> Flash Sentry, Defender of the Peace S8
>  by Banshee531
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Flash Magnus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The little town of Ponyville, despite the insane things that seem to happen there, had always been a place one could enjoy a peaceful life. But with the new School of Friendship Princess Twilight and her friends had recently opened, the town's populace had grown tenfold. Students of the school, when classes weren't in session, spent their free time hanging around in the town, turning the place into an active community.

As such, it wasn't anypony's surprise when a train rolled in carrying a bunch of ponies wanting to see the sights of Ponyville. The engine came to a stop and unleashed a burst of steam and smoke as the ponies on board disembarked, only for a certain pegasus wearing a set of armor and carrying a shield on his back. As he stepped off, he looked back at the creation in wonder. "Such an amazing creature," he stated as the train unleashed a loud whistle and another burst of steam. "This iron dragon is certainly incredible."

The last of the new passengers finished boarding and the train began to pull away, the pegasus watching in amazement as it disappeared down the tracks. With it gone, the pony turned back to the town and sighed. "This place has certainly gotten a lot more lively over the last thousand years." He spread his wings and took to the sky, unaware that many ponies were watching him, wondering why he was wearing such old looking armor.

He continued to glance around, only to see a certain building right next to the castle of friendship. "So, that is the School of Friendship," he commented as he flew down, "Wonder what insane happenings are going on in there."





In the weeks since the School of Friendship had reopened, it really had become a great place to live and learn about friendship. The classes were all fun now, such as Rainbow Dash's class. "Alright class," the mare smirked as she flew into the room with another pegasus. "I'd like to introduce you all to my assistant for the day: Soarin."

"Sup everypony," Soarin replied as he waved at them. "Glad to be here, and happy to help you all in any way I can." He and Rainbow shared a grin as Rainbow grabbed a ball and threw it to one of her students.

"Alright, let's do some passing drills to build teamwork. Only you can't tell the pony you're passing it to that that's what you're gonna do. This is all about body language and learning to understand one another without words. And...go!" The students began passing the ball to one another, locking eyes as they did this. It was quickly proving to be effective, Rainbow and Soarin high-hooving at the sight.

In another class, Pinkie was showing her students a fun time by teaching them how to bake a bunch of cupcakes. The point of this lesson was to make a cupcake that somepony else in the class would enjoy, the group making different flavors that their partners would love. Applejack's class was working on a woodworking project, while Rarity's were working on stitch work and Fluttershy's were looking after some baby animals.

Meanwhile, Flash's class watched as Fire Heart stepped into the center of the room. "Alright class," the teacher said as he touched the crystal. "Today's lesson is about listening to each other and putting your trust in them, even when you can't see what they're doing to try and help you." The crystal glowed and a bunch of walls appeared within the room, forming a large maze around Heart before they disappeared. "In this exercise, the one working through the maze won't be able to see the walls, but their partner will, so they'll be in charge of directing them."

"Wait," Heart spoke up, "Who's my partner again?"

"Take two steps forward and then turn left," Ace's voice replied. The young jakhowl was staring a holographic screen with a layout of the maze and a red triangle that indicated Heart's location.

"Seriously? You gave me Ace? He gets lost in town all the time."

"Remember Heart," Flash responded, "This is all about building trust. You've gotta trust that Ace will guide you through the maze properly."

"Fine..." Heart sighed before walking left, only to hit an invisible wall, "OW!" He staggered back, turning to glare at Ace. "What the heck?! You said to go left!"

"But before that, I said take two steps forward."

Heart sighed and began to walk forward, only to slam into the wall again. "Ow!" He turned back to Ace, "Seriously?!"

"You changed direction. Turn ninety degrees to your left, then take two steps forward." Flash and the other students couldn't help but laugh at the sight, watching Heart hit wall after wall. And when he eventually stepped out of the maze, he had a lot of bruises on his face.

"That sucked," he moaned while the others laughed again.

"Okay, next pair."

The rest of the lesson went on in the same way, different methods of success for each team. And when the bell finally rang, the training room returned to its normal state. "Good lesson everypony. Be sure to remember what you learned today." They all nodded and headed outside while Flash remained in the class to write a report about the day's classes for Twilight.

"The one thing about this job I don't enjoy," he moaned while using the crystal to create a desk that he could write on. But before he could start writing anything, Heart rushed into the room.

"Flash!" He exclaimed, "You won't believe who's in the courtyard!" Flash raised an eyebrow at this, Heart gesturing him to follow. They soon left the room, only for the defender to go wide-eyed at a certain sight.

"Flash Magnus?" He asked, seeing one of the pillars of harmony standing beside the fountain.

"Ah, Flash Sentry." He responded while walking over, "It's good to see you again." He held out a hoof, Flash taking it.

"Same. But what are you doing here?"

"I was in town, and was curious to see what this school was all about."

Flash nodded, "Well, it's good to see you." He turned to the students, "Every-creature, please say hello to Flash Magnus. One of the ponies responsible for creating the Tree of Harmony, which is where the Elements you're all learning about come from." The students all went wide-eyed at this as Magnus waved at them. "Come on. I'm sure Twilight will be interested in seeing you again."

Magnus nodded and the pair headed to the headmare's office. As it turned out, Twilight was ecstatic to see him. "I'm happy that one of the pillars has taken an interest in my school!" the alicorn cheered they stood in her office. "How are the other pillars doing by the way?"

"They're all doing great," Magnus replied, "Starswirl is still learning about this modern world, but most of the others have chosen to settle down. Stygian's working on a book about his experiences during his...darker days, and the others have all returned to their homelands to make new lives for themselves."

"What about you?" Flash asked, "I don't think your legend ever stated where you come from."

"Nowhere special," Magnus shrugged, "Honestly, I'm still looking for a place to settle down. I never really had a home before I joined the Royal Legion since my parents were nomadic. I join the legion quite young, so my entire life has been constantly travelling."

"I see," Twilight responded, "So finding a place to call one's own must be tricky. Is that why you've come to Ponyville? Are you thinking of living here?"

"Well...not really," Magnus replied, "I just happened to be passing through and decided to see what your school was all about. If you're teaching others to defend themselves against evil, then this is a place I have a lot of interest in."

"Why does everypony believe that's what this school is here for?" Flash asked Twilight, the princess shrugging.

"Well, teaching our students to defend themselves isn't the most important point..." she told Magnus. "This school was built to help strengthen the friendships of Equestria in a hope that those friendships can help the kingdoms of all races thrive."

"I see," Magnus nodded. "And these other races are all those that were once our enemies." Flash and Twilight shared a glance, only for Magnus to scratch the back of his head, "Apologizes. It's just that things were very...different back in my day. I'm still getting used to not needing to worry about non-pony creatures."

"I understand." Flash responded, "I mean, your legends are all about fighting dragons and...we've fought plenty of monsters over the years. But, things are different now. These days, anything and anyone can be either a friend or an enemy."

"Yes," Magnus nodded, "The world has gotten quite complicated since I've been gone. I guess I'll run into more and more non-ponies here in Equestria."

As he said this, Spike ran in while holding a scroll. "Twilight! I just got a message from Princess Celestia!" The ponies turned to him as he ran over to Twilight's desk, the alicorn taking the scroll in her magic, only to scan it over and frown.

"Looks like there's been some criminals that have been causing problems in a small town up north." She turned to Flash, "She wants you to go deal with them."

Flash shined a big grin, "Got it." He did a small stretch, "Been a while since I've had any real action. Any idea how many I'm dealing with?"

"She's unsure, but believes there's only two."

"I can definitely handle that. Got the town's coordinates?"

"Yup. I'll get the Rune Gate set up while you get ready." The pair nodded at one another and turned to their guest, "Sorry Magnus. I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while before I can give you a proper tour of the school."

"It's fine," he replied, "This is important. If there are criminals causing problems for Equestria, then taking them down must always be your number one priority. It was no different as in my day."

"Thanks for understanding." Twilight said as they left the room, Flash Magnus watching them go.

"Yes...no different at all."

Flash quickly headed up to his room and grabbed his saddlebag, packing in a few essentials that he would need. Medical kit, portable food, rope and other supplies before grabbing his Celestic Gear. "Alright." He then went to the Rune Gate Room, Twilight already having the portal open. "I got everything I need."

"Good," Twilight replied, "I've sent the temporary Rune Gate to the village you're heading too. Once you've captured them, you can activate it and it'll send you straight to Canterlot where Celestia will have some guards waiting to take those criminals into custody."

Flash nodded and kissed her on the forehead, "Wish me luck."

"Don't you mean, wish us luck?" The pair turned to the voice and saw Flash Magnus, looking ready for a battle.

"Magnus?" Flash raised an eyebrow, "What are you doing here?"

"I've decided to assist you with your mission," Magnus stated as he took his shield off his back. The ancient relic shined in the room's light while Flash and Twilight shared a glance, "You said there was at least two criminals. If I go with you, it'll be even, and you'll have a better chance of bringing them to justice."

"I guess," Flash nodded. "But...are you sure you wanna do this? This isn't exactly a thousand years ago."

"Exactly," Magnus replied, "Compared to dragons, sirens and the pony of shadows, a pair of pony criminals won't stand a chance against me. And with your abilities, it'll be even less of a challenge." Flash and Twilight shared another glance, only for Magnus to add, "This is who I am, a warrior who faces off against villains. Who knows, maybe I'll impress Celestia and the other princesses enough that they'll make me a Royal Knight like you."

Flash turned to Twilight. "What do you think?"

Twilight shrugged back, "I don't see a problem. Like he said, he does have a lot of experience fighting against villains like this." She turned to Magnus, "Alright. Good luck you two."

"Thank you, your highness," Magnus bowed before turning to Flash. "Ready?"

"Uh...yeah." Flash nodded before turning to the portal, Magnus following him as they both passed through the pillar of light. In the blink of an eye, the pair were on the edge of a village that looked very similar to Ponyville. Quaint looking buildings, simple pathways and even a few rivers running through it. Mountains surrounded it, some looking like big hills while others were big enough to fit every house in Equestria in them.

"Nice place," Magnus commented, "But not very well defended by the looks of things. No wonder those criminals started causing problems here."

"Come on," Flash took out the scroll, "It says here that the mayor of the town is waiting for our arrival." They walked up to the place, only to see nopony out on the streets. Looking up at some of the buildings, they spotted ponies looking out the windows but jumping away as soon as they realized they were seen.

"This is just like in my day," Magnus commented, "The world was such a dangerous place...ponies feared to even step outside their homes." Magnus sighed, "I had hoped things would be different in the future."

"They are," Flash replied, "Nine times out of ten, the ponies of this town would be enjoying their lives without a care in the world. But then those that take joy in causing misery appear and try to ruin those lives. That's why the Royal Knights and tge Defenders of the Peace are here."

Magnus nodded, "I can understand that. That's how I tried to live my life, trying to protect those that can't protect themselves." As he said that, they turned onto a street and their eyes went wide. The place was completely destroyed, several houses burnt to a crisp while others looking like a gale force hurricane had blown them over.

"Whoa..." Flash whistled, "I'm willing to bet this is one of the reasons we were called here." They continued walking through the town, now finding more of it destroyed. It was a strange assortment of burns and knocked over items, making them wonder what kind of criminals they were up against.

And as they passed another blown over house, an earth pony appeared around a corner, "Excuse me!" He yelled as he ran up to them, "Are you Flash Sentry of the Royal Knights?!"

"I am," Flash nodded, "Are you the mayor?"

"No," he shook his head, "I'm his aide. We saw the light and hoped it was you, so he sent me to collect you and bring you to the hospital."

"Hospital?!" Magnus gasped as the earth pony turned to run off. The pegasi flew after him and the three made their way through the town until they reached a large building that looked just like the hospital in Ponyville, the earth pony leading them inside.

They soon arrived at a corridor where a brown middle-aged stallion was sitting. He was a unicorn with a white mane, tail and beard, wearing a bowler hat on his head along with a collar and tie around his neck. The stallion turned to them and looked hopeful, "Are you the Royal Knights that Princess Celestia promised to send?"

"I am," Flash responded, "Flash Sentry, Knight of Friendship. I've come to deal with these criminals that have been causing you problems."

"And I am Flash Magnus," the pillar of bravery added, "And I swear to you, we will bring these fiends to justice no matter where they are or what they intend to do."

"I...see," the mayor replied as he stared at Magnus with a raised eyebrow before looking back at Flash, "I'm happy you're here. These criminals have been causing a lot of damage and destruction. They appeared several days ago and held up a jewelry store. When the store owner tried to fight them off, one of the criminals blasted him backwards with a super loud sound that shattered the windows of every building in the street. Then they stole a bunch of food from the nearby supermarket and took all the cash from the machine. When the store clerks tried to stop them, they were suddenly zapped by something that set the place on fire."

"A super loud sound and getting zapped..." Flash whispered, "Huh. Why does that sound familiar?"

"Did you attempt to stop them?" Magnus asked, the mayor nodding.

"Yes. Every able bodied pony went after them. They chased them into the mountains, hoping their numbers could stop them. However..." He pushed the doors open and they all saw a room filled with beds, every one having an injured pony. Bandages and casts were everywhere, soon even mummified.

"By Hurricane's wing," Magnus gasped as he moved over to one of the beds. "Two ponies did all this?"

The mayor nodded, "They both have power a normal pony couldn't hope to stand up against." He turned to Flash, "That's why we contacted the princess for help. We expected a few royal guards, but having you here makes me hopeful this horrible event will soon end."

"Don't worry," Flash replied, "We'll make sure these two are taken down. Now, do you have any idea where they could be hiding out? I'd rather not wait here for them to show up and our fight makes things worse here."

"We have an idea. Follow me." The pair soon left the room, Magnus staying behind.

He walked up to one bed, seeing an earth pony stallion laying unconscious with bandages around his chest. Sitting beside the bed was a young blue pegasus with black hair. Looking at him, Magnus was reminded of a friend of his from back in his day. Nimbus Dash, though this pony was a colt. The young pegasus looked like he had been crying, as he stared over the other pony. "Child," the colt turned to him, "Is this your father?"

The colt sniffed as he used his wings to clean his eyes. "Yeah. He went after those bad ponies, but he was hurt really bad."

"I see." Magnus sighed as he around the room, "That appears to be the story of many a pony here."

"Why did those bad ponies come here?" He asked, "Nopony here ever did anything bad to anypony else? So why is something like this happening to us?"

Magnus often wondered that. Ever since he was a colt, it seemed that bad things tended to happen more to ponies that didn't deserve it then to those that did. "That's...just the way the world is sometimes." The colt continued to cry and held his father's hoof, Magnus frowning and placing a wing on his head. "Do not worry. I can see your father is strong. He will pull through, and I will make sure nopony ever harms him again."

With that, he turned and marched out of the room. In the hallway, he saw Flash and the mayor looking out the window before the defender turned to him and saw the fire in his eyes, "Alright," he told Magnus, "I've got a basic idea of where the criminals are. You ready?"

"Yes!" Magnus growled, "I'm ready to make those monsters pay. When I'm through with them, they'll regret ever coming here."

Flash flinched at those words, only for the mayor to point out the window, "As I was telling Mr. Sentry, the criminals were last seen on that mountain." Magnus looked out the window, "It's next to one of the only ways in and out of the village, meaning anypony that attempts to come here will be in danger of being attacked."

"Not when I'm done with them," Magnus pushed the window open and leapt out.

"Magnus!" Flash yelled as he flew after him, "Calm down! We need to come up with a plan first."

"The plan is simple: Find them, beat them, and make them pay for what they did."

"You're starting to scare me Magnus," Flash replied, "You're not gonna...do something extreme, are you?" Magnus turned to him, seeing him glare at the defender, "Listen, I don't know how things were done in your time. By making them pay, you don't mean killing them, do you?"

Magnus let out a growl, "If that's what it takes. Criminals need to be dealt with."

"That's not how we do things in this time period," Flash responded, "If there's no other way to stop them, if we have no choice but to do an absolute last resort...maybe we do that. But it is never the first thing you do."

"Then how do you expect us to stop them?"

"We capture them. Take them to Canterlot and have them stand trial. That's how we do things here in Equestria now." Magnus glared back at him, only to see Flash stare right back, fire also in his eyes. "I know you're angry, but that anger isn't gonna solve this."

Magnus let out a huff, "Fine. We'll find them and take them to Canterlot."

Flash nodded back before they began to fly after the mountain, the defender commenting, "That thing is pretty big. If they're hiding somewhere, it could take us a while the find 'em."

"Maybe we should split up," Magnus suggested.

"Not a good idea. We've got no way to contact each other if we find them. If we're gonna take them down together, we're gonna need to stick together." Magnus nodded and they began to fly over the mountain, searching every nook and cranny. And as they searched, they found the mountain had a water source that welled up from beneath the mountain, shooting up all the way through it and coming out the top like a volcano. The water spilled out over the edges, creating a series of streams that flowed down, one of them feeding into the village's rivers while also allowing the mountain to be covered in trees and foliage, allowing plenty of places to hide. And after an hour and a half of searching, the pegasi warriors found no sign of anypony living there. They would have kept searching, but the sun was beginning to set.

"We'll have to set up camp and continue in the morning," Magnus told Flash, the pegasus nodding before finding a spot in the trees that was flat and dry.

As soon as they landed, they got to work, Flash going to gather wood while Magus built a small pit to put the fire in. When he got back, they arranged the sticks and leaves, Magnus soon trying to get it lit. "Come on," he moaned as he rubbed the end of a stick against a block of wood and blew on it. He had been trying for ten minutes, only to get nothing. "Come on." He sighed and turned to Flash, "Wood must be damp or something."

"Sure," Flash nodded before reaching into his saddlebag, only for Magnus to hear a sound and turned to see Flash holding up a lit match that he threw into the pit. Within seconds, the flames began to spread and soon the fire was raging.

"That's cheating," Magnus grumbled, "As amazing as some of the innovations of this modern day are, I fear they are causing many of the great skills of my day to die out."

"Oh no, I know how to do that." Flash responded as he pointed at what Magnus had been doing. "And if I ever find myself in need of fire without any matches, I'll use it. This is just easier right now." Magnus nodded as he stared into the flames. As he did, Flash reached into his bag again and took out a few food rations. "Here!"

He threw a bag to Magnus, the pegasi seeing it was a rice pack. He watched as Flash stuck his to a long stick and held it over the fire, Magnus doing the same. "I'm impressed. You're clearly used to roughing it," he commented, "In my day, we would spend hours hunting for something to eat wherever we set up camp. Many nights we'd go hungry."

"Well, we're not gonna have much luck fighting these monsters if we're hungry," Flash responded, "Equestrian Military always keeps its soldiers well fed to make sure they don't make mistakes because of their hunger."

Magnus nodded, "Makes sense. Even so, you certainly are an interesting individual. After all, it's not everypony that wields such incredible power as you." He remembered seeing that power in action in their fight against the Pony of Shadows. "Say, how did you gain such power to begin with?"

Flash smirked as he pulled his bag away from the fire and ripped the top open. "It's a long story." He then told him the tale of his birth, how he was the last generation of ponies to be born with the genesis gene of the Original Alicorn. How that allowed Faust to imbue him with the Sacred Light, and the long process it took for him to learn how to access and control it. The battles he fought with it, and the dream he had that led him to the Lost City of Faust and his meeting with Shadow and Faust.

"Incredible," Magnus whispered, "Truly amazing. I thought the adventures me and my friends went on were unbelievable, but they don't hold a candle to yours." Flash chuckled at this. "It's strange." Magnus laid back and looked up at the stars. "When I was younger, I wanted to make something of myself. To help those around me and prove I was somepony that could be useful. I once told some of my legion-mates that in the future, every pony with the name Flash would have that name because their parents would idolize me and want their children to have the same amazing qualities I possessed."

Flash let out a laugh, "No wonder you and Rainbow Dash get along so well!"

Magnus shook his head at this, remembering the brave but egotistical pegasus he was talking about. "I suppose...though I guess the name Flash will always be synonymous with you now rather than me."

Flash went wide-eyed at this, "Are you kidding?! No way could I ever replace you as Equestria's greatest Flash!" Magnus raised an eyebrow at this, "And even if every pony named Flash gets that name because of me, they'll still have it because of you."

"What?"

"Your dream came true. My parents named me after you. My dad's always looked up to your legend, especially since..." He stopped and looked away.

"Since?" Flash remained silent for a moment.

"Since he believes he's descended from you." Magnus' eyes went wide at this, Flash blushing. "I mean...we don't know that for sure. But apparently, it's something that's been passed down in my dad's side of the family for a long time. That we can trace our family roots all the way back to the famous Flash Magnus."

"That's impossible," Magnus waved his hoof, "I never had any children."

"You sure? Did you have anypony special back before...you know, you were sucked into limbo?" When Flash said this, Magnus' face grew dim. "You did, didn't you?"

Magnus sighed and leaned back, "Yes. Her name was Sparkling Effervescence. She was an amazing mare. I saved her from a manticore and we grew close. I always hoped I would one day make a home with her...but then the Pony of Shadows appeared and threatened the realm, forcing Starswirl and the rest of us to sacrifice ourselves."

"Did you and Sparkling ever...you know." Magnus nodded, "Any particular time right before you disappeared?"

"The night before."

"Well then...maybe Sparkling was pregnant. Who knows? Maybe she named her child after you like my dad did. If I had a kid with somepony and that pony sacrificed their life to save the world, I'd want to give them that name and tell them who their mother was. And if the kid felt great pride in that name, he'd probably tell anypony that would listen that you were their parents."

Magnus blinked at this, only to feel a great sense of pride fill his heart. "Maybe...maybe you're right. Maybe you are my descendant."

"I hope so," Flash nodded, "And even if I'm not, holding your name is still a great honor. Now whenever somepony's named after me, they'll also be named after you. They'll have the honor of two great pegasi warriors backing them."

Magnus laughed at this, "That's certainly interesting." They both finished their meals and packed the empty bags away. Seeing nothing else to do and wanting to start their search early, they both laid down as Magnus took off his helmet. "If it is true, and you are my great great times a hundred grandson, I'm glad that my descendant has grown into an amazing knight. You make your family proud."

"Thanks." Flash responded before the pair felt themselves drift off.





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, the two took to the air and began their search again. "They're out here somewhere," Magnus commented as they flew over to a river that splitting down the mountain. And as his eyes shifted around, he saw something fly out of a tree cluster, "Look out!" He yelled before flying over to Flash and holding up his shield, seconds before a bolt of lightning struck it. "Ahhh!" He flinched, the shield blocking most of it, but a few stray sparks managed to coil around and singe him.

"Where'd that come from?" Flash asked before looking down, "There they are!"

"Then let's get them!" Magnus roared.

"Wait!" Flash added as they both shot through the trees, landing in a clearing. The two went back to back as Flash took out his sword and Magnus held up his shield.

"Where'd they go?" Magnus growled.

"They're here somewhere," Flash continued, only to see a burst of light shine in front of him, making him hold up his sword, "There!" He blocked the bolt of lightning and then swung his weapon, "Flash Cutter!" The energy blade shot off the sword, hitting a tree trunk and causing it to explode.

"Hey!" A female voice yelped as she leapt out into the open to avoid getting crushed by the tree. "Watch where you swing that thing!" Flash saw it was a unicorn mare with a yellow coat and tail that had a cutie mark in the shape of a storm cloud with three lightning bolt rings around it.

"Electra?!" He yelped.

"A mare?" Magnus asked, turning to Flash. "And you know her?"

"Met her a few times," he hissed, "And if she's here, that means-" Before he could finish, a sound filled the air and grew louder, the defender soon spotting a wave of sound flying towards them, "COVER YOUR EARS!" Magnus did so and the pair braced themselves, the soundwaves slamming into them and pushing them back. And as the sound died down, a silver unicorn mare with a mane and tail that was a mix of black and white strips, her cutie mark being a window with glass shattering walked out into the open.

"Another friend of yours?" Magnus asked, his ears ringing a little as he and Flash lowered their hooves.

"Not a friend. Her name's Banshee."

"These two put all those ponies in the hospital?" Magnus asked, "How is that possible?"

"The same way your friends Meadowbrook, Mistmane and Somnambula are able to fight against powerful monsters like sirens and the Pony of Shadows. Or my friends."

Electra and Banshee glared at the defender, "Didn't expect to see you here Sentry. And who's your friend?"

"You might wanna tell him the renascence fair is two towns over," Banshee giggled before they both laughed.

"Jest while you can!" Magnus yelled, "But when this is over, we'll be the ones laughing."

He charged at this, his shield up and flying at Electra as her horn began to spark. She unleashed a bolt of lightning, but Magnus simply blocked it with ease, "Hey!" She cried as he got in close and threw a punch at her. "No fair!" She dodged the blow and leapt back, "What's that shield made of?"

"Ha!" Magnus cheered as he swung his leg around to try and kick her. "My shield is made of the ultimate magical bronze." Electra leapt back again. "It was designed to defend against fire, but it seems to protect against lightning just as well." He swung it next, trying to bash her in the head, but she rolled to the side and when she jumped to her hooves, her horn sparked and unleashed bolts of lightning that spread around her body. "That's new."

"Raaah!" She roared, flying at him while riding the lightning. Magnus leapt into the air, but was shocked to see Electra flying after him.

"Impossible!" He raised his shield just in time against an electrified punch, the blow pushing him back. "The skies...are a pegasi's domain!"

Electra laughed at this, "Shows what you know, grandpa!" She then zapped the shield again, "With the right spell, a unicorn can go anywhere." Magnus was soon pushed back, each block knocking him further as she continued to laugh.





Back on the ground, Flash and Banshee were locked in a long range battle. Flash kept firing Flash Cutters and Flash Forces, but Banshee dodged it all before screaming at him. Flash leapt behind a tree as the soundwaves slammed into it, ripping through the bark, but not touching the pegasus as he covered his ears.

"Earplugs," he whispered, "I've gotta add earplugs to my travel pack."

He then glanced around, only to smirk as he waited for Banshee to stop screaming. The defender dove for another tree next, Banshee firing another scream as the soundwaves slowly ripped through the wood. "You can't stay in there forever," Banshee told him once she stopped, "Just come out and have your eardrums shattered."

"You know," she heard the pegasus call out from behind the tree. "I met a bat-pony not too long ago. He was called Banshee too, and he also had your ability. And even though he was a kid, I'm willing to bet that he's way stronger than you."

"And what's your point?"

"No point. Just something I thought you'd like to know. And maybe hearing that you're not the best screaming banshee would shake your confidence enough." Banshee growled at this as he continued, "But honestly I was just trying to stop you from screaming for a minute or so." With that, Flash leapt out from behind the tree and charged as she unleashed her scream again. However, the attack struck Flash, but only slowed him down. To her shock, he didn't feel any pain in his ears and raised his sword, firing a laser she quickly leapt away from.

"How'd you do that?!" She glanced back at him, Flash smirking and shifting his head to the side just enough for her to see something green within his ears. "Moss?!"

"What?" Flash asked, holding his hoof to his ear. "What you say?"

"You made moss earplugs?!"

"Come again?" He asked, "Sorry, can't hear you. I made moss earplugs."

"Grrr...you little-"

"I can't hear you, so I'm just gonna get back to fighting! Flash Force!"





Electra panted as she fired bolt after bolt, Magnus easily blocking every blow. And as he charged at her, Electra shot to the side and spun to zap him again, but Magnus easily blocked it again. As she did this, she hissed as Magnus glared back at her, only to glance down and smirk.

"Perfect," she whispered before charging at him, Magnus raising his shield as Electra slammed her hooves into him, pushing him back a few inches, but nothing more. And as this happened, Electra shot around him in the blink of an eye.

He spun around, expecting another attack, only to see her flying back to the ground. "Hey! Get back here!" He yelled, diving down as Electra's lightning cloak vanished. "Out of magic, are we?" He watched she did her best to keep herself flying, pulling herself up moments before she almost crashed into the ground. She skimmed along the dirt until she reached one of the mountain streams, her magic cutting out as she fell into the water. She then laid there, the water not deep or strong enough to wash her away. Magnus landed on the edge and glared at her, the pegasus blinking at the sight before stepping into the water.

"It seems you're out of energy. That's what you get when you break the law and try to hurt the innocent," he told her, "I'm sure Flash has already defeated your friend. You'll soon be locked in a cell where you belong."

But as he said that, Electra's eyes shot open and suddenly shot up. Her horn unleashed more electricity than she had fired at Magnus, only to miss the pegasi completely...and struck the water under his hooves. The sight made Magnus say, "What are you-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed as his entire body was shocked, causing him to drop his shield.

Electra laughed as she fell to the ground on the edge of the river, watching as Magnus shook in pain, only to flop over. "HA! Old fool. Don't you know water conducts electricity?!" Magnus barely heard her, his brain feeling like he had just drunk a hundred tankards of cider. "Later loser!" She covered herself in lightning and shot off, laughing all the way.





Banshee was leaping around, letting out every scream she could, only for Flash to brace through each blast of sound. With Flash's ears plugged, the unicorn had lost her best weapon against him, the defender getting closer to her with every attack. And as she dodged another blow, Flash spun around and slammed his backhooves into her chest, spit flying out of her mouth before getting thrown into a tree.

"It's over!" He yelled as Banshee started coughing. "Give up and you won't get hurt any more than you have too." Banshee glanced up to glare at him, only to cough again. Flash stared down at her, only for a bolt of lightning to strike the ground in front of him. "What?!"

"Surprise!" Electra laughed as she landed between him and Banshee.

Flash went wide-eyed at this, only to yank out his earplugs, "Where's Magnus?!"

Electra shined a big grin, "If you're talking about your friend, he's having a little nap in a nearby stream." She pointed behind herself, "Looks like you've got a choice. Arrest us and hope your friend doesn't roll over in his sleep and drown, or let us go and help him."

Flash's head shifted from behind her before glaring at her, only to flare his wings and fly off. "Sucker," Electra chuckled before turning to Banshee. "You okay?"

"Ugh..." Banshee moaned as she pushed herself up, "I will be."

"No time to rest though. We gotta get out of here before they come back."





Flash zoomed across the mountain, soon hearing a rushing river and flying up the stream. He then found a pony laying in the water, making him gasp, "Magnus!" He swooped down and scooped him up, putting him on the ground and taking off his helmet, patting his cheek. "Come on...wake up. Please!" He checked his pulse and he was alive, "Magnus!"

The pony let out a moan and his eyes flickered open, Magnus spitting out a drop of water, "Flash?" He sat up, moaning in response, "What happened? Did we win?"

"Not exactly," Flash rubbed the back of his head. "You kind of...lost."

"I lost?" Magnus asked, rubbing his head, "That's right. That mare...she blasted the water with her lightning. Somehow that caused me to get zapped. And she said something about...conducting? What does an orchestra have to do with this?"

Flash couldn't help but crack up at that, only to sigh, "Water conducts electricity. That means the lightning can travel through it and zap it."

"It does?" Magnus replied, Flash knowing that this pony from a thousand years in the past probably didn't know something that was common knowledge now, "Augh!" he groaned as he pushed himself up, "I can't believe I let something so pathetic happen to me." Magnus let out a long sigh, "Maybe I should have spent some of my past learning to control the weather with the other pegasi. I might have learned something like that."

Flash placed a hoof on his shoulder, "You can't be expected to know everything. You're still relatively new to this world, so of course you wouldn't know about certain things."

"Eh...maybe I'm too old fashioned. Back in my day, just one of those ponies who had that much power would have been a rarity...but this modern day has so many powerful ponies." He looked over to his fallen shield and picked it up, "Maybe this would do more good in the hooves of somepony else. Somepony that can actually stand hoof to hoof with powerful enemies like that."

"No way," Flash shook his head, "You might have lost this time, but that doesn't mean you can't beat them next time." He put a hoof on pillar's shoulder, "You're Flash Magnus. You fought off a bunch of fire breathing dragons."

"All I did was run while the others saved my friends. Back in my time, I could outthink my opponents, and when I couldn't, I had Starswirl or the others to help me. I got by on being smarter than my opponents, but if all the villains in this day and age as smart as that mare was...I don't stand a chance."

"Well...you're right," Flash responded, "Criminals are always getting smarter and stronger." Magnus frowned at this, "But so do the heroes. Just because Electra outsmarted you once doesn't mean you can't outsmart her next time. You just have to play to your strengths and keep an eye out for any more of her tricks."

"If I can," Magnus sighed. "But I'm a thousand years behind. There's no way I can learn everything my enemies will know. What's that saying you have in this time? You can't teach an old dog new tricks?"

Flash chuckled at this, "Except you can. You just using that phrase proves it. The world might be a thousand years more advanced, but it's still the same world in the most important parts. The good guys, us, always bring the baddies down." He spread his wings. "I can't do this without you. I need you. That town needs you. So, what's it gonna be? Are you just gonna give up, or are you gonna prove why you were a legendary hero and keep trying?"

Magnus stared at him, then down at his shield. He looked at his reflection in it before nodding. "You're right. No matter what time I'm in, there are ponies that need my help." He grabbed his helmet and put it back on, "Let's do this!" Flash smirked as Magnus spread his wings and the two high-winged before taking to the sky.





Electra and Banshee continued to run down the mountain. "Hurry up!" The electric unicorn yelled to the screamer, "We gotta get out of here!"

"I know," Banshee replied, "But you said you fried the other pony. Sentry's not gonna just leave him behind. He'll take him to hospital, and that'll give us plenty of time to get away." But as she said that, a bright light filled the air above them. The mares quickly leapt to the side, seconds before a Flash Force hit the dirt, an explosion coming next.

They both looked up and saw the two pegasi flying down, Flash's sword smoking from the attack he had just unleashed. Electra turned to Banshee, "You were saying?"

Banshee growled at her, "You're the one that blasted him! If you used a little more power, he wouldn't be up and flying at us!"

"I hit him with enough juice to overload every building in Manehatten!" Electra hissed, "There's no way he should be up and flying."

"It'll take more than a little lightning to stop me," Magnus yelled as the ponies landed in front of them. "Now, if you ladies down mind, we've got a nice cell we're sure you're going to love."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "You'll love it so much that you'll want to stay...for fifteen to twenty years." The mares growled and Electra sparked up, Banshee taking a deep breath. Flash and Magnus braced themselves as she used her magic and unleashed her super sonic scream.

The attack washed over the pair, pushing them back a few inches, but doing nothing to their ears. Banshee stopped at this, going wide-eyed as Magnus chuckled and turned to Flash. "These moss earplugs work like a charm!" Flash couldn't hear what he said, but he nodded back before turning their attention back on the two criminals.

They both charged, weapons at the ready. Banshee leapt back as Electra and started unleashing a bunch of electrical attacks, Flash and Magnus both using their weapons to block. Flash swiped at her, but the unicorn cloaked herself in lightning and once again took to the air, Magnus leaping after her.

The screaming unicorn unleashed a beam from her horn, Flash then deflecting it before leaping into the air. "Flash Grinder!" He spun and morphed into a wheel of light, slamming into Banshee instantly.

"Augh!" She cried as she was knocked back, the wheel pinning her between itself and a tree. She hissed in pain as the light burned her side, but she then took a breath and screamed.

The soundwaves sent the wheel flying back, Flash breaking out of it as he did this. "Flash Cutter Barrage!" He roared, unleashing multiple blades of light as Banshee tried to run away. But as she did this, Flash pushed his hooves on a tree and leapt off. Banshee then screamed again as Flash fired another Flash Cutter, the two attacks colliding with the energy blade exploding. Banshee quickly got a face full of smoke, which she accidently inhaled. This resulted in a large coughing fit for her, preventing the mare from screaming.

Flying down, he quickly grabbed her tail, "Hey!" She yelped as Flash flew her right up before spinning around, the mare spinning like a pinwheel before he released her with a flick of the hoof. She screamed as she fell into the dirt, crashing and losing consciousness instantly. Flash sighed in relief as he flew down and checked on her, not finding any broken bones. She was breathing, so he had completed his task.





Meanwhile...

Magnus spun through the air, dodging a barrage of bolts. But as he tried to get close, she would unleash a sphere of lightning that zapped anything within a hundred feet of her. Magnus sighed as he flew back, panting from his previous injuries.

"I gotta find a way to pull her blug." He wasn't sure he was saying that right, but he didn't care. Then, he heard a sound and looked past her before smiling. "Time for a spot of revenge." He charged at this, Electra firing several bolts as he thrust his shield, blocking through them. He then shoved his shield at her, Electra spinning around him to zap him, but Magnus followed her and blocked it as well. The pegasi flew down at this, blocking another bolt as he kept going lower.

It was here taht Magnus flew down to another river, this one higher off the ground. A series of large rocks piled together and bound by mud and other things formed a natural aqueduct, which the water was rolling down at tremendous speed. Magnus flew down at this stream, panting as he yelled at Electra. "Come on! Come and get me!" He raised is shield, ready to defend himself. Electra's body kept sparking with lightning as she dived, letting out a mighty roar as she prepared to body slam Magnus. "That's it," he quietly told her. "Just focus on me." He waited and waited as she got closer and picked up speed. Then, when she was moments away from slamming into him, he leapt out of the way. "GOTCHA!"

Electra watched as the stallion leapt out of the way, allowing her to see what was behind him. Her eyes went wide and she tried to stop, Magnus rolling to a stop as he expected to hear a splashing fill the air...only to hear nothing. "Huh?" He turned to see Electra flying above the river, laughing.

"How stupid do you think I am?" She asked while flying down and landed on the ground between him and the river. "You really think I didn't notice that river? Please. I knew what you were doing the whole time. You can't trick a trickster."

Magnus growled and readied his shield as Electra's body sparked with lightning. "Now, it's time to put you down for good!" She built up as much power as she could before letting it rip, the electrical blast flying at Magnus.

"Gotcha." He then positioned his shield, the lightning bouncing off it and back toward Electra, only to bend upward and slam into the rock pile. Electra gasped when she heard the rocks explode, blowing a large hole in the side of the aqueduct...which shot out a blast of water right at her.

The unicorn gasped at the sight, the water slamming into her. She screamed in pain as her lightning zapped her, Magnus leaping upward as this happened. He watched as Electra was swept away, then flew over to the aqueduct and slammed into it. Some of the rocks above the hole fell down at this, blocking it up and cutting the water. The flowing died down and Electra surfaced as the water washed away, the electric mare laid out on the ground while still sparking.

Magnus flew down, being careful not to touch the wet grass before looking Electra over as she began to moan and move. "Don't you know water conducts electricity?" he told her before raising his shield and slamming it down on her head just hard enough to knock her out.

Electra cried out as she fell into unconsciousness, Magnus sighing as he tried to think of a way to contain her so he could go back and help Flash. That is, till Flash suddenly appeared above the trees and flew down him with a tied-up Banshee on his back. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Magnus replied, "Don't touch the grass yet." Flash nodded as Magnus turned to see a knocked out Banshee, "Managed to defeat her, I see."

"Yup," Flash nodded, "So did you."

Magnus sighed again, "Yes. But it was a close one though. If my aim had been even an inch or so off, I would probably be overly crispy right now." Flash smiled at this and put Banshee down, taking out another length of rope.

"Come on. Let's get these two tied up before they come around and return to town. I'm sure the mayor will be happy to hear he doesn't have to worry about them anymore. At least until the next group of criminals decide to use this place as their stomping grounds."

"Yes," Magnus nodded with a long frown, "That could be a problem."





With their targets caught and contained, the pair returned to the village. The mayor and its citizens were all happy to hear the two criminals had been apprehended, all cheering when Flash and Magnus paraded the mares down the street toward the spot Twilight had placed the rune gates. Both mares were now wearing anti-magic horn rings and had their hooves chained, making it impossible for them to escape or fight back. All they could do was see the glares of anger coming from the ponies they terrified.

"Oh, thank you," the mayor told them both. "You've saved my citizens from living a life of terror. With these two behind bars, the town can get back to normal."

"No problem sir," Flash replied, "I'm happy to help." He looked around the quaint little town, which continued to remind him of Ponyville. "This place in a nice quiet town, but that can also work against you." The mayor raised an eyebrow at this, "Electra and Banshee chose this place because they knew there was nopony here to fight back. And they might not be the last ones to do that. You might wanna look into upping your security around here, at least a little bit."

"I guess you're right," the mayor sighed, "I don't suppose I could convince you to stay, could I Mr. Sentry?"

"Afraid not," Flash responded, "I have too many responsibilities back in Ponyville." The ponies all sighed at this, Magnus staring at all the fillies, colts, mares and stallions that made up the population. The ancient warrior knew the likelihood of the town needing to be saved again were low, but still it was better safe than sorry. That is, till an idea formed in his head.

They all continued through the town until they reached the Rune Gate, the townsponies watching in amazement when Flash activated the device. Electra and Banshee were forced to step inside, where an army of armed guards were waiting to put them into holding cell to await trial.

Flash then turned to Magnus, "Ready to go? I bet you'll be excited to see Canterlot again. Maybe we can drop by the guard's training ground, and you can show them how the legion did it in the old days."

Magnus chuckled at this, but then shook his head. "Sorry Flash, but...I don't think I'll be coming with you."

"What?"

Magnus looked back at the town, Flash doing the same. "This town needs somepony to protect it, and I don't have any place to call home. So...maybe I can make a home for myself here."

"You...wanna stay?"

"Why not?" Magnus asked, turning back at him. "You said it yourself that the town needed better security. I might be out of touch with modern times, but I can still protect this town when it needs it." He glanced over at the mayor, "If you'll have me."

The mayor smiled and nodded, "We would be honored." The rest of the townsponies cheered at this, Magnus smiling before turning to Flash.

"Well...I guess this is it."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "I guess it is." He held up a hoof, Magnus taking it before the pair shook. "Good luck. I hope you enjoy yourself here, Mr. Defender of the Peace." Magnus let out a laugh before the pair split apart and Flash stepped into the portal, waving back at him with his wing. And when he was gone, the portal deactivated, and Magnus was left with his new duties. It was a whole new beginning for him.





The next day...

Twilight was in her office at school, filling out some papers when the alarm she had placed in her office that signaled the Rune Gate's activating went off. She quickly teleported to the room and smiled at the sight of somepony step out of the portal.

"Flash!" She ran over and hugged him, Flash embracing her back. "How'd things go? Did you manage to capture the criminals?"

"Yup. And they're already being shipped off for hopefully the last time." Twilight blinked at his comment, only to notice he was alone.

"What happened to Magnus?"

"Don't worry about him." he chuckled, "He's where he needs to be."





As Magnus flew above the town, he felt something he had never felt before. Not with his parents, or with the legion, or even with the other pillars. Contentment. Like he could live the rest of his life in the small and never be sick of it. He landed atop one of the houses and turned to a building currently being reconstructed. And as some of the ponies were lifting a large beam using a pulley, one of the lines snapped and the beam began to fall, the ponies screaming at the sight.

But as it began to fall on a pony, Magnus swooped in and scooped her up before the beam crashed into the ground. The ponies cheered at their new hero as Magnus lowered the mare to the ground before taking flight again. He then landed on the roof of another house and smiled, spotting a bunch of young ponies playing in the streets. This included the colt he had met at the hospital, who was a lot happier now that his father was awake and recovering.

The colt saw Magnus and smiled, his eyes glowing with admiration. Magnus grinned back, happy he could make the ponies feel safe again. It just goes to show that as long as you love doing what you do, there'll always be a place for you in the world. A new line of heroes now existed within Equestria, starting with the legendary Pillar of Bravery, and carrying on to those he inspires. The chain that would go on for generations.
> The Maud Couple
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Ponyville Comedy Club, where the funniest ponies in the town hung out and shared some of their best jokes. It's here that Pinkie and Maud, the Pie Sisters, walked out with Pinkie having a huge smile on her face due to Maud's great stand-up routine.

"Your jokes, your hilarious delivery, your..." She bounced around her, "...your everything!"

"How was my..." Maud stopped mid-sentence for several seconds, "...timing?"

This caused Pinkie to burst out laughing again. "You got me!" She bounced a full one eighty and the pair again began walking through the town. "C'mon, let's celebrate sister-style! We can get matching stickers that says 'Eyes on the Pies'!" she pulled out a bunch of stickers and plastered them to her face. "Then show them off at the Ponyville Sticker Convention that I could plan for tomorrow if you want."

"Actually," Maud replied, "I'm busy tonight."

"Aww," Pinkie moaned, "That's what you said yesterday." She wiped the stickers off her face. "And the day before that. And the day before the day before that." She let out a sigh and started circling around her sister. "It's just, we haven't hung out in a really long time because you always have other plans. Even when you promised to build whipped-cream pyramids with me." She took out a can of cream and sprayed it into her mouth, Maud watching and giving a mild expression that told Pinkie she was feeling bad about it.

"I know. I am sorry, Pinkie. The reason is I have a-"

"Apology accepted!" Pinkie cheered, covering Maud's mouth with her hoof. "As long as we get some serious sister time before your birthday. And there's, uh, definitely no reason I wanna hang out before your birthday. Just, you know," she unsubtly nudged her with an elbow. "Not planning anything special."

"Okay," Maud slowly said.

"What about tomorrow morning?"

"Okay."

"Yay!" Pinkie threw a bunch of confetti into the air, "Just you and me! Best sister friends forever!" She began bouncing again as Maud just stood there.

"Best sister friends forever." she deadpanned.

"I can't wait for tomorrow to be today." Pinkie then let out a mighty squeal and headed off to Sugarcube Corner, the squeal continuing to emit from her the whole way. Maud simply turned in the direction of her cave home, walking away with a stoic frown appearing on her lips.

"I need to tell her..." she sighed.





The next day...

Wild Smile and his puppets had just gotten back from a job a few towns over, not expecting to get home so early, but the party he was working at had finished, allowing him to get on an overnight train to Ponyville. The unicorn let out a yawn as he and his puppets made their way through the town. But despite the tiredness, Wild was happy he had gotten back earlier, knowing he could help with preparing Maud's Surprise Birthday Party.

And as he went for his house, the thought of a nap was in his mind due to the uncomfortable train ride, only to hear a certain squealing sound he knew from anywhere. "Pinkie?" He turned to see his girlfriend bouncing down the street, letting out the high-pitched squeal as she did so. "Well, somepony's happy."

Pinkie stopped squealing when she noticed her boyfriend. "Wild!" She cheered before bouncing up and jumping onto his back, "You're here! I thought you weren't gonna be back until later today!"

"I got an earlier train," he responded, "So, what's got you so excited?"

Pinkie squealed again. "I'm gonna hang out with Maud! We're gonna go Cake Shopping!"

"Won't that ruin her surprise party?"

"I'm not gonna tell her about the party silly," Pinkie leapt off his back as he let out another yawn. "Wow...you look tired. Like, you did ten parties in one go."

"Not quite. This is because of trains...which are great transport, but not so good beds." Pinkie laughed at this as he continued, "I'm gonna go take a nap. Meet up with you later?" Pinkie nodded and the pair shared a kiss before Pinkie starting squealing again, the earth pony bouncing towards Maud's cave.

And as Wild finished his journey home, he found that Lightning wasn't there either. This wasn't a surprise since Lightning seemed to be spending more time over at Rarity's lately, the unicorn expecting the defender to move out eventually, but right now, he was too tired to really care. He quickly threw his saddlebag into the corner and floated his puppets over to a shelf, only to hit the bed and fell asleep almost instantly.

Wild wasn't sure how long he was out, but he got to enjoy quite a fun dream involving a roller-coaster flying through space. That is, till he was shaken awake. "Wild!" He heard Lightning call out, making him jolt.

"Wah?" He looked up and saw Lightning staring at him. "Oh...hey."

"Hey, hey, hey," his puppets added.

"Hey bud...got a question." Lightning replied while holding something up: A missing pony poster.

"What's that?" Wild moaned before blinking, only to see Maud was on it. "What the heck?!"

"Your girlfriend's been posting them all over town," Lightning responded, "You wanna tell me what the heck is going on?"

"No idea. I just got back." Wild yawned, slowly stretching his hooves. "But I got a bad feeling about this..."





Starlight was in her room, looking forward to Maud's birthday party the next day. She was currently reading a book, only to hear a knock on her door. But before she could open it, the door flung open to reveal one Ms. Pinkamena Diane Pie. "Ah-ha!" She ran into the room and pointed, "Found you!" But she was pointing at nothing, the mare then zipping around and throwing stuff everywhere.

Starlight raised an eyebrow at this and caught everything Pinkie randomly threw into the air. As she did, Springer happened to walk by and noticed the commotion. "What's going on?" He asked, seeing Pinkie open a chest and dive into it.

"I wish I knew," Starlight sighed as she put the items back to their normal places while Pinkie got out of the chest and did a few more glances around the room.

After looking under the bed, she glared at Starlight. "Where's Maud?!" She started pacing, "I've already tried Discord's dimension, Granny Smith's wax museum, and Yakyakistan! She has to be here!"

"Nope," Starlight replied, "It's just me. Reading." Pinkie zipped over to the book, looking under it and flicking through the pages to see if Maud was trapped between the pages.

"Story checks out." She put the book down, then thrust her face into Starlight's. "Or does it?!" Starlight blinked at her, Pinkie pulling away. "It does." She trotted away, a smile appearing on her face as she took out a magnifying glass. "But are you sure there's nopony hiding..." She pointed, "...in your closet?!" But the part of the room she was pointing to didn't have a door to the closet.

"Pinkie...I don't have a closet." Springer leaned in again as Starlight added, "Is everything okay Pinkie?"

"No," Pinkie sighed, "I was supposed to go birthday cake shopping with Maud today."

"And ruin her surprise party?" Starlight responded with a raised eyebrow.

"I wasn't gonna tell her why, silly! But now I can't even find Maud! I'm usually way better at hide-and-seek than this." She turned to Springer, "Springer, you've gotta find her! She might be in trouble! Or worse!"

"Pinkie..." Springer slowly pushed her away, "I don't think Maud's in danger. If she was I probably would have sensed it."

"Yeah," Starlight nodded, "She probably just found a new rock formation and forgot you two were gonna hang out. Tell ya what-" She wrapped a hoof around Pinkie's neck, "you take care of the cake, and I'll look for Maud."

"Really?!" She asked as Starlight led her to the door, Starlight nodding back at her. "Thanks, Starlight!" She bounced out of her grasp and was about to leave, but then grabbed a potted plant on a nearby bookshelf and pulled it out of the pot to look inside. "Just checking," she put it back and left with Starlight and Springer smirking.

"Classic Pinkie," Starlight sighed.

"Would you want to have her any other way though?" Springer added, the unicorn shaking her head. "So, want me to try and track Maud with her aura?"

"Nah," Starlight shook her head. "I'm sure I'll find her." She headed out her room, Springer following, "But it is curious. Maud is a lot of things, but forgetful isn't one of them."

"But you said she probably just found a rock formation."

"I just said that to keep Pinkie from panicking. When it comes to her sisters, that pony can be a little over-excitable. But I'm not gonna let myself panic yet. I'll go check out her normal hang outs and if I can't find any trace of her, then I'll start to worry." Springer nodded as the two continued through the castle, both curious about what could be causing Maud's unexpected absence.





Wild was wondering the same thing as the unicorn and his puppets marched through the town and saw the lost pony posters everywhere he looked. One was even stuck to Derpy's side, though half of it had been rolled up due to her wings. "Pinkie wouldn't have done this if it wasn't serious," he whispered, "So what's going-" He stopped when he caught sight of the pony on all the posters. "Maud!"

The mare turned to him as he ran over, "Oh, hello Wild Smile. Are you having a good day?"

"I was until I saw all this," he pointed at the posters. "What's going on? I thought you and Pinkie were hanging out. So why the heck is all this here?"

Maud looked around, Wild guessing she was only now noticing the posters. "It's quite obvious that Pinkie, unable to locate me, started putting up those posters in order to try and get a clue about my whereabouts."

"Yeah, we figured that out on our own."

"Figured it out, figured it out, figured that out on our own."

"So where have you been? It's not like you to blow Pinkie off."

Maud nodded. "I feel bad, but I guess I'm just not used to all these new experiences I'm enjoying. In fact, maybe you can help me explain the situation to Pinkie."

"What situation?"

"The reason I've been unable to spend so much time with my sister is because I now have a boyfriend."

"Oh, that makes sense. A new relationship is always something that takes time to-WHAAAAAAT?!" Wild's jaw hit the floor, with Maud nodding as she pushed his mouth closed.

"I have a boyfriend now. Seeing how happy you and Pinkie are, I decided to take the plunge and ask out somepony I found interesting." Wild was still frozen in place, his eyes wide and his jaw once again sliding open, only to shake his head.

"So...you have a boyfriend?" He asked, Maud nodding. "An actual flesh and blood boyfriend?" She nodded again, "Huh. Well that's me out of betting pool. Guess Flash is gonna win the pot." Maud raised an eyebrow at this, "Let's just say a lot of ponies had different ideas about how you would reproduce."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I always assumed you'd sculpt a pony out of clay and use a spell or something to turn it into a real pony."

"Well that's just ridiculous," Maud responded, "Clay is far too brittle a material. If I was gonna do that, I would use something stronger, like diabase."

"Oh," Wild replied, "I see. Well anyway, I'm happy to hear you have somepony special in your life."

"Special, special, special somepony."

"So when do Pinkie and I get to meet him?"

"Like I said, I'm hoping you can help me tell Pinkie about him. Every time I try, she interrupts with an idea about something fun for us to do together."

"Yeah, that's Pinkie. Hmm..." Wild rubbed his chin and smirked. "I think I have an idea. But first, we gotta find her. Any idea where she might be?" Maud nodded and began to lead him through the town, soon reaching the town's baking supply store. "Of course. Where else would she be if she wasn't at Sugarcube Corner, the castle, school or...actually she goes to a lot of places regularly. It's impossible to find her sometimes."

As they got close, somepony appeared in the store's open doorway. A tall and lanky earth pony stallion who was gray in color with a brown mane and tail. He appeared to be sliding through the door, Wild changing his sight-line and spotting his girlfriend pushing him. "What's she doing?" They were too far to hear as the stallion turned to talk to her about something, Wild now seeing Pinkie wearing an annoyed expression before she slammed the door in his face. "Well that was rude."

"That's Mudbriar," Maud added, only for Wild to see something he rarely saw from her: A smile.

The stallion turned to them, "Oh. Hello Maud." He turned to the unicorn, "And you must be Wild Smile."

"You know me?"

"Technically, no. But I've seen a picture of you in Maud's cave home. She also told me you were a puppeteer and since you have a bunch of puppets floating around you, it's safe to say you are obviously Wild Smile." As he said that, he noticed something behind a large rock beside the path and stepped over to it. "Interesting. A twig from a sycamore tree." He picked up the tiny twig, "It's unusual to see something like this on this side of Ponyville."

Wild turned to Maud as she commented, "He's a stick expert, like how I'm a rock expert."

"Huh. I should have seen that coming." Wild added before hearing the door of the bakery supply store fly open.

Pinkie walked out, letting out a frustrated moan. "No Maud, no cake, no anything!" She slowly walked up to the two, staring at the ground, "And how annoying was that pony?! Who takes so long to say goodbye?! Or was it 'see ya later'? Ugh! Now he's got me doing it!" She then crashed into Maud, the older sister's sturdier stance causing Pinkie to bounce off and fall to the ground.

She looked up and went wide-eyed at the sight of her sister, "Hello, Pinkie Pie."

"Maud!" She leapt up and hugged her, "Found you!" She then let go, "My turn to hide!" She tried to run off, but Maud grabbed her tail in her mouth, only for Wild to grab Pinkie's face.

"Wild? What are you-"

"Trust me. You're gonna thank me for this." Pinkie raised an eyebrow, only for Wild to run around her so fast that he formed a mini tornado. When it vanished, Pinkie was locked into a straight-jacket tied to a large sack trolley with tape over her mouth.

"Impressive." Maud commented as she did one slow clap.

"Thanks. Its something I've picked up while dating her." Wild replied, "Now Maud, say what you wanted to say."

"I'm sorry I wasn't around this morning," Maud responded to Pinkie as she tilted her head. "The reason is I met somepony." Pinkie repeated that last word through the gag, though it came out muffled. "You see, I have a boyfriend now." Pinkie's eyes went wide and her entire body began to shake.

"A wha...?" She muffled through the tape.

"A boyfriend."

"A whaaa...?!" Pinkie asked again, actually managing to rip the tape off her mouth by opening it so wide.

"A boyfriend."

"A WHAAAAAA!" Pinkie's shaking finally ripped through the straight-jacket, freeing the mare as she hovered in the air and screamed.

Maud didn't seem to register this face, "A boyfriend."

"Okay," Wild laughed, "I think we all get it. Maud has a boyfriend. Party time!" He reached into Pinkie's mane and took out a remote, pressing a button that caused lights and a disco ball to appear around them as 'Celebration' started playing. Wild danced on the spot while Pinkie simply stared at Maud in shock and joy.

"Ooh," Pinkie jumped on the spot and turned off the music and lights, "This is so exciting! My sister, in love!"

"Technically, we're still in the 'like' phase."

"That's great! Tell me everything!" Pinkie screamed, "Who is he? What's his favorite color? Does he like ice cream? If he were a bird, what kind of bird would he be? Wait...is he actually a bird? Oh, I don't know, because you haven't told me anything yet!"

"You'll like him," Maud slowly replied, "We have a lot in common."

"They do," Wild nodded. "I just met him and he's...very Maud-like." Pinkie was vibrating at this.

"Well, I love you, so I know I'm gonna love your boyfriend! Oh, I can't wait to meet him!"

"You don't have to," Maud pointed at a giant rock, Pinkie turning and gasping.

"He's a rock!" She cheered, "And you love rocks, so it's perfect!" She then gasped again and whispered, "Is Boulder jealous?"

Wild burst out laughing, falling on his back as Maud slowly replied, "No. Behind the rock. Mudbriar, are you back there?" Pinkie stared at the rock with excitement, but that excitement quickly vanished when the pony behind it stepped out.

"Technically, not anymore."

Wild smirked, but then heard his girlfriend gasp...and deflate, just like when somepony had told her to cancel a birthday party. "A wha-whaaaaaaaaa?!"

Maud, completely oblivious to her sister's horror, began introductions. "Pinkie Pie, meet Mudbriar."

"Technically," Mudbriar stepped over to her, "We've already met."

"You?!" Pinkie asked, looking him over.

"M'yes."

"You?" Pinkie's shock slowly turned to horror.

"M'yes."

"You..." That horror turned to sombreness.

"M'yes."

Pinkie blinked, looking at Wild for support while the unicorn just shrugged at her. She then shook her head and tried to put on a happy expression. "I mean..." She let out a forced laugh, "You! You, you, you!"

"M'yes. M'yes. M'yes."

Wild watched Pinkie vibrate, her face morphing in and out of rage, only to let out a long huff, "I'm sorry. Let's start over. Hi, I'm Maud's sister, Pinkie Pie." She offered her hoof to shake, but Mudbriar just stared at it.

"I know." Pinkie blinked and slowly put her hoof down.

"Sooooo...how did...you two meet?"

"At a rock show," Maud chimed in.

"Oh! You're into rocks, too?"

"No," Mudbriar shook his head, "I like sticks."

"That explains earlier," Wild added as Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

"Then why were you at a rock show?"

"It was a petrified wood show, which technically makes it a stick show." Pinkie blinked at this, only for Maud to turn and smile at the stallion.

"Except that in the per-mineralization process of petrification, all organic material is replaced with silicates: I.E., rocks." Wild could actually hear a bit of enthusiasm coming from Maud, something he didn't think he would ever hear from her. He looked at Mudbriar and also noticed the smile appear on his lips.

"While retaining the original structural elements of wood: Q.E.D., it was a stick show."

"Well, that makes sense," Wild lied, his face now showing the most confused expression he could give, Pinkie doing the same.

"I'm...really into sticks, too!" Pinkie slowly replied before reaching up into the foliage of an overhead tree and pulled out a colorful sun-shaped candy bag. "They're great for hitting pinatas!" She took out a large stick and pulled it back, "haaaaa..." But as she was about to swing, Mudbriar looked horrified and Maud's smile vanished.

"Pinkie..."

"Oh!" She offered the stick, "You wanna go first?"

"That is stick abuse," the stallion responded.

"It is?" Wild asked, now getting a serious case of deja vu, remembering back to when he met Maud and got on her bad side for skipping rocks. He had no idea rocks could apparently drown. He watched as Pinkie grabbed the pinata and threw it away, a frown appearing on her face.

"I'm sorry. Oh, this is awful. I'm not being a very good sister. Let's start over. I'm Pinkie Pie!" She held out a hoof, "Nice to meet you!"

"Technically, we've already met." Wild couldn't tell if Mudbriar was going along with Pinkie's start over plan or just being really obtuse.

"You should introduce Pinkie to your pet," Maud chimed in, Mudbriar nodding and pulling out a twig, Pinkie's eyes going wide.

"Oh! Your pet likes fetch!"

"This is my pet," Mudbriar replied, "So no." He put the twig down as Maud placed Boulder on the ground next to it, the stoic pony smiling again.

"Aw. Look at Twiggy and Boulder playing together."

"They're adorable," Mudbriar smiled as Pinkie took a closer look at both objects. She then got up and whispered to Maud.

"It's just a stick."

"Don't be rude."

"This is just getting stranger and stranger," Wild sighed, "Though I guess having a rock and stick for a pet isn't any weirder then having a bunch of puppets you call your friends."

"Friends, friends, friends."

"Don't patronize me."

Pinkie let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. One more time. I'm Pinkie Pie!" She held out her hoof and spoke through gritted teeth, "Nice to meet you!"

"Technically, we've already met." This resulted in a loud growl from the pink pony.

"Well, this has been fun," Wild said as he ran up to his girlfriend, "But Pinkie has a few prior engagements. I'm pretty sure there's a five year old somepony in town that's supposed to get a great job not crying during your mane-cut party." Before any of them could say anything, Wild pushed Pinkie away.

"I can't believe that guy!" Pinkie cried once they were out of range, "What does Maud see in him?! He's like, the most blandest boring pony in all of Equestria! Why would somepony as funny, talkative and exciting as Maud see anything worth making a relationship with somepony like that?!"

"Bit harsh," Wild replied, "Mudbriar might be a bit weird, but that doesn't mean he doesn't deserve to be in a relationship with somepony."

"I didn't say he couldn't be in a relationship, but he and Maud have nothing in common!"

"Pinkie, they have as much in common with one another as we have in common." Pinkie burst out laughing at this, Wild raising his eyebrow.

"Don't be silly," she giggled, "Wild, I love your sense of humor, but this isn't the time to be making jokes."

Wild and his puppets all slumped, "Oh no..."

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin, "There has to be somepony I can talk to about this. Somepony that knows Maud almost as much as me."

Wild raised an eyebrow at this, "Uh...there's nopony like that except your family."

"Yeah, but I can't just go all the way back to the rock farm to talk to them about this. There's gotta be somepony closer that I can talk too." She then gasped, "Starlight!" She shot off, moving so fast she left a Pinkie-shaped dust cloud in her wake.

"Pinkie!" Wild yelled as he ran after her, "Jeez, I've had to be the voice of reason a lot since Pinkie started being my girlfriend. Not sure how comfortable I am with this." He stopped when he noticed Pinkie now seeing Starlight walking through the town.

"STARLIGHT!" She screamed, the unicorn turning to her and putting up a shield as Pinkie tried to tackle her. "Ugh!" She moaned as she slammed into the magical dome, sliding down it like a bird sliding down a window.

"Sorry Pinkie, you just surprised me there." she dropped the shield and saw Pinkie try to get back up as Wild ran over, "What's wrong? I'm still looking for Maud."

"I've found her!" Pinkie screamed, standing up and thrusting her face into Starlight's. "I need to talk to you about something important."

"Ooookay." Starlight slowly leaned back.

"I...think you should just hear her out." Wild added, Starlight blinking at him before Springer suddenly appeared beside her.

"What's going on?" He asked, "I heard Pinkie screaming from three streets over." Suddenly, he and the three ponies were wrapped up in Starlight's magic. In a flash, they were back in the castle outside Starlight's bedroom. "Ow! Warn a jakhowl before you do that!" Springer began to rub his eyes as Starlight opened her door and stepped inside.

"Alright," Starlight jumped onto her bed, "What's the problem? Let Counsellor Starlight hear all your worries."

"Maud has a boyfriend!" Pinkie almost screamed, causing Starlight and Springer's eyes to go wide. "His name is Mudbriar and he's the complete opposite of Maud." She started pacing around the room, "He's super boring and annoying. He talks in this completely lifeless tone and likes sticks, but not for any of the really fun things about sticks. It's just..I...he..." Her face slowly turned red as a whistling sound filled the air, "Daaah! I just don't get this guy!" She paced some more as Starlight let what Pinkie said sink in.

"Wow. Maud has a boyfriend?"

"Jealous?" Springer asked, chuckling as Starlight rolled her eyes.

"No, though a lot of my friends do seem to be in relationships. Guess it's just that time of their life." She heard Pinkie groan as the party pony fell onto her back.

"How could she like someone so weird?" She started pushing herself along the floor, stopping only when she almost hit Starlight's dresser. "He has an inanimate object for a pet!"

"So does Maud," Starlight pointed out.

"Boulder has ten times the personality of some random stick! Mudbriar too, for that matter! He's not like Maud at all!" She pushed herself up as the others watched her count off Maud's traits. "Maud is hilarious, friendly, caring, and easy to talk to!"

"Yep," Starlight nodded, "That's Maud."

"But this guy is awkward, quiet, and kind of...strange."

"That still sounds like Maud," Springer pointed out, Pinkie glaring at him, the jakhowl sighing, "Pinkie...do you remember how much trouble we had connecting to Maud when we first met her?" Pinkie thought back to that event, remembering all the issues her friends had connecting with Maud. It wasn't until Pinkie almost killed herself on an obstacle course that they found a way to connect.

"Yes? What's your point?"

"Well, the way you see Mudbriar is likely the same way we saw Maud when we first met her. Because you didn't grow up around Mudbriar the same way you did around Maud, you don't know how to look passed his outer shell. If we wiped your memory and put you next to Maud, I have a feeling you'd see her the same way you see Mudbriar."

"The wolf has a point," Wild added, "The only serious difference between Maud and Mudbriar is that he's not related to you, so of course you can't connect with him."

Pinkie let this information sink in. "So...I see Mudbriar the way you all see Maud?"

"How we saw her at first." Springer corrected as he leaned against the wall. "It took a while, but we all learned to appreciate her. Maybe that's what you've gotta do with Mudbriar."

"Springer's right," Starlight nodded, "Maud obviously likes something about him, so they have something in common. Maybe you just need to spend more time with him. Find out what you have in common."

"That's easy...there's NOTHING!" She looked away, frowning as Starlight sighed.

"You both care about Maud." Starlight responded, "Say, how about this? He could help you with her party."

"I guess..." Pinkie sighed.

"And I'll keep Maud busy while you and Mudbriar plan the best surprise birthday ever."

"That I can do!" Pinkie headed for the door, "But I'm sure Mudbriar and I have nothing in common. We're like chalk and cheese. And he's not even the good chalk, the pretty colorful ones you can use to make hop-scotch markings with. He's the boring grey type that teachers use to write on boards with."

The others shared a glance as Wild followed her out the door. And when they left, Springer turned to Starlight, "So...what are you gonna do to keep Maud away from Mudbriar?"

"I'll figure out something," Starlight replied, "And I'm sure Pinkie will be able to find some common ground with Mudbriar. I mean...she's Pinkie. Name one pony she's never been able to make friends with."

"None," Springer nodded, "Though she and Cranky didn't exactly start out great. But you're right, Pinkie can do this."





The next day...

As soon as she was up, Starlight headed over to Maud's cave. "Maud?" She called out at its entrance, "You in there?" She trotted down until she arrived at the area the mare kept her bed, only to see Maud down by the water, the earth pony using it to clean herself up. "Hey Maud!"

The Pie spun around, "Hello Starlight. This is a surprise."

"Well, I figured we haven't had a chance to hang out in a while," she showed the mare a kite. "Wanna go fly?"

"Sure," Maud grabbed a towel beside her and used it to dry her hooves and face before the two headed up. "Sorry I haven't been around so much lately. I've just been really busy."

"Oh, I know," Starlight giggled, "A little birdy told me you have yourself a boyfriend." Maud actually smiled at this, a sight Starlight rarely got to see. "Mudbriar, right? I hear the two of you have a lot in common."

"Yes, though I think Pinkie is having trouble seeing that."

"That's alright," Starlight replied as Maud grabbed her kite, "I'm sure she'll come around. I mean, if she loves you and you're so similar to Mudbriar, there's no way she won't be able to love him." They headed up towards the surface, only for Starlight to ask, "So what is it that drew you to him? Sure, you're similar, but that can't be the only reason."

Maud thought about it and smiled. "I like how he focuses on what words to say before saying it. And how he always points out the truth about things. There are so many mistakes that happen in this world because ponies just say the first thing that pops into their heads and don't take the time to explain the most important details."

"Huh, that's an odd thing to like about a pony. But if that's what you enjoy, I'm happy you found somepony like that." They then arrived at the hill just outside the forest and put their kites down. Starlight used her magic to create a small gust, strong enough to lift the kites up, but not strong enough to break the string.

"So, what about you?" Maud asked, "What do you like in a pony?" Starlight blinked at the question. "So many of your friends have relationships now, you must have thought about finding a pony to be with."

"Hmm...not really. Romance has never really been something I've looked into. Rarity lent me a couple of her cheesy love novels and honestly, I couldn't get into them. I don't think love is something I can expect in my life."

"I didn't think I'd find somepony I would like to date, but here we are. I'm sure you'll find somepony if you look. It just depends on what you find attractive."

Starlight tilted her head at this, "Hmmm...I guess I'd like it if they were nice. And I'd like it if they were smart, so we could talk about interesting things with one another."

"Is that it?"

"Maybe they could enjoy a few of the same things as me. Like my favorite board game and maybe even kite flying. But...they'd also have to live nearby. I never really see long distance relationships working, so they would have to live in Ponyville. And since the school's open, I don't think I'll be moving away any time soon."

"So there's nopony in town like that?" Maud asked next.

Starlight shook her head, "No, I can't think of anypony. Guess I'll be living the life of the old crone."

"I'm sure somepony will show up that'll interest you," Maud responded, "Ponyville's a popular place, and with the school, even more ponies will show up over time. I'm sure one of them will catch your eye."

"Yeah...you might be right. Thanks Maud," Maud nodded back as they continued flying their kites. They did this for another half hour before their excitement was interrupted by the arrival of Pinkie and a stallion she didn't recognize.

"Huh," Starlight smiled, "You must be Mudbriar." The stallion said nothing in return, making Starlight cough. "I'm Starlight Glimmer. Nice to meet you. I've heard great things!" Again, Mudbriar was completely silent. "Umm...I'm so glad the two of you are spending time together." Pinkie frowned at this, Starlight seeing that her attempts to bond with the stallion and find some common ground weren't going so well. "So...how's it going?"

Pinkie pushed the frown away and showed her sister a happy face, "Mudbriar and I have just spent the best time bonding!" She put a leg around his neck, "And we're really starting to make some headway becoming besties, except for one teensy-weensy disagreement that maybe you could settle, Maud." She moved over to her sister and pointed at the stallion. "See, Mudbriar here seems to think that-" She started laughing, "you don't like surprise parties! Isn't it funny how WRONG HE IS!" She turned to scream that into his face at the end, making Starlight flinch.

"I like surprise parties..." Maud started, causing Pinkie to hum and give Mudbriar a knowing look. "...because I know they make you happy when you throw them for me."

"See?" Pinkie told Mudbriar, only to realize what she had just said. "Wait, what?!"

She turned to Maud as the mare explained. "I'd rather just do something small with you, Starlight, Boulder, and Mudbriar for my birthday." She took out her pet rock and placed him on the ground while Pinkie fell onto her rear and looked ready to start hyperventilating.

"No party?" She pulled her eyes lids downward, the mare looking like somepony had said they would want to take a bath in lava. "No party?!" Her horror suddenly turned to anger, Pinkie turning to Mudbriar. "Did he put you up to this?!"

"Mm-mm," Maud shook her head. Pinkie leaned over to Maud, whispering so that Mudbriar didn't hear them.

"Maybe you should consider, I don't know, taking things a little less serious with Mudbriar because he's kinda sort of...IMPOSSIBLE TO LIKE!" She leapt into the air as she screamed this, Starlight rushing to the stallion's side.

"Hey, Mudbriar, have you ever flown a kite? Let me tell you all about it. See, the first thing you should do is-" Pinkie zoned the rest out and moved back to her sister.

"I just can't believe you would choose sitting around with him over a party with your own sister!"

"I didn't choose either of you," Maud replied, "Technically, I said I wanted to be with both of you."

"Technically?!" Pinkie gasped, "Ugh, you even like the way he talks?"

"Everything about him makes me happy," Maud added, the statement sending a thousand daggers flying through her sister's heart. Pinkie gasped and started tearing up.

"Then I guess you don't need a best sister friend forever anymore." With that, she turned to leave as Maud's smile faded and was replaced by a concerned frown.

"Pinkie..."

"Hang on Pinkie," Starlight called out, "Let's all slow down and talk about this."

"NO!" Pinkie screamed before running off, leaving the three behind as she started crying.

"See you later!" Mudbriar called out after she was gone.





Meanwhile...

Wild had chosen to spend the day getting a present for Maud's birthday so Pinkie and Mudbriar could have more time together. The earth pony wasn't the easiest pony to shop for, but the unicorn believed he had gotten something she would appreciate. He was just heading home when he heard the sound of his girlfriend crying, only to then see the pink pony running and sobbing.

She stopped when she reached a bridge and looked down at the water. "I don't understand! How could Maud like Mudbriar?" Wild frowned, seeing that the bonding experience didn't go well. "Is it Opposite Day? Nothing makes sense!" As he got closer, he saw Pinkie's face start to morph into one of horror, "Oh no! What if I don't like cupcakes?!" She then screamed before running off at Rainbow Dash speed, leaving a dust trail in her wake.

"PINKIE!" He screamed, letting out a sigh as he ran after her. "For once, can't I be the insane one in this relationship?!" He quickly chased the dust trail into Sugarcube Corner, soon heading upstairs. "Pinkie, you up here?" Reaching her room, he threw the door open and saw Pinkie with a suitcase on her bed that she was packing full of sweets and prank supplies. "You...going somewhere?"

"Home."

"But you are home."

"I mean the family farm," Pinkie responded as she slammed the suitcase shut, "It's clear I don't understand Maud as well as I thought, so the only choice I have to figure out why she likes Mudbriar is to talk to my sisters."

"Isn't that a bit excessive?"

"Excessive, excessive, a bit excessive."

"No," The suitcase then pushed back on her, making her slam her hooves down on the case, "Nothing makes sense anymore! Did you know that Maud would rather not have a birthday party?! WHO WOULDN'T WANT A BIRTHDAY PARTY?! Mudbriar is obviously brainwashing her with his weirdness, and the only way to free her is to get Limestone and Marble's help." She let out a mighty scream as she body checked the case, closing it with a thud.

"Pinkie," Wild jumped in front of the door, "Don't be silly. What about your work at Sugarcube Corner and the school? You can't just up and leave because you're upset with your sister."

"I can and I will," she replied as she curled her tail around the case's handle. "I'm not coming back until I figure out why Maud likes that lame-o!" With that, she reached up and pulled a cord from the ceiling that caused the wall to open up and unleash a vacuum-like hose that sucked her up.

"Pinkie!" Wild yelled into the hose, "Come back! You're forcing me to be the voice of reason, AND IT'S NOT A GOOD LOOK FOR ME!"





Over at the train station, a piece of the wall opened up and unleashed a vacuum hose that spat Pinkie out. She bounced along the platform, soon landing on a bench with a suitcase landing next to her, the earth pony crossing her hooves as she waited for the train to arrive. As she did, she remembered what her sister had told her, "Maud does like parties," she grumbled, "She has too," her hair slowly started to deflate. "We're sisters, so we have to be the best of friends. But if Maud doesn't like parties, how can we be friends?" Her ears started leaking smoke, making her head hurt.

And as a whistle filled the air as the train pulled into the station, Pinkie got on board, only for Wild to run up to her, "WAIT!" He leapt through the train doors, only to hit the floor and slid along till he hit the far wall. "Ow."

"Wild!" Pinkie gasped, "Are you okay?" Wild pushed himself to his hooves as tiny little pegasi began circling his head.

"Wagner loves chicken," he moaned as Pinkie rushed to his side.

"Just rest your head," she said as she pulled him to her seat, leaning him against the window. She then reached for her suitcase and moved at lightning speed, opening it up and grabbing a piece of candy before slamming the lid shut fast enough that the contents didn't have enough time to explode everywhere.

Pinkie stuffed the lollipop into his mouth, the unicorn sucking it happily. "You silly billy," she giggled as the train rolled along the countryside, only to sigh, "Aww...why can't Maud find a pony like you? She'd be so much happier with a pony like you instead of Mudbriar."

"No...I...don't...think so," Wild mumbled as he took the sucker out of his mouth, "Pinkie, Mudbriar is perfect for Maud. You just can't see it because you don't like Mudbriar. But trust me, he's perfect for her. It shouldn't matter if you like him or not, as long as he makes Maud happy."

Pinkie just frowned at this, the mare glancing away, "But why does he make her so happy?! That's what I can't understand!" Wild facehoofed at this, only to slump back in his chair, sucking on the lollipop again.

"Welp, here's hoping Limestone and Marble can help."





The next morning...

A rooster's caw was the first thing Pinkie heard on the morning of Maud's birthday, the mare shooting up in bed the moment the sun's light hit her face. "Good morning!" She cheered, only to remember why she was there, "Oh, wait. Bad morning." She let out a groan and laid back down, wishing Wild hadn't been put in another room and unable to snuggle her.

A moment later, the door opened and Limestone looked in, "Get out of bed, sis. If you're gonna be here, you gotta work. Yer boyfriend's already up and ready to start farming."

"Ohhh," Pinkie groaned as Limestone left. It took a few more minutes, but Pinkie got up and headed downstairs. "Morning Marble," she sighed when he saw her twin pouring some rock tea into a cup. "Thanks." Pinkie drank the gravelling liquid down, the pie heritage allowing her to feast upon the pebbles without issue.

Tea drunk, she and Marble headed out. Their parents had gone off to market, so it was just the three sisters and Wild as Pinkie turned to Marble, "You're probably wondering why Wild and I came back to the family farm in the middle of the night," she guessed as Marble gave her quiet reply of a nod. "Well, it all started when-"

"Less talking, more farming!" Limestone interrupted, making Pinkie frown as Marble glared at her.

"Smooth," Wild commented as he threw a rock in her direction that she crushed it into powder.

"It's just...Maud has a boyfriend." Pinkie's statement caused Limestone's eyes to go wide.

"I'm not jealous!" She stated, "Who said anything about jealous?!"

Wild laughed at this, Limestone glaring at him as Pinkie sighed. "Don't be!" She stepped up to Limestone, "He's super-duper weird! And somehow, he tricked Maud into liking him. And now I'll never get to see her again!" She sat on the ground, her gaze shifting to the two remaining Pie sisters. "I came home because you two know her better than anypony. What am I missing? What does she see in him?" She pulled them close and started tearing up, "What does he have that I don't?!" She then started bawling, the water faucets exploding from her eyes and landing on the pair.

Limestone moaned and turned to Wild, "Has this been happening a lot?"

"Only when she thinks she'll never get to see Maud again," Wild replied, "Can you fix this, cuz I'm completely lost."

"What do you think about him?"

"He's...okay," he responded, "Not really my kind of thing, but I think he's a good match for Maud." Pinkie didn't hear this, still crying while Wild leaned up to them, "In my opinion, he's practically a male version of Maud who likes sticks instead of rocks. Other than that, they're practically the same pony, but Pinkie can't seem to see that."

"Ahh...sister glasses in the way." Limestone turned to her sister. "Buck up, Pinkie Pie. You look as miserable as I feel all the time." Pinkie sniffed as she let them go, the mare falling into the small puddle she had made.

"It's just that I love Maud, and I want to love Mudbriar, but I can't see anything to like about him!" Her sisters got up, with Marble turning to give Limestone a look that told her they needed to do something.

"Ugh, fine!" Limestone hissed, "We're taking a work break. Come on!" Pinkie stopped crying and watched her sisters walk off, the mare getting up to follow. After a few minutes, they arrived at a section of the farm with several round rocks in it. Limestone stepping up to one as Marble picked up a pickaxe.

She looked down at one of the round rocks, "I'm looking at a sparkling bright blue and white rock. See it?"

Pinkie and Wild looked down at the rock, "You mean that lumpy gray one?" Pinkie asked, with Limestone shaking her head.

"No, the beautiful blue and white one." She pointed at the lumpy rock, "Right there."

"I might need to get my eyes checked," Wild commented.

"I would not describe that as beautiful, blue, or white, but uh...maybe okay?" Pinkie shrugged as Limestone turned to Marble.

"Show her." Marble nodded before she hit the rock with the hammer, causing it to split perfectly in two. Doing so revealed the inside that was filled with beautiful blue and white gems, the two entertainment ponies staring at it in amazement.

"A geode?" Wild gasped as Limestone nodded.

"That's right," she picked it up to give to Pinkie, "The outside looks like a regular rock, but the inside is filled with beautiful gems." Pinkie's eyes didn't leave the geode, the mare sitting down and looking it over as she thought about what Limestone was trying to say.

"So you're saying I should crack open Mudbriar like a rock!" Wild's eyes went wide at hearing this as Pinkie stood up. "IT ALL MAKES SENSE!" But then she stopped, "No, wait. It doesn't."

"It's a metaphor, Pinkie!" Limestone held up the geode and showed her to back, "You see Mudbriar as a rock, but Maud sees him as a gem. Even if you never see past his dullness, you can see how happy he makes Maud. And to a sister, that's all that matters." Marble nodded with a smile as Pinkie picked up the geode pieces and looked them over. She then turned back to her sisters and started tearing up.

"Oh, Limestone, Marble, thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you two! Pie pile!" Before the pair could stop her, Pinkie tackled the pair to the ground and hugged them from above.

"Okay, okay! You're crushing me to gravel, Pinkie!"

Wild laughed at this and stepped over to pull Pinkie off them, "So, what are you gonna do now?"

"I really owe Mudbriar an apology," Pinkie replied, only to gasp, "And I owe Maud a party! I just hope I'm not too late!" She turned to her sisters and gave them one final hug, "Thank you! I promise to send you both a piece of cake."

With that, she shot off as Wild laughed at her retreating form before turning to the two sisters, "Thanks for helping. I owe you one."

"Just keep our sister safe and happy," Limestone replied, "Then we'll be square." Wild nodded before running off, leaving the Pie sisters to get back to work.





Back in Ponyville...

Mudbriar was standing at a table outside of town hall, the earth pony staring a small log with a bunch of wrapping paper and a ribbon. Mudbriar wrapped the paper around the log, but when he let it go to grab the ribbon, it unfurled itself. The pony frowned as he tried again, with the same result.

He let out a sigh, only for a pink hoof to appear to hold it in place. Mudbriar looked up to see Pinkie smiling at him, then watched as her hooves moved in a flurry of movement that wrapped the log up with a pretty bow. She then reached into her mane and took out a stick to two leaves, "I brought you an olive branch to say sorry. I was really unfair to you, and I'm ready to listen to your ideas for Maud's birthday, if you still want to plan it together."

Mudbriar's eyes narrowed at the stick. "Technically, this isn't even an olive branch." He took it from her. "It's a quercus, most likely castaneifolia."

"OH, COME ON!" Pinkie screamed, but then took a deep breath, "Sorry! Keeping it together...!"

Mudbriar smiled back, "And I love a good quercus." He held out his hoof, "Friends?"

"Friends!" She shook it. "Now, do you have any ideas for the party?"

Mudbriar nodded, "There is one."





Several hours later...

The party was in full swing, everypony attending as they deleviered presents. Flash and Twilight were dancing whlie Fluttershy and Iron were enjoying themselves off to the side. Lightning, Rarity, Applejack, Heart, Soul and Rainbow were watching Wild's puppet show, which was showing the time Maud saved Pinkie from her obstacle course of doom.

Spike and the jakhowl pups were running around the food table, trying to get one of everything they could get their claws on while Springer and Grand were eating off to the side together. Then, everypony stopped as they turned to the town hall's main doorway.

The doors opened and a moment later, a cardboard pony with Maud drawn on it floated into view. "SURPRISE!" They all cheered as the Maud cutout flew off to the center of the party and Starlight stepped out the hall behind it. Starlight smiled as she watched everypony pretend the cutout was Maud, then look over at a distant hill and waved.

She was waving to the three ponies sitting there, watching the party from a safe distance.

"This is my favorite party ever," Maud slowly said.

"It was all your amazing boyfriend's idea," Pinkie replied, "He said the best present would be me throwing you a surprise party you didn't have to go to."

"Technically, it wasn't a surprise because she could see the pre-party preparations from up here."

Pinkie took several deep breaths at this, "Technically," she hissed through gritted teeth before smiling and returning to normal, "You're right!" She pulled the pair into a hug, the couple smiling back at her. Yes, relationships were hard sometimes. The pony you care about might have a hard time connecting to those closest to you, but if the pony you care about makes you happy, then that's all that matters. Because no matter what, relationships that makes you happy is worth it. And if those you care about truly care about you, they'll find a way to get along with your special somepony no matter what.
> Viva Las Pegasus
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the end of a trying training day at the Wonderbolts Academy. Within the changing room, Rainbow pulled her goggles and mask off while taking a deep sigh, her body aching in that satisfying way she enjoyed. And as she removed the rest of her uniform, Soarin stepped into the room. "Hey Rainbow, what do you have planned this weekend?"

The mare turned to him before putting a hoof to her chin, "Hmm...nothing really." She turned back to her locker as she placed her flight suit inside. "Probably just hang out around town unless one of my friends needs me to do something awesome for them."

"Well, clear your weekend," Soarin replied, "Because we're going to Las Pegasus."

"We are?!" Rainbow spun around and went wide-eyed.

"Heck yeah we are! Because you babe, have yet to experience something that you need to do in order to really call yourself a Wonderbolt." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this, "Riding the Wild Blue Yonder!"

"The what?"

"Only the best roller-coaster ever built!" Fleetfoot added as she and Misty Fly walked into the room. "Every Wonderbolt over the last thirty years has ridden it at least once." She pointed to one of the bulletin boards and Rainbow took a closer look, seeing photos of multiple Wonderbolts in a coaster car looking terrified and excited.

"But it's being closed down in two weeks," Misty Fly continued, "Looks like that tradition is coming to an end."

"And we're gonna end it with you," Soarin pointed at Rainbow. "The last member of the Wonderbolts to ride it before it closes for good."

"Awesome!" Rainbow had stars in her eyes, "But is this roller-coaster really that incredible?"

"Oh, you haven't lived until you've experienced its awesomeness. First, you strap yourself into the cloud rocket car, and then you're catapulted straight through a series of daring dips and terrifying turns. You're flipped upside-down so many times you don't know which way is up, till finally you climb to the highest peak on the rails! Then drop towards the ground at lightning speed before coming up to a screeching halt!"

"It's life changing," Fleetfoot finished.

Rainbow shined the biggest grin she could give, "Alright, I'm in. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Soarin replied, "But don't just expect to just enjoy the roller-coaster. We can spend the rest of the weekend enjoying everything else Las Pegasus has to offer."

"Awesome!" Rainbow cheered, "I've always wanted to go to Las Pegasus. But..." she grimaced at this, "It's super expensive to stay there."

"Eh, don't worry about that," Soarin responded, "My parents have a condo there with a butt ton of spare rooms. They already said we can stay there." Rainbow smiled at this, only to now remember she had never actually met Soarin's parents. "I'll pick you up from your place tomorrow at nine, then we can get a train to Las Pegasus."

"Got it!" Rainbow exclaimed as she slammed the locker shut, "I'm gonna go get packed right now!" With that, she shot out of the room so fast that the other pegasi had to brace themselves to keep from being knocked over. And when she disappeared, Fleetfoot turned to Soarin and smirked.

"So, you're really gonna do it?" She asked, "You're really gonna ask her this weekend?"

"Yeah..." Soarin slowly nodded, "I am."

"I can't believe it," Misty almost squealed like a little girl. "If this works, you and Crash will be the first married couple to ever fly together in the Wonderbolts."

"Yeah," Soarin gulped, "If she says yes."

"And why wouldn't she?!" Fleetfoot added, "It's clear how much you two love one another! What could possibly make her not want to get married to you?"

"I don't know." Soarin shrugged, "Rainbow's always been more of the 'too cool for school' kind of girl. Getting married might be too girly for her. Or she might be worried getting married will turn her from being the awesome Wonderbolt to a boring housewife, not that that's what I want her to become."

"Well hopefully she won't think like that and say yes," Misty giggled, "I bet as long as you get the moment right, she'll say yes."

Soarin sighed, "I hope you're right. Because if this doesn't work out right, I might end up ruining our relationship forever."





As soon as Rainbow was home, she started throwing everything into a dufflebag. "What else do I need?" She asked herself, "Oh, they've got pools!" She zipped out of her room and returned a moment later with goggles and a snorkel. "Perfect!"

And as she tried to zip up the bag, she heard the ringing of her doorbell. "Coming!" She flew down to the front door and opened it up, only to be greeted by the sight of Bow Hothoof and Windy Whistles. "Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?"

"Hey sport," Bow chuckled as the pair flew into the building. "We thought we might surprise you with a weekend trip."

"You've been so busy lately," Windy added, "What with the Wonderbolts, the school, and whatever insane villains have likely tried to destroy Equestria over the last few months. We feared you weren't getting enough time to enjoy yourself and relax, so we thought it might be good to come and spend some quality time together."

Rainbow smiled at this, "Oh. Well uh....thanks, but I really wish you had called ahead. Cause...I kinda got plans."

"Really?" Windy asked, "What plans?"

"Soarin and I are heading to Las Pegasus." Her parents went wide eyed at this, "We're going so I can ride the Wild Blue Yonder. It's closing, and I'm the only Wonderbolt who hasn't ridden it."

"Well, that sounds like fun," Bow smirked. "Good old Soarin." Her parents had been thrilled when they learned about Rainbow and Soarin's relationship, and had welcomed the pegasus with open wings as if he was their own son. "So when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning. I was just getting packed."

"Well then," Windy laughed, "We still have one night to enjoy ourselves together." Rainbow blinked at them before nodding, the three pegasi heading into Rainbow's kitchen so Windy could make them something great to eat.





At the same time...

Soarin was at his house, pacing back and forth in his room.

"Rainbow, you're one of the best things that's ever happened to me. The day we met, you saved my life, and I've only had more and more fun since then. You make every day awesome, and I don't want to spend a day away from you, even though I know you'll probably have to fly off somewhere to save Equestria again. So, I want to be there, waiting for you to get back when you've saved the world. Will you...will you...ahhh!" He screamed, flying over his bed and landing face down into the covers, "I can't even say it when she's not here. How the heck am I supposed to say it when she actually is?!"

He sighed and rolled onto his back, only to glance over to several pictures he had on a nearby shelf. He stared at the images of ponies he had met over the years, only to sigh, "I need help." He stood back up, glancing over to a nearby clock, seeing it wasn't too late in the day. "Alright..." he got up and shot out of the window, "Here's hoping I don't run into her when I go to see them."

One transition to Ponyville later...

Luckily, Rainbow wasn't in town when he got there. His first trip was to the castle of friendship, where he found Flash and Heart training outside with wooden swords.

"Soarin!" Flash cheered when he saw his friend, only to accidently get bonked on the head by Heart's sword. "Ow!" He turned to glare at his apprentice, pulling the sword away from him before looking back at Soarin, "What's up bro? Or is this just a social visit?"

"I need your help," Soarin sighed, "Can you get all your friends over here, except for Rainbow. I kinda wanna keep this from her." Flash raised an eyebrow at this, but nodded back before connecting to Springer, getting him to contact the others.

Within an hour, the entire friendship council, minus Rainbow, and the Defenders were gathered in the throne room. "So...what's up?" Twilight asked as she and Spike sat in their thrones. "I hope this is important, because I've got a bunch of papers that need grading."

"And I was in the middle of assembling a very important dress," Rarity added.

"Come on everypony," Flash chimed in, "I'm sure Soarin wouldn't have asked us here if it wasn't important." He turned to the pegasus, "Right Soarin?"

"Yeah," Soarin nodded, "it's really important." He looked around at all the expectant ponies, taking a deep breath before stating his intentions. "I wanna ask Rainbow Dash to marry me."

Silence filled the room, most going wide-eyed before the silence was broken by a loud girly squeal that echoed through the castle. It was Rarity, who continued to unleash this sound while everypony else covered their ears. "I don't believe it!" She cried a few seconds later, the mare looking ready to start weeping.

"Are you...really gonna ask her to marry you?" Twilight asked, Soarin nodding back, "Well congratulations."

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Pinkie cheered, bouncing up and down on her throne. "Just wait, I'm gonna throw you two the best after wedding party EVER!" The others all nodded as Flash flew over to Soarin.

"Congrats bud," he patted him on the back. "How's it feel to be the first one to take that plunge?"

"Good...I guess," Soarin slowly replied, "But that's why I'm here. I need help."

"You need us to help plan how you're going to propose?" Fluttershy asked, Soarin scratching the back of his head in response.

"Not exactly. I already have a plan...sort of. We're going to Las Pegasus tomorrow, and I'm thinking of doing it there." They all nodded back, only for him to add, "But the problem is...I have no idea how to actually ask her. I've thought about what I'm gonna say, but every time I try and say it out loud, it didn't feel right."

"I see," Rarity instantly responded, "Yes, coming up with the right words is very important."

"Shouldn't you just say what comes from the heart?" Springer asked, "I'm assuming that's what you're supposed to do."

"Springer's right," Flash nodded, "Rainbow already likes you for who you are, so just ask her in a way that feel natural to you."

"But I've tried that and it still doesn't feel right! I feel like an idiot whenever I say it!" He slumped down at this, "I...I don't know what to do!"

The group exchanged glances, only for Lightning to turn to Grand, "Hey, how did you propose to grandma?"

"In the middle of a fight," Grand replied, everypony now turning to him. The sight made him glare back, "What?! We were in a really bad battle, and I thought we were gonna die! I wanted to know if she would marry me, so I blurted it out before I could stop myself and uh...we managed to win by the skin of our teeth."

"And then she said yes?"

"Yup." Grand nodded. "Best decision of my life."

"Yeah...let's not go with that." Flash commented, his old mentor now glaring at him.

"I don't see you having any better ideas." Grand barked back.

"I didn't say I did." Flash deadpanned, "I just don't think we should put their lives in danger."

"Well I thought it was romantic. I bet Rainbow would like some danger with her proposal." Everypony glared at Grand at this, the defender letting out a huff, "Fine...no danger then."

"Well, I'm sure we'll think of something," Rarity assured the Wonderbolt. "We have all day and tonight to help you come up with something." Soarin smiled and nodded back, "I can't believe one of our group is going to get married. I never thought Rainbow would be the first..." The mares in a relationship turned to their significant other, all of which suddenly got very interested in the ceiling and the floor.

"So...what did Rainbow's parents say when you told them you we going to propose?" Twilight asked, making Soarin raise an eyebrow. "You did tell them, right?"

"Was I supposed too?"

"Soarin!" Rarity yelped, "How could you think of proposing to Rainbow and not asking for her father's blessing?! That's just rude!"

Soarin let out a groan at this, the idea of proposing now getting more annoying in his head. "Well, I didn't." He rubbed his face, "I just wish I could fast forward to the end of the proposal."





The next morning...

At ten to five, Soarin flew for Rainbow's cloud home. He had spent the rest of the day yesterday and most of the night practicing his proposal, Flash even letting him use his training room to practice on an illusion of Rainbow. Soarin found he couldn't stop stuttering and blabbering, sounding like an idiot, but he managed to come up with a half decent proposal speech that he hoped would impress her.

He arrived at her house and knocked, the pegasus tapping his hoof impatiently until the door opened. "Morning," Rainbow smirked as Soarin smiled back. He then spotted her dufflebag on her side and shades over her eyes.

"Morning," he replied, "You ready to go?"

"You bet," Rainbow nodded. "Just...one little thing." Soarin raised an eyebrow until Rainbow stepped aside to reveal her parents, Soarin going wide-eyed at the sight.

"Soarin!" Bow cheered, stepping over to give him a powerful pat on the back. "Good to see you kiddo!"

"Thanks Bow," Soarin responded, remembering the first time Rainbow had introduced him as her boyfriend and how Bow had almost had a heart attack when Soarin called him Mr. Hothoof. "So...what are you two doing here?"

"We wanted to spend some quality time with our daughter," Windy replied, "But then we learned you two are going to Las Pegasus."

Rainbow stepped up to Soarin, "So...I was thinking. You said your parents condo is huge, so maybe my parents could come too?" Soarin went wide-eyed at this, "They wouldn't get in the way. And they've never been to Las Pegasus, so I thought-"

"It'd be fun?" Soarin asked with Rainbow nodding. "Sure, they can come. I don't see them causing any problems." Bow and Windy high-winged as Rainbow smiled, "But we'd better hurry or we're gonna miss the train." The three nodded and the pegasi all took to the air, arriving moments before the train to Las Pegasus left.

Soon enough, the four were seated in a carriage together as they train rolled down the rails. "Ooh," Windy shook, "This is gonna be so exciting! I've always wanted to see Las Pegasus. I remember when Bow and I first got married, we were torn between going there or going to Rainbow Falls."

"But in the end, you chose to go to Rainbow Falls," her daughter remembered the story her parents had told her. She leaned over to Soarin, "That's why they gave me that name. Because that's where I came into existence."

"Huh." Soarin hummed, only to get up, "I'm gonna go get a snack. You all want anything?"

The girls shook their heads while Bow stood up, "I'll come with ya. This is gonna be a long trip, so my back's gonna thank me for getting up and walking around as much as possible." Soarin nodded and the two headed to the snack car, the two blue pegasi standing in line for service. As they stood there, Bow noticed Soarin looking at him with a huge frown, "Something wrong kid? You're looking a little nervous."

"Kinda," Soarin gulped, "I uh...need to talk to you about something."

"Oh?"

"I'm really glad I got this chance to talk to you, since my friends said it was important to do so before I try and do what I wanna do..."

"And what is it you wanna do?" He watched as Soarin looked around, making sure nopony was watching them. He then leaned in close to Bow and whispered.

"I'm gonna ask Rainbow to marry me." Bow's eyes went wide hearing this, the pegasus letting out a loud gasp until Soarin covered his mouth with his wing. "Quiet! Don't let Rainbow hear you!" Bow started to shake, looking like he was ready to start dancing around. "Can you stay cool about this? I don't wanna ruin the surprise for Rainbow." Bow nodded. "Good. Now, I'm gonna lower my wings. Stay calm." He slowly uncovered his mouth, Bow remaining silent as his mouth kept trembling, "So...do I have your blessing?"

Not daring to speak, Bow slowly nodded and Soarin smiled as they reached the front of the line. "So...what made you decide to do this?"

Soarin put a hoof to his chin, "I guess...a month or so after the Storm King's invasion and while Rainbow was off, I was worried sick that she was doing something super dangerous. That's when I realized...I can't live without her in my life. So, I decided I wanted to marry her."

"Ah...I remember that feeling." They grabbed their snacks, "You're a lucky colt Soarin. I can't wait to hand Rainbow over to you on your wedding day."

"Thanks, but I gotta ask her first. And I can't do that if this weekend is anything but perfect."

"Well, I'll make sure to keep Windy away so we don't get in your way." Soarin told him thanks as they returned to the girls, sitting down as Windy noticed Bow's smile.

"What's got you so happy? You look like someone just offered Dashie the position of Wonderbolt Captain or something."

Soarin flinched at this, only for Bow to say, "Just super excited to see Las Pegasus and all the fun shows." He sat down beside his wife with a huge grin, "I can't wait."

And as he began to distract her, Soarin let out a sigh of relief before sitting down beside Rainbow, the two beginning to talk as the train continued down that track.





Las Pegasus, a city built on the western coast of the kingdom. It's a cloud city like Cloudsdale, only accessible to non-pegasi by balloon or airship. However, the group were all pegasi, Rainbow, Windy and Bow staring at it in amazement, none having seen the city before. The place was as large as Cloudsdale, but it had a bunch of specially made platforms that could sit atop the clouds without falling through. These platforms had several buildings on them, all allowing non-pegasi ponies to walk around without needing to worry about falling to their deaths. Each platform had a bridge built between them, connecting them all together to form a full-on town.

"This place is awesome!" Rainbow cheered.

"Yeah, it is," Soarin laughed, "Now come on, my parent's place isn't too far from here."

He led them through the city, off the main strip and into an area full of houses built atop a large platform. The group spotted a swimming pool in one section, several restaurants and even what looked like an outdoor stage that likely was used to do amateur plays and performances.

"There it is." They followed Soarin's gaze and saw a house that appeared to be four stories high with a metal fence around it. He then walked up to the front gate, staring at the keypad before reaching into his bag. "Now where'd I put the code?"

"Can't we just fly over it?" Bow asked, only for Soarin to grab a pebble off the ground and toss it over the gate, the Dash family going wide eyed when the peddle was suddenly electrocuted by a barrier that was expelled from the top of the gate and formed a dome around the house. "Nevermind."

"Yeah...ah! Here it is!" Soarin pulled out a piece of paper and typed in the code, a beep ringing out as the gate opened. And as they walked in, they found it was well decorated, shining wallpaper and comfortable chairs filling the living room beside the hallway. "My parent's bedroom is the first one on the right. All the other rooms are up for grabs." The others nodded and they all headed upstairs, Rainbow and Soarin taking the next available room while her parents took another.

"I can't wait!" Rainbow commented as she dropped her bag on the bed. "I can feel the Wild Blue Yonder calling my name!"

"Heck yeah it is!" Soarin chuckled, "Wanna head over there right now and get in line?"

"You read my mind!" Rainbow cheered as the pair ran out of the room, only for the front door of the condo to suddenly open up.

Soarin went wide-eyed as he saw a light blue pegasus mare step through the doorway, dressed in a red business suit with her graying yellow mane up in a bun. Behind her was a bulky black pegasus stallion with a navy-blue mane and tail like Soarin's, who was also dressed in a suit and tie.

"Mom?!" He asked, "Dad?! What are you doing here?!"

The mare smiled back, "Well, when we heard you were bringing your girlfriend along, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to finally meet the filly." She then turned to Rainbow, "And this must be her." She trotted over and grabbed Rainbow by the chin, moving her head from side to side. "What a pretty mare. Clearly of excellent breeding considering how strong her cheek bones are." She looked over the younger pony's mane, "And what beautiful hair. Could do with a little lengthening and restyling, but I'm sure we can find you a stylist to redo it here in Las Pegasus."

"Mom!" Soarin groaned as he saw Rainbow blush, "Would you stop?!"

"I don't see why you didn't try and introduce us to her sooner son," his father chimed in, "She looks amazing. A real catch." They then heard movement upstairs and looked up, "I thought it was just going to be you two this weekend."

"I decided to invite Rainbow's parents," Soarin sighed, "They'd never seen Las Pegasus and the house was big enough to house us all, especially since we'll barely be here."

"That's great," the mare clapped her hooves, "We can all get to know one another better!"

As she said that, Windy and Bow came downstairs, Soarin sighing at the sight, "Windy, Bow, I'd like to introduce you alll to my parents." He pointed at the mare, "This is Sylph Sprinter." He pointed to the stallion, "and Atmos." He gestured to Rainbow's parents, "Mom and dad, this is Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof."

Windy quickly flew over to Sylph, "Oh, it's so nice to meet you!"

"And you," Sylph shook her hoof. "I hope you enjoy your time here at Las Pegasus."

"I'm sure we will," Bow chuckled as he moved over to shake Atmos' hoof. "Here's an idea, why don't the four of us go out and see the sights so the young'ens can enjoy some quality time together?"

"Nonsense," Atmos replied, "We came to get to know Rainbow, and I'm sure she's interested to get to know us as well. We should all go out to find some of the best entertainment in Las Pegasus. There are shows, restaurants and many other exciting things to enjoy."

"Actually dad," Soarin spoke up. "Rainbow and I came so she could get the chance to ride a special roller-coaster that all the Wonderbolts are meant to ride before it closes. We wanted to do that first."

"Oh, is that all?" Sylph waved her hoof, "Well, we can all enjoy that together." The others all nodded, the group soon leaving the house as Sylph turned to Rainbow, "So Rainbow, how did you and our son meet?"

Rainbow smirked at this, "Oh, we met when he was a special guest at the best young fliers contest. A friend of mine got into a bit of trouble and pulled him into it, so I had to save him and his teammates."

"Trouble?" Atmos asked, turning to his son. "What trouble?"

"It's nothing big," Soarin responded, "I just got conked on the head during a dive."

"Rainbow told us all about it," Windy giggled, "He would have fallen to his death if Rainbow hadn't dived down and used her Sonic Rainboom to grab them all."

Soarin's parents went wide-eyed at this, turning to give their son a horrified look. "It's fine. That was a while ago. Plus, it helped me meet Rainbow, so I guess it was a good thing." As he said that, they reached the strip and Soarin turned to one of the hotels. "There it." He pointed at it and Rainbow's eyes wide as she the building had a bunch of roller-coaster tracks sticking out of the sides and roof.

"Wow..." Bow whistled, "That looks like it's gonna be one heck of a ride."

"You have no idea," Soarin chuckled, "The only downside is the line. It's so long you have to wait at least three hours to get to it."

"Three hours?!" Rainbow yelped, only to hear laughter and turned to Soarin's parents, who seemed to have a superior smirk on their lips. "What?"

"You'd have to wait in line for three hours," Sylph replied before taking a dramatic pause, "If you weren't with a pair of Silver Horseshoe members. One of the most exclusive clubs in Las Pegasus."

The others all raised an eyebrow at this, with even Soarin looking amazed as they entered the hotel. "Since when did you all become Silver Horseshoe members?" He asked as his parents trotted up to the front desk.

"We earned it two years ago," Atmos responded as he reached into his suit and showed the clerk a silver card. "Your mother and I stay here in Las Pegasus whenever we're not travelling for work. Spend so long at a place, you practically become royalty."

"So...what do you two actually do?" Rainbow asked, Soarin never having explained what it was his parents did for a living.

"I always assumed you were Wonderbolts like your son," Windy added with Bow nodding. But then Sylph and Atmos began to laugh as the clerk called a member of the hotel's staff over.

"Oh, oh dear no." Sylph shook her head. "We might be pegasi, but flying was never our foray."

"We're investors," Atmos explained as the staff arrived and began to guide them through the hotel. "We used to be accountants back when Soarin was younger, helping ponies handle their bits, but when he got older and left home, we decided to put our money control skills to better use. So, we started investing in a variety of different companies."

"We now own large shares of some of the biggest companies in Equestria," Sylph grinned, "Several of them are all located here in Las Pegasus, which is why we chose to start living here when we're not inspecting our other businesses."

"Wow," Rainbow whistled as she turned to Soarin, "Your parents are loaded!"

Soarin looked away at this, only for Atmos to sigh, "Yes, we always hoped Soarin would join the family business when he was older. But he chose to follow a career as a Wonderbolt."

Soarin was about to respond to that, only for the group to reach a section of the hotel that had a large line running through it, Rainbow seeing the line was so long that it zigzagged more times than she could count and filled the entire room.

"Excuse me," the staff member announced as the ponies in line stepped up or back, creating an opening in the zigzag that made a clear path.

"Is this okay?" Windy asked as they made their way to the roller-coaster. "These ponies have been waiting for a long time."

"Relax darling," Sylph waved her hoof again, "It's a perk of being such important ponies." Despite this, they still noticed the ponies in line frowning at them. "Just be glad there are no gold class members here, or we would have to wait behind them."

They then reached the front of the path and as the cloud cart pulled up to the platform. Once the ponies riding it had all disembarked, all were looking dizzy but very happy, Rainbow and Soarin climbing into the front and smiling as they were locked into place. Their parents were behind them and all looked extremely excited, their nerves getting the better of them as the cart began to move. Rainbow began to shake and Soarin smirked as he held out his hoof to her, Rainbow smiling back and taking it as they began to climb the first hill.





One epic roller-coaster ride later...

Rainbow laughed as she stared at the pictures taken of them all on the ride, everypony else laughing at the face she was making. "I am so putting that one on the bulletin board," Soarin laughed as he snatched it away from her.

"Hey!" Rainbow yelped, jumping into the air after Soarin as he flew away. Their parents laughed as they watched Rainbow and Soarin fly around, playing keep away like foals.

"They're such a cute couple," Windy giggled as Soarin's parents nodded. "I hope they stay together."

"If Rainbow says yes, they will," Bow instantly replied, only for the others to stare at him, the pegasi instantly slapping his own head, "Idiot."

"Bow..." Windy slowly said as she leaned up to his face, "What are you talking about?"

Bow looked up at his daughter, making sure she was out of earshot, then gestured for the three to lean in close. When they did, he whispered into their ears and they all gasped. "He's gonna prop-mmm!" Windy was stopped by Bow's wing, keeping her from screaming the rest.

"That was the real reason he wanted to bring Rainbow here," he hissed.

"Oh dear..." Sylph gulped, "I guess us being here has kind of ruined it."

"I don't think so," Atmos shook his head, "If we weren't here, the pair would be stuck in line all day. Now that they've gotten to ride the roller-coaster, they can enjoy something more romantic."

The other parents nodded in agreement, only for Windy to point to Soarin's parents, "You two know this place better then anypony. Any idea where we should get them to go so he can pop the question?"

Sylph and Atmos exchanged a glance, "Hmm...what about the rainbow fountain?" Sylph suggested, "I'm sure Rainbow would enjoy that since it shares her name."

They nodded as the younger pegasi flew down, Rainbow having grabbed the picture from Soarin. "So what do you wanna do now?" She asked, "We've got the rest of the day to have fun now that the Wild Blue Yonder's behind us."

"Why don't we go see the water show?" Atmos chimed in, "That's always a fun thing to do." Rainbow nodded as Soarin flew down next to her, spotting the smiles on all their parent's faces. His eyes connected to Bow's and he realized what he must have done, giving him a look that said 'seriously' while Bow tried to give an apologetic smile back.

Atmos and Sylph then led them to the water show, an area of the strip that had a series of fountains. When they arrived, they found a spot right next to the fountain. "Wonder what this thing does?" Rainbow asked as the parents slowly stepped away.

"No idea," Soarin added, "I've only been to Las Pegasus two times before, except when I'm with the Wonderbolts, and I was so focused on the other activities that I never got a chance to see this place." Rainbow soon got her answer when the fountain suddenly burst into light, unleashing a stream of red colored water. An orange stream then fired, followed by a yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet streams.

The pegasi watched in awe the streams fired and overlapping, making all sorts of colors. More water streams of the seven different colors fired again and again, practically dancing around the fountain.

"Whoa," Rainbow whispered, "That's cool. Too bad Rarity's not here, I can just imagine what she'd say." She restyled her mane to imitate the fashionista. "Oh darlings, isn't this the most romantically beautiful thing you ever did see?" Soarin burst out laughing, Rainbow following as the pair continued watching.

"She'd probably be right you know," Soarin chuckled, "I guess this is pretty romantic." As he said that, the fountain's water shot out to form an actual rainbow atop the water. Seeing this, he knew he had to do it now. "Rainbow, do you ever think about the future?"

"Huh?" Rainbow turned to him, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, do you ever think about what the future might hold for us?"

"Oh, sure I do. One day, I'll be captain of the Wonderbolts."

Soarin rolled his eyes at that. "Yeah right, I'll be made captain way before you do. By the time I'm ready to retire, you'll be so old, you can't even beat your wings without throwing out your back."

Rainbow gave him a playful stare. "Is that a challenge?"

"Sure it is," Soarin smirked back. "But that's not what I meant." He looked back at the fountain, "I mean, do you ever think about what your life outside the Wonderbolts will be like in the future?"

"Not really," Rainbow put her head in her hooves. "I used to, but over the last few years, things have gotten super crazy. I never thought I'd end up saving all of Equestria more times than I can count. And I never thought I'd end up teaching at a school like some egghead." She then turned to grin at Soarin, "And I definitely never thought I'd end up dating one of my favorite Wonderbolts." Soarin smiled as Rainbow looked back at the fountain. "Honestly, I gave up trying to guess what the future would hold for me a long time ago. What I've got right now is awesome, and I wouldn't want a single thing about it to change."

"Even if that change makes your life better?" Soarin asked, Rainbow turning to him with a raised eyebrow.

"What's this all about?" Soarin blinked at her, opening his mouth to pop the ultimate question. But as he did this, his throat suddenly dried up. The speech he had practiced with his friends completely vanished from his brain. Fear that Rainbow would say no and ruin their relationship.

"I...er...well...nothing," he squeaked out, "Nothing important. I was just...wondering." Rainbow tilted her head at this, only to nod as the fountain's display came to an end.

"Come on," she replied, "Let's go play a game or something. If your parents have Silver Horseshoe Membership, we can play any game in any hotel."

"Sure," Soarin nodded as the pair spun around, "Hey, where'd our parents go?"

Their parents had been watching from far back, the four expecting Rainbow to suddenly start screaming and hugging Soarin...only to do nothing.

"What happened?" Sylph asked, Atmos letting out a sigh.

"I think Soarin chickened out." The others frowned at this as Rainbow finally spotted them and gestured them over.

"Where'd you all go? You missed the rainbow fountain."

"Sorry honey," Windy responded, "We got distracted by some of the other fountain displays."

"Well, why don't we head to one of the hotels and have some fun?" They all nodded, Rainbow turning to Sylph and Atmos. "You said you know this place better then anypony else. Any idea which hotel has the best games?" The older ponies gestured to them to follow, soon walking down the strip again.

As Rainbow flew ahead, Bow and Windy stepped up next to Soarin. "What happened?!" Bow huffed, "You had the perfect opportunity!"

"Did something happen to make you stop?" Windy asked, Soarin blushing at this.

"I...I don't know. I was about to ask her, but then I...I froze. I just...I suddenly got scared she would say no and our relationship would be ruined."

"Don't be silly," Windy nudged him, "Of course she'd say yes!" She then turned to her husband, "Right?" Bow flinched at this, thinking about his daughter's attitude. Suddenly, he too overcome with fear that she would say no.

Soarin groaned at Bow's lack of response, the thought of her saying no now repeating in his head. He now knew that if he didn't ask her soon, he might never get the nerve to ask...and he would regret it for the rest of his life. But still, fear washed over him, and he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was stuck in a loop.

"Here we are," he heard Atmos say, making him look up at one of the hotels. "This is one of the best places for fun and games."

They soon headed in, Atmos using his silver card to get them in despite not staying at the hotel. "There's a lot to do here," Sylph commented, "Why don't we split up and find something we really enjoy? Honey, that city building game you really like is probably still on." Atmos nodded and the two flew off, leaving Rainbow behind as the mare raised an eyebrow.

"I thought they wanted to get to know me better?" She asked, turning to Soarin. "Why are they suddenly so eager to not be around me?"

"I'm sure it's nothing," Soarin replied, "They probably don't want to cramp your style. They're not exactly the most extreme ponies in the world."

"I don't care about how cool they are," Rainbow responded, "They're your parents, so of course I want to get to know them more! My parents practically treat you like we're married already," she laughed, Soarin going wide-eyed before letting out a tiny laugh. That is, till Rainbow noticed that her parents were strangely absent. "They're gone too. What, did I pick up a bad smell or something?" She lifted her wings to sniff them until Soarin used his to push hers down.

"You're fine," he quickly said, "That's just something that happens at Las Pegasus. You see something you like, and everything else around you suddenly flies out of your head."

"I guess you're right," Rainbow nodded. "So, what should we do to pass the time?"

"You choose," Soarin told her. "There's gotta be something here we can enjoy." Rainbow nodded and the pair flew through the hotel, arriving at an arcade area that had a bunch of different games. Rainbow ran over to an unoccupied air hockey table, the two playing, both appearing completely even.

Every now and then, Soarin would look up at Rainbow and smile when he saw her let out a laugh. The look on her face made him blush, his mind going back to being with her forever. That is, till the thought of rejection drifted back into his head.

He and Rainbow continued playing a variety of games, both winning and losing for a long amount of time. They played racing games, ball games and even a few shooters. Time around them seemed to fade away, neither realizing how long they had been playing for.

Eventually, Rainbow's stomach started moaning as she found that they had been playing so long that they had missed lunch. As such, the pair left the arcade and headed for one of the hotel's restaurants. "Rainbow, Soarin." They spun around to see their parents, "Having fun?" Windy asked, her daughter nodding. "I'm guessing you two were having such a good time you forgot about lunch and now you're starving." Both nodded at this, "Same with us."

"It's a common occurrence here," Sylph added, "Luckily, this restaurant is one of the best in Las Pegasus. The best part is it also does live performances all day, so we'll be well entertained while we wait for our food."

"Awesome," Rainbow cheered, "Let's go." She flew inside and the others followed, Soarin's parents getting them a great seat near the front of the stage, the six sitting down as a comedian stepped out. Soarin had to admit, he was quite funny. The pegasus had a hard time looking at his menu, not wanting to miss a joke. They all eventually made an order and as they waited for their meal, they enjoyed the rest of the comedy routine. Their food arrived just as the comedian finished his final joke, telling them they had been a wonderful audience. The pegasi were all still laughing as they ate, barely able to focus on the rabbit performance that followed.

Rainbow was the first to finish her meal, letting out a loud belch that she would usually be proud of, only to blush as her eyes turned to Soarin's parents. That is, till Atmos let out an equally loud belch that caused Sylph to laugh and made Rainbow smile. And as Soarin got close to finishing his meal, Rainbow suddenly needed to go to the little mare's room. Windy accompanied her while Bow went to the snack bar to get himself some cheese nachos, leaving Soarin and his parents at the table.

Sylph finished off her salad next as she commented, "Rainbow's such a nice girl. You've certainly found yourself a keeper."

"Yeah..." Soarin sighed, "I know."

"So then what's stopping you from making her yours forever?" Atmos asked, Soarin turning to glare at him. "You had the perfect chance to propose and you choked. What's stopping you?"

"I got scared, okay?!" He almost yelled, making his parents flinch. "I was about to ask her, but then I got scared that Rainbow would reject me and...and I couldn't do it. Happy?!"

Both his parents stared at him, "Soarin..." Sylph placed a wing on his shoulder, "Why would you be scared? It's clear just by looking at her that Rainbow loves you."

"You don't know Rainbow like I do," Soarin replied, "She's a badass who hates being seen as girly. I'm scared she'd think that me proposing would mean she would have to start acting all girly, which would freak her out. Plus, she's a mare that always does her own thing. What if I ask her to marry me and she thinks I'm trying to turn her into an object I can own?!"

"Do you really think she would do that?" Atmos asked.

"Her parents are worried it might happen, so I think it could too! And even if it's not, just the thought that she could reject me and ruin our relationship makes me feel like I'm gonna throw up." He pushed his plate away and got up, "Maybe this was a mistake." He flew out of his seat and over to the restaurant's bar, clearly planning to wash away his sorrows with a stiff drink.

Atmos and Sylph shared a glance, only for Atmos to get up and gestured for her to follow. They got to the bar as Soarin's drink arrived, Atmos pulling it away before Soarin could even grab it. "I don't think that's gonna help you."

"You don't know. I might get so drunk I'll just blurt out a proposal."

"I don't think that's how Rainbow wants you to ask her to marry you," Sylph added.

"At least I'll actually ask her that way," Soarin moaned.

"Son, let me tell you something. When we were your age, your mother was a lot like Rainbow." Soarin went wide-eyed at this, Atmos chuckling, "It's true. She's was quite the tomcolt. She enjoyed extreme sports and hated just sitting around doing nothing." Soarin turned to his mother and she nodded as Atmos continued. "I was worried she wouldn't want to marry me for the same reason you're worried. But I didn't let that stop me."

"Well...I guess I'm just not as brave as you are," Soarin sighed as he slumped against the bar.

"Not true son. You're one of the bravest ponies imaginable. Even when you're scared, you've always chased after the things you wanted. Don't you remember when you were younger?" Soarin thought back to the time he first learned how to fly, which resulted in him falling off of Cloudsdale and plummeting for a mile before Atmos caught him. "After your accident, you were so scared of flying, you didn't even open your wings again for a month."

"Is there a point to this humiliating journey down memory lane?"

"You were terrified of flying, but look at you now. You're a Wonderbolt because you overcame that fear you had. Ever since you first saw them perform, you were determined to become the best flyer you could possibly be. When you want something, truly want something, you're able to overcome any obstacle. You overcame your fear of flying, you proved us wrong when we thought you couldn't be a Wonderbolt, and you defeated all the ponies in the best young fliers competition. And even after becoming a Wonderbolt, you continued to push yourself."

"I remember you telling us about your adventures in that lost city," Sylph added, "You faced all sorts of things there, but you still overcame them because you wanted to help your friends. You've done so much more than we ever thought you could. It's why we're so proud of you." Soarin smiled at this, only for Slyph to ask, "Son, do you want to make Rainbow your wife?"

"More than anything."

"More than you wanting to be a Wonderbolt?" Atmos asked, Soarin nodding back. "Then you know what you have to do. You were able to overcome your fear of flying to get that, you can overcome your fear of rejection to ask her that one simple question."

"Its not a simple question."

"It actually is. You just don't realize it."

Soarin sighed before getting back up, "Thanks."

"We're always here to help son," Sylph replied, "Especially if it's helping you earn the hoof of such an amazing pony."

Soarin nodded, then moaned. "Aww...I wish I hadn't chickened out back at the water fountain. Now how am I supposed to find a romantic opportunity to ask her?"

"Well, it's like you said: Rainbow doesn't seem like the romantic type." Soarin turned to his mother, "And I don't think this is something she would want an audience for. I think if she was surrounded, she would feel compelled to say yes. That might make her start to doubt her decision."

"So you're saying I should ask her someplace private?"

"And do so in a way that's more her style," Atmos added, "And actually, I might have an idea." Soarin raised an eyebrow at this. "Honey, can you keep Rainbow distracted while Soarin and I go get things ready? If you can, meet us back at the condo at sunset."

"Alright," Sylph nodded as Atmos grabbed Soarin and flew away. Sylph returned to their table and found Bow sitting there, eating his nachos and watching the magic act. At the same time, Rainbow and Windy returned to the table.

"Hey," Rainbow glanced around, "Where's Soarin?"

"Oh, he and his dad had to go get something special prepared for tonight." Rainbow raised an eyebrow while her parents stared at her, "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll enjoy the surprise when it's ready."

"Ooookay," Rainbow said slowly. "So...what are we gonna do until then?"

