen.”

Bucky lowered his head, realizing what was at stake. He knows it’ll be risky. In truth, it always is. But he cannot back down now. Not when there is too much at stake. Not only for the people he needed to help in his trial but also to stop Dainn if Equestria were safe. Bucky stood up and walked over to the grandmother. He held her shoulder, gaining her attention.

“I promise you.” said Bucky. “I will do whatever it takes to ensure this city has a chance. And if I am to help my friends defeat a tyrant, I need to do this.”

One of the assistants came out of the door and said, “It’s time.”

Bucky nodded, looked at the grandmother, and said, “Wish me luck.”

He soon left and made his way towards the ring, with the grandmother watching, stunned by the promise he made. She couldn’t help but smirk, saying, “His hard work and devotion is one to be admired.”

She suddenly held a special box, which no one but her could hold, while saying, “Maybe he holds much promise after all.”

*********************************************************************

***************

And from the largest room, a massive crowd had gathered in the arena, ready to watch a match between Iron Fist and a newcomer. As they await their match, Apple Jewel and her grandmother come and attempt to watch the match, while Bright Mac is suddenly missing, to where no one knows. From the center, the announcer announced the big fight approaching.

The announcer then said, “Ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to the main event of this special occasion. We promise that this will be a match to remember. So, let’s get ready to rumble!!!”

Everyone cheered as the fight was about to get underway.

“In this corner,” said the announcer as he pointed at Bucky “The challenger, weighing in at one hundred and twenty pounds, taking Bright “Lights out” Macintosh’s place, the people’s choice, Bucky “The Jawbreaker”!!”

The crowd ended up booing and heckling Bucky. He rolled his eyes and said, “You can’t please anybody anymore.”

He then gave the grandmother an incredulous look, even Apple Jewel, as he said, “And seriously? “Jawbreaker”? Who the heck came up with an idea like that?”

“Sorry about that,” said Apple Jewel sheepishly. “We had to give ya a title’ otherwise, the judges wouldn’t take ya.”

“And in that corner!!” said the announcer “The champion, weighing in at over two hundred pounds!! Iron “Blackout” Fist!!!”

Everyone cheered at the champ as he raised his gloves, loving the crowd cheering for him.

‘He’s got an ego.’ said Bucky from within his own thoughts. ‘Which is good, that oaf of an ox’s overconfident. I learned long ago that overconfidence can be ones undoing.’

“Fighters, to the center.” said the referee. Both Bucky and Iron Fist walked to the center, staring down at one another. The moment they were close and kept staring, the referee said, “I want a good clean fight. If any form of roughhousing, then both of you will be off of the ring. Touch gloves.”

Both touched gloves with one another and walked back to their corners. They kept staring at one another, both of them eager to fight. Both of them stared down at one another. Bucky knew he had an advantage. The guy may be strong, which would mean he is also slow. Which could work in his favor.

“Ready!!” shouted the referee. He signaled to the crowd and shouted, “Fight!!”

The bell then rang, and the crowd began to cheer, for the moment it rang, both Bucky and Iron Fist immediately went to the center of the ring and tried to find an opening for either of them to box.

Iron Fist threw his punches, left and right, with Bucky able to block one and dodge the other. Seeing it was a perfect opportunity, Bucky punched the minotaur in the gut and gave an uppercut, making the ox move backward like nothing had ever phased him. Bucky moved forward and got a good punch to the face, but Iron Fist smirked at it and landed a blow to the rib, which made Bucky flinch, but he kept on going.

Iron Fist punched Bucky in the gut, then to the face, making the human stagger, while at the same time, Iron Fist boasted, thinking that he had an advantage, which was a mistake. The moment he turned around, Bucky gave Iron Fist a left hook, which caught the minotaur off guard, allowing Bucky to give a right hook, which made Iron Fist move backward.

“Come on, Sugarcube, ya’ll can do it!!” shouted Apple Jewel from the side.

“Kick his ass!!” shouted the grandmother, while at the same time, Piling Rich was watching from the stands, smirking as he thought he was a fighter is going to win. The bell then sounded like the end of the first round, allowing the fighters to return to their corners. The folks tried to ensure the fighters were hydrated and spat out water to wash the potential blood out of their mouths.

“Alright then, Sugarcube,” said Apple Jewel, “Ya’ll are doing well, but don’t let yer guard down just yet. The moment yer guard is down, he won’t hesitate to put you down.”

“Got it.” said Bucky as he focused on the Iron Will lookalike.

The bell then went off for the second round. Bucky delivered a few punching blows to the gut, then to the face, but Iron Fist shrugged it off and punched him back a few times. As Bucky was able to block it, Iron Fist jumped from the corner to give a strong punch, which Bucky was able to block before it got serious. Iron Fist kept punching while Bucky did his best to block and punch back simultaneously. But just as he was at the corner, Bucky delivered a strong right hook, causing Iron Fist’s left cheek to bleed the moment it got cut, causing the crowd to cheer.

“Ah, don’t believe it!!” said Apple Jewel. “He actually hurt that iron bull!!”

Both continued to block and punch each other while Bucky was cornered against the ring. He felt he had nowhere to go, but he had to keep going for the town’s sake. He had to do it…for her.

The bell then rang, and it was the end of the second round, causing both Bucky and Iron Fist to curse one another to rile them up. The referee separated them, so they were back at their respective corners.

Once they rested, the next round began, and Bucky was determined to finish this. But as they punched and blocked, Iron Fist had the upper hand and punched Bucky hard, making him stagger backward, for he felt that one. Bucky felt that pain in his gut. Even though he had gone through vigorous training to ensure he would be tough enough, he still felt that sting.

Bucky and Iron Fist continued to duke it out with one another, one trying to oust the next. But Iron Fist had the advantage and punched Bucky so hard he felt like he was knocked over by a freight train. The crowd seemed to cheer for that as Iron Fist boasted his victory. The referee began to count down, and everything felt like it was going in slow motion. But as he looked at the crowd, in his daze, he saw Bright Mac, holding little Apple Butter with him. She looked a bit weak, but she really wanted to see him. Because when she heard that he was doing this for her, she wanted to meet him.

Bucky slowly widened his eyes as he saw her.

“Please,” she muttered, but from Bucky, he could suddenly hear her, “Don’t give up. Ah, believe in you.”

The next thing he knew, he saw his little sister, Daisy, who said, “You can do it, big brother. I believe in you, just like you believe in me. Have faith…and win. I love you, big brother.”

Hearing those words from his sister when she was that young somehow jumped started him in ways no one could have ever predicted. He can’t give up, not while he was so close. He stood on his knees and pounded his fist on the ground hard. What no one seemed to realize, his strength had just been doubled. He stood up with anger and fury in his eyes. He slowly turned to Iron Fist, who continued to boast.

The referee wanted to ask Bucky if he wanted to continue. Still, Bucky walked towards Iron Fist and tapped the minotaur’s shoulder several times, allowing the minotaur to turn around. But the moment he did, Bucky delivered a strong right hook, knocking at least six teeth out of the minotaur’s mouth. That answered the ref’s question, allowing the fight to continue. Bucky continued to punch him repeatedly at different parts of the body, and even Iron Fist began to feel nervous simultaneously.

But Iron Fist is more determined to make sure he doesn’t lose, making him punch Bucky backward. Bucky was against the ropes while Iron Fist kept pounding him away, from left to right, up or down, side to side. Some of them, even Apple Jewel, we’re getting more nervous by watching.

Then all of a sudden, Iron Fist looked like he was getting tired and moved a bit backward to get a breather. Bright Mac suddenly realized what Bucky was doing when he saw Bucky taunting Iron Fist with his own, which caused Bright Mac to smile as he knew what Bucky was planning. Having enough and decided to finish him, Iron Fist again engaged in fist fighting. Iron Fist ended up pounding Bucky to the gut constantly like pistons.

“Come on ya’ll!!” shouted Apple Jewel “Yer not gonna last much longer, fight back!!”

“Not yet!!” shouted Bucky when he heard Apple Jewel talking.

“No, not yet!!” shouted Bright Mac as he knew what Bucky’s plan was, while at the same time, the crowd continued to cheer for Bucky as his fighting spirit got through to them.

Iron Fist continued to pound him, sweating like crazy, and Bucky noticed that he was getting a bit dizzy. Which was Bucky’s plan as he slowly smirked.

“Bucky, please!!” shouted Apple Jewel.

That’s when he saw his opening, as Iron Fist could no longer keep up.

“Yo Apple!!” shouted Bucky, gaining her and the grandmother’s attention, causing them to see Bucky smirk while he said, “Now.”

“Now!!” shouted Bright Mac.

And with one strong uppercut, Bucky punched Iron Fist below the jaw, taking Apple Jewel and the grandmother by surprise’ Bright Mac cheered, even Apple Butter, who used what strength she had to cheer him on, with Piling Rich standing up and looking in shock as he saw his fighter being pushed back, with the entire crowd cheering as Iron Fist moved back to the center, with Bucky following suit. Bright Mac, realizing that Apple Butter needed to rest, quickly went back with her to make sure she would recover.

On the other hand, Bucky continued to punch Iron Fist in the face repeatedly, then to the gut twice and to the head again, making the entire crowd cheer for him. Iron Fist did a counter by grabbing him and ended up trying to pound him in the face, but Bucky blocked it. And with an opening, he quickly ducked, jumped in the air, and punched Iron Fist right in the face, which made the crowd cheer even louder. Bucky stood in front of the pinned Iron Fist and punched him multiple times over and over to ensure that he didn’t escape.

Iron Fist grabbed Bucky, but the human continued to punch Iron Fist in the gut repeatedly. He gave Iron Fist an uppercut and two punches to the face. Apple Jewel continued to stare at him in awe as she saw how amazing Bucky was in the ring, as if he was dancing around Iron Fist.

Very soon, Iron Fist was getting dazed, with his face being battered and bruised, no longer being able to see from the beating he had just received from the human. Bucky noticed that Iron Fist was barely standing. Bucky pulled his right fist back. And with great strength, he moved his fist forward for an uppercut so hard he punched Iron Fist’s lights out under his jaw, causing the minotaur to fly in the air and land on the ground hard.

Bucky stood there, panting, but still used his strength to make his stand while the referee went to check on Iron Fist and saw that he was knocked out. The referee then shouted, “Knockout!!”, allowing the bell to ring.

At that moment, Bucky won the match, causing the crowd to cheer for the new champion. Bucky was so happy he landed on his knees and raised his fist in the air, with the Apples running to the stage and hugging him while the rest came up to celebrate the new champion. Piling Rich was now terrified, for his fighter had lost, and he was in deep trouble. He was about to run but then ran into the sheriff and his deputies, shocking the rich pony.

“You know the rule of the bet Piling.” said the sheriff. “You lost, you go to jail. And we have more than enough evidence to point your illegal scams.”

The deputies and sheriff arrested Piling Rich, taking him away in the process’ while at the ground, Bucky had won, not just the medicine to save the little girl, but now the family got to run the city in their own way.

*********************************************************************

**************

After the fight, they immediately bought the medicine for little Apple Butter. They went back home and gave her the medicine. Meanwhile, at the same time, the grandmother immediately took the mayor’s office and began to run the city the way her family had wanted. The entire city soon changed for the better. Apple Butter also got better and was as healthy as ever, with the family overjoyed about her recovery.

Soon enough, the family wanted to speak with Bucky as they were in the mayor’s office.

“Sonny, we can’t thank ya enough for what ye did.” said the grandmother. “Ya’ll helped us change things for the better.”

“Ah, no sweat,” said Bucky “Anyone could’ve done the same thing.”

“But no one had yer drive.” said Bright Macintosh.

“He’s right,” said Apple Jewel. “Ya’ll kept me from making a big mistake when ah wanted to help mah sister, and ya made sure them varmints are locked up behind bars.”

“I was trying to help and do the right thing. And I hope all of you have learned the true meaning of honesty.” said Bucky.

“And ya’ll heart is in the right place, and ya sure did help us. From now on, this will be a town that will always be truthful and not filled with lies.” Apple Jewel said as she walked over and hugged Bucky. Normally Bucky would want to hug back, but he had to remember this wasn’t his wife and that he hoped he would return home soon.

They broke the hug while the grandmother said, “Alright now, time for us to get things under control. Bright Mac, mind if ya’ll go check on the farm to see how it’s doing.”

“Sure, thing Granny.” said Bright Mac as he left. He stopped near Bucky and presented his hand while saying, “It’s been an honor.”

“Likewise.” said Bucky as he shook his hand before Bright Macintosh left.

Granny then spoke to Apple Jewel and said, “Apple Jewel. Take Apple Butter to a doctor. She may be healthy, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a checkup again.”

“Sure, thing, granny.” said Apple Jewel as she held onto her little sister’s hand.

But just as they stood near Bucky, he was taken aback by Apple Butter’s hug. She looked at him with puppy eyes and said, “Thank ya for saving me.”

Bucky couldn’t help but smile and hug the little girl, saying, “No problem.”

But he then thought, “I am spending time with Daisy and Apple Bloom when all of this is over.”

After Apple Butter broke the hug, Apple Jewel pecked him on the cheek and said, “Safe travels, partner.”

The two of them soon left, with Bucky smiling when he saw them leave.

“Ya’ll kept yer promise after all.” said the grandmother as she stood up and walked over to him.

“What can I say? I always honor and keep my promises.” said Bucky. “I’m not a liar, unlike many folks who kept false promises and didn’t give a damn about who is suffering and who is not. That’s not who I am. My wife taught me the true value of honesty, and I attempt to keep it.”

The Grandmother couldn’t help but smile and say, “Ya’ll truly are an honest and kind young man. Which is why ah have a gift fer ya.”

She slowly walked over to a chest and opened it. She gestured for Bucky to stand next to her. He walked over to her, and when he looked at the contents of the chest, he was surprised to see what was in it. For in it was a strange-looking object at the center, but right between were two gauntlets with an image of a bronze boar on it.

“This here device at the center is called a Driver,” said the grandmother as she showed him. “It once belonged to one of them protectors are known as Knights from long ago. One of them was more honest than the sweetness of apples. They always give their all when facing dangers. They’re always honest with themselves and those around them, signifying that a knight never lies but always tells the truth no matter what. And given the promise ya made to help, ya’ll are worthy to wield this.”

The Driver in the chest glowed dark blue, causing it to float up and land right into Bucky’s right hand, taking him by surprise and feeling the power generated through it. He took a good look at the weapon and picked them up while placing them onto his wrists. The moment he pressed them, his fists turned into large heads of silver boars, but he could also feel his strength increase.

“Wow, these feel great.” said Bucky as he turned them back to normal.

“Ya’ll now have the tools to do what needs to be done,” said the grandmother as she looked at him. “The rest is up to you now.”

“Thank you.” said Bucky as he bowed. “I won’t let you down. I promise.”

Within moments, a vortex appeared from beneath Bucky’s feet, signaling his trial was over. Before he vanished, the grandmother said, “Continue to be honest, Bucky. Yer an Apple to yer core.”

“I will.” said Bucky with a smile before he disappeared.

“There goes a truly honest man,” said the grandmother with a smile, then she walked over to the desk and began to write things while saying, “It’s time to let folks know that the Knights have returned.”
> Chapter 11: A Knight's trial part 7.1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After all of the husbands and Emily had disappeared, Beau was out cold from the sudden teleportation from the stranger they had never met. He muttered a couple of times, “The square of 906.01 equals 30.1.”

He slowly opened his eyes and noticed that he was near the shore.

“What the…?” muttered Beau. “Why am I at the beach?”

He slowly opened his eyes, and to his surprise, he truly was on the shore. He slowly got up and looked around.

“Where am I?” said Beau. He looked up and saw that it was night. “Hmm,” pondered Beau, “Good thing Twilight taught me astronomy when she, Moonlight, and I were stargazing together.”

He looked at the stars and studied them while he muttered to himself.

“Let’s see. According to my calculations, based on the stars, where current location, and the direction that I am on. I’m at…”. Suddenly, he widened his eyes in shock, looking back and forth between the ocean and the so-called large island.

“Wait…I’m on Mount Metazoa?” said Beau in shock. “But that’s impossible; Mount Metazoa is nowhere near the ocean; it’s like a week away from it.”

“That is correct.”

Beau looked to his right in shock and saw Bright Star approaching him.

“Oh, it’s you.” said Beau when he recognized her. He looked around once more and asked, “Where the heck am I?”

“What you see around you is the alternate world of Equestria.” said Bright Star.

“Alternate?” said Beau. “Like an alternate version of Equestria where the timeline flows differently?”

“That’s right.” said Bright Star.

“What happened exactly?” said a confused Beau.

“Remember Princess Luna’s return after Nightmare Moon’s defeat?” asked Bright Star.

“Yeah, and both Twilight and Spike chose to stay in Ponyville.” said Beau.

Bright Star sighed and decided to tell him the story, for she knew Beau would not like this.

“In this world of Equestria, Harmony is all but diminished.” said Bright Star, which Beau flexed an eyebrow. “In this world, Princess Celestia, after Princess Luna was restored to her former glory after her banishment, had grown jealous and paranoid of her sister becoming popular and would overthrow her.”

“What?” said Beau, surprised. “But she would never do that. Luna loves her own sister too much to do that.”

“Tell her that.” said Bright Star. “And it grew so much worse, she ignited the sun’s power, drying many lands and melting the ice, causing the world to slowly flood, forcing many to live on large islands to survive. Princess Luna begged her sister to stop, for sacrificing their lives was not the way. But Celestia didn’t listen because she was so deeply drawn into her own madness, she didn’t believe a word she said. And because of it, she struck her down and ended up banishing her to the bottom of the sea.”

Beau was horrified by this, for he couldn’t believe something like this had happened.

“But what about Twilight and the others? Or Cadance and Shining Armour?” said Beau with a panicked look. “Didn’t they try to stop her?”

Bright Star merely had a dreaded look on her face.

“They are merely former shadows of themselves.” said Bright Star. “All of them were traumatized after losing their homes and loved ones. Spike had remained in Canterlot because he was too afraid to stay by Celestia’s side. And since she took over, many in Canterlot, even Moondancer, hated him. Sure, he may have reunited with Twilight, but he feels he couldn’t do anything to help her. Rainbow Dash became a cruel woman, even if she is loyal to her friends. Fluttershy was afraid, and seeing that she only had a handful of rabbits, she didn’t want to let them out of her sight after she had lost so many. Rarity was somewhat generous, but she had also grown cold and became a leader of her own mercenary crew, aka her own friends. Applejack was heartbroken after losing Granny Smith and their farm, so she lied to herself, thinking that she was doing the right thing; even her brother and sister became former shadows of themselves.”

Beau couldn’t believe what he was hearing as she continued.

“Pinkie Pie tried her best to make her friends happy, but even she can’t fake hiding her feelings behind her own smile. As for Twilight…Twilight is too afraid to stand up to her own master because all she cares about is pleasing her, and didn’t want to disappoint. And she was so traumatized from the whole event that she hid on Rarity’s ship, thinking that Celestia could track her. And Rainbow continued to be mean towards Spike, despite him being the only family Twilight has left ever since her parents were forced to bow down to Celestia while her brother and Princess Cadance went missing.”

Beau was horrified to learn of what happened. He held onto his head, thinking he had fallen into a nightmare. A world of what would happen if it had fallen into despair.

Suddenly they heard loud noises, causing Beau to sharply look behind.

“The hell?” muttered Beau in confusion, making him move over to the rock to see what was going on.

When he took a peek, he saw ponies, but all of them were mercenaries. But to his shock, he noticed that all of them had guns.

“The hell,” muttered Beau when he couldn’t believe what he saw. “They actually have guns? How’s that possible?”

He then saw someone that he recognized.

“Wait, is that…?”

It was. Octavia Melody. But something was off about her. She looked cold and cruel like she was an assassin. He then heard shouting.

“Let me go!! Let me go!!”

He looked to his right, and to his shock, he saw Twilight and the others. Fluttershy and Rarity were tied up, Applejack and Rainbow Dash were unconscious, and Pinkie Pie was tied like a piñata. And, whoa, Spike looks a bit tall and buff. Ahem, and then Twilight, who was being frantic.

“Let me go!! Let me go!! She’ll find me if I’m out in the open!! Let me go!!”

He noticed two mercenaries nearby and crept behind them to overhear their conversation.

“So, where’s the infamous crew of the Rogue Diamond supposed to be again?”

“To Suri Polomare. Apparently, she and the crew’s captain have a history, and she wants to kill them to make an example out of them.”

“Think we should be part of it?”

“Not much choice. With her running the show, it’s hard not to. But truth be told, I’d rather follow Octavia than that whore. She knows the meaning of respect and tact.”

On the other hand, Beau gripped his hand in anger, for he was appalled by what was happening. For the ponies in this world really did suffer. He quickly backed away for him to find a safe spot. He saw Bright Star waiting for him, causing him to go over to her.

“What the hell happened to them?” said Beau. “They’re nothing like the friends I knew.”

“Remember,” said Bright Star, “In this world after the flooding, their homes and livelihoods were gone. Many whom you knew who your friends were dead, gone, or turned into villains, while every race in the world was forced into hiding.”

Beau walked back and forth, for this was really bad. He needed to do something. The Mane 6 were in danger for this world, and he needed to help them.

He looked at her and said, “There must be something we can do.”

“Correction,” said Bright Star. “There is something you have to do.”

“Are you nuts?!” exclaimed Beau “What can I…?!”

Bright Star gave him a look as if she was already giving him the answer. Beau widened his eyes in shock, realizing what she was implying.

“No, no. No way!!” exclaimed Beau. “I turned my back on that a long time ago!!”

“But you still remember the training.” said Bright Star. “You’ve been secretly training without your family and friends knowing. You even asked Shining Armour to train you and made him promise not to say anything. Why is that?”

Beau looked away as if he was feeling shame for some reason. He took a few steps to the left while looking down.

“I turned my back on that for a reason.” said Beau. “Sure, they may have fully trained me, and thanks to my photographic memory and reflexes, I became somewhat of a master. But I didn’t want that life. I know I was born into an important family. But…it’s just not me.”

“And now you must make that sacrifice for the greater good. And for your family and friends.” said Bright Star. “For in this world, you will be truly tested.”

Beau looked at her while Bright Star continued. “They were trying to turn you into a leader. As a leader, you need to make decisions for the good of others. You will continue to be tested from here on out.”

She stood near him and held onto his shoulder. “The training you received from Shining Armour and the Royal Guards, as well as the training you received from your father…so that you can be what your family represented.”

“You don’t understand.” said Beau. “When I turned twenty, I walked away from my family long ago. Plus, I’m still a bit rusty, so I don’t know how to fight like I used to.” 

Bright Star took a few steps forward and asked, “Do you still remember your training?”

He was silent for a few seconds and said, “I do. I remember all of it. Even from every book I ever studied and learned from. How to survive and make what I can.”

“Then for the sake of others,” said Bright Star as she walked over to Beau and held onto his right shoulder, gaining his attention. “You must learn to put your fears and doubts aside and become who you are meant to be. You need to do what needs to be done.”

Beau thought about this. On the one hand, if he accepted it, he’d be going against what he stood for when he chose to stay away from it. On the other hand, if he didn’t, then the Mane 6 and Spike of this world would suffer. Not just them but Caribouria and his home Equestria. And for Twilight and Moonlight. Beau took a deep breath, let it out, and turned around to face her.

“What do I have to do?” asked Beau.

“Once I use my magic to reach out to your mind,” said Bright Star, “All that training and learning that had been taught to you will return. And in doing so, you will need to become someone else. You will need to become…something…else.”

Beau gripped his hands, for he had promised and vowed he would never walk down that path, even promised he wouldn’t tell Twilight anything, but he knew he had to break that promise and do what he needed to be done. He had to accept it…for them. Beau looked at her sternly as he had made up his mind.

“Do it.”

Within a split second, she placed her hand on his head and said, “It’s time for you to remember.”

Within mere moments, Beau’s eyes began to glow as the light began to shine out of his mouth, while all the training, fighting, and instincts had begun to pour through his head, helping him remember how to use it. He remembered every fighting move as if it were second nature to him, the weapons he used, every form of science he learned, and every gadget and invention he used to help him win in the long run.

Once it was done, Bright Star removed her hand from his forehead, causing him to groan and hold onto it as he had a temporary headache. But he remembered everything he tried to forget. He looked at his hands slowly, remembering his training on Earth.

He looked at Bright Star with determination and said, “I’m ready.”

“Before you go, you will need this.” said Bright Star as she instantly teleported something near him, but he couldn’t see because he blocked his eyes from the bright flash.

When he looked, he was surprised to see what was before him In front of him was armor, but it looked really familiar. He noticed that the outfit was nearly identical to that one art he saw one of the artists draw about that futuristic Assassin’s Creed outfit, combined with armor identical to Boba Fett’s outfit, minus the jetpack. He was amazed by the outfit.

“What you see before you are your family’s armor.” said Bright Star.

“My armor?” said a confused Beau.

“You remembered when the Caribou Prince said that humans used to live here before they moved to Earth?” said Bright Star. “Well, your family was one of them. They all came from the Rohan Clan, honorable humans who helped protect others during their beginnings. As well as this….”

She then gave him what appeared to be a sword.

“This sword is known as the Magicalibur,” said Bright Star. “It was forged by the Caribou using the power of the Element of Magic. They crafted this for your family long ago, but it was lost before the humans left for Earth. And now it is yours.”

She handed Silverbolt the sword, allowing him to accept it. He looked at her again and said, “I know what I need to do. I once vowed I would never walk down this path. But for the sake of the heroes in this world, I’ll do what I need to do.”

*********************************************************************

************************************

From within Mount Metazoa, Suri’s guards were moving from one spot to another, ensuring the place was well secured. However, Beau could sneak past most of the guards as he walked through the entrance. He continued to go from one spot to the next, avoiding as many guards as possible. But for some guards in his way, he could knock them out and drag them into a spot where no one could find them. He soon made his way toward the one room where he figured she might be. He remembered Princess Celestia telling him that many leaders would come and communicate with one another, so he figured their Suri would reside.

Meanwhile, from inside, the Mane 6 and Spike were at Suri’s mercy.

“Let me go, you asshole!!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “When I get out of this, you’re going to regret it!!”

“Rainbow, for once would ya’ll shut up!!” shouted Applejack.

Suri stood up and walked over to them from her throne as they were held at their mercy.

“So here we are at last,” said Suri “The infamous crew of the Rogue Diamond, finally here at my mercy.”

“Yeah, well, why don’t you untie these ropes so we can show you?!!” said Rainbow.

“Such fire,” said Suri as she looked at them. “I see why you would pair with this unlikely bunch, Rarity.”

“Leave them out of this, Suri!!” said Rarity. “I thought we were friends, and you ended up betraying me and literally stabbed me in the back!!”

“Oh Rarity,” said Suri teasingly, “You of all ponies should know that one would do whatever it takes to be on top. Something you were too afraid to do.”

She then stroked her hand under Spike’s chin and said, “And with you six gone, I will have a new dragon plaything with me.”

“Like hell I’d join you!!” shouted Spike. “I’d rather die than be with you!!”

“Hmph,” said Suri with a huff. “So be it.”

She turned to Tri-Horn and said, “Finish them off.”

“With pleasure.” said Tri-Horn as Suri walked back to her seat and sat back down.

“Just you wait!!” shouted Rainbow. “I’m going to kick your ass the moment I get out of this!!”

Just before Tri-Horn could make a move, the door blew wide open, taking everyone in the room by shock, even the Mane 6 and Spike, as they looked at the door being blown up. Slowly but surely, Beau slowly walked through the door, approaching through the smoke of the door. Beau stood there, looking intimidating with his armor and the extra gadgets and supplies he needed to fight. Everyone stared at him, surprised; even Spike and the Mane Six looked shocked to see him.

“So, you must be Suri.” said Beau as he held onto his weapon. “Here’s how this’ll work. You release the crew of the Rogue Diamond, or there will be more bodies that will be dropped onto the ground.”

Some guards felt intimidated; however, Suri laughed it off and said, “As if I would ever let go of my prize here. I’m a mare who gets what she wants.”

Beau retorted, “You talk pretty for a whore who dresses up like a slut.”

The servants and some of the guards gasped at what he said, with Suri perking up at what she said while she stood up and was angry. “What did you say?”

“Why are you exactly doing this?” said Beau “What do you get out of this, money?”

“Pff, please,” scoffed Suri “What would I need money for when I own my own private island and army.”

Beau flexed his eyebrow from underneath his helmet and said, “You’re not telling me that you’re doing this for the fashion world, are you?”

“Some of us who live to do a business will do whatever it takes to be number one.” said Suri.

“Sorry, but I don’t see any of that here.” said Beau as he insulted her by saying, “All I see is a worthless bitch who’s latched onto an excuse to steal others” ideas and who’s so stupid, she doesn’t realize that she’s being used by Fancy Pants.”

Suri snarled and was now really angry. “Oh, you are so asking for it. Octavia, Tri- Horn, kill him!!”

But just before Octavia could respond, Beau looked at her and said, “What the hell happened to you?”

She stopped and looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “You used to be the most talented musician in all of Equestria. You even played the most beautiful music and songs. And now look at you; you’re reduced to being a murderer, a mercenary, a monster. I can’t believe Vinyl fell in love with you.”

Octavia actually showed a shocked expression on her face. She slowly looked down and said, “She…she loved me? Why didn’t she…?”

However, Tri-Horn didn’t like the way he talked to her.

“Don’t you dare speak to her like that!!” shouted Tri-Horn as he moved toward Beau.

“No. We end this.” said Beau as he charged towards Tri-Horn.

“You, end me?” said Tri-Horn in a humorous tone. “I’m going to enjoy….”

Before he could say anything, Beau pulled a knife from his wrist and cut the side of his leg, making Tri-Horn scream in pain, shocking many mercenaries, even Suri and the Mane 6, oh and Spike too. Beau instantly used a move called “Monkey jumps the fence,” landed in front of Tri-Horn, and jabbed the knife into its gut; he pulled the knife out and ended up climbing onto Tri-Horn’s back and jabbed the knife right into Tri-Horn’s neck a few times, making Tri-Horn spew blood and instantly collapse onto the ground.

Everyone in the room was shocked to see what happened, even this world’s version of the Mane 6 and Spike.

Beau then pulled the knife out and shook the blood off before putting it back into its holster. He looked at them again and said, “It would be wise to surrender.”

Suri got angry and shouted, “Kill him!!” to her guards.

The guards attacked head-on while Beau instantly took out a bo-staff and twirled it around. He fought them head-on as he used the bo-staff to smack the left one in the gut, then the head did the same thing with the right one while using his bo-staff to trip the next one while using the staff to knock the guard out. Beau used his bo-staff to pin the other one as it had nowhere to go.

“There he is!!” shouted one of the guards as they drew their guns.

Beau took the guard’s pistol and began to shoot at the guards point blank range to their heads before they had the chance to react. He shot the guard he was holding while Beau continued moving forward and shot every guard. When the guard could shoot Beau, to their surprise, the bullet bounced off of the armor. Beau looked good at

it and realized that the armor was special. Beau jumped towards one of the guards and backhanded him while he shot the other. He tripped one, shot him while performing a sweeping high kick, and killed the next one before they could react.

When there were about thirteen out of thirty remaining guards in the room left, Beau slowly looked at the leader while they noticed how many of their guards had fallen.

“This is your chance to make this right.” said Beau. “If I were you, I’d take it.”

The guards looked at one another and realized that their situation was inevitable. They had no choice but to accept, causing them to place their weapons on the ground. Suri, on the other hand, was steaming mad.

“No!!” shouted Suri. “I will not stand for this!! Octavia!! Kill…!!”

Before she could react, Suri felt like she was stabbed in the back, making her grunt in pain. She collapsed onto the ground within seconds, revealing Octavia had killed her.

“I quit.” said Octavia when Beau noticed that her tone and facial expression had changed.

Octavia looked at the Mane 6 and walked over to them.

“Oh, so now you switched sides?” said Rarity.

Octavia went behind them, and to their surprise, she untied her and helped her stand up.

To Rarity’s surprise, Octavia bowed and said, “I’m sorry for the pain and grief I caused you. And for nearly killing you. I wish to make amends for what I’ve done. Please, let me try to make amends and earn your trust.”

Rarity could tell that her expression seemed genuine. She extended her hand and said,

“Very well. You’ll get one chance.”

Octavia smiled and shook her hand.

“Or no chance at all.” said Rainbow.

Beau could tell that she wasn’t going to let up. Beau retorted, “The least you could do is show a little restraint.”

“Yeah, and who the hell are you?” said Rainbow.

“The bastard who just saved your cute little ass,” retorted Beau.

Rainbow immediately blushed bright red, causing her to blush and curse while mumbling. Beau knew that if Twilight were there with him, she would definitely kill him for saying something like that, but he couldn’t resist making fun of her. After all, he was pretending to be something else.

He went over and untied the others, with Spike being the first to shake his hand, and said, “Thanks for the save back there.”

“Least I could do,” said Beau. “You looked like you needed it.”

Twilight suddenly panicked, gaining Beau’s attention.

“I need to get back on the ship!! I need to hide!!” shouted Twilight as she was panic- stricken, “Princess Celestia might find me!!”

Beau slapped Twilight to calm her down, taking the others by surprise, with Beau saying, “Will you just shut up!!”

Twilight looked at him in shock, but he said, “Celestia can’t track others; she never did. She never mastered that technique. I mean, even if she did, don’t you think she would’ve found you guys by now, no matter where you go? You six are the ones who wielded the Elements of Harmony to save Princess Luna and stop Discord. Even if she did find you, all of you should’ve been dead long ago. Didn’t it even occur to you about that?”

Twilight lowered her eyes as she processed what he said. She suddenly widened her eyes in shock, then looked at him and said, “You mean to tell me that I’ve been hiding from Princess Celestia and panicked that she would find me for nothing? That I could’ve helped the whole time?”

“Well, duh.” retorted Beau.

Twilight was greatly embarrassed and ashamed while she lowered her head. She couldn’t believe she didn’t think about doing something like that in the first place. Her friends and Spike were greatly surprised that he got through to her so quickly.

“Wow,” said Fluttershy. “We’ve been trying for years to get her out of her trauma, and you instantly helped her get over it just like that.”

“What can I say,” shrugged Beau. “I have a habit of getting through to even the thickest-headedness of ponies.”

Applejack adjusted her hat, went over to him, and asked, “Who are ya’ll stranger?”

“My name is Thomas Rohan,” said Beau as he introduced himself, “But my friends call me Beau.”

*********************************************************************

****************************

Soon after the whole ordeal, the Mane 6 and Spike sailed on their ship, the Rogue Diamond, with many of Octavia’s ships in tow, filled with Suri’s mercenaries who switched sides and all the enslaved people now working for the Rogue Diamond after they were promised freedom and that they would be able to make their own choices. On the Rogue Diamond, Octavia decided to sail with the Rogue Diamond so that they could keep an eye on her. And given what she did to them on their first encounter, she can’t blame them. She kept staring at the sea, watching the ocean. At the same time,

she noticed Spike approaching her and standing next to her. She could see that she was really nervous.

“Yes?” said Octavia when she noticed Spike.

“Hey, listen.” said Spike as he rubbed the back of his head. “I’m sorry about biting you in the shoulder a while back.”

“It’s quite alright,” said Octavia. “You were just trying to protect your friends. Not many creatures can do that.”

Octavia extended her hand to show no hard feelings. Spike smiled and shook her hand, showing that things were good between them. At the same time, Twilight walked up to Spike while being able to stand next to him.

“Hey,” said Spike when he noticed Twilight standing next to him, “Glad to see that you’re not confined to your room this time.”

“I’m just glad I don’t have to hide anymore.” said Twilight, while she looked down in shame and said, “I’m so ashamed. I should’ve been there for you and our friends. But I was a coward and hid away from the world.”

Spike hugged her and said “It’s alright Twilight. I’m just glad you’re outside and smiling again.”

Twilight smiled and hugged back. Octavia noticed someone wasn’t with them and asked “Where is Beau?”

“Hey!!”

They looked at Rainbow coming in, and she was mad for some reason.

“Where are my clothes Spike?!!” shouted Rainbow.

“What are you talking about?” said Spike.

“My clothes are missing from my cabin, you pervert!!”

“Rainbow,” said Twilight as she scolded her friend, “Spike would never do that, and he wasn’t anywhere near your room, so back off!!”

At the same time, everyone else came together.

“Has anyone seen my clothes?” asked Fluttershy.

“Mine are missing too.” said Applejack.

“Same here.” said Rarity.

“And mine.” said Pinkie.

“Uh, Pinkie,” said Spike. “You don’t wear clothes at all on the ship.”

“I do from time to time.” said Pinkie Pie.

They heard a loud whistle. When they watched, they saw Beau signaling them.

“You want answers?! Follow me.” said Beau as he walked away.

The others and Octavia followed suit. They arrived at the cabin, and to their surprise, they saw their neat and clean clothes in their respective baskets; even the dishes were clean. Then they saw that dinner was made on the table. They looked at Beau, who was simply drying his hands before putting his gloves back on.

“Did you do this?” asked Rarity.

“I did.” said Beau.

“Why did ya’ll do that?” asked Applejack.

“From the looks of it, it looked like you hadn’t had a good meal in a long time. That and someone had been skipping laundry duty.”

The rest looked at Rainbow Dash with a glare, and she was taken aback by the stares. Pinkie went over to her shirt and picked it up while slowly rubbing her head against it. She hummed in delight when she felt the shirt.

“So warm.” mumbled Pinkie as she loved the softness of her shirt.

Rainbow gave a warning glare and said, “You’d better not be a giant pervert here.”

“Rainbow, I am not Gilda or Lightning Dust, and you have got to stop pretending I am.”

Rainbow was shocked to hear those names, and she slowly lowered her eyes, with him saying, “Now shut up and eat.”

Rainbow grumbled and walked over to her table, with Beau gaining Spike’s attention.

“Catch.” said Beau, causing Spike to catch something. To his surprise, it was a gem. Spike looked at Beau as he said, “Swiped it from Suri’s secret stash. Knock yourself out.”

“Wow, uh…thanks.” said Spike as he was taken aback by this kind of generosity, for normally no one would ever be this nice to him. But then again, it had been long since he had a gem. So, he took his first bite out of it and hummed, for it tasted really good, which caused Beau to snicker underneath the helmet when he saw how happy Spike was. At least he could put his mind at ease as the Mane 6 were enjoying their meals; even Rainbow enjoyed it, allowing him to walk away and check up on things.

As they continued to travel, Beau stood at the nose of the ship and watched the oceans. He knows where they are, which happens to be the once proud home of the Dragons, and he couldn’t believe how far Equestria had fallen.

“Congratulations for saving them.” said Bright Star, gaining Beau’s attention.

“It won’t be enough.” said Beau. He shook his head, saying, “I can’t believe how far they’ve fallen. They’re not like the friends I knew.”

“You have to understand,” said Bright Star. “When tragedy strikes this world, people change and try to survive. Remember the video game, Mad Max?”

Beau was surprised that she knew about that, but he was seeing where she was going with this.

“Plus, they’ll be tough nuts to crack.” said Beau “They’ll need some convincing.”

“If you want,” said Bright Star, gaining Beau’s attention, “I can help you with that.”

“You can?” said Beau as he looked at her.

“Yes,” said Bright Star, “I can tell you what to say to them. Words that can break any being. And in turn, how they will respond to your words will be up to you.”

Beau began to listen to her word for word for him to understand this world’s Mane 6 more.

*********************************************************************

************************************

After many days of sailing, they had finally reached their island. They were able to find a place to dock all their ships, with the Mane 6, Spike, Beau, and Octavia to depart.

“Come,” said Rarity as she looked at Beau, “We will need to report this to Vinyl.”

“Formerly known as DJ-PON3, who was once known as the greatest DJ in all of Equestria.” said Beau.

They were taken aback by this as they looked at him in shock.

“How did you…?” said Rarity in shock.

“I keep tabs on all of you.” said Beau. “For example, Octavia was once known as the greatest musician to the Canterlot Orchestra until everything fell apart.”

Then he pointed at all of them.

“Rainbow Dash was once the weather captain of Ponyville and would dream of being part of the Wonderbolts, Equestria’s greatest flying teams. Fluttershy is one of the best animal caretakers in all of Equestria, who even tamed a Manticore as it was hostile towards them. Pinkie Pie is known to be the best party planner in Ponyville; she also had a secret party planning cave for all her friends and residence in Ponyville. Rarity is also known for being the best fashion designer in all of Equestria as she can make anyone beautiful. Applejack is the proud owner of Sweet Apple Acres, an Apple Farm that her family has owned since her grandmother Granny Smith helped found the town. Twilight Sparkle also happens to be the smartest in all of Equestria. She was Princess Celestia’s student and was sent to Ponyville to learn all about friendship, and her assistant was Spike, the dragon.”

He stood in front of Spike as if he was glaring at him.

“Which, by the way, if you actually had cared about her,” said Beau as he placed two fingers on Spike’s chest, making him flinch. “You would’ve disobeyed her and gone to Twilight and helped her when she needed it the most.”

Spike lowered his eyes in shame as he realized Beau was right.

“And how did you know about that, huh,” said Rainbow as she was now really suspicious of Beau. “Are you some kind of.…”

Beau instantly pulled out his knife and aimed it at her throat, taking her by surprise as she stood still. Beau looked at her sternly.

“I have no love for Celestia or for what she has done.” said Beau “So if I were you, I’d keep yourself in check; otherwise, you’re going to find your G-Spot in a bloody spot.”

Rainbow backed up a bit while he placed his knife away. “So…about Vinyl?”

“Oh, right.” said Rarity while she was still taken aback by his information “Right this way.”

They soon made their way through the districts. Beau looked around and recognized many of the inhabitants, half of them from Ponyville and half from Canterlot. He couldn’t believe how many had suffered because the world was flooded. The Celestia in this world definitely had a lot to answer for.

Soon they made their way to Vinyl’s place while entering. The guards stopped them until Beau grabbed both of them and knocked them out, taking them by surprise.

“We’re on the clock here.” said Beau as he entered the place, with the others still taking a back and following suit.

They soon approached the door where Vinyl would be, in her hot tub chilling. Minuette was waiting to open them until, to her shock, she saw Twilight. Though she pretended to not know her and wanted to wait for the right time to tell her who she was, she let them in. Pretty soon, Vinyl saw them come in.

“Ah, there’s the Captain of the Rogue Diamond.” said Vinyl as she looked at them. “And I see you brought your full crew.”

“Vinyl.” said Rarity while the rest looked at Vinyl.

“You seriously do business with her?” whispered Rainbow to Rarity before she was nudged by Applejack.

“There were some…complications.” said Rarity as she tried to word it right.

“Oh, what kind?” said Vinyl before she took a sip of her drink.

“We were returning after delivering the shipment,” said Rarity. “But we had a little run-in with Suri.”

“Really?” said Vinyl “And how that work out?”

Rainbow then responded with, “She’s dead.”

Vinyl spat her drink out in shock, then looked at them with wide eyes.

“How did that happen?” said Vinyl.

“Well…” said Rarity as she stood aside.

To Vinyl’s shock, it was none other than Octavia.

“You.” said Vinyl with anger in her voice. “What are you doing here?”

“Vinnie please,” said Octavia, “I’m not here to start a fight.”

Vinyl was surprised that Octavia used her nickname, something she hadn’t heard in a long time.

Octavia lowered her head in shame and said, “I came here to apologize. And ask for forgiveness. We were so good to one another. But ever since the world fell apart, we have changed. You became a missionary contractor, and I ended up becoming an assassin. We used to make so much beautiful music together. And the one thing I’ve always regretted.”

She looked at Vinyl with sadness and said, “Was not telling you how much I loved you.”

Vinyl widened her eyes in shock as she couldn’t believe the confession. But somehow…it felt so genuine, the real deal. Something that she hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Could we please start over?” asked Octavia. “I do not wish to do this any further. All I want…is another chance.”

Vinyl lowered her head, contemplating what Octavia had just said. Then, she slowly stood out of the tub and headed toward Octavia. At first, both were silent. Finally, Vinyl hugged Octavia, much to the mares surprise. Vinyl, on the other hand, was smiling and shedding a tear.

“I really missed you, Octi.” said Vinyl.

Octavia couldn’t help but chuckle and hug her back. “Normally, I would complain about making yourself decent in public. But I’m just really happy to have you back.”

Vinyl broke the hug after Minuette gave Vinyl her robe and wrapped it around her. She looked at the Mane 6 and said, “Thank you for your help and what you did.”

“Don’t thank us,” said Pinkie “Thank our new friend here.”

They saw Beau leaning against the door as he watched the whole thing. But they were impressed with the armor and gear he was carrying.

“I’m impressed.” said Vinyl as she looked at Beau. “You were able to take on Suri and her entire island. Now that she’s dead, there won’t be a competition to stand in the way.”

“So is Tri-Horn.” said Beau, which Vinyl flexed her eyebrow. “And half of her army. The other half and all of the servants chose to come with us. And they chose to follow Octavia because of her skills.”

Vinyl couldn’t help but chuckle while bumping her hip against Octavia and said, “Tavi always did know how to bring great talent together.”

Octavia blushed and held her close. Vinyl snapped her fingers, causing the rest to pay the Mane 6 and Spike for their work. They offered to pay Beau, and Beau then took the pay and walked over to Coco. He placed the pay in her hands, much to her surprise.

“Use it to do something good for yourself.” said Beau.

Coco couldn’t help but smile and shed a tear while quickly hugging him before leaving. They soon left, while Vinyl held Octavia close after she removed her robes.

“I think you know what comes next.” said Vinyl.

On the other hand, Octavia couldn’t help but smirk and pushed Vinyl into the tub, causing her to fall in. As she popped out, Octavia took off her clothes and smiled, for she needed this.

“Indeed, I do,” said Octavia after she climbed in and passionately kissed Vinyl, allowing them to enjoy each other’s company.

*********************************************************************

*************************

Soon, the Mane 6, Spike, and Beau made it to the ship. And considering it was still day, they decided to talk to them while hanging out on the deck.

“Darling, we can’t thank you enough for what you did for us today.” said Rarity.

“Pff,” scoffed Rainbow “We could’ve taken them.”

“By taking them, you mean flailing and wailing and bitching after you got caught and couldn’t do squat? Yeah, you did a really good job.” said Beau.

Rainbow growled as she was just insulted.

“Besides, I came out here for two purposes.” said Beau “The first one was to save you lot, which I did.”

“And the second?” asked Twilight.

“To stop Princess Celestia.”

“WHAT?!” exclaimed the crew.

“Have you gone insane?!” exclaimed Rarity. “You don’t just go to Celestia and directly face her!!”

“She’s right.” said Fluttershy “She’s too powerful.”

“Wow,” said Beau with a snark, “The so-called bearers to the Elements of Harmony are suddenly too afraid to face a monarch. Makes me wonder how all of you had ever beaten Nightmare Moon and Discord when they first came together.”

Some were surprised by the tone he had just given them.

“The Elements of Harmony chose all of you a long time ago to help protect this world,” said Beau. “Ever since the madness started, all of you could’ve gone and helped Luna, but, instead, all of you cowered and ran away instead of doing something about it.”

He pointed directly at Twilight and said, “And you, you even abandoned Spike, your own assistant, no, your brother, when he needed you the most. And even after you reunited after all these years, you still tried to push him away. Some sister you are.”

Twilight wanted to counter or retort, but then she pondered his words and looked at Spike, and Spike to her. She could see that he needed her the most, and she abandoned him when he needed help the most, and she tried to do it again; after all these years, they were finally reunited, now and she was attempting to do it again. She lowered her head in shame.

“Darling, we couldn’t possibly attack Princess Celestia and Canterlot.” said Rarity.

“What’s the matter, Diamond butt,” said Beau “Afraid to get poisoned by Basilisk Venom again?”

Rarity reeled back in shock that he knew about that but then shuddered as she thought about being poisoned and nearly dying again.

“You can’t blame her for what happened; it could’ve happened to anypony.” Said Fluttershy “Besides, no one is brave enough to stand up to her.”

“She’s right.” said Applejack “We don’t even have an army. We’re trying to survive, trying to live to see another day; we don’t go around trying to attack folks as if we were in the middle of a crusade; otherwise, we’d lose more than we already have.”

“Who the hell are you lot to lecture anyone?!” said Beau as he stood his ground. “All of you chose to hide and lock yourselves away in your oversized bathtub and gave up on all of Equestria entirely. Ever since the day all of you started this little crusade, all of you have done nothing but further discouraged yourselves into trying to save Equestria, and on the so many rare occasions that all of you decided to help and did so little, all of you may have chosen to do nothing at all!!”

All of them were appalled by what he said, with Rarity saying, “How dare you?!”

“Then tell me, “Said Beau. “On whose watch did the other kingdoms around Equestria fall, whose inactions had allowed Celestia to go so out of control that all of the Civilizations had been destroyed.”

He pointed at them and said, “All of you had faced Nightmare Moon and Discord with no thoughts for yourselves!! The Elements of Harmony had chosen all of you for a reason, yet you have squandered it over nothing!!”

He then walked towards Applejack and shoved the others out of the way.

“You!!” said Beau as he pointed his finger at Applejack as she took a step back. “You should be ashamed of yourself!! The Apple family had been the most respected family in all of Equestria!! Where were you when all of them had fallen!! You weren’t there for them when they needed you the most!! Hell, even Granny Smith’s family had founded Ponyville and made it what it was back then!! And now look at you, your sister turned into a slut, your brother turned into a killer, and you…you just sat there and did nothing. You threw away everything the Apple family stood for!!”

He leaned towards her with a death glare while she could feel it. Then delivered a gut- punching sentence by saying, “Granny Smith, along with your parents Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter, would be ashamed if they could see you right now.”

She widened her eyes in shock, then slowly looked down in shock, and at the same time, thought about what she had lost, making her shed a few tears. Then he went to the shy girl.

“You!!” said Beau, making Fluttershy cower. “You’re nothing but a coward for not standing up for others and not bothering to save the rest of the animals, who, like everyone in all of Equestria, also became a villain. You’re supposed to be the voice of reason, and look what the hell happened; Rarity almost died, Twilight was scared to come out, and Rainbow was a bitch!! Some gentle soul you are, and they call you the Element of Kindness. So, stop being a coward and grow a fucking spine!!”

Fluttershy whimpered in fear as she turned her head, madly shedding tears as she thought about what she had lost.



“And you,” said Beau, pointing at Pinkie Pie, “You’re so much of an idiot, you treat everything around you like it’s a big fat joke. You were supposed to help others smile, make them happy, help them find peace and happiness in those who have none, and instead, you act like a complete imbecile, and you did a piss poor job in helping Twilight get out of her trauma!! If you had bothered to take your element seriously, no one would have suffered!! Your parents, including your sisters Maud, Limestone, and Marble, would be greatly ashamed if they could see you.”

Pinkie’s mane deflated, and she felt the one thing she hadn’t felt in a long time; sadness and loneliness. She had lost everything and kept ignoring what she had and what she could’ve done to help.

“You!!” said Beau as he aimed his finger at Rarity, who reeled back in shock. “You lost everything, and all you have left is this poor excuse of a boat!! You had your friends, and you didn’t bother to help them!! You didn’t squat trying to help Rainbow and Twilight over their funk!! If you had really loved and cared about them, you would’ve done whatever it took to help Equestria!! Now because of your selfishness, both of your parents are dead, and your sister was sold to slavers!!”

Rarity widened her eyes in shock. Though she heard what happened to her parents, she didn’t know what happened to her sister, causing her to shed tears and nearly collapse, with Spike holding onto her.

“And you.” Said Beau, aiming at Rainbow as she had a hotheaded look but crossed her arms and turned her back on him. “You became a cruel bitch to everyone around you. You used to be the most loyal pony in Equestria, who’d never turn her back on her friends when they needed help. But now look at you, you became extremely cruel, pushed a lot of folks who cared about you away, you were even a dick to Spike, the only brother Twilight has left, and were finally reunited after being apart for ten years. You became worse than Gilda and Lightning Dust, who would do anything to ensure they’d stay on top and push everyone away. Tons of folks were rejected, and at least some of them still have friends, not to mention you constantly kept crushing on a guy who doesn’t even know you exist and didn’t even realize that he’s already married. Your friends at least still have a few loved ones left that they’re trying to keep safe, and they avenged as many as possible. They didn’t know how many they’d have to kill to protect. And frankly, they didn’t care either.”

“And your point being?” said Rainbow.

“Don’t make us feel sorry for you and your horse ass” existence.” said Beau. “Your friends did everything in theirs and Faust’s power to keep their friends and families safe. While you, you practically threw both your parents and Scootaloo away!!”

Some gasped and clamped their mouths shut the moment he said that, and his mentioning her parents and Scootaloo made her snap and want to punch him. Still, he caught her and dislocated her arm, taking her in shock and shouting in pain; then instantly, Beau punched her in the face, making her collapse onto the ground. She tried to get back up, but Beau crouched and looked her in the face.

“You’re nothing but a heartless bitch who’s always filled with excuses and tends to push those away who tried to love you because a little bit of love would keep reminding that big hole you have inside your own heart. And you’ll be as you’ve always been…alone.”

Hearing him say that, and what Beau said about her throwing her parents and Scootaloo away, she thought about everything she had lost since the world went to hell. She instantly broke down in tears and sobbed, causing Fluttershy to quickly comfort her.

Beau stood up and said, “And then there’s you.”

He pointed at Twilight, much to her fright, for the way she had seen Beau talking and breaking them down, now she was afraid to hear what he had to say.

“You’re such a coward; you spent so much time hiding that you barely noticed everything had changed.” Said Beau. “I mean, look around you. Do you even recognize the Equestria you’re trying to protect anymore? For a so-called prodigy of the Princess, you’re the biggest idiot on the planet.”

Twilight was shocked by what he called her, but Beau continued when she got mad.

“Oh, I mean yeah, sure, ninety-five percent when it comes to magic and science, you’re smart. But you’re not smart enough to realize that you’re still a rookie when it comes to making friends, and not everyone will agree with your methods, and not everyone will always agree with your plans, and you can’t have everything you want, and have them do things your way, you know that right?”

Twilight partially looked away, not wanting to face him.

“You spent so much time trying to please others you didn’t even notice that you basically screwed your own life. And don’t give me the “Oh, I lost everything when the flooding started” crap!! You could’ve just gotten over it and tried to help those in need!! Instead, you let your friends continue to screw around, and when was the last time you even bathed or had your clothes cleaned?! Even a dead-brained monkey could do better than that!!”

He took a few steps closer to her and continued talking to her.

“Look at you, the so-called leader, who let the world get screwed, and all of you wouldn’t have even been in this mess if the so-called leader of the Mane 6 had done her job right. You were supposed to try and reach out to friends, for it’s about the experience and not learning things from a book, and you’re constantly so obsessive it ends up being your downfall. And the worst part, just when you were reunited with Spike, the closest thing to a brother you have, you ended up wanting to abandon him when he needed family the most!! And you could’ve tried to search for Shining Armour and Cadance, and now you failed them, just like the friendship report.”

Hearing that made her really angry, with him mocking her and saying ““Dear Princess Celestia, today I learned I’m a prissy little unicorn who refuses to make any friends and learn anything about friendship, especially from those” Who actually knows what they’re doing!!”

Twilight snapped and tried to slap him, but because of his reflexes, he caught her in time, taking her in shock as he said, “You’re nothing but a worthless coward who would choose to hide like a scared puppy rather than actually trying to help those in need. Everypony in Equestria relied on you and needed you, and you abandoned them and betrayed their trust.”

He punched her hard in the face, much to Spike and the rest of the Mane 6” s shock. Spike got angry and went all beast mode.

“HOW DARE YOU?!!” shouted Spike.

Just as Spike had charged toward the human in disguise, Beau swiftly moved and kicked him in the groin, making Spike grunt in shock and drop to his knees. And within a swift motion, he poked every part of his torso and head using a monk technique. Within mere moments, Spike collapsed unconscious, taking Twilight in shock.

He picked Spike up by the head as he groaned and said, “No matter what you do, you’ll always be garbage.”

He punched Spike’s lights out, making the dragon collapse. He looked at Twilight, who got scared as he said, “You can blame others all you want. But at some point, in your life, you will have to take responsibility for your actions. Shining Armour and Cadance would be ashamed if they could see you right now.”

Twilight was shocked and stunned by what he said.

He stood up and walked toward the edge of the ship. As he stopped, he looked back at Spike and the Mane 6, all former shadows of themselves, not the ones he knew in the other Equestria. Oh, how far they have fallen.

“You can stay here, rotting in your own filth and stewing into your anger and misery all you want.” Said Beau, completely disgusted by the states they were in. “I’m going to do something to help Equestria rather than leave it in the dust like all of you did all those years ago.”

All of them looked down in shame and shed tears; even Twilight broke down and cried while holding onto Spike. Beau, on the other hand, didn’t bother to want to look back and jumped off the ship and made his way to the rest of the docks. He soon found the smallest and fastest ship. He punched the driver’s lights out and jumped into it, allowing Beau to hijack it and wire it to turn it on. He soon took the helm and drove. The Mane 6 all watched him leave, pondering what he had said, too sad, depressed, and broken to say anything.

*********************************************************************

****************************

He hadn’t already been gone for more than a day and was still focused on reaching Canterlot. Beau could tell from the skies that he was about halfway to Canterlot. But he lowered his eyes, angry for what this world’s Mane 6 had become. Then again, it took his wife to unite the Mane 6 and the Rainbooms to help them fight the ultimate foe. Yet the Twilight from this world chose to do nothing all because of a stupid trauma. Then again, one doesn’t easily forget traumas. He wished he could’ve handled the situation better, but seeing what they were reduced to made him angry.

He tossed his helmet away in frustration as he was still mad. He continued his course until…

“That was really cruel of you, you know.”

Beau partially looked behind and saw it was Bright Star again, looking like she wanted to scold her child for misbehaving.