"Good question," Sylph replied, only to clap her hooves, "I've got it. Follow me." The four left the restaurant and headed off to an area of the strip that had a putt putt golf course. Rainbow was more than happy at this, quickly grabbing the clubs and balls.

"What's Soarin and Atmos doing?" Windy asked when her daughter was out of earshot.

"I don't know. I think we were able to convince him not to be afraid, but Atmos is the only one that knows what they're planning. All we have to do is keep Rainbow distracted until sunset, then we can head back to the condo."

They nodded as Rainbow returned. "Hey dad," Rainbow threw a club at him. "Ready to get destroyed in putt putt?"

"Ha!" Bow cackled, "Well, you are a master golfer. I'm happy to play if it means ponies get to see you in action." Rainbow smirked at this, passing Sylph and Windy their clubs before they all headed to the first hole. As it turned out, Rainbow wasn't the master golfer Bow claimed she was. When she hit the ball, she did it so hard that her ball went flying off the course...and off the cloud. It would have been lost if Rainbow hadn't flown after it. She barely managed to grab it in time, giving the others the opportunity to sink their balls.

They spent the next hour and a half playing the game, which would have only been an hour had Rainbow not constantly almost lost her ball. After that, they went to see a magic show in the same hotel that the Wild Blue Yonder was located in. They then went to see a movie in another hotel, enjoying a lot of snacks that the theater provided. By the time the film was over, the sun began to set.

"Where are Soarin and his dad?!" Rainbow asked, "How long does it take to set up...whatever the heck they're doing?!"

"I'm sure they're fine," Sylph replied, "They said to meet back up at the condo at sunset, which is right this moment."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?!" Rainbow yelped, taking to the air. "Let's get over there and see what's so special that they had to ditch us for the rest of the day!"

She flew off before the older ponies could stop her, Bow, Windy and Sylph all chuckling before following. When they arrived, they spotted Soarin and his dad standing at the front gate. As Rainbow got closer, she noticed a nervous look appear on Soarin's face.

"Hey!" she landed in front of him, "Where the heck have you been?! You missed me totally shredding up the putt putt field!"

"Sorry," Soarin responded, "My dad and I were working on something really special." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this as Soarin spread his wings. "Come on, you're gonna enjoy this." He took to the air, Rainbow following before looking back at their parents.

"Aren't you coming?"

"Nope," Atmos replied, "This is a special surprise just for you."

"Have fun," Windy added before the four headed back into the condo. Rainbow blinked at this, only for Soarin to fly down next to her.

"Come on!" He flew ahead, Rainbow following. They flew away from the residential area of Las Pegasus and even the clouds holding up the city entirely, flying further and further away.

"Where are we going?" Soarin then stopped and pointed. Rainbow followed his hoof and saw he was staring at a mountain about a mile or so away.

"That's where we're going," he replied, "Or more importantly, that's where we're racing too." Rainbow's eyes went wide at hearing this, a smirk appearing on her lips.

"Now you're talking my language." She was about to shoot off, but Soarin put his hoof in front of her.

"Hang on. There's a certain area on the other side of that mountain that's the finish line. My dad and I set up a picnic for us to enjoy. First one there gets first pick of the snacks." Rainbow cricked her hooves at this, the pair getting into an aerial pre-race position, Soarin beginning the countdown. "Three...two...one...GO!"

With that, the pair shot for the mountain as fast as they could. But as they started flying, Soarin held back, letting Rainbow to get to the mountain first. The pegasus mare laughed as she glanced back and saw her boyfriend falling behind. "Later Soar!" She then pulled ahead, getting to the mountain within a minute before searching for the picnic area.

That is, till she couldn't find it, now knowing Soarin had the advantage, since he actually knew where the finish line was. She quickly zipped around the place, only to find nothing...and Soarin was nowhere in sight. And as she kept flying, she saw a ledge that had a blanket laid out on it with a picnic basket.

"Huh," Rainbow flew down and landed on the blanket with a smirk on her face. "I win!" She cheered, only to glance around, ready to gloat at Soarin...but he was till MIA. "What the-he should have been here by now! Where the heck is he?!"

And as she said those words, a firework shot up and exploded with red light right above the picnic site. Rainbow's eyes went wide as she turned to it just as another firework exploded into an orange light. More and more fireworks appeared, exploding one after the other in each of the seven colors that made up her mane. The mare stared at the display in awe, only for her mind to go back to why this was happening where nopony in Las Pegasus could see it. She then remembered what Atmos had said, knowing he and Soarin had set this all up for her.

That is, till Soarin suddenly flew past where the fireworks were exploding, Rainbow calling out to him, but Soarin remained silent. He then stopped and turned back to Rainbow, smiling at her as several fireworks shot into the air. And as they exploded, Soarin began flying around and unleashing a trail of smoke behind him like he did during Wonderbolt shows. He zipped around, Rainbow stared at the smoke as she saw that the smoke trail was making a bunch of words.

And slowly, as the sentence formed in the sky, Rainbow's eyes went wide as Soarin completed six words, the fireworks exploding behind him to form a rainbow.


RAINBOW DASH,
WILL YOU MARRY ME?


The words remained where they were as Soarin shot down and landed in front of the mare he loved, panting and staring at the mare as she continued to look up at the sky writing with eyes so wide, it was amazing they didn't fall out.

Then, she shifted her gaze towards Soarin. "You...you're serious? This...this isn't a joke, is it?"

Soarin shook his head as the sky letters began to fade. "No, I'm serious." He slowly walked up, all the fear he had felt about her answer slowly fading away. "Rainbow Dash, you're the best thing that has ever happened to me. If some super being like Discord appeared and told me he was gonna change my entire life and I could only keep one thing about it the same, I would choose meeting you and becoming your boyfriend over anything else. Even becoming a Wonderbolt."

"Soarin..." Rainbow whispered.

"When the Storm King attacked and you had to leave to protect Twilight and Equestria, I wanted you to be safe. That's when I realized I wanted to be the thing that gave you a reason to keep pushing, to give you something to come back to. And that's what I want you to be for me. I...I realized I didn't want to live my life without you, no matter what. When I realized that, it was obvious what I had to do." He reached into the picnic basket and pulled something out. A jewelry box, which he held out to Rainbow Dash.

The mare stared at it as he opened it up, revealing a silver colored ring with a red gemstone on it.

"Rainbow Dash, will you marry me?"

Rainbow's brain stopped at this as her heart beat a million times a minute, the whole situation washing over her. Then, she did something Soarin hadn't heard from her in a long time. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She covered her mouth with her hooves as tears filled her eyes. "I...I can't believe this is happening!" Soarin's fears began to return, but then Rainbow spoke up again. "Of course I'll marry you!"

"Really?" Soarin asked, Rainbow nodding as he felt a great amount of relief overwhelm him.

"Of course! Why wouldn't I?!"

Soarin blushed and slightly glanced away, "I uh...I was a little worried you'd think getting married would be to girly for you."

Rainbow laughed at this, "Maybe. But if getting to have you in my life forever means being a little girly, I can handle it." Soarin smiled back and took the ring out, Rainbow seeing it had a string wrapped around it that allowed her to wear it around her neck. He put it on, and Rainbow felt an amazing sense of devotion overflow her. She had always thought becoming a Wonderbolt would make her feel the most happy, but this moment right now overshadowed that moment a thousand fold.

She looked down at the ring, then back to Soarin as she leaned up and started kissing him. Soarin went wide-eyed, only to start kissing her back. They did this for several minutes before pulling away, then moved over to sit on the blanket to enjoy the picnic.

"So have you been planning this all day?"

"Nope," Soarin instantly replied, "I didn't really have a plan for this. I was just gonna ask you when the time was right and...well, our parents showing up kinda complicated things, but it also helped since we didn't have to spend all day in line."

Rainbow let out a guffaw, only to ask, "Wait...did our parents know about all this?"

"Well...not at first," he responded, "I had to tell your dad because apparently, I needed his blessing." Rainbow laughed at this, now knowing her father must have spilled all the beans. Yup, she loved her family. "You can also thank my parents for helping me get up the nerve to do this. I was gonna ask you at the fountain, but I chickened out." Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this, "I got scared that you'd say no, and it'd ruin our relationship. But they helped me realize I needed to do this."

"Well, I'm glad they did," she giggled, "I might have only known your parents for a day, but they're pretty cool." Soarin nodded at this as Rainbow leaned in and started kissing him again. But as they started to fully make out, screams and cheers suddenly rang out above them. Looking up, they saw their parents dressed in hats and scarves designed around the pair.

"You did it!" Atmos cheered.

"We're so proud of you son," Sylph added as Windy looked ready to start crying. Bow was clapping and the pair just smiled at them, glad they were so happy about the situation. They shared one more glance, knowing they had both made the right choice.





Bells rang through the air at Ponyville Town Hall, the place now with clouds and lightning bolts along with several Wonderbolt banners. The place was packed, all sitting on different sides of the hall as the door opened to reveal Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, Soul and Mira, all throwing flowers as they walked in.

Five of the Mane Seven then trotted in, all in beautiful dresses and carrying bouquets. Beside them were their significant other, though Applejack was walking with Rogue, and when they reached the front, they stepped aside to allow the mare of the day to walk in.

Rainbow was slightly blushing in a beautiful white dress that highlighted her more feminine aspects. Bow was walking beside her, dressed in a suit and looking ready to start crying. And as they reached the front of the hall, Rainbow spotted Soarin standing there in his Wonderbolt dress clothes, his whole form shaking even more than she was.

Spitfire was standing beside him, the other bolts grinning as she got closer and closer, eventually reaching the front with Bow giving her off to Soarin. "Take care of her," he whispered, Soarin slowly nodding as Bow flew over to her crying mother. He then turned back to Rainbow as Mayor Mare stepped up to begin the ceremony.

Rainbow couldn't believe this was actually happening, and she couldn't believe how happy she was about it. Despite how tough and hardcore she liked to be, today she felt like a princess...and that was okay. She had the stallion of her dreams by her side and with everything she had been through, she couldn't be happier about starting a new page in her life.

She didn't know what married life would be like, but she knew that as long as Soarin was by her side, nothing would stop her. For the longest time, she had always figured being somepony's wife would mean the end of her adventurous life, but standing there, staring at the stallion she loved, she knew that wouldn't be true. Marriage was just the start of a new adventure, with many new trials for them to overcome. An adventure she couldn't wait to experience. So, when the question was asked of her, she wasn't able to say anything except those special two words even if it killed her. "I do."
> Surf and/or Turf
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a peaceful day in Ponyville, which seemed to become rarer with each passing week. The last big event had been Rainbow and Soarin's wedding, the pair having yet to return from their honeymoon in Rainbow Falls. Everypony was enjoying themselves, just waiting for the next big batch of insanity to occur and throw them all for a loop.

And it was here that Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom raced through the town, the pegasi pulling the girls in a cart with her scooter, "Excuse us!" Scootaloo yelled as she zipped passed somepony, causing them to leap back. They were about to yell at them, but then noticed the three appeared to be glowing.

It was their cutie marks, the trio excited as they shot up to the castle of friendship. Zooming up to Scootaloo's home, the flightless pegasus pulled her scooter to a stop as her friends leapt into the castle, all sprinting to the map room. But as they got close, they saw two ponies waiting for them.

"Flash, Twilight!" Scootaloo exclaimed as her brother and his girlfriend spun around, the three then yelling in unison. "WE'RE GLOWING!"

Twilight giggled at their excitement, "That's what happens when you're summoned by the map."

"And you know what that means," Flash added as the girls all nodded.

"Somepony needs our help?" Sweetie asked.

"We're being called by the Map?" Applebloom exclaimed in excitement.

"Did I mention we're glowing?!" Scootaloo continued, Twilight laughing while Flash leaned against the table.

"I know you're all excited, but you've gotta understand that this is a big responsibility." The girls all vibrated at this, only for Flash to point at them, "The map is entrusting you to help a pony, or multiple ponies, fix a problem they're having. I know helping ponies is literally your calling in life, but it's still something you have to understand is very important."

"We understand," Applebloom replied before raising her hoof, the others doing the same. "And we swear on the name of the Cutie Mark Crusaders that we won't mess around or goof off!"

"We swear!" The other two yelled, making the older ponies chuckle, only for the girls rushed to look over the map, "So, where exactly in Equestria are we needed?"

"Actually, where you're going isn't even in Equestria." Twilight pointed to the opposite side of the map, where the CMC cutie marks were circling a high mountain of some kind.

"Wow!" Sweetie whispered, "That's almost...off the table!"

"But what's way out there?" Applebloom asked, Twilight showing her a big smile in response.

"Mount Aris, the home of the Hippogriffs! And that's where you're headed!" The three fillies all stared at the mountain in amazement, all giving off the same 'whoa' as they did so. They had heard of Mount Aris from their siblings' adventures outside Equestria. The place had been a ghost town...kingdom, when they were there last. The three couldn't wait to see what it looked like now.

"We'd better go get packed," Sweetie cheered, "We need to get there as soon as possible."

"YEAH!" The girls finished before running out of the room, leaving the two older ponies behind.

"Think they realize we're coming with them?" Flash commented, Twilight letting out a giggle.

"They'll figure it out when they see us at the train station. Besides, it's not like we're foalsitting 'em. We had to go to Mount Aris anyway since Silverstream needed her permission slip signed."

"Remind me again how that didn't get done when all the other non-ponies had theirs' signed."

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But I refuse to let any of my students miss out on experiencing a fun and educational fieldtrip just because of a technicality." She then looked giddy. "Besides, this gives us an excuse to properly check out Mount Aris and see how well the hippogriffs are fitting back into their old ways."

Flash let out a guffaw, "Now there's the Twilight I know and love. Plus, we can kinda use this as an excuse to have some fun. Our last vacation wasn't exactly one we got to enjoy, and things have been insane week after week since then."

"Agreed," Twilight magicked up a list, "Starlight has agreed to take over my classes until we get back. You think Springer will be okay filling in for you?"

"You kidding? That jakhowl's been eager to try his paw at teaching my class for ages. Can't wait to get back and see if he manages to do it, or is completely in over his head."

"Which do you think will happen?"

"Hmmm..." Flash rubbed his chin at this, "I think he'll do fine. I mean, he got Ace to cooperate."

"True." Twilight finished as they began to walk out of the room.

But as they left, Fire Heart ran up to them, "Hey, is it true that Scootaloo's going to Mount Aris on a friendship mission?"

Twilight nodded back, "That's right. She, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom were all called by the map to help somepony there."

"Oh, COME ON!" Heart yelled, "Why is everypony getting to go on a friendship mission except me?! Soul, Spike and now Scootaloo?! I'm the only one who lives here that hasn't been called!"

"Springer and the jakhowl cubs haven't been called either," Flash pointed out. "Though if they were, I've gotta wonder what would start glowing. Maybe those spikes on their paws?"

Twilight then patted Heart on the head, "I know this feels like you're being singled out, but the map chooses who it chooses for a reason. I'm sure when it finds a pony it thinks you can help, it'll pick you."

Heart let out a grumble, only for Flash to ruffle his hair, "Besides, I need you to stick around here. With me gone, Ponyville will be one protector down. I need somepony to help out if anything happens while I'm gone." This got Heart to smile, Flash winking at him before they walked away, ready to start their new task.





Three hours later...

Sweetie and Applebloom were walking up to the train station, Sweetie carrying two suitcases in her magic while Applebloom had one case balanced on her back. "This is gonna be so great!" Applebloom cheered, "The Cutie Mark Crusaders, off on a whirlwind adventure to a place very few ponies have ever been to solve a problem!"

Sweetie nodded back, "We could end up fixing a problem that gets written about in hippogriff history, meaning we would go do in hippogriff history!" That got Applebloom even more excited, only to go wide-eyed as they saw two ponies standing near the train, "Flash, Twilight?"

"What are you two doing here?" Applebloom asked as the whistle of the approaching train filled the air.

"We're coming with you," Flash replied, the two flinching at those words, "What, you think we'd let you three travel way outside of Equestria all on your own?"

"WHAT?!" The girls yelped, both dropping their bags as the train pulled up to the station.

"Come on," Flash chuckled, "Rarity and Applejack would kill us if they found out we let you go to a place so far away."

The girls frowned at this as the passengers on the train began to get off. "You two really don't need to come with us," Sweetie responded, "We can take care of this mission just fine on our own." Applebloom nodded in agreement, but then heard a loud 'yeah' and looked down the platform to see Scootaloo racing up on her scooter. But as she did this, a train worker was pushing a bunch of cases on a trolley, accidently hitting her. The case mountain collapsed on her and the other girls, making Flash and Twilight flinch as the CMC were buried in a mound of clothing. Sweetie was at the bottom of the pile, the filly spitting out a scarf.

Flash fought back a laugh as Twilight used her magic to free the girls and repack the cases. "I know that," Twilight commented, "But I'm not so sure the ponies who care about you want you going off so far on your own. Besides, there's some school business we need to take care of on Mount Aris." She took out the piece of paper Silverstream had sheepishly returned unsigned, "This permission slip is for Silverstream. It's very important that her mother and father sign it, or else no field trips."

"You both need to go in order to do that?" Applebloom asked, causing the older ponies to blush as Scootaloo leaned over to her friends.

"Sounds like somepony just wants a vacation." They all giggled at this, making them blush even harder.

"Easy," Flash growled, "I might not be able to stop you from going on this mission, but I can ground you when we get back."

That shut Scootaloo up while the other girls continued to laugh.

"Okay, yes," Twilight put the permission slip away. "I have been wanting to visit Mount Aris ever since the Hippogriffs moved back. But it's purely research." The girls smirked, knowing what 'research' really meant. "Silverstream's brother is gonna meet us there and take us to their houses."

"Really? They have more than one house?"

"I guess so," Twilight replied, "The social structure of the Hippogriffs and seaponies is a bit of a mystery."

"All aboard!" The conductor then yelled behind them. "Last stop, the new Mount Aris Station!" They heard many ponies around them chatter in interest, all looking forward to seeing what Mount Aris looked like. This included the CMC as the five of them climbed aboard.

The trip to Mount Aris was quite a long one, but none of the passengers were at all bored. All excited to see the fabled hippogriff homeland, that excitement increased when Applebloom began to tell the tale of how the hippogriffs were forced to flee underwater and become seaponies when the Storm King attacked. And as she finished the story, which ended up being a little slenderized to make Applejack look more important than she was, the overhead speaker spoke up that they were now arriving at Mount Aris.

The group rushed to the windows, marveling at the sight. Flash and Twilight also looked out, happy to see how different the place was from the last time they had been there. The train was currently rolling over the land bridge that connected Mount Aris to the mainland, which was now completely different. The last time Flash and Twilight had been there, the section of the mountain had been completely empty, but now multiple buildings had been constructed, including a train station.

"Guess it makes sense," Flash commented, "They spent so long under water that some of the hippogriffs never lived on Mount Aris."

Twilight nodded, "Of course they would want to live closer to the sea." The train pulled up and everypony disembarked, with Flash, Twilight and the CMC stepping out of the carriage.

"Alright," Sweetie glanced around. "So what kind of cutie mark-related friendship problem do you think we're supposed to solve?"

"I don't know," Twilight replied, "But Hippogriffs don't have cutie marks, so it might not have anything to do with that at all." The CMC stopped at this and glanced over at some hippogriffs that had been on the train with them, noticing their rather blank flanks.

"Huh..." Applebloom hummed. "Still, the map did call us, so it must be a kind of problem that only we can solve." The other two nodded as they all raised their hooves high and clapped them together. "GO CRUSADERS!"

"But how do we know exactly who we're supposed to help?"

Scootaloo smiled at this and winked before clearing her voice. "Attention, please!" This caused everyone on the platform to turn to her, "Anygriff here have a problem?" The hippogriffs responded by shaking their heads and walking off, all looking rather happy with their lives at that moment. "Eh," Scootaloo turned to the others, "That's all I got." Flash facehoofed as Applebloom turned to Twilight.

"Maybe if the map could be a little more specific about our mission, like maybe...an address?" This made the older ponies laugh.

"Rookies," Flash chuckled as Twilight shook her head.

"The map doesn't really work like that. But I'm sure you and whoever needs help will find each other."

"How?" Sweetie asked, "Will the map send them a mental message telling them we're here? Because if it can do that, why can't it tell them how to fix the problem themselves?" This made the older ponies laugh again.

"It's not that simple," Flash replied, "From past experience, we've learned that the problem you're sent to find normally just shows up on its own. Let's focus on what me and Twilight came to do, and if that doesn't help you find the problem, we'll start doing a more thorough search."

The girls all nodded back, the group soon making their way off the station. The building was right next to the beach, the group then hearing a splashing sound followed by a voice. "Excuse me! Miss Sparkle?" They all turned to the voice, "Over here!" Out in the ocean was a seapony they recognized from Heart and Soul's tale about their time in Seaquestria. "Sorry I'm late."

"You're Terramar, right?" Flash asked, the seapony nodding as Applebloom turned to her friends.

"A Hippogriff can have a seapony for a brother? How does that work exactly?"

"Shhh!" Sweetie hissed, "It's rude to ask a question like that!" But in that moment, a bright light filled the air and they looked back to see Terramar being wrapped up in a cocoon of magic. When it faded, the seapony was replaced by a hippogriff version of him.

"Whoa!" Scootaloo gasped as Terramar flew over and landed on the pier behind them.

"Can I ask now?" Applebloom asked as Terramar chuckled.

"It is kind of strange," Terramar nodded, "See, after the Storm King was defeated, the seaponies didn't have to hide anymore. So, some of them changed back to Hippogriffs and went home to Mount Aris."

Twilight then continued, "But others got used to living under the water and stayed in Seaquestria."

Terramar nodded. "And me? Well, I kind of go back and forth with this." He pointed to his neck and the ponies saw he was wearing a necklace similar to the one Silverstream wore, that had a tiny pink gem shard on it. "It's a tiny piece of the magic pearl. It was split up among our kingdoms."

The CMC all stared at it as Flash looked at the gem and was reminded of something. "I don't wanna sound negative, but did Queen Novo get that idea from Wingill?"

Terramar frowned at that, the name of the traitor making him scowl, "Yeah. The gem shard was stolen by him a long time ago, but when Queen Novo heard your story about him, she realized the pearl could still work over a long period of time even after being split up."

"Well, I guess some good came from his betrayal," Flash added, the others glancing back and forth.

"Well," Twilight coughed into her hoof, "I'm pretty eager to see the Hippogriff village. You know, to...get this form signed." She showed them the form as she stuttered out, "And...research! So..." She walked off, Flash following her as the younger ponies trotted behind.

"Hey, Terramar?" Applebloom turned to the shapeshifter, "Does anygriff you know up there have a problem they need help with?"

Terramar's first response was to laugh. "On Mount Aris?" He shook his head. "No. Everygriff is pretty happy up there." They all looked up to the mountain, which was much more vibrant looking than it had been the last time Flash and Twilight were there. Terramar then let out a happy sigh, "It's a great place to live."

The journey up the mountain didn't seem as long as the last time Flash had been there. Maybe it was because the last time he had travelled up it he had barely slept in three days, running on an empty stomach and had still been suffering from Corrupted Shadow poisoning. This time it was quite a lovely stroll, the view being worth the climb as they arrived at the hippogriff village, finding the place to be as lively as one of Pinkie's parties. The formerly overgrown greenery had been pruned back, but enough was left to give it life while the houses had been repaired, repainted and had every piece of dust and cobwebs removed.

Multiple hippogriffs were enjoying themselves, with some of the youngest chicks running around laughing while the older ones talked and enjoyed an assortment of foods and drinks they had likely been starved of during their time underwater. Things certainly were different from the last time they were there.

"Wow..." Twilight gasped, "This looks amazing! Last time I was here, it was a ghost town!"

"We were worried the Storm King had already gotten to you all," Flash nodded. "It's great to see the place looking so lively."

"Yeah," Terramar chuckled, "Queen Novo thought it was important to return our village to its former glory." As he said that, Flash noticed a hippogriff raising a flag that blew in the wind. At the same time, several hippogriff began to play horns as a blue one in ceremonial armor flew down and landed next to the post.

"And now," he announced. "I officially open the 'Glad to Be a Hippogriff' Festival!" Two hippogriffs blew their horns as the others cheered, looking like somepony had just announced Heartswarming and Hearts and Hooves day was gonna be tomorrow. Another armored hippogriff stepped up and the pair bowed before shooting into the air, both flying around and playing some kind of game the ponies didn't quite get.

"Wow!" Scootaloo exclaimed, "We picked a good day to show up!"

"Not really," Terramar responded, "We do this every weekend. Hippogriffs really like being Hippogriffs." Another loud cheered filled the air as the two hippogriffs landed, the blue one turning to them.

"There's my boy!" He ran over, Terramar smiling back.

"Hi Dad." The pair hugged as the hippogriff looked him over.

"Haven't seen you in days, son. Wish you'd come around more often." He ruffled Terramar's head feathers, Terramar shrugging back.

"Oh!" He pointed to the ponies, "Dad, these are some of Silverstream's friends from Equestria. They came up to-" He stopped when the hippogriff gasped.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" He let out a super loud screech, causing the ponies to all cover their ears as the other hippogriffs turned to them. "Attention, everygriff! Princess Twilight Sparkle is here! She's Silverstream's teacher!" This caused a lot of gasps from the hippogriffs, all quickly racing over.

"Hey!" Flash yelped, "I'm her teacher too."

"Of course," the hippogriff nodded, "How could we not know of the great Flash Sentry?!" The pegasus smirked at this as the hippogriffs all surrounded the pair. "Here to take in the marvel that is Mount Aris, your Highness?"

"Absolutely!" Twilight cheered before taking out the permission slip. "And to have you sign a form for Silverstream."

"Glad to!" The hippogriff replied, "But first, let's show our guests some real Mount Aris hospitality! To the refreshment tent for a thing of salmon juice!" The hippogriffs all nodded and began to head off, Twilight and Flash following before the princess glanced back.

"Looks like its research time. See you three later! And good luck! I know you'll find your mission!" They nodded as the two followed the hippogriffs, Flash calling out over his shoulder.

"Just don't do anything that might cause problems!" The girls nodded again as they all headed for the refreshment tent. As they walked in, they stared at the food before seeing Terramar's father fill a trio of cups with a pink liquid.

"Here," he gave them both a drink, "Salmon juice to get you in the festival mood." Flash and Twilight both frowned as they looked down at the aforementioned juice. Being ponies, they very rarely had anything that wasn't plant based. The only products they regularly ate that came from animals were eggs and milk, but Flash just shrugged.

"Eh. Bottoms up," Flash and Twilight clicked their cups together before swigging the drinks down. As soon as the liquid flew down their gullets, they both felt an overwhelming urge to chuck it back up. But, not wanting to be rude, they managed to swallow.

"It's...unusual," Twilight told the hippogriff, "Hippogriffs certainly have an interesting diet."

"Oh yes," he nodded. "You can thank our bird heritage for that. In ancient times, the first hippogriff would fly over the ocean and scoop up fish to eat and feed to our young. Why do you think we have these amazing claws?"

"Oh..." the two slowly replied, putting their half empty cups down.

"So uh..." Flash began before trying to shine a small smile, "Sorry, I don't think we ever actually got your name."

"Sky Beak," the hippogriff replied.

"Nice to meet ya. So, how are you all enjoying being back above the water? After so long under the sea, returning to the land must have been tricky."

"Oh, it was for some of us. Why do you think so many of the hippogriffs made their new homes down near the beach? But for me, it was an easy decision to make." He swigged down his salmon juice and sighed. "I was one of the last hippogriffs to head down under the water when the Storm King arrived. For years after then, I longed to be back above the water. But I knew doing so would put everygriff in danger of being discovered."

Flash and Twilight nodded at this, "But now you won't ever have to worry about having your home attacked ever again. Now that the hippogriffs have joined the U.F.C." Flash smirked at the mention of the federation, his idea having been quickly adopted and made the new name of the alliance between ponies, changelings, dragons, jakhowls and hippogriffs, with the yaks and hopefully griffons soon to join as well. "If anypony ever tries to force you to surrender, know that Equestria will be there to help."

"And that makes us all very happy," Sky Beak added as the hippogriffs around him cheered. "Now princess, why don't you join us for a few games? I'd love to see how well ponies stack up against hippogriffs in horse toss." Twilight excitedly nodded and they all headed off.

Flash stayed at the tent and licked his lips at the sight of some spring rolls, the pegasus grabbing one. He took a large bite out of it, only to spit it out. "Augh!" he moaned, "What kind of spring rolls are these?"

"Sushi," the hippogriff at the stall smiled while Flash frowned. He threw the rest in a nearby trash can and walked out of the tent, only to spot a blue hippogriff with a yellow and pink mane and tail.

"Soft Current?" The hippogriff turned to him and smiled.

"Mr. Sentry," the mother of one of his enemies flew over to him. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too," Flash responded, "I was wondering if you decided to come up to Mount Aris or stay in Seaquestria."

Soft let out a small sigh at this, "My son was so determined to see what this place looked like that I...I realized I had to come up and try to make a place for him to live if he ever returned."

Flash grimaced at this, only to reply, "Well...I'm sure that when he returns, you'll have a great home waiting for him." Soft nodded at this before Flash heard a roar of cheering, the defender turning to see Twilight celebrating, "Somepony's obviously having fun."

"So what brings you to Mount Aris?" Soft Current asked next.

"Well, the official reason is that we need Silverstream's parents to sign a permission slip for her," Flash replied, "Another is my sister and her friends were summoned to this place to do an important task, and they needed somepony to keep an eye on them. But mostly, I'm hoping Twilight and I can have some fun. Being the embodiment of friendship, protectors of the realm and leaders of a school can be pretty stressful sometimes and...well, you just need to enjoy yourself ever once and a while or you'll end up burning out."

"I understand completely," Soft nodded, "I'm sure you and the princess deserve as much fun as you can handle. But if you need both parents to sign the permission slip, you're gonna have to get wet."

"Huh?"

"Ocean Flow, Silverstream's mother, is a seapony of Seaquestria."

"Ah. So that's what Silverstream meant by houses." He put his hoof to his chin, "Wait, how can Sky Beak and Ocean Flow live in two different places? Aren't they married?"

"They were," Soft sighed, "But when it came time to decide where we wanted to live, the two chose to go their separate ways."

"I can't believe they would do that." Flash spun around, his eyes staring at the Twilight, "I don't think I could ever leave Twilight. If they loved each other, they should have made it work somehow."

Soft shook her head, "Life isn't that simple. Sky Beak and Ocean Flow did love each other. And that's why they had to let the other go." Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "Sky Beak knew how much Ocean Flow loved living in Seaquestria, and Ocean Flow knew Sky Beak longed for Mount Aris again. They realized that even if they were together, one of them would never be truly happy living in the other's chosen realm. That's why they chose to go their separate ways. Because if you truly love something or someone...you have to be willing to let them go so they can be happy. And they are."

Flash let this information sink in, hearing another cheer from Twilight as she won the ring toss. "I'm not sure I could do that."

"Very few would," Soft giggled, "And I hope you and your loved one are never put into that position." As she said that, she heard somegriff call out her name and turned to smile at them. She gave Flash a nod and a hope that he'll come again before flying off, leaving Flash to head over to where Twilight was.

"Flash!" Twilight cheered as she held a trophy in her magic, "Check it out."

"Nice," Flash chuckled, "Now you finally have something to put on your physical activities trophy shelf. That third grade participation trophy was probably getting lonely."

"Funny," Twilight grumbled, "Anyway, I got Sky Beak to sign the permission slip. Once we have Silverstream's mother sign it, we'll be able to enjoy ourselves until the girls finish their mission."

"Well luckily, I managed to locate her. Although...you might wanna cast a spell to make the permission slip water-proof." Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, "She lives in Seaquestria."

"Oh. So that's what Silverstream meant by houses."

"Yup," Flash nodded, "That probably should have been obvious now that you think about it. Let's go check on those three first though." Twilight nodded back as they started to walk away, the pair asking around about the CMC until one hippogriff said he spotted them heading for the Harmonizing Heights.

Getting some directions, the pair flew off, soon hearing a beautiful melody fill the air. "Wow..." Twilight whispered, "Do you hear that?" They then reached the area, glancing down to see a giant open plain located at the very top of the mountain. The land was covered in grass and trees, with crystal clear streams running through it, but no source of the music. And as they continued to fly, they spotted the CMC along with Terramar.

They swooped down next, only to see Sweetie looking annoyed at something the others had said before turning to leave. The pair then landed in front of them, Twilight having a wide smile on her face. "Hey, everypony! This festival is fantastic! Look what I won at the ring toss booth!" She held up the trophy, her excitement obvious until she realized who she was talking to before putting it away. "Ahem. But of course, I'm really here on business." She pointed at Terramar, "Sky Beak's already signed the form. Now I just need your mom's signature."

"Um," Applebloom held up a hoof, "She's a seapony...in Seaquestria."

"We know," Twilight replied, "But we can't get underwater without a hippogriff. Plus, we don't know where the house is."

Terramar nodded back, "If you'd like to meet my mom, we're just heading down there now."

Twilight smiled at this as Applebloom raised an eyebrow, "And how exactly are we gonna visit underwater?"

"The same way we visited them last time," Flash responded, "Although..." he pointed at the pearl fragment, "Will that small piece be strong enough to change us all?"

"It shouldn't be a problem," Terramar replied, "It probably can't change every hippogriff like the full pearl once did, but the six of us shouldn't be an issue." Flash and Twilight nodded while the girls looked excited, confused and nervous about transforming into an entirely different species.

"Don't worry," Twilight assured them, "The transformation process is completely harmless and when it's over, it'll be like you put on a tail costume to go swimming in." Instead of heading through the village and walking all the way down the mountain again, Twilight teleported them all back to the beach.

"Whoa..." Terramar stumbled back, "That was weird."

"You get used to it," Flash sighed.

"Alright..." the hippogriff shook his head before stepping into the water. The others followed him in, the water feeling rather warm despite being the ocean. Once they were all soaked, they swam over to Terramar as the hippogriff held out his claw. One by one, they all joined hooves as Scootaloo grabbed Terramar's claw. He then touched the pearl shard and as he did, it unleashed a burst of magic that flowed from him, to Scootaloo to Flash to Twilight, to Applebloom and finally to Sweetie. In a flash of light, they were all transformed, their back hooves and tails merging into a large fish tail while their bodies became less buoyant, causing them to sink. The girls all tried to hold their breath, but seeing the others happily breathe caused them to open their mouths.

"Wow!" Scootaloo cheered as she started swimming around, giggling as she swam through some seaweed. "Woo-hoo!" She swam back to them as Flash joined her in swimming in circles around the others, "Yeah!" She giggled before stopping and grabbing her tail "Whoa! This must be just like flying! Woo-hoo!" She twirled around and Flash laughed.

"I guess it is."

Applebloom turned to the hippogriff, "Where's your mom's house, Terramar?"

"Come on," he gestured to them, "It's this way." They soon followed, Scootaloo continuing to cheer as she enjoyed swimming like never before. Flash looked around and got a strange sense of deja vu as he looked around.

"This place seems familiar," he commented before snapping his hoof. "Right, I didn't really get a good chance to see it last time. This is the area Queen Novo sent us through when we...were...uh..." he glanced over at Twilight. The alicorn realized he was about to say when they were banished after she attempted to steal the pearl, the princess blushing at this.

They soon arrived at the underwater cavern that housed the seaponies of Seaquestria, the CMC gasping at the sight, especially of the giant castle that hung from the ceiling. Flash and Twilight also noticed there weren't as many buildings as the last time, guessing some had likely been removed or even taken apart and sent above ground to be used to make the hippogriff homes.

Another difference from the last time was how lively the place was. No longer were the seaponies hiding behind rocks or not daring to make a sound for fear of being discovered, most now out in the open and all laughing as they played or talked.

Terramar led them up to one of the houses closest to the castle, Flash and Twilight realizing this made sense given Terramar was related to the queen. He pointed at the house as they got closer and opened the door, the group looking inside and seeing a yellow seapony with pink fins. "Mom!"

The seapony turned and gasped at the sight, "Terramar!" She pulled him into a hug. "Welcome home, baby!" When they pulled away, she pushed her finned hoof into his snout. "No excuses. This time, you're staying for dinner." Terramar chuckled at this before turning to the others.

"Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom, this is my mom Ocean Flow." He gestured to the adults, "And this is-"

"Princess Twilight Sparkle!" Ocean Flow gasped before swimming over, "And Flash Sentry as well. What an honor! You know, Silverstream just raves about you two. Your Courage lessons are some of her favorites."

Twilight smiled back. "Well, she is one of our most hardworking students. In fact, I brought this form for you to sign so that-"

"Both my children are so smart," Ocean Flow exclaimed as she took the permission slip. "Would you like to see their baby pictures?"

"MOM!" Terramar screeched, the others all laughing.

"Oh, that sounds adorable! I'd love to!" Twilight replied before glancing over at the others. "And you know, to find out about aquatic pony early development and, uh..."

The girls giggled, "Research."

"Oh," Ocean Flow gestured to the table beside them. "Well, maybe your friends would like a snack while we're gone? Some kelp chips? Fish oil tea?"

"Fish oil tea?" Flash asked, "Underwater? How the heck does it not float away?"

Twilight laughed at this, "Not all liquids are the same Flash. Some liquids are denser than others, so they sink. Heck, there can be entire bodies of water underneath the water. A lake under the ocean."

"Yes," Ocean Flow nodded, "In fact, we have such a lake not too far from here. Our soldiers use it train and strengthen their swimming abilities. If you can swim through that, swimming through normal water is a piece of cake." She turned to the table, "Speaking of cake, would you all like some seaweed cake?"

"No thanks, Mom." Terramar gestured for the others to follow. "I'm gonna go show them around." Ocean Flow nodded as the four younglings swam outside, leaving the adults to move over to several couches that were nailed to the floor. Flash and Twilight both tried to sit down, only to find themselves floating off it.

"Blast it!" Flash grumbled, swishing his fins around to push him back to the couch. "How are you supposed to relax when you could float away at any moment? Heck, how do you go to sleep without floating out an open window?!"

Ocean Flow giggled at this. "Yes, it was a bit of a challenge when we all first came down here. But over time, we got used to it. You naturally learn how not to float away. But my couch has seat-belts if you want some help." The ponies grabbed the belts sticking out between the cushions, soon strapping themselves in, "And to answer your other question, seaponies sleep in special beds that have lids we can lock into place. Most of the time, they're designed like clams. Would you like to see?"

"We're good," Twilight responded, "But we would like to see those baby pictures."

"Yeah," Flash smirked, "I'll enjoy teasing Silverstream about it back home." Ocean Flow nodded and swam out of the room, returning a moment later with a thick book. She sat between them and opened it up.

"Aww," Twilight squealed, seeing a baby picture of Terramar and Silverstream. "They are so adorable."

"Aren't they?" Ocean Flow smiled as she turned a page to show them another one. "You should have seen it when they were first born. Silverstream started swimming within days. She couldn't do it properly mind you, but she was always trying to learn."

"Nice," Flash nodded before an idea formed in his head. "Not to be rude, but how exactly do seaponies reproduce? I'm guessing hippogriff lay eggs. Is that the same for seaponies?"

"In a way," she responded, "Do you know how most fish reproduce?"

Twilight nodded. "The female lay a clutch of eggs and the male fertilize them."

"Yes, only we seaponies lay but one egg, maybe sometimes two or even three. The egg is kept in a special container that they incubate within until it's time for them to hatch."

"So...you don't have to sit on them?" Flash asked, "Although I guess that would be kind of difficult." Ocean Flow laughed at this.

"You do need to keep the egg safe. It can't be moved around too much and the water around the incubator needs to be at a certain temperature. It needs to be between one and fifteen degrees. Anything below or above that for more than a few minutes is dangerous to its development. And of course, the temperature determines the gender of the hatchling."

"It does?" Twilight gasped, with Ocean Flow nodding again.

"If the egg remains below eight degrees for the first few weeks, the hatchling will develop as a female. Above that and it becomes a male."

"Fascinating," Twilight whispered, "Is that true for hippogriffs?"

"I'm not sure. I've never had to look after a hippogriff egg. You'll have to ask somepony else."

They nodded as Twilight suddenly frowned. "Um...is there anywhere I can go to the bathroom around here? In fact, how do I go to the bathroom in this body?"

Ocean Flow laughed and got up off the couch. "I'll show you." She led Twilight out of the room while Flash got up off the couch and swam around to take a closer look at the place. The entire house was decorated in seashells and other underwater ornaments, only to see a picture frame that held a photo that looked like it was taken above the water. It showed Ocean Flow, only she was younger and appeared to be in her hippogriff form, alongside Sky Beak and several others, including Queen Novo.

Sky Beak and Ocean Flow were both leaning against one another, looking happy.

"That was taken a few weeks before the Storm King attacked." He spun around to see Ocean Flow swimming into the room. "It was one of the last times my friends and I were all able to enjoy ourselves above water until you defeated the Storm King."

"My friends were the ones who beat him," Flash replied, "I was...busy elsewhere." He looked back at the picture, "You and Sky Beak looked really happy together."

"Oh, we were." She took the picture, "Though we had several very different ideas of fun. He loved flying around and training to fight in the sky."

"And you didn't?" Flash asked.

"I've always had a fear of heights," she put the picture down. "Though it was more a fear of falling. That's why I loved it when we came down below the ocean. Kinda hard to fall when you're surrounded in water."

"But you and Sky Beak still loved each other," Flash pointed out. "Even with how different you both were."

"Yes, watching him leave was very difficult. Even harder when Silverstream chose to go with him. But it was the right thing to do. He belongs in the sky and I belong down here, in the deep. Terramar's always telling me how much Sky Beak is enjoying his life back on Mount Aris. And I know he's glad I'm enjoying my life down here."

"Even though you two have to be apart?"

"We're not apart," Ocean Flow shook her head, "We're just...not together. Besides, I have Terramar. Whenever he's around, it's like Sky Beak is still with me in some way. And I'm sure Sky Beak feels the same way about Terramar." As she said that, Twilight swam back into the room.

"Ugh..." Twilight blushed, "That was...quite an experience."

"Yes, it takes some getting used to. Now, would you like some snacks?"

The pair nodded, deciding it couldn't be any worse than the seafood they had tried with Sky Beak. Seapony food seemed more the two's speed as they snacked, Twilight getting Ocean Flow to sign the permission slip as they continued discussing the many ways seaponies spent their days.

A little while later, Terramar returned with the girls. Both Sweetie and Scootaloo looked upset, with Sweetie asking if they could head back up above the water since she wanted to go back to Harmonising Heights.

"Oh," Ocean Flow frowned, "You're going? That's a shame."

"Sorry mom," Terramar replied, "There are still a few things on the surface I wanted to show them."

Ocean Flow nodded and gave Terramar a hug. "Well, don't be a stranger sweetheart. And give my best to your father." Terramar slowly nodded before they left the ocean building, seeing several seaponies swimming around. And as they got higher and higher, Flash noticed Sweetie's frown slowly fade while Scootaloo's struck around.

When they got back to the surface, Terramar used his pearl shard to transform them all back into their land dwelling forms. Sweetie Belle seemed rather happy to be back on four hooves, though Flash noticed Scootaloo still had a pout on her face. But before he could ask what was up, a loud squawking sound caused them to look up and see Sky Beak and several other hippogriffs. "Princess Twilight! Sir Sentry! You're back! And just in time for the screeching competition."

"Oh, why not?" Twilight giggled before looking back at the others. "Could be another trophy in my future! Be back soon!"

"Hey!" Flash yelled as she trotted off, "You already won one trophy. It's my turn to win one." He flew after her and the pair laughed along with the hippogriffs as they flew up towards the cliffs. "So, how's this contest work exactly?"

"Simple," Sky Beak explained as they flew to another part of the mountain, "This area of the mountain has some great acoustics, so if you screech into it loud enough, there'll be an echo. The winner is the one whose screech repeats the most times."

As he said that, one hippogriff stepped up to the edge of the cliff. He took a deep breath and unleashed a mighty screech, which echoed through the canyon with Flash counting seven repeats. The hippogriffs all cheered as another one stepped up to replace the first. He squawked and his only repeated five times, with the hippogriff all continuing to applaud though, not as much as the last one.

On by one, the hippogriff all screeched into the canyon. The echoes were of varying different amounts, with the lowest being three and the highest being ten.

"Well," Sky Beak turned to the pair, "Would you two like to have a go?" They both nodded and Twilight walked up first, the princess clearing her throat as she prepared to let out a mighty cry. She then let out a high pitched screeching sound, trying to sound as much like a hippogriff as possible. The hippogriff all grinned at this as Twilight's voice echoed into the canyon, but it only repeated three times. She sighed at this as the hippogriff clapped, the mare returning to the others.

"That was excellent," Sky Beak commented, "Truly one of the best screeches from a non-hippogriff I've ever heard."

"How many non-hippogriffs have you heard screech?" Flash asked, making Sky Beak blink.

"Including the princess...one." Twilight sighed as Flash chuckled. "Would you like the try again, now that you have the hang of it?"

"Yeah!" Flash continued to chuckle, "If you want, I can step on your hoof for you. That might get a louder screech."

"Funny," Twilight laughed. "But no, I think I'll just watch the rest of the hippogriffs compete." She trotted over as the three hippogriffs that all got tens stepped up to try and outdo each other.

As she did this, Sky Beak turned to Flash. "I must say, you and the princess have such a strong connection with each other. The way you talk with one another, I've only seen it a few time with griffs and seaponies."

"Thanks," Flash nodded. "Twilight and I have been together since we were kids, though our relationship's still pretty new."

"Ah, love from youth...I remember that quite well."

"You and Ocean Flow, you mean?" Sky Beak nodded. "Do you ever miss her?"

"Of course. But I know I made the right decisions coming back to Mount Aris. With Queen Novo choosing to stay below the waves in Seaquestria, our people needed somegriff to lead them and keep the peace. It's where I belong."

"Even though you had to give up the mare you loved?"

Sky Beak smiled as he placed a claw on the pegasi's shoulder. "The world isn't always sunshine and roses kid. You're one of your kingdom's greatest heroes, so you must understand that with great power comes great responsibility. One day you may find you have to make a choice like mine. To stay with the mare you love, or to do something that'll take you away from her but allow her to live the life she deserves."

Those words made Flash's mind go back to when he had met the Fire Heart of the future. He knew what it meant, and given the scar Heart now wore...it was still going to happen. "I know what you mean." Flash sighed, "I just...I just hope I never have to make that choice."

"We all do kid," Sky Beak responded, "We all do." As he said that, a round of applause made them turn to see a hippogriff get lifted into the air. Sky Beak went over to join them as Twilight stepped over to Flash.

"This place is amazing!" She cheered with a kick of her front legs. "What's been your favorite part Flash?"

"Oh," Flash responded, "Wel...it's all been pretty cool. Don't think I could pick one thing."

"Same," Twilight replied, "Too bad the girls weren't able to enjoy any of it. They've been so busy looking for their mission."

"Did we ever find out if they found their mission?" Flash asked, Twilight shaking her head in response. "Well, we should probably go check on them. If they haven't found it by now, they might need a bit of help."

"I guess so. We can't directly interfere though."

"I know." Flash responded as they took to the air, soon flying down back to the beach. They spotted the trio there, Scootaloo and Sweetie sitting back to back with their front legs crossed and sour expressions on their lips. AppleBloom was standing between them, talking to them one at a time.

As they got closer, they heard what Applebloom was saying. "Sweetie Belle says it's your fault that Terramar ran-" She stopped, "Oh. Wait. I already told you that, didn't I?"

"Hey!" Flash called out as they landed, "What's going on here?"

Twilight glanced around, "Where's Terramar?"

"Uh..." Applebloom scratched the back of her head. "Well...he uh...he kinda left. He wanted to be by himself."

"Which was not my fault!" Scootaloo cried.

"Mine either!" Sweetie added.

"Well, of course not." Twilight smiled at them, "Why would you think that?" They watched as Scootaloo and Sweetie glanced at Applebloom, who simply backpedaled before they all looked at each other.

"Because it was our fault," they said together while looking down, Scootaloo then adding, "All we had to do was help him choose which world to live in."

"And we let him down," Sweetie sighed.

"Choose which world to live in?" Flash asked, "What are you talking?"

Applebloom stepped up at this, "The Map sent us here because Terramar couldn't decide whether to live as a hippogriff or a seapony. We were supposed to help him choose."

"Whoever said that he had to choose?" Twilight asked as the girls raised an eyebrow.

"Well...he did."

"Huh," Twilight stroked her chin, "Maybe Terramar's making it harder than it has to be?"

"Yoo-hoo! Princess!" They glanced over to the ocean, now spotting Ocean Flow and two other seaponies, "We're having a seashell-crafting circle. Care to join us?"

"Actually," Twilight scratched the back of her head, "We're right in the middle of-"

"There you are!" They spun around to see Sky Beak and several other hippogriff land behind them. "The flag-folding ceremony's about to begin!"

"Thank you," Twilight replied, "Really, I've had a great time in both places today, but..." She glanced between hippogriff and seapony, and then leaned over to the others and whispered, "Wow. This must be how Terramar feels all the time."

"Oh!" They heard Ocean Flow speak up, "Hello, Sky Beak."

"Ocean Flow!" Sky Beak smiled. "You're looking well." The hippogriff and seaponies all got up to the beach, talking and laughing as they caught up. Terramar's parents hugged, this sight giving the Crusaders pause.

"Hmmm," Sweetie smiled, "This gives me an idea." She walked up to Sky Beak and Ocean Flow, "Excuse me. Can we talk about something important?"

"Of course," Ocean Flow nodded.

"What's up?" Sky Beak asked.

"Well," Sweetie took a deep breath, "My friends and I were sent here to help your son. He's been having a hard time lately."

"He has?" Both parents asked, the crusaders nodding back.

"He thinks he has to choose whether to live as a seapony or a hippogriff," Applebloom added, "And he's had such a hard time he now thinks it's better if he doesn't pick either land or sea."

"Oh dear," Ocean Flow gulped, "I can't believe he was feeling this way and we didn't notice."

Sky Beak sighed, "I guess I've just been so excited about returning to Mount Aris that I didn't think he would have any issues."

Flash stepped up at this, "Sounds to me like the problem isn't that he has issues being on Mount Aris. I think he doesn't want to give up either world, land or sea. But does he have too?"

"Of course not," Sky Beak instantly responded, "If he loves Seaquestria, he can spend as much time as he wants there."

"The same with Mount Aris," Ocean Flow nodded, only for the couple to share a glance as they both blushed, "Though...I guess we should have explained that to him."

"Agreed." Sky Beak nodded. "Let's go find him."

"Leave that to us," Scootaloo chimed in.

Sweetie raised her hoof at this, "In the meantime, I have an idea that'll help Terramar feel a lot better and help him understand he doesn't need to choose."

As it turned out, Sweetie's idea was a beach picnic. Ocean Flow and Sky Beak quickly spread the word about it as Flash and Twilight helped move all the food from Mount Aris and Seaquestria to the beach. The hippogriffs and seaponies were all excited by the idea, many wanting to see ponies that lived in the other kingdom that they had to say goodbye to. When the CMC brought Terramar back, he was amazed when he saw his parents and everyone else, the two soon explaining he didn't have to choose, he could keep going back and forth like he had been.

This had resulted in the CMC completing their mission, their cutie marks soon glowing. To celebrate, they all sat and enjoyed the beach picnic. Though they soon discovered that salmon juice was not a good drink for ponies.

"This was nice," Twilight commented as she and Flash sat on the beach, watching the sun go down. "I'm glad we came. Its a shame we have to return home tomorrow."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "But we can always come back the next time we have some time off. Or who knows, maybe another hippogriff student will need their permission slip signed." Twilight laughed at this as they heard splashing, turning to see Terramar and Scootaloo swimming in the ocean while Applebloom and Sweetie ran around laughing.

"I'm glad Terramar figured out where he's meant to be. Now he can enjoy the best of both worlds."

Flash nodded, but a thought entered his head. "Though he might end up choosing to live in one world eventually." Twilight turned to him, only for the defender to add, "You never know, he might end up meeting a hippogriff or seapony he really likes and want to spend more time with them. I mean, it could happen."

"True," Twilight nodded, "Or he might meet one who likes going back and forth like him. That would sure be a nice life to live together."

"Yeah...I hope he does. But even if he doesn't, I'm sure he'll find a way to make it work. After all, if you love someone, then you've got to be willing to do anything that makes them happy."

"That's very insightful," Twilight giggled, "Who told you that, cuz I know you didn't think it up." Flash laughed as a hippogriff came over to invite them to play beach volleyball, the pair looking over and seeing the net set up on the section of beach where the tide came in. They soon ran over, Twilight offering to join the seapony team as Flash joined the hippogriff one. It had certainly been a fun adventure with the girls helping a young griff while Twilight and Flash learned more about the two different but linked species. The hippogriffs and seaponies were still learning to live in balance, and hopefully in time, that balance would be found and no other ponies like Terramar would feel torn between two worlds. But only time would tell if that would happen or not.
> Plan Bee
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the School of Friendship, life was pretty fun. Many of the students were currently in class, either designing or making dresses with Rarity, baking with Pinkie Pie or getting cats out of trees with Flash.

One class though was spending their lesson outside in the courtyard with Fluttershy. Yona, Silverstream, Ocellus, Gallus, Smolder and Sandbar were helping maintain the flowers that were planted there while also removing all the weeds and keeping the bird feeders and water dispensers full.

"See?" Fluttershy smiled as Smolder used her claws to scoop a weed up by the roots before Sandbar replaced it with a flower. "When we all work together, everything is that much easier. You don't have to do a lot to show a little kindness to the world around you." To prove her point, a bird flew down as Gallus filled a feeder up with seed. It hopped onto the base tray and started eating before tweeting happily. "You're welcome."

"This is so much fun," Ocellus giggled as she watered a plant. "I love gardening."

"YAY!" Silverstream cheered as she eagerly flew above the grass with a pair of pruning scissors, "It's like giving the grass a haircut!"

"I guess it's okay," Smolder muttered as she pulled out another weed and used her fire breath to burn it up. "We don't really get a lot of pretty flowers in the Dragon Lands. But what's the point of them? Do animals eat them or something?"

"Flowers have lots of uses," Fluttershy chimed in, "Ponies eat them after all, but that's not all. For one, flowers take in harmful chemicals that could be dangerous to us in high amounts. They then release nice fresh air for us to breathe. Also, they're very important to creatures like-"

"BEE!" Yona suddenly yelled, leaping back as a tiny black and yellow insect flew out of a flower. The students all screamed as they flew over to the far side of the courtyard while the bee remained where it was.

"Everyone," Fluttershy frowned, "There's nothing to be scared of. It's just a bee."

"Of course there's something to be scared of," Sandbar yelped, "I got stung by one once and it felt horrible. I make it a point that whenever I see a bee, I run in the other direction! Besides, if there's one there could be a whole swarm!"

The others students all nodded, Gallus turning to Smolder. "What are you so scared about? Bees can't hurt you."

"They can't?" Smolder asked, Gallus proving his point by poking her with his talons, only for her scales to keep her safe. "Oh, sorry. Never seen one of those things. We don't have them in the dragon lands."

"That's probably why you don't have flowers there either," Ocellus pointed out as Fluttershy let the bee land on her hoof.

"I apologize. They just don't understand how important you are." The bee seemed to understand and flew off as Fluttershy turned to her students. "You all shouldn't be so afraid. Bees can sting you, but only if you make them feel threatened. Just give them space whenever you see them and there won't be able problems."

"You're talking like there's gonna be more of those things around," Silverstream gulped.

"Well of course there'll be more. With this nice garden, lots of bees will show up. It's why we're helping make it."

"We invite them here?!" Yona yelped.

"It's a downside of gardening," Ocellus added, "The more pretty flowers you have, the more likely bees will show up."

"We gotta do something!" Sandbar continued, "Maybe ask Headmare Twilight to put up a special barrier that keeps bees from entering the school."

The others nodded at this, only for Fluttershy to shake her head and sigh, "Come now, that's not nice. If you did that, there'd be no point in making a garden here. We're building homes and food for the insects that live around here."

"Why should we care about a bunch of disgusting bugs?" Smolder asked as Ocellus turned to glare at her. "Not you. The tiny ones that look gross."

"Everything is connected," Fluttershy replied, "Without insects like bees, our world wouldn't be able to survive." The students just blinked at her, Fluttershy sighing as she tried to figure out what to say, only to go back to the flowers.





Later that day...

Flash, Twilight, Pinkie and Rainbow were now in the teacher's lounge. "So," Twilight floated a cup of tea up to Rainbow, "How are you enjoying married life?"

"It's pretty good," Rainbow responded as she took a sip, "Soarin moved in with me, so that's fun. I never knew how much I missed coming home every day and finding somepony else there. Plus, Tank really likes him, so that's good."

"Ooh!" Pinkie's body vibrated. "Are you guys gonna have kids?" Twilight and Flash stared at Rainbow, the pegasi now blushing and twiddling her hooves.

"We're...gonna hold off on that. We just got married, so adding a kid into the mix right away might be a bit too much. Plus, I'd have to stop Wonderbolt activities while I was pregnant. No way I'm giving that up yet." Pinkie's mane slightly deflated as the others nodded, only for Fluttershy to walk in with a frown on her face.

"What's wrong Fluttershy?" Flash asked, as she sat down on the couch beside Rainbow.

"My students all got really scared when they saw a bee in the garden. I tried to explain it wasn't anything to worry about, but they're too scared to understand they didn't have to be afraid." Her four friends all couldn't help but hold back a snicker, finding it hilarious that Fluttershy of all ponies was saying that. "This could be really bad. If they let themselves get scared of bees because of something that likely won't happen, what if they have the same problem with other species? Smolder's more dangerous than a bee, so what if she starts burning them?"

"I see your point," Twilight replied while leaning back in her chair. "And bees are an important part of the ecosystem."

"Everything's important to the ecosystem," Fluttershy corrected, "The world around us is in a delicate balance. If even one creature were to be lost, something terrible could happen."

"Yeah...I barely get biology, and even I understand that."

"That's because you never went to school." Twilight deadpanned.

"And yet I'm a teacher here." Flash countered before glancing back at Fluttershy, "So, they're scared of bees, right?" Fluttershy nodded as Twilight glared at him, Rainbow snickering at the sight. The defender then put a hoof to his chin, rubbing it before shining a small grin, "I got an idea."





The Next Day...

Sandbar, Smolder, Gallus, Silverstream, Yona and Ocellus were walking through the halls on their way to Flash's Courage Class. "What do you think Professor Flash will have us do today?" Silverstream asked, "I hope it's something similar to yesterday's class. Riding that ice float was fun!"

"Yeah," Gallus chuckled, "Because you could easily jump into the water and swim away if things got hairy."

Sandbar let out a laugh, "Whatever it is, I'm sure we'll knock it out of the park. The six of us together are a crew that can't be beat."

"Too bad Ace and Mira aren't in this class," Ocellus added, "Them being with us is even better."

"Yeah," Smolder nodded, "But Sandbar's right. It's just gonna be a simple exercise. We can beat that easy."

But as they opened the door, they found Flash wasn't alone. "Professor Fluttershy?" Gallus asked first.

"Headmare Twilight?" Silverstream continued, "What are you two doing here? Are we in the wrong classroom? If so, what's Professor Flash doing here?"

Twilight giggled at this. "Actually, Fluttershy and I are gonna be watching you as you complete your assignment today."

"You are?" Sandbar gulped, feeling a small bit of sweat appearing in his mane.

"Why?" Yona asked.

"It's...complicated," Fluttershy replied.

"It'll become apparent when you've completed the assignment," Flash chimed in, "You all ready?"

He went to activate the crystal, but as he did, Ocellus raised her hoof, "Wait, what about the other students?"

"Oh, they've been given a free period." Flash responded, "This assignment is one you all need to complete more than they do. But I'll probably have the others take it later to see how well they do." The students all shared a glance, about to ask why they were being chosen above everyone else. "Now, you all ready?"

"I wonder what simulation he's starting for us," Gallus whispered.

"Whatever it is, I know it's gonna be amazing!" Silverstream exclaimed.

Smolder shined a grin at this, "It has to be if Fluttershy and Twilight are here to see it. An erupting volcano, a massive earthquake, a giant tidal wave...or even-" The classroom transformed and in a flash of light, they were all transported to... "A farm?"

It was almost an exact recreation of Sweet Apple Acres, even having a farmer that looked like a recolor of Big Mac. "This isn't just any old farm, kids." Flash chimed in as he touched the crystal and the Big Mac recolor vanished while a bunch of large trees began to surround the place. "There's a forest on the edge of the property...which is on fire." The trees burst into flames, filling the air with heat and smoke.

"Yeah!" Smolder cheered, "Now that's more like it!"

"This'll just be like our first Courage Class," Ocellus added, about to turn into an octopus, only for Flash to speak up.

"Your task, however, is not to stop the fire."

"What?!" Smolder yelped.

"Why not?!" Yona continued.

"In this scenario, other ponies have been assigned to fight the fire. The six of you have all been made responsible for protecting the farm's residence." A section of the farm, a large round circle of grass, suddenly lit up as a metal podium with a button appearing in the center. "In order to complete this task, you'll need to move Farmer Mic and all the animals that live on his farm to the safe zone."

"That makes sense," Sandbar nodded, "The farm and everything can be rebuilt. The animals can't be."

"Exactly," Flash replied, "And to make this just the tiniest bit harder, you've only got five minutes to move them all. Got it?"

"GOT IT!" The six cheered.

"Alright. And one last piece of advice. If you find yourself having difficulty completing this, remember that everything in connected." The students blinked at this, remembering Professor Fluttershy saying the same thing the previous day, only for Flash to yell, "And go!"

They quickly charged in, Sandbar asking, "Should we try and gather the chickens first? Or search for the farmer?"

"It'll take too long if we're all doing this one at a time," Gallus added, "It's best we split up."

"He's right," Ocellus nodded as she turned to see a bull in one field, the chickens in another, a shed that was likely full of cows, and saw no sign of the farmer. She also noticed a bee fly by and pulled away from it, trying to see if she could locate the farmer, but with no luck. "We've got four tasks we need to do."

"So who does what?" Silverstream asked as Gallus pointed at her.

"You and Ocellus look for the farmer. Yona, think you can get the bull to the safe zone? I think you two are related."

"Yona on it," the yak replied.

"Sandbar and I'll get the cows. Smolder, that leaves you with the chickens."

"Got it!" Smolder saluted as they ran off, though thirty seconds of their time had already passed. Smolder was the first to arrive at the chicken hut. "This should be easy," she smirked before opening the lidded roof of the hut and seeing the chickens inside it. "Hey little guys. Ready to get out of here?" She smiled, showing the chickens her teeth and claws.

However, the birds all started squawking loudly and leapt out of the hut, stagger the dragon back. "Hey!" She yelped as she saw them all run around. "Ooookay, maybe not so easy." She ran after one, but the birds were fast little ones. She then saw one running for the edge of the farm, about to run into the blaze. "NO!" She took to the air and flew after it, getting ahead and scaring it back, only for it to zip back into the hut. "Wait! Don't run! I'm trying to help you!"





Sandbar and Gallus moved as fast as they could, Sandbar pointing to a building, "Here it is! If the cows are anywhere, they'll be in the milking shed."

"How do you milk a shed?" Gallus asked, smirking as Sandbar rolled his eyes. Gallus flew in and tried to open the door, only to find it locked. He then heard a lot of mooing and stomping around. "I think they might know something bad's happening. If we open the door, they'll stampede."

Sandbar nodded and spotted several pieces of rope wrapped around a nearby fence post and grabbed them, tying each into a lasso like Professor Applejack had taught them. "I got this," Sandbar cheered as he started spinning the lasso.

Gallus then unlocked the door, pulling it open, only for a series of moos to fill the air before the cows began to charge. "WHOA!" He yelped as they rushed past him, causing the griffon to spin around on the spot before falling to the ground.

Sandbar laughed at seeing Gallus laid out, his eyes spinning. He laughed so much that he didn't notice something right behind him, stepping back before feeling his hoof surrounded by something hot and slimy. "Ew!" Gallus then got up at this and started laughing at him.

"I think that's called a cowpat, but ew works too." Sandbar sighed as Gallus kept laughing.





Meanwhile...

Silverstream and Ocellus flew around the farm in search of Farmer Mic. "Hello!?" Silverstream called out when they reached the farmhouse. "Mr. Farmer?"

"Are you in here?" Ocellus added as she opened the door, but still found no sign of the farmer. "Please, we have to go! The fire's getting closer!"

"Don't worry about your animals," Silverstream continued, "Our friends are helping them." But still, there was no reply. "Oh, where is he?" They left the house and continued glancing around, Silverstream opening the mailbox. "Mic?"

"Mic?" Ocellus checked inside the outhouse.

"Mic?" Silverstream lifted up a flowerpot. "Nowhere." She turned to Ocellus, "Let's fly up and get a birds eye view."

"Great idea," Ocellus nodded before transforming into an eagle. "And what better to do it with then a pair of bird eyes?" They both laughed and flew up, beginning to scout the area.





Smolder had chased the chickens all around the farm...but not towards the safe zone. "Here chick chick chickens!" She cried as she followed them to an area full of beehives, which the chickens began sitting around or on top of. That is, till Smolder ran up to them, causing the chickens to start going nuts and running around again.

"Oh, come on!" She cried, "I'm not gonna eat you! You probably taste all digital and terrible!" As she said that, she found herself being surrounded by a small swarm of bees. Luckily, her thick scales made it so she wasn't worried, only annoyed, "Ah!" She began swatting them away, "Shoo bees! Can't you see I'm busy?" But the bees remained, causing her to start waving her arms around harder.

As she did this, the chickens all stopped and turned to her. The way she moved around, swinging her arms, caused something in their tiny bird brains to click. They clucked, catching Smolder's attention. She folded her arms and started flapping them to symbolize a chicken, causing the birds to squawk happily at her.

"Huh. So you like that? Okay, I can work with this."





"Come on bull!" Yona growled as she pulled on a rope she had tied around his neck. "Yak...say...GO!" But the bull remained where he was, constantly chewing on some grass.

Yona moaned and tried to think, an idea forming in her head as she ran around the back of the bull and started pushing it. Had she been bigger, she could move it without issue, but at her current size, she was only able to get the bull to move a few inches.

"Augh!" Yona moaned as she stopped pushing, only to turn and see a large wagon with a ramp-like drop-down. "Ah-ha!" She ran over and pulled the wagon over to the bull, dropping the ramp down right in front of it. She then pushed the bovine up it, amazed the wagon was strong enough to hold it. "Yak one, bull zero!" She laughed as she hooked herself onto the wagon and started pulling, the wheels making the action easy with her level of strength.





"YEE-HAAAAA!" Sandbar exclaimed as he threw the lassos and hooked them around each of the cows, allowing him to pull them along without worry.

"Not bad!" Gallus cheered as they began to make their way to the safe zone, then looked up to see Silverstream and a blue eagle flying above them. The two continued glancing around, but still found no sign of the farmer. They then decided to check the edge of the farm near the burning forest, Ocellus now spotting a well on the edge of the property.

"Hey, what's that?" They flew over it and Ocellus looked down, her bird vision allowing her to see the very bottom and she gasped. "He's down there!"

The pair dived down, Ocellus returning to normal as they stared at Farmer Mic at the very bottom. "How'd he get down there?!"

"It doesn't matter," Ocellus replied, "We have to help him!"

"Right," Silverstream nodded, "I'll fly down and-" She stopped and frowned before opening her wings, her full width being longer than the size of the well. "Oh, I can't fly down there. I could fall down there no problem, but there's no way I'd be able to fly back up, especially while carrying him."

Ocellus measured her wings and determined she could fly down, but she doubted she was strong enough to lift him. And anything she turned into to fly him out would have the same problem as Silverstream. "What do we do?"

"If only we had some rope..." Silverstream commented before turning to Ocellus, "Say...how long of a snake could you become?" Ocellus blinked at the question before turning into a twenty-foot python, who Silverstream grabbed the tail of before lowering her down into the well.

"Hang on sir," Ocellus told the farmer as she got in range. Luckily, he was wearing a vest, so she was able to grab it in her mouth. "Okay," she cried through a clenched jaw, "Hoist us up!" Silverstream began pulling, her form barely able to yank them both up.

And as she Ocellus up high enough, the changeling turned into an elephant and grabbed the farmer in her trunk before pulling him the rest of the way. "How is he?" Silverstream asked, Ocellus looking him over and nodding.

"He's not a real pony, so I doubt he can actually get hurt. But for a pony that fell down a well, he's doing remarkably...well." Silverstream smiled before getting serious.

"Let's get him to the safe zone."





Smolder was continuing to buck like a chicken, making her new feathered friends happy. Eventually, they all grouped up and Smolder quickly grabbed a metal container and scooped them all up.

"Let's go!" She cheered, flying off for the safe zone.

The others were already there and as soon as Smolder landed, Silverstream hitting the button and stopped the timer. The timer showed thirty seconds remained, causing them to all smile. "We did it!" Silverstream cheered as Gallus flew up to high-five her.

"And with time to spare!" The illusion room began to return to normal, the others all cheering as Smolder and Sandbar high-fived...clawed...hoofed.

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy!" Sandbar cheered, the group turning to their teachers.

"It was a walk in the park," Smolder added before she suddenly started coughing feathers. But as Ocellus patted her on the back, the room flashed red as a beeping sound filled the air.

"What that?" Yona asked.

"The fail noise..." the changeling gasped, "We...we didn't accomplish the mission."

"How is that possible?" Gallus yelped.

"What did we miss?" Smolder added, the group now staring at their teachers as they smiled.

"It's not a test if we give you the answer," Flash responded.

"You need to pay better attention to the little things," Twilight continued, "But don't be disheartened. You can't be expected to accomplish every mission the first time."

"Ready to try again?" Flash asked, the students all nodding. "Okay, your time starts now!" He hit the crystal and the farm scenario formed again, this time the students didn't wait to assign tasks, all running off to do the same thing they did before.

Yona ran over to the bull and pushed the wagon in front of it, quickly pulling him as some bees flew by, "Go away bees! Yona have no time to mess with you!"

At the same time, Smolder, Ocellus and Silverstream found themselves having a much easier time. Smolder started clucking and flapping her arms about while Silverstream and Ocellus flew over to the well and pulled Farmer Mic up the same way they did before. Gallus and Sandbar headed to the milking shed and Sandbar quickly made the lassos again. Gallus opening the barn doors and this time leaping to the side so the cows wouldn't stampede over him. "Ha!" He cheered as the last cow left, the griffon stepping back in front of the shed. "Not this time." But then he realized one cow was missing, only for it to suddenly shoot past him, "WHOA!"

Sandbar laughed at that, "I thought by now you'd know not to do that." But then he backpedaled into slimy hot goo again. "Augh!"

"You were saying?" Gallus cackled before they quickly got the cows lassoed up and pulled them to the safe zone, arriving as Yona, Smolder, Silverstream and Ocellus arrived with their saved targets. As they all reached the circle, Silverstream hit the button and stopped the timer. This time they had completed the task with a full minute left.

"YEAH!" They all cheered as the illusion vanished, only for the room to flash red with the buzzer again.

"Oh, come on!" Gallus yelled, "What are we doing wrong?!"

"Let's do it again!" Smolder added, "We can do it this time!" They all nodded in agreement, Flash giving the other two a look as they nodded. Flash activated the illusion again. If they didn't get it this time, they would need to give them a hint.

The farm reformed as the students rushed into action, each heading to their areas and being sure to keep an eye out for anything. "Did I miss a chicken?" Smolder asked as she did her chicken dance before scooping them up.

"Does bull have friend?" Yona asked the bull as she pushed the wagon in front of it, the bull not saying anything and continuing to graze. Yona pushed him in and glanced around, "Nope, one bull."

As Ocellus was lowered down into the well, she tried talking to the farmer. "Excuse me, do you have a wife or somepony else living on your farm?" The farmer shook his head, "Maybe a pet goldfish or hamster in your house." The farmer shook his head again. "So, if that's not what we're missing, what is?"

Over by the milking shed, Sandbar was making the lassos as Gallus prepared to open the door. As he worked, a bee flew passed him and he leapt back. "Ah!" He yelped, falling back and feeling his front hoof land in the cowpat this time. "Oh, come on!" Gallus saw the bee and quickly pushed his wings to create a draft powerful enough to push it away, allowing Sandbar to get up and wipe his hoof before finishing the lasso. "Ready?"

Gallus nodded and opened up the door, flying straight up so the cows didn't run him over. Once he was sure every cow was out of the shed, he flew in, "Hey, any baby cows need saving in here?" But nothing called out, the griffon flying around the room and looking behind every bale of hay. "Nothing here. Must be one of the others." Sandbar nodded and pulled the cows he had lassoed up to the safe zone.

They all arrived right before Smolder did, the dragon putting down the chickens and counting them all to make sure none had jumped out during the flight. She shook her head, determined they had saved every animal. Silverstream hit the button and stopped the clock, the six waiting patiently as the illusion faded away.

For a moment, they thought maybe they had passed...only for the room to flash red as the buzzer sound. "Ahhhhh!" Smolder cried in frustration, "How is this possible?!"

"Or logical?!" Ocellus called out, "There are no significant life forms left to save!"

"Do you think maybe the training room's broken?" Sandbar asked, all turning to their teachers. The three shook their heads and instead of checking to see if the classroom was broken, Flash touched the crystal.

"Training room. Please display the farm after the fire went out on the last attempt." A holographic screen appeared above them, showing the image of the farm, the farmer and all the animals they had saved. "Now show us what happened each passing week." They watched as the screen's image began to change, showing the farmer and animals in different areas. At first, they didn't notice anything was amiss as the time passed. But then they noticed the flowers at the bottom of the screen suddenly vanished, followed by the grass they were all standing on turning yellow. Leaves on the surviving trees behind them began to slowly disappear, along with several bushes surrounding them.

"What?" Smolder asked as the trees got worse and worse with each passing week, eventually becoming nothing but dead sticks poking out of the ground. Then the animals started vanishing, the first being the cows, then the chickens, then the bull. The image then changed to show Farmer Mic in front of his house, then the time skip began and flora around him vanished. His house and barn slowly started falling apart, with holes appearing in the roof, the doors starting to come off their hinges and panels of wood rotting off.

Eventually, the farmer himself completely vanished.

"But..." Sandbar turned to the teachers, "The farm's a disaster. I don't understand. What did we do wrong during the task?"

"Were there creatures we didn't see?" Silverstream asked, "Hidden somewhere? Sheep live on farms. Maybe we missed a sheep."

"There were no sheep," Twilight responded, "There was only what you saw."

"Maybe you should take a break and think about it," Fluttershy added before turning to Flash, "While they're doing that, we should let the other students use the last of the class time to try this out." Flash nodded and dismissed the students, making them frown as they all slumped out of the room.

They headed to the courtyard, all thinking about the test. They started talking about the entire assignment, only to come up with nothing. "I can't believe we failed such a simple mission," Ocellus commented as she sat on the edge of the fountain.

"What's not to believe?" Gallus replied, "Did you not hear the fail noise?"

"Not helping Gallus," Sandbar grumbled.

"There is no way I'm letting this stand," Smolder growled, "We just have to figure out what we missed. Alright, let's go over what each of us did. Yona, you first." Yona explained everything she did, her friends asking a bunch of questions to try and determine if there was anything there she might not have been aware was important. Afterwards, they did the same with Silverstream and Ocellus, then Gallus and Sandbar before finally moving to Smolder.

"Then I put the chickens down and counted. They were all there."

"So none of us missed anything," Ocellus concluded.

"Then how we fail?" Yona asked, the other five moaning. They felt like their heads were gonna blow up from thinking, only for it to get worse as they heard the bell ring.

"Class is over," Sandbar sighed, "The other half of our class'll be leaving."

"Yeah," Gallus nodded before getting an idea. "Come with me!" He took off and the others followed, heading to Applejack's classroom. There they spotted the pony Gallus was waiting for. "Sky-Writer!" The pegasus that shared their Courage class turned to them.

"Hey everypony," he waved. "Professor Flash's lesson was pretty fun, right?"

"Did you complete it?" Ocellus asked, Sky-Writer nodding.

"Took us two tries, but we got it with five seconds to spare." Smolder then grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Tell us everything you did!" She yelled, her face inches from his.

He shook his head, "I can't. Headmare Twilight said we weren't to discuss it with you until you all pass it yourselves."

"Augh!" Smolder cried, letting him go. He ran into class as the six leaned against the walls, "This is so unfair. How are we supposed to figure this out if they won't tell us?"

"That's probably part of the assignment," Ocellus replied, "It's like a math problem. We're not being given the answer, but we've been given everything we need to figure it out."

"But aren't you supposed to tell the student what the answer is if they can't figure it out?" Sandbar asked as the warning bell went off. "Ugh...I gotta get to Laughter Class."

"Yona too," the yak sighed, "Figure it out later." She and Sandbar went off while Silverstream and Ocellus left too. Smolder and Gallus entered the class, taking their seats while trying to not think about the humiliating failure they had undergone.

The rest of the day, the students all kept daydreaming through their classes. Each of them was reliving the class and still trying to think what they did wrong. And there weren't the only ones. Flash gave the assignment to each of every class that he had that day, with some of them managing to figure out how it was done while the others were all up a creek. Since the passing students weren't allowed to explain the solution, the failing ones were all getting more and more frustrated.

When the last class of the day was over, the Student Six were all found themselves outside the school on one of the bridges that was over a stream filling the pond. Gallus was sitting on the edge of the bridge, staring at the water while Sandbar was laying on his back and Yona was working on her braid. Smolder was watching as Silverstream and Ocellus turned into their water forms and dived into the river to try and swim away their frustrations. But nothing they did helped, only to be made worse when they heard laughter.

They turned to see it was Ace, Mira, Heart and Soul. The four were walking up, only to see the six and their laughter vanished, "Hey there," Mira waved, "What's up? You look like someone just cancelled Heartswarming."

Silverstream and Ocellus leapt out of the water and landed on the bridge. "We're upset because we couldn't figure out Professor Flash's assignment," Silverstream grumbled.

"Oh," Ace smiled, "The farm one. Yeah, that was tough. Took us three attempts to get it right."

"I don't suppose you're gonna clue us in about how to pass it?" Gallus added, Ace opening his mouth, only for it to be magically shut by Soul.

"Sorry. Flash said we can't." The six all groaned as the four got closer, Heart flying past the bridge while Soul and the jakhowls walked onto it. Soul sat down and took out a book she had been reading, while Ace and Mira moved over to the edge of the bridge. It was then that they noticed the pair were each carrying a stick.

"What are you doing?" Gallus asked.

"Check it out," Ace replied, "It's a game Springer taught us. We both drop a stick into the water on one side of the bridge and run to the other side."

Mira continued, "Whoever's stick is the first one from under the bridge wins."

Smolder raised an eyebrow at this, "Isn't that a bit childish?"

"Yeah, so? We're kids."

"And even if we were adults, Springer always said there's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." The group shared glances at this, only for Ace to add, "You all wanna play? It might get you out of your slump. And you never know, you might be able to figure out how to do Flash's challenge when you're not thinking about it."

The students shrugged before grabbing their own sticks from the nearby trees. They all returned a minute later, each with their own stick...except Yona. "That's a branch," Sandbar told the yak as she held a two-foot tree arm in her mouth.

"Does it not still count as stick?" Yona asked, the others rolling their eyes.

So they each stepped up to the bridge, the fliers hovering above them. "Ready?" Ace asked, "Everyone drop at the same time. Three...two...one...NOW!" They let go and the sticks, and branch, hitting the water and started floating under the bridge. Alas, Yona's branch was too big and got caught while the others continued on.

"Grr..." Yona growled as they all ran to the other side of the bridge. As they did, a stick floated out from under the bridge.

"Yeah!" Gallus and Smolder cheered, only to look at one another. "That's my stick!" They yelled in unison, making the others laugh.

"Maybe you should do it tournament style," Soul suggested, "Two at a time with the winners playing on." They nodded and all ran off to get another stick, Silverstream and Ocellus being the first back.

"Ready...go!" They dropped their sticks and went to the other side, waiting for the stick to flow out.

"I win!" Ocellus cheered, Silverstream clapping for the changeling as Yona and Sandbar ran up with their own sticks. Yona actually had a real stick this time, Silverstream moving out of the way to let them race. As she did, she then saw Fire Heart was off in the trees.

He had a long piece of rope in his hooves that had a tennis ball tied around the edge, the pegasus slowly spinning it around several time before thrusting it forward. The ball flew through the air and truck a target Silverstream hadn't seen on one of the tree's trunks. He then pulled it back before spinning it around again and throwing it at another tree's target.

"Wow..." Silverstream commented as she watched Heart swing the rope and ball around while moving his body in such a way that it never got hit as the ball flew around him. He then used his back leg to hook the rope and cause the ball to change directions on the sly, causing it to go flying into another tree. And as the ball bounced off and flew back to him, he used his back hoof to hook the rope just before and ball and push it to the ground. He smirked and used his hoof to swing it back into the air, spinning it around while leaning back to prevent his head from getting cut off. He then swung it to another tree, but missed the target, making Silverstream frown as the rope flew around and wrapped around Heart's body, though his wings stayed free, until the ball almost hit him. But before it could, Heart moved like a hula hooper, causing the rope to suddenly swing in the opposite direction and unwrap from him. He thrust it at the tree again and this time, hit it head on.

"WOW!" Silverstream exclaimed, loud enough to catch Heart's attention.

"Huh?" He glanced down, only for the ball to hit him in the head. "Ow!" He cried, clutching his noggin.

"Uh," Silverstream flinched, "Sorry."

"it's fine," Heart moaned as he started picking up the rope. "Flash always says training with distractions is useful."

"You're really good at...whatever you were doing," Silverstream replied, "But what are you doing? Is it some kind of game?"

"I'm learning to use a chain mace," Heart responded, "Flash wants me to be an expert in every single weapon for some reason. Don't know why, since I'll only use one when I get my Celestic Gear. But it's still cool to use all these different weapons."

"It looks really fun! Can I have a try?"

"Sure." Heart held out the practice weapon and the hippogriff started spinning it around, starting off slow, but quickly picking up speed. But when she tried pulled it back in preparation of throwing it, the rope spun around her body, quickly tying up her wings and her front legs.

"Ahh!" She yelped, trying to do the hula hoop trick she had seen Heart do with no luck. Instead, she simply fell to the floor with a huff. "Ow..." Heart laughed and started helping her untie herself. "You make it look so easy."

"Now I do," Heart replied, "I've been learning to use this thing for months. The first time I tried, I did the same thing."

"So what's the trick?"

"No trick. It's just a matter of patience. At the start, just focus on swinging the ball around without hitting yourself or tying yourself up. Flash actually took me fishing once and had me use a fishing rod to help me get the hang of controlling the line. It's all about taking it one step at a time. You need a great form if you want a great outcome. That's what Flash always tells me." Heart did a simple spin of the rope before letting it lose, hitting the target head on.

Silverstream blinked at the colt as the info flowed through her mind, the hippogriff then remembering the images they had seen of the farm at the end. "Wait...you mean I shouldn't look at the end for answers, I should look at the beginning?"

"Well, that's what I just-" He didn't get to say anymore as Silverstream zipped over to her friends.

"Follow me!" She told the other five, making them raise an eyebrow and miss who won the final race.

"Follow you where?" Sandbar asked as Silverstream began to head for the school.

"Not where! When!" They blinked at her, only to follow until they reached Flash's classroom. Looking inside, they found the place was empty as Silverstream flew over to the crystal.

"What are you planning?" Gallus asked her as Silverstream activated the room.

"Are you gonna watch a rerun of another team?" Smolder added, "See how they completed it?"

"Isn't that cheating?" Ocellus continued.

"I'm not watching a rerun of the others," Silverstream looked up at the screen, it now showing the farm in utter chaos. "This is how the disaster ended. But if we want an answer, we've gotta watch how it started." The footage rewound until it was on the first image, with the farm and animals looking happy. Silverstream then changed it to the next image, which showed only one difference.

"Flowers?" Yona asked.

"It all started with the flowers?" Gallus added, "But why? How do flowers affect a farm?"

"Animals need them," Sandbar replied, "Farmers can't afford to feed creatures as big as cows and bulls on their own. Without grass and flowers, they'd go hungry. And if the animals can't be fed, the farmer wouldn't be able to keep them."

"He'd have to send them to another farm," Ocellus gasped, "Which means he wouldn't be able to produce milk, so he wouldn't be making as much money as before."

"And that mean no chicken food," Yona continued.

"So he'd have to give the chickens away too," Silverstream gasped. "Meaning no egg money!"

Gallus slowly started putting it together, "Which means he couldn't afford to fix up his house and barn whenever they got damaged."

Sandbar nodded, "And his crops might have been damaged in the fire. He wouldn't have had any money to replace them. And even if they weren't, all the money he would make from selling them would have only been enough to feed him and to buy new crop seeds."

"All this because the flowers and grass died?" Gallus asked.

"Don't knock flowers till you've tried 'em," Sandbar chimed in, "But I don't get it. Why did the flowers and grass die? They looked perfectly fine after the fire."

"I think that's what we have to solve!" Silverstream exclaimed, "The fire did something to make the flowers unable to survive, so what do plants and flowers need?" They all exchanged glances, most thinking about water or sunlight, only for Ocellus's eyes to go wide.

"Pollination!" She gasped, "They need pollination!"

"Pollen...what?" Gallus asked.

"It's what allow plants to develop seeds that they can use to reproduce," Ocellus responded, "But they can't be pollinated by themselves. There are certain types of animals that do it: Hoverflies, hawkmoths, and the most well-known pollinators-"

"Bees!" Smolder's eyes went wide, remembering the beehives she had seen when she first saved the chickens. "We didn't save the bees!" They then remembered the incident yesterday and how Fluttershy had tried to explain why bees were so special, which none of them believed or even listened to.

"It's just like what Professor Flash and Fluttershy said," Silverstream whispered, "Everything is connected."

"Wow..." Smolder added as she stared at the destroyed farm. "I never realized something so small could be so important. In the Dragon Lands, if we see a bug or anything small enough to fit in your claws, we just crush it. But...could that have been doing more harm than good?"

"It sounds like you've all learned a very valuable lesson." They spun around to see Flash, Twilight and Fluttershy standing with smiles on their faces. Twilight stepped up next, "I hope you now understand why it was so important to learn this?"

The students nodded back, Ocellus replying, "We shouldn't let how we feel about creatures determine how we deal with them."

"Exactly," Twilight nodded. "I heard about your plan to ask me to put an anti-bee shield around the school. You realize what would have happened if I agreed to that?"

"The flowers we planted in the courtyard would have all died." Silverstream responded, the teachers nodding back.

"Anyways," Flash stepped up to the crystal, "Do you all want another try at completing this assignment?"

The students all smiled as Smolder crossed her arms. "Does Sandbar step in cowpats?" Sandbar growled at her as Flash shook his head.

"I'll take that as a yes," He replied as the students cheered and ran to the center of the room. Flash activated the crystal and the farm reappeared, the fires blazing as the six split up to complete their tasks.

After so many previous tries, they had saving their animals and the farmer down to a science. Sandbar even managed to avoid the cowpat this time. They all ran them over to the safe zone, Smolder the last to arrive, putting the chickens down and counting them again to confirm she had them all.

"Alright!" Silverstream cheered, "Now we just have to save the bees!"

"How much time do we have?" Gallus asked Ocellus, who looked down at the timer below the button.

"One and a half minutes!" The group quickly cut into a sprint, all following Smolder as she went to the beehives she had found. They arrived and found the place was still swarming, but the fire was getting close.

"So how exactly do we save them?" Sandbar asked.

None of them had an answer, only for Smolder to say, "Maybe we can ask them to get back into their hives so we can carry them to safety?"

"Great idea," Gallus deadpanned, "But do you speak honeybee?"

Sandbar walked up to the hive and removed the lid, turning the hive in one direction. "Do you all think you can make a gust strong enough to push the bees inside?" The winged members of their group nodded and started beating their wings has hard as they could, creating a gust the blew the bees away. But no matter what position they stood in or beat their wings, only two bees were actually blown into the hive. "How's it going?" Sandbar asked, hiding behind the hive to keep from getting stung.

"Great," Silverstream replied, "Unless you actually wanted the bees to go into the hive." Sandbar frowned and put the hive down as Yona grabbed a nearby net.

"Let Yak try!" She started swinging the net around, but the bees easily dodged every swipe. "Yak not so good at bee catching."

Gallus turned to the others, "Now what do we do?"

"We're running out of time!" Smolder cried.

"If we can't herd the bees and we can't catch them, the only solution is to lure them." Ocellus chimed in.

"With what?" Yona asked, only for Gallus to quickly dig up the surrounding flowers and bushes. Smolder and Silverstream did the same, Sandbar and Ocellus starting to place them atop Yona's back. Soon enough, the young yak was a walking garden. Sandbar and Ocellus grabbed some more flowers while Gallus and Smolder picked up a beehive, the six beginning to walk toward the safe zone.

"Let's hope this works," Gallus gulped as they made their way through the farm as Yona took a big whiff of the air she was giving off.

"Yona smell good."

"The bees think so too," Silverstream giggled as she saw the swarm following them. They moved as fast as they could without losing any flowers or bees, eventually reaching the safe zone. Once there, they put the beehive down and Silverstream hit the button with fifteen seconds to spare.

"We did it!" She cheered, the others all celebrating as well.

"Victory dance!" Sandbar cheered before feeling his back hoof land in something the cows had left while waiting for them. "Oh, come on!" The others laughed as the training room shut down, Flash, Twilight and Fluttershy flying over while clapping.

"Well done," Fluttershy giggled, "I hope this little adventure has helped you all realize the important of other creatures."

"It sure has," Smolder nodded along with the others.

"Great!" Flash laughed, "Now, I think you all deserve a treat." He and Twilight nodded at one another before Twilight's horn glowed, flashing to summon a plate full of cupcakes. The students all gasped at this and took one, each taking a bite before their eyes went wide. They then watered at the taste.

"What's in these?" Sandbar asked while licking his lips.

"Just a little something we asked Pinkie Pie to whip up for you," Flash replied, "The secret ingredient is something very special made from the creatures you all just saved: Honey."

"Honey?!" They all yelped, Fluttershy soon explaining what it was and where it came from.

"If bees make something so great, I say let as many bees as possible come by!" Silverstream cheered, nobody disagreeing with her. Their hatred of bees had transformed into respect and love. It was clear now that every creature on the planet deserved to be there, for each one played a vital role. And as long as every creature was respected, the world would always bee in perfect balance.
> The Break Up Break Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the School of Friendship, the halls were well decorated with heart-shaped decorations as the holiday known as Hearts and Hooves Day was tomorrow. All over Ponyville, ponies were making preparations to show their special somepony how much they mean to them the next day. And in the School of Friendship, Twilight was giving a lecture, "Though the Magic of Friendship is a very powerful one, it's not the only magic that exists on that level. Love is equally as powerful, maybe even more so depending upon the ponies that share that magic between them."

The students were all listening intently...except for Heart and Ace, both sitting at the back of the class. The colt turned to Ace and stuck his tongue out, making a gagging sound that caused Ace you need to stifle a laugh. The two chuckled, only for their ears to suddenly glow and twist, the pair trying to cry in pain, but also finding themselves muted. The other students didn't even notice due to their focus on Twilight, who's holding of a projector remote masked her punishment magic as well.

"For example," Twilight hit the remote and the projector showed an image of a stain glass window. This one depicted the events of the Royal Canterlot Wedding. "Before the great changeling reform, they attempted to capture Canterlot. However, the love shared between Princess Cadance and Shining Armor allowed them to create a powerful shockwave that blasted them all away."

Ocellus' friends turned to her, raising an eyebrow as she shrugged. She hadn't been a part of that attack, but she had heard about it from Thorax who told many of the changeling larvae about how it was the first time he saw true friendship and met Flash.

Twilight then pressed the button again and the image changed to show a city made entirely out of crystal. "The Crystal Empire was built upon this love. Using love to power the Crystal Heart, they were able to seal away an evil group known as the Umbrum before building their city above the seal. At the Crystal Fair, they would have fun and enjoy each other's company, filling them with light and love, which they would then use to charge up the Crystal Heart and keep both the Umbrum and the dark weather in check."

"Headmare Twilight," Silverstream raised a claw. "This is really cool, but what does learning about love have to do with learning about Friendship?"

"Friendship is the building blocks of love," Twilight replied, "If you ask anypony who their best friend is, many times the ones in a steady long term relationship will reply that their special somepony is their best friend. Because some of the strongest relationships I've seen have been built upon friendship."

"Really?" Smolder asked, actually appearing interested in the topic.

"Yup," Twilight nodded. "After all, Flash and I were friends for many years before we realized how we felt about each other. And because we knew each other so well, the transition was pretty smooth. The same can be said for all the teachers in this school that are in a relationship. They were all built on a foundation of friendship, which is why they have lasted so long. So today, I would like you all to obverse love as the ponies in town celebrate it with their special somepony tomorrow. But please make sure not to disturb the ponies celebrating. I don't wanna have everypony in town come and complain that my students have been butting into their dates to ask them a bunch of questions." They all nodded at this, "I want you all to write an essay about what you think love is, in no less than five hundred words that is to be handed into me on Monday." The students all moaned as the bell rang, "Class is dismissed."

The students packed up and began to leave, Heart and Ace the only ones not moving due to their ears still being held by magic. Twilight waited for the students to all leave before turning to them, finally letting go of their ears. "Now, what did we learn?" The two tried to speak, but no words came out. "Oh, right." She unmuted both, the duo sighing and rubbing their ears.

"Not to mess around in your classes," Heart moaned.

"And to pay attention," Ace added, "No matter how boring your lecture is."

"Good," Twilight nodded. "Now run along. You've got a seven hundred word essay to start."

"I thought it was only five hundred words?" Heart asked.

"That was for the students that don't mess around in my class. Bad students get an extra two hundred words added to their assignment." They let out a moan, "Do you want it to be a thousand?" The two went wide-eyed at this, only to vanish in a cloud of smoke as they zipped out of the room, Twilight rolling her eyes at the sight.

And as they made their way through the school and out into the courtyard, which was decorated more than any other place in the school, Heart stuck his tongue out, "Gross. Why does Hearts and Hooves Day have to be so...lovey dovey?!"

"I have no idea," Ace grumbled as they walked over to the others.

"Oh," Silverstream exclaimed, "Hearts and Hooves Day is so exciting! We don't have anything like it in Mount Aris or in Seaquestria."

"So how do hippogriff and seaponies express their love?" Ocellus asked.

"I don't know," Silverstream shrugged, "My mom said she would tell me when I was older, but not how much older. You think I'll have dentures before she tells me?"

The others now shrugged as Mira turned to Ocellus. "What about changelings? Aren't you all into this love thing? How do changelings mate in your culture?"

Ocellus shined a big grin at this, "Oh, it's amazing. When a female sees a male she likes, she tackles him to the ground and lays her eggs in his stomach. Then, when they hatch, they bust out of the male like a pinata." They all grimaced at this, mouths wide open while some looked ready to throw up. But then Ocellus burst out laughing, "I'm just kidding! Changelings don't do that!"

"They don't?" Gallus asked.

"Promise," Ocellus giggled, "Honestly, I'm not sure how most changelings get together. My parents don't like to talk about it, so I guess it has something to do with the way things were before Thorax and Hiveena took over."

"Well yaks have great way to declare love!" Yona announced before turning to Sandbar. "When they see yak they like, they charge at them and knock them down." She ran for Sandbar, only to stop seconds before hitting him. "It way to show affection."

"Huh," Ace commented, "Not sure I'd want someone to tell me they liked me that way." He turned to Mira, "Think Springer knows how jakhowls did the whole love thing?"

"I don't think so," Mira replied, "He probably would have already told us about it."

"Augh!" Heart cried as he messed up his mane, "Stupid love! Making me have to waste my weekend watching ponies be all gross and smoochie!"

"Well aren't you a fountain of rainbows," Soul deadpanned, "It's five hundred words. You could write that much about anything."

"Ace and I have to do seven hundred," Heart grumbled.

"Then you're up a creek." Heart groaned and fell back, the others laughing as they headed off to enjoy the rest of their day. Heart decided to stay where he was, moping about until he was just about to fall asleep, only for a shadow to cast over him.

"What are you doing?" A familiar voice asked, making him open his eyes and see Cozy Glow staring down at him.

"Hey," he moaned, "Just wallowing in agony. That stupid love essay we have to write...I have no idea how I'm gonna start it." He sat up, gritting his teeth, "Stupid Hearts and Hooves Day."

"Oh, I love Hearts and Hooves Day!" Cozy responded, "It's so romantic and everypony gets to express their love. It's just the best day ever!" Heart once again simulated gagging, making Cozy's mouth puff up. "You don't need to be so rejective of it. Everypony needs love!"

"Not me," Heart pointed to himself, "I'm a tough colt, doing tough things! Love just gets in the way."

"Oh," Cozy's ears fell at this, "I see." She spun around next, "Well, you still need to write your essay about it. If you don't, you'll be in trouble."

"Yeah yeah," Heart spread his wings and took to the air. "I'll just watch one couple and throw together some sappy love conquers all speech." With that, he was gone and Cozy watched him leave with a frown on her face.

"I need to get him to trust me," she whispered as her frown turned to a smile. "Then everypony else will trust me."





The Next Day...

Heart had planned on sleeping in until at least ten since it was the weekend. His roommates appeared to have the same idea, only for that hope to be dashed when the door burst open. "Happy Hearts and Hooves Day!" Silverstream cheered, making the four shoot up as she started throwing flowers around the room.

"Hey!" Gallus yelped as the petals flew everywhere, "Seriously?! Can't you do that in someone else's room?!"

"She already did," Smolder walked up next, showing she and Yona were covered in flowers. They all turned to Silverstream and she giggled, clearly not seeing that they were upset with her.

"Come on," she chuckled, "We can't waste the day in here. Let's get out there and see what Hearts and Hooves Day has to offer!" The boys moaned and tried to go back to sleep, but she grabbed and pulled them out of bed despite their loud moans.

"Fine!" Heart hissed, "We're up, we're up!" They all stood up and rubbed the sleep out of their eyes, "I hate Hearts and Hooves Day."

"Oh, you don't mean that. Now come on, we gotta find somepony in love to observe."

"Just remember not to get in their way," Soul added as she, Mira and Ocellus arrived at the door covered in flowers. "It's not fair if we ruin their Hearts and Hooves Day." Silverstream nodded before they all left, Heart sighing as he thought about who to observe, only for a bulb to go off in his head.





Within the castle of friendship, Flash and Twilight were enjoying their breakfast in the dining room. Spike and Scootaloo had already ran off to do their own things and Starlight had decided to visit Sunburst. And as Twilight spread some butter on her toast, Flash finished off the last of his cereal and attempted to drink the milk without slurping. As they did this, both didn't notice a certain Heart moving along the ceiling with a bunch of plunger cups attached to his hooves. He stared down at the two, his eyes narrowing.

The pair just sat in silence, Twilight reading a book as she ate while Flash held up a bunch of papers. "Wow," the colt whispered while rolling his eyes, "Riveting. You'd think they do something romantic today."

"Well," Twilight closed her book, "They should be here soon. Wanna go meet them?" Flash nodded and put the papers into a pile, the two soon leaving the room as Twilight teleported their dishes to the kitchen sink.

"Hey," Heart growled, "Wait for me." He pulled the plunger cups off the ceiling and slowly floated down, "They better be doing something romantic," he muttered as he followed them down to the Rune Gate Room. "Are they going somewhere?"

But as he looked into the room, he saw the two standing in front of the activate gate. From out of it, Cadance and Shining Armor stepped out with Flurry Heart in their clutches. Twilight squealed as she went over to cuddle Flurry, the baby laughing back.

"Are you sure about this?" Cadance asked, "You two shouldn't have to waste your Hearts and Hooves Day just so we can enjoy ourselves."

"When was the last time you two got to spend the day together?" Flash replied, "No royal duties or baby needs to worry about?"

"It's...been a while," Shining sighed.

"Exactly. Twilight and I can go have a romantic time together whenever we want." Heart knew that was a lie, "You two enjoy yourselves."

"Well, if you're sure."

"Yes, we are," Twilight cheered, "Today's the day of love, and not just the romantic kind." Heart raised an eyebrow at this. "We love you two, so if looking after Flurry for a day means you get to enjoy yourselves and express your love, then we're happy to do it."

"Okay," Cadance nodded as she started bringing a bunch of other things through the portal with her. As soon as Heart spotted the diapers, he spun around and zipped right out of the castle.

"Well, that was a bust." He grumbled, "Maybe I can find somepony else-WHOA!" As the colt left the castle, two blue blurs zoomed past him, knocking him out of the sky...and into a tree. His eyes began to spin as birds circled his head...which were real, as they were not happy about him crashing into their nest. "Ow..." he moaned when one pecked him in the head.

"Oops," he looked up and saw the cause of his crash. "Sorry kid," Rainbow said as she and Soarin hovered next to the tree. Heart picked himself up at this, brushing the leaves off of himself.

"What are you two doing? And why did it involve me getting slammed into a tree?!"

"Racing," Soarin replied.

"But you do that every day with the Wonderbolts! Shouldn't you be spending today...I don't know, at a fancy restaurant or something?"

"Nah," the two said in unison while shaking their heads, "Fancy food is always super boring."

Soarin let out a chuckle, "I'd rather spend the day at a small town burger place."

"Or at a carrot dog stand," Rainbow licked her lips. "Anything to refuel after a hard day's racing against one another."

"Doesn't sound very romantic," Heart scratched his head as the two pegasi laughed.

"You might not see it that way," Soarin crossed his hooves to look cool. "But it's just how we roll." Rainbow mimicked him and the newlyweds turned away. "Flying's the thing that connects us," he told Heart. "So flying's how we show how much we care about one another." Rainbow nodded in agreement before the pair shot off, sending a blast of wind back that knocked Heart into the tree again.

"Ow..." he moaned as the bird started pecking at him again. He quickly got up at this, sighing as he soon flew over the town. As he did this, he saw many ponies all partnered up. Some simply walked side by side, while others were sat at cafe tables, staring into each other's eyes.

He then spotted somepony he knew, but only slightly. It was Big Mac's girlfriend, Sugar Belle. "Hey!" He flew down to her as she pulled a cart of baking supplies through the town. "You're Sugar Belle, right? Big Mac's girlfriend?"

Sugar Belle nodded back, "That's right. Are you a friend of his?"

"Well..." Heart put a hoof to his chin, "I guess? I'm friends with his sisters and he's alright. So, what are you doing here? Planning a big surprise for Mac?"

The mare giggled at this. "No. I suspect he's planning a surprise for me, so I don't wanna trod on his shoes. I'm actually here to talk to Mrs. Cake about an apprenticing position. I'll get to learn how to make more sweet treats and be closer to Big Mac on weekends."

"That's nice," Heart replied, "But wait, isn't Pinkie Mrs. Cake's apprentice?"

"I was!" The two jumped and spun around to see a certain party pony pop out of a barrel. She was wearing a piece of headwear that had a pile of peaches on top, "I finished my apprenticeship with Mrs. Cakes years ago."

"Then why do you still live with them?" Heart asked, Pinkie laughing in response.

"Because Sugar Cube Corner is fun, fun, FUN!" As she said that, one of Wild Smile's puppets flew around the corner.

"Found you, found you, found you." Pinkie gasped at this.

"Augh! You two made me leave my hiding space."

Wild then walked around the corner, "Gotcha!" He declared, Pinkie laughing again before getting out of the barrel and taking off her headwear. Wild took out a stopwatch and smirked, "Ten minutes twenty-five seconds. New personal best for me."

"Well, I'll find you faster," Pinkie giggled as Heart raised an eyebrow.

"Are you two...playing hide and seek?" The two nodded, "Isn't that a little childish since it's Hearts and Hooves Day?"

"Of course not," Pinkie waved her hoof, "It's fun. And it's only one of the fun things we have planned to do together today." She took a scroll out of her mane and saw it roll down to the ground. Heart took a closer look, only to frown as he saw most of it wasn't exactly romantic.

"What's...Pie Splatter?"

"Oh," Pinkie rolled it up with a single swipe, "It's a board game I came up with. You roll a dice and move a token across a board, but every single space has the image of a different type of pie."

"And when you land on one, your opponent gets to pelt you with that type of pie!" Wild added.

"Can you believe that nopony's ever wanted to play with me till now?!" Pinkie whined before turning to Wild. "Now go hide! I'm gonna find you in five minutes or less!"

"Sure you are," Wild laughed before he and his puppets teleported away.

"And no teleporting away when I get close to you this time!" Pinkie called out to the empty air, the mare then leaping back into the barrel and beginning to count. Heart and Sugar Belle stared at it for a moment before slowly walking away, heading back to Sugarcube Corner.

"So...what do you think Big Mac is planning for you?"

"I don't know," Sugar Belle shrugged, "And I don't wanna know. I'm sure he's gone to a lot of trouble, so I wanna make sure I'm surprised." Heart nodded back as they reached the bakery, the colt glancing inside and seeing that nobody was in there.

"Huh," he scratched his head, "Figured Scootaloo or somepony else would be in here."

Sugar Belle laughed at this, "I wouldn't be surprised if they're helping Big Mac get things ready."

"That's never a good idea." Heart gulped, only for Sugar Belle to head inside to talk to Mrs. Cake, the little defender taking to the air before going for the farm.

"I'm never gonna find anypony to observe for this stupid essay," he groaned as he flew over the town. He then spotted another couple he knew, one with a male he now realized he was actually surprised was in a relationship.

Iron and Fluttershy were walking through town together, Fluttershy leaning against the defender with a smile on her lips. They then saw Heart fly down and landed in front of them, the colt moving his wings in a way that Fluttershy recognized as cramping. "Oh, hello Heart. Wing cramp?"

"Yeah," Heart nodded. He didn't actually have a wing cramp, but he needed a reason to land in front of them. "So, you two out enjoying Hearts and Hooves Day?"

"We're just getting some more food for the animals at the sanctuary," Fluttershy replied, "They were all wanting to really specific foods for some reason." Heart raised an eyebrow at this as Fluttershy moved over to one of the stalls, asking the clerk if he had it.

Iron stepped over and whispered, "It's a ruse to get her out of the sanctuary while the animals set something up for us." Heart raised an eyebrow at this, "I spotted Angel conversing with the other animals. I think they want to give Fluttershy a thank you for all the care she's been giving them. And hey, I get a nice dinner with it, so I'm all for it."

"Never took you for the mushy type," Heart quietly said back, "Though I'm actually just now realizing that you being in a relationship is...kinda weird."

"Hey, I never thought I'd find love. After my parents were killed, all I had was anger. I never wanted to feel that pain again, so I closed myself off from the world. But then I met her." They both glanced over at Fluttershy. "If it wasn't for her, I'd probably be some heartless monster by now. Not worthy of being a Royal Knight. Kinda like that Shadow pony you fought against. It's clear he never let love into his heart."

"You're saying if you don't let love into your heart, you're evil?"

Iron shrugged back, "In a way. A heart can't survive without being fed. And once it's dead, it's almost impossible to revive. It'll just rot away, taking everything within you along with it. You'll stop caring about others and slowly start thinking the only pony you have to look out for is yourself."

"I guess..." Heart responded, "So...you were like that? I mean, you're not exactly a barrel of laughs right now."

"I was worse when I first got here kid. By the time I met Fluttershy and the rest of her friends, I was so closed off I never thought I could make friends and find ponies that cared about me. But Fluttershy was willing to care about me. She let me open up to here and...well, if it wasn't for her, I would have become a vengeful murderer or would have been killed by my parent's killer."

"I guess it's lucky you met her then," Heart added, "But doesn't it kinda ruin your tough stallion image? Having a girlfriend?"

Iron snorted, "I don't care. If having Fluttershy in my life makes ponies think I'm some sap, let 'em think that. Just be more of a surprise when I knock 'em down with one punch." Heart laughed at this as Fluttershy walked back over, "Everypony needs somepony to love them kid. Even you. And if you can't let love into your heart, I feel sorry for you." He stepped over to Fluttershy and the pair continued their shopping trip, leaving Heart standing there.

He soon took flight, heading for the farm. As he did this, he thought about all the ponies he had seen so far that day. Flash and Twilight were spending their Hearts and Hooves Day looking after Flurry so the foal's parents could enjoy themselves. Rainbow and Soarin were flying around racing one another. Pinkie and Wild were playing a bunch of childish games. And Iron and Fluttershy were shopping. None of the ponies he had tried to watch had done anything even remotely romantic.

He then arrived at the farm, only to spot Applejack and Rogue...working in the fields. "Hey!" He flew down, the pair looking up from their work. "You guys are spending Hearts and Hooves Day working?"

"What else it there ta do?" Applejack chuckled, "The whole town's going love nuts and all our friends are pretty busy with their special somepony." She slammed a hoof into a tree as Rogue flew under it, catching all the apples in a bucket.

"Besides," Rogue smirked, "Mac and Apple Bloom are busy working on his special surprise for Sugar Belle."

"Oh yeah," Heart nodded. "I talked to her about that. Did you know she's planning to start apprenticing at Sugarcube Corner on the weekends?"

"She is?" Applejack gasped as she kicked the tree again. "That's gonna make Big Mac happy." Heart nodded as he sat on the ground and huffed. "Problem kiddo?"

"I...I'm just having trouble with an assignment Twilight made all the students have to do. I've gotta write an essay about love but I can't find anypony to observe. Flash and Twilight are looking after Flurry Heart so Cadance and Shining Armor can enjoy their day. Rainbow and Soarin are racing one another like they do every day. Pinkie and Wild are playing foals games while Iron and Fluttershy are shopping. Nopony's doing anything romantic." He then heard Applejack and Rogue chuckling at one another. "What?!"

"Yah say nopony's doing anything romantic," Applejack started, "Sure sounds romantic ta me."

"Huh?"

"I don't know much about romance," Rogue added, "But from what I've seen, you don't need big romantic gestures to show how much you care about somepony. Look at Big Mac. He tried every sappy romantic thing to get Sugar Belle to like him, but in the end, what worked was an act that meant something to her. He built her a new display case."

"He did?"

"Yup," Applejack nodded as they moved to another tree. "Doing somethin' big and romantic might work for somepony like Rarity, but does that really feel like the kind of thing Rainbow would like?"

"I...guess not. But what other way of showing love is there?"

"You're the one whose been watching everypony all day," Applejack bucked the tree and Rogue caught the apples. "What do you think?"

Heart blinked at her, only to go over each and every thing that he had seen the couples do in his head. Flash had agreed to look after Flurry with Twilight. Flash loved Flurry as much as anypony, but he also knew Twilight loved spending time with her niece. Helping her out with that was letting Twilight enjoy herself and show how much he cared. Rainbow and Soarin lived for flying. Heck, if he had a bean for every time he had seen Rainbow use her hooves instead of flying when she was given the choice he would be able to fit them all on one hoof. Pinkie and Wild were pretty insane ponies. They lived for bringing joy to others, so making each other laugh and have fun was perfect for them. Iron had told him about how Fluttershy had helped him open up. Even if he was more sociable, the pair had always been rather reserved. A big fancy dinner in a restaurant likely wasn't their kind of thing. Heart wouldn't be surprised if they got more cutesy when they were alone.

None of the ponies he had been watching we particularly into the lovey dovey stuff, only to go wide-eyed as he realized what that meant. "Huh. I guess I never thought of it like that. Honestly, I never saw how important love was before. I mean...I've never felt it."

"Sure you have," Applejack chimed in, "Yah love Soul, don't yah?"

"As a sister," Heart replied.

"Still counts. And yah love yer friends, right? If any of them got hurt, you'd be upset." Heart nodded, "Well, that's love to. Doesn't just have to be the love a stallion feels for a mare. In fact, sometimes those kinds of love can be stronger thn any other."

"Wow...you sure seem to know a lot about love despite not being in a relationship."

Applejack just shrugged, "Ah've just given it a lot of thought. Especially since ah learned how mah ma and pa got together. Now why don't ya'll go see if Apple Bloom needs any help in the barn. Yah might learn something more if yah get to see Big Mac's big plans."

"Okay. Thanks." He took to the air and was about to fly off, only to glance back at them, "So...if you two had a special somepony, who'd you wanna spend a day like today with?" The pair blinked at him before sharing a glance, both quickly blushing and looking away next.

"Eh...ah'm not sure," Applejack responded, "Never really thought about it."

"I guess whatever they liked doing when they weren't working hard," Rogue said off the top of his head. Heart shrugged back, the colt soon flying off as the pair got back to work. And as they did this, the two did quick glances at one another when the other wasn't looking.





When Heart arrived at the barn, he saw Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo walking into it with frowns on their faces.

"I don't get it!" Scootaloo yelled, "We asked every stallion in Ponyville!"

"Asked them what?" Heart asked, making the girl jump and look up to see him fly down. The sight made the girls gasp and Sweetie Belle started blushing.

"Fire Heart," she flickered her eyebrows and she slid herself slowly over to him. "So, how's your day been?"

"O...kay," Heart replied with a raise of his eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"

"Just...wondering if you've been doing anything important today. Maybe...doing some baking."

"Nope," Heart shook his head, "No baking. Just...working on a project for school." Sweetie's smile vanished and her shoulder sagged while Scootaloo and Apple Bloom looked disappointed.

"So...you didn't send Sweetie a pie?" Scootaloo added, Heart shaking his head.

"Nope."

"Oh, come one!"

"Now we really have asked every stallion in Ponyville," Apple Bloom sighed as she walked into the barn. Heart glanced inside and saw the place was decorated to look really romantic. She let out a groan as she leapt onto a hay bale. "There's gotta be somepony we're missin'. Somepony obvious. Somepony right in front of our noses."

The girls all sighed as Heart just stood there, completely confused.

"Oh well." Sweetie shrugged, "At least the barn's looking great for Big Mac's date."

"Yeah," Heart chimed in, "Any idea when that'll be? I kinda wanna watch so I can get some tips for my essay."

"What?! No way!" Scootaloo yelped, "This date is way too important! We can't mess it up by letting you watch them!" Heart moaned at this as Sweetie sat down on the barn floor.

"Sugar Belle is so lucky to have a non-secret admirer like Big Mac."

Apple Bloom smiled. "I bet she's gonna take one look at this barn and say, 'What did I ever do to deserve this?'"

"Huh," Heart shrugged. It was here that he saw a flash coming from behind one of the hay bales, making him raise an eyebrow and fly over. The girls watched him as he glanced over the top to find...nothing. "What the-I was sure saw something behind here."

"Probably just the wind," Scootaloo added.

Heart sighed and jumped down. "Well, if I can't watch, then I guess I better go. I've still got my essay to write."

"What's it about?" Sweetie asked.

"I have to write about love and what I learned from watching the couples on Hearts and Hooves day."

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and Discord appeared. "Oh," he smiled, "So somepony else is being forced to accept this mambie pambie stuff."

"What are you doing here?" Apple Bloom asked, "You better not be here to mess up mah brother's big date!" Discord barely seemed to register this as he summoned a cup of tea and leaned back against a hay bale, even pushing one of the bales back as if it was an recliner.

"I'll have you know, your brother tricked me into showing up with the promise of ogres and oubliettes just so he could get me to help with preparing this date stuff." He sipped his tea, "And then your friend Spike started trying to make me accept that love exists."

"But love does exist," Sweetie pointed out. "What do you think powers the Crystal Heart and keeps the Crystal Empire from being buried alive?"

"Don't know, don't care." He turned to Heart, "So, have you fallen in with the sheep? Accepted that love truly exists?"

"I never doubted that love existed," Heart shrugged, "I just...never really got why it was so important until now." Discord let out a sound of disbelief.

"Stick with me boy, I'll teach you who the most important one to love in this world is: Yourself." The young ponies and even the dragon that was still hiding raised an eyebrow at him. "What?! It's true! You can't love anything if you can't love yourself!"

"That...I guess he's not wrong," Sweetie frowned, "You can't really accept love if you don't think you're worthy of it."

"Exactly!" Discord exclaimed, "Now you understand. The only one you should focus on loving on Hearts and Hooves day is yourself. Let all the love sick ponies poison themselves eating disgusting homemade chocolate their special somepony made, leaving all the professional treats for you to eat." He summoned a heart-shaped box of chocolates and started chowing them down. "Besides, love sounds dangerous. I mean, why would you risk getting your heart broken like that? What if the one you like doesn't like you back, or pretends to like you to get your own way? Or they do like you back, but change their minds and break up with you."

"Could that happen?" Heart asked the girls.

"Of course not." They turned to see Spike step out from behind a bale of hay, wondering how long he had been there. "Just ignore him kid. Love is so worth the risk."

"Oh really?" Discord glared at Spike, "And how did it feel when you discovered the mare you loved was dating somepony else?" Spike grimaced at that, "You were sad, heartbroken. You felt like nothing would ever feel good again."

"I guess," Spike shrugged before smiling. "But that doesn't mean I regret having those feelings. Even though I was sad back then, I was also really happy that something could make me feel that sad."

"Happy that you were sad?" Heart asked, "How does that work?"

"Well, me being sad about it meant I was really happy about it. It meant what I felt was real. And just because I felt sad when I discovered she was dating Lightning, it doesn't destroy all the happy memories I made when I felt that way. So yeah, I was sad. But it was kind of a...beautiful sadness, you know?"

"I guess," Heart couldn't help but feel like that made a lot of sense.

Discord scoffed, "But what about the pain you felt?"

"Yeah, the pain was bad. But I had those that cared for me and helped me heal. And just because I gave up on my feelings for Rarity, it doesn't mean we're not still friends. We still hang out, only now it's actually easier because we don't have that annoying love sword hanging over our heads."

"Wow," Sweetie whispered, "That's really mature."

"Yup," Spike pointed to himself, "Mr. Maturity right here." He then glared at Discord, "And I'd rather have a broken heart instead of no heart at all. At least something that's broken can be fixed and even made stronger than ever." Discord huffed but chose to not say anything and instead, teleported away.

Heart chuckled at this before leaving, soon taking to the air. He headed back to the school and looked down at the town as he did so, continuing to see couples all over the place still enjoying their time together. For some strange reason, seeing them all together didn't make him feel sick like it had before. And as he arrived at the school, he spotted his sister walking out of the front door with a bag floating in her magic. "Hey sis," he said as he landed, "Going somewhere?"

"Diamond's house," Soul replied, "She invited me to come swimming earlier, but I couldn't go until I finished my essay. Glad I got it done. I haven't gotten to spend much time with her and Silver Spoon since we started coming here."

"Same," Heart hadn't gotten to hang out with Rumble and Button much since moving to the school of friendship. Maybe he could hang out with them tomorrow.

"Well, gotta go." She began to fly off, "You better get that essay done."

"I will," Heart responded as she left. He walked into the school and headed to his room to grab some paper, then made his way towards the library. Inside, he saw Ace, Mira and the rest of their friends gathered around a table.

"Heart!" Ace waved him over, "You finish your essay yet?"

"Not even started," Heart asked with a sigh. "What about you all? You find somepony to watch?" They all nodded and Heart looked down to see they were writing and had almost a full sheet of words.

"Done," Ocellus smiled as she put her quill down.

"Me too," Silverstream and Mira squealed. Sandbar was next, followed by Yona, with Gallus right after her.

"Just...a few more...words," Smolder scribbled her writing down and smirked. "Done." They all turned to Ace, who still needed to do an extra two hundred words. As they waited, Heart decided to fly over to the window and look out it as he took out his paper.

"Finished!" Ace cheered, the others following suit. "What do you all wanna do now?"

"I had an idea for a race we could do," Sandbar replied, "We need a flyer and two who can hold onto ropes super tight." They all cheered and ran out the room, leaving Heart alone. The colt smiled at this, happy Ace and Mira had new friends to hang out with. He continued to look out the window and thought about everything he had seen that day. For the next thirty minutes, he went over every couple he saw, every romantic thing and how they had shown their love. And eventually, he grabbed his quill and started writing.



I've never really thought much about love. It never really seemed that important to me. But, I don't think the world could survive without it. In the short time since I met Flash and my friends, I've seen what those without love are like. Because they refused to let love into their hearts, those hearts wilt until all that's left is a rotten hole that could only be filled with love.



He stopped and thought back to Shadow Corrupter/Void, along with those like Malafear, the Storm King and other villains. It was clear that none of them had any love in their heart, causing them to become twisted and evil. Dipping the quill in the ink, he started writing again.



I've seen those who once gave up on love and happiness, but then found somepony who was willing to love them despite who or what they were. To help them heal from the pain that made them give up on love, allowing them to not only love again, but love better than ever.







At her cottage, Fluttershy was leaning against Iron as she calmly stroked Angel Bunny. Iron looked down at her, stroking his hoof through her mane to make her feel content.

Fluttershy smiled at this and snuggled up to him closer, the pair closing their eyes.







I've seen those that thought they'd never get to experience love find somepony that makes them happy.







Pinkie and Wild Smile were in the party planning cave, playing the board game they had both developed together. Wild's game piece moved across the board and as soon as it stopped on the cream pie image, Pinkie pulled the dessert out of her mane and threw it at him. It slammed into the unicorn, Wild blinking as the cream slid down his face. He and Pinkie then shared a look before they burst out laughing, Pinkie falling over into Wild's lap.

The two stared at one another as the cream continue to slide off Wild's face, Pinkie using this chance to open her mouth and let it fall in. This, of course, caused them both to start laughing again.







I've seen those whose love was born through a single shared enjoyment, that single spark igniting into something beautiful.







Rainbow and Soarin continued to fly around, constantly racing one another. The newlyweds smirked at one another as each won three races, then spotted a food cart down below and decided the race to it, winner getting to decide what they get to eat, both laughing all the way.







And I've seen those who's love hasn't even been seen yet, but continues to grow no matter what. Even if it seems like it'll never happen, it'll bloom into something amazing.







Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Rogue had just finished putting the last bucket of apples in the cellar. When he stepped back up, he found Applejack waiting at the top of the stairs with a pair of apple ciders in her hoof.

He smirked and took one, both sitting on a nearby bench and enjoying the refreshing taste as they bathed in the afterglow of a job well done.







But I've also seen love that was lost, because that's something everypony has to be willing to risk when following love. Because only something so amazing and pure can cause a pain that feels like it'll destroy you. But I know that the love you can feel is well worth the risk of feeling that pain.







Spike was running through the town looking for Big Mac, who had rushed off to find Sugar Belle in an attempt to patch things up. He stopped for a moment, panting as he did so, only to see Rarity and Lightning sitting at a nice little cafe. The pair smiled at one another and Spike's mind went back to the Hearts and Hooves Day he had once shared with Rarity, only to take a deep breath...and continued to run.







And even if you do end up feeling that pain, there's an amazing cure that can help the scars it makes heal. The love of those around you.







Suddenly, Discord popped up next to Spike and told the little dragon he didn't have to worry about Sugar Belle and Big Mac. The pair were then warped to another table with an Ogres and Oubliettes board between them, Spike smiling as he opened the book.







Because love doesn't just come in one form. There's the love you have for your family.







Flash and Twilight smiled as they sat beside one another, Flurry in her hooves sound asleep and holding the hoof Flash had been tickling her with before she fell asleep.

The pair chuckled at the sight, knowing that despite having to spend the day changing diapers and cleaning the foal up, they had still had a lot of fun.







The love you have for your friends.







Silver and Tiara watched as Soul leapt into the air and cannon-balled into the pool, the alicorn swimming up and breaking through the surface fast enough to make a wave that washed over the pair. The two couldn't help but laugh before they all dived down.

In another part of the town, Gallus, Silverstream, Smolder, Yona, Sandbar, Ocellus, Ace and Mira were all having fun. Gallus and Smolder were flying over the jakhowls, pulling ropes that Ace and Mira were using to jet ski along the water while Silverstream watched from below in her seapony form to act as judge.

The two jakhowls smirked before Ace slipped too close to Mira, causing the pair to crash into one another and suddenly start skipping along the water. They flew past the finish line and landed in a heap on the bank, the others running over as Ace and Mira began to untangle themselves. They turned to glare at one another, but then started laughing, the others following suit.







And even the love you have for yourself. As long as some form of love is a part of you, you'll always be able to live with joy. But I've also seen that love, even when it's shared and expressed, always comes with its own challenges and trials. If a love is strong enough, they can overcome those challenges. But if they're not, the love will break under the pressure.







Sugar Belle frowned as she looked over her cart, which had lost a wheel outside of town. She tried to lift it up and use her magic to move the wheel back into place, only for it to slip and fall in the mud.







But even if love breaks, if you care about the other pony enough, it can be fixed. You just have to believe it's strong enough to survive, even after being wounded.







As Sugar Belle rubbed the mud off her face, she found a hoof being offered to her by Big Mac. She took it and the stallion helped her up, the pair talking about everything that had happened that day. Turns out, it was all a misunderstanding.







Because love isn't just an emotion, or a feeling. It's not just a magic that give you to blast away your enemies, far from it. Love...love is promise. Love is the promise to always stand by the ones who love you back, to be there whenever they need you and to trust that they'll be there when you need them.





It's a promise that whenever you make a mistake, you'll learn and do everything in your power to make up for it and never make that mistake again. It's a promise that when things seem hard, almost impossible, you won't abandon those around you to try and make things better for yourself. It's a promise that when those you love are making a mistake, that you'll help them see that and do everything you can to show them how to fix that mistake or put them on the right path. That's what love is.







As Mac repaired the wagon, he and Sugar Belle both apologized for everything that had happened that day. It seemed their love life was gonna be full of slight hiccups like this. But as long as they stayed together, they would get through anything that got in their way.







I don't know if I'll ever find the type of love that everypony associates the word with, but I do know I love my family. I love my friends, Equestria, and even myself to the extent I wouldn't be called egotistical. And even if I never feel that special kind of love, that'll be okay. Because I have all the other kinds of love to help me grow stronger.





As long as Equestria, and all the other kingdoms where love flows free exists, I'll stand up to any evil. I'll fight to protect the world, so that others can share the love I've come to learn is so important. The many different loves that exist have one more protector to ensure they live on. Let the love of this world define us all. Let it shape us in the same way that friendship does. Let it flow free, so that all may grow stronger with the power of love.



Heart stopped writing and looked over the essay, counting the words and seeing he was just over seven hundred. Smiling, he rolled the work up and got down from the window. He then headed to his room to safely stuff the essay away before walking through the almost empty school, only to notice somepony in the courtyard. "Cozy?" The pegasus filly was sitting next to the fountain, frowning as she stared at a piece of paper she was holding. "Everything okay?"

"Oh," she looked up at him with a frown, "Hi Heart...I'm having trouble with my love essay." Heart raised an eyebrow at this and sat down beside her.

"What's wrong?"

"I...I just can't seem to get the words out. I don't know how to write about love." Heart nodded at that as she looked away, "Head-mare Twilight's gonna flunk me for sure." Heart frowned and took her essay. "Please don't read it. It's really bad."

"Can't be any worst then some of the stuff I've written." He began looking it over and saw what she meant. The essay was a little...lacking. Heart wasn't sure what it was lacking, but he could tell it was. He smiled back at her, "Let's see if we can't figure out how to make it pop together."

"Really?!" She asked as she glanced back at him, Heart nodding. The two continued to sit together for the rest of the day, slowly working on rewriting Cozy's essay. It was tough, but eventually they managed to come up with something that looked at least decent enough to turn it. On Monday, Twilight would read both their essays and be quite impressed, with Heart's more the Cozy's though, the alicorn smiling in joy that Heart had learned the true meaning of love.
> Heart and Jaden's Big Adventure
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was another day at the School of Friendship as Heart and Ace walked into the school's library. Their class with Rarity had been cancelled due to a trip she was taking with Spike to the Dragon Lands, something about phoenix feathers. As such, the pair had a free period, where they saw Soul, Mira, Ocellus and Silverstream sitting at a table.

Heart smirked as he moved over to his sister, who was writing something in a thick notebook. He leaned over her shoulder and started talking, "Dear diary, I wish I could be more like my brother Heart. He does such cool things, like pretending to be the voice of my make-believe diary." The others laughed at this as Soul rolled her eyes, glaring at Heart as the duo sat down.

"My make-believe diary voice sounds nothing like that!" she grumbled before raising her nose, "It has a Trottingham accent." The others laughed again, "Now be quiet." She picked up a book off the table, "I need to finish this study guide before Twilight's friendship midterm on 'Of Mice and Stallions'."

"Why did head-mare Twilight think us reading that book was a good idea?" Mira groaned, "It's so depressing."

Silverstream nodded. "I still cry sometimes when I think about that ending."

Ocellus patted her on the shoulder, "I think it's meant to help us learn about the many different kinds of friendships there can be. I mean, the two main characters obviously care about one another."

"I guess," Silverstream shrugged, "I just hope I can figure out how to explain that during the midterm."

"Awww..." Heart moaned as he leaned back in his chair, "I forgot all about that test." He turned to Soul, "Can I have a copy of your study guide? I totally read the book, I just...wanna brush up on the details." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes, but Soul rolled her eyes.

"No," she deadpanned, "You can't have a copy of my study guide. You need to stop cheating and do the work."

"Hey! I am going to do the work. Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to write a twenty page study guide on the palm of my hoof?!" Soul just shook her head and got back to work, "Come on sis. I've got more important things to do then study a boring old book."

"Like what?"

"Duh, I'm training to become a Royal Knight. To keep Equestria safe from all the bad ponies that might want to hurt it. I think that takes priority over learning about a silly book."

"You're not the only one doing extra studying," Soul chimed in, "Twilight and Starlight are still teaching me to control my magic, plus all my medical studies. I probably have to learn more than you do, and I still have time to finish my homework!" Heart growled at this, only for Soul to throw the book at him. "Now read before Twilight grounds you from Royal Knight training!"

"Augh!" Heart yelled as he caught the book. "Come on universe, I'm a nice colt. Help me get out of this." He looked up at the ceiling, only to sigh, "Stupid universe." But just as he opened the book...

"Heart." They all turned to the voice and saw Cozy Glow. "Head-mare Twilight wants to see you. Says it's important."

"Yes!" Heart cheered as he threw the book back at his sister, "The universe has got my back!"

Soul grumbled, "Don't be ridiculous. Twilight calling you to her office can't be good." She narrowed her eyes at him, "Did you do something?"

Heart put a hoof to his chin before shrugging, "Nothing lately." he then walked out of the room, making his way for Twilight's office, only to think back to what Soul had said. He felt a chill go down his spine, trying to think what he had done wrong, only to gulp as he got up to the door. He knocked before slowly walking in, "You wanted to see me?" He then saw Twilight behind her desk, Flash to her right....and two other ponies, "Ruby! Jaden!"

The two crystal ponies smiled at him, Jaden trotting up and the pair high-hoofed before Heart hugged Ruby, "Its so good to see you! What are you all doing here?"

"No idea," Jaden replied, "Ruby just said we had an important meeting to come too."

"Apologies for misleading you," Ruby chimed in, "But I felt it was best you two learn the truth together since you'll be working together for what is to come."

Heart and Jaden shared a glance, Flash chuckling at the sight before speaking up, "Heart, Jaden, the pair of you have both reached a junction of your training. It's time you both were tested to prove you're ready to move onto the next level of training."

"Tested?" Heart asked, his vision going to Twilight before paling, "You're gonna make us take a test?"

Twilight giggled at this, "Relax. This isn't a written test. Think of it more like a...mission. You'll go out, complete a series of tasks, then return after your test is complete." The two went wide-eyed at this, only for Twilight to add, "You'll need to be careful. This test won't be easy."

Ruby nodded in agreement. "If you fail, it could mean an end to your knight career." The two grimaced at this, "But don't worry. We wouldn't be letting you do it if we weren't sure you could handle it."

"So...what have we gotta do?" Jaden asked.

"You'll find that out tomorrow," Flash responded, "For now, both of you prepare whatever equipment you think you'll need for the trip. I suggest camping gear."

They both nodded and turned to leave, the adults watching them go. Once the door was shut, Twilight stared at the knights. "Are you sure about this? They haven't really been training with you two that long. Are you sure now is a good time to test them?"

"They can do it," Flash waved his hoof, "Compared to what Heart's already faced, this'll be a cake walk."

"But he'll be alone," Twilight pointed out.

Ruby shook her head, "He'll have Jaden. Those two might be young, but working together, they should be able to handle it. Besides, it's not like they'll be unsupervised. The other knights have all agreed to help out."

"I suppose...though considering Heart's grades and attitude-"

"Don't worry about that." Flash interrupted, "He'll do well. Trust me on this." Flash's face showed one filled with pride. "He's more than ready."





Heart was in his room in the Castle, a large saddlebag open on the floor. He was currently stuffing a bunch of things into it, that being rope, camping gear, and Mr. Huggles. "Come on!" He moaned as he pulled the lid of the saddlebag over the rest of it, trying to get it to click into place. As he did, his door opened with Soul, Ace and Mira staring at him.

"Is it true?" Ace asked, "Are you really leaving?"

"Yeah," Heart groaned as he finally managed to get the bag closed. "Flash is gonna be testing me and Jaden. No biggie. Nothing I can't handle." As he said that, his bag exploded open, Soul putting up a shield to protect them as everything slammed into the floor and walls.

"You can't even handle packing a saddlebag," Mira commented, "How the heck are you gonna handle a super important test that could determine if you become a knight or not? Heck, you can't even handle doing something as simple as read a book for class!"

"She has a point Heart," Soul added, "It's one thing if this was just you taking the test, but don't forget Jaden is a part of this too." She grabbed everything that had been shot out of the bag in her magic and dropped most of it, holding only the essentials that she began to pack into the bag. "Please take this seriously. For Jaden's sake."

She shoved the bag into Heart's hooves. "Sis, have some faith! Jaden and I are gonna ace this test, just you watch." Soul sighed at this before taking out the book he had abandoned.

"At least use whatever free time you have to read this. I doubt this test is gonna be enough of an excuse to make Twilight not quiz you on it." Heart rolled his eyes and took the book, stuffing it into his bag as the others kept talking.

But as this happened, Jaden listened just outside the room and whispered, "He's not gonna take this seriously? I...I can't let that happen."





The next day...

As soon as the sun was up, Heart and Jaden quickly zipped out of their rooms and ate a large breakfast. And as they went to the front of the castle, they found Flash and Ruby waiting there, along with the rest of the Mane Seven, the Defenders and Heart's school friends. The pair stood, their saddlebags on their backs as their mentors stepped up to them. "Heart and Jaden, you are here to be tested in order to determine whether you head to the next stage of your training. If either of you believe you are not ready, state it now and no shame shall be given."

Heart and Jaden turned to one another, then nodded. "We're ready," Heart replied, "What do we to do?"

"This test is to determine whether you have three key aspects needed by every knight to complete their duties. Invisibility, for when you have to observe without being seen. Indestructibility, for when you have to endure a great obstacle in order to overcome it. And insight, for when you need to see past what you see and find the truth hidden even deeper."

Ruby took out a scroll and unraveled it, revealing three gemstones that looked like a pair of tetrahedrons stuck together. One was blue, one was green, and one was red. "These gems are your goal. Each one is in the possession of a Royal Knight that has agreed to help in this test. Cold Steel, Skybreaker and First Aid are waiting for you in specific areas. You must find them and overcome whatever trial they have set up. Each one will test you in a way that will determine your skills of invisibility, indestructibility and insight."

"Okay...how do we find them?" Jaden asked as Ruby took out another scroll.

"This map has a path leading you to the first gem's location. Should you acquire it, the crystal will unlock the location of the second, which will unlock the location of the third. Once you have all three, it will show you where you must take the gemstones in order to complete the task. Is that understood?"

"Gems, map, trial, knights," Heart repeated as he took the map. "Sounds good to me. We've got this no problem." He unfurled the map and looked it over, only to tilt his head in confusion. Ruby sighed and took the map in her magic, spinning it around so it was the right way up. "Even better." His friends all moaned, some resisting to facehoof.

"Maybe I should hold onto that," Jaden took the map and turned to Ruby. "We won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Ruby nodded as Flash patted Heart on the back. "Good luck to you both."

With that, the pair headed off, their friends and family all cheering as they walked to the boundaries of Ponyville, the two trying to look confident as they remained in sight. And as they left, they went through the canyon Flash and the other Defenders trained at, Jaden staring at the map and finding that the first location was in a town a day's travel from Ponyville. "Looks like the fastest way there is through a forest," he commented as they made their way across an open field. "I wonder what trial we'll have to face when we get there?"

"I'm sure whatever it is, we'll be able to make it through with ease!" Heart cheered, "We can do this! After all, we've got the super awesome Fire Heart on our team!"

Jaden rolled his eyes at this, "Can't you be serious?! This is important!" He pointed his hoof at the colt, "We can't mess around on this Heart! We've gotta spend every minute trying to come up with a battle strategy!"

"But we have no idea what we'll be doing," Heart replied, "How can we come up with a strategy if we don't know that?" He then scanned Jaden over, seeing him all tense, "What's wrong Jaden? You need to relax."

"Relax?!" Jaden yelped, "How can I relax?! If we fail this test, we'll never become knights!"

"I know that, but stressing out about it's just gonna make you too wound up to pass. You gotta be in the zone. Loosen up so you're ready for anything that's thrown at you."

"But we need to be serious! Ruby tells me that a knight must be prepared for anything at all times!"

"And you can be prepared for anything while relaxing. Flash tells me to do it all the time. It's fine."

Jaden facehoofed at this, "Ugh...seriously? That's what your mentor teaches you?! Heart, we need to take this seriously!"

"I know." Heart replied before grabbing the map, "But this says we got a long way to go before we get there, so let's have fun on the way. The journey is the destination. I think that's a quote Flash told me once..."

"Oh yeah? And what other advice did he give you?" Jaden deadpanned in a tone dripping with sarcasm.

But Heart didn't notice as he rubbed his chin, "Hmm...well, it depends."

Jaden raised an eyebrow at this, "What do you mean?"

"Well, Flash would say stuff like: Remember Heart, anything that is glowing dark red is evil. Never trust dark red glowy stuff. Or something like: Heart, Ace is not a vacuum cleaner. Don't just give him any food you don't want. Or sometimes he says: Remember Heart, if you ever get caught up in one of Twilight's dimension altering spells she does once every two months, make sure it sends you to dimension J7-36. It's filled with three-headed rabid weasel creatures that are weak to fire. You'll be fine there until we can find you."

Jaden just stared at the colt with a grimace, "That's...the advice you get?!" He let out a long sigh, "We're doomed."

"Aww, don't be like that!" Heart slung a hoof around Jaden, "Come on, let's sing a travel song to get us pump up for the journey ahead!"

"I don't sing," Jaden grumbled as Heart took to the air. "And I'd rather not listen to you try and sing eith-"

"Tell everypony, I'm on my way!" Heart began to sing as he flew from side to side, "New friends and new places to see..."

"Heart, knock it off."

"With blue skies ahead-" Jaden shushed him, "Yes, I'm on my way!" Jaden noticed a large log nearby and grabbed the pegasus in his magic, stuffing him in the hole. "AND THERE'S NOWHERE ELSE THAT I'D RATHER BE!" The log caused the song to become even louder, Jaden groaning as he started to quicken his pace.

(Cue the music)

After Heart escaped from the log, he caught up to Jaden and smiled. Jaden remained stoic and focused on the map, Heart rolling his eyes. They kept travelling like that for several hours, Heart taking in the greenery around them while Jaden just stared at the map. By the time lunch came around, they found a few rocks to sit on as they enjoyed some lunchboxes Soul, Mira, Silverstream and Cozy had made for them. Jaden simply ate his sandwich while Heart pulled off the crust, the colt throwing it over for some birds to feed on. The birds tweeted happily as Heart smiled back, though he quickly found himself in trouble when more birds arrived wanting food, forcing him to share half his lunch with them to avoid getting pecked.

After finishing lunch and escaping the birds, they found themselves in a field full of dandelions. Heart couldn't resist and ended up running through them, sending the seeds scattering to the wind. When he was finished, he turned to find Jaden covered in the seeds with only his face visible. As a seed landed on his nose, he twitched before letting out a sneeze that blew the rest of the seeds away, making Heart laugh.

Later on, they found themselves coming up to a large stone cliff. It was a natural wall that went twenty miles in every direction, Heart offering to fly them over, but Jaden chose to go through a tunnel that somepony had dug out. The darkness was quick to consume them as they went in, Heart's flaming hoof doing little to help them. That is, till the bats in the tunnel were alerted to their presence, both soon screaming as they ran out the other end while being chased.

An hour later, the pair found themselves travelling through an area that had been scheduled for rain. Heart's excitement for their adventure was quickly washed away when he was soaked, Jaden just trodding through the muddy field while remaining mostly dry thanks to the umbrella he had packed. Luckily, the rain didn't cover a large area and they were quickly out, soon going up a cliff. And as they got to the top, they saw the forest at the bottom of the other side, only for a strong wind to blow up it. Heart smirked and leaned into the wind, laughing as it kept him from falling over the edge.

Jaden frowned at this, only to feel the wind touch his face, making him pull back. He then leaned back in, feeling the wind act like a giant cushion for him, causing him to walk up to the edge as well. Both colts began to laugh, Jaden actually starting to enjoy himself...only for the wind to vanish, the pair then being pulled by the cruel hand of gravity down the side of the cliff. That is, till Heart grabbed his tail and pulled them both away. He wasn't able to pull him up enough to stop them from crashing into the muddy puddles at the bottom of the hill, causing a loud splash. When they recovered and pulled themselves up, they were both covered head to hoof in mud. Heart kept laughing but Jaden's enjoyment had ended, the colt's eyes going wide as he took out the map.

It was soaked...only for the mud to slid off it without any damage. Jaden sighed in relief and quickly shook his body, causing the mud to go flying off of him. Heart did the same and the pair looked at the woods ahead of them, only to also notice the sun was beginning to set. "No way we'll make it through here before night," Jaden told Heart. "And I don't wanna be trotting through a forest in pitch black."

"I could use my fire to light the way," Heart replied.

"I would say yes...but we're going in a forest. An easily flammable forest."

"Oh...good point. Welp, let's get going then." Heart responded as he began walking up to the woods.

"What the-where are you going?!"

"To find a place to camp," Heart added, "Unless you want to sleep in a muddy pit." Jaden blinked at him, only to sigh as he followed the colt. Along the way, Heart picked up whatever dry sticks he could find before finding a simple flat piece of the forest that had a thick canopy. Heart then began to build a fire as Jaden watched, actually amazed at how well he was able to build something like that.

"Huh. Where'd you learn to do that?"

"In the lost city," Heart replied, "Back then, I'd have to rub two sticks together forever to get a spark, but now..." He made a small fireball and used it to light the sticks, the fire quickly spreading. "Perfect."

Jaden sighed as he set up his sleeping bag, "You're lucky." Heart turned to him, "You have so much experience already. Even before you became Flash's apprentice, you had fire powers and got to fight in a war. I wish I could have done something like that."

"I'd hardly call four fights really participating," Heart said as he waved his hoof, "And I ended up losing two of 'em."

"You still got to be there, showing off your skills. Plus, you helped when the changelings kidnapped all of Equestria's greatest heroes. You helped during the dragon invasion, you freed the Royal Knights from that limbo thing, and you were the one who defeated that Void pony that tried to steal Flash's power. You've already done so much, it doesn't matter if you pass this test or not."

"What?! Of course it matters!" Heart yelled as he reached into his bag a pulled out some chips.

"No, it doesn't," Jaden sighed, "That's why you're not taking this seriously. Because you know even if you fail, Flash won't stop training you. You've already proved you can be a knight."

"Okay, first off...I barely did anything during the changeling incident. I went in, drew their attention and got caught. The dragon invasion...let's just say I made things worse before I made them better. A lot worse."

"How so?"

Heart glanced away at this, "I...got grounded. For the first time in my life."

"But you still-"

Heart glared back at his friend, "And another thing! The whole mess with the Storm King? I was completely useless on my own! I thought I would never be able to stand equal with the other knights. The only reason I was able to beat Void was because I had the other knights helping me, and that didn't exactly leave me unscathed." He held up his scared hoof, "See?"

"But you've still proven yourself," Jaden replied, "Not like me."

"But you have proven yourself!" Heart countered, "Remember when that clone of Ruby attacked?! You managed to deal the blow that let the others take it down."

"Yeah, but that was only one time. It made Ruby think I was capable of training, but if I mess up, she might change her mind."

"Ruby isn't gonna change her mind," Heart scoffed, "Ruby didn't choose you on a whim. She saw something inside you. Something that was once seen in her by somepony else, and seen inside Flash and all the other knights. It's gonna take a lot more than failing one test to stop her from seeing it."

"But...I...how can you be so sure?"

"Because the bond between a student and his teacher is a special one," Heart finished off his chips and put the bag away. "Flash and Grand have a special bond, the same with Iron and Skybreaker. I know I have that same bond with Flash, and even if you can't see it yet, you have it with Ruby. Ruby opened up to you, let you stand beside her. She was willing to teach you everything she knew. Let you be somepony that could possibly see her at her worst. That's something that only happens between ponies that trust each other. And now she's trusting you to complete this test."

"And if I fail, it'll show she shouldn't have trusted me."

"Maybe...but that's something I've learned since coming to Equestria. Trust can't exist without the chance of it being broken. Ruby knew trusting you to complete this test could result in failure, but she trusted you anyway. She has faith in you. You just need to have faith in yourself."

Jaden blinked at Heart as he took out another bag of chips. "You really think Ruby won't give up on me if I fail?"

"Ruby's never been a quitter. She's not gonna give up on you just because you fail one test. You'd need to do a ton of stuff for that to happen. So relax and try and take whatever happens here as a learning experience. That's what I'm gonna do. Flash always said that if you learn something from failing, you'll never truly fail."

"Flash told you that?" Heart nodded back, "Huh...guess he actually does give good advice every now and then."

"Hey! Flash's advice is good!" Jaden gave him a deadpan glare, making Heart growl, "What?! He's totally right about the dark red glowy evil stuff!"

"Right...though I gotta say, I didn't expect you to be this good at lectures."

Heart just shrugged at this, "Eh, I hear them all the time. They're pretty easy to do once you know how to monologue."

"I figured." Jaden chuckled, "Still...I really do wanna pass."

"So do I. And I promise, when the actual test starts, I'll be one hundred percent focused. You can trust me on that. Now eat. You must be starving." Jaden's belly grumbled at this and they both laughed, Jaden reaching into his bag and taking out some food.

The two ate and continued talking before going to bed, not noticing a certain duo of knights watching them. Flash and Ruby smiled at the sight, happy Heart had been able to get Jaden to relax a little.





The next morning...

Heart and Jaden were up as soon as the sun rose, the pair quickly making their way through the woods. It wasn't long till they got through the thick, soon spotting the town on the map as they left the forest. It was larger than Ponyville and had a big building behind it. And as they got closer, metal clanging sounds filled the air.

"There it is!" Heart cheered as Jaden stared at the map.

"But the map doesn't tell us where in the town we need to go." But as he said that, the map glowed before the image on the paper changed. It zoomed in on the town, which now filled the entire page, a section now glowing. "Huh. That works." The area that was glowing happened to be in the giant building, the two seeing it was some kind of factory.

They quickly ran into town, Heart soon asking a townspony about the factory. It was Equestria's recycling center, anything and everything thrown away was sent there, separated into different piles and remolded so the items could be put to better use. Celestia might have had her flaws as a leader, but she had made Equestria a pretty green kingdom. The colts arrived at the fenced off area of the factory and saw multiple piles of glass bottles, plastic items and metal objects. The map seemed to be directing them to the metal area, so Heart flew them over the fence.

"Hello?" Heart called out, "Cold?" They glanced around, seeing no signs of the Frozen Wanderer. "Where the heck is he?"

"He should be here," Jaden replied, "According to this, we should be right on top of him." Hearing this, Heart hummed at his words.

"Hmmm...what if we are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well...like this." Heart hopped onto a nearby metal pile and started digging, Jaden frowning at the sight.

"Heart, he's not gonna be hidden-" His speech was stopped as Heart stopped and moved to the side.

"You were saying?" Heart chuckled as he showed Jaden what looked like a submarine door.

"Nevermind."

"Alright. Let's see what's behind door number one." Heart commented as he undid the top and pulled it open. They both glanced inside, seeing a square room that dropped down about thirty feet. Right beneath the entrance, they spotted a table a blue gem just like the one that they had seen on the image their mentors showed them. Cold Steel was also there, at one end of the room in a meditative position...and around the outer edges of the room were a bunch of spotlights, all moving and illuminating everything.

The sight made Heart grimace, "Ouch. Tough room to be invisible in."

Jaden put a hoof to his chin, "Maybe if we swoop down and grab the gem before Cold can see us, it'll count as invisibility?" Heart nodded and they turned to the entrance, the pegasus climbing into it and carefully flying down. But as he got ten feet down his hoof came in contact with something.

It was a magical barrier that caused an alarm to go off as soon as he passed through it, causing Cold's head to shoot up while the spotlights moved to the entrance. Heart gasped and quickly flew up, the boys shutting the door seconds before the lights illuminated it. "Heart?" Cold stood up, "Jaden?"

Both panted as sweat poured down their faces, "Whoa! He's got it totally rigged!"

"How the heck are we supposed to get the gem from that?!" Jaden yelped.

The two shared a glance, both sitting down before staring at the doors. "Not a great start." Heart commented, Jaden nodding.

"Well...he knows we're here. We gotta figure out something." Jaden turned back to Heart, "Got any mentor advice you can think of?"

Heart hummed at this, "Hmmm...well, Flash always said a foe's greatest weakness can be the strengths they have, as long as you know how to use it against them."

"But...how does that work? Everything is rigged in there. Even if we try to be fast, he already knows."

"Um...I don't know." Heart replied, "Its all I can think of."

Jaden bit his lip at this, only for a bright light to hit his eye, making him turn to see something reflecting the sun at him. "That's it!"

"What?"

Jaden got up and ran over to the reflective surface. "You're right Heart. Upon further reflection, we just need a little more time to polish our act." Heart blinked at this, only for Jaden to hold up a cracked but still usable mirror.

A few minutes later, Cold continued to stare up at the entrance with the spotlights trained on it, only to tense up as the doors swung open. "If that's them, they're not off to a very invisible start." But as he said that, the mirror was lowered down and struck by the lights, its reflective properties blasting out in all directions, filling the room and blinding the unicorn. "Augh!"

"Sorry Cold," Heart yelled as he flew down into the room. He shot through the barrier, sounding the alarms, but Cold was still rubbing his eyes. Heart reached the table and grabbed the gem before jumping back up, Cold's horn flaring as he magically turned the spotlights away from the mirror. But by the time his vision restored, Heart was out of the hole and Jaden dropped the door. "Bean-pot!" He cheered, he and Jaden high-hoofing.

"Stealing an opponent's sight equals invisibility," the young colt cheered, taking the gem...only for a flash of light to reveal Cold's arrival right in front of them. "Uh-oh."

A blast of chilly air hit the duo, making them shiver as the knight glared at them, only to show a small nod, "Well done. You've passed the first trial. But be warned, this test only gets more difficult from here on out."

The two smiled at this, Heart replying, "We know. If it got easier, we'd be worried Flash and Ruby didn't trust us to handle it." Jaden nodded and took out the map, holding the crystal over it. The map and gem soon lit up, the crystal flying into the paper. This caused a new pathway to appear, leading from their current location to one several miles away.





One transition later...

They managed to reach the new area by midday, which was a rocky area. It was an open field covered in rocks, some piled on top of one another while others looked like they had been carved to resemble certain animals. "I bet Maud would love this place," Heart commented as they made their way, Jaden following the map as it zoomed in on the area.

"Looks like wherever we need to go is right...there!" He pointed straight ahead and saw it was a rock that was bigger than the others. As they got closer, the gem in Heart's pocket began to glow, holding it up as the light touched the rock, causing some words to appear on it.

"Strength and logic will lead you astray," Jaden read, "If you wish to enter, try the lazy way."

"What does that mean?" Heart asked, Jaden shrugging only to notice that below the words were a bunch of tiles that were designed with lines on them and appeared to move in multiple directions. "Oh, the heck with this!" Heart yelled, igniting his body. "I'll smash our way in!" He propelled himself forward and slammed into the rock, only to be sent flying back. "Augh!"

"Heart!"

BAM!

The colt slammed into a nearby rock, the colt raising his hoof, "I'm okay!"

A few minutes later, he picked himself up and dizzily walked over to the rock, Jaden now pushing the tiles all over the place. "It must be a combination lock," he commented, "But there are so many possibilities, it would take me centuries to figure out how long it would take me to figure out the right combination."

"Centuries?" Heart groaned, "Guess I'd better get comfortable." He sat on one of the smaller rocks by the bigger one, only to suddenly cry out when the rock fell into the earth. Jaden spun around and saw the rock halfway into the ground as clicking and clacking of mechanisms filled the air.

The next thing the colts knew, the giant rock was suddenly sliding back. It revealed a bunch of stairs, "Huh," Jaden raised an eyebrow as Heart picked himself up. "Oh, I get it now. Try the lazy way."

"I don't get it." Heart added, the pair soon making their way down the stairs, only to find another large square room.

Stepping onto the floor, they saw it was covered in a grid pattern. Sitting at the back of the room, they saw none other than Skybreaker. "Welcome. I see you've managed to collect the first gem and found your way in here." They both smiled at this as Skybreaker held up a green crystal, "But getting the second one won't be so easy. In order to get it, your bodies must be as indestructible as diamond." They both nodded, "Now...come and get it. I won't move a feather to stop you."

The colts shared a glance, only to shrug and began to walk forward. But as soon as they took a single step, the room came alive. On either side of the room, a grid square glowed. A moment later, the squares extended outward as a pair of stone pillars that shot at them at high speed. Heart and Jaden barely realized what was happening and dodged, Jaden ducking down as Heart leapt up. The two pillars slammed together and the colts were unharmed, though both of their tails were now a few hairs shorter.

As the pillars retracted, they jumped back to the safe spot. "Indestructible..." Heart gulped as he held his tail, "Yeah. I can see how this is gonna test us."

Jaden charged again and a pillar shot out of the ceiling, the colt needing to leap back to avoid getting crushed as Heart took to the air. Both quickly found themselves getting attacked by the walls, pillars shooting at them in random patterns that were impossible to predict. All the while, Skybreaker chuckled as he watched.

"There's gotta be a way to get passed these things!" Heart cried, only for a pillar to slam into him from above, sending him rocketing to the ground. "Augh!"

Jaden tried to think, unable to as he was now running around for his life. As he tried to avoid one of the pillars, only for a tiny one to pop out of the ground in front of him. "Gyah!" He yelped, tripping over it. He moaned as he picked himself up, only to hear a sound from above him and look up to see a pillar falling down for him. He gasped as he closed his eyes, bracing himself for the impact...only to feel nothing.

He glanced back up, now seeing a groaning Heart pushing the pillar back. "Urgh..." he groaned as he looked down at Jaden, "Move...now..."

The crystal unicorn just stared at him, only to get up and add his weight. The two colts pushed up against the pillar and after a few moments, they let out a roar and threw the pillar off of them, allowing them to leap away and roll as it crashed down onto the ground.

"Not bad," Skybreaker smirked as the two charged. Two pillars shot at them from either side, but the pair braced themselves and stood back to back.

"Augh!" They cried as the pillars slammed into them, but both stopped them before pushing back. The pillars were slowly shoved back, letting them leap out of the way, only for a pillar to shoot up in front of them to block their path and another shot up from behind.

They braced themselves and spun around to stop the pillar, holding their back hooves against the one that had gone up. The two waited until they felt the pillar behind them retract into the ground. When it did this, they stopped pushing and allowed themselves to be thrown back.

"That's it..." Skybreaker nodded as the two rolled along the ground before jumping back to their hooves. But as they did this, the floor beneath them dropped.

"Wow!" They cried, both falling a good five feet before Heart grabbed Jaden and began to fly him up. But before they could reach the top, a pillar above them fell. Heart gasped at the sight, Jaden quickly using his magic to make Heart let him go. But before he could fall, he used his hooves to brace himself against the walls.

This allowed Heart to shoot up and stopped the pillar, using his flames to give him a little extra push. "Hurry!" He yelled as Jaden started inching himself up the wall. Heart grunted, needing to use all his will to not give in as it took all of Jaden's strength to keep himself from slipping down the hole. But as he got to the top, he saw they still didn't have a full way of getting out. Heart then cut his flames and despite losing a few inches, managed to get his tail into Jaden's range. The unicorn grabbed it in his mouth and Heart pulled him up, allowing him to get out of the hole and out from under the pillar before pulling Heart out as fast as he could. The pair then flipped out of the hole, both hitting the floor in front of Skybreaker.

The Knight of the Winds nodded, pressing a button on his chair that caused the room to return to its original state, then got up. "Well done," he commented as he stared the panting bruised pair. "You've earned this." he held the gem out and the two picked their sore bodies up.

Heart took the gem and Jaden used his magic to pull the map out of his earlier discarded saddlebag. He unrolled it as Heart held the gem over it, both glowing before showing a forest a fair distance away.

"That could take a while to reach," Jaden sighed, the colts moaning as their stomachs growled. Skybreaker laughed at this as he pressed a button on the chair. Moments later, a section of the floor disappeared and returned a moment later with drinks, food and cream they could use to help with the bruises. "Call this a treat for doing so well." The colts smiled and thanked him before digging in and applying the cream, knowing they would need everything they could to complete the final task.

And as they did this, Jaden focused on the map to figure out the best way to get to the forest.





By the time the two reached the large collection of trees, the sun was getting close to setting. The pair were now on a hill overlooking the forest, which had a large flat-topped mountain in the center of it. As they stared at it, the map zoomed in to show the area they were looking for was at the base of the mountain. "Maybe we should camp here for the night and go through the forest in the morning?" Jaden suggested.

"I've got a better idea," Heart replied before taking some rope out of his saddlebag. Jaden raised an eyebrow at this, only to gulp as he found out what the pegasus wanted to do.

"Please don't drop me!" Jaden cried as he and Heart flew over the forest.

"How the heck could I drop you?" Heart asked, pointing to the rope that was currently tying them together. They flew over the forest, the sun now setting as they drew closer to the mountain. "Just tell me where we need to go!"

Jaden stared at the map, telling him that there must be some kind of cave at the base. Heart nodded at this as they reached the mountain, the two soon flying around it. "See anything?" Jaden asked.

"You're closer to the ground than me," Heart responded before looking down at Jaden, seeing his eyes glued to the map so he wouldn't look down. "Would you relax? I'm not gonna drop you. You can look down." Jaden sighed and rolled up the map, putting it back in his bag before slowly turning to the ground.

He whined in mild terror, but did as he was told. The mountain had a small area around it at the base that was completely devoid of trees, but before he could spot a cave, he saw something else: A pony.

It was a lilac earth pony mare that was carrying her own saddlebag. She had just walked out of the woods and smiled before trotting to the mountain. The next thing Jaden knew, she had disappeared. "There!" He yelled, pointing down, "I just saw a mare disappear down there!"

"You did?!" Heart asked, soon beginning to descend before the two saw a hole in the mountain's side just big enough for an adult pony to step through. "Cave, found." They slowly walked in and found the place got bigger on the other side. It looked like your standard everyday cave, with a couple of rocks here and there along with a stalagmite or two.

"Where'd she go?" Jaden commented as they stared into the cavern, "I know I saw her come in here."

"Maybe she teleported out?"

"She was an earth pony," Jaden responded, "And we would have seen the light if she had used something like a rune gate." He began patting the walls, "There's gotta be another cave entrance around here." He then hit a rock and his touch caused it to slide back into the wall. As this happened, sounds started coming from the back of the cave. They both stared at it, only for the wall to open up and revealed some kind of screen, which lit up as an image appeared.

"Wow..." the colts whispered as they stepped up to the screen. The image was a bunch of squares with random shapes, reminding Jaden of the fake lock from Skybreaker's trial, only this one he felt actually connected to something.

"What is that?" Heart asked, only for Jaden to gasp.

"I think I know." He started swiping his hoof along the screen, moving the squares around.

"It's a duck!" Heart guessed as the image became more and more clear, "No, it's a rabbit. It's a duck with rabbit ears." Jaden moved the final square into place and revealed it to be a red cross with an arrow sticking out of it. "It's First Aid's Cutie Mark."

"First Aid is supposed to be the one that giving us our final trial," Jaden added as a word appeared over the image.

"It says enter." Jaden nodded and looked away, a reflected though appearing on his face

"I guess the big decision here is whether or not we should push the button." Jaden finished, only to realise who he was with, "You wanna push the button, don't you?"

"Oh, I already did." Jaden looked back and saw Heart's hoof already on the button. A moment later, the screen retracted back into the wall before it split in half down the middle. The colts watched as the two halves began to pull apart, revealing a very different room behind it. It was a square room made of metal that was about the size of an elevator.

As the stepped inside, the wall behind them closed before there was a sudden flash of light. Both colts hissed at this before the floor opened up and a table extended with two pairs of goggles on it. They took them and put them on, only for the table to retract. A moment later, a voice spoke from the walls.

"Disinfectant, now starting."

"Disinfectant?" Heart asked, only for the walls to suddenly shoot water at them. "Ahhhh!"

"What's happening?" Jaden yelped as the water continued to pour for another thirty seconds before stopping, the colts now soaking wet. That is, until a giant puff of white smoke shot out of the walls and covered them, "Now what?!" The smoke remained for several seconds before being sucked into a vent as several other vents started spraying warm air at them.

Within moments, the colts were bone dry.

"Disinfectant, complete."

The warm air stopped and the table returned for them to put the goggles on. The wall in front of them then opened after they took the googles off, allowing them to exit. "Well, that was fun," Heart huffed.

"I wonder why they needed to disinfect us?" Jaden asked, only to now see a giant high-tech room full of beds and machines. Right in front of them was a pair of crescent-shaped desks positioned to form a circle where two ponies were working.

Other ponies wearing lab-coats or nurses outfits were walking around, some talking to ponies up on the bed. "Now you're gonna feel a little prick," they heard a lab-coat unicorn explain as he injected a pegasus with something. Moments later, the pegasi's blue coat turned purple with green spots appearing. "Only green spots this time. It's an improvement."

"What it this place?" Heart whispered.

"Some kind of medical facility?" Jaden quietly replied, "I'm guessing First Aid's the one in charge, given his Cutie Mark was used as the lock image." Heart nodded, only for a nearby door to shoot open as a male pegasi nurse pushed a bed with a buff earth pony into the room.

"Incoming! Incoming! Make a path, ponies!" Lab-coat ponies rushed to his side as they led the bed through the room, "I've got a non-responsive seeker, temperatures at a hundred and sixty degrees Fahrenheit and he's oozing weird blue glowing stuff." He leaned over to another nurse, "Tastes like hummus. This pony needs medical attention stat!"

The colts watched as the doctors began checking him out, "Looks like an infected bite of the mortem fly," one doctor stated. "We need the cure pumped directly into the bite. I give him three minutes before he crashes."

The nurse that had brought him in ripped open the shirt the earth pony was wearing, then huffed at the sight of his buff physic. "Okay, he and I have the same personal trainer. How is that possible?"

"This sounds serious," Heart gulped as the doctors began searching his body.

"I can't find the bite mark," the nurse chimed in.

"Keep looking," the doctor replied, "It has to be here somewhere." But no matter where they searched, they couldn't find the bite. "We're gonna lose him." Suddenly, the machine he was hooked up to started beeping rapidly.

The two frowned and Jaden pulled Heart away, the pair walking through the doors into another hallway. "I don't think Flash or Ruby would want us to see that."

"Yeah..." Heart nodded as two more doctors walked down the hall in opposite directions. The younger of the doctors smiled at the other one, who had a large bushy beard.

"Hey Doctor Beard-Face." The other doctor glared at him.

"How many times do I have to say it? It's Beard Facade. Beard Facade!" The other doctor chuckled as the bearded one 'baaah'ed' before walking off, the colt looking at each other in confusion.

"I'm guessing he gets called that a lot," Jaden chuckled.

"If I kept getting called that, I'd just lose the beard." Heart added, "Though I wonder if he's hiding anything under there." Jaden shrugged before his eyes went wide.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, "Heart, you're a genius!"

"I know," Heart smirked before turning to him. "Why am I a genius?" Jaden didn't reply and ran back into the room, seeing the doctors were still unable to find the bite.

"His mane!" He yelled, getting their attention. "It might be under his mane!" The doctors quickly started looking and one stopped his hoof over a section of his head.

"Found it! I need a razor!" A nurse rushed over with one and quickly shaved away that section of his mane, revealing a large yellow bump against his teal fur. "Antidote!" He was quickly given a syringe that he injected into the bump, causing it to glow and slowly began to undo the swelling. "He should be alright. A little rest with the right medication and he'll be right as rain in a week or so." Everypony sighed as Heart patted Jaden on the back.

"Nice one Jaden. You should think about going into the medical profession."

"Hardly," Jaden replied while rolling his eyes, "I just realized where a bump is. Doesn't mean I'm a real doctor." This caught the male nurse's attention.

"You're not doctors!" He looked up to the ceiling, "GUARDS!"

"Oh," Heart shook his head, "We're not guards either." But then, a sudden flash of light signaled the arrival of two well armed unicorns holding spears in their magic.

"No, but they are!" Jaden cried as the guards grabbed them and pointed the spears at their throats.

The colts gulped before Heart turned to a nearby doctor, "So would now be a bad time to ask about a bump on the inside of my mouth..." The doctor frowned at him, "Got it. Nevermind." The next thing the pair knew, they were suddenly teleported into a dark room and thrown to the ground. "Hey!" Heart yelped, picking himself up. "Watch the hair!" The guards said nothing and teleported away as Jaden got up.

"Great..." he sighed, "What do you think they're gonna do to us?"

Heart shrugged, only to go wide-eyed at an electric screen in the room.


NOW YOU DIE


"It says now you die!" Heart yelled, Jaden gasping as he saw the image as well.

"Do you think they mean you or me?" Jaden asked, looking ready to start crying as Heart turned to him.

"Well, it's says you, so..."

"SILENCE!" They both jumped into each other's hooves as a voice boomed all around them, "You have trespassed in my hospital! And for that, the punishment is-"

"Raisins?"

"THE PUNISHMENT IS RAISINS?!" Jaden screamed, only to blink at his own statement. "Wait..." But before he could comment on what he just said, the light in the room came on and they saw First Aid standing in front of a door below the electronic sign.

He seemed to notice the sign and what it said, making him growl, "Stupid sign!" He hit the wall, causing the sign to shake and make new letters appear. When it did, the sign read an entirely new phrase.


KNOW YOUR DIET FACTS


"Oh...know your diet facts. That's far less scary." Heart nodded as First looked passed the pair, staring at somepony behind them.

"Raisins," he hissed, "What are you doing in the cafeteria?!" The colts spun around at this to see they were now in a large room full of tables and chairs, one table running along a nearby wall with bowls of fruit, cereals and anything else somepony would wanna eat during a lunch break. They then noticed somepony else there, a yellow unicorn filly around their age with red hair and a cutie mark of a caduceus. She was also holding a white coffee cup in her magic.

The filly went wide-eyed at this, "Um...nothing, Mr. Aid." First stared at her for a moment before pointing at her.

"Is that my mug?" He asked, holding up his hoof. "Send it over." The filly sighed and used her magic to float the cup over to the Royal Knight, landing in First's hoof as he showed the boys what was written on it. "World's Sexiest Chief of Staff and Vice Chancellor of Medical Administration. Bought this at a train station, what are the odds?" He put the cup down and turned to the colts, "Welcome boys. I am sorry I could not be there at the cave, but I got caught up in a medical emergency. And it seems that you did too."

"Sorry we interfered," Jaden replied.

"Sorry?" First asked before shaking his head, "No need to apologize. If you had not done something, we would have lost one of our best seekers."

"Seeker?" Heart asked, "What's that? And what is this place?"

"This is the top research center in all of Equestria," First responded, "I first founded it not long after Heather and I were made Royal Knights. Where do you think we go whenever we are not on an expedition or mission?" The colts turned to one another and shrugged, never having thought about it. "This is where we take all the data we collect in the field for analysis and experimentation. The pony you helped save was a fellow researcher who holds the title of Seeker. Thank you."

"They probably got lucky," the mare named Raisins commented, First glaring at her as she glanced away, allowing First to focus on the colts.

"Tell me, how did you know where to find the bite?"

"We didn't," Jaden replied, "But Heart said something that made me realize there was one place the doctors weren't looking. Under his mane."

"Ingenious," First nodded, "Just goes to show that even the best medical professionals can lack the insight sometimes needed to save a life." He smiled at them both before taking something out of his lab coat. "Take this." It was the red gemstone, the colts gasping as they saw it.

"We can really have this?"

"Yes. I originally intended to have you run a complicated maze to show your insight, but saving my Seeker when others could not proves you're more than worthy of this crystal." The colts smiled while the filly frowned, Heart taking the crystal as Jaden opened up the map. Holding the crystal over the paper, the area they were in glowed before a new path illuminated.

"Looks like we got our final destination," Heart cheerred as Jaden read it.

"Yup. And now we need to head too..." His eyes went wide when he saw the name of the place, Heart raising an eyebrow before reading it himself.

"Oh, come on!"





Ghastly Gorge

The two stared into the giant crack in the earth, which the map was telling them they needed to enter. "So...what do we do now?" Heart asked, both gulping at the sight of the place.

"Somewhere in there, a stand has been set up." Jaden took out the red gem while Heart held up the blue and green one. "All we have to do is put these into the stand and we'll pass the test."

"If we can get to it," Heart gulped as they began to head down the path toward the gorge. "Of all the places to make us come, why'd it have to be here?!"

"Is this place really that dangerous?" Jaden asked as they reached the bottom.

"Oh no," Heart grumbled in a tone dripping with sarcasm, "This place is super safe. And the giant eels here love visitors, especially the tasty ones." Jaden gulped as the pair continued through the gorge, staring at the walls.

"Let's just get through here and find that stand as quickly as possible." But as he said that, the ground beneath their hooves began to shake. "Now what?"

"Move!" Heart yelped, pushing Jaden back seconds before a quarry eel shot out of a hole and tried to bite them. The two quickly leapt behind a rock as the eel glanced around.

"Great," Jaden moaned as the eel retracted itself back into the hole, "How the heck are we supposed to get passed that thing?"

"I could fly us up and put us down on the other side," Heart suggested, only for Jaden to shake his head.

"No...we don't know where all these things are. What if the stand is in a nest of them?"

"Well..." Heart glanced down at the blue gem he was holding, now remembering what the trial was all about. "We've gotta be invisible."

"What?" Jaden turned to him as Heart turned to a rock that was about their size but light enough for a unicorn to lift.

"Throw that rock in front of the hole!" Heart grabbed hold of Jaden, the unicorn blinking before doing as he was told. He picked the rock up and threw it at the hole. As it landed, the eel shot out and tried to eat the rock. "Now!" Heart pulled him under the eel, the beast unable to see them at the angle it was at. By the time it realized it was tricked, the two had reached its other side. It tried to curve and swallow them, but Heart threw a fireball at it, the beast roaring as the flames exploded in its face.

The two laughed at this, high-hoofing as they did so. "Smart move!" Jaden complimented, "There's more than one way to be invisible." But as they turned a corner, they found there were even more holes on the walls ahead of them. This time, Jaden didn't need any instructions as he picked up as many rocks as he could magically carry and threw them, the rocks going to the holes as the eels shot out to attack.

Both colts ran as fast as they could under each eel before they retracted, though some noticed them run under ones opposite of them. This resulted in the eels charging and slamming into each other, soon breaking out into a fight as the colts slipped by unnoticed.

"Alright!" They high-hoofed again before turning a corner, only to be suddenly bombarded by a powerful wind. "Augh!" They slammed into the ground and moaned as the wind began to die down.

"What was that?" Heart asked.

"We don't have time to wonder," Jaden yelled, "Let's go!" They ran forward again, only for the wind to suddenly pick up again. They both cried out, but this time they stood their ground. "Hold on tight!"

"I'm...trying!" Heart screaming as they were pushed back a few inches, but were able to keep themselves mostly where they were. After about of minute of being buffeted by the wind, it stopped. "You're not gonna break us wind!" Heart roared as they charged, "We're indestructible!" They kept going and the wind picked up again, but the two knew they could ride it out as they held their ground.

And when it died down once more, the pair carried on and this time the wind didn't pick up. They had passed that area. "We've got to be getting close!" Jaden gasped as they entered an area that was far more open with no holes in the walls or creatures waiting to snack on them.

The walls of the canyon were more sloped, turning them into ramps. However, the rocks at the top were looking pretty secure as they continued to make their way through the area, soon reaching the halfway point of the gorge. And when they got there, they let out a gasp.

It was a large stone pedestal with their cutie marks emblazoned on them. The colts ran up and saw there were three holes perfectly shaped to allow the gem to be slotted inside, and some words written above them. "Place each gem in the right hole to pass the test," Jaden read.

"Does that mean if we put them in the wrong holes we fail?" Heart asked.

"I guess so," Jaden replied, "There must be a clue to figure out which hole is for which gem. I'm sure if we relax and take our time-" Before he could say anything, the floor beneath their hooves suddenly changed. In the blink of an eye, it went from solid to liquid and their hooves dropped about two inches before it solidified again.

"HEY!" Heart pulled on his hooves, but all four were stuck. Same with Jaden. "What's this?" They then heard an explosion to the left and looked up to see a bunch of rocks had been blasted loose and were now hanging over the edge. "Oh, come on!"

"I guess they want us to figure it out under fire!" Jaden cried as he used his magic to take out the gems. He held them all up over the pedestal, trying to figure out which went were.

"If we put them in the wrong hole, those rocks might end up falling."

"But if we take too long, they might fall on their own." Jaden stared at the words, "Come on. There's gotta be a clue here." Heart quivered as he watched the rocks shake, a small one even falling off and falling down the side of the canyon.

"Jaden," he whimpered out, "Any moment now would be good."

"I'm thinking," Jaden responded, "Maybe the holes are colored on the inside." He tried to lean in, but his stuck hooves didn't let him see. "Place each crystal in the right hole. But which one's the right hole?"

Heart kept staring at the rocks above, only to imagine Jaden placing them in the holes. "Wait..." he noticed that Jaden's words were making him think just that. "We're still missing something! We're missing insight!"

"What?" Jaden turned to him.

"I think I've figured it out!" Heart cried, "The instructions are telling us where to put the crystals." As he said that, a large rock came loose and began to fall toward them. "It's not saying the right hole like we think. It's not right like in right or wrong, its right as in-"

"Left and right!" Jaden gasped before turning back to the pedestal. "We're not supposed to put each crystal in a separate hole." The large rock hit the ground next to them and shattered, the pieces flying everywhere. "We're supposed to put them in one hole. The right hole!" As he said that, more rocks started coming loose and began falling toward them. They both gasped as Jaden's horn flared.

First he put the blue gem inside the right hole, the crystal completely falling through and disappearing into the pedestal. If they were wrong there was no going back now. And as more rocks fell, he slotted the other two gems inside. The rubble continued to fall, the colts now closing their eyes and bracing themselves...only for nothing to happen. For in a flash, the pedestal unleashed a bright light that surrounded them to form a barrier. The barrier caused all of the rocks to bounce off, pieces flying everywhere and leaving the pair untouched.

When the last rock was deflected, the colts felt the earth around their hooves turn back to liquid. The pair quickly jumped out before it solidified, freeing them both as the barrier vanished. "Was that it?" Heart asked, "Did we do it?"

Jaden stared at the stone table for a few moment moments before the cutie marks etched into it glowed. In a flash of light, the pedestal vanished. And in its place, Flash and Ruby were standing there with smiles on the faces.

"Well done," Ruby told them both.

"You've passed the test!" Flash cheered, making their eyes going wide, only to glare at the duo.

"Are you two insane?!" Heart yelped.

"Do you have any idea what we've been through the last three days?" Jaden added, "And making the last leg of the test going through here?! What if we had gotten eaten?!"

"You were fine," Flash scoffed as he waved his hoof, "We've been keeping an eye on you since you left Ponyville."

"You have?!" Heart asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course," Ruby nodded, "Invisibility, remember? We watched you from a safe distance, and if you had gotten into trouble, we would have swooped in to save you. Of course, that would have meant you'd failed the test."

"So...you would have saved us from the rocks in we got that puzzle wrong?" Heart asked, only for the adults to laugh. Ruby's horn glowed and they noticed the rocks around them glow before flickering away.

"Illusions?" Jaden asked.

"They would have just flown right through you if you hadn't gotten it right," Flash responded, "But you did get it right, and you passed the test." Heart and Jaden both smiled at this. "You've proven you've learned the importance of invisibility, indestructibility and insight. These three aspects will serve you well in the battles to come."

"You've proven you're ready to begin the next phase of your training," Ruby continued, "But be warned, this next level will be even more difficult than before. You'll find yourselves coming up against more obstacles than ever. Do you think you can handle it?" The colts turned to one another smiled before giving Ruby a nod.

"We can handle it," Heart shined a huge grin.

"We've come this far," Jaden added.

"Then let's get home," Flash laughed, "I'm willing to bet Pinkie will be wanting to throw you a party to celebrate completing this test." Both of them cheered as Ruby teleported them up and out of the gorge. A Pinkie Pie Party made everything they had gone through totally worth it.

"I can't wait to get home," Heart commented, "Soul and the others have probably been sitting around bored, waiting to hear about what happened with us."

"Unless something exciting happened there while we were gone," Flash chuckled. "Never know with Ponyville." He doubted that, but Heart seemed to get that that was a possibility. And as they journeyed home, the two colts thought about everything they had been through over the last few days. Their adventure might not have been some big Equestria saving mission, but they wouldn't forget it for as long as they lived. The trials they faced had made them stronger than ever, which meant Equestria was now even more formidable. Any enemy that hoped to take the kingdom down would need to face opponents that had learned what it truly meant to be invisible, indestructible and insightful. But only time would tell when Heart and Jaden would need to step up as the heroes they were destined to be.
> Molt Down
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Dragon Lands were as harsh as they had always been despite the dragons that call it home enjoying their lives. The damage done by the Malafear incident had all but vanished, and just outside the borders was Spike, the drake leading Rarity and Lightning to a forest where he had first saved a young egg from some bully dragons. Rarity was after a few phoenix feathers while Lightning was interested in seeing the Dragon Lands. He hadn't gotten a good look the last time he was there, considering he was a mind-controlled dragon at the time.

Meanwhile, Spike was eager to see Peewee again. The last time he had seen the baby phoenix, the little guy was starting to get his adult feathers. By this point, he was probably a fully-fledged phoenix. "I do appreciate you showing me the way to the phoenix nests, Spike," Rarity commented.

"No problem," Spike replied as Rarity and Lightning stared at the drake, seeing him hold his claw to his right cheek. He had been doing that since they left Equestria. "Besides, I've been meaning to visit Peewee."

"He really was an excellent pet," Rarity nodded, "I can't imagine why you set him free." Spike's eyes went wide when he remembered all the problems that had happened while Peewee was under his care, the dragon blushing and looking away.

"Phoenixes aren't meant to be domesticated," he responded, "Even in the wild, they like to keep to themselves."

"But Celestia has a phoenix," Lightning pointed out.

"Yes...where did she get Philomena from anyway?"

Lightning rubbed his chin at the question, "Um...if I remember correctly, I think Grand once said something about a rare animal trading ring he busted up. Maybe Celestia got the egg from there. I think I remember hearing a rumor from her unicorn school about a student who hatched the egg and became Celestia's student."

"Oh? And who was that?"

"No idea." Lightning shrugged.

Rarity then turned back to Spike, "Well, those birds are beautiful." She started circling around the dragon, Spike simply spinning on the spot as he kept his claw to his face, "A few of their feathers will add just the right splash of color to my latest-Spike!" She grabbed him in her magic and spun him around, "What are you doing?"

"Uh," Spike pulled away, "Nothing!" Rarity and Lightning narrowed their eyes at this.

"Is there something wrong with your face?" Rarity asked.

"Trip in poison ivy?" Lightning added, "I noticed some earlier. Didn't think it would effect a dragon with scales." Spike sighed at this.

"It's a stone scale." He turned back to them, "It isn't magical or anything like the call of the Dragon Lord." He started scratching, "It's just...red. And itchy." He let out a groan, "And embarrassing." He then removed his claws, now showing a red bump that had grown under his scale and pushed up out of place.

"Oh my," Rarity pulled back as Lightning hissed, "That does look uncomfortable." Spike frowned at this, only for Rarity to shake her head, "Don't worry about that Spike. Even I get the odd blemish from time to time. It's nothing to be embarrassed by." She began to walk again, the boys catching up as she added, "You could pay Zecora a visit. She makes a cream that works wonders." She then frowned and leaned in, "Just don't get the shampoo."

"What would happen if you popped it?" Lightning asked, taking out one of his knives. Spike quickly pulled away and covered the stone scale again, "What?! Sometimes it's good to pop a spot. Get all the gunk out and properly wash it and you'll be right as rain."

"No thanks," Spike replied, only to then hear some squawking. They looked up and saw a pair of phoenix in a nest. "There's Peewee's parents!" He then sighed at this, "But I don't see Peewee."

"Maybe he moved out," Rarity chimed in, "Everypony has to leave the nest at some point." In that moment, another squawk filled the air before a familiar phoenix shot past them.

"Peewee!" Spike exclaimed as the bird landed, turning and smiling before the pair hugged. Unfortunately, the phoenix's super warm feathers touched the stone scale on Spike's face. The one spot not fireproof at the moment then caused Spike to actually feel the burn. "Ouch!" He pulled back, scratching the scale as Peewee squawked and took to the air.

Doing so caused several feathers to fall to the ground, Rarity quickly picking them up and bagging them. As she did this, she saw Spike wince and rub his face, "Perhaps you should pay Zecora a visit sooner rather than later."

Spike sighed again, "I don't want anypony else to see this. Besides, I'm sure it'll clear up after a good night's sleep." Rarity shrugged in response before Lightning stepped up, the pair grabbing onto his cloak and teleporting back to Ponyville.

Arriving at his house, Rarity headed off to the boutique while Lightning went on patrol. At the same time, Spike carefully rushed home, glad everypony at the castle was more focused on a big test Heart and Jaden were taking the next day. He quickly zipped up to his room and got into bed before anypony could see him, Twilight coming up later to bring him down for dinner, only to be told he was tired and would be turning in early.

Twilight accepted this, but told Spike she would need his help with a class lecture the next day. Spike agreed and quickly found himself drifting off the sleep, only to find himself enjoying one of the most comfortable sleeps he had had in a while, full of dreams of fifty foot gems he got to enjoy and video games where he was the hero.

That is, till it came to a loud end as Twilight opened the door and yelled, "Spike! I can't believe you're still asleep!"

Spike let out a groan, "Just five more minutes." He tried to curl himself up, but Twilight pulled the curtains open and filled the room with light.

"It's nearly noon, and you promised to help me with my lecture for class today!" That got Spike awake, the dragon popping his head out from under the blanket.

"Noon?! Whoa! I slept like a rock!" He rubbed his eyes at this, "Which reminds me, all that sleep probably cleared up my stone scale!" He turned to Twilight, only for his pseudo-big sister to let out a gasp of horror.

"Um, on second thought..." She gave a nervous chuckle, "You can go back to sleep if you want." Spike raised an eyebrow at this and moved over to a nearby mirror. "I wouldn't do that."

And then Spike let out a scream.





Springer had just come off of patrol, planning on a quick lunch before setting up a training scenario of Ace and Mira to practice their Bone Breaker techniques...though mainly to see if he can get them to learn the technique. He didn't know why, but both seemed to be having trouble even creating half of the weapon. And as he walked into the castle, a loud scream filled the air.

He quickly rushed upstairs, soon reaching the dragon's room, "I heard a scream! What happened?" He then saw Spike with a bunch of red spots covering his face and pushing his scales off him. "Ooooow," he flinched at the sight while Spike ran over to shut the curtains before leaping under his blanket.

"Spike..." Twilight called out, "What are you doing?"

"Hiding from my hideous face!" Spike replied, Twilight sighing as she placed a hoof on top of the blanket.

"I'm sure it feels terrible, but it's just a breakout. It's not the end of the world."

"That's easy for you to say," Spike pulled his head out to show her face. "Your face isn't covered in itchy red spots!" He then started scratching as Twilight smiled.

"I used to get terrible breakouts any time I had a final exam with Celestia." She then frowned as she thought of Celestia's constantly perfect face, "Who probably never had a blemish her whole life..."





Meanwhile...

Celestia was taking a lunch break alone in her chambers, her horn glowing as the glamor charm she was using ended to reveal a big red spot on her cheek.

She sighed as she looked in the mirror, "That invisibility potion better show up soon. I can't keep using magic to hide this." She opened her dresser and took out some makeup, attempting the hide the spot with little success. "Tirek better not be planning a comeback this week."





"Well, I'm not in magic school," Spike grumbled.

"No," Twilight shook her head, "But these things can be stress-related. And you did spend yesterday with Rarity."

"I haven't been feeling stressed around her for a long time," Spike replied, "And the first stone scale appeared before we went out." He kept itching as Twilight grabbed his claws in her magic, stopping him as Springer pulled the curtains open.

"Why not look inside your spell book?" Springer chimed in, "Who knows, maybe your dad might have suffered from the same issues when he was your age." Spike's eyes went wide at this as he threw the blanket off of him and ran over to his bookshelf, taking out the magic book Silverbolt had left for him.

"Please," Spike started flicking through it, but the scales were so itchy he couldn't turn them fast enough. Twilight chose to take the book from him and with her speed reading mastery, looked through every possible spell in the book within ten seconds.

"Sorry Spike," she shut it, "There isn't anything in here about getting rid of spots." Spike groaned as Twilight put the book away, "You could try Zecora. She makes a cream that-"

"Works wonders," Spike growled, "I've heard." He looked at himself in the mirror again and frowned, "But I'm not leaving the castle until my face is back to its adorable self." He then tried to pop one of his spots, but that only resulted in a pained wince.

"Fine," Twilight passed him a bunch of cards, "But you're still gonna help me practice my lecture." Spike groaned as Springer chuckled and headed out the room, only for a giant burst of green fire to shoot out the door and hit his tail's tip.

"YOW!" the jakhowl yelped before slamming his tail against the wall, managing to put it out, but the fur on the tip was gone and revealing the pink under-flesh. "SPIKE!" He yelled while spinning around, only to see Twilight gasping at the sight of an ash pile Spike was carrying.

"My lecture!" She cried as Spike dropped the ashes on the floor.

"I'm sorry! I don't know what happened!" He exclaimed, "I just had a sudden case of-" He couldn't finish his sentence, as he started gagging worse than when he would get a letter from Celestia. Twilight gasped at this and teleported away as Springer put an Aura Guard up around him. Spike then unleashed a mighty stream of fire, the jakhowl finding himself pushed back, only for Twilight to reappear with a fire extinguisher and sprayed him with so much that he looked like a melted snowman. "...indigestion. I'm so sorry!"

Twilight sighed, "It's okay. I'm sure I can rewrite the lecture from my notes." She summoned a stack of papers that were even bigger than the one Spike had torched, "I have a lot."

Spike reached for the notes, "I can help you with-"

But Twilight pulled them away, "Maybe you should leave the castle after all and...go somewhere less...flammable?" She looked around the room and saw all the scorch marks now covering the place. Luckily, everything had been enchanted to be fire resistant for just such an occasion, though Twilight was probably regretting not doing that to the rest of her stuff.

Spike let out a sigh and began to leave, though not before going to his closet and pulling out a trench coat, hat and big sunglasses. "Really?" Springer asked, still holding his tail as Spike put them on.

"Sorry about your tail," he replied as Springer shrugged.

"It's fine. I don't think it's burnt, but I'll probably ask Doctor Fauna to have a look. Typical. The one time Heart isn't here, and I get a burn."

He then left and Spike did the same while Twilight teleported to her office to redo her lecture. The next hour or so wasn't exactly fun for Spike, as he made the mistake of going over to the school. He had been staring at his hideous self in the lake's reflection when Rarity called him over to ask for help modelling her new dress. Spike, who was able to hide his true appearance thanks to his disguise, thought fast and tried to refuse saying he needed to lead a tour of the school. Alas, Pinkie and a tour group she was leading heard this and happily passed it onto him.

So there he was, doing his best to finish the tour up as fast as he could. The ponies in the tour group weren't so keen on being quick, wanting to take their time to enjoy the sights. Talk about selfish. Things then got worse for Spike when his voice started acting up. One moment he could only speak in a whisper, no matter how hard he tried to speak, then his voice was suddenly set to eleven and the quietest he could speak was a high yell.

That was what the students of the library were greeted to when the tour group arrived. Smolder, Yona, Sandbar and Soul were working on their loyalty homework, Soul also wondering how her brother's test was going, only to flinch when they heard Spike.

"THIS IS THE SCHOOL LIBRARY!" He roared, "IT'S ONE OF THE MOST SERENE SPOTS ON CAMPUS, WHERE STUDENTS CAN SPEND TIME IN QUIET REFLECTION OR STUDY!" He turned to the group, who were all frowned. "WHAT?" A tour pony pointed behind him, the drake then turning to see the four students walking up.

"Could you please stop shouting?" Smolder growled, "We're trying to do our homework, and it's kind of distracting."

"WAS I SHOUTING?!" Spike yelled, the tour group all nodding with mutters. Spike quickly cleared his throat and when he spoke next, he was back to a normal volume. "I have no idea what you're talking-" He suddenly stopped as he felt another big burp coming on, the little dragon trying to cover his mouth.

He knew Twilight would have a panic attack if another library under her care was destroyed, so he tried everything he could to keep from unleashing the flames. But he couldn't help it and the fire was expelled, causing him to turn into a green fireball that made everyone except Smolder to leap back.

Spike, now disguiseless, suddenly shot out of the fireball as he was propelled by his flame burps. When it finally stopped, he fell upon the ashes of his destroyed coat, hat and glasses whilst the others saw his state of being. Unbeknownst to Spike, his spots had spread. His arms, legs and tail were also spotty, causing Soul to gasp.

"Spike! What's wrong with you?!" Spike sat himself up and panicked, looking himself over and seeing the new spots along his body. Without a word, he jumped to his feet and ran off. "SPIKE!" But the dragon didn't listen was gone, leaving the alicorn to turn to the others.

"I hope whatever he has ain't contagious," Sandbar quivered.

"You'll be fine," Smolder sighed before walking off, "And he isn't sick." The others blinked at her as the young dragon followed Spike, Soul deciding to take off and fly after her.

"If he isn't sick, what's wrong with him?"

"I'll tell you when we find him," Smolder replied, "And it looks like we won't have to look far." She pointed at the ceiling and Soul saw a large trail of smoke flowing along. The alicorn gasped at the sight, the girls quickly going down a corridor before hearing a loud burp from a supply closet.

They flew up and Soul opened the door, an extra burst of smoke hitting them in the face before revealing a very unhappy looking Spike. "If you're trying to hide, you need to do a better job." Smolder pointed up, "All I had to do was follow the smoke." Spike looked up and wafted the smoke away as Smolder pulled the door shut. Spike then glared at her and tried to say something, but his voice was so quiet and rough that they couldn't make it out. "What?"

Spike tried again, but they still couldn't hear him, "Heave under dome?" Soul asked as Spike rolled his eyes.

Spike growled and tried to force his voice, only for it to come out normal half-way through the sentence. "I said leave ME ALONE!" He then began to gag and the girls flinched, both leaping up as Spike unleashed a powerful burst of fire that disintegrated several brooms. Seeing this, he let out a sigh as Soul winced at the sight, only for Smolder to start laughing.

"Wow! I have seen some pretty bad molts in my time, but yours takes the cake!"

"Molts?!" Spike asked as Smolder leapt down, Soul gliding next to him.

"The molt." She replied, "Super painful stone scales, fire burps, uncontrollable volume shifts? It's all part of growing up dragon. Congrats!" She slapped him on the back, hitting several stone scales and making Spike cry out. "Oh. Sorry."

"I think I've heard that before." Soul commented before turning to Spike, "Didn't Flicker say something about that once? A dragon named Garble who was the last one of his group to molt. Didn't he call Garble something? Tiny..."

"Tiny Tooth!" Smolder jumped onto the windowsill, "It's what Spike is now. At least, until he finishes molting." Soul was about to ask what that meant, only for Spike to start panicking.

"No-no-no-no-no! The last time I grew up, I turned into a giant greedy monster!"

Smolder rolled her eyes at this, "Greed-induced bigness. That's totally different." She jumped off the window, "The molt is completely normal. Every dragon goes through it. Pretty soon, you'll leave and strike out on your own."

"Why would I do that?" Spike asked, making Smolder stare at him like he just asked why water was wet.

"Have you been living with ponies your whole life?"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh," Smolder slumped. "Well, in the Dragon Lands, a molter's loved ones kicks them out at the first stone scale."

"What?!" Spike screeched, "Why?!"

Smolder shrugged at this, "Eh, I think it's biological. We call it the 'molt effect'. And I haven't even told you about the smell."

"Smell?!" Both Spike and Soul asked before they gave the young dragon a whiff, only to need to hold back a gag due to the horrible smell that was now coming off of him.

"Yeah," Smolder nodded, "I mean, I love my brother and all, but one whiff, and I was all 'see ya'!" She then sniffed Spike and flinched, "Speaking of which..." She turned to leave, but Spike leapt and grabbed her tail.

"Wait!" She turned back to him, "Does the molt effect happen to ponies too?" He then gasped, "Twilight already asked me to leave the castle today. If she kicks me out, where am I gonna live?! I'm too young to grow up!"

Soul facehoofed at this, about to tell him Twilight wouldn't do that, but Smolder then said, "I'm sure you'll find a nice..." She pulled her tail out of his grasp, "...hoard of gems to guard or a village to terrorize." She then scratched her chin, "Oh wait, now that dragons and ponies are friends, I guess that's off the table."

"So no creature's gonna wanna be around me?" Spike asked next.

"I'm sure it won't be that bad," Soul chimed in, "Maybe we can find you a really powerful deodorant to use."

"Won't work," Smolder countered, "Lots of dragons have tried to mask the smell, but it never works. I remember my brother found a skunk and got it to spray him."

"Why would he trade one bad smell for another?"

"To keep himself alive," Smolder replied, "The molt stench is a magnet for predators. Tatzlwurms, hydras, rocs..." That statement caused the pair to blink, both sharing a glance before Spike turned back to her.

"Dragons are scared of rocks?"

"R-O-C-S. Rocs?" She started flying, trying to look as scary as she could as she explained, "Humongous birds of prey that can snack on a molting dragon like candy!"

Soul grimaced at this, only for Spike to try to say something, but his voice went so low and crackly it was impossible to hear. "Seriously," Smolder replied, "I heard none of that."

"TWILIGHT'S KICKING ME OUT, AND THE ONLY CREATURES WHO DON'T FIND ME DISGUSTING WANT TO EAT ME?!"

"Congrats!" Smolder laughed, Soul facehoofing again as the door suddenly opened to reveal Pinkie.

"HEY!" She yelled, "IS THIS THE SHOUTING CLOSET?! BECAUSE I'VE GOT A FREE DAY, AND I'M TOTALLY UP FOR SOME SHOUTING!" She then sniffed the air. "Also, where's that brussel-sprouts-covered-in-cotton-candy smell coming from? Because it is really interesting." Smolder nudged Spike with a smirk as the little dragon slumped.

"Spike..." Soul started before Spike ran off.

"I gotta go!" He yelled, pushing passed Pinkie, the pony gagging when he did so. Soul tried to follow, but Spike had already vanished around another corner.

"Great..." she sighed as Smolder turned to leave, "Did you have to terrify him that much?!"

"I was just being honest," Smolder responded, "Isn't that what you're supposed to do when a friend needs to know something important?"

"You could have broken it to him more gently!" Soul replied, "And not make it sound like he's definitely going to get kicked out! You don't know that this molt effect works on ponies."

"Tell me honestly, do you wanna be around Spike right now?" She was gonna say yes, but then remembered that smell and was suddenly developing a queasy motion. "Exactly. You can't help it. The molt is when a dragon leaves home. It's nature."

"Well, Spike isn't a normal dragon," she countered, "And it's obvious that smell doesn't last. You're older than Spike, so you must have gone through the molt." Smolder nodded, "And you don't smell. So once he's finished with this, he'll be back to normal."

"Maybe. But by the time that happens, he'll be so used to being on his own he'll probably wanna leave anyway. That's what happened to me. When my parents kicked me out, I couldn't wait for my molt to be over so I could go back. But then I started having fun on my own and when it was over, I decided I didn't need to be babied anymore."

"How long does a molt last?"

"About a month...maybe a little longer."

Soul grimaced at this, only to sigh, "I just hope Spike doesn't do something stupid before Twilight can tell him everything's gonna be okay."





Spike had rushed back to his still charred room, quickly writing a letter to Flicker. He had needed a lot of focus in order to send the message without unleashing a massive fire blast, only to pull out his spellbook again to search for an answer.

"Come on dad," Spike flicked through the pages. "You must have gone through the molt. The mystic dragons must have found a spell to reverse the molt." He flicked through page after page, finding nothing to helping him...only to get to the back, "The Molt Spell!" He gasped and read it aloud, "This spell will nullify the side-effects of the molt. If cast correctly, it'll reduce the itching, fire burps, voice effects and smell so that the molt effect won't occur."

He danced for joy, happy to see that there was hope. He then read the spell and frowned when he saw it required an incantation. A dragonic incantation.

"Great," Spike sighed. He was fine when the spell required mental casting, but speaking dragonic wasn't Spike's best talent. "I still gotta try." He read over it again and nodded as he breathed fired into his claws and held them up, the flames burning brightly. "Bassamo, goroara, ventaco, back-" He tried to say the rest of the spell, but his voice suddenly went quiet. The flames then stopped expanding and died out.

Spike saw this and groaned, clearing his throat until it went back to normal. He breathed more fire into his claws and tried again, "Bassamo, goroara, ven-" He stopped when his mouth was suddenly filled with fire, forcing him to stop in order to contain it...only for the flames to burst out anyways, "Ahhh!" He cried before trying again.

But as he tried to cast the spell, the itching would distract him enough to make a mistake, his voice would cut out or he was forced to stop due to a fire burp. "AAAAAUUGGGGHHHHH!" He then slumped over, "This is hopeless!" He just laid there, about to wallow in self-pity, only to feel himself begin to gag. "Not again!" He clutched his stomach and unleashed a fire blast, only to find this one came with ash that quickly reshaped itself into a scroll. "Oh yeah...forgot that could happen."

He looked over the scroll and found it was from Flicker, the dragon gasping as he hoped he had found a way to stop the molt. He unfurled it and began to read. "Dear Spike, congratulations on beginning your molt." He let out a low growl, "Don't congratulate me. I need a way to stop this." He then read some more, "Alas, there is no way to stop the molt. Once it has begun, it will not stop until it is completed. But don't worry. I have very little worry about Twilight kicking you out. There is no reason the ponies will have developed the molt effect, so just stay where you are. Who knows, Twilight might be able to make a spell that can stop the bad smell. Talk to her about it and stay inside since being outside will make it more likely you'll attract a predator." He looked through the scroll and then screamed, "THAT'S IT?! THAT DOESN'T HELP ME AT ALL!"

In that moment, the door opened to reveal Springer, "What's with all the shouting?" He stepped inside, his tail-tip wrapped in bandages, only to notice Spike's face, "Whoa. What happened to you?" He then flinched as the smell hit his nose, "Urgh...what is that horrible smell? It's as if dead fish and a dumpster had a baby, and the baby puked, and a dog ate the puke and it smells like the rear end of that dog."

"You don't have to get so vocal about it," Spike hissed as he ran out of the room. "There's only one pon-er...zebra that can save me now."





Soul had searched for Twilight all day, accidently missing three lessons as she did this. "Oh, come on!" She cried as she flew into Twilight's office and found it empty, "She's gotta be somewhere." She flew to Twilight's classroom again, having already checked that place three times, only to still not see the alicorn.

"Soul!" The alicorn pulled herself to a stop midair and looked down to see Cozy and Mira looking up at her, "You missed Miss Rarity's class." Cozy told her as Mira laughed.

"You should have seen it. Rarity's hearing seemed to be affected by something, so she couldn't hear anything and kept yelling everything that she was saying. Where have you been?"

"Looking for Twilight," Soul replied, "You haven't seen her, have you?"

They thought for a moment and Mira shook her head, but then Cozy spoke up, "I remember seeing her before class. I think I heard her say something about Sugarcube Corner." Soul raised an eyebrow at this before she flew off, leaving the pair standing as Mira turned to Cozy.

"We were together before class. I don't remember seeing Twilight." Cozy shrugged and suggested that maybe she just didn't notice her, the pegasus walking off with Mira behind. As she did this, Cozy had to hold back a laugh at the prank she had just pulled.





Soul rushed over to Sugarcube Corner, arriving there panting as she pushed her way inside, only to find no sign of the alicorn in question. "Oh, hello Soul. Can I help you with something?" Mrs. Cake asked as the alicorn flew in.

"How long ago did Twilight leave?" This made the baker raise an eyebrow before telling her Twilight hadn't been here all day. "Seriously?" She groaned as Mrs. Cake nodded and Soul swore to make Cozy pay for this mistake. She took to the air again and flew around town, only to then see Springer, who was hanging out at the town flower stand. "Springer!" She dived down, seeing him sniff the smelliest flowers there was. "What are you doing?"

"Trying to get rid of that horrible smell that won't leave my nose." He took a big whiff, but still looked ready to start crying. "It just won't leave!"

"Focus!" She yelled as she grabbed his shoulders, "Where's Twilight?! I need to find her!" Springer blinked at her before doing a quick scan, soon finding her in the castle. "Augh! I checked there!" She flew off again, Springer staring at her before running after her. They soon arrived at the castle, stepping inside to see Twilight now practicing her newly rewritten lecture. "Twilight!"

The alicorn spun around, "Oh, hello Soul. What's the problem?"

"It's Spike!"

"Is he still having problems with his little breakout?"

"It's not so little anymore," Springer chimed in, "Those spots are covering his whole body, plus he smells like he took a swan dive into a year-old manure pile."

"He's scared you're gonna kick him out!"

Twilight went wide-eyed at this, only for an alarm to go off. "Is that the Rune Gate bell?" Springer asked, Twilight quickly zipping into the room containing the portal. The alarm signified someone at another gate was asking it to be opened, something that had been added in case there was an emergency.

When Twilight arrived, she saw the call was coming from the Dragon Lands and quickly activated the portal. Seconds later, the pillar of light appeared, "Flicker?" The Dragon Chronicler smiled as he walked in with something on the end of his nose. "What are you doing here? And what's with the clothes pin?"

"I would have thought it was obvious," Flicker replied, "I'm here to help Spike with his molting. That and this pin should hopefully keep me from experiencing the molt effect."

"Molting?" Twilight asked, "Molt effect? What are you talking about?"

"It's what I was trying to tell you," Soul added, "Spike's breakout, the fire burps and smell are all because of something called the molt." Flicker nodded at this and explained what was happening.

"That's great!" Twilight exclaimed and clapped her hooves, "So it's nothing to worry about."

"Yes," Flicker nodded, "But Spike was worried about the molt effect. He sent me a message asking me if there was a way to stop it, so I decided he needed some comfort with the whole situation."

"This molt effect?" Springer spoke up, "What's that?"

"It's meant to be what causes dragon parents to kick their kids out," Soul responded, "That's why he's scared of it. He doesn't want to leave, but thinks he'll have to once the molt completes."

"That's ridiculous," Twilight waved her hoof, "I'd never make Spike leave if he didn't want to."

"And Spike being away doesn't sound like a good idea," Springer added, "If it's true his stench will attract predators, he needs to be here where we can protect him."

"Indeed," Flicker nodded as they made their way out of the room, "Many Tiny Teeth end up losing their lives to predators if they're unable to find a safe place to wait out the molt. I almost ended up a hydra snack when I molted."

"I've heard that word before," Soul chimed in, "Smolder called Spike a Tiny Tooth. And you said Garble was the oldest one before he molted once?"

"Exactly," Flicker nodded. "We dragons have five stages of maturity. First is the egg, which hatches into the Tiny Tooth. They then molt and become a Short Wing, like Smolder, followed by the Broad Wing that Ember and I fall under. And then, if a dragon survives long enough, they grow into the Titan Wings like Torch or your friends when Malafear transformed them." He frowned as he said this. "Now that I think about it, why did they become Titan Wings? Based on their ages, they should have been Broad Wings."

"Must have been part of the magic he cast," Twilight replied before she let out a gasp, "Wait, wait, wait!" They all stopped and turned to her, "So when Spike molts, he'll become a Short Wing?" Flicker nodded, "But he doesn't have wings, unless..."

"Unless that's what the molt is for," Flicker chuckled, "I didn't have wings when I hatched, neither did Ember, Smolder or any other dragons you've met. We suffer through the molt and at the end of it, we're rewarded by growing bigger and having a new set of wings."

"So Spike's gonna get wings?" Soul asked, Flicker nodding. "That's amazing!"

"Yes!" Twilight cheered, "I always wondered if Spike would get wings. But hearing it's happening...I can't wait to tell him."

"You mean he doesn't know?" Flicker asked, the others shaking their heads. "Huh, I would have thought Smolder would tell him."

"Well, she didn't," Soul sighed, "Now we need to find him and tell him before he does something stupid."

"I don't think you have to worry," Flicker replied, "I mean, how many predators could live here in Equestria?"

"You said a hydra once attacked you," Springer pointed out with Flicker nodding. "We have hydras in Equestria." Flicker's eyes went wide. "We also have timberwolves, tatzlwurms, cragadiles, and a bunch more creatures that'll probably see Spike as a delicious low carb snack."

"Then we'd better find him right away," Flicker yelled, Springer then scanning the town...and finding nothing.

"You think he already left?" Soul asked as Springer increased the radius of the scan.

"Got him!" He exclaimed, "He's in the woods. At Zecora's place."

"Zecora?" Flicker responded.

"A friend who live there," Twilight replied, "He must be looking for a magical potion in order to stop the molt."

"Hang on," Springer spoke up, "Somepony else is heading to Zecora's place as well. It's Rarity."

"What's she doing at Zecora's?" Soul asked.

"Probably needs some more shampoo or something," Twilight sighed. "Come on," she spread her wings. "Let's get going before Spike actually finds a way to stop his molt." She grabbed Springer in her magic and flew out a nearby window, Soul and Flicker following behind.

"So did you all really not know about Spike's molt until now?" Flicker asked the others, who all nodded. "Well, what did you think his stone scales, burps, voice and smell were the last few weeks?"

"Last few weeks?" Twilight asked, "Spike only started showing the symptoms today?"

"He had a single stone scale yesterday," Springer pointed out, "But when he woke up this morning he was covered in them." Flicker raised an eyebrow at this, "Something wrong?"

"If his first stone scale only appeared yesterday, he should have only developed two or three more by now."

"Smolder did say the molt takes about a month," Soul pointed out.

"Exactly. The first week is the stone scales, then the second week is the fire burps. Then it's the voice issues in week three, and the smell only arrives at the start of week four. They're not all supposed to show up in a single day."

"Why do you think Spike did?" Twilight asked next, "Do you think it could be because he's a Mystic Dragon?"

"Possibly," Flicker nodded. "Honestly, one of the reasons I came to check on Spike was so I could see if Mystic Dragons molted differently to normal ones. Guess I got the answer." They then arrived at the edge of the forest and landed, only for Springer to find himself getting hit with a giant wave of panic.

"Whoa!" He yelped, the sudden pulse almost enough to make dizzy.

"What's wrong?"

"Panic," he replied, "Terror. Something's making Spike and Zecora terrified!" This made the four charge in, Springer soon finding that Spike and Zecora seemed to be running in every direction except toward them. And as they did this, he felt another presence. It wasn't sapient, but he could tell it was big, mean and very dangerous.

"We have to hurry!" Soul yelled, Springer nodding as he felt Zecora's presence was right next to the new one and moving in the same direction...and Rarity's presence was now getting closer.

"Oh no!" He exclaimed, doubling his speed with the others flying behind him. Then, he sensed all four presences come together. They appeared close enough that Springer could get a sense of direction and the fact that a unicorn, zebra and wingless dragon were about fifty feet up didn't bode well.

"Where are they?" Twilight asked when Springer pulled to a stop, the group seeing the area of forest they were now in was surprisingly tree-less...which looked like something had ripped all the trees up.

Springer looked straight up, the others doing the same thing and seeing some kind of bird, "Is that thing really small or really far away?" Soul asked, only for a giant burst of green fire to appear next to it before a scream filled the air. Something began to fall down at this, Springer's eyes going wide.

"SPIKE!" He gasped, Twilight about to leap into the air. But before she could, Spike slammed into a leafy tree branch that slowed him down and bounced him onto the branch of another tree. It did the same and Spike was thrown into the first tree's trunks, his spines digging into the wood as he slid down it.

They ran over to him as he hit the ground, the drake now glowing red as he got up and started scratching himself. "Spike!" Twilight cried, "Are you okay?"

Spike turned to her, "If my stone scales didn't itch so much, and we weren't in immediate danger, this would be...really embarrassing!" He chuckled that last part, only for a loud screech to then fill the air.

They all looked up again and saw a giant bird flying down, "It was really far away!" Soul gasped as the bird opened its mouth, ready to gobble them up. Twilight then teleported them to another spot, causing the bird to get a tree instead. "What is that thing?"

"A roc," Flicker responded, "A very dangerous creature. But I never thought I'd see one here."

"I've never seen one either," Springer added as the roc dived down to attack again. Springer was about to fire an Aura Blast, but Spike leapt at him.

"NO!" He pushed Springer to the side as the others followed suit, the roc's open talons digging into the ground where they had been.

"TWILIGHT!" A familiar voice screamed as they picked themselves up.

"Was that Rarity?"

"And Zecora!" Spike told the alicorn, then started scratching again. "I tried to save them, but it's all I can do to stop scratching long enough to dive out of the way when that bird attacks!"

Twilight's eyes narrowed at this before leaping into the air, Flicker flying up with her. She started launching magi-blast after magi-blast as the roc swerved around. Flicker also flew up and tried to get in front of it, the dragon taking a deep breath before launching a fire stream in its face. But the roc stopped in placed and beat its wings, unleashing an air blast that dispelled the flames before the gust hit the dragon.

"FLICKER!" His friends all yelled as he was blown back, Soul trying to fly up and catch him. He was moving too fast for her magic to focus on him, resulting in the dragon crashing into a tree before crying out as he fell to the ground with a wing now bruised.

"Flicker!" Spike rushed up to him as he picked himself up, holding his head in pain. "Are you okay?"

"Urgh..." He grunted when he tried to move his bent wing, Soul rushing to his side to use her magic on it. "I...I don't think I can fly." They looked up and saw Twilight was still firing magic at the roc, but whatever its feathers were made of seemed impervious to her spells.

"Gaaah," Springer growled, "They're too high for me to fire. And even if I could get a good target, it might drop Rarity and Zecora."

Spike's eyes kept going between Flicker and the monster, but the itching of his scales were driving him insane. And just as his psyche was about to crack, he found the itching suddenly stop. The others turned to him and saw the red glow around him vanish as the stone scales beginning to clear up.

Spike looked himself over and sighed in relief, "Finally! I didn't think that itching would ever stop!" But as he said that, something happened. A sound filled the air, coming from the little dragon. He then noticed his back was beginning to feel rather stiff, making him look back and gasp when he saw some kind of stone to appear on his back...and it started to grow, "What's happening?" He cried as the stone spread around the rest of his body, "I...I can't move!"

Springer and Soul gasped at this, only for Flicker to yell, "DON'T TOUCH HIM!" They turned to him before looking back at Spike, only for his body to be encased within the stone.

"But...but...he'll suffocate!" Soul cried as the sound of Twilight zapping the roc filled the air. Then, starting with his fingers, the rocks began to crack and crumble away. The cracks spread across the entire shell, and as it did, a white light began to seep out of it.

"Get back!" Flicker exclaimed, jumping behind a tree with the other two. A moment later, the shell exploded with light, kicking up a dust cloud as pieces of shell flew everywhere, the three jumping out from behind the tree and seeing Spike was now in a small crater. And when they saw him, they all gasped.

Spike was now a little bigger, though only by a few inches, and his scales were completely clear of stone scales. But the most obvious change was the wings that could be seen on his back that were purple with green on the inside. Spike moaned as he picked himself up, "What just...happened?" He then saw his new wings on that last word, his eyes going wide. "Did I just sprout wings?" He pulled on one to make sure it couldn't come off and sure enough, he could feel the pull and turned to the others. "I JUST SPROUTED WINGS!" They were about to congratulate him, but a screech of the roc made them look back up.

They saw Twilight accidently hit the roc's foot, causing it to cry out in pain and open its talon. This caused Zecora and Rarity to fall, both barely managing to grab onto its claw to prevent their fall.

"Oh no!" Soul cried.

"I've gotta help them!" Spike yelled before looking back at his wings. He spread and started flapping them, the sensation of moving limbs he had never used feeling kinda strange. He leapt up and sure enough, he actually managed to stay aloft. "W-whoa!" But controlling them was proving rather difficult, Spike remembering how hard a time Twilight had when she first got hers. "Whooaaa!" He did several accidental loop-dee-loops before crashing into a tree, the others flinching.

"It's all about balance," Soul commented, "You gotta keep your weight evenly spread." Spike listened and did as she told him, managing to get himself under control before shooting up, Soul following as the pair readied for battle...only for Spike to accidently zip past her.

"Oops," Spike whispered before trying again. This time he managed to get level with Twilight, who was shocked to see him in the sky with her.

"Spike, you finished molting?"

"You knew I was molting?" Spike asked, only for the roc to spin around and try to grab them.

The three dodged, the bird flying off as Soul turned to them. "Fight now, talk later!" Twilight and Spike nodded, Twilight staring at the roc before turning back to Spike.

"Do you think you can fly up and distract him while I work on freeing Zecora and Rarity?" Spike nodded before flying after the roc, managing to catch up and fly ahead as the bird slowed down to turn.

"Hey, giant chicken!" He roared, "If you like dragons so much, come and get me!" The beast screeched as it tried to bite him, Spike quickly dodging the beak as he flew from side to side. He had no idea how long he could control his flight for, but managed to maintain just enough control the circle around the bird several times, making it a little dizzy. As its vision blurred, it didn't see Spike get in close until it was too late. "Greetings," he laughed before unleashing the biggest fire blast he could.

It practically consumed the entire bird, the only thing not set aflame being his feet. Its feather could only partially protect it from the fire, causing it to release its talons again and drop the ponies it was holding.

"Soul!" Twilight cried, she and her pupil diving down. The two flew as fast as they could, Spike diving down with them as the smoking roc flew off, the group getting closer to the ground. Springer and Flicker ran over, though they wouldn't reach Rarity and Zecora in time. Luckily, Twilight and Soul did and both grabbed a pony.

Soul was thankful she had been practicing her earth pony magic, giving her just enough strength to lift Rarity before she could go splat. Twilight also caught Zecora seconds before she hit the ground, the alicorn dropping their friends as Spike landed. And once they were sure the roc was gone, Zecora turned to Spike, "I know that the molt produced surprising things, but I'm glad that the last was a new pair of wings!" Spike smiled as Rarity stepped up.

"YES!" She yelled, "AND ALSO I'M GLAD YOU'VE GOT WINGS!"

"Is she okay?" Flicker asked Soul, who remembered what Mira had said about Rarity having hearing troubles today.

Twilight stepped up to Spike and hugged him, "I'm so happy for you Spike. I always wondered if you were gonna get wings, and now look at you!" But the look on Spike's face showed he wasn't so happy about this whole event.

"I'm sorry," he replied, "I tried to find a way to stop it, but I can't." He slowly hugged her back, "Thanks for looking after me for so long." And with that, he let go and turned to leave. "I-I should go."

"Spike," she grabbed him in her magic, "Stop. You don't have to go."

"Yes, I do," Spike turned to her. "In the Dragon Lands, families make molters leave home. It's called the molt effect."

"I know," Twilight replied, "Flicker told us all about it." She marched up to him, "But this isn't the Dragon Lands, and molt effect or no, I don't want you going anywhere." She smiled at him as Spike stared up at her with wide eyes.

"But I'm growing up. What if something even worse happens?"

"You're supposed to grow up," Twilight responded, "But you'll always be you. And whatever happens, we'll get through it together." She held out a hoof and Spike happily rushed up to hug her again, Twilight wrapping her hoof around the dragon as the others all smiled.

And as he pulled away, Spike spread his wings and took off to actually enjoy his new wings. He cheered and whooped as he did so, "Look at me!" He then flew down and landed on Twilight's back, "Let's go home!"

The alicorn frowned at him. "Um...I don't need to carry you anymore, do I?" She pulled on his new limbs, "You have wings."

"But they're new, and I don't want to overdo it." Twilight rolled her eyes before walking back to town, Rarity and Soul waving Zecora off as they went in different directions. As they did this, Soul continued healing Flicker and found his wing just needed a day or two of rest as Flicker explained how different Spike's molt was to him.

"You guys had to go through all that for a month?!" He yelped, Flicker nodding.

"Yes, though it looks like your molt's effects are far more intense than a normal dragon molt. I guess your race's evolution decided spending a day or two in absolute agony is better than a month of rather moderate pain." Spike hummed at this, only to shrug.

"Sounds good to me." Spike commented, "I'm just glad that's over."

"Heh. I bet Flash and Heart will be surprised when they get back," Springer chuckled, "They go away for a few days and suddenly someone has a new set of wings." They all laughed at this as they arrived back to town, Spike excited to show off his new wings to everypony he knew.





The next evening...

Flash, Ruby, Heart and Jaden were all exhausted, the colts more so. Over the last three days, Heart and Jaden had travelled a great distance while being attacked by bats, almost beaten to death by a room that could throw a punch, and had to evade a bunch of giant eels. They were so tired that the colts had fallen asleep on the train ride home. And now that they were in Ponyville, Flash and Ruby had to carry them on their backs.

"We're almost there," Flash told Heart as he shook him awake.

Heart let out a moan and lifted his head, only to see the castle and school up ahead. "We're home?" Flash nodded as he rubbed his eyes, Ruby also waking Jaden up. Flash put Heart down and stepped up to the castle, opening the doors, only to be greeted by a brilliant burst of sound.

"CONGRATULATIONS!" They flinched at the sound, only to see all their friends in the entryway. They then saw it was a party had been set up for them, with food, games and treats everywhere, along with a banner.

"Congratulations Heart, Jaden and...Spike?" Heart raised an eyebrow at this as Pinkie bounced up next to him.

"It's a special two in one party!" She cheered, "To celebrate you passing your test and Spike's molt!"

"Molt?" The colts asked, only for a dragon to shoot down in front of them.

"Boo!" They jumped at this, only to see Spike was staying afloat.

"Spike!" Heart yelped, "You've got wings?" Spike laughed at this and nodded, showing off his new flying ability much to Heart, Flash and the crystal unicorn's surprise.

"Clearly we missed something while we were gone," Flash commented, Twilight giggling as Heart and Spike asked for the story from one another. This was gonna be a long party, full of some pretty crazy tales.
> The Truth Shall Set You Flea
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was another peaceful day in Ponyville, with everything since Spike's molting situation now over. At the School of Friendship, Twilight had called all the teachers to her office, only to find the defenders also there. "What are you doing here?" Flash asked as he walked in.

"I asked them here," Twilight replied, "We need to discuss security measures around the school." This made them all raise eyebrows.

"Why? Did something bad happened?"

"No," Twilight shook her head, "But there's a special event taking place that we need to be prepared for. Last year, an ancient magical artifact was discovered, catalogued and studied, but so far nothing about it has been uncovered. It'll require further study, but before that, it'll be placed on display in certain areas for ponies to view. And it just so happens, our school has been offered the chance to display it for two weeks."

"That's wonderful," Rarity cheered, "I'm sure our students will enjoy it."

"And it might help boost our school's credibility," Starlight added, knowing that EEA was still out there with Neighsay.

"So you need us to act as extra security for this item?" Iron asked, Twilight nodding back.

"Exactly. We already have Flash here, but I would like at least one defender on guard whenever he's in class or if he gets called by the map."

"Shouldn't be too much trouble," Lightning chuckled, "So what is this thing?"

"Yeah!" Rainbow chimed in, "Is it some kind of sword? Or maybe a suit of armor?"

"Is it a deadly bee weapon?" Pinkie added, the others all turning to her, "What? It could happen." They laughed at this as Twilight got up from her desk and moved over to an area of her office that had a painting of Princess Celestia on it. The picture swung on a hinge, revealing a safe behind it that she quickly opened.

"This is it." She then pulled out a long piece of red fabric that was resting on a blue pillow.

"That's the relic?" Rainbow asked, "It's just a piece of cloth."

"It's actually a headband," Twilight responded as Rarity moved over and saw a golden thread stitched into the cloth, the mare's eyes sparkling. "And it's not just an ordinary headband. It appears to be made out of a strange material that's practically indestructible." She turned to Flash, "Look familiar?"

Flash squinted before going wide-eyed, "It's the same stuff that my mom made Scootaloo and my blankets from." Twilight nodded as she put the headband on the desk.

"That's right, which means this fabric might be from the same era the temple she found it in was built. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. This headband has a special power." The group shared a glance before Twilight added, "When a pony puts it on, they apparently get shown their most terrifying inner secrets. Something they know but refuse to believe."

"Really?" Pinkie asked next.

"Yup," Twilight nodded, only for Pinkie to laugh and grab the headgear. "Pinkie, wait!" But the mare put it on and quickly tied it behind her back, the others watching for a reaction. A moment later, Pinkie's eyes went wide and began to glow. To them, she remained perfectly still, but too Pinkie, it was like she was transported to a blue void of nothingness.

"Huh," she glanced around as the void was suddenly filled with stars, "Wow..." She then heard a cough, making her turn and see another one of her. She thought maybe she had just run into another mirror pool copy, but then she noticed the headband on the other's head as she floated in a back legs crossed position.

The copy's eyes opened to show they were glowing, the mare staring herself down. "Pinkie Pie," it said in an echoing voice. "Sprinkles cannot fix every problem."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed, closing her eyes before opening them again to find she was back in Twilight's office. She quickly grabbed the headband and threw it off herself, "THAT WAS HORRIBLE!" Twilight gasped and grabbed the ancient cloth in her magic, lifting it up before it could hit the ground.

"Well..." Twilight put it back on the cushion, "Now you understand why it's such an important item. No doubt a lot of thieves would kill to get their hooves on it, which is why we need the extra security until it's moved to the next location."

"We understand," Grand nodded, "We'll make sure nopony who shouldn't be here will get in."

"How?" Fluttershy asked, "There's a lot of ponies that spend their time here. All it would take is a single moment's distraction for the criminals to get it."

"I might have an idea about that," Lightning chimed in, "But I'm gonna need Spike and the Rune Gate." Twilight raised an eyebrow at this, but nodded all the same.





A little later...

Lightning's idea ended up being Solid Script work his Rune Magic. Once the unicorn got the message, he headed over to where the headband would be stored, that being the library, and quickly began forming a protective barrier around the podium in the middle of the room that would hold the glass casing for the relic.

"And...finished," he smirked as he put down the last rune. Everypony stared at the podium, seeing the runes weaved into it and the floor now vanishing as they were activated. "Alright, here's how it works." He pointed at the podium, "I've placed anti-magic runes around the podium. That way nopony can use magic inside the circle to lift, teleport, or whatever they think of to remove the relic. I've also placed a one-way Rune Gate on the podium that's activated as soon as anypony enters the area of the runes I placed on the floor." He took out a roll of duct-tape and started forming a circle around the area the runes had been.

"So if anypony passes the tape, it'll activate the Rune Gate?" Twilight asked, getting a nod from Script as he finished the circle.

"Exactly. And it'll be transported wherever I place the other gate. Anywhere safe you want to put it?" Twilight nodded and told him her safe would work.

"What about an alarm?" Springer asked as he leaned against a bookshelf. "Maybe one that activates if the podium doesn't feel anything on it? That way we'll know when the headband leaves the podium."

Script nodded before placing a rune on each of them. "This rune will make you immune to the security rune's effects. That way you can enter the circle when you need too." Twilight thanked him as she took the headband in her hooves and flew into the circle. Sure enough, her rune shielded her from activating the other ones as she placed the cloth in the glass case and shut it, flying out as they all stared at the relic.

"Perfect," she cheered, "With this and the defenders on duty, nopony's gonna try and steal the headband."

Everypony nodded in agreement as Iron spoke up. "But seriously, who would even bother trying? I mean, I know it's valuable and has a crazy ability, but I doubt a lot of ponies would want something that only shows you things you try to deny. Who'd be dumb enough to try and steal that?"





That night...

Slumber had taken over Ponyville, the only creatures awake being Rogue in the orchard and a few owls hooting in the trees. At the Castle of Friendship, Flash and Twilight lay side by side in a deep sleep. And as they did this, a pick came up to their window and unlocked it, soon opening as a long metal pole with a two fingered claw on the edge reached inside. It then got to the pair's bed and managed to slowly move down to the couple's manes.

Both ponies were laid back to back, the ends of their manes right next to each other. The claw got to the ends of both mane's hair between its fingers before it was slowly pulled back, yanking a single strand from both ponies. They flinched for a moment, the claws quickly retracting, but neither awoke.

A few minutes later, the same was done in Springer's room. He had some of his tail hairs yanked out, though he too remained asleep. Starlight was the next victim, losing a few of her mane-hairs as well. Throughout Ponyville, the claw went to every home of Equestria's greatest heroes. And each time it made off with some hairs, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Lightning, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Iron and Grand all not noticing what was happening.

And when the last hair was stolen, the perpetrator rushed off out of town to a nearby canyon, keeping to the shadows as the light of the moon revealed a silver pegasus with a yellow mane and tail along with a wind-like cutie mark. It was Rickashay, one of Big Score's lackeys as he flew down to the money loving unicorn and the bulky brute known as Boulder. Score turned to see Rickashay return, "Did you get it?"

Rickashay smirked as he took out a jar full of hairs. "Twelve strands of hair from twelve annoying pests."

Big Score cackled as he took the jar, "Perfect. Now we can go after the Headband of Inner Truth without those annoyances getting in our way."

"How?" Boulder asked next.

Big Score sighed, "Do I really have to explain it again?" Boulder said nothing, clearly thinking it was better to be assume a fool than to open his mouth to confirm it. "Fine." He moved over to a cart Boulder had been pulling and took off the cover before levitating a glass box out. Inside were a large number of black dots that were too small to make out the details off, but that flew around super fast. "These are super fleas, created by cross breeding the most aggressive strains of flea and reinforced using magical means. They're the ultimate itching machines."

Rickashay and Boulder backpedaled, Score laughing, "Relax, they're not gonna go after us. They haven't been programmed yet." His horn shined as a bunch of runes to appear on the box. "The magic in this case will train the fleas to go after a certain type of hair. Whatever hair we put into the box." He raised the jar and opened a smaller box atop the large glass one, quickly pouring the hairs inside. Once they were all inside, he shut the box and pulled switch that caused the bottom of the box to open and drop the hairs into the swarm of fleas.

They watched as the insects swirled around the hairs, devouring and analyzing the DNA each one had. Once the hairs were no more, the runes on the box stopped glowing. They were ready.

"Finally! The ultimate scheme!" He pulled the lid off the box, allowing the insects to spring free. "Flea my pretties. FLEA!" He cackled as the black swarm shot along the ground, bouncing up and down so much it looked like a black wave of water flying down the canyon. "Sniff out the ponies you've sampled! Drive them insane with itching so that they have no way to stop us!" He continued cackling, the fleas now leaving their sight.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Rickashay asked, "Those things are pretty small. How do we know they'll even get to town, let alone locate their targets and somehow get inside without them noticing?"

"Oh, they'll find them alright," Score smiled. "With how much I paid for them, they had better work."





The next morning...

Flash had woken up early for morning patrol, the pegasus taking to the air half asleep while scratching his head. He glanced around at this, seeing nothing out of the ordinary...only to be distracted by the itching, which didn't seem to go away no matter how much he scratched. And it quickly spread to the rest of his body, the pegasus twitching in an attempt to get rid of whatever was irritating him.

And he wasn't the only one.

Grand was also on patrol, the pony now brushing up against a rock. When they awoke, the rest of Flash's friends also found themselves scratching. And one by one, they all realized the horrible truth. They all had fleas.

Of course, everypony took this discovery differently. Twilight and Starlight instantly started looking for a magical cure, teleporting around, trying to leave the fleas behind with little success. Fluttershy tried to talk to the fleas and ask them to leave, but the fleas wouldn't respond. Rainbow tried flying as fast as she could, even making a Sonic Rainboom in a hope of blowing the fleas off. The little blighters were able to hang on.

Then there was Rarity, who fainted when she realized that she, Lightning and Grand were infested. She instantly sent Sweetie to their parents home and leapt into the bath to drown the fleas. But she was no less itchy afterwards. It appeared that nothing was able to remove the fleas.





Flash, Twilight, Springer and Starlight were making their way through town to a restaurant they had agreed to meet their friends at. They knew going outside with fleas wasn't a very smart idea, but they didn't want their friends to wonder why they were gone.

"There they are," Twilight whispered as she spotted the Defenders and Mane Seven, minus Applejack, already sitting at the table they had booked. "Now no matter what, we can't let them know we have fleas. So play it cool." The others three nodded and moved over, Springer noticing a strained emotion filling them.

"Sup peeps," Flash told them as he grabbed a chair and sat on it backward, several feet away from them. "What's the haps?" He knew he didn't normally speak like that, but the itching that had once again started was causing him to not think normally.

"Nothing," Rarity said through a forced smile. "No shameful hygiene problems here, that's for sure."

"Yeah," Iron was shaking, "I've never felt more fresh." They all smiled at one another, eyes twitching as they all shook.

Springer at one point tried scratching his back against his chair, trying to mask it by saying it was uncomfortable. None made eye contact or spoke, all straining before Flash let out a yelp. "Hey!" He pointed at the ground, "Look at that stain on the floor. Doesn't it look like Celestia?" They all glanced down as Flash, Twilight, Springer and Starlight took the chance to start scratching themselves as quickly as possible.

"Hmm..." Grand turned his head a little, "I guess if the horn was a little longer it'd look like her." They all turned back to the others, who instantly stopped scratching as the waiter came over with their drinks. Iron quickly took this moment to knock a salt-shaker on the floor.

"Oops," he smiled before getting down to pick it up. Once he was under the table, he started scratching as much as possible.

"Better get some more napkins," Rainbow started as she jumped off the table and ran over to the napkin area while scratching with her wings.

The others were all shaking at this, unable to respond to each other, only for Applejack to walk up while scratching her head, "So, ya'll got fleas too, huh?"

Their eyes went wide at this. "What?" Twilight yelped, "No! We just..." She looked at the others, now seeing them all straining and flinching, "Ah, the heck with it." They all started screaming as they began scratching as hard as they could, the other ponies in the restaurant seeing this and deciding to vacate.

"Where did these things come from?" Starlight cried as she grabbed a fork and used it to scratch her back.

"Well, it wasn't me," Iron grumbled, "I keep that dilapidated shack where I live spotless." He shot a glare at his suspect, "if anywhere, they probably came from Rarity's old rug."

Rarity let out a gasp, "It's not old! It's vintage! And it's too expensive to have fleas." She turned to the shyest member of their group, "Fluttershy's the one who lives with a bunch of dirty animals."

Fluttershy glared back at her, "Hey! I give all my friends flea baths once a month!"

"Everypony, please!" Pinkie cried, "We all know who's really to blame. It was Pinkie." She then realized who she had just accused. "What?! How dare I besmirch my good name!"

"Everypony!" Springer roared as he used his Steal Paw to scratch, "It doesn't matter who started it."

"That's what patient zero would say," Rainbow growled before leaping at him, only for Flash to grab and restrain her.

Over at another eating establishment, Big Score, Rickashay and Boulder watched with big grins, "Oh, this is just delicious."

"Really?" Rickashay asked, "I think it could use more sauce." Score turned to see him eating a bowl of spaghetti.

"Not the food! The plan!" He turned back to see the group being asked to leave the restaurant. "Just wait. Everypony knows what happens when a flea outbreak is detected."

Springer and the ponies made their way through the town, constantly itching while the other ponies kept their distance. They couldn't blame them. If they knew somepony else had fleas, they wouldn't want to go near them either.

"Why are you itching?" Flash asked Fluttershy, "Can't you just shrink? Then you could find the fleas on you and take them off more easily."

"I already tried," Fluttershy replied, "I don't know why, but they seem to shrink with me."

"I guess it's a backlash of Discord's magic," Twilight added.

"Ahh!" Iron growled as they walked up in front of Barnyard Bargains, "These fleas itch worse than the time I tried that poison ivy scented deodorant!" Unfortunately, Filthy Rich seemed to hear this from inside his shop and leapt out with a broom.

"Did I hear you say fleas?" He asked, the lot nodding as he pointed his broom at them. "Sorry, but I can't allow you to bring your flea infested pelts into my store!"

Flash frowned, "But you're the only shop in town that sells anti-itch lotion!" Filthy just jabbed the broom at him, "Can you at least bring the stuff to us and we'll pay for it out here!"

Filthy let out a sigh and nodded, "Alright..."

"That's a relief," Twilight sighed, "I was worried he might have turned us away." But as she said that, an alarm began to sound throughout the entire town. "What is that?"

"Ah don't know," Applejack replied, "Never heard that sound before." It was then that multiple ponies suddenly appeared around them from out of the alleys and between the houses, all dressed in hazmat suits.

"Freeze fleabags!" One of the taller ponies stated, Flash looking through the pony's helmet window.

"Mr. Cake? What are you doing?"

"My duty as a member of the town's anti-flea patrol group," the baker stated as another pony stepped up, this one being Mayor Mare.

"I'm sorry Princess," she told Twilight. "But the town has rules for an outbreak of fleas. You all are going to have to vacate the town immediately."

"Are you banishing us?" Lightning asked, the mayor shaking her head.

"No, no. We're quarantining you. It's like a banishment, but more confined." They all moaned at this.

"So what do we do?" Rarity asked, the group still itching.

"You'll need to find someplace to remain until you can rid yourself of the fleas," a pony they recognized as Time Turner replied, "Might I suggest the castle, since the only ponies living there are already infected." Apparently, he forgot that Scootaloo lived there.

They soon went to the castle, which was quickly covered in yellow tape, the group forced to constantly scratch their itches any way they could. Some used their hooves, others scratched against the walls and others needed help getting to spots they couldn't reach.

"This is so humiliating!" Rarity cried as rubbed her back against a stair banner. "Nopony's gonna want to come to my store now that they know I have fleas."

"I can't believe Filthy ratted us out!" Rainbow yelled, having learned that the business pony had been the one to sound the alarm they heard.

Spike, who was unaffected by fleas due to his scales, flew in carrying a large basket full of different bottles and cans. "At least he gave you this basket of treatment." He put the basket down and took out a spray bottle, looking over the label. "Warning: May cause dizziness, nausea, heartburn and night terrors."

"Do me first!" Springer yelled as he ran over to him, Spike holding out the bottle and spraying it on the jakhowl. The pink mist covered him and Springer let it begin to settle on his skin. "Ahhh!" He sighed, swaying from side to side. He then grabbed his stomach and mouth as his cheeks expanded, the jakhowl swallowing whatever he had been about to chuck up before clutching his chest in pain.

"You okay?" Flash asked, only for Springer to suddenly go as stiff as a board.

"RAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed before collapsing, the others staring at him before turning to Spike.

The dragon laughed before holding up the bottle. "Who's next?"

"Were you able to find somepony that could watch over the school?" Twilight asked as she picked up her own bottle, "If Chancellor Neighsay hears about this, he'll come barging in preparing to take the place over."

"Don't worry," Spike waved a claw, "I was able to find some ponies that were happy to take over until you guys are flea free."





"Hello class," Derpy smiled as she watched the students walk into Twilight's classroom. "I'll be you substitute teacher until your regular teachers return."





Meanwhile...

Outside the school, Score, Rickashay and Boulder smirked as they headed inside. "Are you sure it's a good idea to just stroll in?" Rickashay asked, "What if somepony sees us?"

Score scoffed at this, "So what? They won't recognize us. All the ponies that would know we're up to no good are all locked up inside the castle. We have free roam to do whatever we want. We'll head inside, check out where they're keeping the headband and then nab it when nopony's looking. It's fool proof."

He sauntered in at this, Score growling at the sight, "Ugh...this place must have cost a fortune to build. So much money, all wasted on a stupid school when it could have been in my pockets. Well, luckily this little job will balance out the scales."

"So where's the headband?" Rickashay asked as Score glanced around, only to see nothing.

"I'm sure it'll be someplace public, allowing the students and those that want to see it in town the chance to observe it. Now, where would you put that in a school?"

"Maybe in the cafeteria," Rickashay pointed out, "Get a bite to eat and enjoy an ancient relic. Seems like the perfect place for me."

"No...that's not what that princess would do."

"Library?" Boulder guessed. Score clapped his hooves at this.

"Yes, that's exactly where she would put it! Good job." Boulder smiled as he walked up...and accidently knocked a vase off a nearby table, the earth pony rushing to try and grab it before it smashed on the table.

"Whoa!" He then heard somepony cry as a flash of red shot past and seemed to catch the vase. "Close one." He followed the voice and saw Fire Heart holding the vase. He turned to Boulder and smiled, "Careful there," He put the vase back down, "Twilight really needs to find a better place to put these things."

"Are you a student?" Score asked, Heart nodding as he looked the three over.

"I don't think I've seen you all before. Are you new at the school, or are you part of the tour group?"

"Yes," Score nodded, "We're part of the tour group. I think we might have gotten separated from it." He looked around, trying to see if there were signs that would lead them to the library, only to then ask, "I don't suppose you could take us to the library, do you? I think that's where the tour is heading next." Heart nodded and began to lead them through the school.





Inside the library, Soul and Cozy were sitting across from one another with a chessboard on the table between them. "So..." Cozy picked up the bishop, "I can move this funny hat guy sideways only?" Soul nodded again, having had to explain it several times already.

"Yes," she sighed, "How do you not know how to play chess?! You've got a piece of the game stamped onto your flank!" Cozy looked down at her cutie mark, only to shrug.

"I don't know why my mark is a chess piece," she replied as she moved the bishop into place. "I can't even remember when I got it."

Soul frowned at this, only to move her knight as the library doors opened. They turned to see Heart leading a trio of stallions into the room. "This is it, though I don't think the tour's been through here yet." Score nodded and noticed the podium with the glass box on it.

"Is that special?" He asked, moving over to take a closer look. But before he could, Heart got in front of him.

"Whoa! Don't get any closer!" Score raised an eyebrow and Heart pointed at the ground where the tape was circling the podium. "If you do, you'll activate the security measures and the headband will get teleported someplace safe. Then nopony will be able to see it."

"Ah," Score replied, "I understand. Well, we'll be sure to keep our distance." Heart nodded and turned to his sister, wondering if she knew whether the tour had come through or not.

"Give me a second," he flew over to her as the three crooks stared at the headband.

"We need to find a way into that that circle without activating the security system." Score hummed before looking up at the ceiling and smiling, "I have a plan."

"Hey sis," Heart told Soul before noticing Cozy. "Hi."

"Hi," she responded before Heart looked down at the chess board for a moment.

"You two know if the tour group's been through here yet?" Cozy shook her head while Soul raised an eyebrow.

"Heart, there's no tour group today." He blinked at this, only for her to add, "Who do you think would run it? Twilight and all the other teachers are in quarantine and Spike's too busy helping them out." Heart went wide-eyed at this before looking back at the trio...only to see they were all gone.

"Where'd they go?"

Soul stared at where he was looking, only to hear, "Checkmate." She glanced back at the board, now seeing Cozy had actually trapped her king, Soul now seeing she had no way of saving that.

"What the-how'd you do that?!"





Back at the castle...

Lightning and Rarity were in a room on their own with the electric unicorn holding something up. "Come on Rarity. Just try on the flea collar. It's not like anypony's gonna see you."

They were on one of the castle's upper floors, Rarity groaning as she snatched the collar from him, putting it around her neck. And before she could make a comment about how unfashionable it was, they heard a voice.

"And continuing our flying tour, here's the castle of friendship." They turned to a window and saw a bunch of pegasi being led by one with a megaphone. They all turned to Rarity, "Oh, and inside is the Element of Harmony wearing a flea collar, not unlike an outdoor cat." The tourist stared at her in amazement before holding up cameras.

As several pictures were taken, Rarity growled and ripped the collar off before scratching again.





Back at the school...

Score and Rickashay grunted as they crawled through the vents Score had seen above the library. "Jeez this is cramped," Rickashay moaned as they turned a corner and almost got stuck. "How much further is it?"

"I'm pretty sure we're almost there," Score replied as they turned another corner. He then saw a grate and glanced down it, "There it is." He whispered before crawling over it and turning around so he and Rickashay were face to face when they looked down through it.

The podium with the headband was right below them, Score taking out a string with a hook on the end of it. "I'll just feed this down and hook the box. The runes likely won't activate if it's just a piece of string. If it did, it'd activate every time a piece of dust flew into it." He fed the string through the grate and slowly lowered it down, entering the rune's dome of effect and not causing anything.

"What if there's another security measure?" Rickashay asked, "What if when you lift the box up it'll activate a sensor or something."

"Oh please," Score responded, "Like they'd be smart enough to do that. Now shush. I need to concentrate."





Meanwhile, outside the vents, Boulder was waiting for their return. But as he stood there, he heard someone speak up down the hall. "So how are you enjoying teaching?" Derpy asked as she turned a corner with Time Turner beside her.

"It's quite fun. I should really see if this school has any permanent positions I can apply for." Boulder quickly hid around another corner, only for Time Turner to walk up to the vent.

"Oh, that's right. Spike asked me to clean the vents."

"How are you gonna do that?" Derpy asked, "The vents lead all throughout the school."

"It's quite simple," Time Turner replied, "The vents are completely sealed except for the grates, which can be shut by remote and made airtight with magic. All you have to do is pull a lever and they shut whilst an opening connected to the river outside opens and flood the vents with water to clean them. The water moves so fast nothing will be able to cling to the metal and it then gets washed out into the lake outside."

"Oooh," Derpy responded as they walked over to a painting of the Tree of harmony. Time Turner swung it open to reveal a space in the wall with a large lever behind it.

"Care to do the honors?" Time Turner asked, Derpy smiling before she grabbed the lever and pulled it down.

Boulder went wide-eyed at this as his brain began to catch up, "Uh-oh."





Score had gotten the hook down to the box and was now trying to connect it to the box's edges. He had to stop whenever he noticed somepoony look at the box, and as he was seconds away from pulling the box up...only for the grate to suddenly slam shut. "What the?" He asked as he felt the line snap. "Did you touch anything?"

"No," Rickashay replied before looking behind him. "What's that noise?" Score started to listen, only to hear a roaring sound.

"Sounds like a waterfall," Score responded, "Or of that time we went to the water park on your birth...day." Their eyes went wide in horror at this, both beginning to crawl back...only to find they weren't fast enough.

The water shot down the tunnel and slammed into them, both crooks screaming as they were sent hurtling down the vent. The two blacked out at one point, the constant movement and spinning causing the pair to become so dizzy that they lost consciousness.





Outside...

Boulder ran through the front doors, quickly glancing around as he started to think he might need to look for a new job...only to hear, "GYAH!" He turned and ran around a corner, soon seeing Score and Rickashay be thrown from out of a hole that unleashed a bunch of water, the pair splashing into the pool below.

He rushed up to them as they both floated to the surface, both rather drenched and looking rather unhappy. "You okay?"

Score groaned as he sat himself up, his mane falling in front of his eyes. "Clearly, we need another plan."





Flash, Springer, Iron, Grand and Rainbow were now in the training room. It had been transformed into a giant wind tunnel with a bunch of manacles connected to the floor. They locked the manacles around their hooves and paws, all the while itching up a storm.

"Alright," Flash grumbled, "Let's get rid of these fleas."

"I told you this isn't gonna work," Rainbow chimed in, "These things held on through my sonic rainboom. I don't think a fan is gonna get rid of them."

"We'll see," Flash replied before using his tail to hit the start button. The giant fan began to rotate and unleash the powerful wind, all five being blown back but kept in place thanks to the manacles.

"Is it working!?" Springer yelled, though no one could hear him. They continued to be blown by the wind, but could still feel the fleas biting into them and holding on.

"It's not working!" Iron exclaimed.

"Give it time!" Flash yelled back, "They'll tire!" But as they remained in the tunnel for an hour, there was no change. Eventually, Flash turned off the machine and they unshackled themselves before checking the back of the room, which had a trap meant to catch the fleas that were blown off of them. It was empty. "How is that possible?!"

"I knew I should have followed Twilight's idea," Springer huffed.