“I know you sent me here to help them, but…” said Beau as he lowered his head. “What they were reduced to.”

He turned around and looked at Bright Star.

“How could they just turn their backs on Equestria like that.” Said Beau, “They all relied on them, and instead, all of them chose to do nothing while how many were reduced to being….”

He shouted in anger and banged his hand on the dash. Bright Star sighed and walked over to him while sitting in a chair close to his. As she looked at him, Beau focused on the path ahead.

“I know how upset you are,” said Bright Star. “You have every right to be upset. But you have to remember that there are different timelines in every world. Each one of them is more horrible than the last. In one world, where Twilight and all of her friends are dead after the monster, they faced killed them because it was too strong. In another, they became bad guys. And so on and so on. You can’t keep trying to change the world for your desires.”

“Maybe,” said Beau as he looked ahead and then at her. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t try it.”

“Like you “tried” to live up to your family’s legacy before running away from home?” said Bright Star with a flexed eyebrow.

Beau looked down, feeling slightly ashamed of that.

“I didn’t want that life,” said Beau. “All I ever wanted was to live a normal life away from my family’s so-called legacy. Plus, with my father being a reckless gambler and my mother out of town so much for business, they didn’t want to spend any time with me. Some legacy.”

“A legacy that once came from Equestria.” Said Bright Star.

Beau was quiet for a moment, but Bright Star continued to try and talk to him. Beau looked at her and said, “What happened that made the humans leave? If my family’s legacy came from Equestria, how come we don’t live there anymore?”

Bright Star sighed and said, “Humans used to live in harmony in this world long ago, long before the Windigos. But then Grogar came along and nearly destroyed everything. Your ancestor was the first Knight to have fought against him and his tyranny.”

“And you know this how?” said Beau.

“I was there.” Said Bright Star, much to Beau’s surprise.

She looked at the ocean horizon as she said, “Long ago, everything was peaceful, and every race of creatures, including humans, had lived in peace together. Some could even fall in love with others. It didn’t matter who they were as long as we were happy. But some didn’t like to be at peace with others. Then one day, we were summoned by the power of harmony itself. We would bring about thirteen creatures from each kingdom to gain the power of harmony itself, calling us the Knights of Harmony. I was one of its founding members, like Gusty the Great and a human named Achilles. We continued to protect our homes from those who would do us harm. And things were great so far. But then Grogar came along.”

“Wait, how did Grogar fit into this?” asked Beau as he looked at her.

“Believe me when I say he is more powerful than you can imagine.” Said Bright Star. “Grogar, his brother Salazar and many others, known as the legion of monsters, with monstrous armies of their own, rose up and attempted to burn the world and bring it into darkness. Myself, Achilles, and Gusty had gathered as many Knights as possible while also uniting the entire world’s races to combat against him.”

“And I assume Discord fought alongside him?” asked Beau.

“He did for a while,” said Bright Star. “I mean, he was the reason the Knights fell apart in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” asked Beau.

“When the Knights of Harmony had been formed,” said Bright Star, “We dedicated our lives to spread harmony all over the world. We were able to create other Trees of Harmony worldwide.”

“Like the one in Equestria?” asked Beau.

“Yes.” Said Bright Star. “With the help of the kingdom of Cunabula, they made the Trees of Harmony. However, while they did that, the Knights had created a Master Tree that could house all of the power of Harmony to those who protect a kingdom so powerful with magic, it could rival Equestria, but ten times better.”

Beau then wondered where until he widened his eyes and said, “Caribouria.”

“That’s right.” Said Bright Star, “When the kingdom had been formed, we created it so that when the world one day fell in despair, Caribouria would one day use their power to help those in need. So, while they did that, the creatures from Cunabula created other Trees of Harmony. One in Farasi, the kingdom of the Zebra and other desert creatures. One in Caninia, home of the Diamond Dogs. One in Abyssinia, home of all forms of Cat. And finally, one in Ornithia, home of all forms of Bird.”

“What about Equestria?” asked Beau.

“They were next.” Said Bright Star. Then lowered her head and said, “But they had already begun to spread havoc all over the kingdom. And seeing that he couldn’t beat them, he turned the citizens of the other kingdoms against them. They grew bitter and thought Harmony was a waste, so they tried to destroy them.

“They what?!” exclaimed Beau.

“No need to worry,” said Bright Star. “When we found out what they had planned, Gusty and Achilles tried to convince them that we are Knights, we do not sway from the path or give up, no matter what happens, for as Knights, it is our responsibility to ensure that no one would attempt to destroy the Harmony of the world, but they didn’t listen. Realizing they proposed madness, we quickly warned the kingdom of Caribouria. And thanks to their power and the Master Tree, they made them think they destroyed them while they were hidden the whole time.”

“If Cunabula couldn’t create the Tree of Harmony in Equestria, how did it come to be?” said Beau.

“Thankfully, after Discord mysteriously disappeared, the Pillars of Equestria came together with the help of the Caribou when they took a piece of their tree’s power with them and created a new Tree of Harmony. But after the Pillars left, the Caribourian Sorcerers and Warlocks made the tree grow faster to create the Elements of Harmony and to ensure that whoever used them would be worthy of its power.”

She lowered her head in anger. “But then the creatures of Cunabula betrayed us to Grogar and his Legion of Monsters. They raised an army, and seeing we had no other choice, we had to launch a full-scale counter-attack. We may have won the battle, but it came at a great cost. Many Knights had fallen, and the creatures mistrusted each other, causing them to go their separate ways. And humanity wanted to destroy them.”

Beau was surprised by this and said, “So what happened to the humans who lived in Equestria?”

“Half of them were living amongst the humans between Europe and Asia. The other half…well, they all traveled with the first Colonists of America.”

Beau was taken aback by this, for this was quite overwhelming information.

“I was even forced to say goodbye to the love of my life.” Said Bright Star in sadness.

“Wait, you were married?” said Beau.

“Before I became immortal by accident because of Grogar’s bell,” explained Bright Star, “I fell in love with the human Achilles. We both wed and had a child together. But because he was half-human and had a more human-like appearance, I feared for his safety. So I was forced to watch him leave. But he somehow ended up in a different year, the same year that World War I had started. The time after his child fought in the second World War, he got married to the Rohan Family, who were also descendants of one of the humans who came to this world, but about a hundred years before the French Revolution and when they were slowly building their wealth in that world.”

Beau felt funny; hearing this was too much for him to bear.

“What I’m trying to say is,” said Bright Star after she took a deep breath, “Your grandfather was only a baby…and a mother never forgets her child.”

It took him time to process this, but after a few seconds, he widened his eyes in shock and looked at her. The person standing right in front of him was none other than his great-grandmother.

“Y-you.” Said Beau as he took a step backward and sat back down while the ship was on autopilot. Bright Star was hesitant when she came over, but she took the chance and placed her hand on his shoulder.

“I’m sorry I had to tell you this,” said Bright Star. “I really wanted to tell you the moment I felt your presence. But…I wasn’t sure if you’d ever accept me. I wish I could’ve done a better job at that. And for that, I am sorry.”

Beau closed his eyes once a few tears had fallen from his eyes. He’d never imagined he’d meet his great-grandmother in this world. He slowly looked at her and asked,

“How are you…?”

“Still kicking?” said Bright Star. “I fought alongside Gusty when we fought against Grogar. But I ended up accidentally absorbing the magic contained within the bell. In the end, I ended up being cursed with immortality. I wanted to remove it after I found a way, but after I felt your presence, I wanted to meet you. I’m so sorry I didn’t reach out to you sooner.”

Beau sighed and said, “I wish I had known. But I can’t believe my dad never told me.”

“Your father should have.” Said Bright Star as she sounded disappointed. “I cannot believe he went down a path of gambling. He had a duty and legacy to uphold, same with your mother, who should’ve been there for you when you needed family the most.”

Beau lowered his head but slowly looked at her and said, “Could…could you please tell me more? Plus, I’d…like to know my grandmother if you’ll give me a chance.”

Bright Star couldn’t help but smile while shedding a tear and said, “Only if you give me a chance.”

“I just did.” Said Beau as he looked at her with a smile.

The two hugged and held onto each other, happy to have gotten to meet, even if it wasn’t what he had in mind.

So, during the travel, she told him about his heritage, legacy, and everything he needed to know. She told him about Twilight and the others” pasts so he could know them better. Then she told them about the rest of the Mane 6” s husbands so that he could also know them better and how they think so that he could help them in the future.

*********************************************************************

*******************************

After much traveling, the sun had begun to set, and the boat that Beau was driving on was nearly out of fuel, but during that time, he got to know Bright Star more as he got to know her. It was truly a blessing that he had met her, for he doesn’t feel so empty anymore.

But before he could say anything, it was already dark, and they could see the shores of Canterlot up ahead. Beau then had a habit of looking from within the water. To his shock, he saw Ponyville underwater. He began to tear up, seeing the one place he called home under the sea. This was like Atlantis, except this happened recently rather than thousands of years ago.

“I can’t believe everything’s gone.” Said Beau.

“It was hard for everybody.” Said Bright Star, “They chose a different path just to survive, and now everything they’ve ever known is gone, forever.”

“I wonder if things will ever turn back to normal?” asked Beau.

“It depends.” Said Bright Star.

“Depends on what?” said Beau as he looked at her.

“On how big your heart is to save everybody.”

Beau pondered for a bit and realized that she was right. He did care about Equestria ever since he got there, even if he is in an alternate world. Beau took another look and realized something.

“We’re gonna have to find some other place to land.” Said Beau, “Knowing Canterlot, the docks will be too fortified and heavily guarded. And seeing that it’s night. Best to sneak in there without anyone noticing.”

“Good idea.” Said Bright Star as she stood up. “I wish I could help, but this is not my mission. I will see you again soon when the time is right.”

“Alright.” Said Bea and did something that took Bright Star by surprise; Beau hugged her. “Stay safe, grandmother.”

Bright Star couldn’t help but smile and hug him back. “You too.”

The moment they broke the hug, Bright Star disappeared, allowing Beau to continue on his trip and was able to find a safe place to dock.

*********************************************************************

*********************************

As night fell onto the city, Beau began to sneak through the street and saw many innocents suffer.

“So much suffering.” Muttered Beau “How could Celestia have allowed this?”

He continued to sneak around the city until he made his way toward the wall. Thankfully, Shining Armour had taught him a trick or two when they talked about the Castle. Beau began to climb his way up.

“Still,” said Beau, “It’s going to be impossible to stop her without proper help. Twilight’s the only one who….”

That’s when he blinked in surprise while halfway up the wall.

“That’s it.” Muttered Beau. “She’s still around in Canterlot High. She’s also just as talented in magic. I just hope she’ll listen.”

Soon he made his way toward the upper wall. A guard was standing there at his post until Beau punched the guard in the face, knocking him out and throwing him over the wall. Beau climbed over and landed on the castle wall. He looked around and noticed Canterlot Looked exactly the same as the last he saw it. He jumped off and made his way from building to building while making his way toward the castle. He was about halfway until he hid behind the wall to hide from the patrols and said,

“Good thing this Canterlot is a lot like the Canterlot back home.”

He soon made his way to the castle, climbed the walls, and went to the window that led to the castle halls. The lights were still on, so Celestia would still be awake before turning in for the night.

“Alright, if I were an evil maniac, where would I store my most powerful artifacts?” muttered Beau to himself. That’s when he snapped his finger and said, “The Castle Storage room.”

He began to sneak down the hall until he passed the Throne Room. He took a peak and saw Princess Celestia talking to her loyalists before turning in for the night. He gripped his hand in anger when he realized this Celestia had caused so much pain. That was until he was surprised to see her using her magic. And her aura was green, not golden yellow.

“Something’s not right.” Muttered Beau, but then shook it off and said, “Never mind that. I gotta make it to the mirror.”

He went from hall to hall until he finally reached his destination. He walked towards the door, expecting to be booby-trapped. But the moment he placed his hand against the door, it opened. He made his way in and closed it.

“Wow,” said Beau. “This Celestia went mad with power but didn’t even bother to place a security system? Wow, overconfident much.”

He saw tons of stuff, figuring that most of them were from before Equestria was flooded. But then he soon found a tarp. He quickly went over and took it off. Lo and behold, it was the mirror.

“Great, the mirror is still here.” Said Beau. “I wonder if….”

He looked outside and recognized the stars Princess Luna had taught him one night. And if his hunch was correct. The portal should be opened…

Just as he placed his hand against the mirror, it began to glow, indicating that it was now active.

“Alright then, off to Canterlot High.” Said Beau. He chuckled; he remembered the last time Twilight took him to Canterlot High. It was when she wanted to introduce Sunset and the Rainbooms to her new husband. Sure, they suddenly gained teenage appearances once they came through the mirror. But what was interesting was that when he wanted to try an intimate night…no, now’s not the time. Mission first.

He soon walked through the mirror and appeared on the other side. He soon appeared from the other side, and to his surprise, he was still the same age.

“Whoa,” said Beau as he inspected himself. “Now there’s something you don’t see every day.”

He looked at the school and saw that it was still the same. However, since ten years had passed in this world, he wasn’t sure how much time CHS had passed. But seeing that he was dressed like he stood out, he quickly ducked into cover. He saw a janitor walking to the school, and with one swift motion, he grabbed the janitor and knocked him out while pulling him down into the bush.

Once he did, he placed his clothes in an empty duffle bag and took them to the roof to hide. Once he was done, he began to walk down the hall. To his surprise, he recognized all the students, but they all were the same when he saw them. When he walked down, he saw this world’s Fluttershy, and to his shock, she looked like she did before the Fall Formal. Could it be possible that his wife still needed to go through this world and help set things, right?

But he was brought out of his thought when he heard a loud threatening voice.

“Listen here, bub!!” he heard a voice.

He had a deadpan expression and said, “I know that voice.”

He walked over to the next hall and saw Sunset threatening Micro Chips.

“I’m hungry here, so I want some money, now!!” shouted Sunset.

Beau then squinted his eyes and walked straight towards her. At the same time, Sunset smiled with pride as he held onto Micro Chips” money after he ran off.

“Ah, it’s good to be….”

But she was cut off when Beau held onto her mouth and held him close, taking her by surprise, but before she could make a move.

“Don’t move.” Said Beau while he slowly placed a knife behind her back, taking her in shock as he said, “If you value your life, you will do as I say and not speak another word. Nod if you understand.”

She instantly nodded, feeling afraid for her life. He grabbed her sharply and made her move towards the roof. Once they were at the top, he closed the door behind him and thrusted her forward, making her drop onto the ground. She then stood back up as Beau instantly placed the knife behind his back and removed his disguise. Once he put back his attire on, Sunset was confused by what he was doing. She then cleared her throat and tried to get back to her demeanor.

“What’s this about?” asked Sunset.

“Does the names Princess Celestia and Equestria mean anything to you?” said Beau.

Sunset was taken by surprise when he said that, with Sunset asking “You’re from Equestria?”

“Yes and no.,” said Beau. “It’s complicated.”

She suddenly couldn’t help but smirk and said, “So Celestia is finally begging me to come back to Equestria and make me a Princess to rule Equestria by her side.”

“Equestria has fallen.” Said Beau, much to Sunset’s shock.

“What?” muttered Sunset.

“You…might wanna sit down for this one.” Said Beau.

*********************************************************************

******************************

After an hour of explaining, saying Sunset was distraught was an understatement.

“I’m sorry you had to find out this way.” Said Beau. “But it’s the truth.”

“I…” said Sunset as she shed a few tears. “I still can’t believe Celestia did all that. My home, everypony I ever knew. They’re all gone.”

Beau stood on his knee as he looked directly at her.

“Look,” said Beau, “I know you’re hurt by the truth. But if you cared about Equestria, you’d do what you could to honor your home and avenge those you’ve lost. Celestia’s already killed all of her students except one, Twilight Sparkle. But she’s too traumatized to stand up to her and face her. You’re still one of her best students; you also studied every bit of magic. It’s time to make good use of them.”

She suddenly swatted his hand away while standing up and said “You know what, why should I care, I got along just fine without her.”

“Wow, she’s stubborn,” said Beau, but he didn’t give up on her and said, “Oh, and what you did qualified was just fine? Running away from the only home you’ve ever known, turning your back on everything the founders of Equestria stood for, driving wedges between people you don’t know, risking exposing Equestria to this world and its neighboring dimensions? Oh sure, you did a good job, alright.”

“I don’t need a lecture from you.” Said Sunset. “I didn’t run away from home just to fall in line again, like some slave.”

“Hey, she adopted you and raised you as her own, then she tried to help you make friends so that you wouldn’t be alone anymore, for you. And you hated her for that?”

“And whoever said that I needed friends?! I’m better off on my own, and she’d better get used to it!!”

“You are not, nor will you ever be ready!!” shouted Beau. “You are reckless, you are impatient, you are selfish, you’re hot-tempered, and more importantly, they’re better than you.”

Sunset merely scoffed, crossed her arms, and said, “Why do I care?”

“Will you wake up already?!” shouted Beau, gaining Sunset’s attention. “Celestia wiped out everything most ponies cared about!! Everyone’s gone!!”

He then said something that hit her the hardest “Even Stellar Flare, Sunburst, and Starlight.”

Sunset widened her eyes in shock, shocked by the news, then she looked away as more tears began to fall.

“Celestia has taken everyone away; there’s no one left!!” said Beau as Sunset stared down distraughtly. But Beau could tell he was getting to her. So, he kept on trying.

“I know you walked down a path that there is no coming back from, but if you need to put your hatred and differences aside just this once and help them. You owe that to your family. Your friends. You’re home.”

He walked over to her and said, “Look, I know that you’re also one of her best students; I know that some of you still care about Equestria. Well, now it’s time to put whatever grief, anger, and greed you have aside and accept what they tried to offer you the whole time. You can find what you’ve been looking for, one you needed instead of wanting. But not so much over what you’ve accomplished and focused on what could’ve been instead of turning your back on it. Everypony’s lost everything they cared about Sunset.”

He grabbed her shoulders, making her look at him with a shocked expression as he set, “Don’t let the remaining ponies lose what little they have left.”

His hands were glowing, causing Equestrian Magic to go through Sunset, making her eyes widen. Not only was this Equestrian magic, it’s also Alicorn Magic. He watched as the darkness seeped out of her body and evaporated. He quickly let go of her.

He quickly stood on his knees and held her shoulders, saying, “Sunset?”

She looked up and shed tears. She felt instant regret, pain, sorrow, and guilt. She hugged Beau, sobbed, and said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t know that there was another way.

“There’s always another way. There’s always hope. But you don’t have to be alone anymore, Sunset. But Equestria needs you now, now more than ever.”

Sunset broke the hug and wiped her tears. She said, “Alright. I’ll help. I want to come back. I need to make up for what I did.

He smiled while holding onto her shoulder, saying, “And we’ll do it…together.”

She then smiled and hugged Beau while she said, “Thank you.”

The two hugged, with Beau wondering how he could’ve easily convinced Sunset to help out like that. But he had to put that aside and focus on helping her for the time being.

*********************************************************************

******************************

Sunset was back to her pony self but needed a new outfit, while Beau was back to his disguise but didn’t want Sunset to know who he was. He noticed a duffle bag next to him with a note that said, “Some proper attire for her. Bright Star.

He smiled and picked it up while presenting it to her, gaining her attention as he said, “Some proper attire for you to move around.”

She looked with a flexed eyebrow while he said, “No offense, but that outfit you wore is a bit outdated.”

She looked at her outfit, saying, “I didn’t pick it on purpose.”

“The mirror, I know.” Said Beau.

Sunset accepted it while she quickly changed, with Beau turning around to ensure he wasn’t looking. After putting on some clothes, Sunset said, “Done.”

Beau took a good look at her and realized that her outfit almost looked like his, but with her color scheme. She noticed the look and said, “What?”

“You look good in that color.”

“Uh, thanks.” Said Sunset as she placed the last of her wardrobe on. Once she was done, she asked, “So what’s the plan?”

“If we’re to beat her, then we’ll need to use the Elements of Harmony; it’s the only thing that can stop her.”

“We’re facing an Alicorn that can control the sun, agreed.” Said Sunset. “Where do we find them?”

Thankfully, Beau remembered what Twilight told him about where the Elements were stored before she had them and then the Tree.

“If I remember correctly, she’ll have kept them in Canterlot’s vault.”

“I know where it is.” Said Sunset while she guided him towards a wall, then pressed it, allowing it to show a secret passageway. “Follow me.”

She guided him down the hall while they traveled through the passage.

“You seem to know your way.” Commented Beau.

“Celestia once showed me these hallways whenever she wanted to get to between teaching her students and making it to the royal court.” Said Sunset.

They arrived at the other side and opened the door. They looked around and didn’t see any guards. They saw a door straight ahead, which was no other than the vault. Sunset attempted to open it, but the combination was changed.

“Darn it.” Said Sunset. “How are we going to get in?”

“Ahem,” said Beau, gaining Sunset’s attention as he said, “I got a way.”

He suddenly gave a few knocks on the vault, then banged it on the side. Within a split second, the vault opened, which Sunset watched as she gawked simultaneously.

“Wha…but…how?!!!” said Sunset as she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“I know a certain pink friend who taught me how to get into anything,” said Beau, then whispered, “And she knows how to break the 4 the wall.”

As he walked in, Sunset kept staring at him as he kept her mouth open, then she suddenly remembered a certain pink girl that also did all that. As she walked in, she muttered, “That explains so much.”

The two continued to look around, trying to find the contents in the vault.

“We’ll need to bring a few other artifacts with us,” said Sunset. “They’ll come in handy just in case.”

“Agreed.” Said Beau. He spotted a certain bag and said, “This might help with the packing.”

Sunset noticed and smirked while she accepted it and said, “Oooh, the Bottomless bag of Chancellor Puddinghead. Clever.”

“Thanks.” Said Beau.

As Sunset began to store many artifacts using her magic, Beau continued to look around for what he was looking for. That was until he spotted a certain chest that Twilight had shown him a while back.

“There you are.” Said Beau as he made his way toward the chest. He remembered a certain lock-picking trick Rarity had taught him a while back. As soon as Sunset was done packing in what she thought would be useful, she walked over toward Beau. He could unlock the chest and open it when she stood next to him. When they did, there they were, the Elements of Harmony.

“Beautiful.” Said Sunset, seeing them for the first time.

“Now we have a chance.” Said Beau as he closed it and picked it up.

But the moment he did that, the vault’s alarm went off, and Beau realized that the chest had pressure points.

“Oh crud, where to now!!” said Sunset.

“I got it.” Said Beau as he found the button underneath the pedestal that Twilight told him about, allowing the two of them to jump through the trap door. The moment it closed, the guards had arrived too late.

Soon the two of them landed in another tunnel and continued to move forward.

“We’d better get going.” Said Sunset. “There’s no telling how long it’ll take them to discover us.”

“Agreed.” Said Beau.

They suddenly made their way to another room, which to their surprise, was filled with thorny vines.

“Whoa,” said Beau, “Where did all this come from.”

Sunset looked around, but when she looked up, she was shocked. Beau noticed and said, “What’s wrong?”

He looked up, and there was a pony. She looked pale, ragged, and drained. Beau noticed her dress was over ten years old.

“That’s impossible.” Said Beau, “That can’t be Princess….”

He then suddenly remembered seeing her aura wasn’t golden yellow when she used her magic; it glowed emerald green. He widened his eyes in shock and horror when he looked at her. He knew there was only one creature who had that kind of aura.

“The one on the throne is a fake.” Said Beau.

Sunset looked at him with a flexed eyebrow. “Fake, what do you mean?”

“See her dress,” said Beau as Sunset looked. “From what they told me, they said that Celestia flooded the world ten years and six months ago. But from the state of her dress, it’s about ten years and nine months old, which meant that the real one was taken prisoner and held down here….”

Sunset also realized it and widened her eyes in shock as he looked at Celestia. “Then the fake was the one who melted the ice and flooded the world, even got rid of Princess Luna.”

Beau looked at her and said, “We need to get her out of here.”

Sunset looked to the ground, still contemplating, but she said she needed to make things right, and that’s what she’ll do…starting with Princess Celestia. She used her magic to cut the thorns and levitated Celestia over to them. The two of them held her arms around their necks.

“Who did this to her?” Said Sunset.

“I know who it is.” Said Beau. “I have a theory, but we’ll do that after we escape.”

“Agreed.” Said Sunset while the two of them made their way to the hallway. The two of them looked around and saw that the coast was clear. Just as they thought they were in the clear…

“Hold it!!” said a voice loudly, making the two stop while Sunset and Beau turned around and saw what appeared to be a Sergeant. He said to them, “You are both under….”

But as he looked, they were holding a wounded Princess Celestia. Then he looked in the throne room and saw the other staring out the window. But before they could react, the guard overheard more guards coming, causing the said guard to grab them and teleport them to his private quarters.

“What is going on here? Who are you, and why is Celestia wounded?” demanded the soldier.

“Look, we don’t have much time to explain,” said Beau as he gently placed Celestia on a chair while Sunset held onto her. “But long story short, the Celestia you see here is the real Princess Celestia that had been held prisoner since a few months before the world started to overflow with the flood underneath the castle. The one sitting on the throne is a fake and the one who’d likely start the whole thing.”

The soldier blinked at this, instantly realized it, and said softly, “I knew something was wrong. Princess Celestia would never hurt her own sister.”

“And who are you?” said Sunset while she ensured Celestia was stable.

The Captain saluted and said, “Night Watch, Captain of Princess Luna’s Night Guard. Or former, considering what the faker had done.”

“And Twilight and the Element Bearers are still alive.” Said Beau.

The former Captain was once again shocked by the discovery. “Oh, thank Faust,” said Night Watch. “I had hoped they were still alive.”

“And we have the Elements of Harmony, the only ones that could help stop the faker on the throne,” said Beau. “But if we’re going to take back Canterlot, then we will need an army and a fleet.”

“Many of my former Night Guards are still loyal to Princess Luna and some guards to Twilight, considering her brother and girlfriend are still alive.”

“Wait,” said Beau, “Shining Armour and Cadance are still alive?”

“Yes, I can focus on releasing them.” Said Night Watch, “I’ll have my guards gather as many as we can and evacuate many people who are loyal to the old ways to the docks. Plus, I know where we can get the ships we need, for Fancy Pants have at least five yachts under his command.”

“Alright then,” said Beau as he instructed the Captain, “While you do that, I need you to gather as many artifacts as you can if we’re going to take the fight to them, including people that can help us. Oh, and Discord, of course.”

The guard was shocked by this, with Beau saying, “Don’t worry, I have an idea about that. So…we good?”

The Captain was initially reluctant, but after seeing this and realizing certain events, he was onboard.

“We’re good.” Said the former Captain as he shook Beau’s hand.

“In the meantime,” said Beau while looking at the Captain and Sunset, “You two take Celestia to safety.”

“Wait,” said Sunset when she saw Beau leaving. “What are you going to do?”

He stopped and looked back at them, saying, “Making a distraction.”

Beau soon left and made his way to places where he could make a proper distraction. At the same time, the Captain and Sunset carried Luna to safety.

The Captain secretly called all of his night guards together and told the guards what he had found out, much to their shock. So they decided to set their plans into action. They gathered many of their own guards, as well as many citizens who were in the poor slums, and helped them escape while making their way to the docks, while at the same time, a couple of guards went to get Discord in his petrified state. The Former Night Guards soon made their way toward the yachts. They also killed the guards while having the yachts’ crews join them.

At the same time, Beau went to Fancy Pants” home and saw it was heavily guarded. He snuck from spot to spot and killed them, while at the same time, he had found a few explosives that would come really handy while placing them in all corners. As soon as Beau was in position, he took out a dynamite or two and lit them up. Within a few minutes, the explosives went off in all corners, shocking everyone as they watched, even Fancy Pants, as he was now wide awake.

Sunset watched from the ship and saw many guards heading in that direction, with Night Watch watching by her side.

“Beau’s plan is working.” Said Sunset as she watched the whole thing.

“Now’s our chance; we’d better get the soldiers, supplies, and civilians onboard.” Said Night Watch as he quickly signaled his men.

Within mere moments, the former Night Guards boarded with the civilians as they

boarded the five yachts. At the same time, Fancy Pants walked out of his room and shouted, “What the devil is…?!!!”

He felt something against his hoof. He looked around and saw that his guards had the same fate. He quickly ran back to his office and shut the door. Then he pulled out a pistol to defend himself.

But before he could place the magazine in, the door violently got kicked open; much to his shock, Beau, walked in and aimed a pistol against the rich nobleman. Fancy Pants stared in shock as Beau walked to the center, still keeping his sights on him.

“Don’t bother arming yourself.” Said Beau. “Your gun’s been sabotaged. And your men will be too distracted with the fires all over the place just to get to us. Meaning, I got enough time in the world for you.”

“How dare you?!” shouted Fancy Pants. “This is an…!!”

Beau shot the study lamp near him, making Fancy Pants yelp as he dropped the gun. Beau still kept his stare on him.

“Me breaking into your home is an outrage? You wanna know what’s really an outrage? You turned your back on Equestria, its citizens, and everything your kingdom stands for? Friendship, Harmony, and Trust.

“I didn’t have any other choice,” said Fancy Pants in fear. “Celestia took everything away from us, including my own beloved.”

“That’s still no excuse for what you did, even planning to kill the remaining island citizens just so they could survive.” Said Beau.

“I didn’t have any other choice.” Said Fancy Pants. “Celestia lost it since she comatose Luna and imprisoned her niece and boyfriend.”

Beau perked up by that and said, “What did you say?”

“I said she comatose Princess Luna and imprisoned her niece and boyfriend.”

“You’re lying,” said Beau. “Princess Luna is dead, and Shining Armour and Cadance disappeared after the floodings happened.”

“No, she’s still alive, and Princess Cadance and Shining Armour are imprisoned here.” Said Fancy Pants.

Beau was surprised by this until he shot Fancy Pants’ shoulder, making him yell, while Beau walked over to him and said, “Explain.”

“Princess Celestia and Princess Luna fought, yes, but even Celestia couldn’t kill her own sister, considering how powerful she is. So she put her in an unconscious state and made sure she stayed that way by putting her in a container filled with magic to make sure it kept her alive. Cadance and Shining Armor discovered this and tried to help, but Celestia caught wind of this and ended up draining their energy and storing them at the Tower, which happens to be at the edge of the city, just south of my home.”

Beau was shocked to hear that. Not only learning that Shining Armour and Cadance are imprisoned in Canterlot, but also that Princess Luna is alive.

“Now, I’ve told you everything I know.” Said Fancy Pants as Beau looked at him. “Now I beg of you, please release….”

Before Fancy could say anything, Beau shot Fancy Pants in the head, killing him. Beau walked towards Fancy Pants and stared over his lifeless body.

“Sorry Fancy Pants.” Said Beau. “But you lost all right to beg for mercy since the day you turned your back on Equestria.”

With that, Beau left and had two priority targets to rescue.

*********************************************************************

******************************

As the city was in shambles, Beau made his way toward the large tower. He saw that it was well-guarded, but he didn’t care. He pulled out the two pistols he took from the guards but also ensured that they were well-loaded and carried some extra ammunition. But he couldn’t kill them; it just didn’t feel right, so he loaded them all with rubber bullets.

“I vowed I’d never do this.” Said Beau. “But I have no other choice.”

He closed his eyes and said, “Become someone else. Become something else.”

He sharply opened his eyes and ran towards the guards while shooting them simultaneously. Before they had the chance to defend themselves, the guards were all taken down and knocked out before they even had the chance to defend themselves.

He soon made his way toward the cell of the tower. He looked at the first cell, and to his surprise, he saw Cadance, but she was barely fed. He knew a remedy he had cast in the bread just in case of an emergency to restore their strength, thanks to his learning of alchemy in secret. He just hoped it would be enough.

He used an energy stone he had placed in his pocket and fired the lock, blowing it up. Cadance woke up and was shocked to see a stranger come in, thinking he was one of the guards to torture her.

“Get…get away from me.” Said Cadance.

“Easy there.” Said Beau. “I’m not here to hurt you; I’m here to help.”

“How do I know you’re telling the truth.” Said Cadance.

“Three things actually,” said Beau “First part….”

He pulled out a knife, which she flinched, but to her surprise, he removed the inhibitors from her horn and wings.

“The second one…” said Beau as he broke her chains, much to her relief.

“And the third…” said Beau as he tore off half the bread, hoping that half would be enough. She grabbed the bread and ate it whole until it was all gone. Before she realized it, to her surprise, her magic was fully restored, as well as her strength, complexion, and no longer lack of starvation.

She stood up while Beau helped her up. “Um…thank you.” Said Cadance. “But why

did you help me?”

“Does the name Twilight Sparkle ring any bells with you?” said Beau.

“Twilight?” said Cadance in shock, then she held onto Beau’s shoulders and said in excitement, “She’s alive?!”

“She is.” Said Beau, but then he looked down and said, “But she’s not the same as you remember.”

She was confused by this and said, “What do you mean?”

“I’ll explain later,” said Beau “Right now, we need to get Shining Armour out and escape. I’ve already got a ton of folks to help out. They’ve taken them to the five yachts they plan to escape.”

“But if they do that, then Fancy…” said Cadance before Beau cut her off.

“Is dead.” Much to Cadence’s shock, Beau said, “He won’t trouble anyone anymore. Now come.”

Cadance and Beau quickly went to Shining Armour’s cage. With great haste, they did the same thing for him, and after he regained their strength, Beau told them to get to the yachts and fast, which they did while Cadance was carrying her husband with her magic, now that her strength had been finally restored.

Beau soon made his way toward the spot where Luna was thrown.

“This is it,” said Beau. “This is where she was thrown into.”

He pulled out a stone and said with a smirk, “Good thing I swiped the stone that would allow me to breathe underwater.”

He made a makeshift necklace of the stone and wrapped it around his neck, allowing him to jump in and swim with all of his strength to get to the bottom. After swimming with all his strength, he spotted what appeared to be a crate. He looked around and found what appeared to be a Unicorn Spear, allowing him to grab it and plunge it hard into the side of it. After much struggle, he was able to break it open. Within mere moments, he saw Princess Luna drifting out of the cage, allowing Beau to quickly grab her and swim back to the surface.

He brought her up to the docks and instantly began to feel a pulse. To his relief, she was alive.

“Thank heavens.” Said Beau. But then he looked at the yachts and said, “Now’s not the time. I gotta get back before I miss my ride.”

He grabbed Luna and quickly made his way to the docks before he missed his ride.

*********************************************************************

********************************

At the yachts, the Captains were waiting for the signal until Shining Armour and Cadance saw Beau coming, and to their shock, carrying an unconscious Luna over him, with him saying, “No time to dawdle, it’s time to leave now, we’re out of time.”

Shining Armour nodded and said, “All Captains, take off.”

That said and done, all five yachts sailed away from Canterlot and made headed toward the destination that Beau had sent.

*********************************************************************

*******************************

An hour after they left, many of the citizens were in the yacht rooms provided by the Night Guard and Yacht workers, as well as some food, blankets, and towels. Meanwhile, the doctors were treating Princess Celestia and Princess Luna at the infirmary while Shining Armour and Cadance were talking to Beau.

“I still can’t believe the Celestia we knew was a fake the whole time,” said Shining Armour. “And the real one was imprisoned under the Castle the whole time.”

“Believe me, even I was surprised.” Said Beau. “But I know who she really is.”

They looked at him surprised as Cadance said, “You do? Who?”

“All in good time.” Said Beau, “Until now, I have to see how the others are doing.”

Before he left, Cadance stopped him and asked, “What did you mean Twilight is no longer the same?”

Beau stopped for a moment, then said, “When the floodings happened, the whole ordeal traumatized her and her friends. They’re no longer the element bearers but a group who turned to pirate and mercenary work. They didn’t care how everything fell apart; they just hid.”



Cadance and Shining Armour were shocked by this, with Beau saying, “If you want more, you can ask them yourselves.”

*********************************************************************

****************************

Later the next morning, Beau left to check up on the others while Cadance and Shining Armour pondered what he said. Beau soon walked into the room and met up with a doctor while Sunset held onto her teacher’s hand.

“How is she doctor?” asked Beau.

“Don’t worry,” said the Doctor. “The Princesses are strong and are stable for now, but I would recommend a long rest for her.”

“I’m sure you must have mixed feelings about this.” Said Beau.

“I didn’t want to believe it, but I was scared to face her when she attacked Luna. But hearing she was imprisoned while the fake took her place.”

“Sorry you had to go through all that, but we’ll make things right.” Said Beau as he reassured the doctor. “For now, make sure that Princess Luna is alright; we still have a long journey ahead of us.”

“Understood. And thank you.” Said the Doctor before she left.

Beau then went over to Sunset and held her shoulder, but she was too focused on Celestia.

“I hated her for not wanting to make me a princess.” Said Sunset. “But to hear what happened, what she went through because of the fake….”

“It’s never easy letting go of one’s old feelings.” Said Beau, “The only thing you can do is be prepared for it.”

But when she looked to her right, she saw an old student of hers, Sunset Shimmer. She widened her eyes and began to tear up.

“Sunset?” muttered Celestia. “My little phoenix. Is that you?”

Hearing her call her old nickname, Sunset also shed tears, allowing the two of them to hug after so long.

“It’s really you.” Said Sunset “You’re the only one who ever called me that. And…you’re still you.”

“How is this possible?” said Celestia after she broke the hug. “When I last saw you, you jumped through the mirror. I thought I’d lost you…forever.”

“I owe it to somepony who brought me back.” Said Sunset as she looked at Beau.

Celestia looked at Beau while his arms were crossed. “I don’t know what to say.”

“You might want to save your strength.” Said Beau. “We still have a long road ahead of us. Princess Luna and Twilight are still alive, but you’ll have to be cautious. I mean the fake you were responsible for causing all this.

Celestia widened her eyes and said, “You know about the imposter?”

“When I broke in, I saw the color of her aura. It was Emerald Green.” Said Beau while

he explained, “Yours was Golden Yellow. This means the one currently on the throne

is a fake, and nobody noticed it. Shining Armour and Cadance saw through the fake’s lies, but the fake Celestia caught on and captured them. I was able to free them and brought as many with us to the yachts.”

Celestia said, “My sister’s alive?”

“She is.” Said Beau, with Celestia shedding tears of joy “Luna tried to fight the fake, but she was defeated. The fake couldn’t kill her, so he put her in an unconscious state while sealing her in a container and ensuring it was at the bottom of the ocean. So I rescued her.”

Celestia then said, “I am forever in your debt.”

“We’re not out of the woodwork just yet.” Said Beau. “You still need to face Luna, and she will be afraid of you.”

“I understand.” Said Celestia, but she got up, with Sunset and Beau quickly helping her. “Which is why I wish to see her now.”

Beau and Sunset carried Celestia to the cabin where Luna was resting. Once they entered the room, Sunset was able to place Celestia on the chair while he walked over to Luna and pulled something out of his pocket, with Celestia asking, “What are you doing?”

Beau smirked underneath his helmet, for this was going to be partially fun. He pulled out something and placed it on her chest while moving it like a snake.

“Luna, wake up,” said Beau in a whispered tone. “You are about to be attacked by a piece of moldy cheese.”

Luna groaned a bit, then smelled something, then opened her eyes, and right on her nose, she suddenly screamed in fright and jumped up on the head of the bed and shouted, “MOLDY CHEEEESSEEE!!!”

Sunset stared in bewilderment, while Celestia looked at him in shock and said, “How did you…?”

“Trade secret.” Said Beau once he tossed the cheese out of the window.

He helped Luna sit back down as he said, “Sorry about that. The only way to wake you up.”

Princess Luna slowly looked at Beau, wondering who he was. “Who are you?”

“Name’s Beau.” Said Beau, until he said in a mocked tone, “That’s real gratitude for ya; I jumped in the ocean to rescue you from your watery grave, and this is the thanks I get.”

Luna was shocked to hear this and said, “You saved my life?”

“I did.”

Luna looked down for a bit, then said, “How long have I been gone?”

“Ten years.” Said Beau, much to Luna’s shock.

Luna looked down in sadness and said, “So the world has truly fallen, and my sister turned into a monster.”

“Actually…” said Beau as he motioned to Celestia, who still had her bandages.

Luna gasped in shock and leaned back, but thanks to the dampening ring he put on her just in case, he quickly calmed her down.

“Calm down, Luna.” Said Beau.

“She tried to kill me!!” shouted Luna.

“The one that tried to kill you was a fake.” Said Beau.

Luna looked at him in confusion and said, “What?”

Beau then explained, “The one who defeated you and put you in a comatose state for ten years was none other than an imposter. The real one sitting before you had been imprisoned the whole time, shortly after Discord had been defeated.”

Luna was shocked to hear this as Beau continued.

“While I sought somepony for help,” said Beau, “I bumped into Celestia’s old pupil, Sunset Shimmer. When we escaped with the Elements of Harmony, we stumbled upon a secret prison where we found the real Princess Celestia. When we escaped, we convinced your old guard to help gather as many as they could on their side and transport all of the civilians who wished to escape the catastrophe. Then Fancy Pants told me that you were comatose while Shining Armour and Cadance were held prisoner on their tower.”

“Fancy Pants told you?” said Sunset, remembering his name.

“He said he was forced to do what they said he should do, but he was just looking for an excuse ever since his wife died.” Said Beau.

“And where is he now?” asked Princess Celestia.

“Dead.” Said Beau, surprising the group in the room. “He lost the right to beg for mercy since the day he turned his back on Equestria.”

“I see.” Said Luna as she looked down a bit, then to Beau. “And where are we going now?”

“We’re going to the island where Twilight and the Element Bearers are hiding.” Said Beau.

“They’re still alive?” said Celestia in relief.

“They are.” Said Beau. “But they’re not the same as you knew them. They’re no longer the same.”

Celestia looked down and said, “Oh my pupil, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m gonna go to the Captain to see if they’ve removed any tracking chips.” Said Beau. “In the meantime, you two have some catching up to do.”

Sunset also decided to leave as soon as he left to give the two sisters some space. Celestia and Luna looked at one another; despite their dress/outfit ruined, despite their injuries, the two of them couldn’t help but shed tears and rush toward one another, allowing them to hug one another in the process. The two of them cried in each other’s arms, never wanting to let go of one another again.

“Oh, Lulu, I’m so sorry! I failed you! I’m sorry!”

“No, Tia, I’m sorry! I should never have thought you flooded the world; I should never have doubted you! I was too weak to stop her! I’m sorry!!”

From outside, Beau walked to the Captain and said, “Are the tracking devices removed?”

“Yes, they are.” Said the Captain “And the rest of them from the other ships have done the same. We’re in the clear.”

“Good,” said Beau, handing him a note with coordinates on it. “Tell the ship and the others to go to this destination. We got a long way to go.”

“Yes, sir.” Said the Captain as he went to give out the order.

“Hey,” said Sunset as she approached Beau, gaining his attention while saying, “Thank you. For bringing me back here. And for helping me face Celestia.”

“Least I could do.” Said Beau. He looked at her and said, “But once the crisis is over, what will you do?”

Sunset then looked at him and said, “After this is over, I need to go back to the human world. I need to make things right. I need to apologize.

“That’s pretty noble of you.” Said Beau.

“I guess you kind of rubbed off on me.” Said Sunset. She looked at him and said, “Also, do you think Twilight is still traumatized.”

“She is.” Said Beau “Though I hope they’ll come too after the tough love I gave them.”

“Tough love?” said a confused Sunset.

During the trip, he told her that he yelled at them for abandoning Equestria when it needed them the most, how all of them had left the entire kingdom to rot and chose to hide rather than do something; they even became mercenaries/pirates. Many of their loved ones were gone because of their carelessness.

After the story, Sunset was shocked by what he had said.

“Wow.” Said Sunset. “That was a little harsh, don’t you think?”

“I know,” said Beau. “It’s just…what they became….”

“Remember,” said Sunset as she explained, “Through every single scenario of what I watched back at the human world, whenever the world gets thrusted into a type of apocalypse, they resort to animalistic ways to survive. It’s not pretty or ideal; they’re just doing what they can to survive.”

Beau sighed as he looked ahead. “Still. Wish they could see sense.”

“Something tells me they will. I’m sure of it.” Said Sunset.

Beau looked at her and asked, “You think so?”

“I know so.” Said Sunset while reassuring him.

He thought about it, then nodded to her, saying, “Thanks. When we get there…we’ll need to have a talk.”

“And what about between Twilight and Celestia?” asked Sunset.

He took a deep breath, then looked at her and said, “I guess we’ll have to be cautious when we need to be.”
> Chapter 11: A Knight's trial part 7.2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon the five ships arrived at the large island. The islanders were really nervous about all of this. Beau approached the edge of the deck and shouted, “Ahoy there!! Bring the crew of the Rogue Diamond and all of your Island leaders!! We need to talk!!”

From within the galley of the Rogue Diamond, the Mane 6 were down in the dumps over what Beau had said to them while the pain consumed them. Fluttershy was tearfully petting angel and thinking about all the animals she had lost. Rainbow sat on the table, in her drunken state and shedding tears, thinking about her parents and Scootaloo and how she threw them away. Applejack did the same, but with a stronger drink and thinking about how she let her grandmother down, even Big Mac, wherever he is, even Apple Bloom being turned into a slutty mare. Rarity sat on her chair, with her head lowered and her mascara messed up and sniffling, thinking about how she had failed her family when they needed her the most, with Spike sitting next to her, then ended up hugging her and comforting her, which she accepted and slightly blushed too. Pinkie Pie sat on the chair, with her mane deflated, thinking about how her sisters would be ashamed of her. And Twilight sat on the corner, thinking about what Beau had said. He was right about everything. They really did turn their backs on Equestria when they needed them the most.

After thinking it over, Twilight sighed, stood up, and looked at the rest. For it was time she stopped hiding…and started being a leader.

“Girls…,” said Twilight; the others slowly looked at her, with Twilight taking a deep

breath, then saying, “I really hate to say it. But Beau’s right.”

They looked at her with flexed eyebrows while thinking she’d be the last person to agree with him, considering the knuckle sandwich he had given her.

“Ever since the world flooded, we didn’t step up trying to protect Equestria.” Said Twilight as she started. “Instead, we turned our backs on everypony who needed us, our loved ones, family, and friends. We were the element bearers who were chosen to protect Equestria. But now…look at us. We’re not the same anymore. Everything we had, everypony we loved and cared about…gone.”

The others looked down in sadness and despair.

But Twilight took another deep breath and, this time did something she hadn’t done in a long time…spoke with determination.

“I’m done running away from my past. I’m done, running from this fight. It’s time we stopped hiding and turning our backs on Equestria. If it means dying, then so be it. I’m willing to move forward and save Equestria.”

The others looked at one another, realizing that she was right; it was time for them to stop running. Applejack was the first one to stand up.

“Ah, have to admit, what he said was true.” Said Applejack as she took off her hat and placed it against her chest. “Mah sister turned into a succubus, and ah haven’t heard of mah brother in years. But after the floods, ah lost mah granny, mah farm, and every Apple Clan out there.”

She gripped her hat and placed it back on her head as she said, “And ya know what? Ah’m done running too. It’s time ah avenged mah family and restore the honor of the Apple family name.”

Rainbow smashed her goblet on the table hard while sharply standing up simultaneously.

“I’m with you.” said Rainbow, “The Pegasi were proud ponies, and the Wonderbolts once stood for something. And I’m done running. It’s time I stand up for those who lost everything.”

Rarity wanted to stand up, but Spike held her hand, gaining her attention as he smiled at her gently. She couldn’t explain it, but she felt allured to the smile, making her smile back and hold his hand. The two of them stood up while still holding hands.

“I will try too.” Said Rarity, “For far too long, I have done nothing but failed in my generosity to those who needed it, and I let them all down. I let Suri take advantage of me and nearly got us all killed; she was this close to killing me too. But now…it’s time I stopped hiding and truly gave back to what I should’ve done all those years ago.”

Fluttershy was scared to stand up until Angel encouraged her to make a stand. She took a deep breath and stood up.

“I will too. I failed the animals. All I wanted to do was to hide. It’s time I avenged all the animals I lost.

Pinkie looked down for a minute, then suddenly gained her poofy hair and zipped right over.

“I’m ready to help those in need. I’ll help others smile. They lost their smiles a long time ago, and it’s about time I helped them smile again.”

Twilight nearly shed a tear for missing this. She took a deep breath and smiled, saying, “Thank you, girls. As soon as Beau returns, let’s show that were no longer afraid to fight back. That were willing to take a stand and fight for our freedom.

The Mane 6 cheered at this while Spike hugged Twilight.

“Welcome back, Twilight.” Said Spike.

“Good to be back, Spike.” Said Twilight as she hugged her little brother back.

That’s when a pony came through the door, surprising the group as he said,

“Attention, crew of the Rogue Diamond. You need to get to the docks now. The leaders of the Islands are on their way right now.”

They wondered what was going on but chose to oblige.

*********************************************************************

*****************************

They soon arrived at the docks, and to their surprise, Mayor Mare, Zacora, Lyra, Bonbon, Octavia, and Vinyl were also there, with tons of other people.

“What’s going on?” said Rarity as she was the first to approach them.

“That dude you traveled with?” said Vinyl as she pointed to the ship. “He somehow got to Canterlot and got five yachts. Besides that, he got a ton of folks who wanted to escape and a ton of their guards too.”

“What?” said Rainbow. “How the heck is that possible?!!”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” Told Octavia when they saw the ramp being lowered.

When it was lowered, they saw Beau coming down, then pointed to the ship and said, “Well, you coming or what?”

They were cautious at first but eventually climbed onto the ramp and made it toward the ship.

“First, we’ll meet at the dining hall; we got a lot to talk about.” Said Beau.

They followed him down and wondered what he was planning. As soon as they stopped, he held the door handle and looked at them.

“Now remember, whatever happens, don’t do anything. I’ll explain once everyone gathers in the same room.” Said Beau.

They soon entered the room, with Beau closing the door. But to make sure, he secretly locked it just to ensure no one would enter. He walked over to the center as the others waited.

“Fellow warrior from across the ocean,” said Zecora. “Do you mind telling me what this is about?”

Suddenly, Beau spoke her language, which surprised Zecora. After saying a few words, Zacora bowed in respect, knowing that there was one who respected her culture.

“I am also wondering what this is about.” Said, Mayor Mare.

“We can explain.” Said a voice.

When they turned, they were shocked to see Princess Celestia.

“What the hell?!!” shouted Vinyl.

“What the hack’s the meaning of this?!!” shouted Lyra.

“Hold it!!” shouted Beau as he stood between them.

“No way!!” shouted Rainbow. “First, you saved our ass, then scolded us, and now you sold us out to Princess Celestia?!!!”

“I told you I could explain everything.” Reassured Beau.

“What, other than the fact that she drowned the world and destroyed everything?!!” shouted Applejack.

“She didn’t cause any of this.” Said Beau.

“She was the only one who can control the sun!!” shouted Bonbon “Why would you say she isn’t responsible?!”

“Because the one who caused all this was a fake.” Said Beau.

The others were confused by this but still kept their guard up.

“Twilight,” came another voice. When they looked, to their shock, it was Princess Luna, alive and well, and she gave them a reassuring look. “He’s telling the truth.”

“P…Princess Luna?” said Mayor Mare in shock. “How are you…?”

“You can thank him for that.” Told Luna when she pointed at Beau, which shocked the others.

“It’s true, Twiley.” Said another voice.

Twilight was shocked to hear a familiar voice. When they looked, to their shock, especially Twilight, it was none other than her brother Shining Armour and her old foal sitter, Cadance.

“He’s telling the truth.” Said Cadance.

Twilight wanted to be sure it was her, then she walked to her and did the one thing she hadn’t done in a long time with her.

They chanted and danced. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake. Clap your hooves and do a little shake.”

And in tears, she hugged Cadance and Shining Armour, overjoyed to see them again. The girls seemed confused, with Spike stepping forward.

“In case you wonder, that Unicorn over there is Shining Armour, Twilight’s brother.” Said Spike as he introduced them. “The other is Princess Cadance, Shining Armour’s girlfriend.”

“Goodness,” said Rarity as she saw what they looked like. “So that’s what they look like.”

After tears were wiped, Twilight looked at her brother and asked, “Where have you been all these years?”

“We’ve been held imprisoned for a long time.” Said Cadance, “We uncovered that Celestia was a fake, but before we could reveal this to Princess Luna and the rest of the public, she captured us and locked us up.”

“But we’ll let him explain.” Said another voice, which happened to be Sunset Shimmer.

Beau said “This is Sunset Shimmer. She also happens to be Princess Celestia’s student until they had a falling out and ran away from home. I was able to convince her to come along.”

“Oh, uh, nice to meet you.” Said Twilight as she shook Sunset’s hand. She then looked at Beau and said, “So what did you mean the Celestia caused it was a fake?”

Beau looked at Spike and said, “Tell me. When you saw “Celestia” holding what appeared to be a limb, was it black and had holes through them?”

Spike remembered with wide eyes and said, “Yes, she did.”

“The limb was from a Changeling.” Said Beau.

Everyone in the room was a little surprised. Beau closed his eyes and pieced the evidence he had together in his head and the brief conversation he had with his grandmother about what had happened. He opened his eyes and told them.

“A few nights after Discord was defeated,” said Beau as he started, “Princess Celestia was under attack by a group of Changelings. She put up a fight, but she was soon overpowered. The remaining Changelings took her away while their leader, the one responsible, took her place and made everyone think Luna would overthrow her. And seeing that the fake didn’t have enough power to stop her, she used an old Talisman of Solar Force to control the sun, so she began to dry the lands and melt the ice, causing the flooding. Shining Armour and Cadance discovered who she truly was, but they were caught before they had the chance to tell anypony, causing the fake to overpower them and lock them up in Canterlot’s tower. The fake tried to kill Luna, but like her sister, she was too powerful, putting her in a comatose state. The fake placed a strong spell in that container to ensure she stayed that way while drowning it to the bottom of the ocean. As for how I could tell, when I saw the fake, her magical aura was Emerald Green, and the real one was Golden Yellow. And from the state of her dress, I could tell. They said that the fake flooded the world ten years and six months ago, while the state of her dress was ten years and nine months old. Meaning the real one was taken prisoner and held underneath the castle for more than ten years, while the fake had been running the show the whole time.”

The said ponies were shocked and horrified to hear this, with Twilight nearly fainting, but Shining Armour and Cadance were able to catch her before she fell onto the ground.

“So that’s what the limbs were.” Muttered Spike when he sweated in fear.

Applejack had kept an eye on Beau the whole time, and she realized in horror and said, “Ya…ya’ll are telling the truth.”

The leaders of the Island were just as shocked to hear this.

“This changes everything.” Said Vinyl as she looked at the others.

“Indeed.” said Mayor Mare. “If anypony figured out that the one on the throne is fake, we could turn the tide of the war.”

“But wait,” said Lyra as she was confused, “How did the fake control the sun?”

“Yeah, so far Celestia’s the only one who knew how.” Said Bonbon.

Lyra and Bonbon heard Beau chuckle, gaining their attention as he said, “You two are so much alike. No wonder you two fell in love and got married.”

The two couldn’t help but blush and smile at that comment.

“Artifacts are in Canterlot’s vault; that is a fact.” Said Zecora as they looked at her. “Including the one that can control the sun.”

“And it would be impossible to go to Canterlot since Fancy Pants controls the shipping lanes.” Said Bonbon.

“Fancy Pants is dead.” Said Beau, gaining everyone’s attention with widened eyes and shock. “He knew who the fake was and sided with her.”

“This is good news.” said Mayor Mare. “With the fakes right-hand man dead, the military is tactless without a leader.”

“But if we’re going to face them, how are we going to do that without an army?” asked Shining Armour.

Beau pondered his thoughts while Celestia spoke. The real Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are reunited, and the fake has been known. Sunset might turn in favor. They may have the elements of harmony, but it would take another power to help them.

He then went to the room where the Elements of Harmony were stored. He opened the case and saw that they were still intact. He knew the Elements wouldn’t choose the Mane 6 because they turned their back on the world. He placed his hand on the Element of Magic and spoke to it.

“I don’t know if you can hear me.” Said Beau as he looked at the Elements. “But we need your help.”

The elements were still inactive, but he never gave up.

“The world is in great peril once more,” said Beau “The Element Bearers have lost their way. All I ask is that you could give them another chance to help them save their world that suffered greatly. But I also ask that you make two Unicorns I know into Princesses. The world needs hope, and after what the fake had done, the real Princess Celestia’s name and reputation have been tarnished, and everyone thinks that Princess Luna is dead. All I ask…is for you to help me save the world. For their sakes.”

Beau stood up and headed back to the door. Until the entire room began to glow. He turned around and was surprised to see what was happening. He suddenly managed a smile.

“Now we have a chance.” Said Beau.

At the same time, everypony continued to ponder what they could do in the room. “There might be a way.” Said Celestia, gaining all of their attention. “Before I was captured, I was able to send a distress call to the other kingdoms and warned them that the fake had planned to destroy the world, so with what time they had, they quickly created pocket dimensions and quickly fled through there before the floodings started. I tried to warn Equestria, but it was too late.”

“But it would also be impossible to find them and let them out,” said Princess Luna when she knew what Celestia was talking about. “The portals were located in every town and city, but they were now underwater. If we let them go, they would perish.”

“But isn’t there a way to open their portals to our location?” asked Spike.

“That won’t work. The portals must be opened in specific locations. To open them would be mass extinction.” said Sunset.

“But there’s gotta be something we can do?” said Fluttershy in her worried tone.

“There is one way.” Said Beau as he walked into the room, gaining everyone’s attention. “We can find a way to level the playing field.”

“How?” said Rainbow, though a little nicer this time, which Beau noticed and smiled underneath the helmet.

“We drain the world’s oceans and have them return to their natural state while restoring all the lands consumed by the floods. If we can do that, we will cut off their fleets completely and have a major advantage on the field. While at the same time….”

“We’ll be able to open the portals for the other kingdoms to come out.” Said Sunset as she pondered over this.