Twilight, Applejack, Starlight, Fluttershy and Pinkie were in a spare room that Twilight and Starlight had used magic to make extremely cold. They all shivered as they sat there, trying to freeze the fleas off of them. "Any change?" Twilight asked as she scratched her mane, all but Applejack shaking their head.

"Yah. Now I'm itchy and cold." She then sneezed, the group all grimacing at this.





Score and his lackeys were now dressed up like janitors, making their way through the school. "Alright," Score whispered as he pushed a mop and bucket around, "We'll go into the library and pretend to be cleaning. One of you will then knock over that bucket of water into the taped off area, giving us a reason to enter it. They must know how to temporarily switch off the runes, so when they do, we'll pretend to mop up the water and snag the headband. Got it?"

"Got it," they nodded as they headed for the library. But as they did this, Sugar Belle appeared around a corner and smiled.

"Are you the janitors here?" She asked, the three sharing a glance before nodding. "Great. I need some help cleaning up in Pinkie's classroom. One of the students made a bit of a mess." The three frowned, only to follow her.

And as they were led away from the library and to the Laughter Class, they passed the cafeteria as a bunch of voices were yelling, "Sixty one! Sixty two! Sixty three!" The tone of the voices then turned to horror, "Sixty two! Sixty one!" Rickashay raised an eyebrow at this, only to hear them cheer again, "Sixty two! Sixty three!" They continued through the school until they arrived at the classroom, which had its walls and floors covered in cake mix.

"How the heck did this happen?!" Score yelped.

"I'm not sure," Sugar Belle replied, "I think two of the students put a bit too much of something into a mixture and...this happened." She turned to them, "How long do you think it'll take to clean up?" The three told her they didn't know before getting to work. Score used his magic to pull the cake mix off the walls and floor, throwing it into the trash as Boulder began to scrub the floor and Rickashay worked on the walls. They were stuck cleaning up for an hour, eventually getting the place clean enough that nopony would come looking for them to do it again.

And they tried to get back to the library, they passed the cafeteria as Gallus shot out the room. He saw the trio and yelled, "Hey, janitors!" The three spun around as the cafeteria doors flew open with Yona carrying Ace on her back. The little jakhowl moaned as he held his stomach, the crooks seeing his mouth was stained white before Yona, Mira, Silverstream and Sandbar all walked out as Gallus added, "You might wanna clean up in there before it starts to stink."

The three raised an eyebrow and looked inside the cafeteria, Rickashay remembering what he had heard earlier. "What happened in here?"

"Ace claimed he could eat over a hundred marshmallow ducks," the griffon responded, "We told him to put his money where his mouth was." The trio's eyes shrunk at this, "For the record, he was able to eat all one hundred...for about ten seconds." They all moaned as they walked inside the room.

Thirty more minutes later...

They trio were now at the library, now finding it almost completely empty apart from a few students.

"Alright," Score whispered, "Let's do this." They nodded and the three pretended to work on cleaning the place up, sweeping and mopping the floor while slowly making their way towards the podium. Once close enough, Score nodded and Rickashay nodded back before kicking the bucket over. It clattered...only for no water to come out.

Those in the library saw this and the three smiled an apology while Score picked the bucket up, only to go wide-eyed. "What the-where's the water?!"

The two shrugged before Rickashay realized what had happened. "Oh...cleaning up that classroom and the cafeteria must have used up all the water."

"You didn't refill?" He almost screamed, hearing the others shush him. He growled before walking out of the library, Rickashay suggesting they try again, but Score knew that if they did, then somepony who was there both times might see it as strange that they did the exact same thing twice.

"We need a new plan. Again."





Everypony at the castle were still scratching up a storm, the group now feeling like they were moments away from going insane. Spike flew back into the castle with a new basket of cures, seeing his friends all in absolute agony. "Didn't those treatments have any effect?" He asked Twilight, who was acting like a dog, using her back hoof to scratch behind her ear.

"No!" She cried, "And if I don't find a way to get rid of them soon, I'm gonna start considering shaving myself bald!"

"I can't take it anymore!" Flash yelled, turning to Iron. "If those cures won't save us, I know another way to deal with these bugs! Brute force!" With that, he threw a punch right at Iron and hit him in the chest. The earth pony cried out as he was knocked back, Flash flinching at that. "Sorry Iron. I was aiming for the fleas and you just happened to be behind them."

"Completely understandable," Iron groaned before grabbing a piece of paper off a nearby table and swatting him in the head with it.

"Augh!" He cried as Grand took out his hammer and swung it at Springer.

"Whoa!" He yelped as he was thrown into a wall, Grand flinching and apologizing before the group turned to one another. They stared each other down before leaping at each other, Spike flying back as the group morphed into a cartoon fight cloud. They all cried out as they started wailing on one another, trying to hit the fleas with little success.

"Oh," Flash flinched when he punched Lightning, "Sorry."

Springer threw a kick into Pinkie's face, "Don't take it personally."

Rarity punched Grand in the head several times, "Apologizes." She was then kicked in the flank by Applejack.

"Ah was aiming for the fleas!"

"Not the face!" Fluttershy cried, "Not the face!" They continued this for several moments, only for the smoke to settle and see nothing but bruises on each other...and two little black dots on the floor.

"Only two?!" Starlight exclaimed, "That's it?!"

"And a tooth," Iron groaned as he held his mouth.

Twilight picked them up with her magic and looked them over, "Maybe there's a more scientific approach we can take."

"More scientific than punching?" Pinkie asked as Twilight and Starlight teleported away. The rest were left to suffer, Rarity constantly combing her mane. They had to wait an hour before the pair returned, looking shocked but also glad.

"Everypony, these aren't ordinary fleas!"

"We already knew that," Flash grumbled, "If they were, we wouldn't have so much trouble getting rid of them."

Twilight rolled her eyes at this and continued, "I mean, they're not a natural breed of flea. They were engineered, likely through cross breeding with other insects and a little magical interference."

"If they're not natural, then how in Equestria did we get them?" Rarity asked.

"That's the most important thing. I think these fleas were made to specifically target us. The magic within them seems to be a form of mental command and memory magic, causing the fleas to only go after us. Don't you think it's weird that we're all the most powerful ponies in Ponyville and we're the only ones that have come down with these fleas?! Not one common pony got them."

"She's right," Grand nodded, "But why would anypony give us...oh, of course!"

"What?" Lightning asked as he kept scratching.

"This was all a distraction," Grand replied, "Whoever's behind this got us infested with impossible to remove fleas and had us quarantined, meaning we wouldn't be able to stop them when they did something bad. And we've been so busy scratching, we haven't been able to realize any of this until now."

"Somepony wanted us out of the way," Iron growled.

"But to do what?" Fluttershy asked as Flash slapped himself on the forehead.

"That's it! The headband! What else would anypony go to all this trouble to remove."

The others shared a glance, only for Twilight to add, "This is bad. We've been in here all day, and it's possible the headband's already been taken."

"I wouldn't bet on it," Lightning said as he waved a hoof, "They might have taken us out of the equation, but Script's security runes aren't something you can just get past." It was then he realised something, "that's it. Spike, send a letter."





Twenty minutes later...

The Rune Gate glowed as Script stepped out of it, only to see several ponies and jakhowl scratching themselves. "Wow. You weren't kidding about the problem."

"You don't know the half of it," Springer replied, "We've tried ever potion and powder we could find, but nothing works on these super fleas." Script nodded and asked Twilight about what she knew, the princess explaining everything. He nodded again before coming up with a plan, the group moving to the library where Script took one of the dead fleas and examined it.

"Alright, I think I have a plan." He started to work on a Rune Gate and asked for the largest jar in the castle, Spike flying off and returning with one big enough for him to fit inside.

"What exactly are you gonna do?" Iron asked, "Cause if it involves turning us inside out, I'm honestly starting to come round to the idea."

"No," Script shook his head, "I've isolated the DNA of the fleas and am working it into the coding of the Rune Gate. When it activates, the only thing that'll be transported will be whatever has that DNA."

"Are yah sure that'll work?" Applejack asked next.

"I don't see why it won't." Script finished the Rune Gate and started on the next one, writing it on a small piece of paper. When it was completed, he placed it inside the jar before sealing the top. "Alright, who wants to go first?"

"I'll do it," Lightning replied as he scratched. "Anything to get rid of these things." He leapt onto the Rune Gate and Script activated it, the runes beginning to glow and unleashing a pillar of light that surrounded Lightning. He flinched at the light and closed his eyes while continuing to scratch. But as he stood in the light, he could feel the itching slowly stop. "I think it's working!"

The others turned to the jar as the other Rune Gate activated and was filled with light. Lightning slowly found less and less of himself itching, the unicorn sighing as he stopped scratching. The light of the Rune Gate then faded, Lightning stepping off it.

"You okay?" Script asked, "Feeling any itching?" But then Lightning pulled him into a hug, crying out a waterfall of tears.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Script blinked at this, "You have no idea how much that was driving me nuts!"

"No problem," Script chuckled as he returned the hug as the others stared at the jar and saw the small swarm of insects inside the jar. The swarm could fit on their hoof, but they knew it contained probably thousands of the bugs. "Alright, who's next?" This resulted in a massive struggle from everypony who wanted to go next, all looking ready to break into another brawl until Twilight grabbed them all in her magic and lifted them into the air so she could go next.

After this, she put them all into an alphabetical line, making Springer annoyed Flash hadn't named him something else. But eventually, the group was flea free, and once Starlight finished her treatment, they all stared at the bug filled jar. "So...what do we do with them now?"

"I'd like to throw them into the nearest volcano," Iron growled.

"Do you think you could figure out what magic is making them target us?" Flash asked Twilight, the alicorn tilting her head before nodding, "Good, cuz I know exactly what we're gonna do with them."





As the sun began to set, the students were now all heading to their rooms. As they did this, Score, Rickashay and Boulder stepped out of a broom closest that they had been hiding in. "Good. Nopony's around. We can move about the school uninterrupted." He began to march up to the library, "Enough of the elaborate plans. Let's just grab the headband and run for it."

They all stepped into the library and saw nopony in sight, then spotted the headband in the middle of the podium. "Rickashay, you're the fastest. See if you can grab the headband before it teleports away." Rickashay nodded and spread his wings, flapping them as fast as he could while staying on the spot. He then shot forward at full speed, shooting for the box and entering the taped-off area. But before the runes could activate, he grabbed the box and flew out of the circle.

No other alarms activated, making Score smirk as he and Boulder ran over to him. "Great work." He quickly pried open the box and took the headband out, "It's ours!" He laughed, "Oh, this is gonna fetch us a pretty penny."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." The three's eyes went wide and turned to the voice as a flash of light revealed Flash, Twilight, Springer, Lightning, Iron, Grand and Script, all of them grinning at the trio. They had been there the entire time, masked by Twilight's glamour spell. "So it was you three that infected us with those fleas."

"Caught on, have ya?" Score smirked, "No big deal, I'm not scared. You all are probably so itchy that you won't be able to put up a decent fight." The seven continued to grin as Score stared at them...only to see none of them scratching, "What the-why aren't you being driven crazy by the fleas?"

"You mean these fleas?" Twilight asked, teleporting the jar full of bug onto her hoof. "You can thank Script for freeing us."

"But...that's..."

"And while we're at it, how the heck did you three get out of the crystal prison?" Flash added.

Score glared back at him, "Well...wouldn't you like to know?!"

"Yeah...I would. That's why I asked."

"We had a friend on the outside who snuck us in an escape item," Rickashay replied as Score slapped him on the head.

"Really?" Twilight asked, "What was the item?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Score repeated.

"Again, yes we would."

"It was a rare cutie marker," Rickashay responded, "It let us phase right through the walls and-" Score slapped him in the head again.

"Shut up!" Score hissed before turning to the others. "Now back off or we'll make you all sorry."

"How could you possibly make us feel worse than you already have?" Lightning asked, scratching slightly from the memory.

"Wouldn't you like to know?!" Score yelled.

"Seriously dude?" Flash asked.

"Shut up! We've still got the headband and we're gonna get away with it!" But then they all smiled, making Score flinch before putting the relic on...and nothing happened, "What?!"

"The headband is safely back in my office," Twilight grinned, "I had Rarity make a copy that we replaced it with when nopony was watching." Score growled back at her, only for her to add, "Now to pay you back for all the torment you put us through today." Her horn glowed and before the criminals could stop her, she plucked some hairs from their manes and teleported them into the jar.

"What are you doing?!" Score yelped as the fleas started devouring the hairs.

"Twilight and Script figured out the magic compelling the fleas to go after us," Flash replied, "Once they did, it was a simple matter of reprogramming them to forget about us."

"Now they're only gonna go after the hairs they're currently eating," Iron chuckled as the bugs finished their meal...and Twilight opened the jar.

"No," Score whimpered as the three started backpedal, "Stay away!" But then the fleas started leaping on them, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" He screamed before the trio started scratching up a storm, all of them having a much worse time due to the larger number of fleas they were all being bombarded with.

"Is it cruel that I love seeing this?" Springer asked.

"Who cares," Grand laughed as the three kept scratching.

Score then ran over of the group, scratching as he begged. "However you got these things off of you, do it to me!"

"AND US!" The other two screamed as the group just laughed at them.





The next day...

The Royal Guard arrived the next morning to escort the prisoners to jail, Score, Boulder and Rickashay still riddled with fleas that they wouldn't be getting rid of until after they were properly locked up. "This is cruel!" Score cried as the guards put an anti-magic ring on his head.

"It's called karma," Lightning commented as those they had tortured with their scheme watched with amusement.

Twilight smirked as she took something out to show Score. "Here," she put the headband on his head, "You were so eager to get your hooves on it. Why don't you try it out?"

As the headband activated, Score found himself being transported inside his own mind. The unicorn glanced around the void, but was still feeling the effects of the fleas. "In here too?" He asked as he scratched, only to then spot the inner voice of himself floating in a meditative position.

"Big Score. You know that a life of crime does not truly pay. Had you started a legitimate business, you would have made a fortune a long time ago." Score screamed at hearing this as Twilight removed the headband before he was dragged away by the guards.

"Well, that's that," Flash sighed. "I don't know about you, but I'm gonna be keeping a bottle of flea shampoo in my bathroom from now on." He scratched under his wing out of habit, "I don't wanna ever go through that again."

"Same," the others all said in unison as they all looked down at the headband.

"To think this thing is what caused us to go through so much trouble," Rarity added, "But I have to admit, making another one of these things was a lot of fun. Maybe I'll make a few more, all different colors of course." The others nodded, all stating what color they would like.

All except Fluttershy as she asked, "What do you think would go good on me?"

Pinkie grabbed the headband, "Let's see what you look like with the red one on."

"PINKIE, WAIT!" They cried, but it was too late as she slapped the strip of fabric onto Fluttershy.

The mare's eyes went wide as she was transported into her own mind, where she found the meditating version of herself staring back at her. "You speak softly, yet you carry within you the most wondrous and terrifying force of all."

Back outside, Rarity pulled the headband off and everypony grimaced as Fluttershy reopened her eyes, "Fluttershy?" Twilight asked, "Are you okay?"

Fluttershy blinked as Rarity got up close, "Did you hear something truly horrible?"

"No," she shook her head, "Nothing I didn't already know." With that, she trotted off, leaving a bunch of ponies just starting at her. And as they all shared a glance, they thought back on this little adventure and couldn't help but realize it was gonna be something none of them would forget. From now on, anytime they felt an itch or put on a headband, they would think of this
> A Returning Storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the middle of the night and all throughout Ponyville, those living there were fast asleep. Within the castle, Flash and Twilight were laying side by side, the purple alicorn in blissful sleep as the orange pegasus was letting out several moans as he shifted from side to side, his eyes clenching as he fell asleep. And within the sleep, the pegasus was within a black void inside his dream. He was simply walking, feeling a strange sense of familiarity as he walked through the dream.

"Hello?!" He called out, "Is anypony there?!"

But there was no answer, making him sigh. "Oh no. Don't tell me-" His words came to a stop as the void around him began to shift. Shapes within the darkness moved and swayed into being, making Flash raise an eyebrow before the darkness faded, allowing him to see he was now in his room at the castle.

"This is feeling strangely familiar," he whispered as he stared at himself and Twilight, only to get yanked into the ceiling, "Yup, definitely familiar!" He phased through the rest of the castle until he flew out the top, then began to move through Ponyville. "Faust..." Flash muttered as he remembered the last time something like this had happened to him. "Faust?! Is that you?!"

He then left Ponyville and continued flying over the land, picking up more and more speed with every second that passed. Soon the world around him was a blur, but he could still remember the direction he was heading. And soon enough, he left the confines of Equestria and passed the desert to Klugetown and even passed that, with Mount Aris coming up and flying by him. He flew across the open sea until he hit land again, eventually coming to a stop three or four miles in.

He looked down and saw he was floating above a forest, with many mountains surrounding it. And as he floated down, he saw a pair of ponies down in the woods. They were two earth ponies, carrying large basket saddles with fruit inside them. They showed big grins on their faces as they walked through the forest. Flash felt himself follow after them, traveling several minutes, only for Flash to notice a clearing up ahead that had smoke coming out of it. And when he floated over, he saw a village in the middle of the trees. Simple stone houses filled the clearing, with many different ponies there all appearing happy with their lives.

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked as he continued to watch...only to get a bad feeling as he saw a dark cloaked figure walk into the village from out of the forest. As the figure trotted up, another pony noticed them and moved over with a smile.

"Hello there. Are you from another village?" The figure didn't reply and instead reached up and removed their hood. When it did, Flash was given a perfect shot of his face and his eyes went wide.

"Storm Blade." He gasped as the dark blue pegasus stallion with a green mane and tail with his visor on he needed to see now glaring at the village pony.

The pegasus stared at the pony, only to ask, "Have you ever seen me before?"

The pony shook his head, "Sorry friend. I'm pretty good at remembering faces, and I'm certain I'd remember you, especially with that fancy headgear you're wearing."

Storm growled at this as he hissed, "Then I have no use of you." With that, he pulled a certain familiar blade with a spinning dial that was spilt into three sections, one blue, one yellow and one green.

"Oh no," Flash whispered as he watched the pegasus raise the weapon he named himself after.

"What are you doing?" The earth pony asked, only to see the weapon begin to crackle with electricity. "Hey...stop! What is that?!" Storm didn't answer, and instead pointed the weapon at a nearby house and unleashed a blast of lightning. It struck the house, making it explode as ponies began to scream. And with a swipe of his blade, he unleashed an electrical crescent, ripping through another two buildings.

All the ponies could do was scream and run as Storm continued to lay siege to their home. "STOP!" Flash yelled, trying to fly down at the pegasi, only to go right through him. "What?! No-"

"You can't stop him." a voice interrupted, making Flash spin around and see a ball of light to float down beside him. "This occurred earlier today. This little village was burned to the ground, with many of the ponies barely making it out alive. Some weren't so lucky."

"Faust...why is this happening?! What's Storm Blade doing here?!" He looked back at the destruction, "Is Shadow's cult on the warpath again?!"

"No," Faust replied, "Only him." She sighed, "I'm afraid my hopes for him to live a peaceful life without his memories did not go as planned."

"Didn't go as planned? What about the others?" Flash asked, only for the orb of light to shake back and forth.

"They are fine. They are of no concern to you. This one, however, is. I'm afraid I have to ask you to fix my mistake."

Flash smirked at this and nodded. "Don't worry about it. You were right about everypony deserving a second chance. It's just too bad Storm had to mess up his." He looked back at the destruction that had been caused. "I'll take him down. And I think I know a few ponies that'll wanna help." In that moment, the dream began to fade away.





The next thing he knew, he was back in his own body and woke up with a start. "Wah!" He yelped, sitting up and waking Twilight as well.

"Flash?" She asked, a mixture of worry and drowsiness in her voice. "What's wrong?" She saw him panting before he turned to her, a glare on his face.

"We need to talk to Celestia, Cold and Soarin. Now!" Twilight blinked at him, but as he told her what was going on, she went wide-eyed before the two hopped out of bed.





The next morning...

Flash, Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Grand, Cold, Soarin, Rainbow, Trixie, Springer, Heart and Soul were all in the throne room of Canterlot Castle. As soon as Celestia got his message, she asked him and several others to come as soon as the sun rose. To say they were all concerned about Storm's return was an understatement.

"This is very worrying news," Celestia told him once Flash had finished his tale. "It is clear Swift Wing must be stopped before he can cause any more harm."

Luna nodded. "Normally, I would say meddling with a situation outside of our border would be asking for trouble for Equestria. But given it is an Equestrian citizen that is causing this, and using a Celestic Gear to hurt ponies, it is clear we must put a stop to this."

Flash nodded and turned to the others, focusing on them and wishing Ruby wasn't away from the Crystal Empire dealing with an issue. "I called for you all because you all have experience dealing with Storm Blade." He focused on Springer, Cold, Soarin and Trixie. "We've all fought him, so we know what to expect from him. Are you willing to take him on again?"

"You have to ask?" Springer smirked. "I'm in no doubt. I'll take that jerk down once and for all!"

"I'm in too," Soarin added, "Storm Blade kicked my flank way too many times during our time at that city. Now's my chance to even the score once and for all." Rainbow smiled at this and nudged him, giving him a look that told her she was gonna come and help.

"I'm in too," Trixie affirmed, "Storm Blade was tough, but a couple of illusions should throw him off his game long enough for you all to take him down."

Flash shined a grin at this, only for Heart and Soul to walk up, "We wanna help too," Heart chimed in, "Don't forget when you, me and Cold did that cool fusion move against him? He didn't stand a chance against that!"

"I can help too," Soul explained. "Storm must have hurt a lot of ponies, so my healing magic might be needed." Flash turned to Twilight, asking what she thought.

The mare sighed but nodded, knowing she couldn't stop this. "Alright," Flash clapped his hooves, "We've got a team. Let's-" He then stopped and turned to Cold, a long frown on his face. "You okay Cold? I thought you would totally be on board for this."

"You're thinking about Noble Banner, aren't you?" Grand asked, Cold taking a deep breath.

"Storm Blade is the reason he's dead," Cold growled. "I've wanted justice for that for a long time." He turned to Grand, "I'm going to take him down. If he puts up a fight, I won't hesitate to do what I must."

"We understand," Twilight nodded. "This is important to you. We'll help in any way we can." The others all nodded, Cold's frown trying to turn into a smile.

"So...how are we gonna get there?" Trixie asked, "According to Flash's story, he's super far away."

Flash nodded, "He's on a stretch of land beyond Mount Aris and Seaquestria. It'll take time to get there, even if we use the Rune Gate to travel to Mount Aris right now."

"But he might be gone by then," Heart pointed out.

"Then we'll have to go straight there," Twilight announced before turning to Flash. "Can you remember exactly where it was you went, just like you were able to remember getting to the Lost City after seeing it inside your dream?" Flash nodded, "Then I have an idea."

Her idea was a spell Twilight had recently discovered that allowed her to view memories, though it required Celestia and Luna's help to get it right. She then combined it with an instant location spell that would allow her to know the latitude and longitude of a certain area. With that, she had the exact coordinates of the town Flash had been shown. Using the Rune Gate, they transported another gate to that exact location.

"If this works, we'll be right where Storm Blade was..." She commented as she wrote out some runes.

"Good luck ponies," Celestia commented, "I hope your mission works out well." They all nodded and Twilight activated the Rune Gate, the pillar of light filling the room.





A light exploded out of the destroyed ground, Flash walking out of the pillar as he began to glance around. The pegasi saw nothing but fire, ash and wrecked buildings, the defender sighing at the sight. "This is the place...unforunately."

He then picked up a rock from a nearby ash pile and threw it through the portal, telling the others to come on through. A moment later, Cold walked out with Springer, Twilight being next and followed by Trixie, Soarin, Rainbow, Heart and Soul. The ponies went wide-eyed at the sight of the place except Cold, Soul shaking in particular.

"One pony did all this?" Rainbow asked.

"Storm probably has one of the strongest Celestic Gears that ever existed," Cold commented as he moved over to a destroyed house and used his magic to lift a few rocks. He quickly dropped it, quickly making sure Soul didn't see it.

Springer walked over another house next, putting his paw on the rubble, He closed his eyes, shooting out a wave of aura before clenching and shaking his head. "Springer?" Flash asked as he leaned down beside him, "You okay?"

"So much fear," he slowly said, "Ponies running for the lives, believing it was the end of days. Their fear, anguish and sorrow have stained the very land itself. I can still sense it, even now."

Soul winced at this, "That's horrible."

"And it'll happen again if he can't find the one responsible," Twilight added, "Any idea where he is Springer?"

"It's been a while since I sensed him," he replied, "But...I think I've found a trace." He spun around, as if following a line on the ground that only he could see before pointing at a mountain in the distance, "He went that way."

"Why would he go there?" Heart asked.

"Maybe that's where he lives?" Soul added.

"Maybe," Soarin grimaced, "Or maybe he knows there's another village there." He turned to Flash, "You said he asked the ponies here if they knew him, right?" Flash nodded, "Maybe he's trying to figure out who he is."

"That makes sense," Twilight nodded as well, "His memories were wiped, so of course he'd be confused about who he is. He's trying to find out where he comes from."

"But why torch the place after asking?" Rainbow countered, "What good does it do him?"

"I don't know why he did this, but I do know one thing. We're not gonna find out anything just standing around here." Cold chimed in as he walked in front of the group, "We can find out everything we want once we've captured him."

They all shared a glance before nodding, all of them soon running for the mountain in the distance.





Many miles away...

A certain pony was sitting in a cave, a small fire that he had started with his weapon in front of him. He was using it to cook some potatoes he had stolen from the town he had destroyed, soon pulling the stick the food was on, sniffing it before chowing down.

As he did this, he looked back at the forested area he had laid waste too. He didn't know why he was so driven to destroy anything that wasn't connected to his former life, but he didn't care. All that mattered was finding out who the heck he was. "I'll find my past and make whoever stole it from me pay with their very lives."

And as he kept eating, his mind drifted back to a single memory.





Storm Blade was walking through a forest, a somepony calling out to him.

"Storm!" He stopped and turned to frown at a group walking up to him. Two were horned ponies, both mares, while the other two were strange creatures he had no idea the name of.

"What do you want?" He asked, focusing on the leader of the group: Wingill.

The pony bird hybrid stepped forward. "You can't leave. You have no idea what's out there." He gestured back behind him, "These ponies have been kind to us. Letting us stay and giving us a home. Why would you wanna leave?"

"We don't belong here," he replied, "You might have found ways to kill your time, but I don't intend to waste it in the middle of nowhere." His voice started to escalate, "Don't you understand what's happened to us?! Our memories were stolen! We used to be someponies, and now we're nothing! We have to find out who we are!"

"But what if we don't like who we are?" The other non-pony creature named Salix asked, "What if whoever did this to us only did it because we asked them too? What if we wanted to leave our old lives behind because we hated them?"

"If that happens, I'll accept it. But I refuse to have no memory of who I am." He spun around at this, "I'm leaving. Come if you want to."

"Please don't do this," the unicorn named Glitter begged.

"Don't throw away what you have here," Tempera added, but Storm just shook his head before flaring her wings, soon taking off. And as he left, the others just stared at the fleeing figure before sighing and walking away.





That had been months ago, and he still hadn't been able to find anypony that told him who he was. Finishing off his food, he threw the stick into the fire and sighed. He then flew up the mountain, soon reaching the top and saw it was actually a volcano before looking to the east and spotting another settlement not too far away.

He grinned before flying down and headed for the forest between the mountain and the settlement. But as he did this, his ears twitched, a zipping noise behind him. He quickly grabbed the weapon on his back, spinning around as a blue blur suddenly charged at him. The pegasi ducked down at this, the blur missing and slamming into a tree. He then pointed his weapon at the blur, now seeing it was a blue pegasus pull his hoof out of the tree.

"Who are you?!" Storm yelled.

"Oh? You don't remember me?" Storm raised an eyebrow at this, only to see a pegasus mare to fly down in front of him, helping the other pegasus up, "We've come to take you in."

"Take me in?! Ha!" he laughed, "It'll take more than you two to defeat me."

"Who said it was just us?" The mare replied with a big grin. Another pegasus then flew down to Storm's right, pointing at sword at him, followed by a pair of unicorns, two small ponies, and a wolf thing with a horned pegasus.

The male unicorn glared at him, his horn glowing as a cloud of cold air appeared in front of him and formed a sword of ice. He pointed the blade at him, while the others got into a battle stance. "Swift Wing, you're under arrest."

"Swift Wing?" Storm asked, "I think you've got the wrong pony."

"No," the orange pegasus replied, "We don't. You might call yourself Storm Blade, but your real name is Swift Wing."

"Is that so?" He smirked as he began fiddling with the dial of his weapon, "So you know who I am?" They all nodded, his grin growing at the response, "Good! Tell me who I am!"

"We will, once you're safely locked up," the horned pegasus responded, "Now drop your weapon." She sparked her horn along with the unicorn and the smaller horned pony while the wolf grew claws.

"Locked up?! Now why I would do that?!" he yelled before swinging his weapon, lightning exploding out of the metal. The ponies all leapt back, the weaponless pegasi both hopping behind some trees while the others deflected the lightning with weapons and shields.

Storm then noticed the small red pegasus keeping his distance and he quickly shot down at the colt before anypony could react. "Gotcha!" He yelled as he grabbed the colt by the tail and pulled him into the air, "You're coming with me!"

"Heart!" The filly gasped.

"Bad move!" The colt laughed as his entire body suddenly caught fire, including his tail.

"AUGH!" Storm screamed as he felt his hoof burn, only for the colt to thrust a burst of fire at Storm, the pegasi quickly turning the dial and fired a stream of water back, making the colt flap back. "What the-who are you ponies?!"

"We're the ones who are gonna bring you down!" He heard behind him, making him glance back and saw the three other pegasi fly up, the orange one slashing at him while the others spun around to Storm's back.

"What did I ever do to make you attack me like this?!"

"You mean besides the village you torched yesterday?" Flash growled before pulling back and firing a Flash Cutter, "Where do you want me to start?!" Storm quickly cut the attack in half, only for the two pegasi to fly up, tryingn to deal a speedy punch at him. But Storm quickly pulled back and spun the dial, spiraling around and unleashing a burst of wind in every direction, pushing all three back.

Down on the ground, Twilight and the others watched, only to see the three get knocked back. They all nodded at this before charging up an attack. Springer first launched an Aura Force and the laser shot into the air at Storm, the pegasi quickly flapping his wings, dodging the blast before Twilight and Trixie fired lasers as Cold unleashed a barrage of ice spikes, the first two attacks smashing into Storm, making him cry out.

He then fell, smacking a tree on the way down, barely managing to keep his hooves on his weapon as he crashed bounced off it and unsteadily landed onto his hooves. But as he did this, Cold charged at him with a frozen sword. "Raaah!" He roared as Storm Blade raised his weapon and blocked it, the two glaring one another down.

As they did this, Storm went wide-eyed as he saw Cold's glare, "And who are you? What is...your eyes. They're filled with anger. What did I do to make you look at me with such eyes?"

Cold just hissed at this before screaming, "You took the closest thing to a father that I had!" He pushed Storm back before thrusting his blade, Storm quickly hopping back. "He was your friend and you betrayed him!" He threw the ice sword next, Storm ducking under the ice sword before Cold slammed his hooves into the ground, causing a line of ice spikes to shoot out.

The pegasus replied by spinning the dial to the yellow segment and slamming the blade into the ground, causing a burst of lightning to explode out. The two elemental attacks clashed into one another and exploded, sending snow flying in every direction as Cold leapt at him.

"So I betrayed somepony," Storm replied, "Interesting. Obviously, they were holding me back!" Cold then thrust two ice blades at him at this, Storm's reflexes instantly kicking in as he deflected both with ease. "If he was anything like you, clearly he was nothing special!"

"You little-" Cold growled as he summoned another ice blade, quickly spinning as he tried to slash Storm. But as he did this, Storm just grabbed Cold's hoof and quickly slammed the bottom of his weapon into Cold's chest. A glob of spit flew out of Cold's mouth before Storm kicked him away with a laugh.

"HA! You're as easy to read as a book!" Storm cackled before pointing his weapon at the knocked back Cold, "Too easy. If you were any good, you would have known that anger always leads to defeat!" He then swung his blade down, only for a blue blur to shoot past and pull Cold out of the way, Storm having just enough time to see Soarin and him rolling away before Flash and Springer got in close.

"Flash/Aura Force!" They roared, unleashing their beam attacks that hit the pegasus dead on. He cried out and was sent flying, smashing through a tree. He then hit the ground, spinning and screaming as he barely held onto his Celestic Gear while his opponents all began to surround him. "It's over Swift," Flash growled, "Come peacefully and you won't get hurt."

Storm didn't respond, instead just laying there. But as they got closer, the Storm Blade exploded with lightning. They all leapt back at this, the lightning now striking the trees and anything else that was flammable. Within seconds, everything around them was aflame. "Are you nuts?!" Soarin yelled as the pegasus pushed himself to his hooves and leapt back into the air. And as he did, Storm launched more and more lightning at the trees around them.

"He's trying to fry us!" Trixie cried as the flames spread to more trees on their own.

"No, he's forcing our hooves." Twilight added as Storm began to fly away, the pegasi about to chase after him before Twilight said, "We need to contain this fire before it gets out of control!"

"But he's getting away!" Rainbow countered.

"We can catch him again," Twilight replied, "But if we don't stop this fire, who knows how much life could be lost." They shared a glance, only to sigh as she continued, "Pegasi, gather as many rain clouds that you can find!"

They all nodded and leapt into the air, only to not find a single cloud in the sky. "This could be a problem," Flash gulped.

As he said this, Cold pushed himself to his hooves. "Princess!" He called to her, Twilight turning to him. "Levitate!" He then fired a bolt of magic into the air, creating a giant hunk of ice.

Twilight, Trixie and Soul all saw this and used their magic to catch the ice with Cold as Twilight turned to Heart. "Melt it!" Heart nodded and flew up, unleashing a burst of flame into the ice, soon turning it into a cloud of water.





Meanwhile...

Storm had flown away as fast as he could, sighing as he flew over the forest.

"Typical," he hissed, "I finally find somepony that knows me, and they want to arrest me. At least I got away." He then looked back and saw the giant chunk of ice, which was quickly melting and putting out his fire. "You gotta be kidding me!" He growled before looking back at the mountain from earlier.

"Then again...that's an idea."





As the last of the flames were put out, the ice chunk they had been floating now melted into nothing. Springer and the ponies all sat in the now wet and smoking forest, many drenched in the cold rain. Soul was looking Cold over, making sure the hit to his chest hadn't broken any bones. "I'm fine," he growled, "You don't have to worry about me."

"I beg to differ," Twilight chimed in as Cold turned to her.

"Princess?" Cold replied, but Twilight just stared at him before shaking her head.

"Cold, you lost control. You're letting your anger get the better of you, and if Soarin and the rest of us hadn't been there, you'd be dead right now."

Cold glared back at her, only for Flash to walk in between them, "Cold, don't get angry." Cold hissed back at the defender, but Flash didn't react as he continued, "You know, when we first met, you really lived up to your name. But since then, you've grown and you've gotten a better handle on your feelings for others...but considering what we just saw, you're still letting your past control you."

The knight stomped up to Flash as he growled, "And you think I don't know that?! None of you would be saying this if you had experienced this! Noble saved me from becoming a monster!" He pointed at his chest as he roared, "He took me in and showed me I could be something special! I dreamed of one day showing him he was right about me! That I was special, and he was right to believe in me! But I never got that chance, because he took Noble away from me!"

"And that hurts," Springer sighed, "You're right, we don't know what that's like. But that doesn't mean we can't understand how you're feeling. Heck, I'd probably be the same way if I met the Trickster and unicorn that caused the jakhowls to be lost." Cold turned to the jakhowl, Springer crossing his arms, "But if the roles were reversed and we were going after them, what would you tell me if I was the one that lost control?"

Cold grit his teeth at this, taking a deep breath next as he thought about the question, only to sigh, "I guess...that you don't honor them by becoming the same heartless monster that you're trying to capture. That you should calm yourself and act like the knight they wanted you to be." The others nodded back at this, "You're right." Cold sighed again, "Noble wouldn't want me to act this way. He'd want me to bring Swift Wing in, not take him down."

"Exactly," Twilight replied while giving a big smile, "Now, do you think you can keep yourself in check so he doesn't get one over on you again?"

Cold crossed his hooves at this, only for Soarin to chime in, "He can do it." They turned to the Wonderbolt, seeing a smirk on his face, "We'll be there to help him remember what our mission is. And if he does anything that might be going too far, I'll hop in and pull him back."

The ice knight turned and nodded to Soarin, "Thank you."

"No prob."

Everyone smiled at this, except for Flash as he then asked, "But before we do anything, I have to ask Cold something."

"What?"

Flash pointed at the knight, "I hate to say it, but Storm was right when you were fighting him. He read you like a book...and I could tell it was more than just your anger that was the problem." Cold flinched at that, but didn't reply. That is, till Flash added, "Cold...who taught Noble how to fight?"

Cold blinked at this, raising an eyebrow before responding, "Grand...and Swift." Cold put a hoof to his chin, "Then again...Noble used to say that Swift taught him a ton back in the day."

"And Noble taught you." Flash scratched the side of his head, "That's not good. Now that I think about...you didn't fight him much at the Lost City, did you?"

"No." Cold shook his head, "But I'm guessing he didn't want me to notice his moves are like Noble's."

Heart went wide-eyed at this, "Wait! I just remembered something!" They all turned to him, "Right before I got my powers, I was facing off against Salix and Storm and he said..." The colt pointed at Cold, "Storm said that Cold could never beat him in a one on one!"

They all went wide-eyed at this, Cold's eyes narrowing in response. He cricked his hooves next, "I see...and that was when he had his memories. I'll prove him wrong." Cold's face started to show a small smile as he then asked, "Alright. There's no use standing around here. What's the plan to capture him?"

"That's a good question," Flash replied before turning to Springer, "Still got a lock on him?"

Springer closed his eyes and launched a pulse, only to shake his head, "Can't find him. That's odd."

"What do you think is blocking you from finding him?" Rainbow asked.

"No idea." Springer shrugged, "I've never really had a problem unless it's a huge crowd...or Shade."

Rainbow chose to fly up at this, quickly going past the treeline, only to zip back down, "There's something in the distance. Smoke." The group shared a glance, some flying up to see fire, only to see it wasn't spreading.

"Somepony's burning a controlled fire," Twilight commented as they flew down. "Springer, check for auras again. Mainly in that direction."

Springer blinked before clapping his paws together, only to say, "There's nothing there."

"But then who set that fire?" Heart asked, the others sharing a glance.

"Let's go," Twilight declared, "We'll teleport a mile away from the site and go check it out. It's possible Storm's heading there." They nodded before Twilight and Trixie combined their magics and teleported away, the group appearing in another area of the forest.

"Feel anything?" Flash asked, Springer sending out another pulse, only to shake his head, "Well, who knows what could have caused that smoke," Flash pulled his sword out. "Be ready for anything."

And as they began to go toward the smoke, Flash, Springer and Cold all felt chills go up their spines, Heart turning to his mentor as Flash stared down at the ground, "What's up?"

The defender squinted as he saw that the grass was a little thinner than the rest of the forest, "This is a trail," Flash replied before looking ahead, now seeing a line of thin grass, "This area's been trodden through and has made a path."

"Somepony's been through here," Cold continued, "A lot of ponies. And recently as well."

As he said this, a noise rang out from above them in the trees, Flash raising his sword, only for a blur to fly out of the trees. "Augh!" he yelped as the figure hit him, the group turning to see an earth pony. But before they could react, more earth ponies leapt out and tackled them.

"Who are you?" The one holding Flash down asked as he took out a knife and placed it to Flash's neck, "Are you the ones who started the fire we saw?"

"No..." Flash growled as the others found themselves pinned down. The magic users' horns began to shine, only for Flash to add, "But we are the ones who put it out." Several more ponies jumped down with rope as one rushed over to grab Lightbringer.

"You're making a mistake," Twilight chimed in, "We're not your enemies."

"You are trespassers on our land," the mare pinning her hissed, "That makes you our enemy."

Flash squirmed as he spoke up, "Look, we came here to catch a criminal. He's the one who started the forest fire and he's probably gonna start another one if you don't let us go." The ponies glared at them, then glanced at each other. As if having a psychic conversation, they all nodded before taking Flash's sword and pointing it at him.

"The chief will decide what to do with you, outsider. If you're lying, he'll know." All the earth ponies all took out spears, pointing at the group as they let them up. "Move!"

One by one, the team was pushed in the direction of the village, and as they walked, Flash saw that the ponies were wearing necklaces that had large blue rocks with string tied around them. Flash then turned to Springer, their auras connected as they mentally talked, "Why didn't you sense them coming?"

"I don't know," Springer mentally replied. "I can't even sense them now. These ponies are weird." He then squinted at Flash, "Your auras are starting to feel weird too. It's like whatever's causing this is starting to affect you all as well.

"We should try and make a break for it," Trixie chimed in, "Twilight, Cold and I can teleport us all away."

"No way," Rainbow mentally growled, "I'm not running. Just wait. When I get the chance I'm gonna kick these pony's flanks!"

"We're not here to start a fight with these ponies," Twilight snapped back, "We're after Swift Wing, and if he attacks these ponies, we need to be ready to help them. They might have gotten the drop on us, but they'll still be no match for him and his Celestic Gear."

"Twilight's right," Cold added, "We'll stay calm and let them take us to this chief. If he decides to execute us, then we'll react."

The others mentally nodded as they reached the edge of the trees. Stepping out of the forest, they were greeted to the sight of a clearing larger than the one they had seen before. Before them were a ton of huts and houses made of stone, mud and straw. The smoke they had seen before were coming from several houses, which had chimneys connected to rudimentary fires.

The ponies there were all wearing the same crystal necklaces their captors wore and when they saw the new ponies, they all glared at them, "Not too friendly to outsiders, huh?" Heart commented before he was shoved, "Hey!"

"Quiet!"

They were soon led to a house that was larger than the others, "I'm guessing that's the chief's hut," Twilight whispered.

The leader of the pony guards opened up the curtain that was acting like a door and gestured for them to enter, the group walking in to see carpets covering the ground along with many pillows while the walls were adorned with the kind of decorations those familiar with Zecora's hut recognized. Sitting at the back of the room was a purple middle aged pegasus with a graying orange mane and a pipe in his mouth. As they drew closer, they noticed a staff on the ground next to him with the same crystals everypony else was wearing on the end.

The pegasus puffed out a small cloud of smoke before looking up at them. "Clay. What have you brought me?"

"Outsiders," the lead pony hissed, "They were heading straight toward us from the spot that large forest fire appeared in. They claim to have been the ones to put it out and they're after the criminal who started it."

"I see," the pegasus nodded, "Bring them forward." The Equestrians were pushed forward with Flash and Twilight taking the lead, "Sit." They slowly sat down as the pegasus took another puff from his pipe, "Are you here to capture a criminal?"

"Yes," Twilight nodded, "He's very dangerous. He has control over lightning, wind and water. If he isn't stopped, he could destroy your entire village. I know you have no reason to believe me, but-" She stopped when the pegasus raised a hoof.

"I believe you." This made everypony go wide-eyed.

"You...do?" Flash asked, "Why?"

"The eyes are a window to the soul," the chief instantly replied, "Years of training have allowed me to see one's soul through them and determine whether or not a pony is telling the truth. You are telling the truth."

The group just blinked at the pegasus, only for Twilight to say, "Thank you. I promise we'll do whatever we can to find him as fast as possible."

As she said that, Springer looked down at the crystals they were holding. "Those gems," he pointed at them, "Is there something special about them?"

The pegasus looked at the crystal and smiled, "Keen eyes this one." He picked up the gem, "These crystals are our tribe's greatest weapons and relics. Long ago, a creature appeared that could not see but was able to hunt us down and devour us. But then my ancestor discovered these crystals within a cave of a nearby mountain. Whenever near these crystals, the creature was blind and unable to find anypony. It allowed us to defeat it and since that day, the ponies of this tribe have carried the crystals to honor our ancestors and protect us from the creature should it return."

The ponies turned to Springer, who once again tried to use his aura but couldn't sense them. "Whatever those crystals are, they're blocking my aura abilities." He brought up his paw and tried to summon an Aura Blast, sighing in relief when he could. "Well, at least they're not completely gone."

"This creature must have been able to sense aura like you," Twilight added, "Only it was way more dependent on it." She looked back at the crystal, "Curious. I wonder how it works?"

"You can wonder about it later," Flash chimed in, "Right now, we need to focus on finding Storm Blade. And since those crystals are interfering with Springer's tracking ability, we'll need to look for him the old-fashioned way."

"Any idea where the heck we start?" Soarin asked, the others frowning at this.

"Clay knows this forest better than anypony," the pegasus announced, "I'm sure he and some of our patrol will be able to help you figure out where this criminal of yours is hiding." He turned to the earth pony, "Help them in any way you can." Clay nodded back before getting up, the others following his lead. "I wish you all good luck in this venture. Please be careful, for this forest can be dangerous to those not in the know of its tricks."

"We will," Twilight nodded before they headed out of the building. Once outside, Clay moved over to where they were keeping Lightbringer and picked it up.

"I guess you'll be wanting this back," he muttered while holding the weapon out to Flash. He took it and smirked as he felt his trusty weapon in his hooves again.

"Thanks."

"The chief has determined you're trustworthy, so I will trust you too. But know that if it turns out you are planning something fiendish, I will not hesitate to take out down."

"Got it," Flash and the others nodded. "Now to find Storm Blade and take him down."

"I was thinking about that," Twilight added before turning to Springer, "You not being able to find Storm must mean he's somewhere within the range of these gems." Springer nodded back, "If that's the case, it'll narrow down the number of places he must be hiding." She turned to Clay, "Can you show us how wide the crystal's range is?"

Clay nodded and left them for a short while, returning with a rolled-up piece of paper. Unfurling it, they found it was a hoof drawn but well detailed map of the forest. It showed eight circles drawn onto the map, which overlapped in places. The village was located right where the circles all overlapped, completely encircling it from every side. Parts of the forest and the base of the nearby mountain were also in the rings, while each circle also had a dot in the very center of it.

"Each of these circles represents the area that the crystals protect. The center is a spot where a particularly large and powerful crystal is located, which creates a field that protects anything within it from being seen by the power you call aura."

"So Storm must be within one of these circles," Cold commented, "Well, that does narrow it down a little. But that's still a large area to search. While we're looking for him in one area, he could move to another."

"So we should split up," Heart suggested, "We each take a circle and check it out. If we find him, we can use Springer to tell the others and they'll all rush over."

"Err...small problem with that," Springer replied before closing his eyes and trying to mentally communicate with them. "This field is still affecting you all," The others could hear him, but it barely sounded like a whisper. "The longer you're in here, the stronger its affects on you. Pretty soon I probably won't be able to talk to you at all this way."

"That could be a problem," Twilight responded, "There has to be some way we can communicate without your voice."

"Well, there is a way," Flash added, "But it'll give away our location to Storm."

"Which is?" Cold asked.

"Shoot a laser into the air," Flash pointed up, "There's no way we could miss that. But like I said, it'd give Storm our location as well."

"Maybe," Twilight crossed her hooves, "But I'm sure we can each hold him off long enough for the rest to arrive and back them up."

"So, we're splitting up?" Soul gulped, "Is that a good idea?"

"I don't think we have any other choice," Twilight replied, "We won't be alone since Clay and his guards will be there to help." Clay nodded and Twilight started splitting them into teams. Flash and Heart were with three earth ponies while Twilight and Soul were with another three. The rest of their team were given four ponies to help, with Trixie giving Rainbow and Soarin a little something.

"Fireworks?" Rainbow asked as they each took a rocket.

"Yeah. How else are you gonna signal us?" The pegasi frowned as they took the devices, Trixie then walking over to Clay as he was going to be leading the last team to the eighth section. "Here," she gave it to him, "Just pull the wire on the end and point it upward. Don't be scared when it flies up and explodes. It's supposed to do that."

Clay looked the rocket over, glaring at it before nodding. "Alright everypony," Flash announced. "Let's find this nutjob fast before he can cause any more problems." They all nodded and split up, all ready to find Storm.





The pegasus was now in a cave on the opposite side of the mountain he had been in before.

The inside was even greater than the last one, the pegasus wiping his brow with his wing as he stared at the back of the cave. "This should get those fools to stop chasing me. And maybe distract and exhaust them enough for me to snag one to interrogate."

He started using his sword's end to bang against the wall, only to hear a particular sound. He smirked and slashed an X into the rock before stepping back before pointing his weapon at the X and spun the dial, channeling energy into it as lightning, water and wind began to surround the blade.

"Let's do this," he chuckled before firing the triple element tornado.





Flash, Heart and the ponies behind him walked up to a tower of sorts poking out of the treetops with a blue light coming off it. "Is that the crystal?" Heart asked as a pegasus mare next to him nodded. They then reached the clearing, now seeing a large wooden tower that was about twenty feet tall, the Knight of Friendship flying up with his apprentice to see if they could see anything from the tower's vantage point.

"Anything?" Flash asked as the two glanced around, Heart shaking his head.

"Nothing. I don't see anything."

"Looks like we'll have to do this this old fashioned way," Flash sighed as they flew back down before turning to the other ponies, "Is there anyplace around here that'd make a good hiding spot?" They all shook their heads. "Alright, here's what we're gonna do." They all stood around the tower and turned their backs too it. "Now we'll move in a straight line while keeping an eye out for Storm. If any of you see him, rush back and we'll take him on as a group." They nodded and began to walk forward, Flash giving Heart a look before they lost sight of each other to tell him not to engage Storm, the colt nodding back before disappearing into the woods.





Soarin had a similar idea as his team reached their tower near the mountain. They were spread out, but had found no signs of the pegasus. After searching from the skies for a good while, Soarin flew back to the tower and landed alongside some of the other ponies who had just finished searching. "Find anything?" He asked, but they shook their heads. "Guess he's not here." He flew up to the tower next and sat near to the crystal, staring at the area around him, "Where are you?" But as he whispered this, the tower suddenly began to shake, "WHOA!" He yelped as he was knocked off, spreading his wings to catch himself, "What was that?"

Cries from the ground made him look down and see the ponies staggering around, all barely able to stand. "Earthquake?" He asked as the shaking of the ground began to slow down. "That was weird."

"The earth is angry!" One of the ponies cried, "It rattles in rage!"

"What have we done to anger it?!" Another asked, the ponies all beginning to cry out.

"Hey!" Soarin yelled as he flew down, "The earth isn't angry. It was just an earthquake."

"What would make the earth quake if it is not angry?" One asked, Soarin blinking back. And in that moment, another quake rattled the land and the ponies began to scream and run off while Soarin saw the crystal tower start to crack.

"Not good," he grimaced before spinning around and going wide-eyed, "The mountain." The top of the mountain was now starting to give off smoke, "It's a volcano..." he whispered, "But the ponies didn't seem to know about it. Has it never erupted..." His eyes went even wider, "Storm!" He quickly zipped into the sky, flying for the mountain as he pulled out the fireworks, "I hope I'm right..."





The earthquakes weren't reaching any of the others and due to the large amount of trees, the groups not able to see the smoke coming off the volcano.

"Anything?" Flash asked, the ponies shaking their head as Heart was the last to arrive.

"I thought I saw something," he replied, "But it just turned out to be a rabbit." The others just stared at him, blinking at the statement as Flash let out a sigh.

"I hope the others find something soon."





Soarin continued flying toward the volcano and up to the top, "Whoo!" He wiped his brow, "Talk about hot. How the heck is Storm not roasting to death?" He continued upward until he reached the top, the smoke funneling out.

He landed and looked down into the crater, seeing a large pool of lava bubbling...which was rising. "That's not good." He looked down at his firework, "What do I do? I still haven't found Storm..."

But as he stared at it, the volcano shook again, Soarin quickly falling back, "Whoa!" He yelped, dropping the rocket, which quickly rolled down the side of the volcano. "Shoot!" He leapt after it and got down half the mountain before getting it, "Whew! That was close!"

But as he did this, he sees something beyond the hill, now seeing a cave. The pegasus dived down into it, glancing inside just in time to see Storm unleash another Storm Force attack. It struck the wall, causing the entire cave to shake. The Wonderbolt grimaced at this, only to point the rocket to the sky.

And then he pulled the cord.





Back at the village, Flash and everypony else had returned.

"Nothing?" Twilight asked, making the others frown as they looked away. "That's not good..."

"Maybe Soarin's found something," Rainbow pointed out as she noticed her husband wasn't around. But as she said that, the ponies Soarin had been with suddenly rushed into the village.

"The earth is enraged!" One screamed, "It shakes and roars in anger!" Everypony turned to them, raising eyebrows at the sight, only to turn and see smoke coming out of the mountain's top.

"Clay, is that mountain a volcano?" Twilight asked.

"Volcano?" Clay replied while tilting his head, "What is that supposed to mean?"

The others frowned, only for a firework to explod right in front of the volcano.

"It's Soarin!" Soul cried, "He must have found Storm!"

"And why do I get the feeling he's responsible for the smoke and earth being enraged?" Flash sighed before he and the others gathered around the unicorns. Clay ran over with a spear and an angry expression as Twilight's horn flashed. In the blink of an eye, the group appeared at the base of the mountain.

"Where'd that rocket fire from?" Rainbow asked, only for a massive tornado to explode out of the side of the mountain, making them look up and see Soarin getting blasted out of a cave. "SOARIN!" She and Flash shot up, both managing to catch the pegasus before he could hit anything, "You okay?!"

"No..." Soarin groaned as he opened his eyes, "But we got big problems." He pointed upward and the group all saw Storm fly out of the cave with a smirk on his face, "He's caused the volcano to start erupting!"

The ground began to shake at this, Twilight going wide-eyed, "No! If that volcano blows, it'll spray lava, including toward the village!"

"What is lava?" Clay asked.

"Think of it like liquid fire," Trixie replied, "Enough to likely flood your entire village and kill everything it touches." Clay gasped at this as Storm took to the air.

"Have fun saving all those losers!" He laughed as he flew off, the others glaring at him.

"We can't let him get away," Twilight stated before looking back at the volcano. "But we can't let this thing go off either."

"Let's split up," Flash told her before turning to Soarin. "You go after him and try to slow him down until we're done here. Then we'll take him down together." Soarin nodded and took off.

"I'll do what I can," he responded as he continued to fly after Storm.

As he did this, Flash and Rainbow flew down to the others. "Alright, how do we stop this thing?"

"We need to relieve the pressure," Twilight replied, "That'll mean we have to make holes into the volcano."

"But won't that let lava out too?" Soul asked, Twilight nodding back.

"Which is why before then, we have to build a channel to direct the lava that comes out." She turned to the others, "This isn't gonna be easy." They all smirked and nodded, Twilight beaming at the sight. "Alright, let's get to work."

"YEAH!" The others cheered as they ran off, Cold staring up at the sky in the direction Storm had been flying. "Cold!" He turned to Flash as the pegasus looked at him, the unicorn sighing.

"Right, I'm coming."

"No," Flash shook his head, "You should go with Soarin." Cold went wide-eyed at this as Flash continued, "We know you wanna take Storm down. Now's your best chance."

"But I'm needed here," he replied, "My ice magic could be invaluable in this situation."

"You're not the only one with ice magic," Trixie giggled, "I got this. Go. Soarin's good, but I doubt he can take Storm down all on his own."

The others all nodded as Flash repeated, "We got this. Go!" Cold gave them one last unsure look before smiling and turning to run off, the others watching him leave before looking back at the volcano, "ARMORIZE!" Flash yelled as he leapt into the air, exploding into light that vanished to reveal the armored pony. "HERE WE GO!" He fired a beam of magic from his helmet horn and the gems on his armor, which struck the ground and started carving into it.

The others began to get to work as well, Heart and Trixie moving to one of the lines Flash drew with Heart igniting his body. He then curled up into a flaming wheel and flew down the slide-like trench, super heating the ground and causing it to melt. Trixie then fired an ice spell that cooled the rock, causing it to crumble and break apart before Twilight lifted the broken earth into the air, allowing the trench to grow larger.

"That's it!" Twilight yelled, "We have to hurry!" She turned to the volcano as the ground shock once again, "We don't have long before it blows."





Storm cackled to himself as he kept flying, "Those stupid ponies. That's a force of nature they're facing. There's no way they can stop it."

"Don't be so sure!" Storm's eyes went wide and he glanced back, seeing Soarin speeding up to him, "My friends will stop the volcano! And when they do, they'll all come and help me stop you!"

"Yeah right!" Storm laughed as he spun around and fired several lightning bolts. But as he did this, the pegasus suddenly zipped around each attack, not losing a bit of speed, "What?!" He yelped, only to see Soarin's eyes, which were now pure white.

And in a second later, Soarin was in front of Storm, "AUGH!" He screamed as Soarin's hoof hit the pegasi's chest so fast that it smacked him straight down into the ground. He crashed through several tree branches, his wings screaming in pain until he broke through the last one and fell to the forest floor. He barely had enough time to spin around and land on his hooves, sliding back while digging his weapon into the ground to stop himself.

He panted as he pushed himself up, trying to spread his wings, only to find one refusing to open without flinching in pain. As he tried to flap the pain off, Soarin shot down and landed. The pegasus was still in his Theta Mode, having seen Storm's injured wing and smirking.

"Give it up," he stated, "You know you can't escape."

"Never," Storm growled. "I won't allow myself to be captured! Not until I discover who I am!"

"Let yourself be captured and we can tell you exactly who you are," Soarin replied before Storm fired a thunderbolt. Soarin diving to the side and used a tree as a springboard to bounce back, attempting to deal a kick to Storm's face. "You're a criminal that betrayed his best friend!" Storm used his blade to block the kick, pushing Soarin back, "Then you started working for a crazed unicorn planning to conquer the world!"

"Crazed unicorn?" Storm asked before swinging his weapon, firing a wind blade that Soarin ducked under. And as the trees behind him were cut down, Soarin quickly shooting back up and trying to punch him. Storm attempted to block again, but Soarin spun around and wrapped his tail around the sword.

"Exactly!" Soarin tried to pull the weapon out of his grasp, "And when he was defeated, you and the rest of his flunkies had your minds wiped!" Storm growled at this and unleashed a burst of lightning, which travelled up Soarin's tail and zapped him. "GYAH!" He cried, letting him go before flying back. But as he did this, Storm unleashed a tornado that struck the Wonderbolt head-on, blasting him through a tree. "Augh!" He hit the ground as the tree fell down, trapping his tail beneath it.

And as he tried to move, Storm jumped onto the tree and pointed his blade to Soarin's neck. "Tell me who it was that stole my memories! Do so, and I might just leave you alive!"

Soarin just grinned back, "Why? Gonna try and intimidate them into giving your memories back?" Storm let out a hiss as Soarin continued, "Go ahead and try. It was a literal god that took your memories. The most powerful being in creation. She was being kind to you when she took your memories, hoping you would find a better life and not hurt anypony. But when she learns what you've done, she'll probably decided to blink you out of existence."

"She can try," he raised his blade. "But before then, I'll make sure to destroy as many things that this so called god loves! Starting with you." Soarin clenched up at this as a lightning surged from the weapon until-

"Cold Eagles!" a bunch of small ice birds flew out of the trees, Storm instnatly hit by the attack, slashing him with their sharp wings.

"Gaaah!" He leapt back and started swinging his weapon around, shattering the birds, "Stop it!"

Cold then flew out of the bushes, his horn shining as he used his magic to lift the tree, allowing Soarin to pull his tail out. "Thanks." Cold nodded back and the two turned to Storm.

"This ends now," Cold summoned a sword and pointed it at him. "We're bringing you in!"

Storm just laughed at this, "I'd like to see you try. What hope does somepony like you have against me, who wields the power of the heavens within his hoof? You are a pony. I...I am a god!" He started cackling as the two shared a glance.

"He's lost it," Soarin sighed.

"He lost it a long time ago," Cold replied, "And now it's up to us to stop him before he hurts anypony else. Ready to continue this battle?"

"You have to ask?" Soarin smirked before getting in a fighting stance, "I was born ready!"





Back with the others, they continued to dig the relief channels around the volcano. Their plan was to have them curve around the volcano and let the lava out on the other side of the mountain away from the village.

On that side, Springer was running around cutting down as many nearby trees as he could. Soul and Clay had also begun to help with that, Soul using her magic to lift the logs Springer cut down away from the area while Clay simply lifted and threw them as far as he could. "We have to be faster," Soul groaned she lifted another log.

"We can't leave a single tree," Springer told them as he Steel Pawed another tree. "Even one being too close could start a forest fire that could spread to the rest of the forest." Soul nodded and took another deep breath before lifting the sliced down tree away.

As they did this, the rest were still digging the channels, all panting as they did this, "I think we need at least two more!" Twilight panted as the ground shook again. "But I don't think we have enough time!"

"Rainbow and I can do it," Flash chimed in, "You and Soul get ready to blast the hole in that cave." Twilight nodded and flew off with the others, Trixie being the only one to stay behind.

As Flash and Rainbow flew up, Trixie used her ice magic to create a layer of ice to cover the channels. "What's the plan?" Rainbow asked once they were high enough.

"We're gonna dive down as fast as we can," Flash replied, "Think you can perform a sonic rainboom the moment we're a few inches off the ground?"

Rainbow smirked at this, "You have to ask?"

Flash grinned as he stared down, seeing Trixie finish freezing the remaining channels "Then let's go!" He shot down, his wing thrusters igniting to propel him. Rainbow dove down as well, picking up as much speed as she could. Both ponies could feel the air around them cone as they got closer to the ground, Flash readying his blade. "Flash Driver!" He yelled while spinning, morphing into a shining drill. Rainbow's air cone began to glow as well, and at the last minute, the two shifted positions seconds before hitting the ground.

A massive boom filled the air, along with a burst of rainbow light as the pegasus flew just above the ground at hyper speed. The force of her moving so fast ripped up the ground while the drill cut another channel right beside it. And as they curved around the mountain, Trixie, Twilight and Soul teleported up to the top and Trixie started using her ice magic to freeze the channels as well.

"Why's she doing that?" Soul asked as Trixie ran down the mountain still freezing the place.

"It'll make it easier for the lava to flow," Twilight replied, "When the lava hits the ice, it'll create a layer of steam between the two surfaces. This'll cause less friction, so the lava will be less likely to get stuck and continue downward. Plus, it'll help cool the lava quicker so it's less likely to set anything on fire." Soul nodded as an Aura Force was fired into the air, the signal stating that the final two channels were completed. "Alright," Twilight looking back at the volcano, "Remember all those lessons we had on controlling the power of your magic?"

"Yeah," Soul nodded.

"Well right now, forget everything and let it rip with as much force as you can." Soul smiled and nodded before the pair turned to the cave Storm had been in, which now had a bunch of channels sticking out. The pair summoned their magic and charged up as much energy as possible, then let it all out in a single incredible burst. Purple and gold beams of light exploded into the cave and smashed the back wall, making the rocks crumble away. The beams continued drilling for several moments before breaking through to the inside of the volcano.

When they felt no more resistance, the two cut their magic, only for a powerful jet of hot air to explode out from the hole. Twilight had been expecting this and pulled Soul to her, putting up a shield that protected them from the heat. It didn't protect them from the force though, the hot air pushing the barrier back.

"WHOA!" They both yelped as they were thrown back right as the lava began to fly out of the cave. It flowed into the channels and as it touched the ice, the lava beginning to bubble while rolling down the slide. After a few moments, it cooled down so much it formed a bubbly glass-like substance that the un-cooled lava pushed further down the channel.

On the other side of the mountain, everypony smiled at seeing the lava flow toward them and not the village. "Yeah!" Rainbow cheered as she and Flash high-hoofed, Springer and Heart doing the same as Twilight and Soul teleported in.

"It worked!" Soul cheered while Clay looked up at the top. The smoke from the volcano was slowly beginning to fade away as the ground stopped shaking.

"The pressure's been relieved," Twilight added before turning to Clay. "Once the lava turns into obsidian, your tribe might be able to use it."

Clay nodded, "Thank you. But right now, all I want to do is stop the pony that tried to destroy my tribe."

The others nodded, Flash commenting, "I hope those two are okay. Storm's no pushover."





"COLD DRAGON!" Cold yelled as he summoned a giant ice serpent that exploded out of the ground.

The pegasus thrust his blade at this, firing a lightning bolt at the ice monster, causing it to explode. But as it did this, Soarin flew through mist from the ice, quickly getting up to Storm and slammed his hoof into Storm's face. And as he hit him two more times, Storm then swung his blade back at Soarin, only for the pegasi's Theta Mode to allow him to quickly duck under the weapon. But as he did this, Storm unleashed a pulse of wind that blew Soarin back as Cold leapt over the gale with an ice sword, both soon clashing,

And as the weapons grinded against each other, the ponies glared at one another. "That pegasus said I killed my best friend," Storm commented, "Tell me, is that the same pony that you're angry at me about?"

"Yes," Cold growled, sparks popping off both blades, "That weapon you're holding belonged to him! It was meant to be his Celestic Gear, but you stole it!"

"Oh?" Storm then pushed Cold back before glancing down at the weapon in his hooves, "Then maybe this was just fate. Maybe this weapon was always meant to be mine."

"A Celestic Gear is meant to protect Equestria" Cold roared, "You've dishonored it with your actions!" He charged again, Storm quickly blocking each strike, "I will reclaim Noble's weapon and return it to where it belongs!"

"You want to reclaim a weapon for the dead?! This is my weapon! I'm not giving it up for anything!" Storm yelled as he his weapon slashed through Cold's ice sword, shattering it to pieces. Cold then thrust a jab, only for Storm to block it, then blocking a second punch. "And you are predictable! Did I train you?"

"Shut up!" Cold screeched as he thrust another punch, only for Storm to quickly duck under the blow and slammed his hoof into Cold's chest, knocking him back. "Urgh!"

"You're nothing." Storm spat before spinning the dial on his weapon, "Now, witness my full power you fool! STORM FORCE EXCEED!" He thrust the sword forward, only for a giant tempest storm to explode out.

Cold gasped as the attack came, only for somepony to jump in front of him. "GYAH!" Soarin cried as the wind, water and lightning slammed into him.

"What are you doing!?" The unicorn screamed as Soarin continued to get buffeted by the attack.

"I...I'm giving you a chance!" Soarin yelled back as he started pushing himself forward. "One chance, to take him down! HURRY!" Cold went wide-eyed before nodding, getting back up as Soarin kept trying to block the tornado's effects.

Storm gasped at this and pumped more power into his attack, increasing the tornado's ferocity. But despite this, Soarin began to walk forward.

"Ahh!" Soarin felt his leg get sliced, but pushed on. "Almost...there!" A cut to his cheek appeared as they were mere feet away.

"STAY BACK!" Storm yelled as he pumped every bit of power he had into the attack.

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Soarin screamed as he was finally sent flying back and crashing through several trees before coming to a stop, Storm smirking at his opponent's defeat.

But as he did this, he saw a flash of light to his side and spun around. Cold Steel had appeared behind him with a stony look on his face as he summoned another ice sword. Storm barely blocked the first slash attack, only to spin the dial and point it at Cold...and nothing happened, "What?"

"You used up too much power," Cold announced before summoning another sword, quickly swinging both. In the blink of an eye, the Storm Blade was knocked flying out of Storm's hooves, the pegasi turning back to it for just as second as Cold's horn glowed alongside the crystal on his neck brace. "This ends now!"

"Wait-no!" Storm yelped as he flinched at the sight of Cold's shining horn.

"Cold...Force...EXCEED!" With that, he unleashed his own supercharged ice tornado. The snow vortex struck Storm, consuming him just as Flash, Twilight and all the others arrived.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" Storm screamed as he was blasted back, ice covering his entire body, the pegasus trying to fight against his quickly forming shell. But as he tried, he slowly lost consciousness.

As he did this, Cold's attack came to an end, and he almost fell over from lack of magic, Flash quickly rushing over and grabbing him, "You okay?"

"Yeah..." Cold moaned, "Just a little tired."

"Soarin!" He heard Rainbow cry, both turning to see her, Soul and Springer helping the downed pegasi up. "You okay?" Soarin was badly cut and bruised, but had a smirk on his face.

"Nothing I can't sleep off," he weakly laughed as Soul began using her healing magic. "Guessing you got the volcano sorted."

"Heck yeah," Rainbow smirked back, "The village is safe, and by the looks of things, the one that caused the problem's not gonna be an issue anymore." They all turned to the frozen Storm statue, all glad that it was over.

As they did this, Cold turned to where the Storm Blade had fallen and picked it up. The sight made him think back to his mentor, making him sigh, "Noble," he whispered, "I hope I made you proud."

Flash patted him on the back, "I'm sure you did. You were able to bring his killer to justice, and didn't turn into a monster to do it." Cold smiled and nodded, only for a certain statue to start cracking.

"Look out!" Soarin yelled, pointing at the ice sculpture. They all turned to it right as the ice shattered from Storm's almost frostbitten body. He roared as he charged at Cold, grabbing a sharp piece of ice at the same time.

"COLD!" His friends cried, but before any of them could do anything, Storm was suddenly struck by something in the right side of his head. The next thing anypony knew, Storm was on the ground with Soarin standing over him, shaking his hoof.

"Ow," he moaned before turning to Rainbow "That...was satisfying. Never got to even the score back in the Lost City." They all chuckled as he then asked, "Can somepony tie him up so we don't have to do that again."

"I have an idea." Trixie giggled.





As the sun set, Celestia was in the throne room, being told everything that had happened.

"That's quite an amazing story," she told Twilight and Flash. "You all did well on this mission, and I'm very proud of you." They smiled at this as Celestia continued to talk, "What happened to the ponies of this tribe you met?"

"Clay returned to the village and told them what happened," Twilight replied, "Apparently, this is gonna be a story that'll last their tribe a long time."

"It's too bad they didn't take your offer to move to Equestria," Heart sighed. "Probably safer then living next to an active volcano."

"It was their home," Soul chimed in, "I can understand why they didn't wanna leave it. And with those vents we built, they shouldn't have to worry about any more eruptions."

Celestia nodded. "Either way, you have all done an excellent job deal with this situation. Especially Cold." She glanced around at this, "Where is he anyway?"

"He decided to escort Storm to the Crystal Prison," Flash replied, "Don't know what the big rush was since Storm still needs to go to trial before he can take full residence there."

"It's the safest place to keep him," Twilight countered, "Besides, I get the feeling he had another reason for going to the Crystal Empire."





The Crystal Empire...

Cold entered the Hall of Knights as it closed for the day, his Royal Knight status allowing him access even when the public was leaving. He made his way through the building, his eyes going between the different statues inside.

It was here that he saw that over the centuries, many Royal Knights had wielded incredible weapons. The Celestic Gears had been used for a long time, and while they had been powerful weapons in their day, after their wielders died, they all became simple bog-standard weapons. Many were lost to history due to their wielders dying in the field, but just as many had been safely locked in the Canterlot Vault. Until now.

Now they were safely held in the Hall of Knights, in special cases that made stealing them impossible. Some were empty due to their weapons being lost, which included the case in front of Cold's target. Though he never managed to actually get knighted, Celestia had chosen to have Noble Banner's statue be made of crystal instead of stone. Cold stared up at the crystal likeness of his mentor and had to admit the artist had done an amazing job.

He stepped up to the case and opened it up, placing the Storm Blade inside. Once it was shut and locked, the security system activated and would protect it for years to come. "Noble," he whispered as he looked up at the statue, "You gave me a new life. Brought me to Canterlot and helped me grow to become the Knight you always hoped I'd be. I know I might have stumbled at some points, but I think you would be proud of the pony I've become thanks to my friends."

He looked down the hall at the statues of the other Knights he had worked with and nodded, especially when he focused on the pegasus that had helped him grow in more ways than anypony else.

"I'm gonna live," he looked back at Noble's statue. "Live the life you wanted me to live. And I'll protect Equestria and the ponies that make it worth living in." With that, he gave the sculpture one final glance before turning to leave. As he did this, he felt a weight being lifted from his heart. He was finally ready to move on and live his life the way Noble always intended. And only time would tell how that would turn out.





Up in the snowy mountains, Storm Blade sat in a locked cell, a look a pure death in his eyes.

"I'm not done yet. That blade is mine..." he hissed as he stared at a barred window. "I'll be free one day, and when I am, the world will suffer."
> Marks for Effort
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Springer the jakhowl was currently enjoying a rather uneventful day of patrol, which was something he liked to happen on occasion. "Ahh..." he sighed as he sat down on a town bench. He had just been in Sugarcube Corner and gotten a milkshake order from Mrs. Cake, the jakhowl now slurping the liquid out of the plastic cup. "Mmmm," he sighed, "Raspberry and white chocolate. Whoever invented this flavor was a freaking genius." He continued to happily drink it and stare forward, doing another of his favorite down time activities: Pony watching.

He saw Bon-Bon carrying a bunch of boxes on her back, the tower looking around eight boxes high with the mare appearing to have little trouble balancing them. Springer always felt she was more skilled than a simple candy marker ought to be. But as he saw this, he saw a trio run by: The Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"What are those three up too?" He whispered, finishing the last of his drink as the girls were running through the town looking like they were on a mission. Throwing the cup away, quickly taking to the rooftops as he began to follow them. And as he trailed them, he soon saw they were going for a location he didn't think they would go to: The School of Friendship.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Springer muttered as he saw the three try to go into sneak mode as they got closer to the building. And as soon as they were sure nobody was looking, they zipped inside despite Springer seeing the whole thing. He shook his head before closing his eyes, sending his aura out as he tracked them going to the courtyard. The jakhowl leapt off the roof next, slowly walking up to the building before hopping onto the school's roof and went over to the courtyard's roof.

He watched them all look around at all the windows, raising an eyebrow at the sight before somepony else arrived and the girls leapt into a nearby bush. It was Starlight, who appeared to have a frown on her face as she glanced around, "Anypony here in need of guidance counselling?" She asked to the apparently empty courtyard, Springer blinking at the sight.

And as silence filled the air, Starlight sighed and left. He probably should go ask what was wrong, but then the girls staggered out of the bushes. "Whoa, whoa, whoa!!" Scootaloo cried as she stood on top of Sweetie's shoulder, the young unicorn in turn standing on Applebloom's shoulders. The trio stumbled around at this, clearly trying to get to one of the high up windows on the second floor. "Almost...there..." She then grabbed onto the windowsill, pulling herself up while taking off some of the weight of the other two.

"Oh, I can't wait!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Twilight's school is supposed to be amazin' inside!"

Sweetie nodded, "Rarity says there's never been a school like it!"

Scootaloo grunted as she tried to pull herself up onto the window, "I heard the students get to do tons of awesome stuff!"

"Do yah see anything yet?" Applebloom asked, Scootaloo finally pulling herself high enough to see within.

"Uh, yeah. It looks like a broom! And a dustpan and some buckets."

"That sounds like a closet," Sweetie deadpanned.

"Try another window," Applebloom pulled them away and the girls all cried out as they did their best to keep their balance, only to reach another window.

"Woah," was all Scootaloo could say, Springer chuckling up a storm at the sight. And as he squinted his eyes to see what she was staring at, only for a tray of cupcakes to come flying out and Scootaloo pushed herself away from the window to avoid getting hit.

As she did this, they all lost their balance and fell into a bush that was apparently filled with butterflies. And as they tried to recover, they saw the many butterflies flutter above them. "Wow..." they all whispered in amazement.

"All right, students!" They then heard Fluttershy's voice and Springer saw her step out onto a balcony, "It's time to meet some new friends!" The butterflies flew into the classroom and Springer saw the students beginning to play with them, Silverstream even flying through a heart shape the insects had made.

"Incomin'!" The impressed CMC heard and rushed off to a barn-like section of the school.

"Wow!" Sweetie cheered, "And I thought our school was fun!"

"Yeah!" Scootaloo nodded, "Miss Cheerilee never lets us play buckball in class. I know. I've tried."

"Hey!" Applebloom added, "Why don't we go here instead? It's still school, right?" The other two nodded and they all high-hoofed, Springer frowning as he felt this was gonna become a recipe for disaster. "What could be better than learnin' friendship with your best friends?" Applebloom asked as they stepped into the center of the courtyard, only for Pinkie to suddenly shoot out of a nearby bush.

"Learning friendship with your best friends," she then took out the tray of cupcakes that had gone flying earlier. "AND CAKE!" She shoved them all in her mouth and the girls laughed, Pinkie disappearing off while the CMC headed to Twilight's class.

"Come on. I bet if we hurry we can make it to Twilight's lesson before it starts and get the best seats." Scootaloo and Sweetie nodded, but Springer chose this moment to jump down. "Whoa!"

"Hang on girls." He told the fillies, the trio flinching as he flashed a paw at them. "I don't think that's a good idea. Twilight's not gonna let you just leave your old school so you can go to this one."

"Why not?" Scootaloo asked, recovering from her surprise.

"Because you don't need this school," Springer replied, "If Flash and Twilight thought you needed to be taught friendship, they would have had you enter the school when it first opened like Heart, Soul and the others."

"Well...why do they get to go here?"

"Because they need it," Springer responded, "Heart and Soul come from two thousand years in the past. Ace and Mira are barely over a year old. They haven't had the chance to learn as much as you kids have learned throughout your entire lives. You don't need this school."

"Ya'll don't know that!" Applebloom barked back, "Ah'm sure when Twilight sees how eager we are ta learn, she'll be more than happy to let us in!"





"You can't be my students," Twilight instantly said after finding the girls in her classroom and bringing them outside to talk.

"Why not?" Sweetie moaned.

"Isn't this place for everycreature?" Scootaloo added.

"Yes, it is." Twilight nodded, "But we teach friendship lessons here. You already know all about helping ponies in need and being there for each other." The girls all shared a glance, having heard the exact same thing from Springer.

"Can't you just give us a chance?" Sweetie asked before all showing her the cutest faces they could make and saying in unison, "Pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaase?"

"You need Cheerilee's classes, not mine." She spun around a this, "Hurry up. You don't want late marks on your permanent record." As she opened the door, they all heard the students inside speaking.

"OH DRAGON! MY DRAGON!"

"Spike?!" Twilight cried, "What did you do?!" She shut the door and the girls all headed for the exit with their heads down.

"Well, I'm not giving up!" Scootaloo declared, "I know we can prove we belong in this school!"

"Yeah!" Sweetie cheered, only to frown, "Um...how?"

"By showin' Twilight we've still got lots to learn about friendship!" Applebloom chimed in, "And I know just where to start." She gave a grin that was almost sinister in appearance, Scootaloo and Sweetie wondering what she had in mind.





The next day...

Flash sighed as he relaxed in the teacher's lounge, having just completed a rather difficult Courage Class with another one set to begin in an hour's time. He began to close his eyes, just about to fall asleep, only for two ponies to storm in, one yelling, "I swear, I'm gonna have to call her Repeatie Belle! She would not leave me alone!"

"At least ya'll don't have yer sister shirkin' on her chores to try and trick yah into lettin' her come here," Applejack moaned before her and Rarity turned to Flash. "So what's your sister been doing?!"

"Come again?" Flash asked while yawning, "Wait...is this about what Springer and Twilight told me yesterday? About the girls wanting to come here?"

"Yes," Rarity nodded as they sat on an opposite sofa. "Sweetie spent the entire day yesterday begging me to enroll her."

"And Applebloom tried to make me think she should come here by not doin' her chores. Too bad for her, ah had a bunch more chores to do that she could help out with! So, Scootaloo try anythin' with yah?"

"Nope," Flash shook his head, "Probably knew she couldn't plead, trick or pester me into letting her in." He put his hoof to his chin, "She might try it with Rainbow though."

As if on que, the door was slammed open as Rainbow flew in. "Can you please do something about your sister?!" she exclaimed at Flash, "She snuck into my class in a ridiculous disguise, trying to take part in it!"

"And how much of the story did you get through before realizing she was there?" Flash asked, raising an eyebrow. Rainbow blushed at this, only to growl at him. The defender just waved his hoof, "Look, the girls are just feeling left out. I'm sure there's a way we can get them to show they don't need to come here." He then scratched the side of his head before getting up, "And I think I have an idea. I gotta go talk to Twilight."





Later that afternoon...

Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were all in the school, sitting at a desk and writing on pieces of paper they had been given. Twilight was sitting at the front desk staring at an hourglass, Flash leaning against the wall behind her. The girls didn't stop for a second, completely focused on their work. Then, seconds before the sand completely emptied from the top half, they plopped their pencils down.

"Time's up," she noticed they had already stopped and the alicorn picked their papers up in her magic. "Let's take a look."

The girls each watched her mark their tests, nodding as she went over question after question. She then stopped and looked up at them. "Well?" Applebloom asked, "Did we pass?"

"Yes, you did," Twilight replied, "Almost a perfect score from each of you."

The girls all cheered at this, "We did it!" Sweetie exclaiming as they high hoofed.

"We're gonna get ta go here!" Applebloom added.

"Not exactly," Twilight chimed in, making them all spin around as she gave them back their tests.

Scootaloo frowned as she took hers, seeing a large ninety four on it. "What do you mean? You said if we passed, we could attend!"

Twilight shook her head, "No. We said the scores you get on this test would determine whether or not you'll be allowed into the school. And sure enough, you girls have passed with scores I wouldn't expect most graduates of the school to get. This is unequivocal proof you girls don't need to attend the school."

"What?! You could have told us this was a thing!" Applebloom cried.

Flash laughed at this, "If we had, you girls would have just bombed the test on purpose to try and get in." The girl's jaws dropped at this, only to see Flash shake his head, "Sorry girls, looks like you're all stuck with Cheerilee. But don't worry, it's not like you'll have to go there forever." They all grumbled as they left, not listening as the door closed before Flash glanced back at Twilight. "You think this might have been a bit much?"

"It was your idea," Twilight responded, "And no, I think it's gotten the point across perfectly. The girls don't need to come here. If they did, I would have gladly made them one of our first pupils. But attending this school won't help them in the real world. Most of the students here have already been through the normal school system. If they came here, they might not develop the skills needed to live their lives after school."

"True," Flash shrugged, "Though I'm not even sure what they wanna do when they leave school. Scootaloo's only ever talked about being in the Wonderbolts...but..." They both grimaced as he stopped talking.

"I'm sure the girls will figure out what they want to do with their lives," Twilight spoke back up, "But I doubt those lives will have anything to do with this school."

Flash nodded as they heard a knock at the door, the pair turning to see Starlight step inside. "Hey you two. I just saw Scootaloo and her friends looking all gloomy as they left. Are they okay?"

"They will be," Twilight sighed, "They just...really wanna go here and...well, they didn't take me saying no too well."

"Oh," Starlight grabbed a chair and put it in front of Twilight's desk before sitting on it, "Do you need to talk so somepony about it? Maybe looking for some help figuring out whether or not what you did was right?"

"No," Twilight then raised an eyebrow, "But do you need to talk to somepony? I've noticed you've been acting kinda weird lately."

Starlight let out a huff, "I'm bored. Nopony ever comes to talk to me. I'm starting to think there's no point of having a guidance counselor at a school of friendship. I've probably re-alphabetized my office eighteen times already."

"Wow?" Flash whistled, "Six more and you'll beat Twilight's record."

Twilight glared at him before looking back at Starlight, "Don't worry," she patted her shoulder, "I'm sure somepony will need your help. And even if we don't need a counselor, I'd rather have one and not need it then need it and not have one." Starlight huffed again, Flash shrugging as they all soon left the room.





Over at Sweet Apple Acres, Rogue was flying around before reaching a tree and wrapped his tail around a branch, allowing him to hang from it as he took a golden apple out of his bag. And as he began to munch on it, his ears twitched as he heard something: Crying.

"Huh?" He quickly finished off the fruit before flying toward the sound. And as it got louder, he noticed he was close to the CMC clubhouse, only to see somepony sitting under a tree opposite the clubhouse. It was a small pink pegasus filly with blue curly hair.

He was about to ask what was wrong, only to notice movement at the clubhouse and saw the girls step out and walk over to the filly. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Oh," the filly sniffled, "Thank you for asking. But no. I'm having real trouble with..." she sniffled again, "...the School of Friendship."

"Twilight won't let you go either, huh?" Scootaloo asked, then stopped and stared at her. "Hey, don't I know you? Yeah, you're that filly Heart's been hanging out with. Cibble...Cuby-"

"Cozy," the filly interrupted, "And yes, I'm in the school. I'm in Twilight's class, but..." She sniffled again, "...it's too hard!" Once again, she started bawling her eyes out.

"Really?" Sweetie asked, "Aren't Heart and the rest of them back at school helping you?"

"Heart's been helping me occasionally, but he's just so busy. I don't want to take up too much of his time. If I do, he could fall behind in his own studies or fail his knight training. I don't want that to happen." She let out a long sigh, "The only friends I have are all at the school. I don't know anypony else in town."

The girls all shared a look before smiling, Applebloom turning to her, "Well, now you do. I'm Applebloom! This is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo and we're the Cutie Mark Crusaders!"

Cozy sniffed again, "I'm Cozy Glow. It's very nice to meet you, but I don't know if I'll stay long. I'll probably flunk out. I'm having so much trouble with my friendship lessons." This caused the girls to all gasp, a joyful look appearing on their lips next.

"We can help with those!" Sweetie told her as the other two nodded.

"We know all about friendship!"

"And studyin' with you would be almost as good as bein' in class!" Applebloom finished, only for Cozy to raise an eyebrow.

"But why would you help me? What's in it for you?"

"That's how friendship works," Sweetie stepped over to pat her on the shoulder. "When you give from your heart, you don't expect anything back."

"Well, golly, if you really mean it..." The girls nodded excitedly, Cozy going into her bag and taking out three photographs. "I could use some help with my homework." She showed them the pictures, Rogue squinting and finding he couldn't tell what the pictures were of. "I have to do something nice for each of these ponies, but I don't know anything about 'em. And it's so hard to talk to ponies you've never met."

"Well, you're in luck," Applebloom exclaimed. "'Cause we know all of those ponies!"

"Get ready for a friendship A-plus!" Scootaloo cheered before grabbing the pegasus filly and pulling her away from the club house, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle following behind. Rogue remained where he was and smirked, turning to walk away.

"Good work girls." He let out a yawn as he headed for the barn, only for somepony to shoot out of the tree above him. "Whoa!"

"Hello!" Rogue leapt back at this, about to unleash his sonic scream as the pony then said, "I'm Silverstream!" She held up a photograph, "This is you, right?" Rogue squinted and saw it was a photo of him, then remembered Cozy having photos of others. "I need to do something nice for you for my homework. Need any help with anything?"

"Errr..." Rogue blinked at her before glancing back at his bag. "Well...in the middle of the orchard are a bunch of apple trees with golden apples on them." He gave her the bag as he added, "Can you pick five of those apples and put them in this bag, then take the bag to the barn and leave it there?"

"YAY!" Silverstream cheered before flying off, Rogue chuckling as he let out a yawn and headed for the barn. But as he did this, a smile appeared on his face...only for it to fade twenty minutes later when Silverstream slammed into the barn, calling out for him and waking the bat pony from a rather nice dream.





Back in town...

Fire Heart was not in a particularly good mood. "Argh!" He moaned as his wings almost gave out, the pegasus falling to the ground as he was being dragged by the large sack he was attempting to carry. He barely managed to regain the strength and stopped the sack from hitting the ground, now only inches off the ground.

As this was happening, Soul walked up and saw her brother, "What are you doing?" She asked while using her magic to lift the heavy sack up for him.

"Thanks," Heart sighed, "When I got Time Turner as my homework, I figured doing something nice for him would involve helping with a cool invention. Not...picking up his laundry!"

"Oh?" Soul nodded, "So this is your homework?" She let the sack go and Heart was almost pulled down again.

"HEY!" He yelped as he went down again, "What is wrong with you?!"

"You wouldn't be completing your homework if somepony else did it for you." Heart glared at her before going to an unoccupied table, quickly flying over and placing the bag down on it before falling into a chair.

"Ahhh," he sighed, "This homework sucks. And I've still gotta do something nice for Lyra and Iron Core after this." He turned to his sister, "Who did you get for your homework?"

"Rose, Aloe and Derpy," Soul replied, "I was just on my way to get some muffins for her to have on her breaks."

"Derpy loves her muffins..." Heart moaned, only to turn and see two ponies move through the town, "Since when were Scootaloo and Cozy friends?" Soul turned to see the two pegasi in question as they jumped behind a bucket of pears, apparently spying on somepony: Bon-Bon, who was talking to the flower ponies.

"Huh," Soul raised an eyebrow, "I don't know. But...is Scootaloo helping with Cozy's homework?" She remembered spotting the pictures Fluttershy had given Cozy and it had Bon-Bon on it. And as this happened, Cozy and Scootaloo saw Bon-Bon getting pricked by her newly bought cactus before the orange pegasus said something and Cozy grabbed her helmet.

She flew over to Bon-Bon with the helmet in hoof, catching the earth pony's attention. "It looks like you need help carrying your cactus, so here's a safe way to take it home." She placed the helmet on the cactus, covering the thorny plant as she gave a nervous laugh.

"Thank you!" Bon-Bon smiled as she picked the bag up, the helmet now acting as a barrier between the plant and her. "That's so thoughtful."

She walked away at this, Cozy returning to Scootaloo. "I did it!" She cheered, Scootaloo nodding.

"Good job! But, uh, next time, maybe don't give away my helmet."

Cozy blushed at this, "Oh...oops." The girls laughed as they then left, Heart and Soul staring at the sight.

"Why's Scootaloo helping with Cozy's homework?" Heart asked, "Is that even allowed?"

"Well, I guess as long as it's Cozy who comes up with the idea to help the pony, I don't see any problems with her helping out. At least she gets to be involved with the School of Friendship."

"Yeah," Heart nodded, remembering how much she and the rest of the CMC wanted to go but couldn't. "You think she's gonna help with the other two ponies she has to help?"





When the day of the homework turn in arrived, Cozy smiled as she handed in the essay explaining who and how she helped. Fluttershy seemed rather impressed as she read Cozy's report while the rest of the class had fun looking after the baby animals she had brought it to help them learn about responsibility. When she returned it to Cozy at the end of the lesson, the filly was shocked to see a large A drawn on top of it.

"Wow!" Heart commented as they left the classroom, "That's the best grade in the whole class. Nice work Cozy."

Soul nodded, "Not bad. But just so I'm clear, did Scootaloo help you with the other two as well?" Cozy turned to her with wide eyes while Heart frowned at his sister. "What? I'm not saying she didn't deserve the grade. I was just asking."

"Well," Cozy rubbed her hooves together, "Applebloom and Sweetie Belle helped me a little, but they didn't do it for me. They just helped me figure out what would make the ponies happy."

"Oh. That's fine then. Hard to believe how good those three are at friendship."

Heart nodded at that. "With them helping, maybe one day you'll get to go on a friendship mission with the map." He huffed, "I guess everypony gets to go on one except me."

"Friendship map?" Cozy responded, only for Soul to just shake her head.

"Eh, don't worry about it."

Heart then left the two as Soul and Cozy arrived at Twilight's class, the alicorn and her dragon assistant both waiting. "Good to see you're all here," the princess stated, "Now, I'm sure you've all been working hard on your Friendship Lesson, and I'd like to see just how well you're all doing. For that reason, we're going to have a test at the end of the week." This reply got a bunch of moans from the students, Twilight rolling her eyes at this. "Now, now, this is important. It won't affect your yearly grade, but rather to help me see which of the lessons are being learned easier than others. So study up and good luck to the lot of you." With that, she began her lesson while the ponies started dreading to horrifying test she was gonna throw at them.

"There goes my free time," Soul whispered.

Cozy also looked terrified, but then looked down at the homework she had just gotten back...and a bulb went off in her head.





That evening...

Flash was in the kitchen, as it was his turn to make dinner. With Heart, Soul, Ace and Mira now living in the school and getting their meals there, the amount he had to make had almost halved. As such, he only had to take out one shepherd's pie out of the oven. It was piping hot, but the long trek up to the dining room gave it enough time to cool down.

"Dinner is served!" He announced when he flew in. Twilight, Spike, Springer, Scootaloo and Starlight licked their lips at the smell. Flash might have been an amazing royal knight, but his cooking skills were pretty good too. "So?" Flash sat down as Twilight began serving the food, "How's everypony's day been?"

"Mine was great," Scootaloo cheered, "Cozy Glow got an A on the homework we helped her with!"

That statement made them wide-eyed, Twilight asking, "What homework? Have you girls been sneaking into the school again?"

"No!" Scootaloo shook her head vigorously. She then told them about what had happened when they met Cozy Glow, about her problems with school and how they helped her figure out how to properly do her homework.

"Are you serious?!" Starlight yelped, letting out a groan and putting her head on the table. "She should have come to me for help! I'm the guidance counselor, so guiding ponies is what I'm supposed to do!"

"Sorry Starlight," Scootaloo replied, "But it was really fun to help Cozy out like that, and she even asked us to help her study for a big test at the end of the week."

"Oh..." Twilight blinked at this, only to nod, "Well, I'm glad you girls found a way to be a part of the school without actually being there. Who knows, if things work out with Cozy, I might let you all help out more of my students." This statement got a loud gasp from Scootaloo, who looked like somepony had just told her she was gonna become the alicorn princess of being awesome.

"Alright!" Scootaloo cheered before she started wolfing down Flash's homemade food, "Just watch Twilight! The CMC will help Cozy ace your test!" The others smiled at this, Starlight shaking her head before they started eating as well.





Later...

Flash and Twilight were now getting ready for bed, Twilight combing her hair and Flash brushing his teeth, the pegasus thinking back on what Scootaloo and Starlight had said during dinner. "You think it's a good idea to let Scootaloo and her friends help Cozy with her friendship lessons?" He asked after spitting in the sink. "I know they want to be involved with the school, but what if something goes wrong?"

"We need to trust in the girls," Twilight replied, "I know you defenders have...protocols for those three, but they haven't done anything chaotic in some time. Besides, Cozy really needs the help. I've actually been worrying about her for a while."

"Yeah," Flash sighed, "She's not exactly the best when it comes to my classes. Last week, we were doing a lesson on combining generosity with loyalty by having the students sow a pretend field using certain seeds they needed to share. Cozy was falling behind with the number of seeds planted, so she started replacing the names of students who had planted a bunch with her own when she thought nopony was looking."

Twilight frowned at this. She knew Cozy was a little shy and had trouble opening up to others. In a way, she was a lot like she was before coming to Ponyville. "Hopefully the girls will help her understand why these lessons are so important." Flash took this moment to spit out the rest of the toothpaste and wash his mouth out, "I don't want to flunk anypony if I can avoid it."

"Yeah..." Flash finished, "The EEA would jump at the chance to badmouth the school just because we failed one student. Though how many students have flunked out of their EEA approved schools is probably more than anypony could count." Twilight nodded as the pair got into bed. "I guess you're right. We do need to trust the girls. Hopefully, they can help Cozy understand the lessons we're trying to teach better than we could."

"I guess..." Twilight muttered, "Maybe then we can focus on Starlight and her little issue."

"I wouldn't really call it an issue. Isn't it a good thing that the students don't need to talk to a councilor?"

"Or if you need to talk to somepony and just can't get up the courage to ask for help."

"Huh," Flash blinked at that, "Maybe I need to make that a lesson. Finding the courage to ask for help when you really need it..." His put his hooves behind his head, his brain started filling with an idea about the students at a hill and a very very big rock. "That could work."





Over the next few days, Sweetie Belle, Applebloom and Scootaloo began helping Cozy has much as they could with every aspect of Friendship she was failing at.

One day they were having a picnic and the CMC had baskets of food ready, but Cozy's was sneakily devoured by a rogue rabbit when she wasn't looking. The pegasus thought she was gonna have to go without until the other three handed over a portion of their lunch. Cozy wondered why they would do this until Sweetie held up a card they had made that had her sister's cutie mark on it.

Cozy stared at the card for a second, only to answer, "Um...intelligence?" The girls frowned and shook their heads, seeing they still had a long way to go.





The next day, Cozy was helping the girls repaint Sweet Apple Acres' barn.

As Applebloom brought some more paint out, she, Sweetie and Cozy high-hoofed. Unfortunately, Cozy accidently kicked the ladder Scootaloo was on, causing her paint can to fall off. The girls were then completely paint covered, Cozy looking horrified and expecting the other two to be mad.

Instead, Applebloom and Sweetie started laughing their heads off. Cozy just blinked at this and turned to Scootaloo, who held up a card with Pinkie's Cutie Mark. Cozy seemed to recognize that one and started to laugh with them.





Later, Cozy and the CMC were helping Fluttershy with her animals.

Cozy was sweeping the floor, only to accidently knock over a bag of seed. The filly grew scared of being yelled out and tried to hide the seed under a rug, only for Applebloom to walk up show her a card with Applejack's Cutie Mark.

Cozy smiled at this and pushed the rug back for all to see, allowing a bunch of birds to fly down and start pecking at the seed while the pair laughed.





In their clubhouse, the CMC had a chart with the Seven Elements of Harmony drawn on it, Sweetie pointing to one. Cozy squinted at this before saying, "Laughter?"

"Yes!" Sweetie nodded before pointing to the one shaped like a star, Cozy tilting her head at this.

"Is it...control?" Sweetie shook her head, the three frowning.





In the park, the girls spotted Pipsqueak staring up at a tree. They then saw a kite stuck in its bushes, the earth pony attempting to leap up and get it with little success. They turned to Cozy and asked her what she should do, Cozy staring at the tree before taking flight. She flew up and grabbed the kite, happily returning it to Pipsqueak.

He happily took it, but before he could get a good grip on it, a strong gust blew it out of his hoof. Cozy shot after it, following the kite even after it was pushed through a bush. When she followed it inside, the others watched with a grimace until a scruffed up Cozy Glow walked out with the kite in her mouth, twigs in her mane and a ripped-up head ribbon.

The others just cheered at this, Cozy blushing as she gave the kite back.





Sweetie pointed at another element on their chart, Cozy staring at it before making her answer. "Bravery?"

"Close," Sweetie smiled, "Courage."

"What's the difference?" The CMC opened their mouths to respond...only to close them.

"Uh...that's a good question." Scootaloo admitted.





Springer was walking down the street when he saw somepony doing some DIY to their house. A bunch of piping leaning against the side of the building hadn't been properly secured, so when some kids ran past, they accidently knocked them loose and they began to fall. The jakhowl quickly leapt under the pipes, managing to grab them before they fell.

As he did this, he found the weight too much, about to go to Mega Mode, only for Cozy to run up with some rope and tied it around the ends of the pipe, then flew up to give it to the pony of the house's roof. Together, they managed to lift some of the weight off Springer, allowing him to push the pipes back up. Once they were secured, he smirked at the filly and gave her a thumbs up.





"Kindness!" Cozy answered as Sweetie pointed at the Element on the chart, "Loyalty! Honesty! Courage! Generosity! Laughter! Magic!" The girls all cheered at Cozy getting a perfect score. She was ready.





Friday...

Flash was walking into the teacher's lounge, only to find Twilight looking rather horrified. "Hey babe," he raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Twilight's reply was to hold up a piece of paper and float it over to Flash. "Look at this!" He grabbed the paper and read it over, only to raise an eyebrow, "Look at the answers?"

Flash read the questions, then saw the answers were completely wrong. And by completely wrong, they were the worst answers anypony had likely put on a test in the world. "What are the six Elements of Harmony?" He checked the answer, "Five turtlenecks and a cheese grater?" He tilted his head, "Who is the Princess of Friendship? Your mom." He looked back up at Twilight, "Whose test is this?"

"Cozy Glow's!"

"The girl Scoots' been tutoring?" Twilight nodded, "How the heck did she get such a bad grade?"

"Obviously, Scootaloo and her friends haven't been teaching her the right things," she took the test back with a yank, "I know they were upset about me not letting them in, but to go so far as to sabotage somepony else's education...that's unforgivable!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Flash held up a hoof, "Let's calm down a second. We don't have any proof that that's what happened. And think about it. Do you really think these girls, one of which you're helping to raise, would actually be vindictive enough to make somepony fail just because they didn't get their way?"

Twilight sat back in her chair, taking several deep breaths, "You're right," she nodded. "They wouldn't do this. At least not on purpose. If they hadn't passed that test we gave them so well, I would have figured they weren't as good at friendship as we thought."

"But they practically aced it," Flash sat on an armchair. "So what the heck happened with Cozy?" He looked back at the test, "I mean, come on. Nopony does this badly on a test. Even I've gotten better results...and I didn't go to school. The only way you could get answers this bad is if you're trying to fail." As soon as those words left his lips, Flash glanced back up at Twilight, "You don't think..."

"There's only one way to find out," Twilight replied.





Later that day, the CMC were waiting outside the school. Sweetie was reading a book while Scootaloo was staring at her reflection in the water and Applebloom was staring at the entrance. The doors then burst open and the students rushed out, all cheering and celebrating a test well passed. The girls got up and looked through the crowd, eventually spotting a very upset Cozy walking out of the building.

"How'd the test go?" Applebloom asked.

"Were there essay questions?" Sweetie Belle continued.

"Did you remember what we taught you?" Scootaloo's question made the pony flinch as she finally replied.

"I...FAILED!" She burst out crying, making the trio go wide-eyed before Cozy ran past them.

"But how could Cozy Glow fail her friendship test?" Applebloom asked, only for a cough to make them look up and see a glaring Twilight.

"I'd like to see you three in my office!" She turned to walk off and the girls all shared a glance, gulping before they followed. And when they arrived, they saw Flash was waiting for them as well. Twilight got behind her desk next, the girls waiting for her to talk, only to pick up a piece of paper.

Applebloom then turned to the others. "I know we wanted to be invited inside, but it kinda went different in my head."

"Girls," they went as straight as a board as they turned back to Twilight. "I'm guessing you know why you're here."

"We're guessing it has something to do with Cozy's test," Sweetie replied, Twilight giving her the paper, the unicorn filly reading it first as she took it in her magic, "What?"

"Your mom?" Scootaloo read.

"Cheese grater?" Applebloom looked up at Twilight, "Ah swear this isn't what we taught her."

"I know," Twilight nodded, "You're lucky Flash was able to talk some sense into me, or I would have likely banned you from being anywhere near the school." The girls sighed in relief, giving Flash a thankful look as he nodded. "It's clear Cozy failed her test on purpose. The question is, why?"

The CMC turned to one another, all shrugging before Sweetie guessed, "Was she trying to get us in trouble?"

"Why?" Applebloom asked, "We've done nothing but help her. What reason would she have to wanna get us in trouble?"

"I have a theory," Flash chimed in, "But I'd rather hear Cozy tell us herself. If I'm right, then I think I know how to get her to tell us the truth." He turned to the girls, "But it's gonna need a little acting from you three." They all raised their eyebrows, only to go wide-eyed at Flash's next words.





Cozy was returning to her dorm, a smile on her lips as she made her way there. But as she turned a corner, she heard a door slam open before Twilight's voice filled the air. "I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to stay away from my school! And my students!" She then poked her head around the corner, now seeing Twilight showing the CMC out.

Flash was with them, looking just as angry as Twilight, "I hope you're proud of yourselves. You might have ruined a young pony's future because you were so petty!"

The girls looked ready to start crying and gave no excuse, simply heading towards the exit with their heads down low. "Oh no," Cozy whispered, now grimacing as she slowly walked backwards before running away.

And as she disappeared down the corridor, Flash and Twilight looked back inside the room where Springer was waiting. "Yup," the jakhowl nodded, "She heard every word. I think she's upset."

"You think?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

Springer shook his head, "Her aura is...weird. It's in some form of flux, but I can't figure out whether it's good or bad. I've never felt anything like it before."

Twilight and Flash shared a glance, only for Twilight to ask, "So...what do we do now?"

"I say we give her three days," Flash replied, "If she doesn't come forward by then to admit what she did, we'll talk to her ourselves and get the answers out of her."

Twilight nodded back, "Here's hoping. She's become close to a lot of students...I'd hate to expel her."





Heart and Soul were in the courtyard, playing a game of cards against one another. "I add one Sky Energy to my Windranoid," Soul smirked as she placed a card on another, "That gives it enough power to attack your Heatrix." Heart frowned as he moved the card over to a small pile on the far side of the box. "Then, my Thundora will attack you."

Heart looked down at his card, "I can block that with...um..."

"You don't have anything with enough shield power to block," Soul giggled, "That's why I destroyed your Heatrix. No shields and no monsters able to block with. That means one thing."

Heart let out a groan, "I lost." Soul shined a big grin as she picked up her cards, Heart doing the same. "One more game."

"Isn't losing three times in a row enough?" Soul laughed, only to see something behind Heart, "Hey, look."

Heart spun around and saw Cozy walking into the courtyard, the pegasus filly looking down at the ground. "Cozy!" The colt picked up his cards and ran over to her, "What's wrong? Did somepony say something to upset you?"

"No," Cozy shook her head, "I think I did something bad."

"What did you do?" Soul asked, Cozy glancing away. The alicorn then put a hoof on the filly's shoulder, "Come on, you can tell us. If you didn't mean to do something bad, we promise we won't get upset with you."

"It's...it's hard to explain," Cozy muttered as she spun around, "I don't think you'd understand."

"Well, whatever the problem is, moping about it won't fix the issue." Heart added, but Cozy wouldn't reply. As she did this, Heart then said, "Why don't you go talk to Starlight about it? If the problem is that you did something bad while trying to do something good, then she can totally relate."

"Yeah," Soul nodded, "Did you know she once swapped Celestia and Luna's cutie marks to stop them from fighting?"

"Really?" Cozy asked, the twins nodding back. "Still...I don't know. What if I get kicked out for what I did?"

The twins shared a glance at this, only for Soul to reply, "Telling the truth is hard. It takes a lot of courage to admit you did something bad. But it's always better than hiding it. Every day you keep this secret, it'll only make it harder and harder to eventually confess." Heart nodded at this.

Cozy stared at the two, her frown getting bigger as they both smiled back at her. Seeing this, she let out a long sigh, "Okay...I'll tell Starlight." With that, she turned to leave and the twins watched her go.

"I wonder what she did that she's so upset about?" Heart asked, Soul shrugging back.

"Who knows. It could have been something that's actually not that bad, or the worst thing imaginable. Guess it's up to Starlight to decide."

"Oh, I hope it wasn't too bad..." Heart gulped. "I don't want her to leave."





Luckily, Starlight understood Cozy's decision to do what she did and quickly convinced the pegasus filly to admit her actions. This led to the filly to Twilight's classroom, the alicorn now glaring at the pegasus. "So..." Twilight frowned, "You failed your test on purpose?"

"Yes," Cozy looked down at the floor, "I wanted to help the Cuter Mark Crusaders go here and I thought that if I failed, you'd think they needed friendship lessons more than anypony."

"I see," Twilight sighed and nodded. "So...you sacrificed your own grade to try and help a friend get what they wanted." Cozy slowly nodded back, "I understand. But you shouldn't trick others, even if it's to try and help a friend get what they want. But I understand what you were thinking when you did it."

"So the Cutie Mark Crusaders aren't in trouble anymore?" Cozy asked.

"They never were," Flash replied with crossed hooves, Cozy going wide-eyed as she saw he was standing to the side of the room, "We knew you bombed your test on purpose, but we didn't know why. So, we and the girls did a little bit of theater when we knew you were there, hoping you'd admit your wrongdoings."

"So...you tricked me?" Cozy asked, "Didn't you just say tricking ponies was wrong?"

Flash and Twilight glanced at one another, Twilight grimacing before Flash glanced back at her, "Well...it depends on the trick. This one wasn't malicious, and it was to make you learn a lesson. Did it help you learn a lesson?" Cozy nodded again, "Then we're good. Learning how to do these kind of things is important."

"And something we hope you will learn during the rest of your time here," Twilight added as Cozy looked back at her, "But I think you owe the Cutie Mark Crusaders an apology. I almost blew up in their faces when I saw your test."

Cozy gulped at this, only for Starlight to chime in, "Actually, Cozy gave me an idea for the girls."





The Cutie Mark Crusaders had expected to have to wait a while before hearing back from Twilight, only to be called to the school the very next day, and even got out of cleaning the classroom. They were soon brought to Twilight's classroom as she, Flash and Spike were waiting for them. A few moments later, the rest of the Mane Seven arrived in the room with Starlight and Cozy Glow.

"What's going on?" Sweetie asked.

Twilight smiled before Starlight and Cozy stepped up, "Cozy Glow, is there something you'd like to say?" Starlight asked, the girl nodding.

"This is all my fault," she slowly said, "I messed up my test on purpose so we could all go to school together. I'm sorry."

The CMC went wide-eyed at this, only for Twilight to chime in, "Thank you, Cozy Glow." She then hopped off her chair and went around her desk, "Honesty is one of the pillars of friendship." She pointed to the Cutie Mark Crusaders, "But you already know that. Which is why I'd like to give you these." She gestured to Spike, who took out a cushion with three rolled up scrolls on it.

He walked up to them, only to trop and send the scrolls flying. Twilight flinched at this, only for Spike to quickly stand up while slightly blushing. She then turned back to the CMC as they picked up the scrolls, all blinking at the papers.

"They're honorary diplomas," Applejack added, "Makin' y'all official graduates of this here school."

"You've more than earned them," Rarity continued.

"Without even having to study!" Rainbow laughed as she and Scootaloo high-hoofed, Flash moving over to ruffle his sister's mane.

The girls then turned to each other with giant grins as Fluttershy got some birds to fly over and drop graduation caps onto their heads. Pinkie fired some confetti cannons next as the girls started cheering. "We're graduates! We're graduates! We're graduates!"

They threw their caps into the air with a cheer, as Twilight smiled. "And if you're interested, I think Starlight has a place for you at my school after all." Their eyes went wide as they zipped up to Starlight, staring at her with stars in their eyes.

"We could use some friendship tutors on staff," Starlight responded, "And I hear you're the best out there." They gasped and looked ready to explode in excitement, Applebloom turning to the others.

"Then what are we waitin' for? Let's get tutorin'!" They all rushed for the door, "Come on, Cozy!" The pegasus laughed as she flew out the door with them as Twilight glanced over to Starlight.

"And that's why this school needs you as our guidance counselor." Starlight couldn't help but smile as well, nodding back as they heard the girls cheering all the way out the door of the school. Yes, the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't need the School of Friendship, but the School of Friendship definitely needed the Cutie Mark Crusaders. As well as Starlight and so many others that made it the amazing place it was.





That night...

Cozy Glow was in her room writing in her diary by torchlight.



My plan is coming along perfectly. I've fully integrated myself in with the most important ponies that make up this school. I've made bonds with the Cutie Mark Crusaders as well as Fire Heart while the teachers have started noticing me more as a standout. Now I can slowly start to improve my grades, eventually becoming the top student of the school. Once Twilight acknowledges me, I'll start focusing on earning her and the other important pony's trust. Once that occurs, I'll be ready to take my rightful place.



She finished writing and closed the book, looking out of a nearby window next. All she needed was a little patience, allowing her to slowly work her way into the hearts and minds of everypony that might become a hindrance to her plan. She had seen what a powerful weapon friendship was, and she intended to weaponize it like never before.

"Soon I'll be the Princess of Friendship," she giggled before shaking her head. "No, the queen-no...empress! The Empress of Friendship!" She laughed a bit before hearing her roommates beginning to stir, only to shut her mouth and quickly went to sleep. "The Empress of Friendship..." she whispered, "That's my destiny. And nopony's gonna stop me from achieving it."
> The Griffon and the Knight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was another busy day at the School of Friendship, with Twilight leading Silverstream, Gallus, Smolder, Ocellus, Yona and Sandbar through the building's corridors.

"I hope you're all ready for the special treat I've prepared for the classes," Twilight commented, the students all grinning at this as she continued, "You six will be the first to enjoy this particular event." They arrived at a doorway and Twilight threw it open, the group then seeing Flash, Springer, Iron, Lightning, Grand and even Skybreaker standing inside with smirks on their faces. "Spending the day with a member of the Defenders of the Peace, and seeing how they spend their time on patrol." The six all went wide-eyed at this, "Since there are six of you and only five Defenders of the Peace, I decided to ask Skybreaker to help us out in this event."

"Happy to be of service," Skybreaker chuckled, Twilight nodding back.

"Each of you will be paired with a defender and spend the day with them. You will help them in any way they need and see how they perform their duties. It'll be a good test of everything you've learned in Professor Flash's Courage Classes. Speaking of Flash, who would like to be paired with-"

"Shotgun on Flash!" Smolder yelled as she leapt over to him. 

"Aw yeah!" the pair hoof/claw-bumped. "Team Flash is on the case."

"Okay," Twilight giggled before turning to the others. "Now, who would like to be paired with our resident master Jakhowl Springer?" This resulted in a bunch of raised limbs, Springer grinning at this, making Twilight sigh, "I was afraid something like this would happen." She moved over to a desk and opened a drawer, "To settle this, you'll all draw straws." But when she turned around with the straws in hoof, she found a bunch of paper held up in front of her with drawings on them. "Oh, that's not exactly what I meant." She then squinted her eyes, "Though I've gotta admit Silverstream, your use of light and shadow is impeccable. Springer is yours."

"YAY!" The hippogriff cheered, flying over to Springer, who gave her a thumbs up.

"Alright," Twilight turned to Grand, "Who would like to spend the day working with the Great Mountain?" The students all just hummed, none fully responding to the old defender.

Grand rolled his eyes at this and pointed at one of them, "How about I team up with the yak? What's her name? Yona?" The young yak nodded and Grand nodded back, "I'm sure we can find a way to put that brute strength of yours to use for something other than just smashing."

"Yona like smashing!" She exclaimed, "But Yona like learning to use strength in new ways." She moved over to stand besides Grand as Lightning stepped up to Ocellus.

"How about I take the changeling?" he chimed in, "With Chrysalis still out there, I'd like to learn more about them in case she ever shows up again."

Ocellus nodded back, "Happy to be of use. And hopefully I can learn a thing or two from you."

"Here's hoping," Lightning laughed, stepping to the side, leaving Iron and Skybreaker staring at Gallus and Sandbar. The knights stared at them before glancing at each other, only to look back and see something on Gallus' face: Worry. He appeared to be staring at Skybreaker, but as the knight looked at him, he flinched away.

"I'll take the blue one," Iron spoke up, Gallus going wide-eyed at this, Skybreaker and Twilight raising an eyebrow at this as he continued, "Might be useful to have a creature with wings helping me out."

"Fair enough," Twilight shrugged, "Gallus is yours. Skybreaker, you okay with Sandbar?"

"Sure," Skybreaker nodded, "I'm used to having a short earth pony hanging around with me. Spent much of the last decade and a half doing it."

Iron glared at him as Sandbar moved over to his mentor. "Actually, I'm normal size for somepony my age."

"Shorter than me," Skybreaker guffawed, smacking Sandbar's back, "So, you're short! Alright, let's get going. We've got a lot to do before the day is up."

"That's right," Twilight nodded. "Each of you will be working together and helping with whatever task the Defenders would usually spend the day doing. You'll be returning at sunset and tomorrow, I'd like to have you each write an essay about what you learned today. Is that understood?"

"Yes Head-Mare Twilight," the students all replied in unison.

Twilight smiled and turned to the Defenders, "And I hope you six will keep them safe." As she said that, a dark aura appeared around her, "I'd hate to have put my trust in you only to have it be betrayed, so they'd better return to this school without even a scratch. Is that understood?"

"Yes Head-Mare Twilight," the six quivered, now feeling a certain chill down their spines.

"Great," Twilight's aura vanished, "Well, good luck. I look forward to reading about your time together." The Defenders all sighed in relief before turning to leave. As soon as they were outside, Flash and Smolder took to the air, Springer and Silverstream heading off on foot and Lightning teleported Ocellus away. Grand decided to take Yona to the canyon, wanting to see just how strong she was, leaving Skybreaker and Iron with their charges.

"Well," Skybreaker spread his wings, "Let's get going kid. I'm not expecting anything interesting to happen, but it's better to be prepared and on guard for the unpredictable." He took off and Sandbar ran after him, leaving Iron and Gallus alone.

Iron glanced over at him and noticed Gallus sigh in relief, "You got a problem with Skybreaker kid?" Gallus turned to him with a grimace, "You looked almost terrified at the idea of working with him."

"I wasn't terrified," Gallus muttered out.

Iron rolled his eyes at this, "Sure you weren't. Come on." Iron began to walk off, Gallus quickly flying up to his side.

"I wasn't scared. It's just...I heard about his history. Apparently, he stopped a bunch of rogue griffons from invading Cloudsdale."

"That's right," Iron nodded. "He beat them all and saved not only that city, but Canterlot too." He looked back at Gallus and saw him flinch, "What? You think he'd care that you're a griffon? Trust me kid, you're not the first griffon he's met since that time, and you're not the last. He probably didn't even think about that time when he looked at you."

"Really?!" Gallus asked as they headed for the exit, "Guess I didn't have anything to be afraid of then. Not that I was afraid or anything." Iron smirked at this as they stepped outside "So...what exactly are we gonna be doing today?"

"Don't know," Iron shrugged. "Could be nothing. Could be an Equestria ending catastrophe. It's impossible to know for sure. We defenders just remain on high alert. Most days it's simply helping with small problems like runaway carts or falling barrels. Nothing too big. But other times we'll find ourselves up against big dangers."

"What kind of dangers?" Gallus asked, Iron humming as he tried to think.

"Well, on one of my first days here, it was so cloudy that a bunch of Speed Stingers showed up and ran amok around town. That sure was a shock when it happened. Took us a while to figure out they didn't like sunlight, so by the time we cleared the clouds, they had caused a lot of problems. Then there was the time a giant ball of pizza dough threatened to destroy the whole town."

Gallus stopped when he heard this, letting that information sink in. "I'm sorry, what?"

Iron let out a cackle, "Relax kid. We'll probably find something exciting to fill our time with." The pair then headed for the town, Iron's eyes darting around while Gallus crossed his front legs and frowned.

"This is gonna be the most boring day ever." The young griffon muttered, "I just know it."





Many many miles away...

A train was rolling down the tracks. It wasn't the Equestrian Express, but one carrying a bunch of many different types goods in trucks pulling behind it. The ponies in the engine were busy shoveling coal into the machine, the fire inside now raging as they kept going.

As they did this, one of the ponies, a young earth pony, sighed. "Tired rookie?" The driver asked, smirking as he looked ahead. "Well don't expect a break too soon. We've got a lot of ground to clear before we can stop."

"What the heck are we even hauling?" The fire-pony asked, looking back at the trucks they were pulling. There were seven, each one filled with green metal barrels.

"Dodge Junction was doing some landscaping and their dig found a vein of oil," the driver replied, "This stuff has a ton of uses, but it can be dangerous, which is why we can't travel at our top speed. If it rattles around too much, who knows what might happen."

"Got it," the fire-pony nodded before shoveling some more coal into the engine. As he did this, the train suddenly jerked around. "WHOA!" He yelped as the train moved up and down, the same happening to the trucks. The driver pulled to a stop and they looked down, seeing the train had rolled over some buckled tracks.

"Great..." the driver sighed, "Looks like the heat of the sun has warped the metal. I told the ponies in charge that they should have painted the tracks white, but they didn't think the tracks would be affected. Now they're gonna have to pay for new tracks." He began to climb down, "Better check to make sure the trucks didn't uncouple."

And as they did this, the new pony checked the link between the last two trucks. Being new, he hadn't developed the keen eyes needed to see if a truck wasn't properly secured, instead thinking it looked strong and returned to the train. But as they pulled away, the coupling of the last truck came off, the cart remaining where it was.

Both driver and fire-pony kept their focus on the track ahead, turning a corner a few moments later and no longer able to see the truck still in the middle of the track. The truck remained there for a good while, with no other trains coming along.

And as an hour passed, something flew overhead the truck that was left behind. It was a roc, a smaller one than usual. It was about twice the size of a yak and as it flew above the track, it just so happened look down and see the truck sitting there. Its bird brain believed it to be something edible, licking its beak before diving down and snatched the truck up in its claws. It then soared up into the sky, its claws digging into the wood of the truck as it flew toward a certain forest in the distance.





Back in Ponyville...

Iron and Gallus were now both helping Granny Smith and Big Mac. "Thank yah boys," Granny said as Iron pulled the cart through town. "Don't know what we'd da done with Mac twisting his ankle in the mud." She turned to her grandson, Who was keeping his weight off his front hoof.

"No problem," Iron groaned as he pulled the heavy apple cart. "We're happy to help...right kid?" He looked back at Gallus, who was currently pushing the cart from behind.

"Yeah," Gallus moaned, "No...problem." They continued moving the cart through the town until they arrived at the market area, the group quickly setting up the cart in an empty section.

"There," Iron sighed, "That should do it." Granny Smith nodded before tossing them both an apple, the duo catching them. "Give us a call later if you need any help moving it back. Though you might wanna talk to Grand since he's got a yak helping him out today." The pair nodded and the defender walked off, his temporary sidekick following behind him.

"So let me get this straight," Gallus grumbled, "We just broke our backs moving a super heavy cart and all we got for it was two apples."

"Pretty much," Iron took a bite out of his.

"Shouldn't we have gotten more? Moving that cart was hard." Iron rolled his eyes and turned to Gallus, taking his apple before the griffon could take a bite out of things. "Hey!"

"Look kid, we didn't help them to get something out of it. We did it because they were in need of help, and we could give it to them. Even if we didn't get anything out of it, we would have still done it. Because that's what it means to be Defenders of the Peace."

"I thought being a Defender of the Peace meant stopping bad guys or fighting off monsters and preventing disasters from destroying the town. Why waste your energy helping a pair of farmers move a wagon?"

"Because that's how we do things in Equestria," Iron replied, "When ponies are in a bind, others help them. And in return, the ponies that were helped will help ponies that they see need it." Gallus just frowned back, making Iron shake his head, "Kid, what would have happened if we hadn't helped those two?"

"I don't know."

"Don't you?" Iron asked with a raised eyebrow, "Think about it kid."

Gallus blinked and looked back at the farmers, "Um...maybe Big Mac might have tried to pull the cart himself and injure his leg further?" Iron nodded as Gallus continued, "Or they might not have tried to go to the market and lose their business."

"Exactly. And that would mean they'd have to focus on their own problems. So focused that they might not even notice if somepony else needs help with something. Now, if they see somepony that needs help, they'll be more likely to lend a hoof." he tossed Gallus the apple, "And that'll make things better in Ponyville. You might think I'm getting nothing out of helping ponies, but you'd be surprised. One tiny action can have big consequences. For all I know, helping those two might have just stopped a big disaster from taking place."

"How? They're just selling apples."

"You'd be surprised." Iron deadpanned, "Trust me, things can spiral quickly. Like...they could have dropped an apple that somepony carrying something could have slipped on, causing the thing they were carrying to go flying off and causing more problems. It's a snowball effect." He finished his apple and threw the core into the trash, then turned to walk off. Gallus watched him go and frowned, taking several bites of his before throwing it away.

If the rest of the day was gonna be like this, Gallus thinking he would have probably been better off in Griffonstone.





Meanwhile...

The roc was now flying over the Everfree Forest, on its way to its nest with its prey in its talons. It still hadn't realized the truck wasn't something it could eat, so it continued to keep its talons in deep. So deep that it had broken right through the wood of the truck, causing several cracks to occur.

And as the cracks spread, the wood snapped off of the truck. The roc squawked as it suddenly found all the weight it had been evenly carrying had now been placed on its right talon. The truck tilted sideways, allowing the barrels inside to finally slide out, and by the time the roc had swung it back up to grab hold, all the barrels were falling toward the forest below.

It quickly flew off while the barrels hit the trees and began losing their lids, the oil within now spilling everywhere. The metal barrels landed close to a large puddle of it, the rest remaining in the shade of the tree. However, the sun's constant movement would change that soon enough.





It was midday and Gallus was not a happy griffin. All he and Iron had done was walk around, occasionally help a pony with some menial errand, and then do some more walking around. By the time they arrived at Sugarcube Corner to take a break, Gallus was so bored he would have taken one of Twilight's double lectures.

The other members of the defenders and his friends were already there, all his friends sounding super excited.

"And then Flash's sword shot out a laser that blew up the rocks, saying they were looking loose and could fall when somepony was making their way through the place! It was awesome!" Smolder cheered as she finished recounting on how she and Flash checked the canyon. "What about the rest of you?"

"Springer is so much fun!" Silverstream exclaimed, "We went to check out the gem caves. Springer said somepony might have been trapped down there waiting for rescue, so he checks it out every now and then to be sure."

"Grand and Yona helped Applejack!" Yona yelled, "Yona got to smash down old fence and help put up new one. It fun to use yak strength to be con...con..."

"Constructive?" Ocellus guessed, Yona nodding back. "Well, Lightning and I didn't really get to do anything like that. But it was still fun the teleport all over the place."

"Skybreaker's awesome!" Sandbar cheered, "He used a body harness to take me up flying with him, and then we did some cloudbusting! It was great! What about you Gallus?"

"Are you kidding?" Gallus groaned as he glanced over at Iron, who was at the counter with the other defenders. "He's so boring. How the heck did he ever get to be a Royal Knight? All he does is walk around and do odd jobs, no matter how small or pointless they are. That's not a knight, that's a handy-pony."

"I'm sure he's not that bad," Ocellus waved her hoof, "Maybe he just hasn't had the chance to show off how cool he is. It could just be a pretty boring day."

"Why the heck is he even here?" Gallus asked, "This town isn't that big so why are there six ponies that need to keep the place safe."

"Well, technically five since Skybreaker's a special guest," Sandbar pointed out, "But honestly, Ponyville's always kinda been a little crazy. Ever since the return of Nightmare Moon, there's usually something insane happening here at least once a week at the least. Parasprites, Speed Stingers, Mirror Pool Army Invasion, the dream monster. You'd be surprised how insane this place can be."

"How come nothing like that's been happening while we've been here?" Silverstream asked, Sandbar shrugging in response.

"Whatever," Gallus groaned, "He's still lame. All he can do is turn his spear into a bunch of metal tools. How useful is that? Flash and Skybreaker can fly and control wind and shoot lasers, Springer can create energy weapons, Lightning lives up to his name and shoots bolts of electricity everywhere, and Grand can make earthquakes. Compared to them, what makes him so special?"

Over with the others, Iron was recounting his day and the others frowned, "Guess Gallus isn't too thrilled about not getting to go on a cool adventure," Flash sighed. "He probably thinks you're not very cool either."

"Well, that's his problem and not mine," Iron replied, "I'm not gonna bend over backwards to try and look cool in front of him. If he can't figure out how awesome I am on his own, that's his loss and not mine."

"I guess," Grand nodded, "But still, we are supposed to be showing them what the day to day activities of the defenders are like. You've already shown him what most of our days are like, so showing him how we handle a rare situation could be good for him."

Iron just blinked at the defender, "Grand...I'm not gonna hope that something bad happens so I can show off my skills."

"You could take him someplace a bit more exciting," Springer chimed in, "Not super dangerous, but enough to make him feel like he had something worth remembering about this trip. Like maybe the forest. He's been in there before, and will know how dangerous it is, so he shouldn't do anything stupid while you're there."

"I guess," Iron sighed, "But if he does do something stupid and gets hurt, it'll be my head on the chopping block when Twilight finds out." They all shuddered at that, Iron sighing again.





Back in the forest...

The sun had moved now, the shade over the barrel slowly growing smaller. And as this happened, the sunlight then touched one of the metal containers. The reflective properties of the metal caused the light to bounce off and hit a part of the oil puddle. And as the seconds passed, smoke began coming out of the puddle...and caught fire.

The flames quickly spread to the rest of the puddle, then to the grass surrounding the puddle. The fire travelled across the ground, embers beginning to be lifted off the flames by the wind. Those embers landed on nearby trees, ones that had and hadn't been doused in oil, the covered ones quickly coming ablaze while the dry ones had small flames appear on their branches and leaves that slowly spread.

Within a minute, that entire section of the forest had been set aflame, the rest of the forest about to follow.





Having finished their lunch, Iron began to lead Gallus through the town.

"Where are we going now?" Gallus groaned, "Looking for some old granny to help cross the road?" Iron rolled his eyes as they then reached the edge of town, Gallus going wide-eyed at the sight before him, "Wait...are we going in there?"

"Yup," Iron nodded, "Not too far in. We're just gonna patrol the outer sections of the town and see if we can find any clues that'll let us know if dangerous creatures are getting too close to the town.

"Why?" Gallus asked, "As long as they stay in the woods what's the big deal?"

"Creatures like pukwudgies, manticores and timberwolves are dangerous," Iron replied, "But they prefer to stay away from large groups of ponies like the town. Them being too close to the town could mean they've been pushed there by something else, meaning there's a change in the forest. And if that happens, all it would take is one tiny factor to make them head into town and attack us."

Gallus flinched at this, only for Iron to continue, "Remember what I told you about the Speed Stingers. If somepony had checked the forest before then and found tracks of 'em, we would have known about 'em and could have been prepared. Now we defenders know to keep an eye on the outer edges of the forest to keep the town safe."

"I...guess that makes sense," Gallus responded, "Is that why there's so many defenders in Ponyville? Some of you do the boring chores and others go to check out the forest?"

Iron shook his head, "No. The reason there's so many defenders here is because we wanna be here. You can't deny Ponyville's a nice place to live."

Gallus shrugged at this, "I guess...though it feels like this town's too small to have so many of you. Why'd you even decide to come here in the first place?"

"Well first off, I was one of the first to become a defender...okay third, but still. And the reason I came here was because Skybreaker told me too." Gallus raised an eyebrow at this as the pair entered the forest. "He was sent on a very special mission that had the fate of Equestria riding on it. I was just an apprentice back then, so he couldn't risk bringing me along and threatening the outcome, but there was another reason he sent me here."

"Which is?"

"He wanted me to make friends." Gallus stopped when he heard this as Iron brushed some dirt away from the ground. "I had met Flash and his friends a few weeks before at the Grand Galloping Gala. Flash and I had to fight side by side during an event known as the Battle of Canterlot. Skybreaker heard about this and decided to send me here, hoping that event would help me connect with the ponies here."

"Why was that so important?"

Iron sighed as he stood up and glanced back at him, "My parents died when I was young." Gallus went wide-eyed at this, "They were murdered by a criminal because they refused to help him. You can probably guess that this messed me up pretty bad. Skybreaker took me in and began training me to be a Royal Knight, but what happened made it impossible to let others into my heart. It wasn't until I came here and met Fluttershy and the others that I learned to put down my guard and let ponies into my life. If I hadn't, I never would be become worthy of being a Royal Knight."

Gallus looked down at this, "So...you never knew your parents?"

"I knew them," Iron replied, "I was young when it happened, but not so young that I can't remember them. I remember them perfectly, their faces, their voices, even the way they styled their manes."

"Well then, you're the lucky one," Gallus responded, Iron raising an eyebrow as Gallus used his tail to brush away some dirt, trying to reveal tracks like Iron had. "I never knew my parents. They died years ago when I was newly born."

"I see," Iron nodded. "That must have been hard for you?" Gallus looked away at this, "Were you...raised by your grandfather? That griffon I saw on Friends and Family Day. Grampa Gruff?"

Gallus rolled his eyes, "That's just his name. He's nogriff's actual grandpa. After my parents died, he just took me in. Gave me a place to sleep and some food to eat in exchange for doing things for him that he couldn't normally do on his own."

'So this kid is like me,' Iron thought, 'Lost his parents at a young age and was taken in by somepony else. No wonder he's got such an attitude.'

"So, you don't have any memory of your parents?" Gallus shook his head, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Doesn't matter," Gallus replied, "I don't need parents. I got on fine without them. I can look after myself."

"Maybe," Iron replied, "But that doesn't mean you need to always do everything by yourself. That's something I learned while I was here. It's always better to accept help offered to you when you can." Gallus's eyes narrowed at him at this, "This world is a tough place kid. If you're determined to fight it alone, you'll eventually come up against a foe you can't beat. That's what friends are for, like the ones you made at school."

Gallus glanced away, "I...guess you're right."

"I know I am," Iron replied as they continued to move deeper into the woods. "If I didn't have my friends, I never would have survived this long. And if my friends didn't have me, they'd be in the same boat. So maybe you can let down your guard a bit."

"Easy for you to say that," Gallus growled, "When you lost your parents, you got to become a Royal Knight's apprentice. You got to become somepony that ponies wanna be around so you can let your guard down. You've got the chance to become a hero." He looked down at the ground, "I'm an orphan who grew up in a kingdom that's a total mess. Growing up like that, it doesn't leave you a lot of options."

"You'd be surprised," Iron responded, "There's always an option that can lead you to a great life. You just have to keep your eyes open and be willing to let yourself be vulnerable. You do have options, even if you can't see them. And being at Twilight's school's bound to give you more. Just remember that."

Gallus opened his mouth to reply, only to bonk into Iron as the defender came to a stop, "What the-" Iron then put a hoof in front of the griffin.

"Look." Iron pointed upward, Gallus following his hoof.

"A fire?" He asked as he saw a column of smoke.

"Looks like it," Iron commented, "This could be bad."

"Maybe somepony's just camping...in a super dangerous forest full of hungry animals."

"If it was somepony camping, they wouldn't need a fire at this point in the day." He put his spear on his back and began to gallop, "I need to go check it out! Go back to town and wait for me there!" He continued running, following the smoke and seeing how the wind was blowing. It was blowing in the opposite direction to the town, which was both good and bad. Good because it meant the fire wouldn't spread to Ponyville just yet, bad because the smoke wouldn't be seen from that distance unless somepony was really high up.

And as he got closer to the smoke's source, he could feel heat in the air. This was no campfire.

He then heard something ahead of him and slid to a stop, taking his spear out, only for a bunch of timber wolves to shoot out of the bushes. The knight prepared to strike, but the wooden beasts didn't even look twice at him. Instead, they ran past him and disappeared into the woods.

"Huh." he smirked before hearing someone.

"Wow." He looked up and saw Gallus flying above him, "Those things were totally terrified of you."

Iron glared at the griffin, "Kid, I told you to go back to town!" Gallus just crossed his arms, clearly asking what Iron was gonna do about. "Kids..." He grumbled before turning back to the smoke, "And it wasn't me they were fleeing from. For creatures made of wood, fire is the ultimate fear." He began racing ahead, pushing through the trees before coming face to face with a giant blaze that was beginning to consume the forest.

"Fire!" Gallus cried, flying down. "It's actually on fire!"

"What, you thought it'd be something else?" Iron asked, "This ain't the first time these woods were set ablaze." He pushed Gallus back a bit as a branch was burned off a tree and fell where they had been standing. "This is bad. If the wind changes, the town could be in serious danger."

"I'll fly back and warn them," Gallus replied, "Maybe the pegasi can get some rain clouds to put this stuff out."

"That wouldn't work," Iron pointed his spear, "Look!" Gallus followed the weapon and saw a bunch of metal barrels laying on the ground, surrounded by the fire. "This isn't a normal forest fire. It's being fueled by oil."

"And oil fires can't be put out with water," Gallus commenting, remembering that from Flash's Courage lessons. "So what do we do?"

"There are other ways to put out a fire," Iron replied before holding up his spear. Gallus watched as the end transformed into a giant L-shaped fork, which he wrapped the  end of his tail around before charging. Gallus gasped as he saw Iron slam the weapon into the ground, pulling it along behind him like a plough. Doing so caused the ground to be ripped up and send a bunch of soil flying into the air. Gallus watched the dirt cover the oil-soaked ground, causing the flames to quickly be suffocated. Iron then did a U-turn and ranback through another area and taking the flames out in that section.

He then started circling the area that was set ablaze, sending the dirt flying onto the flames, preventing them from spreading. "No way," Gallus whispered in amazement as Iron kept going. "He's beating the fire all by himself."

Once the flames had been put on the far sections, Iron stopped and pulled his weapon out of the ground. He then turned it into a shovel. "Hey kid," he started digging, "Could use those wings." He threw a bunch of dirt into the air and Gallus blinking before realizing what he wanted, soon flying and beating his wings.

This began pushing the soil toward the center of the circle, putting the fire there out as well. "Awesome!" He cheered, only to nearly be hit by a burning branch that fell past him. "Whoa!" He looked up and saw the trees were still aflame. "There's no way we can put this all out by ourselves."

"We won't have too," Iron replied before pointing up, Gallus soon staring at the sky, only to see two certain figures.

"Flash and Smolder?!"

"They must have noticed the smoke as well," Iron commented before launching a bunch of metal spikes into the air.

"What the-what are you doing?!"

"Telling Sentry that I'm here," Iron replied, Flash and Smolder quickly turning around and leaving, "Good. They've gone to grab as many pegasi and rain clouds as they can find."

"But you said we can't use water to stop the fire."

"This may have started as a grease fire, but we're dealing with that." He stuck his shovel into the ground and threw a bunch of dirt into the air, "Towards the tree!" Gallus beat his wing and blew the dirt to a burning tree, covering it and putting out the fire. "If we can put out all the grease fires, the others can deal with the trees when they arrive."

Gallus nodded and the pair continued to work, Iron shoveling large amounts of dirt into the air that Gallus blew towards the trees, the two soon sweating and panting.

"You okay kid?" Iron asked when he saw Gallus wiping his brow.

"I'm fine," he replied, "Let's keep going." Iron smirked at this, the duo soon smothering the rest of the oil fires. "We did it!" Gallus cheered, only for Iron to point behind him.

Gallus spun around and groaned as Iron said, "We're not done yet. The embers from this fire are being picked up by the wind and starting a secondary fire." He looked up at the sky, only to see that the pegasi hadn't arrived yet. "If we don't stop it, the fire will grow too big to control. We can't let it spread too far."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Gallus asked, the two soon running toward the fire, only to see an area with a small lake. Some of the trees surrounding it had been set alight, the flames slowly spreading to the rest of the trees, "Can't we use this to put it out?" Gallus pointed to the lake and Iron nodded, morphing his spear into a giant spoon.

He dipped it into the water and with all his strength, heaved it into the air and sent the water flying into the burning trees. The water splashed down, putting out the flames. At the same time, Gallus spotted a puddle of mud and grabbed it in his claws, fashioning them into balls before throwing them at the burning trees.

The mud balls splattered against the burning wood, dousing the flames, "Yes," Gallus cheered as he threw more mud balls.

"Not bad." Iron commented as he saw that Gallus didn't miss a single shot. "I guess it'd make sense that a creature who's part bird would have eagle eyes." He quickly continued his own work, spooning large amounts of water in every direction, dousing as many trees as he could. Both burning and non-burning trees were quickly covered in water, shielding them from being set ablaze.

"Alright!" Gallus cheered when the last tree was put out. "We did it!"

"This isn't over yet," Iron added before licking his hoof and raising it into the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking the wind direction," Iron replied before grimacing, "The wind's shifted. It's blowing toward Ponyville." Gallus went wide-eyed at this.

"Our friends," he gasped, "Their friends. And a bunch of families too! They're all gonna be in danger!"

Iron nodded, hiding a small smile at Gallus' concern for others. "Well then, we've gotta make sure it doesn't get to them." He put his spear on his back and began to run, Gallus following after him. They shot through the forest and passed the area that was burning, eventually coming to a section between the blaze and the town. Iron also knew the Zecora's hut wasn't too far, meaning they could not allow the fire to get any closer.

"What do we do?" Gallus asked as Iron took out his weapon and changed it to an axe.

"It's lumberjack time!" Gallus raised an eyebrow at this. "We need to clear this area of trees. If the fire has nothing to burn, it has no way to spread." He swung his weapon next, Piecemaker cutting through the trunk of a tree, causing it to fall. As it fell, Iron morphed his axe into a hammer and swung it, sending the tree flying, crashing down a good distance away.

"What about me?"

"Weeds," Iron replied, "Grass. Anything on the ground that the flames could use to travel along. Hurry!" Gallus nodded and did just that, flying low and pulling up any stick or root that was poking out of it while Iron chopped down as many trees as he could. As they worked, Gallus could feel the flames getting closer and closer. But as it did this, the flames were starting to have trouble getting bigger.

"Keep going!" Iron yelled, "We're almost done." Gallus nodded as he pulled up another weed, only to hear something new.

"Huh?" He turned to the flames, seeing many of the trees near him now aflame...only to hear a sound of terror filling the air. "What was that?" He heard it again, a loud chirping sound that drew his attention to one of the burning trees. Within the branches of that tree was a nest, which was the source of the sound.

"NO!" He cried, leaping without even thinking. Before he knew it, he was inside the flame area and Iron gasped when he saw this. The griffin tried to spread his wings, but the flames around him were too hot and the tips got singed. He flinched and pulled them to his side, instead leaping onto the trunk of the tree and beginning to climb it with his claws and talons.

He managed to reach the nest and when he did, he looked inside and found three terrified looking hatchlings that hadn't learned how to fly. "Don't worry little guys," he whispered as he picked up the nest and started climbing down. "I'll get you to safety." But as he reached the bottom of the tree, the flames had finished burning through another one's trunk.

The wooden tower began to fall toward Gallus, who saw it coming and gasped. He closed his eyes at this, curling his body around to protect the nest. He waited for impact, hoping that it would at least keep the chicks safe...only to feel nothing. Instead, he heard a loud grunting sound, making him open his eyes and saw Iron standing in front of him. His spear was morphed into a fork that was stuck in the trunk, keeping it from falling. The pony then let out a loud roar and thrust the spear, unleashing enough force to send the tree flying off and crashing down in the opposite direction.

Iron glanced back and smirked at the griffon before pulling his spear back as a few more trees were threatening to collapse. He quickly countered this by spinning his spear around and around above his head, using all of his pony strength.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" He roared as he swung the staff one more time, the wind from this hitting the trees with enough force to snap through the damaged branches and push them away, Gallus's jaw dropping at the sight.

"Wow," he whispered as Iron turn to run and pulled him along.

"That was a stupid thing to do kid!" Iron yelled as they ran from the flames. "You should have told me and let me save the nest!" Gallus flinched at this as they continued to run, only to see Iron glance back with a grin, "But it was also pretty gutsy." Gallus went wide-eyed again as Iron continued, "You've got a lot of heart kid. Risking your life to save a couple of birds. You should be proud."

Gallus smiled at this and looked down at the chicks, who all happily chirped up at him. "I...I just couldn't leave them, you know."

"I do," Iron nodded as they slowed down, soon coming to a stop in a safe place, "All life is important. If you can save one, even if it's something as simple as a baby bird, you should try and do it without any hesitation. That's what it means to be strong, and using the strength you have to protect those weaker and not to only help yourself. That's what it means to be a hero."

Gallus continued to smile, only for the sun to be blotted out by something. They looked up to see Flash, Skybreaker and a couple other pegasi pushing rain clouds above the forest.

"Come on," Iron told him, "Our work here is done." He turned to leave and Gallus followed behind him as the rain clouds were opened and unleashed their downpour upon the fire. And as the flames were extinguished, Gallus stared at the nest he was holding, wondering what the heck he was supposed to do with them.





"It's okay," Fluttershy whispered at the chicks as she finished looking them over. Though not a true vet, her work with animals had helped her learn a lot about checking their condition. This was especially true after her sanctuary was opened, which was where he, Iron and Gallus were right now. The chicks were sitting on a rock as Fluttershy looked them over, happy to find the fire hadn't done them any harm.

"They're fine," Fluttershy told the two. Gallus sighed in relief as Fluttershy picked up a can and opened it up, revealing it was full of some weird sloppy paste. She used a spoon to scoop some out and offered it to one of the chicks, who happily let it slide into its mouth. She did the same with the other two as she asked about them, the chicks chirping away. "I see." Fluttershy turned to Gallus, "Their parents left to find them some food before the fire started. They don't know what happened to them after that."

"You mean they might not come back?" Gallus replied, sighing at this, "Well, at least they'll know who their parents were and what happened to them." But as he said this, only to hear a loud chirping.

They looked up and saw a bunch of birds flying down, two flying faster when they saw the chicks in the nest. "Oh?" Fluttershy stepped aside as the birds landed on the rock and started jumping around the chicks. "It's okay," she told them. "They're safe and unharmed, if a little frazzled by their little adventure." The birds chirped at her, Fluttershy nodding back.

She turned to Gallus as he then asked, "What are they saying?"

"They left the nest to find some food and rushed back when they saw the flames, but found their nest and tree were gone. They were terrified until some of my bird friends passed them and apparently, they had seen you flying over here with the nest."

"So those are the chick's parents?" Gallus added, Fluttershy nodding as the bird parents flew over and circled him. "Huh?"

"They're saying thank you," Fluttershy giggled.

"Oh," Gallus replied with a little smile, "I'm not the only one who saved them." He pointed to Iron, "We would have all been squished if he hadn't helped us."

Iron smirked, "Just doing my job. After all, I'm a Defender of the Peace."

"Yeah," Gallus nodded as he turned to see the bird family reunite. Seeing that made something in Gallus' heart spark, as a feeling he had never felt before flowed through him. "Helping others really is great. Even if I don't get a reward, I'm just happy I was able to help them."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded again, "You have a good heart Gallus. I know growing up in Griffonstone made it hard to have one, but I hope you can become a shining example of what a griffon can be when they see there's more to this world than what it can give you." Gallus nodded back and Iron told him they would need to head back to the school soon, Gallus spending the remaining time making sure the bird family were okay. Fluttershy was happy to grant them sanctuary until the chicks were ready to leave the nest so he wouldn't have to worry about them.





Iron and Gallus were the last pair to return, finding the rest of the defenders and students waiting for them in the courtyard with Twilight. The princess didn't look happy and flicked his ear in her magic, "Taking him into a forest fire?! What were you thinking?" Iron gulped as Twilight checked Gallus over, the griffon showing he was unharmed.

"The kid came after me of his own volition," Iron replied, "Not my fault you didn't teach him how to listen."

Twilight glared at the earth pony as Gallus rushed over to the others. "Everyone, you won't believe what happened today!"

Twilight let out a sigh as the other defenders joined them. "So other than that little problem, how did things go with Gallus today?"

"Great," he responded, "Really great. In fact, if he's looking for something to do after he graduates, maybe you can send him my way."

The princess blinked at this, only for Skybreaker to speak up, "Really? Are you serious Iron?"

Iron just shrugged at this, "Last I checked, there wasn't a rule saying only ponies could become Royal Knights. Heck, you once tried to make Springer one."

"I did do that." Skybreaker hummed, "You think he got what it takes?"

"Eh, I've been teaching the kid," Flash chimed in, "He's a little rough around the edges, but no more than Heart was when I first met him. I think he's right. Gallus totally has what it takes, if he wants to be a knight."

They then turned to the students, seeing Gallus exclaiming over everything that had happened, "And then he swung his spear around so fast, the wind it made blew the flames away and knocked the trees down! It was awesome!"

The other students were wide-eyed at this as Gallus glanced back at Iron and the two smiled at each other.

"So, what do you say?" Iron asked Twilight, "Think you'll let me steal away one of your students once he's done here?"

Twilight smiled and nodded, "Once he graduates, I'll have no say in what he can do. It'll be up to him to decide if that's what he wants to be. But I hope he agrees, since having a griffon as a Royal Knight would be great for building relations between our two nations."

The others agreed wholeheartedly. Gallus might have been a griffon with few options in his life, but those options were starting to multiply. Only time would tell what path he would choose to travel down, and how it would affect the future of those around him.
> The Mean Seven
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash Sentry smirked as he finished packing the last of his supplies into his saddlebag while going over everything he had been asked to do by Twilight before leaving. "Make sure Scootaloo has her toothbrush for staying over at Applebloom's, check. Hide the sugar so the jakhowls don't bake anything and wreck the place, check. Make sure the lights are all turned off in every room not being occupied..." He stopped and turned his room's light off, "Check." He rolled the scroll up, "Everything's done."

He walked out of the room and found Springer staring at him, "You ready to go?"

"Yup," Flash nodded. "And just in time. If Twilight's trip gets delayed, she's gonna start panicking."

Springer laughed at this, "Trust Twilight to turn what's supposed to be a relaxing vacation into a stress inducing event. I'm not gonna be surprised if you're gonna need a vacation after the vacation." Flash laughed back. "So..." Springer tapped his claws together, "I kinda need your help. I wanted to hide something from Spike, but I can't think of a place he wouldn't look. Any ideas?"

Flash rolled his eyes, "Nice try. I'm not telling you where the sugar is."

Springer sighed, "Come on. You all get to have some fun, why can't I?"

"The last time we let you have fun, it took us a week to fix the hole in the wall." Springer grumbled at this as Flash flew out the window before he could complain, the pegasus heading for the school and making a beeline for Twilight's office. "Hey!" He waved when he arrived and found he was the last one there, Starlight and the rest of the Mane Seven already there. "We ready to start camping?"

"Soon," Twilight replied, "But first we need to get our pictures taken."

"For what?" Twilight responded by taking out a scroll that Flash took and read. "Dear Princess Twilight, we at the Canterlot Historical Society have heard about your School of Friendship's many excellent accomplishments so far and would like to document the teachers that work there. This will ensure that for years to come, ponies will remember all that was done by you and the lessons you have passed on to other generations." He shined a big grin at this, "Wow. That's cool. Though considering everything we've through, I think we're already gonna be remembered for years to come."

"Well, this can just be added to our awesomeness," Rainbow chimed in, "I can see it now...hundred years from now, ponies will remember the great Rainbow Dash! Wonderbolt, Element of Harmony, super awesome teacher-"

"And one of the two best breakdancers ever!" Pinkie screamed as she and Rainbow started breakdancing in perfect sync before striking a pose, the others clapping.

"So...is this gonna take long?" Flash asked, "I'd hate for your trip to be cancelled because we have to spend all day getting interviewed."

"The interviews come later," Twilight took the scroll back and read it. "According to this, they just want to take pictures of us today. The time they're supposed to arrive is twenty minutes before we're set to leave." Flash nodded and they all began to wait...and wait...and wait. The time they were supposed to arrived came and went, Twilight beginning to pace. Every minute that passed, Twilight grew more and more nervous. "Oh, come on!" She cried thirty minutes after they were supposed to arrive. "I've been planning this retreat for weeks, and we're already ten minutes behind! Where is that photographer?!"

As soon as she said that, they heard a voice coming from the hallway. "No-no-no-no-no-no-no!" The door suddenly slammed open to reveal green unicorn mare with a two toned brown mane that had a camera around her neck. "I'm so sorry!" She cried, "Can you forgive me? I don't expect you to forgive me. Forgive me?" She shined her best puppy dog eyes, making Twilight moan as Starlight stepped up.

"Of course," the unicorn assured her, "I'll help you set up your-"

"Princess Twilight," the photographer leapt past Starlight and focused on the alicorn. "Thanks so much for this! The Canterlot Historical Society is thrilled to document the friendship work your teachers do!" Twilight smiled and was about to talk, but then the unicorn spoke faster than she could. "Let me just pretty you all up!" With that, she started ruffling Twilight's mane and even pulled a hair from her. She then shot over to the others and did the same, pulling a strand out of their manes or tail. The only one she didn't do was Starlight, the last one she inspected being Rainbow.

"Ow!" The pegasus yelped, glaring at her. "Hey!"

"Don't want a single hair out of place, do we?" the mare replied, "This is for the history books! Now..." Before any of them could try and pose, the mare started taking photos of them, not paying any attention to Starlight and was about to snap one of Flash.

"Um...you're not by any chance a fake pony created by a spider monster looking to suck me into the photos, are you?" The mare went wide-eyed at the question, "You'd be surprised how often that happens." The mare rolled her eyes and took the photo of him, quickly adding his picture to the others.

"Well, that's that! Bye!" She turned to leave, but before she could, Pinkie leapt into the doorframe.

"Waaaait!" She exclaimed, "You forgot Starlight! She needs a picture too!"

Starlight smiled and the mare frowned. "Kay." She snapped the photo, not looking as careful as she had been when taking the other's photos. "Now I'll get out of your manes. I know how busy you are." With that, she turned and ran away, all blinking at the sight.

"Is it just me, or was she acting kinda funny?" Flash asked.

"How can you even tell anymore?" Rainbow added.

"Point taken. After all the weird ponies we meet all the time, I really shouldn't ask. So, we gonna get this trip underway?" They all nodded back. "Good. Then let's get going!"





As soon as the mare was out of the school, her cheerful bubbly demeanor completely vanished as she shot into the forest. The mare smirked as she looked down at the photos and hairs she had acquired, "Now I have everything I need." She was then suddenly consumed by a burst of green fire, soon reappearing as the changeling queen Chrysalis.

She trotted through the Everfree Forest next, occasionally blasting anything that moved so as to not cause her any troubles before arriving at a collection of trees in a circle. "Yes..." she told the pictures as she started pinning them to different trees, "I know! We have been planning this for quite some time." She let out an evil laugh as she stuck the hairs to the pictures of the ponies they belonged to. "Oh, thank you, Applejack. My spell can create a copy of anypony I desire. All I need is an image and a piece of the pony." She then sniffed the air before smirking. "Oh, and this."

She blasted the tree truck, causing a very familiar trio of apples to appear below the picture. She then turned to another picture and moved up to it, "Why copies, Rarity? Because Princess Twilight and her friends control the Elements of Harmony, the most powerful weapon in all Equestria." She blasted the tree and created three diamonds to appeared. "Which means you-will-be-able-to-use-them-too!" She skipped along with each word she spoke, then blasted a tree with three balloons. "And serve me!" She shot a butterfly brand into another tree. "Together, we will destroy Twilight Sparkle and her meddlesome friends!" She blasted Rainbow's tree with her cutie mark, then acted like she heard something and turned to the picture of Twilight.

"Of course I haven't forgotten Starlight Glimmer!" She blasted Flash's tree with the lightning shield next, "She stole my hive! Turned my subjects against me! So, I'll take her friends away while she watches! And then, I'll destroy her!" She let out a maniacal laugh and burned the six-pointed star into the tree, then stepped into the center.

"With the Elements under my control, I'll build a new hive of earth ponies, unicorns, and pegasi." Her horn glowed, a circle of green magic appearing around her. "And I will rule as Queen once again!" With that, she fired seven beams that hit the marks. Each mark then fired a beam at the tree to its left, forming a large magical circle as Chrysalis smiled.

The trees then began to crack, green light filling those cracks before the tops peeled downward. Once the peels had rolled themselves all the way down to the ground, green orbs of light could be seen hidden within. Those spheres quickly began to take pony shape and the light soon faded, revealing near perfect copies of the seven heroes of Equestria.

Twilight, Flash, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood around the changeling queen, who took them in and quickly noticed a few differences between them and the real things. Their manes and coats looked a little faded, but in the dim light of the forest, it was barely noticeable. Their cutie marks, however, were a different story: Applejack's apples were green, Fluttershy butterflies were blue, Rarity's gems were dark blue boarding on black, Pinkie's balloon's were in a different arrangement, Rainbow's cutie mark was upside down, Flash's shield was yellow and the lightning was blue, while Twilight's six-pointed star only had three white ones around it.

"YES! It worked!"





With their photographs taken, the seven ponies set out on their retreat. Like the one who had stolen their image, they all headed into the forest. "Hmm," Twilight stared at her scroll and nodded, "At least our retreat isn't too far behind schedule. Get ready for some fun!"

"Are we talking fun fun, or learning pretending to be fun?" Rainbow asked, Twilight giving her a smirk back.

"Both!" She cheered, "We've all been so busy teaching, we've hardly had a chance to hang out with each other. And I may have scheduled some friendship activities as well!"

She sang that last part, as Pinkie bounced up. "Count me in! We can do friendship trust falls and pony pyramids! Oh! And hide and seek!" She shot away at this, "Quick! Find me!"

"Don't go too far!" Flash yelled, the rest just shaking their heads before seeing the path in front of them, which was filled with flowers. "This might be a prettier part of the Everfree Forest, but it's still the Everfree Forest." He patted his Celestic Gear, "We could still run into cragadiles or timberwolves."

"Oh, don't worry so much Flash," Twilight chimed in, "I chose this path because it appears to be the least populated area of the forest. We shouldn't have any monster encounters on this retreat."

Fluttershy smiled at this, "Well, I love the idea of some quiet time with my best friends."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" Fluttershy jumped and shrank down to mouse size when Pinkie leapt out of a bush, a giant grin on her face. "You found me!"

"Yeah..." Flash picked the tiny Fluttershy up, "I don't think quiet is ever gonna be part of the agenda with something involving Pinkie Pie." The mare giggled at this, jumping out of the bushes and bouncing away, Fluttershy sighing. "Maybe we should have brought headphones for you."

Fluttershy then returned to normal size as Rainbow flew over to Applejack and Rarity, seeing Applejack pulling a wagon full of stuff, "Rarity, why is Applejack carrying all your stuff?"

"Oh, that's not mine." Rarity replied before pointing to a very small saddlebag strapped to her side. "Yes, I used to overpack a tad, but now it's just the essentials for me. I'm a simple filly."

Rainbow smirked at this and turned to Applejack, "Normally I wouldn't lug so much gear, but did y'all know this is Starlight's first time campin'?"

They looked back at the unicorn, Starlight rubbing her leg at this, "I just never really felt the need to...hang out. In nature that is." As she said that, a bunch of flies and other insects began buzzing out of the bushes toward her. "Home has books, tea, fewer bugs, a roof..."

"That attitude right there is why I brought the whole kit and caboodle."

"What's a caboodle?" Flash asked, "And will the kitten be okay without it?" The others laughed at this as Applejack rolled her eyes and pulled out a green poncho that had red smudges on it.

"I'm givin' Starlight the full Apple family campin' experience!" She threw the poncho over Starlight's head, the unicorn unable to see before pulling her head through the hole in the front, forcing her to wear the thing.

"Nice," Flash laughed, "Too bad the photographer couldn't get a picture of that."

"Funny," Starlight rolled her eyes.

Fluttershy stepped over to Twilight. "Um, where are we camping?"

"Right next to the Elements that brought us all together in the first place. The Tree of Harmony!" They all smiled at this, glad they would be next to something so special. The Tree of Harmony had protected Equestria for so many years, and would continue protecting it for decades to come. Nothing could be more special.

But as they continued to walk toward the tree, Chrysalis was standing over her new minions. "Listen to your queen!" She exclaimed, Rainbow currently leaning against a tree looking unimpressed while Pinkie was laid out on the ground looking bored. Fluttershy was pulling grass out of the ground, Rarity glaring at the group while Applejack just sat there, and Flash looked very uncomfortable. "We must retrieve the Elements of Harmony!"

The mares all glared at her while Flash gulped. Pinkie then sat up and crossed her hooves. "Hunting down some lame Elements? This is the worst day ever!"

But as she said that, Fluttershy flicked some mud into her face. "No. Now it's the worst day ever!" She let out a cruel laugh as Rarity ran up next to Chrysalis.

"Those Elements are mine!" She exclaimed before lifting up a small object, "Along with this rock! Oh, and that twig!"

Applejack slid up beside her next. "I got all kinds o' Elements right here under my hat. I'll let you see 'em for five bits."

"Do we have to go get those elements?" Flash asked, now shaking like a leaf like when Fluttershy was terrified. "All that power sounds like it could be a lot to handle. What if we lose control and blow ourselves up?! I don't wanna be blown up!"

Hearing this, Rainbow scoffed, "Losers."

Chrysalis blinked at the sight. She had expected the ponies she created to be different from the originals, but she thought the only difference would be loyalty to her. And as she was about to speak up, Twilight's voice rang out, "Why didn't you just attack them?"

"Excuse me?" She turned to the fake alicorn, who glared back at her.

"You were close enough to pull hairs from their manes. Why not just take your revenge then?"

"They defeated my army," Chrysalis deadpanned, "I know better than to strike alone. I need-"

"Friends?" The evil Twilight interrtuped, looking ready to start laughing until Chrysalis glared at her.

"Servants!" She roared, "And the power of the Elements!"

"Right," Twilight replied while rolling her eyes, "So where are these Elements of Harmony?"

"The location of the most powerful weapon in Equestria isn't something made known to just anypony!" Chrysalis growled before starting to march through the woods. "I learned they were hidden somewhere in this forest."

"Yeah, well, it is a big forest," Twilight spat as she walked away. Chrysalis hissed at this, staring at the ponies she had created.

"You!" She pointed at Flash, who screamed and scuttled back.

"Me?!" Chrysalis slowly stalked over to him, the rest of the ponies all laughing at the sight of his shivering form.

Chrysalis's eyes narrowed as she leaned down to his level, "You have the power of the Sacred Light. You can defeat anything and everything that's in this forest that could cause us problems. Activate it and lead us through the woods."

"You...you want me to activate it?!" Flash squeaked out, "I-I-I-I-I d-d-d-don't know. T-t-t-that sounds like a lot of power, and if I-I-I can't handle the Elements with seven of us, how am I supposed to control this power all on my own?!"

"The real you has done it, so you can do it too!" Chrysalis roared, "Now activate the Sacred Light! Armorize!"

Flash gulped and took a deep breath, "Armorize." As he said, nothing happened. "Armorize. Armorize!" They all rolled their eyes at this, Chrysalis facehoofing.

"Sweet Celestia," Twilight sighed. "You really are pathetic, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm pathetic." Flash muttered before looking back up at Chrysalis, "Does this mean you don't want me to go get the Elements so I can go home?!" He turned to run off, only for Twilight to grab his tail in her magic.

"Oh, I don't think so," she yanked him back at this, "You might worthless right now, but I'm sure getting the Elements should make you a little more useful."

Chrysalis nodded, "Indeed. Now, let's move out. I want to find these Elements before it gets dark."

"Dark?!" Flash screamed, "No! I don't wanna it to get dark! I wanna go home!" They all sighed before Chrysalis walked away, the rest following her as Twilight dragged a whimpering Flash behind them.





The others were now trotting down the path, the birds singing, the sun shining through the trees and the many rose bushes that lined the path gathering an elegant scent. "So peaceful," Flash sighed as the others nodded.

That is, till Pinkie suddenly leapt out of the bushes, "Everypony, stop!" They halted and Flash reached for his sword, only for her to say, "And smell these roses!" The earth pony turned to the closest bush and took a whiff, then let out a sigh. "Oh, yeah!" She jumped onto the bush and rolled around on it, not at all bothered by the thorns they had while Twilight gave a nervous giggle.

"Right. Roses. Fun." She continued walking at this, "Now, let’s try and stay on schedule."

And as they started again, Rarity put a hoof to her mane, now feeling it to frizz in places. "Applejack, darling, anything in that wagon for mane maintenance?"

"Uh..." Applejack glanced back at the cart, "Let's see here. Um...here we go! Ah got a bandana!" She held up a green cloth, Rarity cringing at the sight.

"Ugh, an entire wagon and no anti-frizz? Darling, you're not even prepared."

"Ah am too prepared!" Applejack threw the bandana back in the wagon, "For campin'!" She looked behind the cart next, "How ya doin', Starlight?" Rarity glanced back as well and saw the unicorn trodding along. She was still wearing the poncho, only now it was joined by a wool hat and a large backpack one would usually see somepony wear when they were going on a six-month expedition.

The unicorn tripped over a rock next, making her almost fall over before spreading her hooves wide. "Great..." she flatly said.

And as they continued down the trail, Flash heard a tweeting sound and looked back to see Fluttershy had stopped, "Oh, no!" She was talking to a young bird, "You and your sister fell out of your nest and got separated? That's terrible! Here." She offered her wing and the bird climbed onto it, "I'm sure your home isn't too far away."

She began walking into the forest, Flash glancing back at Twilight and saw she was staring at her schedule before looking back at Fluttershy. Quickly walking after her, he began marking the trees behind himself while doing so. "I got a bad feeling about this..."





Meanwhile...

"I'm sooooo bored!" Pinkie moaned behind Chrysalis, falling to the ground with a huff. "Are we there yet?"

"Where yet? We don't even know where we're going!" Twilight barked at her.

Chrysalis rolled her eyes at this while still marching, "Just keep moving! The quicker we search the forest, the quicker we find the Elements."

But as she said that, Applejack smirked as she walked through a bush. "Ah know where the Elements are," she exclaimed with Flash gasping hopefully at her. "This, uh, here boulder just told me. Ah swear."

Flash slumped down at this, only to feel Twilight pull his tail. And as they continued to walk through the forest, they didn't hear a certain Fluttershy as a bird began to tweet at her. "You tried to fly out of the nest, but you fell and got lost?" The bird tweeted back to her, causing her to let out a cruel laugh. "Hope you like walking!" She laughed again as the bird walked away, then gave it a good kick to make it feel bad. And after a few seconds, she decided to follow it. Watching the bird struggle to get home was gonna be fun.

As this was happening, Rainbow let out a yawn. "Come get me when I should care." With that, she flew off, the remaining members of the group still going. At least, until Chrysalis glanced back and saw she was two minions short.

"Where...are...the others?!" She roared at Flash and Applejack, the pegasus quivering and looking like he was about to water the grass he was standing on.

"Uh..." Applejack replied, "A, uh, a bugbear in...plaid socks flew down and, uh, g-grabbed them!" She nodded at this, "Then disappeared! Huh. Craziest thing ah ever did see!" .

Chrysalis growled back, "Turn around. We're going back."

"No," Twilight instantly replied, "Keep searching. Flash and I will find the others."

"We will?" Flash yelped, only for to feel Flash yank his tail, "Eep!"

"We can accomplish more if we split our resources."

Chrysalis stared at her for a moment, only to sigh, "Very well. You have my permission." Twilight nodded and took to the air, pulling Flash behind her and forcing him to fly alongside the alicorn.

"Permission..." she spat, "She needs us way more than we need her."

"You shouldn't say that," Flash whimpered out, "She might hear you and reverse the spell. I don't wanna be turned back into a tree. Termites hurt."

Twilight rolled her eyes at this as they continued on, "The others are fools. But with me to lead them, there's no reason we can't find the Elements and keep the power for ourselves."

"You...you really wanna betray our creator?!" Flash gasped.

"Our creator is a washed up fool," Twilight hissed, "Why should we follow a leader who got overthrown by a bunch of losers and has to create copies of them to try and take back whatever power she had? It's like she said, we control the Elements, not her. Once we have them, we'll blast her away and then do the same to any other fool that tries to get in our way. Eventually, we'll rule Equestria." She turned to glare back at Flash, "Are you gonna continue being a sniffling wimp and follow her, or are you gonna actually grow a backbone and help me conquer this world?!"

Flash flinched at this, only for Twilight to put a hoof to his chin. She showed him a seductive smirk, batting her eyes as he felt his mind just melt in front of her. "I...I'll help you conquer this world."

"Good boy," she replied before waving her hoof, "Come on." They both flew back down and landed, only to hear somethign rustling in the grass. Twilight was about to blast it, only for something to shoot out and tackle her.

"You're it!" Pinkie exclaiming, "Hey, how'd you two get ahead of me? You're fast!"

"Urgh!" Twilight pushed Pinkie off and got up, batting her sides with her wings while Flash stared Pinkie's flank, "I'm looking for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash."

"Aren't they back there?" Pinkie pointed the way she came, making Twilight blink at her.

"They are?"

"Sure!" Pinkie nodded, "Unless they're already at the Tree of Harmony."

Flash and Twilight shared a glance at this before Twilight asked, "What is the Tree of Harmony?"

Pinkie raised an eyebrow before giggling, "Oh-ho-ho. This is one of your 'activities', right? Like a friendship quiz? It's the crystal tree that holds the Elements of Harmony. Boom!"

Twilight went wide-eyed, only for Flash to lean up and whisper into Twilight's ear, "I think this is the real Pinkie. She must know where this tree is located."

"I see. Where is it?" Twilight asked, Pinkie pretending to hit a buzzer button as she made the sound.

"It's at the bottom of the stairs in the ravine by the Castle of the Two Sisters. Double boom!"

"Very good," Twilight responded, "Now, take us too it the fastest way you can."

"But I thought you were looking for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie asked, Twilight frowning for a second.

"Err...Flash can find them," she pushed the pegasus forward with her magic. "Then he'll catch us up with the other two." Flash looked ready to start hyperventilating, Twilight leaning up and whispering in his ear. "Pretend to leave and follow us from the sky. Once we have the Elements, we'll get rid of this fool."

"Oh...okay." He walked through the bushes, slowly disappearing before leaping behind a tree.

"Okay Pinkie, you want a harder question?"

"Yay! I reached level two! Go on Twilight, hit me with your best shot." Twilight asked her to tell the alicorn everything she knew about the elements, specifically how they worked. "Oh, well it all started long ago when I was just a filly with a dream." And as they got out of earshot, Flash took to the air, trying to follow them.





While this happened, the real Flash continued to make his way through the forest. He had thought keeping an eye on Fluttershy would be simple, but the constant stopping to mark trees had slowed him down enough that the shy mare had got away.

"Oh, great." He muttered before taking a deep breath, "Fluttershy! Come, we have to get back before we get lost!" But as he yelled this, he got no reply, "Come on...Fluttershy..." And as he said this, he saw something yellow walking by, "There you are!" He quickly zipped into the trees, not marking his trail as he followed the yellow figure...only to soon lose it, and the trail. "Oh, great."

It was then that he heard laughter up ahead, the pegasus blinking at it as he recognized the voice was Fluttershy's. And when he got closer, he didn't hear Fluttershy's usual gentle and calm laugh. "Fluttershy?" he asked, only for the mare's head to suddenly appear out of a bush, "Fluttershy! Thank goodness I found you! We need to get back before you start panicking."

"Why would I start panicking?" Fluttershy spat, her tone showing a bit of disgust that made Flash flinch.

"Well...you're in the middle of the woods...alone...with no idea which way home is. That's usually the kind of stuff that gets you to start panicking."

"Aww...how sweet that you'd care." She then swung her leg and sent some mud splatting into his face, Flash flinching before using his wings to wipe it out of his eyes. And as he did this, Fluttershy burst out laughing.

"What are you doing?!" He yelped as Fluttershy continued laughing, wiping her eyes with her wings to remove the tears. "Fluttershy?"

"What?" She cackled, "Did I hurt your wittle feelings?!" She showed him a pair of puppy dog eyes, only to simply burst out laughing again. Flash leaned back at this, his eyes going wide before noticing Fluttershy's mane and coat weren't as vibrant...and her cutie marks was the wrong color.

"Did you fall into some poison joke?" He replied, only for his brain to tell him what the flower actually did the mare. "Wait...is this Discord's doing?!" His eyes darted around at this, "Discord! Come out here right now! This is your only warning!" But as he yelled this, he looked back at Fluttershy ripping up some flowers while laughing as the petals began dropping. "I've gotta find a way to fix her."





The other Flash continued to watch as Pinkie and his Twilight made their way through the forest. The pink party pony was currently at the part of the story where they were searching for the Crystal Heart to defeat Sombra, Flash doing his best to listen in without drawing attention to himself. Twilight was clearly starting to regret asking Pinkie of all ponies for the lowdown, since she went over every little detail about what the real them had done since becoming the Elements of Harmony. This even included some of the details about what the real Flash's sister and what her friends got up to despite it not having anything to do with the main story.

Flash landed on a branch at this, his weight causing it to bend and eventually snap. He gasped and jumped off as the branch fell to the ground, quickly ducking behind a tree.

"What was that?" Pinkie quickly asked.

"That tree's rotten," Twilight responded, "A strong wind must have finally gotten to it. Now come on, we have to keep going."

"Okay!" Pinkie cheered before they continued, Flash hyperventilating before slowly taking to the air again.

But as he tired this, he flinched, "Ow!" he looked back and saw his tail had gotten caught around a branch. He didn't want to pull his tail-hairs off, making him slowly untangle it, "Ow..." he pulled a little too hard, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!" He eventually managed to pull his tail free, sighing before looking back and saw he had lost Twilight and Pinkie, "Oh no..." He gulped before taking to the sky, "Not good, not good, not good, not good!" He then called out, "Hello? Is anypony there?" But there was no answer, causing him to squeak out, "Help."





"Come on!" Flash pulled Fluttershy by the tail, but the mare kept resisting.

"Let me go!" She barked, trying to kick him with her back legs. "I don't wanna go with you! I wanna find another small animal and make them miserable!"

"Which is exactly why we need to get you to the Tree of Harmony!" Flash yelled, "Hopefully Twilight can cure you of this curse like she did before. Now stop...struggling!"

"Let...me...GO!" Fluttershy roared before spinning around and grabbing Flash's sword, pulling it out and swinging at him. Flash had to let go of her tail, quickly hopping back as she swung the weapon around.

"Are you nuts?!" He yelped, "Alright, you asked for this! Armorize!" His entire body exploded into light, the Shining Guardian Armor appearing. As soon as his horn formed, he forced his magic on the sword, yanking it out of Fluttershy's grip.

"Hey!" She cried, trying to grab it back, only to find herself get trapped within a golden bubble. "What the-Let me out!" She started hitting it, Flash sighing at the sight.

"Sorry," he shook his head, "But you're on time out until I can get you some help." He spread his wings and took off, pulling Fluttershy along with him. "Now," he asked once he was above the trees, "Which way to the castle of the two sisters?" He glanced around, looking for landmarks as Fluttershy kept punching the bubble, "Hmmm...maybe that way?"





The other Flash was biting at his hooves at this, "Oh no, oh no, oh no! Come on Flash...pull yourself together. You're the clone of one of the most powerful ponies in existence. Just because you don't have any of the power he has...or the weapons skills...or the...courage." He shook his head, "You can do this. Just need to stay calm and-"

"I KNEW IT!" He yelped before leaping into a bush, hearing somepony scream nearby. He then poked his head out, soon following the screams, "I knew you wanted it all for yourselves! You can't have it! It's mine, you hear me?! All MI-HI-HI-HI-HI-HI-HINE!" He then saw Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity. Rarity ran off with a bunch of random stuff at this, laughing like of psychopath the entire time.

Rainbow and Applejack stared at the sight, confusion on their faces as Flash saw they had two different cutie marks to the ones he had seen before. "They're the real ones..."

The duo then spun around and frowned, "There ya'll are! What the hay were yah thinking, wonderin' off like that with Fluttershy?"

"Huh?" Flash barely replied.

"Where's Fluttershy?" Rainbow responded, "Don't tell me you lost her too?"

"Um...no," Flash shook his head, his eyes darting back and forth, "I was...well..."

"Well, we'd better find her soon," Applejack sighed, "And then we gotta figure out what's up with her?" She pointed at the direction Rarity had run off to. "What in tarnation was that with Rarity?"

And as she asked this, Flash glanced up...and saw himself. The sight made his heart stop, his eyes going wide as his ears dropped. The flying Flash was wearing a bunch of golden armor, dragging a bubble behind him that had his Fluttershy inside.

"Alright..." Flash gulped as he glanced back at Rainbow and Applejack, "Um...why don't we split up to look for everypony? I'll go look for Rarity while you go look for Fluttershy." The mares shared a glance, Flash's eyes darting between them and his other self as he slowly began to fly away.

"Fine," Applejack sighed, "We'll split up. But ya'll better not get lost again." Flash nodded furiously and rushed off, the two ponies watching him with raised eyebrows.

As for Flash, he contined to run as fast as he could, watching his slowly flying twin before grabbing a vine off a nearby tree and a sturdy looking Y-shaped branch. "I gotta stop him! If he sees my Twilight...I don't know what I'll do!" He then made a rudimentary slingshot with the vine and branch...and aimed a rock.





Flash was getting a serious headache as he tried to maintain the bubble, admitting that it wasn't as easy as Twilight or Starlight made it look. It didn't help that Fluttershy was being a pain in the flank, constantly punching and kicking the bubble while also screaming as loud as she could. And as soon as he figured out what was making Fluttershy act this way, he was going to let out all his building frustrations on it.

"We've gotta be close by now," he growled, only for something to shoot up and hit his wing, "YOW!" He yelped, his wing armor catching the object between its sections. He glanced back and saw it was a rock, which was starting to get crushed within the metal. That didn't do the wing any good, as it started having trouble flexing. A moment later, another rock hit his other wing, crushing it as well. With both wings stiffening up, Flash began to lose control of his flight.

"We're going down!" Flash yelled, the bubble now flickering out of existence before the pegasi began to fall.

"Happy landings," Fluttershy waved before bursting out laughing. She watched as Flash crashed through the foliage and multiple snapping sounds filled the air, followed by Flash letting out a cry of pain. "Ouch! That had to hurt!" She giggled before flying off, only to come face to face with the very pony she had just seen fall. "Ahh!"

"AHHHH!" Flash screamed as he flew back and covered his face, Fluttershy blinking at the sight before looking back down at the ground.

"How did you get back up here so quickly?! You just crashed!"

"Oh, uh..." Flash slowly replied, "That um...wasn't me. It was the other me." Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at this, "The real Flash Sentry that I was made from. He and the rest of his friends are all in here."

"Huh. I wondered why you'd suddenly stopped being a sniveling coward."

"I wouldn't call myself sniveling," he responded before screaming as Fluttershy mocked a punch at him. "Okay, okay. I'm a sniveling coward! But this sniveling coward is the one that freed you from that bubble." Fluttershy frowned at this, "I think we should get out of here before he recovers and flies back up."

Fluttershy rolled her eyes, only to nod before the pair began to fly away, only to suddenly find their tails being grabbed by a green light. "WHOA!" They both cried as they were slammed down into the ground, right at the hooves of Queen Chrysalis.

"There you two are," she growled, Flash shrinking back before seeing that the other clones were all there except Applejack. Twilight glared at him, clearly not happy he lost her earlier and left her with Pinkie. "Good. Now we just need the last one and we'll be able to get those elements."

"Yes, your majesty," Flash bowed, "Um...don't know if Twilight told you this, but the other ponies are here too."

"Others?" Chrysalis asked with a raised eyebrow, turning to Twilight, who shot another glare at Flash.

"It's just the stupid one that's in here," she replied, "Nothing we need to worry about."

"It's not just her," Flash chimed in, "All the ponies we were cloned from are in this forest. And I think they're all heading to the same place we are. The spot where the Elements of Harmony are located."

Chrysalis' eyes went wide hearing this, the changeling turning to march off. "We need to hurry!" She yelled before sprinting, the others following her before finding Applejack along the way. And with that, they descended deeper into the woods.





"Great...I got knocked down by two rocks." Flash moaned as he walked through some bushes, "So much for super powered armor. I can just get beat that easily..."

He glanced around at this, now seeing that Fluttershy was gone. The sight made him sigh, only for his ears to perk up as he heard some new voices, that being Twilight and Pinkie's. And before he could move over to them, he heard a round of screams. Looking up, he gasped when he saw two unicorns sliding down the side of a cliff, the pegasus barely managing to jump back in time to avoid getting flattened by them. And as the dust they kicked up cleared, he saw it was Starlight and Rarity. "Are you two okay?" He asked, the girls looking up at him.

But before they could answer, Twilight's voice called out, "Of course I care about Fluttershy!"

They turned to the voice and saw the two ponies and Fluttershy there. "Then you've got a super weird way of showing it!" Pinkie barked back.

"W-What in Equestria's going on here?" Rarity asked as the three ran over to Twilight and Pinkie.

"Twilight is so into her retreat that she doesn't even care if her friends are upset!" Pinkie exclaimed, "She just wants us to stay on schedule!"

"Well, I'm sorry, Pinkie! If I knew you thought this was a 'boring, lame, no-fun retreat', I wouldn't have invited you in the first place!"

"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Pinkie screamed, only for Rainbow and Applejack to appear to their side, stepping out of the trees.

"Sorry y'all. We would've been here sooner, but we had to take the long way after Rarity ran off with all my stuff."

"Wha-?!" Rarity gasped before glaring at her, "I most certainly did not do that!"

"What?!" Applejack yelped, "You know I ain't no liar! Flash was there and saw you!"

"What?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow, "No I wasn't."

"Sure you were," Rainbow growled, "You showed up right before Rarity ran away!"

"What are you-I haven't seen you girls since I went after Fluttershy!" Flash responded, only to go wide-eyed. "Oh shoot. Fluttershy!" He turned to her and noticed she was crying on the ground. "Wait..." He saw her coat, mane and cutie mark were as they should be, "She's back to normal?"

Fluttershy sniffed and looked up at him, "What do you mean, back to normal?"

"Don't you remember? You were acting really weird just a few minutes ago. You were ripping up flowers, laughing at others misfortune and you even tried to cut my head off!"

The others went wide-eyed at this and Fluttershy looked horrified, "I would never do something like that!"

"I know! That's why I was so worried! I thought Discord or something else had brainwashed you or something. I grabbed you in my magic and tried to pull you to the tree of harmony, hoping Twilight or the Elements could fix you. But then I crashed and you disappeared."

"But none of that happened," Fluttershy replied, "I've been all alone since I wandered off to help a bird."

Flash raised an eyebrow at this, "But...that's..."

"Flash...ya'll know Fluttershy would never do that." Applejack chimed in, "Did yah hit yer head. Yah said yah crashed, so maybe it knocked yah out and yah dreamed of seeing a psycho Fluttershy." She frowned at Rarity, "I'd offer yah something to help with concussion if Rarity hadn't stolen mah stuff."

Rarity glared back at her. "I told you, I didn't steal anything!"

"Yes, you did." She then turned to Starlight Glimmer, now seeing she wasn't wearing any of the stuff Applejack had given her. "Where's all your gear?"

Starlight glared at her, "Why? So you can laugh at me some more?!"

"Hey, hey," Rainbow waved her hoof between them, "We're all friends here!

"FRIENDS!?" Fluttershy screamed, "You left me alone in the woods!" She burst out crying, causing the group to start arguing even more. Twilight could barely make out one argument over another, the princess's eyes darting back and forth before taking a deep breath.

"Everypony, quiet!" The arguments came to a complete stop, all turning to the alicorn as she smiled at them. "Listen. We know each other really well, the great stuff, and how to get on each other's nerves too." They shared a glance at this as she continued, "I wanted a fun trip with my friends. But instead, I got carried away with plans and ruined everything." She let out a long sigh, "If you want to forget it all and head home, I won't be offended. I just want us to stop fighting."

They all turned to one another, Applejack eventually speaking up to Starlight. "Hey, sorry if I got carried away with all that campin' stuff."

Starlight nodded back. "I'm sorry too. I should've just told you I'll never like camping. Also, I'll never like camping."

"Well," Rarity spoke up, "If we're all being honest." She grabbed her little saddlebag and held it up, "I can't survive with just this tiny yet fashionable little saddlebag! I miss my things!" She looked ready to start crying as Pinkie turned to Twilight.

"I'm sorry that you thought that I thought your plan was lame." She pulled Twilight into a hug, "Your plans are the most un-lamest!"

"And I always have fun when we're all together," Rainbow spoke up. "Even if it's learning pretending to be fun."

They all smiled before turning to Flash, making him wave his hoof, "Hey, I didn't get annoyed with any of you. I just thought Fluttershy had been hexed." He rubbed his head, "But if I did imagine it, how did I crash in the first place?"

Twilight shook her head before walking in front of her friends, "So...does that mean you still want to have the retreat?"

"YES!" Everypony except Fluttershy rushed over to hug her, the group then turning to the teary pegasus.

"If everypony likes me again." That statement was met with them tackling her to the ground, all hugging before breaking apart and laughing as they all laid on the ground.

"Let's get to that Tree," Twilight replied, "I have the whole campsite set up and ready."





By the time Chrysalis and her minions arrived at the ravine, the sun had set and the moon barely illuminated the dark forest. They found the stairs at this, only to find a bunch of tents sitting in a semicircle around the mouth of the cave. "What's this garbage?" Pinkie asked, Applejack smirking at this.

"Badger installation art!" She stated, "Ya see-"

"JUST RETRIEVE THE ELEMENTS!" Chrysalis roared, the ponies pouting as they continued down the stairs. And as they reached the campsite, Fluttershy started ripping down the tents as Rarity grabbed as many things as she could with her magic. Rainbow even kicked down a tent with as little effort as she could muster while Twilight stopped Pinkie from flopping over from boredom.

"Once we get the power of the Elements, no creature, not even her Majesty, can tell us what to do. Just follow my lead. Got it?" Everyone except Flash began to giggle their evil giggles as they headed into the cave.

And as they got there, Flash went wide-eyed, "The Tree of Harmony. I can't believe how amazing it looks..."

"Who cares about the tree," Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Let's just get those Elements and get out of here." As she said that, Rarity spotted the Element shaped like her cutie mark.

"Ooh! That one's mine!" As she said that, something happened with her Element. For the briefest second, it flashed black. Rarity rushed forward to grab it, but Fluttershy held out her leg, tripping the unicorn.

"Oops," Fluttershy cackled, "I'd say sorry, but I'm not!" Rarity glared at her as the Element of Kindness flashed black, the unicorn grabbing the mare before tussling with her.

"Stop it, you fools!" Twilight roared as Applejack and Pinkie moved over to the tree and started hitting it. "We need the Elements to take out Chrysalis!"

But as she said that, the fake alicorn noticed a tall shadow behind her, gasping and spinning around to see the changeling glaring at her.

"How dare you!" She screeched, "I created you!" Her horn glowed green and unleashed a powerful burst of light, Twilight quickly putting up a shield as Flash quickly retreated behind a rock. He watched as Twilight was constantly assaulted by the beam, his eyes darting around as he shook.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no...what do I do?!" he squirmed while Applejack and Pinkie Pie continued to hit the tree, causing their elements to both flash black. Rainbow didn't do anything, instead curling up to take a nap, her Elements going black as well.

Twilight grunted as she fought to keep her shield up, then smirked before retracting her shield to only the spot that was being hit by Chrysalis' spell. The shield then morphed into a beam, with began to fight against the changeling's. It pushed the green spell back at the changeling, who gasped at this as the Element of Magic flashed black. And that seemed to be the straw that broke the camel's back.

The Element of Magic expelled the black light that travelled through the tree and into the other Elements, which began to unleash tendrils of white mist-like light. Nopony noticed this however. Nopony except Flash.

"Look out!" He cried, pointing to the tree. But nopony heard him as the tendrils flowed down and grabbed the fake ponies, first the ones at its base followed by Twilight. She gasped a this, her magic cutting out as she was lifted into the air. The only member of these ponies that wasn't lifted into the air was Flash, who continued to hide, but his element didn't try to destroy him.

"Imbeciles!" Twilight screamed, making Flash gasp as he saw the mares begin to turn old and withered. "You ruined everythiiiiiiiing!" That was all she could say before the tree unleashed a bright light that consumed the mares, blinding Chrysalis as Flash continued to hide behind the rock.

And after a few seconds, the light began to fade, making Flash look back and see several objects hit the cave floor. He gasped again as he now saw a bunch of wooden logs. Logs that used to be his friends. He did his best to control his breathing as he hid again, praying that the tree had forgotten he was there.

"Servants always fail you in the end!" He heard Chrysalis hissed, "Just wait, Starlight. I will have my revenge!"

A moment later, he heard her transform before a buzzing sound filled the air. That buzzing headed toward the exit and was soon gone, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief before stepping out from behind the tree. He stared at the logs that used to be his...well, friends wasn't the right answer. Even so, seeing them in such a state broke his heart. "Do I even have a heart?" He asked before shaking his head and picking up the purple log he knew used to be Twilight. "I'm never gonna get to hear your voice again, am I?"

"Are you kidding me?!" He gasped and dropped the log at the sound of Twilight's voice, the pegasus quickly rushing back behind the rock. He slowly peeked back out, his eyes going back to the log before hearing another voice.

"Must have been a wild animal," Flash heard his own voice speak up. "Though it doesn't look like timberwolves or a cragadile did this. Maybe puckwudgies?"

He then heard Pinkie begin to laugh as she added, "This was...the worst...day...ever!" Multiple voices filled the air, including one Flash recognized as Starlight's. It was then he realized what must have happened: The real ponies had arrived.

"Come on, everypony. We can fix this campsite in no time."

"Spoken like a true camper," Applejack chuckled.

"Eh, don't push it," Starlight replied before they both laughed.

He felt a long gulp go down his throat as he shrunk down behind the rock, still shivering as he heard Twilight speak up, "You know, if we can survive a day like this, I think our friendship is strong enough to handle anything the world can throw at us." The others all nodded as they continued working, leaving him trapped in the cave. He hoped that none of them chose to check on the elements, but it seemed the day's excitement had exhausted them.

He soon heard himself yawn, "I don't know about you all, but I wanna get some shuteye. We can do some of Twilight's friendship activities tomorrow."

"If that's what you ponies want," Twilight giggled, the group soon fixing and getting inside their tents. After a few minutes, the fake Flash decided to risk it and headed out of the cave, tiphoofing as he saw all the ponies were asleep in their tents. Not wishing to push his luck, he took to the skies and flew off next. He was up above the forest in seconds and flew as far away as he could, all the while trying to think where he would go from there. What hope did a fake pony who looked like the most famous pegasus in Equestria have at living any kind of life?

But hopefully he would find a way. He would live, live on for those that couldn't. And who knows, maybe this was meant to be, and a great destiny awaited him in the future.





The next morning...

Twilight yawned as she woke up, feeling fully rested and ready to greet the new day. As she stepped out of the tent, she spotted Applejack and Starlight in the middle of the campsite trying to start a fire.

"Now the trick is to move yer hooves downwards as yah spin the stick," Applejack explained as Starlight pushed the stick she had against the block of wood. She moved her hooves down as the stick pressed against the wood, the wood soon catching on fire. "Yee-haw!" Applejack cheered as Starlight smiled, the unicorn carefully blowing the flame that appeared to give it more life.

The others soon came out of their tents as they did this, looking excited to have some flame cooked breakfast. "Where's Flash?" Rainbow asked, Twilight replying that he had gotten up earlier to take a walk and stretch out his body. "Will he be back soon? I don't wanna wait to eat."

"I'm over here," Flash chimed in as he walked out of the nearby cave. They saw him fly out while carrying some very oddly colored pieces of wood. "Does anypony know why these logs were in the cave?" He dropped them in front of the fire as the ponies picked them up and looked them over.

"Not sure," Applejack replied, "But they kinda look nice."

"Really nice," Fluttershy added as she stared the yellow one over. "It's almost the same shade of yellow as my coat." She held the wood to her wing and saw the color was almost the same. The others all found it was almost the same for them as well, all except Flash and Starlight.

"Maybe a wild animal brought them into the cave?" Starlight guessed, "Never knew a tree could be blue or pink though."

"It's the Everfree Forest," Rainbow shrugged, "Who knows what you're gonna find in here." She looked the blue log over and smirked. "Hey Applejack, do you think you could widdle a version of me out of this?"

"Probably," Applejack nodded. "I could probably make one of everypony, but it could take a while." They all stared at the wood for a few moments, wondering if they wanted to make Applejack go through all that trouble...and quickly made their decision.

"NAH!" They threw the logs onto the fire, letting them burn up and keep them warm as they began to cook breakfast. And once they were fed, they would enjoy an entire day of fun filled activities that would hopefully make up for the terrible day they had had yesterday.
> A Mission of Medical Mystery
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Past...

It began in Fillydelphia, in one of the older more rundown sections of the city, a place filled with ponies in up to six story high buildings. Everything was cramped and crunched in, everypony nearby each other as anything and everything could spread with ease.

But despite this, the area had a very good doctor. The pony was at a two-story building nestled between two larger buildings. The top was a living area where the house's resident spent their free time, not that they had much, while the ground floor was a giant office and surgery room.

Inside, a pegasus mare was sitting on a table as another pony walked in. He was a pale blue unicorn with a blonde mane and tail, his cutie mark being that of a needle. Dressed in white with a mask over his mouth and nose, he spoke up, "Alright, what seems to be the problem?"

"I...I'm hot. My joints ache and I can't stop sne...sne...sne." The unicorn grabbed a petri dish in his magic and floated it over, the mare letting out a sneeze that covered the glass in her fluids. "Sorry."

"Perfectly alright," he replied before moving the dish over to a microscope. "I should be able to determine what you have with this." He let out a hum as he sat down over the device while levitating up a box of tissues to the mare, "Yup, just as I thought. The Vioval Virus." The mare gasped at this, "Not to worry. You are in stage two. The virus is not dangerous or contagious until it reaches stage four. With the right medicine and plenty of bed rest, you will be right as rain in no time." He moved over to a small intercom at this, pressing it, "First, can you bring me some Vioval Medication?"

A few minutes later, a young unicorn of eleven walked in, carrying a metal box. "Here you go, doctor." He gave it to the unicorn, the doctor nodding back.

"Thank you." He took it over to a workbench and opened the box up, revealing a white powder that he began to measure out. First watched him as he placed a pile of it on a weighing scale until he got the exact measurement. He then filled a plastic tub with the powder and lifted it over to the mare. "Here you go. One tablespoon of this every eight hours and you should be right as rain. It is a bit bitter, so you might want to have it with some tea or something."

"Thank you," the mare responded as she took the medicine. "How can I ever thank you?"

"Just get back to good health. We all need to work together if we wish to make this world disease free."

"Yes, Doctor Biopsy," she nodded before heading out the door.

The unicorn then sighed and leaned back while First smiled at him. "Another satisfied patient." Biopsy chuckled and nodded, "Is that the last one?"

"For today, yes." Biopsy shook his head, "Busy day. Busy, busy day." He hopped off his chair, gesturing to First to help him, "I sure am glad you are here to help me. Things have certainly gotten a lot less hectic now that I have another pair of hooves to help."

"I am happy help," First replied, "And it is not like I am getting nothing out of helping you. I have learned so much since I started helping out here."

Biopsy let out a laugh, "You are your father's son, First. You have learned more in the two years you have been here than most doctors learn in their entire medical career. No doubt you will become a doctor like no other. You may even discover a way to cure illnesses I have no way of healing."

First smiled at this and quickly picked up a broom, beginning to sweep up the place as Biopsy walked over to a door. It had a metal frame with a door handle that had a keypad on it. Typing in the code, he quickly opened and closed it behind him as First continued to sweep away.

"What a great day." First commented to himself, "I hope I get learn even more tomorrow..."





The Present...

Soul was in her room, her homework finished and laying on her desk as she laid down on her bed. Her eyes scanned over a book in her hooves, every bit of it talking about healing magic. "Let's see...in order to distinguish the basic signs of Yerisinia pestis is-"

WHAM!

"Eep!" Soul yelped as the door was slammed open, a certain Silverstream appearing with a huge grin on her face.

"Soul!" She exclaimed, flying up to Soul's bed. "Come on, we're gonna have a ping pong tournament in the rec room!"

"Sorry," Soul shook her head, "I can't. I really wanna finish this book by the end of the week."

"Oh?" Silverstream squinted her eyes at the cover, "What's it about?"

"It's a book on the many types of pathogens and what types of antibiotics can help fight against them. Basically, it's a how to guide of preventing diseases and infections." She kept reading as Silverstream flew onto her own bed.

"You really like all this doctor stuff, don't you?"

Soul nodded back, "When I first became an alicorn, I had no idea how I was supposed to use my new magic. I was terrified of losing control because one of the first times I tried to use my magic, I...I really hurt Heart. But then I discovered I had healing magic, and I realized I could use that magic to help instead of hurt. I didn't earn my alicorn-hood, but I wanna prove I'm somepony who deserves to have it."

Silverstream blinked at her, only to nod as she started to get off her bed, only for the door to open again. It was Cozy Glow, who glanced up at Soul's bed, "Soul!" she called out, the alicorn glancing up, "There you are. Head-mare Twilight wants to see you."

"Twilight? Why?"

"No idea. Said she had guests that need to see you."

Soul raised and eyebrow at this before closing her book. The trio left the room, Silverstream and Cozy wishing Soul luck as she went to Twilight's office. But as the alicorn arrived, she found two certain ponies standing in front of her mentor.

"First Aid?" Soul commented as she saw the unicorn along with an earth pony, "Heather? What are you two doing here?"

The Floral and Healing Knight turned to her and smiled. "We have come to ask for your help," First Aid replied, Soul leaning back at this, "You see, one of my seekers recently reported a strange phenomenon going on in a forested area between Tall Tale and Vanhoover."

Heather nodded at this, "A strange illness that has been jumping from village to village. They're all small towns with only a few hundred ponies in it. The seeker reported learning of this epidemic occurring a few months ago and barely managed to stop themselves from being killed by it. When he went to another town nearby, he learned that the exact same epidemic occurred a few weeks after the first one. He's been going around and discovered multiple small towns have been suffering from this epidemic."

"Ooookay," Soul slowly replied, "What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, we intend to investigate," First responded, "We ended up being nearby, and we would like you to come along. Your healing magic might be helpful if I find myself overwhelmed."

"Really?!" Soul gasped, "You want me to help cure an epidemic?!" They both nodded, "But...but I'm still only learning the basics of medical science."

"I think this would be a good opportunity for you," Twilight chimed in, "I know you've been doing a lot of studying, but life has taught me that real life experience can teach you things you'd never be able to learn from a book." She walked around her desk and placed a hoof on Soul's shoulder. "It'll be fine. I know you can do this. First and Heather wouldn't ask if they didn't think you were up for it."

Soul took a deep breath before seeing the confident stares on their faces before nodding, "Alright, I'm in. When do we leave?"

"Right now if you're up for it," Heather replied, "You don't have to worry about bringing anything. We'll have whatever you need back at the facility."

"Facility?" Soul asked, before her eyes went wide. "You mean that medical place Heart told me about?" They nodded, Soul's eyes now sparkling, "I've wanted to go there ever since I heard about it!" She clapped her hooves together as the Royal Knights chuckled.

"I'll get the Rune Gate ready for you." Twilight commented as they all left the room.





One use of the Rune Gate later...

As soon as they exited the gate, Soul was convinced she had found heaven. Everywhere she looked, ponies were busy researching different medical treatments in a hopes of finding cures for every disease possible. "Its amazing..." she whispered when she saw one pony look through a microscope and jot down whatever he had just found.

"This place is a safe and controlled environment," First chimed in, "A place that can be used to experiment and find cures while not having to worry about accidently releasing whatever virus are contained here."

"Have any of the virus' ever escaped before?" Soul asked as they began to walk through the room and into a corridor.

"Not yet," Heather replied, "But that's because we take every precaution in order to ensure this place remains safe." They stepped into a hallway with long glass windows, Soul flying up and seeing a greenhouse filled with plants and flowers. "We don't just study medical science here. We're also working to understand different plants and their needed growing conditions so that we can work to find an area they can spawn easily in the wild. Many of these flowers are only found in remote areas with very little use, but if we can learn more about them, we can find places they can grow more easily so that they don't have to be so rare."

"Wow..." Soul whispered again, stars in her eyes.

First chuckled before putting his hoof on her shoulder, "I know you want to explore some more, but we have to prepare for our expedition. Lives are on the line here."

"Okay," Soul nodded, "So...what do we need to do?" As she asked this, they walked up to a large door and First opened it with his magic. Glancing inside, Soul saw it was a large office slash laboratory. Bookshelves lined the walls and a large collection of medical tubes filled with chemicals were sitting on metal desks. "Is this your lab?"

"Indeed. And in it is everything we will need to-AUGH!" He suddenly tripped over something, the mares gasping as he fell to the floor. They looked at his hooves and saw he had tripped over the strap of a saddlebag, First groaning as he picked his glasses up. "What in the name of Celestia was that?"

Heather quickly grabbed the bag and opened it, now finding several pieces of equipment they intended to bring, along with another bag on the floor that had bandages, disinfectant sprays and other medical supplies. "Somepony's already packed for us."

"And left them on the floor?" Soul added, "Who'd do that?" The door at the back of the room slammed open at this, a yellow unicorn filly around her age with red hair and a cutie mark of a caduceus stepping out while dragging another saddlebag.

"Come on!" She groaned, "Stupid...bag..."

"Raisins?" First asked, making the filly jump on the spot.

"Mr. Aid!" She yelped, spinning around and quickly taking a deep breath before calming down, "Miss Bloom. You're back."

"What are you doing in here?" Heather asked with a raised eyebrow, "You know this office is off limits." The filly shrunk back at this, now rubbing one hoof with another, "Raisins..."

"I packed your bags," she squeaked out, "Everything you'll need to help those ponies." They looked back at the bags, soon finding they had everything they intended to pack. "I figured if I got everything ready for you...you might be willing to...take me with you."

First let out a long sigh, "Raisins...this is far too important an assignment to allow a novice to come along."

"But what about her?!" Raisins pointed to Soul, "Isn't she a novice? You're bringing her along, so why not me?"

"Soul has incredible powerful healing magic," Heather replied, "Her magic could help a lot with this situation." She placed a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "I know you want to help, but you have to be patient. Your time will come one day, but not today."

The filly looked down at the floor at this, only to walk through the door with a long frown. Once she was gone, First sighed again, "That girl. Always trying to run before she can walk."

"Who is she?" Soul asked.

"Her real name is Asclepia," First responded, "But everypony calls her Raisins."

"The child of two of our best seekers," Heather added, "Because they're often out on expeditions, she's practically grown up here and spent most of her free time studying what we do. She has a lot of potential, but she seems to think she's already prepared to handle life or death situations."

First nodded at this, "I am sure that one day, she will be a great physician. But that time is not right now." He turned to the bags, "Though I guess she did save us a lot of time. Once we have all these loaded up, we will be able to head out."

"You said the place we're going is between Vanhoover and Tall Tale," Soul chimed in, the pair nodding, "Isn't that pretty far away?" They nodded again and Soul turned back to the many bags, "You're saying we have to haul all this equipment that far? Maybe we should have asked Twilight for a Rune Gate." But this was met with laughter from the two knights, "What?"

"Relax," First replied, "We have a way of getting there that doesn't involve walking or teleporting."

"You do?" Soul asked as Heather grabbed one of the bags and put it on her back.

"Tidal Wave isn't the only knight with an awesome ride," Heather giggled, "Trust us on that."

Twenty minutes later...

The top of the mountain that housed the research facility opened up, a square section splitting in half as it began to fold outward to reveal a metal hanger built into the mountain. A few seconds later, a giant green balloon with red stripes flew out, pulling up with a moderately sized ship that had the same color-scheme as the balloon. It was about half the size of the Mighty Leviathan, and a bit smaller than the ships that had attacked Canterlot all those months ago.

On board, Heather was at the wheel while First and Soul were out on the deck. "Wow," Soul gasped as she looked over the edge and saw three pairs of fish-like fins on the side. "I never knew you had something like this."

"It has been in development for a while," First replied, "It was actually completed not long after the Ponyville quarantine you saved us all from. Be sure if we had had this, we would have made all the ponies infected up onto it." He smiled as he pointed to the hull. "Multiple sleeping quarters for doctors and patients, full medical bay for any emergency, and a fully stocked kitchen for feeding anypony on board. This thing has it all, and will get us to the town before you can blink."

In that moment, Heather had turned the balloon another direction before pulling a leaver. Doing so caused the rocket on the ship's back to ignite, pushing the ship forward. "Caduceus Cloudwalker is a go!"

The three ponies soon made their way toward the towns they were aiming for, First and Soul now going down into the medical bay. This room was much like the ones in the facility, one filled with many different medical devices. At this, First took several petri dishes up to a microscope. "What's that?" Soul asked, flying up to stare at the dishes through the microscope.

"Samples from ponies who have already had this disease and survived. I am hoping to find something that can indicate what started the epidemic. If I can find where it came from, I can figure out how to stop it before it can spread to another village."

"Do you already have a theory of where it came from?" Soul asked.

"From what I have been able to tell, this disease doesn't appear to be a natural one. Sometimes a mutation of a bacteria somepony is carrying can make it evolve into a malicious one that attacks the body. But the damage done to these cells do not indicate that. It is more likely this is a disease being caused by something. A pollutant in the drinking water or food supply can create a disease that causes this form of damage."

"Wow..." Soul stared at the many dishes, "To know so much just by looking at a sample. It must have taken you years to learn so much."

"Many years," First nodded.

"Did you learn it all yourself? Or did somepony teach you?" That question seemed to make First freeze, the unicorn glancing away for a second, "First?"

"I was...taught," he slowly replied, "My father had a friend in medical school that I went to apprentice under after he died. Doctor Biopsy. He taught me everything he knew."

"Sounds like a great pony," Soul added, First still looking away as a memory filled his mind of long ago.





The Past...

Late at night, a flushing sound filled the upstairs bathroom as First Aid walked into the hallway of the living area he and Biopsy shared. The unicorn teen yawned as he headed back to bed, going through the kitchen. He was still half-asleep, not noticing he was too close to the table until he accidently knocked into it.

"Ow!" He yelped, stumbling back as the table shook and butter fell off the side onto the floor. "Aww..." he used his magic to lift up the butter up but a lot of it was now stuck to the floor. Sighing at this before he putting some of it in the garbage can. But as he did this, he found the kitchen's butter supply was now empty, remembering it was on the list he was meant to buy tomorrow. Not wanting to leave the butter, First decided to get some cleaning supplies from the surgery. He headed downstairs and grabbed some paper towels, only for something to shine in the corner of his eye.

It was the metal door Doctor Biopsy always kept locked shut, which was now wide open. First tilted his head at this, only to slowly tiphoof over to it. He put his ear to the entrance, trying to listen for anything...but heard nothing. Curiosity getting the better of him, he remembered asking the doctor was down there, only for him to reply by saying he was performing special medical experiments that should help discover the cures for many irreversible diseases. He had always wanted to see, but Biopsy had told him he wasn't ready to understand those kinds of experiments.

But the sight of the empty stairs was before him, eyes shining at the sight. He had a chance to actually see what went into curing deadly illnesses. He had to take a look, even if the doctor wouldn't understand. And before he knew it, he put his hoof down on the first stair. He soon quickly went down the stairs, only to see another door, this one without a keypad or any kind of locking mechanism. The pony slowly opened it up, glancing inside as he tried to see if the doctor was there...but didn't find a thing.

Nothing was there.

He then fully opened the door, stepping inside and seeing that the room was a large metal box. Multiple devices could be seen around the place and on the walls were large egg-shaped doors made of glass with a metal X running over it that had a submarine door lock in the center.

First walked over to one of these doors and tried to look inside, noticing that there was a small room past it that looked barely large enough for a full grown pony to be in. A strange thick purple mist-like vapor could be seen within, only to see some movement within the mist. And as he stared, he saw a hoof reach out and touch the glass.

First gasped, "Doctor?! Is that you?!" He reached for the wheel and tried to turn it, "Hang on! I am gonna get you out of there!" But then the hoof pointed to the left and First followed its direction, spotting a button on the wall. He quickly pressed it, thinking it was the locking mechanism, and a beeping sound filled the air as the mist inside the capsule began to fade away. And when it did, First went wide-eyed at the sight before him.





"First?" The unicorn shook for a second at Soul's voice, the knight turning to the alicorn, "Are you okay?"

"I am...fine," he replied, "Just...lost in thought." He looked back at his work, only for a loud metal banging noise to ring out, "What was that?"

"Sounds like Spike when he's distracted on mopping day," Soul commented as the pair headed out of the room. They glanced out into the hallway, soon heading down and turning a corner. There, Soul saw sticking out of a broom closet, specifically some mop's tendrils. Both ponies tensed up at this, First grabbing the door and throwing it open.

"Raisins?" First cried as the unicorn filly flopped over, holding the bucket she had likely kicked over when opening the closet the first time.

"Um...hello..." she waved as First growled.

"You stowed away?"

"I wouldn't call it that," she gulped, "I just...happened to be on board when the ship took off."

"A ship you are not supposed to be anywhere near!" First yelled, the pony named Asclepia grimacing at this.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered out while looking down at the floor, "I just...really wanted to show you that I could help with the mission as well. It doesn't even have to be anything big I can help you with. I could carry your medical tools or make you a sandwich when you're hungry."

First sighed and shook his head, Soul wondering if they were gonna turn back to drop her off. But before First could make a decision, Heather's voice flew out of the ship's intercom. "We're almost there. The village is coming into view."

First groaned, "I appear to not have much of a choice." He pointed at Raisins, "You may stay. But from now on, you are going to do exactly what I tell you to do. Is that understood?" The filly smiled and nodded, First sighing and motioning for the fillies to follow.

"Raisins?" Heather yelped when she saw the filly walking out with the other two, "How did...she stowed away, didn't she?" The other two nodded and Heather shot the filly a dirty look, then sighed before turning to the forest they were now hovering over.

They looked down and saw a small town surrounded by trees, with some of the houses even being building into and on top of the trees. A river ran through the center and when they followed the river, they saw what appeared to be a small farm just up the way. Multiple ponies could be seen coming out of the houses and staring up at the ship, Soul stiffening at the sight. "I think we got their attention."

"Then let us not waste it," First replied before pulling the two fillies to him in his magic. In a flash, they were teleported down into the town. When they appeared, the ponies all gasped before First spoke up, "Greetings. I am First Aid, the Royal Knight of Healing." The ponies all glanced at each other before seeing a pony jump off the ship and fly down to the ground with a rope in hoof. "And this is Heather Bloom, the Royal Knight of Flora!"

The rope Heather was holding went tight a few feet off the ground, the pony swinging over to a tree not holding a house, tying the rope to it to keep the ship in place. "Hello there," she waved. "Sorry for the sudden appearance."

"What are you doing here?" One of the ponies asked.

"We are here because of a sickness that has been going around," First responded, "An illness that is rather dangerous and has gone from one town to another like a swarm of locust. We believe your town is next in line for infection." As he said that, several of the ponies gasped and started whispering, "Have there been any ponies that have gotten ill?"

The ponies continued to look at each other before one turned to him, "You should come with us."

He led the group from the town to one of the larger houses, all inside and finding it was the town's hospital. The place was packed with beds, four being occupied. Each of them had a pair of buckets next to their beds that were full of two different kinds of bodily produce, with some having areas of their body that were inflamed and they all had wet cloths over their heads. First rushed over, his eyes scanning them the ponies, "Inflammation...fever..." He checked their eyes, "Lack of sensory focus." He looked inside the buckets, "Vomiting and diarrhea." He stepped back, "This is no ordinary sickness. This has all the symptoms of a poisoning."

"Something poisoned them?" The pony asked, First turning to the fillies.

"Soul, take Raisins back to the ship and bring me a blood sample kit." The alicorn nodded and the two fillies tan out of the building while First Aid continued to examine the ponies, more and more confirming the poisoning while Heather left to investigate the area.

A few minutes later, Soul and Raisins returned with a large box in their magic. Raisins got to work before First could even ask, the filly opening the box and taking out a needle and a spray bottle. First quickly took it and sprayed an area of the pony's arm with it before waiting a moment before stiking a needle into the pony to draw some blood out. Once that was done, he gave the needle back to Raisins and Soul was amazed at how carefully she placed the sample inside another section of the box that had a special refrigeration section in it.

As soon as that was done, he turned to Soul. "I want you to try and heal them with your magic. If this is a kind of poison, you should be able to neutralize it." Soul nodded and flew above the pony, her magic beginning to activate and enshroud him. As she did this, First and Raisins moved onto the next pony. "I am impressed at how well you perform as an assistant," he told the filly as she prepared another needle.

"I've watched ponies take blood samples plenty of times," she replied as First sprayed the pony. "I know what needs to be done." First nodded as she gave him the needle and he took a sample, glancing back and seeing Soul was still healing the first pony.

First and Raisins took samples from the other two ponies and as Raisins was put the last one away, First stepped over to Soul. "How is he doing?"

"I don't know," she replied, not really looking down as she concentrated everything in her magic. First took a look at the pony as saw the inflammation was going down. He checked his eyes and saw that they were still unfocused.

"Okay, you are doing great. Just keep it up for as long as you can while I begin checking their blood." He and Raisins walked out of the building at this, only to see Heather trotting up to them, "Find anything?"

"No plants or animals around the town that would explain the pony's symptoms," she responded, "Any idea what I'm supposed to be looking for?"

"Not yet," First held up the case. "I should know more after testing their blood."

"Okay," Heather nodded, "I'll ask around and see what the other ponies know." She reached into the saddlebag she was carrying and took out a pair of walkie talkies, giving both to First and Soul. "If you learn anything, we can talk about it with these."

They both nodded and split up, First teleporting himself and Raisins up to the ship while Heather began asking around. She asked the ponies she had met earlier about what the currently sick ponies usually did on a day-to-day basis, getting her answer almost immediately as those ponies were all farmers who worked up stream at the farm. And as she headed over there, she began at the farm's crops. to the farm and began to check the place out, seeing if they had accidently farmed

"Looks okay...nothing poisonous here..." she commented as she checked a row of crops, "Let's take a look at the soil itself." She reached a hoof out and pushed it into the soil, the earth pony allowing her connection to nature flow. As she did this, she went wide-eyed, "That's not right." She reached into her bag and took out the walkie talkie. "Heather to First. Heather to First. Are you there?"

First Aid and Raisins had just taken a drop of blood from each pony patient and had placed them in a vial before shutting them into a machine. As they did that, Heather's voice came through the walkie talkie. "First here. What have you found?"

"The soil in the farm those ponies work at has been contaminated by something," Heather replied, "I can't tell exactly what it is, but it's starting to fade. Give it a day and the contamination should fade."

"How does contaminated soil cause ponies to get sick?" Raisins asked, "Did they step on it and absorb the toxins through their hooves?"

"No," First shook his head, "But if the soil was contaminated, anything that is in it will have also been contaminated. The vegetables they grow there must have been poisoned by it and as the ones that grew it, they likely ate some of their produce."

"So what do we do?" Soul asked.

First rubbed his chin in thought, only to step away from his work for a second, "Heather, you need to warn the townsponies about the danger. I will test the water."

"The water?" Soul asked.

"That contamination had to come from somewhere. If their irrigation system is fed by the river, then that would mean the water is what caused it." He prepared to teleport and Raisins jumped up next to him. "Soul, you keep focusing on healing the ponies already poisoned."

"F.A.B," Soul replied before laughing and cutting the call. Heather also cut the call as First Aid teleported himself and Raisins down to the town. They headed for the river and spotted Heather arriving in town, beginning to tell the ponies about what she had discovered.

The two unicorns went to the water next, First quickly dipping a vial in. He stared at the sample and began to place a few new chemicals into it. "This is a special solution I developed for testing water for hazardous pollutants. If this river has been contaminated, the water will turn orange when mixed with it." After a few moments, the water changed color and turned a mild orange. "Yup, this river is contaminated. The toxin levels are low, likely getting mostly absorbed by the farm soil. But if they increase, then the drinking water will go toxic."

"We should tell Heather."

"We will. But we also need to find the cause of the pollutants." First put his saddlebag back on and headed upstream, Raisins following him as he took out his walkie talkie.

"I understand," Heather nodded after getting a call from her partner before turning to the large group of ponies that had gathered around her. "I just got word from First Aid. He's determined that it's the river that's causing the illness."

The ponies gasped and started talking amongst themselves. "What does this mean?" A mare asked.

"Can we drink the water?" A filly added, Heather shaking her head.

"Until we figure out what it is that's causing the contamination, that's not a good idea. Are there any other sources of water nearby?"

"There's another river a few miles away," a stallion replied, "But it's source is the same place as our river. What if it's been tainted as well?"

"That's a possibility," Heather responded, "Don't worry, we're going to find a way to make this right. I promise you." The ponies all grimaced at each other, Heather then heading to the hospital, "How's it going Soul?"

The alicorn say down, panting and wiping her forehead, "I think I've managed to heal three of them. Just one left." Heather moved over to the ponies she had healed and checked them over, having learned just enough from her time with First to know that they were out of danger.

"Great work," she replied, "Think you've got enough in you to cure on more?" Soul nodded and unleashed her magic, hitting the final pony and beginning to undo the damage done by the toxins. As she did this, Heather turned back to the ponies in the town, many now staring at the river with worry as they worked. It was a pretty hot day with not a cloud in the sky. Heather knew this type of weather take could be dangerous if one didn't have a way to stay hydrated.

And as this happened, First and Raisins continued their trip upstream, constantly stopping to check the water. Every time they did, they found the contamination level got higher and higher.

"So...what do we do when we find out what's causing it?" Raisins asked, "I mean, what if it's a big strong monster that's doing this?"

"Then I will find a way to stop it," First responded, "I might not be the most combat ready member of the Royal Knights, but I have had my fair share of combat. Even on my own, I can beat just as many opponents as Flash Sentry or Ruby Scarlet."

"If you say so."

"However, if anything bad should happen, I want you to be ready to run as soon as I tell you."

"What?!" Raisins yelped, "Why?!"

"It might be dangerous, and I can not fight at my best if I have to focus on protecting you. So if things get dangerous, you are to evacuate back to the town. Is that understood?" Raisins frowned, but nodded. "Good. I know you want to help, but you are still young. I would be telling Soul or anypony else your age the same thing."

"I know," Raisins sighed, "I just...wish I could grow up quicker so I can help more ponies."

"You should not be so eager to grow up too quickly. There might be a lot you can not do as a child, but when it is over, it is gone for good. Compared to your entire life, your childhood will only last about one fifth of that time. Enjoy it while you can."

"I guess," Raisin nodded. "But when I do get older, I'm gonna be the best doctor that ever lived! Even better than you!" First smiled at this, only to come to a stop.

Ahead of them was what First assumed was the source of the river, a large collection of rocks that the water was flowing out of into a small pool. This pool was feeding a stream of water that split off and flowed in two directions. And on one side of a river was a strange looking contraption, which appeared to be a bunch of wooden poles holding something over the river. It was a glass bottle big enough to hold between two or three gallons of liquid within. It was pointing down as the top had an attachment that looked like it stemmed the water flow so that whatever was inside would only dribble out.

"What is that thing?" Raisins asked, First growling at the sight.

"It is the cause of the contamination," he hissed, "It looks like somepony evil is the cause of this." He squinted his eyes at the sight, now seeing that the bottle on the machine had completely run out, only a few drops of rusty red liquid plopping out every now and then. "Blast. I need a sample of that poison-" But as he said this, he heard a twig snap from the other side of the river. "Hide!"

Raisin quickly rushed behind a tree, First doing the same and teleporting up onto a branch. And as the pair watched the machine, they saw somepony walk out of the forest, the sight making First gasp.





First's eyes were as wide as they could be as he saw who was inside the chamber. It was an earth pony stallion who...was absolutely bald. Not only was his mane and tail gone, but his coat was also gone, revealing nothing but pale skin. He was sitting in a chair and had a bunch of tubes sticking out of him. He looked so weak, as if a breeze could knock him over.

"Oh, sweet Celestia," First whispered as he tried to open the door again. This time, the wheel turned and he was able to pull the heavy door open. "What happened to you?"

The stallion coughed loudly, covering his mouth with his naked hooves as he did so. "D...doc...doctor."

"Doctor Biopsy?" First asked, "Is he trying to treat you for some horrible disease?"

"Yes," the pony replied, "That-" he coughed again, "That he infected me with." First's eyes went wide again, "You have to *cough* shut me back in. Or you'll *cough* catch this."

"The doctor infected you with a deadly disease?"

"He said he would pay us a lot of bits to *cough cough cough* take part in some medical tests. *Cough* Then he stuck us in these things and gassed us."

"Us?" First glanced over at the other doors lining the room, the total being six in all. He saw they all had different colored gases and spotted movement within each. "Why would he do this?"

"He needs...test subjects. Somepony to test his treatments on." He coughed again and again, First barely able to respond to this, "Close...door. Get...help!" First slammed the door shut, and as he did this, the room started filling with the purple gas again.

"This...this can not be right." First whispered, "The doctor would not do this..."

But as he headed for the stairs, he heard some hoofsteps, making him turn to a nearby machine before hiding behind it. A few moments later, Doctor Biopsy stepped into the room. "Now then," he pulled out a needle, "Let us see how effective this treatment is on you."

He put on a mask and moved over to the door First had opened, pressing the button and pulling it away from the wall to reveal the stallion again. "This is test number thirty-eight," he spoke into a recording device as he injected the serum into one of the pony's tubes. "All other attempts to cure lab rat number twelve have been unsuccessful. And by subject's deterioration, I may need to acquire a replacement soon." He finished the injection and stepped back, closing the door and watching as it filled with the gas again. "Do not worry. Even if you perish, you will live on in the work we do. I will find a cure for this disease and when I do, it will be thanks to you."

Seeing this that the doctor's back was turned, First quickly and quietly rushed up the stairs without making a sound. And once he was at the top, he ran out of the place as fast as he could, his hooves racing down the streets as tears poured down his face.





First's shock turned to fury when he saw the pale blue unicorn, with graying blonde hair and a scar running from the tip of his snout down the left side of his face toward his neck. The unicorn used his magic to remove the bottle from the device before placing another one on it. As soon as he did, the bottle started dripping the liquid into the flowing river again.

After this was done, the unicorn glanced around, the two staying as quiet as possible. He eventually nodded and turned to leave, the pair watching him as he disappeared into the woods. As soon as he was gone, First leapt down from the tree as Raisins came out from behind it.

"Biopsy..." he whispered.

"What?"

"Nothing," he replied, "It is clear he is the one causing this disease." He grabbed the bottle in his magic and removed it from the river. He then took out some equipment, Raisins helping him as he took a sample of the red liquid and mixed a few more liquids into it. After shaking the vial, the concoction turned green. "Crostocide."

"What-a-cide?"

"It is a very toxic extract of the Crost Clover, a deadly plant." He glanced back at the large bottle, "To have so much...how is this possible?" He turned back to where Biopsy had gone, a look of anger appeared on his face, "Raisins, take this bottle back to the village. Tell Heather what it is. She should be able to figure out an antidote."

"But what about you?" She asked.

"I am going after that pony. I have to stop him before he tries to escape." A flash of light occurred and his crossbow Celestic Gear appeared, First holding it up before glancing down at Raisins.

"B-b-but he could be dangerous! What if he tries to infect you with some deadly disease?!"

"I will be fine. Now go." The filly just stood there, making him glare at her, "Asclepia!" She flinched at the use of her real name, "I gave you an order, and you promised to follow any order I give you!" Raisins shrunk back at this, "You said you wanted to be a doctor like me. What is the most important duty of a doctor?"

"Protecting the lives of those you're charged to heal."

"Good. Now do your duty and get that bottle to Heather. She needs to examine the extract to make sure it has not been tampered with. GO!" Raisins took the bottle in her magic before running away, First sighing at the sight.

And once she was out of sight, First teleported across the river and further into the forest. He looked down and saw a faint hoofprint, his eyes narrowing at this. Soon following a small trail, he began to go deep into the woods. And as he travelled, he thought back at the pony he had seen. "Biopsy..." he whispered, feeling a twitch anger stirring in his mind.

It was here he took a deep breath, only to glance up and saw the mouth of a cave. Heading inside, he gripped his weapon, only to feel his hoof snag a wire hidden by the cave's darkness. The unicorn's horn shined at this, firing a small barrage of bolts that hit a bunch of darts out of the air. And as he pulled on the wire, he also heard a noise above him. He glanced up and saw a bunch of rocks clattering together, signaling a security system. He pointed his weapon to the mouth of the cave, the unicorn slowly going forward.

But as he drew closer to the end of the cave, he saw a large rock leaning against the back wall. "A door?" He muttered as he used his magic to move the rock, only to find a hole that had been dug into the cave with magic. Stepping through, he found himself inside a rudimentary laboratory. On one side were a bunch of flowerpots that had what appeared to be clover plants growing out of them while on the other side had a series of medical tubes with different chemicals.

He moved over to the clovers and kept his mouth covered with a handkerchief he had on him, allowing him to take a closer look, "Crost Clovers," he growled before noticing a spray bottle beside the plants and picked it up, squinting and seeing the liquid inside was magical in nature. He sprayed the liquid on a clover and watched as it suddenly grow three times as big, now remembering this as a concoction that any unicorn could create. In fact, it was a first-year potion at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns.

"So that is how he is making so much crostocide."

"Indeed." First spun around and pointed his crossbow to the voice, the pony coming face to face with the unicorn he had turned in all those years ago. "Hello First. It has been a long time."





Back in the village...

Soul had finished healing the last pony, the alicorn filly panting as she moved over to an empty bed and slumped over. Heather saw this and laughed, "Take a break. You did good." Soul smiled back as Heather walked outside, where the many ponies were gathering all the food they had in their houses and were placing it on a large table in the middle of the town.

"Is this really necessary?" She then heard a townspony asked.

"We've no idea how long your farmsoil has been contaminated," she responded, "We have to make sure everything grown there isn't a danger. If even one of these vegetables are toxic, we have to be careful." The pony frowned, but seemed to understand. "And hopefully, First and Raisins will have found the cause of the contamination upstream soon."

"Heather!" She turned to the voice, now seeing Raisins running up with the large bottle. "We...we found it!"

The townsponies began to circle around her as she fell to the ground in exhaustion, Heather taking the bottle and looking it over. "What is this?"

"First said it's something called...frost-o-cide, made from a frost clover."

Heather frowned at this, only to ask, "Do you mean...crostocide?" She nodded and Heather grimaced as she looked back at the bottle. "So much crostocide. How could somepony make this much?"

"Is this stuff dangerous?" A pony asked, Heather nodding.

"In large quantities, there's no cure. Even a few drops is enough to cause serious illness. But the levels in your water would be easily curable. Actually, this level of it would be easily cured by a combination of malic and citric acid."

Raisins raised an eyebrow at this, "You mean by eating fruits like peaches, plums and pears?"

"Exactly," Heather nodded, "Don't tell Soul, or she'll think all her efforts would have been pointless." Raisins giggled at this before Heather narrowed her eyes at her, "Where's First?"

"He went after the pony causing this." She replied, "It was...weird. I think he might have known the pony." Heather raised an eyebrow, "I think he said his name."

"What was the name?"

"By...oopsy...or something like that."

Heather blinked at her, only to go wide-eyed, "Biopsy."

"That's it!" Raisins nodded, only to frown, "Wait, do you know him too?" Heather didn't reply and put the bottle down before running up stream. "HEATHER?!"

"STAY THERE!" She yelled, Raisins trying to ask her what was going on, but Heather was already out of earshot. And as the knight kept running, she whispered to herself, "First...be careful."





Meanwhile...

First Aid stared down Doctor Biopsy, though now it was only Biopsy since First had gotten his medical doctorate revoked. The unicorn smiled at him, "Look at you. You've certainly come a long way from the little colt who once used to sweep my floors." He walked around the cave at this, First mimicking his movements, "I will admit, I was surprised when I heard about your knighting. But also proud, given I was the one who taught you most of what you know."

"How are you here?!" First hissed, "You were arrested! You should be in prison!"

"I was," Biopsy nodded, "But to a genius like me, getting out was simple. I did not even have to worry about being hunted down. Not many ponies are going to be looking for a dead stallion."

"Dead stallion?" First repeated, only for his glare to tighten, "So that is how you got out. You faked your death. Made them think you had died so they would remove you from the prison." Biopsy nodded, "What did you do? Drug yourself into a false death?"

"You know me so well," Biopsy smirked, "The prison I was in was rather overcrowded and full of dangerous ponies. Pick your death on the right day and there will be six other ponies in the morgue with you. I put myself to sleep and when they took me down to the morgue, I awakened before they could do an autopsy. All I had to do was wait for the right moment when nopony was around and grabbed some medical clothing. After that, I signed my own death certificate stating death by heart attack and put that my body to be cremated. Then I just had to walk out the door looking like I belonged there and presto. I was free."

"Free to continue your sick twisted experiments," First growled, "What was the plan here? You poisoned the water so the ponies in that town would get sick, then what? Are you going to use them as guinea pigs for another of your sick experiments?!"

"Of course not," Biopsy replied while waving his hoof, "I am simply giving them a reason to invest in Equestria's future. My goals have not changed. I am on a mission to eradicate all illness from this world. But to do that, I need capital to acquire the needed pieces of equipment."

First's eyes went wide, "You plan to trick them into paying you for a cure."

"It worked in the last few towns I visited," Biopsy chuckled, "Let some of the ponies get sick and throw the town into a panic, then have it be that I am a wandering healer who discovered the illness and began treating them. Of course, getting what I need to treat them for such a deadly disease will cost a lot."

"Liar!" First almost roared, "You know that Crostocide poisoning has a simple cure!"

"I know that. You know that. But those ponies don't know that."

"Well, they do know. No doubt my friends have already finished curing the ponies. And when they discover what you tried to do, they will all be after your head!"

Biopsy shook his head at this, "First...you still don't get it. Why are you so against progress? You know as well as I do that nothing great ever happened without sacrifices. I am aiming to wipe out all disease that ever existed. The same disease that killed your father."

"You went too far," First hissed, "You might have made progress in several areas of medicine, but to do that, you committed a series of atrocities. You infected ponies, forcing them to go through hell and mutilating their bodies. Even after you were arrested and they were sent to a proper hospital, most of them only lasted a few more days."

"They might have survived if you had not stopped me."

"If the disease you gave them had not killed them, the toxic milkshake of different drugs and test cures would have!" First yelled, "And now you are doing it again! Making innocent ponies suffer, just so you can continue your fools crusade!"

"Just think about it," Biopsy replied, "You are a physician. You know, there's always a price to pay for the advancement of medical science."

"Sometimes that price is too high," First growled, "Torture-"

"Your word, not mine. Thanks to my experiments, I was able to find a cure for the Floenia Virus. If I am not mistaken, an outbreak of that occurred a year after my imprisonment. Thanks to me, hundreds, maybe thousands of ponies survived."

"That does not justify using ponies in laboratory experiments!"

"If I had not, I never would have discovered that cure. The only way to know for certain how a cure would work on a pony, is to use it on a pony."

"And ethical considerations?!" He asked, "They mean nothing to you?!"

"Ethics are...arbitrary." Biopsy continued to walk around the lab, First remaining opposite side of him with his weapon ready. "How do you think everything you learned before you became a Royal Knight was developed?" He hummed, asking for a response that First didn't give. "My word. Half the medical knowledge you must hold...came through experiments on lower animals."

"But not ponies!" First roared while the older unicorn smiled.

"It is convenient to draw a line between higher and lower species, is it not?"

"The type of barbarism you practice stopped being seen as right a long time ago. Or at least, it should have. I did not come here to debate ethics with you. I came to find and neutralize the cause of the disease hurting these ponies. And you are that cause. No...you are the disease!" With that, he fired a magical bolt, instantly hitting Biopsy.

"AUGH!" He cried as the magic exploded into bolts of lightning, which spread across his body, making him slump over, "What...did you do to me?"

"It is spell I created to numb muscles in order to operate on patients so they do not feel pain. The one I struck you with is ten times as powerful, so your entire body will be as good as paralyzed long enough for me to get you locked up back where you belong."

"You...can not do this."

"I just did."

"Do you not understand?!" Biopsy growled, "I am trying to help ponies! Without me continuing my research, you are dooming millions of ponies to death!" He tried to move, only to let out a hiss of pain, "I am so close to figuring out how to cure a myriad of illnesses. If you stop me now, anypony that dies between now and when somepony else eventually figures out the cures will be your fault! If you stop me, you will be violating the first oath you took as a physician: Do no harm."

FIrst's eyes went wide and quickly turned to show a look of disgust on his face. "Do no harm....you have no right to say those words!" He grabbed Biopsy in his magic and threw him out of the lab, then pointed his weapon to the many potted plants.

"NO!" Biopsy screamed as First fired, his attacks shattering the pots, the flowers limping over. He then started shooting at the many chemicals and other medical equipment that filled the cave, destroying it all before walking out and pushing the boulder back in front of the hole, sealing the destroyed laboratory for hopefully ever. "Do you have any idea what you have just done?!"

"Stopped your wicked schemes. This time, once and for all." He grabbed the unicorn by the tail began to drag him back in the direction of the town, the former doctor crying out whenever he was pulled over a rock or twig.

Halfway back to the town, First heard hoofsteps and glanced around, only to see somepony running up to him. "FIRST!" It was Heather, the earth pony panting as she saw him, only to notice the pony he was dragging and glared at him. "Is that the pony you told me about? The one who destroyed so many pony's lives?"

"Yes," First nodded, "And he was trying to start his operations again."

Heather glared at the downed unicorn before looking back up at First, "When Raisins told me about you going after a pony called Biopsy, I began to panic since I knew it must have been the same one you told me about. I was...worried you would lose control."

"You do not have to worry," First replied, "Biopsy might be a monster, but he is no fighter. The worst he could have done is throw a dangerous chemical at me. But I was careful, so he did not stand a chance against me."

Heather nodded back, "Good. I'm glad. Though...let's get back to the village. I'm sure the ponies there will be interested in meeting the one responsible for the lot of them almost getting infected." First chuckled at this as the pair headed back.





The sun was beginning to set as the Caduceus Cloudwalker began to fly away from the small town. They had locked Biopsy in a storage locker that would be able to hold him until the guards arrived to take him to a much more secure prison. When First and Heather returned to the town with him, the ponies there had not been happy. They demanded justice and First had to promise Biopsy would feel the full weight of the royal court when they got him to Canterlot, this being the only way to stop them from attempting to string him up by his neck.

Heather had promised to send supplies to their village to make up for their hard-grown crops being contaminated. She also managed to determine the toxins was pure Crostocide, meaning they were able to neutralize the contamination of the river and the soil it had been watering. By the time those supplies ran out, the town's new crops would be grown and ready for them to eat.

"Phew," Soul sighed as she laid down on the sky ship's deck, "I am exhausted."

"You only cured four ponies," Raisins pointed out, Soul turning to glare at her while First shook his head.

"She might be an alicorn, but healing magic is not easy. Using it in such a focused way for so long is rather taxing on the individual and she is a filly. Soul should be proud with how long she was able to keep that magic up."

"I am." Soul responded.

Raisins smiled at this before turning to First, "So...this pony, Biopsy. He really taught you everything you know about medicine?" First frowned at the question, only to slow nod.

"He taught me everything he knew...but not everything I know. After he was arrested, I headed out on my own to learn from true healers and physicians. And along the way, I met the first true friend I had ever had." He turned to smile at Heather and she smiled back, the two remembering how they met. It might not have been a great time, but Heather was still happy she met him back then. "And, of course, I later met Grand and he gave us the chance to become Royal Knights. Now I can do what I always dreamed of doing. Learning everything I can about the art of medicine. But unlike Biopsy, I will learn the right way. The way that will not result in ponies getting hurt."

"Even though you might not live long enough to find all the answers?" Raisins asked, First chuckling at this.

"I never deluded myself into thinking I could cure every disease that every exists. That would be impossible." He looked ahead as the sun began to set. "Even if I discovered a way to cure them all, a new illness would evolve and I would be right back to square one. The war against disease is a never ending one. But luckily, I am not the only one fighting in it." He turned to smile at the two young fillies. "When I die, it will be up to the next generation to continue the fight against illness. And when you two pass on, the fight with pass to the ponies you train. As long as the knowledge of medicine is passed to the right ponies, then sickness will always be fighting a defensive fight."

Soul and Raisins nodded back, the group continuing to watch the setting sun as they continued their journey. A plague had been stopped before it could begin, and the four could be proud of the work they had done this day
> A Matter of Principals
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the School of Friendship, a horde of students had just been summoned to Head-mare Twilight's classroom. The group were now sitting around in the circular lecture hall, staring down at the stage.

"What do you think Twilight wanted us here for?" Heart asked Cozy, the filly shrugging back.

"I'm sure it's something interesting," Soul chimed in, "Or at least...interesting to Twilight." Those that heard this didn't feel very excited, considering Twilight's definition of interesting could range from the hundred-year war between the dragons and the sea-serpents, to everything you would want to know about arthropods.

It was here that the doors opened and Twilight came in with Spike and Flash. Flash and Spike were both carrying a large chest, the pair placing it down on the stage in front of Twilight's podium. As soon as it was down, Spike opened the top, revealing a bunch of items that Twilight lifted into the air. "Who can tell me what these are?"

The students all went wide-eyed, many being drawn to a particular item. One was a silver necklace with a blue gem, another being a short staff with a stag-beetle theme and orange gem. A third was a large helmet with horns on the side, and another one was a golden grown with a red gem. The final three was a conch shell with two different swirling blue patterns, a teal blue cloak, and a bronze gauntlet with a blue gem embedded in the back. Each student gave their own guesses, Smolder yelling out that they had to be treasure.

"Nope!" Ocellus exclaimed, "They're all legendary magical artifacts!" This statement caused everybody else to look at her, the changeling letting out a giggle as she patted the large book she was carrying. "I've read ahead in Equestrian Cultures and Camaraderie: Volume Seven."

"You're right, Ocellus." Twilight nodded as she pointed to each of the items. "This is the Amulet of Aurora, the Talisman of Mirage, the Helm of Yksler, the Crown of Grover, Knuckerbocker's Shell, Clover the Clever's Cloak and the Gauntlet of Salirain."

"And the gems are real!" Spike exclaimed, Twilight turning to glare at him. "Eh, not that I...tasted them."

"Sure you didn't," Flash chuckled as Twilight returned her attention to the students.

"Princess Celestia gifted these to our school since they each represent one of the cultures our students come from. And we'll learn all about them in a Spell-venger Hunt!"

As she said that, Smolder turned to Sandbar and Heart, "Is that a pony thing?"

"No," Heart shook his head, "That's a Twilight thing."

Twilight then began to fly up, "It's a magical scavenger hunt. Each of you will work in pairs to try to find where in the school these artifacts are hidden." She grinned as Spike spoke up next.

"The team that finds the most wins a private tour of the Canterlot Archives with Princess Celestia." Twilight's grin grew larger, the alicorn clearly thinking that kind of prize was something any creature would kill for.

And as this happened, Silverstream let out an excited squeal as she flew out of her seat, "Learning and fun?! Does it get any better than that?!"

Gallus grabbed her by the tail and pulled her back into her seat, "You've been underwater a long time, haven't you?"

Twilight giggled as she returned the items to the chest, "Gallus and Silverstream, sounds like you're our first pair!" But as she said that, the entire class gasped, "What? They'll make a great team."

"Twilight?" Heart pointed at his flank as Yona held up a hoof.

"Um...why ponies glowing?" Twilight and Flash looked down at their flanks and went wide-eyed as they saw their cutie marks were pulsing with light. The two then turned to each other before nodding.

"Class dismissed!" Twilight exclaimed, the alicorn along with Flash and Spike running out of the room.

"What just happened?" Smolder asked, "Since when do your flank stickers glow?"

"They don't," Heart replied. "Well...they don't usually."

"They're being called by the cutie map," Soul added, "It's mystical relic that was gifted to them by the Tree of Harmony."

Mira nodded and continued, "Whenever it finds a friendship problem somewhere in Equestria, it calls the ponies most suitable to solving that problem by making their marks glow. Then it shows them where they need to go to fix the problem."

"It's super cool," Ace finished, "Soul actually got to go on one once." They all turned to the alicorn, who blushed and rubbed the back of her leg.

"I didn't really do anything special...but this could be a problem."

"What kind of problem?" Smolder asked.

"If Flash and Twilight are being called away, that means they won't be around to help with the Spell-venger Hunt."

The students all shared a glance, only for Heart to wave his hoof, "Relax. So what if Flash and Twilight are going? There are still five other teachers who'll be running the school. Knowing Twilight, she planned for just this eventuality."

"He has a point," Mira nodded, "She's probably written instructions for the hunt down so the other teachers can do it."

The students all sighed in relief, the group getting up and heading out to enjoy their freetime now that they had a dismissed class.

"I wonder where Flash and Twilight are going?" Cozy asked.

"Who knows," Ace shrugged. "I think the last quest the table sent somepony on was at Mount Eris. Maybe this time it'll be in Yakyakistan."

"Well, I hope they don't take too long," Soul added, "Twilight looked really excited about this Spell-venger Hunt. I hate for her to have to miss it."

"I'm sure the other teachers will tell her all about it," Heart chuckled, "Like I said, we've still got five other teachers plus a guidance counselor."





The Next Day...

"What do you mean you're all going!?" Heart yelped after he had headed to Fluttershy's class and found a note explaining it was cancelled for the day. When they looked for the other teachers to ask where she was, they found none, only to check the castle and found Flash getting ready. As it turned out, all seven members of the Friendship Council had been called on a mission to one of the furthest points on the map.

"How can you all be summoned to one place?" Soul asked, "I thought it only called two at the most."

"It's called this many of us before," Flash replied as he checked everything in his saddlebag, "Remember when it called us to face off against the Pony of Shadows? Heck, our very first map mission had all of us going to take down Starlight."

"Speaking of Starlight," Heart stared at the map. "I don't see her cutie mark. Is she staying here?" Flash nodded, making Heart and Soul sigh in relief.

"That's good," Soul added, "What would you have done if the school didn't have any staff?"

"I get the feeling Twilight prepared for that contingency. She already had a plan for the seven of us needing to leave the school on a mission." Flash threw his saddlebag onto his back and turned to the pair. "Do me a favor and try to help Starlight however you can. She's probably gonna be really nervous and desperate to make everything go perfect so she doesn't let Twilight down. Try to make sure she doesn't start twilighting herself towards a stroke."

"Yes sir!" The twins saluted as Flash headed for the exit. "Where are you going?" Heart asked as he saw him make his way to the door. "If it's really far, why not use the Rune Gate?"

"Twilight already tried sending a Rune Gate to that place, but for some reason it just teleported back as soon as she did. She's gonna look into it if she has time, but she thinks the place might have some kind of anti-teleporting barrier up around it or something."

And as they left the place, they found the rest of the Mane Seven were waiting for them. Heart and Soul spotted Starlight and Spike on the bridge outside the school, the pair moving over as the Mane Seven rushed off to the train station.

"See you!" Spike waved.

"Don't forget any details!" Heart yelled, "I wanna hear all about it when you get back."

"Come back soon!" Starlight added, "Please!" As she said that, the sound of a blowing nose made them jump as they spun around. "Huh?" The four were met with the sight of the Spirit of Chaos, Discord wiping his nose into a hanky as he cried.

"I hate goodbyes, don't you?" He wiped his eyes, "I just go to pieces." With that, he literally fell apart like he was made of Lego bricks.

"Discord?!" Starlight yelped, "What a...heh...nice surprise!" She gave him a shaky smile, "This is your first time at our new school, isn't it?" She looked at the others for clarification, the three nodding as they hadn't seen him at the school even once.

"Oh," they glanced back as saw a whole Discord dressed in a suit, "Was I not invited to the grand opening?"

"Friends and Family Day?" Another Discord, dressed in a schoolboy sailor's uniform, appeared and continued.

"Baccalaureate?" Discord number three finished while dressed in a graduation gown. "I hadn't noticed," the three all said in unison before he blinked back into a single standard version of himself.

"Well...at least you're here now. Um, why are you here now?"

"To fill in for Twilight, of course, as head-draconequus." He teleported up to the front door at this, "I seem to recall a whole song about how this school is where you make your own rules. Now, who better at that than me?"

Hearing this, Spike quickly flew up to him, "Now hang on there! If you heard that, then you also must've heard Starlight is in charge now."

"Really?" Discord asked, "I thought there must be some mistake." He flicked Spike and sent him flying back, Soul catching him in her magic before he could crash into the water.

"Nope," Starlight shook her head, "Twilight picked me for the job." She then took out a rolled up scroll that was as thick as Heart's stomach, "And she left pretty detailed instructions for me to follow."

Discord grabbed the scroll and rolled it open. "Well, I'm sure that she wouldn't mind a few tiny suggestions." He snapped his fingers, a quill and glasses appearing as he started writing. "Item one: Gravity is optional." As soon as he said that, the group began floating.

"Whoa-oa!" Starlight yelped as some of the rocks inside the pond began to float upward.

"What's happening?" Heart tried to fly, but he couldn't feel anything beneath his wings.

"Item two: The school's new mascot is an ambidextrous marmoset." As Discord said that, a creature appeared behind him that looked like a pony with fur around their flank, claws on their hooves, a purple shirt and a giant rodent novelty head. It floated up like a balloon and Discord quickly tied it down with string before continuing to write. "Item three-"

"Not gonna happen!" Starlight's horn flared, quickly covering her body in magic before flying over and pulling the scroll from his claws. "I promised Twilight I'd handle this her way. So thanks, but no thanks." She flew away at this, Discord's eyes slowly turning narrow as he released the mascot and let it fly up and up and up and...up.

"Reeeeeeally? Well, we'll see if you change your mind." He snapped his fingers and vanished, gravity returning to normal.

"Gyah!" Heart fell face first into the pond as everything else returned to normal, Spike flying over to Starlight.

"Uh-oh. When we play Ogres & Oubliettes and he puts that many E's in really, then things don't usually end well."

"Don't worry, Spike. Discord and I are old save Equestria buddies. He'll be fine. Now, what's next on Twilight's list?" The two headed inside while Soul pulled Heart out of the water. "You two better get to class," they then heard Starlight say from inside. "Don't wanna be late."

"But there aren't any teachers to run that class," Heart pointed out.

"Right..." Starlight responded, "Well...go have study hall. I'm sure I'll figure out what to do about the teachers when that's done. Maybe spend this time deciding who you're gonna partner up with for the Spell-venger Hunt."

And as she left, the two shared a glance, "You think Discord's gonna back off and not cause any problems?" Soul asked while Heart rung out his tail.

"It's Discord," Heart deadpanned, "When does he ever pass up the chance to cause problems?" Soul gulped at this, only for her brother to add, "So...wanna partner up for the hunt?"

Soul narrowed her eyes at this, "Are you asking because you want me as a partner, or because you want somepony smart enough to figure out the clues?"

Heart growled back at her, "What, you think I'm smart enough on my own?"

"I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did!" Heart glared at her, "just because you're smarter than me doesn't mean I'm not smart."

"I know that."