“It could work.” Said Luna. “But there would be no way we could harness that much magic to accomplish this.”

“That’s why there’s another that can help,” said Beau “Someone that can manipulate reality. Someone that can bend it to their will. Someone who once hid the Elements of Harmony when he came back.”

“When he…” muttered Twilight, until she widened her eyes in shock, looked at him, and said, “No. You don’t mean…?”

And that’s when he delivered the big kicker.

“We need to bring back Discord.”

Everyone was taken aback by this by what he said, especially the Princesses.

“Are you nuts?!!” shouted Rainbow “We locked him up for a reason!!”

“I know what I’m suggesting is psychotic and mad,” said Beau, “But desperate times call for drastic measures. He can also control most elements, allowing us some breathing ground to gain an advantage. Besides, as they said, we need the other kingdoms to help us, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna can’t help us with that either.”

“Why not?” asked Princess Luna as she and Princess Celestia looked at him.

Beau looked at the two and said, “For one thing, your link to the elements has been cut. And second, because of the fake Celestia, everyone thinks that you’re dead, and the real ones reputation has been tarnished.”

“Then what else can we do?” said Princess Celestia.

“The ones who should lead are those two.” Said Beau as he pointed to Twilight and Sunset, much to their shock.

“What?!” said Twilight in shock. “But I…I can’t…!!”

“It’s the only option.” Said Beau. “You know this better than anyone.”

“I don’t know if I can.” Said Twilight. “Remember, we’ve been hiding for far too long. Even if we fight, I don’t think I’m worthy enough.”

“I may be talented in my magic,” said Sunset in a disheartened tone, much to Beau’s surprise. “I’m not brave or strong enough to face this. Plus, after everything I’ve done in the past, I don’t think I’d be worthy of it.”

Beau could tell that those two were broken. Then again, what the power of Harmony did to Sunset and the ten years of trauma Twilight went through was understandable. However, he suddenly remembered something he told his wife during a summit a while back and what he told Sunset when she was unsure of herself when she wanted to take the next step with her husband, Ignis. He didn’t know if it would work with them, but he had to try. He took a deep breath and released it, knowing it was a gamble, but he had to try.

“You two…” he began. “Don’t have to be…afraid anymore.”

The two didn’t look back, but he knew he had to try.

“You two are more important than you realize.” Said Beau, making their ears perk up. “For you two…are the most talented. Most Interesting. And most amazing ponies in the world.”

They partially turned their heads as they kept listening.

“And both of you are capable of amazing things.” Said Beau. “Because both of you…are special.”

They looked at him surprised, wondering where he was going with this.

“And so are your friends.” Said Beau as he kept going, which got everyone else’s attention in the room as they saw what he was doing. Despite how violent he was, he used his gentle nature. “So is everyone in the room. The world may be terrifying, but there’s also good in it. For it’s about every creature in this world, but more importantly, it’s also about you two.”

He reached for the back of his jacket and said, “And you…still….”

He then pulled out the crown, the Element of Magic, and showed it to them while saying, “Can change everything.”

Both Sunset and Twilight looked at the Element of Magic. Sunset was surprised to see it in person as the stories were true, and she felt something she had never felt before…the spark of friendship. Twilight, on the other hand…for her, it felt like it had been years since she had seen it. Twilight and Sunset looked at one another, realizing that this was the time to fix their mistakes, causing the two to have gentle expressions and smile while nodding in agreement.

The two approached the crown and gently placed their hand on the crown’s star. The crown began to glow within mere moments, taking them by surprise. At the same time, from the case that Beau carried, the Elements of Harmony also appeared, which took the rest of the Mane 6 by surprise. The Elements of Honesty, Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, and Loyalty flew back to their rightful bearers, which took them all by surprise. They felt the magic from within their elements. Some had sad smiles, and some had tears falling from their eyes.

“I…I’ve forgotten what it felt like.” Said Rarity as she looked at hers.

Rainbow looked at hers, then had a sad expression while mumbling, “I’m so sorry I haven’t lived up to your title. I hope I’m worthy of you again. Please forgive me.” The element suddenly glowed, showing it had forgiven her, and she smiled again.

Before they could react, the Elements of Harmony fired at Twilight and Sunset, engulfing them in a bright light. Twilight and Sunset gained their wings within mere moments whilst their horns grew a bit. At the same time, the rest also began to feel energized by the Elements. Within moments, they lowered themselves and were surprised to see their change. To Sunset’s surprise, she also had her crown and element. Beau walked over to Sunset and Twilight and placed his hands on their shoulders.

“From this day on…” said Beau, gaining both of their attention.

“Twilight Sparkle,” said Beau as he looked at her. “From this moment on, you shall be known as the Princess of Friendship.”

He then looked at Sunset and said, “And you, Sunset Shimmer, will be forever known as the Princess of Peace.”

The Elements Bearers and the ponies in the room all smiled while some shed tears, for they hadn’t felt this feeling in a long time. It had been a long time since they had felt any hope.

Twilight looked at Beau and asked, “What do you need us to do?”

*********************************************************************

*****************************

They soon entered the large room where Discord had been placed. The others entered the room, too, as they looked at the Draconequus.

“I still can’t believe that were doing this.” Said Rainbow Dash.

“I know this plan is insane.” Said Beau, “But desperate times call for drastic measures.”

“He is right,” said Princess Celestia. “We’ll need Discord for this.”

Twilight and the others nodded, allowing them to use their elements on Discord. Within mere moments, Discord had been freed from his imprisonment. He laughed his head off as he was freed.

“I’m free; I’m finally free.” Said Discord while he hovered a bit. Then he noticed the Element Bearers. “Oh, what’s this?”

He looked at them closely and said, “My, you girls have changed a lot since I last saw any of you.”

He then hovered back and said, “But it doesn’t matter. Now that I’m free, I can finally spread some….”

“Ahem!!”

Discord was brought out of his thoughts and looked down and noticed every creature. He saw Twilight and the others.

“Goodness, whatever happened to you lot?” said Discord playfully whilst he flew to them and said “All of you look a little older than last time I saw you. Though with ten years that’s gone by, I would assume so.”

“Wait,” said Sunset. “You knew how long time passed?”

“I may be trapped in stone, but I could tell what time passed. I got an eerie feeling of what was going on.

“A lot has changed since the last time you were around.” Said Beau, gaining Discord’s attention.

“Oh?” said Discord, “And who are you, I suppose?”

“Someone who doesn’t like being your plaything.” Said Beau. “And before you cause any chaos, follow me. There’s something I need to show you.”

Beau walked to the door and left the room, with Discord wondering where he was going and followed. Fluttershy; on the other hand, wondered what Beau was going to do, causing her to follow them while the others remained behind and wondered what Beau would be doing.

*********************************************************************

****************************

Beau and Discord were soon outside on the deck. When Beau was on the deck, Discord appeared next to him and suddenly had a tourism guise on.

“Ooh, I didn’t know we were in the middle of a cruise.” Said Discord as he took some photos. Then he turned to his right and said, “And there’s even an island….”

But then he stopped, widened his eyes while lowering his camera, and said, “Wait a minute.”

He flew up in the air and used his imagination; he saw the volcano he recognized there. He flew back down to Beau and looked at him.

“I know that volcano.” Said Discord while pointing at it and looking at Beau. “That’s where I caused my fartlek. But…I don’t remember it being part of the ocean.”

Beau looked at Discord and said, “You may want to sit down for this. It’s not a pretty tale.”

Discord then made himself a chair, saying, “Oooh, Storytime.”

From around the corner, Fluttershy watched as Beau explained what happened after ten years. The fake Celestia attacked the real one and held her hostage while she used her magic to make the ice melt, and the world flooded. Princess Luna tried to stop her but was overthrown and defeated, placing her in suspended animation and drowning her body. And the entire world had been thrown in disarray.

“And after that,” said Beau before ending the story, “The entire world fell to madness. Half of the ponies live on islands trying to survive, while the other half drown at the ocean’s bottom with their cities. And Twilight and her friends were no longer the same ponies you encountered. And the rest was history.”

Discord shivered at that for a bit, then said, “Okay, I love chaos as much as the next creature, but this is way too much. And this isn’t Chaos; this is anarchy.”

“Which is why we need your help.” Said Beau.

Discord was suddenly surprised by this, looked at Beau, and said, “I’m sorry, what?”

“You can shape the world as you see fit.” Said Beau, “You have the power to reshape reality as you see fit. I need you to use your power to restore the world to how it was ten years ago before the flooding started, with no ice to melt that caused it.”

“Have you gone mad?” said Discord as he leaned close to Beau. “I cannot do that; it goes against my very nature.”

“And if you use too much Order, you’ll disappear, I know.” Said Beau.

“Precisely.” Said Discord, “Besides, I am the Lord of Chaos, and doing something like this, like restoring the world order, is something I would never do.”

Beau sighed harshly while placing his hand against his head and muttered, “This is getting pointless.”

“Um, excuse me, Discord?”

Beau and Discord looked and saw Fluttershy looking at him, all timid. Then she approached him and stood near him.

She took a deep breath, relaxed, looked at him, and said, “I know you don’t like to do Orderly things. But…can’t you please bring everything back. We lost everything when the floods happened. Our home, our friends. We just want to find those we lost some justice against the one responsible. We just want our homes back. Can’t you please help us?”

When Discord saw her, he felt mesmerized by her cute face, even the cuteness, and kindness she had been showing. He ended up blushing at seeing her. However, Beau took notice of this and used his eyes to dart back and forth between Fluttershy and Discord. He suddenly smirked and had a great idea that might work.

He walked over to Fluttershy, gaining her attention as she looked at him. Beau whispered something to her in her ear. After hearing what he had to say, she blushed madly and looked at him. He whispered to her that it was the only way. She looked at him and suddenly felt mesmerized by seeing him. She took a deep breath and flew over to him, gaining Discord’s attention as he watched her fly to him.

“I know you’re a creature of chaos and don’t like to do orderly things.” Said Fluttershy. “But instead of acting like single entities, why not be an Equalizer. One that can keep the balance.”

Discord was surprised by this and said, “Equalizer?”

He then pondered while having his back turned. “I could also restore order and have some fun with chaos simultaneously?” said Discord to himself. “It almost sounds too good to be true.”

He suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, gaining his attention as he looked at her while she still had her cute face.

“Please do this for us and something good. Just this once?” asked Fluttershy.

Then she did the unthinkable. She ended up kissing Discord full on the lips, which shocked him as he felt steam just come out of his ears. Fluttershy slowly departed her lips from Discord’s, while the Lord of Chaos was too stunned to speak. He then cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Alright then,” said Discord as he rolled his imaginary sleeve, “I’ll do it. Be right back.”

Discord then flew away to do what needed to be done. At the same time, Fluttershy blushed madly and held her face as embarrassment began to take hold of her.

“Why did I just do that?” said Fluttershy in a panicked tone.

“You did what you had to do.” Said Beau, until he smirked and said, “Also, glad you’re bold for once.”

“S-shut up.” Muttered Fluttershy.

Discord was high and could see nothing but oceans. Realizing that the fake had destroyed everything, he realized they were right. It was time for him to be an equalizer.

“Alright then, world of worlds.” Said Discord as he raised his hands in the air and was suddenly charged up with his chaos and order power. “Time for you to return the way you once were.”

Within an instant, Discord snapped both his fingers, causing the entire world to be engulfed in a large light while all the citizens closed their eyes. When the light had faded, Beau took a good look at the ocean. The boat suddenly moved, and to his surprise.

“Look!!” shouted Beau, causing Fluttershy and all the ponies to look at the other side.

To their shock and awe, the oceans were suddenly beginning to recede and retreat back to whence they came, while at the same time, every plant, tree, and even animal was being restored to how they were, from green hills to grass plains to large sums of forests. And every town and city around the world was restored. Everyone on the island was shocked and couldn’t believe what was happening.

Discord then realized that the boats near the docks would be in a difficult spot to stand, making him smirk and snap his fingers. The boats suddenly grew legs, allowing them to stand on the side of the mountain to be docked near the docks.

“I…I don’t believe it…” said a random pony as he smiled. “It’s a miracle.”

“The world’s being restored to how it was!!” shouted another pony.

Pretty soon, everypony on the island cheered in an uproar. The world ocean was gone, and their lands were restored to how they were. Discord soon landed and suddenly had wobbly legs, making him unable to stand until Fluttershy could catch him.

“That took a lot out of me.” Said Discord while wiping his forehead.

“Thank you, by the way.” Said Fluttershy as she had a blush on her face.

“Er, you’re welcome.” Said Discord while he also blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

The Mane 6 came together and was ecstatic that everything was restored.

“This is great,” said Sunset as she came along. “With the oceans restored to normal, we can finally set our plan in motion.”

“He’s right,” said Cadance as she and Shining Armour looked at Beau. “What should we do now?”

“What we do best.” Said Beau while looking at them. “We improvise. Now that the ocean has receded, we’ll have twice as much room to move our forces around, and the fake Celestia won’t even have a fleet of ships under her control.”

Princess Celestia pondered at this for a moment, then had an idea.

“There was this one idea I had before Luna came back.” Said, Celestia.

“Allow me.” Said Discord before he snapped his fingers.

Within moments, their ships had large balloon-like features tied up around them, making them hover against the docks, turning them into Zeppelins.

“Whoa, awesome.” Said Rainbow as she liked the ships.

“We got out ships,” said Beau “Now all we need to do is to set the course. So what’s next on the list?”

“We’ll need to go to the former kingdoms of the other creatures,” said Princess Celestia. “Once we get there, we’ll need to open the pocket dimension and let them out.”

*********************************************************************

*******************************

Once that was done, the five yachts that Beau and the others stole traveled to five locations, each containing Princesses Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset, and Twilight. Once they arrived, they opened the pocket dimensions on every bit of land they could find. Soon, many creatures, the Dragons, Yaks, Griffons, and Changelings (Beau secretly went there alone and encountered many. He called out both Thorax and Pharynx, much to their surprise. Beau was able to convince them to share love, thus allowing them to change their forms). There were even the cat, parrot kingdoms, and a ton of Kirin. The Hippogriffs were easy to get help from because they used the pearl to turn themselves into Sea ponies. But thankfully, they weren’t alone in going there. Each Mane 5 was left to those specific parts through Beau’s instructions. Rainbow headed for Griffonstone to convince the Griffons, Pinkie Pie headed to Yakyakistan, Rarity and Spike went to the Dragon Lands, Applejack went to Mount Aris, and Fluttershy, while being accompanied by Discord, went to the Kirin homeland. Soon, the leaders organized every creature to arm themselves to assault Canterlot to defeat the fake Celestia.

On the other hand, Beau stood on the docks and mediated, something he hadn’t done in a long time. He overlooked the countryside and smiled, for he was happy that he could help save this world’s Equestria from watery despair. Though given once this is over, I doubt anyone would ever want to go to the beach again except Pinkie Pie. He heard hoof steps coming. He slowly turned around and saw Celestia, Luna, Cadance, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armour, Twilight, Spike, and the rest of the Mane 6 coming in.

“Oh, hey there.” Said Beau as he finally stood up and looked at them. “What can I do

for you?”

“It’s just…we never had the chance to thank you.” Said Princess Celestia, “For what you did for all of us here.”

“Anyone could’ve done the same thing.” Said Beau with a shrug on his shoulders.

“Except none of them are as brave as you for what you did today.” Said Princess Luna.

“All of us are merely strangers here,” said Twilight. “But because of you, you were able to remind us of who we are. And we can’t thank you enough for what you did for us.”

“After everything is over…” said Sunset “We don’t know how we could ever repay you for what you did.”

Beau merely looked at them for a few moments and said, “Save and protect your home.”

They were initially confused, but Beau soon explained why “Huh?”

“We’re not so completely different.” Said Beau. “Our stories are much alike than you think.”

“How so?” asked Rarity.

Beau turned his head, looked at the horizon, and said the unexpected.

“I was a Prince once.” Said Beau.

Many were taken aback by this. “Huh?!!”

“Wait,” said Rainbow Dash, “You were a Prince once?!!”

“I was.” Said Beau, “I was born from the house of Rohan, which existed about five hundred years before Princess Luna’s banish. It was a time when Grogar and Gusty were the same age. They greatly mistrust each other, causing the creatures to live separately.

“Land sakes,” said Applejack “Ah didn’t know ya’ll were a Prince.”

“So…what happened?” asked Fluttershy.

“The house of Rohan fell. My remaining family chose to leave and settle in another country. We first lived in a country called Prance. It went fine until the Prench Revolution came along. My family was able to flee to another country before things got worse.”

He looked down and said, “By the time I was born…things weren’t that great.”

“Whatever do you mean darling?” asked Rarity.

“Well, for one thing, I never wanted to be a Prince; I wanted a normal life.” Said Silverbolt, with the others being surprised by this. “My mother didn’t approve. She forced me to learn and fight since I was about seven. And my father was a gambler, so he didn’t say much. For many years I had to study. I had to train, through books or experience, on how to be a leader. But by the time I graduated, I had left home. I didn’t want to do anything with my family.”

He had to develop a cover story, so he did his best.

“When Equestria began to flood, I lost everything and did what I could to survive. A being came and told me that for Equestria to be freed, I needed to put aside the lone wolf life and become what I was born to be.”

He turned around and looked at them. “So that’s why from that day on, I took it upon myself and made a vow to one day help restore Equestria, but I couldn’t do it alone. I knew you were still alive but were reduced to your previous states when things got too much for you.”

Many were surprised by what he revealed.

“Wow,” said Sunset. “That would explain why you’re such a good leader.”

“Sometimes we all need to trust our instincts. And sometimes, we must embrace what fate has given us and not give up.” Said Beau.



“Do you think…” said Twilight before she paused. Then asked him, “If we could see what you look like?”

Before Beau could respond, Vinyl and Octavia arrived.

“Hey there,” said Vinyl. “There are two creatures here who’d like to talk to you.”

They saw two creatures appear, which were Changelings but different.

“Who the heck are you guys?” asked Rainbow.

“These two are Thorax and Pharynx.” Said Beau “Brothers mind you. And they’re on our side. They hate the one responsible just as much as you do.”

“He’s right.” Said Pharynx while speaking for his brother, “All of us were left behind when our leader left us to rot.”

“And when the worlds began to flood,” said Thorax, “We fled in the same pocket dimension just like all the others did.”

The ponies were surprised to have learned of this.

“Whoa,” said Spike, “Who would leave you guys to dust?”

“Oh, don’t worry,” said Beau. “I know who’s responsible.”

They looked at him surprised, with Beau adding, “But all will be revealed once we get to Canterlot.”

“Just…” said Princess Celestia, gaining Beau’s attention. “Make sure to spare Canterlot’s citizens and guards. They only sided with the fraud because they’re afraid and only follow orders.”

Beau crossed his arms while keeping his head lowered, thinking about it. He looked at Celestia and said, “I can’t make any promises, but I promise I’ll try. Every bit of life is precious, no matter how others view it.”

Celestia and Luna smiled at this, with Luna saying “Thank you.”

Some thought the next few days would be rough. The crew offered Beau a Captain’s Cabin to say thanks for saving them. He walked over to his bed while removing his helmet.

“I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.” Said Beau. “I feel like walking into a shark’s tank without experience.”

He soon lay his head down on his pillow and went fast asleep. However, what he didn’t know, was that through his sleep, something unexpected would happen.

*********************************************************************

********************

Beau was still fast asleep, but he soon felt a slight chill while drifting…wait, drifting? He slowly opened his eyes and, to his surprise, was surrounded by nothing but darkness. He had no idea where he was or what was going on. But from below, he saw what he thought looked like a plain glass window, but it also looked like it was painted on. On it was the symbol of Harmony itself, as well as what appeared to be seven different weapons and colors surrounding the symbol of Harmony. He soon slowly landed on top of it, looking around in confusion.

“Where the heck am I?” said Beau as he looked around.

Suddenly, he saw three pedestals all around him. Each of them bears its own weapons. He didn’t know what to make of them.

“Retrieve one of these items, and find your destiny.”

He looked at the weapons around him. He first went over to the sword and saw what was written.

Beau read out loud, “Power of the Warrior. Invincible Courage. A sword to combat the darkest of warriors.”

He went to the shield and read out loud, “Power of the Guardian. Who aids those in need. A shield to repel all.”

Then he went over to the staff and read out loud, “The power of the Mystic. Inner Strength. A staff of wonder and leadership.”

Beau looked at all three weapons, wondering what he would choose to be the smartest and strongest warrior. Train to be the smartest and the strongest warrior.

“It’s time to stop running. I don’t need to choose one! I know what I was meant to do! So I choose all three!!”

“Is that your final choice?” said the voice.

Beau looked down and closed his eyes, thinking more clearly about what he should do. He then opened his eyes, raised his right hand out of instinct, and said, “Yes, I do.”

Within a split second, all three weapons glowed and went straight to him, but when they were close, they turned into pure energy and merged with him. While at the same time, it created a horse-shaped gauntlet on his arm. On his arm, he saw three different weapon symbols on top of the gauntlet, each in different colored gemstones. One in pink, one in purple, and one in dark or midnight blue, which strangely made him think of his wife. The staff, the sword, and the shield. But strangely, when he looked at the staff, he saw that it had another feature, which looked like a bow of some sort. He will have to figure it out later, for he needed to get out of wherever he was. That was until he saw the stained glass, he was standing on suddenly shake, then begin to shatter piece by piece at a rapid rate.

“Oh, this can’t be good.” Said Beau.

The moment when the glass was gone, he instantly fell down again. He would’ve flailed and wailed but slowly descended from above and landed on the secondarily stained glass. He looked around a bit, still very confused. But when he took another look, the stained glass he was standing on somehow had a different set of images on it. This time, it was images of seven different people who appeared to have different knight helmets. Each of them had different colors, which didn’t make any sense.

“Okay, this is weird.” Said Beau to himself.

He heard rumbling noises. He didn’t know where the noises were coming from. He saw a wooden horse. But when he took a closer look, something felt off.

“Wait,” said Beau, “I know that type of horse. The Trojan horse, the same wooden horse that the Greeks used to infiltrate the city of Troy, allowed the Greeks inside to open the gates so that the rest of their armies could attack through.”

Suddenly, he saw that plenty more wooden horses came from out of nowhere, all of them surrounding him to ensure that he would never escape. He quickly moved to the center for him to get some elbow room.

“What the heck is going on?” said Beau.

Then all of a sudden, the first Wooden Horse turned into a humanoid form, wearing Trojan-like armor but with its face covered. Pretty soon, every wooden horse did the same as all of them had surrounded Beau.

“O-kay.” Said Beau to himself as he looked anxious, “This doesn’t look….”

But before he could finish his sentence, a few of them instantly jumped in the air and raised their swords. Beau yelped and raised his right arm out of instinct, causing the purple gem to glow bright and flash as if it were a flashbang grenade. Beau was practically standing on one knee and had his eyes closed shut. But when he looked up, to his shock, he saw he had created a shield, which was the color purple. He couldn’t explain it, but it had just saved his life by blocking the weapons of the few Trojans that attacked him.

Beau struggled with all his strength to try and gain a proper foothold, but it proved to be more difficult than he could’ve imagined.

“Damn,” said Beau to himself, “Never figured that it would be this hard.”

Beau struggled again, but he kept saying, “Come on, Beau, you can do it. Do it for Equestria. Do it for your friends. Do it…”

He then remembered Twilight, the day he first met her, the time he spent with her. How the two of them fell head over heels for one another within a month, then got married before realizing that she was pregnant. Then came Moonlight, with Beau holding her in his hands, and he couldn’t help but smile. How he raised her after so many years and enjoyed raising her alongside Twilight.

Beau, for some reason, suddenly found his drive. He pushed the Trojans away from him, allowing him to summon a midnight blue sword, allowing him to use it and slice the Trojans. Many continued to try and surround him.

“Okay then,” said Beau, “Let’s see if I remember how to do this.”

Beau charged forward to the first Trojan. But just as he blocked the first Trojan, Beau cut him down. Then he blocked the right Trojan’s attack and twirled the blade to strike it down. Beau then blocked the third ones attack and struck it down after he jumped in the air and did what he did. He charged towards the next two Trojans, only to cut and block them down.

He saw another group of Trojans charging, then he thought of something and said, “Just like Captain America.”

He placed his sword away and threw his shield, allowing it to bounce against five Trojans while it struck them down before he grabbed it and bashed his shield against another Trojan that tried to attack him. The five Trojans suddenly had crossbows and fired them at him, causing Beau to quickly block them and throw them like a discuss, allowing them to bounce off their targets and then catch them.

“Whoa,” said Beau as he realized something. “Really glad I took those aerobic classes.”

He saw the next group coming in; thus, he decided to put his shield away and drew out his sword, but at the same time, he used both his hands to hold the sword and positioned it to attack samurai style.

“If I remember my swordsmanship technique.” Muttered Beau.

The Trojans attacked again, causing John to swing his sword like a true expert. Cutting one Trojan to the next down. Beau soon jumped in the air and sliced one in half before it disappeared. He darted to the left while holding his sword still in his right hand. He darted straight toward the first three Trojans. First, Beau would cut the first one down with three strikes and did the same thing with the next two. Beau jumped in the air and performed a twister move with his sword, allowing him to cut them down before they had a chance to respond.

He decided to step up his game a bit and put his sword away while, at the same time, he pulled out his staff and was about to see what he could do with it. He twirled it around like a bo-staff and knocked a few out of the way, then he used it to vault himself over, trying to avoid attacks from the Trojans. He twirled it around on his one hand, then struck a few aside. His staff suddenly generated some electricity and used it to fire lightning at a few. Then it ended up being on fire and used to burn the Trojans until they were turned into wooden figures.

Soon, all of them were beaten, with Beau wiping his forehead.

“That was rough.” Said Beau, “Now what else is….”

He then felt himself falling down again, but there was a second platform, allowing him to land this time.

“Is it just me,” said Beau to himself. “Or does this feel like…?”

“Beau….”

Beau looked around and found nothing until he spotted a figure approaching from the darkness. Beau kept his stance, not wanting to take chances. That was until he spotted a familiar-looking figure.

“Twilight?” said Beau. He partially lowered his guard but kept his eye on her. “What are you…?”

But then he remembered, Twilight was still back in Equestria, and she and ponykind weren’t allowed to enter Caribouria because of the law. But what he noticed was the color of her eyes.

“Wait,” said Beau, recalling what Sunset had told them months ago. “You’re not Twilight. You’re…Midnight Sparkle.”

The pony merely chuckled and laughed sinisterly, causing her to transform into Midnight Sparkle, but in pony form. He was taken aback by how she looked in the outfit, which nearly made him blush.

“Maybe I should ask Twilight to model that for me on our next special night.” Thought

Beau to himself, but shook his head while he tried to focus on what was in front of him.

“Hello, Beau,” said Midnight Sparkle. “Or should I say, Thomas Rohan?”

“And you must be Midnight Sparkle.” Said Beau.

“Oh?” said Midnight as she hovered close to him. “Do you know me?”

“From Sunset Shimmer, yeah.” Said Silverbolt, which made Midnight frown, remembering that name. At the same time, Beau continued, “From what she told me, my wife’s human counterpart let her curiosity get the better, causing her to take her friends” magic by accident. Then during the final part of the Friendship Games, Cinch blackmailed her into releasing the magic, turning her into her darker self. And because of it, her unhealthy thirst for knowledge ended up nearly destroying both our worlds. Sunset stopped her, but if it weren’t for Twilight’s dog Spike, she would’ve succeeded in destroying the world. And after she was freed, she was accepted by those who understood her. Though the nightmares of Midnight haunted her for a long time.”

He pointed the staff at her and said, “You were exactly what my wife was trying to steer clear of. Like she told Starlight, Knowledge can only take you so far, and if it weren’t for them, they wouldn’t have woken up the magic of friendship inside of her.”

“I should’ve won that day.” Said Midnight. “But instead, they made a fool out of me.”

“And you’ll always lose.” Said Beau. “All Twilight wanted was a friend and a family, while you did the fool thing, all by yourself.”

Midnight merely scowled before she growled. But then she smirked and said, “Just like you chose to be by yourself when you abandoned your family?”

Beau was slightly taken aback by this.

“Your family, the so-called famous royal line from the house of Rohan,” said Midnight as she slowly hovered towards him. “But instead of following a family tradition, you simply chose to run away from it all, turning your back on what your family tried to teach you.”

She leaned closer as she stroked his face. “But I couldn’t blame you, considering your family didn’t love you.”

She landed on both her hooves, walked around him, and continued taunting him.

“Your father was an irresponsible gambler, going from one place to another, spending and wasting money as if there were no tomorrow. How long would it be until the family fortune runs out? And then there was your mother, who constantly went on business from one place to another, never bothering to spend time with her only child, and paid many teachers to teach and train you until your bones cracked.”

Beau had bitter memories of those years growing up. Wishing his parents had more time to spend with them. Midnight continued talking to him as she stood at his right side.

“And then came school life.” Said Midnight with her voice of darkness. “In addition to not having any siblings, you didn’t have any friends either. You were recognized as the child prodigy during your insignificant childhood and always made perfect grades in your subjects. Disappointing, really, considering that you thought schoolwork was too easy for you and that you preferred a bigger challenge. And while you’re always learning, you were never interested in taking the time to build any relationships. No friend to lean on whenever you’re knocked down, no friend to comfort you during your struggles. And more importantly. No girl to fall in love with so that you can have your own family. Not that you could ever get one anyway.”

Beau winced at that, remembering the loneliness he was forced to endure. But among the studying, he remembered that he was also shunned by many people, even the women, who’d prefer men with muscles instead of intelligence.

“Finding someone right for you was like trying to find a needle in a haystack,” said Midnight as she stood behind him while stroking his body and talking to his ear.

“Today’s modern women only seek men with brawns rather than brains. Though you may have kept your shape, you weren’t exactly muscular, to begin with. Maybe the reason for that was that they wanted to feel smarter. Though then again, it didn’t matter to you anymore. After all, your world was rotten to the core, and the only thing that kept you from going insane was the books you loved to read. Especially the sounds of the lake’s rippling waters.”

She whispered in his ear, “You even abandoned your own lineage as the Prince of Rohan.”

Beau winced at that, remembering what Bright Star once said about him abandoning his family, but he lowered both his arms, thinking about his past.

“To get away from it all,” said Midnight. “You decided to go to the local lake to camp away from all the drama and all the pain. And you couldn’t go back to your own family, not after you yelled at them and refused to follow the lineage that they had set out for you.”

Beau gripped his hands in anger.

“You will never understand.” Said Beau, “I never wanted that life; I wanted a normal life. Was that too much to ask?”

She chuckled again and said, “Why would she fall in love with a hairless ape like you? Why would she fall in love with a hairless ape like you? Why would she use you for her benefits?”

Beau partially looked at her in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“Oh, that’s quite the long story.” Said Midnight “Shortly after Twilight moved to Ponyville, she kept learning lessons, yes, but most times, she kept letting stress get too far. For one, going crazy over a report about Friendship, thinking it needs to be sent every week, instead of writing a message whenever she learns something. And her own friends didn’t try to calm her down better, thinking she was just being ridiculous. They tried to sway her, but her own madness refused to listen. Hence, they didn’t believe her about the fake bride because she acted like a mad person and didn’t make a good case without proof or evidence.”

She chuckled again and said, “Though it’s probably why she never trusted her friends again. After all, she didn’t tell them that the Princesses had given her their Alicorn magic just to make sure Tirek didn’t get his hands on them.”

She stopped and said, “She should have told them.” said Midnight. “It nearly cost her everything because of a lie. She thinks she knows her responsibility. But is it really? She leaned close to him and said, “And one day soon, she will again.”

He looked at her and said, “What do you mean again?”

“I mean, that one day, a powerful tyrant, under Lord Dainn’s training and command, will invade Equestria.” Said Midnight, much to Beau’s shock. “When they leave, the stress will soon consume her, and she’ll use her own friends for selfish reasons. In the end, she’ll backstab them, and their friendships will fall apart.”

She leaned close to him and said, “Who’s to say that she won’t do the same with you once all of this is over?”

Beau began to feel doubt. “Face it,” she said. “You’ll never be free unless you cut one another loose. So... What’s it going to be?

Beau looked down a bit, thinking about what Midnight said. Twilight would mess up when Equestria was invaded, and the kingdom wouldn’t stand a chance.

“You’re right about a few things.” Said Beau, “Twilight does mess up all the time without thinking things through. Twilight does sometimes act without thinking about things selfishly. We never did get what we wanted.”

But then he remembered all the hard times she went through, and they would always return stronger for it.

“But we both ended up getting what we needed.” Said Beau while gripping his hands before looking at Midnight.

“We both gained friends. We both gained a family.” Said Beau as he glared at Midnight, making the said being flex an eyebrow.

“Sure, we may have made mistakes along the way, and we all ended up paying a heavier price than we never could’ve imagined. And in the end, it cost us everything. But we didn’t choose a life; it chose us.”

Suddenly, to Midnight’s shock, Beau began slowly glowing in the same color Twilight’s magic is.

“Coming to Equestria may not have been my idea,” said Beau as he slowly walked over to her. “But meeting Twilight was the best thing that’s ever happened to me. She did for me what no one else did. She helped me fit in, she helped me find friends, and she helped me find love. And in the end, we ended up having a daughter. I made a

promise I would protect her. But when Chrysalis came along, we never felt so helpless in all our lives; we felt we failed them.”

Beau gripped his right hand as magical energies began to take form.

“But ever since a Caribou came to Equestria, we were chosen by the map. And we made a promise right then and there that we would do anything to protect our wives. Both from themselves and from others who would hurt them.”

He looked at her in anger.

“And if you think I’m going to let another monster, try to stop me from protecting my family and my new home.”

He then jumped high in the air as the magic was about to take shape.

“Then you’ve got another thing coming!!” shouted Beau.

And then, with one strike, Midnight ended up blocking something. To her shock, she saw the Star Calibur, aka Stardust. The Sacred Sword of Cosmos itself, made from the Element of Magic itself, was once forged during the beginning of the Caribou reign during the Caribou wars.

Midnight slowly looked at him in shock and said, “Who are you?”

Beau thought about all the times they asked him who he was. What he said to himself was true... It’s time he stopped running from his past. He looked at her with determination.

“Before my name was Beau...,” said Beau. “My name is Thomas Rohan, son of Bianca Rohan. Descendent of Achilles of the House of Rohan. I am the Prince, and I...

Beau suddenly charged up with energy combined with the sword, much to her shock.

“Will…not…be…stopped…I…possess the one power that had been passed down from many others.” Said Beau before he suddenly sprouted wings and what appeared to be a Unicorn’s horn.

“THE MAGIC OF FRIENDSHIP!!!” shouted Beau and, with one thrust, blasted Midnight away in a huge flash as she screamed in agony and crash landed.

He walked over to her while holding onto his sword. He stood a few inches away, expecting her to attack again. However, to his surprise, Midnight’s form had changed and had a staff. When she got up, it was none other than Brightstar who looked at him with tears of happiness and a smile.

“Congratulations.” Said Brightstar, “You’ve succeeded where many have failed. You embraced who you were born to be.”

Beau was taken aback by this and said, “I don’t understand.”

“You turned your back on your family because of what your parents had turned into.” Said Brightstar. “They were the ones who turned their backs on their heritage and taught you wrong.”

She then looked at him with a smile “But you have embraced who you are, and the role you have chosen. You’ve finally accepted who you are. And for that, I’m proud of you.”

Brightstar slowly hugged her grandson, with Beau accepting it in return. They broke the hug as she said, “But there is still more road ahead for you. And you must lead those who are willing to do the same.”

“I understand.” Said Beau, “Where do I start?”

“How about I teach you further before you wake up?” said Brightstar. “That way, you can learn more about your wife and her friends. Then Bucky and the others.”

Beau smiled and said, “Let’s get started.”

And so, Brightstar began to teach Beau so that he could learn more about his friends, both humans, and ponies, even his wife.

*********************************************************************

*************

The sun began to rise with Beau stirring. He woke up and slowly got up. He realized he had the sword in his right hand. Realizing that it wasn’t a dream but what he faced. He smiled to himself and said, “Thanks, grandma. I promise I won’t fail you.” He heard a knock on the door, with him calling out, “Yes?”

“Sir,” said one of the ponies, “The royals request your presence for their invasion plan.”

“Tell them to wait for me in an hour.” Said Beau “That’ll give everyone enough time to gather their bearings.”

“Yes sir.” Said the pony before he left.

Beau stood up from bed and began to wash, then got dressed and armed himself, including the weapon his grandmother had gifted him. Once he was done, he picked up his helmet and looked at himself. He ended up smiling and said “Show time.”

He put his helmet on and left the cabin. For the road to freedom has only just begun.

*********************************************************************

*****************

Soon Beau made his way to the briefing room, where Dragon Lord Ember, Prince Rutherford, Queen Novo, Gilda the Griffon (Who somehow became their leader), a few other leaders, along with Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, and Princess Cadance, along with their two new Princesses, Twilight and Sunset, along with Shining Armour, were waiting for him.

“I see all of you have slept well.” Said Beau.

“Indeed we have.” Said Luna. Though she didn’t want to sleep through the night, deciding to sleep was all she needed.

“Then let’s get started.”

They overlooked the map and looked at all of Canterlot, including the different buildings that are all around.

“Canterlot is much different than all of you remember.” Said Beau, “Ever since the fake took over, many of the civilians who tried to live in Canterlot would soon overcrowd the entire city, so they constructed more buildings wherever they could, and the poor were forced to live there in harsh conditions. And from what the Night Guards have told us, though seventy-five percent of the civilians left with us, the others refused to leave as they feared the fake.”

Some looked at the map and pondered what he had said, though Celestia and Luna were angered by what the fake had done, with Twilight and Sunset also showing concern.

“And I brought Captain Night Watch with me,” said Beau as he motioned to the Captain while he took a step forward. “Because he had been stationed there for years to ensure the local population would not rise against them. But through one of the buildings, he was able to determine and uncover a secret passage that leads straight to Canterlot Castle, past the city walls, where we will pass the castle undetected. But seeing that we didn’t quietly escape one night, the guards would be on high alert. They don’t know that they serve the fake, so they’ll do whatever they can to keep their enemies away from their castle. And knowing them, they’ll put the civilians in danger. Thankfully, since no ocean is left and the waters have receded back to where they belong, we have a huge advantage in the landscape.”

“And the question is, where would they be deployed?” asked Shining Armour.

“I got an idea on that.” Said Beau as he directed them to wherever they went.

He first pointed at Canterlot’s landscape. “Half of the Dragons, Griffons, and Hippogriffs will take to the skies and distract the Pegasi division, while the Yaks and Changelings will keep the Unicorn and Earth Pony division distracted too.”

He aimed at the poor district and said, “And many guards will be stationed there too, so a quarter of our forces will be here all over the poorer districts to ensure that they subdued the guards, while myself, the leaders, and their forces and guards will sneak

into the passageway and make our way through towards the castle from underground within the tunnels.”

“Which will allow us to go into the castle and subdue the remaining guards while the leader will corner the fake from within.” Said Shining Armour.

“And with our combined power, we’ll be able to face the faker together.” Said Sunset Shimmer.

“We’ll just have to ensure they don’t escape, though.” Said Cadance, “If they do, who knows who else would want to seek revenge if they do.”

“Which is why we need to be precise and quiet.” Said Beau. “It all depends on the execution.”

“But where should we strike?” asked Dragon Lord Ember.

“We strike from both the sky and the land.” Said Beau.

“Then let us prepare for war.” Said Celestia as she and the other leaders stood up. “We have much to do.”

*********************************************************************

******************************

Every creature began to arm themselves for the great battle ahead within the first few hours. They armed their weapons, and they ensured that they used non-lethal. The citizens of Canterlot are innocent, and the soldiers are following orders. Soon as everyone was ready, they boarded their newly made airships and took to the skies.

They continued to fly towards their destination while everyone looked at the landscape. The Mane 6 and Spike soon join him and watch the ground with them.

“You think most of the countryside was dry after the ordeal?” said Spike.

“Discord said that when the waters receded, he made sure they were dry enough.” Said Fluttershy.

“And thankfully, all her animals and every other animal are now safe.” Said Discord. “Soon everything will return back to normal.”

“Not everything.” Said Rarity, “We had lost many over the years when the floods happened. Now everything is normal...I wonder what will happen after that. I haven’t seen Sweetie Belle in a long time. To hear she was sold...”

Spike then reassured her and said, “Don’t worry, Rarity. We’ll find a way; we always do.”

“I suppose.” Said Rarity as she walked away to ponder her thoughts.



Beau noticed the way Spike looked at her. He remembered that Spike was in love with Rarity, but since Silver came along, he became depressed and lost his chance before Emily came into the picture. Realizing that since humans weren’t around, maybe this Spike could find a little romance.

“Hey Spike can I talk to you for a moment?” asked Beau, gaining the dragon’s attention.

“Uh, sure.” Said Spike, wondering where he was going with this.

The two of them walked to a corner in private.

“So what…?” said Spike before Beau cut him off.

“Do you love Rarity?” he asked.

Spike immediately went red on this. And before he could respond, Beau placed his hand over the dragon’s mouth.

“I’ve seen the way you looked at her.” Said Beau as he had a serious tone in his voice. “Plus, I assume you fell in love with her the moment you met her?”

Spike didn’t know how to respond as the guy in front read him like an open book. Spike sighed through his nose as he calmed down with Beau removing his hand from the dragon’s mouth.

“Yeah, I did.” Admitted Spike. “Ever since I met her, I fell head over heels for her. When she defended me from Rainbow, accepted me to be part of her crew, and helped me reunite with Twilight when I had no idea, she was alive. I had never felt so happy. But when she was poisoned, I was scared out of my mind. I thought I could never save her. In the end, I did. Though Rainbow hated me because I didn’t want to help her.”

“Why not?” asked Beau.

“Because she didn’t like me when we first met.” Said Spike, “Ever since I got onboard, all she ever did was treat me like garbage, even wanted to kill me a couple of times. She only liked me when she wanted me to be her meat shield and berserker. I told her I was a protector, not a killer like her. Plus, you were right about her too. Twilight and the others did everything they could to protect their families and friends while she threw away her parents and Scootaloo.”

“Well, you have to remember.” said Beau. “When an apocalypse occurs, folks tend to get reduced to their feral state. They became former parts of themselves.”

“He did?” said Spike while looking at Beau.

“Yeah,” said Beau “Discord turned them into former parts of themselves. He made Fluttershy cruel, he made Pinkie Pie mean, he made Applejack a liar, he made Rainbow disloyal, he made Rarity greedy, and he made Twilight give up hope. But when Princess Celestia sent her the letters of what Twilight had learned from Ponyville, she began to remember the times she had, causing her to turn back to normal. She then used the same tact on the others, which restored them too. And thanks to her, they were able to defeat Discord.”

“Wow,” said Spike as he was surprised, “I had no idea.”

“But a good friend once told me that just because someone stumbles and loses their way doesn’t mean they’re lost forever. Sometimes we all need a little help in the right direction.”

“Thanks for snapping us out of our funk, by the way.” Said Spike.

“Pleasure.” Said Beau. “But sometimes we gotta learn that were not gonna be around forever. And in the end, we might regret not telling how we feel. Maybe now is the time to tell her. But don’t talk like a perv.”

Spike was confused by the last part, but he looked at Rarity again, watching the horizon. He took a deep breath and relaxed, allowing him to walk over to Rarity. Soon he stood next to her, watching the horizon with her.

“Nice horizon, isn’t it?” said Spike.

“It is.” Said Rarity “Much better than watching the ocean.”

The two continued staring at the horizon until Spike decided to be bold.

“Listen, Rarity.” Said Spike.

“Yes?” said Rarity as she looked at him.

Spike took a pause and then confessed.

“Ever since the floodings happened, all of us lost everything.” Began Spike “The lives we had, the people we knew, were all gone. Our lives were never the same anymore.”

He looked down and smiled a little, “But ever since we met, you were the only one who showed me kindness that day when no one else did. You accepted me without hesitation; you even tried to stand up for me when no one else did.”

He then had a saddened look.

“But when you were hurt and poisoned, I was scared out of my mind. I thought I was going to lose you. I promised I’d look after you right then and there.”

He blushed a little but continued.

“I don’t know how to explain things. But…I think since that day, I made a promise to protect you…I think I fell in love with you.”

Rarity was speechless by his words with widened eyes.

“When I overheard that the only antidotes were extinct from Twilight,” said Spike, “I

overheard her saying that there were also military supplies that could help. I didn’t care if I wasn’t strong enough; I only thought about saving you. When we did, I never felt so happy. You’re the reason I lived. And you’re the reason I keep living, the only one that shined like the brightest diamond.”

There was silence for a moment. Spike merely assumed the worst and said.

“Anyway, that’s how I feel.” Said Spike as he stood up. “I’m sorry that I wasted your time.”

But just as he was about to turn around and walk away…

“Spike, wait.”

He felt his hand being held, which caused Spike to look at her. She had a blush on her face as she looked sideways a bit while also feeling nervous for some reason.

“Did you…really mean what you said?” asked Rarity.

Spike was a little taken aback by this, but he remembered what Beau said, then said calmly, “Yes. I did.”

Rarity looked at him for a moment and took a breather.

“Truth be told…” said Rarity as she partially looked away. “I feel the same way.” 

Now Spike was surprised.

“When I first met you, I thought you were an innocent soul forced to be part of Princess Celestia’s group. But when we brought you onboard, Twilight was so happy to be reunited with you. But most importantly, I was impressed and intrigued by your manners and actions. You didn’t take advantage of us or me despite certain accidents. You even bravely stood up for us.”

She looked at him and said, “But while I was poisoned, I overheard everything. I wanted to scold Rainbow for wanting to use you again or treat you horribly, but I couldn’t because of my condition. But then you bravely went to the other ship when you remembered there were other ways to make the antidote. Even if Fluttershy did make it, you were the one who saved me. I think that’s when I fell in love with you.”

She walked closer to him and placed her hands on his chest while her face was

lowered. “Spike the Dragon.”

She looked straight at him in the eyes and said, “Please show me that you love me, and I will do the same in return.”

Spike blushed, but Beau’s words still rang in his head. Spike took a breath, leaned towards her face, and placed his lips on hers, with Rarity doing the same as their eyes

were closed. Spike held Rarity close to him, with Rarity doing the same. From afar, Beau couldn’t help but smile when he saw this.

“Even though Spike may have lost his chance when Silver arrived,” thought Beau, “It doesn’t mean that there isn’t a world where they shouldn’t be together.”

Beau walked away and left them alone to have their moment.

*********************************************************************

****************

An hour before the sun rose, the airships soon arrived right above Ponyville, with other crewmembers signaling them to stop before they did anything. Beau was at the front of the ship and used a telescope to look at Canterlot Castle from his position; with the leaders and the Mane 6 and Spike coming towards him.

“What’s the status?” asked Princess Celestia.

“See for yourself.” Said Beau as he presented the telescope.

Princess Luna approached and looked through the telescope. And thanks to her eyes, she can see through the night. She was able to assess what was going on.

“The guards have doubled.” Said Princess Luna as she looked back at the others. “They are right. With the oceans receding, fleets won’t be able to protect Canterlot.”

“Then we find a way to smash.” Said Rutherford.

“Thankfully, we’ll be able to sneak in undetected.” said Gilda.

“Indeed, a divide and conquer strategy.” Said Sky Beak.

“Then let’s get started.” Said Beau as he looked at Twilight and Sunset. “I assume you two can teleport us to the city close enough.”

“Yes, we can.” Said Twilight.

“But we’ll do that once everyone is in place.” Said Sunset.

“But once we go inside,” said Celestia, as she felt uncertain, “How do we…?”

She felt a hand on her shoulder, gaining her attention, and saw Beau looking at her.

“You have my word,” said Beau “We’ll do the best to spare them. They’re only following orders and don’t know they are being used.”

Celestia managed a smile before she said, “Thank you.”

Beau then noticed the sun was coming up. He realized what he had to do. “It’s time.” Said Beau.

He walked to the side of the ship and used his flashlight. He used it to signal the rest of the ships.

Within moments, half of all the Pegasi, Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Harpies, and Griffons flew while carrying the Yaks, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Kirin, Ahuizotl, Abyssinia, and Diamond Dogs to place them onto the ground to launch a full-scale attack.

From the walls of Canterlot, a few guards walked by. When they looked up, to their shock, they saw many creatures attacking from above.

“Intruders!!” shouted the guard. “Raise the alarm!!”

The guards quickly got to their station, but before some of them could get into position, the battle had already begun. The Pegasi Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Harpies, and Griffons were dealing with the Pegasi Royal Guards, while the Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Yaks, Kirin, Ahuizotl, Abyssinia, and Diamond Dogs were dealing with the Earth Pony and Unicorn Royal Guards. Many civilians from within the city tried to stay in hiding, while just as some were about to get dressed for guard duty, they were already pinned down by enemy invaders.

At the same time, from the poorer districts, the guards stationed there were about to return to the Castle to help strengthen their defenses until they got ambushed by others from all over the city, with the guards doing their best to defend themselves. In contrast, the invaders did their best not to kill them.

*********************************************************************

********************************

While the invasion started, a massive teleportation took place. Revealing as the infiltration party. He looked back and said, “Coast is clear; follow me.”

They followed him down the street while looking around, trying to ensure no one would spot them. Soon they made their way toward an abandoned building. “Alright, this is it.”

Night Watch and the group made their way toward the door. Rutherford did the honors of breaking the door down, allowing them to enter.

“Hey, look,” said Pinkie as she pointed at the trap door. “There it is.”

“Ah’ll open it.” Said Applejack as she moved towards it and opened it. Twilight and Sunset inspected it.

“From the looks of it, it looks large enough for any creature.” Said Twilight.

“But they’ll have to move in single file.” Said Sunset.

“I’ll go first.” Said Beau while making his way toward the door. “Ember, you’re with

me.”

“Why?” asked Ember, wondering what he had in mind.

“You have a strong sense of smell and can sense danger,” said Beau “We’ll be able to get in and have the element of surprise.”

“Good call.” Said Ember while she signaled two dragons to go with her.

“The royals and Mane 6 and Spike will be at the center,” said Beau, “While the guards look after them on both sides.”

“Let us win the day.” Said Sky Beak as he was eager for a battle.

Beau, Ember, and two of her guards entered first, with everyone following behind, while at the same time, they closed the hatch so that no one would follow them. They followed the tunnel to make their way toward the other side. Soon, they stopped near a door, with Beau signaling them to stop. He looked at Ember to confirm something. She smelled a bit, then shook her head, signaling to him that everything was clear.

Beau was able to open the door and looked around. He saw that they were in the Castle’s armory. Beau and Ember entered, with the guards following behind, and made their way toward the door. Once everyone entered, Beau leaned against the door, with Ember signaling that there were guards. Beau signaled the leaders to stay behind while their guards cleared the way. Beau counted three…two…one…

“Now!!” shouted Beau.

Within a split second, the Yaks burst through the doors, shocking the guards as they were easily overpowered.

They went from hall to hall, where the Royal Guards were being dealt with by their small army. Beau made his way to the doors of the Throne room. He looked behind to ensure every leader was there.

The Mane 6, Spike, Sunset, Celestia, Luna, Night Watch, Rutherford, Ember, Gilda, Thorax, Pharynx, Sky Beak, Novo, Lyra, Bonbon, Vinyl, Octavia, Mayor Mare, Zecora, and others were standing in position.

Beau nodded, signaling the strong ones to knock down the door. The moment they did, they immediately rushed in, where a handful of guards were waiting for them; on the throne was none other than the fake Celestia, who had a deadpanned cold expression, and stared at them with a smirk.

“So, you all made it here.” Said the fake Celestia. “I should’ve guessed the fighting outside was just a distraction.”

The Royal Guards were suddenly shocked to see not just Princess Luna but Princess Celestia, which left many of them confused.

“Alright then!!” shouted Sunset. “Who are you, and why have you done this?!!”

“That’s for me to know, and you never find out.” Said the Fake, “And don’t bother trying to attack, for I have all the power in the world to fight the good fight.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Said Beau, gaining everyone’s attention as he took a few steps away from the crowd. “Because I know who you really are.”

“Oh?” said the fake with a smile as she leaned forward. “Do you really?”

“Yeah,” said Beau as he kept his stare on her, “You had to be someone who knows how to spread lies and deceit throughout the kingdom. You also had to be a master of disguise and would know how to intimidate folks. But more importantly, you had to be someone with a grudge against Princess Celestia.”

Beau then dropped the final bomb as he said, “Why don’t you drop the disguise, Chrysalis?”

Many were surprised by what he said, with Chrysalis chuckling, saying, “So you figured it out.”

The fake soon transformed into a familiar face that Beau knew, which was none other than Queen Chrysalis, which shocked everyone in the room, including the Solar Guards.

“I must admit, I’m surprised some creature actually figured it out,” said Chrysalis while resting her one leg on the arm of the throne, “Considering the others were complete fools.”

Celestia got angry as she yelled, “You turned all of Equestria into a nightmare!! You tried to kill my sister!! You even tried to hunt Twilight and her friends down!! And for what?!!”

Chrysalis merely chuckled and said, “And all of you were so easy to fool after all these years.”

“And you left your own kind and subjects to rot!!” shouted Pharynx. “We were loyal to you till the end, and you betrayed us!!”

“Please,” said Chrysalis playfully, “I couldn’t care less about the Changeling Swarm. All of you are nothing but expendable husks anyway.”

Pharynx and Thorax growled at her for that insult, as she had just thrown away her own kind.

“At first,” began Chrysalis, “I had planned on invading Canterlot, considering that my spies told me there would be a wedding soon. But then I realized, why not go straight for the top of the food chain? So I decided to attack Celestia with my former Changelings and use her for my own benefit. Once that was taken care of, I took our dear Princess’s role here. I pretended to go mad to throw everyone off guard so none could be the wiser.”

“But how did you flood the world?” said Spike. “Only Princess Celestia could control the sun.”

“You forget two crucial artifacts that could help me in the long run.” Said Chrysalis as she showed them two certain artifacts on her neck.

“The Alicorn Pendant?” said Twilight surprised.

“And the Medallion of the Ahuizotl Sun god?” said Sunset.

“With this power, I could control the sun, allowing me full reign on the most powerful element.” Said Chrysalis with a grin on her face. “Once I had accomplished this, I continued to play the role and drown many of those pathetic ponies and all who attempted to stand in my way. And once I got rid of Luna and imprisoned both Shining Armour and Cadenza, I could have the full power of the world, where none would stand in my way.”

“And what about bombing the islands?!” shouted Spike “They were innocent ponies trying to live their lives and survive the best they could!!”

“I knew that sooner or later those pathetic ponies would one day rebel against me,” said Chrysalis, “So I had many of those fools under my payroll to ensure that none would rise up against me. Fancy Pants and Suri Polomare did their jobs to the fullest.”

“Until their demise.” Said Rarity.

“Indeed.” Said Chrysalis. “Though it doesn’t matter. I mean, who would even believe a word you have said. I impersonated Celestia, imprisoned the real one, attempted to kill Luna, and drove anyone who could stand in my way. No matter how much you try to prove and say…no one will believe you.”

Beau smirked underneath his helmet, but Chrysalis didn’t see that.

“Oh, they already do.” Said Beau.

Everyone looked at him, even Chrysalis, with a flexed eyebrow.

“Excuse me?” said Chrysalis.

Beau dug into his pocket and pulled out a type of stone while smiling with a smirk on his face. Twilight and Sunset were surprised to see what it was.

“Is that…?” began Twilight.

“A communication stone of Starswirl the Bearded?” finished Sunset.

“That’s right.” Said Beau, then looked back at Chrysalis. “The moment we entered the room, I secretly activated the stone, and through my thoughts, I commanded it to broadcast magical footage of you around the world to every creature still out there. And from what you didn’t guess…”

Beau continued to grin while looking directly at Chrysalis. “You just confessed to everything you have done.”

Chrysalis was shocked by what he revealed, including everyone in the room. While at the same time, every creature throughout the world had witnessed it, and all of them were horrified, angered, and enraged at what she had done and what she had done to Equestria’s monarchy.

“In other words…” said Beau while placing the stone away. “You’re busted.”

“No, no…” responded Chrysalis. “That’s not possible….”

She then saw the Solar Guards pointing their spears at her, daring her to make a move. The ones accompanying Beau looked at him, stunned.

“That was…truly ingenious.” Responded Luna.

“Did you also swipe it from the vault?” asked Sunset.

“Only as a precaution.” Said Beau, “Luck favors the prepared.”

“That’s what I always said.” Said Twilight in equal surprise.

“You…” growled Chrysalis as she got up. “You will pay for what you have done.”

“If you want to fight me, you must do it according to tradition.” Said Beau.

“What tradition?” said Chrysalis.

Beau took a deep breath and tried to remember if he knew how to do this right.

“Chrysalis, queen of the Changelings.” Said Beau before he sharply pointed his finger at the Changeling Queen and shouted, “I challenge you to Mock Gnarl Na!!!”

Everyone in the room and worldwide was shocked by what he had said, even Chrysalis. For Beau had just issued a fight to the death against the Changeling, a fight that only allowed weapons and skill. Chrysalis squinted her eyes and looked at him, only for her to smirk at him.

“Very well.” Said Chrysalis, “I accept.”

She hovered across the hall while Beau walked in a circle around her, both keeping their eyes firmly on one another.

“This will be interesting.” Said Chrysalis.

“You know how this will end, Chrysalis.” Responded Beau.

“How many more must fall until all will submit?” Said Chrysalis.

“Just…one.” Said Beau while he pulled out his spear and shield.

He moved towards her, with Chrysalis summoning a spear and shield. Beau moved left and right, then thrusted his spear, with Chrysalis dodging it to her left while he swung his shield; Chrysalis managed to block but could see he was close. He continued to circle her to make a perfect strike. Before she could react, Beau darted towards her, jumped, and thrusted his spear, making her quickly block it before he landed. Everyone else was tense from what they were seeing.