"Forget it, I'm gonna ask somepony else and we're gonna complete this spell-venger hunt before you even find the first item."

"Wait a minute!" Soul cried as Heart headed into the school, "Heart, I do wanna be on your team!"

"Too late, I'm asking somepony else."

"Heart!"





Later...

Mira and Ace were heading for Fluttershy's class, wondering who would be covering for her. And as they did this, they saw several ponies talking about the Spell-venger hunt.

"Looks like ponies are already teaming up," Mira commented.

"Who are you gonna partner with?" Ace asked, Mira shrugging.

"I guess Soul, if she hasn't already got a partner."

They then walked into the room, only for a loud voice to scream out, "HEY!" Ace jumped at the noise and accidently leapt into Mira's arms, the pair seeing a giant minotaur glaring at them. "Students of my class do not turn up late!" The minotaur flexed, "They turn up on time...OR NOT AT ALL!"

Ace and Mira stared at him, only for Mira to let go of her fellow jakhowl, "Ow!" Ace yelping.

"But...we're on time." Mira added as Ace slowly got up.

"Class starts the second that big hand points to the twelve! Every second after that is when the class is going on, so that means you're late!" He flexed again, Mira blinked at this as they turned to the clock and saw they had arrived five seconds after the allotted time. "Whatever! You can make it up after class!"

"Five seconds?" Ace asked as he and Mira went to sit next to Yona, Sandbar and Ocellus.

Once they were all sat in place, Iron Will began his class. As he did, the jakhowls noticed three auras approaching that they recognized, both turning to see Starlight, Spike and Discord.

"They call it making friends..." Iron Will roared as he flexed some more, "Because you have to MAKE creatures be your friends!" He then pointed at Yona, "Show me what you've got, yak!"

Yona grimaced before getting up, moving to the front of the class. She cleared her throat and spoke rather quietly. "be my friend."

Iron Will glared at her, "If you're quiet, I don't buy it!"

Yona took a deep breath, "Be my friend!"

"I've heard pudding that's more convincing!" He told her, getting right up into her face.

Yona huffed and took a deep breath. "BE MY FRIEND!" The students all shrunk back at this, Ace and Mira suddenly hopping out of their seats and into the nearest cupboard and shut the door.

"Wait...why are we hiding in a cupboard?" Mira whispered.

"Um...do you want to become the focus of an Iron Will pumped yak?" Ace replied.

"Good point. Let's stay in here until she calms down. But could you get your foot off my tail?!"

"After you get your claws out of my back!" The pair kept squirming at this, only to fall out of the cupboard. "WHOA!" They both cried, only to hit the floor with many bags of animal feed. A few seconds later, Yona stomped on the ground in front of them and they looked up into a glaring face.

"BE MY FRIEND!" She screamed, making the jakhowls quiver.

"I hope Heart's having a better time than us," Ace gulped.





Meanwhile...

"Some field trip!" Cranky Doodle growled as he lay on a sun lounger, one student holding an umbrella up to shade him, another giving his hooves a massage and another fanning him. Cozy was currently giving him a hooficure while Heart was pushing his hooves into the back of the lounger, using his fire powers to heat it up enough to make Cranky's old muscles feel some relief. "Where's my iced tea?!"

"There is no way this is a proper friendship lesson," Heart hissed as Gallus arrived with the drink.

"This is too cold!" Cranky cried as he spat the drink out. Gallus frowned and transferred the drink to a wooden mug, Cranky sipping it before spitting it out again. "Now it's too hot!" Gallus glared at him and poured another drink into the glass, then gave it to Heart so he could heat it up for a second. Cranky took a sip...and spit it right back out. "Now it's too tea-flavored!" Gallus glared at him, "You call yourselves friends?!"

"I'm pretty sure this would count as slave labour!" Heart yelped, then spotted Starlight, Spike and Discord. "Help us!" he mouthed to them. Discord smiled as he snapped his fingers and the three vanished, leaving the students to suffer under Cranky. And eventually, the old one began to fall asleep and the students used this chance to run away before he could make any of them massage his scalp.

"I never thought I'd come to this school and have to file somepony's hooves," Cozy shuddered.

"Tell me about it," Heart nodded, "I hope Flash and the others come back soon before something worse happens." As he said that, a bunch of ponies suddenly rushed down the corridor. Heart grabbed Cozy and pushed her up against the wall, the ponies running past them with incredible speed.

"What's going on?" Cozy asked, only to get her answer when Smolder flew into view constantly sneezing fire. "WHOA!" She yelped as a flamethrower flew toward them, Heart shielding her from the flames.

As he did this, they heard Yona's voice cry out, "BE MY FRIEND!"

"What the heck is going on?!" Cozy asked, only to hear Starlight's voice call out.

"Discord!" They turned around and saw the unicorn glaring at the spirit of chaos, Cozy gasping at the sight, "This is all your fault!"

"Mine?" Discord asked as he crumpled up the popcorn bag he was eating from. "I thought you were in charge here!" He then summoned a baseball glove that he put the balled-up bag into. "But I'm happy to pitch in if you need me." He swung his arm around...then stopped and flicked the ball out of the glove.

"What is that horrible thing?" Cozy shivered.

"Relax..." Heart replied, "He's on our side...I think."

"What I need is for you to leave!" Starlight cried out, Discord snapping his fingers and transforming into a giant leaf with eyes.

"Happy now?" He asked as Spike picked up the rubbish he had thrown away and put it in a trashcan.

"Come on, Discord," he sighed, "You know that's not what she means."

"Fine!" Discord's leaf fluttered over to a window. "From now on, I won't try to help." With that, the window opened and he blew away like...well, like a leaf in the wind. "At! All!"

Once he was gone, Starlight let out an exhausted groan. "Thanks, Spike. Let's just hope he stays gone."

Spike shook his head, "I wouldn't count on it. I think Discord's trying to test you."

"But why?" Starlight started walking to her office. "I thought we were friends."

"Well, it's kinda what he does. Even to ponies or dragons he cares about."

"I guess I should be glad he doesn't seem to care about me that much," Starlight sighed as the two moved past Heart and Cozy.

"Oh, well, I'm ready for him. I told Twilight I'd run her school right, and I'm gonna keep that promise. No matter what."

With that, she and Spike turned a corner as Heart and Cozy shared a glance. "That was really weird," Cozy told him.

"You get used to it," Heart sighed, "Discord's fun to have around sometimes, but when he doesn't get his way, things have a tendency to go...a little chaotic." As he said that, Soul came around the corner, showing her mane tips were a little singed.

"What happened to you?" Cozy asked as Heart grimaced.

"Our teacher turned out to be a dragon sneeze tree," she sighed, "Smolder was not a fan of his teaching style."

"Fascinating," Heart replied before walking off with Cozy behind him. "Now if you excuse me, I've got a spell-venger hunt to prepare for."

Soul let out a sigh, "Heart, I said I'm sorry. What more do you want me to say?"

"You already said enough," Heart crossed his hooves, "I'm gonna win the spell-venger hunt and do it with...Cozy!" He grabbed the pegasus and pulled her close, "Together, we're gonna whoop your flank."

"I don't think Twilight designed this event to be a contest."

"Well now it is!" He yelled, "Come on Cozy. Let's go strategize."

He walked off in a huff, Cozy just showing a blank face as Heart dragged her off. Seeing this, Soul growled at them, "Fine! If that's how you wanna play it, bring it on then, little brother!"

"I'm the older brother!" Heart yelled back.

"Prove it!" Soul screamed before turning to stomp off in the other direction.

And as the day went on, whenever Heart and Soul spotted one another, they glared at each other with all of their friends noticing. But despite this, no one did anything, especially since the teachers and Starlight were more occupied with...other things.





The next day...

After breakfast, the entire student body was called to assembly in the hallway. There, they found Starlight and Spike along with four others: Springer, Soarin, Trixie and Maud Pie.

"Good morning, students!" Starlight exclaimed, "I know there's been a little bit of adjustment since the professors left for their trip, but I've brought in new new teachers, and now everything should run smoothly. Now, it's time for class. And don't forget, this afternoon is the spell-venger Hunt!" The students all smiled at this as they left for class, Starlight turning to the others, "Thanks for doing this."

"No problem," Springer replied, "Always happy to help."

"Same here," Soarin nodded, "Good thing Rainbow's always telling me about how her classes go. I can run it no problem." Trixie and Maud nodded as well while Springer watched the students leave, only to feel an aura of anger.

"What's up with Heart and Soul?" He asked, the others turning to him, "Those two seem annoyed at something."

"Really?" Starlight replied, "Hmm...well, with everything that's been going on, I haven't had a chance to talk to anypony counselor style."

"And I doubt you're gonna get the chance to with Discord likely hanging about," Spike added, the others frowning at hearing this, but Starlight took a deep breath.

"I can handle this. Let's just focus on getting through the day and making sure the spell-venger hunt goes off without a hitch. And if Discord tries anything, we'll deal with him. After that, I'll have a talk with Heart and Soul."

They all nodded and split up to get to their classes.





At the same time...

Soul and Mira were heading for class, Mira turning to the alicorn, "What's with you and Heart? You've been at each other's throats all day."

Soul let out a huff at this, the alicorn glancing away, "It's his fault. He couldn't take one little joke I made."

"What was the joke?"

"He asked if I wanted to partner with him for the spell-venger hunt and I asked if he only wanted me so I could figure out the clues for him. Then he gets all offended, saying I was calling him dumb!"

Mira tilted her head at this, "Weren't you?"

"Of course not!"

"It sounds like you were," she added as they arrived at the magic class.

"Well even if I did, it was a joke! I've made them before!"

"Well, maybe Heart doesn't wanna hear them anymore." Soul sighed at this as they sat down, "I know I wouldn't want to be called dumb, even if it's for a joke."

"Well, I tried to say sorry, but he wouldn't accept the apology."

"Sometimes it's not enough to say sorry. I know plenty about that with Ace and Springer." Mira responded, "And I don't think it's just the joke he's upset about. Maybe-"

Mira's words came to a stop as the class doors burst open. "Yo!" Discord exclaimed as he walked in with in a terrible getup. "Greetings, fellow creatures!" Before anypony could say anything, he warped over to a seat between Ocellus and Smolder. "Is this seat taken?" Ocellus gave a nervous laugh as she moved away from him, Soul rolling her eyes.

"Discord-" She didn't get to finish as a puff of smoke appeared on the stage.

"Welcome, class!" Trixie appeared from out of the mist, wearing her entertainer getup. "I am your substitute. Professor Trix-"

Riiiiing!

She stopped and turned to the ringing sound, which appeared to be coming from Discord. "Shhh!" He told those around him. "Really, that's so inconsiderate!" But then there was another ringing and he reached into a paper bag that was sat next to him, pulling out a banana that was ringing. "Oh, I better take this." He laid out on the curved bench and answered, "Hello?" Before he could actually start talking, Trixie grabbed the banana, "Hey! Don't you know not to interrupt someone when they're on their phone?!"

"Discord!" Trixie growled, "Why are you here?!"

"Why, I'm a student of friendship, of course." He shot her a challenging smile, "Unless you don't think you're good enough to teach me."

Trixie leaned back before growling, "Of course I am!" She turned back to the stage, but then pointed at him. "No fruit calls in my class!" She threw the banana back at him and he shrugged, peeling it to reveal an actual telephone that he swallowed whole, the sight making the class grimace.

"This isn't gonna end well, is it?" Mira asked Soul.

"Probably not."

Once Trixie was back on the stage, she turned to the class. "Magic is the most important element of friendship. And even though I'm an accomplished magic user, you probably get enough lectures on this subject from Twilight." They all nodded at this. "Instead, we'll be learning about a different kind of magic. Stage magic!" She did some jazz hooves as she said that, making the students all get excited. "First, a few demonstrations."

She pulled her hat off her head and reached inside right as Discord subtly snapped his fingers, only to pull out...a flying pig. "Huh?" She yelped before pushing it back in and reached inside further. She felt something else in the hat and pulled it out, only to reveal Derpy Hooves. The mare waved at the class as Trixie pushed her back inside and continued feeling around, eventually feeling something big and heavy at the bottom.

And when she pulled it out, she and the rest of the class screamed as they now saw a giant ursa major. The beast roared and the students ran for it, all the while Discord chuckled.

"I'm learning so much," he joked, "Aren't you?"

"DISCORD!" Trixie screamed, only for the draconequus to run out of the room as the ursa major vanished. She sighed and put her hat back on, only to hear a ringing come from it. She reached inside and pulled out the banana phone, the mare answering it. "Uh...hello? Um, what exactly is a long-distance plan?"





Springer was in Flash's class with Heart and Ace sitting on the sides as the jakhowl explained what the class was about. Ace turned to Heart and noticed he still looking ticked off. "What's got your tail in a twist?" He whispered.

"Soul," Heart growled, "She thinks I'm an idiot."

"Since when?"

"Probably always," he crossed his hooves and looked away. "I get I'm not the smartest pony in the world, but does she have to insult me like that?"

"What did she even say?"

"She asked if I wanted her as my partner so she could figure out all the clues for me. Totally not true. I just wanted us to work together because we barely get to anymore. And instead of saying yes or no, she calls me an idiot."

"Well, to be fair, you have done some pretty idiotic things. The whole Malafear situation comes to mind."

"Still, doesn't give her the right to call me an idiot." Before Ace could say anything else, Springer called the pair over to try and do the task. It was to carry a bucket of water over a pair of balance beams without spilling any. Heart grabbed one end of a pole while Ace grabbed the other, the pole being what had the water hanging from it. They carefully lifted it up, Heart not allowed to use his wings, and began to carry it up the stairs onto the two balance beams.

They then spilled a few drops, but eventually got over the balance beams, the two slowly making their way. "Remember," Springer commented, "You get a second added to your time for every inch below the line the water is."

"Got it," they both nodded as they slowly inched their way over the beam and dropped a few more drops of water. They tried to be as steady as possible, but when they were halfway over the beams...

"Oh, this is no fun." Discord appeared next to Springer, "Where's the point of this challenge if there's no added danger?"

"Discord," Springer growled, "What are you-" Discord snapped his fingers and in a flash, the mat beneath the balance beam was suddenly replaced by lava. "DISCORD!" Heart and Ace both went wide-eyed, gulping at the sight as the pair continued to inch their way across. But as they did this, the heat made them sweat, causing them to lose their grip on the bucket.

"Whoa!" Ace cried, the pole almost slipping and causing most of the water to splash out and hit the lava. This caused steam to fly up into Heart's face, the pegasus shaking his head. "Careful!" Ace cried, Heart's shaking causing him to accidently pull on the pole.

"DISCORD!" Springer yelled, "Turn things back the way they were or else!"

"Hey now," Discord replied while waving his claw, "I thought you were supposed to trust in your friends. Don't you trust Heart and Ace to finish this task without needing to be bailed out?"

"Springer!" Ace screamed as he started losing his balance, "Get us off of this thing!" He then dropped the pole, Heart doing the same as he fell over the edge and barely managed to grab onto the side of the beam. "HELP!"

As the pole and bucket dropped into the lava, Heart leapt into the air and flew over to the other beam. He managed to reach Ace the second he lost his grip, grabbing him by the tail. "You okay?"

"I think so," Ace whimpered as he looked down at the lava pool. "But I'm starting to get an unwanted tan." Heart groaned as he pulled Ace away from the lava while Springer breathed a sigh of relief. He then shot a glare at Discord, but the draconequus was gone and the lava returned to normal. "Something needs to be done about that psycho."





A little later...

Soarin smiled as he watched the students who were part of his class finish the last lap. "Great work every creature. Rainbow said you all had guts, and it's clear she wasn't exaggerating." The students all smiled at this as Soarin spread his wings. "There's still a little time left before the end of the class, but I know you wanna be well rested for the spell-venger thingy. So, take the rest of the class to relax and get your breath back."

The students all cheered as Soarin took to the air and flew off, happy with how well his class had gone. Maybe he would one day choose to teach full time at the Wonderbolts Academy.

"Soarin!" He glanced down and saw Starlight and Spike walking out of the school building, "How'd your class go? Discord didn't do anything to disrupt it, did he?"

"No," Soarin flew down, "I haven't seen him all day. My class went pretty much perfectly." But in that moment, he heard a bunch of screams and spun around, "Until now!" They ran back to the field and saw the students now being chased by a Bugbear, and off to the side, Discord was watching while wearing a coach's uniform.

Yona tripped and was about to be stung by the creature, Sandbar and Silverstream trying to save her, only for Starlight to fire a magical blast, sending it flying away. "Discord...that's enough! Endangering students crosses the line! I don't know why you're trying to ruin this school, but it stops now!"

Discord smirked as he threw his clipboard and pen away, flashed out of his uniform, and crossed his arms. "I wouldn't be so sure." He winked, and as he did, Starlight's horn began to glow.

"This is your last warning."

"Hey-hey-hey!" Spike ran between them, waving his claws, "Take it easy, Starlight! Discord's your friend, remember?"

"Well, he's not acting like it!" She yelled as Soarin and the rest of the students stepped up behind her.

Spike huffed and turned to the jigsaw creature. "She's right, Discord. What's your problem?"

"My problem?" He asked, looking insulted. "How is the fact that Twilight decided to put an incompetent, power-hungry unicorn in charge of her school MY PROBLEM!"

Starlight gasped at this, only to let out a roar as she fired the most powerful magical blast she could conjure. Everyone behind her gasped as Discord was consumed by the light and cried out, his body appearing to burn away as he vanished. And when the spell ended, a large trench could be seen while one of the buckball baskets fell to the ground.

Starlight turned to them and gave a nervous laugh, "Don't worry. I just banished him from school grounds forever. He's fine."

The students just grimaced as Spike and Soarin checked on the trench. "That probably made things worse," Spike commented, "Why didn't you just talk to Discord?"

"Because he's right about one thing," Starlight sighed, "I've been doing a terrible job as headmare."

"No, you haven't." Spike flew up and patted her on the shoulder. "Discord is just bein'...Discord."

"He's clearly trying to prove some kind of point," Soarin added, "It's always something with him."

"Maybe..." Starlight shook her head, "But I wonder why me being in charge bothers him so much." The ringing of the school bell caught their attention next, signaling the day's classes now ending.

"It's time! We can figure that out after the Spell-venger Hunt. C'mon!"





Heart and Ace arrived at the hallway where the spell-venger hunt would be taking place, Heart spotting Cozy and stepping up to her. Starlight, Spike, Soarin, Springer and Trixie soon came in, the temp teachers minus Maud stepping back as Starlight began to explain. "For this afternoon's Spell-venger Hunt, you'll need to use the artifacts' history to find where they're hidden in the castle." As she said that, Trixie cast an illusion spell to show images of the seven treasures. Another image then appeared, that being of a strange disk-like object covered in seven dots. "When you spot one, touch it with a magic shield to keep track of your score." The object touched the Gauntlet of Salirain, causing one of the dots to glow.

Spike then flew up, carrying a large scroll and a bucket full of the metal shields which had purple straps coming off them. "Twilight left the list of your hunt partners before she left." The students moaned at this, not knowing their chosen partners had already been chosen.

Spike pinned the scroll to the wall and it unfurled, everyone seeing who their partner was. "Please, please, please, please," Heart prayed as he looked over the list, only to let out a groan as he saw he was paired off with his sister. "No!" Those around him turned to him as Soul rolled her eyes, Spike flying down and giving him and Soul each a shield that they tied around their legs.

Once everyone had a shield, Starlight held up a gong. "Ready...set...spell-venger hunt!" She banged the gong and everyone rushed off to find the first item. Heart and Soul flew off, both not daring to look one another.

Springer saw this and frowned, only for Spike to fly over to him, "C'mon! We can use Twilight's observatory to watch the teams!" He and Starlight ran off, leaving the other three to stick around and keep an eye on things in case anything needed a teacher's assistance.





Ace and Mira had been teamed up, both soon trying to find the item connected to their race. As they did this, Ace turned to his partner. "So...where did this Gauntlet of...sal...salo...salva...salvador dali..."

"Gauntlet of Salirain," Mira chimed in.

"Right," Ace nodded, "Where did this Gauntlet of Sali-something even come from?" They turned a corner to the mess hall, "I thought there weren't any jakhowl relics."

Mira shook her head, clearly exasperated about his lack of remembering such important details. "Do you remember the castle Luna took us too?"

"The one full of giant spiders that wanted to eat us?"

"Yeah. Well, after we left, Luna went back on her own and wanted to see if there were anything there that was worth saving. That's when she found the gauntlet in the lowest area of the castle."

"Cool. So what's the backstory on that thing?"

"You didn't even look that up?!"

"Less snapping and more backstory."

Mira sighed as they continued through the castle. "According to legend, Salirain was the first jakhowl to learn how to use aura. Or...at least the first one in Springer's tribe that learned to do it. One day, he discovered a magic gem in a cave that seemed to give him amazing powers. Luna thinks the gem was an aura booster. Remember when the others went after Storm Blade and found that pony tribe?"

"The ones with gems that could dampen aura?"

"Exactly. Well, this stone seems to have the opposite effect. Salirain discovered it and began to master all the aura powers he awakened, which allowed him to become the greatest warrior in his tribe. He fashioned the gauntlet to keep the gem on and used it to protect his tribe and eventually he became the leader. Then one day, he was in a battle with a particularly strong opponent and the gem was knocked off the gauntlet without him noticing. His friends saw it and feared he would be defenseless, but were shocked to discover he could still use all his powers."

"So...the gem was like aura training wheels?"

"Yup. If he had known he didn't have the gem, he probably wouldn't have been able to use his attacks through some kind of mental block. But after the fight and he learned about his loss of the gem, he realized he could use his powers even without it. After that, the gauntlet was used to train jakhowls to access their aura. But eventually, jakhowls learned how to do it without the gauntlet so it just became a fancy artifact."

"But it can still boost the power of a jakhowls aura?" Ace asked, Mira nodding back. "Too bad Springer's dad didn't think to use it during their final battle against the tricksters. The boost might have given him what he needed to win against them before they were killed."

Mira grimaced at this, only to shake her head, "Err...we probably shouldn't tell Springer that. Though what Springer told us, it might not have mattered..."

Ace shrugged at this, "Eh, whatever." He put his paw to his chin, "So the gauntlet turned into a training device..." He snapped his fingers, "I think I know where it is!" He ran off next, Mira following him with a questioning glance.





Heart and Soul continued to make their way through the castle while not looking at one another.

"So..." Soul asked, "Which item do you think we should go after first?"

"What, want me to pick so I feel like I contributed when you find the relic?" Heart growled back, Soul shaking her head and groaning.

"How many times do I have to say I'm sorry?! It was just one joke, and I didn't really mean it. Why are you so hung up about this?" Heart rolled his eyes, "Heart...come on, we've been through way too much for this to get between us."

"Yeah, well maybe I'm sick of everypony thinking I'm an idiot."

"Nopony thinks you're an idiot."

"They do when they compare us." Soul leaned back at this, Heart glancing away, "I've heard what ponies have said, that you're the smart one and I'm the dumb musclehead." He saw in the corner of his eye the grimace on Soul's face, making him sigh, "What? Just because I don't spend every spare moment of the day studying, I'm considered the dumb one! I'm smart!"

"I know that," Soul replied, "I didn't...I mean...it's not my fault ponies think that way."

"Well, you making those kinds of jokes doesn't help! I get I'm not as smart as you, but I'm not an idiot. I might only be getting Cs and the occasional B in all my classes, but that doesn't make me a moron!"

"Heart..." Soul sighed, the two coming to a stop as she put a hoof on his shoulder. The colt slowly looked back at her as she continued, "I'm sorry. I promise I'll never make those kind of jokes again. But if you want ponies to start seeing you as smart, you've got to show them that. Nopony knows what grades you're getting. It's not like Twilight makes them public. All they know about you is what they see, and...you do spend a lot of classes messing around with Ace and whoever else will play with you." Heart frowned at this, "And don't forget that joke you made about writing my study guide on your hoof."

"I was kidding."

"I was kidding before, and you took it seriously. Ponies don't always get jokes. Anypony that heard you might have thought you were seriously going to try and write twenty pages worth of notes on your hoof."

"I...I guess..." Heart glanced down, Soul shaking her head before nudging him.

"Don't worry about what ponies you barely know say. The ponies that matter know you can be smart when you need to be. And who cares if you're not the smartest pony in existence? You've got a bunch of other qualities that make up for it. You're brave, you care about ponies, and you can make ponies laugh. Those qualities are just as important as being smart. Heck, they're probably more important. I don't remember there being an Element of Smartness that saved Equestria."

Heart laughed at this and nodded, "Thanks sis. Sorry I took the joke so badly."

"I'm sorry I told it. I was actually really happy you asked. Lately it feels like we've been drifting apart."

"Since when?"

"Well...ever since we came to Equestria, we've started getting pulled in other directions. You were part of the whole Malafear situation and got to go on that quest with Jaden while I went on the Friendship Mission with Flash and helped First and Heather save that town. Then there was that whole situation with the Storm King. I ended up with Twilight while you helped save Flash from Void. It used to be you and me against the world, but I'm starting to worry that that's gonna change."

"Hey," Heart placed a wing over her back, "No way is that ever gonna change. Our lives might be going in different directions, but that doesn't change the fact that you're my baby sister."

"We don't know which is the oldest."

"Well, I'm never gonna stop thinking that. And as long as I'm breathing, my baby sister's the most important thing in the world to me. Even if one of us is up against a weird situation, we'll support one another no matter what. You'll always have me in your corner, and I know you'll support me no matter what happens."

Soul smiled at this and nodded, pulling him into a hug. "Thanks Heart."

"No problem," Heart embraced back, "Now come on. We've got a bunch of relics to find before everypony else. Let's show them why Heart and Soul are the best team around." Soul nodded and the pair charged, two eyes popped out of a picture on the wall.

"Oh, how sweet." From out of the picture, the ghostly form of Discord slithered out. "I do so love a happy ending. Now, to make sure this ending doesn't end on too much of a sappy note."





Ace and Mira walked up to a certain room, Mira raising an eyebrow at the sight, "Flash's classroom? Why would the Gauntlet be in here?" Ace didn't reply as he pushed the door open, the pair looking inside and seeing the place was formatted to look like the entryway of the jakhowl castle. And in the middle of this entryway, just in front of the stairs, was a podium with the gauntlet on it.

"Beanpot!" Ace cheered before they ran up, holding their shields to it as one of the dots began to glow. "You said this thing was used for training purposes, so I thought it had to be somewhere that could feed into that."

"And Flash calls this place the school's training hall," Mira added before holding up a fist. "Nice one." Ace smirked and bumped the fist with his own, the pair laughing as they headed to the door. But before they could, the doors suddenly slammed shut.

"Huh?" Ace raised an eyebrow as Mira tried to open the door, only to find it wouldn't budge. They then heard a noise behind them, both glancing back to see several banners hanging from the ceiling, which were covered in images of jakhowls defeating tricksters. But then, the images on the banners came to life, showing the tricksters starting to get the upper-hand on the jakhowls.

The tricksters blasted the jakhowls away before turning to them, the banners suddenly lifting off the hooks holding them. "What's going on?" Mira gulped as the banners started to slide along the floor.

"Whoa!" Ace and Mira leapt to the side as the banners zipped by before circling around. "Is the training room on the blink?"

"Maybe," Mira tried to slash at the banner with a Steel Paw, but as she did this, the banner simply exploded into the million pieces of string that then flew up at her, "Hey!" She yelped as the string tied her up, "Help!" Ace quickly cut her free with a Steel Paw, Mira sighing in relief, "These things can't hurt us, right? They're just illusions." The ripped up string began to reform the banner, the trickster on it growling.

"I'm not taking the chance!" Ace cried before forming an Aura Blast and firing it, blowing apart the door trapping them inside. "Come on!" He ran out while grabbing Mira, dragging her out as the banners began to follow them. And as they expected the illusions to vanish the moment they left the room, they found they didn't. "What is going on?!"





Heart and Soul smiled as they located the cloak of Clover the Clever, now having three of the seven relics.

"Just four more to go," Soul smirked before the pair heard a loud scream. "Huh?" They looked up and saw Ace and Mira run past the entrance to their hallway, followed by a pair of flying banners. "What the heck?!"

"Come on!" Heart ran after them, Soul right behind him as the siblings rushed down the hallways. But as they turned a corner, they instead found Cozy and another student running away from a flying picture of Starswirl the Bearded. "Hang on!" Heart created a fireball and launched it at the picture, blasting it away, but not burning it.

Soul quickly grabbed the picture and looked it over, frowning at this. "This has Discord written all over it."

"Now hang on," Heart added, "We don't know for sure that it's Discord." But then she turned the picture around and saw the word 'Discord' written all over the back of it in bold multi-colored letters. "Huh." They then heard more screaming and turned to see other students being chased by pictures, suits of armor and large banners. The siblings quickly followed this, only to find Ace, Mira, Sandbar, Yona, Silverstream, Ocellus, Smolder and Gallus huddled up, all looking absolutely terrified.

But before either of them could say anything. "Every-creature, stop!!" They turned to see Starlight, Spike, Springer, Soarin and Trixie standing there.

"B-B-B-But the school is haunted!" Silverstream pointed at the flying pictures and banners, the moving suits of armor and a nearby staircase turning into a quicksand slide.

"It's not haunted," Starlight growled, "It's Discord." As soon as she said that, a bright flash of light filled the air and blinded them. And when it died down, the ghostly form of Discord was floating above them with all seven magical relics floating around him.

"Headmare Starlight! Look at me! Look! I won the spell-venger hunt! Well done, me! Now what's my prize?"

"Detention," Spike instantly replied.

Discord frowned at this, "Well, that's disappointing." He dropped the relics, all falling as Spike and the other teachers gasped as they leapt to catch them.

"Discord!" Starlight glared at him, "You can't keep messing up the school!"

"On the contrary," Ghost Discord responded, "I think I rather can. And will."

"Then I have just one thing to say to you."

"Oh, do go on."

The students all flinched at this, ready to hear a long speech from Starlight about putting others before oneself or something like that...only for her to say, "I'm sorry."

"Huh?!" The others all said together as Ghost-cord went wide-eyed.

"What?" Starlight fired a spell at him and in a flash, Discord was restored to his normal state.

"I had to stop thinking like a headmare and start thinking like a guidance counselor to finally understand. You felt left out."

"Uh..." Discord glanced away at this, only to stutter out, "I um...don't know what you're getting at."

"Nopony ever invited you to the school," Starlight continued, "And when you offered to help, I didn't listen. I was so worried about doing things Twilight's way, I didn't stop to think about being a good friend. I'd like to apologize for that and offer you the job of vice headmare."

This offer made everyone go wide-eyed as Discord turned back to her, "I accept!" He cheerfully shook her hoof. "I mean," he pulled away. "I-I-I suppose I can find some time in my busy schedule to help you out. But I will need my own office, expense account, parking space..."

"You're new to the world of education, aren't you?" Spike asked.

Starlight rolled her eyes at this, "Next time you want something, just ask for it, all right?" Discord slowly nodded back, picking Spike up to hug him.

"But then we'd miss out on all those delightful misadventures!"

"Hey!" Spike pulled himself free, "Watch the wings!"

He flew off as Starlight continued to speak, "Now, Vice Headmare Discord, if you'll help me get this spell-venger hunt back in order."

Discord snapped his fingers, causing the relics to vanish. "Everything is re-hidden." As he said that, one of the small pictures flew off the wall and scared Silverstream. "Well, with a few surprises." Starlight giggled at this, knowing that she might not have done everything the way Twilight had wanted it, but Twilight more than anypony would say that the inclusion of a friend was more important than plans that would exclude them. All in all, her first stint as head-mare had been one-

"DISCORD!" Twilight's voice echoed through the air after a loud banging sound, making them turn to see the seven regular teachers, all of them looking like they had been diving through bushes and swimming in mud. "I can't believe you tricked us into going on a friendship quest that wasn't real!"

"Oh," Discord looked away, "Back so soon?"

"A glamour spell on our cutie marks?!" Rarity exclaimed.

"A fake summons from the map?!" Rainbow cried.

"Do you have any idea what your little trick put us through?" Flash added as a muddy Pinkie giggled.

"Hey, at least we got to go spelunking in that really creepy cave with all those eyeless worm creatures chasing us." As she said that, Yona ran over and pulled Applejack into a hug.

"Oh, Yona so glad ponies back!" She held her tightly, Applejack turning to Fluttershy.

"Uh, y'all get the feelin' we missed somethin'?"

"You have no idea," Springer added as the group began to walk off and get cleaned up. As they did this, those that had been there began to explain everything that they had missed.

While this happened, Twilight turned to her first student, "Thanks for taking care of the school, Starlight."

"It was a challenge," Starlight replied, "But I think things turned out just the way you would have handled them." And so, they explained everything else, the Mane Seven getting annoyed at Discord for trying to ruin everything before feeling bad for leaving him out. They apologized and promised that if he ever wanted to be a part of the school, all he had to do was ask.





Later that evening, Flash and Twilight were in her office. Twilight was at her desk, carefully looking over the relics, "Phew," she sighed, "It doesn't look like they were damaged during Discord's little game." Flash nodded at this, "We're gonna need to find a good place to display them all when we get the chance."

"We could put them in the library like what we did with the headband," Flash suggested, only for a knock at the door to ring out, making them turn around.

"Come in," Twilight announced as the door opened to show Cozy Glow. "Is something wrong?"

"No," Cozy shook her head, "I just wanted to hand my homework in. Professor Trixie's lesson was cut...kind of short, so I didn't get to give it to her." She moved over to give a scroll over to Twilight, who smiled and took it.

"Thank you, but you didn't have to worry about that. Today's events were...unusual to say the least." She placed the scroll down and moved over to the Celestia picture, swinging it open to reveal the safe. She entered the code to open it and quickly floated the magical relics inside, not noticing Cozy squinting her eyes as she watched her, "You should go get to bed. Tomorrow's gonna be another busy day."

"Okay," Cozy nodded before heading out, Twilight smiling as she shut the safe.

"Such a nice girl."

"And she's been doing really well in her friendship lesson," Flash added, "Looks like all that tutoring the CMC have been doing helped out a bunch."

Twilight nodded back, the two getting back to work. The place might have had a rough start, but it was clear now that the School of Friendship could handle anything. Compared to Discord and his shenanigans, ponies like Neighsay and the rest of the EEA would not be an issue. The School of Friendship was there to stay.
> Nightmare Night
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nightmare Night, the night where everypony dressed up and asked for candy from others. To some, it was kind of pointless, but it was always a good experience. And the School of Friendship was planning on enjoying the event as much as any other place in Equestria. Twilight had decided to throw a Nightmare Night party for all the students, who would all be dressing up in whatever outfit they wanted while enjoying an extra big Pinkie party.

Currently, the students of Rarity's Generosity class were working on their costumes. They were all sitting in a circle, either on sewing machines or doing it by hoof...claw...paw...you get the idea. Ace smirked as he sewed up the last piece of fabric, the young jakhowl holding it up for all to see. "How's this look?" Ace asked Gallus, who glanced it over before nodding.

"Not bad," Gallus replied before holding up his own costume. "But what do you think of this?"

Ace stared at the costume before tilting his head, "Is...it a goat?" He asked, seeing the horns on the head area.

"No!" Gallus yelped, "It's the arimaspi! I'm going as an arimaspi skeleton!"

"Oh...well, I have no idea what an arimaspi is." Gallus chuckled and put on the mask he had just made. It did look rather skull-like with large horns on the top and had a large round hole in the center that had glass covering it to hide Gallus' eyes. "Okay, that looks cool." He then held up his costume and put it on. "But it's not gonna be as cool as mine."

Gallus watched him put on his mask, which was a combo of white and green with a blue spike on the top. "What is that?"

"It's a creature from a book on legendary beings. This one was part of a duo and he had blades coming out of his elbows, which he used to protect his partner, who was some kind of magical princess."

"Huh. Cool."

"Ha!" Smolder laughed, "Well, nobody's gonna have a better costume than me." She held the costume up and everyone instantly recognized it.

"Flashfire?" Mira asked, getting a nod from Smolder.

"Who else!" She responded, remembering how amazed she was when Professor Flash had shown her the first issue of the dragon superhero he enjoyed. Ever since then, Smolder was a big fan of the series too. "Just watch. I'm gonna win the best costume contest." She put the yellow mask on and everyone chuckled at this, all looking forward to the contest Twilight had announced that would be taking place during the party.

"I think my costume is gonna be the best," Ocellus added as she held up a cloak that looked an awful lot like the one they had been searching for during the spell-venger hunt a few weeks previously. She put it on, only to see that it was a little big for her.

"Don't you think you should shorten it a bit?" Smolder asked, but Ocellus just shook her head.

"It'll fit fine once I've finished the rest of the costume." In that moment, Ocellus was consumed by the burst of fire. The next thing the students knew, she was now an orange unicorn stallion with a brown mane and tail. "Tada! Clover the Clever, at your service."

"Hey!" Ace yelped, "That's not fair! Using your changeling magic to make yourself more like the real thing!"

"Head-mare Twilight didn't say I couldn't!" Ocellus laughed before turning back. The others frowned, but knew they couldn't argue with that, instead going back to their costumes.





In another area of the school, Heart, Soul, Silverstream, Yona, Sandbar and Cozy were in Pinkie's class.

They were all making decorations for the Nightmare Night party, working on making bats out of cardboard and other creepy looking images. "You're all doing great!" Pinkie told them as she bounced around the classroom. She then spotted Silverstream and laughed at seeing the hippogriff cover her bat in sparkles and sequins. "Nightmare Night decorations aren't usually supposed to be so colorful, but I like where you're going with it."

"Thanks," Silverstream replied before grabbing a bunch of arts and crafts equipment. "More glitter! More sparklies! More EVERYTHING!" The rest of the students all laughed as they continued their work, all the while talking about what their costumes would be.





Out in the corridors, Flash, Twilight and Applejack were putting up the decorations while discussing their plans for the night. "We've still got to do the main hall," Twilight commented as she stared at her clipboard. "But that has to wait until the students have all completed the decorations. Pinkie's already gotten all the party food prepared and Rainbow's working on the games..."

"Sounds like everything coming along nicely," Flash added.

"Almost," Twilight flickered through the list. "There's still one thing that we need to find. Another chaperone."

"What for?" Applejack asked, "If the nine of us workin' here is enough to keep the school going from day to day, won't it be enough to keep the students under control during the party?"

"Except it won't be the nine of us," Twilight countered, "Don't forget, Fluttershy's not gonna be there. We need somepony to replace her." The pair nodded, now remembering Fluttershy's fear of Nightmare Night. "Plus, we need to be prepared in case some of us are called by the map or something else during the event."

"And we should have enough ponies to take shifts," Flash chimed in, "You really wanna hear Pinkie complain about needing to be all responsible every second of the night instead of getting to go out and enjoy herself? If we get enough ponies to help, we can all enjoy the night and keep the place under control."

"Huh," Applejack put a hoof to her chin before nodding, "Good point. Ah'll see if ah can find anypony happy to help out."

"That would be a big help," Twilight added as they put up the last of the decorations. The rest of the day went by with just as much excitement, with everypony constantly working on making it the best night they possibly could. And when the school day ended, Applejack headed home, smiling at the sight of Ponyville being decorated just as well as the school.

"Gotta love Nightmare Night," she chuckled as the farm came into view. And as she got closer, she spotted somepony flying around the backyard. Rogue was playing fetch with Winona, the thestral having grown quite close to the dog in his time there.

"Here we...GO!" He threw the ball and Winona ran off to get it, Rogue laughing as he landed and waited for her to come back.

"Havin' fun?" He spun around to see Applejack, the grin on his growing slightly wider.

"Who wouldn't have fun with such a good girl?" he chuckled as Winona ran back and dropped the ball at his hooves. "Though I could do without the dog slobber," he laughed as he felt the slime on his hoof. "So, how was school?" He threw the ball at Applejack, who batted it flying with her tail.

"Great. Everypony's lookin' forward to the Nightmare Night. We're having a big ol' party at the school and everypony's going in their favorite costumes."

Rogue nodded at this, remembering the Nightmare Night he had enjoyed the first time he was there. He remembered the costume Rarity had made him, that of a blind superhero that fought crime using sound, and he loved the candy collection he got with the CMC and the many games in the town plaza. The memory made him hope he could repeat it this year.

"Hey," Applejack chimed in, taking the batpony out of his thoughts, "Ah just had a thought. You think you'd mind helpin' out at the school?"

"Me?" Rogue pointed to himself, "What could I do to help?"

"It's nothin' big. We need a bunch of ponies to keep watch at different times that night. All yah have to do is come to the school and make sure nopony does anything too crazy at the party for an hour. Then somepony else'll come by and take over for yah."

"So I'll be in charge?"

Applejack shrugged, "Maybe. I think Twilight's gonna have it be one teacher and one chaperone, working together while the others enjoy themselves. What'd you say?"

"Sure," Rogue nodded, "I don't see why not. Sounds like fun."

"Great," Applejack nodded back as Winona ran up to them with her ball. As Applejack continued to play with her pooch, Rogue now thinking about the idea of being alone with Applejack during Nightmare Night. The two could work together as chaperones for the school and when that was over, they could go have fun together all on their own. Rogue's chest suddenly felt really tight as that idea formed in his head, the bat pony deciding he needed to make this Nightmare Night the best night Applejack had ever had. But how?





The next day...

Rogue let out a yawn as he made his way through the town to Rarity's boutique. He had agreed to collect the costumes for himself and the Apple family, who were all preparing for the festivities. As he arrived at the building, he knocked and waited in the shade of the building so he didn't have to suffer the sun's horrible glare.

A few moments later, the door opened and Rarity saw him. "Rogue. So nice to see you darling. Come to collect the costumes?"

"Yup!" Rogue nodded, stepping into the store and taking off his shades. As he did this, he couldn't help but notice Rarity was looking a little ragged. "Are you okay? You look like you've barely gotten any sleep."

"Oh yes," Rarity sighed, "Nightmare Night's my most productive time of year...unless there's some sort of fashion line I have to make. So many ponies wanting a costume to wear that I've been making outfits for half the town. As you can probably guess, it takes a lot of work."

"Well, I hope you haven't worked so much you won't have enough energy to enjoy tonight."

"Oh, even if I'm exhausted, I intend to enjoy myself as much as possible. Even if it means spending the next seventy-two hours afterward in a never-ending sleep. Now, where did I put-aha!" She removed several costumes from off the rack, then floated them over, "So, what do you think?"

Rogue stared at the clothes, seeing the many different costumes he and the Apple Family would be going as. Applebloom was planning to be a Kirin, having been interested in them since seeing one at some point Rogue didn't know about. Big Mac's was a large wolf costume, as he was apparently doing a couple's costume with Sugarbelle. Then there was Applejack's, which was a very shiny costume that looked like it was made out of metal. A toy axe was connected to the sides and a cone-shaped hat could be seen. "What is Applejack going as anyway?"

"The tin-mare," Rarity replied, "She would have gone as it last year, but the costume got damaged the night before and she had to go as something else." Rogue blinked at this, remembering that she had dressed up in a blue and white dress with her mane tied in pigtails, though she didn't seem happy about it. "And I hope you enjoy your costume. I designed it after I heard what Applejack was going as."

Rogue raised an eyebrow at hits as he held up the last one, seeing it was a very furry costume with holes in the back for his wings and a blue and red vest, the mask being that of a monkey. "What am I going as?"

"A flying monkey," Rarity laughed, "The wings are supposed to be feathered, but I'm sure you'll managed." As she said that, another customer arrived and Rarity rushed over to help with them.

Rogue quickly got the costumes properly folded in his hooves, putting on his shades and heading out the door. Looking around, he saw the place was properly creeped up. Ponies were carving pumpkins and preparing the booths for the night that was about to come. He then noticed Fluttershy running around the marketplace, grabbing as many carrots and other vegetables she could find.

"Are you okay?" The mare jumped at this, only to turn and sigh.

"Oh, hello Rogue. I'm fine. Just wanting to make sure I have everything my animals and I need before the sun sets."

"Are you really just gonna sit out the whole night?" Rogue asked, Fluttershy nodding back. "Sounds like a waste. Shouldn't you at least try and enjoy Nightmare Night, even if it's only once?"

"Oh, I already tried. But even though I was able to get into the spirit of things, it just wasn't for me. I'd much rather spend my time at my house, snuggled up with all my friends reading a book. That's my idea of the perfect nightmare night." She grabbed some more pears and headed off, leaving Rogue to head back to the farm. He arrived as Granny Smith finished feeding the chickens.

"So," Granny Smith spotted him, "Got the costumes?"

"Yup," Rogue replied, "Are you sure you don't want to come out and have fun?"

"Oh, no. These old bones stopped being up for Nightmare Night a long time ago. You young'uns will just have to have more fun in mah place." She let out a yawn. "Whelp, I'm gonna go take a nap. I'll probably be up half the night giving out candy."

"Who'd come all the way out here just to get a bit of candy?" Rogue asked, but Granny laughed and told him a lot of ponies. He watched her leave before looking down at costumes before flying up to the second floor and through a window into the hallway. He hung Mac and Applebloom's costumes up on the doors before heading back out and to the School of Friendship.

When he arrived, he headed straight for the teacher's lounge. He gave it a knock and a few moments later, the door opened to a smiling Twilight, "Hey Rogue. Dropping off the costumes?"

"You know it," Rogue replied as he flew in and saw several more costumes hanging from hooks on the wall. Flash was also there, helping Spike as he was busy working on something. "What are you two doing?"

"Spike's trying to finish his costume," Flash grumbled, "We keep telling him not to leave it until the last day, but does he listen? No!"

"Hey! I'm a busy dragon!" Spike yelled as he continued sewing, "And I always get it done on time. Heck, might I remind you that the first year we were in Ponyville, I finished with my costume before the two of you and all you had to do was cut holes in a bedsheet." Flash and Twilight rolled their eyes as Twilight saw Rogue hang the costumes up.

"Tin-mare and the flying monkey. I didn't think you and Applejack were doing a couples costume."

"Couple?" Rogue spun around with wide eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about. We're not a couple!"

The other three leaned back at his slight outburst, surprised by this and then, Flash and Twilight shared a smirk. "I never said you were," Twilight laughed, "But it's clear you'd like to be." Rogue's face began to turn red, "Oh? Is that how we looked before we got together?"

"Nah," Flash shook his head with a chuckle, "We were way worse. Like, a ton of tip-hoofing that frustrated everypony, especially Cadance." He pointed at Rogue at this, "Come on, it's clear as the nose on your face. You like Applejack. There's nothing wrong with that."

"There isn't?" Rogue asked.

"Of course not," Twilight waved her hoof, "And I'm willing to bet Applejack likes you too. You two enjoy spending time together, don't you?" Rogue nodded, "Then you should tell Applejack how you feel."

"What?! It's not that easy!" Rogue yelped, "And Applejack isn't the kind of mare that likes lovey dovey stuff!"

"Neither is Rainbow," Flash added, "And she's married. You don't have to make some big romantic gesture for Applejack to tell her how you feel."

"I...don't?"

"Nope," Spike chimed in, "Applejack's a simple mare. She'd probably see something like that as a big waste of time. She's the Element of Honesty, so be honest with her."

"He's right," Twilight nodded, "Maybe you should try and tell her how you feel tonight...when you two aren't watching over the party of course."

"But what if she says no?" Rogue asked, "I could end up ruining our friendship."

"Everypony has that fear," Flash commented as he patted his shoulder, "I was worried of losing Twilight as a friend if we didn't work out as a couple. But now look at us. You've gotta be willing to take the plunge. Cause if you don't, another pony might try and snatch her up. Somepony's already tried to get her attention once."

"They have?!" The three nodded, saying his name was Trenderhoof. Rogue sighed, but nodded. "Fine, I'll try and tell her. But I'm doing it when it's just the two of us alone. No way am I having anypony else see if she turned out to reject me."

Flash and Twilight nodded again, both agreeing that was perfectly alright. They then spent the next little bit discussing what Rogue would say, agreeing that he needed to be direct and to the point. Once that was done, Rogue left to find Applejack. He first looked for her in her classroom, but found her lesson had already ended before going around town, but she was nowhere in sight. And when he did finally find her, she was in Sugarcube Corner surrounded by several of her friends.

Rogue groaned at the sight, knowing this was gonna take a while.





That evening...

As the sun began to set, the ponies of Ponyville were eagerly awaiting the start of Nightmare Night. Many were already dressed in their costumes as they watched the sun slowly disappear behind the horizon. Some moaned at how long it was taking, a few even thinking Celestia was keeping it up just to mess with them.

But finally, the last rays of light vanished below the horizon and the ponies all cheered as they rushed out their houses. And in the School of Friendship, the teachers and agreed upon chaperons were all getting dressed. Rogue felt a little embarrassed in his flying monkey suit, but the others said it looked good on him.

Flash was dressed in his traditional ghost sheet costume while Twilight was dressed in a lab-coat, goggles and a wig of white frizzy hair. Rainbow was wearing a white dress with a black wig that was styled backwards and had white streaks running up it while Soarin was wearing a bulky black suit and had a headpiece on that made his head look more square. Both he and Rainbow had bolts attached to their necks.

Pinkie and Wild were both dressed like clowns while Rarity was in a kimono and ceremonial headdress. Lightning was next to her, dressed in a samurai costume with a plastic sword strapped to his side. Spike was, to Rogue's confusion, dressed as a dragon. A silver-colored dragon with his green spikes sticking out the back and his wings had been painted silver. Springer was dressed like a cowboy, wearing boots, a hat and leather jacket with a belt around his hip that holstered a water gun. Starlight was dressed up like something Rogue had never seen before. Her mane was green and curled at the ends while she wore a fur dress that was a mixture of green, black and purple. Her front hooves had green fur gloves that went up to her knees while her back ones had bracelets made of the same material. And finally, Grand was dressed like a zombie.

"You all look great," Twilight commented as she put on a pair of rubber gloves. "Now, I've made a timesheet for all of the times we're gonna be watching over the party." She took out a scroll and placed it on the wall. "We'll all be watching the first hour to make sure nothing bad happens when it starts up. Then, pairs of two will keep an eye on everything and switch with another pair every twenty-five minutes. This'll be your time and your partner."

Everyone looked at the scroll and saw their names besides who their partner was followed by the time they needed to be watching over the party. In order, it was Applejack and Rogue, Spike and Springer, Rainbow and Soarin, Rarity and Lightning, Pinkie and Wild, and Starlight and Grand.

"Everyone understood? You just need to keep everything under control for twenty-five minutes, then you can have the rest of the night free to do whatever you want."

"How come you and Flash aren't on that list?" Rainbow asked.

"We're gonna be here the entire night," Flash chimed in, "You didn't expect us to leave just two ponies here to run the whole thing, did you?" Rainbow nodded back and as the clock struck the hour, they all smiled as it meant the party was about to start.

"Alright ponies," Twilight exclaimed, "Let's get out there and show our students the best night of their lives!"

"YEAH!" They all cheered before heading off to the cafeteria, which had all the tables and chairs to the side, turning the middle into a dance floor. Tables lined the far walls and were covered in plates of snacks and drinks, just waiting for the party goers to come and enjoy themselves. And they soon came just as Twilight unlocked the cafeteria doors, the students beginning to strut into the room dressed in their outfits.

Heart was wearing plastic armor similar to what Flash wore in his Shining Guardian form while Soul was dressed like a doctor with a lab-coat and stethoscope. Ace was wearing the full costume of the being he was talking about. His chest was green and had a red spike sticking out of his chest and back, while his elbows had green plastic blades sticking out of them while his whole bottom half was white. Mira was dressed similar to Ace, only her mask didn't have the spike on its head and she was wearing a white dress with green arms and her mask had green hair on it.

Gallus was wearing his arimaspi skeleton costume while Ocellus was dressed in the redone Clover the Clever outfit, the changeling remaining in her true form. Smolder was dressed as Flashfire, wearing a yellow mask and purple suit while Sandbar was dressed as a Vampire, Cozy dressed as a princess, and Yona was wearing a furry mask with her normal green back blanket gone. Silverstream was the most interesting of the costumed students, wearing a pink shirt with blue overalls and a pink hat that had a white spot on the front with a pink S inside it.

"Welcome every-creature," Twilight waved her hoof as the last of the students arrived. "I'm happy to see everypony getting into the spirit of the holiday." The students all cheered at this as Pinkie zipped over to the boombox with the music they would be playing that night. "Tonight is a night I hope you'll all remember as a great one you got to have with your friends. Now, enjoy yourselves, but please remember this is still a school, so please don't do anything too insane." The students laughed at this as the head-mare nodded, "And without further droning from me-"

"LET'S GET THIS PARTY STARTED!" Pinkie cheered before hitting the on button, the boombox beginning to play music as the students all cheered and started dancing. The teachers and chaperones all chuckled at the sight before going to the side, some trying to act dignified, but eventually the rhythm of the music got the best of them and started dancing as well.

One of the only ones not dancing was Rogue, who didn't feel like making a fool out of himself. That is, till Applejack clanked over to him. "Come on Rogue." She grabbed him by the leg and dragged him onto the dancefloor, "Can't have yah looking like a sad sack all on yer own." Rogue cried out as he was pulled along, soon being surrounded by the students and teachers who were moving their bodies in ways that he felt were unnatural.

"But...I don't know how to dance!" Rogue replied.

"Nopony does!" Applejack laughed, "This ain't some fancy pants contest where yer supposed to move in a certain way. Just do whatever feels right. Heck, look at those two!" She gestured over to Flash and Twilight, the pair kicking their back legs up and swinging their front ones around like psychos.

Rogue couldn't help but laugh at this, but still stood in place for a few moments as Applejack swayed her body from side to side and stomped her hooves on the ground. After a few moments, Rogue let the music flow through his body. This caused his hoof to tap on the ground while his head started bobbing, Applejack smiling at this. And as he listened to it more, his dancing grew more enthusiastic.

"That's the way!" The farm-pony cheered, "YEE-HAA!" They continued to dance around, Rogue following her lead and beginning to laugh along with her as their dancing go more intense. They kept this up for a few songs, only to soon get exhausted and headed over to the snack table to get a few drinks. Twilight was also there, studying the punch like it was a bomb about to go off.

"What's up Twi?" Applejack asked as Twilight took a sip from each bowl.

"Nothing," she responded, "Just...had to check the punch."

"Why?"

"Celestia warned me. I asked her for some tips on throwing a good school party and she told me to periodically check the punch bowl. One time a party at her school got a little out of hoof because somepony poured hard cider into it."

"Yikes," Applejack gulped, "What happened?"

"She didn't say. Guess she was a little too embarrassed." Twilight then looked at the time and saw the first hour of the party was quickly drawing to a close. "Everypony else will be heading out soon. You two sure you're okay watching over the place for another half hour?"

"No problem Twi," Applejack waved her hoof, "This is kinda fun, right Rogue?"

"Err...yeah," Rogue nodded. "And heck, if we do our turn early, we won't have to worry about coming back later and can enjoy the rest of the night however we want."

Twilight nodded at this, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "Say, do you two mind doing a quick patrol of the school the make sure nopony's snuck off? Apparently, that's something else that happens during a Celestia party. I doubt any-creature here will do that, but better safe than sorry."

"You got it Twi," Applejack replied, "We'll take a look around and send anypony we find messin' round back here." Twilight nodded again and the pair headed off, leaving the cafeteria and beginning to search around the place. The pair walked in silence as the music continued to play in the background. But slowly, it got quieter before the pair were eventually walking in complete silence.

"See anythin'?" Applejack asked him, Rogue reaching up to his face.

"Ah can barely see anything in this mask." He pulled the monkey face off of him and gasped, "Geez. That thing gets seriously hot."

"Why'd yah pick it then?"

"I didn't. I asked Rarity to make me something she thought would look good and she made me this since she thought it would go well with your costume."

Applejack blinked at this, only to facehoof, "Oh yeah. Can't believe ah didn't realize it before. You and I have costumes from the same storybook."

Rogue nodded as they reached the courtyard and looked up at the moon. "You went as a character from that story last year, right?" Applejack nodded, "And then the two years before that. What, are you gonna be a big green head next year?"

"Maybe," Applejack laughed as she sat on the fountain. "It's a really good book with a lot of great characters. And the other books are just as good."

"Is that why you like it so much?" Rogue asked, sitting next to her. "Going as all the characters...it must be your favorite book."

Applejack nodded. "It wasn't always, but ah guess it grew on me over the years. Especially after what happened in Manehatten."

"Huh?" Rogue raised an eyebrow, Applejack chuckling back.

"Oh yeah, ah never told yah that story. See, ah wasn't always the farm gal yah know. When ah was really young, ah wanted to leave the farm life and go live it up in dah big city. So ah left Sweet Apple Acres and moved to Manehatten to live with mah aunt and uncle there. Ah was living the high life and learning to be the respectable lady."

The two shared a look before they both burst out laughing. "So...let me get this straight? You were trying to be Rarity?" They laughed again.

"Pretty much. Why? That sound silly to yah?"

"It's just...really hard to imagine you acting all high and mighty and trying to pick which spoon to use."

"Well, yer right ta laugh. Ah might have hit in there, but it just wasn't me. Ah realized ah missed home way too much. That's when ah saw this amazing rainbow leading all the way home. So ah followed it and when ah got back, mah cutie mark appeared and ah knew ah was right where ah belonged."

"What does that have to do with the story?" Rogue asked, entertained but still unsure what she was getting at.

"You ever read that story?"

"No, but Twilight once summarized it for me when I asked about that costume you wore last year."

"Well, think about the plot. A farm girl is whisked away from her quiet farm life and finds herself in a strange new world, full of unusual but amazin' things. But despite all that, all she really wants to do is go home and be with her family. And then a magical thing helps lead her home."

Rogue blinked at her, only to slowly nod, "You identify with the girl cause the same thing happened to you."

"Yup. Replace ruby horseshoes with a rainbow and her adventure is an exaggerated telling of mah time away from home. When ah got back, ah was lookin' for a book ta read ta Applebloom and found that one. As ah read it, ah realized ah was just like the girl in the story. It's been mah favorite ever since. Cause it reminds me of mah own time away from home and helps remind me why ah came back. It reminds me of who ah am."

"I get it," Rogue nodded, "Everypony wants to have something to remind them of home." He looked up at the moon, "Like me. When I first went to find my family, all I thought about was meeting them and finding out who I really was. But after I met my mom and Banshee and had all those questions answered, I realized that wasn't where I belonged. Sweet Apple Acres was my home. Not because it was where the golden apple trees are, but because it was the first place I truly felt wanted."

Applejack smiled back at this. "Well, mah family are happy you're with us now. Things have gotten a lot more lively with you around the farm, helping out when you can." Rogue was happy to hear this, the stallion opening his mouth to respond, only to see Applejack get up. "Well, we should probably get back before Twilight comes and starts tellin' us off for not actually looking for anypony. I don't think any of them are out here doin' what they shouldn't be."

Rogue's mouth stayed open for a second more, only to silently sigh and got off of the fountain as well before following her. And when they got back to the cafeteria, they found the other chaperones had all left to go have some fun on their own. Many of the students had chosen this time to take a break from dancing and grab a bite to eat, many sitting on chairs around the dancefloor and eating to their heart's content.

"You're back," Twilight chimed in, "Find anything?"

"Nope," Applejack told her. "Nopony in the school except the ones in this classroom." Twilight sighed in relief at this and thanked them both as the music changed to a certain song. "Ah yeah!" Applejack exclaimed as she pulled Rogue with her back onto the dance floor, the pair beginning to dance alongside Gallus, Silverstream, Ace, Mira, Heart and Cozy Glow.

Their enjoyment continued until the end of their shift, Twilight thanking them again and saying they were free to do whatever they wanted the rest of the night. The pair quickly exited the school and passed Spike and Springer as they headed into town, where they found the place full of ponies in all kinds of outfits. Cute ones like ladybirds and bunnies while others were scary looking like mummies and werewolves. They even spotted Derpy, who to their amazement had chosen to dress as Tempest Shadow back when she attacked Canterlot. Besides her was her little sister Dinky, who they assumed was dressed like Grubber.

"Wanna try at the spider toss?" Applejack asked, Rogue smirking and nodding back. The pair ran over and grabbed a spider before throwing it, the spiders flying through the air and landing on the webs. They both cheered and high-hoofed before continuing onward.

And when they approached Sugarcube Corner, they saw Pinkie and Wild along with Mr. and Mrs, Cake. Mr. Cake was wearing a black and white striped suit and tie with his hair slicked back and died black along with a drawn-on mustache while Mrs. Cake was wearing a black flowing dress and a long black wig. Pound and Pumpkin were also dressed up, Pound wearing a black and white striped T-shirt while Pumpkin was wearing a black dress with white spots.

Big Mac and Sugarbelle were coming up the street at this, Mac wearing his wolf costume while Sugarbelle had a red cloak on her back with its hood up and holding a basket.

The three couples noticed the pair and smiled, waving at them as they passed. "How cute," Mrs. Cake giggled, "They chose a couples costume as well."

"I didn't even know they were dating," Mr. Cake added.

"They're not," Pinkie chimed in, "Or...at least not yet." They all smirked as they watched them continue on, the pair looking around. They then arrived at the town hall, which was decorated better than anywhere else in Ponyville.

"Come in!" Mayor Mare exclaimed, "Come in! Come and experience the terrors of the haunted halls."

"They turned town hall into a haunted house?" Rogue asked, Applejack smirking.

"Sounds like fun. Let's go take a look." Rogue nodded and the pair headed inside, finding the hall had been turned into a maze. They walked in and turned left as mist and shadows filled the place. "Doesn't look so scary."

"Especially for somepony that can see in the dark." Rogue commented, the pair turning another corner, only to find a bit more darkness. Only one light in the hallway before them was working and even that one was flickering while a bunch of windows lined the left wall despite them being a fair way into the building. When they stepped up to the windows, they saw they were looking out to a red skied night that was pouring with rain despite there being no clouds in the sky.

The pair then spotted a shape in a window corner, Rogue at first thinking somepony was hanging a mop outside the window, but then a flash of lightning appeared behind it and the shape gained a pair of bright red eyes to make them realize it was a head...that was staring at them upside-down from outside. The pair flinched at this, quickly running away from the window, Rogue glancing back long enough to think that the eyes were following them.

As they moved, they heard a creaking sound from up ahead and tried to see if there was a pony ahead of them. But there wasn't as they continued deeper into the haunted house. The next few scary things were the basic stuff, foam spiders, creepy moans and blood dripping from the ceiling. The blood had taken them by surprise, a single drop landing on Applejack's back and making her shiver.

"This place...ain't scary," Applejack whispered, "Sure, that window was a bit of a surprise, but that ain't enough to scare me. This place is probably better for little foals and-" In that moment, a door to her left shot open before something leapt out at her.

"GYAA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" A witch pony cackled right in Applejack's face, making her cry out and stagger back into Rogue.

"WHOA!" They both cried as they landed in a pile together, their hearts beating a hundred miles an hour until they realized the witch was an animatronic that quickly retracted into the room it shot out of, the door closing behind it. They then looked at one another and saw how close they were to each other, a blush appearing on both their faces as they pulled away. "Yeah..." Applejack repeated, "Not scary at all."

"Yup." Rogue nodded as they got up and headed further into the maze of terror.

They assumed they were getting close to the exit and as they drew near, only for another sound to catch their attention. "What's that?" Applejack asked, the pair lifting an ear...and hearing the sound of crying, weak sobs that echoed in the darkness.

"Think somepony was going through it alone and got so scared they couldn't move?" They continued down the corridor as the crying go louder, the high-pitched tone of the voice making them realize it was a child crying. And when they turned a corner, they spotted a little filly hiding in a dark corner.

"Hey," Applejack spoke as comfortingly as possible, "Ya'll okay?" But the little filly continued to sob, "Why yah crying?"

"She's gone," the filly replied without looking at them.

"Who's gone?" Rogue asked.

"My momma."

"Where is she?" Applejack asked. "Maybe we can find-"

"She's gone," the filly interrupted her.

"Alright," Rogue held out a hoof, "Would you like to come with us then?"

"She's gone. My momma." The older ponies shared a glance, only to look back at the filly as she continued, "She's gone. She-she's gone. She's gone. My momma. She's gone. My momma-gone-she's-momma-my-gone-momma-momma-gone."

"I think she might have been scared insane," Rogue whispered to Applejack. The farm-mare frowned before reaching to touch the filly. But as she did this, the filly's head turned. And by turned, it did a complete one eighty while the rest of her body remained completely still. And when the filly's face was revealed, the two saw her eye sockets were empty and had blood pouring out of them.

They thought it was staring at them, only to follow the eyes to the ceiling above them. And when they looked up, they were greeted to the sight of a pony clinging to the ceiling with spider-legs in places of hooves and a row of stained red teeth. "It's momma."

"AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"





Outside the haunter halls, Rogue and Applejack sat on a bench, the pair curled up into a ball and rocking back and forth.

"What sicko thought that up?" Rogue asked, Applejack shivering at the memory.

"Ah'm bettin' Time Turner's the one that made all those things. But if he actually came up with 'em, he's got a seriously twisted mind." They remained there for several more minutes, letting the memories of that horrible event replay in their minds.

"Hey Applejack!" The two looked up and saw the CMC standing in front of them, Applebloom dressed in her kirin outfit while Scootaloo was dressed as Daring Do and Sweetie Belle was dressed as a robot. "Hey Rogue. You two go check out the haunted halls?"

"They let you in there?!" They both cried, the three girl nodding their heads.

"Yeah!" Scootaloo cheered, "It was awesome! That last scare at the end sent goosebumps up my spine. What about you two? Were you scared?" The two shared a look before quickly getting out of their curled up sitting arrangement and tried to looked more relax.

"Us?" Rogue asked before laughing, "As if. We weren't scared."

"Yeah," Applejack nodded, "That place didn't scare me one bit." It took a lot for the Element of Honesty to tell a small fib, but this was a special occasion. "So, what about you three? Havin fun this Nightmare Night?"

"Yeah," Scootaloo exclaimed, "We already got a bunch of candy. My teeth are gonna have holes in them by the time I'm finished eating it all."

"I'll remember to tell Flash that," Applejack chuckled, making Scootaloo glare at her.

"What about you two?" Applebloom asked, "Are you having fun tonight?"

They shared another glance and smiled. "Yeah," Rogue nodded, "Tonight's been pretty great."

"Really great," Applejack added before looking over at a nearby clock. "But it's gettin' kinda late." She turned her attention back on the CMC, "Ya'll should really be headin' home now." The girls all moaned at this, Applebloom asking if they could stay out a little while longer. "Fine," she sighed, "But only another...twenty minutes. Then ya'll head home." The girls cheered and ran off as Applejack got up and stretched. "Maybe we should go see if everythin's alright at the school."

Rogue nodded again as they headed back to the school. Along the way, they saw less and less ponies out. Most had probably exhausted themselves from all the scares and gone home while others had likely gone to offer some of their candy to the Nightmare Moon statue. They soon arrived back at the school and as they stepped into the halls, they heard the music still playing in the cafeteria. And as they approached, they heard Twilight's voice being amplified.

"Has every-creature had a good time?" She asked, getting a bunch of cheers from the students. "I'm happy to hear. Now, I'm sure many of you have been wondering who the winner of the costume contest is." The two arrived at the cafeteria and stepped inside to see everyone looking at Twilight. "Now, has everypony cast their votes?" The students all nodded back, "Good. We've counted up the votes, and now its time to announce our winner."

Everyone stood giddily, Applejack and Rogue moving over to where Flash, Grand and Starlight were standing. Twilight opened the envelope and read, "And the winner of the contest is...Yona with her Gnawbacca costume." They all cheered as Yona moved up onto the stage, her expression hidden behind the furry mask she was wearing.

"Really?" Rogue asked, "Isn't she wearing the smallest costume of the whole lot?"

Applejack shrugged at this as Twilight congratulated Yona and gave her the prize of a giant bar of chocolate, Yona smiling as she took it and returned to the others. "Well, I'm sure we've all had a lot of fun tonight. But even so, it's time to bring this party to an end." They all moaned at this, Twilight nodding. "I know, I know. But if it lasted forever, it wouldn't be special. So how about we enjoy one final song before we all head off to bed?" The students cheered as Flash switched the boom box on, the music echoing throughout the cafeteria as everyone began to dance.

Rogue turned to see Applejack go snag some of the last of the punch while the bat pony looked back and watched the students dance around. Heart and Cozy danced together, along with Gallus and Silverstream, Yona and Sandbar and a few others he didn't know the name of.

And as he watched, Flash and Twilight walked up to him. "Hey there." Flash chimed in, "So how'd it go? You tell her yet?"

"No," Rogue shook his head, "I haven't had the right time."

"You've had all night," Flash replied, "You'll need to do it soon, or you're gonna lose your nerve, and then it'll seem impossible to tell her."

"I guess," Rogue sighed, "Okay. I'm gonna do it when we get back home. No holding it off any longer. And no matter what happens, I'm not gonna regret it." The two smiled at this and wished him luck, the pair leaving to dance to the last song as Rogue watched Applejack down the punch.

"I hope..."





The moon was high in the sky when Applejack and Rogue arrived back at the farm. On their way back, Ponyville had been as quiet as a ghost town. The lack of ponies and creepy decorations had done a lot to help the place look ominous, though Rogue hadn't been scared since he was used to things being like that.

Looking up at the farmhouse, they saw the light in the kitchen was still on, but the rest of the house was pitch black. Applejack headed inside while Rogue sat down and looked up at the moon. As he did, he remembered the first time he had ever seen it, when he had been chased out of his first home by the multi-headed drakeladon.

Back then, he thought he would never find another place to call home. But now that he had spent so long in Equestria, with the Apple Family and all his new friends, he realized that place had never been his home. It had been his prison, one the drakeladon had freed him from. And now, no matter how awkward things were gonna get after tonight, he had a home he could always feel safe in.

"Looks like everypony's asleep," Applejack told him as she walked back out of the house. She had removed some of her costume and Rogue began to do the same while the farm-pony carried a tray of drinks. She gave him a bottle and the pair sat down side by side, "To a great Nightmare Night."

"To a great Nightmare Night," the clinked their glasses and downed half the bottle, Rogue letting out a sigh as he leaned back, Applejack looking at him.

"You feeling okay?" Rogue turned to her with a raised eyebrow, "You haven't had a golden apple since this afternoon. You sure yer okay?"

"I'm fine," Rogue replied, "I guess my resistance to my own poison's been going up. Now I can go about twenty-four hours before it starts making me feel unwell."

"That's good," Applejack nodded, "Guess it won't be long before ya'h completely immune."

"Yup."

"Which means yah won't be tied down ta this place anymore." Rogue went wide-eyed at this, only to see a frown on her face, "Any idea what yer gonna do when yer immune?"

"No," Rogue shook his head, "Never really thought about it."

"Ya'll could go back and stay with yer family."

"Do you want me to leave?"

"NO!" Applejack cried, then blushed at her sudden outburst. "Ah mean...yer a good worker. Ya'll keep the farm protected at night. Ah'd hate ta lose that. But...ah know ah'd hate to be away mah family that long."

"Maybe," Rogue nodded, "But...aren't I with my family?" Applejack went wide-eyed at this, "My mom and my brother might be my blood, but you all were the ones that took me in. Even after I stole from you, you were willing to help me. You gave me a place to stay, and you gave up part of your land so that I could have the apples I needed to survive. Even though I was an outsider, you made me feel like part of the family. And thanks to you all, I got to make friends in this town. I got to learn and experience so many things that I never even dreamed of seeing when I was in my cave."

Applejack smiled at this, "Ah'm happy you were able to find a place here. And yah've helped out a lot since coming. Guarding the orchard at night, helping Mac and Applebloom when they were having trouble with Sugarbelle, and coming to save us when the Changelings attacked. We might have let you stay because we felt sorry for you, but ya'll more than earned the right to call this place yer home."

"Thanks," Rogue glanced back at the farm, "This...this is my home. I might not have been born here. I might not have spent a good portion of my life here. But this is where I feel safe. This is where I want to be when my time on this earth ends. Right here, in Sweet Apple Acres." He slowly turned to her, "With you."

Applejack felt a bit of heat grow on her face, unable to respond as Rogue stared at her. That is, till he steeled his courage and thrust his head forward. Applejack's eyes went wide as Rogue's lips touched hers, the farm-pony's entire body freezing while her brain shut down at this, her heart now feeling like it was about to explode.

And as Rogue pulled away, the mare remained still, the bat-pony frowning as he looked away. "I'm sorry. I...I knew this was a mistake. Flash and Twilight said it was a good idea and...and..."

"Why'd...you do that?" She slowly asked, Rogue now looking down at the ground. "Please, tell me."

Rogue remained silent for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Because I really like you." He turned back to her, "I like you a lot." Applejack's heart continued to pound, feeling that heat on her face come back, "I don't know when it started. I don't know why, but every time I think about you, I can't help but feel this tension in my chest." He got up and walked away from her, "Sometimes you're all I can think about. When I see you working in the fields, sometimes I can't look away from you as you're working. I just..." He looked back at her again, "I like you. I'm not sorry for it. You're the most important pony in my life and if you don't care about me the same way, I understand. I just couldn't keep my feelings a secret any longer."

Applejack stayed where she was, staring at him for several moments as her brain began to shift its gears again. Then, couldn't stop herself from beginning to laugh. Rogue's eyes went wide hearing this, his heart beginning to break apart. "You...you're laughing at me?"

"No," Applejack shook her head, "Not you. Just...this whole situation." Rogue raised an eyebrow at this, "Ah...ah always figured ah'd be the one member in mah group to go her whole life without somepony actually likin; me. Never thought ah'd get confessed to like this."

"But Flash said somepony already tried to ask you out!" Applejack tilted her head at this, "Trend...something?"

"Trenderhoof? He didn't really like me. It was just one of those love at first sight kinda things. Those aren't real emotions. Not like this." She got up and moved over to him, "Yah really like me that much?" Rogue nodded, "Well ah'll be."

"So?" Rogue asked, "What does this mean? Like I said, it's okay if you don't like me back. I just-" He didn't get to finish as Applejack pulled him in for another kiss. This time, his eyes went wide, only to close them as he kissed back, the pair staying like this for about a minute.

And when Applejack pulled back, they stared into each other's eyes. "Ah don't really know how ah feel about yah," she replied, "But ah know ah like yah more than ah like most other stallions." Rogue slowly smiled back. "And I want yah to stay here until yer dyin' day too. Stayin here...with me." They leaned in and kissed again, neither sure what else to do in that moment.

And when Rogue pulled away, he inquired about that very thing. "So...what happens now?"

"Ah'm not sure," Applejack looked up at the night sky. "Ah guess the best thing ta do is...go on a date, like what the others did. Maybe we'll find we're not meant to be more than friends, or we'll find out we're a perfect couple. Only way ta figure that out is ta try things and see how it works out."

"Yeah...I guess." Rogue slowly said, "But...if things between us don't work out...can we still be friends?"

Applejack nudged him back, "Always." She held out a hoof and he took it, Applejack pulling him closer and the two hugging for several more moments. Applejack then pulled away and after giving Rogue one final smile, she headed inside.

Rogue remained there for a little while longer, then his face broke out into a smile as he leapt into the air. "YES!" He cheered, throwing his hooves up high before letting himself drift back down. He landed and stared up at the sky, his hooves behind his back. "Nightmare Night," he whispered to himself, "It really is the most magical of nights."
> Yakity-Sax
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had certainly been an interesting few weeks since Nightmare Night, with the discovery of Applejack and Rogue's new relationship spreading like wildfire through the town. Since then, several interesting occurrences had...occurred. One of which was Twilight's discovery of another School of Friendship, which she discovered was being run by the Flim-Flam Brothers with EEA approval. Twilight had been in for the shock of a lifetime when she learned that Starswirl of all ponies had enrolled there, but her experiences with the Flim-Flam Brothers had made her very suspicious of their schemes.

And as it turned out, the school was a scheme. One meant to swindle every last bit out of the students in order for the brothers to make expansions to a resort they owned in Las Pegasus. Twilight had had to put her reputation on the line to make sure the place was closed down and with Starswirl's help, that's exactly what happened, the students of this university all transferring to Twilight's school after getting a full refund from the brothers.

The next big event had been a rather worrying situation that had almost ended Rainbow and Rarity's friendship. Luckily, a mission they were sent on by Twilight helped the pair resolve their differences and strengthen their friendship.

But as the next day passed, a rather peaceful day found Fluttershy, Angel and Iron out in the meadow near the forest picking flowers, though it was really just Fluttershy and Angel. Iron was leaning against a tree relaxing, watching his girlfriend find and collect the best flowers and plants to help decorate the sanctuary. And right as Angel yanked a nice blue flower out of the ground, a sound filled the air. A sound that was like nothing any of them had ever heard. It was a loud but low sound filled periodically with a high pitched squealing, that last one for several long seconds.

Iron jumped into ready position, holding up his Celestic Gear, only for Fluttershy to gasp, "Oh my goodness! Some poor creature's in trouble! We have to help it!"

She began to run at this, Iron soon following her, "Wait! It could be dangerous!"

"Or it could be hurt!" Fluttershy called back, as the noise filling the air again. "Oh, listen to that suffering! It must be in horrible agony!" She picked up the pace and Iron grabbed Angel, the three running through the forest as the noise got louder and more repetitive.

And as it blared again, they all came to a stop, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from. "Ooh! It sounds like a herd of injured chimera!" Fluttershy turned to the noise and ran again, Iron moaning as he followed, "Or it's Cerberus with snifflitis in two of its heads and kennel cough in its third. Or maybe it's-"

The source of the noise then came into view, the pair skidding to a stop as an unearthly figure hidden in the forest's shadow could be seen. Iron pushed Fluttershy behind him and pointed his spear at the creature. But before he could attack, the sun broke through the forest canopy and illuminated it, both going wide-eyed.

"Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy said in an almost whisper, her eyes now staring at her pink friend sitting on a log with a strange looking device in her hooves.

"Thaaaaaaaat's me!" Pinkie spun around, the sound stopping at this. They then saw the device she was carrying, which looked like a blue leather bag, with several large horns sticking out of it and a long thin bronze tube on the other side. It looked like someone had tried to make a peacock out of random bits they had found. "And a-one, and a-two, and a-I know what to do!" Pinkie took a deep breath and blew into the device while also squeezing the bag. This caused the noise they had heard to fly out of the horns, Fluttershy and Iron covering their ears.

"Ugh..." Fluttershy flinched, "At least no animal is suffering. Right, Angel?" She looked down at her pet as the rabbit pulled on his tail so that some cotton came out, the bunny stuffing them into his ears as Fluttershy gave a nervous laugh. "Well, until now."

Iron growled and ran up to take the device from Pinkie. "Hey!" She tried to take it back, but Iron held it well out of her reach. "Give me back my yovidaphone!"

"No way! I don't know where you got this weapon, but it's clearly too dangerous to allow a civilian to have!"

"Weapon?!" Pinkie yelped, "It's not a weapon! It's a musical instrument!"

"What?!" Iron glanced back at the thing, "How the heck can you call what you just did music?!"

"Iron!" Fluttershy yelled, making Iron flinch, only for Pinkie to swipe back her instrument.

"Give me a break, I'm just starting out. Why do you think I'm playing it out here?" She put the bag under her leg, "With a little practice, I'll be ready to bathe the whole town in the glorious music of the yaks."

With that, she started playing again, the horrible sound filling the air, making both her friends cry out as she blew as hard as she could to make the loudest sound possible.

"Let's get out of here before she deafens somepony!" Iron cried, Fluttershy not arguing as they ran off to avoid losing their hearing. "I just hope she gives that up soon..."





A few days later...

It turned out Iron was wrong, though in hindsight, he really should have known better. The two were soon forced to listen to it again along with the rest of their friends. It of course happened on a nice day, nopony now able to enjoy going to the park thanks to Pinkie taking one of the gazebos and playing the instrument as loud as she could. And this included Pinkie's friends, who were all sitting around her.

"Augh!" They cried as Pinkie's volume rose for a moment, then lowered and rose again at random intervals. Springer was the most effected, his hearing being a lot better than the others.

"What is that thing?" Applejack asked Twilight, who smiled as she whispered back.

"It's called a yovidaphone. It's from yakyakistan, where it's actually quite popular."

"Lots of things from yakyakistan don't tend to fly here," Lightning pointed out before Pinkie unleashed another loud burst. "AUGH!" He pulled on his headphones, "I think this is gonna join that group."

As he said that Rainbow, turned to Twilight. "Is it supposed to sound like that?"

"Not exactly," Twilight replied as Angel grabbed Fluttershy's flower basket and pulled it over his head. "It's known to produce a fairly complicated, melodically rich, and harmonious tone." It was in that moment a bird flew passed, right as Pinkie blasted another burst of sound from the horns, the noise blowing away all the bird's feathers, making it instantly plummet. Fluttershy gasped and flew up to catch it, smiling as she brought the bird down. He thanked her, then looked his now naked body over before glaring at Pinkie.

They all watched the bird walk off, Rainbow whispering to Twilight. "Are you sure we're talking about the same thing?"

"I still think it's an ancient yak torture device," Iron grumbled as Pinkie finished her song.

"Oh, thank you Celestia," Flash whispered as he turned to Springer. "You okay?"

"What?!" Springer yelled, tapping the sides of his ears. "What'd you say?"

Flash groaned as Pinkie took several breaths. "Phew!" She smiled at her friends, "And that's with only a few days of practice! Can you believe it?!"

She blasted another burst of sound right in their faces at this, everypony covering their ears.

"Yes," Rarity grumbled, "Yes, I can."

Applejack nodded, "Ah can honestly say ah've never heard anything like it in mah life."

Pinkie put a hoof to her chest, "Well, if you enjoyed listening to my playing half as I enjoyed playing my playing, then I should totally play more! That way, we'll be even!"

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary Pinkie." Twilight chimed in, the others all giving their own answer, which was pretty much the same as Rainbow leapt up and grabbed the pipe before she could blow into it again.

"Please. Don't."

Pinkie smiled as she hugged the instrument back, "There's a chance I may have missed a note or two here or there, but I just love playing so much!" She sighed, "You complete me."

"Well," Twilight muttered out, "I, for one, am glad you're having so much fun with your new hobby." Pinkie continued to stare at the yovidaphone, smiling as she rubbed her hooves into the instrument.

"Uh-huh. Sure."

"And it's great that you're learning a new skill, and...and you're just waiting for me to finish talking so you can start playing again, aren't ya?"

Pinkie shook her head, "No!" But then she grabbed the sack, "Buuut if you're done. And a-one, and a-two, and a-I know what to do!" She leapt down off the stage and began bouncing, blowing into the instrument and unleashing the horrible music.

And once she was out of earshot, which was a good distance away, Fluttershy sighed and removed the basket from Angel. "It's okay. She's gone." Angel stood up, having tied his ears around his head so it looked like he had a beard.

"Anypony else think that sounded like an apple core cut up in a pulp grinder?"

"Apple-solutely!" Rarity nodded before blushing at her own words, "Uh...I mean, absolutely."

"Okay," Twilight turned to the others, "So maybe she isn't good yet. But she's our friend, and we should be supportive."

"What's distorted?" Springer asked while rubbing his ears.

"She just started playin'," Applejack added, "She's bound to get better. Right?"

"What's this about kites?"

"Yeah," Rainbow nodded "We just need to be supportive of her practicing..."

"Baptizing?" Springer asked, "Who's getting baptized?"

Rainbow groaned as they heard the yovidaphone in the distance, "So the getting-better part happens as fast as possible."

"Hospital?" Springer rubbed his ears again, "Is the baptism taking place at a hospital? Is that where you're going to fly kites? Or is that the place that's distorted?" The ponies all sighed, wondering if Springer's hearing would repair itself by the time Pinkie's playing improved.

But as the next day came, they found Pinkie's terrible playing of the yovidaphone wasn't the only problem they would soon have. Her constant playing of it, despite it being good practice for her, also caused other problems.

The day after Pinkie's first performance to her friends, Rarity had been working on a dress when Pinkie suddenly appeared behind her. The loud and uneven noise caused Rarity to cry out and make several mistake in her dress, causing it to come out looking like a stitched mess.

At that same night, Pinkie decided to pay Fluttershy a visit. Unfortunately, it had been right around the time Fluttershy was putting all her animal friends to sleep, only for them to panic as Pinkie tried to play the instrument again.

Rainbow was the next victim, as Pinkie decided to go to one of her races and play. The mare had hoped the loud roar of the crowd would deafen out the yovidaphone, only for it to instead distract Rainbow so much that it knocked her off course, making her lose her rather impressive lead in the race.

Applejack had been picking apples with the rest of her family after that, only for Pinkie to arrive and blast her yovidaphone at max volume. Within seconds, every tree in the field was covered it exploded apples. The noise was so loud and horrible that Rogue was awakened and in his daze, he assumed the farm was under attack.





A little later...

Several miles away from Ponyville, a caravan of ponies were walking through the meadows while pulling large covered carts. A short distance away, Flash, Springer, Grand, Iron and Lightning were watching them while hidden under some camouflage blankets, Flash sticking his head out and looked through a pair of binoculars.

"There they are," he whispered, "Looks like the tip Cold sent us was right. Those wagons are probably full of illegal or stolen goods."

"So what's the plan?" Springer asked, his hearing having recovered thanks to keeping his distance from Pinkie PIe.

"Everything's set up," Lightning chimed in, "I set up some rune stickers in several key areas. Once they're inside the area, I'll activate them and create a barrier they won't be able to escape from. Then we can rush in and search the wagon."

Grand stuck his head out, "Good plan. As long as we don't do anything to spook them, they should fall right into our trap."

They patiently waited at this, Flash staring as they watched the group slowly approach the area. And just as the ponies were about to step into the rune circle, a familiar and loud noise exploded behind them, making them all cry and jump out of their hiding places. They spun around to see Pinkie, now dressed in a horned helmet and a blue shall, smiling at them as she started playing her yovidaphone.

The Defenders spun around and gasped to see that their targets had spotted them, the group scattering away from the rune circle. "After them!" Grand yelled, Springer holding his head.

"What?!" He asked as they ran off, "Did you say diaphragm?!"





Twilight sighed as she sat out on a bench in the middle of town, having gotten a break from the school and her princess duties. She then turned to her dragon assistant, "You're absolutely right, Spike. Sometimes it is nice to get out of the library and be in the sun." She took a book off of the large pile of books she had brought out with her, opening it up as Spike flew down onto the bench next to her.

"Especially when you take the library with you." Twilight chuckled at this, only to hear a lot hoofsteps, making her glance up to see all her friends glaring at her.

Applejack, who was still covered in apple bits, shook her body to get rid of it before frowning. "We need to do somethin' about Pinkie Pie's playin'!"

"Like, now!" Rainbow added, Twilight gulping.

"Is it really that bad?"

"Does this answer your question?" Rainbow thrust a silver object in the alicorn's face, Twilight looking it over.

"Uh, a trophy?"

"For second place!" Rainbow exclaimed before throwing it away, "Second! Place! All because of Pinkie's playing!"

Rarity stepped up next, holding up a horribly stitched dress. "And I wanted to turn heads with my new fall line, but not like this!"

She burst out crying as Applejack walked in front of her, "And thanks to her fruit-blastin' melodies, I got an orchard full of nothin' but applesauce! And it ain't even saucin' season!"

"You think you got problems?!" Flash yelped, "We were about to bust a large gang of criminals and Pinkie ruined the sting by blasting her music right next to us and making Springer deaf!"

"Theft?!" Springer yelled, "Did somepony steal something?!"

Flash gestured to him as Iron let out a growl, "We barely managed to catch half the crooks. If I knew Pinkie wasn't doing this on purpose, I'd threaten to arrest her for obstruction of justice!"

"And just look what her playing did to poor Fluttershy!" Rarity pointed to the pegasus mare, who was currently fast asleep while still standing up.

"That's weird," Spike commented.

Rainbow gave the mare a mild tap to the face, causing her to wake up with a start. "Oh. So very tired." She then spoke through a yawn she couldn't stop, "It practically took me all night to get the nursery back to sleep."

Applejack turned back to Twilight. "Ah mean, ah know we said we should all be supportive, but Pinkie's been playin' for moons now, and she's not gettin' any better."

"Yeah!" Rainbow nodded. "If anything, she's gotten worse!"

"Then what do we do?"

Grand let out a sigh at this, "I think I know what the problem is." They all turned to him as he then asked, "Has Pinkie ever tried something new and not been able to pick it up right away?"

The ponies all shared a glance at this, only for Rainbow to reply, "She had a bit of trouble learning to play the flugelhorn back at the Crystal Empire...but after a bit of practice, she got pretty good. But other than that..."

"She's always been good at learning new things," Applejack added, "Gal can play six instruments at once for peat sake." They turned back to Grand, who nodded as he heard this. "Why, is that important?"

"I've seen this issue before. Happened with a couple of guards I trained. They were able to pick up almost anything I taught them without issue, but this gave them the mentality that that'll always happen. So they began to assume that no matter how they did something new they learned, it was always the right way. I think Pinkie is suffering from the same problem. She's such a quick study that her brain has started telling her she's good, even if she really isn't."

"So that's why she doesn't realize how bad she is?" Rainbow asked, Grand nodding again.

"Then it's clear what we've gotta do," Applejack declared, "We've gotta be honest with her, tell her how bad she is and to just give up the yovidaphone forever!"

Grand's eyes went wide at this, "What?! Why make her give it up?!"

"Uh...because she's bad at it, gramps?" Lightning spoke up. "I thought that was what we were talking about."

"Yes," Rarity nodded. "There's no point in her continuing to pursue something she has no talent for. She has so many other things she's good at, so she shouldn't have any problem giving something like this up."

"Oh really?" Grand raised an eyebrow, "Do you really think she would just give up something she absolutely loves to do?" They all shared a glance at this before frowning, "It's clear Pinkie loves playing. Even if she's bad at it, we can't force her to give it up." He pointed at Flash, "You love playing your guitar when you've got the time. What if somepony had come up to you and told you you're no good? Would you be willing to give it up?"

Flash put a hoof to his chin, "I...guess not. But if my playing was as bad as Pinkie's-"

"You wouldn't give it up and you know it," Grand interrupted, "And I doubt Pinkie would either."

Twilight shook her head at this, "I think she would. If she knew it was making us unhappy, she would drop the yovidaphone in an instant. But now that I'm thinking about it, if she loves that thing this much, she'd probably be really upset."

"Errr," Rainbow rubbed the back of her head, "I guess you're right. But we've still gotta do something! If we can't make Pinkie give it up, what'd we do?!"

"Set some ground rules," Grand replied, "It's not okay to ask her to go cold turkey, but you can ask her to cut back a bit. Especially at night, during races, stings and far away from the orchard."

"Grand's right," Rarity nodded, "We must be firm, but fair with her. So it's agreed. We tell her about how bad she is, but let her decide if she wants to stop. That okay with everypony?"

"YES!" They all nodded...except Fluttershy, who had fallen sleep again.

Iron tapped her on the shoulder, "Wha-what? Um...yes."

"Right," Applejack glanced around, "Now, who's gonna tell her?"

They all shut up at this, most just staring at each other while Lightning shook his head, "Wild Smile sure picked a great time to leave on a job."

"This is ridiculous," Flash added as certain sound filled the air. "We're Pinkie's friends. We can't be scared to tell her the truth." Following their ears, they found Pinkie outside Sugarcube Corner playing her yovidaphone. And the ponies around her were not happy, all running off to escape the noise.

"Huh," Pinkie asked after finishing her song, "That's weird. I coulda sworn this place was packed a second ago." It was then she spotted the group, "Hey everypony! Can I favor you all with a tune? I take requests!"

"Actually," Applejack gulped, "We do have a request, and yeah, it involves your yovidaphone."

"You mean the thing I love more than anything else in Equestria?" They all decided at that moment to not let Wild know she said that. "My sun, my moon, my stars, my everything?" She hugged it again, "Ooh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

The ponies all shared a glance, then turned to the Elements of Honesty and Courage. Flash and Applejack shared a look before doing rock paper scissors, which they had figured out how to do with hooves, and Flash came out the loser. "Fine," he groaned before stepping up and taking a deep breath. "Pinkie, I'm saying this because I love you and I don't want you on the receiving end of an angry torching wielding mob." Pinkie blinked at him as he took another deep breath. "PInkie Pie...you are not good at the yovidaphone."

"What?!" Pinkie yelped, turning to the others.

"I'm afraid it's true," Twilight nodded, "Your music isn't how the yovidaphone is meant to sound."

"Really?" Pinkie looked down at her instrument, "It...sounded okay to me."

"I'm afraid that's a problem many ponies suffer. Blindness, or deafness in your case, to one's own lack of skill." Pinkie looked down at the instrument, looking like she might start crying. "You really enjoy playing that, don't you?"

"Yeah," Pinkie nodded, "It's really fun. But...if I'm no good at it." She held it tighter, "Am I really that bad?" The others gestured to the marketplace, showing how empty it was as Pinkie realized that was because of her. "Oh..."

"Don't worry," Grand moved over to place a hoof on her shoulders. "We're not saying you need to stop." The others seemed to have other ideas with that statement. "We're just telling you so you can find a way to fix it."

"Fix it?" Pinkie looked up at him, "How am I supposed to fix it? I've been practicing non-stop and according to you all, that hasn't helped me!"

"True. There are some things that require more than just practice. Take Flash for example."

"Why does he keep bringing me into every one of his examples?" Flash whispered to Twilight.

"He's a master at the sword, but he didn't get that way just through practice."

"Hey!" Flash yelped, "I practiced hard to be good with the sword!"

"But you only showed results after Shining Armor and I taught you the correct way to use it." Flash just glared at him back, grumbling as he glanced away, Grand chuckling before looking back at Pinkie, "And that's what you need. A teacher."

"A teacher?" Pinkie asked.

"He's right," Twilight nodded. "If you really wanna learn how to play the yovidaphone, then you should look for a master player to teach you how."

"Really? And you think that'll help me get better?" They all nodded, Pinkie's joy for the instrument quickly returning. "Alright then, that's what I'll do! I'll go out and find somepony to teach me how to play the yovidaphone. And when I learn, I'll give you all a private concert and show you just how much I've improved!"

"And we'll be happy to listen," Twilight assured her, "Right everypony?"

"Sure," Rainbow nodded, "Just promise you won't play it when you come to see my races."

"Or when I'm working on my dresses," Rarity spoke up.

"Or during an important operation," Iron added.

"And not in the range of any of mah apples," Applejack finished before they turned to Fluttershy, who had fallen asleep again until Spike flicked her ear.

"Oh," she awoke before yawning, "and maybe not between the hours of nine PM to seven AM." Pinkie took in all this information and nodded, always happy to accommodate requests.

"Okay then," Pinkie straightened her horned hat and hoisted up her yovidaphone. "Then I'm off to find a yovidaphone master to teach me!" She looked ready to charge into the sunset, only to look back at the others, "Um...anypony know where I can find a yovidaphone player to teach me?"

The all shared a glance, only for a bulb to go off in Twilight's head, "I think I know one who might help you with that, Pinkie."





"Pony want learn yovidaphone?" Yona asked, having been worried why Pinkie had asked to come see her in her classroom.

"That's right," Pinkie nodded, "Since you're from Yakyakistan, you must know who the best yak to teach me is." She leaned forward on the counter, giving Yona some puppy dog eyes. "So who's the best yovidaphoner you know?"

Yona put a hoof to her chin, "Hmmm...yovidaphone tough instrument to learn. Many yaks try to master it, many yaks fail. Number of yaks that can play perfectly very low. But one yak is thought best yak at yovidaphone. She try and teach many yaks, but many yaks not able to learn."

"Well, I'm no ordinary yak," Pinkie giggled, "Heck, I'm not even a yak! But I'm no ordinary pony either. So what's her name?"

"She called Yigrid. She happy teach any-yak yovidaphone. But pony be careful. Her teachings very strict."





And so, Pinkie got whatever she believed she would need and packed a saddlebag and her yodiaphone. Her friends had wanted to come with her to make sure she got to Yakyakistan safely, mainly because she was going to use a balloon, but she assured them she would be fine. She soon took off, eventually arriving at the borders of the country.

The wooden village of yaks quickly came into view and Pinkie's excitement rose. "Alright," she cheered as the balloon landed in the snow and slid to a stop, "I'm heeere!" She leapt out and began to bounce to the gate, her yovidaphone on her back. She pushed the gate open and smiled seeing the yak village as it always appeared, the many straw huts filling the place with a strong burning fire blazing in the center of it. "Gotta love Yakyakistan. Now, to find the yak that can teach me to-" She stopped when her ears picked something up. A sound that caused her heart to swell.

It was a yovidaphone. One being played practically perfectly to generate a sound the soothed the soul. She followed the sound, hoping it was being produced by the yak she had come to find. It was coming from a larger than normal hut, Pinkie remembering it from her last few visits as the village's main hall. She stepped through the blanket door and glanced inside, spotting many yaks all sitting around tables staring the stage next to the door.

On that stage, a female yak with a dark gray skin and light gray hair was sitting on a stool. She was wearing a purple covering and hat while playing a green version of her instrument. The way she was manipulating the bag was like some form of dance to the young baker, Pinkie now seeing just how little she really knew about the art of this instrument. Pinkie desperately wanted to rush up and talk to her, but knew interrupting such a sound before it was complete would be one of the greatest crimes imaginable.

And so she waited, taking a seat next to another yak and quietly ordering a sundae from the yak waiter. The player continued to bathe them all in the soothing melodies of the yovidaphone and the other yaks rhythmically swayed their heads back and forth in enjoyment.

Eventually, the yak finished the last song and the others all stoically applauded. And as she moved down off the stage, Pinkie down the rest of her sundae and rushed over, "Excuse me." The yak turned to her, "By any chance, would your name be Yigrid?"

"That yak name," she nodded. "What pony want with yak?" She then noticed the yovidaphone on the pony's back, "You play?"

"Well...not very well," Pinkie frowned, "Which is why I'm here. You play the yovidaphone like a master. I came to yakyakistan in order to learn everything I could about playing it!"

"I see," Yigrid nodded again, "Pony wish to learn, but does pony know how much time and effort learning to play takes? Needs patience, dedication and calmness of thought. Rare qualities."

"Maybe for yaks," Pinkie giggled before pointing to herself, "But let me assure you, this pony will learn how to play no matter how long it takes."

"I see," Yigrid hummed, "How yak know pony worth teaching? If pony wish learn from yak, pony must prove to have spark of yovidaphoner."

"How do I do that?" Pinkie asked, only for Yigrid to point to her yovidaphone. "But I don't know how to play properly yet."

"Spark does not come from skill. Spark of yovidaphoner come from love of instrument. Pony show yak what she can do on own and maybe, yak teach pony what yak know."

"Alright," Pinkie picked up her yovidaphone and was about to start playing it, only for Yigrid to point to the stage, making Pinkie go wide-eyed before grimacing, "Um...is that a good idea? No offense, but yaks have a tendency to get...smashy when ponies don't do yak things perfectly."

"This different. Pony play and play with all pony heart." Pinkie gulped before moving up on stage, the yaks all focusing on her.

"Um...hey. Pinkie Pie here. Hope you enjoy this." She looked down at her yovidaphone, holding it as best she could. "And a-one, and a-two, and I-hope-I know-what-to-do..." She took a deep breath started playing, dancing around as she did so. Unlike Yigrid's playing, Pinkie's was random, uncoordinated and so loud that when she turned to the blanket doors a long note caused it to flap open and allow a load of snow to fly in.

She expected the yaks to get angry and charge the stage, but to her surprise the yaks were trying to dance along to her song. This made her go wide-eyed, but she kept going and let herself be overtaken by the music. And when she ended her song, which happened with a knee slide along the stage, she looked down at the yaks who simply stared at her.

"Well...what do you all think?" She got her answer when the yaks started cheering and applauding, Pinkie raising an eyebrow. "Uhhh...I kinda wasn't expecting this." Yigrid stepped up to her, a smile on her face.

"Oh," she stomped happily on the ground, "Pony play good set!"

"You think so?" Pinkie asked, "Even though it wasn't perfect?"

"Yovidaphone is instrument of happiness," Yigrid chuckled, "Playing yovidaphone make pony happy. Pony playing is perfect!"

"Really?" Yigrid nodded, "Wow. But everypony back home said I needed to learn properly from a teacher."

"Pony doesn't need to learn anything. Pony play yovidaphone the way pony enjoy it. Playing how others like is okay, but mustn't allow pink pony to lose what make pink pony enjoy playing."

"So even though others might not enjoy it, I shouldn't try and change my style?" Yigrid nodded, making Pinkie's heart lift. Ever since the others had told her how bad she was, she had the spent the trip coming over thinking about what would happen if things went wrong. But hearing this filled her heart with joy once again. "Thank you. But do you think you'd still be willing to teach me to play the way you did? I know all my friends back home would enjoy it, and I bet I could find a way to merge our two styles so that everypony could enjoy."

Yigrid chuckled again, "Pink pony have true spark of yovidaphoner. Yak will teach."





Back in Ponyville...

Wild Smile walked off the train, letting out a yawn as his puppets rode his back, "We're back." he declared as he walked up to Sugarcube Corner. He glanced inside with a big grin, remembering how Pinkie had told him about her plans to learn a new instrument while he was out. "Pinkie?" He called out as he entered the bakery, but there was no reply, "Pinks? You in here?" Pinkie was still silent as somepony stepped out of the kitchen. "Mrs. Cake?"

"Hello Wild," the mare replied as she was busy mixing some batter while Pumpkin was balanced on her back. "If you're looking for Pinkie, she's not here."

"She at the school?" He asked, Mrs. Cake shaking her head. "Out on a delivery run?" She shook her head again, "Hanging out with her friends?"

"No, she's not in Ponyville right now."

"Ah. Map quest?"

"No. She's gone to Yakyakistan."

"Huh?" Wild raised an eyebrow, "Why would she be there?"

"Not sure. She didn't give any details. Simply said she was going to Yakyakistan and that she might be gone for a while." She said nothing more, returning to the kitchen as Wild remained still.

"What the heck's she doing in Yakyakistan?"

"What the heck! What the heck!"





Meanwhile...

Yigrid had taken Pinkie out of the village and led her to a nearby meadow, where the yak quickly plowed through the snow and formed it up into a long and thin mound. Pinkie had put on a white headband with black patterns on it, the earth pony watching as the yak stepped up to one end of the mound. "Um...I thought you were gonna teach me to play the yovidaphone."

"Patient must Pink Pony be," Yigrid replied, "Yovidaphone complicated. Pink pony must master body before ready to master yovidaphone." Pinkie tilted her head at this, "Answer. What is yak best known for?"

"Um...smashing?"

"Strength," she corrected, "Yak best at being powerful. But yovidaphone don't need power to play. Yovidaphone need delicate touch. Complete control of strength to squeeze bag in right way. Now pony must learn that control." She began to walk over the mound, which was holding up her weight despite how weak it appeared. "Pony must cross mound to learn control." She reached the other side and jumped off, Pinkie stepping up to the mound. "Pony must be careful how hard on steps."

Pinkie smirked at this, only to step onto the mound and find the snow was actually very slippery, quickly losing her footing. "WHOA!" She yelped as she rolled over the edge.

"Must stomp hard enough to dig into mound." Pinkie picked herself up and tried again, this time thrusting her hoof down into the snow. "But not so hard pony break mound apart." As she did this, Pinkie's hoof caused the entire structure to break apart, quickly finding herself fall into a pile of snow.

As Yigrid rebuilt the path, Pinke tried again. She slowly got the hang of it, but every time she was partway across, she would either slip off or break through the snow. But every time she tried, she managed to get a little further. When she finally managed to reach the other side, Yigrid told her to do it again but to beat her time.

She tried and despite a few slips and breaks, she managed to get across faster than the first time. Then Yigrid told her to try and break that score, then that one and that one. Eventually, she was able to get across the snow path within thirty seconds without slipping or breaking through it. "YAY!" She cheered, happy that was able to do it.

"Pony quick study," Yigrid nodded, "Most yaks don't make it across first day. Many times they break through snow." Pinkie smiled at this. "Pink pony might have what takes to master yovidaphone after all. Now we move on to next lesson."

"Does this mean we're gonna be playing yovidaphone now?"

"No." Pinkie frowned, "Yovidaphone need two things. Control of strength, and control of breath."

"Control of breath?" Pinkie asked, "What's that mean?" Yigrid smirked and told her to follow, the pair soon heading off as the pony wondered just what could be next.





Ponyville again...

Wild was now in the School of Friendship, talking to Twilight, "So let me get this straight," he said once Twilight finished explaining. "Pinkie's gotten really into a yak instrument, but no matter how hard she tried, she wasn't able to play it properly?"

"That's right," Twilight nodded.

"And when you told her about this, she decided to find a teacher that could help her learn." Twilight nodded again, "Which is why she's disappeared off to one of the most remote kingdoms and might not return for a long time."

"Pretty much."

"So I might not see my girlfriend for months?"

"Months, months, months."

"Yes." Twilight sighed, "I'm sorry Wild. Knowing Pinkie, she probably won't wanna come back until she's a master of the yovidaphone."

"Doesn't that take like...ten thousand hours?! Even with Pinkie's double experience skill, that's five thousand hours. That's two thirds of a year!"

Twilight shrugged back, "I'm sure it won't be that long. Maybe she'll miss us and decide to come back early." Wild let out a moan at this. "You know, if there's something you wanna do to keep your mind of things, I could use your help."

"Me?" Wild asked as Twilight nodded.

"I need somepony to fill in for Pinkie's classes until she gets back. You both enjoy a lot of the same things, so you would be great at filling in for her. What do you say?"

Wild blinked at this before turning to his puppets, all of them nodding back before he glanced back at Twilight, "Alright, we'll take a shot at it."





Yigrid had now taken Pinkie to an area of the mountain range where a bunch of tall cone-shaped rocks were sticking out of the ground. Pinkie stared at them, having a feeling they weren't natural. "So...how is this supposed to help me learn the yovidaphone?" Yigrid answered by moving over to the base of a rock, where a bunch of flat stone slabs were waiting.

She picked one up, determining that it was of good quality, then placed it on her back before moving backward. Once she was a good distance away, she ran forward and up the side of the cone. Pinkie went wide-eyed at this, as Yigrid seemed to defy gravity and leapt up until she passed the top of the cone. And as she fell back down, she placed the slab under her.

"Wow!" Pinkie exclaimed as Yigrid landed on the slab and sat atop the cone without any problem. "No way." Yigrid was sitting perfectly still, the only movement being the flares of her nostrils as she sat there. "I gotta try that!" She grabbed the first slab so could find, thankful for her earth pony strength as she hoisted it onto her back. Instead of running the way Yigrid had, Pinkie reached out and her hooves stretched up until it reached the top of the cone next to the yak.

She then sprang up and managed to land the same way Yigrid had, but unlike Yigrid, she was unable to remain perfectly balanced. "Whoa!" She cried, trying her best keep from falling off the spike while seeing Yigrid was sitting sitting perfectly. "How...are...you-wow...doing...that?!"

"Perfect control," she replied, "Of all things. Of body...and of breath." She took a deep breath in and still had no trouble staying perfectly still while Pinkie kept wobbling around.

Eventually, she managed to find her center and was almost perfectly still. "Okay. I...I think I got it." She remained as still as possible before taking a deep breath, only for this to knock her off balance. "WHOA!" She fell, she and her slab falling until they crashed into the snow below. "Ow."

"Pony need more practice," Yigrid commented, "But yak warn pony. This kind control take many moons to master." Pinkie's head shot out of the snow, looking up at the cones as if they were her new mortal enemy.

"I will master you," she growled before picking her slab back up.





Wild was standing outside Pinkie's classroom, the unicorn whispering to himself as he heard the students inside making a lot of noise. "Okay," he gulped, "You can do this. You can do this." His puppets repeated this as he slowly walked into the classroom. "Settle down. Settle down." He was dressed in a suit and tie with a briefcase that he placed on the desk in front of him. "Good day class, my name is Wild Smile. I'm your substitute teacher that'll be filling in for Pinkie until she's back from sabbatical. Any questions?" Smolder raised her claw, "Yes?"

"What's with the puppets?" She pointed at them as the puppets flew up to her, making her flinch.

"These puppets are all part of my special talent. Each of them contains a consciousness that I can move in and out of different objects. Putting them in puppets makes it easier for me to commune with them." The students raised an eyebrow at this, only for him to add, "Alright...Twilight's given me a basic explanation of how this class works. So, did Pinkie have you all working on anything before she left?"

Gallus grinned at this and raised a talon, "Yeah! She wanted us to work together and act as a band." He shot off and returned with a guitar and a speaker so large Yona would need to stand on three clones of herself just to look over the top. "She said to try and make the funnest sound possible."

"Oh," Wild nodded, "I see. Well that sounds-" Gallus turned the amp to its max volume and strummed the guitar.





Flash and Springer were walking through the halls, Springer having regained his hearing as the two spoke, "So, what you think about the latest issue of Kamen Ponies? I personally think the writing's gone downhill ever since they killed off-"

THOOM!

A door flew open in front of them as a powerful sound exploded out along with Wild. The two covered their ears as the unicorn slammed into the wall opposite the door. "Wild!" Flash gasped, running up to him. "Are you okay?"

"Peachy," Wild groaned as Springer covered his ears.

"What did he say?" He turned to Flash, "Something about being itchy? We still have some of those flea treatments at the castle."

Flash groaned while Wild pulled himself off the wall. The unicorn shook his head at this, "Not a good start. Babe, you'd better get back soon."





Pinkie continued to train for everything she was worth, the pink pony continuously pulling herself up onto the cones and trying her best to balance on them. Yigrid watched as Pinkie landed on the stone slab and slowly got her balance, which was difficult since it required her to be perfectly still. This wasn't a skill Pinkie had a lot of luck in, mainly because it slowly drove her bored. In the few split seconds she was able to remain still and balanced on her four attempt, Pinkie was reminded of the mirror pool incident, and how she had to spend hours staring at a wall watching paint dry. If she could do that in order to save her life, she could do this.

Even so, it was still difficult. Every time she took a breath, she lost her balance. Sometimes she could save herself, but most of the time, she would end up falling into the snow below.

But she didn't give up and kept at it, with each attempt allowing her to remain atop the slab longer and longer. Yigrid watched and smiled as Pinkie eventually managed to remain atop the spike for over a minutes, taking slow deep breaths to keep herself from falling. She probably would have lasted longer, had a bird not flown up to them and landed on her shoulder.

"Whoa!" She cried, losing her balance and falling into the snow again. "Augh!"

As this happened, Yigrid noticed the sun was getting low. "We stop today."

"Wait!" Pinkie broke her head out of the snow, "I can keep going! I know I can get this!"

"Maybe. But yak not want to walk through mountain in dark."

Pinkie blinked at this before looking up at the sky, "Oh...yeah. Good point."

"Come." Yigrid leaned forward and the slab slid off the spike tip and down its side, eventually stopping when it reached the snow. "Pink pony stay with yak tonight. Continue training morning."

"Okay," Pinkie nodded as she pulled herself free of the snow and followed the yak back to the village.





The sun was also going down in Ponyville, Twilight now walking through the corridors of the school making sure nobody was messing around so close to night out. She checked the classrooms and when she looked inside Pinkie's, her eyes went wide at seeing how much of a mess it was. There were a bunch of baking ingredients littered around the floor, the pictures of funny things were all crooked and some of the desks were knocked over.

"What happened here?" She asked, only to see somepony sitting in the corner. "Wild?" She moved over to the unicorn and saw he was as much of a mess as the classroom, his mane and tail sticking out at odd ends whilst his coat had a bunch of flour covering it. His puppets weren't do much better, the group covered in splotches of different colored paints. "So...how was class?"

"How does Pinkie do this?" He asked, "Those kids were all over me. Every time I tried to teach them something, they would use it as an excuse to mess around and play pranks on me. Where's the respect for teachers these days?"

"I know it can be tough," Twilight nodded, "But you just have to show them you're not a pushover. Be stern."

"I don't think that's how Pinkie would teach."

"Well, you're not Pinkie," Twilight pointed out as she helped him stand up and started brushing the flour off of him. "I might have picked you because you're like Pinkie, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything like her. You have to find your own style of teaching."

"How do I do that?"

Twilight smiled as she gestured to the place, "This is a class on laughter. So...what makes you laugh? What do you find fun and exciting? What makes you happy? Once you know that, it's a simple matter of showing the students that same thing." She began to head to the door, but stopped just short of it and glanced back at him. "If you don't want to come back tomorrow, I understand. But I think you should give this one more try before stopping."

With that, she was gone as Wild looked back at the room, "What makes me happy?" His puppets flew around him at this, circling the pony as their voices spoke to him. He smirked, then laughed. He knew what he was gonna do.





Yakyakistan...

Yigrid had taken Pinkie to her hut. Like most in the village, this one was of modest size with stone flooring and beds of hay. A small fire was in the center of the hut, filling it with heat that Yigrid used to boil water for a soup. Pinkie was sticking close to the fire, trying to heat herself up due to the number of times she had fallen into freezing snow today.

"So, what pink pony do when not playing yovidaphone?" She asked as she stirred the soup.

"Oh, I do lot of things. I work at a bakery, I plan parties for ponies, I look after foals, I spend time with my friends and I have lots of fun with my boyfriend." Yigrid nodded as she filled a bowl with the soup, "He's probably wondering where I am right now."

"Pony not tell him where she go?"

"He was away when I decided to come here," Pinkie accepted the soup. "I guess I should have left him a note, but I was just so excited to learn how to play." She slurped some of the soup, then stopped as her eyes went wide due to the weird taste she was consuming. "Um...it's good." Yigrid smiled at this, but as she turned away, Pinkie stuck out her tongue and tried to scrap the taste off it.

Yigrid grabbed her own bowl and quickly threw it all into the back of her mouth, likely trying to eat it without taste. Once she had swallowed it all down, she put the bowl away and picked up her yovidaphone. As Pinkie forced herself to eat the rest, she was suddenly enraptured by the beautiful sound of the horn's music. She couldn't help but sway at the song, watching Yigrid's movements as she squeezed the bag and blew into the instrument. Slowly, Pinkie remembered everything she had done in her training.

She had learned to control her strength, something she had always had to do since as an earth pony she wielded the power to break the ground with every step she took. But now she had learned how to do more than simply hold back her full strength. She had learned how to properly adjust it on the fly. It wasn't perfect, but she would continue practicing until it was.

And as Pinkie and Yigrid's eyes met, Pinkie decided to try her best at copy the yak. She put her bowl down and picked up the yovidaphone, waiting until Yigrid broke the music to take a breath to start. As Pinkie blew into the instrument, she suddenly found herself not having the same issues she had had in the previous experience. Instead of letting all the air out in one single blast, she used what she had managed to learn on the spike to slow her breathing. Now, her instrument unleashed a long and continuous rhythm of sound. It wasn't as good as Yigrid, but it was still a vast improvement to what she had been playing before.

She then started trying to mimic the hoof moments that Yigrid performed, pushing against the bag, using the new control she had acquired. She managed to copy the music pretty well, Yigrid nodding as she heard this. However, at some points she did end up pushing to hard or two soft, making the sound go a little off.

The pair played the entire song together, and while Pinkie did mess up a few times, the two sounds were still being played in relative harmony. And when the song ended, Pinkie pulled her lips from the instrument and panted while Yigrid smiled. "Pony very quick study. Strength and breath already vast improved over last time. Many yak not get this good after month of training."

"Really?" Pinkie asked, Yigrid nodding. "Thanks. I just tried to copy you."

"Pink pony should now try play own song. No copy. Show yak how she play yovidaphone on own now she has technique down."

"You sure?" Yigrid nodded. "Okay then." Pinkie closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she started playing, using her new breathing techniques to try and improve how she played the yovidaphone before. She was still making many mistakes, going out of tune sometimes or blowing to hard, but still she had already improved herself by leaps and bounds.

Yigrid nodded and started playing along with her, the pair going late into the night until they were completely exhausted. This would be their routine for several days to come. Training in the day, playing in the night. And every day, Pinkie's skills would improve more and more.





One week later...

Wild smiled at the sight of his class working hard on their projects. Despite the rough start to his teaching career, he discovered he knew one way to teach students how to have fun.

"Very good Smolder," he commented as he saw he wooden doll that the dragon had made in her own image. The class had spent a week working on those kind of figures. Ones that looked just like the creatures making them. Many had been able to simply use some pony parts that Wild already had, though the non-pony students had needed to make their from scratch.

Silverstream enjoyed this class a lot, having designed her puppet to have interchangeable parts so that she could remove her wings and replace the front and back legs with a tail and fins. Yona had needed a large block of wood, which Wild had helped her carve into the perfect form of her body. The students had all been enjoying themselves immensely. Even Gallus had stopped trying to cause trouble, especially after Wild had threatened not to let him take part in the puppet show they were all going to perform in it was ready.

The bell rang and Wild smirked, "Alright class. Time to pack up." The students moaned at this, but did as they were told and moved their puppets over to the back of the classroom to allow the painted ones to dry. As the students started filing out, Twilight arrived and smiled at seeing a completely different atmosphere.

"I knew you could do it."

"Yes, you did." Wild replied as his puppets flew down and helped him clean up the desk. "You were right. I just had to show them what makes me want to laugh. As it turned out, making puppets caused them to laugh as well."

Twilight giggled at this, and when the classroom was cleaned up, they walked into the teacher's lounge. But as they passed the courtyard, something caught their ear. They both turned to the noise, noticing it was an odd sound, one of long and stable rhythm that occasionally increased its tone in a soft way. And they weren't the only ones hearing it.

Flash, Rainbow, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy and Applejack all stepped out into the courtyard. "What is that heavenly music?" Rarity asked, the others perking up their ears.

Twilight then smiled, "That...is the music of the yovidaphone."

"Are you sure?" Rainbow asked, "Cause that actually sounds kinda...good."

"I'm sure," Twilight nodded, "But where's it coming from?"

They glanced around, the music getting louder, but no sign of anypony around them. Then, Flash glanced up and his eyes went wide. "Up there!" They all looked up and saw a familiar balloon, which was floating above the school and slowly descending. Inside the basket was a familiar pink pony, who was playing the amazing music they were listening too.

"PINKIE!" They all cheered right as the earth pony stopped playing. She smiled at them and was about to say something, but in that moment, the balloon got stuck in the square gap that made up school's courtyard.

"WHOA!" Pinkie yelped as the basket bounced back up and she fell out of it, falling a good three feet before hitting the ground as everypony flinched. Doing so made her go splat, the pink pony reduced to a puddle of pink goo that the yovidaphone fell into.

Wild chuckled and moved over, removing the instrument and took out a bike pump. Plugging it into the puddle and giving a few pumps, he was able to restore Pinkie to her normal state. "I'm BACK!" She cheered while grabbing her yovidaphone.

"And it sounds like you've mastered the yovidaphone," Twilight added.

"Nope," she shook her head, "It turns out, the way I was playing before was absolutely perfect." The ponies all grimaced at this, "Apparently, you can play the yovidaphone any way you want and as long as you're having fun. That's what matters."

"But what about the music you were just playing?" Flash asked, "That sounded great."

"I know. I spent the last week learning it. And now I can play the way ponies like while also playing the way I like."

"Well, we're happy that you're back," Twilight pulled the pony into a hug, the rest of the girls following suit. "Just do us all a favor and remember those rules we asked for."

"Okay," Pinkie responded, "No playing after sundown. No playing in the orchard, while you're dress making, at Wonderbolt races or during sting operations. Other than that, I'm free to play whenever I want?" They all nodded and Pinkie cheered, the earth pony then beginning to play her instrument the way she enjoyed it. While it was loud and wild, it wasn't as bad as the last time she had played it for her friends.

Over the next few minutes, many students walked into the courtyard, many bobbing their heads to the music Pinkie was playing. By the end, it was like they were having a mini concert. And as Pinkie blew the last note, they all cheered and applauded. Yup, Pinkie was back and she was better than ever now that she could play the instrument she loved so much without causing problems for her friends. Life was great.





"Oooh!" Pinkie went wide-eyed when she saw all the puppets the students had been working on. "These are great! I should let you take over for me more often!"

"Maybe not too often," Wild chuckled as he leaned against a wall. "This week was fun, but I think I've aged ten years from the stress."

Pinkie laughed and hugged him, "Sorry I didn't tell you about where I was going. I probably should have left a note."

"Yeah, you probably should have. But you'll know now for next time. Now," he grabbed her yovidaphone in his magic, "Think you can teach me to play this? It looks like fun."

Pinkie smiled at this and promised to do so next winter, confusing Wild until she explained how she had learned to play. The unicorn and earth pony would spent much of the night talking about the last week of their lives, enjoying each other's company and laughing the whole time. Despite being separated for over a week, they were both able to connect like they had never been apart
> The Epic of Tempest Shadows
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Klugetown, a less than great place that is located between Equestria and Mount Aris. You could once consider it to be one of the most wretched hive of scum and villainy. But in the last few months, ever since the defeat of the Storm King, the place had improved...slightly. The streets were still full of odd looking creatures, such as land sharks, humanoid turtles and even a creature whose head was an octopus with the tentacles acting like a beard.

But where there was once cages full of poorly treated and too big for their holdings birds, now there were properly sized habitats one would usually see in a pet shop. A bunch of market stalls filled the streets that were full of fresh food, unlike the stale and rotting stuff that had once been for sale. And a couple of houses had even been painted bright colors, which gave the place a more vibrant feel.

However, the most surprising thing about the place were the large number of creatures that had once been feared throughout the town, which were now being walked past without a care in the world. The Storm Guards, which were actually a combination of wolf and ape, were walking around, no longer dressed in the armor that had once been the bane of many.

Now the most these creatures were wearing were shorts or maybe a vest, as they were carrying a large number of crates around the place while others were running stalls. After the loss of their king, all they could do was find a way to make ends meet. And as the storm creatures were working their butts off, two new figures had just arrived in the town. They were both wearing brown cloaks with their hoods up, one being a pony-shaped figure while the other stood at around two or three feet in height. They walked through the town, doing their best to keep from drawing attention to themselves.

And as they reached the middle of the city, they came to a stop before spotting a food cart that had a bird lady making some kind of stew. The bigger one gestured to their companion to follow and they moved over to the booth, sitting at it and placing some bits on the table. Ever since the Storm King's downfall, the currency he had installed in many of the places he had conquered had gone out of style. Now the town ran on bits, same as Equestria, Griffonstone and even Mount Aris.

The bird lady placed two bowls in front of them, the pair reaching up and removing their hoods.

"Finally," Spike sighed as he pulled the bowl towards him, "I'm glad we didn't have to slog through that entire desert to get here again. But that last mile is still really hot."

"Can't be helped," Flash Sentry added as he grabbed a spoon. "Imagine what might have happened if someone here saw the Rune Gate spit us out here? They'd probably try and take it for themselves." He ate a spoonful of the stew, but flinched at the bitter taste while thinking about what led them here.





A few hours ago...

It was another brilliant day at the School of Friendship, Flash now walking through the halls since he didn't have a class to teach at the moment. The pegasus smirked as he made his walked passed past Pinkie Pie's class, hearing the pink pony speak up, "And ever since I ate that odd tasting fruit, I've been able to do all kinds of fun and interesting things!"

He kept walking with a smirk on his face, the pegasus being in a really good mood at that moment. And as he passed by the courtyard, he felt something on his flank, making him look back and seeing a certain light from his cutie mark.

"The map." He took to the air and flew up through the courtyard, then headed straight for the castle and into an open window. And as he flew in, he found he wasn't the only one who was being called.

"Flash!" Twilight waved to him as he landed inside, now seeing her and Spike standing next to the map. Spike's head spines were currently glowing, like how they had during the time Thorax and Ember first met. Flash turned to the map and saw his cutie mark, circling a place alongside Spike's holographic head.

"So, where we heading too? Hope it's somewhere warm and sunny."

"Well it's warm," Twilight replied, "But...not exactly sunny." Flash raised an eyebrow and glanced down at the place, only to frown.

"Oh, great."





"I don't get why the map would send us here," Spike moaned after being unable to stomach the stew he had just tried to eat. "Doesn't there have to be a friendship in order to have a friendship problem?"

He stared all the town's occupants, who were barely saying two words to one another, only for Flash to shake his head, "The map sent us here for a reason." And as he said this, when the bird lady was looking away, he quickly poured the rest of his stew into a nearby plant. "We've just gotta look around and find it." As the plant began to die, the pair got up and started glancing around. "Just be careful. This place isn't exactly the friendliest area in the world."

"And they might still be upset with us about what happened last time." As they walked through the town, they spotted the remains of the windmill they had destroyed in their escape of the Storm King's minions.

And as they did this, a figure stood in the shadows of a building, watching the pair.





Flash and Spike were both making their way through the town, wondering if maybe Capper was still around. "Still not seeing anything that would qualify as a Friendship Problem," Spike sighed, "Maybe the map thinks the whole town is the problem. Clearly, this place needs an overhaul."

"I doubt the map would send just the two of us to do something that big," Flash replied, "Don't worry, we'll find the problem." But as he said that, a lanky humanoid lizard bumped into him. "Whoops! Sorry!"

"Whatever," the lizard hissed before walking off.

Flash grumbled at the sight, only to turn and see a stand that had fresh fruit, the pegasus licking his lips and reached for his bit purse. But when he did, he found it wasn't there. "Huh?" He looked all around himself, but couldn't find anything, only to glance back up and see the lizard still walking away, "Hey! Get back here, you thief!"

He cut into a sprint at this, Spike following after him as the lizard jumped down onto all fours. The chase began, the lizard quickly zipping through the streets before ducking into a back alleyway, vanishing by the time Flash and Spike got there. "We lost him!" Spike cried, Flash growling at the loss of his money.

But before he could let his frustrations get to him, a sudden explosion of light flew out from around another corner followed by a scream. The lizard was then thrown out from around the corner and crashed into the ground, a small brown sack falling out of his hand, coins jingling inside.

"What was that?" Spike asked, only for them to see somepony step out from around the corner, the sight making them go wide-eyed.

"Tempest..." Flash whispered as they saw the purple unicorn walk up to them. She was different, no longer wearing the armor that signified her as a member of the Storm King's army. Instead, she had a black hoodless cloak that went down to only her knees and a long gray scarf wrapped around her neck.

The broken horned unicorn stepped up to the lizard and placed a hoof on his chest, preventing him from getting up before staring at Flash, "You should be more wary of those around you in this town. I won't always be around to save you."

Flash kept his eye on her as he moved to pick up his bag, looking inside to see that none of the coins were missing. "What are you doing here?"

"Aside from making sure you don't get robbed?" She asked, as the lizard started to come around. "I had business in this town." She looked down at the lizard, her broken horn sparking as his brain started to focus. "What do you wish to do with this one? There's no police or law enforcement in this town. So whatever you want to do with him is perfectly legal."

"That's a bit intense," Flash responded as the lizard heard those words and began to shake in panic, only for Flash to say, "Let him go." Tempest raised an eyebrow at this, "We don't execute others for pick pocketing. Release him." He then glared at the lizard, "But you got lucky. The next time you get caught stealing, the perpetrator might not be so generous. Remember that." The lizard nodded and Tempest raised her hoof, allowing him to scurry away.

Once he was gone, Tempest turned to them. "You can be too soft for your own good." Flash tensed up at this, giving her a frown back, "Still hate me? I can understand. After what I did, I guess you'd have no choice but to see me as an enemy."

"I know you're not my enemy," Flash countered, "But I haven't decided if I can trust you as a friend yet. That trust has to be earned." Tempest shrugged back as Flash then turned to Spike. "We need to keep looking. This friendship mission isn't going to solve itself."

"Friendship mission?" Tempest asked.

"It's a long story," Spike replied before going wide-eyed, "Hey, maybe Tempest has something to do with the mission. It can't be a coincidence that the map sent us here while she was in town."

Flash put a hoof to his chin, humming at Spike's logic. "I guess." He turned to her, "Mind if we tag along with you? It beats just walking around aimlessly, and we do owe you for what you did before, so maybe we can help you out."

Tempest stared at him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine." She spun around at this, "Just don't slow me down."

The pair followed as they made their way through the back alleys of the town. "So what exactly are you doing here?" Spike asked as they arrived at an area of the town with a large building in that had a strange looking symbol painted on it.

"Since the Storm King's defeat, I've been travelling the land to make sure all the places he once conquered didn't fall into ruin. With the one ruling them gone, a power vacuum was inevitable. However, those areas have yet to suffer any negative effects. But then there's the situation with the Storm King's army."

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "We did notice a couple of his old goons around the place. But it looks like they're not causing any trouble."

"True." As they got closer to the building, Flash and Spike saw several Storm Creatures standing guard around the place. They were wearing their Storm King armor, but they had been repainted with the same symbol the building had covering the Storm King's. "But there's one who's taken the Storm King's defeat to lift himself up to a position of power. I need to make sure he doesn't abuse that power."

As they approached, the guards seemed to stand to attention when they saw Tempest. She nodded back, one of the guards speaking up. "Two pony visitors in the same day. He's not gonna like that."

Tempest looked curious as she stepped passed them, Flash and Spike attempting to do the same, only for them to cross their spears at Flash, making him jump back and reach for his sword. "They're with me," Tempest chimed in, the guards uncrossing their weapons a second later, and the pair continued forward.

"Yeah," Spike smirked, "We're with her." But the creatures glared at him, making the dragon flinch and run back to the ponies. They were forced to climb a large circular staircase with many doors located every ten or so feet. Spike quickly used his wings to fly up while Flash and Tempest paced themselves until they arrived at the top.

Tempest knocked on the door, "I'm busy." Flash and Spike recognized the voice while Tempest ignored it and pushed the door open. Flash and Spike looked inside and were greeted to a sight they hadn't been expecting. "Didn't you ear me?" It was Grubber, the little hedgehog creature that had been another Storm King underling. He was also wearing repainted armor, which the symbol on it that they now realized was his own face winking with a smile. But it was the pony on the other side of the desk that surprised them more.

"Starswirl?" Flash asked, seeing the bearded unicorn who turned to them in surprise.

"Tempest?!" Grubber gasped, "Dint know you were in town."

"Have to make sure you're not causing any problems," Tempest responded.

"Hey!" Grubber yelled, "I'm a respeck-able business owner now! Grubber shipping and handling is only focused on completely legal practises."

"Old habits die hard," Tempest replied before turning to Flash. "You know this unicorn?"

"We've met," Flash nodded as he stepped over to Starswirl. "Didn't think I'd see you in a place like this."

"Yes, I never thought I'd be here either. But necessity breeds opportunity." He turned to Grubber, pulling out a bag of bits that he placed on the table. "So, do we have a deal?"

"Of course," Grubber nodded as he jumped off the large swivel chair and moved to the back of the room. A giant portrait of himself could be seen there and when he opened it up, it showed a safe that he quickly unlocked. He took out a scroll and returned to his seat, holding it out to Starswirl, who took it in exchange for the bag.

"What's going on?" Spike asked.

"A business transaction," Grubber replied as Starswirl unfurled it. Flash and Spike moved over to look over the unicorn's shoulder, seeing what was on the scroll.

"Is that what I think it is?" Spike asked, he and Flash seeing a bunch of lines on the scroll with a large X on one area.

"It's a map," Starswirl responded, "A map that can lead us to an area that holds a great treasure."

Flash and Spike both looked like Hearth's Warming had come early, the pair's eyes going wide as stars appeared within them. "A treasure map?!" They exclaimed, Starswirl chuckling.

"Yes, a treasure that was hidden by a pirate many centuries ago." He turned to Flash, "It's good that you're here. I was planning to contact Celestia once I had my hooves on this map to ask for assistance. But you being here makes it all the more easier."

"You want me to help find a lost treasure?" Flash asked, Starswirl nodding as the pegasus turned to Spike. "What do you think?"

"I still haven't seen anything that would count as a Friendship Mission," Spike replied, "But...maybe the map sent us here because joining with Starswirl will lead us to the mission."

"I...guess?" Flash shrugged before turning to back Starswirl and nodding. "Alright, we're in. We'll help you find the treasure...whatever it is."

Starswirl nodded as Tempest walked over to Grubber, "Why didn't you try going after the treasure?"

"I considered it," Grubber nodded, "But I have a business to run. I can't go gala-vintin off whenever I see somethin' that might be worth something. Be-sighs, there's the curse to worry about."

"Curse?" Spike asked, "What curse?"

Grubber opened his mouth, only for the sound of a door shattering downstairs caught all their attention. Flash rushed to the door and opened it up, looking down to see a bunch of creatures at the bottom of the stairs. The storm guards that had been protecting the door were laid out on the floor while several lizards, a shark and a mole creature was jumping over their bodies. "Get the map!" He heard, making the pegasus slam the door shut and turn to the others.

"Ooookay. We need to leave. Like...right now!"

"Why?" Tempest asked, "What's going on?" The commotion from downstairs continued and Tempest began to get the picture as the unicorn turned to Grubber. "Do you have a secret way out of here?"

Grubber quickly opened a compartment on his desk and pressed a button. A portrait on the wall opened up to reveal a tube, part of the carpet rolled up to show another flight of stairs, a chest opened to reveal a rope ladder and part of the wall folded into itself to reveal a pole. "Take your pick."

Tempest grabbed and threw him down the tube, Spike flying down behind him while Starswirl rolled the map up. "Is fleeing really necessary? Flash, you must have faced stronger opponents than this."

"Yeah, but I don't think getting into a fight right now would be the best idea." Flash pushed him toward the tube and the unicorn leapt down it, Tempest going with him while Flash grabbed a trinket off a nearby shelf and threw it at the button. As he leapt down the tube, the snowglobe hit the button, which caused the escape tunnels to close back up seconds before the attackers arrived.

"Where are they?" One of the lizards yelled, "I want that treasure!"





Outside, a dumpster lid shot open as Grubber was flung out, crying before his head hit the pavement, "Ow!" he moaned as Spike flew out and hovered above him. Starswirl was next and created a sphere of magic around him, which bounced off the ground, right where Grubber was laying, and popped so he could land safely. "Ow!" He cried again, only for Tempest to fly out of the dumpster and land on him as well. "Oh, come on!"

Flash was next out, hovering like Spike, "Come on everypony." He gestured, the others following except for Grubber.

"You all go. I'll way wow for a wittle while until they're gone." They nodded and ran, right as the attackers jumped out of the building again.

"There they are!" One yelled, pointing at the fleeing group. "After them!"

"How do they know we have the map?" Spike asked, Flash about to reply, only to glance back before turning to Starswirl.

"Starswirl, can you make yourself lighter with a spell?"

"Yes," Starswirl nodded, "But the spell only lasts a few minutes."

"That's all we'll need. Tempest, light 'em up!" Tempest nodded and they closed their eyes as her broken horn sparked and unleashed a bunch of firework-like blasts of magic, creating some bright explosions.

Their pursuers cried out as the bright lights blinded them, not seeing Flash and Spike fly over them, Flash holding Tempest and Spike carrying Starswirl by the tail.

"This is highly embarrassing," the unicorn grumbled while glowing gold due to the spell. They flew up high at this, Starswirl then taking out the map, "We'll need to find the area that's designated as the start of the map's trail."

On it, the starting point had the image of two dragons staring one another down. But before he could tell them that, Flash said, "Well, we're gonna need to get out of town first. We need to lose them before they try and attack again.

Tempest looked up at him. "You really plan to walk your way through the map? Who knows how long that could take!"

"I know, but-"

"Look out!" Spike yelped as the group just got up to the clouds, only for an airship to appear. The boat was about to smash into them, Flash and Spike quickly pulling up.

"Whoa!" Flash gasped, "Where'd that thing come from?"

As he said that, he heard Spike begin to groan, glancing over to see Starswirl starting to stop glowing. "Looks like my spell's run out of power," he sighed before teleporting himself onto the deck of the ship. Seeing no other option, they flew down and landed next to him.

"Wait," Flash commented, "Something about this ship looks familiar." He looked up at the balloon, now seeing a large bird ornament on it. "I knew it. This ship belongs to-"

"Captain Celaeno!" They all turned to the voice, now seeing a certain white and green pirate bird with an emerald pegleg swing down the rafters. "And she doesn't take to kindly to-" She stopped when she saw a certain defender, "Flash?"

"Hey Celaeno," Flash replied, "Gotta say, today's just been full of unexpected meetings."

"How you doing?" Spike asked next, "Love the new ship."

"Aye," she smirked, "Tried to make her look just like the old one. Only way to fix the pain after...somepony destroyed the last one." Her gaze shifted to Tempest, who seemed to be doing everything in her power not to make eye contact with her. "So, what brings you guys to Klugetown?"

"Could ask you the same question. After the last time, I figured you'd never wanna step hoof in here again."

"We had to make a supply run," Celaeno replied as the rest of her crew stepped out onto the deck. Boyle, Mullet, Lix Spittle and Squabble all smiled at them as they approached, then frowned at Tempest. "So what about you?"

"It's a long story. But it does involve a treasure map." The four birds went wide-eyed hearing this, while Starswirl gave him a shocked expression.

"What are you doing?" He pulled Flash in close, "They're pirates! Do you know how dangerous they are?!"

"Relax," Spike waved his hand, "We're friends with them. Besides, who better to help find buried treasure than pirates?"

"And if they doublecross us, you can lecture us as much as you like." Flash grabbed the treasure map from him, "But right now, we need their help." He turned to Celaeno and showed her the map, "Think you can help us find some buried treasure?"

"You have to ask?" Celaeno looked at the map and hummed, "Seems simple enough." She poked each of the symbols on the map, "Basic pirate symbolism. Each of these images are landmarks you use to find your way towards the treasure."

Spike flew up and stared at the map. "How can a pair of dragons be a landmark? This map must be super old, there's no way they're still there."

Celaeno rolled her eyes at hits, "The dragons are just meant to symbolize the actual landmark. There's probably something out there that looks like two dragons staring at one another. Though...I don't know anyplace close that's like that."

"I might know what you're looking for." Tempest chimed in, all turning to her as she looked away, "There's...a rock formation in the middle of the desert that looks like that. I saw it when I was...chasing Twilight and her friends."

They all stared at her, only for Flash to shine a big grin, "Great! Think you can plot a course?" Tempest glanced back at him with wide eyes as Flash turned to Celaeno. "So...wanna help us track down this treasure?"

"Well, it depends," Celaeno shrugged, "What kind of treasure are we searching for?"

"The cursed kind," Spike gulped as he remembered what Grubber had told them.

"The treasure isn't cursed," Starswirl grumbled, "It's just called that to keep looters away."

"You were really interested in it," Flash pointed at the unicorn, "What's so important you come all this way to get your hooves on it?"

The others were wondering the same thing, as Starswirl took the map back. "Long ago, around my time, there was a pirate named Looter. He stole many great treasures and artifacts from around the world, leaving no survivors when he did. And he did it using a powerful relic that allowed him to access powers that, at the time, were considered impossible."

"What kind of powers?" Spike asked.

"Teleportation, invisibility, intangibility and many more," Starswirl replied, "Back then, those kind of powers were only able to be done by a miniscule number of ponies and never all at once. This was what made him so unstoppable. He could teleport into an area and walk through whatever traps had been set before making off with everything of value. Some even say it could heal any wound her was given. And it wasn't just gold and silver he took. Ancient scrolls and textbooks, which could have done great things if ponies had had access to it. Those and the relic are what I wish to reacquire."

"Does that mean we can have whatever gold and treasure we find?" Boyle asked, Starswirl rolling his eyes but nodding all the same.

"Then you've got yourself a crew!" Celaeno laughed before pointing to the wheel. "Helm, set a course for the desert!" Lix Spittle nodded and rushed to the wheel as the captain turned to Tempest. "You better be right about this. Get us that treasure and I'll forgive you for what you did to us." Tempest nodded and moved to the front of the ship, Starswirl turning to the others.

"What did she do?"

"She used to work for the Storm King," Flash replied, Starswirl going wide-eyed at this, "She lost her horn when she was younger and he promised to restore it if she helped him. Of course, he was lying, but she was so desperate to have her magic back, even if it meant betraying her own kind." Starswirl turned to the unicorn, glaring at her until Flash added, "In a way, she's a lot like how Stygian was. Her friends turned their backs on her and it made her reach out to something she shouldn't have."

"I...see," Starswirl slowly nodded, "So she's been trying to make up for what happened?"

"I think so. She's doing what she can to figure it out." He walked up to her at this, leaving Starswirl and Spike to look over the map. As he got closer, he saw Tempest staring out at the desert, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," she slowly replied, "Just...keeping an eye out for the rock formation I saw."

"Yeah, guess it was a good thing you were chasing after us before, huh?" He chuckled, only to see her give him a deadpan glare, "That was a joke."

"I know," she turned back to the desert. "It just wasn't funny." Flash shrugged and both began to stare at the desert, "So is this what that mission you talked about was for? Going after a treasure?"

"No idea," Flash shrugged, "These missions never come with detailed instructions. The map just picks those best for the job and sends us to a place. We're supposed to do the rest. I don't know what finding a treasure has to do with a friendship mission. Maybe I'll meet somepony at this place who needs help, or...maybe the one we're supposed to help is right here."

Tempest looked back at him before shaking her head, "I doubt I'm the one you're supposed to help. How can I have a Friendship Problem when I don't have any friends?"

"You've got Twilight. She sees you as a friend."

"I attacked her home, enslaved her friends and family, stole her magic, and almost got her killed. How could she consider me her friend?"

"You think you're the first friend she has that's done that?" Tempest raised an eyebrow at this, "Though, I think you might be the first that's done all of those at once. But even so, Twilight forgave you. And if you let her, she'd help you in any way she could." He looked back out at the desert in front of them. "This world can be a harsh place. Without somepony by your side, it's hard to live a comfortable life."

"Maybe," Tempest glanced down, "But what if I mess it up? I was willing to do anything to have my horn back. Who knows what I might do if I find another opportunity to do it." She looked up at her horn, seeing a tiny spark, "Twilight helped me see the amazement in the magic I have, but that still doesn't change the fact I can't do real magic like her."

"Barely anypony can. You think your run of the mill unicorn could teleport, conjure force-fields and unleash a blast of magic so strong it could blow a city off the face of Equestria? Most of them can't do any more than levitate things."

"Still more than what I can do."

"The point is, you shouldn't focus on what you don't have. Focus on what you do have. Your magic's awesome and it got us out of that jam back in the city. Plus, it put on quite the show in Canterlot. And yeah, not having real magic can suck. But not having it isn't what defines you. It's what you do despite not having it that defines you. You just need to show the world what you can do, like Twilight said. And if the chance to get your horn back does come around, then don't be afraid to go after it. Just make sure you don't lose those close to you in the process."

Tempest remained quiet at this, Flash frowning and turning to walk away. "Thank you...Flash."

"No problem Tempest," he glanced back, "Or was it...Fizzlepop Berrytwist?" Tempest turned to give him a smirk. "Seriously, why'd you get rid of such a cool name?"

"I didn't think anypony would take me seriously if I kept it. Figured an intimidating name would sell me as somepony not to be messed with. And it worked. The Storm King liked it a lot."

"Well, he's not around anymore. And I prefer your old name. Though if we get into trouble, it will be a mouthful to say when time's of the essence. How about I just call you Fizzlepop? Or maybe Fizz, since it's shorter than Tempest."

She just shook her head and nodded, "Sure. If that's easier for you."

"Thanks Fizz," Flash chuckled before heading up to Celaeno.

As this happened, Starswirl was staring at the map. Spike was also there, his eyes noticing the edges of the map had a line running along it that formed a box encircling the actual map. And outside the box were a bunch of symbols. "Hey...I've seen these before." He pointed at the symbols running up one side, Starswirl nodding as he snapped his claws. "This in ancient draconic."

"You know ancient dragonic?" Starswirl asked, Spike shaking his head.

"I can't read. But I recognized some of these symbols from my dad's book."

"Your dad?" Starswirl raised an eyebrow, only to go wide-eyed, "Oh yes. Silverbolt."

Spike leaned back at this, "You know I'm Silverbolt's son?"

"How could I not? One of the first things I asked Celestia about after we stopped the Pony of Shadows was what happened to your egg. I never thought it would take a thousand years for it to hatch. To think you waited so long for your destiny."

"I don't even know what that is yet," Spike sighed as he sat against the side of the boat. "My dad thought it was to help bring the dragons into a new age, but I've done very little to do that."

"Yes, Celestia told me about you meeting a spark of your father's soul. But I wouldn't say you've done little if that is your destiny." Spike tilted his head at this, "Didn't you teach the current Dragon Lord about friendship and everything?" He asked, Spike nodding. "And that has opened the way for more dragons to learn about it. I believe Twilight has a dragon attending her school." Spike nodded again. "You'd be surprised how simple it can be to achieve a great destiny sometimes. Many believe it's all about great acts of valor and overcoming unconquerable odds, but many times, a destiny is something that can happen just by being yourself and doing what's right."

"So you think my destiny is an easy one?"

"Well, you won't know that for a long time. I thought I had achieved my destiny many times in my life. Learning and creating countless spells, defeating the Sirens and other monsters, sealing the Pony of Shadows and helping save the friend I had turned away. Any one of those could be classed as a destiny one can fulfil. But every time it happens and I think I'm finished, something new happens. As long as we live, there's no telling what our destiny could be."

"Huh, I never thought of it like that."

"Very few do."

Spike nodded and looked up at the sky, "You knew my dad the best. Do you think he's be proud of the dragon I've become?"

Starswirl nodded back, "I think he would have. When he and Fira had you, they knew you would be something great. Honestly, they probably would have been proud of you if you had just turned out to be a potato farmer. But what you've accomplished in your life is certainly something they would have been proud to see."

Spike smiled at this, glad he had gotten this chance to talk to the only pony to have actually known his father. But before he could say anything else, Fizzlepop spoke up. "Over there!" They turned to see Fizz pointing off to the side, then rushed over to her.

It was a large rock formation sticking out of the sandy ground. Whether by natural means or not, this rock had been carved to look like a pair of dragons that were staring one another down. Starswirl looked at the map and nodded, "We've found our first marker."

"So what's the next one?" Celaeno asked as Fizz stepped over to the bridge. Starswirl stared at the map and saw the image of a large bird that appeared to be west of the dragon formation. "Squabble," Celaeno looked up at the crows nest, "See anything in that direction?" The bird pulled out a telescope and looked to the west, then squawked something Celaeno seemed to understand. "A bunch of rocks."

"Probably another rock formation that looks like a bird," Flash pointed out as Celaeno spun the ship around and headed straight toward it. As she did this, she couldn't help but keep her attention on Fizzlepop.

"Are you sure you can trust her?" She whispered to Flash, "She was the Storm King's right claw. What if she tries to get revenge for what happened to him?"

"Fizz has no loyalty to him anymore," Flash replied, "He betrayed her, so she wouldn't care even if we were the ones that actually took him down." Celaeno frowned at this, "She's trying to start anew. You don't have to trust her, but you should at least give her the chance to actually prove whether or not she's changed."

Celaeno was about to reply, only for Squabble to start squawking loudly.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, the group looking up at the crows nest as the bird pointed behind them. They all spun around, only to go wide-eyed as they saw another pirate ship appear in the distance. This one had a giant lizard head on the front with a large frill coming out of its neck.

"Abas!" Celaeno gasped as she reached for her sword, "Prepare for combat!"

"You know him?!" Spike asked as the pirates grabbed their weapons and Flash removed his cloak to take out his sword.

"By reputation," Celaeno hissed, "Abas is a pirate well known for plundering ships and destroying anyone who gets in his way."

"Isn't that what most pirates do?" Starswirl asked, "Like you lot?"

"Hey," Boyle cried, "We've never sunk anyone who didn't try to sink us first!" The other pirates nodded as the ship pulled up behind them, Flash rushing to the back and seeing someone standing atop the front of the boat.

It was a humanoid lizard wearing a long red overcoat that was covered in black feathers. He had an eyepatch covering his left eye, a wooden peg leg, a hooked hand and was missing his tail. His face was covered in scars and a large frill on the side of his head, which was currently down, had a triangular section missing. "Give yourself up!" He roared, removing the hook from the holster before thrusting it into a swordless scabbard on his waist. "That map will be mine!" He pulled the arm back and in doing so, drew a blade from the scabbard.

"How do all these creatures know we have the map?" Flash asked.

"Last warning! Give yourself up!"

"No chance!" Celaeno roared as she spun the wheel of her ship, "I don't surrender! And I don't let other pirates take my things or the possessions of my friends!"

The two airships were then side to side as Abas yelled, "You asked for it! FIRE!" The sides of the airship opened up and a bunch of cannons folded out, Flash and his friends all going wide-eyed as Celaeno tried to speed the propellers up, only to find they were already at max speed.

"Where are your cannons?!" Fizz asked.

"At the bottom of the ocean!" Celaeno cried as Abas' ship started firing, Starswirl leaping to that side of the ship and using his magic to create a force-field. The cannonballs bounced off the shield without issue while Flash, Spike and Fizz prepared to counter attack.

"Flash Cutter!" He swung his sword around and fired the energy blade, which flew to the ship and hit one of the cannons as it was reloaded. Two more were also preparing to fire again, but Fizz shot several bolts of lightning at them. The rest of the cannons were also reloaded as the two ships flew over the field of rocks, but Spike came next. Breathing into his claws, he thrust them as the cannons fired. And to everyone's amazement, the flames morphed into a giant pair of claws that caught the cannonballs. Spike then held one hand open, the fire hands mimicking this, and flicked his palm with the other. The fire hands smacked the cannonballs back, knocking them into the cannons.

"You idiots!" Abas roared, "Do I have to do everything myself?!" Before anyone could reply, a laser shot up and struck the balloon, causing a rip and release the gas that kept the ship aloft. "Oh dang." As the ship began to lose altitude, the pirates began to panic with a bunch of humanoid lizards and fish trying to climb up the balloon and patch the tear.

But before they could, Fizzlepop fired several lightning bolts that struck the balloon in multiple locations. The pirates screamed as the airship lost all its air, causing it to fall.

"Nice shot," Flash smirked at Fizz as the ship's torn balloon was caught upon a rock and stopped it from crashing into the ground.

Celaeno growled at this, "I guess her cutie mark is a sinking airship." Spike heard this and frowned as Boyle called out to them, the group rushing to the side of the boat. "What is it? Did we get hit by cannon fire?"

"No, look!" He pointed to the ground and they looked down and saw a large hole in one of the rocks. A hole that was shaped like a large bird.

"I think we're on the right track," Flash smirked before running to the front of the boat. "Come on! We'll follow that trail!"

"What trail?" Spike asked as Flash reached the front and pointed his sword to the west.

"The trail...that we blaze!"

"Actually," Starswirl spoke up as he looked over the map. "According to this, the next landmark is to the north." Flash sweatdropped and quickly pointed himself in that direction.

"That trail that we blaze!" The others laughed as the ship turned, leaving Abas and his crew behind.





Back in the rocks, Abas glared at his destroyed ship. "Those fools will pay."

"Captain!" He turned to a shark pirate, "There's no way we can fix this ship in time to catch them. Our only hope is to follow them in the sky sails and hope they don't get too far."

"Then get too it!" Abas hissed as his crew rushed below deck, "I'm not gonna let this chance slip between my claws. If the legend about Looter is true, he stole a relic with the power I need." He looked himself over, at his pegleg, hooked hand, lost tail and reached out to touch his eyepatch. "With that relic, I'll be restored to my prime self and then nobody will be able to stop me!" He looked up at the disappearing ship, "Just you wait. Lead us right to the treasure!"





Cue the music...

As the ship flew toward the next landmark, Flash and Spike stood on the deck while having changed into more piraty attire. They looked at the map and saw the image of a lion's head, which they discovered was actually what an island they found in the middle of a big lake was shaped like.

As they checked that marker off to began to search for the next one, Fizzlepop and Starswirl stepped out. When everyone turned to them, they found the pair had also changed into more pirate-like clothing. The pair were both blushing, the rest laughing and telling them they look great.





After another checkpoint, Boyle was staring at the map and pointed at one side of the boat. Lix Spittle then looked at it and sighed before turning the map around, Boyle chuckling before pointing in the other direction as the others laughed.





The group were now sitting below deck, hungry after a hard day's searching. But before any of them could turn to cannibalism, Spike flew in carrying a large pot full of shepard's pie. They all stared at the meal and licked their lips, excited to have a taste of the master chef's work.





When they found another checkpoint, which was a waterfall shaped like a crying mare, they stopped to get some water and Spike happened to dip his tail into it.

When he lifted it back out, a large spiral shell could be seen around it and the others turned to see this. The little dragon tilted his head at this, having tucked his wings in and was unknowingly giving them a dopey expression. They couldn't help but laugh at this, even Fizzlepop.





Flash and Boyle were up on deck, the two clashing swords while grinning at one another.

At the side, Spike, Squabble, Mullet and Fizzlepop were watching, all betting on who would win. As they did this, Celaeno stepped up to them carrying a tray of hot drinks. She gave one to Spike, Squabble and Mullet, only to show she only had one left.

Fizz expected Celaeno to keep it for herself, only for the parrot to offer it too her. She went wide-eyed at this, Celaeno then nodding and gesturing her to take it. Fizz smiled and took it, Celaeno sitting beside her to watch the pair.





The crew were now trying to find the next landmark, which the map showed as a giant bird's head.

But even though they were as far as they could be from the last marker before losing sight of it, they saw nothing that resembled a bird. Had they taken a moment to look down, they would have seen the mountain they had landed on was actually carved out to look like a bird's head.





And as they approached the next checkpoint, Starswirl was telling Spike about some of the spells he had once seen Silverbolt use.

One was a short range teleport spell, which apparently used the same mental commands as his letter sending spell. For three hours, they watched Spike cover himself in flames in an attempt to teleport himself. Eventually, he managed to morph into a fireball that shot across the deck and apparated him to the other side.

Spike cheered as they all applauded, unable to believe he could teleport on his own.





Thunder raged around them, everyone on the airship working hard to keep the craft aloft as Flash worked to bust as many clouds as he could.

Starswirl was using his magic to shield the ship from lightning strikes, but he couldn't shield against the wind as it rocked the boat back and forth. Eventually, one of the lines connecting the balloon to the boat came off.

Celaeno ran forward and grabbed the line, but the wind pulled her all the way to the edge of the ship as she slammed her feet into the side. She probably would have gone over, only for somepony to grab her tail and yank her back.

Glancing up, she saw Fizzlepop gripping the limb. The pair smirked at one another and with a great amount of effort, they pulled the rope back down and retied it.





As the sun began to set, the ship was now tied to tall tree. At its base was a large flat rock with the image of a shark carved into it. Everyone stared at the rock, then looked at the map which showed a shark printed on it. That image was one of the last ones on the map. By tomorrow, they would have found the treasure trove.

The crew all held up mugs of cider and cheered before gulping down, the lot group now preparing to go to sleep.

And two miles away behind a rock pillar was a telescope. Abas was behind the lens, a grin on his face as he knew by tomorrow, he would get what he wanted. And those fools would be sorry they ever crossed him.





The next day..

The ship hovered over the jungle that should have had Looter's treasure hidden within. Starswirl stared at the map, which showed the X with a large coiled up serpent to its left. "Anyone see anything resembling a serpent?" He asked, the others staring at the giant forest and the mountain within it.

"I don't see anything," Celaeno sighed, "Squabble?" The crow's nester squawked a no, making them all grimace.

"Don't tell me the trail's run cold!" Spike yelped, Flash crossing his hooves at this with a big frown on his face.

"I guess we should have expected this," Fizz added, "This pirate made this hunt a thousand years ago. Of course the land would change in that time. It's a miracle the other landmarks survived this long."

Everyone frowned at this as Spike stared out at the mountain in the distance. And as the ship drifted closer, he noticed an opening in the side. The opening had a large stalagmite in one corner of the entrance and another on the other wide that looked like it had broken off a long time ago. And as he stared at it, he gasped, "HEY!" He grabbed the map and held it up, seeing the snake had its mouth open with large fangs. "Fizz's right! The land did change! The jungle spread and covered the landmark!"

The others stared at the mountain and all went wide-eyed, "Spike, you genius!" Starswirl exclaimed as he held up the map. "Since the X is to its left, that must mean the treasure is located on its eastern side."

"Helm!" Celaeno roared, Lix Spittle aye-ing as she drove the airship toward the mountain.

And as they got closer, they saw more details in the rock that confirmed it was a tree covered snake. But as they did this, they didn't see something else in the distance. If they had saw them, they would think they were a bunch of birds. But that was only due to distance, for they were really a squadron of powered hang gliders. At the front of the pack, Abas smirked as he saw the ship heading to the mountain and slowly losing height.

"They must have found it," he chuckled as he positioned his tail so that the propeller on it was pointing in another direction. The rest of his crew did the same and they slowly descended down into the trees.





As soon as they were low enough, Celaeno fired a bunch of grabbling lines that anchored the boat to the side of the mountain. Starswirl then teleported them down to the ground, the old unicorn staring at the map. "Each side is the same thing written in four different languages. It must be to clue us in on how to find the treasure," he told them while translating the words. "The world is right, when stars align. When not in sync, the danger you'll find."

"Stars?" Fizz asked, "Does that mean we have to wait around until after dark? Maybe the constellations make an arrow or something."

"Whoa!" They then heard Spike call out, "You gotta see this!" They all walked up to the mountain, only to see a flattish area that was definitely not natural.

A large triangular section of the mountain had been cut out with a bunch of stone bricks filling it. "This has to be it," Flash commented, "Why else would anybody build a wall out in the middle of nowhere?"

Celaeno and her crew stepped up at this, "There are shapes carved into each of these bricks. There's a sun, a leaf, a heart..."

"Are there any that look like stars?" Flash asked, Boyle then spotting one.

"Found it!" He exclaimed before pushing it. When it didn't budge, he grabbed it in his talons and pulled, the brick sliding out. But as soon as he did, the entire mountain began to shake, small rocks beginning to fall.

"Put it back! Put it back! Put it BACK!" Spike cried, Boyle pushing on the stone, but it wouldn't slide back.

Starswirl attempted to use his magic, but it refused to budge. "Everyone move back!" Flash yelped, the others doing so as he glowed. "Armorize!" In a flash of light, he transformed into the Shining Guardian. Calling upon his increased strength, he hit the rock, sliding it back into the wall, causing the shaking to stop.

"Okay," Spike gulped, "Let's not do that again."

Starswirl looked back at the map and read it over again. "When not in sync, the danger you'll find. There must be another star brick."

"There!" Celaeno pointed at one a good way up.

Flash stepped back, knowing the only way to get them both out in sync was for one person to do it. "Spike, you mind?" Spike nodded and breathed into his claws, the green fire forming before he reached out. The fire claws extended and each grabbed a brick, the dragon pulling them both out.

The mountain began to shake again, Spike about to push them back in. But before he could, the stone wall split down the middle. Some of the bricks began to slide to the left and the others slide to the right, creating an opening.

And once the last brick disappeared into the mountain, Flash took out his sword as his armor vanished. Lightbringer lived up to its name and illuminated the entire chamber, revealing a flight of stairs heading down. "Alright, let's do this."

They all headed into the tunnel, finding it to be quite deep as Starswirl counted three hundred and twenty two steps that were each about a foot and a half tall. But eventually, they reached the bottom of the stairs, only to find a short tunnel.

"Just out of curiosity," Spike gulped, "What exactly was the details of that curse this treasure was supposed to have?"

Starswirl sighed, "The curse said that anypony who disturbs the peace of his tomb, shall join him in it."

"Tomb?!" Mullet yelped, "I thought this was a treasure trove!"

"It's both," Starswirl replied, "He created this tomb to act as his final resting place, so that he could spend eternity with his favorite stolen possessions. His children built this place and made several landmarks in sight of natural ones, so that one day someone would come and find it."

"Why?" Fizz asked, "If he wanted to keep his treasure safe, why would he make a map to it with landmarks."

"He was a pirate," Celaeno chuckled, "He knew someone would try and find his tomb, so he made the search an elaborate puzzle that only a true pirate would be able to solve. He's saying that we're free to try and take his treasure, but he's not gonna make it easy for us." As she said that, they reached the end of the tunnel. As they did, Flash's sword suddenly stopped glowing.

"What's going on?" Mullet asked, "I can't see!"

"Flash?" Fizz asked as Flash tapped his sword.

"I don't understand. Why isn't it working?"

Starswirl tried to light his horn, but it didn't work. Fizz's magic also didn't spark. "It must be a kind of anti-magic barrier," Starswirl commented, "One of the builders must have been a skilled unicorn."

"Great," Celaeno sighed, "Now what do we do?" Spike gave them the answer and started breathing fire, the light allowing Flash to see a nearby torch on the wall.

Quickly lighting it with Spike's flame, he held it up to see a large door in front of them. "You all ready?" They all nodded and he pushed the door open, soon glancing inside and finding...nothing.

It was so dark that they couldn't see a thing, and even the light of the torch wasn't enough. As they continued forward, Boyle almost fell down when the ground stopped, soon realizing they were on a flight of stairs. And when Fizz moved over to the banister, she smelled something and saw in the light of the flames, a bit cut out in the line. It was filled with some kind of liquid, one which Fizz knew quite well.

"Flash, give me the torch." He did so and she held it over the banister, "Everyone, step back." She placed the torch into it, causing the liquid to ignite, the flames running along the banister and illuminating the cave. As it did, they all gasped when they saw they were in a large chamber, which had an aqueduct running around the outer edge that was filled with oil.

As more of the cave lit up, they saw a massive pile of treasure right in the middle of it, with a giant golden coffin sitting upon it. Lining the wall below the aqueducts were a bunch of outlets that had podiums in them, with large bookshelves between each one. Each podium had an object within them, like a large cloak, a golden goblet, a sword and many more.

"Wow," they all gasped in unison. There was enough gold that any of them could buy the whole of Canterlot twice over. And they knew those shelves likely held many great secrets.

"We did it!" Celaeno exclaimed, "We found the treasure!"

"YEAH!" Boyle cheered as he reached over to grab some of the gold.

"WAIT!" Starswirl cried, stopping him before he could touch a single bit. "Remember the curse."

"I thought you said there wasn't a curse?" Spike asked.

"There isn't. But I'm willing to wager that there is a boobytrap in here. One that likely inspired the curse. If we disturb anything in here, we may set it off and share his tomb."

They all gulped at this, Lix Spittle adding, "So we went through all that and we can't touch the treasure?"

"We can. We just need to figure out what sets off the trap so we can get rid of it. Then we can take it all." They nodded and as Starswirl began to scan the place over along with others.

"What's this?" Spike asked as he saw writing carved into the stone arch surrounding it. "The cloak of shrouding?"

"The blade of space?" Celaeno stared at a golden sword with gems in the handle.

"The helm of intange," Boyle added as he stared at a helmet that looked like something a Canterlot's Royal Guard would wear. "What are all these things?"

"Relics," Flash gasped, "Remember the story? Looter had a relic that gave him a punch of powers. But I guess it wasn't one relic giving him all those abilities."

"So if I put this cloak on, I could go invisible?" Spike asked.

"And this sword," Celaeno stared at it. "It can teleport. How do you think it works?"

Starswirl hummed at this, "If I was to hazard a guess, the user has to think of a place they want to go and then slash the sword through the air. It probably creates a rip in space time which forms a portal."

"That could come in handy," Flash added, "When Starswirl's got the boobytrap offline, we can use that to move all this stuff onto your ship."

"You said you only wanted the relics, right?" Lix Spittle asked, eyeing the gold like it was the first thing she had been able to eat in a week.

"And the documents," Starswirl continued, "The rest is your to keep."

"What about him?" Spike pointed at the coffin in the middle, "Are we just gonna leave him here after we've pilfered his treasure?"

"Well, none of it was his to begin with. He stole it all." Flash pointed out, "Maybe we can donate him to a museum."

The others nodded at this, all except one who had remained rather quiet. Fizzlepop stared at another of the relics, a golden goblet with some certain words above it. "The Cup of Restoration?" She asked, wondering what that was. A part of her had an idea and she was tempted to take the item, but knew it wasn't a good idea until Starswirl had made the place safe.

"FREEZE!" They all turned to the doorway and gasped at seeing none other that Abas and his pirate crew, all standing there with weapons drawn. One such weapon was a bunch of metal tubes with fuses on the end of them. "Don't try anything funny."

"How'd you get here?" Flash asked.

"You followed us somehow," Celaeno growled as he and his crew stepped up, Flash and others seeing they were both outnumbered and outgunned due to their magic not working.

"Ah," Abas smiled as he looked around, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this day." He pointed at one corner of the room, "You lot stand over there and no funny business!" They all slowly moved to an area with books behind them, as Abas walked over to all the treasure and relics. "It took years for me to gain the skills I needed to be an unstoppable pirate. This skills came with a cost and now that I've become rich enough to retire, I can't enjoy it to its full extent." He moved over to the cup, "Until now."

"No!" Starswirl yelled, but the other pirates pointed their weapons at him. "Don't do it. You'll kill us all!"

"Oh please," Abas rolled his eyes. "Don't tell me you believe in that curse hokey! There's no such thing."

"No!" Flash called out, "This place is-" But Abas grabbed the cup and lifted it up, Flash and his friends flinching at this. The lizard grabbed a water bottle from his side and poured it into the cup, the gems on it beginning to glow.

"Haha!" Abas turned to them, "See this? The water is being given the power of regeneration. It will heal any injury, even ones received decades ago!" The gems stopped glowing and he brought the water to his lips. "With this...I am restored."

He gulped the water down his throat, everyone watching, one more than others. And once he had completely drunk it, the lizard sighed in refreshment. But then his body went rigid. "Augh!" He dropped the cup and fell onto his hands and knees, his body screaming in agony.

Everyone flinched at this, only for Abas' body began to change. The pegleg and hook hand popped off by the limbs extending, while his tail also started growing longer and thinner. Abas cried out as bones began to regrow and the spot behind his eyepatch burned like a molten flame while the scars that covered his body began to fade and the mission part of his frill began to close up. But slowly, the pain began to die down as his body was restored.

Within a minute, the formerly crippled pirate stopped withering in pain and everyone around him was able to see his lost leg, hand and tail were all back and looked like they had always been there. The scars covering his body were gone and as he slowly pushed himself up to his feet, he grabbed the eyepatch and pulled it away before opening his new completely restored eye.

"YES!" He exclaimed as he looked down at his new hand, then his new leg and tail before closing the previously only eye he had and looked out of the new one. "I'M BACK!" He laughed as everyone else was absolutely amazed.

"It really can restore any injury..." Fizzlepop whispered, the others now hearing her say this.

"Alright," Abas smirked, "Now that I'm back we can get to work." He pointed to some of his crew, "Start collecting all the treasure to take back up." He smirked at Celaeno, "Our new ship is waiting to be filled to the brim." The bird pirate glared at him, clearly about to blow her top.

But before she could, something happened that made made them all go quiet. The chamber began to vibrate. Some had noticed this vibration for a while, but hadn't thought anything of it. But now the motion was increasing, quickly growing more and more rapid until it went from a simple tremor to a full on shake. "What's going on?" A shark pirate asked, as a cracking sound filled the air.

"The boobytrap!" Starswirl yelled, looking over at the podium the cup had been on and seeing that part of it had descended into it. "This whole place is going to come down!" Cracks suddenly began to appear on the walls at this while parts of the ceiling began to break off and fall down.

"The curse is true!" Spike cried as a rock flew down and hit a pirate on the head. "We disturbed his peace and now we'll share his tomb!"

"We need to get out of here!" Flash yelled, quickly slamming into one of the pirates. This knocked the lizard back into the gold pile while the rest of Flash's friends did the same. The group then ran for the exit, only two staying behind.

One of them was Celaeno, who had been at the back of the group as they tried to escape. But as she did, part of the ceiling fell and almost crushed her if she hadn't leapt back. As she did this, part of the ground suddenly opened up and her pegleg fell into the opening. She gasped as she fell back, her leg popping out of its socket and falling into the crack, unable to move and the noise of the collapsing room made her friends not hear her.

At the same time, Fizz had began to run up to where Abas had dropped the cup. As she tried to get it, she ducked around the many pirates that were trying to grab as much of the treasure as possible. But this proved to be a mistake, as in that moment, more cracks began to appear on the ground. Those cracks swallowed a bunch of the treasure up and even the coffin fell while the pirates continued to grab as much gold as possible.

"Hurry!" Abas cried as he began to run for the exit. But as he did this, the ground in front of him opened up, "WHOA!" He cried, almost falling into it, stopping himself inches from going over the edge, only for a bunch of his treasure to fall out of his grasp. "NO!" He tried to grab it, only to lose more. And before he could think of just leaving it, the end of the crack he was standing on broke away. "AHHH!" He fell, barely managing to hold onto the edge.

At the same time, Fizz was feet away from the cup that would give her back her horn. But just as she was about to reach it, a large crack opened up between them. She slid to a stop and looked down, unable to see just how deep that crack was. The cup was now on the every edge of the crack, the shaking of the chamber causing it to roll around.

She was about to jump for it, only to hear a familiar cry. Spinning around, she saw Celaeno on the ground trying to drag herself to the exit. But before she could reach it, the ground gave way below her. "AUGH!" She fell and barely managed to hold onto the edge, her claws digging into the rock.

Flash and the others had managed to reach the exit, the pegasus looking back in time to realize they were missing two of their group. "Where's Celaeno and Fizzlepop?" They stopped and glanced back, quickly spotting the two and what had kept them from going with them. "Hang on!" Flash flared his wings, only for more rocks to fall down in front of him.

"Flash, get back!" Starswirl yelled, Flash now forced to fly back into the tunnel as more rocks blocked him.

"Guys, you've gotta get out of there!" Spike cried, seeing Celaeno unable to pull herself up.

Fizz stared at Celaeno, who was moments away from falling to her doom, then back to the cup that could give her back her magic. And as she did this, she remembered the conversation she had had with Flash back during the first day of their journey, Flash's words echoing through her mind. She had to choose between her magic, or someone she had grown quite fond of.

Celaeno continued to fall deeper into the crevice, her claws dragging along the ground. She saw her friends unable to help her, then she saw Fizz trapped by her own decision. She sighed at this and tried to pull herself up on her own, only for the rock she was holding onto to finally gave way.

"Ahhh!" She fell, her eyes closing at this. But just as she closed them, she felt something grab her hand. "Huh?" She opened her eyes and saw Fizzlepop, the unicorn leaning over the edge, holding her hand and pulling her with everything she had.

"Come on! Climb!" Celaeno did so, using her one remaining foot to claw her way up until she was back over the edge of the crack. The two jumped away, right as the rocks where the two had just been broke off. Tempest then looked over at where the cup was, but it was gone.

"Thanks," she heard Celaeno say.

"No problem," Tempest replied, "Now let's get out of here!" But when they looked over at their friends, they saw nothing but rocks. "No...we're stuck!"

"Come on!" Flash cried as he tried to push the rocks, but more of the ceiling caved in, trying to bury him.

"We have to get out of here!" Boyle added.

"We can't leave them!" Flash yelled, but more of the tunnel began to collapse, forcing them to run or be killed. At the same time, Abas managed to pull most of himself up. He then looked over at Celaeno and Fizz, who were glancing around.

"We can't escape!" Fizz cried, but then Celaeno turned to a certain object.

"I have an idea!" She shouted, pointing at something that Fizz began to carry her to. Abas saw this and attempted to go after them.

But as he did this, a thunderous sound made him look up and se a large part of the ceiling falling, which was so big there was only one direction he could leap away from it. Backwards.

His instincts kicked in and he leapt back, only to land on the edge of a crack as the rock broke away. "No!" He cried as he fell into the darkness, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Was the last thing anyone would ever hear from the pirate Abas.





Flash and his friends continued to escape through the tunnel, the passageway breaking apart faster than they could move.

But as they did this, Starswirl felt his horn begin to spark. "The anti-magic barrier's down!" He yelled, "Spike!" Spike nodded and focused on everything he had learned, the dragon breathing into his hands before throwing the flames backwards. Those flames wrapped around him and Flash, while Starswirl's magic surrounded himself and the pirates.





Outside the mountain, the doorway had begun to close the moment the boobytrap went off.

The closing was very slow, but the door was now inches away from being closed. But just as they were about too, a ball of fire shot up from within the tunnel and squeezed through the doors. It then slammed into the ground and as it did, the flames exploding to reveal Spike and Flash seconds before a burst of light signaled the others' arrival.

Spike patted himself over, making sure he hadn't left any part of himself behind. As he did this, the others turned to see the doors shut and likely closed forever. With their friends locked inside.

"Fizz..." Flash whispered, "Celaeno....they're gone." The others grimaced at this, all frowning as they saw their mission had failed.

"Who you calling gone?" They all gasped at this and spun around, now seeing Fizz and Celaeno. "I've never felt more alive," the humanoid parrot smirked.

"H...how?" Starswirl asked, only to then see something in Celaeno's claws.

"You were right," she held up the golden gem encrusted sword. "Just think about where you wanna be and slash the air. Made a portal right onto our ship." The others went wide-eyed and silent, Spike then breaking the silence as he began to cheer. The group soon ran up to each other and hugged, all happy to see they were all alive.

Celaeno then turned to Fizz, "Thank you. I know you gave up a lot to do it." The others realized what she was talking about, Fizzlepop blushing as she looked away.

"Yeah...I guess I did. But...its okay." She looked back at the pirate, "I...I don't regret my decision. I might have lost my horn, but I didn't lose my friend. And that's more important."

Celaeno chuckled at this, Flash and Spike grinning at the sight, only for two lights to start shining out. "Whoa!" Spike yelped, reaching up to touch his spines while Flash looked at his Cutie Mark.

"What's happening?"

"Looks like we've completed our mission," Flash turned to Fizz. "I think the map might have been worried you would fall back into your old habits if you didn't go through this. It must have sent us because it knew we could help you see that you're capable of making friends and putting their needs before you."

Fizz blinked at this, only to smile. She had to admit, they were right. Before, she wasn't sure if she could ever made true friends like Twilight believed she could. But now, she knew what it meant to be truly close to someone and give up what you want to help them. It was a good feeling.

"Well," Starswirl sighed, "This has certainly been an interesting experience, hasn't it?" They all nodded in agreement, all turning back to the mountain.

Boyle groaned and shook his head, "After all that, we only came away with one item that we can't even keep." He turned to the relic, remembering their deal with Starswirl about him taking them into custody.

Celaeno smiled and patted his shoulder. "We might not have come away with what we wanted, but we got to have a heck of an adventure. And isn't that the best part about a treasure hunt?" Boyle smirked and nodded, the group turning to the airship still floating above them.

Celaeno quickly made another portal with the sword that they used to get back on board, the group looking toward the sunset as they wondered what would happen next. "Celestia will likely wish to take possession of this," Starswirl pointed at the sword. "At least all those relics didn't fall into the wrong hooves. Who knows what Abas would have done with them."

Flash turned to Fizzlepop, "So what's the plan after this?"

"I don't know," Fizz sighed, "But...maybe I'll go back to Ponyville with you two. I'm sure Twilight will be interested in seeing me again." Flash nodded, believing that's exactly what Twilight would want. He also invited the rest of them too Ponyville, knowing Rainbow and maybe a few students would want to hear about the adventures they had had as pirates.

They all accepted and Celaeno threw Flash the sword, the pegasus flying in front of the ship and cutting open a portal big enough for the ship to fly through. "Pirate crew!" Flash cheered as he pointed the sword at the portal, "Set sail!"

"ARRRRR!" They all cheered before the ship flew into the portal, quickly leaving no proof it was ever there. The end of a great adventure, which would hopefully lead to many more.
> What Lies Beneath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was the start of another fun day of learning at the School of Friendship. Classes were a good while from starting, so many of the students were having breakfast in the cafeteria. Gallus, Sandbar, Ace and Smolder were messing around at one table while Ocellus, Yona and Silverstream were eating at another and going over some history notes.

"Yona no get pony history," the young yak sighed as she tried reading some of Ocellus' notes.

"It's not that hard," Ocellus assured her. "You just gotta remember which order everything came in, then you can start adding dates to each event."

"Alright Yona!" Silverstream announced as she caught a grape in her mouth that Gallus had thrown from the other table. "Try this one: Which of these events came first? Flash and the Royal Knights defeating Doom Raizer, or the First Battle of Canterlot?"

"Um...um...um..." Yona stalled, Silverstream laughing before catching another grape in her mouth.

"You can do it," Ocellus chimed in, "Imagine how impressed Head-Mare Twilight will be during the history lecture." As she said that, Mira came in and walked over to the girls.

"Morning. You history cramming?" She asked, the others nodding as she picked up some of the notes. "I think Discord's return came before Flash's trip to Omniara."

"It does?" Silverstream asked, letting out a groan at her mistake before getting bopped on the head by an apple. "Hey!" She looked over at the other table, seeing Gallus, Ace and Smolder laugh at the accident head attack.

Ocellus then turned to Mira. "Alright," she gave her several cards, "Put these all in order." Mira looked through the cards and smirked before putting them down. "Twilight and the others find the Elements, First Battle of Canterlot, Discord's return, Changeling invasion of Canterlot, Crystal Empire's return, trip to Omniara, Tirek's return. Time!" She looked up at the others, but none seemed to answer, "Seriously?"

"You never asked us to time you," Yona pointed out while Silverstream caught an orange without looking.

"You're really good at history," Ocellus added.

"What can I say. When you don't really know your own species' culture, you try and find one to fill in the blanks. Ace is probably just as eager to learn as me." Mira smugly replied, only for a cupcake to hit the side of her head. "HEY!" She spun around and saw Ace was the one who had thrown it, the other jakhowl gasping when he saw his misfire. The yellow wolf cub growled as the cupcake slid off her head, knowing this meant war.





Heart and Soul were walking through the school, on their way to breakfast as Soul let out a yawn. "Late night?" Her brother asked, Soul nodding. "You really need to learn to put a book down. I get it was probably interesting, but it's not gonna disintegrate if you don't read it all right away."

"First off, it can considering this school has three individuals who could accidently turn a book to cinders." Heart gave her a deadpan glare at that as she continued, "Secondly, the reason I was up late was because Mira, Ocellus and Silverstream were all talking in their sleep."

"Oh?" Heart rubbed his hooves together, "Do tell."

"I don't know what they said. Most of it was really mumbled. I think I heard Silverstream say something about a king and Ocellus something about a queen. They both looked like they were having a bad dream or something, but that's all I was able to pick up."

"Huh," Heart shrugged. "Well, what about Mira? Was she having a bad dream?"

"No idea," Soul shrugged as the cafeteria doors came into view. "She was mumbling something but everything I heard was too slurred to make out. I just hope their nightmares didn't make them grumpy today. I'd hate for their bad dreams to ruin their day and make them fall behind in their schoolwork."

"I'm sure they'll be fine. Watch. Today will probably just be another normal day at the school." But as soon as he said that, the cafeteria doors flew open as a pony was thrown over the twins. He screamed as he hit the ground, sliding along before getting up and running away. The siblings shared a glance before looking inside the room, only to see students racing out as they saw a bunch of cafeteria tables now piled up into a giant pyramid. And standing atop that pyramid was Ace, with Smolder, Gallus and Sandbar on lower tables around him.

The jakhowl laughed as he stared down at Mira, Silverstream, Yona and Ocellus. "I'm king of the castle! I'm king of the castle!"

Silverstream flew up and stomped her hoof onto the end of the few remaining tables, a carton of milk in her claws. "Justice will be swift! Justice will be painful! Justice will be..." She squeezed the remaining milk out of the carton, "DELICIOUS!"

"YEAH!" The rest of the girls cheered as Ace smirked, the jakhowl jumping down to an area where a bunch of watermelons lay on a table.

"Off with their heads!" He landed on one end of the table, throwing it and the melons upward. The others quickly started kicking them at the girls, who all took evasive maneuvers.

"Yona!" Mira yelled, the yak running up and using her horns to catch two of the melons before swinging them around to deflect the others. As she did this, Silverstream flew over and grabbed a pair of long baguettes. She swung them around to deflect more melons while Yona then launched the ones on her horns toward Gallus and Sandbar.

"Whoa!" Gallus leapt out of the way, Sandbar instead getting hit. Gallus then grabbed his own baguette and held it like a sword, swinging it around to block the two Silverstream had with the pair locking eyes and smiling at one another.

They then split apart and started dancing through the air, swinging their weapons at each other. Silverstream then threw one of her baguettes at Gallus, but he backflipped as the bread shattered on impact with the floor. He quickly used this chance to fly up and thrust his baguette into her chest, knocking Silverstream back as her other bread roll fell to the ground.

Gallus grabbed it along with Ace and Smolder grabbing their own, the trio throwing their bread like javelins at Yona. The yak quickly deflected to with her horns but the third hit her in the head and knocked her back. As it did this, Mira leapt over her with a tray and landed on the table. She slid along it, only to do a bunny hop right into Gallus, knocking him into a vending machine.

As this happened, Smolder leapt at Mira, but the jakhowl backflipped behind Ocellus, who had grabbed a bunch of ketchup bottles and transformed her legs into octopus tentacles. Wrapping them around the bottles, she made them explode and unleash a stream of ketchup that covered Smolder head to toe.

"WHOA!" She screamed, unable to see where she was going and crashing into a table covered in food. The contents flew all over the place as Ace ran up, grabbing a broom off the ground and using it to pierce another watermelon. He swung the melon at Ocellus, but Mira jumped in front of her, the fruit mallut slamming into her and knocking the jakhowl back. This gave Ocellus the chance to grab some cookies off the ground and started throwing them like ninja stars, Ace dodging and deflecting them all as he swung the mallut into Ocellus' chest.

As this was happening, Silverstream recovered before seeing Ocellus flying backward. She gasped and leapt into the air, grabbing the changeling seconds before she hit the wall. "Ocellus!" She cried, looking her over as the changeling played dead. "Don't leave me!" But she continued to look unconscious. "NOOOOOO!"

Yona charged at this as Smolder pulled herself out from under the table, the yak grabbing more melons while the dragon armed herself with a pair of leaks. The two charged at one another, Yona swinging her horns around to punch Smolder, who blocked each blow with the leaks. The two grinded against each other before Smolder leapt up and threw the leaks, Yona deflecting them both before launching the melons. Much like Sandbar, Smolder couldn't dodge in time, now getting blasted back into another vending machine.

As she was, Ace took over with his melon hammer and started swinging it at Yona. The yak could only defend and tried to avoid the attacks, only for Ace to use an upward swing, hitting Yona right in the chest. Everyone watched as the yak was shot straight up and broke through the roof, Ace tilting his head. "Huh," was all he could say before realizing his melon was shattered.

And before he could get another one, Silverstream charged at him, swinging around a bunch of hay-dogs like a whip. She wrapped them around Ace's whole body and spun him around, the jakhowl unable to break free until he was released and sent flying back into the table pyramid. As he crashed into it, Gallus got up and took the many cans now littered across the floor. He smirked at this as Sandbar and Smolder did the same.

Silverstream found herself being bombarded with cans, which shattered on contact with the ground, spraying fizzy liquid all over her. "Ahhh!" The wave that followed slammed into her, washing her back into a wall, landing right where she had placed Ocellus as Mira picked herself up.

The yellow jakhowl turned to the opposing team and saw them all smiling at her, but it was Ace's cocky smile that really got her going. She growled as her eyes suddenly started glowing, her body moving on its own as she shot forward. And in the blink of an eye, she had almost reached mach speed.

"Huh?" Were Ace's only words when he saw this, Mira moving so fast she unleashed a powerful wave of wind behind her. That wind was so powerful that all the food and drink scattered around the floor was lifted off and flew behind her. "No way!" Was all he could say before Mira shot past him, the jakhowls locking eyes for a second before Mira zoomed off.

The next thing Ace knew, the wind slammed into him and the others, throwing them all back after Mira. The yellow jakhowl suddenly came to a complete stop a foot away from the back wall, the force of her stop causing the wall to become covered in cracks. Seconds later, her four opponents crashed into the wall and Mira leapt straight up. This was followed by a wave of food and drink flying toward them, the four unable to do anything except brace themselves as the entire wall was painted.

And as Mira landed, the light that had been coming from her eyes dimmed to nothing. She blinked as she looked back at the wall and saw it looked like an abstract painting with a hundred colors covering the cracked wall. A few moments later, four shapes fell off to leave clean parts of the wall in the shape of a jakhowl, dragon, griffon and earth pony.

Over with the twins, Heart couldn't help but laugh. "I love this school sometimes." He then turned to Soul, only to flinch as he saw she was now drenched in purple stuff.

She didn't get to say anything though, as another door suddenly shot open and Twilight rushed in, followed by Flash. "What is going on in here?!" She roared, only to gasp when she saw the state of the cafeteria and the students responsible. The group turned to smile at her and act innocent, though that plan went out the window when a yak meteor came crashing down through the ceiling and almost crushed two of them. "I can't believe you lot!"

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "You know the food fight isn't scheduled until next week."

Twilight sighed and summoned her magic, which quickly spread across the entire cafeteria. Within seconds, every table was back where it was supposed to be and all the damage had been repaired. The mess on the walls and floor quickly vanished, and the only proof there was ever a food fight was the state of the students who were still a sticky food mess.

"Now...what to do with you?" They all gulped as Flash placed a hoof on her shoulder.

"Now hold on. Don't just scare them like that."

"Flash..." She hissed back at him, only to see her boyfriend shake his head.

"Don't be harsh. They already know they did wrong here."

She glared at him, only to look back at the students. They all nodded in agreement, making her sigh, "I suppose...they are the future of their kingdoms."

"And they will be," Flash added as they watched the students stare at one another and laugh at the mess they were. "But right now, they're still kids. They won't get to be that forever."





The food fight was the talk of the school for the rest of the day. Since nopony was actually hurt, those involved didn't get much of a punishment. Despite its rambunctious start, the rest of the school day was like any other. The eight students that had been in the fight soon found themselves in one of Twilight's lectures, today's topic being the Tree of Harmony.

Many of the students were having trouble understanding this topic, making them worry when Twilight announced a test the following day about it and other historical events Friendship played a part in. And as soon as the day's classes were over, most of the eight headed to the library to study. The only one who didn't was Mira, who wanted to go talk to Springer.

And so, the seven friends spent the next hour or so holed up in the library. Ace was currently sitting on a beanbag next to Yona, a book in his crossed lap as he frowned. Despite how important the test was, Ace couldn't get his head around what had happened that morning. The strange burst of speed Mira had done was something he didn't understand, and he knew that's why Mira went to go see Springer. "Why can't I do that?" he whispered to himself.

"The Elements of Harmony grew the Tree?" He then heard Smolder say, making him look up from his book to see her and Gallus on one side of a table while Sandbar and Ocellus were on another.

"No!" Ocellus told her, "The Pillars grew the Tree."

"The Tree grew the Elements," Sandbar continued, "And then the box with seven locks."

"But our professors found seven keys and unlocked the box."

Smolder and Gallus shared a look, Gallus sighing. "I'm so gonna fail."

"Hey everyone!" Silverstream flew down to them, holding a book in her claws. "Check this out!" She opened it up and Gallus stared at the book, Ace wondering what was so amazing about it.

"That's a plumbing diagram on how to fix a sink," the griffon told her, Silverstream giggling and nodding.

"What does that have to do with Equestrian history?" Sandbar added.

"Nothing." She put the book down, "I just can't believe that's how sinks work!" As she said that, the library doors opened and Mira ran inside.

"Everyone! Guess what?!"

"You travelled to the future and discovered it's actually being ruled by seahorses?" Silverstream asked, everyone turning to her with raised eyebrows, "What?! You told us to guess!"

Mira shook her head. "I talked to Springer and you'll never believe what he thinks happened to me this morning." Ace heard this and jumped out of the beanbag, "He thinks I accidently used Velocity Strike!"

"Velocity what?" Smolder asked.

"It's a jakhowl attack," Mira replied, "It lets us move at super high speeds and attack our opponents a several times in a single second. It's one of the strongest jakhowl moves there is."

"And you used it?" Ocellus asked, Mira nodding.

"When I told him what happened, he said that I might have used a weaker version of it. He did the same thing when he was still learning the move."

"Aw..." Ace crossed his arms, "Why do you get to learn a new move and not me?"

"Jealous?" Mira smirked, Ace growling at her before she waved her paws, "Relax, Springer said I can't learn it yet. Apparently, that attack's super dangerous. If I use it before I'm ready, I could hurt myself, so Springer said I'm not allowed to try and use it again until then."

"How long will it be before you're ready?" Gallus asked, Mira shrugging.

"He said to wait until I can at least enter my battle form."

"What's that?"

"That's the form Springer's always in."

"Oh. How long will that take?" Silverstream asked, the pair shrugging. "You jakhowls can be weird sometimes. Being able to change what you look like without a magical item. It's so mysterious." Ace and Mira smiled at this, only for Silverstream to glance around. "Where's Yona?"

Ace pointed at the spot he had been sitting before, the group turning to see the young yak laying on a beanbag, holding a book in front of her face. Gallus stepped over and pulled the book away, revealing Yona was fast asleep and snoring. Smolder couldn't help but laugh at this. "Apparently, yaks no love study groups!" She imitated Yona as she did this while Gallus put his claws to his lips to shush them all before flying up.

Once he was above Yona, he started walking his claws up her face. This made Yona hit her face with her hooves as she was jolted away. "Spider!" She cried, leaping up. "No!" She curled up on the bag as the others laughed, Yona then realizing what had happened. But before she could glare at them, they heard more giggling and turned to see Cozy Glow up on a ladder.

Sandbar waved at her. "Hey Cozy. What are you doing here?"

"I volunteered to help Professor Sparkle organize these books. So," she jumped down, "Experts on Equestrian history yet?"

"I think I'd be better off studying the plumbing book," Gallus sighed. "This stuff is impossible."

But as he said that, Ocellus transformed to look like Twilight. "Oh come on, Gallus!" She jumped onto a table. "With good friends and solid study habits, anything is possible!"

Gallus couldn't help but laugh at that while Smolder gave Ocellus a smirk. "How about you just tell us what's on tomorrow's test, professor?" In reply, Ocellus transformed into Applejack.

"Now, hold on a sec. I can't give y'all a sneak peek. That there wouldn't be honest." They all laughed again, all except Cozy, who flew up and bumped Ocellus off the table before clearing her throat.

"Golly, it's so inspiring how relaxed you all are about studying friendship, considering your disadvantage."

The students all blinked at her, Yona speaking up, "What cute pony mean?"

"Yeah!" Ace added, "How the heck are we at a disadvantage?"

"Just consider where you all came from," Cozy pointed out, "If Sandbar hadn't sacrificed so much of his time to get you up to speed, who knows how behind you'd be?"

She jumped down as they all frowned, Sandbar speaking up. "That's...not what-"

"I mean," Cozy focused on Ocellus. "Growing up as a love-starved changeling?" She turned to Silverstream, "Or hiding underwater from an evil king all those years? Trusting any-creature must be so hard for you."

Ocellus and Silverstream looked at one another, only for Cozy to point at Gallus, "And griffons never want to be around any-creature, even other griffons." She spun around to Smolder, "And dragons are so fierce compared to us. There must be days you can't wait to get away from all us cute ponies."

"I think you've made your point Cozy," Mira deadpanned.

"Oh," Cozy turned to her and Ace. "And jakhowls must have the hardest time making friends." The two tilted their heads at this, "A lot of the friendship lessons talk about how you can only be true friends when you trust somepony without a doubt, even if it means leaving yourself open to being betrayed. But jakhowls can sense when others around them are being dishonest. If you can tell just by looking at somepony that their trustworthy, how can you really trust them the way a friend is supposed to?"

"Um..." Ace turned to Mira, the jakhowl shrugging back as Cozy turned to Yona.

"'Everypony know yaks think yaks are best!'" She imitated the yak, who frowned back, "Making friends with any other creature must seem like a step down." Finishing her speech, Cozy landed on the table, "It's just so impressive how you keep trying to understand friendship even though it isn't in your nature."

"Who says it's not in our nature?" Ace asked, "Springer made tons of friends before we all arrived."

"I guess. But he's a defender of the peace. I wonder if the ponies of Ponyville would have been so accepting of him if he couldn't fire laser beams or pick out criminals from a large crowd. And the changelings and dragons only really became friends with us after we helped each other fight off another enemy. In fact, you all only seem to have fun fighting one another."

"That's not true," Gallus replied.

"You had a food fight this morning."

"That was one time," Smolder added.

"What about the other week, when I was walking by the boy's room."





Cozy was walking through the school with a smile on her lips, only to hear a noise coming from an open door. Looking inside, she spotted Ace, Gallus, Sandbar and Smolder jumping around the room, throwing pillows at one another. Ace leapt over one pillow and threw another one, hitting Smolder in the face and knocking her back.





"Okay," Smolder crossed her arms, "Two times."

"Well, have you ever done anything fun together that didn't end with you all breaking into some form of play violence or cause damage to the school?"

They all turned to one another, only for Ocellus to chime in, "Oh! I know of one time!"





Ocellus was in her room, reading a book on her bed when Smolder and Silverstream rushed up to her. "Ocellus," Silverstream smirked, "Can we borrow some of your books?"

The changeling raised an eyebrow at this, since all her books were about things she thought only she would be interested in. "Really? You're interested in my books?"

"As many as we can get," Smolder replied, Ocellus smiling at this and was suddenly flying around in a flurry of motion.

"This one is a classic, you'll love it. Oh, this one is really dark and romantic. No wait, this one seriously changed my life." With every second, the stack of books in their possession grew larger and larger.

"Great!" Smolder cheered from behind a stack taller than her, "We'll take 'em all." Ocellus squealed at this.





"See?" Ocellus cheered, "That time they were having fun together reading." She turned to the two in question, only to see a pair of guilty looks on their faces. "What?"

"Well..." Smolder gulped, "We didn't end up using the books like that. You see..."





Silverstream's head poked up over a wall of books, the hippogriff being surrounded by books on all sides. On the other side of the room, a second book fort had been erected.

"Smolder!" She exclaimed, "Unleash our fury on the enemy!" Seconds later, Smolder leapt up from behind her with a book in claw.

"Fire in the hole!" She screamed, tossing the book into the second fort and hitting the walls at the front. As soon as it hit, the wall completely collapsed to reveal Ace and Sandbar behind it.

"Sir!" Sandbar cried, "The fort's been breached!"

"Prepared for claw to claw combat!" Ace yelled, Smolder and Silverstream smirking.

"Take no prisoners!" Silverstream yelled as Smolder landed back in the fort.

"I didn't know books could be so much fun," the dragon laughed before arming herself with another book.





"Seriously?!" Ocellus yelped, Smolder and Silverstream flinching at this.

"See?" Cozy smiled, "It's your nature to fight against one another. But despite that, you've all learned to be friends." The eight of them all frowned at this, "Oh! I'll let you borrow my notes! It's what friends do. I'll be right back!" She flew off, leaving the eight.

"We...should...get back to studying," Silverstream muttered out, the group slowly getting back to work, but it was anything but productive.

Hours passed with the sun going down, but the eight students refused to go to sleep until they were ready for the test. But as they sat around the table staring at the books, their minds were elsewhere. They couldn't stop thinking about what Cozy had said, tempers now fraying. And as this happened, Silverstream started mindlessly tapping her claws on the table, Gallus feeling his nerves rise.

He tried to ignore it, but he couldn't, only to soon snap, "Could you stop that clicking?!" Silverstream flinched at this, "I'm trying to focus!"

"Dude!" Sandbar yelled.

"What?!" He barked back, "We have a test!"

"I'm with Gallus," Ace nodded, "I didn't want to say anything, but it was getting on my nerves."

Silverstream frowned at this as Gallus groaned and turned to Sandbar, "I need to focus. I don't know every detail about every adventure the professors went on like you do."

"That's why we're studying together," Ocellus added.

"Right," Smolder rolled her eyes, "To help us 'disadvantaged' creatures."

"Don't listen to what Cozy said," Mira crossed her arms. "She doesn't know what she's getting at."

The others frowned at this, not able to do anything but think about what she had said.

"Yona confused. Why we all upset?" And before anyone could say anything, a loud clanking sound echoed through the school. Their heads shot up at this and turned to the source, Silverstream flying off around some bookcases and returning a moment later. She gestured them to follow, the group all getting up at this.

They walked over and found it was a metal drainage hatch, which had been pushed open by a crystal, but not like any crystal they had ever seen. It appeared to be a tendril-like shape that was poking up from below the drain and curling around the cover, the crystal letting out a soft glow. "What is it?" Ace asked.

"I only glanced at that plumbing book, but I'm pretty sure this isn't supposed to be here."

Smolder crawled up to it and ducked her head down into the hole, Ocellus flinching at this. "What are you doing?"

Smolder pulled her head back and turned to her. "Dragon," she gestured to her before pointing at the hole. "Strange magical cave. What do you think I'm doing?" With that, she dove in and the others glanced at each other before following suit. One by one, they squeezed through the hole and found the crystal tendril was just the tip of a larger crystal that had grown sideways up through the hole. This allowed those that couldn't fly to slide down into the cave, which was being illuminated by the crystal. The cave then split off in multiple different directions, with the walls, floor and ceiling having the same crystal vines digging through the rock.

"Did we know this was down here?" Silverstream asked.

"I don't think anypony knows this is down here," Sandbar replied.

"Then we should go tell Twilight and the others," Mira added, about to climb back up the crystal, only for hoofsteps to echo through the air. "What was that?"

"It came from over there!" Ace pointed at a tunnel, the group quickly running over and staring down it. There they saw a purple glow, which was twinkling in the light of the crystals. And as it got closer, they were able to make out the details of who they were looking at.

"Welcome." It was Twilight, only she was glowing and covered in the aforementioned twinkles. The way she spoke was rather stilted, almost sound like she was hypnotized or something.

"Headmare Twilight?" Sandbar stepped up, "Where are we?"

"Where you need to be," she replied in the stilted manner.

"Uh..." Yona scratched her head, "Yona confused."

"It is as I feared," Twilight continued, "You are not one. What has happened?"

"Nothing," Mira replied, "We just...hit a bit of a friendship...slump."

"Friendship slump?" Twilight asked, Ocellus walked up next.

"We were studying friendship's effect on history, but then..." She wasn't sure how to explain it, the memories of Cozy's words echoing in her mind.

"Since friendship just isn't in our nature, what's the point?" Gallus chimed in.

"You do not believe friendship is in your nature?" Her previously stoic expression suddenly turned to one of anger and annoyance, "That is NOT ACCEPTABLE!" Her voice echoed through the cave as a powerful wind suddenly blew through, making the students flinch.

"Our headmare is glowing, you guys," Silverstream quivered, "What is going on?!"

"I don't think that's Twilight," Mira replied, "It's alive, whatever it is, but its aura seems...weird."

Ocellus turned to the others and whispered, "We should probably get back to studying for the test."

The Twilight's eyes flashed, as if a brilliant idea formed in her mind. "A test." The wind that swirled around them was suddenly sucked into Twilight's horn. "Yes." Her horn sparked, only for the crystal that led them down here to start growing larger. They watched as the hole they had come through was slowly being blocked off. "By sunrise, this door will be closed. Finish the test before then, and you may go. Fail the test, and here you will stay." With that final statement, her body glowed wide and unleashed a powerful burst of light. The students all screamed and shut their eyes, Mira turning away from it.And when she felt the heat of the light die down, she opened her eyes again and saw she was now alone with the crystal cave around her looking very different.

"Um...anyone?" She called out, but nobody replied.





When Ace opened his eyes, he found he was back in his bedroom in the Castle of Friendship.

"Huh?" He quickly hopped off his bed, moving to his door and stepping out into the hallway. "Hello?" He called out, "Anyone here?" But there was no answer, "Ooookay. This is kinda weird."

He began to search the castle, checking every bedroom before moving on to the rest of the castle. But the place was entirely deserted.

"Okay," he gulped, "This is just weird."





Mira moved through the corridors and as she did, only to spot a hole in the wall that seemed to lead somewhere rather bright. "YES!" She ran up and squeezed through the hole, only to find it led outside into a forest she recognized. "The Everfree Forest?"

She squeezed the rest of her body through the hole and tried to figure out the direction of town, hoping to tell Twilight and the others what had happened. But as she ran, she began to hear sounds coming from up ahead. The sound of fighting, the noise making her brain tell her to go around in case it was a pair of wild animals fighting, only to hear something else.

"Aura Blast!" Springer's voice called out, making her gasp and run toward the battle. There, she saw Springer was battling against something that terrified her: A cragadile.

She gasped and hid behind a tree as Springer blasted the rocky caimen back. "Ace, how you doing?" Mira went wide-eyed at this, only to glance back out and saw Ace fighting another cragadile.

"Hiyah!" He thrust an Aura Blast into the cragadile, knocking it back. "I'm good." He then turned to her, "Mira! Finally! We gotta take care of these things." Mira blinked at this, only to sense something behind her. She spun around to see a large cragadile, growling as it stared at her. The jackhowl glanced back to see the others too busy fighting other cragadiles to help her. So she brought her paws together to make her own Aura Blast, thrusting the paws as the orb flew out...and bounced off the creature's rocky skin.

"Come on!" Springer yelled as he fired an Aura Blast, knocking away another. "You can do better than that! Put some effort into it!" Ace then created another Aura Blast that was larger than normal, which he fired at the cragadile in front of him, making it stagger back. "Great work kid. Guess having more aura has its advantages."

Mira flinched at this, only to look back at the cragadile, the differently colored jakhowl trying to form another Aura Blast. But as she tried to do it...the aura wouldn't come out. "What's happening?" She asked as she did the pose again, only to see that the attack wouldn't form. "I can't be out of aura already!" The cragadile snapped its mouth at her, the jakhowl screaming as she leapt back, only for her back to hit a tree.

She then looked back up and saw the monster open its mouth again, raising her paws to summon some aura...but nothing would come out. "No..."





Ace had now left the castle, glancing around as he went over to the school, only to find nothing. There wasn't even a bird flying through the air. He was about to reach out and see if he could sense somepony, only to hear a loud scream in the distance.

He spun around and followed the noise, quickly running into Ponyville, only to come to a stop. The town was destroyed, buildings torn up, carts upturned and piles of debris everywhere. "Hello?!" He called out, "Anypony there?!"

"HELP!" He turned to see Berry Punch in a half destroyed house, surrounded by strange looking creatures. They were an odd mole creature that was a mixture of black, blue and white with a long pink-tipped nose.

"What the heck?" He yelped, only to see the creatures try and slash Berry.

"Do something!" She yelled, Ace quickly forming an Aura Blast and firing it. The creature saw this and suddenly dived through the ground like it was water, causing the Aura Blast to hit one of Berry's couches, making it explode. "Hey! Do something other than wreck my house! Come on, Springer wouldn't have missed!"

Ace grimaced at this, charging at the other ones, summoning two Steel Paws and slashing at them. But as he did this, the creatures dived into the ground again, making him miss and accidentally slash up Berry's furniture. They then popped out behind him and swung their large claws at him, Ace barely hopping back.

The creatures then turned to run out of the house, Ace quickly giving chase. And as he did this, he saw a bunch of ponies up ahead who were all frozen in fear. He quickly created another Aura Blast and fired it, but the creatures dived into the ground again and the blast ended up destroying another house's wall.

"Watch it!" The pony he knew as Time Turner cried. "For Celestia's sake, Springer's defeated much more powerful beings than this! How are you having so much trouble with these things?!" Ace growled at this as the creatures leapt out of the ground all around him, Ace charging at the closest, but missing as it dived back underground while its friend kicked him in the back.

"Augh!" Ace yelped, only for multiple holes to suddenly appear and surround him, the creatures sticking their heads out of them. Thus began a game of whack a mole, Ace attempting to hit one, only for it to duck its head back underground and stick it up a moment later from another hole. And as he did this, the ponies watched with low glares on their faces.

"What a failure."

"Where did Springer go wrong?"

"I heard Mira can already use Velocity Strike."

"He's an insult to Springer's name."

"Shut up," he covered his ears after missing for a fifth time. But the pony's words continued to make their way through to his head, followed by laughter, "I SAID SHUT UP!"

Suddenly, the ground beneath him broke apart as the mole creatures grabbed his legs and pulled him down. He cried out as he was pulled underground, darkness overtaking him. And when he opened his eyes, he saw he was inside a tunnel surrounded by crystals. The moles were standing beside the crystals, smirking at him before stepping back and phasing through them into their reflective surfaces. Ace picked himself up and formed an Aura Blast, firing it at the closest mole, but the creature leapt away and into another crystal mirror. "What the-what are you?!"

"You know what I am," the mole spoke...in Springer's voice.

"What a useless jakhowl," another creature spoke in Mira's voice.

"Would rather goof off than train to get stronger," the last one spoke in Flash's voice. Ace began to pant as the moles slowly starting transforming, changing colors until they became the image of the ones they were mimicking. And as they did this, they all began to laugh.

"You're a failure," Mira told him as her reflection grew larger.

"And to think, Springer's put all his faith about the jakhowl's future into him," Flash added.

"That was certainly a mistake," Springer spat before laughing. "Don't worry. You don't have to do any more of that training. I'll just focus all my attention on Mira. She's clearly the one worth training."

"No!" Ace fell to his knees as they continued laughing at him. "I don't wanna stop! I want to keep training!"

"Why?" Mira asked, "It's clear you're useless. Look at everything you've done." As she said that, the remaining crystals started showing images of his life. "Almost got me and yourself killed by going into the Everfree Forest," the crystal showed the cragadile that Springer saved them from.

"I-I-I didn't know that was gonna happen!"

"You needed Mira's help to make your first Aura Blast," Flash added as the image showed him and Mira firing the blast at Shade.

"Mira needed my help to make it too!"

"You were almost eaten by giant spiders," Springer sighed as he showed Ace the time they went to the old jakhowl castle

"But I learned Steel Paw!"

"You couldn't even save me," Mira chimed in as the image of her statue form appeared, followed by his own. "Then you were turned to stone yourself."

"Oh Celestia!" Ace fell to his knees, "Stop it! Stop it now! How long do these career highlights go on?!" The three reflections continued laughing, more and more images of everything Ace had ever done continued to appear, showing how horrible he was. "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"





Mira was still trapped against the tree as the cragadile got closer, her aura continuing to sputter out as soon as it was generated. If Springer and Ace had noticed her predicament, they didn't seem to care and just kept taking down the cragadiles attacking them.

"Come on Mira!" Ace yelled, "I've already beaten twelve of these things! You shouldn't be having this much trouble with one!"

Mira glared at him as the cragadile reached her, its snapping mouth ready to swallow her whole. She felt fear flow through her as she looked back at the others, wondering why they were leaving her to this fate. "You wouldn't do this to me!" She screamed, only to go wide-eyed, "Wait...you wouldn't do this to me." She glanced back at the monster, "Twilight said this was a test...and this is my test."

The cragadile thrust his mouth at this, Mira quickly leaping to the side as the creature bit into the tree, its teeth getting stuck in the wood. "I might not have as much aura as Ace," she growled as she took a fighting stance, "But there's other ways I can fight!"

And as the monster ripped its mouth out of the tree, Mira charged in as fast as she could. It wasn't as fast as what she had done that morning, but she managed to slam into the cragadile with a great blow. The impact knocked them both into the water of another pond behind the cragadile, the two slowly sinking. The creature seemed to be panicking at this, Mira now remembering something from Fluttershy's class, about how cragadiles only lived in shallow water. Their rocky bodies meant they sank and this pond, strangely, appeared bottomless.

The monster tried to bite at her, but Mira just dodged it. She then dug deep and summoned as much aura as she could, forming a tiny sphere that she threw at the beast. The impact caused a small explosion, but it was enough to blow the cragadile deep into the dark depths of the water.

Mira flinched at the sudden need for air, the little jakhowl quickly swimming upward until she broke through the surface. Gasping for a few seconds, her breathing slowly got back to normal, only to glance around. As she did this, she saw she was no longer in the Everfree Forest anymore.

She was back in the cave, inside a puddle of water barely deeper then she was tall. The jakhowl moved over to the edge and pulled herself out, shaking her entire body to dry herself off. "That sucked," she groaned once she was as dry as she could be. She sighed and thought about what had just happened, "I hope that was enough for me to pass this stupid test." She then remembered her friends, knowing they were probably dealing with similar situations. Hopefully, they would have completed their own tests and gotten out already.

She saw the crystals tendrils that were sticking out of the walls, light flowing through them in a single direction. A part of her believed this was some kind of direction shower, the jakhowl following the lights as they went through the crystals that ran through the entire tunnel. And soon enough, she arrived at the area she and her friends first arrived in.

As she approached the crystal leading out, she sensed two other auras approaching. Moments later, Gallus and Smolder arrived. And Smolder looked rather different to how she normally looked. "What happened to you?" The dragon asked when they all arrived, Gallus seeing Smolder wearing a blue dress, tiara and makeup.

"What happened to you?" Gallus asked, Smolder quickly removing the clothes and wiping away the makeup.

"You never saw any of that! Got it?!" The two nodded and they all looked up at the grate, seeing more and more of the crystals growing to fill it.

"Maybe the others got out already and we're the last ones?" Gallus asked.

"Yeah," Smolder growled, "That totally seems like something they would do."

Mira looked down at the other tunnels, knowing their friends were likely each down a different one, only for Gallus to add, "Any other dragon or griffon would save themselves and get out of this crazy cave."

Smolder smirked at this. "Guess we aren't just any dragon or griffon anymore."

"Guess not." He turned to Mira, "Any idea which way they are?"

Mira held up her paws, trying to reach out. But every time she tried, she felt her aura being blocked by something. "No. I think that crazy Twilight lookalike is keeping me from finding them."

"Then we'll have to do this the old fashioned way," Smolder replied.

"You go that way," Gallus told Smolder as he pointed down a tunnel. He then pointed at another, "Mira, you look over there. And I'll check over there." They nodded and split up, each running down a different tunnel.

Mira ran as fast as he could, soon finding it was turning into a wall of mirrors. "Ace!" She called out, "Sandbar? Yona?"

And as she yelled that, a sound filled the air. Crying.

"Hello?" She called out again, following the sobs. They got louder, the jakhowl soon realizing she was listening to Ace, the yellow jakhowl grimacing at this. And when she ran around a corner, she spotted Ace curled up leaning against one of the mirrors. "Ace!" She ran up to him as he lifted his head, Mira now seeing he really was crying. "What's wrong?"

"Like you don't know," Ace sniffled as she got close. But before she could touch him, he jumped back.

"Ace, it's me. I'm trying to help."

"Why?! So you can have something else to hold over me as well?!" Mira flinched at this, unable to see what he was looking at in the mirror crystals. "Just leave. Springer probably cares about you more than me."

"What are you-that's not true!" Mira barked back, "You know Springer cares about both of us equally!"

"Yeah right," Ace looked away, "You don't get it. You're smarter. You understand what he teaches you easier. And you've already learned how to use another ability without me. It's clear if he had to pick, he'd pick you over me in any situation."

"Stop saying that! Springer cares about us both and you know it! Now come on. Let's get out of here." But as she said that, images appeared on the crystal walls. "What?" She asked when she saw herself, who was laughing along with Springer and Flash. And then more ponies appeared. Heart, Soul, Twilight, the Mane Seven, the Defenders and many more.

Each of them were laughing at Ace and saying mean things, Ace covering his eyes and ears, "STOP IT! Just leave me alone!"

"Ace!" Mira yelled, the reflections beginning to distort and turn into hazy images. "It's not real! This is all an illusion! They're just saying that to get inside your head!"

"But it's true!" Ace screamed, "Everything they're saying is true! How am I supposed to live up to Springer's legacy when I'm worthless?! Everything he's done...how am I supposed to compare myself to him?!"

"You don't have too," Mira tried to step closer, "Springer doesn't expect you to outdo him. All he wants is for you to be happy with your life."

"You know it's not that simple. One day we're gonna be the last jakhowls alive. Everypony in Equestria is gonna be looking at me the same way they look at Springer." He curled himself up again, "They'll expect great things from me. And I...I can't do anything great. I'm not special like you."

"Like me?!" Mira yelped, only to shake her head, "It doesn't matter if I'm smarter than you or figured out how to use Velocity Strike first! You're just as special as I am. Your aura is way stronger than mine." She looked down and remembered what she had seen earlier, rubbing her arm as she did so. "In fact...I've always been kind of jealous of you."

Ace slowly looked back up at this, "You're...jealous of me?"

"Of course," Mira fell to her knees. "You're stronger than me in so many ways. You can make more Aura Blasts than me and figured out how to double up your Steel Paw before me. And when we train, you always have more energy to use when I run out. You're stronger than me, and honestly, I've always been afraid I couldn't keep up."

"Really?"

She nodded back, "But that doesn't mean I'm gonna give up. No matter what life throws at me, I'm gonna face it head on." She looked up at the crystal mirrors, at all the angry faces staring down at them and laughing. "These aren't real, and what they're saying isn't true! It doesn't matter what you do with your life. You can try and be like Springer, or you can choose to be a baker. Either way, Springer won't think any less of you and neither will I!"

"You...you promise?"

"I promise. We both have flaws and will probably never be able to do everything Springer's done. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be any less happy with the life we have." She stood up and held out her paw, "So come on. Let's show these fakers they can't get into our heads. And whatever the future throws at us, we'll get through it together."

Ace smiled and took her paw, Mira helping him up as the two looked around at the mirrors laughing at them. And as they did this, their auras activated and the pair began to glow.

"You're right," he growled, "I'm not a failure. I might not ever be as good as Springer, but I don't wanna be. I wanna be the best me I can be, faults and all!" He glared the twisted reflections down as the light from their auras glowed brighter. "So don't bother trying the mental crud on me! As long as my friends are there for me, I know I can handle anything. So do us all a favor and GET LOST!" With that, the light exploded off of them and struck the crystals.

The reflections screamed as the light vaporized them, Ace's fears vanishing along with them. And once they were gone, Ace sighed. "That was cathartic. Alright, let's go find-" He didn't get to finish as Mira was suddenly hugged him. "Er...okay. Wasn't expecting this."

"I just wanna make sure you're feeling better," she told him before pulling away. "And I promise, I won't let Springer give up on you. We're in this whole last jakhowl thing together."

Ace smiled and nodded, the two then turning to run up the way Mira had come. When they returned to the exit, they saw Gallus and Silverstream were already there, only for Smolder and Ocellus to come in next. Silverstream saw them approaching and frowned, since they were still missing two. "Where's Yona and Sandbar?"

"The way out is closing!" Gallus added, the crystals blocking up more and more of the hole.

"We aren't leaving without them!" Smolder declared as Mira and Ace tried to reach out and find them. But as they did this, they sensed many...many life signs heading their way.

"Something's coming!" Ace yelled, creating a pair of Steel Paws as he stared down a passageway. But as he did this, they all heard the scuttling of many legs getting louder. They all got ready at this, only to see their yak friend running out of the tunnel. And she wasn't alone.

"Yona find you all!" She cheered as hundreds of spiders behind her started circling around them. They all cried out and the fliers leapt into the air, Ace and Mira grabbing onto Gallus and Silverstream's claws.

"Hey, Yona." Silverstream's fear slowly faded, "Who's your...spider army?"

Yona smirked. "Yona always scared of spiders. But then Yona meet Spindle." She held up a hoof, the group now seeing one of the spiders waving at them.

"Ooookay," Ace gulped, "Since when did you have Fluttershy's powers?"

The yak chuckled at this, "Yona realize no reason to be afraid. Spiders and yak friends! So Yona ask new friends to help finding old friends!"

"Do you think your new friends can help us find Sandbar?" Gallus asked, Yona looking down at Spindle as he pointed at one of the tunnels. The rest of the spiders began scuttling down the path as Smolder turned to the others.

"Of all the strange things that have happened tonight, that's the strangest, right?"

"Eh," Mira shrugged, "I stopped keeping track of strangeness levels a long time ago." They ran after the spiders, through the tunnel that began to get brighter as they moved. And as they did this, Sandbar's voice began to speak up.

"I've always looked up to you. You would never turn your back on each other, and that's what makes you strong." They turned a corner and saw Sandbar glaring at Rainbow and Rarity. "Now I have a group of friends that I think is every bit as amazing as yours. If I have to give up on them to make you proud, then you aren't the ponies I thought you were! I don't care if I disappoint you! You disappoint me!"

They reached in just in time to see Rainbow and Rarity smiling at him, the pair then vanishing in a shimmer of light. "Did you just tell our professors you were disappointed in them?" Silverstream asked, making Sandbar flinch before turning around.

"Something tells me those weren't actually our professors," he replied as he saw all his friends, "Besides, they tried to get between me and my friends."

"That's all very sweet," Smolder added, "But can we please get out of here?!" They all nodded and ran back the way they came, hoping that the way out hadn't closed itself off yet.





But it had. By the time they returned to the chamber, the crystals had grown to almost completely cover the hole. Sandbar rushed up the side to try and get through, but he couldn't even fit his head between the crystal gaps.

Ace and Mira prepared to create an Aura Blast, hoping to break through it, but in that moment, a flash of purple made them turn to see the twinkling Twilight staring back at them. "You!" They heard Sandbar yelled, "You're not Headmare Twilight, are you?"

Twilight shook her head, only for Ocellus to gasp. "You're the Tree of Harmony!"

This time, she nodded. The group then stared at her in confusion. "The Tree of Harmony turned into a sparkly version of our headmare to talk to us? Did I miss a chapter in class?"

Twilight walked up to them at this, "Like all living things, I change as I grow. As I have grown, so have my abilities."

"I'm a bit rusty on pony history," Gallus glared at her, "But since when does the Tree of Harmony trap creatures in a cave with their biggest fears?!"

Twilight shook her head, "You chose what you saw in my roots, not me."

Sandbar then gasped, "Our friendship got us past our fears!"

Twilight nodded again, "You were more concerned with each other's well-being than your own. You were strong when your friends were weak. You let each others in and showed that you would be there for each other, no matter what." The eight friends all smiled at one another, realizing she was right. "Friendship is in your nature." With that, she exploded into a bright light which blinded them again.

And when the light faded, she was gone, and the sound of cracking filled the air. They looked back up and saw the crystals blocking the exit were shrinking away, freeing them to return to the school. They smiled and began to climb out, Gallus turning to Sandbar and Ace. "We just learned a friendship lesson from a tree, didn't we?"

"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing to learn from," Ace chuckled before they left the cave. And as the last of them pulled themselves free, Cozy appeared from around a bookcase.

"You're all alright! I came back with my notes and saw this and didn't know what to think!" She exclaimed with a huge frown, "What happened?!"

"We're better than alright! We just got tested by the Tree of Harmony!" The others smirked with pride as Silverstream got right up in the pegasi's face. "And we totally passed!"

Cozy looked like somepony had just told her the sky was polka dot. "The Tree of Harmony? Here?"

"Yeah!" Silverstream pointed at the floor. "Well, below here. Under the school! We found this and went down and met the Tree, and Gallus was all, 'Friendship is not in our nature.' And the Tree was like, 'Whaaaaat?!' And it tested us!" She stuck her beak right up into Cozy's nose, making the filly flinch.

"Long story short, friendship is in our nature. The Tree said so." Smolder added, the whole group smiling as Cozy saw her words from before were completely forgotten.

"I guess we should tell somepony there's a giant magical hole in the library," Ocellus chimed in, only to look back and see a crystal tendril reach up and pull the grate back into place. "Or not."

"We have to tell our professors about this!" Sandbar exclaimed, "They won't believe that-"

"You can't!" Cozy cried, pulling on her cheeks.

"Why no?" Yona asked.

"We got lucky," Ace added, "We were able to pass the test. What if somepony else goes down there and isn't so friendship natured?"

Mira nodded as Cozy stared panicking. "Because..." She dropped to her flank, looking down at the ground. "It's my fault." Raised eyebrows were aplenty at this statement. "You were all getting along so well, and I felt left out. I was jealous. And it upset you so much, the Tree of Harmony had to test you." She gasped, as tears formed in her eyes. "Oh! I'm gonna get expelled for sure!" She started crying. "Please don't tell anypony about this! Especially the professors! Please, please, please-"

"Okay!" Smolder slammed a claw into her mouth to shut her up, then let out a yawn. "I'm actually too tired to do anything right now."

Mira let out a yawn as well, "Spending all night fighting against our deepest fears, running around a giant crystal cavern right after a full day of school and a food fight." Ace then yawned at this, "it's enough to make anyone sleepy."

"Yeah," Sandbar nodded, "But we can't go to sleep. We'll miss the test."

They all wondered what he was talking about, only for Gallus to yell, "The test! I almost forgot!" But his eyes drooped as he did, the griffon unable to keep them open.

Ocellus let out a yawn, "We're all gonna fail." One by one, the eight students fell to the ground and slowly began to fall asleep.

Cozy looked them over and smiled, "What if I tell Professor Sparkle I needed help organizing these books, and you were all kind enough to pitch in? I'll get you an extension!"

Sandbar let out a yawn as he fell to the ground, Ace leaning against him, already asleep. "Thanks, Cozy. That's nice of you."

"I'm just so sorry I caused all of this," she replied, "You're such good friends. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"Mmm..." Silverstream said in her sleep, "No problem. Friendship is..." She didn't get to finish as she completely fell under and started snoring.

Cozy continued to smile as she looked them over. "You get some rest. Don't give any of this another thought." She then turned to the hole in the library floor, hundreds of thoughts filling her mind as she stared into it. "Just let Cozy take care of everything." The smile on her face wouldn't leave, as her plans gained a new factor.
> The Quest of Redemption PT1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Empire was enjoying a unmitigated time of peace. Having not been targeted by the Storm King's attack, the ponies of that Empire had not been subjugated the same way as the rest of Equestria. Of course, many members of the Empire had been in Canterlot during the attack, including Ruby and Cadance, but the majority of its citizens had been spared the hardship. They didn't even need to go and help save Canterlot, though they would have if they had known about the attack.

As such, the Empire was at peace, the Crystal Heart glowing with magic that protected the city from the harshest weather while its Royal Family worked hard to keep order in the city. But as this happened, a change was on the horizon.

In the icy tundra outside the city, a lone figure was making his way through the snow. It was dressed in a gray hooded cloak, wearing a scarf around their head to protect them from the snow and carrying a large sack upon its back. The figure reached the top of the snowbank, now being greeted by the sight of the empire. A long deep sigh came next before the being began to move, their heart beat vibrating. Every stop made it harder, and by the time they reached the forcefield, their chest actually hurt.

Stealing their nerves, the figure stepped inside. Warmth washed over their body and chased away the cold, the light of the forcefield blinding them for a moment. And as they did this, the figure stood there as a light sparked beneath their hood. They then launched the light into the air, creating a firework that popped and crackled enough to catch the attention of the entire city. Seeing this, the figure just stood there, soon seeing a pair of pegasi crystal ponies fly down.

"Stranger!" One of them yelled, "Are you the one that sent up that signal flare?"

"I was," the figure replied, "Apologies, but I did not want to cause a riot walking into town. Thought it would be better to have somepony come to me."

"Why would you cause a riot?" The other guard asked, the figure removing the sack from his back.

"I...have a history with your city. And not a very good one. But I wish to speak with your leaders and the Crystal Knight."

The guards frowned at one another before replying, "Any meeting with Princess Cadance, Shining Armor or Ruby Scarlet require an appointment. Most ponies have to wait a week or two for such an opening in their schedule."

"I doubt I'll have to wait that long," the figure responded as its hood glowed before being pulled back. In doing so, it revealed the pony hidden within as they pulled the scarf away from their face. The guards both gasped at the sight, terror flowing through every cell of their bodies.

"SOMBRA!"





Flash smirked as he watched Heart and the rest of his class balancing on tall poles. "Why are we doing this again?" One of the students asked before almost falling off, Flash chuckling as he hopped onto a pole, the defender not having any issues balancing.

"Balance is an important aspect of the Elements of Harmony. Each Element is equally important, so they need to be in perfect balance with one another in order to unleash their full strength. That's why you need to have the same kind of balance within yourselves. And before you can achieve inner balance, you need outer balance." As he said that, one of the earth ponies fell off his pole, landing on the cushioned floor. "Try again."

The students all did their best to keep balance, the pegasi and Soul using their wings while Ace and Mira were not having issues...only for the doors to slam open.

"FLASH!" Pinkie screamed as she ran into the room, the sudden outburst causing everyone except Flash to lose their balance and fall, "Oh...sorry."

Flash jumped off the pole at this, "Take a break everypony," He commented as he saw his class all groan, only to glance back at Pinkie, "What's up?"

"Twilight just got a message from the Crystal Empire. She said to get you and bring you to the Rune Gate." Flash frowned at this before turning to his class and deactivating the room while grabbing his sword under his desk.

"Class dismissed!" They nodded as he and Pinkie ran out of the room, "Any idea what's going on?"

"Nope! She said she'd explain everything once we're there!" The two double-timed it out of the school and into the Castle of Friendship, running through the corridors until they reached the Rune Gate room. There, Twilight, Spike, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Springer were all waiting for them.

"Good," Twilight nodded, "You're all here."

"What's going on? Pinkie said something was going down in the Crystal Empire."

"I got a letter from Cadance," Twilight replied, "It just said two words: Sombra's Back." Flash's eyes went wide at this, the others all grimacing, "I don't know if Cadance only wrote that because she was in a hurry, being attacked or because she didn't know why Sombra was back."

"Isn't it obvious?!" Rainbow yelled, "He's back to conquer the Empire and enslave them all again! I say we go in there guns blazing with the Elements of Harmony ready to turn him to dust."

"Hang on!" Springer held up a paw, "Did you forget what happened to Sombra? He's not the same pony he was back when you girls faced him."

"That's right," Flash nodded, "Sombra went off to complete a mission. If he planned on taking over the empire, I would have sensed something. Remember? We're connected."

"Are you sure?" Fluttershy asked, "Have you sensed anything from Sombra since you last saw him?" Flash blinked at this, only to frown as she added, "Maybe that connection is gone."

"We could spend all day here discussin' it," Applejack chimed in, "Or, we could go and find out what he wants ourselves. And if he's up to no good, we take him out!"

The others nodded as Twilight turned to rune etched stone, blasting it with her magic. As soon as the Rune Gate activated, Flash leapt through the portal with Twilight and the others following behind. As soon as they were on the other side, they rushed through the halls of the Crystal Empire.

"Where are they?" Rarity asked as they began walking around, only for Flash to pass a window.

"There!" He pointed, the group turning to the window and seeing a large crowd below the castle. It looked as if the entire town was there, reminding them all of the Crystal Fair and Flurry's Crystaling.

Twilight quickly sparked her horn and the light spread over everypony before they were teleported down onto the street. The flash of light that signaled their arrival caught several crystal pony's attention, but they all sighed in relief when they saw who it was. "Spike the Brave and Glorious!" One of them yelled, "He's back to stop Sombra once again!"

"Oh thank Celestia!" another exclaimed, "And look! Now he has wings!"

The crystal ponies murmured between one another as Spike and the ponies made their way through the crowd. "Twilight!" They heard Shining's voice, glancing up to see the royal couple and their daughter standing right in front of the Crystal Heart. They were surrounded by a bunch of guards, including Ruby and her apprentice Jaden.

"Shining!" the alicorn ran up to them, "Cadance! Is it true? Is he here?"

"Yes," Ruby nodded, "I used a telescoping spell to investigate the area he was in. It's him alright."

"Would have thought you'd go there yourself," Flash added, "With everything that's happened, I figured you'd want to see him."

Ruby's face fell for a second at that, only to refocus as she replied, "My focus must be on protecting the Crystal Heart and the royal family. If he tries anything, I must be ready to jump into action."

"We've sent our best fighters to apprehend him," Shining chimed in, "He'll be brought here, and once we've figured out why he's here, we'll deal with him."

"I would have thought the reason he was here was obvious," Springer commented, everypony turning to his with raised eyebrows, "Uh...he's back from the mission he went on? His way of making up for everything he's done, remember?"

The crystal ponies who didn't know about this all just stared at him, unable to respond until they turned to see a large number of guards approaching, all surrounding the pony that had put the empire in an uproar. "There he is," Rainbow whispered, "Sombra."

The pony in question had his head down, an anti-magic ring on his horn with a metal collar locked around his neck and shackles around his hooves that were linked together by chains.

"He doesn't look as intimidating as I remember," Fluttershy added.

"He's not the same pony," Flash reminded her. "Before, he was an umbrum who was pure evil. Now he's a normal unicorn whose soul's been purified by...well, me. Plus, he spent a long time trapped inside the armor of evil and forced to become Shadow Corruptor's hench-pony."

Jaden heard that and just stared at the defender with wide eyes. His mind swam at the bizarre explanation, only to glance back at the former king and wondered why he had allowed himself to be chained up, and why did he looked so different from before. The young crystal pegasi's memory of Sombra time as their ruler wasn't great, but he was sure Sombra didn't look so...normal.

The guards then reached the front of the crowd, the lead guard carrying a sack in his magic. "He had this in his possession," he showed the royals the sack and they heard a strange clattering sound coming from it. "No doubt part of some kind of plot to conquer us again."

He threw the sack to the ground and Ruby gasped, using her magic to catch it before it could hit the floor. "Careful with that!" She exclaimed, making the guard flinch. "You don't know what's inside!"

"Sorry." the guard muttered out, now seeing a glare from the knight. She let out a sigh at this before bringing the sack up to her and opening it. The knight stared inside, now seeing a ton of black or orange brown rocks, which she slowly levitated out of the bag.

"What is that?" Someone in the crowd asked.

"He's trying to brainwash us again!" A mare screamed, the ponies of the crowd beginning to demand they take Sombra's head and destroy the rocks that he had brought with him. The guards were clenching their weapons at this, all now glaring at the unicorn until-

"SILENCE!" Cadance's voice echoed through the city, having been amplified to the level of the Canterlot Royal Voice. This instantly silenced the crystal ponies as Cadance handed her daughter over to Shining Armor. Hearing this, Sombra lifted his head and locked eyes with the mare that had usurped him.

Everypony stared at this, the crystal ponies wondering if she would turn the Crystal Heart on him the same way she had during his previous bombardment of the city. And it seemed like that would be exactly what would happen as her horn began to glow. But instead of firing it at the relic, she shot it at Sombra.

The guards leapt away as the spell struck him, making the unicorn flinch, only to feel nothing. Instead, he opened his eyes and now saw he was floating within a clear white bubble that was a few feet off the ground. The ponies all around just stared at this in confusion as Cadance spoke up, "This orb is a truth telling spell that will determine whether or not we can trust whatever you say. If anything you tell us is a lie, it'll turn red."

"Interesting," Sombra replied, his voice making many ponies shiver as he accidently floated around until he was upside down. "And to help ease your subjects who doubt this'll work, the sky is pink." The bubble turned red for a moment, Sombra nodding as it slowly turned back to white and he managed to float right side up. "I'm sure me being here is a shock."

"That's an understatement," Shining growled, "What makes you think you can come back here, after everything you did to this city?"

"I'm not here to make anypony upset. I've come to right one of the many wrongs I've done during my life. The only one I can fix." The ponies around him all went wide-eyed, most whispering what he was talking about. "I'm sure Flash and Ruby have told you everything about what happened during our time in the Lost City."

"It's been mentioned," Cadance nodded, "Though I didn't actually think you would accomplish it. I assumed Flash would come telling us you had turned back to your old self."

"Well, I didn't," he replied, "Ever since we parted ways, I've worked tirelessly to gather the pieces I once scattered." He turned his attention towards the crystal ponies, none of them looking him in the eye. "Ponies of the Crystal Empire. I have done many horrible things to you all. I've likely scarred you all for life and I know simply saying sorry is not enough."

"YOUR DAMN STRAIGHT IT ISN'T!" One of the crystal ponies yelled, the rest of the crowd erupting into more screams until Cadance raised a hoof to silence them.

"I'm not asking your forgiveness. I fully intend to accept any punishment you wish to give me. But I have a mission to complete before I can allow myself to be executed or whatever you plan to do to me."

"Complete?" Ruby asked while pointing at the stones. "I thought you had already completed the mission. Isn't that why you're here?"

"No. The mission isn't complete yet. But it's nearing completion."

"Can somepony please tell me what the heck is going on?" Jaden spoke up, asking what the crystal ponies all wanted to ask. Sombra turned to him, the colt flinching at his gaze.

"When I conquered the Crystal Empire a thousand years ago, I did so by defeating Princess Amore."

"You killed her," a guard hissed, "We know."

"I did not kill her," Sombra responded, the crystal ponies expecting the bubble to turn red, only for it to stay clear. He then gestured to the rocks, "I turned her to stone. She's alive, but trapped in the state you see her in now." This statement and the fact the bubble remained clear shocked the crystal ponies, many now remembering their former princess and looking down at the rocks filling the sack. "The spell I used was only temporary. Had she remained in one piece, it would have worn off after a couple of minutes."

"And that's why you broke her up?" Flash asked next.

Sombra nodded as he crossed his hooves. "Once all the pieces are brought together, the statue will reform and she will be restored to her true self."

The crystal ponies began to talk amongst themselves at this, many amazed that the princess they thought had been lost forever could be returned to them.

"Great," Springer picked up one of the rocks, "So how many more pieces do you need before she's back?"

"One." That made Ruby smile, only for him to add, "And that piece is close by. I thought it best to bring the rest here while I go get it."

"WHAT?! You think we're gonna let you go?!" A soldier roared, pointing his spear at him. "The only place you're going is to a cellblock while we get the piece!"

"Oh," Sombra smirked at him, "And do you know where the piece is?" The soldier's spear slightly shook at this, only to thrust it forward.

"Tell us where it is. I'll go get it myself."

"Me too!" another guard nodded with several others doing the same.

"Very well," Sombra pointed his hoof toward the Crystal Mountain, heading up to Yakyakistan. "It's in that direction. Try not to miss it."

"Very funny," Shining glared at him. "Tell us exactly where it is."

"I don't know," Sombra replied, "I can sense where the piece is, but I don't have an exact location of it. Finding the other pieces involved following that sense until I spotted it. And trust me, that wasn't always easy. I scattered her far and wide in order to give whoever tried to recover the pieces a hard time. Ironic that that one happened to be me. I cannot tell you exactly where the piece is. If you ponies want to get that piece, you'll need me to lead you too it or spend who knows how long mindlessly searching for it." He put his front legs behind his head and leaned back, floating into a lazy position. "Go ahead and search if you want. I'm happy to wait."

"This has gotta be a trick," Applejack growled, "He's just tryin to free himself."

"But the bubble is still clear," Twilight countered, "Besides, he didn't have to come here."

"Wait...why did he come here?" Spike asked, "I thought he wasn't supposed to return until he had all the pieces of Amore."

"Do you have any idea how many times I almost died on this journey?" Sombra responded, "To find those pieces, I had to face off against hydra, sea-monsters, a bog of acid and so much more." He then removed his cloak, revealing several scars upon his body. Most were on his back, flank and hind legs, while a few were on his stomach. Many flinched at the sight of such injuries, while others were actually smiling at the sight of such pain that he must have suffered.

"Ouch," Rainbow hissed, "Those look like they hurt."

"You have no idea," Sombra grumbled as he returned his cloak. "I'm not trying to get your sympathy. After everything I've done, I know I deserve these wounds. But the only reason I didn't let them succumb me is because if I did die, nopony would be able to find Amore's pieces. But now that there is only one final piece...I've decided it's best I leave these with you. If something happens to me now, I'll know there's at least some hope that that piece will be found."

Everypony began whispering amongst each other again, only for Cadance to speak up, "Very well." She cut the power to her spell and Sombra fell to the ground, the guards quickly rushing up to him. "You will remain in a cell tonight. Tomorrow, you and the guards will go and retrieve the last piece."

Hearing this, Ruby stepped up, "Princess, I think I should go with him...alone."

This made everypony turn to him, all wide-eyed as Cadance asked, "Alone? Why?"

"Speed is necessary here," Ruby replied, "Having too many would slow us down and lead to the recovery taking longer. It makes more sense for a small group of ponies to go in order to speed up the process. And not to brag, but I'm equal to at least ten of our best guards together."

Nopony could deny that, but only Flash knew what she was probably going for. She was worried that if any of the crystal guards went with Sombra, they would likely turn on him as soon as they found the piece.

"Are you sure about this?" Twilight asked, looking Sombra over. "What if he tries something?"

"Sombra isn't what he used to be," Ruby responded, "Most of his power was lost when he was turned into a unicorn. If he does try something, I can handle it. And even if the worst should happen, Flash is still connected to Sombra." This statement made many turn to stare at the defender, "He should sense if Sombra does anything, and if that happens, feel free to track him down and do whatever you want."

"Very well," Cadance nodded. "I'll trust in your judgement." She turned back to Sombra and pointed at him, "Place him in a cell and get him some food and water. He's no good to anypony if he doesn't have the strength to complete this task."

The guards began to pull the former umbrum away, many of the citizens uneasy seeing him enter the castle he had once ruled from. Once he was gone, everypony turned to Ruby as Jaden added, "I don't like this. Letting him free like this, after everything he's done."

"How is he even alive?" One of the crystal ponies asked, many all knowing that they thought the tyrant was dead. The Mane Seven and their friends groaned, knowing they were going to be in for a long explanation. So Flash began to tell them to truth, how a part of Sombra had survived the Crystal Heart's light blast. How that piece was found by an insane criminal, who used a powerful magic to restore his body but finding his memories were lost. How he was trapped within a living suit of armor and used as its host to let it walk around. How Flash and his friends had met him and discovered the truth about him, leading to Flash facing him and discovering a piece of Sombra's soul had been implanted within him and used to restore his mind.

The Crystal Ponies were suspicious of Flash at first, but Cadance and Ruby convinced him not to be worried. The story continued and they told the ponies how they managed to free Sombra from the armor with a powerful magic able to transform him into a unicorn and keep him alive. How he was locked up, but then freed in order to help Flash defeat the psycho he had been battling against. And how afterwards, Sombra had told the group his plans and how they allowed him to leave on this mission.

By the end of the story, many members of the Crystal Empire were fuming at the fact that they helped save Sombra instead of letting him die or remain somepony's puppet. Others were mad they had let him go instead of bringing him back to face justice. And others were enraged by the Crystal Knight and Royal Couple keeping these facts a secret. And by the time the sun began to set, the empire was in an uproar even though they all returned home.

"Geez," Springer whispered as they all sat in the main hall having dinner. He was standing beside one of the windows, looking out at the city. "The whole place is flooded with negative emotions. Anger, fear, disappointment and betrayal."

Cadance sighed, "I should have known keeping this secret from them was a bad idea."

"It could have been worse if you did tell them," Twilight chimed in, "If they had known Sombra was alive, they could have spent all this time constantly scared he would conquer them again. Who knows what could have happened if they let their fears run wild."

"Riots in the street," Rarity guessed.

"The guards getting more aggressive," Rainbow assumed.

"Maybe even a coup," Flash imagined, "The higher ups might have tried to take over and proclaim martial law, turning the place into a nightmare to live in. All to prepare for an enemy that didn't exist."

Cadance grimaced at this, and it didn't help when one of the servants walked in carrying a tray. The look on her face showed she was just as upset as everypony else, Cadance sighing when she left. "I just hope they can forgive me. Hopefully, Amore will be able to smooth things over with them."

"Hey," Pinkie raised a hoof, "I have a question."

"Yes?" Cadance pointed at her, like a teacher talking to a student.

"What'll happen when Amore comes back? She was the ruler of the Empire before Sombra took over, so will she return to the throne? What'll happen to you, Shining and Flurry if she does?"

The question made everypony exchange glances, that thought not even occurring to them. "I...don't know," Cadance replied, "I guess it is within her rights to demand the empire back. When we first came here, I thought I would only be take the throne for a little bit until the Empire became more integrated with the rest of Equestria. But...this is our home now. Flurry was born here. I don't know what'll happen."

"I'm sure Celestia will have an idea," Twilight nodded.

Cadance grimaced at that, "I don't think so. When Celestia found me, she said I reminded her of a friend she once had. Years later, I learned that was Princess Amore. When she found me, she sensed my magical aura and she mistook it for Amore. She wondered if I was a descendant of Amore, but..."

"Amore didn't have any children," Ruby chimed in, "To her, the subjects of the Crystal Empire were her children."

"Exactly. Which was why Celestia was confused about me. Since I couldn't be related to Amore, me having a magic signature so similar to hers shouldn't have been possible."

"So why is your magic so similar?" Fluttershy asked, Cadance shrugging back.

"I don't know. Once Celestia suggested that maybe I was Amore's reincarnation. Heck, I thought that might be possible for a few years. But ever since Ruby told me about Amore being alive, that idea went right out the window."

"So you have no idea why you and she have the same magic?" Flash asked, Cadance nodding and looking down.

But then Shining placed a hoof on her shoulder. "You never know. Maybe you are her descendant. Maybe Amore had a child and kept it a secret. Either way, it doesn't change who you are."

"The empire might not see it that way," Cadance sighed, "When Amore returns, they could demand she be reinstated to the throne and I wouldn't have any way to stop her if she wants it back. A few ponies might want me to stay on the throne, but who knows what could happen if the citizens are divided." She got up and moved over to the window, looking down at the city below. "I love the empire, and I don't want it breaking out into a civil war."

Everypony frowned at this, Ruby choosing this moment to leave the room. She made her way through the castle and down to the dungeons, which more like a line of normal rooms with thick doors that had a small opening in the middle to allow food through without needing to open them.

When she arrived, she saw a pair of guards standing in the corridor outside the doors. They were glaring at one of the doors so hard, Ruby wouldn't be surprised if they didn't catch fire. "I'll take over guard duty," she stated, the pair turning to her, only to see her glaring at them.

A second later, they left, and she sparked her horn and teleported through the doors. Sombra was laying on the small bed in the corner, the unicorn surprised by the sudden flash followed by his childhood friend appearing. He smiled at her as he sat up.

"You know, I've done some terrible things in my time, but whoever made this bed so uncomfortable is the true evil genius." Ruby laughed at that, shaking her head. "So," Sombra looked her over, "Anything interesting happen while I was away? Any crazy adventures with Sentry?"

"I got turned into a dragon."

"Oh? That's new." Sombra replied, Ruby chuckling. "How'd that one happen?"

Ruby began telling him everything that had happened while he was gone, Sombra returning the favor by telling her about some of the places he had to brave in order to acquire the pieces of Amore. He wasn't happy when he learned that Shadow and Armalum had returned, but smirked when he heard how Fire Heart had blasted the pair away, only to learn another surprise.

"You have an apprentice?" She nodded.

"Jaden. He was the colt that spoke up before. He's got a lot of potential, and is a skilled marks-pony. No doubt he'll make an excellent knight when he's older."

"I'm sure. With you training him, I'm sure he'll grow up to be a fine protector of the city."

Ruby nodded as she looked around the cell, spotting a small barred window at the top of the far wall. "You realize what'll likely happen once you've gotten the last piece of Amore."

"She'll be restored," Sombra replied, "And then I'll face whatever justice the ponies of the city deem acceptable. I'll be lucky if I'm only hung and not drawn and quartered."

"You're taking this very calmly. Most ponies would be terrified of what might happen to them."

"Honestly, I am terrified. Who wouldn't be? But what other choice do I have? Try to convince you to let me go once we have the final piece? Spend the rest of my life running from those that want to see me brought to justice? What kind of life would that be?" Ruby blinked at this, a little bit of surprise on her face as he continued, "I'd rather face what I have coming then spend my life constantly on edge trying to stay free. Besides, it's not like I have any other reason to live."

"What do you mean? Isn't what you've been doing your reason to live?"

"It is." Sombra hummed before shrugging, "But I don't have anything else after I'm doing restoring Amore."

Ruby frowned at that, only to shake her head, "Don't say that. Stay strong. Who knows what the future has in store. I never thought I'd end up a thousand years in the future, and I never thought we'd end up meeting again. Nopony knows what's waiting for us come tomorrow." Sombra slowly nodded back, only for her add, "I need to go. We'll talk tomorrow."

She then teleported out of the cell, slowly walking out of the block until somepony accidently knocked something off a table. "Whoa!" yelped a voice, making her spin around and create a crystal sword on the spot, "Wait! Wait! Wait!" She then saw the blade was pointed at Jaden, who was holding the vase he had almost knocked off the table. "It's me!"

Ruby frowned as she dispelled the sword, "What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?" Jaden repeated, staring at his teacher. Had this been before he became her apprentice and passed his test, he wouldn't be speaking so openly with her. "Why were you getting chummy with the enemy!?"

"I wasn't getting chummy with him," Ruby told her squire, "I was just talking to him. Is that a crime?"

Jaden just looked at her with wide eyes, "But...don't you remember everything he did?! He enslaved us! He trapped us out of time. He tried to turn you into him! How can you stomach being around him?!"

The Crystal Knight sighed and shook her head, "It's not that I've forgotten what he did. I've just moved passed it."

"What?! How?! Why?!"

"What else could I do? Spend the rest of my life hating him? What good would that do me?" She then placed a hoof on his shoulder. "Jaden, as a Royal Knight, you're going to meet a lot of bad ponies. Ponies who let themselves give into their hatred and anger." Jaden flinched at this, now thinking about Void and the Storm King. "Sombra gave himself to the hatred and anger he felt and it turned him into a monster. I don't want that to happen to me, and I definitely don't want it happening to you."