Beau attempted to smack Chrysalis with his shield, but she could block it with her own while avoiding the thrust of his spear, but instead got her head bashed when he struck her back. Both attempted to duck and block, tried to strike and thrust, and matched. However, when Chrysalis attempted to hold onto Beau’s spear, he used his shield to snap hers in half.

Beau and Chrysalis continued to fight until Chrysalis knocked his spear away as it skidded on the ground, but he failed to notice that it got turned into a bow. Chrysalis, out of instinct, pulled out a sword, with Beau doing the same as they were now clashing from sword to sword. Beau ended up placing the shield over his head with his left arm while his right arm was busy striking the sword all around, making Chrysalis stammer backward, with Beau keeping his stance and gaze upon Chrysalis. Half of the creatures, even Shining Armour, were impressed with his skills.

Chrysalis attacked again, attempting to strike Beau, but he kept moving to and fro, trying his best to get to her, but Chrysalis was truly a tough opponent. The moment she was close enough, Beau elbowed her in the face, then darted towards the left and jumped in the air to strike her down, but she could block it while moving backward. Both continued to swing their swords and use their shields to keep one another at bay. Beau jumped to slash at her, but Chrysalis blocked him. But before she could react, he tripped her as he kicked her backward, making her crash onto the ground.

“Get up, you bug-eyed freak.” Said Beau, “Prove that you’re still a leader and not a coward.”

Chrysalis growled, grabbed her broken spear, and used it to fight against him. The moment after the sixth clash, Beau slashed her leg, making her yelp in pain as she held her leg while she watched Beau and kept his stare at her.

“Enough of this!!” shouted Chrysalis as she instantly turned into a bear and charged.

Beau dodged her, put his sword away, and pulled out his knife.

Chrysalis charged once more, and Beau used his knife to cut her side, making her roar in pain; Chrysalis turned around and saw Beau raising his left arm in the air and using his shield to strike her in the face before being kicked in the face. She got mad and turned into a Minotaur, and charged at Beau. But he, in turn, charged her back and slid on the ground while cutting the side of her leg, making her yelp and yell in pain again when Beau jabbed his knife into her thigh before bashing his shield against her stomach and then her head.

Having enough, Chrysalis turned into what appeared to be a mole monster. And before Beau could react, Chrysalis knocked Beau so hard that he was flung across the floor and skidded until he was at the center, making him drop his shield and knife. The others were shocked when they watched this. They wanted to intervene, but they knew the laws regarding duels and couldn’t interfere, no matter how hard they wanted to. Before Beau could do anything, Chrysalis grabbed Beau, picking him up and making him look her straight.

“Before I finish you off,” said Chrysalis, “Any last words you wanna say to me?”

Beau then looked to his right, and to his surprise, he saw his spear, but it had turned into a bow with an arrow placed next to it. He wondered what he should do. That was until he remembered his days in the human world, the last part of his training, which he remembers all too well. Two techniques would be the strongest that any warrior in his family had ever produced. He wasn’t sure if he was ready, but he knew he had to try. He looked at her sternly.

“Yeah,” said Beau while looking straight at her. “Two sentences, in fact.”

Beau instantly headbutted Chrysalis, making him drop Beau, while the human immediately ran towards the bow and picked both it and the arrow. He aimed his arrow right at her and pulled it with his bow. However, the moment he did that, his bow began to glow.

Once he knew it was ready, he shouted, “Ryuu ga waga teki wo kurau!!”

The moment he released the bow and fired the arrow, the arrow instantly exploded, transforming it into two twin blue dragons while they roared. Everyone was in shock and awe from seeing that as it flew straight toward Chrysalis.

“Twilight!!” shouted Beau, making the Princess look at her. “Use your teleportation spell to switch my place with Chrysalis!!”

Twilight was taken aback by this and said, “What, why?!”

“Just do it!!” shouted Beau.

Not wanting to second guess him now, Twilight instantly teleported Beau and Chrysalis, making them switch places. They wondered what he had in mind until he pulled out his Star Calibur sword, Stardust.

Beau twirled his sword and shouted, “Ryujin no ken wo kurae!!”

Within a split second, he summoned a green dragon. And to their shock, they saw Beau had controlled all three dragons while he swung them around in the room.

“All of you!!” shouted Beau, gaining their attention “Concentrate all your power, combine it with both the dragons!! Trust me on this!!”

“You heard him, everyone!!” shouted Twilight. “Let’s do this!!”

With the combined power of their elements and magic, they combined it with the dragons, making them glow brighter and more powerful, which shocked Chrysalis when she saw this new power firsthand.

“Chrysalis!!” shouted Beau. “You’re done!!”

And with one mighty strike, Beau threw all the power against Chrysalis.

“NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!” shouted Chrysalis before she was engulfed in its power, causing her own power to be stripped and reducing her back to her changeling form, taking away all of her power from both her Alicorn Amulet and the Sun Pendant. At the same time, their power went straight to both the sun and move, causing both elements to move on their own accord.

The smoke soon died down, and everyone saw that Chrysalis was on the ground but shaking. Beau walked towards her with his Stardust Calibur still in his hand. He walked towards her while the weakened Changeling Queen stood on her knees and looked at him directly with hatred.

“I…impossible.” Said Chrysalis as she looked at Beau in anger. “Nopony can defeat me. So…how can you?”

Beau then stood before her, staring down at the former Changeling Queen, now a vicious tyrant. Beau then reached his right hand towards his helmet and hood and held onto them. The moment he removed his helmet, he revealed his face, his human face, staring at her in anger, taking Chrysalis in shock as she stared at his face, with every creature in the room and witnessing around the world just as shocked.

He simply replied, “I am no pony.”

He twirled his sword and shouted in rage, while with one mighty blow, he struck the blade right through her chest, taking her by shock as she grunted. She slowly looked up at him as he was angry at her.

“Go to hell!!” shouted Beau “And take your evil and likeminded friends with you!!!”

With another plunge, Chrysalis screamed in agony as all the other power she had stored within herself over the years had been returned to the world, making Chrysalis collapse onto the ground, for the queen of the Changelings…was lifeless and no more.

Beau turned around to the shocked audience when they saw what his face really looked like. He simply responded, “It’s over. It’s time for all of us to wake up, for the nightmare is over.”

*********************************************************************

**********************************

A few hours later, the reconstruction of Equestria had finally begun. With many of the cities and towns in ruins, it would be long before anywhere else could be the total population again. Thankfully, many of the world’s creatures wish to live in those towns and cities, as it would give them a chance to mingle with Ponykind. Beau stood at the edge of a familiar town that was the first to be fully rebuilt, and its former occupants came to live there, the town of Ponyville.

Beau couldn’t help but smile as he said, “Glad to see some things will never change.”

He then felt a presence, making him turn around and see. There stood Spike (holding Rarity’s hand), the Mane 6, Sunset Shimmer, Shining Armour, Cadance, Celestia, Luna, and Discord, who had a hard time wrapping their heads around to see what was before them, except for Sunset, considering she had experience.

“I’m sensing all of you have questions.” Said Beau.

“You darn right we do.” said Applejack “What in tarnation are ya’ll?”

“He’s a human.” Said Sunset, earning confused looks from the others. “Humans are almost like we are, but without any pony or creature features.”

“Exactly.” Said Beau, “I did tell the truth that I was once a prince. But my origins, not so much.”

“Then…” said Twilight as Beau noticed she was going into geek mode again. “Where did you come from?”

“I believe I can answer that.” Said a voice as they watched the person in the cloak coming. She stood next to Beau and removed her hood.

“Everyone,” said Beau, “Meet my grandmother, Brightstar. She lived around during the time of Gusty the Great.”

They were surprised at first, with Brightstar slightly bowing to them.

“Greetings, everypony.” Said Brightstar.

“You lived during Gusty’s time?” asked Princess Luna.

“I did.” Said Brightstar.

“How did humans even exist in this world?” said Sunset.

“To start with, were from a different Equestria,” said Beau, “One where the floodings never took place.”

Again they were surprised, with Brightstar continuing.

“Long ago, before the time of Gusty,” said Brightstar as she projected images from the past. “There were many creatures from different kingdoms, including humans, who

didn’t live apart but together in harmony. The Caribou and many other kingdoms had

sought to create trees of harmony where they could be spread worldwide. But we had to plant trees in certain parts of Equestria to shield them from the darkest evils. One in Equestria, one in the kingdom of Caninia, one in the kingdom of Abyssinia, one in Ornithia, and one in Farasi. We were planning to plant a tree in Equestria, but there were complications.”

“What kind of complications?” asked Applejack.

“You can blame him for that.” Said Beau as he pointed at Discord while they looked at him.

“Oh yes,” said Discord sheepishly, “During my…chaotic days.”

“By the time we got there,” said Brightstar, “Discord had already begun to spread chaos all around. And Discord, realizing that he couldn’t defeat them, turned the element bearers from around the world against their own people and them. Angered, they wanted to destroy the Tree of Harmonies from all over the world.”

“They would’ve succeeded if it weren’t for my grandmother, Gusty, and my great grandfather Achilles.” Said Beau, “They were able to warn Caribouria in time, and thanks to them, they were able to hide the trees before any more damage could be done. But Cunabula caught wind of it, so they sold us out to Grogar and his legion of monsters.”

“Because of it, a great battle has spread worldwide.” Said Beau, “Seeing that they had a common enemy, every Knight of Harmony from around the world, along with the creatures they protected, they launched their attacks and succeeded.”

Beau then had a saddened look. “But it came at a price.”

“What price would that be?” asked a concerned Rarity.

“After the battle,” said Brightstar, “Many of the Knights, besides myself, Gusty and Achilles, had fallen, along with half of every creature that fought alongside us. But overtime, however, they blamed one another for the misery and pain they had caused; even loved ones had turned on one another. Most of the blames ended up being shifted to humans. Having no choice, we were forced to send them to another world, another Earth, where they could be safe. But I also had to say goodbye to my husband Achilles and our baby child.”

They felt really bad for Brightstar, with Fluttershy and Cadance comforting her.

“As for how I got to Equestria.” said Beau, “I died there, drowned in a whirlpool.”

They were taken aback by this, but Beau continued on.

“See, I didn’t exactly have a happy childhood.” Said Beau. “My father was an irresponsible gambler, and my mother always worked from one place to another. None

of my parents had time for me, so I ended up being focused on my studies. Then one day, a few years after I graduated from college, I was camping out at the lake just to clear my head. But while I was swimming, I suddenly got pulled into a whirlpool. I think I drowned, and everything blacked out. The next thing I knew, I ended up in Equestria. Before I knew it, I bumped into a certain pony there, who eventually became my first friend. At first, the citizens thought I was strange, but they later accepted me as I grew on them. Soon after a month, we ended up falling for one another.”

He then sheepishly rubbed his arm and blushed red, “And we also kinda made love on our first night before our first date.”

Everyone was surprised by that while also amused at the same time.

“In time, we got married after we found out she was pregnant.” Said Beau. He suddenly couldn’t help but smile and said, “And we ended up having a baby girl.”

“Aw, that’s so sweet.” Said Pinkie Pie.

“Who’s the lucky girl?” said Sunset as she was also interested.

Beau rubbed the back of his head and said, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

“Try us.” Said Rainbow.

Beau reluctantly pulled out a photo and presented it to them, allowing one of them to accept it. However, what was on it, none of them had ever expected. It was a picture of Beau alongside Twilight Sparkle and their daughter.

“Wait!!” said a shocked Twilight. “In another world, were married?!!”

“That’s right.” Said Beau, “And I wasn’t the first human to get there.”

He presented them with more pictures, and all of them accepted. And to their surprise, it was pictures of them, but also pictures with Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, Emily, Ignis, Platinum, Nebula, and Blades. All of them were taken aback by this when they saw their own kids.

“Each of them died of a horrible fate.” Said Beau. “Bucky died when he saved a child before the child was run over. Silver died in a terrible crash. Genus died of gas poisoning. Bolt died when he fell, and Frosty and his sister were crushed by a collapsing building. Don’t know how Ignis got there, but Blade died of a heart attack, Platinum fell off of a cliff due to his blindness, and Nebula died because of his Narcolepsy, a sleeping disorder. We arrived in Equestria, and each of them fell in love with all of you.”

Beau couldn’t help but smile and said, “You have no idea that you all saved us that day.”

They kept staring at the pictures, but they were attracted to the young children with them. Twilight was the first to ask as she said, “What are the kids” names?”



Beau kept his smile and said, “Moonlight Sparkle. Apple Slice. Crystal Gem. Warm Breeze. Bolt Jr. Peacon and Lemon Pie. Searing Shimmer. Sun Gleam and Bright Day. Dark Void. Flurry Heart and Raging Halbert.”

The girls were amazed by the kids they had. Then they looked at Beau and Brightstar.

“Did…did we have a good life in the end?” asked Twilight.

Beau couldn’t help but smile and said, “More than you could imagine.”

They couldn’t help but smile at this, with Spike holding Rarity’s hand, gaining her attention as the two smiled at one another, with Beau adding, “But I’m afraid it’s not over yet.”

They looked at him in concern, with Beau telling them.

“Even though Chrysalis may be gone and Discord is at your side,” said Beau, “There will still be more danger ahead.”

“What kind of danger?” asked a concerned Sunset.

“The Crystal Empire will return, and so will the tyrant Sombra in phantom form.” Began Beau, which shocked many “After that, there’s still the matter with the mad Centaur Tirek, who will escape from Tartarus and begin a rampage by stealing all of your magic. But before that, all of you will need to go to the Castle of the Two Sisters; that’s where you will find the Tree of Harmony, the same tree that the Elements of Harmony came from.”

“And the tree will present a chest to all of you.” Said Brightstar as she created six different keys and handed them to them, allowing them to accept them while she said,

“These keys will allow you to unlock the chest and give both Princess Twilight and Sunset Shimmer a single castle. From there, it will even make a map for all of you, which will allow you to go on missions to those who need to solve a friendship problem for you to spread the magic of friendship across Equestria.”

“After that,” said Beau, “All of you were meant to help a pony named Starlight Glimmer when she went down the wrong path.”

He looked down, saddened. “But with her gone…that’s no longer possible.”

“What do you mean?” said Twilight.

“After you stopped her,” said Beau, “You gave her another chance, and she became your student. In turn, she helped the Changelings change their ways and rescued all of you from Chrysalis” grasp. In the other world, it was like that, but in yours…not anymore.”

“Wow, big difference.” Said Pinkie, agreeing with that notion.

“Afterwards, all of you will continue to help those along the way.” Said Beau. “There will be difficult challenges, but I believe all of you will succeed in the end.”

“We will.” Said a determined Shining Armour. “We promise you.”

“So what will all of you do now?” asked Beau.

“While Twilight and her friends continue with that path,” said Luna, “Tia and I will choose to stand down.”

“She’s right.” said Celestia. “Even though Chrysalis may be gone and even when others have seen through her lies, many will never accept or trust us again. This is why we will travel and ensure that we will earn everypony’s trust again. Which is why Twilight and Sunset will make excellent rulers.”

“I’m afraid I can’t just yet.” Said Sunset, gaining their attention. “I still need to go back to Canterlot High and make up for my mistakes.”

“Has the Fall Formal happened yet?” asked Beau. Sunset was surprised by this, but she shook her head. “Before that happens, reach out to Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. Make it up to those five first. Then, use the power of harmony to give them their Equestrian Magic. But after doing so, look for the Sirens, for Starswirl banished them years ago, but they will still run amuck. Afterward, when the Friendship Games starts, reach out to that Twilight and, tell her the truth, invite her to your friendship circle. But…you will also have to blow the top of the statue to do it.”

“What? Why?” asked a confused Sunset.

“Because in doing so, Equestrian Magic will leak through into that world.” Said Beau, which surprised Sunset, “Which, in turn, will grant you seven powers beyond your imagination. But along your journey through redemption, reach out to many others like Gloriosa Daisy, Juniper Montage, Wallflower Blush, Vignette Valencia, and Post Crush. They will no doubt likely be infected with Equestrian Magic, but their own fears, paranoia, and greed will lead them down a dark path. Do what you can to help them and teach them from right to wrong. Help them become better people. And start spreading the magic of friendship there. And in the end, you’ll see that it’ll be worth it.”

Sunset pondered about this, then looked at him and said, “I promise I’ll try.”

“I know you will.” Said a smiling Beau.

“Congratulations Beau.” Said Brightstar as he looked at her, with Twilight and the others watching. “Because of your actions and you finally embracing your role and becoming the leader you were meant to be, by leading by example and reminding them of who they were, you have passed your test. Therefore, I will give you this.”

Within an instant, she teleported a chest in front of him, allowing it to open itself, allowing a single object to float out of it and towards him, making him catch it as it was glowing purple, which surprised them.

“This is called the Driver,” said Brightstar. “For it gives the leader the power to lead the team and become a beacon of hope to those who have none. Take this with pride, and lead others to a better tomorrow. Normally I’d give you the weapons to go with it, but you have already gained them through your trials.”

Beau accepted it while he bowed in respect. “Thank you…grandmother.”

Suddenly, they all saw a circle of light beneath him, with Beau saying to them, “It’s time for me to go.”

“Beau,” asked Twilight, gaining his attention as they gathered around him. “Will we ever see you again?”

“When the time is right, I know we will.” Said Beau with a smile on his face. “I look forward to it when the time comes.”

“So do we.” Said Sunset as all of them hugged him goodbye, with him returning the gesture.

Once they departed, everyone waved goodbye to him.

“Bye Beau, hope we meet again.” Said Pinkie Pie, “And when we do, we’ll throw you the biggest reunion party ever!!”

“I look forward to it!!” said Beau as he waved back at them.

“We can’t thank you enough, Beau.” Said Princess Celestia.

“We’ll find a way to visit one day.” Said Princess Luna.

Beau soon disappeared, with Brightstar smiling.

“Well done, everyone,” said Brightstar within her mind. “The set is not complete. The rest will be up to you.”

“Hey, Brightstar.” Said Pinkie Pie, shaking the immortal mare out of her thoughts as she and the others looked at her. “Before either of us do anything, wanna have that celebration party I’ve been working on?”

Brightstar couldn’t help but smile while saying, “I suppose so; why not? I could use a break.”

“YAY!!” cheered Pinkie Pie as she grabbed her while they walked towards Ponyville.

“Maybe I could use a break.” Thought Brightstar to herself while walking Pinkie and the others to Ponyville.
> Chapter 12: Warriors of Harmony, Arise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From an undisclosed location, somewhere in the middle of the woods, known as the Forbidden Forest in Caribouria, not much is known about this place, but it is rumored to hold many dark secrets. At different locations, several glowing lights appeared, revealing four individuals.

Emily noticed and exclaimed, “Frosty!!”

Frosty was caught off guard when Emily hugged her brother, with him returning the gesture.

“Whoa, there you are.” Said Genus. “What happened?”

“No idea,” said Silver. “We were teleported somewhere, but I’m not sure where.”

“Ditto on that.” Said Frosty after Emily was done hugging him. But he noticed they were three short. “Wait, where’s Beau, Bucky, and Bolt?”

They looked around and noticed that the three of them weren’t around.

“The hell did they go?” said Genus as he looked around.

“Doesn’t matter.” Said Silver as he got serious. “Wherever we are, we came here for a reason. So we’d better get going.”

“Yeah, and pass a few stories.” Said Emily. “It’s going to be a long one.”

The three agreed and traveled down the path, hoping they would find the others in time.

*********************************************************************

**********************************

From within the fog, near what appeared to be water, Bolt was instantly teleported.

But he needed clarification on where he was.

“The hell?” muttered Bolt as he looked around. But then he moved forward, trying to find his way around. “Where the hell am I?”

“Cole….”

Bolt sharply looked around while he was startled. He heard his old name, which he hadn’t called himself in years. He sharply looked around, trying to find out who said it.

“So…you’re here.” Said a familiar voice.

Bolt turned to his left, and to his shock, he saw a man he had hated all his life…his father, Corey Bolton.

“Figured that you didn’t die when you fell off that ladder.”

Bolt gripped his fists at the very sight of that man.

“Look at you,” said Corey Bolton as he took a few steps towards him. “Thinking that you have a happy life, pretending to be happily married to a horse-faced bird who only cares about herself and leaving others to dust. She’s a whore just like your mother.”

“And who do you think you’re fooling?”

Bolt was shocked to hear another voice. And looking back, it was none other than Dr. Luther Paradigm, the same man who ruined his cousin” business.

“How do you know she loved you?” said the doctor. “You never trusted anyone since you first got there. I took everything away from you, and you became bitter and never wanted to trust anyone old or new.

He stood near him and said, “And one of these days, your new friends in Equestria will betray that trust.”

Soon the two of them stood in front of him.

“And your son…is nothing more than a hideous freak,” said Corey.

“And too bad they weren’t on my world; otherwise, I’d love to experiment on both of them as my own personal….” Said Luther Paradigm.

Having enough, Bolt used his Shark Blade and struck both of them, making them collapse on the ground. As the two were in pain, Bolt stood near them.

“Don’t you ever, ever!! Talk shit about my wife and son again. Do you understand me?!!”

He looked at his father and said, “You’re so full of it. You didn’t care about anyone else. You blamed mom for your mistakes; you were why I ended up being like this. She did everything for you, but all you cared about was boning her; you didn’t even like me the day I was born. You became an abusive drunk and made our lives a living hell.”

Bolt lifted his sleeve, revealing a scar on his left shoulder.

“A son can never choose his father. For this was the only thing, you ever gave me.” He placed the sleeve back in its place, saying: “I hated you until the day you died. I heard that you died in prison. That’s the least you deserved. I don’t need to be better through other people because unlike you, I did that myself.”

He looked at Doctor Luther Paradigm next.

“My Uncle trusted you. My cousins trusted you. I trusted you. You were a good man, once a man who stood for the good of science, and you threw it all away by illegally experimenting on people. I thought you’d have a change of heart. Instead, you burnt it all to the ground, destroying everything the Bolton Family had worked for. I’m glad you died of a heart attack later, for that’s the least you deserve.”

He looked at them dead and said, “You two are done. I’m through letting the likes of you push me around. And for the first time in my life…I’m finally free. And I’m planning to live my life. And there ain’t a damn thing you can do about it.”

Bolt walked away, not bothering to look back. For what he said was all he needed. Within mere moments, Doctor Paradigm and Corey Bolton disappeared, leaving Bolt finally to finish what he wanted to say.

********************************************************************************************************

In a secondary location from within the fog, near what appeared to be a few trees, Bucky was instantly teleported next to them.

“What the…?” muttered Bucky while he looked around. “This isn’t right. I was supposed to be with the others. Why…?”

“Buck…”

Bucky froze in his tracks and widened his eyes. For he heard two voices speak out at the same time, voices that he knew all too well.

“Oh no,” said Bucky to himself.

Out of the shadows were none other than his deadbeat parents, the ones who treated him like a criminal.

“You’ve got some nerve to still be alive after what you’ve done.” Said his father.

“You could’ve taken responsibility for your sister’s death…” said the mother before she was cut off.

“Let me stop you there.” Said Bucky, but before he could talk, he suddenly grabbed them both by the throats and strangled them.

“You cannot do this to us!!” shouted his father.

“We are your parents!!” shouted his mother. “What are you doing?!”

“Something I should’ve done a long time ago,” responded Bucky. “Standing up to you!!!”

He bashed their heads against one another and tossed them hard onto the ground. Both groaned, but they listened to Bucky as he spoke directly to them.

“I didn’t kill my sister.” Said Bucky. “You two did.”

He squinted his eyes and said, “You don’t remember, do you? Well, let me refresh your memory.”

He kept his focus on them to make sure they would listen.

“Long before Daisy had cancer,” began Bucky, “She was really sick. She wouldn’t make it; she would have some part of her body damaged when it happened. I told her we should take her to the hospital, but you didn’t want to and said it would be too expensive.”

He looked at them angrily and shouted, “I know we didn’t have that much money, but what the hell kind of parent would refuse to take their child to a proper doctor!!”

He calmed a bit, then said, “But you decided to buy medicine from a con man. I told you we shouldn’t buy something from a stranger, but you didn’t listen. You were so desperate to try to save her you never considered the consequences that would follow.”

Then he gripped his fists in anger. “Yeah, it may have saved her. But then, the next thing I knew, she secretly began to cough blood. I was horrified; I didn’t know what was going on. But going on a hunch, I took the medicine you gave her and gave it to a real doctor to see what kind it was. He told me that the medicine you gave her may have cured her illness, but it caused her body to relapse, eliminating most of her cells and, in turn, what gave her cancer.”

Bucky’s tears began to build up, and he said, “And the day when she was so weak, you finally took her to a proper doctor, who told her she had cancer. They wanted to perform an operation on her, but again, you refused proper treatment. And she bravely fought it for the past two years until she died.”

He shed a tear or two, then shouted, “And then you had the gall to blame me!! ME!! Your own son!! For something, I didn’t do!! Every problem you had, you kept blaming me!! You made me feel like a criminal; you kept blaming me that I killed Daisy. I didn’t kill her!!”

He stood over them as they looked at him back, showing actual fear in their eyes. He then squinted his eyes and said, “You two did. And then you didn’t show up at my graduation and had the gall to kick me out before I could find my own place in the world.”

Things were tense between them, and they kept quiet throughout most of the conversation. But Bucky was able to calm down and wiped his tears.

“After I left, I had no other reason to live. Even after I died.” Said Bucky. But then he managed a smile and said, “But after I died, I somehow was alive by a miracle. I found a home, a mare I loved, a family, and a child, one that I cherish more than anything, and I vowed I’d be a better parent than you two ever were. And for the first time in my life, I have a family to return to.”

But then his smile grew wider. “Then a miracle.”

He looked at them and said, “I found out my sister was alive. She had been here ever since she was eight. I wasn’t there for her, yet she had already become a strong woman. I made peace with her, and we became a family again. I’ll make sure I’ll protect her.”

He walked past them and said, “No matter what, I’ll always have a family. You got nothing. Enjoy living your pathetic life. I now have my own family to go back to.”

He then walked away with his eyes closed. But right before both parents disappeared, he then said, “Goodbye. Mom and dad.”

*************************************************************************************************

In a third location from within the fog, near what appeared to be a grassy field, Beau was instantly teleported next to them.

“Whoa, where am I?” said Beau. “I that I was supposed to be with the others.”

But as he looked at the fog, he instantly realized what it was, given his knowledge of old legends.

“Whoa, I recognize the fog.” Said Beau. “The fog nearly looks like Niflheim. They say the fog can show your deepest fears and torments.”

“Thomas…,” said an eerie voice.

Beau recognized the voice. Or voices, in this case. He sighed and knew all too well who they were. He looked to his right and saw that. Both his parents. The deadbeat father and the workaholic mother.

“So…” said Beau as he looked at them, trying to keep a straight face. “It’s you two.”

“What?” said the father. “Not surprising to see us?”

“No,” said Beau. “Figured I’d bump into you one day. Never figured I’d be here.”

“And why not?” said the mother. “We’re finally together after all this time. To be a family.”

“Family?” scoffed Beau. “Like you ever cared about family.”

“How dare you.” Said the father.

“No, how dare you.” Said Beau. “You had the gall to think that both of you are responsible parents, yet all you did was neglect me. You never even bothered to spend time with me.”

He looked at his father and said, “You’re nothing but a deadbeat gambler, who only cared about betting and wasting money, and yet you didn’t even bother to spend time with your family. What you did affect us. No wonder your father disowned you after what you did.”

He then turned to his mother and said, “And you’re also cold, you’re also calculating, you never told me you loved me, you never even told me you liked me. You’re always working and never had any time for me. All I wanted was parents who loved and accepted me, not forcing me to do stuff I was never happy over. And because of that, I never had any friends. And leaving your child and making their lives miserable. Is that what they called parenthood in your day?”

“It was to teach you respect.” Said the mother. “And you acted like a spoilt brat, and you were ungrateful.”

“I was just a kid!!” shouted Beau. “We’re not supposed to be geniuses!! We’re not supposed to be grateful!! We’re supposed to eat your food, break your heart, make mistakes and find our own way in life, you selfish pricks!! Because of you, I was so afraid to become you that I never wanted to have a family of my own.”

Beau then held a finger in front of them to be silenced, saying, “But I ended up finding what I really wanted. I finally gained friends. I finally found someone who loved me for who I was. I even gained a daughter and made sure she grew up right. But you know what I’m equally ashamed of?”

He took a few steps forward and said, “You didn’t tell me of our legacy.”

They quirked their eyebrows at this.

“Long ago,” said Beau, “We were born in another world, the House of Rohan, and we were respected by other creatures. But because of certain events, we were forced to leave. Since then, the stories have been passed down. Then one day, by the time you two were born, you didn’t want to continue to tell the tale. You threw away the very legacy that we stood for. And because of that, innocent people from Equestria got hurt, all because you two wanted more money and wasted it away. How much is enough for you two?”

“Don’t you dare think you know what we do,” said Beau’s mother. “You don’t understand any of my business, and I had the perfect future planned out for you.”

“You’re future!! Not mine!!” shouted Beau, silencing the both of them. “When I was back home, I didn’t know what I wanted. But since the day I came to Equestria. I feel like I’m making a major difference.”

They were silent for a moment until Beau decided to walk past them, but then his mother talked to him again, making him stop and look at her.

“Thomas, stop.” His mother said, “If you had just let us explain, you’d realize that you’re talking nonsense.”

“No,” said Beau. “All my life, I did what you two wanted me to do. And now…I’m controlling my own future. My own Destiny.”

Beau then walked closer to them and said, “And what you want, that’s never going to happen. For every decision you make, I’ll always defy them, and unlike today, you don’t get to tell me what to do. And no matter how hard you try, no matter how much you threaten me, you will never change how I think, and you will never change how we live.”

He stopped near them and said, “You talk about throwing away one’s life and future? Well, congratulations. You both just did it a long time ago. And you stopped being my family. You’re a disgrace to the Rohan name. Maybe one day you will know the meaning of the word.”

Beau walks away, feeling a great sense of pride for the first time in years, and very soon, his parents disappear, too, for Beau’s trial is finally complete.

****************************************************************************************************

From outside of the fog, a large ship that nearly resembled a Viking’s ship, things have been quiet. Finally, Silver, Genus, Frosty, and Emily came out of the thick fog while waving their hands around, trying to clear their way without any problems. Pretty soon, they saw a large clearing. They saw the docked ship waiting for someone or something from that clearing.

“Whoa,” said Silver. “Is that a Viking ship?”

“It looks that way,” said Genus. “But I also see that there are also a few Caribou designs there too.”

“He’s right.” Said Emily. “I can tell by its symbols and murals on all sides.”

Frosty then looked to his left and said, “Hey, I can see the others.”

They looked in his direction, and true to his word, Beau, Bucky and Bolt walked out of the fog and made their way to the others.

“Guys, you’re okay.” Said Emily.

“If you can call going through a Norse-like fog where we had to face some parts of our past, okay.” Said Bolt.

“Really?” said Frosty. He suddenly looked at the audience and muttered, “Oh wait, of course, they did.”

“So, now that we’re all here, where to now?” asked Emily.

“Ah, I see all of you have made it.”

They turned in the right direction and saw that it was Brightstar. She smiled and said, “Congratulations on making it here.”

“Okay, we passed your trials,” said an impatient Bolt. “So now what?”

“Hey,” said Beau as he looked at them while exclaiming, “Show my grandma some

respect.”

All of them were taken aback by this.

“Hold on a second!!” said Frosty as he suddenly took out a glass of water, took a sip, and did a spit take, which surprised Emily simultaneously.

“That’s your grandma!!” exclaimed Silver.

“You’re grandma is a pony?! How?!” exclaimed Genus.

“There is a ton to explain,” said Brightstar as she gestured to the ship and said, “Now come. While I focus on taking all of you where you need to go, Beau will explain the situation.”

Soon, the lot of them boarded their ship. Once all of them boarded, the gangplank instantly got retracted. When they got on board, they were surprised to see the size of the ship, especially since it had a small bonfire for those who wanted to sit around it and make small talk.

“All of you rest up,” said Brightstar. “You could use a break after what you just went through.”

Brightstar walked to the front of the ship and used her magic to make the ship’s sails drop, then used her magic to make it move at a slow pace, for it had been a long time since anyone had used this and traveled through the waters. The husbands and Emily went over to the bonfire, and they could light it up. They sat around it, and Beau decided to tell them.

“Alright, spill.” Said Bolt. “How is it that your grandmother is a pony?”

“She’s my great-grandmother, actually. And there was more to it.” Said Beau. He then sighed as he didn’t know how to tell them. “You see…”

Then all of a sudden, Frosty stood up and…

“You’re actually a descendant of a human in a powerful family known as the House of Rohan among hundreds of thousands of others who used to live in this world alongside many other creatures and who grew up alongside Gusty the Great and Brightstar, but then one day when they realized the true dangers of the world out there, you three, along with many humans and other creatures that were selected from around the world were chosen by the powers of harmony to make you Knights, known as the knights of harmony that nearly resembled the Kamen riders that PostarMonkey50’s partner, Dragonknight92 thought up. And during that time, they, alongside the kingdom of Cunabula and the Caribou, created the Trees of harmony around the world, but then Discord came along and nearly destroyed everything. And in turn, Cunabula betrayed them and wanted to destroy them. Still, thanks to the Caribou, they were hidden until the handful of Knights from Cunabula betrayed them to Grogar and his legion of monsters. We have won, but it came at a price as many of the Knights had been slain. Then suddenly, over time, every creature hated the humans, and they had no choice but to leave Equestria and live in another world where we first came from. As for your great-grandmother, after she was married to a human named Achilles and she gave birth to their son, she became immortal no thanks to Grogar’s bewitching bell. Now all of us have come back to this world not only because of our good hearts but because we are descendants of the Knights of harmony, and now we are here to become Knights to live up to our family’s legacies.”

After that huge speech, Frosty made a “Squee” sound as he smiled brightly. As a result…

Everyone stared at Frosty awkwardly, while Beau’s mind officially broke with his jaw dropped and slowly pointed at Frosty at how he knew that. Frosty suddenly blinked in surprise while holding his head as he said, “Whoa…that was trippy.”

“Uh, I’m pretty sure that’s not what he was going to say.” Said Bolt.

“Nope, I actually did.” Said Beau.

All of them were taken aback by this revelation.

“So wait…” said Bucky as he looked at Frosty. “How the heck did you know all of that.”

“I would say just a hunch,” said Frosty. “But if you must know, I pulled a Pinkie Pie. Meaning…”

“Breaking the 4th wall.” Said Emily surprised, which surprised the guys too.

“Does this mean…?” said Genus in worry.

“That I’ll start acting like my wife?” said Frosty. “Yeah, pretty much. Although it won’t be so bad. At least I’ll be able to catch up to both my wife and kids.”

“So then, before I talk about this,” said Beau, “Who’ll start first?”

“Emily will because of, you know, lady’s first.” Said Frosty, which surprised Emily a little. “Then myself, then Bolt, then Genus, then Silver, then Bucky, and then Beau.”

They nodded in agreement. During the trip, everyone took their seats and told their stories.

Emily told her story of how she met a young dragon and helped her with something she really wanted, then encountered a female dragon and fought. After Emily won, she gained what she was looking for, and the young dragon was the female dragon’s child, who earned their trust.

Frosty started when he was in a Looney Tune type of situation; he had to try to outrace a certain rabbit that was the knockoff version of Bugs Bunny. But thanks to one that looked like Daffy Duck, he beat the rabbit in his own game and learned how to break the 4th wall.

Bolt explained that he met shark versions of his cousins and, surprisingly, a mermaid pony of Rainbow Dash. They fought against shark-like beings that looked like a certain doctor and one that looked like Queen Chrysalis, which made them roll their eyes at that one, especially since he still hadn’t gotten over Chrysalis, nearly using them as her own personal sex toy.

Genus started off when he met a different version of his wife, but she was bolder than his wife, and what made them laugh was that Angel was there too, but he had the voice of Kevin Heart. But what surprised them was that the hunter he encountered was the same man who poisoned the animals that worked at the reserve.

Silver started when he met a version of his wife that got turned into a dragon by a woman who looked like Suri, but she was turned into a dragon because of her selfish nature, not thanks to her father. So after he yelled at her and put her straight, they and a wolf named Lobo headed off to confront her. But he remembered that magic comes at a price and that he needed to give for her to lift the spell over the princess. As a result, he did give something, but he wasn’t going to tell; eventually, he passed his trial.

Bucky started when he helped a family get medicine for their youngest, but the one wanted to buy medicine that would kill her. There was a way, and that was to win a boxing match, and seeing that the eldest couldn’t compete because of his injury, he took his place. After much training, Bucky won and the medicine. Ultimately, the girl was saved, and Bucky passed his trial.

What Beau told them took them all by surprise. He landed in a different Equestria, where Chrysalis, instead of attacking at the Canterlot Wedding, attacked Princess Celestia, impersonated her, and flooded the entire world while seemingly killing Luna and banished her to the bottom of the ocean, and that all their wives and Spike became the opposite of themselves, and that all of them served as part-time mercenaries to make ends mead. Seeing that Twilight was too much of a coward to face the fake Celestia, she and the others chose to not do anything while the rest of the world suffered. While disguised, Beau decided to take matters into his own hands by bringing Sunset Shimmer back, freeing Discord, rescuing the real Celestia and Luna, and killing Fancy Pants. After scaring the Mane 6 and Spike back into shape, they got their fighting spirit back. With Discord’s help, they restored the world and launched a large attack at Canterlot to stop Chrysalis. After much fighting, Beau defeated and killed Chrysalis, freeing Equestria from her torment. Soon after that, Beau restored Equestria, made both Twilight and Sunset two new princesses, and promised not to let what he had given them back go to waste; thus, he won his trial and returned.

“Whoa,” said Bucky as he couldn’t believe his ears “Our wives in the parallel dimension had it rough.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” said Silver. “I’m glad you were able to help them out.”

“Same here.” said Beau, “Although I felt bad for yelling at them like that.”

“Hey, they needed tough love, even if they don’t want to hear it.” Said Bolt.

“But still,” said Frosty as he managed a smile, “Even if our Sunset never became a Princess, I’m glad that there was at least one Sunset Shimmer out there who became a Princess like she always wanted.”

“And I’m so proud of you, buddy.” Said Emily with a grin and playfully backhanded

Beau’s shoulder. “You helped her on the right path. You convinced her to help and taught her the difference between right and wrong. Even convinced to change her ways.”

“Even if our history didn’t show it,” said Beau, “They would’ve made excellent rulers.”

Beau lowered his eyes and said, “Maybe I can convince Celestia to make her a Princess. I mean, she’s already proven herself time and again to save her friends at Canterlot High and knows what it’s like to be a leader.”

“You think she’ll go with that?” asked Silver.

“Beau’s right about one thing.” Said Emily. “Sunset didn’t become a Princess because she didn’t know what it was like to be a leader. But now…maybe we can change fate.”

“Anything’s possible.”

They all saw Brightstar approach them, then stand near them.

“Sunset had the great quality of being a princess,” said Brightstar. “But because of Celestia, she didn’t teach her the right way or try hard enough. Certain events allowed her to see the error of her ways and learn what it meant to be a leader. Thanks to Princess Twilight and her friends from CHS, Sunset has proven herself time and time again. Maybe she will be ready to become one when the time is right.”

“One can hope.” Said Beau, agreeing with his grandmother.

Brightstar looked ahead and responded calmly. “We’re here.”

They all stood up and looked ahead; they saw what appeared to be large docks up ahead.

“We’ll depart from there,” said Brightstar. “Then we take the stairs to the top. From atop, that’s where we’ll need to be.”

“Ugh,” scoffed Bolt. “Do we really need to take the stairs?”

“Hey, quit complaining.” Said Genus. “Little walk will be good for you. Besides, you swam through your whole trial; you could at least put some effort into it.”

“Fine,” said Bolt, “But this doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

The ship soon made it to the docks, allowing the ship to carefully park next to it. They lowered the gangplank, allowing Brightstar to walk down first, with Beau, Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, and Emily in tow. Once they were all off the boat, they walked down the docks and made it to the end of it. They looked up and saw the stairs going upward.

“Let us proceed.” Said Brightstar, allowing her to go first, with the others in tow.

They all climbed the stair, trying to make their way toward the top. After climbing for about half an hour, some were beginning to get tired, some more than others.

“Ugh,” groaned Bolt while they were climbing. “This is getting ridiculous. We’ve been climbing for almost half an hour. Why couldn’t they have invented a stinking elevator or escalator in places like this?”

“Because this is a world partially set during the dark/middle ages, what’d you expect.” Responded Frosty.

“If that’s so,” said Emily while walking beside her brother, “Why do they even have Gameboys and refrigerators and bed lamps and light switches? I mean, it doesn’t even make any sense.”

“True.” Said Bucky. “And last I heard from Mayor Mare, they recently invented the telephone.”

“Great,” said Silver while rolling his eyes, “I’m sure Filthy Rich would find a way to profit out of this, especially Rainbow Dash pulling a prank over that.”

After so much talking and complaining, they eventually walked a bit down the stairs.

“You know, one thing that I still don’t buy.” said Bolt, “We’ve all seen the Tree of Harmony one time when we went to the Everfree forest with our wives when they wanted to show us around, but I don’t buy that there’s something called the Grand Tree of Harmony.”

As they finally descended the stairs, Beau stopped Bolt and said, “Are you calling my grandmother a liar?”

“If she’s telling the truth, then I want proof.” Demanded Bolt.

“Proof, huh?” said Brightstar with a smirk as she looked at them. They motioned her head over and said, “What’s that there then?”

The moment they turned and looked. What they saw had left them all speechless. The tree was the largest they had ever seen, shined by a light they did not recognize. The tree itself emanates the power of harmony itself. It looked like the Tree of Harmony back in Equestria, but it was different because it was ten times bigger and had leaves all around its branches.

“Whoa,” said Frosty. “This tree looks ten times better than the one in Equestria.”

“Remember,” said Brightstar, “This tree was the first one to be planted, and its power is far greater than the one in Equestria. The true source of harmony itself. Gusty, Achilles, and I had planted this tree when we were kids, and it grew into something magnificent that all of you now see before you.”

“And here we will be granted what we need to help save Caribouria?”

“Exactly.” Said Brightstar, then motioned with her staff and said, “Now come. Our work is far from over.”

Brightstar continued moving forward, with the husbands and Emily in tow as they followed her towards the tree. They walked towards the tree and noticed the branches carrying something important.

Beau remembered that back in Equestria, the Tree of Harmony had carried the Elements in their respective Branches and the Element of Magic at its center.

“Whoa,” said Beau. “This almost resembles the Tree of Harmony.”

“It is, but not completely.” Said Brightstar.

“She’s not wrong.”

Everyone stood still when they heard the voice. They looked around, and to their surprise, it was an anthropomorphic being bearing a type of hunter’s outfit that no one had seen before. But what really surprised them was that this was a pony mare with brown fur, green eyes, and golden hair tied to a ponytail, the same with her tail.

“Whoa,” whispered Frosty. “Who is she? More importantly, there’s another pony in Caribouria?”

“Apologies.” Said Brightstar as she turned around. “I would like all of you to meet my student, Goldenrod.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet all of you.” Said Goldenrod.

“The pleasures all ours.” Said Beau.

However, Silver noticed that she looked really familiar. That’s when it clicked, some time ago, when he and Rarity were last at Canterlot.

“Wait,” said Silver, gaining her attention as he said, “Goldenrod? Also, codename Nihashi of the Canterlot Royal Guard?”

Goldenrod was taken aback by this and said, “How did you…?”

“I know your sister, Fleur de Lis,” said Silver. “She and my wife are great friends.”

Goldenrod was surprised by this, as were the rest of the guys.

“Wait, how do you know they’re sisters?” said Genus.

“When myself and Rarity visited Fleur,” said Silver, “I saw a picture of Fleur and Goldenrod, both in military uniforms. I asked her about this, and she told me that she and her sister were in the same guard training. Both of them had excelled, and even in secret agent training together. Fleur served as both a model and an undercover spy to ensure the Royals were safe and that none of them were traitors to the throne, while Goldenrod was sent as a spy to monitor for any threats all over Equestria.”

He looked at a stunned Goldenrod and asked, “What happened to you? Last time Fleur heard from you, she said you disappeared at one of the kingdom’s borders and never came back.”

Goldenrod looked down in sadness and said, “Not exactly a pretty tale.”

“You’re among friends here,” said Silver. “There’s no need to feel nervous.”

Goldenrod calmed herself a bit, then decided to tell her tale.

“My sister Fleur and I were born in Canterlot together.” Said Goldenrod. “We were raised by a family who worked harder than any pony would. I was born an Earth Pony, but it didn’t matter to me, cause like my sister, I worked hard every day, and most of it was alongside her. Then one day, we both decided to do more by helping those in need. So we both joined the Royal Guard.”

“Wait,” interrupted Bolt while he was shocked, “Fleur? A Royal Guard?!”

“Yes?” said Goldenrod, not knowing where he was going.

“Sorry,” said Bolt. “It’s just…Fleur doesn’t seem like the kind of pony who wanted to hurt folks.”

Goldenrod couldn’t help but giggle and said, “She gets that a lot, believe me.”

She then continued where she had left off. “After we graduated top of our class of the royal guard, we became spies to watch and observe from the shadows and report anything suspicious to Princess Celestia should the danger arise. Until one day, she assigned me to go to Caribouria. Seeing that we were forbidden to set foot there, she wanted to know if the kingdom was peaceful, and if not, we had to prepare our forces. But about half the day after I got there, I was attacked and barely made it alive. That’s when I bumped into Brightstar. She took me to safety and taught me everything she knew. If it weren’t for her, I’d never survive here.”

Goldenrod smiled and said, “And I’ve been here ever since.”

“Whoa,” said Bucky. “But don’t you miss your sister?”

“I do, every day.” Said Goldenrod with a saddened expression. “But until Dainn has been defeated, I am forced to remain here until the said threat has passed.”

“Hopefully sooner than later.” Said Bucky. “One thing you should know is no one should be apart from their family.”

Goldenrod couldn’t help but ponder her thoughts over what Bucky said, with her asking, “Speaking from experience?”

“Something that my wife taught me.” Said Bucky.

“Wife?” asked Goldenrod.

“Oh yeah,” said Frosty as he spoke on their behalf, “Beau was the first male to arrive in Equestria. Then he married a Princess named Twilight Sparkle and was the bearer of the Element of Magic. Bucky came next, who married an Earth Pony named Applejack of the Apple family and bearer of the Element of Honesty. Then came Silver, who fell in love with a Unicorn named Rarity, a fashionista and the Element of Generosity. Then came Genus, who got married to a Pegasus named Fluttershy, who led her own animal sanctuary, helped calm Discord, the spirit of Chaos, and convinced him to change his ways while is also the Element of Kindness. After that came Bolt, who got married to a Pegasus named Rainbow Dash, who happens to be a member of the Wonderbolts and is the Element of Loyalty. Then I came along, even Emily. She’s dating a dragon named Spike, who happens to be Twilight’s assistant, while I married Pinkie Pie, a party organizer, a baker, a full fun house, and the Element of Laughter. We even had kids with them.”

Goldenrod was taken aback by this, as she didn’t know how to respond. “What else did I miss out on?” she asked.

“More humans came along,” said Silver. “They fell in love with Princess Celestia and Luna. Then another came along and fell in love with Princess Cadance. Then one who came along and married our friend Sunset. And your sister Fleur also married someone.”

Goldenrod was shocked to hear this.

“She’s married to a human?” asked Goldenrod.

“They also got a daughter.” Said Emily, causing Goldenrod’s jaw to drop from shock.

“I really have missed out much.” Said Goldenrod.

“That you have,” said Silver.

“So, now that we’re all acquainted here,” said Bolt, “What do we do next?”

“Follow me.” Said Brightstar as she and Goldenrod led them inside further of the tree.

When they walked, they were finally near the center of the tree, which was bright and emanating a powerful light that could rival the sun, except it didn’t burn their eyes. And in front of that tree was a large type of pedestal, which appeared to be for something important.

“What’s with the pedestal at the center?” asked Genus.

“The next part of your journey.” Said Brightstar. She stood near the tree, turned around, and said, “Each of you has overcome many difficult trials during your own trial back in the realms you were in. And in each of those realms, you helped those in need and succeeded in helping them where others have failed in the past. Now that you have passed, all of you are worthy to accept the mantle.”

“What mantle?” asked Emily.

Beau turned to them and said, “To become Knights of Harmony.”

All of them were surprised by this, with Bucky asking, “Are you sure about this?”

“I wouldn’t do this if there wasn’t any other way.” Said Brightstar. “After seeing what all of you had gone through and the goodness in your hearts, all of you are ready. But that is for all of you to decide.”

The others looked at one another, knowing that they could never go back once they accepted this. They then had determined looks on their faces and nodded, with Bucky answering, “We accept. Anything to protect our families, friends, and our home.”

Brightstar smiled and said, “Very well. All of you, present the artifacts you had been given after your trials were complete.”

One by one, the Husband 6 and Emily raised their Drivers in the air and presented them towards the tree. Within mere moments, the Tree itself shined its light toward the husbands. Once it was done, the Tree began to shine all over its branches. However, out of all the shining branches, only seven were glowing, each glowing in different colors. The colors of Green, Pink, Cyan Blue, Yellow, White, Heavy Orange, and Purple.

The moment they landed on the Husband 6 and Emily’s hands, they instantly changed shape while glowing. When the glowing faded, they were surprised by what they were seeing. The objects they held looked like their wives and Spike’s Cutie Marks.

“Whoa,” said Bucky. “What are they?”

“Those what you hold before you are known as Lockseeds.” Said Brightstar, “Each Lockseed contains a great power that no living being could fathom. Each of them powers your drivers specifically. Each of you is destined for something far greater than no one could imagine. Now, only one thing needs to remain. Please, place your respected Lockseeds onto the pedestal matching their symbols.”

The husbands and Emily looked and saw the pedestal in front of them. They walked over to the pedestal and placed each Lockseeds in matching spots.

“Now step onto your respective circles and place your Drivers around your waist.” Said Brightstar.

The seven of them had placed their Drivers around their waists and walked towards the circles, with the lines that went straight towards the pedestal itself. Emily was the first one to stand in her respective circle. Suddenly, the circle around her glowed, causing it to go straight towards the pedestal, causing it to power up the pedestal and the Lockseeds. The Husbands soon followed suit. After all of them had stood in their circles in mere moments, the pedestal grew brighter and brighter. Within mere moments, the pedestal shot up a brilliant bright light, making it go straight into the air. But what had caught them all off guard were seven different beings wearing armor they’d never seen before. And above them was a human that, to their surprise, looked like Beau.

“Fellow humans from another world.” Said the human. “This world needs you. Darkness has returned and threatens the peace and harmony that helped flourish this world. Prove yourselves worthy, fellow Knights. And fear not, the great power of harmony shall guide all of you in ways that all of you could not…imagine.”

The beings soon faded, causing the pedestal to be raised in the air as the Lockseeds grew more powerful by the minute. And within a great flash, seven large creatures that appeared to be made of metal appeared. A purple Unicorn, a heavy orange Boar, a white Wolf, a yellow Lion, a cyan blue Shark, a pink Rabbit, and a green Dragon appeared in the air, while at the same time, the seven Lockseeds floated right behind them.

Some were a bit concerned by this until they noticed that what appeared to be a black skin-tight suit had covered their bodies, taking them by surprise as they looked down at themselves. Before they could react, the creatures and the Lockseeds flew straight toward them. The creatures combined with them while the Lockseeds instantly flew toward their Drivers, causing the Drivers and themselves to be energized. One by one, the Husband 6 and Emily had each gained their own respective, what appeared to be armored. It covered their legs, their torsos, their arms, their shoulders, their backs, their knees, and finally, their heads.

Each bearing a different helmet. Beau’s helmet resembled a Unicorn, Bucky a boar, Silver a Wolf, Genus a Lion, Bolt a Shark, Frosty a Rabbit, and Emily, a Dragon. When the light slowly died, their visions were slightly blurry, not knowing what had just happened. Until they looked down and at one another. Many were shocked to see what had happened to them.

“Whoa.” Said Bolt as he looked at himself.

“Amazing.” Said Emily as she also looked at herself.

“Are we…?” said Silver as he looked at himself too.

“I think we are.” Said Bucky.

“Okay, now this is cool.” Said Frosty as he felt giddy from seeing himself.

“This is amazing.” Said Genus.

Beau suddenly felt nostalgia from within himself, having a sudden feeling inside him. “So this is what I was supposed to be.”

“Here, maybe this’ll help.” Said Brightstar as she produced three mirrors so they could observe themselves properly.

“Whoa, Emily.” Said Bucky while Emily investigated herself in the mirror; he pointed at her and said, “You’re a green dragon.”

Emily looked at herself over and said, “Amazing. Even such perfect balance. This is amazing”. But then she inspected her posterior and said, “Well, it does make my butt look big, though.”

She suddenly smirked and said, “I bet Spike would love that.”

Emily took a good look at Bucky and said, “And you’re a boar.”

Bucky noticed his armor and ended up inspecting himself in front of the mirror. “What?!” said Bucky. “Why the hell am I a pig?!!”

“You’re not a pig; you’re a warthog,” Said Goldenrod. “And they’re also strong creatures.”

“But why couldn’t I be an elephant, a rhino, or something. Then again, my wife thinks they’re cute,” Muttered Bucky as he crossed his arms. Then spoke normally and said, “And why does Silver look cool?”

Silver inspected himself in front of the mirror. “Whoa, a wolf? Interesting. And that’s my lucky spirit animal. They always run with me in my dreams.”

Genus investigated himself next, but he was also surprised to see himself.

“A lion? Whoa.” Genus then thought to himself, “If Fluttershy could see me now.”

Bolt inspected himself next, immediately recognized it, and said, “Whoa, I’m a shark? Awesome!!”

Beau inspected himself next, and to his surprise, it nearly looked like a Unicorn. “Whoa,” muttered Beau, “Looks like Twilight and I do have something in common.”

Emily, however, looked at her brother. She at first was surprised, until she began to snicker and nearly lost it. The others noticed her with flexed eyebrows. She then pointed at Frosty, which surprised the others as some wanted to laugh too.

“What?” said a confused Frosty.

The others chuckled until Bolt said, “Creative armor, you got there, Frosty.”

“What are you talking about?” asked a confused Frosty.

However, the moment he moved to the mirror, he widened his eyes in shock and gasped. He looked at Brightstar and slowly moved towards her.

“You…did…” muttered Frosty as he had his eyes squinted and pointed at him angrily. “THIIIIIIISSSSS??!!!!”

Frosty growled a bit as he gritted his teeth from underneath his helmet.

“Uh, you okay there…miss?” said Bucky, but he slightly chuckled before he was going to lose it.

“Do you have a panic attack…madam?” said Bolt as he could barely contain himself.

“Shut up.” Muttered Frosty as he got mad.

“I think you’re a girl,” said Genus as he began to snicker, “Because you’re getting many mood swings.”

“Do you need to go to the spa to calm down, milady?” said Silver.

“I said, knock it off.” Muttered Frosty.

“Hey, knock it off; he’s already embarrassed.” Said Emily.

“Thank you.” Said Frosty, as he was happy that his sister was supporting him at least.

Until Emily turned to him and said, “Are you alright... Lady Francine?”

That did it.

Except for Frosty, Brightstar, Beau, and Goldenrod, the guys laugh their heads off as they nearly want to fall over.

“It’s not funny!!” shouted Frosty. “If I’m supposed to be a freaking Knight, how the heck am I supposed to strike fear and be taken seriously in this armor!! It’s pink!! And It’s a rabbit!! And I look like Babs Bunny!! I don’t even like her!!”

“Well, in hindsight,” said Goldenrod as she approached, “You did mention that you wanted to catch up with your wife’s shenanigans and be like the Flash.”

“Yeah,” muttered Frosty, “And Postwar Monkey50 and DragoKnight92 was the one who came up with that running gag.”

He sighed and looked away, saying, “Why didn’t they ask Yabuki for this? I mean, he made me, and Postwar was the one who asked for his permission. And I have to admit, the Power Ponies and Christmas Special he wrote was quite good.”

“Uh, who are you talking to?” asked Emily.

Frosty sighed and said, “Never mind. Let’s just get this chapter over with.”

“Very good. Now… only one more thing remaining.” Said Goldenrod.

Brightstar pulled out what appeared to be a sword, with the hilt looking like a star. “Kneel.” Said the mare.

The others didn’t know what to expect until Beau walked up and kneeled before her. The others followed his lead as they stepped forward and bowed.

Brightstar walked up to Emily, knighted her, and said, “Emily Frost. For your act of helping those in need. I knight you, Tiamat, Knight of Acceptance.”

Brightstar walked up to Frosty, knighted him, and said, “Barry Frost, now known as Frosty. For your need to help others smile like your beloved, I knight you, Loki, Knight of Laughter.”

Brightstar walked up to Bolt, knighted him, and said, “Cole Bolton, now known as Bolt. For your loyal dedication to helping those in need. I knight you, Jawz, Knight of Loyalty.”

Brightstar walked up to Genus, knighted him, and said, “George Newton, now known as Genus. For your kind heart to help others. I knight you, Animus, Knight of Kindness.”

Brightstar walked up to Silver, knighted him, and said, “Jim Silver, now known as Silver. For your dedication to giving and expect nothing in return. I knight you, Beowulf, Knight of Generosity.”

Brightstar walked up to Bucky, knighted him, and said, “Buck Armstrong, now known as Bucky. For your dedication to helping uncover and tell the truth. I knight you, Hercules, Knight of Honesty.”

She walked up to Beau, knighted him, and said, “Thomas Rohan, now known as Beau. The time has come to claim your birthright. For your need to help others and to help lead them. I knight you, Achilles, Knight of Magic, and Leader of the Knights of Harmony.”

One by one, they stood up with their arms behind their backs.

“From this day forth, all of you are known as the Knights of Harmony.” Declared Brightstar.

Some got really excited as they eagerly wanted to get started.

“Before we start, Goldenrod will handle your training, considering she’s very skilled in combat.” Said Brightstar before turning to Beau and saying, “Beau, you’ll be coming with me.”

“Wait, why doesn’t he train?” asked Frosty.

“Because he’s had training since he was little.” Said Brightstar. “He’s a more skilled fighter. The only problem was he turned his back on it years ago. But now, given the circumstances, all that has changed. Goldenrod, you know what to do.”

“Yes, Master Brightstar.” Said Goldenrod before she turned to the others. “Alright now, let’s go.”

The others followed Goldenrod, while Beau followed his grandmother.

“Where are we exactly going?” asked Beau.

She pointed ahead with her staff. Beau was surprised to see she pointed at a secret cave behind the tree. The two of them followed the path down the tunnel and made their way toward a long flight of stairs.

“So what’s this about?” asked Beau as they walked down the stairs.

“Do you recall from Thorin about his family’s coronation?” asked Brightstar.

“Yeah,” said Beau as he remembered it well. “They receive the blessing, which they called the great fire of Caribouria. And they would become the ruler of Caribouria should the king pass his crown down.”

“Indeed.” Said Brightstar.

Beau looked at her with a flexed eyebrow and asked, “Why do you ask?”

“Even if all of you have the power of the Knights of Harmony,” said Brightstar, “It will not be enough to stop Dainn, not as long as he has his armies under his command. We need the support from the other houses across Caribouria’s territory that still stands, especially from those whose houses have fallen.”

“They weren’t executed?” asked Beau.

“Thankfully, no. They, along with their people and armies, have been captured.” Said Brightstar.

“But how will we gain their trust?” asked Beau.

“By making Thorin King.”

“What?” said Beau as he stopped for a moment, but then he caught up and asked, “But how? We can’t, not since their Capitol Carinthia has fallen, and their sacred flame was destroyed, so he can’t receive the blessings.”

Brightstar could only smirk and said, “That’s not the flame.”

Beau was surprised by this and said, “What?”

“The one Thorin talked about?” asked Brightstar as they approached the clearing. “That wasn’t the original flame. That flame only had a small percentage of its true power.”

“If that thing was a small percentage, where’s the rest?” asked Beau.

Brightstar stopped, and Beau was shocked to see what was right before him. He couldn’t believe his eyes at what he was seeing. He slowly looked at Brightstar, who looked at her grandson with a continued smirk on her face.

“Let me tell you a story.” Said Brightstar, for she had a feeling what Beau would hear would be a great discovery for many.
> Chapter 13: Legends of Caribouria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days had passed since they became Knights from within the secret location. The Humane 7 continued to train under Goldenrod. The husbands and Emily were quick learners. Thanks to their weapons, they were able to make. They, minus Beau, had begun to learn hand-to-hand combat to fight properly. Then they tried the weapons they held in their hands. Soon, they began to learn how to fight with their weapons.

Emily learned how to use the Dragon Halberd as she carefully moved her weapon. Frosty used his War Hammer to twirl it around as if it were a bo-staff, but he would also ensure how to use it properly when facing great foes. Bolt used his double edge sword as he twirled it around him like a Shaolin Monk. He made good work of them and ensured that his skills with a blade were good. Genus trained with his Butterfly Battle Axe. He acted like it was a spear and made good use of it. Silver trained with his Rapier sword. He remembered that during his youth, during his depressing days, he would often train himself in the art of fencing and other forms of sword fighting to make him properly trained. Bucky trained himself to use the Boar Bomber Gauntlets. They were a little bulky, but thanks to his hard work on the Apple Farm and his training in that boxing match, he could make good work of them.

Once they were finished, Goldenrod personally began training them. She had her metallic bo-staff, indestructible to any weapon that tried to strike it. She moved with ease as if she was the wind, blocking and striking when countering their moves.

At the same time, while they were standing at the entrance of the sacred place, Brightstar continued to teach Beau about the world around him, even Equestria, and what the Mane 6 had gone through, despite what they had told them.

“Whoa,” said Beau, “I had no idea they went through so much.”

“Indeed.” Said Brightstar. “Sometimes I wonder if Celestia made a mistake of making Twilight a Princess.”

“Excuse me?” said Beau as if he felt like his grandmother insulted his wife.

“Walk with me, and I’ll explain.” Said Brightstar.

The two of them walked back to where they thought would help Thorin. But unknown to them, they were slowly being monitored and observed from the shadows by an unknown assailant. The assailant squinted its eyes and continued to follow them from the shadows. 

As they walked, Beau asked, “So what did you mean by Celestia making a mistake?”

“Everypony and Creature knew Twilight as the Princess of Friendship.” Said Brightstar, “But unfortunately, during her time, her emotions and mental stability tended to get the better of her, and she would make brash decisions, which would spell disaster for Equestria.”

“Oh, come on, that’s not fair.” Said Beau. “Sure, she may have made mistakes, but she didn’t know that things would fall out of place.”

“And since when did any of her plans work?” asked Brightstar. “They plan, they move in, all hell breaks loose, and her friends would sometimes have to pay for the consequences. Take what happened at her brother’s wedding, for example. When she tries to expose the fake bride, she thinks that Cadance is evil and that she doesn’t have any proof or evidence and acts like a jealous sister. And because of her previous rant, her friends didn’t believe her, and they ended up leaving her, even after they promised to listen to her, delusional or not.”

“But Chrysalis had them fooled.” Said Beau, “She knew that their senses would be so dull and lowered, and she used that to her advantage. From the rumors I heard spreading, folks said that ponies are the dumbest, considering how many times they were nearly conquered and nearly froze themselves because of the overzealous leadership.”

“I’d be offended if it weren’t true.” Said Brightstar. “Then came the day when Tirek came along. She didn’t tell her friends about her keeping the Alicorn magic from the other princesses with her.”

“But she had to,” said Beau. “Princess Celestia ordered her to keep it a secret so Tirek wouldn’t get his hands on them.”

“Yes,” said Brightstar, “But she shouldn’t have kept it a secret from them. The first rule of Friendship is no lies. Cause if she had told them, they would’ve come up with a better plan, and Tirek wouldn’t have used them to get her into surrendering. The first rule of friendship; no lies. After all, it is the same with humanity. They have kept many secrets from one another, and it is because of secrets that caused many to distrust one another.”

“How could I forget.” Said Beau. “It’s what started the Cold War.”

“As a leader, she shouldn’t let stress get to her.” Said Brightstar, “A true leader’s role is to be focused and to ensure that they need to have a calm mind; otherwise, they’ll end up doing more harm than good. Otherwise, she’d make the same mistake as she did at the Wedding.”

“Ain’t that the truth.” Said Beau.

But then something had bothered Beau for a bit, something that he had wondered since they first heard of him.

“You’ve been around long, right?” asked Beau. “From your point of view…how did Dainn become what he is today?”

Brightstar was silent the moment she stopped. She had a worried look on her face. But from the shadows, the assailant was surprised that he brought up Dainn and that the female pony knew how Dainn came to be.

“It is a tale not to be taken lightly.” Said Brightstar, “But to tell you how he became like this is to tell you how all of this began.”

They walked to the opening, where both of them could find a place to sit down and make a campfire so that Brightstar could enlighten him.

“It began so long ago,” said Brightstar as she looked at the flame, “When King Dorian still reigned, and his son Dainn had fallen down his dark path.”

************************************************************************

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(To the readers, I’m going to put her conversation into Italic mode as a way of flashback

cause it’s way too much detail to go through to make it easier for everybody.)

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********************************

Long before Equestria had been founded, long before Gusty had been born, Caribouria was also young. Many creatures had lived apart in this world, as some would want nothing to do with the other. That was, until Dorian’s great grandfather, Thorium, had planned to have a world live in unity. So the first thing he did, united the Caribou, his people. Thanks to him, he made Caribouria flourish into what it had meant to be. But once he was done, he didn’t want to stop there. He had a vision of every creature throughout the world living as one. When many creatures, Humans, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Dragons, Yaks, Griffons, Hippogriffs, and so on, came to be, he invited them over to his kingdom.

With every creature’s leaders, they planned how big the kingdom should be. Once they did, they could get large enough territories for other creatures. And in time, formed the first council. And during those times, while exploring the land, they discovered new dangers.

But even in those times, we also had many dangers; before Grogar came along, during the reign of King Tyr, one of his disciples by the name of Svarndagr until he felt threatened when Tyr took another by the name of Freya in to be his disciple too. Then one day, she performed a miracle; she developed a way to rid of the Cycling Curse for good. The first she did was use to remove a curse that was placed on Tyr’s son, Durin. King Tyr was so thankful he gave her his blessings to marry his son, with whom she fell in love.

But Svarndagr got angry, believing an old fashion heresy that had been outdated since Caribouria came to be, believed that a doe couldn’t be queen because the females had no right to rule. He tried to kill her, but young Durin and his council came and saved their lives. Because of this, the king was so furious he personally removed Svarndagr’s antlers and made sure that the curse of the Cycle would forever remain in him and banish him to the farthest land.

Svarndagr swore revenge before he left. But as he traveled, he continued to march deeper into a forest of unknown power, that one would not find on any map in Caribouria. He soon made his way towards what appeared to be a pool, an ancient well of sorts, larger than an average lake. It contained mystical powers that none could fathom. He thought he could use it to exact his revenge on Caribouria. So he cut his hand and spoke about an ancient spell using a demonic chant that had been forbidden before Caribouria began. The moment when he spilled his blood in the pool, it caused the waters to be corrupted and transform the entire forest into a half-evil place.

Once he was done, he used the power of the well and his newfound power to create a fortress surrounding and protecting the well. But simultaneously, he gathered the Warg Horde and gave them all his power. Soon, he created a large enough army to destroy all of Caribouria and all who would live in it. One by one, settlements and towns had fallen by his power. But as they were halfway conquering, Durin caught wind of this and led three hundred of his strongest soldiers against the invasion. The attack had been repelled, but he believed every creature needed to stop Svarndagr together, not alone. So he sent out a message to each creature’s leaders. Each leader answered the call and came together. Durin said that now was the time to unite, or they would not have a future. They agreed, and from then, the first Alliance was born.

An Alliance of many creatures. Caribou, Humans, Earth Ponies, Unicorns, Pegasi, Yaks, Griffons, Dragons, Changelings, Hippogriffs, Kirin, Wolves, Deer, Abyssinians, Diamond Dogs, Harpies, Ahuizotles, Minotaurs and Sirens, all united as one and marched against the Warg Horde, and on the plains beyond the forest, they fought for the freedom of the world. It had been a hard battle; for many, victory had been near. But Svarndagr’s power could not be undone. He fought with the full power of the forest he had corrupted. And during the fight, he killed King Tyr, but his son, Durin, did not take kindly to it, and, with the power of the blessings from this cave, he used it to defeat Svarndagr. Soon, half the Horde was wiped out, while the other half was forced to retreat.

It was a great achievement for them and showed that as long as they worked together. But Svarndagr. He was wounded beyond recognition. He walked back to the well from within his fortress with what strength he had. With his last breath, he used his power and his life force, along with the Cursed Cycle, upon the forest, turning it into Helheim Forest, a place that would be forbidden to travel to for all of the time.

As for the kingdoms, the leaders began to divide the territories of Caribouria. They would still keep the kingdom’s name, but they would also be at the center, with many other territories surrounding it. Over time, it became a beacon of paradise for many who wished to live in peace. But over time, Caribouria became overpopulated, and other kingdoms decided to find new lands beyond the kingdom. They chose their first-ever colonists and ventured beyond their borders. At first, every creature was happy with the territories they picked, and everything seemed to go well. They had no idea how wrong they were in the end. In time, Grogar and his brother…

“Wait,” interrupted Beau as he said, “Grogar had a brother? But there’s no mention of him in Equestria’s books.”

“And we chose to keep it that way.” Said Brightstar, “Grogar may have the power to control monsters, but his brother, named Salazar, was the true leader.”

“I see.” Said Beau while Brightstar continued with her story.

Before Grogar became a monster, many other monsters roamed the world, destroying everything in their path. Many others had suffered under their wrath. Gusty the Great, a human, named Achilles from the House of Rohan, and I, realizing that the world is very dangerous, have decided to become protectors of the world with many others on our side. Twenty each from every kingdom, to show that we are a unified force to be reckoned with. But we needed something special to help. But one day, we felt a powerful urge to go to a secret location, which led us to where the Grand Tree of Harmony would rest. We combined our power into a single seed and planted it onto the ground. With the aid of the Kingdom of Cunabula, we created our very own trees of Harmony. And with its power, we could create the Grand Tree of Harmony, where all of Harmony would spread.

Once that was done, they took pieces of the tree’s branches and ended up scattering them throughout the world, and in time, they began to grow their own trees as well. But by the time they wanted to reach Equestria, Discord had already been on a rampage and caused tons of damage to everyone around them. He even turned the other guardians of other trees against one another. Cunabula’s Knights wanted to destroy the trees, but I, Achilles, and Gusty seeing that we were the founders and the leaders told them they had no right to do that. The powers of Harmony had called to us, telling us we needed to spread harmony and protect the world.

We even reminded them that back in Caribouria, during king Tyr’s reign, Svarndagr nearly took over and destroyed the world. Because of the combined might of every creature, he was defeated. And we reminded them there will always be evil forces like him and Discord. We also had a duty to uphold, for just because they hit a small bump in the road doesn’t mean they can give up that easily. But they refused to listen and were consumed by paranoia and madness. Seeing that we had no other choice, we immediately told King Thaddeus, King Dorian’s father, what their intention was, so with their help and the Grand Tree of Harmony, we could stop them before they could do any more damage. We soon stripped them of their knighthood and ensured they would never do something like this again.

But soon enough, when Grogar and his brother Salazar came to power, the Knights of Cunabula sold us out to them and his legion of monsters. Their first act was to ensure that Harmony would be destroyed, and the first ones to fall victim were the Changelings from outside of Caribouria, the ones you would one day know as Queen Chrysalis’ Changelings. Seeing that we had no choice, we gathered every single knight and soldier from around the world and launched the biggest attack we could ever muster. But I’m afraid it came at a large price. Many brave Knights had fallen in battle, and many soldiers were lost. But through it all, in the end, we won. Grogar had his bell taken away before he was destroyed, and Salazar had disappeared into the wilderness, never to be seen again.

But then, one day, we began to hear rumors of how humans were to blame for the cause of what happened. It was faked by the Cunabula, but slowly they were beginning to take effect. And realizing they had no choice, every single human worldwide chose to leave this world behind before moving on to the human world, including Achilles and our child. It broke my heart when I was forced to watch the love of my life and my child leave. But for their sake, I had to make that sacrifice.

And while I was forced to be an immortal, I had watched the world change while Caribouria continued to advance on their own. I had watched the pony tribes unite as one, how the land they chose became Equestria, and how the heroes of that land came to be, including Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. But I feared that Equestria wouldn’t be safe from future enemies, so I and a few Caribourian representatives, including King Dorian himself, traveled to Equestria. We met the Pillars of Equestria, and with their help, we created a powerful seed that would one day grow into the Tree of Harmony.

But after they left to face their former comrade, we realized that the tree would take too long, so we could make the tree grow faster with our combined magic and the Grand Tree’s power, we could make the tree grow faster. But we knew we couldn’t make a move without Stygian detecting us, so we had to wait it out. After Stygian was placed in Limbo

through Starswirl’s foolish decision, we began to work. Once the tree was active, Harmony slowly began to spread while the Elements of Harmony were instantly created. But after what Starswirl had done, we could no longer tolerate their decision, so we chose to change the Elements into what Equestria knows today.

After the Princesses found the Elements and used them to defeat Discord, King Dorian came to both and invited them to his kingdom. Dorian had planned to unite the other creatures from other kingdoms to establish an Alliance with the other kingdoms to open trade routes and unite them, starting with Equestria. One of them, however, was not keen on that idea.

“Dainn.” Said Beau before looking at Brightstar.

“That’s right.” Said Brightstar.

Dainn was born before the Pony Tribes were united. The royal family had tried to ensure that Dainn would grow upright and be a better Prince to be a better king. Unfortunately, the power went to his head, thinking that because of a simple title alone would make him a better ruler, and he began to think he was better than anyone else. He even belittled other women, thinking they were inferior and unimportant.

King Dorian tried to teach Dainn from right to wrong for many years, but every attempt failed. Dainn had become cold and severe. He belittled his own brothers for what he perceived to be their weaknesses and treated many women like they were cattle that had been outlawed for a hundred years after Equestria had been founded, and even argued, sometimes violently, with his relatives, teachers, and his own father. Then one day, about a month before he would’ve been crowned and Celestia, Luna, and the Equestrian delegates came to visit, Dainn had secretly tried to watch them bathe for amusement. Then he attempted to corner and rape Princess Luna. But thankfully, I was able to secretly tell his brother and Princess Celestia about what he was doing. The two of them were able to stop him and injured him.

They went back to King Dorian to tell him, but an all-out fight occurred when they returned. They didn’t know what was going on, but thankfully Dainn’s other two brothers were able to stop the madness. When the king arrived, the three brothers revealed what Dainn had attempted to Dorian. He tried to rape Princess Luna, and the two brothers discovered that Dainn had secretly spread lies and deceit among other ponies and caribou to ensure that he would lead a war to conquer pony kind. Kind Dorian was outraged and ended up banishing Dainn for his betrayal of his family and kingdom by cutting off his one antler and erasing his memory completely, forced to wander for all eternity. And seeing what had transpired, the king realized that what had occurred would be too dangerous for any outsiders. Hence, he made a decree that every creature beyond Caribouria’s borders would be forbidden to ever set foot upon them.

But shortly after Dainn was banished, a fortune teller came along. The Fortuneteller mysteriously appeared one night while the king was on the balcony. The Fortuneteller told King Dorian that a great evil would one day return and enslave not just Caribouria but Equestria, as well as the darkness, who wished to exact revenge on them. The King thought the fortuneteller was talking about Malekor or Salazar, so he summoned his brothers and most trusted allies for a meeting. After they combined their power to ensure that no evil would ever leave, they split the seal into pieces, and each of them hid them away so that no Caribou or any other creature would ever find them.

Dainn, on the other hand, would not back down so easily from what had transpired. He wandered beyond Caribouria’s borders for centuries until one day, he stumbled upon the one place that time had forgotten; Helheim Forest. Dainn had wandered through the forest as a great force had drawn him closer and closer to the center. He finally reached the ruined fortress of Svarndagr, which had been left to rot into ruin. He wandered within the fortress until he finally reached the center. And from that center, he had found the one he had not expected…Salazar.

Salazar, after his defeat and the fall of his brother, had wandered all over the world, trying to find ways to survive, and he had stumbled upon the Warg Horde, all who had lied dormant underneath the Fortress for centuries; its armies had grown beyond recognition, with their general, Azog, Svarndagr’s second in command, still alive. But they were not the only army that had grown into a massive force, turning half of them into Wargals.

Right below them were three other armies led by three different generals. The first one was Poe, the leader of the Crow Tribes. He and his tribe were cast out after the Griffon Empire exiled them. They had stumbled upon Salazar, who had placed Poe and his tribes into a deep sleep. He did the same thing to Smaug, ruler of the Black Dragon Empire, but he was defeated and banished by Dragon Lord Torch. The dragons wandered aimlessly, but he did the same thing to the Crow Tribes.

Then finally, Mor’du, a large bear that happened to be the strongest one. His goal was to become stronger and kill anyone standing in his way. Thorin’s father, when he was about eighteen, fought Mor’du and defeated him. After that, he was banished from Caribouria. Salazar noticed Dainn coming towards him. He wanted to use his strength to kill him because of his heritage. However, deep down within his soul, he saw a deep darkness within him that could rival Svarndagr himself. Salazar couldn’t help but smirk and use what remained of his own magic to restore Dainn’s mind. After he recovered, Dainn remembered and was furious that his own family had banished him, while Salazar pointed out how his own horn was also severed. Dainn became enraged as to what little power he had begun to surge all over the place. Dainn made a vow that he would make them pay for what they had done.

Salazar had offered Dainn his mighty battle axe, telling him that with it, he had the power to exact his vengeance against not just Caribouria but also every creature beyond its borders at other kingdoms. He asked Dainn what he would do. Dainn then told Salazar how he planned to kill the royal family and take over the kingdom that was rightfully his and would exact his revenge on anyone who dared stand in his way, starting with Equestria and then the other kingdoms that would be soon to follow. Salazar then gave Dainn an armor known as the Death Knight, a high rank that once was the enemy of the Knights of Harmony. He told Dainn how this armor, combined with the power of his powerful axe, would give him the power to destroy anyone who would dare stand in his way. That being said, he handed Dainn the axe.

The moment when Dainn took the axe, the last of the Well’s power, as well as the armor, the axe, and Salazar’s power, they all merged with him as the power began to surge through him while he raised his head in the air and screamed in rage as the power began to course through him. During the power build-up, Salazar, no longer having the power to sustain himself, immediately turned to dust as if he had never existed. Once the power and transformation were complete, Dainn became a force to be reckoned with. He used his power to awaken his armies, and slowly woke up from all over Caribouria, with the generals being the first to awaken from their slumber.

He first gathered his armies in secret and began preparing his invasion of Carinthia, the capital city of Caribouria, but not before killing his brothers for their betrayal of him. Knowing their entrances and exits, he gathered over eight hundred elite forces. He snuck inside with him and the generals through the secret passageway from a large cave to the citadel of Carinthia. Their plan was to invade the city from within while the rest of the army would wait outside the castle walls. Once their defenses were lowered, they would send the rest to attack in full force.

Once inside, the elite forces secretly spread all over the city and disabled most of the defenses, while Dainn, his generals, and his elite guards would go straight for the sacred flame room, where the blessing would take place. Once they were close enough, Dainn fired a flair upon the sky, signaling the armies to attack. As the elite troops attacked from within, the rest of his armies attacked from the outside. Right as this happened, Dainn made his move. He killed his father while Thorin escaped before Dainn could do anything else. After the Capitol fell, Thorin quickly fled to warn the other houses of what had transpired.

Once Caribouria’s capitol had fallen, Dainn had taken his elite guard in an attempt to invade Equestria. But by the time he got there, he realized that a large magical barrier had encased all of Caribouria, meaning no one could go in or out. Dainn was confused, but then Salazar spoke to him from the afterlife, saying what his father had done. This enraged Dainn, and thus would do whatever it took to cross the border.

At the same time, Thorin quickly went from house to house, desperately trying to warn the other creatures of what had transpired. Many were horrified to have learned of this, and thus each had no choice but to cut off their own territories from one another to protect themselves.

“Wait,” said Beau, “You mean to tell me the other kingdoms refused to work together, despite the promise they made to the family line?”

“That’s right.” Said Brightstar. “It was truly a dark time for Caribouria.”

But Thorin didn’t want to just sit around and do nothing. Even though he was a young boy, his desire to protect the kingdom was greater than any Caribou had ever seen. So he gathered many youths like him and called them Thorin’s Company. They would secretly operate from the shadows and did everything they could to ensure that every other citizen would be safe. Lord Dainn’s forces continued to undermine many Villages and Towns just to raid their resources, and even some cities fell victim to his onslaught. But Thorin would not give up. His company continued to undermine Dainn’s forces to ensure they bought every other town for some time. But they also needed a headquarters to be safe so they could continue operating from the shadows. Thorin remembered the mines of Moria that were abandoned long ago; no one would even think to go there. So they used it as their base of operations.

But during their fight, they encountered Balin and a few others, leading the remains of Caribouria’s military as a Resistance movement. Combined with them, they were able to establish other bases all over Caribouria to continue to strike them from the shadows. It had been very costly for them, but many brave people chose to side with them, while some would rather surrender because of their fear of Dainn. And they’ve kept this fight up ever since.

“They’ve been fighting for how long?” asked Bea.

“About sixty-six years.” said Brightstar, “His race is known to live longer lives by using their magic to retain their youths. They can choose to age and die if they wish. It’s a rare occurrence, but they chose to accept it.”

Beau then wondered about something. He looked at her and said, “What about Lizzie and Daisy?” asked Beau, “Where do they fit in all this?”

Brightstar leaned back and thought about this.

During the times they continued to fight for the freedom of their kingdom, Lizzie, after she died, somehow ended up in the sacred Caribourian Forest. She looked around and was surprised to see that she was somewhere else. But while she was looking around, trying to find her bearings, Dainn’s forces had discovered her. She began to flee, but they still continued to give chase. They had her cornered against what appeared to be a large rock formation. Just when they wanted to kill her, she was suddenly saved by Thorin’s Company, saved by Thorin himself. He approached and gently looked at her, much to Lizzie’s surprise. He gently presented his hand to her to lift her up, and she accepted it, allowing him to lead her to safety. He took her within the safety of the mountain, and they fed and sheltered her. They offered her a place to stay, as it is a safe haven for those threatened. She asked what he meant by it. Thorin explained how he lost everything to Dainn many years ago, and even though he was young at the time, he refused to just sit aside and do nothing while all of Caribouria would suffer under their wrath.

Lizzie was horrified, not just what Thorin had gone through, but all of Caribouria. She asked if there was anything she could do to help. Thorin said that any help is required, for they need everything they can get. During that time, she helped many of its patients as a doctor. Both who are sick and those who are injured. She helped out those who could. Then one day, she began to really impress Thorin. She looked over the map and showed them other ways to undermine their enemy instead of a straight attack to help turn the tide in their favor. Thorin grew to admire a woman who could hold her own and demand such great leadership, so he placed her second in command of their Resistance. But in time, the two of them grew closer and developed a romantic relationship with one another. Thus, they have been together ever since.

On the other hand, as you heard from Bucky, Daisy died when she was about eight years old, and she also somehow ended up in Caribouria. But unfortunately, she ended up being captured by Dainn’s forces to be enslaved, along with a handful of Kirin and Changelings whom Dainn wanted information. But as she was about to be brought halfway to Dainn’s new Capitol, Lizzie, who heard of another slave group being taken, led the charge and killed many slave traders, freeing many prisoners. After they were freed, they were offered to join the cause.

At first, Lizzie was stunned to see Daisy but offered to help her as Thorin had done for her. She accepted it, and they trained her to be a good fighter. When she turned sixteen, she was ready to lead her own. They gave her the temporary title of Lieutenant to see how well she would fend. After two successful missions, they gave her the title of Commander.

************************************************************************

******************************

Brightstar concluded, “And the fight had been this way ever since.”

“I see.” Said Beau as he lowered his eyes, feeling sorry for not just Caribouria but the entire world for what they had endured.

“And it may come as a shock to you,” said Brightstar, “But all of you weren’t even supposed to be here.”

“Wait, what?” said Beau as he sharply looked up and stood up. “What do you mean we’re not supposed to be here?”

“Remember when Starlight tried to change the timeline?” said Brightstar.

Beau was about to say something but was shocked by what she had revealed. It began to make sense. If what he could remember from that one show he saw about the Flash, where he tried to change the timeline, is that no matter how many times they go back in time, it will never be fully fixed. Meaning the moment she tampered with the timeline, certain events had changed that caused all this to happen, namely him and the others coming into existence.

“And because of that,” said Brightstar when she could tell how Beau figured it out, “More races began to exist, and humans used to reside here before coming to your world. And because of it, the humans from before were able to help forge everything into what it is today. And now that you and the others are here, all of you have a bigger role than you could imagine.”

“Which is why we’re here, I assume.” Said Beau once he was done recollecting himself.

“Yes, and another reason why we are here.” Said Brightstar as she stood up and led Beau further down the tunnel, with Beau following along with the mysterious assailant that had watched from the shadows.

They walked further down the tunnel and said, “Remember when I told you about the sacred flame?”

“I do.” Said Beau as he and Brightstar were out in the open and walked straight toward the flame.

“We were thankful that Caribourian history had forgotten about the original sacred flame and had taken a percentage of it to a different location.” Said Brightstar. “If we are to bring hope to Caribouria, we will need to free its people, give them hope, and convince them to unite in arms. And for them to do that, they will need the guidance of a king.”

“But how?” said Beau, “I’ve seen that look on Thorin. He may be the leader of the Resistance, but ever since he didn’t receive the blessing, he lost his confidence that he would one day be king.”

“Which is why I have something else in mind.” Said Brightstar as they were halfway there.

Beau suddenly felt they were being watched, causing him to pull out his sword and block whoever it was attacking. It was revealed to be a female Caribou, holding an axe, bearing her teeth while trying to cut Beau down. She kept trying to strike from different spots from the other, but Beau managed to successfully block them. When they clashed again, the Caribou kept her stare.

“You will not go near the sacred flame.” Said the female Caribou.

Brightstar pointed at the female Caribou’s neck, gaining her attention while she said, “Alright now, that’s enough, Angi.”

“Brightstar?” said the Caribou, then kept a stern glare. “What is the meaning of this? You dare bring an intruder here?”

“The intruder happens to be my grandson.” Said Brightstar.

“Grandson?” said the surprised female Caribou.

Brightstar’s staff lit up, allowing her to reveal Beau’s face, much to the female’s surprise. Angi immediately backed up and said, “That’s impossible. No human has been sighted since the days of old.”

“Well, until then, I never heard of this world or my legacy, so we’re both clueless.” Said Beau.

“And you are?” she said with a stern glare.

“My friends call me Beau.” Said Beau, “But my real name is Thomas Rohan from the House of Rohan.”

Angi was taken aback by the name and immediately bowed.

“Forgive me, Lord Rohan.” Said Angi.

“Hey, it’s cool.” Said Beau as he reassured her, “No need to address in titles. It makes me feel uncomfortable. You can call me Beau if you want to.”

Angi stood back up and said, “Very well then.”

“How did you end up here?” said Beau with a flexed eyebrow.

“I brought her here.” Said Brightstar.

“Indeed.” Said Angi. She looked down, saddened, and said, “Like many Caribou, I had lost everything to Dainn.”

She looked back up and said, “Many years ago, my village was trying to live peacefully with our neighbors and clans. But then Dainn’s forces came along. They slaughtered the men of my village and took the women and children to be their slaves. I was the only survivor among my tribal warriors who stood their ground to defend them from Dainn’s wrath. I went from village to village, warning them of Dainn’s attacks. Many women, children, and a handful of able warriors fled from the villages to safety, while the strongest warriors, with their chiefs, would fend Dainn’s forces off until they were safely away. At one point, I tried to lead over three hundred brave warriors to fend them off at the Caribou pass, for it was the only access point to where the rest of the villages would be located.”

She looked away and said, “I tried as hard as possible when we fought them, but many of them were slaughtered until the last Caribou were slain. I was the only one still standing but soon collapsed from my wounds and exhaustion. Though we couldn’t stop them all, we were thankful we could buy the civilians time to escape.”

She motioned to Brightstar and said, “But moments before a handful of Dainn’s forces were going to kill me, Brightstar came and rescued me. She nursed me back to health and asked me to guard this place. She told me of the importance of this place and said that when the time is right, the true king of Caribouria will need it once more.”

She looked at Beau and said, “But from what you told me, this Thorin Oakenshield. If he has doubts about him being the ruler, then he has lost his fighting spirit. If he is to truly succeed in becoming the next king of Caribouria, then he will need it once more in the fight that is to come.”

“First thing’s first,” said Beau as he looked at the sacred flame. “We will need to lure him here first.”

“How do you propose?” asked Angi.

Beau looked at the flame while he was thinking. After a few minutes, he slowly smiled and looked at the others.

Said Beau. He walked towards Brightstar and said, “We’ll need to send a messenger to gather the rest of Thorin’s Company. The originals, he’s going to need support.

“I’m already on it.” Said Brightstar while her eyes suddenly glowed and were still, as if she was concentrating.

“And you.” Said Beau as he walked over to Angi. “I assume you’ll know how to bring it out of him?”

“I will try.” Said Angi as she readied her axe. “Caribouria needs its king to return.”

Beau smiled while placing his hand on Angi’s shoulder and said, “Then let’s get to work.”
> Chapter 14: Return of the King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, Thorin and Lizzy were walking down the stone hall from within the mountain of Moria, with them really worried as they had worried looks on their faces. One of the Rebel Guards showed up.

“Anything?” said Thorin in his worried tone.

“I’m afraid not, my liege.” Said the Rebel Soldier. “We haven’t found them yet; they’re still searching for half of the landscape down the South. We’ll be starting the North soon.”

“Keep looking.” Said Lizzie. “If you find any trace of them, let us know.”

The Rebel Guard saluted and immediately left to continue with his search. Things have been really bad. When the morning came, the Rebel Guards were about to wake the Husbands and Emily, but when they got to their rooms, they all disappeared. They’ve been searching for them for the past two days. But so far, nothing.

“I’m really getting worried.” Said Lizzie. “Caribouria is a huge place, and it’s not safe for anyone to be out there.”

“I know, Lizzie.” Said Thorin as he held her close. “We’ll find them somehow. I don’t know how, but we will.”

“There you are.”

They were stunned at first and quickly turned around. And right behind them were none other than Beau and his human entourage. Lizzie quickly moved toward her brother and hugged him in relief. Then she released him, punched him in the shoulder, and said, “Where the hell have you been?”

“Yeah, sorry about that,” said Silver. “We were kinda brought to certain places against our wills.”

Thorin flexed his eyebrow as he said, “What are you talking about?”

“We’ll explain along the way.” Said Beau, “All that we ask is that you come with us. And bring Daisy along with you.”

At first, they were confused but chose to acknowledge his request.

***********************************************************************************************

After half the morning, calling off the search and having a few guards accompany them, Beau and the rest of the Humane 7 were leading Thorin, Balin, Lizzie, Daisy, and a few others to a secluded location, one that almost looked like a mountainside.

“Where exactly are we going?” asked Thorin.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Said Beau. “Something that’ll help us. And something that’ll help you too.”

Thorin was initially confused by this until Silver pointed it out and said, “We’re here.” They saw what appeared to be a strange-looking entrance that looked really ancient, resembling the ancient Caribouria people from long ago.

“The others should be here shortly.” Said Bucky.

“No way.”

When they looked ahead, they were surprised to see a group of familiar faces. A large group of Caribou that Thorin knew all too well.

“No way.” Said Thorin as he smiled. He quickly went over and hugged them; even Balin was happy to see them as he hugged them.

Daisy saw two familiar-looking Caribou and had a large smile on her face. “No way. Fili, Kili.”

“Daisy!” exclaimed the two Caribou brothers as they went over to hug her, with them laughing with joy.

Lizzie smiled too, walked over to a familiar Caribou, and said, “Hello, Glóin.”

“Lizzie.” Said the Caribou as they hugged.

Once they broke the hug, Daisy immediately went over and said, “Guys, these are old friends of ours. These two behind me are Fili and Kili, both of them brothers. The one with Lizzie is Glóin. The ones near Thorin as Oni, Dwalin, and Ori. The one near Balin is Dori, Nori and Bifur. And the ones over there are Bofur and Bombur.”

“Nice to meet you.” Said Kili.

“Fili, Kili.” Said Daisy. “These are the humans from Equestria. That there’s Thomas Rohan, but everyone calls him Beau. That there’s George Newton, but everyone calls him Genus. That there is Cole Bolton, but everyone calls him Bolt. That there is Barry Frost, but everyone calls him Frosty. And the one over there is Emily, his sister. Finally, this here is Jim Silver, but everyone calls him Silver, and also Lizzie’s brother. And that there over there is Buck Armstrong, but everyone calls him Bucky. Also…my older brother.”

“Whoa,” said Fili in amazement. “So this is your brother.”

“Nice to meet you.” Said Kili as he eagerly shook Bucky’s hand. “Daisy told us a lot about you. Though how in blue blazes did you end up here?”

“Long story.” Said Bucky.

“So now that all of you are here.” Said Thorin. “Why are we here?”

“Everything will be answered in due time,” said Beau. “Until then, that’s where we need to go.”

He pointed towards a cave of sorts that had never been seen before.

“A cave?” said Thorin.

“Just trust me.” Said Beau as he and the humans led them toward the cave, with many following suit.

As they traveled through the caves, Thorin walked alongside Beau.

“Now then,” said Thorin, “What’s all this about?”

“Let me tell you a story first.” Said Beau. As Thorin gave him a look, Beau looked at him and said, “Just let me humor you.”

Thorin nodded and allowed him to explain.

“In ancient times,” said Roland, “After the Great War ended thanks to King Tyr and his inspiration, the world would plummet into darkness. During that time, beings like Grogar and Salazar came to power and united all of the World’s monsters. But before that, three creatures, two Unicorns named Gusty the Great and Brightstar the Wise, and a human named Achilles, founded a special group of orders that would vow to protect the world from the greatest threats. And because of that, they, in time, created special trees to help them create a lineage so great that many would believe they are nothing but fairy tales.”

“The Trees and the Knights of Harmony.” Said Thorin in a slightly unamused tone.

“Oh, so you know that story?” said Beau.

“Yes, every child in Caribouria knows that. Can we go to bed now?”

“No, because there’s one part of the story you haven’t heard of.” Said Beau.

“Really?” said Thorin while rolling his eyes; however, the others found it amusing.

Beau then told him what Brightstar had recently told him.

“During their time, about ten years before the Knights of Harmony fell and the humans of the world had faded from existence,” said Beau. “They had secretly created a powerful source of magic, combined with the powers of Harmony, and the ancient power of Rune magic, that only the Caribourian Elders, Prophets, and Shaman knew. With it, they created a powerful force known as the Sacred Flames of Caribouria.”

Thorin looked at him with a flexed eyebrow, but the others were interested.

“The Knights of Harmony’s founders, as well as the Caribourian Rune Casters, told them that only the royal family of Caribouria would wield this power and use it for the greater good of others. King Thaddeus, King Dorian’s father, was the first to wield this power. But when Dorian came to power, he realized that the sacred flame would be too dangerous to be left out in the open. So he sealed it away so that no one would use it. However, he took a small percentage of the flame and brought it to what became Caribouria’s capital. Though it may not have been powerful, it was still a formidable force, even though it didn’t stand a chance against Dainn’s power when he came along.”

Thorin stopped him and said, “Are you making this up?”

“Of course not.” Said Beau. “I tell the truth. Bucky can vouch for me.”

They continued walking down the cave while Beau could tell they were close.

“If what we had at the Capitol was only a small percentage, why haven’t I heard about the sacred flame?” said Thorin.

“It was meant to be kept a secret.” Said Beau, “Your father wanted to tell you the moment you received the blessing, but he had not told it to anyone, not even Dainn, because he knew he was troubled since he started out.”

“And where is this so-called flame?” said Thorin.

“Oh, it had been lost, forgotten throughout time.” Said Beau. “So long ago that not even Dainn knows about it. But…we found it.”

“Okay,” said Thorin, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I’ve never heard so much rubbish in all my life.”

“Are you calling me a liar?” said Beau as he stopped and looked at Thorin.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Said Thorin.

Beau then smirked, looked to his right, and said, “Then what’s that over there then?”

Thorin looked in that direction, slowly changing his expression from smug to shock; even the rest of his company was shocked to see it. Right ahead were four large statues of Caribourian warriors bearing weapons long forgotten. Right at the center was the sacred flame of Caribouria, burning bright in all its glory. As Beau and a few humans moved forward, Thorin had a hard time grasping what

he saw. For the feeling, it’s like he was a child all over again, seeing what was right before him.

“It can’t be.” Muttered Thorin as he moved towards it, with his company moving with him.

They took a long walk toward the flames. But as they walked, Thorin looked around and saw many of the ancient Caribourian warrior statues, the tallest he had ever seen. They walked up the stairs as if it were an ancient shrine. When they got there, Thorin could feel it. He could feel the fire’s warmth, which he hadn’t felt in a long time. He nearly shed a tear when he saw the flame as if he were a child again.

Thorin wanted to place his hands over it, but he wasn’t sure.

He felt a hand on his shoulder, revealing Beau, while saying, “I know what it’s like, to walk away from a legacy meant for you. But you need to be sure about this.”

Thorin looked at the fire for a moment, then looked at Beau and said, “I do.”

“Then you need to be tested.” Said a female Caribou.

They saw Angi walk around the flames and towards Thorin. His company was surprised to see who it was.

“No way,” said Fili. “That’s Angi the brave. The one who held the line with only three

hundred warriors for the villagers to escape.”

Angi walked to the front of the sacred flame and placed her axe on the ground while placing both her hands on top of it.

“What is this?” said Thorin when he saw her standing in front of it.

“I have been given the pledge to guard the sacred flame against those who would dare to misuse it for their own selfish purpose.” Said Angi. “I hear you wish to use the flame but lack the confidence to do it.”

Angi’s look softened, and she said, “I understand what it’s like, to lose everything and lose the confidence and will to fight on. But if you truly wish to redeem yourself and gain what you seek, a trial is the only way to get through it.”

“Trial by combat.” Said Thorin.

“Indeed.” Said Angi.

She took out a sword from her back. A sword that Thorin knew all too well.

“That’s…” said Thorin before Angi answered for him.

“This sword once belonged to your father during his younger days after he founded and led the Caribourian Templar Knights.” Said Angi. “He said that when the time would come, I would one-day test you. Now that you are here, filling in shoes that had been left unfilled for many years, it’s time to reclaim what you have once lost.”

She walked over to him and said, “For your family. For your kingdom. For your birthright. For your people. More importantly…to yourself as well.”

Thorin looked at the sword, Angi, to the sacred flames, then finally at his friends and Lizzie. He took a deep breath and took the sword. They moved towards a large circle that Angi had drawn.

Thorin pulled the sword out of its hilt and remembered the training his father had given him when they practiced with that very specific sword. He stood in position while Angi prepared herself with her axe. The two stared at one another as they prepared themselves for a fight. Everyone else was staring at the two combatants, one at the last heir and the other a guardian to the Sacred Flame itself.

Once they were fully focused, they sprung.

Angi swung her axe, but Thorin deflected and parried her attack, allowing him to dodge her attack. Once Angi swung her axe again, Thorin blocked her attack while he used both his hands to use the sword to block it. The two spun around while Thorin twisted and nearly struck her gut, but Angi could dodge it when she jumped backward. Thorin plunged his sword, but Angi deflected it, allowing her to strike, only for Thorin to move his right when he dodged her attack. He swung his sword, only for her to dodge it again. Both Thorin and Angi stood in position once again, walking in a circle, and kept their focus on one another.

Both of them charged toward one another. Angi struck, but Thorin blocked her attack; then he went to the offensive, but she, too, blocked from another side. When Thorin struck again, she backhanded him, which nearly made him lose his balance, but he kept going. When he struck her, she used the back end of her axe to strike his back, making him grunt, but he wouldn’t let up. Both continued to fight their hardest until Thorin cut the side of her hip, which caused Angi to strike his back.

Thorin’s company watched in worry, as did most of the humans, but Beau kept his focus on Thorin, while from the shadows, Brightstar was watching as well. At the same time, whilst Thorin was on all fours, Angi slowly stood up.

“Come, so-called Prince of Caribouria.” Said Angi. “You call yourself a leader? Clearly, you are the weakest of them all.”

Thorin looked down in defeat and felt like he had lost hope. But when he slowly looked up, he saw his friends, having worried looks on their faces, all of who were silently rooting for him. However, one caught his eye. He saw Lizzie staring down at him, clearly more worried and afraid for him. She felt helpless and didn’t know what to do. The more Thorin looked at her, the more his heart began to beat for her. He then realized that he wasn’t doing it for Caribouria, its people, and his friends…he was doing this for her. Ever since she came here, she had always stuck by his side, always being there for him when he felt like he failed those around him, the one who encouraged him to be brave when no one else did.

He gripped his hands, for he was far from done, and a simple injury won’t keep him from that. He grabbed his sword and stood up with every ounce of his strength. He stood in position with his own fighting technique. He was not going to fight like his father. He was going to fight like himself.

“Prepare yourself.” Said Thorin with seriousness in both his eyes and voice, determined to fight no matter what.

“At last.” Said Angi, as she could feel his determination. “Come, Prince of Caribouria. Face what is to come before you.”

Angi once again charged and raised her axe while Thorin did the same. The two of them struck in both directions while deflecting each other’s attacks at the same time. Then the two of them clashed their weapons together, both struggling to push one another by using what strength they had in each other. Both deflected their weapons again. As Angi struck, Thorin blocked her attack and struck her leg, making her wince as she lowered her guard for almost a second. Both continued to strike until Thorin got sucker punched and skidded across the ground while his sword skidded next to him.

“Rise Prince Thorin, rise!!” shouted Angi. “Do not let your fighting spirit fade, for your kingdom and loved ones depend on it!!”

Thorin gripped his hand once again and grabbed his sword. He stood up with messed up hair, angry but focused. He gripped his sword with both of his hands this time.

“Do not worry,” said Thorin with determination. “I have only begun to fight.”

Both of them charged toward one another. Angi blocked Thorin’s attack left and right, until he performed a rolling technique and struck behind her leg, making her wince, but backhanded Thorin, for she was not going to let a wound stop her. Thorin stood crouching and waited for Angi to make her move. As she struck with her axe, Thorin jumped to the right. He struck Angi from the right, but she blocked her attack and her attack from the left.

Thorin swung his sword, only for Angi to block and deflect it. Both struck and deflected their attacks. Thorin swung his sword again, only for Angi to duck, which allowed her to strike; Thorin quickly moved his head to dodge her, merely making her miss within an inch of his nose. Thorin blocked her attack and kicked her away, which made her skid on both her hooves (or cow feet or whatever you call it). Thorin and Angi charged toward one another once more. Both of them then clashed their axe/blade towards one another until Thorin pulled a fast one by parrying, making her drop her axe, which allowed Thorin to use the bud end of his sword and knock her against her head, then performed a sweeping leg maneuver, causing her to land hard onto the ground.

Before she could get up, Thorin aimed the blade toward her, staring down at the warrior he had fought hard to beat. He panted a few times while keeping focused on her.

“Do you yield?” asked Thorin, with seriousness but fairness in his tone.

Angi stared at him for a few moments. She smiled, for she was impressed by his determination. “I yield.” She replied.

Everyone smiled and sighed in relief. Beau and Brightstar smiled the most, with Lizzie smiling the widest. Thorin placed his blade away and walked back to Angi’s weapon. He handed her weapon back.

“You truly are a great warrior.” Said Thorin, “Though it is your responsibility to protect the Sacred Flames from any who would misuse this for their own selfish gain, Caribouria needs people to help protect them from the darkness to come. Would you fight alongside us when the time comes?”

Angi accepted her weapon after she stood up. She bowed to him and said, “I would be honored to fight alongside you, my liege. It would do me good to fight alongside the true heir of Caribouria.”

“And, the flame?” asked Thorin.

Angi stood up while she smiled and said, “It is now yours, my liege.” while also gesturing, “No go, fulfill your Destiny. It is time to reclaim what had been lost to you.”

Thorin looked at the sacred flame. He realized that he had been running from his problems for far too long. It’s time he faced the demons of his past. One last time. He walked up the stairs, making his way toward the sacred flame. He was drawn closer and closer to the flames with every step he took. No one could ever explain the compelling feeling, but it’s as if he was being drawn to it. Finally, he had made his way to the top of the stairs. He stood there and watched it. He took a step and raised his hand towards it, but he hesitated a bit and felt unsure. He looked at Beau.

“What if it won’t accept me?” said Thorin.

“Why would you think that?’ said Beau as he and the others stood closer to him to find out why.

Thorin sighed and said, “I had been too afraid to face Dainn again. To Caribouria. I tried to persuade them, but they were too scared to fight. Hence, I could lead only those willing to fight.”

He looked at his hands and said, “I since remained an exile, fighting from the shadows just so that they could have a chance for a better tomorrow for the future. I tried, but with Dainn’s tyranny spreading throughout the kingdom and very few resources at our disposal. It had been a fight just to survive.”

“You need to stop blaming yourself for this.” Said Beau. “You were only a child then. Plus, you couldn’t have received the blessing because Dainn had staged both a coup and an invasion. Plus, I know what it means to abandon responsible.”

Thorin looked at him with a flexed eyebrow while Beau said, “I made a mistake by walking away from my family and birthright a long time ago. I’m here now. To live up to my ancestors’ promise.

He placed his hand on Thorin and said, “Put aside the exile and the Ranger. Become who you were born to be. For once you do, many will stand by your side.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Thorin.

Beau took a few steps back while the others looked at one another and nodded. They looked at Thorin while standing in position. They presented their drivers to him, which confused everyone, and instantly placed them in front of their waist, causing it to form around them and bound them with their waists.

“Harmony Driver!!”

They were surprised by what they were doing. They suddenly pulled out what appeared to be their wives’ Cutie Marks while each spoke.

“Magic/Honesty/Generosity/Kindness/Loyalty/Laughter/Acceptence!!”

Within a split second, large magical portals had opened right above them while summoning what appeared to be a Magibeast, each looking like a Violet Alicorn, an Orange Boar, a White Wolf, a Yellow Lion, a Cyan Blue Shark, a Pink Rabbit and a Green Dragon. The seven of them instantly placed their Lockseeds into their Drivers and activated them with one swift motion.

“Element Harmony!!

Magic/Honesty/Generosity/Kindness/Loyalty/Laughter/Acceptance Harmonize!!!”

Within a split second, the Magibeast above them moved around them. At the same time, most of their bodies were covered with black latex, while the Magibeasts broke into different pieces and turned into bits and pieces of armor, instantly forming around them, granting them their armor. They were greatly surprised to see what was before them, what Beau and the others had turned into. Beau took a step forward while he faced Thorin.

“Because you still have hope.” Said Beau, “And because of that, the Knights of Harmony stand by your side.”

Within mere moments, Beau slowly bowed to Thorin, as did the others. He was greatly surprised, for the stories were true, the Knights of Harmony were real, and they were bowing to him, leaving him speechless. He didn’t know how to respond to this. But he gave one more look to the flame…and walked toward it. Once he was close enough, he could feel the warmth of the flames right in front of him. He stood and looked at it. But suddenly, felt like time stood still, and the only ones moving were both him and the flames.

“I don’t know if you can hear me.” Said Thorin. “But a long time ago, I would receive the blessing. I was groomed to help build the future for the kingdom of Caribouria. But then Dainn came along and took everything away from me. My family. My home. Everything I had ever loved and dear was all taken away from me. And for the longest time, I lived in fear. Even though I may have started to fight back, I was afraid to embrace the path before me.”

He looked at the flames and said, “But now here I am, surrounded by those who told me I was both worthy and ready. Deep down, I still feel a slight sense of dread. But further down…I’m done running from this fight. I’m done running from my past. More importantly…I’m done running from the path that was laid before me.”

He spoke while bowing to the flame and said, “So I ask you now. Please. Grant me the strength to help my kingdom. To help save my people and those who live in this kingdom. They may have lost faith, but they still hope for a better future. So please, grant me the strength to help them hope again. Because it’s the right thing to do.”

Things were silent for a few moments until…

“Thorin Oakenshield.”

Thorin looked up in shock and stood on his hooves while looking at the flames.

“You have strayed from the path for a long time.” Said the voice, which was from none other than the Flames. “And yet I sense in your heart the truth you have spoken. Therefore, what has long passed, I will grant you the power to save your kingdom, just as your ancestors have before you. Accept the power that will be granted to you, Thorin Oakenshield. Embrace who you were meant to be.”

Within mere moments, as if time had resumed, the flames flickered and were alight, which many began to notice. And from within the flame, the flames created a cross guard. Thorin was cautious as he reached his hand out. But discovered the flames did not burn. He decided to reach out with both his hands. The moment he grabbed the handle with both his hands, the flames immediately engulfed his hands, allowing them to spread all over his body, taking everyone by surprise as they all took a step back.

Thorin grunted as he struggled to handle the power coursing him. He gripped his eyes shut, not being able to handle the pain. But then he remembered the voice.

Put aside the Exile and the Ranger. Become who you were born to be.

Thorin then calmed down and took a deep breath, allowing the power to course through him dramatically. Once it was done, the power then shot up to the sky. Within mere moments, it began to produce a powerful light, returning the Great Light that had been snuffed so many years ago.

All around the Kingdom, the villages, the towns, the cities, and the Houses had looked and were in awe of the great light that shone above the skies. A few elderly dragons recognized it and were amazed.

One of them said with a tear of joy, “The true King of Caribouria has returned.”

However, far away, in the ruined city of Carinthia, many of Dainn’s patrol forces had seen the Great Light too and were shocked by what they were witnessing. One of the corrupted Caribourian troopers ran towards the throne room, where the generals were fooling around with the women, and Dainn was abusing a woman for his selfish desire. A soldier barged in just as he was about to lavish her sexually.

“My lord!!” shouted the Caribourian soldier, panting.

“What have I told you about entering the throne room without permission?” said Dainn sternly when he pushed the woman away.

“The great light…the great…the great light is above the skies.” Said the soldier.

Widening his eyes in shock, Dainn immediately ran out with his generals. When they got outside, Dainn saw what he vowed he would never see again, the great light, a sign that said the true king of Caribouria had returned.

“No,” growled Dainn as his eyes glowed.

From near the sacred flame, the bright light died out when they took a good look at Thorin. When they looked at him, many were in awe of what they saw. Thorin Oakenshield was now standing tall and proud, wearing the royal garments of Caribouria and the crown. Beau could’ve sworn that Thorin’s armor resembled Aragorn from Lord of the Rings and Thor from Asgard. Thorin was also holding a blade, glowing bright with ancient Caribourian letters glowing brightly from the side.

“He bears the sword Brisingr,” said Balin in awe. “The heart of Caribouria.”

Indeed it was, the mighty blade Brisingr. The glyph for fire in the Ancient Language,

Brisingr, was engraved on both the blade and the sheath. It had a dark green sheath with a leaf-shaped steel cap on the end of the sheath. The cross guard resembled the antlers of a caribou while a large emerald jewel was embedded in the pommel. The blade itself was a lighter iridescent green, like the color of the Sacred Fire of Caribouria, and shone with a flame-like pattern on the blade’s flat. The blade would become engulfed in green flames whenever Thorin uttered its name. It is capable of cutting through magical wards.

However, Thorin looked back at the flames of Caribouria. He stood in front of it and waved his hand. And from every house, every corner of the world, including the fallen Capitol, Thorin appeared in front of everyone as they saw him, wearing his robes and holding his sword. Everyone was in awe when they saw Thorin appear, holding his sword as he looked at every creature staring back at him. Even Lord Dainn was looking at him while he clenched his fists.

Thorin thought about what to say to his people. Then he looked at the others and asked,

“What should I say to them?”

Lizzie smiled and said, “From what’s within your heart.”

Thorin smiled and turned back to the flames. And once he found the words, he spoke to the kingdom.

“My people and fellow creatures of Caribouria!!” stated Thorin.

Everyone watched as Thorin addressed the crowd.

“For those of you who do not know me,” said Thorin, “My name is Thorin Oakenshield, son of Thrawn Oakenshield, brother of the one true king, Dorian.”

Many of the citizens were surprised to hear who his family was and to find out who he

was related to.

“For too long, the tyrannical Dainn had ruled our homeland with an Iron Fist.” Said Thorin. “Destroying all life throughout Caribouria with what pleases his bloodlust. Murdered our king and the royal family. Enslaved and killed our loved ones. Unleashed the darkness upon us as if it were the power of Helheim itself. And now Our kingdom, the world, and its future are at risk.”

Everyone continued to watch, even many Resistance forces and the remaining Caribourian military scattered worldwide.

“What was once unthinkable has become inevitable. Rebellion.”

Thorin then motioned to the humans bearing the armor of the Knights of Harmony, which surprised many, even Dainn.

“These humans,” said Thorin, “Led by a long forgotten line that had been forgotten since the fall of Grogar and Salazar, were chosen by the Powers of Harmony to become the new Knights of Harmony, and it has been foretold to end Dainn’s reign.”

He turned back to the crowd and spoke.

“They are now the beacons of hope, thanks to the Princesses of Equestria. They have been sent here to aid us in our time of need.”

Many were surprised to see the Knights of Harmony were real.

“Dainn has brought us nothing but fear and despair for many years. Why? Because he fears what would happen if we were to be united. He was right to be afraid.”

Dainn gripped his fists as he snarled in anger.

“Join me,” said Thorin as he looked at the crowd. “Join the Knights of Harmony. Join the Resistance. So that together, we will make our stand. Not as many.”

Thorin raised his sword and shouted, “BUT AS ONE!!!”

Everyone cheered in a loud uproar as they agreed to unite with Thorin, for the time has come to fight back for the sake of Caribouria and the world.

“Enough!!” shouted Dainn as he interrupted their communication. Dainn appeared in front of Thorin and said, “Your pathetic rebellion, like my father and his family, will end in a burning ruin!!”

“Then why do you tremble?” said Beau as he stood next to Thorin.

“And who might you be, monkey?” said Dainn mockingly.

Beau removed his helmet and said, “My Name is Thomas Rohan, a descendant of Achilles from the House of Rohan.”

Everyone was surprised to hear the name while seeing that face.

“Dainn the Destroyer,” said Beau. “You have plagued this land for far too long.”

“Disrespectful Monkey!!” shouted Dainn. “I don’t know how you humans came to this world, but be warned, any Caribou Rebels that stand with you and your kind in battle will join you and Thorin to the Grave!!”

“Then bring your weapons. Bring your armies.” Said Thorin as he pulled out his sword while it charged with energy. “And meet your destiny!!!”

He pulled his blade and was about to slash.

HARMONY SLASH!!!

He swiped his blade, destroying the hologram of Dainn, while from his side, Dainn had been launched and crashed against the wall before collapsing onto the ground. Back from Thorin and the others, they were at war with Dainn, and there was no turning back.

“What do we do now, Thorin?” asked Balin.

Thorin looked back to the others and said with determination, “Gather more of our men and send them out all over the kingdom. Send them to gather the surviving armies of Caribouria and any other brave Caribou who wish to stand by our side. While we, on the other hand, will go to the other Houses and convince them to join our side, as well as free other Houses that have fallen. If we save them, it will convince them to join our cause. Until then, order our Rebel forces to abandon Moria and come here. This will be our new home, and the flame of Caribouria must be protected at any cost.”

He turned to Angi and asked, “And brave Angi. Will you fight beside me?”

She bowed and said, “I pledge my blade to you, sire.”

“Then let’s get to work.”

****************************************************************************************************

“My liege!” said one of the corrupted Caribou as they helped him.

“Get off!!” said Dainn as he got to lose while his Generals, Poe the Crow, Smaug the Dragon, Azog Warg, and Mor’du, the Bear, approached him.

“So it’s true,” said Azog. “Humans have truly returned to Equestria and have come here.”

“Not only that,” said the corrupted Caribou, Ivangir. “They have brought the descendant of the House of Rohan here too.”

“But how can that be?” said Poe the Crow. “How did they even return to our world. Surely even the Royal Sisters from Equestria would not dare not summon them here.”

“The Resistance may have been a nuisance to us in the past,” said Vestri, another corrupted Caribou. “But now, with the human and the heir of the throne returning? Why now?”

“Enough!!” shouted Dainn as he slammed the hilt of his axe hard onto the ground to silence them. He turned around and said, “Let the fools chattel have their pet monkeys do the dirty work. Let them think they stand a chance against us.”

He looked back and said, “But they will know this; when the time comes, we will march against that pitiful Resistance Rabble and crush them till they’re nothing but specs of dust.”

He walked towards the Throne and said, “We will destroy them before they even have a chance to set foot near here. In time we will get the other keys, break the barrier of Caribouria and invade Equestria and the rest of the world. Until then, gather our armies here. Make sure security at our conquered territories is strengthened and have them brought here to shore up defenses.”

“And what would you have them do once they have accomplished their task?” asked Azog.

Dainn sat on his throne and placed his hands together, staring with evil and intent in his eyes.

“Eradicate them with extreme Prejudice.”
> Chapter 15: Gaining Trusts and Freeing Prisoners
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few days later, after Thorin’s broadcast, the entire Mountain of Moria was moved to the secret location of the Sacred Flame. Seeing that it’s an important relic to Caribouria, they were all sworn to secrecy and protect it. But at the same time, it was discovered that the entire place was a forgotten city, built by the first civilization that had been forgotten long ago. And seeing that the sacred flame was deep within the city, it was well protected and had enough room to store everything and have rooms for everyone, both together and individually. At the throne room, Thorin and his trusted Generals were looking over the map of Caribouria.

“What’s the status of the villages, towns, and cities?” asked Thorin.

“From the other Resistance Cells,” said Balin, “Many of the citizens have revolted and risen up against Dainn’s forces and pushed them away.”

“But it was only a matter of time before he sent out more to wipe them out,” said Dwalin.

“So they evacuated them and are planning to bring them here. From what they told us, the civilians were overjoyed to have the true King returning, so they wished to help in any way they could. The women and youngest ones remain here while every adult and young lad able to hold a sword would join the cause.”

“Have only the men fight,” said Thorin “The young lads that can hold a sword will remain. They are not ready to face a foe such as this yet.”

“And until we try to convince the other Houses and find the remnants of the Caribourian military, it’ll be impossible for us to launch an attack on Dainn’s forces.” Said Beau.

“Precisely.” Said Thorin.

Beau then thought of something. He looked at Thorin and asked, “If I might ask, where would the captured civilians of the other houses be?”

“That would be right there,” said Dwalin. “After Dainn came to power, he first burnt down the entire land and turned it into a prison state, where many of its civilians live in poverty. Why do you ask?”

“My friends and I will rescue them first before we rescue anyone else.” Said Beau, taking them in shock.

“That would be suicide.” Said Glóin.

“There are no other options,” said Beau, “Besides, when the time comes, we will need all the help we can get. We know that all of their leaders and important supporters are locked away. Freeing them will bring the rest of their territories out of hiding, allowing them to rise up against Dainn’s forces. And by doing that, we would convince the remaining houses to side with us as they see that Dainn’s forces are vulnerable.”

“Ah yes, another factor.” Said Balin. “We must convince them and prove why they should side with us. That was always a factor we had not considered yet.”

“I’ll come along too.” Said Daisy. “I will remain in the shadows. Plus, I am an expert archer; thus, we will be able to provide support. I have two platoons worth of Archers who could help.”

“That would be handy and very helpful.” Said Beau, then he looked at Thorin and said, “In the meantime, Thorin and his company will go with Angi.”

“Really? How come?” asked Dori.

“Because she knows where the Generals of the Remnant Caribouria armies are hidden,” said Beau. “She kept tabs on them and knows how to contact them.”

“Then that is what we will do.” Said Thorin. He looked at Daisy and said, “Daisy, gather your troops. You leave within the hour.”

“Yes, sir.” Said Daisy as she left.

Thorin looked at Beau and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

“Same here.” Said Beau as he left.

But at the same time, as Lizzie watched them at work, she felt deep down that she could also do more to help. She then suddenly felt something. Something she had never felt before. She looked to her right and saw a tunnel she had never seen before. She felt compelled to follow it. She followed it down the hall and soon disappeared.

Thorin looked away for a few moments and noticed Lizzie wasn’t there. “Where did she…?”

“My lord.” Said Angi, gaining his attention as she looked at him. “We should be moving out. I’ve already called the other leaders, and they all gather at the House of Dragons. They’ll see us soon.”

“But what of the Caribourian military?” asked Thorin.

“From what we heard, they’re just in the center of where the other Five Houses reside.” said Angi, “We can’t get past there without provoking them.”

“Understood.” Said Thorin. “We should head out immediately.”

“At once.” Said Angi as she bowed and moved away.

Thorin looked back and said, “Lizzie. Where did you go?” 

He soon left to rejoin the others.

******************************************************************************************************

From far away, near a charred and desolate wasteland, Beau and the Husband six and Emily, along with Daisy and two Platoons of Archers, all moved through the shadows and moved to and fro to ensure that no one would spot them, not even a few random patrols.

They soon made their way toward the edge of a cliff. When they took a peak below, they saw what they didn’t expect. Down below was the largest prison anyone had ever seen. Many were taken prisoner and treated harshly as if they were 2nd class citizens. Many creatures were left to suffer.

“Holy Celestia.” Muttered Bolt.

“How many are down there?” said Silver.

“Too many.” Muttered one of the Caribou.

“According to our spies,” said Daisy, “There are at least five prisons like this. There are at least over a hundred thousand people. This one holds the Kirin, Buffalo, Deer, and Minotaurs.”

“Alright then,” said Beau, “We’ll try to sneak inside. In the meantime, Daisy, you, and the others try to find a perfect spot to cover us.”

“It’s going to be difficult.” Said one of the Caribou, “Our arrows won’t be able to go that far.”

“Maybe I can help.” Said Beau.

He took out a bag and placed it on the ground.

“Is that the bag of infinity?” asked one of the Caribou.

“You got a good eye,” said Beau. “The bag allows anyone to store as much of their things as possible, leaving them safe from harm. When they mentioned the prison, I thought it would work.”

Beau took out the things he needed. Strange materials and potions that they’ve never seen before. At the same time, Beau began to place them together, merging and combining them, which the others watched with eagerness to see what he had in mind. Once done, he lifted it up and revealed it to have been crafted into a crossbow, with a strange glass attached and a gem placed at the back.

“What is that?” said one of the Caribou.

Beau motioned one of them to pull out an arrow, which they did. He Daisy the newly crafted weapon. She placed it in the center, aimed at the farthest rock. To her surprise, she can adjust the glass by zooming in like a telescope. The moment she pulled the trigger, the gem instantly made the arrow glow, allowing it to fire. The arrow hit the rock, which surprised them to see such great accuracy, even from such a great distance.

“Incredible.” Said Daisy before she looked at Beau.

“It’s a makeshift crossbow I made, combined with what some would call a sniper rifle.” Said Beau, “I call it the Imperium.”

“Clever.” Said one of the Caribou.

“Now then,” said Beau as he took out more parts, “Who here wants to help?”

*****************************************************************************************************

They had some trouble, but they were able to make their makeshift crossbows. Each was stationed at different parts of the cliffs and hills to gain a few vantage points. At the same time, Beau, the husbands, Emily, and another fifty Caribou were following them behind. They quickly hid near the wall while trying to avoid any patrols. Once they were close enough, Beau used a signal stone to transmit a small blinking light, gaining Daisy’s attention.

She looked at her fellow Caribou and signaled them. The first five groups fired at the Warg guards on the walls, killing them. Beau signaled them to use the grapple to climb up, allowing a few of them to get it hooked on the walls. They slowly began to climb up the walls. They took a peak and looked around. So far, there were many patrols, but enough to open a gap. Silver looked ahead and saw two large towers, which were high enough for them to gain a vantage point. They soon climbed the walls and jumped over. Once they were over, Husband 6 and Emily cleared the way for the Caribou to climb the two towers. Once they were up top, they subdued the guards and immobilized them. Once they were done, they took out their makeshift crossbows and aimed them all around.

Once they were in position, Beau and the others soon made their way to the prisons while trying to avoid the guards. When they got inside, they saw so many in cages. The guards were watching over them from above. But they were suddenly knocked out before reacting, which surprised the Kirin, Buffalo, Deer, and Minotaurs. They were curious about who they were when they saw Beau and the others. Bolt removed his hood, which surprised them to see what they were, while also motioning them to be quiet to avoid making a scene.

They soon made it down and opened their cages. They immediately got out as some walked over to them.

“A human.” Muttered one of the Deer. “I never thought I’d live to see the day.”

“Trust me,” said Silver. “This is nothing.”

“Is there anyone else?” asked Beau.

“There are more prison quarters around us.” Said one of the Buffalo.

“And our leaders are locked up at the main headquarters above.” Said a Kirin.

“All of you wait here for our signal.” Said Bucky, “Once we make some noise, all hell is going to break loose. Which will allow you to escape?”

“And how can you be so sure?” said one of the Minotaurs.

“Because Thorin Oakenshield sent us.” Said Beau, “The true King of Caribouria has returned.”

They were surprised to hear this, as were the other prisoners.

Beau and the others placed their bags and took out a few weapons and armor resembling their species’ military.

“You might need these.” Said Emily.

They were surprised to see their equipment. They smiled and accepted their armor. After Beau and the others quickly got out, Beau saw the creatures were getting geared up and were already waiting for their signals.

After they got outside, Beau and the others regrouped.

“According to the map,” said Emily as she looked through the map, “There happens to be six more like this all around. Their headquarters is just above, where the leaders are being kept.”

“You six focus on getting to the other prison locations,” said Beau. “I’ll go and rescue the heads of the other Houses. Once all of you are done, regroup to my position.”

“You got it.” Said Bucky before all of them quickly split up.

Beau soon made his way toward the location where the leaders were kept. When he took a peak, he was surprised to see how well-defended they were, so he decided to do this the other way by sneaking inside. He pulled over a hood over himself to conceal himself before disappearing into the shadows. He went from corner to corner, cover to cover, and would soon find his way to the building. He was able to get to the rooftop without being spotted. When he looked around, he saw an opening on the roof. He snuck over, took a peak, and saw that the coast was clear. He jumped in and looked around, seeing that the coast was clear. He moved towards the door while also studying the ground for some reason.

He looked the other way and quickly followed the trail. He looked from room to room until he finally found what he was looking for. He saw a female Kirin, a male Buffalo, a female Deer, and a male Minotaur, all chained while they were on their seats. He then looked at the lock and saw that they were similar to the ones back in Equestria. He pulled out a small tool set and began to pick the lock. Once he was done, the cell unlocked, gaining the four creature’s attention. Beau entered the cell while he quickly looked outside.

“Are all of you alright?” said Beau.

“Hmph, and who are you?” said the Minotaur with a grunt.

“My name is Thomas Rohan,” said Beau, “But you can call me Beau.”

The deer perked up and said, “Wait, did you say Rohan.”

Beau removed his hood and said, “I did.”

The four were shocked to see a human before them. Beau went over to the Kirin first and used his tools to unlock her shackles, especially the device keeping her from using her Nirik powers, which she felt relieved of. He went over to the deer next. When the deer got a good look at him, the deer gasped in surprise.

“It’s true,” said the Deer. “You have the Rohan’s eyes.”

“You know of my family?” said Beau.

“Yes,” said the deer after she was freed. “My ancestors had served the Rohan family for many years before they were forced to leave.” Said the Deer.

“Well, I’m not the only human here,” said Beau. “My friends are trying to free the rest of the prisoners.”

“There are more humans?” said the surprised Buffalo once freed.

“That’s right.” Said Beau, “We came here to help. We were also sent by Thorin Oakenshield.”

“I thought the Oakenshield family were wiped out.” Said the Minotaur once he was freed too.

“Not all of them.” Said Beau, “When Dainn invaded, he didn’t receive the blessings in time. But now he has finally gained it from the true Flame of Caribouria.”

“The true flame is real?” said the surprised Kirin once she stood up with the others.

“It is.” Said Beau. “By the way, I never did get your names.”

“My name is Day Shine,” responded the Kirin. “I am the ruler of my kind from the House of Kirin and Nirik.”

“My name is Haldir,” responded the female Deer. “Lady of my kind from the House of Deer.”

“My name is Sitting Bull,” responded the male Buffalo “Grand Chief of the Buffalo Tribes from the House of Buffalo.”

“And I’m Silver Hammer,” responded the male Minotaur, “Lord of the Minotaur Clans from the House of Minotaur.”

“Good to meet you.” Said Beau. He handed them ambrosia and said, “Eat this. It’ll help restore your strength.”

They accepted it and ate them, allowing their strength to be restored.

“Follow me,” said Beau as he led them out. “We don’t have much time before the fireworks start soon.”

They soon went to the entrance of the building they were in. Beau took a peek and saw many of Dainn’s forces walking to and fro.

“What do you have in mind?” said Silver Hammer.

“Wait for the signal.” Said Beau.

To their surprise, he casually walked out and stood at least three feet away from their position as if he was taking a stroll.

“Has he gone mad?!” exclaimed Day Shine.

Beau then stood where he was meant to be and said, “Hello there.”

That immediately got their attention as they surrounded and brandished their weapons while aiming at him.

“This is the part where I say, let the prisoners go, or none of you will survive that long.” Said Beau.

The guards chuckled at that, thinking that he wasn’t serious. Beau clicked his tongue and said, “You asked for it.”

Beau pulled out the key of his wife’s Cutie Mark and planted it at the side of his Driver. 

Magic!!

Within a split second, a large magical portal opened above him while summoning his Violet Alicorn Magibeast. With a swift motion, it hovered slowly around him and caused Beau to activate his Lockseed.

Element Harmony!! Magic Harmonize!!

Within a split second, the Magibeast above him moved around him. At the same time, most of his body was covered with black latex, while the Magibeasts broke into different pieces and turned into bits and pieces of armor, instantly forming around him, granting him his armor.

Dainn’s forces were surprised to see what was before them, but none were more surprised than the leaders inside the building.

“The Knight has returned.” Said Haldir in amazement.

Beau raised his hand in the air and summoned his weapon.

Element Harmony!! Unicorn Spear!!

Beau summoned a spear and began to attack Dainn’s forces head-on. He bashed them away from side to side, while at the same time, from all around the prisons, Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, and Emily all attacked all over the camp, causing the alarm to be raised, which gave Daisy and the others their signal.

“That’s the signal!” said Daisy as she looked at her group, then aimed her weapon and said, “Shoot them down!!”

With them, Daisy and the Caribou used their arrows to shoot Dainn’s forces from outside the walls. While from the inside, the Caribou hidden from the tower provided the same cover fire from above.

As Beau had bashed the next Warg out of his way, he looked to the others and said, “Quick, get out of here while you have the chance!! We’ll hold them off!!”

“You heard him. Let’s go!!” said Day Shine before she led the others away.

At the same time, every Kirin, Buffalo, Deer, and Minotaur that were placed in prisons all over the place ran for the gate and for their lives, while at the same time, some of them were able to beat down some of the blocking troops before they could move on any further.

Daisy saw them coming and used her arrow to aim at certain parts of it, allowing her to destroy the gate as it collapsed. As it did that, the prisoners and their leaders ran for their lives and headed straight to safety. Once that was done, the Caribou from the tower quickly climbed off and headed straight for the gate to cover them, while at the same time, Beau and the others quickly made their way toward where the leaders were waiting for them.

“We are in your debt.” Said Haldir.

“Where will all of you go in the meantime?” asked Emily.

“The Conclave,” said Sitting Bull. “It’s a sacred place that only a few know. It serves as a fallout shelter for those who wish to escape Tyranny.”

“Then go there,” said Beau. “But meet us at another location. Some of the Caribou will take you and a handful of your best with you.”

“Very well,” said Silver Hammer. “We will wait for you there.”

After they left, Daisy and the Caribou squads regrouped with the others and said, “Where to next?”

“Next up,” said Beau while looking at the map. “We’ll go there.”

“That’s Iron tail Ridge.” Said one of the Caribou, “According to one of our scouts, this prison happens to hold the Centaurs, Harpies, Diamond Dogs, and the Abyssinians.”

The others looked confused, with Beau saying, “They look like anthropomorphic cats.” Then they went, “Oooh.”

Daisy looked confused and said, “You don’t know what they look like?”

“I do, and so does Emily.” Said Beau. “We looked through all of my wife’s library books.”

“The others were busy and couldn’t find the time while they tried to spend it with their families.” Said Emily.

“Doing what?”

“Helping my wife run the Apple Farm.” Said Bucky.

“Helping my wife design the next latest fashion design,” said Silver.

“Helping my wife run an animal sanctuary to care for animals.” Said Genus.

“I’m a coach for the fillies at Cloudsdale, thanks to my own cloud, just so I could be with my wife.” Said Bolt.

“Helping my wife run a cake shop and put up with her 4th wall-breaking shenanigans.” Said Frosty.

“Ah, I see.” Said Daisy.

“So how will we get there?” said Beau.

“Well, with the area cleared and the magic eye ward taken down from within the prison,” said Daisy, “We’ll be able to get there via teleportation stone.”

She pulled out the stone while saying, “We couldn’t use them, not without any of the eye wards keeping an eye on all of us.”

“So while we go to these prisons, we’ll need to destroy those eyes.” Said Bucky.

“Looks like we got another objective,” said Silver.

“Agreed, let’s go.” Said Beau, allowing them to teleport somewhere to their next location.

******************************************************************************************************

Meanwhile, from deep within another location, unknown to any Caribourian citizens and other creatures, Lizzie somehow made her way to what appeared to be a forest. She continued to walk deeper and deeper until she was able to recognize the forest.

“Wait,” Lizzie looked around, “I recognize this place. I dreamt about it. What did Thorin call this, the Forbidden Forest?”

She continued walking through the forest until she found a stone path partially covered in dirt, so it was no longer recognizable. But being curious, she followed it down the path, trying to find what was calling to her. But as she walked, she noticed a clearing up ahead. When she walked out, to her surprise, she saw a ruined fortress of some kind.

“Wait, House Tyr?” said Lizzie as she walked towards it. “I think I remember Thorin telling me about this. The House of Tyr was a home for some of the strongest and wisest advisors for the Caribourian Royal Family. They’re advisors of both war and peace.”

She followed the path that would lead her straight toward the ruined Fortress. However, two entities slowly followed her from a distance. What are their intentions? Let’s find out.

************************************************************************************************

From within their new sanctuary, Thorin continued to worry more for Lizzie’s safety, for she had never been gone for this long.

“Lizzie. Please be okay.” Said Thorin. He slowly looked up and said, “I remember the day we first met.”

***********************************************************************************************

Fourteen years ago, Thorin continued gathering as many followers as possible to halt Dainn’s advances. With the Minotaur and Centaur Houses having fallen, it was only a matter before the other Houses would suffer.

Though he may have gathered around 800, it wasn’t enough, not with so many of Dainn’s forces scouring all over Caribouria. One day, when a hundred of his rebel forces were out on patrol, they learned from their spies that they were planning to move more enslaved people to the fallen Capitol, which wasn’t going to happen. But he also heard that among them was a special prisoner, something that no one had ever seen before. If this prisoner was important, there was no way they would end up as Dainn’s puppet or slave.

They soon set up an ambush with some explosives that they were able to gain. Thorin and a hundred of his Rebels were scattered all over the place. When they took a peak, they saw over 300 of Dainn’s forces, comprised of Crows, Black Dragons, Bears, and Wargals, escorting what appeared to be hundreds of Prisoners, as well as a special one in the middle. They had to time this right, or else everything would be for nothing. Thorin signaled his fellow Caribou to open fire, causing them to shoot their fire arrows at the well-placed explosives, killing at least a hundred. They fired more arrows, killing at least more of Dainn’s forces. After their arrows had run out, they soon charged and took care of the rest. Once all of them were defeated, they quickly freed the prisoners. As many had to flee towards their homes to evacuate or warn others, a quarter of them chose to go with them in their fight against Dainn. Thorin soon approached the special cage. When he opened it, to his surprise, it was a female. Not just any female, a human female, and she was a teenager.

She was scared when she saw him, but he reassured her that he was there to rescue her. At first, she was scared, but she was willing to give him a chance. He freed her while Balin asked what was so special about the prisoner. Thorin said she was very, and when she exited, every creature was shocked to see a human. At first, the female was confused, with Thorin saying that no one had seen a human for centuries, saying that all of them disappeared a very long time ago. They soon returned, where the female introduced herself as Lizzie, with Thorin saying his name. After they returned to Moria, Lizzie explained how she got there. She was trying to arrange a birthday for her brother, but he was jealous because everyone liked her instead of him, but she knew that no kids liked him and that she was trying to save his party, but he didn’t listen. When she died, she saw bits and pieces, flashes of memory, seeing how her brother was traumatized by what happened to her and that after he found out, he was crying, now realizing what she was trying to do.

When she arrived, she was in a strange place, then captured by those monsters, and she had been a prisoner for almost a week. That’s how long they were traveling to gather more of them. Thorin explained what happened to his kingdom and family, for which Lizzie felt really sorry.

During the first week, Lizzie chose to help others, which they greatly appreciated. Over the past seven years, everyone had begun to trust her. She felt welcomed among them, and Thorin made her second in command. The two of them continued to work together. In time, they became close, and again, about a year before Beau and the others arrived, they became a romantic couple.

“We first met.”

********************************************************************************************************

Thorin smiled at that memory, never willing to forget the day he first met her.

“Thorin.” Said Balin, gaining Thorin’s attention when he saw the rest of his company being there.

“We’re ready.” Said Dwalin. “The other houses agreed to meet with us.”

“Very well.” Said Thorin. “Arm ourselves, just in case. We don’t want to take any chances.”

The group soon left to meet up with the leaders.

*************************************************************************************************************

Lizzie continued to follow the pull from the ruined Fortress of Tyr. Going from one hall to the next.

“Where am I exactly going?” said Emily to herself. “First, I feel a pull pulling me towards some castle, which I have no idea why, and I ended up going in circles. I swear, if this is some trick, I’m going to….”

However, she suddenly blew a cold chill from her mouth, which surprised her. She felt a slight chill too.

“The heck?” said Lizzie to herself, “Why is it so cold down here?”

She couldn’t explain why, but somehow, she was guided toward the cold.

“If it gets colder, that’s where I need to go.” Said Lizzie to herself as she followed it. After turning left, she saw the light up ahead. When she walked towards it, she found what she didn’t expect to find. To her surprise, it was a large tree resembling the Trees of Harmony, made out of pure ice. But from underneath the tree truck, appeared to be a rock. And on that rock appeared to be a sword of some sort.

“Is that…Barnstokk?” said Lizzie surprised, remembering the old story Thorin told her. She walked towards the sword. And on the side, it was written in Ancient Caribourian. It was called ‘Frostbane.’

She then saw words that were written on the pedestal.

“Whoever so pulls the sword of Frostbane, if they are worthy, shall possess the power of Freya.” Said Lizzie aloud as she read it.

Lizzie took a good look at the sword and squinted her eyes. But the more she looked at it, the more she felt the pull, the same pull from the secret sanctuary, but stronger. But at the same time, just before she was going to grab the sword, the two entities, who were none other than Angi and Goldenrod, who had been following her ever since they saw her leave.

“What is she doing?” said a surprised Goldenrod.

However, Angi saw the sword, widened her eyes in shock, and said, “It can’t be.”

The moment Lizzie grabbed it. A bright flash happened, causing her to be engulfed as the snow began to envelop her, with both Angi and Goldenrod covering their eyes. When the light soon fades, both Angi and Goldenrod can open their eyes, and to their surprise, it was Lizzie, but it was now completely different.

“She has returned.” Muttered Angi, as she couldn’t believe the legends were true.

******************************************************************************************************

Later, at the prison near the ocean, Beau and the others, along with Daisy and her platoon, arrived at the final prison camp near the ocean’s edge.

“Alright, this is the last camp.” Said Beau. “Once we free everyone, we’ll have what we need to persuade the remaining houses to fight with us.”

“Then let’s do it.” Said Bolt.

“Hang on,” said Bucky as he stopped Bolt while looking at the camp. “Something’s not right.”

He took out a telescope and looked at it. He squinted his eye and said, “Oh, you have got to be kidding me.”

“What is it?” said Beau.

He handed Daisy the telescope first so the sister would be in the loop. What she saw shocked her. For right up front, happens to be over a legion of Dainn’s forces, all guarding the wall, with many archers standing in the way.

“Aw, crud.” Said Daisy as she put the telescope away. “The Prison’s been fortified, and they have new troops stationed there.”

“They must’ve sent an alarm to the last base after we raided the last one.” Said Genus.

“Great, now what do we do?” Said Frosty. “We can’t just rush in without getting killed. We’d never make it close enough.”

“There has to be a way.” Said Emily.

However, as Beau blew a breath of wind, suddenly, he blew a cold wind from his mouth. Which surprised him, as well as a few others. Within mere moments, a few droplets of snow fell from the heavens, greatly surprising them.

“Is that…snow?” said the first Caribou.

“It can’t be.” Said the second, “It’s June. There’s not supposed to be snow until the Fall Seasons.”

Silver then looked ahead and said, “Uh, guys?”

He pointed ahead, and to their surprise, they saw a massive snowstorm approaching, heading straight toward the camp.

“What in Harmony?” said the third Caribou.

The soldiers stationed there were confused by what was going on, especially the harsh snow weather coming in. Within a split second, at least a quarter of them were blasted with a massive ice attack, which froze them and shattered within the process. To their shock, they looked ahead and saw an icy blue knight in shining armor. She wore a white armored bodysuit as the face of the stag formed her chest plate. Besides an icy blue loincloth, she wore an armored skirt hung from her belt while wearing icy blue knee-high greaves on her legs. Her helmet had a blade-like horn and a masquerade-style visor with edges like a snowflake.

“Intruder!!” shouted one of the soldiers, causing them to launch a full attack.

The Knight used her power to freeze and destroy the archers from above. While at the same time, both Angi and Goldenrod appeared, each in their own armor, and attacked from both sides. Angi with her axe as she smashed the ground and launched many away, while Goldenrod used her superior blade skills to cut her way through. Seeing this was the new Knight’s opportunity, used Frostbane to cut them down.

“Well,” said a surprised Frosty, “Guess that’s part of the problem solved.”

“Come on, we gotta help!!” said Emily as she pulled out her weapon.

“Don’t have to tell me twice!!” said Daisy.

Within a split second, they all charged toward the enemy to help their new potential ally in the middle of the battlefield.

The Knight continued to slice her way through and used her ice powers to shield herself. Just as a handful of Wargs were going to attack, they were suddenly hit by arrows, gaining her attention. She saw Beau and the others coming in for the attack and was able to plow through them too. Soon they could win the battle outside the walls, allowing them to regroup.

“Many thanks for the help, stranger.” Said Beau.

“Yeah, thanks. We weren’t sure how we were going to take the city.” Said Bucky.

Daisy, on the other hand, noticed something about the Knight. She walked towards her and stood in front of her while observing her body, and she could’ve sworn she could see the eye color behind the eyes. She widened her eyes in shock when she realized who it was.

“Lizzie?” muttered Daisy.

“Uh…” responded Lizzie surprised that Daisy caught on quickly.

“Lizzie?!!” exclaimed Daisy.

Everyone was shocked when they heard Daisy.

“Lizzie?!” exclaimed the other humans.

“But, what…how?!!” exclaimed Silver as he didn’t have the words.

Lizzie focused on Daisy and asked, “How did you know it was me?”

“Are you kidding?!!” exclaimed Daisy. “I saw you naked once when we were bathing the first time; you honestly think I wouldn’t recognize your body?!!”

Some looked at them both surprised and awkwardly; even Bolt couldn’t help but snicker at that, with Silver nudging him hard.

Lizzie couldn’t help but cross her arms and lower her head while looking away, clearly embarrassed. “Did you have to bring that up?”

“Sorry, she’s just surprised, is all.” Said Bucky as he remembered how his sister is sometimes.

“But how did you become a Knight, too?” asked Beau.

“After you lot left,” said Lizzie, “I was busy helping others settle in until I felt a pull pulling me towards where it wanted me to go. I kept following until I arrived at the old Fortress of Tyr.”

“Tyr?” said the husbands.

“Tyr was once the advisor for the royal family.” Said Angi. “He was an advocate for both peace and war. His home was where the strongest advisors and wise men would live.”

“When I arrived, I found a frozen sword underneath a tree.” Said Lizzie.

“The tree was none other than Barnstokk,” said Goldenrod. “It once housed the sword called Frostbane. It once belonged to Freya, the first female to create the laws where females could also have a say in politicians.”

“I pulled the sword, and it told me that seeing that I had the same drive as Freya,” said Lizzie, “It deemed me worthy of wielding its power, so I became Freya, the symbol of the Caribou.”

“Huh, that’s kind of strange.” Said Beau.

“It is?” asked Lizzie.

“Yeah, think about it.” Said Beau, “I’m the symbol of the Knights who once existed centuries ago. You happen to be the symbol of the Caribou.”

“Huh,” said Lizzie as she realized this. “I guess we do.”

“So, now that we have that out of the way,” said Bucky, “I think it’s time we break through this wall.”

“Allow me.” Said Lizzie as she cracked her fists to the ready.

She used her power to freeze the door, then turned to Bucky and said, “Bucky? If you’d be so kind as to knock on the door?”

“Oh, with pleasure.” Said Bucky as he instantly summoned his gauntlets and punched a large hole through it.

“Shall we?” said Lizzie as she and her new friends pulled out their weapons.

“Surely.” Said Beau as he and the others did the same.

Soon enough, they all charged right through the gates and attacked every one of Dainn’s forces on sight.

Beau uses his Unicorn spear to knock the Warg warriors away, Bucky uses his gauntlets to smash the ground and sends the bad guys packing, Silver uses his Rapier sword to cut down his enemies, Genus uses his butterfly axe as if it were a bo-staff and a weapon to strike them down, Bolt uses his double edge sword to make short work of the troops, Frosty uses his hammer to hit the ground so hard, it sends them flying, Emily and Lizzie fought side by side trying to block and fight their enemies.

While that was happening, Daisy, Goldenrod, and Angi used this as an opportunity to free the last of the Siren, Ahuizotl, and Pony prisoners, allowing them to escape. At the same time, the Caribou platoons did their best to drive the enemy away.

After the prisoners and the leaders were freed, everyone regrouped outside the ruined prison, with Beau saying, “Nice job, you three. We were able to free all of the prisoners.”

“It is actually you that requires thanks, Knight Achilles.” Said Goldenrod while smiling.

“You have done so much for all of us in the kingdom, and we are all gratefully honored by what you have done for us.”

“It’s not over yet.” Said Beau. “We still need to convince the last houses to join our cause.”

“And knowing Thorin, he and his company are already heading out.” Said Bucky.

“Do not worry,” said a pony, who goes by the name Silver Sentry, while being accompanied by Teomitl, leader of the Ahuizotl. Orpheus, leader of the Centaur, and Melodious Melody, leader of the Sirens. “We will gather the leaders of the other Houses and join you. If they see us, it will prove enough that we still have hope, and all of Caribouria will be saved.”

“Then let’s go.” Said Daisy, “The more we delay, the less time we have to free Caribouria.”

As they left, Silver and Lizzie stayed behind. The two stared at one another while they were close to one another.

“So…you’re a knight now,” said Silver.

“I am.” As Lizzie looked at herself. “Though, to tell you the truth, it feels really weird.”

“I know the feeling.” said Silver. “I felt the same way when the armor came to me.”

Silver looked at his sister again and said, “I will still worry. Even though you’re the older one, you can look after yourself. And… I’m still sorry for what happened between us.”

Lizzie placed her hand on her brother’s shoulder and said, “You were only a child. Plus, I should’ve told you sooner. If I did, then things wouldn’t have been this way.”

“If it did.” said Silver. “We wouldn’t be in this world. I owe it to Rarity for taking me in that day. We developed romantic feelings towards one another in a few weeks, which was quite surprising.”

“I know,” said Lizzie. “When humans try to find love, it takes time for those feelings to develop. But being in this world, we were able to find love. For that, I will always be grateful.”

“And I hope,” said Silver, “Once all this is over. We’d try to spend time with one another. I’d…really like it if you were to meet Crystal Gem. You would really like her.”

“Is she like you?” asked Lizzie.

“She’s more like her mother,” said Silver. “Plus, she also developed a taste for fashion designing.”

Lizzie couldn’t help but smile and said, “I’d like that.”

The two hugged one another, showing that the bond between brother and sister was now stronger than ever.

**********************************************************************************************

Further from the Caribourian countries, Thorin Oakenshield and his entire company had journeyed to the remaining houses still holding out against Dainn. They were having a conference with the heads of the five houses. Thorin and his group had prepared a tent and sat near a table, with the representatives of the five houses present and accounted for.

There were Zane, Zander, and Asher, co-leaders of the House of Dragon. There was Borealis, leader of the House of Griffon. There was Lady Hera, leader of the House of Hippogriff. There was Wolf’s Bane, leader of the house of Wolf, and finally, Princess Cyprus, leader of the House of Changelings.

“Please, lords and ladies of your respective houses,” said Thorin as he pleaded with them.

“We cannot win this on our own, we all wish for Caribouria to be freed, but we cannot be free until Dainn has been defeated.”

“All of you have been saying such trifles for years,” said Borealis, “And we have told you before, we cannot risk losing the last of our territories or have them rip away the last of our lands and stones for him to be freed of Caribouria’s lands, or the rest of the world with the rest of our kin will fall.”

“But if we do not stop him right here and now, everything our brethren had fought and died for would’ve been for nothing.” Said Balin.

“We understand that,” said Lady Hera, “But if we do, then we will suffer the same fate as our friends from the other Houses.”

“You mean you chose to hide like cowards.”

They all looked, and to many of the others’ surprise, not only did Lizzie, Beau, and the others arrive, but so did every leader of every creature of every House that had been captured, approaching the latter as all of them had much to discuss.

“Impossible.” Said Princess Cyprus of the House of Changelings.

“Our true king is right,” said the leader of the Centaurs named Orpheus. “We cannot hide or cower behind our territories any longer.”

“We already tried to stand on our own,” said the leader of the Gargoyles named Gora. “And we each fell on our own. We must not let that happen again.”

“Long ago, our ancestors fought to free Caribouria from tyranny before,” said Harada, leader of the Harpies. “Now is the time to rise once more.”

“Not as a divided race,” said Click, leader of the Ornithians, “But as a united kingdom.”

“We owe our allegiance to the royal Caribourian family,” said Day Shine. “It’s time that we fulfill that call once more.”

Needless to say, the leaders of the five houses looked down in shame. They were right; they’d been hiding for far too long. It’s time for them to fulfill that promise once more.

“You are right,” said Zane. “We’ve been hiding for far too long. And we have turned our backs on our friends long enough. It’s time that we fulfill that bargain once more.”

“Then it is decided.” Said Thorin as he stood up. “From this day on, we will not be a separated kingdom, but we shall be….”

“The United Nations of Creatures.” Said Beau.

Everyone looked at Beau, surprised when he came up with that name. However, many seemed to like it.

“United Nations of Creatures.” Said Wolfsbane, then smiled and said, “I like it. Has a nice ring to it.”

The others agreed, and Thorin smiled at this; however, Balin recognized the armor Lizzie was wearing.

“It cannot be.” Said Balin as she moved closer to it and inspected it.

“What is it?” asked Fili?

“Do you not see the armor she is wearing?” said Balin as he slowly got excited. “This is the armor of Freya.”

Many, minus the humans, were surprised to hear this and looked at her. Even Thorin was surprised to see the armor. He walked towards her and was amazed.

“Where did you…?”

“I followed its pull to the House of Tyr.” Responded Lizzie.

Many were surprised to hear this once more as they looked at the armor.

“The House of Tyr?” said Dwalin in surprise.

“I followed it there and discovered the sword. It had granted me the power to fight alongside you. For the fate of Caribouria and every creature hangs in the balance.” Said

Lizzie. “As long as Dainn still lives. No one is safe.”

“She’s right.” said Silver. “This is just the beginning. And you have our word. The Knights of Harmony will fight by your side.”

Many agreed to this as they were glad. Thorin, however, grabbed Lizzie and kissed her, surprising her and the others a bit. Thorin slowly separated his lips from Lizzie as she blushed.

“I’m just happy that you’re safe.” Said Thorin.

Lizzie smiled and said, “We both will be.”

The two embraced one another as many smiled to see this.

****************************************************************************************************

Shortly a while later, The remnants of the Caribourian military arrived, led by the generals. Many were surprised to see Thorin alive and kicking, and the flames that had been lit and the king had been chosen. The pieces were in place. Now it was time to put it into action. The battle to win the hearts and minds is over. The Battle for Caribouria is about to begin.
> Chapter 16: The Battle for Tomorrow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

“You are failing!!”

Lord Dainn, who had heard all his prisons were raided and prisoners were freed, was not happy. Many of his High Guards were searching the wreckage for more of their survivors, while many dead guards were all over the place.

He walked down the broken pathway of the prison with his generals behind as he said, “We are this close to trying to obtain the last keys to help us break the barrier and invade the rest of the world, yet despite everything at your disposal, you cannot outwit a handful of monkeys, an heir that should’ve been dead and a rabble of rebels with feeble-minded morons!!”

“We are doing everything we can, my lord.” Said Poe.

“Indeed,” said Azog, “We have underestimated their resolve ever since the Knights of Harmony came to play.”

“And many thought they have been extinct for a millennium.” Said Smaug. “Which means we must find and destroy them.”

“No,” said Mor’du. “We must focus on our defense, build them up, and ensure that our territories do not fall.”

“In case you haven’t noticed, bear,” said the Crow. “Our territories are already falling since the Houses have been freed, and all of them are under their control now.”

“SILENCE!!” shouted Dainn as he glowed red energy. “Mor’du is right; we need to focus on our defenses. There’s nothing we can do with our fallen territories. But it matters not. I will find a way to crack the secrets to breaking the barrier, even if I have to burn half of Caribouria to do it.”

Dainn turned to Poe and said, “General Crow. Send every one of your messengers to our Commanders and Colonels out in the Kingdom. Tell them to return to Carinthia. Have them restore the walls so they can fortify them to keep them from breaching the walls. And make two more walls around it so that no one would penetrate them so easily.”

“At once.” Said Poe as he flew away to gather his messengers.

“Azog,” said Dainn to his Warg general, “Have the forces prepare their weapons and armor. Tell them to make them ready once they arrive.”

“Yes, my liege.” Said Azog as he went to his steed and rode off to the Capitol.

“As for you two,” said Dainn while he looked at both Smaug and Mor’du, “I want you two to make sure that every one of our troops is there as soon as possible.”

“Yes, my liege.” Said Smaug and Mor’du.

Then suddenly, two Wargs brought in a wounded Crow while holding his wounds.

“I’m sorry, my liege.” Said the Crow. “We did the best we could. We fought till the last warrior.”

Dainn, however, was less pleased to hear this. He walked over to the crow, pulled out his axe, and struck him down, hard. He pulled out his bloodied axe and said, “Evidently not.”

*****************************************************************************************************

At the same time, at the far corner of the kingdom, within the center of the remaining five Houses, each leader representing Each house stood around the large table, looking over where Dainn might reside, while at the same time, thousands upon thousands were gathering as they all had their weapons and armor ready, with many of the commanding officers directing them.

“Attacking the old capitol will not be easy.” Said Borealis.

“He’s right.” Said Princess Cyprus. “My scouts had just come back and told us that Dainn has already sent his messengers to gather his armies and place them all over the fallen capital. Plus, they’ve already restored the walls and placed two more around them, along with trenches. Which means that going there would be impossible.”

“And what’s troubling is, he has already placed plenty of archers and catapults all over the walls, too.” said Hera while she looked over the map “The moment we get close enough to the first walls, half of all of our forces would be dead, and we’d lose more soldiers into a slaughter.”

“There has to be a way to get inside,” said Sitting Bull. “Some way we can catch them off guard.”

Beau then remembered something his grandmother had told him. “There might be another way.” He said, gaining their attention.

“What do you mean?” asked Felix.

“During the days after the capitol was constructed,” said Beau, “There were many secret passageways that led to any part of Caribouria in case it got invaded. What if there was another way that could help give us an advantage.”



Thorin remembered and said, “That’s it. The Passageway thirteen. Thirteen different passageways leading to different locations all over Caribouria.”

“But wouldn’t those entrances be destroyed after Dainn took over?” asked Kili.

“Not all of them were in the same spot.” Said Balin. “All of them are separate and lead to different parts of the capital. The question is, which one of them is open?”

“How about this.” said Beau, “We each divert into small groups and scout out the tunnels. Once we get there, we’ll see which ones of them are safe and which ones of them aren’t. That way, we can determine if they’re safe or not.”

“That would be a sound plan.” Said Click, agreeing with the human. “That way, we don’t have to worry about casualties.”

“And if we find a way in, then what?” asked Orpheus.

“When we find a way inside, we’ll take about a hundred elite Troops from each House.” Said Thorin. “If we do that, we’ll be able to catch all of them off guard. Then we’ll use their own defenses against them, and we will be able to signal the rest of our troops to attack once the walls have been breached.”

“But where will we find them?” asked Beau.

Thorin took out a map and showed them what appeared to be the layout of Carinthia, along with thirteen different systems of tunnels that lead outward and in different locations, while saying, “I was lucky that my uncle was able to map the entire area with it and remember it my memory. Each tunnel from different locations leads straight towards Carinthia.”

“Then we shall split up and try to find the way.” Said Balin.

“Lizzie, Balin, and I will check the first tunnel.” Said Thorin.

“I’ll take Dwalin and Glóin with me to the second.” Said Beau.

“I’ll take Daisy, Fili, and Kili to the third tunnel.” Said Bucky.

“Oni and Ori are with me to the fourth tunnel,” said Silver.

“Dori and Nori will be with me to the fifth tunnel.” Said Genus.

“Emily and I will check the sixth tunnel.” Said Frosty.

“Bifur and Bofur, and I will check the seventh.” Said Nori.

“How come I never get paired up with anyone?” complained Bombur.

“Uh, no offense, Bombur,” said Bucky, “But you’d be too fat to fit into any of the tunnels.”

“Hey!!” exclaimed Bombur.

“I hate to say it, lad,” said Bofur, “But I’m afraid he does have a point.”

“So, who will be searching for the other six?” asked Kili.

“Once the current group is done searching,” said Thorin, “Anyone closest to the other tunnels will immediately go there and see what they can find.”

“Alright then,” said Dwalin. “We have our heading. Let’s go.”

*****************************************************************************************************

Soon enough, during half the day, the teams began to go to the different tunnel entrances from different locations, trying to discover a way in. In the first tunnel, Thorin knew this one, for Dainn had used it when he launched his coup and invasion.

From each tunnel, they began to search. Unfortunately, most of them were in a stalemate. The groups already searched the place had searched through the other tunnels. Later that day, when the sun was close to setting, everyone began to regroup.

“Any luck?” asked Beau.

“No luck.” Said Thorin, “The tunnel Dainn used has collapsed. Like they wanted to make sure no one would use it.”

“Same with the third and ninth tunnels.” Said Bucky.

“The two tunnels we went to was too flooded to get through, so that’s a no-go.” Said Beau.

“Same with the fourth and tenth tunnel,” said Silver.

“The fifth and eleventh tunnels are filled with poison gas.” Said Genus, “No doubt ever since Dainn came to power, his dark craft has been corrupting the Caribourian lands.”

“The seventh and twelfth tunnels were also filled with dangerous creatures,” said Bolt.

“No doubt they have led astray and nested there.”

“Our tunnel’s a no go either.” Said Emily.

“That just leaves the thirteenth.” Said Beau; then he looked at Thorin and asked, “Any ideas?”

Thorin was deep in thought, then he looked up in surprise. “I know where it is.”

“You do?” asked Balin.

Thorin turned around and looked at them, saying, “The Lake of Kings.”

**************************************************************************************************

Within a short moment, Beau and the rest of the husbands and Emily, along with Thorin, Lizzie, and their entire company, stood in front of a large lake, which was the shape of the Oakenshield family crest.

“Whoa, this is the lake?” asked Bolt. “Why is this shaped like your family crest?”

“Believe it or not,” said Thorin, “The Oakenshields were the first ones to become rulers of Caribouria, but our clans were once divided, and all of them had different ideals of leading them. And back then, this was where we buried our families when they passed

from the world. When Dorian’s family united the Caribou clans and other kingdoms, the

Oakenshields were joined with theirs; thus, royalty continued. But by the time when

Dorian’s father became immortal, and then him, there was no need to bury any member

of the Royal family, so this place was left behind, forgotten. Though the Royal families

continued to be buried when they passed.”

Thorin crouched and looked at the lake. Then he said, “My father and the rest of my

family were buried here. Through some miracle, my father’s and the rest of my family’s

bodies were recovered and placed here so they could be buried. However, Dorian and his

family’s bodies were mutilated, burnt, and eaten for all to see. Though it was a great

shame that Dorian and his family were shown no acts of respect after their passing, I was

thankful that my family’s bodies had not suffered the same fate.”

“Do you think the entrance is somewhere around here?” asked Dwalin.

“I know where it is.” Said Thorin as he slowly pulled out his sword and raised it in the air. “I just need to remember.”

He closed his eyes and remembered the day his family was buried. It was very painful for him to remember, but he remembered how to open the way. He sharply opened his eyes as they glowed blue. He held his sword in front of him, while at the same time, the runes on the sword began to glow while he spun his sword around. With a great thrust, he plunged the sword into the ground, and within a split second, the sword’s energy began to split in two different directions and then connect halfway. Within mere moments, the light, shaped like a door, began to open while clearing the lake along the way, revealing a long underground staircase and surprising the group.

“Incredible.” Said Balin. “I had no idea such a place even existed.”

“Neither did any of us.” Said Dwalin.

“Come,” said Thorin when he partially looked at them. “Let us enter.”

He looked ahead and was the first to descend the stairs, with everyone else following suit. Everybody soon arrives at a tunnel of sorts and continues to march downwards, while at the same time, the entrance behind them closes, making some of them look.

“Don’t worry,” said Thorin. “We’ll be able to open them again once we head back.”

They continued to walk further and further down until they reached a type of lantern and torch, allowing Thorin to light their fire, while others found a handful of those and used them to light their way. They then reached the end of the tunnel, and when they got there, they saw the biggest underground cavern they’d ever seen stretching for miles.

“Incredible.” Said Balin. “How long did it take them to build something like this?”

“No one knows,” replied Thorin. “The knowledge of this place existing has been lost even to my people.”

They continued to walk down and followed the path until Thorin could light one of the torches filled with oil. The moment when one lantern was active, many more followed suit. Everyone continued to follow the path, but along the way, they found a tomb with ancient words written on it.

Beau walked towards it and read out loud, “Here lies Thorium the Brave. He who stood up to a thousand enemies during the Battle of Great Springs.”

“Wait, you can read that?” asked Bifur.

“I have a habit of deciphering any scripture.” Said Beau, “I studied this on a root dialogue from the Tower of Babel.”

“So this is where he was buried.” Said Thorin. “They said his body was never found after defending his position for a month.”

They continued down the path and discovered many more graves of the Oakenshield line and Dorian’s line before he was killed in the coup attempt. Then finally, Thorin stumbled upon the grave of his family. His parents and siblings. He stood there for a moment, then felt Beau’s hand, making him look at the human.

“Take your time.” Said Beau. “We’ll continue to explore up ahead.”

As the group left, Thorin stood there, watching the graves of his family. He walked over to them and bowed before them with his head lowered.

“I failed you once long ago, my family. Forgive me.” Said Thorin as he kept his head lowered. “I didn’t receive the blessings in time, but even if I did, I wouldn’t be a match against Dainn.”

He looked at them and said, “But then the humans, descendants of the Knights of Harmony, came here and helped me uncover the Sacred Flames, the original that had been resting in Caribouria for many centuries. It chose me, even after I failed my heritage.”

He stood up straight while still on his knees. “But I promise, I will not let our families’ sacrifice be in vain. I will find you justice. And when I do, I promise I will make things right.”

He stood and said, “I’ll make you proud. And I promise you…I’ll never forget.”

He turned around and walked a few steps. But then he stopped and partially looked at them.

“I love you, mom and dad.” Said Thorin. “I will one day see you in Vakala.”

Thorin faced ahead and walked away from the graves of his family, determined to finish the fight once and for all.

They continued to follow the path that led them to more walkways.

“You know,” said Genus as he looked at the place, “With the roads and everything else this wide and strong, it’s enough troops to move in a square formation.”

“Indeed,” said Glóin, “We’ll also have to plan how many we’ll bring along. We don’t know how many are currently inside the city.”

*********************************************************************************************************

Half an hour later, after walking for so long, some were getting tired. That was until

Frosty said, “I spy with my little eye…an exit ahead.”

Everyone looked ahead and saw a large flight of stairs. Thorin blocked them with one arm and said, “Let me lead the way.”

Thorin walked up the stairs, with the others following suit. Once they reached the top, Thorin placed his hand against the door. Once he did, the doors gave a bright light, allowing them to slowly open.

“The tomb where Dorian’s grandfather was buried after the Great War on our lands.” Said Thorin, “Long before the Knights of Harmony came.”

Thorin, Balin, Lizzie, and Beau took a peek out of it. Thorin immediately recognized the place.

“This is the Courtyard of kings.” Said Thorin. “I know this place anywhere.”

They then saw a few ruined buildings all around them, with Beau saying, “Looks like not even conquerors like Dainn bother to fix the place up to maintain their rule.”

“Folks like him never are.” Said Balin.

“But how are we going to find out how many of his forces are in this city or going to map this place?” asked Lizzie.

Genus then heard a few squeaking sounds, causing him to look down, and to his surprise, they were rats and mice, all going toward him with curiosity.

“Hey there, little ones,” said Genus as he stood on one knee. “How did you get here?”

The rats and mice spoke to him in their squeaks, with Genus saying, “Well, it’s nice to….”

Genus blinked in surprise, then looked at the animals and said, “Wait, did you just talk? And I can understand you?”

Even the rats and mice were surprised by this as they looked at one another, then at Genus. They spoke to him, with Genus saying, “We’re currently trying to find a way to map this city. It was taken over by a tyrant many years ago, and now we’re trying to find a way to attack to free the kingdom from his wrath.”

The rats and mice looked at one another, then at Genus, and spoke to him. He listened and said, “You’ll help? How?”

******************************************************************************************************

Within a while, while many of Dainn’s forces were on patrol, many mice began to scatter and walk all over the place, trying to hide from pain sight and looking around. When one of the mice looked at the horizon, its eyes were glowing.

While from within the catacombs, everyone saw many holographic screens revealing Carinthia from behind the rat’s and mice’s eyes. At the same time, a handful made a map and marked them down while also writing down how many troops were stationed from within the city and outside.

“I can’t believe we’re getting help from the…” said Bofur before Genus cut him off.

“Don’t finish that sentence,” said Genus sternly, “They don’t like it when they’re called that. It’s exactly why they eat everyone’s food storages, to teach them a lesson about insulting them.”

They were a little surprised by the stern reply, but they weren’t going to respond. But while most of the Caribou were mapping the place, Genus had told the rest of the husbands and Emily about what he discovered, which meant the others had discovered their own abilities.

For Beau, being the Knight of Magic, it was magic and Telekinesis.

For Bucky, being the Knight of Honesty, it was superstrength (Once he discovered that it depends on his honest resolve).

Silver, being the Knight of Generosity, creates diamond- like force fields to be more defensive on the offensive. 

For Bolt, being the Knight of Loyalty, superspeed, which depended on the strength of his loyalty.

Being the Knight of Laughter, Frosty can do cartoon physics, kind of like his wife. 

And Emily, the Knight of Compassion, can breathe and shoot fire and a power called Dracokinesis.

“These abilities are amazing.” Said Emily in excitement, “Spike’s going to have a new challenger.”

“I’m glad I’m fast,” said Bolt, but then said, “Wish I could fly like my wife, though.”

“But don’t you already have a cloud?” said Bucky.

“I’d feel better if I flew alongside her.” Said Bolt. “Besides, I also like to keep up with her.”

“She’d definitely enjoy that.” Said Bucky.

Genus then went back over and used his magic to see how far the rats and mice were. “How are we doing?” asked Genus.

“And…done.” Said Balin as he looked over the map.

Everyone gathered around it and looked it over.

“So now every nook and cranny to the entire capitol.” Said Oni.

“As well as where the troops are.” Said Ori.

“Over twenty thousand.” Said Dori in disbelief. “Dainn really has that many troops in the capitol?”

“Not to mention the hundred thousand stationed all over the capitol.” Said Nori.

“A straight assault won’t work.” Said Dwalin, “Our forces would be slaughtered the moment we get close enough to those walls.”

“From my observation, we still number over a hundred thousand.” Said Fili.

“But we’d never make it close enough to the capital.” Said Kili.

“And our catapults won’t be able to reach their distance.” Said Glóin.

Beau then thought of something. During war times, there were many they used for long distances. Catapults, Trebuchets, cannons and…

That’s when it hit him. There was one type of weapon that could be used for that kind of distance, the 240 mm Howitzer M1, a cannon that could fire from a greater distance. It would be a miracle to make even one, but if possible…

“I figured out how,” said Beau, gaining their attention. “What if we could construct something that could fire from a distance but also deliver some damage?”

“Like what?” asked Dwalin.

“Back in our world, we had the Great War.” Said Beau, “They had constructed something called a 240 MM Howitzer M1, a cannon that can be fired from a great distance.”

The Caribou was surprised to learn of such a weapon. “Is that even possible to make?” asked Glóin.

“It can, with the right materials.” Said Beau, “Once we get back, I’ll make a list and show you what needs to be made, then we’ll make a list of what you currently have, and I’ll find a way to adapt it and make it together.”

“It’s a start.” Said Balin.

“Very well, we’ve lingered here long enough.” Said Thorin as he rolled up the map and made his way back. “Let’s go. We have work to do.”

*********************************************************************************************************

The next day, as everyone continued to prepare for the battle ahead, Beau had written down the things they needed to make this cannon while they gave him a list of what they did have. He looks at the comparisons between them and lists alternatives of what could be effective. On some hours, he felt frustrated, and sometimes he’d kick a chair away for thinking none of those tactics would work. But then he was able to figure out what would work, and within three days, he found a way to make their cannon.

The next day, they began to construct the cannons, which they could only make about up to five. During construction, Beau explained to the people how to use the weapon, especially adjusting it whenever facing it in a specific direction, as well as turning to certain degrees and knowing the wind conditions that would allow them to fire on a target. The ones who were assigned to learn how to use them began to take notes for them to remember, while at the same time, Thorin had shown them the strategy of what needed to be done and what they needed to do to win the battle.

Shortly enough, the cannons were all set, and the plans were drawn. The troops were all set for tomorrow.

Thorin stood on the large hill, overlooking the entire place, and watched everyone slumber. At the same time, Beau arrived and stood next to him.

“Tomorrow’s going to be the hardest.” Said Beau.

“It will be.” Said Thorin.

“So what’s the plan of attack.” Beau said, “Sorry if I wasn’t present, but I was overseeing the cannon construction and teaching them how to use them.”

“Tomorrow is when the battle will begin. We got word Dainn was preparing to stop us from taking the city. Every leader will be facing the enemy at the frontlines. Before the attack starts, we’ll use the Cannons to clear the way. Once they do their job, we’ll be able to send them to a full attack.”

“And where does that leave us?” asked Beau.

“Myself, the company, and your friends will lead a hundred elites from each House.” Said Thorin, “We’ll be able to get inside from the entrance and attack from within. Half of them will focus on the lower parts of the capitol to take over the defenses and do some damage from behind, while the other half will be trying to take the other half, with us leading it.”

Beau sighed and said, “There will be casualties.”

“I know.” Said Thorin. “But for the sake of the kingdom, we can’t fail. Otherwise, everything we worked for will be for nothing.”

Beau held his shoulder and said, “I know. And you can count on us to stand by your side.”

Thorin smiled and held his shoulder, saying, “Thank you for what you did for my people.”

“Thank us when we win the fight.” Said Beau, causing the two to chuckle.

The two walked off to their sleeping quarters, for tomorrow, the great battle shall begin.
> Chapter 17: The Great Battle part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------




Dawn had slowly begun to approach everyone asleep in their tents. But soon enough, every creature from every tent began to wake up and got to their armor. Each of them began to wear them on their shins, knees, thighs, chest, back, shoulders, and wrists. Then some began to put war paint on their faces, while some would put on their helmets. Once that’s done, many had taken up arms. They were armed with shields, spears, swords, axes, maces, bows, arrows, dual swords, and more. Soon, every troop was prepared for the day. Everyone stood near a large rock where Thorin, Beau, and the others were standing. They were preparing for a fight.

“Alright then,” said Beau as he looked at Thorin, “You know what to do.”

Thorin looked at the note again, then looked at Beau and said, “Are you sure this will work?”

“Trust me.” Said Beau while reassuring him. “It will.”

Thorin looked ahead and walked towards the edge of the rock, where every soldier and the commanding officer was looking at him. Thorin kept his game face, but he still felt very nervous. He glanced back, with John and Lizzie signaling that he would be alright. Thorin looked at everyone around him. He took a breath and spoke calmly but firmly.

“Every creature standing here before me is no stranger to war.” Said Thorin, “After all, every single one of us has been fighting for as long as we can remember. War. Is all that we know.”

Thorin kept his eyes on them, for all of them expected him to falter, but her didn’t hold anything back.

“In the past,” said Thorin, “All of us had fought for our races, our lands, our country. We fought for freedom. But all of that changed after Dainn came along. For many decades, we have been at war against a tyrant that wishes to destroy everything we stand for. We will soon face annihilation. Unless we end this war. Right here. Right now.”

Thorin kept his gaze as he knew the soldiers needed inspiration, and he would give it to them.

“In less than a few hours, every soldier and remnant of Caribouria’s kingdom will join us in the toughest battle we will ever face. And all of you will fight alongside those who want to make a difference in the history of our Alliance.”

Thorin chuckled and said, “Alliance. That word should have a new meaning for all of us today.”

He kept his gaze and said, “In this war, we can’t be consumed by our petty differences and fear anymore. We will be united in our common interest. Perhaps it is fate that we are all brought together. This year marks the same year from centuries ago when our ancestors united to fight a common enemy. And you will again, like our ancestors, fight for our freedom. Not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution. But from annihilation. We’re fighting for our lives and the lives beside us. We fight for those who cannot fight for others, and we will be remembered as the most powerful united force to do the impossible as no one being has ever done.”

Thorin then began to give people hope as he continued to speak.

“Lord Dainn thinks that we cannot win. Lord Dainn thinks we will not strike at the path to victory. And yet here we stand!! On the precipice of the great battle ahead of us. If we die, our world dies with us. I look at each and every one of you and see the marks of this long and horrifying war. For our children. Our children’s children will not carry the marks of war that had been given to us by force. But they will know who we are and what we did through this war.”

Thorin stood still as he looked straight at them.

“On this day, we will not bow down. On this day, we will not give in. We rose up, at this moment, at this hour, willing to sacrifice everything so we can live in freedom!!”

Thorin then raised his voice, ensuring that all of them could hear him clearly.

“And we will unite together as we say in one voice. We will not go quietly in the shadows of the night!! We will not vanish without a fight! On this day, we’re going to live on!! On this day, we’re going to survive!!”

And finally, Thorin raised his fist in the air as he shouted one last time, “On this day, we will take back our Kingdom for the Alliance!!!”

Every soldier raised their weapons in the air and cheered, feeling more motivated than ever to go into combat and fight an enemy they wanted to drive away from their home once and for all. Thorin stepped down and rejoined the others.

“Quite impressive.” Said Balin.

“It’s a start.” Said Thorin. He looked at Beau and placed a hand on his shoulder,

“Thank you. For what you did for me.”

Beau returned the gesture and said, “There is no need for that. Friends always help one another.”

“Then let’s finish this…together.” Said Thorin as he and the others moved together.

************************************************************************

******************************

The leading houses were bidding farewell to Thorin and his group as they all began to lead the houses straight towards the fallen capitol, with the cannons in tow. At the same time, Thorin moved his group toward the Lake of Kings. Once they arrived, everyone waited for Thorin to open the way, which allowed him to open a path to the underground. 

He looked back to Balin and motioned him and the others to be at the rear in case something happened, to which they agreed. At the same time, Thorin motioned everyone to march, with him and Lizzie, along with the Knights of Harmony and comrades, to lead them down the stairs with the armies following in tow. Thorin continued to lead the path that led them straight to where they needed to go. Some of the troops were surprised to see the size of the place, but they knew they had to stay focused; otherwise, the mission would fail.

Soon, they arrived where they needed to be. Thorin signaled them to wait, allowing him and the Knights to move, with Frosty and Emily staying behind to signal the troops. Thorin and Lizzie took a peek outside the door, seeing that the coast was cleared. Thorin looked back and signaled the others, which caused Frosty and Lizzie to signal the rest, allowing the troops to move. Once they arrived, everyone quickly got out and went to their separate parts of the city. As Thorin, Lizzie, and the Knights of Harmony, along with dozens of troops each going with them, Balin and the rest of the company began to lead the rest of the Elite Troops and hide them all over the city so that they could lead the charge once the attack has begun.

At the same time, the united armies arrived, and all of them stood in legions upon legions upon legions. Everyone was standing in position while the cannons were also being prepared. Following Beau’s instructions, they began to aim their cannons in certain directions while loading them with the special object that would explode on impact. They would be ready for a full-on assault. However, they didn’t go unnoticed, for all of Lord Dainn’s forces had also caught wind of this, causing them to prepare for the secondary trenches and walls surrounding the front gates of Carinthia. The soldiers began to ready their archers and catapults, getting them ready to fire upon will should they attack. Once Beau and Thorin were together to sabotage the last bit of defenses, they saw the armies were ready.

“Do you know how to signal them?” asked Thorin.

“That I do.” Said Beau as he used a stone and used it to blink it like a lightbulb on and off.

Far beyond, one of the dragons looked through a telescope. And thankfully, he saw the blinking light, which was the signal.

“There’s the signal!!” shouted the Dragon.

“Open fire!!” shouted the Caribou general.

Upon signal, they pulled the lever, causing the cannons to fire. From a distance, it didn’t make sense; however, the moment they heard it getting closer, they were too late to see it coming, for the cannons had destroyed three parts of the wall and two parts of the soldiers stationed for the archers.

“Reload them!!” shouted the general, allowing them to quickly reload their cannons.

The enemy soldiers were in complete disarray and were shocked to see this.

“What was that?!” shouted one of them.

“They must have new catapults!!” shouted the other.

“Alright, they’re keeping them distracted.” Said Thorin, “Now’s the time for our next move.”

“Alright then.” Said Beau as he pulled out his belt and connected it. He pulled out the key of his wife’s Cutie Mark and planted it at the side of his Driver.

Magic!!

Within a split second, a large magical portal opened above him while summoning his Violet Alicorn Magibeast. With a swift motion, it hovered slowly around him and caused Beau to activate his Lockseed.

Element Harmony!! Magic Harmonize!!

Within a split second, the Magibeast above him moved around him. At the same time, most of his body was covered with black latex, while the Magibeasts broke into different pieces and turned into bits and pieces of armor, instantly forming around him, granting him his armor.

He looked at Thorin and nodded, showing he was ready to fight.

“Send the signal.”

Thorin nodded and pulled out what appeared to be a flare gun. He fired it in the air, causing it to blow, surprising the Wargs, Black Dragons, Crows, Bears, and Caribou loyal to Dainn.

“What the…?” said the corrupted Caribou.

They then heard a loud battle cry, shocking them, for the rest of the Elite Guards attacked on every floor, with the rest of the newly dubbed Knights of Harmony leading them. The Wargs and Bears were fighting the Caribou, Wolves, Changelings, Kirin/Nirik, Buffalo, Ponies, Deer, Minotaurs, Centaurs, Ahuizotles, Diamond Dogs, Abyssinians, and Ornithians, while the Dragons, Griffins, Hippogriffs, Sirens, Harpies, and Gargoyles were fighting in the air against the Black Dragons and Crows.

At the same time, the Husband 6 and Emily from every level began to deal with the enemy. Frosty used his War hammer to bash the ground hard, sending a few flying. Bolt used his double edge sword to send a sharp wind strike that sent most of the Crows flying. Genus used his Butterfly Battle Axe to bash them away, while Bucky used his Gauntlets to smash the ground so hard it sent a large rock wave towards the Bears, launching them all in the air.

Silver used his Rapier sword to duel against most of the sword-bearers, with Emily using her dragon abilities to bash them away.

Thorin decided to lead the charge by pulling out his sword, him shouting to Beau, “Let us get the main gates open!! That way, once they have the defenses down, everyone else will lead the attack!! We just need to send them the signal!!”

“Got it, let’s go!!”

Both of them ran towards the gate, while at the same time, Lizzie caught up with them and decided to help the two of them out to open the gates. They continued running down the streets and toward the city’s entrance. That was until they spotted a large group of Crow warriors approaching. Beau extended his hand to summon his weapon.

Harmony!! Magic Spear!!

Beau instantly summoned his Unicorn spear. He charged the spear’s energy and delivered a powerful swing.

Harmony!! Spear Strike!!

And with one swing, many of them were struck away, making them fall in different directions.

“Let’s go!!” shouted Beau as they continued to run down the streets, with Thorin and Lizzie going with him.

Another group of enemies arrived. Now this time, it’s Lizzie’s turn.

Harmony Frost Blade!!

Lizzie summoned her sword while activating her frost power as she jumped in the air, preparing for a massive slash.

Harmony Frost Slash!!

With one swift strike, an Ice Wave arrived, causing many to be entangled with ice, with them continuing down their path. The latter soon made their way toward the gate.

“There it is, up ahead!!” shouted Beau.

But then they were stopped by twelve soldiers dressed in what Beau and the others dressed as for a matter of being disguised. Dainn’s Elite Guard. The thirteenth arrived and also prepared for a fight.

“Both of you, go open the gate.” Said Thorin, “I’ll handle this.”

Lizzie and Beau quickly took off and made their way to the top, with Thorin slowly pulling out his sword and preparing for a full-on fight.

“You will fall before King Dainn.” Said the Guard Captain.

“Dainn had lost all right to be part of the royal family because of his mindset and since the day he was banished long ago.” Said Thorin.

The guards ended up charging, with Thorin doing the same. He swung left and right, killing the first two guards. He evaded the third and grabbed him, using him as a human shield when the fourth killed him, with Thorin doing the same thing. Thorin then performed an Arc maneuver on the fifth and sixth, sliced the seventh, and jabbed the eighth when he turned around. Then he used the sword’s power to charge it up, destroying the last four as a result with one massive swing. Only the Captain remained, with Thorin slowly approaching them.

“I will not surrender to the likes of…!!”

Before the Captain could finish, Thorin jabbed his sword into the Captain’s chest, silencing him, then pulling the sword out, allowing the captain to collapse.

“The likes of you should’ve died with Dainn the day he got banished.” Said Thorin before he placed his sword and ran up to the top of the front gates.

He ran to the top when he saw that Lizzie and Beau had finished off the guards.

“What kept ya?” said Beau when he placed his sword away.

“Dealing with disgruntled guards, you?” asked Thorin.

“Just about to open the gates.” Said Lizzie.

The three pulled the three levers, allowing them to open the gates. The gates slowly began to open without the rest of Dainn’s forces realizing it. Beau used the signal stone to signal the rest of the armies. One of the leaders saw the signal, which happened to be a Centaur named Orpheus.

Orpheus immediately pulled out his sword and shouted, “CHARGE!!!!”

Within a split second, every creature attacked in full force straight toward the fallen city once the cannons stopped firing.

Once the troops were charging, Beau looked at the others and said, “While they attack, we head up to the throne room. If Dainn’s here, that’s where we’ll find him.”

“Agreed.” Said Thorin, “And along the way, we’ll try to gather our friends and help them clear the way while the troops deal with the rest of the way.”

“Agreed.” Said Lizzie, “We’ll need to move fast.”

They immediately ran toward Bucky and the others, trying to keep the enemy busy from within.

At the same time, as many of Dainn’s forces tried to recover, they reacted too late the moment when the United armies attacked and stormed through their so-called defenses. While a quarter of them would deal with the remains of Dainn’s forces at their defenses, the rest charged through and headed straight for the gates, where they were met with more of Dainn’s forces but were also being occupied by some of them as the rest went throughout the rest of the city.

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At the same time, Bucky was fighting alongside the Buffalo, Minotaurs, and Gargoyles while using his gauntlets to punch as many of the Bears and Wargs away.

“Bucky!!” shouted Beau, gaining the strong Knight’s attention, “We gotta get to the throne room!! We have to stop Dainn once and for all!!”

“On it!!” shouted Bucky as he too soon charged alongside them.

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Silver used his Rapier to deflect and block left and right before he maneuvered around them and sliced the Crow and Bears down. At the same time, he fights alongside the Abyssinians, Ornithians, and Diamond Dogs.

“Silver!!” shouted Beau, “Time to haul ass!!”

Silver saw Beau and the others running, with him following suit.

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Genus used his butterfly axe and swung his weapon hard, sending a Warg flying as the Ahuizotles, Deer, and Caribou fought alongside him. Genus saw Bucky and the others running to the top, with him soon following suit.

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Bolt was fighting with the Centaurs, Changelings, and Kirin, combining their powers to bring down as many of Dainn’s forces as possible. Bolt sprinted towards what appeared to be a rock and jumped on it, allowing him to strike down what appeared to be a rock monster before it collapsed onto the ground. He saw Beau and the others charging towards the throne room, which allowed him to follow suit.

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Frosty used his Buster War Hammer to smash the ground hard, sending many of the Wargs flying, while also using the chunks of the ground as boulders to bash many of the crows away from the skies, while also giving the Griffins, Hippogriffs, and Harpies the cover they needed when they were engaged in a space battle.

“Ooh, my fourth wall sense is tingling.” Said Frosty. He saw Beau and the others charging toward the Throne room. “Aha!! The boss battle awaits!!”

Frosty soon joined the others as he ran alongside them.

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On the other hand, Emily was holding her own using her Dragon Halbert while she assisted the Dragons, Wolves, Ponies, and Sirens that fought many of Dainn’s elite guard to a standstill. But thankfully, she wasn’t alone, for Thorin’s Company was also with her. Balin and many others were fighting with Emily to ensure she would be safe. But at the same time, she saw Beau and the others running.

“Balin, let’s go!!” shouted Thorin.

“You too, Emily!!” shouted Frosty.

Emily, Balin, and the others immediately went after them as they, too, charged alongside them.

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Everyone ran up towards the Throne room, where Dainn was waiting for them. But as they could get to the top, they all bumped into a few folks they expected to wait for them. Azog the Warg, Smaug the Black Dragon, Poe the Crow, Mordu, the Bear, and two Caribou, wearing black armor. One that Thorin’s company recognized.

“Ivangir,” said Kili in shock.

“And Vestri.” said Fili in equal shock.

“Wait, you know them?” asked Beau.

“They were part of Thorin’s company.” Said Daisy while she squinted her eyes.

“Until they chose to betray us to what they would call the winning side.” Said Lizzie. She stood up front and said, “You two have a lot of nerve showing up. I thought we’d be rid of you the last time we saw you.”

“Oh, you’ll never be rid of us.” Said Vestri.

“And we will always be a step ahead.” Said Ivangir.

As the two slowly approached them halfway to taunt them further, Beau remembered more from what his grandmother had told him since the others were training. Beau decided to play Batman.

“Tell me something?” said Beau, gaining their attention. “What happened when Thorin’s father saw you?”

Thorin was a bit startled that he brought him up, “He was one of the greatest fighters there was, was he surprised to see you two when he discovered that you had betrayed your kingdom, that you taught Dainn and the others how to kill him and the others?!”

Thorin was shocked by what Beau had said, with Vestri saying, “I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“What did Dainn promise you, money?!”

“What would we need money for when we got everything we needed.” Said Ivangir.

“You’re not going to tell me you betrayed the Oakenshield family for your kingdom, are you?”

“Some of us still believe in putting our kingdom first.” Said Vestri.

Beau scoffed and said, “Sorry, but I don’t see that kind of honor or patriotism there. All I see is a pathetic pair of twins latched onto an excuse to hurt innocent people, who are so stupid, they don’t realize that they’re being used by Dainn!!”

Vestri got angry, while Ivangir said, “These psychos possess power far beyond your understanding. So choose your words very carefully.”

Beau smirked from underneath his helmet and said, “You’re right. What I said was far too polite.”

He then walked towards them and said, “How about poor pathetic moose-faced losers. They use their power to compensate for the fact that deep down, they’re afraid they will never be enough to please their dear old dad. Lord Vesuvius, was it?”

Now, both of them were really angry and charged straight toward Beau. Beau pulled out his Unicorn Spear and charged as well, with Thorin charging next to him, wanting to be next to him during the fight. But simultaneously, both sides attacked and were engaged in combat.

Lizzie and Silver fought against Azog, Frosty and Emily fought against Smaug, Bucky, Daisy, Fili, and Kili fought against Mordu the Bear, and Genus and Bolt fought against Poe the Crow. In contrast, Thorin’s company fought against Dainn’s Elite Guard. Both sides fought their hardest trying to get through. Thorin’s Company was making short work of the Elite Guard. But their real focus was trying to get them away from Thorin and the others as they tried their best to keep their focus on the enemies they fought. Balin swung his sword left and right, cutting Dainn’s forces down; Dwalin used his mighty hammer to bash many of them away. Glóin used his great axe to chop a few Crows away. Oni and Ori used their maces to push them back; Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur tackled many of the Wargs over and pushed them over the edge, while Dori and Nori tag- teamed and fought with all their might against many.

Smaug flew around and spat fire at his enemies while Emily used her ability to block his fires so they would not be affected, while Frosty could jump in the air and had…a cannon?!!

“Surprise!!” shouted Frosty, allowing him to fire his cannon, knocking the dragon bag as he uttered a massive grunt. Smaug landed back on his clawed feet, looked at the two siblings with a glare, and said,

“Lucky shot!!”

“How’s this for luck!!” shouted Frosty as he smashed his hammer so hard it created a massive rock wave, making Smaug launch himself in the air while Emily, on the other hand, charged up her sword.

“Try this on for size!!” shouted Emily.

Dragon!! Blade!! Strike!!

Within a split second, she darted toward Smaug. She struck so hard that he flew in a different direction and crashed against a tower before he fell back down, and part of the tower collapsed onto him, partially burying him underneath it.

Genus and Bolt fought against Poe the Crow, who used his feathers as throwing knives while turning his two lone feathers into swords and attacked, causing both Bolt and Genus to fight back with what they learned from their weapons.

“Oh, this guy is just asking for trouble!!” said a very irritated Bolt.

“Then let’s give him something to squawk about!!” said Genus.

Bolt darted to the left while Genus charged his weapon.

Kindness!! Axe!! Wind attack!!

Genus unleashed a large wind attack, causing Poe to shield himself, trying to block off the strong wind. While at the same time, Bolt appeared from behind and used his sword to generate electricity onto it.

Loyalty!! Shark Blade!! Lightning Strike!!

With a great thrust, Bolt threw as much lightning as possible, causing him to electrocute Poe as he stuttered and slowly collapsed. But the moment he did, Genus and Bolt appeared in front of him and delivered an uppercut so strong that it sent him flying against the wall and crashed onto the ground.

At the same time, Bucky, Daisy, Fili, and Kili fought against Mordu with all their might while the mad bear tried to slay his enemies right before him.

“I will enjoy slaying you and become the ultimate warrior!!” shouted the bear. But at the same time, Fili and Kili jumped onto the bear’s back and stabbed it hard, making it roar in pain.

“That may be true,” said Bucky while he handed his one gauntlet to Daisy to give her an edge, “But clearly, you never met a Knight before. Nor a sibling’s resolve. Ready, Daisy?!”

“You know it!!” shouted Daisy.

The two of them charged up the Boar Gauntlets.

Honesty!! Boar Gauntlet!! Strength Strike!!

Within a split second, both of them had punched Mordu so hard that he was launched into the air, flew right out of the kingdom, and landed in a remote lake with a big splash.

“Ha!! Nice one!!” said Bucky, impressed by his sister’s form.

“Thanks!!” replied Daisy.

However, the two made the mistake of high-fiving while still wearing their gauntlets, causing them to feel themselves vibrating and shaking. The two stopped, looked at one another while frazzled, and laughed when they realized how funny and ridiculous, they sounded.

Lizzie and Silver fought together side by side as they battled against Azog. He is a force to be reckoned with, as his skills with a blade match his temper. They were not going to allow him an advantage, for they chose to fight together and will continue to assist one another. Lizzie kept using her sword Frostbane to fight her way toward Azog, while Silver would jump over and use his ability to slash behind Azog’s back, leg and shoulder to throw him off guard. Sometimes they would trade positions and fight with all their might.

“You will not succeed!!” said Azog as he readied his weapon, “Lord Dainn will have all of Caribouria, even if he must rule it from a pile of ashes!!”

“Not today, bub!!” shouted Silver as he ran towards Azog.

Azog readied his great axe and swung with all his might until Silver ducked while he skidded on the ground. But at the same time, Silver pulled out what appeared to be a dagger, allowing him to slice Azog’s knee between his legs, causing him to squirm and nearly collapse. Just as Azog stood up, Silver grabbed him, only to stab Azog in the ribcage, making him roar.

Lizzie lowered her sword as she slowly moved toward her target. “Azog, the defiler.” Said Lizzie, gaining Warg Chieftain’s attention. “Your evil ends here.”

And with one big swing…

Caribouria!! Frostbane Blade!! Strike!!

Lizzie struck the Warg hard while Silver quickly jumped away. Azog stood motionless for a few moments until he finally dropped onto the ground.

At the same time, both Beau and Thorin continued to clash blades with Vestri and Ivangir, Beau tossed Thorin his sword, and the moment he grabbed it, he struck both Vestri and Ivangir through their chests. They grunted in pain and were unable to move.

“For the honor of my family.” Said Thorin before he pulled the blades out, causing both Vestri and Ivangir to collapse onto the ground.

Thorin tossed Beau’s sword back while, at the same time, everyone regrouped at the center.

“Alright, that’s it for the lap dogs.” Said Bolt.

“He’s right,” said Dwalin, “Now all that’s left is to….”

But before they could react, within a split second, the doors to the throne room burst open, causing some to cover their eyes. When they slowly opened them and looked, there he was, appearing in his armor as black as coal, bearing a sword that was the opposite to Thorin’s but glowing red, all while holding his helmet, bearing a wicked stare and smile, as he stared down at his enemies.

Everyone else soon readied themselves as they tried to surround him, with Thorin staring down, face to face with the mad conqueror, the Caribou, who took everything away from him. And now…he will get what’s coming to him.

“Thorin Oakenshield.” Said the mad Caribou leader.

“Lord Dainn.” Replied Thorin with the same cold tone.

The fight…has only just begun.
> Chapter 18: The Great Battle part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

From the large circle from within the courtyard, everyone stood their ground and surrounded Lord Dainn. Thorin’s company surrounded the mad ruler, whilst the Knights of Harmony stood across him, whilst also standing next to both Thorin and Lizzie. None of them ever lowered their guard, not to the one tyrant who made everyone’s lives a living hell after so many decades.

“So the coward prince finally returns.” Said Dainn.

“And you’re still fat with pride in your old fashioned mindset.” Said Thorin. “You destroyed everything that we held dear.”

“Save your pep talk.” Said Dainn, “I will not be intimidated by a bunch of monkeys.”

“And we won’t be intimidated by a pretentious king.” Said Bolt.

“Pretentious?!!” bellowed Dain in anger. “I am the rightful ruler of this kingdom, my birthright, and all of that was stolen from me!!”

“It wasn’t stolen,” said Silver, “You were the one who lost all right to be the next heir to the throne because of what you attempted to do.”

“I merely wanted a prize…” said Dainn before he was cut off.

“You tried to rape Princess Luna!!” said Genus, which shocked Thorin’s Company. “And because of you, you nearly started a war. This is exactly why your father banished you long ago.”

“And then you had the gall to gain the powers of Grogar and Salazar, their most hated enemies for your own selfish gain!!” shouted Bucky.

“As long as there are those who side with the powers of Harmony, they will stand against you!!” said Frosty.

“We shall see.” Said Dainn. He then saw Beau slowly taking a few steps forward. “And who are you?”

“My wife calls me Beau,” said Roland, “But if you really must know, my name is Thomas Rohan, descendant of Achilles of the House of Rohan.”

Dainn was a little surprised by this, and said “Ah, so the descendant of the once feared family has finally returned.”

“I have once denied of my birthright a long time ago from the people I once thought was my family, but all of them took that for granted, shaming the family legacy even further.” Said Beau. “But no more.”

He looked straight at him and said “I have finally learnt of my birthright. I have finally realized the true importance of the Rohan name. Therefore, as the heir to the Rohan family. You will be stopped.”

“Your feeble words mean nothing to me.” Said Dainn, “For once I claim the crystals, I will break the barrier and be free of this kingdom, so that one day, I will rule this world with an iron fist.”

“You mean these?” said Bolt as he held them in his hand with a smirk, which shocked Dainn, for those were the ones he had in his vault.

“How?!!” shouted Dainn.

“That would be me.” Said Frosty, “Learned that trick from my wife. She can do the impossible too.”

Thorin used his power to send it away, with Emily saying “And it’s well hidden, where you will never find it.”

“I will find them again, and I will ensure that all will…” said Dainn before a piece of stone was struck at the side of his head, surprising him as he looked that it was none other than Thorin, who then walked towards him and stood near him face to face.

“The time has come for you to shut the hell up, Dainn.” Said Thorin. He then walked back and forth and said “You enslaved your own people and other races who had been our friends for decades for profit and your own selfish gain. Stole from our dignity. Our history. Our culture. Our ancestors left a precious gift to us ever since our kingdom was founded. And instead, you exploited it, cheapened it, sold it out for your own personal gain, all because you acted like a spoilt brat.”

He stood still and said “The history and true love of our country and people. You nearly made us forget all of that. Almost.”

He walked a bit as he was in front of Dainn. “But today, you will no longer silence us. For we, are a free people.”

Thorin pulled out his sword, which shocked Dainn as he saw he wielded the sword of Brisingr.

“From the singing of our blades through your flesh, to the pounding of our fists into your skulls.”

He turned around and said “For the honor of Caribouria. For the freedom of its people. And for the glory…OF IT’S HARMONY!!!”

Beau and the others gave their own battle cry, whilst Dainn placed his helmet on and prepared his sword for battle. Within a split second, everyone around him charged, determined to end the reign of Dainn, once and for all.

Dainn pulled out his sword, ready to put the so called rebellion down, once and for all. From each warrior, he fought to a standstill.

Balin used his mace and Dwalin used his axe to fight, but Dainn kept blocking them with his sword as he attempted to strike back. Though right before Dainn could strike, he was attacked by both Kili and Fili, both using their sword and dual swords. But Dainn merely used his sword to instantly slash them away. Though thankfully they weren’t killed, they were launched backwards and made them crash hard onto the ground and stone. Glóin, Oni, Ori and Dori attempted to try and take Dainn head on. Oni charged and used his battle staff whilst twirling and striking, but so far, no effect. Glóin enchanted his large axe and struck the ground hard, causing a massive rock wave to appear, which knocked Dainn away whilst Dori struck from behind using his bolo whilst Ori jumped from the air and used his sword to unleash a gust attack from above, knocking Dainn hard onto the ground.

However, Dainn wasn’t going down without a fight, he used his sword to send out two energy whips, wrapped them around both Glóin and Dori, and tossed them hard against the wall, whilst Dainn sent out a rock wave against both Oni and Ori, knocking them hard against the wall too.

Nori attacked using his large mace and attempted to strike, until Bifur jumped from behind and struck Dainn on the shoulder, with Bofur striking Dainn on the back using his axe/mattock before Bombur tackled him over, which made him fell flat onto the ground. Dainn got up and grabbed Bombur before throwing him hard against Bofur, with Dainn grabbing Nori and Bifur and knocked them out by bashing their heads and tossing them aside.

“Daisy,” said Bucky, “Take Thorin’s Company to safety. Make sure they’re safe.”

“Got it.” Said Daisy as she quickly ran off to help them.

At the same time, Beau and the others, along with Thorin and Lizzie, stood at the ready, ready for their fight.

“You might as well give up!!” shouted Bolt.

“For we are the Knights of Harmony!!” shouted Emily.

“You’re finished Dainn!!” shouted Lizzie, “You have no one left to fight for you!!”

Dainn yelled in rage and shouted “I don’t need anyone!! I’ll destroy you myself!!”

Within a split second, Thorin, Lizzie, the Husband 6 and Emily, all attacked head on whilst Dainn kept firing his attacks using his energy sphere attacks. But with every blast, every one of them kept on missing. Dainn jumped in the air, with Thorin doing the same.

Both of them clashed blades, causing them both to land. As they fought, both Silver and Bolt attacked using their swords, with Dainn deflecting them as they attacked from both sides. However, just as he swung around, Bucky attacked head on using his Boar Bombers.

HARMONY BOAR BOMBERS!!

HONESTY STRIKE!!

Bucky struck so hard, Dainn literally went flying backwards and crashed against the wall. But it didn’t deter him, on the contrary, it only made him angry and attack, despite there being cracks in his armor. That being said, Frosty and Genus decided to take their chance as they used their hammer and axe to try and strike him, whilst at the same time, Emily jumped from behind and did the same thing. She and Dainn struck left and right, trying to outdo one another, but so far, to no avail.

“Time to kick it up a notch!!” shouted Frosty as he charged up his hammer.

HARMONY BUSTER WAR HAMMER!!

LAUGHTER STRIKE!!!

Frosty struck his hammer hard onto the ground, causing Dainn to end up flying in the air, making him soon come into contact with Genus.

HARMONY BUTTERFLY AXE!!

KINDNESS STRIKE!!

Genus struck hard, allowing Dainn to be smacked hard towards the ground.

Dainn however, was not going to go down without a fight as he shouted “I will kill you!!”

Dainn jumped in the air, with both Frosty and Genus jumping in the air too. However, they weren’t fast enough to block his attack, causing Dainn to strike the both of them, making them crash hard onto the ground when they landed, which they ended up groaning in pain.

Dainn continued to the attack as many others continued to fight around him, but he was truly gifted with a sword, whilst at the same time, he kicked Beau at the chest so hard, he landed hard against the wall. Bucky once more came and attempted to strike, but Dainn somehow saw that and ended up doing the unthinkable, he broke Bucky’s arm, making him scream in agony.

“Bucky!!” exclaimed Daisy before Dainn kicked Bucky until he landed next to her.

Bolt, Silver, Emily, Beau, Lizzie and Thorin fought against Dainn all around with their own unique weapons whilst Dainn used his sword to block them, as well as using his cape for a distraction, whilst also during the fight, Dainn ended up kicking Thorin hard, causing Thorin to crash back first against what appears to be a broken pillar.

“You’re done Dainn!!” shouted Bolt as he summoned his blade.

HARMONY SHARK BLADE!!

LOYALTY STRIKE!!!

Bolt struck against Dainn’s armor hard, causing it to crack in half, whilst at the same time, Silver attacked from the side as he jumped up in the air whilst raising his sword in the air.

HARMONY RAPIER SWORD!!

GENEROSITY SAW STRIKE!!

Silver began to spin like a saw, allowing him to deal some damage to Dainn when he came into contact, with Emily running towards Dainn whilst she began to spin her sword, whilst at the same time, Lizzie did the same as she charged alongside her.

“Double combo?!” shouted Emily.

“Double combo!!” confirmed Lizzie.

Both of them stopped and aimed their weapons at Dainn.

HARMONY DRAGON HALBERD!!

HARMONY FROSTBANE SWORD!!

ACCEPTANCE FIRE/CARIBOURIA ICE

STRIKE!!

Both of them launched their attacks, causing it to combine into one massive beam, hitting Dainn so hard, more of his armor was destroyed, even his entire helmet as he crashed against the wall.

Dainn got up and growled in anger. “This isn’t over by a longshot.”

Dainn charged again as Emily, Silver and Bolt fought again whilst they clashed their blades. However, when he clashed blades with Bolt, he knocked Bolt’s sword out of his hand, cut the chest by his armor as sparks began to fly, grabbed him and tossed Bolt so hard, he flew in the air and crashed against the wall, then hard onto the ground, nearly injuring his back as he groaned in pain.

Emily pulled out her sword and shot fire bolts at Dainn before he knocked Silver away in the fight. Both of them continued to fight, even had to engage fist to fist, if need be, until Dainn kicked her hard, sending her crashing against another object as she clutched her ribcage.

Silver and Lizzie fired their abilities at Dainn, only for him to fire an energy wave at them, making them both crash against the wall and collapsed onto the ground. Before Dainn made a move, he felt a sharp arrow onto his shoulder, making him yelp in pain. He slowly looked behind and saw Beau, holding his bow before turning it into a spear and twirled it until it was behind his back.

“So, the descendant of the House of Rohan has finally returned.” Said Dainn before turning towards him. “I thought your kind ran away long ago.”

“We didn’t have any other choice.” Said Beau, “I never even knew about my lineage, my legacy, but now, now I remember everything. My ancestors may not have been around to stop the madness in this world, but I sure damn well will make sure that you never reach Equestria or everywhere else.”

“We shall see.” Said Dainn as he prepared his sword for a duel.

The two of them stood still for a few moments, staring at each other down, trying to figure out their next move. Then, within a split second, both of them charged. Beau jumped in the air when he avoided Dainn’s attack. Beau struck the tip of the spear towards Dainn, but he blocked it easily. Beau began to fight like a Shaolin Monk, trying his best to get past Dainn’s defense. Though Dainn was able to block most of them, Beau was lucky enough to cut Dainn a bit, showing that he is not invincible.

But not being able to get past it, Beau automatically summoned his shield, allowing him to attack head on and fought like Achilles. He struck his spear left and right, and blocked Dainn’s sword using his shield, even used his shield to bash the Caribourian warlord in the face. Dainn swung his weapon at Beau, but he easily outmaneuvered him and jabbed the spear once more. Beau ran towards Dainn, jumped up and jabbed his spear into Dainn’s shoulder, making the Caribou warlord grunt in pain. Before he could get the chance, Beau swung his spear like a baseball bat with all his might, causing Dainn’s face to be scarred in the middle. Dainn ended up knocking Beau’s spear away, causing Beau to pull out his sword Magicalibur, and the two continued to clash swords in the process. Beau charged up his sword and struck with all his might, with Dainn striking from above, as the two of them were locked in place.

“To think, you are supposed to be the descendant of Achilles.” Dainn pushed Beau until he had one knee onto the ground, with Beau struggling to keep up with him.

“Perhaps they failed, after all.” Said Dainn.

“Dainn!!!”

Dainn immediately turned around and saw Thorin, staring down at him angry, holding his sword in his grip.

“This is between you and me.”

Dainn turned around, allowing the both of them taking a few steps towards one another, with Beau standing up and quickly to check on both Silver and Lizzie. As everyone was either winded, wounded or exhausted, Thorin stood firm, facing Dainn, with the dark lord facing him in return. Both of them gripping their weapons, either of them waiting to make a move.

“You still need to answer for your crimes, Dainn.”

Both of them continued to stare at one another down, waiting for both of them to make their move. Dainn ended up roaring in anger and attacked, with Thorin attacking back. Dainn attempted to strike, but Thorin deflected it and swung back, only to hit the ground when Dainn dodged it. Dainn used his body to bash against Thorin, making him fall on the ground as the mad conqueror attempted to strike back. Only for Thorin to block him and push his attack aside, allowing him to kick Dainn in the face, taking the mad Caribou off guard, allowing Thorin to stand up.

Dainn tried to strike against Thorin twice, but Thorin dodged it left and right, but at the third, Thorin deflected Dainn’s attack. He struck the mad Caribou at the chest twice, cutting his armor to small shards, leaving only half of his armor standing. Thorin attempted to punch Dainn in the face, only for the mad Caribou to grab his hand and blocked his attack.

“All I did!!” shouted Dainn as he kicked Thorin, making him skid on the ground and looked at the dark lord. “I did!! For Caribouria!!”

As Dainn, struck, Thorin simply blocked him and grabbed him whilst throwing him over his shoulder and crashing against a large rock.

“You failed Caribouria!!” shouted Thorin as he charged back.

Both Thorin and Dainn clashed blades once more, until another swing caused Dainn to have a scar on the side of his face, causing him to be angry and threw his blade at Thorin, which only caused him to deflect the attack. He was suddenly caught off guard when he saw Dainn jumping in the air and punched him. Then he grabbed Thorin by the shirt.

“I was the rightful heir to the throne!!” shouted Dainn before punching Thorin away, making him drop his sword. Dainn tackled him over and punched him a few times in the face as he shouted “I was supposed to be the ruler!! To receive the blessing!! To pick up!! This!! Country’s!! Pieces!!”

He grabbed Thorin and lifted him in the air and shouted “This!! Kingdom!! Failed!! MEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!”

He tossed Thorin hard against the wall, but Thorin was able to land on his one foot, before slowly on his knee in order to give himself some breathing room, as many of his allies slowly stood up, worried for their future king, friend and brother.

“You…like your father…” said Dainn, “Never did have the strength. Of a true warrior.”

“I, do not rely on strength alone, Dainn.” Said Thorin as he slowly looked up, with his eyes glowing, “My power. Is all, around you.”

Thorin instantly gripped his left fist, generating fire from it and punched so hard, Dainn was launched into the air, whilst Thorin used his wind attack to grab Dainn from the air and used it to thrust him hard onto the ground, with Thorin charging and grabbed Dainn by the head and threw him hard against the wall, with Thorin bashing himself against Dainn. He then continued to beat him mercilessly over and over and over until Dainn’s vision were only half good. Thorin grabbed Dainn and tossed him aside. But the moment Dainn landed on the ground, Thorin used his elemental powers to turn the rocks from the ground into a hand and used it to grab Dainn so that he would never escape. It grew tighter and tighter, with Thorin struggling to get himself free from the grasp.

“My father!!” shouted Dainn, “Made me into what I am!!”

“No, Dainn.” Said Thorin as he stared right at him, “You chose your own, destiny.”

Thorin raised his hands in the air and summoned a large cloud formation above him. Within a split second, Lightning began to strike from above so hard, Dainn screamed in pain as he was engulfed by it, whilst everyone else began to cover their eyes, trying to avoid the massive bright light.

When it faded, it revealed Dainn was still kicking, but he groaned in pain when the lightning had been too much for his body to handle. Thorin released the rocks that were holding him, making Dainn collapse onto the ground on both his knees. Thorin slowly approached Dainn, whilst Beau and the others gathered at the same time. And through some miracle, the leaders of the different Houses also arrived with their elite guards as they all surrounded him.

“It’s over Dainn.” Said Thorin, “Your armies have been vanquished, your lackies have abandoned you, and you no longer have anyone to help you.” Dainn looked up as he had anger in his eyes, with Thorin motioning everyone all around him.

“Every creature you see before you, had lived in Caribouria ever since our people have founded it. They wish to live in peace with us, to help thrive, to help built a better tomorrow.”

He looked back at Dainn and said “Our family had been the wisest and most just of leaders, watching over every creature and protecting them from danger, as was the sworn duty of every member of our family. But you…”

He slowly pointed his sword at Dainn’s neck, which caused Dainn to look at Thorin with a death glare.

“You have squandered and destroyed everything our family stood for. Your anger and your lust for power have darkened your mind into a different mindset. And in the end, you have become the very thing we were sworn to protect our home from.”

“Don’t lecture me, you weak-minded coward.” Said Dainn. “I have seen through the lies of my family. I do not fear the darkness like you. For because of me, I have brought Order to this kingdom by becoming a king that everyone deserved.”

Within a split second, Thorin grabbed Dainn and shouted “You sided, with the very kind, we swore to fight against!!!”

“And yet you’re too blind to see it!!” said Dainn. “The only reason why I took over, and want to take over, was to ensure that not only would everyone be enslaved under my rule, but to ensure that weak-minded fools, whom everyone kept saying that they were tyrants and monsters, would be locked up or killed and so that no one else would dare to challenge my power if given the chance.”

“Maybe.” Said Thorin as he released Dainn and took a few steps forward.

And suddenly, with one swift motion, Thorin struck with one big slash, with everyone watching in shock over what had happened. However, none were more shocked than Dainn. He slowly lifted his hands and placed them on his head, and to his shock…no horns. His very horns were on the ground, laying there motionless, with Dainn letting out a mighty cry as he felt his honor was now gone for good.

“But now this kingdom has a bright future with one less snake in it.”

Dainn look at Thorin in shock.

“You, Dainn.” Said Thorin as he pointed at Dainn. “Are no longer welcome here in Caribouria. For my first act as King, by my right as the last line of the House of Oakenshield and the Descendant of the first King of Caribouria. I hereby strip you of your title, your lineage, your legacy and your powers of light and dark, and forever be banished from the lands of Caribouria. But I won’t stop there. For the curse I place on you, you will no longer see you will no longer hear, you will no longer speak your filthy tongue to every corner of the world. You will forever wander beyond the kingdom deaf, dumb, blind and mute and be forever labeled as Dainn, the fool who thought he could rule a kingdom that was never his.”

“No!! You can’t!!” said Dainn as he stood up, but he was suddenly wrapped in chains, which was produced by Thorin’s sword.

“I already have.” Responded Thorin as he used his sword to blast Dainn with energy, whilst the dark lord disappeared at the same time.

“I HATE YOU!!!” shouted Dainn whilst he was slowly disappearing.

“Join the club.” Said Thorin once he was gone.

When all of a sudden, far away, the Grand Tree of Harmony glowed very bright, and within a split second, Thorin and everyone and every creature from within the fallen capitol were suddenly teleported, taking them by surprise. Within a split second, all of them had been teleported to a grassy plain next to the ocean that none had ever seen before, whilst the Tree of Harmony shot a powerful beam from its spot and flew straight up towards the skies.

“What’s going…?” said Bolt before they saw a bright light.

The Bright Light flew towards the plain and continued to shine among it. Within mere moments, a massive city had been created as it slowly began to raise itself from the ground. Every wall, every building, every district, the citadel and the palace, all had stood proud and tall once the beam had faded away. Everyone was taken aback by what they were seeing in front of them, for none had the words to speak.

“What…?” said Thorin as he had no words. “What’s all this?”

“A new home.”

Thorin and the others turned and saw Brightstar walking towards them with her staff and stopped near them.

“Like the Tree of Harmony in Equestria that created Princess Twilight Sparkle’s Castle in Ponyville,” said Brightstar, “The Grand Tree of Harmony of Caribouria had created a new capitol, one that every creature can live together for the future of Caribouria that is to come.”

“A new kingdom,” said Brightstar as she placed her hand on Thorin’s shoulder, “A new beginning.”

Thorin couldn’t help but smile whilst he watched his new kingdom.

“What are you going to call it?” asked Beau.

“New Carinthia.” Said Thorin, “It is fitting. For as the capitol is new, so too is our unity.” Thorin then turned to the creatures of Caribouria, even the ones that were teleported from their homes whilst being surprised by this new kingdom. He walked close to the people and spoke with pride.

“Citizens of Caribouria!!” shouted Thorin with his own royal voice, “Lord Dainn has been defeated!! The reign of darkness is over!! For now!! Victory belongs to us!!”

Thorin raised his sword as he shot his magic in the air, whilst every creature near the new capitol cheered with joy with their weapons held high, whilst across the kingdom, every creature celebrated as all of them were greatly happy as they can be. For from this day on, marks a new beginning.

************************************************************************

*****************************

However, far away from Caribouria’s borders, in what appeared to be a desert, Dainn had been teleported to the outskirts and landed hard on the sand. He didn’t move for a few moments, but then he finally moved. True to Thorin’s word, Dainn was truly blind, he couldn’t hear, nor could he see. He slowly began to panic, not knowing where he was going. However, unknown to him, both his axe and his sword, were teleported in front of him in the form of an X. He placed them on the weapons, causing the power to surge through him. At first, he was silent, until he screamed in rage when he lifted his head

sharply. He soon calmed down and picked up both the weapons and placed both the sword and axe on his back. He looked ahead, revealing his eyes, ears and mouth had been restored, with his eyes burning with vengeance.

“I will find a way to return,” said Dainn, “And I will have my revenge.”

He soon walked off into the desert, to parts unknown, and to find any of his forces that we’re building outside of Caribouria.
> Chapter 19: Returning Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a week since the Battle for Caribouria, and everyone had celebrated like there was no tomorrow. Every creature could come together to live in harmony as they celebrate the freedom they had once lost so many years ago. During that time, many creatures had chosen to live within the new Capitol of Caribouria to start anew.

Behind the first wall were many homes that many had come to settle in, and every creature was more than welcome within them. Behind the second wall were many markets, businesses, and attractions that many had come to love and appreciate. There were even different schools for the young, different academies to teach the next generation, whether by weapon or magic, and even places to teach the next generation. And finally, at the center was the citadel that housed many buildings and other attractions, while the center was the palace itself, which was quite grand and large on a scale that no one could have imagined.

And right now, during the celebration, Thorin had personally begun to knight the Husband 6, Emily and surprisingly Daisy, for their bravery and for standing beside them. Many leaders of different tribes were standing in a line, with Lizzie standing with them, along with Thorin’s Company. Everyone watched as all of them were happy.

“For your bravery in standing alongside us, I dub all of you the Knights of Caribouria.” Said Thorin with a smile as the humans looked at him, “All of you will forever be remembered for your brave deeds in Caribouria. May your name continue to be carried down until the stars rain.”

Thorin revealed seven statues of Beau and the others, standing together in their guise as the Knights of Harmony. While at the same time, the humans stood up and turned to the crowd with smiles while everyone cheered for the Knights of Harmony for their heroics. Everyone cheered for them, as many had them to thank for their actions. However, Beau walked up to Thorin, brought him forward, and raised his hand in the air, making the people cheer for Thorin louder and surprising the King.

“Remember,” said Beau, gaining Thorin’s attention. “The people look to you. For you are the true king. This is your moment, then it is ours.”

Thorin couldn’t help but smile and felt moved by Beau’s words. He then raised his hands as the people cheered for their king. This was truly a great day.

******************************************************************************************************

A few hours later, while the party was still outside, Thorin sat in the throne room with Lizzie, Daisy, and Thorin’s company. Bolt secretly motioned to Bucky, showing him them being on stained glass windows and tapestry, with Bucky nudging him to be quiet.

“I cannot thank you enough for what you have done for all of us.” Said Thorin.

“Hey, it’s the least we can do.” Said Frosty.

“Yeah,” said Emily, “What kind of friends would we be if we didn’t?”

“So what happens now?” asked Silver.

“After the festivities, we’ll call the Houses together and form a new union.” Said Lizzie. “Afterwards, we’ll focus on reconstruction efforts to restore our kingdom and its houses to the way they were.”

“We’ll also organize some special forces to scour Caribouria to ensure that Dainn’s forces are truly gone for good,” said Balin. “It will take some time, but we will restore everything to how they were.”

“In the meantime,” said Thorin, “We would like to reward all of you as a way of saying thank you for everything you have done for us.”

Dwalin and the others have revealed many items behind them, showing them the gifts they wish to bestow on them. Thorin walked up to the table and picked something up. He looked at Emily and said, “I assume you’re aware of Sunset Shimmer’s abilities?”

“Oh yeah, the power to read minds.” Said Emily as she remembered what Sunset had told her. “Why do you ask?”

Thorin walked up to her, holding what appeared to be a stone of sorts, tied with a necklace-like piece, which surprised Emily.

“Like Sunset’s geode,” said Thorin, “This stone can read other people’s minds. But unlike hers, it can also project them for everyone to see.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.” Said Emily while she accepted them. “Thanks, Thorin.”

Emily thought, ‘Now I can find out what to get for my brother on his birthday or whenever he’s down. And also figure out who’s been eating my cookies.’

Thorin turned to Frosty next and brought him what appeared to be a party cannon, with two miniature cannons nearly resembling his wife’s.

“We heard the type of power you gained when you became a knight, like a certain wife of yours.” Said Thorin with a smirk, causing some to chuckle. “So we made you something that even your wife will enjoy. Your own party cannon. As well as a few mini-canons for your kids.”

“Aw, sweet!!” said Frosty as he held his cannon, “As soon as I get back, me, Pinkie, and the kids are so going to have a party cannon war.”

The others rolled their eyes, for this would be a long week if they were planning to go through with it.

Thorin walked over to Bolt and asked, “What is it you wish the most?”

Bolt thought about it and said, “Well, for one, I heard Rainbow that she lost a Rainboom necklace that her uncle made for her and would like to find it and…I also wish to fly.”

Some looked at him confused, but Thorin continued to listen.

“I know I have a cloud to stand on to fly, but,” said Bolt, “What would happen if I were to lose it. I know I’m not a Pegasus, but…I wish to fly alongside my wife, to be as fast as her, and…to be right by her side, even stand on clouds without some random spell wearing off or taking it away.”

Thorin smiled and walked over to a random jar. He pointed the jar at Bolt and opened it, causing massive energy to shoot at Bolt, engulfing him in the process. Bolt slowly opened his eyes when it faded and muttered, “What happened?”

He saw how the husbands were staring in shock. But when he looked back, to Bolt’s shock, it was none other than wings that almost resembled his wife’s and armor’s color scheme.

“Now you’re part Pegasus.” Said Thorin while also handing him the Rainboom necklace,

“This will allow you to fly like a Pegasus, and no outside force or fading of magic will take that away from you. It will literally be a part of you.”

Bolt hugged Thorin in pure happiness, for his dreams had come true.

“This. Is. AWESOME!!” shouted Bolt as he jumped in the air; however, he failed to flap his wings and ended up crashing onto the ground, causing everyone to laugh at him.

“Maybe get some training before you bit off more than you can chew?” teased Bucky, to which Bolt grumbled.

Thorin walked over to Genus and handed him a special book and flute, “This book contains information about any animal in the world, including rare ones. And the flute will help you soothe any creature who is hostile. As well as this….”

Within a split second, a female bunny hopped onto the book with a bow and a smile, which surprised Genus, with Thorin whispering, “And a special bunny for Angel. Her name’s Lola, by the way.”

Genus couldn’t help but chuckle with wide eyes, for Fluttershy would have a field day with this, especially Angel Bunny. However, he heard the sound of barking, which was a dog.

“Oh, yes, and a companion for your canine, too.” Said Thorin when the dog came over. Genus couldn’t help but smile and pet the female dog too.

A cart was brought forth to Silver, which surprised him as he looked at Thorin.

“This cart is filled with the rarest fabric and silk.” Said Thorin, “I know your wife is a Fashionista, so I figured she would make good use of it.”

He then held two more gifts as he showed them to Silver.

“On this left is a vest called Mithril. Made by the dragons and Caribou from long ago. Ten times light, but also stronger than dragon scales.” Said Thorin. “And on the right is a bag filled with Arkenstones. I’m sure you’ll know whom to give them to.”

“Of course.” Said Silver with a smile as he placed his hand on them. “I’m sure my wife and daughter will love them.”

“I’m sure they will.” Said Thorin.

Thorin walked over to Bucky and presented him with a few items.

“For you, Bucky,” said Thorin, “We know how much you also wanted a cowboy hat like Applejack and a lasso. And in case you wonder, it’s magic, so it’ll respond only to your commands.”

“Really?” said Bucky as she smirked while placing the hat on his head and him holding his lasso. “Now I’ll finally be able to repay that time Applejack tied me up the day we first met.”

“Also,” said Thorin as he gave Bucky a basket filled with many packets of seeds, which surprised Bucky. “These seeds are from our homeland, and I think you’ll be greatly interested in them, same with the Apple Family. For some of them, they happen to be Zap Apples.”

“Wait,” said Bucky, “Zap apples? Won’t they vanish?”

“These seeds are from Midgarden, our most sacred tree grounds. The Zap Apples there never fade, no matter where you plant them, they will never fade And these packets are seeds of Idunn. These trees will allow you to grow silver and gold apple trees.”

“Wow, Granny Smith will have a field day with this.” Said Bucky while feeling excited.

Thorin then walked over with another cart filled with books to Beau but also contained pendants and a few parchments.

“These books contain everything about Caribouria. History, culture, the creatures that live there, you name it. And the pendants with them are gifts for the Mane 6 based on their Cutie Marks. The parchments over there are also reports that will need to be given to the Royal Sisters so they can know what’s happening.”

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate that,” said Beau.

“One more thing,” said Thorin as he presented a stone, which surprised the husbands.

“This here is known as the Kingstone, from my old home of Erebor. Give this to the royal sisters as a sign of peace to our kingdoms. And as long as they still possess it, they will know that Caribouria will always welcome Equestria with open arms.”

Beau accepted it and bowed to him, “Thank you, King Thorin Oakenshield.”

“No,” said Thorin, causing them to look. Thorin smiled and said, “You bow to no one.”

Thorin ended up bowing in front of the Husband six, and Emily, which caused everyone in the room to do the same. Beau and the others felt humbled by what they were seeing. Thorin and the others stood up while he held onto Beau’s shoulders.

“You and your friends will always be welcomed here, no matter what.” Said Thorin.

“Thank you, Thorin,” said Beau, “And I think after an adventure like this…I think it’s time we head home. Our wives must miss us terribly.”

“I understand. And you’re more than welcome to spend the night with us.” Said Thorin.

“We appreciate that,” said Beau.

“Now come, it is time for our final celebration.” Said Thorin as he led the others out.

Later that night, after the party, Beau decided to turn in early. As he entered the room, he saw Brightstar waiting for him and had a smile on her face. Beau returned the gesture, allowing them to slowly hug one another.

“You’ve done well, Beau,” said Brightstar once they broke the hug, “I’m so proud of you. Your ancestor Achilles will be proud too.”

“I guess all it took was a relative of mine to show me the way.” Said Beau. “But after that, I’m sure our wives miss us terribly.”

“Actually,” said Brightstar in worry, which Beau caught on, “While you three were gone, your wives were trying to free the Pillars.”

“Wait, Pillars? As in Starswirl the Bearded and the others?” said Beau surprised, “But how?!”

“They were trapped in limbo when they tried to trap the Pony of Shadows.” Said Brightstar, “But Twilight ended up freeing them.”

“And also…” said Beau in realization, then shouted, “Aw, come on!! Really Twilight?!! Didn’t you learn your lesson after the whole Wedding fiasco?!!”

“But things will get better.” Said Brightstar.

“How do you know?” asked Beau.

“Seeing that it’s early, I’ll tell you before you go to bed.” Said Brightstar.

Both she and Beau sat down as she told him the whole story.

************************************************************************************************

The next day, Beau and the others were standing at the city dockyards with their own personal Airship waiting for them, and it was fully automated. They don’t need to worry about using it to operate with a crew, with Thorin and the others ready to see them off.

“Thank you again for all your help.” Said Thorin.

“Hey, as we said, it’s what friends do.” Said Silver.

“And if you ever need help, you’re more than welcome to call us.” Said Bucky.

“I’d like that.” Said Thorin.

“Wait.”

They looked in the other direction and saw both Daisy and Lizzie coming, much to their surprise.

“What’s all this?” said Thorin.

“Well,” said Lizzie as she looked at Thorin when they were standing close, “I missed out

on much of my brother’s life, and I have much catching up to do. I also wanted to meet his wife and niece. After that…”

She held his hands and said, “I would gladly rule alongside you. And accept your hand. If you’ll accept mine?”

Thorin was surprised, but he smiled and kissed Lizzie, to which she returned the gesture. Once they broke it, Thorin said, “I’ll be waiting for you.”

The two separate, and Thorin says to Daisy, “What about you?”

“I just got my brother back, and I also need to catch up with him.” Said Daisy. “And I also want to be part of the Apple Family, to be there for them. And…I also want to meet my sister-in-law and nephew.”

Kili and Fili hugged Daisy, for they were going to miss her as they said, “We’re going to miss you.”

“And I’ll miss you both too.”

They broke the hug, with Thorin walking over and hugging her, saying, “You’ll always have a home here, no matter what.”

They soon broke the hug, allowing them to depart. Within moments, Beau and the others boarded their airship and climbed onboard. Soon enough, they activated their ship, allowing it to take off, and headed straight back to Equestria, with all of them waving to one another, for next time, they’ll visit on good terms.

***********************************************************************************************

After a few days of flying, Frosty was at the front of the ship, watching the view from above, for he wanted to see if they’d arrived yet. But as he looked ahead, he smiled joyfully and shouted, “Canterlot Ahoy!!”

Soon they came to the front, and there dead ahead was Canterlot itself as they were happy to see a familiar place.

“Aw, it’s good to be home.” Said Beau.

Then suddenly.

“HALT!!”

They looked up, and they saw a familiar group of Pegasus guards.

“You are in violation of…!!”

However, the guards were surprised to see who it was.

“Hey there!!” shouted Bucky as he waved to them, “Mind clearing us a landing area?!”

“No way.”

“It’s Princess Twilight and her friends’ husbands.”

“Tell me, are both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna here?!” said Beau.

“Uh, they are, sir!!” said the Pegasus. “Should we let them know?!”

“Not yet, we want it to be a surprise!!” said Beau, “Just clear the way for us!!”

“Uh, yes, sir!!” said the Pegasus Captain. “You heard him. Move it!!”

“Uh, before you do!!” said Beau as he was nervous with a slight chuckle, “Mind helping us find a proper parking spot for this thing?”

**************************************************************************************************

They soon left to clear the way at the docks. Once it landed, one of the Captains was waiting for them. When Beau and the others climbed off, many guards were surprised to see them, coming with an airship and wearing an attire that none had seen before.

“Something wrong, Captain?” asked Beau when he realized the guards were puzzled.

“Oh, uh, forgive us, sir,” said the Captain, “But we hadn’t expected you to come back. When last we heard of you, you traveled to Caribouria. And we were also on alert because of a despot we heard that took over.”

Beau smiled and placed his hand on the Captain’s shoulder, “Well, you don’t have to worry about anything anymore, Captain. You’d be happy to know that the tyrant has been overthrown and the true heir to Caribouria has been restored. The tyrant is forever banished and can no longer do any harm. And before we left, the new King left a message for the ruling Princesses.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” Said the Captain as he and the guards were relieved, “When we heard that a potential war would come to Equestria, we feared the worst. We’d have two problems to deal with.”

“You mean the Pony of Shadows?” asked Bolt, which shocked the guards.

“Trust me, we heard about it too.” Said Silver.

“And now that we’re all here,” said Genus, “Mind if you could take us to….”

“Beau?!”

The latter looked, and to their surprise, it was none other than Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart, who came over to see what was going on at Canterlot, and they were also surprised to see them.

“Uncle Beau!!” said Flurry Heart as she instantly hugged Beau, to which the latter smiled and hugged her in return.

“Whoa, what are you guys doing here?” said Emily. Surprised.

“Well…” said Cadance, when all of a sudden…

“You three came from the Crystal Empire because after we left you guys got a letter about a potential threat from Caribouria, so all of you had also began to prepare your troops for an upcoming battle, but then you also got a letter from Twilight about how she brought Starswirl the Bearded and the other Pillars back from Limbo and that she also accidentally brought back the Pony of Shadows, so she constantly tried to play kiss-ass just to stay on his good side, and when you confronted the Pony of Shadows, who happens to be Stygian, who claimed that he took the artifacts to Ponehenge because he felt left out and jealous because no one noticed him, even if he was the one who helped them stop the Sirens, so he wanted to make his own copies with the artifacts because he wanted to be a pillar like them, but they didn’t give him the chance to explain and kicked him out, which made him drive to revenge by becoming the Pony of Shadows, and after much help from Twilight and Starlight and their friends, they were able to free Stygian and banished the shadows to an eternal limbo and now the lot of them are here in Canterlot so that the latter could see Princess Celestia and Luna after they sent a letter to you to come and meet them.” Said Frosty before he stopped and made a squee sound while smiling.

Beau and the others looked at him weirdly; however, Shining Armor, Cadance, Flurry Heart, and the guards looked at Frosty with dropped jaws and wide eyes.

“What?!!” exclaimed Shining Armor. “How did you know all that?!!”

“Just a hunch.” Said Frosty, who suddenly got a massive headache and held onto it as he said, “Whoa, I think I just went all Pinkie Pie.”

Suddenly the guards grew nervous, for everyone knew of Pinkie’s reputation and how she could do all those things. And if he was able to do that.

“Anyway…” said Beau, “We were just on our way to see Princess Celestia and the others to give them the good news.”

“Of course.” Said Cadance, “Let’s go together. But…who are they?”

She motioned to both Daisy and Lizzie, to which Beau said, “We’ll explain along the way.”

************************************************************************

****************************

The husbands walked alongside Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart, while the guards were in tow and brought the gifts that Caribouria had given them.

“So after a long struggle,” said Beau while he explained, “Thorin Oakenshield has now taken the throne, and he promises to help fix the damage that Dainn had caused.”

“That is really great news.” Said Shining Armor, “All of Equestria can rest easy knowing this. Same with the Crystal Empire.”

“And we’re also looking forward to meeting the ambassadors from that land too.” Said Cadance.

“Say, where’s Blade?” asked Emily, “Shouldn’t he be here too?”

“He was,” said Flurry Heart, “But Blade said that someone needed to stay behind to help guard both the Crystal Heart and Empire, as well as looking after Raging Halberd.”

“Understandable.” Said Genus, “The Crystal Heart needs to be protected at all costs.”

They soon arrived at the large doors, with the guards saluting, and opened them. When they got in, they saw Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, watching the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike hugging a pony, with a few faces they didn’t recognize, Twilight and Starlight watching from a distance.

“It’s funny,” said Twilight. “I thought meeting my idol would give me all the answers I wanted. But instead, I forgot what I already knew.”

Starlight comforted her by placing a hand on her shoulder, with Twilight smiling and saying, “Good thing I had a student of my own to remind me.”

Twilight hugged Starlight, with her returning the gesture with a smile.

Beau couldn’t help but smile and said, “Got room for more?”

Twilight’s ears perked up as she opened her eyes in shock.

No…it can’t be.

Twilight looked back in shock, same with Starlight, and behold, it was none other than Beau, her friends’ husbands, and Emily, each bearing wide smiles on their own faces.

“Beau!!!” exclaimed Twilight in complete shock and happiness as she darted over. This didn’t go unnoticed, for the rest of the Mane 6 and Spike looked in their direction, and they, too, were shocked to see who was there.

“Bucky!!”

“Silver!!”

“Genus!!”

“Bolt!!”

“Frosty!!”

“Emily!!”

One by one, each of them embraced their loved ones.

Beau hugged Twilight as she embraced him, Applejack hugged Bucky while lifting him up, Silver hugged Rarity as he twirled her around, Fluttershy pounced on Genus as he was on the ground, though not as hard as Pinkie did on Frosty, with Rainbow grabbing Bolt and spun him in the air, with Emily giving Spike a good bear hug.

The Royal Sisters were shocked to see the return of Beau and the others, though not as shocked as Starswirl and the others were when they saw them.

“Am I seeing things?” said the larger muscular earth pony.

“You’re not old friend.” Said the one Pegasus with gladiator armor.

“But that’s impossible.” Said the earth pony with a bayou accent.

“They were just a myth.” Said the elderly unicorn.

“It appears not.” Said the Pegasus with what appeared to be an Egyptian outfit.

“You’re back.” Said Twilight while she nuzzled against his cheek, “You’re really back.”

“Hey, we promised we’d come back, didn’t we?” said Beau while embracing her. “And like we’d ever leave the one we cared about the most.”

They broke the hug and could stand up; however, Applejack noticed that Bucky’s left arm had a cast on, which surprised her. “What happened?” she asked.

“Long story, my cute little apple.” Said Bucky as he kissed her, which surprised the newcomers in the room.

“Beau,” said a feminine voice, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, who approached the humans with smiles, “It’s wonderful to see all of you again, safe and sound.”

“We hope things have been well.” Said Princess Luna.

“In a matter of speaking.” Said Beau. “But we also have some great news.”

“Oh?” said Princess Celestia.

Beau took a breath and cleared his throat.

“Lord Dainn has been officially overthrown, and his reign of tyranny is no more.” Said Beau, which surprised the Equestrians in the room, “Thorin Oakenshield, the true heir to the throne, with our help, has been able to permanently banish him from Caribouria. And

he also says that once everything is restored, they wish to open trade with us as soon as possible.”

“This is wonderful news indeed.” Said Princess Luna.

“Uh, excuse me,” said one of the individuals. “But who are you?”

“I think the bigger question is, who are you?” said Bolt.

“Oh, we’re…” said the female, until….

“You six are known as the Pillars of Equestria, consisting of Rockhoof of the Mighty Helm and the Pillar of Strength, Somnambula from the desert village and the Pillar of Hope, Mage Meadowbrook of the Bayou Swamp and the Pillar of Healing, Mistmane of the far East and the Pillar of Beauty, Flash Magnus of the Royal Legion and the Pillar of Bravery, and Starswirl the Bearded, Sorceror of Canterlot and the Pillar of Sorcery, and together with the help of Stygian, all of you came together to stop the Sirens from taking over Equestria by banishing them to another world that are the ponies’ human counterparts, and Stygian felt jealous that he wasn’t a pillar and instead of hearing him out, you lot kicked him out, which resulted in him wanting revenge and became the Pony of Shadows and then banished both himself and all of you to limbo until Princess Twilight released all of you and because Starswirl was a jerk to her and only judged the bad with his poor mindset, but after careful planning, they found out the truth, causing them to free Stygian and banished the shadows for all of eternity and all of you became victorious and apologized to Stygian and then all of you came back here.” Said Frosty before he stopped and made a squee sound while smiling.

Beau and the others were weirded out again; however, the Royal Sisters, the Pillars, the Mane 6, Spike, and once again, Shining Armor and Cadance all had their jaws dropped as their eyes widened in shock.

“Did…did he just…,” said a baffled Rainbow Dash.

“Yay!!” exclaimed Pinkie as she hugged Frosty, “You actually managed to do what I did!!”

“Wha…how did you know that?!!” exclaimed Flash Magnus.

“Just a hunch.” Responded both Frosty and Pinkie, which caused everyone to feel freaked out.

“Holy crap, there’s two of them.” Said Shining Armor in shock.

“Hey, where’s Platinum and Nebula?” asked Emily when she looked around.

“Before I came back to Canterlot with Starswirl’s journal,” said Sunburst, “The two of them were on a diplomatic meeting with the Dragons and the Yaks. Especially them going to help with the reconstruction efforts of Griffonstone.”

On the other hand, Beau focused on Starswirl and walked over to him. The moment he was there, Starswirl looked at Beau while the two were face to face. They wondered how this would play out.

“So,” began Beau, “You must be Starswirl the Bearded, am I right?”

“Yes?” said a confused Starswirl.

“Teacher of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna and the Pillar of Sorcery?”

“Indeed.”

“And also the one who was freed by Twilight Sparkle?”

“That’s right.”

Beau then suddenly had a simple smile, and then…

“Good.”

Within a split second, Beau gave Starswirl a buddha palm to his neck, causing the wizard to choke, cough, and collapse onto the ground. Which shocked everyone when they saw what Beau did. He slowly stood on one knee and looked sternly at the wizard.

“No one,” said Beau in a threatening voice that he hadn’t used since he first met Shining Armor. “And I mean, no one belittles Twilight.”

“Uh, Beau?” said Spike, “We already….”

“I know.” He replied, which surprised them that he knew.

Starswirl slowly stood up and cleared his throat while looking at Beau.

“You seem to strongly care for the Princess of Friendship.” Said Starswirl as he eyed Beau.

“Because the Princess of Friendship,” said Beau, “Happens to be my wife.”

That took the Pillars by shock.

“Wait,” said Flash Magnus, “You mean you and the Princess…?”

“He’s not the only one.”

The Pillars looked at the Mane 6 while simultaneously being hugged by their husbands and Emily holding Spike close, to which all of them were taken aback.

Starswirl looked at him and said, “Who are you?”

Beau looked at him and said, “My wife calls me Beau. But if you must know, my name is Thomas Rohan.”

Then he whispered to Starswirl’s ear and said, “I believe you knew my ancestors, Achilles Rohan and Brightstar.”

Starswirl was again in shock when he heard the second one’s name. Suddenly, they heard the sound of teleportation, which made them look at the throne room doors. Lo and behold, Discord was there, along with the kids.

“Helloooo, everyone!!” said Discord, “Sorry I was late, I had to….”

He then saw the Pillars, along with Starswirl. Discord then rolled his eyes with a frown and said, “Oh, goody, it’s Mr. Fuzzy beard and his entourage of weirdos.”

“You?!” exclaimed Starswirl.

“Relax, he’s on our side.” Said Genus, who then looked at Discord. “Discord, what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I had Discord look after our kids while trying to find out what happened to Starswirl and the others.” Said Fluttershy.

“Wait, did you say, kids?” said a surprised Mage Meadowbrook.

“Dad!!” exclaimed the kids.

One by one, each of them went to their fathers, who were just as happy to see them. Moonlight hugged Beau, Apple Slice hugged Bucky, Crystal Gem hugged Silver, Warm Breeze hugged Genus, and Trusty was beside him and could be petted. In contrast, very happy to see his master, Bolt Jr. hugged Bolt, and both Peacon and Lemon Pie hugged Frosty, which surprised the Pillars once more, but not as surprised as Lizzie and Daisy were when they saw their nephew and niece.

“Wait,” said Rockhoof, “These are yer kids?!!” exclaimed Rockhoof.

“They sure are.” Said Fluttershy, before she looked at Warm Breeze, “Did Discord take care of….”

“No, he didn’t.” said the kids, which surprised the others.

“He looked after us until he dropped us off to be looked after by someone else.” Said Apple Slice.

“Discord!!” said the Mane 6.

“Well, sorry, I had a bit of an emergency at Trottingham.” Said Discord with his causal smile, “So I had somepony else look after them.”

“Who?” asked Genus.

“Limestone Pie.”

“WHAT?!!” exclaimed the Mane 6, their husbands, Spike and Emily.

***********************************************************************************************

Limestone was standing in the middle of the room, her eyes squinting in anger, as everything around her was one big mess.

“I’m gonna kill that chaotic friend of theirs.” Said Limestone in a threatening voice.

*********************************************************************************************

“Oh no,” said Pinkie in worry, “Limestone’s going to be really angry. She hates it when nopony lets her know of anything before certain ponies come over.”

“Well, it was at the last minute.” Said Discord.

“And it was great seeing aunt Limestone again!!” exclaimed the Pie Twins in excitement.

“Flutters.” Said Genus, “What did we talk about letting Discord be in charge of babysitting? Remember what happened last time?”

Fluttershy couldn’t help but squee while smiling sheepishly.

“Um…I believe introductions are in order?” asked Mistmane.

“Right then,” said Beau as he looked at the Pillars. “My name is Thomas Rohan. Or, as my wife calls me, Beau.”

He held his daughter close and said, “And this is both mine and Twilight’s daughter, Moonlight Sparkle.”

He soon pointed at the others.

“That there is Buck Armstrong, or as his wife Applejack calls him, Bucky, and that’s their son over there, Apple Slice. Then we have Jim Silver, or as his wife Rarity calls him, Silver, and there is their daughter, Crystal Gem. Then there’s George Newton, but as his wife, Fluttershy, calls him Genus, there is their sun, Warm Breeze. Then we have Cole Bolton, but his wife Rainbow Dash calls him Bolt, and there is their son, Bolt Jr., And finally, Barry Frost, but his wife Pinkie Pie calls him Frosty. And those two are their twins, Peacon and Lemon Pie. And that over there is Frosty’s sister, Emily.”

“So…all six of you…”

“Married and have a family? Then yes.” Said Silver.

“But how did you get here?” asked Somnambula.

One by one, the husbands said their piece.

“Went swimming out in the lake, then got sucked into a whirlpool, which resulted in me drowning and ended up outside at a lake near Ponyville,” said Beau.

“Got run over by a large truck and died trying to save a kid, then I somehow ended up in Sweet Apple Acres,” said Bucky.

“Went overseas on a plane, only for it to crash land when it got attacked by a storm and somehow ended up in front of Rarity’s Boutique,” said Silver.

“Got killed by a poisonous gas that my dog accidentally turned on, which caused the two of us to die from gas poisoning,” said Genus.

“Fell off a ladder and hit my head hard, then I suddenly ended up in Sweet Apple Acres, only for me to run around as a lunatic, and Rainbow caught me before I made things worse,” said Bolt.

“Both my sister and I were a building until an earthquake came along and were killed inside of it, then we suddenly came to Ponyville in the middle of one of our friend’s wedding,” said Frosty.

The Pillars blinked in shock over hearing this, as they couldn’t believe what they were hearing.

“Trust me, we were just as clueless as you were when we arrived.” Said Emily, “But after we got here, we just decided to roll with it and stay. Though when we got here, it was quite challenging.”

“Yeah, like trying to manage my adorkable princess when she was meddling in her student’s business when she was supposed to be taking it easy when she was pregnant and was expecting any minute by then.” Said Beau, which caused Twilight to blush and slap her husband’s shoulder.

“Or to try to calm our wives down when Rainbow and Applejack were stressing them out.” Said Genus, with Frosty nodding in agreement.

“Or when I wanted to strangle Starlight when she hypnotized our wives.” Said Bolt, which caused everyone, even Starlight, to look at him in shock. “Well, that was back then.”

“It was a challenge,” said Beau, “But what was even more challenging was managing marriage life. They are going off on adventures and friendship missions, and we stay behind to manage the businesses and kids. It was quite challenging.”

“I see.” Said Starswirl.

Frosty then had a mischievous smirk as he used his 4th wall powers to get behind Emily. He signaled Starswirl, causing him to look at the sign that he held behind her, which caused him to read it out loud.

“Excuse me, young lady.” Said Starswirl while reading it out loud, which gained Emily’s attention.

“Yes?” said Emily before Frosty held another sign.

“Would it be alright if I gave you some advice?” read Starswirl again.

“Advice?” said a confused Emily, which caused Frosty to show the sign again.

“In other words, a big tip?” said a confused Starswirl.

Emily suddenly blinked in shock while widening her eyes, her right eye twitching rapidly.

“Tip…” muttered Emily. “Tip…” said Emily again, but she was getting really angry this time. “Tip…?!!”

This didn’t go unnoticed as everyone watched and was surprised.

“DID YOU SAY, TIIIIPPP?!!!” exclaimed Emily as she laughed like a maniac and grabbed Flash Magnus’ shield and Rockhoof’s shovel, surprising the two.

“Come here, wizard boy!!” shouted Emily while Starswirl watched in shock, “I’m gonna make you a new beard hole!!”

And within a split second, Emily began to beat the crap out of Starswirl, and everyone watched in shock when they saw him beat up a wizard. They slowly looked at Frosty, which was a sign that they demanded an explanation.

“Uh,” said Frosty, “Back in my sister’s college days, she worked as a Pizza delivery girl.”

Frosty looked at the Pillars and said, “And in case you wonder, picture a type of place that makes food but also delivers them to your house, and you pay the guy who delivers it, who gives it to the place he works at.”

“A place that delivers food to your door?” said a surprised Rockhoof.

“Very clever.” Said Stygian.

“Anyway, the guy ordered pizza and wanted it delivered to their place in five minutes, but it was far away.”

“How far are we talking?” asked Spike.

“Uh…” said Frosty as he tried to set a good example, “Picture delivering it from Appaloosa to the Crystal Empire within five minutes.”

“That far?!” exclaimed Applejack.

“Yeah,” said Frosty, “And after all the trouble she went through, they didn’t give her a tip, which resulted in her beating the stuffing out of him. And uh…she got arrested.”

“Arrested?” said a confused Rainbow.

“The guy she beat up was an ambassador from another country.” Said Frosty, causing everyone’s mouths to go agape. “It was the time when my sister took care of me.”

“Took care of you?” said a confused Meadowbrook.

“My parents were murdered when I was young.” According to Frosty, “Emily was the one who took me in and cared for me. After we died, we ended up in Equestria, right at the center of Ponyville. It’s where I also met Pinkie Pie. And uh…”

“He lost his ability to smile for years.” Said Pinkie before she nuzzled her husband, “But I never gave up on him. And he’s also really good with kids, even when he didn’t realize it.”

“Wow, you’re a lucky lad, you know that?” said Rockhoof.

“I’m glad I do.” Said Frosty.

“But uh, quick question.” Said Fluttershy, “Who are those two?”

Everyone looked at both Lizzie and Daisy; his head spun once Emily was done beating up Starswirl. Silver smiled and approached the woman, and stood next to her.

“Alright then, all of you know that Beau was the first human to come to Equestria, right?”

said Silver, earning nods from most of them, “Well, this here is the first human/woman to come to this planet.”

Everyone was surprised to hear this, with Twilight saying, “Where was she all this time?!”

“I was in Caribouria,” said Lizzie, “Where I was, unfortunately, a slave to Dainn’s forces until I was rescued by Thorin Oakenshield and his friends.”

“Everyone,” said Silver, “Meet Lizzie Silver. My older sister.”

Everyone was surprised to hear this, but not as surprised as Rarity was, for she was meeting Silver’s sister for the first time. She walked over to the Element of Generosity and stood near her.

“So,” said Lizzie, “You’re my brother’s wife, correct?”

“Um, that’s right.” Said Rarity, as she felt nervous for some reason.

Lizzie then ended up hugging her, surprising her in the process. “Thank you for looking after my brother.”

Rarity couldn’t help but smile as she hugged her back. They then broke it as she said, “There’s no need for that. He defended me over the years before and after we were married. He truly is a wonderful husband.”

Lizzie then stood on her knees and looked at a nervous Crystal Gem.

“And you must be my brother’s daughter.” Said Lizzie, “Your dad told me so much about you.”

Crystal couldn’t help but smile and hug her aunt for the first time. At the same time, Bucky walked over to Daisy while pulling out his locket. “And AJ,” said Bucky, gaining his wife’s attention, “I think you might recognize her.”

Applejack looked at the picture of his locket, then at Daisy. After careful looking, she widened her eyes in shock.

“Well, wallop mah withers.” Said a surprised Applejack, “So y’all are Daisy?”

“That’s right.” Said Daisy, who then smirked and said, “And you must be Applejack, the mare who won my brother’s heart when you lassoed him.”. Daisy said, “Tell me, did you whip him too?”

Both of them were surprised and blushed at that statement, causing her to laugh and say, “I’m just kidding.”

Applejack laughed a bit nervously, with her looking at Bucky, and said, “Was she always this devious?”

“Oh yeah.” Said Bucky, “She had quite the mouth on her when she was five.”

Applejack held Daisy’s shoulder and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Daisy.”

The two hugged as she said, “The feeling’s mutual.”

“Ah got another aunt!!” exclaimed Apple Slice before he jumped and hugged Daisy, to which the said girl hugged him back.

“And while we were there,” said Frosty, “We even have some personal souvenirs.”

They looked behind them and saw the guards had placed their gifts nearby, which surprised them. Beau then walked to the cart and took out an object while walking over to the royal sisters. When they saw what he carried, everyone was surprised.

“Is that…a Kingstone?” said a surprised Mistmane.

“But I thought they were just a myth.” Said a surprised Rockhoof.

“As it turns out, Caribouria is more advanced in magic than we thought.” Said Beau. He then stood in front of the sisters; they both bore a surprised look on him.

“This here Kingstone,” said Beau, “Is from Thorin Oakenshield’s old homeland of Erebor. He asked us to bring it over to you, to show it as a sign of peace to both your kingdoms. Along with a report from the king that they wish you would discuss with them in person.”

Celestia and Luna accepted it and were surprised to hold the very stone of legend in their hands. Celestia couldn’t help but smile and said, “You and your friends have done well, Beau.”

“Indeed,” said Luna with a smile of her own, “For it would appear that Twilight Sparkle and her friends are not the only ones who are now heroes of Equestria.”

“We were only doing what was right.” Said Beau. “I wasn’t allowed to reveal much, but what I’m about to tell you stays in the throne room.”

“And that being?” asked Princess Celestia.

“The Pony Tribes didn’t come from their own lands,” said Beau, “They all originated from Caribouria, along with every creature throughout the world.”

Everyone was surprised to hear this, with Beau saying, “And Equestria’s not the only one with a Tree of Harmony, but so does Caribouria, called the Grand Tree, which is thrice as powerful as the tree itself.”

“That’s impossible.” Said Rockhoof.

“Oh, it’s possible.” Said Bucky, gaining their attention, “We were there. We saw it. It and the sacred flame gave Thorin the power to protect Caribouria.”

“There were plenty of other trees, too,” said Silver, “But all of them were hidden for their own safety.”

“And if you don’t believe me,” said Beau as he walked over to the cart and pulled it with him, revealing over a hundred books on them, which surprised Twilight. “Everything you wanted to know about the true origins of Equestria and the Trees of Harmony are right here, written by every scholar throughout Caribouria’s history.”

Twilight ended up squealing in excitement as she held onto her first book from another country. “A ton of books about another culture and advanced magics. Eeee, this is a dream come true!!”

“As well as this,” said Beau as he handed the mane 6 a case filled with pendants that had their cutie marks on it, which surprised them. “A gift from Thorin and the others. They said you might like it.”

“It’s so precious.” Said Rarity in awe while she and the Mane 6 accepted them without a second thought.

“Speaking of which.” Said Bucky as he walked over to Applejack, holding what appeared to be a couple of seed packets. “Remember the Zap Apples that grow once every year?”

“Ah, do.” Said Applejack. “Why do y’all ask?”

“It turns out, Caribouria grows Zap Apples too.” Said Bucky.

Applejack’s jaw dropped, and she said, “That’s impossible. Granny found them in the Everfree forest!!”

“The Caribou were the ones who grew the Everfree forest.” Said Bucky, much to everyone’s shock, “Anyway, they grow Zap Apples there too. And it turns out, they don’t disappear as they do in Ponyville; you can grow them how many times you like, no disappearing and same great taste.”

“Wow, that’s amazin’!!” said a surprised Applejack as she held onto one of the seed packets. “Granny would be tickled pink if she saw this!! But what about the others?”

“Seeds that will allow us to grow Silver and gold apples from the seeds of Idunn.” Said Bucky.

Applejack and the ponies stared at Bucky in shock.

“The seeds of…” said Princess Twilight, “But I thought it was a myth.”

“Nope,” said Bucky, “Was grown right on Caribourian grounds.”

Applejack looked at the seeds she held onto with a smile and a tear. “My mah told me so many stories about their seeds.” Said Applejack, “And to hold them right in mah hands….”

She was suddenly trapped by a lasso, making her go towards him with a surprised look while he smirked and tilted his cowboy hat, which Applejack noticed.

“They also gave me a lasso and a hat.” Bucky said, “So this is what it looked like when you lassoed me the day we first met.”

Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle and gave her husband a kiss. “Wow, they do make a good couple.” Said Rockhoof.

Silver then walked up with his cart, and Rarity was in awe of what was in it.

“This is also a gift from Caribouria.” Said Silver. “Every single bit of fabric and silk the kingdom has to offer.”

He pulled out a few boxes and opened one, surprising Rarity even more. “And these are also known as Arkenstones, that you can use to decorate your dresses for special occasions.”

Rarity ended up embracing him with a hug and a squee of glee and joy. “You are the best husband ever!!”

Silver couldn’t help but smile and hug her back. As they broke it, Silver pulled out what appeared to be a vest and showed it to Crystal Gem, which looked at it with marvel.

“This is also Mithril.” Silver said, “It’s as light as a feather but harder than dragon scales. A gift made by the Dragons themselves. They wanted me to give this to you.”

Crystal did the same thing her mother did as she hugged her father while he decided to hold her close while she held him in the air.

Genus went over to Fluttershy and held a few books and a flute.

“When I told them about you,” said Genus, “They said that they have the kind of gift you might enjoy. There are a few books about rare animals in Caribouria that’s nowhere in the world, as well as a special flute to play to calm certain animals.”

“Oh my,” said Fluttershy as she accepted them, “They’re lovely.”

Genus couldn’t help but smirk, which confused Fluttershy, “Also, are Angel and Trusty with you?”

Fluttershy ended up sheepishly pointing in the other direction, showing they had been there the whole time with Warm Breeze. Genus crouched and said, “Oh, Angel? I got a surprise for you.”

Angel reluctantly looked in his direction, causing him to see a female bunny near his leg while waving at him. Within a split second, Angel’s jaw dropped, with hearts appearing in his eyes. He instantly went over and hugged her while feeling like a lovesick fool. Fluttershy was surprised by this as she looked at the two, then at Genus.

“A special lady friend for Angel.” Responded Genus. “As well as one for Trusty.”

Soon a lady dog appeared, causing Trusty to move over to her. The two of them sniffed one another as if inspecting something. Then the two looked at one another and panted with smiles while wagging their tails.

“Aw, they like each other.” Said Fluttershy as she smiled with glee.

“Also, Pinkie.” Said Frosty, gaining her attention. “You’re not the only one with her own party cannon.”

Frosty instantly pulled out his own party cannon, which Pinkie smiled with glee and pulled out. Until Frosty said, “And don’t forget the kids.”

He then revealed miniature party cannons, which surprised Peacon and Lemon Pie as they gasped, then instantly hugged their dad.

“You’re the best dad ever!!” shouted both kids.

Within a split second, they got to their party cannons and pulled them, causing them to be shot simultaneously, and some couldn’t help but roll their eyes after seeing that.

Emily pulled out a stone and said, “They also gave me this stone. Like Sunset Shimmer can read minds, it can do the same, but it can also project their memories for others to see. I wanted to use this in case I wanted to get someone for their birthday. Or, in this case….”

She squinted her eyes and looked at the entire room, “Someone who’s been eating my secret cookie stash.”

Pinkie suddenly blinked and darted her eyes around, sweating a bead or two out of nervousness.

“Oooh, how does it work?” said Princess Twilight while intrigued.

She then looked at Bolt and ended up having a smirk on her face. This, somehow, didn’t go unnoticed by the latter.

“Uh, Emily, why are you looking at me like that?”

Emily went over to Bolt and placed the stone near him, causing the stone to glow. Emily then used the stone to read Bolt’s mind, causing a screen to appear. To their surprise, it was footage of Rainbow wearing what appeared to be a pair of blue jeans and a jean jacket while also wearing a yellow shirt with a symbol upfront.

“Is that Rainbow?” said a surprised Spike.



Everyone was surprised by what they saw, with Jr. saying, “Wow, mom. I didn’t know you could dance.”

Even Rainbow was surprised by this as she looked at Bolt with a flexed eyebrow, to which he couldn’t help but sheepishly chuckle.

“What else?” said Emily.

When they played the next footage, Bolt immediately recognized it, for it was from his dream.

“Oh, no,” muttered Bolt.

They saw Bolt coming through the door, wearing what appeared to be a fancy suit while everything looked black and white, as he said, “Rainbow, I’m home!! Did you miss me?!”

Then they saw something they did not see coming. Rainbow came out, wearing a frilly dress, while twirling her one leg up in the air and said, while it almost appeared in anime form, “Welcome home honey bun.”

Jaws were dropped from what they were seeing.

Within a split second, Flash Magnus, Rockhoof, Bucky, Frosty, Emily, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike laughed their heads off from seeing it, while some of them barely tried to contain their giggles.

Rainbow, on the other hand…

Rainbow slowly looked at Bolt and had an angry look in her eyes while she was blushing madly.

“Boooooooooolllllllllltt!!” said Rainbow while she growled.

“Uh, Rainbow, this isn’t what it looks like.” Said a panicked Bolt, “Look, allow me to explain!!”

“Oh, you’ll explain alright,” said Rainbow, “After I punch you so hard, until you can barely see!!”

Bolt suddenly screamed and ran out the door, with Rainbow chasing after him. The others were concerned, causing Twilight to teleport all of them outside. They watched from the balcony as they watched Rainbow chasing Bolt. Frosty suddenly smirked, pulled out a stereo, and played a song, which confused them as they saw the chase.



As the song played, they saw Bolt running all over the place, hiding from one spot to another, then running from one place to another, with Rainbow slowly catching up to them. Bolt was sometimes disguised as a donut seller as Rainbow darted past until she stopped and saw Bolt, which caused him to run away again. He jumped in the sewer, with Rainbow stopped and looked around until she saw him popping from the other side and ran away, with her chasing after him.

A few random pony guards saw them running back and forth, then they looked at one another, shrugged their shoulders, and then ended up chasing them. They ran down the streets as Bolt ran past many passersby, with Rainbow following in hot pursuit as many guards were also after them.

Two couples were walking with their shopping until they saw Bolt run past them, while Rainbow bumped them over, and the guards ran past them. The two couples got mad and yelled while they got up and ran after them. Soon Bolt was chased by Rainbow, with the guards and the royal couples behind them.

Then it was seven friends at a cake store, ready to eat some cake, until both he and Rainbow Dash dashed passed them, causing them to get splattered with cakes. At the same time, the guards ran in pursuit, with the two shoppers behind them. The seven friends all got mad and also ran after them. They ran from one street to another, trying their best to avoid them.

At the same time, the beautiful mares walked down the street with their dresses until Bolt passed them, with Rainbow accidentally stripping them to their undies, causing them to gasp while the guards, the couples, and the seven friends ran past them. The three mares got angry and chased them, even in their indecency.

Next up was a teacher and the school kids going on a field trip until Storm barged them over, with Rainbow going after him. In contrast, the teacher panicked as she waved her arms in the air, while at the same time, the guards, the couples, the seven friends, and the three mares ran past them, causing the teacher and the students to go after them.

At the same time, they saw Bolt running, with Rainbow behind, along with the guards, the couples, the seven friends, the three mares, and the teacher and school students. The more they saw the chase, the more they laughed, for the way they were going while the music was playing was very funny.

“Frosty!!” shouted Bolt as he continued to run, “Will you turn that disrespectful junk off!!”

“Respect the classic, Bolt!!” shouted Frosty, “Besides, I got to play comedic music for your chase scene with Rainbow Dash to make it fun!!”

“There is nothing funny about me being chased by my wife just because your sister had to look into my privacy with that stone of hers!!”

“Get back here, Bolt!!” shouted Rainbow as she kept chasing him, “I’ll teach you to think cute thoughts about me again!!”

“If you were in my shoes, then see what you get!!” shouted Bolt.

“The only way she’d chase me is as if I broke the Pinkie Promise!!” said Frosty, “And we both know that’s never going to happen!!”

Suddenly, Bolt decided to use his wings and fly in the sky, with Rainbow chasing after him, not noticing that he was flying. However, the rest, minus the husbands and Emily, were shocked to see this.

“He can fly?!” said the Mane 5.

“Yeah, it turned out that was one of the gifts they gave Bolt before we left.” Said Beau, “He really wanted to fly with her.”

Bolt and Rainbow continued to fly all over the place until she tackled him, and they crashed onto a cloud.

“You’re going to wish you never!!” said Rainbow as she strangled him, but then she noticed his wings, and her eyes slowly widened in shock.

“No way.” Said Rainbow. “Y-y-You have wings?!!”

“Yeah.” Said Bolt as his head was still spinning. “I asked them if they could give me wings to fly by your side. Don’t get me wrong, I love going on the clouds. But…I felt more comfortable flying by your side.”

Rainbow didn’t know what to say, as the cute thing she got mad over just disappeared.

“Also…I wanted to give you this.”

He gave her the Rainboom necklace, which shocked her greatly. She slowly accepted it and looked at it in her hands.

“I…how…?” said Rainbow as she slowly looked at him.

“Thorin said that this somehow ended up near the ocean,” said Bolt, “But he knew how special it was, considering all the love and care it was in it, so he brought it back to his place and restored it. When I told him of what I wanted to give you and told him of the necklace, he knew it was that one. So…I knew how special it was to you, and…here it is.”

Rainbow was suddenly in tears as she looked at it, then at Bolt. Within a split second, she wrapped her arms around him and gave a full kiss on the lips, with Bolt embracing her, enjoying the feeling so much.

********************************************************************************************

Shortly after that, once things had been settled, the Mane 6 and their husbands, Spike, Emily, Daisy, Lizzie, Starlight, and Sunburst, went back to Ponyville. However, the moment they got there, the husbands were suddenly surprised to see a large banner among the inhabitants, which had their names on it, causing everypony to shout…

“WELCOME HOME!!!”

Everyone began to celebrate, not just the Element Bearers in defeating the Pony of Shadows, but the Husbands and Emily returning as well, as they had all achieved the impossible. Pretty soon, the large party went underway.

Beau and Twilight were talking to Twilight’s parents and Shining Armor, Cadance, and Flurry Heart.

Bucky was hugged by Granny, Big Mac, and Apple Bloom as they were happy to see them. Bucky introduced them to Daisy, which they were surprised to see in person, with Apple Bloom hugging her.

Silver and Rarity were introducing Lizzie to some of the locals, while at the same time, Crystal and Sweetie Belle began to know their sister-in-law/aunt.

Genus and Fluttershy were talking to the animals while Angel and Trusty were beside their special lady friends.

Bolt and Rainbow Dash and Bolt Jr were talking to the Wonderbolts, with the Bolts surprised that Bolt had wings, with Spitfire offering to train him at the academy.

Frosty surprises everyone that he’s now like his wife and joins his wife and kids in causing all sorts of shenanigans.

Spike and Emily were talking to others as she explained what Caribouria was like in every detail.

Everyone celebrated with bright smiles on their faces. Everything would work out fine in the end.
> Chapter 20: What lies ahead
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A week had passed since the husbands returned to Ponyville, and things had been quiet. Lizzie decided to stay over until the end of the month, as she would have some catching up, while Daisy decided to move to Sweet Apple Acres until she could find a place to stay.

And during that time, everyone made good on the gifts so far.

● Twilight enjoyed her books from Caribouria as she learned more about their culture.

● Applejack and the Apple family planted the seeds in an open spot on the field, and soon enough, the trees will sprout while they look forward to the day, they bear their fruit.

● Rarity began to design her outfits with the fabric, jewels, and stones from Caribouria, and soon it was the talk of the town.

● Fluttershy enjoyed the book about rare animals and played the flute; even Angel and Trusty are having fun with their lady friends.

● Rainbow Dash and Bolt were flying side by side while she and Spitfire trained him at the Wonderbolt Academy to help him with his flying skills.

● Pinkie, Frosty, and their kids were enjoying every 4th wall-breaking moment that would bring tons of laughter to others.

● Emily helped Spike occasionally; if he was suddenly sad, she would use the stone to see why and try to help him.

However, on the seventh night, everyone in Ponyville was fast asleep. Well, almost. Beau was still wide awake as if something had been bugging him since they returned from Caribouria. They’ve been through so much, learned more about their heritage, and learned that there were more secrets than no one would ever want to admit.

He looked at Twilight, who was fast asleep, wondering if she and the others deserved to know the truth. They shouldn’t have any secrets, but he remembered what his grandmother had told him about the Cunabula Knights; if there were others like them, then they would be in danger, and not even the Elements of Harmony could save everyone from that fate.

He suddenly stood up quietly and walked towards his coat and shoes. He got dressed and made his way toward the door. He held onto the handle and slowly looked at Twilight, remembering what he was doing this for. He slowly opened the door and went out while closing it behind her. But as he turned around, he saw Emily, who also had the same idea as she was standing there and looking at him. The two of them soon walked the other way.

They saw Bucky, Silver, Genus, Bolt, Frosty, Daisy, and Lizzie waiting for them outside as soon as they got outside. The latter then regrouped and walked as far from the castle as possible. They soon made their way to the picnic area where Princess Twilight and the others would go, and soon, all of them once they got married. They made a campfire and sat around it, thinking about the events.

“It was quite an adventure, hasn’t it?” Said Bolt.

“No kidding,” said Silver, “No wonder our wives had a much harder time.”

“Still,” said Frosty, “After everything we went through there…do you think they deserve to know the truth?”

“No, we don’t.” said Beau, gaining their attention, “The world’s not ready to learn the full truth about how all of this began.”

“He’s right.” Said Lizzie, “Many creatures, even Equestria, knew about certain events that had happened, and if they discovered that they once came from Caribouria….”

“All order would be lost,” said Daisy, “And it would be far worse than what Equestria’s enemies had ever done.”

“Yeah, especially Canterlot,” said Bolt, “They might use that to their advantage to take control.”

“You honestly think they’d do that?” said Silver.

“No, it’s the truth.” Said Lizzie, “Half the Nobles are Unicorns; some of them have been trying to find a way to usurp Celestia and Luna’s reign for years.”

“You think we should tell them that?” asked Frosty.

“We should, just in case.” Said Beau, “The last thing we need is another power-hungry lunatic.”

“And what about Caribouria?” asked Bucky, “Applejack’s been constantly asking me how the adventures were but…I don’t have the heart to tell her what really happened.”

“None of us do.” Said Genus. “I don’t think they’d want to hear how we nearly killed ourselves over there.”

“Don’t our wives already do that?” asked Frosty.

“But not to that extreme.” Said Silver.

“Agreed.” Said Beau, “I don’t like it either, but we’ll tell them once the time is right.”

********************************************************************************************

Twilight was still asleep and smiling. She then turned around and kept the smile. However, she felt that something was off. When she woke up, she saw that Beau wasn’t there, causing her to slowly sit up and look around.

“Beau?” asked Twilight while she rubbed her eyes. “Beau, where are you?”

She looked at the corner and saw his coat and shoes gone. She stood up and began to dress in her robes too. But the moment she was out, she saw Spike was outside too.

“Twilight?” said Spike, “Have you seen Emily anywhere?”

“What, she’s not here too?” said a surprised Twilight.

“No,” replied Spike.

They suddenly heard a loud knock at the castle doors. Thankfully Moonlight was asleep, so she didn’t know what was happening. The two of them quickly made their way toward the door. When they opened it, the first pony she saw was Applejack.

“Twi, have y’all seen mah husband anywhere?” asked a worried Applejack.

Twilight looked behind her, and to her surprise, the rest of her friends were outside too.

“Uh, no,” said Twilight. “And Beau’s not here either.”

“Same with Emily.” Said Spike as he came from behind her.

The rest of the girls were surprised to hear this.

“Good heavens,” said Rarity as she began to worry. “Where could our husbands be?”

“They could be anywhere.” Said a worried Fluttershy.

“We could always look at the picnic spot.” Said Pinkie Pie, with the girls looking at her.

“What makes you say that, Pinks?” said a confused Rainbow.

“Because there happens to be a campfire over there.” Said Pinkie as she pointed ahead.

True and behold, smoke came from the other side of town, near where they held their picnics.

“What in Equestria could they be doing there?” asked a surprised Rarity.

“Maybe we should ask?” asked Fluttershy.

They nodded in agreement and went over to them.

**********************************************************************************************

Beau and the others were still talking around the campfire.

“And to think,” said Beau, “Our legacy had been here the whole time, and we were taken away from our homes, and it was all forgotten.”

“True,” said Buck, “I can’t believe things had taken that turn of the worse for us.”

“But then again,” said Silver, “Even if our lives were not what we had in mind, we somehow found our way here. We were finally home. We finally gained a family.”

“We did.” Said Bolt, “And we have to make sure we keep it that way. For their sakes.”

“Agreed.” Said Genus. “The last thing we need is another foe taking them away.”

“Amen to that.” Said both Frosty and Emily altogether.

Unknown to them, the Mane 6 and Spike approached them and were surprised to see the looks on their husbands and Emily’s faces.

“I think for now.” Said Beau, “We just try to live our lives. One day at a time.”

They nodded in agreement, not wanting to press this any further, which caused Twilight and the others to be worried. Just when they wanted to say something, something unexpected happened…

With his eyes closed, Beau began to hum a certain tune from Caribouria, which surprised Twilight and the others. Soon, everyone around the campfire began to hum in harmony, and within a split second, spirits of the Caribou and other creatures appeared as all of them hummed, which shocked the others again from what they saw.

And from Ponyville and Canterlot, everyone heard the tune and slowly woke up. One by one, some stood by their windows, some by the doors, and some in the middle of the streets. Even Celestia and Luna, along with their husbands and the Pillars, all heard the song from Beau and the others.

Twilight and the others didn’t say anything. All they could do…was listen to the song.

(Beau)

Far over, the mountain home

To green landscapes

And trees so high

We must return

At the break of dawn

(Beau, Bucky & Silver)

To find our long-forgotten home

(Bucky, Silver, Bolt, and Genus)

The winds were howling throughout the night

Telling our tales of lives of old

The sunshine bright

The moon alight

The sky so blue; alight with hope

The Mane 6 and Spike were surprised by what they were seeing and that they were singing something they’d never heard of before.

(Lizzie)

Far away, the forgotten lands

The blue oceans

And brightened shores

We will set out

At the midday

(Lizzie and Daisy)

To find what has, been taken away

(Lizzie and Daisy)

The storm is coming, beyond the darkness

The waves are crashing

In the bright day

The sun burns bright

The cooling moons

The heart of home, calls us home

Beau and the others suddenly thought about their families and friends, thinking of them so far away from them, longing for their embrace, making some shed their tears. Everyone between Ponyville and CHS felt as if they were entranced by the song as they all listened to it. As the spirits continued to hum, they continued to sing.

(All)

Far beyond, the great plains of home

The fatherland

And motherland

We will come home

Within nightfall

To finally, be back home

The songs of angels, calls us forth

The people cried

Throughout the lands

Their freedom’s bright

Their love alight

And True Harmony, to Salvation

They were stunned by what they had seen. Applejack looked at Twilight and asked, “What happened over there?”

None of them knew how to respond, but they knew they would tell them when ready. Beau and the others continued to sit until they heard something. To their surprise, they saw Twilight and the others, all of who had concerned looks on their faces. Soon, each of them sat with their respected husband and held them close, with Spike doing the same for Emily.

They’re not sure what the future will hold. But what they do know is they will face it…together.

However, far from them was Starswirl, watching them from afar as the humans had piqued his interest.

“I’d thought I’d find you here.”

Starswirl turned around and was surprised to see a familiar face.

“Master Brightstar.” Said Starswirl, “I didn’t expect you to be here.”

“I’m everywhere these days, Starswirl,” said Brightstar, “Still watching over the dangers of the world and those that have come far. So, what are you doing here?”

“Watching the humans.” Said Starswirl as he looked at them with the Mane 6. “In all my years, I had never seen humans interact with them before. Although…”

“Don’t even think about wanting payback for the punch in the throat.” Said Brightstar, “You had that coming for a long time.”

“Excuse me?” said Starswirl as he looked at her.

“I told him everything about what you did.” Said Brightstar. “Discouraging Twilight, trying to use the Elements of Harmony to destroy, which would result in them being destroyed and leaving Equestria in chaos?”

“I was trying to protect Equestria.” Said Starswirl.

“Oh, sure, that worked out well.” Said Brightstar. “Remember, the Elements didn’t always belong to Equestria. The Caribou were the ones who helped them create it, not you.”

She stood near him and said, “You will not touch her husband.”

“And why would you care?” said Starswirl with a flexed eyebrow.

“Because his ancestor is Achilles Rohan,” said Brightstar, “My Husband.”

Starswirl was shocked by this and said, “So it’s true. You did have an offspring.”

“Who, along with my husband, was forced to leave this world when humans were suddenly blamed for something they didn’t do.”

Brightstar looked at the campsite and said, “Seeing him here was also a miracle. I never thought in my entire life I would see the line of Achilles come back to this world, and with more humans with good souls to boot as well.”

She then looked back and said, “But back on topic, you had no right to use the Elements to do as you please.”

“We had to destroy…” said Starswirl before he was cut off.

“There you go again,” said Brightstar, “Thinking that everything needs to be destroyed without consulting them first.”

“Consulting?!” said Starswirl in shock, “Stygian was the one who accepted darkness in his heart and turned on us!!”

“Which wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t accuse him of trying to steal your magic without asking them first!!” said Brightstar as she pointed the tip of her staff at him, “And he wouldn’t have gone off and accepted it, had you only listened to him or given him a chance to explain!!”

She then leaned at him face to face. She said, “And if I remembered correctly, you once accused me of being evil, your own teacher, when she had tried to cast a rune spell to keep the likes like Tirek out of Equestria, and because of your overzealous carelessness, all of Equestria was in danger.”

Starswirl was shocked by what she had revealed, while Brightstar chose to stand up straight and kept her staff in her hand.

“Ponykind really has fallen far, for if just one small pin drops, everypony automatically turns on one another over false accusations and rumors.” Said Brightstar, “No wonder the Windigos nearly destroyed Ponykind’s ancestral lands because you couldn’t let go of your own selfish pride. At least the ponies in Caribouria see common sense where all of you have failed.”

“But we were deceived…” said Starswirl, making a weak defense.

“No,” said Brightstar as she interrupted him and looked at him sternly, “You were deceived long before Equestria’s enemies came along, for you have deceived yourself. You see foes where they are friends and monsters when they are but servants of good. Stygian and I weren’t the first to be wrongly accused in your war against dark magic, and not all have been as lucky as we.”

She then stood back up and said, “My brother, Catastros was one of those whom you accused, just like everyone else did when they accused him of being a traitor that resulted in the humans getting banished.”

Starswirl looked down in shame, with Brightstar saying, “You’re an embarrassment and bring shame to all of Equestria Starswirl. This is exactly why I stripped the elements from you long ago because your pigheaded and narrowmindedness had nearly cost Equestria everything. More importantly, when you were gone, Equestria had been built on Friendship, Harmony, and Trust, and you don’t save it by ignoring what it stands for.”

Starswirl lowered his head, then looked back at her in shame as he said, “I promise you, my lady, I will do whatever I can to redeem myself and to ensure that never happens again.”

“I would hope so. For all our sakes.” Said Brightstar. She then pointed the tip of her staff in another direction and said, “Now, I believe you have some packing to do.”

“Ma’am?” asked Starswirl.

“You heard me,” said Brightstar, “Because of your actions and ignorance, it nearly cost the life of a misunderstood incident and Equestria’s safety by sacrificing its first and last line of defense. So while you think about what you’ve done, you will go on a journey and learn what you can about friendship, like Princess Twilight. And you will return only when you’ve truly learned the word’s true meaning. Am I understood?”

Starswirl was surprised about this at first but knew better than to challenge his old teacher. He bowed to her and said, “Yes, master.”

Starswirl soon left to ready his things while Brightstar looked at Beau and the others.

“I feel that whatever is to come, their friendships and trusts will be challenged.” Said Brightstar.

Soon she left to watch over the world while Beau and the others continued the peaceful night around the campfire before turning in for the night.

***********************************************************************************************

Far away, at the unknown parts of Equestria’s borders, on what appeared to be a large island with spiked mountains, a dark figure was walking along the rocky path, holding his battle axe with his sword on his back. The figure stopped and looked ahead. Up ahead, there was a large stone wall with skulls decorated on all sides. He looked ahead and squinted his eyes, knowing what he would do. He walked ahead and made his way toward the gate.

At the gate, there were two guards, both of them who looked large, yeti-like maybe. Both of them were grunting and also a bit bored. However, they saw someone approaching them, causing them to get together and point their spears at them while also producing their shields. Two guards grunted in their language, demanding the intruder to stand down. However, when the entity was close enough, he presented his hand as if one would hold an apple. But the moment he held his hand in that position, the guards suddenly choked as they dropped their weapons and grasped onto their necks, trying to breathe.

They were suddenly lifted up from the ground before the figure waved his arm hard to the left, causing the guards to be flung hard in the other direction. Without a second, though, the entity kicked the door down, causing the doors to fly and scatter upon impact, surprising all the guards when they looked.

The entity walked in, holding his axe to the ready. Many guards were about to attack; however, one of the creatures gasped in shock and pointed at the axe and sword, causing many to fear the intruder and move away while some bowed in front of him. At the same time, he still continued to make his way toward its intended target, which appeared to be none other than a fortress.

From within, many were still carrying on and about, minding their own business; from the top of a stone staircase was a throne facing away from his subjects. He looked closely to the guards, but from the crown, he was none other than a king, while on the left was a pony, but from what looked like a broken horn on top, and on the right was a Hedgehog, munching on goods like a pig.

“So, Storm King.” The pony beside him said, “I know your conquest of Ornithia was successful, but what should we do know?”

“Oh, Tempest,” said the Storm King, “I don’t need a destination; I only take a kingdom that gains my attention.”

“And which one does get your attention?” asked Tempest.

“Let me think…,” said Storm King.

Then all of a sudden, the doors were blown away, with two Storm Guards in front of it, surprising everyone in the room, even the Storm King when he turned around. From out of the smoke, the hooded figure appeared and walked down the pathway straight towards the Storm King, with some of the Storm Guards readying their weapons as they aimed at him. However, just before the four guards could do anything, the figure pointed its axe, causing green energy to appear, making the four guards glow with energy, but scream in pain and agony. Before they knew it, the four guards were skin and bones before they collapsed onto the ground.

The guards were shocked by what they had seen, with Grubber walking forward and said, “Okay now, who do you think you are to….”

Before he could say anything else, Mor’du suddenly appeared, grabbed Grubber’s head, and bashed him hard onto the ground. Poe the Crow flew in with his Crow Guards and placed their spears against the Storm Guard’s necks, while Smaug the Black Dragon spewed fire all over the place to send everyone in disarray, with a few Dragon Guards blocking the way.

The Storm King was impressed but frowned at the newcomers.

“I do not know who you are, and though I am impressed by your display,” said Storm King before he stood up and said, “But I do not allow party crashers!! Tempest!!”

Before Tempest could charge, a powerful blast knocked her backward, making her crash against the wall and collapse onto the ground. Before the Storm King could react, he felt a powerful force grabbing him and pulling him toward the hooded figure. The two of them soon face to face with the Storm King sneering.

“Who do you think you…?!!”

Before the Storm King could say anything, the hooded figure removed his hood, which was none other than Dainn himself, making the Storm King gasp in shock.

“Lord Dainn?!!”

Dainn released the Storm King from his magic, making the so-called despot bow before him.

“Wait,” said Grubber while he was struggling, “My lord, you know him?!”

“Indeed he does.” Replied Dainn. He then noticed Tempest standing up, pointing his axe at her, and said, “And why is there a pony among you?!!”

“S-she serves me my liege.” Said Storm King, “She pledged her allegiance to me and….”

“ENOUGH!!” bellowed Dainn as he smashed the bud of his axe onto the ground, which startled the Storm King as he kept his head lowered. “I’ve come here to require your…services.”

“M-my liege?” said the Storm King, shakingly looking at the corrupted Caribou.

He pointed his axe at the chair and said, “Sit. We have much to discuss.”

The Storm King soon sat down, with Lord Dainn standing close to him, while the Storm Guards, Tempest, and Grubber were sent out of the room, with only Dainn’s generals and his guards remaining.

“So uh…what brings you here?” said the Storm King nervously.

“I did not wish to come here, even of my own free will.” Said Dainn while he still held onto his axe with both his hands on top. “I came here because I demand your services.”

“Services, my liege?” said the Storm King nervously.

“Indeed.” Said Dainn. “Not too long ago, I was the ruler of Caribouria with an iron fist until I was driven away by the heir to my family’s throne.”

“Heir?” said the Storm King, “But I thought you slayed your entire family.”

“Not all of them.” Said Dainn, “Thorin Oakenshield had survived and led a small feeble rebellion against me. Though it did not matter to me, what mattered was the help he required.”

“Help?”

Dainn slowly growled like a hell beast saying, “By humans.”

“Humans?!” exclaimed the Storm King, “But I thought they were just a myth!!”

“Not so much.” Said Dainn, “Long ago, they were banished to another world. Until recent events showed that humans have been arriving in Ponykind’s kingdom one by one.”

“Equestria? The Land of cuteness.” said the Storm King, “Blegh!! I never could stand, cute.”

He heard Dainn growl again while gripping his axe’s top, while the axe’s power was generated with dark energy, warning the Storm King not to test his patience, which caused Storm King to instantly be quiet.

“In any case,” said Lord Dainn, “One of the foolish Caribou found a way to leave Caribouria while I struggled to break its damn barrier, and he went there for help. However, he forgot that all creatures beyond the kingdom are forbidden to travel there. Yet somehow, Harmony itself has chosen the humans to go with them. They came to Caribouria and, somehow, became the one thing that the legends have spoken of before.”

“And that would be?” inquired the Storm King before taking a sip of his goblet.

“The Knights of Harmony.”

The Storm King did a spit take in shock in the left direction, then looked at him shockingly and said, “The Knights of Harmony?!!”

“Precisely.” Said Dainn. “And if you must know if they are dangerous. Then you know that a few of them have slain one of my Generals, Azog the Warg Warchief.”

Storm King was shocked to hear one of Dainn’s greatest generals be brought down.

“They helped Thorin Oakenshield become the true king by accepting the Blessings of Caribouria.” Said Dainn, “And since he is now at full strength with the might of Caribouria’s magic, he has defeated and driven me from my home. But just because I was banished…did not mean I was out of the fight.”

“If you claim to be still powerful,” asked the Storm King, “Then why come to me for aid?”

“Because half of my forces are slain while most are scattered.” Said Dainn, “And while my generals try to gather them, I will embark on a journey to awaken the rest of my armies from every kingdom around the world that has been in slumber for thousands of years. It will take time, but it will take all the time I need to regain full strength.”

“And if I refuse?” asked the Storm King, until Dainn sharply raised the tip of his axe at the Storm King’s neck, shocking the Storm King.

“Because you made the blood pact with me long ago when you wanted to learn dark storm magic.” Growled Dainn. “And I will warn you, ‘Storm King,’ you are indebted to me, and you will uphold your end of our bargain, or there will be consequences. You made a deal with me long ago, and I’m here to ensure you honor it.”

The Storm King grunted, knowing he had made that deal and the subsequent consequence. Seeing he had no choice, he grunted in defeat, allowing Dainn to lower his axe and place it back in position.

“And what do I get out of this if I do?” said the Storm King.

“I assume you have heard of the two sisters, Celestia and Luna?” asked Dainn. When the Storm King nodded, Dainn said, “What if I told you there are two more Alicorns in the kingdom?”

The Storm King was surprised and said, “I’m listening.”

“You invade Equestria and burn half the country to the ground while killing the Knights of Harmony.” Said Dainn, “In return, you can take the four Alicorns’ magic for yourself and do what you please with it.”

“Hmm, tempting.” Said Dainn, “But as far as I know, they won’t go down easily without a fight.”

“That is why I have these.” Said Dainn as he presented five different stones in a bag to him, allowing the Storm King to accept them. “These stones will help you turn all four Alicorns into stone; not even their shielding magic can stop them. They will encase them in stone, allowing you to easily take their magic as your own.”

“I see.” Said the Storm King as he smirked until Dainn grabbed him by the armor and pulled him to his face, surprising the Storm King.

“And you had better keep your word.” Threatened Dainn, “If not….”

Dainn then placed his hand on the Storm King, making him grunt in pain as his face went pale and skinny as if his life force was being taken from him.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes…my lord.” Muttering the Storm King, allowing Dainn to release him, returning the

Storm King to normal as he gasped for air, then looked at Dainn.

“Remember Storm King,” said Dainn, “Uphold your end of the deal. If not, then remember….”

He leaned closer and spoke in a dark tone, “I am always watching.”

The Storm King trembled in fear while Dainn moved away from him to the center of the room, with his followers gathering around him. Dainn used his magic to teleport via flames. When he disappeared, the Storm King was still afraid. Nevertheless, he cleared his throat and stood up. He walked through the doors with his followers waiting.

“My lord?” asked Grubber.

“Tempest, Grubber, all of you,” demanded the Storm King, “Gather all of our ships and forces. We have another kingdom to invade!! You have 3 months to gather all of them!!”

“Yes, my lord!!” said Grubber as he and the guards left.

“And Tempest,” said the Storm King, gaining the latter’s attention as she looked at him, with the Storm King smirked and said, “Looks like you’ll be going home after all.”

Tempest was slightly surprised but smiled in a deadpanned tone while she walked away to gather their armies.

The Storm King stood at the edge of his walls and watched the horizon as his armies gathered.

“Soon, their magic will be mine.” Said Storm King, then shuddered over what Dainn had said. He smirked and said, “I think it’s time…that I meet the Knights of Harmony.” The Storm King walked away, for soon, his invasion would begin.




TOO BE CONTINUED



Stay tuned next time for



MY LITTLE PONY THE MOVIE: RISE OF THE KNIGHTS OF HARMONY