"But everything he did..." Jaden glared at her. "What, am I supposed to just forget all that?! Forget how scared I was because of him?!"

"Of course not. Like I said, I've not forgotten about what he did. But just because I can't forget it, that doesn't mean I can't forgive it." Jaden's eyes went even wider at this, only to see his mentor shake her head, "You'll understand when you're older. For now, give Sombra the chance to show you he's changed. If after all that you still can't forgive him...I'll understand. But the only one you'll be hurting because of that will be yourself."

And with those final words, Ruby turned to walk off. Jaden stood there, a huge frown on his face as he watched his teacher leave. He turned back to the cell that held the unicorn that tried to ruin his life, Ruby's words echoing through his mind and he felt his stomach go queasy.





The next day...

The entire Empire was out in force again, following Ruby Scarlet as she, the royal couple, Mane Seven and everyone else led Sombra to the edge of the city.

"Alright," Cadance sighed as they got to the forcefield keeping the cold weather out. "It's time." They turned to Sombra, who was still wearing the shackles and anti-magic ring. "Take his binds off."

The guards all frowned at this, the princess nodding before they used their magic to undo the locks. One by one, the shackles came undone and fell off his body. Sombra sighed when the last one was removed from his legs, cricking his neck and stretching out his hooves before looking up at his horn, which still had the ring on it.

Ruby stepped up and deactivated it, pulling the ring off, Sombra's horn sparking. "Thank you." He began to walk through the field at this, only to glance back at Ruby. "You coming?"

Ruby turned to the others, seeing nothing but frowns. She tried to spot Jaden, but her apprentice hadn't been around all morning. "You sure you want to still do this alone?" Cadance asked, "I can send some guards with you."

"No," Ruby shook her head, "I have to do this." She looked back at Sombra, "I was there when she was turned to stone. I wasn't fast enough to save her back then, so working to save her now is the least I can do." She turned back to them, "Keep the city safe in my absence." They all nodded as she moved over to Sombra, the pair walking through the forcefield together.

As soon as they did this, the cold of the north attacked them like a school of piranha. Ruby quickly cast a warming spell on herself and used that to pull the cold weather gear she had packed out, Sombra tightly tying his scarf around his head.

"Which way?" She asked, Sombra pointing to one of the mountains.

"This way. Let's hurry." They began trodding through the snow at this, glad that the snow was at least light.

It was an hour before they reached the base of the mountain, Ruby asking, "So it's up on this mountain?"

"Maybe. Or it could be past it." Ruby raised an eyebrow at this. "My sense doesn't tell me how far away the piece is. It just connects me to the closest piece to my current location. I just keep following it until I spot it or overshoot, making me realize I passed it."

"Seriously?" She asked, "That's how you've been searching for the pieces?! It's a miracle you found so many so quickly." Sombra shrugged as the pair started climbing up the side of the mountain, both soon finding a natural path they could use. This path led them up for about an hour, Ruby following Sombra as he tried to determine if the piece was one this mountain or the one past it.

They then came to the end of the path, stopping at a large wall going straight up. "Don't suppose you brought a ladder?" Sombra asked as Ruby stepped up and placed her hoof down on the ground at the base of the wall. He watched as her Crystal Promise glowed before a large crystal spike began to glow out of the ground. That crystal started growing their own spikes out the side, turning it into a ladder.

"Nice," he nodded as the crystal reached the top of the wall and curled around it. Ruby began to climb it, Sombra following before stopping for a second. Turning around, he scanned the area, feeling like he was being watched.

"You coming?" Ruby called out, Sombra glancing back up at her before climbing again. And when he reached the top, he found they were at a part of the mountain that was flat all the way to the other side. There was still more of the mountain higher up, but from their spot, they could travel downward.

"This isn't where the piece is," Sombra told Ruby.

She sighed, "Where?" Sombra walked past her and pointed at another mountain a few miles away from the one they were on.

"Hopefully, it's there. The sense is pulling me in that direction."

Ruby sighed at the sight, "That's a pretty big one. You sure it's there?"

"No, but it's in that direction. I can feel it." Ruby nodded and was about to say something, but then Sombra placed a hoof on her mouth. She almost flinched, only for him to motion her to shush. He gestured his head back, the knight blinking for a second.

"Alright, let's get climbing." He said, only to grab Ruby's hoof and pulled her behind a rock. She was about to ask what was going on, only to hear movement coming from the ladder. Somepony panted as they pulled themselves up, then started to walk around.

Ruby quietly summoned a sword at this, only to leap out of the rock, tackling the pony, "Gotcha!"

"Wait!" cried a voice that was similar to one she had heard the previous day. She pulled back as she realized who she currently had pinned with a sword at their throat.

"Jaden?!" She yelped at her apprentice while the colt smiled. "What are you doing here?!"

"I came to help," Jaden replied as Ruby climbed off of him and Sombra stepped out from behind the rock. Jaden was dressed in winter clothing and had a saddlebag on his back, though his clothing looked more like he was going out to play snowballs than brave an arctic mountain. "I know you said it would be better to have less ponies searching for the piece, but I was worried. What if something happened?" He added as his gaze shifted to Sombra.

Ruby sighed and facehoofed, "All you've done is slow us down right now. And now we're gonna have to cut our trip short to take you back to the Empire."

"What?! But I wanna help!" Jaden stood up, "You've been training me for situations just like this. Let me help. Look!" He reached into his saddlebag and pulled out a small wooden and metal box. With a flick, it unfolded into a crossbow. "I'm armed with this and twenty bolts." But as he said that, the crossbow fired, a bolt shooting straight up...and then down the side of the mountain. "Er...nineteen bolts."

Ruby groaned, "You've been spending too much time around Fire Heart."

Sombra stepped up and placed a hoof on Ruby's shoulder "Let him stick around." Both knight and apprentice went wide-eyed at this, "He was able to keep up with us when we didn't know he was there and moving at full speed. I don't think he'll slow us down. Besides, you said he was a pretty good shot."

Ruby's eyes twitched at this before turning to Jaden, seeing a hopeful look on his face. "Oh...fine!" She leaned down, her face almost touching Jaden's, "But you follow every order given to you. By me, or Sombra." Jaden's eyes went wide, but he could see this was non-negotiable.

"Fine." Ruby nodded before she started heading down the side of the mountain, leaving Sombra and Jaden at the top.

Sombra turned to Jaden, "Er...welcome to the team." Jaden rolled his eyes and followed his mentor, Sombra sighing. "This is gonna be a long trip."





A few hours later...

They had now carefully made their way down the side of the mountain, luckily not finding any steep paths of sheer cliffs. Occasionally, they found gaps in the path that had broken away due to erosion, but Ruby's crystal magic easily filled them. "Getting anything from that sense of yours?" Ruby asked Sombra as they were about a mile from the base of the mountain.

"Nothing yet," Sombra replied, "But I'm not being pulled toward the top of that mountain. If the piece is on it, it's probably near the base or behind it somewhere."

"Good," Ruby nodded, "I'd rather not have to climb all the way to the top of another mountain. Let's get there and start searching before something bad gets in the way."

"Do a bunch of really angry looking clouds count as something bad?" Jaden asked, pointing to the sky. The adults looked up and saw a swirling vortex of dark clouds above the mountain they were heading toward. And it was starting to head their way.

"Great," Ruby sighed, "We have to get off this mountain before it gets here." She picked up the pace and the two followed, both quickly but carefully going along. The clouds were moving fast that by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain, the outer edges of the storm was there.

Snow began to fall, only for Jaden to yelp, "Ow!"

"Hail!" Sombra yelled, only to hiss when a ice rock hit his hoof. "We need to get out of here before it gets too strong!"

"Get close to me!" Ruby exclaimed, the pair jumping up to her side as her horn glowed. She stomped her hooves into the snow and caused a platform of crystal to appear below her and spread it out beneath Jaden and Sombra's hooves to form a circle. Once the platform was large enough, the edges curved upwards and began to form a cone shape. A few sections didn't grow, creating an opening to allow air in.

Once it was complete, a crystal structure surrounded them and blocked out the hail. "Nice!" Jaden cheered as Sombra removed his bag and cloak. He reached inside it, pulling out a ration bar that Ruby had acquired for him before leaving. He began to bite into it as Ruby pulled out her own, Jaden sitting on the opposite side and pulling out a normal chocolate bar.

Sombra saw that and smirked, "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Jaden frowned at him as he opened the wrapper, "You'll be sorry."

"I doubt that," Jaden replied before biting into the chocolate, only to feel his teeth to almost break as the chocolate was as hard as metal. "Ow!" He pulled it out of his mouth and tapped the chocolate against the floor, revealing it was frozen solid.

"Told you," Sombra chuckled as he bit into his ration bar. "What did you think would happen to chocolate that's been out in an environment that's minus five degrees? That bag of yours clearly isn't insulated, so of course the heat would escape."

Jaden frowned at this before his eyes went wide and he pulled a water bottle out of his bag, only to find it was as heavy as a brick thanks to the water freezing. He groaned before hearing chuckling, the colt looking up to see Sombra hiding his grin behind his hoof. "Yeah, rub it in."

"Sorry," Sombra kept laughing and even Ruby seemed to be holding back a grin.

The mare pulled a ration bar out of her bag along with a thermos, throwing the bar to her student before pouring herself a hot cup of choco. Sombra also poured his own and as Jaden ate the ration bar, Sombra looking over at his water bottle before his horn glowed red. Jaden suddenly felt a source of heat and turned to see the bottle was glowing before noticing Sombra's horn. When the light around the bottle faded, he picked it up and saw that the ice had melted.

But despite this, he didn't drink it, making Sombra sigh, "It's not poisoned."

"Can't be too careful."

Sombra shook his head, "I get it. You don't like me. But what would poisoning you actually accomplish?"

"It could be a mind control spell that makes whoever drinks it your slave."

"You seem to be overestimating my abilities," Sombra responded, "I'm not as powerful as I once was."

Jaden raised an eyebrow at this, as Ruby spoke up. "He's not an umbrum anymore," she chimed in, "All of the powers he once had are now gone. Turning into shadows, brainwashing, turning ponies to stone...he can't do anything like that anymore."

"How can you be sure?" Jaden asked, "He could just be pretending not to have those powers to take us by surprise!"

"True," Sombra nodded, "You're right to be suspicious of me. I did do a lot of things I'm not proud of." Jaden glared at him at this, "But don't think you know me just because of the bad things I did. You'll find you know very little."

"I know enough."

"Oh. What do you know?"

"I know the guards found you in the ice, brought you to the Crystal Empire and placed you in the orphanage. I know you were friends with Ruby and eventually, you turned into a monster and enslaved our city!"

"Is that it?" Sombra asked.

"What more do I need to know?"

"How about the fact that I spent year after year in a state of near death all because nopony told me what I truly was."

Jaden leaned back at this before turning to Ruby, who nodded. "The Crystal Fair wasn't just designed to recharge the Crystal Heart. It was made so that the umbrum who were sealed beneath the Crystal Empire couldn't escape."

"There are umbrum beneath the Crystal Empire?!" Jaden yelped.

"Why do you think the Empire was built so far north? It was built upon a seal that traps the evil umbrum beneath the earth, where they could do no harm. The Crystal Fair was created in order to weaken them and stop any chance they had at releasing themselves. Because of that, they needed a way to stop the fair and release themselves. That's where I came in."

"You?" Jaden asked.

"The umbrum created him with the express goal of freeing them," Ruby explained, "He was born as an umbrum, but transformed into a unicorn with his umbrum heritage sealed deep within him. This allowed him to escape the seal and appear in the snowlands. That's where the guards found him."

"And that's why you took over the Crystal Empire?" Jaden asked, "So that you could free a bunch of evil monsters planning to take over Equestria?"

"What else was I too do?" He countered, "The ponies of the Empire never truly accepted me. They bullied me and never let me play with them growing up. The only one who did so was Ruby, but then she left for her knights training and I was alone. And, of course, there was the Crystal Fair. My umbrum powers might have been sealed away, but I was still an umbrum in pony form. So every year, I was forced to endure agony as everypony else enjoyed themselves."

"And you expect me to feel sorry for you?!" Jaden replied, "You were sent to destroy us! That fair kept the umbrums at bay! You really think we should have stopped and given the umbrum a chance to escape?"

"No," Sombra responded as he glanced away, "But they could have told me. Amore knew what I was from the very start and hid it from me. She knew the Crystal Fair was what hurt me, but she didn't do anything. She could have had me leave the Empire. Make an excuse to send me to Canterlot with Ruby or something. But instead, she let me suffer. She didn't even have the decency to tell me what I really was."

"Maybe she was afraid you'd turn against the empire sooner," Jaden crossed his hooves.

"Or maybe I would have chosen to reject what I was. The Empire was my home, and the home of my best friend. If I had known when I was a kid what I was and what I was meant to do, I might have refused. But she didn't give me the chance. She didn't trust me and this is where it led us. So yeah, I might have done some horrible things, but it's not like I didn't have any reason to do them. Remember that before you decide to label me a true villain."

Jaden turned to Ruby, now seeing the Crystal Knight sitting there with a stoic expression on her face. "When did you learn about this?"

"Not until the day we stopped him. When the Crystal Empire returned, I went out to face him, hoping to buy time so the others could located the Crystal Heart. That's when I learned what Sombra was and why he was sent to the Crystal Empire. And when he was freed from Armalum, he and I spoke about the past. Princess Amore could have told him the truth, which might have changed things. I don't know if that's a fact, but it's what made me decide to give him a chance."

"Why?!"

"A simple fact about Sombra is...he never got the chance to choose what his life would entail." Jaden blinked at her, tilting his head as she continued, "The umbrums chose to send him to the Crystal Empire, knowing that being close to the heart during the fair would cause him pain. Amore chose to keep the secret of his origin from him, something he deserved to know. And I chose to leave him behind in the Empire, even though I knew he would be alone and have to endure the pain of the Crystal Fair again and again. Shadow chose to restore him and make him Armalum's host, forcing him to be a puppet. So many choices were made for Sombra and he was forced to endure the outcomes. So much so that by the point he learned who he truly was, he didn't have much of a choice left."

"And that makes what he did okay?"

"No," Ruby shook her head, "But we shouldn't think ourselves entirely innocent when it comes to what we did. That's why, when Sombra told us about his plans to find the pieces of Amore, I decided to give him the chance to prove he wants to make some of what he did right. This was his choice. A choice he didn't make because it was hardwired into him by the umbrum, or because the truth was kept from him, or because he was under the control of an evil suit of armor. It was something he chose to do himself, of his own free will. That was why I gave him this chance. Because this is his first true decision."

Jaden frowned at this, glancing back at Sombra. Despite everything he had just heard, he continued to glare at the unicorn, showing that he obviously didn't forgive him. The adults could see their speech didn't do the intended consequences. Seeing this, they all sat there in silence and waited for the storm to pass. And as it did, their shelter was half buried by the time is was finished.

Leaving the crystal cone behind, they continued to the mountain with Sombra, trying to determine if the piece was close by or if they passed the target. As they were, Jaden couldn't help but think about everything he had just heard. Despite refusing to forgive Sombra, he was starting to sympathize with him. Jaden hadn't really had any friends before he met Heart, always spending his time admiring Ruby from afar, so he knew what it was like to be alone.

He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't realize they had entered an area of the mountain range that had two large mountains walls on either side. Both walls had a pile of snow and slush that had built up during the storm, both resting on large rocks that were hanging loose from the sides of the cliff.

Ruby noticed this, the unicorn being ready in case they fell, one of them breaking away from the cliff. "Look out!" She yelled, slamming her hoof into the ground and sending a crystal spike up. It slammed into the rock, the boulder breaking into pieces.

One piece headed straight for the youngest member of their group, who gasped as his body suddenly stopped. But before it could crush him, something slammed into Jaden, pushing him out of the way. The next thing Jaden knew, somepony had their hooves around him and was rolling the two along the ground toward Ruby. She leapt up and put up a barrier, which protected them from the rest of the rubble.

When the avalanche ended, Jaden opened his eyes and saw Sombra had saved him, the unicorn standing up before he could say anything, quickly checking his saddlebag to make sure nothing important was damaged. Jaden then noticed Ruby was giving him a look, the colt knowing what she wanted.

"Err...thanks."

"Don't mention it," Sombra replied, "Let's get out of here before any more rocks start falling." They nodded and Ruby decided to not take any more risks. She had hoped to save her magic, but decided to use it to teleport them. In the blink of an eye, they were at the very base of the mountain, just as more rocks began to fall.

"That was too close," Sombra stated before turning to the mountain. "Alright. Let's see if I can locate the piece." He reached out, only to flinch, "Huh?"

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked as Sombra started digging in the snow. After a moment, he came across a rock and could still feel the pull drawing him down.

"The piece is...underground."

"What?!" Jaden asked, "What do you mean it's underground?!"

"It's like I told you. The piece is underground. Somehow, it's gotten under us below the mountain."

"What?! How?!"

"I guess it has been a thousand years," Ruby added, "Anything could have happened. Maybe a rockslide from this mountain buried it, or something found the crystal and took it underground somehow."

"I hope it's that second one," Sombra stood up, "If not, it could take forever to uncover it." He began to walk around the base of the mountain, Jaden and Ruby doing the same, Ruby hoping the same as Sombra while Jaden thought this was all some elaborate trick in order to take them out.

But then he spotted something a little further up the mountain, the colt walking up and climbing over a few large rocks. As he did this, he reached a certain spot, finding himself staring into a cave leading down.

"Jaden!?" He then heard Ruby call, the colt still looking into the cave.

"I'm over here! You've gotta see this!" A minute later, Ruby and Sombra walked over, all three now looking down.

"So that's how the piece got down there," Sombra smirked. "Nice going kid." He began to walk down into the cave, Ruby and Jaden watching him. "You two can stay out here if you want. No telling what we might find down here."

"Like I'd let you walk through a dark passageway alone," Ruby replied before she followed after him. Jaden gulped at this, only to sigh as he began to follow as well. And as the three descended into the unknown realm of darkness, they didn't know what was awaiting them in this dark and dreary place, but they would brave it. So long as it helped them find the final piece to restore Amore to her true form.

To be continued...
> The Quest of Redemption PT2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Crystal Empire was in a silent frenzy, having learned their former Princess might be returning to them. Having just sent their greatest protector and the one who had caused Amore's 'death' out to retrieve the final piece needed to revive her, the citizens of the Crystal Empire had returned to the city and awaited the pony's hopeful return. Though they were hoping for one pony's return more than the other.

Inside the castle, Springer, Spike and the Mane Seven were all sitting around, now realizing this was the first time they had ever been to the Empire without there being some crazy event filling their time. When the place wasn't almost being destroyed, it was kind of boring.

"Checkmate," Twilight told Flash when she pushed her queen into position.

Flash rubbed his face at this, "Why did I think I could actually beat you in this?" Twilight laughed at this, but wondered how much longer she would have to wait for her niece to finish her nap and be able to play. The others were all simply lounging around the great hall, Rainbow having fallen asleep while Rarity doodled on a sketch pad and Fluttershy was looking at clouds out the window. Spike was enjoying some nice gems and Applejack was pacing back and forth, leaving Springer, who was currently getting hit in the head by Pinkie using a rubber mallet she had pulled out of nowhere.

"Let me guess," he commented, "You're all bored."

They all turned to him and nodded. "I need to be entertained or my brain turns to oatmeal," Pinkie added, "The bland kind. Not the kind with sprinkles and whipped cream." She moaned at this, "Now I'm bored and hungry."

"I was okay before all the head trauma," Springer sighed before his eyes crossed. "Does anypony else hear bells ringing?"

Flash rolled his eyes at this, only for a bulb to go off in his head. "Hey! I know what we can do!" This made everypony turn to him as he turned to his girlfriend, "Twilight, can you ask Cadance where she left the pieces of Amore?"

"Sure," Twilight nodded, "But why?" Flash just gave her a smirk back.





Back in the Crystal Mountains...

Sombra and the two crystal ponies continued to traverse through the tunnel Jaden had discovered. Using their horns to light the way, they found the cave was a slope leading straight down, which luckily wasn't too steep. They were able to trot down without fear of slipping, the rocky surface uneven, so every now and then one almost tripped.

"How deep do you think this tunnel is?" Jaden asked.

"I think we're over a mile down," Ruby assumed.

"One thousand eight hundred and twenty two yards," Sombra replied, "So yeah, just over a mile." He glanced back at them, both staring at him with raised eyebrows, "What? Every step I take is a foot long, so every three steps is a yard. Don't you count your steps?"

"No," Jaden deadpanned, "Who the heck counts their steps?"

"The pony that knows how deep we are right now," Sombra quipped as he felt the ground leveling out. "I think we've reached the bottom. Or we're close to it." The crystal ponies soon followed, the ground slowly starting to get less steep before reaching a perfectly level tunnel.

"Please tell me the piece is close by," Ruby asked.

"The piece is straight ahead of us. Hopefully, that means it's just at the end of a tunnel. But...I don't know. I get the feeling this isn't gonna be eas-WHOA!" His hoof suddenly met thin air and he almost fell, Ruby grabbing him by the tail and pulling him back.

Once he was back on solid ground, the three looked down and shined a light. They then saw there was no ground, instead just a complete drop down. Looking to their sides, they saw the tunnel they were in had opened up into a long trench. Ruby formed a piece of crystal in her hooves and dropped it over the side, counting up until they heard a distant dinging sound. "Forty meters."

"That's a long way down," Jaden gulped.

"Well the piece of Amore isn't down there," Sombra sighed as he brightened his horn and tried to see further ahead. In doing so, he spotted a far wall on the other side of the trench, but there weren't any holes in the wall. "Damn." He glanced down, "There must be a hole or passage further down."

"Don't suppose you two brought any rope?" Jaden asked, both shaking their heads before Ruby sighed and lit her horn. The end of the tunnel started forming a crystal structure, which began zigzagging downward to make a staircase. She growled at this, making a structure like this requiring a lot of power and concentration. The staircase quickly vanished into the darkness, making her build without seeing, hoping the end result wouldn't result in a messy creation and they could climb down without issue.





The Crystal Empire...

Flash and his friends were now down in the castle courtyard next to the Crystal Heart. Twilight arrived with Cadance and Shining, Flurry still being down for her nap, with Twilight carrying the bag of Amore pieces. "Okay Flash," Shining stated as Twilight put the bag down. "Here they are. Now what are you planning?"

"Simple," Flash opened the bag and started taking the pieces out. "We're going to rebuild Amore."

"What? Why are we putting her back together?" Rainbow asked.

"You got anything better to do?" Flash quipped back. "Besides, we might have to end up doing this anyway. Sombra said she was going to return to normal when the pieces were all brought together."

"Yes," Rarity nodded, "Which is why they're bringing the final piece."

"But what did he mean by brought together? Do they just need to be in the same place, or do they need to be brought together the way a jigsaw brought together?"

Everypony was about to answer, only to come to a stop. "It could be either," Twilight spoke up, "And if it's the second one, then it could be ages before Amore is restored."

"Not if we start working on it now," Flash replied, "If we all work together, we might be able to complete the statue before Ruby gets back."

Everypony smiled, liking this idea. Twilight carefully removing all the rocks and laying them out on the floor. The ponies frowned as they saw how every piece of rock was differently shaped, all looking completely random. But as they saw this, Fluttershy put two of them together and they were a perfect fit.

"I have one," she smiled, the others turning to her before smiling as well.

And as they started to get to work, Cadance turned to Twilight. "I contacted Celestia, by the way." Twilight nodded, "I explained everything that's happening and she's making arrangements for her and Luna to come here. There's a few important things that need addressing in Canterlot, so they can't come right away. But hopefully, they'll arrive before Ruby gets back."

"That's good," Twilight responded, "It's only right they be here when Amore is revived. They were her friends after all." Cadance nodded in agreement as they continued working to put the pieces together, slowly finding the parts as they hoped they would be able done before Ruby and Sombra returned.





"Careful," Ruby repeated for the tenth time as they lowered themselves down the steps.

Jaden carefully placed a hoof down on a step and could feel the little grip that it had. "How deep are we?"

Ruby made another crystal and dropped it, hearing the clink a little later, "We've gone down ten meters."

"Another thirty or so to go," Sombra sighed as they kept going down. "Remember to keep your eyes open for a hole."

But as they continued down, needing to turn every so often due to Ruby making the staircase a square spiral, there was no sign of any holes. "It's possible the tunnel we're looking for isn't until the very bottom," Ruby pointed out.

"Maybe," Sombra nodded, "But I'd rather not have to climb all the way back-"

"THERE!" Jaden exclaimed, pointing at an area of the wall. The two followed his hoof and saw a hole right into the wall.

"Good eyes," Sombra commented as Ruby started constructing a bridge from the staircase towards it. "Hopefully, it leads right to the piece." When the bridge was completed, Sombra was the first to step over it. The bridge was a little thin, since Ruby had used most of her magic to build the staircase, so with every step, it cracked a bit. Eventually, he reached the hole and jumped into it and sent a burst of light down the tunnel, seeing it travel about sixty meters or so before hitting a wall he hoped went upwards. "Okay. Come across, but be careful." Ruby and Jaden nodded before the colt slowly stepped onto the bridge. The cracks continued to appear as he made his way across, the adults grimacing at this.

"Whoa!" He yelped, pulling his hoof back as a piece of the bridge broke away.

"Forget careful and run!" Sombra yelled, Jaden quickly cutting into a sprint. More cracks formed as this happened, an entire section of the bridge soon breaking off behind him, removing the support the bridge had, putting all its weight onto the end Sombra was at. "HURRY!" He used his magic to grab the bridge and tried tp keep it up, the weight being almost too much.

And as Jaden got within reach, the bridge broke apart. Jaden tried to jump for it and flew through the air, Sombra letting the bridge go and holding his hooves out to try and grab him, but the colt fell short and began to fall, Sombra gasping as he thrust his body forward. He managed to grab Jaden's hooves, but he had leaned so far he was unable to pull himself up and started falling himself. Luckily, something grabbed his tail and stopped him from falling. "Huh?" He and Jaden looked up to see Ruby behind Sombra, his tail in her mouth.

The crystal unicorn showing nothing but exhaustion on her face as she had just used almost all of her remaining magic to teleport over. "Hurry!" She grumbled through her teeth, Sombra turning back to Jaden.

"Climb up!" Jaden nodded as Sombra pulled him up, letting go of a hoof so Jaden could grab onto his cloak and pull himself up.

Ruby watched her apprentice get onto Sombra's back, accidently shoving a hoof into the unicorn's cheek. Once he was far enough up, he used all of his strength to leap from Sombra and landed on the edge of the hole. He then ran to Ruby's tail and started pulling on it, Ruby doing the same as the pair pulled Sombra up.

And once all three were safe, they sighed and panted as they leaned against the wall. "That was too close," Ruby moaned.

"Agreed," Sombra added as he looked back to the crystal staircase. The crystal was almost completely invisible within the darkness, "Getting back might be a problem."

"We'll be fine as long as we don't run into any more problems," Ruby replied, "My magic should replenish enough for me to build a more stable bridge." She took out her thermos and took a large gulp from it, Sombra and Jaden doing the same to get their strength back.

"So what now?" Jaden asked before Sombra pointed down the tunnel.

"The tunnel's straight for a good bit, then seems to stop. I'm hoping that means it goes up. Hopefully, it's not straight up. If it is, we might be in trouble." The crystal ponies nodded, the three deciding to take a small break before going forward.





"I think we're doing pretty good," Twilight commented as she scanned over what they had done. They had managed to rebuild one and a half of her legs, along with part of her tail and several parts they assumed went inside her body.

"I figured this would get boring after a while," Rainbow added as she put two more pieces together. "But it's actually kind of fun."

"Well, keep it up," Applejack continued, "Somepony's life is at stake here. She's countin' on us put her back together." The others nodded as they kept working, more and more crystal ponies started to gather around the courtyard. They were curious what the heroes of Equestria, their rulers and Spike the Brave and Glorious were up too.

In that moment, a servant rushed out of the castle. "Princess." Cadance turned to her, "The Rune Gate has just opened." Cadance nodded and got up, she and Shining Armor heading into the castle as the others continued working.

Flash then found two pieces that fit together and when they did, he was surprised to see they formed an eye. Quickly flying above the remaining stones, he tried to find one that matched the image on the rock he had. After a minute, he found it and managed to connect it to the other pieces. The others saw this and Flash smirked as he spotted another piece, quickly grabbing it and connecting it to form her entire face.

As he did this, Cadance and Shining returned, followed by Celestia and Luna. They all stepped aside, allowing the alicorns to look over the pieces of their former friend. Flash then flew over and showed them the face he had recreated. "It really is her," Luna whispered.

Celestia took the rock face and stared into it, seeing the look of terror upon it. "I'm so sorry we weren't there to help you. I can only hope everything we've done since the Crystal Empire returned has made up for it."

"I'm sure it has," Cadance chimed in, "And it won't be long now before you can see her yourself. Once Ruby returns, we'll be able to revive her." But then she saw the look on Celestia's face. "What's wrong?"

Celestia and Luna looked around, clearly worried one of the Crystal Ponies would hear. "It might have been too long," Luna whispered, the group all raising an eyebrow at this, "The spell might have been cast on her for too long. It's possible that even when the pieces are all together, she might not awaken. Her life force has been split up for a long time. Each pieces might have lost that life force after a thousand years."

"So you're saying all this might be for nothing?" Rainbow asked.

"That...that can't be," Fluttershy looked ready to start crying.

"We're not saying it is what's happened," Celestia replied, "But...we just want you to all be ready in case. We more than anypony pray it's not the case. But we must be prepared just in case it does happen."

Everypony grimaced at this, Springer feeling a great amount of fear beginning to form in them. He then reached down and picked up a rock, trying to sense an aura within it, only to feel nothing but a rock. But as he felt this, he just went back to work, Flash doing the same.

They all turned to them, Flash seeing their stares, "What?"

"Well..."

"You said that might be the case." Flash interrupted, "It's also possible she's still in there. And until I see reason to think otherwise, I'm gonna believe it. So come on, let's get back to work. I'm sure Amore's sick of being in pieces."

Everypony smiled at this, most nodding as they all started putting the pieces together again, Celestia and Luna helping this time. It might have been a thousand years, but they could remember Amore perfectly, these memories being a big help when it came to putting her back together. And as they all worked, they decided to follow Flash's logic. Until they were absolutely sure what her state of being was, they would believe she was alive and waiting for Ruby and Sombra to return with that final piece. And hopefully, that return would be soon.





Once they were rested, the three continued their voyage through the tunnel. Just as Sombra had hoped, the tunnel did go upward. And while it wasn't a straight up diagonal shaft, it was anything but unsteep. It was about a hundredth of a hundred and ten degree wall that went up. The wall was covered in holes and rocks sticking out of it, turning it into the perfect climbing wall.

"Great," Ruby sighed. "Like this couldn't get any harder."

"Well, we'll have to keep going if we want to find the piece," Sombra added before limbering himself up.

"Remember what I told you about climbing these kind of walls?" Ruby asked Jaden, the colt nodding back.

"Yup. Watch my footing and don't try to climb too fast." Ruby nodded as Sombra started climbing, sticking his hoof in one of the holes and hoisting himself up. The other two did the same, both making their way up the wall. Sombra then shot a sphere of light upward, seeing that the wall was about ten meters high, so they didn't have too far to climb.

But about six meters up, one of the rocks Ruby placed her hoof on broke away from the wall and she almost fell. They other two gasped, but she managed to grab onto another rock a meter down, keeping herself from falling. "You okay?" Sombra asked, Ruby nodding and pulling herself back up. They then went back to climbing, only for the sound of water to suddenly fill their ears.

"What's that?" Jaden asked, the trio seeing the entrance to three tunnels in front of them.

"Sounds like a waterfall," Ruby replied as they all stood up. They looked over the three entrances and found the water was coming from the middle one. "That way. Must be an underground sping. Or maybe there was another tunnel down here that snow fell into and melted in."

"Well, we're gonna find out," Sombra added as he felt the pull. "The piece is in this direction." They nodded and continued down the tunnel. And as they did this, the water grew louder as a light appeared at the end of the tunnel. The light put them all on edge, wondering why such a light could exist underground, only to reach the end and find themselves within a giant chamber. So large that the whole of the Crystal Castle could fit within it, leaving enough space for several Manehatten skyscrapers and a few Ponyville houses.

They looked around and saw water rolling out of another hole above them, which filled a decent-sized lake at the bottom of the cavern that they assumed flowed out someplace else. Moss and a few plants could be seen growing on the many rocks that filled the chamber, and the light they had seen were coming out of pony-sized crystals that glowed brightly.

"Wow..." Jaden whispered as the three stepped out onto a ledge the tunnel lead to. Looking down, the ledge had several paths leading down. "I can't believe something like this was under the Crystal Mountains and we didn't even know."

"It is beautiful," Ruby nodded. "But we didn't come here to sightsee." She turned back to Sombra, "Where's the piece?"

Sombra frowned at this, the pull suddenly moving for him. "I don't know why, but it won't stay still. It just moved." This made the pair raise an eyebrow, only to see him move over to the edge and look down, the duo doing the same. And when they did, Sombra's eyes were drawn to something in particular. "There!" The other two followed his hoof and saw what he was looking at.

Down at the bottom of the canyon, leaning against the opposite wall, was a long and thin stone which was the length of a small house. And sticking out of its top was a thin crystal shard, which was the exact same color as the others Sombra had brought.

"That's it?" Jaden asked, Sombra nodding. "Great. Let's grab it and get out of here." He was about to go down, but Ruby held up a hoof.

"You said it moved?" She asked Sombra, who nodded. "How?"

"No idea," Sombra shrugged. "It was level with us before, but somehow it got down there."

"Probably just fell," Jaden added.

"That rock doesn't look like it fell," Ruby responded, "It looks...like it was placed against the wall by something. And the crystal couldn't have been imbedded into the stone by natural means. Something had to have placed it inside."

"But what?" Jaden asked, only for the trio to feel a slight shaking in the ground.

"Get down!" Ruby gasped, the three quickly going to the floor, only to see one of the rock piles start moving. The three's eyes slowly went wider as the rocks unfurled from one another and appeared to be arranged into a humanoid shape.

"What...is that?" Jaden whispered as the giant humanoid rock creature stretched itself out. It looked like it had just awoken from a nice nap, the creature walking slumped over and moving to the lake while scratching its butt.

"Well, that's a dignified pose," Ruby grumbled as the rock creature grabbed some water in its hands and began drinking it.

"I think that's an earth golem," Sombra muttered, "I read stories about them. Some legends say they live under mountains and constantly sleep. They only wake up for about an hour every month or so."

"Wow," Jaden chuckled, "Talk about lazy."

"Well, they are made of rocks," Ruby replied, "They probably can't do much in the waking world." And as the golem finished drinking, he reached back to try and reach something on his back, but its rock arms didn't allow a lot of limb articulation. "What's he doing?" He spun around as he tried to reach the spot and Sombra saw that on a rock just out of reach, a bunch of green stuff growing on it.

"Moss," Sombra responded, "Its probably trying to get rid of the moss that's grown on its back."

At that moment, the golem stopped and moved over to the stone with the crystal, picking it up and moving it behind himself.

"Oh Celestia," Ruby's eyes went wide. "Is he going to do what I think-" She got her answer when he pushed the crystal against the moss and started scrapping it along the green stuff, making the three ponies wanna puke. "When Amore's back to normal, nopony tell her part of her body was being used as a back-scratcher."

"Agreed," they all nodded as the golem kept scratching, soon getting the moss off and put the back scratcher down. It then returned to where it was previously sleeping and curled itself back up. "You said it only wakes up once a month?" Jaden asked, Sombra nodding back, "So when it goes to sleep, we can just grab the crystal and get out of here."

"Except it takes about twelve hours for a golem to completely fall asleep," Sombra replied, "You wanna wait that long?" Jaden frowned at this. "Besides, we might have another problem." He gestured to the back-scratcher, "That thing was moved before we got there. And if that first golem wasn't the one to do it..."

"Who was?" Ruby asked, only for more movement to catch their attention. They watched as another earth golem got up and started moving about, followed by another and another.

Soon, the entire cavern was littered with the walking rock-piles. Many of them were heading for the lake to get a drink, while others started scraping their backs against the wall to remove moss. But a few headed straight for the back-scratcher, forming a line like they were waiting for someone to vacate the bathroom. One by one, they used the crystal to remove moss from their stony bodies.

"We have to wait for all these golems to go to sleep?" Jaden asked, the other two just frowning at the sight.

"I want to say yes, but who knows how long that could take." Sombra watched the earth golem they had first seen get up and shift around, clearly not comfortable in the position it was in. "They could take longer than twelve hours for all of them to fully go to sleep. Even if we wanted to wait for them to all completely sleep, do we have enough rations to wait it out and get back to the Empire? Walking through those tunnels and through the snowy mountains isn't something you can do on an empty stomach."

"He's right," Ruby sighed, "We need to sneak in there once they're all down and grab the crystals without waking any of them up."

"Any idea how we do that?" Jaden asked before they all pulled their heads back.

"Carefully," Sombra replied.

And so they waited. They watched as the golems all moved around the cavern, getting water, scratching moss off their bodies and applying mud to areas of their body that the ponies realized were cracked and damaged. They waited and waited, two hours passing by with new golems waking up and moving around just as the first ones were going to sleep.

The three were rather intrigued at first, but after two hours of seeing them do the exact same thing over and over, the wonder had worn off. But eventually, the last of the golems returned to the spot they had been sleeping before and curled themselves up. They waited another few minutes at this, only to find no more golems moving.

"Okay," Ruby got up and saw the back-scratcher was exactly opposite them, "Let's go."

"Can't you just teleport the piece to us?" Jaden asked, Ruby shaking her head.

"No. I don't have enough magic to do that. We're gonna have to do this the hard way." They headed down into the cavern, wishing that the ledge they were on could have been connected to the other side somehow. But since it wasn't, they were forced to climb down to the cave floor and made their way through the field of living boulders.

"Nobody make a sound," Sombra whispered, the two nodding before zigzagging through the boulders while trying to do their best not to touch them. It was like walking through a giant maze, sometimes needing to go back the way they came when they reached certain areas they couldn't pass without climbing over the rocks. They went in so many directions that Jaden had lost track of where they had even started from.

But eventually, they reached the back-scratcher on the far side of the cavern, which was much higher up than they were. Once close enough, Ruby tried to pry the crystal out of the rock with her magic, only to find it stuck. "What do we do?" Jaden asked, only for Ruby to lift him up and put him on her back.

"Sombra." The unicorn knelt down and Ruby climbed up onto his back, Sombra extending his legs to lift them both up. Ruby then stood on his head and shoulders as he jumped up and placed his front legs on the rock, Jaden doing the same to Ruby's head and shoulders. Together, the three were just about the same height as the back-scratcher.

Jaden strained and looked over the top of the rock, seeing the gemstone was lodged straight in the top. "Quick," Ruby whispered, "I don't know how long we can stand like this." Jaden grabbed it in his hooves, tugging at it with everything he had. He grunted with every pull, but the gemstone remained in place.

"You can do it kid," Sombra added.

"It's stuck!"

"Don't just try to muscle it," Sombra replied, "If you can't pull it out, try another way."

"What other way?"

"The golems must have put it in this thing. When you're trying to force something into a tight fit, what do you try and do?" Jaden blinked at this, only to imagine himself shoving a cork into a bottle. In that image, he didn't just push straight down, he twisted it.

"Huh." He tried again and moved the crystal clockwise and counterclockwise. Doing so caused the rock holding it to slowly scrape away, loosening it up. "I think...it's coming out!" He continued twisting it until he felt the gem seriously shift. Then, he pulled back with everything he had. "WHOA!" He cried as the gem came out, causing him to fall back. Ruby and Sombra tried to keep their balance, only to fall back as well.

As the adults hit the ground, he landed against one of the rocks and bounced off if. "Ow!" His voice echoed through the cavern as the gem fell to the ground. Sombra quickly got up and grabbed the gem, sighing when he felt the pull to it vanish. This was it. "We did it."

"Great," Ruby stood up, "Now let's get out of here before-" In that moment, scraping filled the place as the rock Jaden had slammed into began to move. The pony's ears dropped as they looked up to see the golem beginning to sit up. "Run."

The trio quickly cut into a sprint, the creature scratching its head and looking around as a few more golems began to wake up due to hearing Jaden's cry. They glanced back at this, only for one of them to see the back-scratcher had lost its most important piece. This caused it to scream, which awoke the rest of the golems.

The three intruders gasped as the rocks around them began to move, Ruby pushing the others to the spot they had entered from. The golems didn't seem to notice them, allowing them to continue as they all began to pick themselves up.

"Whoa!" Jaden had to jump back to avoid getting stepped on, the colt running through a golem's legs before Ruby picked him up and placed him on her back. Sombra had to side step to avoid getting crushed, but this made him nudge another golem's foot, making it look down at him. As it did this, the gem caught its attention and it roared at him as he kept running, the rest of the golems turning to notice the ponies.

But before the ones that knew could do anything, the ponies ran under some that didn't and those ones blocked the others. The ponies then reached the path leading up to the hole and ran up it, the golems pushing past those that were still waking up, only for the ponies to get out of reach just in time, leading to the golems beginning to climb the side of the wall behind them.

And as they kept climbing, the ponies reached the top and ran into the tunnel. Sombra was the last one in and as he ran, a golem reached the top and thrust its arm into the tunnel. "Gyah!" It grabbed Sombra's tail and began to pull him back, Ruby and Jaden gasping at this. "Augh!" Sombra tried to drag himself back on the ground, but the golem was stronger.

"Sombra!" Ruby cried as Sombra threw the gem shard to them. Jaden caught it as she rushed over and grabbed his hooves, pulling back, only to simply getting dragged back with him.

"Let me go!"

"No!" She yelled back, "They'll rip you apart!"

"Yes," Sombra nodded, "But I deserve it." Ruby looked ready to start crying, the unicorn wishing she had a spark of magic. The pairs looked into one another's eyes, as if accepting that this would be the last moment they would see each other.

But just as Ruby was about to let him go, Jaden rushed past her. "What are you doing?!" She yelped, only for Jaden to swing the gem at Sombra's tail. The edge of it was so scarp that it cut through the hair, chopping the tail in half and causing the golem's hand to suddenly fly back as the adults fell the other way.

"WHOA!" Ruby and Sombra rolled along the ground and eventually stopped, the ground shaking due to the golem falling outside the tunnel. The pair picked one another up and were looking into each other's eyes, both feeling something in their hearts.

But then they heard Jaden cough, the pair turning to see him staring at them. "You're welcome." The pair quickly realized their position and jumped up, Sombra taking the crystal back from the colt.

"Thanks kid."

"Don't mention it," Jaden nodded before another arm reached in and tried to grab them. The sight made them run for it, the golem now punching the side of the cavern the tunnel was on. This caused the tunnel to shake, the place soon about to collapse. They then reached the rock wall and quickly scaled the side, the shaking of the tunnel making holding on difficult. But they managed to get to the bottom and continue down the path. As they did this, the shaking got weaker and weaker before the three reached the end of the tunnel and stopped right at the drop.

They spotted the staircase and were happy to see the shaking hadn't broken it apart, Ruby taking a deep breath and summoning as much magic as she could. With a blast of light, another crystal bridge appeared and connected to the stairs. The three ran across, the weak bridge cracking and breaking apart as they did before scaling the stairway and eventually the top.

Thinking they were in the clear, the three took a breath and allowed themselves to walk through the tunnel at a less hasty speed.

"So now that we've got the last piece, will Amore be okay?"

"Yes," Sombra nodded as they headed up the path, "Once the pieces are all together, it'll reform her body and fuse together. Then she'll be returned to normal."

"That's good," Ruby sighed, "Let's just hope there's no more obstacles between here and the empire aside from the mountain." As she said that, they reached the end of the tunnel. Sombra then looked down at the crystal piece and kneeled down in the snow. "What are you doing?"

"This thing's been used to scrape moss off golem backsides for who knows how long." He placed it in the snow and started rubbing it into the crystal, "Do you want to put it back on her without cleaning it?" They nodded at this, Sombra thoroughly wiping as much of the crystal as he could.

But as he finished, something happened that put them on edge. A loud thumping sound filled the air, which caused the snow higher up the mountain to come loose. It stopped before reaching them, but another thump made some more snow come loose. "What is that?" Jaden asked after a third thump, followed by a fourth and fifth.

"Oh no," Ruby whispered. "We have to go!" They didn't argue and began running down the way they came, only to find the cause appear on the mountain. An earth golem stepped into view, looking very angry. Then another appeared, followed by and third and fourth. They had somehow gotten outside and had found their trespassers.

"Uh oh," Jaden gulped as Sombra tried to keep the crystal out of sight.

The four had blocked off their escape and all glared down at them, "What do we do?" Sombra asked as the first golem prepared to punch them.

"Wait!" Ruby cried, catching the golem's attention. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I'm sorry about what happened." The golems appeared to get what she was saying, but still looked angry. "I know that crystal was important to you, but it's just as important to us."

"Yeah!" Jaden nodded, "This crystal is the only thing that can bring somepony really special back to our home! We need it a lot more than you do!"

The golems glared at them, one even crossing its arms, only for Sombra to speak up, "We...we can make it up to you." He then showed them the crystal, the golems glaring and moving to take it. "Wait!" They stopped. "You can crush us if you want and take it back, or...you can have something better." This caught the golem's attention, Ruby and Jaden's too. "My friend here can create gems of any shape or size. If you let us take this back, she'll make you something even better than this thing."

The golems shared a glance, Ruby grimacing as she felt her magic wasn't working much. Sombra then turned to her, motioning her to at least try. She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, her magic coming out of her horn and slowly forming a crystal shape in front of them. The golems saw this and were amazed as the crystal extended. Soon, it was just as long as the Amore fragment they had taken, but Ruby chose to take it a step further.

The tip of the gem split into four separate tines, turning it into a fork with the points growing to be about half as long as the main shard. To top it off, the tines curved at the end to make it look like a rake. As soon as the gem was created, Ruby fell to the ground and Sombra caught the new back-scratcher. He then held it up and the lead golem took it in its hand, looking it over before holding it behind its head and started scratching, the golem letting out some sounds of pleasure.

The other golems quickly got in line to do the same, each enjoying the new toy.

"So...we good?" The golems looked down at them, seemingly glaring at them, only to spin around and walk off, disappearing behind the mountains, leaving them and the piece of Amore behind.

Once they were gone, Sombra sighed in relief, "That was a close one."

"Are you okay?" Jaden asked Ruby, the mare pushing herself back to her hooves.

"A bit of a headache, but I'll live." She turned to Sombra, "A little heads up on the plan to replace the thing would have been nice."

"Sorry," Sombra shrugged, "I was thinking on the fly. Figured anything you made would be better quality than anything I'd make, so it had to be you." He then held up the piece, "But at least we don't have to worry about anypony else coming after this now."

"Yes," Ruby nodded, "Let's get back to the Empire." She began walking at this, only to lose her balance, Sombra catching her.

"You clearly need a rest." He used his magic to pick her up and placed her on his back, handing the piece to Jaden to carry. "Don't push yourself. We might still need your magic later." Ruby sighed, but nodded and allowed herself to fall into a half sleep state.

Sombra and Jaden shared a glance, Jaden nodding at him. It seemed everything they had gone through had rubbed away some of his animosity towards Sombra. The unicorn could still sense some of it within the colt, but he could tell he wasn't going to insult him anymore.

It was a long journey back to the Empire. Luckily, there weren't any more storms or monster attacks getting between them and it. And when they arrived at the dome, Sombra stopped in his tracks. Ruby and Jaden turned to him, "Something the matter?" Ruby asked as Sombra stared down at the crystal in his hooves.

"Just...enjoying the moment," Sombra sighed, "As soon as I step through this barrier, I'll be a prisoner once again. And whether or not this actually works, the rest of my life will be decided by this moment." They nodded back as he added, "Maybe it would be best for you two to return the crystal. It might be best to wait at the border."

"No way," Jaden instantly chimed in, "You started all this, it's only right you end it. You need to return the final piece to the others." Ruby nodded, "It's the only way you can truly absolve yourself of this sin."

Sombra sighed, but nodded, "Very well." He then marched through the barrier.





Inside the empire, everypony was gathered around the almost completed statue of Princess Amore. With every piece that was added to the statue, the former ruler of the Empire became more and more recognizable. Twilight took the final piece they had and held it upward, slotting it into the hole on Amore's head to restore her horn.

"There," she stepped back and looked the statue over. It was almost completely restored, with the only missing piece being the part in her chest where her heart would be located.

Celestia and Luna stepped up at this, smiling when they saw their old friend was almost complete. "Please still be in there," she whispered as she looked into the shocked expression. As this happened, Springer's eyes went wide.

"Ruby!" He spun around, everypony else following him as a part of the crowd slowly stepped aside to make a gap. Looking through, they spotted three figures making their way down the street.

Flash then realised there was one too many ponies heading toward them, the knight focusing on the smaller one, "Is that...."

"Jaden?" Sunburst asked, everypony realizing what must have likely happened. Flash sighed and shook his head, glad to see he wasn't the only one with an apprentice that snuck into situations they weren't supposed to be in.

As the three approached, the crystal ponies moved further and further away, all glaring at Sombra. The unicorn's arrival was very different to the one he had yesterday, his head held high as he moved through the crowd to the castle. As he did this, the four Alicorn Princesses stepped up and glared at him as well.

Coming to a stop, he focused on the two alicorns he hadn't seen in over a thousand years. "Celestia," he nodded to her and glanced at the other, "Luna." Both alicorns continued to stare him down, only for him to add, "Well, as nostalgic as this is, I have a mission to complete."

The princesses continued to glare, Sombra now standing still, only for Ruby to step up and give the four a nod, as if to tell them to let him pass. They sighed and each stepped aside, allowing Sombra and the other two to see the statue. Ruby gasped at the sight in front of her, Jaden staring in amazement at the former ruler and Sombra felt a great pang of guilt flow through him. He quickly shrugged it off and moved up, taking out the final piece of her.

Once he was standing in front of the statue, he took a deep breath before slotting the shard into her chest. As soon as the crystal was in place, the cracks covering the crystal began to glow. They all gasped at this, watching the cracks to slowly begin to seal up, restoring the statue to its single piece. They then expected the rock to break away and reveal the unicorn...but nothing happened.

"Isn't something supposed to happen?" Spike asked, looking back at Celestia and seeing a heartbroken expression appear on her face.

Luna then dropped her head low. "It's too late. She's been in this form for too long. Her spirit is gone." That statement caused a wave of hopelessness to flow through the crowd, Springer feeling overwhelmed by the negative emotions flooding the streets.

"No," Ruby whispered as tears began to form in her eyes.

Jaden placed a hoof on her, all the while feeling like they had failed. They had gone through all of that, for absolutely nothing. Those that had come from Ponyville also felt it, Pinkie's hair deflating while Rarity and Fluttershy looked ready to start crying. It was strange. Even though they had never met this pony, they all felt heartbroken to learn she wouldn't be coming back.

But none felt as bad as Sombra, who simply stood there looking at the statue. Doing so caused him to remember the night he had done this. The night he had taken the Crystal Heart and turned the mare that had found him into a rock, scattering her to the winds. He had felt so proud of himself when he did that, but now he just felt empty.

"No," he whispered as he looked down, "No." He could feel all the eyes of those around him boring into him, but he didn't care. All he cared about was that he had failed and condemned her to a life possibly non-existence. "Please. Please don't let it end this way." Tears began to form in his eyes as he stared up at her. "I...I'm sorry." The tears started flowing, "I was so angry at you for lying to me. But you didn't deserve this."

"Is he serious?" Jaden heard one of the crystal ponies growl, "He think he has a right to be upset about this."

"He's faking it," another stated, but Jaden knew he wasn't. And by the look Springer was giving him, he could feel Sombra's emotion.

Ruby rubbed her tears away and took a deep breath, moving over to stand beside him. "Sombra." She placed a hoof on his shoulder, "It's over. We tried. I think Amore would have appreciated that much."

Sombra just continued to cry, "If I could, I would give my life for hers. If it meant undoing this mistake, I would gladly sacrifice my worthless existence so she could come back." A lot of ponies probably would have made that trade, Sombra taking a deep breath and standing up. He moved over to Amore's statue and touched her hoof, a single tear leaving his eye. And with all the remorse his heart could muster flowing into the tear, he blinked it from his eye as he looked up into her eyes. "I truly...truly am sorry."

As he said that, the tear hit her hoof.

He let go of her and turned to the crowd, ready to face whatever punishment they wanted to give him. But as he did this, the part of the statue the tear had touched began to glow. It went unnoticed for a moment, but then the light slowly began to spread. It travelled up Amore's leg to the rest of her body, soon everypony catching sight of it. Sombra watched in amazement as the light completely engulfed her. "What's happening?"

"Maybe there was more to the spell you cast on her than you thought," Celestia chimed in, "Or maybe this is just your own power, manifesting in a new way."

The light radiated off every part of her body and as it did, new cracks began to form along the stone. Many feared she would fall apart again, but then parts of the rock fell away from the statue and revealed the pony trapped below. First it was her hooves, followed by her legs, body, and finally, her head became uncovered. A loud gasp escaped her lips as her body filled with air for the first time in over ten centuries.

"Amore!" Ruby cried as the light began to fade from her. As it did this, she closed her eyes and swayed back and forth before beginning to fall. Luckily, Flash and Springer moved fast enough to catch her, "Is she alright?!" Everypony rushed in as the two put her down.

"Give her space!" Celestia yelled, everypony quickly backing up. "Being trapped in stone isn't easy. Believe me, I know. She's been like that for a thousand years. It'll probably take her a while before she can recover." But Amore then let out a groan and slowly her eyes flickered open. "Or not."

"Amore..." Ruby moved to her side as the unicorn began to pick herself up. "Please don't push yourself. You've been through a lot."

"Ruby?" Amore asked, turning to see her. "Is...is this a dream?"

"It's not a dream, your highness." Ruby smiled as she hugged her, "You're okay." Amore then glanced around, seeing many of her citizens, then spotted several figures she didn't recognize. She smiled at the sight of Celestia and Luna before raising an eyebrow when she saw Cadance and Twilight, and then gasped at seeing Sombra.

The male unicorn looked down when their eyes met, expecting her to yell to her guards to seize him. "What's going on?" She asked, "Sombra...you're...normal." Sombra looked back at her as the princess looked him over. "I can feel it. That body isn't just a disguise anymore. You really are a unicorn now."

"Yes," Sombra nodded, "My umbrum form is gone. I've been striped of most of my power. I'm just your run of the mill unicorn now."

"But...how?" Amore asked as Celestia and Luna stepped up.

"It's been a long time, old friend." Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder, "A very long time."

Ruby then spoke up, "Princess, me becoming a knight, Sombra turning into an umbrum and him trapping you in stone and stealing the Crystal Heart...that all happened over a thousand years ago." Amore's eyes went wide, the mare looking around as all the ponies nodded to confirm that was true.

"A thousand years?! But...how are you all here? Were we all trapped in stone?" She glanced at Sombra, seeing he was still looking guilty.

"No," Celestia told her, "it's...a long story. You've been through a lot and need to rest." She turned to the rest of the empire. "We will take her inside the castle to recover. Please leave her care to us." The crystal ponies nodded and all began to leave, calling out to Amore as they did and telling her how happy they were to have her back.

Sombra remained where he was and sighed as Shining and several guards stepped up to him. "Yeah, I know. It's back to the cell for me. You can relax. I'm not gonna fight back." Sombra quickly found himself chained up again and his magic sealed by an anti-magic ring.

Amore watched as he was taken back into the castle, sighing as she did so. "Clearly, Sombra's change wasn't before he did a lot of bad things."

"You have no idea," Cadance chimed in, Amore turning to her as the Cadance stood ridged. "Sorry. I should probably introduce myself. I am Mi Amore Cadenza. But you can call me Cadance. I've...been ruling the Empire in your stead. Ever since it returned."

"Returned?" Amore asked, but shook her head. "I see." They began leading Amore into the castle, Cadance having prepared a room for her. Most of the Defenders chose to leave the royals to get up to speed, so only the alicorns, Flash, Shining and Ruby joined her in her room. Once she was settled in the bed, Celestia began to explain everything that had happened. Amore listened intently, horrified when she learned what Sombra had done after trapping her in stone. She frowned when she learned about the Empire vanishing for a thousand years, returning along with Sombra and the battles that had resulted until the recovery of the Crystal Heart.

Ruby then told her about the adventure in the lost city. How Sombra had been revived by Shadow and turned into the host of an evil armor. How she and Flash had freed him from the armor and used the power of a goddess to turn him into a unicorn. How Sombra had told them the truth about her apparent death and how, after the war, he had left to find the pieces of her body.

"And now, here you are." Ruby smiled at her. "I'm so glad you're back. The Empire wasn't the same without you."

"Yes," Amore nodded, "It's clear a lot has happened since I've been gone." She turned to Cadance, "But it appears the Empire was in good hooves."

Cadance smiled before looking down, "I understand if you wish to reclaim the throne. It was originally yours."

"It was," Amore nodded, "But not anymore." This made them all tilt her head at her, "Surely you all know."

"Know what?" Luna asked.

"The Heart has chosen its guardian. In order to protect the Crystal Empire, the Crystal Heart's power is needed. So, of course, evil would want to remove the Crystal Heart or destroy it. Much like how Sombra removed the Heart, attempting to free the umbrum. So, the Crystal Heart chooses somepony to become its guardian. One that becomes infused by the Heart's energy so that they may keep it safe."

"And that was you?" Flash asked, Amore nodding.

"It was. But not anymore. When Sombra...trapped me, my connection to the Crystal Heart was broken. The Heart might have found somepony else that never knew they were the Heart's guardian, or whatever Sombra did prevented it from finding another pony to protect it. That chosen pony's magical aura will become connected to the Heart."

Celestia's eyes went wide, "When I found Cadance, I mistook her for you because you both had the same magical aura. I thought she was your descendant or your reincarnation. But you're saying you shared an aura because you were both connected to the Crystal Heart?"

Amore nodded and focused back on Cadance. "Were you born an alicorn?"

"No. I used to be a pegasus, but I managed to ascend into becoming an alicorn."

"Well you've already done better than I ever did. I could never awaken as an alicorn, nor could my mother or the ruler before her. I guess you're special."

"So it was the Crystal Heart that helped Cadance evolve into an alicorn?" Twilight asked, Amore nodding. "But...that doesn't make any sense. The Crystal Heart was still lost when Cadance ascended. The Empire hadn't returned yet."

"The Crystal Heart has many amazing powers. Many that might not have even been discovered yet. All that matters is that the Heart chose Cadance and Cadance was able to use it to become an alicorn. To become the ruler this Empire truly needed. My time as its ruler is over."

"I just hope the rest of the Empire see it that way," Ruby gulped.

"Pardon?"

"I'm not in the crystal pony's good books right now," Cadance added, "I didn't tell them I knew Sombra was back, and they're upset he's been walking free instead of paying for his crimes."

"I see," Amore nodded. "This is all my fault. I had hoped not knowing his true heritage would keep him from embracing it. But I was wrong."

"You knew the Crystal Fair was hurting him," Ruby continued, "Why didn't you ever do anything about it? Send him with me to train with the princesses or someplace else? Why keep him in the Crystal Empire?"

"I knew he was an umbrum in pony form," Amore replied, "But I didn't know how much of the umbrum remained in him. He had to have been mostly unicorn in order to escape the seal holding them. I had hoped that the Crystal Fair would destroy the umbrum inside of him and leave him as a pure unicorn. But it's clear I was wrong."

"So..." Flash spoke up, "what happens next with him?"

"We lock him up," Shining responded, all turning to stare at him, "What?! What else can we do? He might have helped you beat Shadow and he might have helped revive Amore, but that doesn't make up for everything else he's done. He's dangerous."

Amore sighed and shook her head, "Not as dangerous as he once was. He might have caused us a lot of pain, but we caused him just as much pain growing up. He didn't ask to be a pawn in the umbrum's attempts to free themselves. But you're right about him being guilty of many crimes."

Cadance put a hoof on Amore's shoulder, "You were the one who knew him better than anypony. I know you've renounced your position as the Empire's ruler, but I think you should be the one to decide his punishment."

Amore sighed again, but nodded. "I will. Will you give me some time to think about it? I haven't gotten to sleep in over a thousand years." They nodded and Celestia motioned everypony to leave, Amore laying back in her bed as she felt a great amount of exhaustion flow through her.

And as she drifted off, she thought about everything she had learned had happened to her home since she was turned to stone. All that pain. All that heartache. All that could have been avoided if she had been open with Sombra. He was as much a victim of her as she was of him. She needed to think of a suitable sentence for Sombra, one that was fair and just.





The next day...

For the third day in a row, the ponies of the Empire were gathered around the Crystal Castle. They stared up at the balcony, waiting to see their returned ruler. And sure enough, the four alicorn princesses walked out before stepping aside to allow Amore to come forward.

Many of the older crystal ponies smiled, having thought they would never get to see this sight again. Amore looked down at the crowd and smiled, "Ponies of the Crystal Empire!" She announced loud enough to be heard by all, "I am pleased to see you are all safe and sound. My last thoughts before I was trapped in stone were fears of what might happen. I have been told about your plights and the pain you have had to suffer through...and I am here to tell you I am sorry. Had I been more diligent, none of what happened would have occurred. I am truly sorry."

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, but all began to cheer telling Amore she had nothing to be upset about.

"We cannot change the past. We can only learn from it and focus on the future. As such, I hereby renounce my claim to the throne and give it to Princess Cadance." This made the crowd gasp, but she continued anyways, "I know many of you are still upset about what she kept from you. But I am just as guilty. I knew the truth behind Sombra's origins and kept it a secret from him and you. If I hadn't kept it a secret, what happened might have been avoided. We were wrong to keep those secrets, and we swear that we will be better." She turned to Cadance, who stepped up beside her. "I have discussed this with Cadance and we have agreed that I will stay in the Empire as her advisor. Should she think of keeping a secret like this again, I promise I will tell the citizens."

The crowd below cheered, happy they were going to keep living under the rule of their two best princesses.

"Thank you," Cadance replied, "Having you here will be a big help."

"I hope so. I am a thousand years behind the times." Amore then turned to look back at the crowd. "But before I renounce my rule, I have one final duty to perform." As she said that, a group of guards marched out of the castle with Sombra between them.

Once again, he was shackled up and his magic sealed.

The guards brought him to an open spot directly in line with the balcony, where a stage had been placed for him to stand on. Once there, the guards left and Sombra looked up at the princesses.

"Sombra, you stand before us charged with many great crimes. Enslavement, torture, brainwashing and kidnapping the ponies of the Empire for a thousand years. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," Sombra sighed, "And willing to accept whatever you deem necessary as a punishment." The crystal ponies all went wide-eyed, murmurs filling the crowd again. Many wanted her to fire up the Crystal Heart and blast him back to nothing, while others knew that probably wouldn't work on him now.

Instead, Amore spoke up and said, "I will not be the one deciding your fate. You are." The statement caused confusion to cover the crowd, more murmuring following this.

"What's she talking about?" Rainbow asked Twilight, the alicorn shrugging back.

"What are you saying?" Sombra added.

"Sombra, you've done many terrible things. And if I had been open with you and told you what you truly were, you might have chosen not to do them. You've never had a choice in the matter of what you've done. Well, now I'm giving you that choice. A choice of two sentences. Both equal and fair. You will chose which sentence will be administered and you will accept what will happen when it does."

"What are my options?"

"From what I've been told, a new prison has been built up in the Crystal Mountains. If you chose that, you will be sentence to stay there for the rest of your life. Or...you can stay here." That filled the crowd with gasps and shocks. "If you chose to stay here, it will be for a life of servitude. You will clean whatever you're told to clean, cook whatever you're told to cook and any other task given to you."

"Any task? Would I have to drop what I was currently doing if somepony else ordered me to do something for them, then stop doing that if another gives me a new job?"

"You will answer directly to Princess Cadance and anypony she puts you to work for. If she asks you to help the guards, you'll listen to the highest ranking guard there. If you're made to clean, you'll obey the head janitor until your task is complete."

"I see," Sombra nodded, "Makes sense. So basically, I'll become a slave."

"If that's what you want to call it," Amore replied, "You'll be given food and a place to sleep. If, in a few years, you prove yourself deserving, you might even be given a small salary. But you'll be barred from leaving the Crystal Empire unless directly ordered. You'll work every day unless gifted time off. And you will not complain no matter what task is wanted from you."

"Guess it would be a fitting punishment," Sombra nodded back.

"I understand if you feel this kind of sentence is beneath you," Amore added, "If you'd rather be impris-"

"I'll do it," Sombra announced. "I will work as the Empire's servant." Amore raised an eyebrow at this, "It beats spending the rest of my days in a crappy cell. At least this way, I won't get bored. I accept the sentence of a lifetime of servitude."

"Very well." Amore took a deep breath. "I, Princess Amore, sentence you to indentured servitude until such a time that it is determined you have repaid your debt to the Crystal Empire. You will have until tomorrow morning to prepare yourself. Proper lodgings will be provided to allow you that preparation. You are dismissed."

Sombra nodded and was taken away by some guards, Amore looking out at the crowd and seeing many mixed expressions. Clearly, they thought Sombra was getting off lightly. But Amore had determined this to be a satisfactory conclusion to everything. She gestured for Cadance to step forward, the Princess of Love taking her spot beside her. Amore would now officially renounce her title as the Crystal Empire's ruler, giving the reins over to the young and promising alicorn.





"Here it is," Shining told Sombra when they arrived at the room.

Sombra stepped inside and found it was a square room that looked barely big enough to fit six ponies in. A bed was in one corner, a wardrobe was in another and a desk and chair sat between them. Sombra moved over to the bed and sat down, taking off his cloak. "Thank you."

"Yeah...just get some rest. I doubt anypony will be letting you off easy just because it's your first day." Sombra nodded as Shining left, the king laying against the bed. As he did this, his hoof moved up to his neck where a collar had been placed. It had been enchanted with runes, which would activate at anyone with the authority's command and cause his body to freeze. It would also send a signal if he ever tried to leave the Empire without permission, meaning Sombra truly was a prisoner of his old home.

Sombra let out a sigh as he felt himself begin to drift to sleep. The bed he was on was the most comfortable thing he had gotten to sleep in since...probably since he was defeated over a thousand years ago. He knew it was more the he deserved, but he wouldn't complain. From this point on, he would be a servant working to atone for his sins. Amore had given him this chance and he would gladly take it. He didn't think he would be able to make up for all his crimes in his lifetime, but he would try.





Over in the throne room, Amore smiled as she sat upon the throne. "You don't have to do this," she told Cadance as the Princess, her husband, daughter and their friends smirked.

"It's the least I could do," Cadance giggled, "One final time sitting in your old throne. You deserve to enjoy that." Amore smiled back and nodded, though she was starting to feel uncomfortable on the seat.

"Well, this was fun, but I think I'd rather let the true ruler take the seat." She got up and offered it to Cadance, who smiled and sat on the throne. Amore then looked out the window and sighed as she saw the Empire in peace. "I still have a lot to catch up on. Hopefully, being so behind the times won't effect my use as your advisor."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Luna added, "I was gone for over a thousand years as well," Amore turned to her with wide eyes, only for Luna to continue, "And I was able to adapt, with help from those around me of course."

"Yes," Celestia nodded, "Just don't try and push yourself. It's not like you have to understand everything right away."

"Thank you." She then turned to Ruby, "And thank you for keeping the Empire safe whilst I was gone. I know it must have been hard, but it's clear to see I made the right choice allowing you to train with Celestia and Luna." Ruby nodded as Amore turned to the other heroes. "And thank you all. I was told how you helped protect my home from many dangers. You have my thanks."

"Of course," Twilight nodded back, "We're always happy to help. I'm just glad everything in the Empire is back to how it used to be a thousand years ago. Only now it's better."

Amore giggled at this before turning to the window, Ruby knowing what she was probably thinking. "You made the right choice with Sombra." Amore turned to her, "I'm sure he'll work hard to make up for everything that's happened. You were right to give him that choice."

"Yes, I think Sombra will come to enjoy his new life. And I'm sure that one day, he'll have earned the forgiveness of the Empire." Everypony was in agreement and Amore focused on Ruby, "Now, I hear you have a taken an apprentice." Ruby smiled at this, "I'd very much like to get to know him."

"Of course. And I'm sure you'll want to hear about many of the things that have happened in Equestria since you've been gone. We can discuss it all while we eat."

The Crystal Empire had its former leader back and could now truly put the past behind them. Now it could enter a new future without worry, and carve a new path for its citizens. But only time would tell what that path would entail.
> Sounds of Silence
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie smiled as she watched her class playing different instruments, trying to get in harmony by using random musical instruments that wouldn't usually go together. Ace was beating a set of drums while Soul was playing a trombone, Mira plucking a harp and Heart was trying to play a guitar. Playing being the operative word. Pinkie had forgot to take one small thing into account: The fact that none of them could play an instrument. Heart was the closest to making an actual tune, having seen Flash play his guitar a few times and learned a couple of the chords. But other than that, the music they were playing was anything but harmonious.

"Okay!" Pinkie cried as they stopped, "Okay...let's...um...take a break." The student who hadn't been playing unplugged their ears, Heart, Soul, Ace and Mira all chuckling, "That...was totally terrible." They pouted at this, "Probably should have tried to find you all some instruments you can play." She laughed as they sighed.

"Got any spoons?" Ace jokingly asked, Pinkie replying yes and turning to her desk to get them. But as she started searching for them, a familiar pulsing sound caught her attention.

"Huh?" She looked up and back at her flank, but was surprised to see it wasn't glowing. "I thought I heard-" She stopped when a glow caught her attention, making her spin around and go wide-eyed, "Heart?"

Fire Heart stared in amazement at the sight of his Cutie Mark glowing. The realization of what this meant slowly dawned on him, a smile soon growing on his face.

"Well," Pinkie pointed to the door, "I guess you're dismissed."

"WOHOOOO!" Heart cheered before flying out the door so quick that a dust cloud was kicked up despite there being no dust in the room to kick up. The colt continued to celebrate as he flew through the building to the exit, all the while wondering what kind of friendship mission he would be going on.

And as he reached the exit, Fluttershy and Applejack could be seen running to it as well. "Hey!" He exclaimed, catching the older ponies' attention. "Look!" He pointed at his cutie mark and the pair smiled before showing their own flanks, which were also glowing. "So I'm going with you two?"

"Looks like it," Applejack nodded.

"It might not just be us three," Fluttershy added, "Somepony else might have also been called."

"Only one way to find out," Applejack continued, "Let's get to the castle!"

They nodded and headed out the school, only to find Flash and Twilight waiting for them outside the castle. "You're here," the princess smiled as Heart jumped up and showed off his glowing butt tattoo.

"Look! I've finally been called!" Flash and Twilight laughed at this as they headed inside, Heart flying around in random directions. "So where we going? Someplace cool? Will there be a monster there to fight?!"

"Heart," Flash grabbed his tail and pulled him down, "Relax. The place you're going is pretty cool by the sounds of it." Before Heart could ask where, Twilight turned to the other two ponies going.

"I can't believe you two are going on a friendship quest!" They arrived at the map room, "This is amazing!"

The mares in question gave her a quizzical look. "What do you mean, Twilight?" Applejack asked, "We've been on one together before."

"Exactly!" Twilight cheered, "This is the first time the map has teamed up the same ponies for a second quest!"

This statement got them both smiling, Fluttershy turning to Applejack, "That is special."

"Heh," Applejack smirked. "Must be 'cause we're extra good at solvin' friendship problems."

"Or the map is running out of options," Flash laughed, "There's only so many combinations you can make with just the seven of us." The girls glared at him, "But...erm...still special."

"Well, it's not like your team is exactly the same," Heart chimed in, "After all." He struck a heroic pose, "I'll be going with you!"

The adults all laughed at this before Twilight glared at them, "Well hopefully, you three will be able to work together. 'Cause it looks like this one might be a little tricky." She gestured to the map, the three seeing their cutie marks floating around a large mountain range. "You're going to the Peaks of Peril."

Heart's eyes shined at the name, only for Fluttershy to stutter out, "The Peaks of...P-P-Peril?!"

"Aw," Applejack patted her shoulder, "It's just a name. It doesn't mean anythin'."

"Like how Cloudsdale is in the clouds and the Crystal Empire's made of crystal?"

"Fair point," the farm-pony turned to Twilight, "So, what can ya tell us about the place, Twilight?"

"Only what Rockhoof told me. Back in his day, nopony knew much about the Peaks of Peril except for the legend on this ancient shield." She brought out the shield, which showed two creatures that they all knew looked familiar.

"Hey!" Heart pointed at it, "That's the same species as Searing Salix!"

"That's right," Twilight nodded, "The Peaks of Peril was said to be the home of the Kirins, known for their kindness and truth-speaking."

Applejack smiled at that, "Now we know why the Map called us." She winked as Twilight spun the shield around the show the image of the Kirin in its alter-ego.

"Rockhoof didn't know that the Kirin were also the dangerous Niriks, fearsome beasts of pure fire. It was believed that they simply lived there with the Kirin, though now we know the truth about them."

"I'm guessing that's why the map wants me." Heart ignited his hoof, "Maybe they'll trust me since I have the same powers."

"Maybe," Flash added, "But Salix wasn't exactly the most friendly of creatures. He didn't really give off the kind and truthful nature the story indicates. He might have been the rare exception to that, but it's also possible the thousand years since Rockhoof heard the story could have changed them. They might have given into their more Nirik tendencies."

Fluttershy shuddered at the thought of meeting one of the scary fire monsters she had seen Flash and his team fight many times in the lost city, the mare turning to her friends. "Maybe you should go instead of me, Twilight." She gave a nervous laugh while Twilight frowned at her.

"Sorry, Fluttershy. Flanks don't lie." She pointed at Fluttershy's still glowing cutie mark, making her sigh as Applejack wrapped a leg around her.

"Aw, I'm sure the three of us'll get that friendship problem solved, no matter what kind o' creature has it." Heart cheered while Fluttershy gave another laugh.

"You three better pack for a long trip," Flash pointed to the location. "I'm not sure the trains even go that far. You'll probably have to hoof it some of the way." Fluttershy gulped at this while Heart looked absolutely ecstatic, the colt rushing out the door to go get everything he would need.

"Can't we just use the Rune Gate?" Fluttershy asked next.

"Sorry Fluttershy," Twilight stared at the map. "Putting a Rune Gate inside the peaks probably isn't a good idea. Without knowing the exact cartography, I could accidently place the exit point on the side of a cliff or in a cave home of something not happy about visitors."

"Oh," Fluttershy's ears flopped but she nodded. She knew she was needed, and even if it was slightly or absolutely terrifying, she would do it. "Okay, I'd better go get ready." They others nodded and Applejack led her out of the room.





The three ponies all gathered everything they would need for the trip, Heart's friends all excited to see he finally got to go on a mission, then headed to the train station. Applejack promised Flash she would keep Heart safe as they boarded.

And as they rode, they found the train ride was long, and Heart could barely sit still. Fluttershy looked out the window and as they drew closer to their destination, the scenery getting less and less spectacular. Eventually, they found themselves in a dusty wasteland with the occasional tree dotted beside the track.

That is, till the conductor stepped out. "Last Stop. End of the line!"

"End of the line?" Fluttershy asked, shaking as the other two grabbed their bags and waited for the train to stop. And when the conductor said end of the line, he meant it. The train tracks just stopped and didn't even have a proper station, instead having a bunch of piled up rocks they had to jump down onto. The train then began to move backwards, due to there not being any way to turn where they were.

Once it was gone, the three turned to the area known as the Peaks of Peril. Like the map had shown, it was a group of mountains that appeared to be pushed together to form one large mountain with several sharp points that formed a circle similar to a volcano. There was nothing between them and the mountains except a couple of stray trees. No houses. No buildings of any kind, say for the ticket box built beside the station. "Guess nopony else is goin' out as far as we are," Applejack told the other two.

"Maybe they know something we don't?" Fluttershy quivered.

"Now, Fluttershy," Applejack sighed, "I've told you a dozen times. There's nothin' to be sca-"

"RRRRAAAAAHHHHH!" The three leapt up at this sudden outburst, the trio spinning around to see someone hiding in the shadow of a tree that had made the sound. Heart was prepared to blast them, but the figure stepped into the light. "I'm sorry." The pony was revealed to be an old blue earth pony with graying blonde hair and three teeth inside his gummy mouth.

Fluttershy screamed again and leapt behind Applejack, then leaned around her to stare at the pony. "You really startled us."

"Yeah!" Heart yelled, "What's the big idea, yelling like that?!"

"Oh," the station pony looked sheepish, "It's just that I'm not used to seeing anypony taking the train to...the end of the line." He chuckled at that last part, "The final destination. The last stop!" With every description, he moved closer until he was almost nose to nose with Applejack.

"We get the picture," Applejack pushed him back. "Why?"

The pony turned to the Peaks of Peril, then glanced back, "Nothing but uncharted terrain and wild beasts out that way." He started maniacally laughing as he stepped past them and headed to the ticket box, continuing to do so even after stepping inside the box and out of sight.

"Well..." Applejack gulped, "Maybe there's a little somethin' to be scared of."

"Come on," Heart added, "We've probably faced scarier stuff that whatever the heck is up on those mountains. I doubt anything up there's more dangerous than Malafear and the Storm King."

"That doesn't make them any less scary," Fluttershy shivered, the trio soon making their way up the mountains. As they got closer, the terrain started getting less empty, the only thing being a forest that surrounded the mountains at the base. And as they entered, surrounded by trees and bushes, they found the only creatures in sight were birds and squirrels. They soon came across a river and Applejack leapt onto a large rock in the middle of it, Fluttershy carefully flying onto the rock while Heart flew over the river all together.

The colt was so excited to be on his first mission that he kept going straight, soon hearing Applejack yelling at him not to go too far and he sighed, soon flying slow enough that the mares were able to keep up. And after a few minutes, they arrived at an area of the forest that wasn't so scenic. Applejack groaned as she found herself walking through mud, only to then be attacked by flies. Heart wasn't having any of those problems, mainly thanks to his flight ability and fire body keeping the bugs away. Applejack groaned at this and Heart looked back, about to offer to keep the bugs away, only to raise an eyebrow.

"Where's Fluttershy?" The farm pony stopped in her tracks, then glanced around to see that the mare in question was nowhere in sight. She let out a groan and started heading back the way they came, Heart following until they were out of the swamp and back at the river. And standing on the other side of the river was Fluttershy, who was surrounded by squirrels as they picked flowers.

"Ooh," she smiled when she saw a squirrel running to her with a bunch of blue flowers in its mouth, "That looks lovely. I'm sure it'll make your home nice a comfy."

"Fluttershy!" She looked up to see Applejack leaping onto the river-centric rock and then over to her. "What are you doin'?! This is no time for visitin' varmints! We're on a friendship quest, remember?!" Her screams caused the squirrels to look terrified, Fluttershy frowning.

"Yes, but actua-"

"Come on!" Applejack leapt behind her and started pushing the pegasus back to the river. "We're burnin' daylight!"

"I know, but what I found out is that-"

"Now, we gotta get up that peak!" Applejack ran up ahead at this, "I figure if we use some rope and hoof grease, we can make it up half-"

"APPLEJACK!" Fluttershy screamed, surprising the earth pony and colt. "CAN YOU PLEASE LISTEN TO ME?!" Applejack's mouth locked as Fluttershy cleared her throat. "What I'm trying to say, is that the squirrels told me a shortcut they take to the Kirin village." She then returned to picking the flowers as the squirrels spoke to her, the group stuffing a tree full of them. "There. That should keep your tree nice and cozy. Now where was that shortcut again?" The squirrels explained to her and she smiled, "Thank you."

She then flew off in the opposite direction, the two following as they came across a large rock leaning against an extended side of the mountain. There was a small hole between the rock and the mountain that the squirrels could easily fit through. Heart was about to say they weren't squirrels, but then Fluttershy pushed on the rock and it rolled away to reveal the hole was a lot bigger.

"Oh," was all Applejack said before chuckling, "Sorry, Fluttershy. I suppose I got a little too caught up in the adventure."

"That's alright," Fluttershy replied as Heart headed into the hole and lit the way for them. "If you hadn't come back to get me, I probably would've talked to the squirrels all day. Heh." The tunnel began to head upward, allowing them to bypass all the hazards surrounding the mountains, only to get to the end and found themselves in a large forest that had a village built into it.

Hills and trees surrounded them on every side, and when they saw doors sticking out the side of them, they realized someone had built these homes out of nature itself. A river was running through the clearing and in the middle of it, a fountain could be seen. Heart looked up above the trees and saw the peaks that were surrounding them, now noticing they were inside the mountain, protected from probably anything by the tall walls and forest surrounding the place.

Fluttershy smiled as a butterfly flew onto her nose, but gasped at the sound of rustling. "I hope that's not an angry Kirin!" Applejack and Heart glanced around as more and more rustling occurred around them. The pair got into a fighting stance around Fluttershy, Heart about to light a flame.

"Show yourself!" Applejack yelled, her voice echoing through the valley. Nothing happened for a moment, but then rustling pulled their attention to a bush...and a Kirin walked out, but one unlike the one Heart knew. The most obvious difference was that this one was clearly a female, with graying brown fur and a mane of greenish blue. But the most noticeable difference was her size, as she was about the same height as Celestia.

Heart was about to speak up, but then more Kirin stepped out from the trees. These ones were the same size as Salix and had multiple different natural colors. They all walked up, forming a circle as they stared at the ponies in a stoic manner.

Fluttershy continued to quiver as Heart just stared at them, Applejack stepping up to speak. "Well, hi. I'm Applejack, and this here's Fluttershy and Fire Heart." Fluttershy waved and Heart nodded, the three waiting for the kirin to introduce themselves...but they said nothing.

"We're from Ponyville," Heart added, "You know of that town?" But once again, the kirin said nothing and the three shared a look before Fluttershy stepped out from behind Applejack.

"If you have any friendship problems, we're here to help." But still, there was no answer from any of them.

"Huh," Applejack turned to Fluttershy. "Quiet bunch, ain't they?"

"This is worse than trying to get a decent conversation with Maud," Heart added as Applejack cleared her throat.

"S-So, uh...what are your names?" But still, the kirin's lips remained entirely sealed. "Ap-ple-jack!" She then stressed before pointing to the others, "Flut-ter-shy! Fi-re-Heart. Remember?"

Fluttershy then whispered to her, "Maybe they don't understand us."

"Do. You. Un-der-stand. Ponish?" Applejack asked, the tall kirin nodding back.

Applejack smiled at this as Fluttershy spoke up, "Oh! But you don't speak?" The kirin nodded again, making Applejack tilt her head.

"Don't or won't?"

"Will you excuse us for a moment?" Fluttershy pulled Applejack out of the circle, Heart following them as she whispered, "You have to ask yes-or-no questions, or they won't answer."

"Like talkin' to Angel Bunny?"

"Not exactly," Fluttershy shook her head. "I can always tell what Angel is feeling. But these Kirin don't show anything."

Applejack face-hoofed at this. "Well, how are we gonna solve a friendship problem if none of 'em will tell us what it is?" They looked back to the kirin, both frowning as Heart shined a cocky grin.

"Maybe this is why the map sent me. Maybe I'm meant to get them to open up and tell us what the problem is." The mares turned to him with raised eyebrows, "What?! I'm practically a Kirin myself. Watch, I'll get them to tell me what the problem is." He moved over to the kirins, "Do any of you know a kirin by the name of Searing Salix?" The kirin all nodded, "So he used to live here?" They nodded again. "Great. I met him before and...well, he tried to roast me alive." He expected that to get a reaction from the kirin, but they said nothing. "But it's not just that. I got something pretty cool out of it." He showed him his hoof as it lit on fire, the kirin staring at it. "Pretty cool, huh?" Heart smirked as he stared at his hoof, completely unaware that the kirin were looking at one another.

Applejack and Fluttershy saw this, only to to see the kirin now sharing what looked like a silent conversation before nodding. "Um...Heart-" Applejack started.

"Maybe while I'm here, you all can give me a few tips on cool tricks you can do with your fire."

"Heart..." Fluttershy added.

"I mean, I can set my whole body on fire like you guys. I'm practically a nirik with wings and-HEY!" He yelped as the kirin surrounded him and lifted him into the air. The kirin's horns were all glowing as they circled Heart, the ponies realizing they were what were holding Heart aloft.

"What are ya'll doing?!" Applejack yelled as the kirin began to march through the town. "Hey! Ah asked ya'll a question!" But they didn't answer, Heart looking ahead, only to see they were going to a section of the forest just outside the village. A waterfall was filling a stream that didn't seem to connect to the water of the village in the distance, this stream surrounded by large stones with differently colored markings etched into them. Heart recognized a few of them from the many runes he had seen before, which made him gulp.

"Listen," he slowly said, "I'm all for some fun in the water..."

"Since when?" Applejack asked, Heart glaring back at her.

"But seriously, I'm not really in the mood to take a dip." But as he got closer, he felt something coming from the water. Some kind of magic that was radiating out of it. Heart could feel it at a distance, making him squirm, "I don't want to go in there!" He cried, struggling against the magic that was holding him. And as they reached the edge of the stream, Heart had had enough. "Let...me...GO!" His body exploded and unleashed a wave of fire, making the kirin jump back as their magic cut out.

Heart fell and almost hit the water, but managed to spread his wings and fired his hoof rockets to keep him from dipping even a hoof. He then shot up and up until he was out of the kirin's magic range.

"Heart!" Applejack cried.

"That water's magic!" He exclaimed, the mares turning to the stream and seeing what he meant.

"Wow..." Applejack stepped back from the magic aura it gave off. She then turned to glare at the kirin, "What was that water gonna do to Heart?" The kirin didn't reply, Applejack forgetting the need for yes and no answers.

Fluttershy blinked at this, "Is this water what made you unable to speak?" The kirin nodded, "So you were trying to stop Heart from speaking?" They shook their heads, "Does it do something else other then stop you from speaking?" They nodded again.

"Look," Applejack added, "I don't care why you decided to take a dip in that water. You've got no right to do the same thing to Heart." The taller kirin pointed at him, then at the trees surrounding them.

"Oh," Fluttershy nodded, "I get it. They're worried Heart's flames might set fire to their home."

Applejack raised an eyebrow at this, only to look back at the all the wood, "Huh. That...actually makes sense." Applejack glanced back up at Heart. "Turn off the gas. They might not dunk yah if you're not a threat to accidently set their place ablaze." Heart shut off his fire and slowly flew down. He watched the kirin, all staring at him, only for the tall one to point to the edge of the town.

"What?" He asked as more kirin pointed to the same path into an area of the forest that was so thick that light didn't shine through.

"I think they want you ta leave," Applejack commented.

"What?! Why?! I turned off the fire!"

"You might still accidently set something a flame," Fluttershy reminded him, "Something could make you sneeze or you could get annoyed at something."

"What the-that's not fair! You all can use fire and you're not banishing yourselves!" The kirin shook their heads, making them raise an eyebrow. "You can't use fire?" They nodded again, "What?! How?!" They pointed to the stream and the ponies went wide-eyed.

"So that stream made you lose your ability to turn into niriks?" Fluttershy asked, the kirin nodding. "And the unable to talk thing was a side-effect." The lead kirin shook her hoof in a way that gave the impression she was saying, 'Kind of.'

"So I'm banished from your town?" Heart asked as they nodded, "And there's no way to for me to stay." The kirin pointed to the stream, clearly giving him a choice. Leave, or take a dip. "Fine." He began to walk off, "But this is so costing you a star on your rating."

"Ya'll can't just go banishing him for no reason," Applejack added, "Heart's not done anything to ya'll. Yah shouldn't punish him if he ain't done nothing. Ah get this place is a bit combustible, but ah live in a place full of wooden structures and Heart hasn't burnt that down yet." The kirin didn't say anything, "Ain't there any kirin who didn't decide to stop talking?!"

The kirin then pointed to the same path Heart had just gone down. Applejack saw this and realized that if there were talking kirin, they could still use their fire. That meant they must have left the village the same way Heart had. "Now we're gettin' somewhere." Applejack smirked, ready to follow Heart into the forest.

"A dark spooky path that leads into unknown territory?" Fluttershy gulped, Applejack placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Tell you what, sugarcube. You stay and see if you can get anythin' else outta these here kirin. I'll go and try to find one that talks and keep Heart out of trouble." Fluttershy nodded as Applejack headed into the forest.

"Be careful."

Applejack headed down the path and quickly spotted Heart, "Wait up!" The colt stopped as the earth pony reached him.

"You get banished too?"

"Nope. Well, not yet. The kirin said...well not said, ah could find a talking kirin this way. If that water stops them from talking and flaming up, any that didn't take a dip mustn't be allowed in the village anymore."

"Oh. Okay." They began to make their way through the woods, trying to find any trail or trace that could lead them to the talking kirin. And after about thirty minutes of looking, they heard a rustling coming from a bush behind them. The pair spun around, only to see a squirrel.

"Phew," Applejack wiped her brow before turning around...only to come face to face with a kirin. "YAHHH!" She staggered back and Heart turned to see the kirin, who was white with green armor, a brown mane and tail with a reddish brown horn on her head. The kirin had the same stoic expression as the others, making them believe it was just another silent one who had wandered too far into the trees.

"Oh," Applejack stepped back from her. "Have you seen a Kirin that talks?" The kirin shook her head, "Any idea where I should look?" She tilted her head, making Applejack growl, "Oh, for the love of Celestia!" She threw her hat to the ground, "Can't ya just say SOMETHIN'?!" Heart was about to remind her that they couldn't talk, but stopped when he heard giggling.

He turned to the kirin as he saw she was the one giggling. "Gotcha!" She told Applejack as she picked the mare's hat up in her magic and placed it on her head. "Sorry, sorry, but that was too good. Oh, you don't know how much I missed jokes! Hi-larity! Am I pronouncing that right? Some words I haven't said in a will. While! While..."

"So," Heart slowly said, "You're the talking kirin?"

"That's me!" She cheered before holding out a hoof. "Hi, I'm Autumn Blaze." Applejack would have shook her hoof, had Autumn stopped moving for a second as she talked. "You've just arrived, and perhaps you're tired or hungry or reflective and want to sleep and eat and journal? Which you should do, of course! But first-Oh!" She threw her hooves around them both, pulling them into a tight hug. "Oh, what joy to talk with another creature! It's been so long!"

"Air!" Heart groaned out, the kirin letting them go before getting a little to close for their liking.

"You must tell me everything about you! There's so much to say, so much to do! Oh, look at me. I'm going on, and you haven't seen-I mean, have you seen-? W-What am I saying? Of course you haven't. So just-I-yeah-I will ju-Follow me!" She started walking off, leaving the pair just sitting there, staring at the fleeing figure.

"Did you understand any of that?" Heart asked.

"Maybe every fourth word," Applejack scratched her head. The two followed the kirin through the forest, Heart soon rushing up to her side.

"So...do you know anything about a kirin named Salix?" This made Autumn freeze up before turning to him with wide eyes.

"Searing Salix?!" He nodded, "You know Salix?!"

"Kinda. He tried to kill me." This made Autumn's jaw drop.

"What?! But...but...he was the only one of us who realized how stupid we were!" This made the pair blink at her, only for her to point to the path ahead, "Follow me! You need to tell me everything!" She zipped ahead, the two running after her as they soon reached the edge of the forest. There they found themselves looking at another wall of the mountain, which had a large mound of earth piled up against it, the ponies unsure if it was natural or done on purpose. Either way, it formed a hill with a beaten trail that Autumn began to trot up.

As they reached the top, they saw a wooden house built at its very top. And instead of going into the house, Autumn led them to the edge of the hill. When the ponies got to the top, a gentle breeze made them flinch for a moment, only to see the entire valley. Large hills covered almost every surface, along with multiple tree clusters and a river running right through the middle of it. A rainbow was also there, making it one of the most picturesque sights the pair had ever seen.

"Oh wow..." Applejack gasped at the sight. "This...is amazin'."

"Wish Soul could be here to see this," Heart whispered, "This sight alone made the whole trip worth it."

"I know, right?" Autumn Blaze giggled, "The way the light shimmers off everything, like, like it all suddenly woke up the moment you saw it. And you realize maybe the water and the mountains and the forest and the...yes, the rainbow and the stars and the sky are all looking back at you thinking the same thing? That we are a part of the everything. That maybe there's just one thing and we're all it." She smiled at the ponies, wanting to know what they thought.

Of course, neither had a clue what she was talking about. "I was gonna say it's pretty," Applejack scratched the back of her head. "But yeah."

Autumn smiled as she leapt away from the cliff, taking a whiff of some flowers as she sighed. "And this is just the first stop on a journey of amazing things to see, smell, and tiphoof through." She walked backward at this, smiling the whole time. "Oh, I haven't been able to share all of this with anypony in forever! Since they all took that vow of silence. So it's a lot for me to pro-cess. Process? Uh, deal with."

"Whoa there," Applejack interrupted, "Vow of silence?"

"You mean them taking a dip in that magic water that stops them from talking?" Heart asked.

"Oh, you know about that?"

"They tried to dip me in the water!" Heart yelled.

"Huh? Why?" Heart ignited his hoof in response, "Whoa!" Autumn stared at the flames, "How'd you do that? I didn't think ponies could light themselves on fire like us."

"We can't," Applejack added, "Heart's the only one. Well...a friend of mine called Twilight did it once."

"She did?" Heart turned to her.

"Yeah. She got so frustrated with not understandin' Pinkie Sense, she suddenly burst into flames. It was weird and ah figured it was just her unicorn magic or somethin'. Who knows, she might have a bit of kirin in her lineage." The two nodded at this. "Anyways, she only did it once, but Heart's special. Actually, he got this power by having it uh...what did Twilight say it was?"

"It was magically copied off of Salix." Heart replied, "Now I'm a kirin in pony form." The colt then ignited his entire body while carefully stepping away from anything flammable.

"Wow," Autumn whispered, "And how long have you been able to do that?"

"Not long," Heart responded, "Well, it's been about a year or two...or three...I kinda lost track of time now that I think about it."

"Wow. And you can control it?" Autumn asked, Heart nodding.

"It took a while, but I got the hang of it. Sometimes I lose control when I'm really angry or upset, but I haven't set anything a light in a long long time."

"Well, you must be a special one," Autumn added, "Most kirin can't control themselves. We flame up as soon as we get angry or annoyed. Hence, the whole vow thing." She sighed and looked away, "That's uh...that's why they asked me to leave."

Applejack placed a hoof on her shoulder, "I hope it's not a sore subject, but...you mind explainin' why y'all went quiet in the first place?"

"It's a long story," Autumn looked down at the ground at this, making Applejack sigh.

"You'd rather not talk about it?"

"No."

"I under-"

"I'd rather...siiiiiiiiiiiing!" Autumn started spinning as the ponies stepped back in surprise, the in built music maker they had kicking into action and making them listen to music as she explained. She sang about how she had once lived in the village with the others. The kirin used to laugh and sing and do everything most ponies did. However, one day a fight broke out and hurtful words were said. The kirin eventually exploded into their nirik forms and this resulted in the entire village getting burned up.

Afterwards, the kirin were constantly angry and continued to turn into niriks and cause problems. This was when their leader, Rain Shine, decided they had to stop themselves from ever turning into niriks. As such, they took their vow of silence and used the stream of silence to stop themselves from turning into niriks. Not only did it prevent them from speaking, it prevented them from feeling emotions. No emotions, no flames.

Peace was restored, but Autumn soon found herself with a million thoughts in her head and no way to express them. Years of this almost drove her insane, until she found the cure for the steam of silence. Taking it, she regained her voice and her ability to wield fire. But since she was the only one, her voice was the only thing the kirin heard day in day out. This, coupled with the worry of her burning down the village, led to Autumn being given the same choice as Heart. Stay and take another dip in the pool, or leave and keep her voice. Obviously, she chose to leave.


(Autumn)
So I came here, but left the couch alone
They're hard to move
With just the view for company
Until ya heard me groove


She wrapped a hoof around Applejack, then pointed to a bunch of fruit on the ground. "Take it away, boys!" The fruit had faces on them, Applejack and Heart now seeing that the years of silence followed by seclusion had driven her a bit batty, but Autumn just kept singing.


(Autumn)
'Cause rainbows won't light up the sky
Unless you let it rain
And candles just won't glow until they're burned
No, you can't give up your laughter
'Cause you're scared of a little pain
It's a lesson that my village never learned

No matter how hard I schooled them
Fear of hurt is still what ruled them
Sometimes you gotta let it raaaaaaaain!

Yeah, sometimes you've gotta let it rain


As she finished singing, she started tearing up and quickly wiped her eyes as several butterflies flew past her. As this happened, Applejack and Heart were speechless about the information they had just gained. "Ah can't believe it!" Applejack yelped, "Nopony should give up feelin'...their feelin's just to keep from gettin' angry!"

"That's what I said!" Autumn nodded, "You know, after I started talking again."

"This is nuts," Heart added, "I know getting angry can be bad, but it's a part of life. Sometimes you have to get angry. Heck, if we didn't get angry, Equestria would have been conquered by who knows how many villains by now." He then thought back to the first kirin he had ever met and the way he wouldn't stop talking, much like Autumn, but less insane. "You said Salix was the only one who realized how stupid you were. Does that mean he didn't take the vow?"

Autumn nodded again, "Oh yes. Even when we tried to force him into the lake, he fought against us and ran. I never saw him again after that." She let out a low sigh at that, "Honestly, I wish I could have joined him. You said you met him, right? What was he doing?"

"He joined a cult of psychotic ponies," Heart replied, making Autumn go wide-eyed, "He was trying to help this really bad pony get the secret to ultimate power. If they hadn't failed, Equestria would probably be a lot darker place now. But they did fail and he had all his memories erased by a super powerful god-like being. She hoped not having any memories would help him start a new and better life."

Autumn blinked at this, only to sigh again, "Well...I guess that's better than what could have happened. Still, Salix was right. We never should have taken that stupid vow. I know I regretted it, and now my entire village is silent and joyless while I'm out here talking to plants and other things."

Applejack then gasped at this, "I bet this here's the problem that the three of us came to help y'all with!"

"Really?" Autumn asked before counting. "But there's only two of you. Oh! Do you count your shadow as well? What'd you name it? Mine's called 'Silhouette Gloom of the Sundown Lands.'" She waved at her shadow, who waved back as the ponies just stared at her.

"Right..." Applejack gulped. "Well, I'm thinkin' if we just go talk to the other kirin, maybe we can get 'em to welcome you back proper-like. Maybe even convince 'em to take your cure."

"Oh, yes!" She clapped, "Yes, of course!" But suddenly, her excited face vanished. "Oh, just one small thing. The antidote from my anecdote? It's gone."

The ponies' eyes went wide. "THERE'S NO CURE LEFT!" They both cried as Autumn looked down at the ground.

"I used the last of the foal's-breath flowers to make it. And I...I haven't seen them bloom since." She sat on the edge of her house's balcony as Applejack sighed.

"Well, this wouldn't be a friendship quest if it was easy."

"So what's the plan?" Heart asked, "Do we still try and get the kirin to welcome her back?"

"It'll be a start. Who knows, one of the kirin might know where some of the cure is." She glanced back at Autumn, "Leave this ta me. I'll go talk to Fluttershy and hopefully, together we can convince your friends to let you back in." With that, she leapt down off the balcony. "Heart, stay here until ah come back!" Heart saluted as he heard Autumn talk.

"You know, between you and me, I'm not sure she's gonna convince them." He turned to reply, but then realize she wasn't talking to him. She was talking to her hoof, with a face drawn on it and a stick stuck to it that was likely meant to resemble a kirin horn. "Nope!" She mimed, clearly trying to make it look like her hoof was talking. She then spoke normally, "But...I hope she does." She whispered that last part, then turned to smile at Heart.

The colt just stood there, blinking before slowly saying, "So, uh...what do you usually do for fun around here?"

"Oh, I do plenty of things. Forage for food, sing, talk to my friends." She pointed at the face covered fruit and veg, Heart grimacing at this.

"I need an adult."

"I am an adult," Autumn replied, "So what about you? How did you learn to control your fire?"

"I've always had some control over my fire," Heart responded, "When I first got it, I was fighting against Salix and his villain friends. We were in a stone city with almost nothing that could ignite, so I could just let off my fire without needing to worry. I didn't need to worry about anything like that until I got to Ponyville. That's when I started learning to control it."

"So what did you do?" Autumn asked.

"One of my teachers, Grand, told me I had to listen to my anger, but not let it overwhelm me." He then remembered what Grand had taught him so long ago. "Close your eyes."

"Okay," Autumn did so as Heart tried to remember what Grand had said to him that day.

"Now...imagine yourself swimming in the ocean. Imaging you're still close enough to the shore, that your hooves could reach the seabed. You're floating there...then a large wave comes your way. That wave...is your anger."

"Oooh," Autumn gasped, "It's a really big wave! I'm gonna call it Whackadoo!"

"Ooookay..." Heart slowly replied, "Anyways. There are three things you can do when that wave hits you. The first is to let it wash you away, meaning you let your anger free and have it dictate your actions. The second is to try and fight the wave, meaning you try to bottle your anger up and ignore it. But no matter what, you'll reach the point where you can't fight it anymore and all the anger will wash you away."

"Yeah," Autumn nodded, "I remember that happening. Like when you're waiting for the rain to stop so you can play outside, but it just keeps pouring and pouring and pouring. You try to be patient and tell yourself it's just nature taking its course, but the more it pours, the more annoyed you get. And eventually, you can't take it anymore!"

"Exactly," Heart responded, "Don't give into your anger, and don't bottle it up."

"Then what do you do? Isn't that the only two things you can do with anger?"

"Nope. There's on final option. Let the wave wash over you."

"Isn't that the same as giving into your anger?"

"Nope. You dig your hooves into the sand and brace yourself. Let the wave of anger hit you, feeling the force of that anger flow through you. And then...let it go. The wave has washed over you, but you remain exactly where you want to be."

"Okay...I don't think I get it."

"Yeah, I didn't really understand at first either. Every time you feel yourself getting angry, don't fight it. Let the anger flow through you, then take a deep breath and try to calm yourself down."

"And that works?"

"Not always," Heart shrugged. "Sometimes I get so annoyed and so frustrated that I can't help but let out some flames. Whenever that happens, my mentor and his friends take me someplace I won't burn down to let off steam. It's usually a rocky canyon or a special room they made that's completely fireproof. When I'm there, I can let my anger out as much as I want too."

"Huh," Autumn nodded again, "I guess that makes sense. I think this is something the other kirin need to hear more than me."

"Well, then let's go tell them," Heart stood up.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Autumn replied, "I mean, if we step foot inside the village, they might try and dunk us in the river?"

"And how are they gonna do that?" Heart asked, "Without their fire, all they can do is lift things up. We can take 'em." He started flying toward the village and Autumn followed behind him, only to wear a big frown as Heart asked, "So what used to happen when kirin got angry? You know, before the whole flaming destruction leading to eternal silence thing."

"Oh, we always caused fires. But that time was the biggest argument the village had ever seen. Before that, there was the occasional flame, but we were able to keep it under control. But that time, we were so angry and flames exploded and spread faster than we could control it."

"That's insane," Heart nodded as they reached an area of the path that allowed them to see the village. "Hey, there's Applejack and Fluttershy." They saw the two ponies together, but as Heart took a closer look, he could tell they both did not look happy. Applejack said something he couldn't hear, but he had a feeling she was yelling. "Are they...arguing?"

"Uh oh," Autumn gulped, "That's not good." She ran up at this, Heart flying after her.

"Why? What's wrong?" He got his answer when the kirin began to surround the mares and suddenly lift them up before they realized what was happening, then started moving them toward the stream of silence. "Oh no!" He ignited his body, "Why would they silence them?! They can't use fire!"

"They don't like any fighting," Autumn replied, "Even if they can't burn the place down, the kirin see any form of argument as a bad thing. They probably think they're doing your friends a favor by taking away their ability to feel angry."

"They don't have the right to do that!"

"I know," Autumn nodded as she closed her eyes. "This has gone on long enough. I tried telling them they were wrong, but now they've gone too far." Her eyes shot open and were pure white as he body started steaming up. "Now I'm going to make them see reason!" With that, her entire body exploded into flames. And as they reached the top of the hill toward the stream, she called out to the kirin, "PUT THEM DOWN!"

The kirin and ponies turned to them as Autumn charged, the kirin leaping to the side as she circled around Fluttershy and Applejack. Fluttershy flinched at this, but Applejack patted her shoulder. "It's all right. I know this one, and she's tryin' to help."

"Hey!" Heart yelled as he flew above them, "I'm here too!" He saw some of the kirin trying to get to the flames, but he shot a few fireballs from his tail. They struck the ground, Heart aiming for the dirt to keep from causing a fire, which forced them back. "Great work Autumn! I knew you could control your flames!"

"Thanks!" Autumn cheered as she stepped through the flames and returned to normal. "Guess I just needed to right incentive. Can't have them silence the only friend who'll speak to me."

"She talks?" Fluttershy asked, Applejack leaning next to her.

"You have no idea. Fluttershy, meet Autumn Blaze." Autumn held out a hoof, only to find it was on fire. She quickly blew it out and Fluttershy shook it.

"Well, thank you for that...um, wall of fire. But I thought Niriks were dangerous when they're angry. How did you know you could control your temper?"

"The same way I do," Heart chuckled.

"He's right," Autumn nodded, "I did feel angry, but that anger didn't make me feel like I had to burn everything down. All I wanted to do was stop you two from getting made silent. I guess it's like what Heart told me. Let the anger wash over you, feel it, then let it go. I did just that. I felt angry for a moment, let it fill me up, then let it go. When I did, I still felt the strength it gave me, but...I've never felt so level headed in that form before."

"Remind me to thank Grand for helping me figure out how to control my anger," Heart laughed.

"I guess anger's like other feelings," she smiled as the fire circle slowly began to fade away. "It's not about having them. It's what you do with them." The fire vanished as they all stood up, Applejack turning to Fluttershy.

"And givin' up happiness to keep away anger is no kind o' life."

"I never thought of it that way," Fluttershy added, "I can't imagine not being able to talk to my animal friends." Autumn nodded again and turned toward the kirin.

"Fern Flare, you used to love to laugh at everything." The kirin in question looked down, a frown breaking through her stoic expression as Autumn turned to their leader. "And Rain Shine, you sung the most beautiful harmonies. Don't you miss it?" Rain Shine did appear upset as the ponies stepped forward.

"I know you're worried about fightin', but friends can disagree without causin' a ruckus."

"Everypony gets mad sometimes," Fluttershy added, "Even Applejack and I argue."

"What?!" Applejack glared at her. "When do we ever argue?" Fluttershy cleared her throat as she started counting them off.

"On the way here? And about the Kirin being silent? And right now!" They glared at one another, both actually growling with the kirin grimacing at the sight, only for the two to smile and start laughing.

"We don't always see eye-to-eye," Applejack chimed in, "But we never let that get in the way of our friendship."

"And I can help teach you how to control your anger," Heart continued, "It took me a while to get control over my emotions, but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it way faster."

Fluttershy nodded, "And if you're really angry, then take some time away to be a Nirik where it won't hurt anypony."

"Even better idea," Heart held up a hoof. "Maybe when we're finished here, we could ask Twilight to come and cast a fireproofing spell on your village. Or she could teach you to cast it yourself...if you can." He turned to Autumn, "Can kirin do more than lift thing up with their horns?" Autumn looked like she was about to reply, but then one of the kirin stepped forward and started making gestures.

"I-I think they're tryin' to say somethin'," Applejack told Autumn, the kirin moving toward one another as the silent one tried to mimic what she wanted.

"Okay, are you hungry?" She shook her head and tried again, Autumn still not getting it. "Oh, no. Is some Kirin trapped in a well?" That wasn't it. "Okay, baby. Baby fish. Ba-ba-no. Baby fish mouth? Uh, something? Anything?!"

"Er...Autumn," Heart tried to speak up before the kirin groaned.

"Just write it down!" She looked ready to start blowing her top, her horn and eyes beginning to flare up. "This is making me furious!" But then she saw the terrified look on the others and took a deep breath. "Would you excuse me? I'll be right back." She quickly trotted behind a rock and a loud nirik roar filled the air, along with a column of fire that shot up into it. A moment later, a much calmer Autumn trotted out, "You were saying?"

"Autumn!" Heart yelled, the kirin turning to him. "I think they want the cure you took." The others nodded and Autumn smiled, but that smile quickly grew strained.

"That's wonderful!" Fluttershy cheered before she saw the other's expressions. "Uh, isn't it?"

"Well, it would be. Except there aren't any flowers left to make the cure."

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at this, "Are you sure?"

"Oh, beyond sure." Autumn sighed, "Believe me, I've had a lot of alone time lately. I searched the entire forest seventy-three and a half times." She then stopped as something seemed to dawn on her. "Although I wonder if that second half could make a difference." With that, she rushed off as Heart raised an eyebrow.

"She's not gonna find any, is she?"

"Hmm," Fluttershy hummed, "I wish she'd told us what kind of flowers she's looking for."

"They're called foal's-breath," Applejack replied.

"I've never heard of that," Fluttershy shook her head.

"Well, maybe that's just something the kirin call it," Heart added, "It could be a dandelion, or a blue bell for all we know."

As he said this, a squirrel leapt onto one of the rocks and started chattering and doing gestures. Applejack knew better than to follow Autumn's mistake and try to guess, deciding to leave this to the expert. "Uh, Fluttershy? A little help?" Fluttershy listened as the squirrel repeated its words and gestures, making the pegasus gasp.

"He says he knows where to find foal's-breath!"

"Well, what are we waitin' for? Lead the way!" The squirrel leapt off the rock and started running through the forest, back to the village and the hole they first used to get up to it. Squeezing their way through, they soon returned to the area outside of the mountainous volcano and were led back to the tree Fluttershy had helped beautify.

The squirrel reached into the tree and pulled out some of the blue flowers Fluttershy had gathered for them. "That's what foal's-breath looks like?!"

"No way," Heart laughed as Applejack was in shock.

"Autumn Blaze never would've made it past the Peaks to search here." Something occurred to her and sighed, turning to Fluttershy as she took off her hat. "I owe you an apology."

"Why?" Fluttershy asked.

"'Cause if your kindness hadn't made you stop to help the squirrels, we never would've found this here flower."

Fluttershy smiled back, "And if your honesty hadn't convinced the Kirin to talk, we wouldn't need to find it." This made Applejack chuckle, the farm-pony pulling the animal lover in for a hug.

"Guess it's a good thing the map sent the two of us, huh?"

Heart smiled at this as the squirrels gave the flowers too Applejack. "Now it's your turn," Fluttershy told him, "Once the kirin all have their flames back, it'll be up to you to teach them how to control their tempers so they won't burn things up so much."

"I thought we were gonna get Twilight to fireproof the village?"

Applejack shrugged at this, "If that was meant to be the answer, the map would have sent Twilight instead of you. These here kirin need somepony to learn how to control their fire, the way you've learned how too. And if we're lucky, they'll take those lessons and build on them before passin' it onto future generations. You could be helpin' develop a whole society. Thank yer up fur it?"

Heart gulped, but took a deep breath and nodded.

With that, the trio rushed back up to the village through the tunnel. When they got there, they found Autumn looking worried as the rest of the kirin were gathered around a fountain. When she spotted them and what they had, she gasped. "You found them?!" She took a closer look and nodded, confirming they were the flowers they needed. "Where were they?! Tell me everything, and feel free to add complicated descriptions and comedic tangents!" But the three simply gave her a look, making her realize there were more important things to focus on. "Oh. Right. First things first."

They watched as she took the plants and threw them into a nearby fountain, causing the foal's breath to break apart and mix with the water. Doing so caused the water to turn from light to dark blue, Autumn looking worried as the kirin gathered around the fountain and started drinking from it. Her worry was that the foals breath wouldn't work, or that it would and her friends would instantly start fighting. But with each kirin that took a sip, their expressions turned from bland to joyous. Soon enough, they were beginning to talk, laugh, sing and so much more.

"Yes!" Heart cheered, seeing the kirin were back to normal.

Rain Shine began to move up to them, a smile on her lips. "Autumn Blaze, you have given us a gift. The realization that anger is within us, but it is our choice how we let it out. We would very much like it if you came back to live with us. I can't say how much we've missed your beautiful voice."

Autumn looked like she was about to start crying, but quickly broke out into song as she ran around the village and through the water of the fountain. As she did, Heart started showing the kirin different ways he had learned to control his flames, all the while talking about how to feel anger without losing control.

The kirin started trying this themselves and while there was a few small accidents, they began to pick up how to use their fire without losing control. And as they put their fire away, Autumn used her hoof to spray the water fountain in a way that made it rain down upon them all and create a rainbow.

The beautiful sight was met by the light of the three pony's cutie marks, which glowed to signify they had all completed the mission they had been sent to do. Applejack and Fluttershy high-hoofed at this while Heart cheered at the success of his first mission. The kirin then decided to spend the whole day celebrating, the ponies sticking around to enjoy themselves as well.

"Here you go," Autumn smirked as she gave each a cupcake. "Baked them myself with kirin flame. Should give it a little extra kick." The ponies all took a bite and had to admit, they were delicious. "I guess you three will be heading home soon?"

"Yeah," Heart nodded, "But I think I'd like to come back sometime."

"Me too," Fluttershy nodded as a squirrel landed on her back and she offered it a bit of the treat. "This place really is beautiful."

"And ah'm sure Twilight would wanna learn more about yah" Applejack laughed. "She can come fireproof your home and gain insight inta kirin life."

"Maybe this place can become a new tourist destination," Heart chuckled, "I bet lots of ponies would wanna come see this place. Celestia could have the train tracks extended so they come closer, maybe build a new station inside the forest."

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Fluttershy shook her head. "Think of all the animals that would lose their homes if they did that."

"Oh...right."

"Ah'm sure Celestia and Rain Shine can make a compromise," Applejack assured them, "If the kirin want to become more open ta dah world, they'll find a way to make it work."

Autumn nodded as a thought popped into her mind. "I don't suppose you all could do me one last favor." They turned back to her, "I know you said he wouldn't remember us or what we did, but if you ever happen to run into Searing Salix, can you tell him we're sorry for what we did and tell him he's welcome back? And know that the rest of the kirin are probably feeling just as guilty as I am. So if you happen to see him, can you tell him that for us?"

The ponies all nodded back, happy to try and help. Heart's experience with Salix might not have been a positive one, but he knew everypony deserved to know they had a place to call home. He also knew he couldn't wait to get back to his and tell all his friends about his great adventure, and whatever else was next, whenever that might be.
> The Misadventures of Springer 4: The Final Trick
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It began in a dojo, two certain jakhowls sitting in meditative stances as another was standing over them. It was Springer, his paws aflame with blue aura as he said, "Feel the aura...mold it within you." He puts his paws together before separating them again, the blue flames from his paws melding together before forming a long stick-like object that soon turned into a Bone Breaker. He began to spin it around, the bone slowly extending and retracting as he continued, "You can change it, meld it, form it..."

Ace and Mira sat there, both forming small Aura Blasts in their paws. The duo had their eyes closed, both clenching as the spheres hovering between their paws fizzled and shook. Springer watched the two's paws squirm as they try to make the aura balls change shape. Ace's was glitching, the sphere squeezing and slowly starting to stretch in a horizontal shape while Mira's continued to stay as a sphere, instead just getting bigger than Ace's.

"Mira, don't pump more aura in. The more aura you have, the harder it will be to control." Springer commented as he leaned down to Mira, the jakhowl dissipating his aura weapon before putting a paw on Mira's shoulder. "Keep calm. Don't get frustrated."

"I know..." Mira replied as she shrunk the sphere. "I just-"

"I got it!" Ace suddenly exclaimed, making both turn to see Ace making a semi-bone breaker. "Come on...come on..." The aura bone was small, but the young jakhowl soon began to extend it.

And a second later, it was as long as the jakhowl, both Springer and Mira now wide-eyed. "YES!" Ace exclaimed, only for the aura bone to instantly fade, "What?!"

Springer laughed at this before patting Ace's shoulder, "You stopped concentrating. Try again."

"Oh...right." Ace responded before closing his eyes again, only to instantly summon the aura bone this time. He peeked open his eyes at this, seeing the bone appear, though it was slightly glitching. "Yes!"

He began to spin it in his paws, Springer nodding at the sight. "Very good Ace. Now, remember to keep your focus."

"Got it." Ace said as he stared at the bone, trying to make it stop glitching. And as he did this, Mira watched the two as Springer summoned a Bone Breaker and showed it to Ace. The young jakhowl began to morph the bone to Springer's size, only for it break down.

"Don't worry, just try again."

Mira's ears drooped down at this, seeing Springer get on one knee and show Ace how to do it again before looking down at her paws. The sphere of aura between them was tiny, only that she could barely keep stable before sighing. But as she did this, she felt a paw touch her shoulder.

"Mira? Are you okay?" She glanced back up to see Springer, concern obvious on his face. She then turned to Ace, the jakhowl starting to summon the Bone Breaker again. But as she did this, Springer grabbed both shoulders, making her look back at him.

"Mira, don't compare yourself to him."

"Huh?"

Springer shook his head at this, "I can tell you're jealous. Don't. Don't feel that way."

Mira blinked at him for a second, only to feel tears appear in her eyes, "But he-"

"Don't." Springer interrupted, "Everyone is different. Don't think because he's done something you haven't done yet means you're a failure. You're not. Your abilities are different to his."

Mira just stared at her mentor, seeing a kind smile appear on his face. And as she opened her mouth to reply, she saw him suddenly jolt up, the grin disappearing as he released her shoulders. "Springer?"

"Somepony's here."

A second later, the alarm for the Rune Gate went off. The other two jakhowl also glanced up at this, only to see Springer close his eyes, his aura pouring out of him. And as he opened his eyes, he wore a fierce look on his face. "Training's done for today."

"Why? Isn't it normal for the Rune Gate to be used?" Ace asked.

Springer shook his head, "It is normal, but not by the pony that just used it."





Springer zipped down to the Rune Gate room, Ace and Mira following. And as he got to there, they saw a certain crystal unicorn walking through with a grin frown on their face. The trio of jakhowls could feel a pit of dread coming off the pony as Flash walked into the room.

"Ruby?" Flash asked, the unicorn turning to the defender, her grim expression staying on her face.

"Hello Flash. My apologies for the sudden entrance, but I need Springer's help."

"Me?" the jakhowl pointed at himself.

"Yes." Ruby replied as her horn lit up, the Rune Gate activating at this. A second later, two more ponies walked in with a stretcher that had a pony on it. But as they entered the room, the three jakhowls all shivered at the same time. Seeing this, Ruby let out a long sigh, "I was afraid of that."

"Of what?" Flash asked, having not noticed the jakhowls' reactions.

In response, Springer walked up to the stretcher, got on one knee and put his paw over the pony, a small blue aura appearing around it. He took a deep breath as Mira and Ace walked up to him.

"Um...Springer?" Mira whispered, "Why can't I sense that pony?"

"Yeah! It's like his aura isn't there!" Ace added. "It feels...wrong."

"That's because his aura has been stolen from him." Springer replied while looking back up Ruby, "Who is this?"

Ruby let out a long sigh, "A guard at the Crystal Pen." Springer and Flash went wide-eyed, only for Ruby to add, "We lost communication with them, only for this pony to appear out of the rune gate we use to get there."

"That's not good." Flash grimaced, Springer slowly standing up at this. "Bud, you think this is-"

"Shade." Springer hissed, "He's back. Again."

Ace and Mira froze up at this, Mira looking back down at the guard, "That's what Shade does to other ponies?"

Springer nodded back, "Yes. Tricksters can take aura from others." He then turned to Ruby, "I'm guessing you need me to come along?"

"Absolutely. It's a fool's gambit to go after a Trickster without a jakhowl. I've done it before, and it did not go well." She turned to Flash, "Do you want to come along?"

"Sure, I'm in." Flash nodded back, only for Ace and Mira to grab Springer's legs.

"Let us come too!"

"Yeah! I wanna beat that creep again!"

Springer shook his head at this, "No. I need to do this. If you're there, he'll do everything he can to hurt you both."

"But-"

"Ace. Mira." Springer interrupted as he got down to their level, putting a paw on each of their shoulders. "Listen to me. What I'm about to do is something you're not ready for. It's...it's what we jakhowls are destined to do, and one day, you will do it as well. But for now...let me handle it."

"But...but why?! Why do you have to fight that jerk?!"

Springer closed his eyes, taking a long deep breath, "Because...because it's something I have to do." He opened his eyes and saw the duo glaring at him, making him sigh, "Listen, I'll explain it to you one day, alright?"

"But-"

Flash put his hoof on Ace's shoulder, "Let us handle this. Sides, I got a different job for you two."

The duo turned to the defender, seeing a grin on his face. "You do?"

"Yup. Go to town and tell the other defenders what's going on. Tell them we might need backup on this one."

The two jakhowls glanced over at each other before looking at Springer, the jakhowl nodding back at them. Seeing this, they shined two fierce glares at they looked back at Flash, "Okay! We'll do it!"

"Nice. Now get going." The two nodded and ran off, leaving the now chuckling defender.

"Seems they're starting to grow up." Ruby giggled as she turned to Springer, "You must be so proud of them."

"I am. They're good kids." Springer replied before pointing at the stretcher, "What are we going to do with him?"

"He will recover over time." Ruby responded before gesturing to the two helper ponies. "Take him back to the empire." They nodded and went through the gate, the crystal knight looking back at the duo, "Ready?"

"You bet."

"Let's do this!"

And with that, all three leapt into the Rune Gate, ready to take on what a certain fox was cooking up now.





The gate at the Crystal Empire began to glow, three ponies all staring at it. They were Princess Cadance, Shining Armor and Ruby's apprentice Jaden. A minute ago, the two helper ponies with the stretcher had came back through, and now three new ones walked through the portal.

Ruby appeared first, quickly bowing down, "Your majesty, I have brought Springer and Flash Sentry."

A second later, the two defenders appeared, the sight making the three smile. "Flash." Cadance said as she walked up and hugged the pegasus, "So good to see you."

"Same." He broke the embrace, "Sorry it's over something bad. Especially since we just had you go through Sombra again."

She shook her head, "It's fine. Him and Amore are keeping busy thankfully. And honestly, I feel this is a new challenge for me since I'm still trying to regain the crystal ponies' trust." She turned to her husband, "It's just...we're all a bit on edge. I know the prison is outside of the empire, but we don't want the empire getting overrun by criminals."

"No kidding." Flash crossed his hooves before glancing over at Shining, "What's the situation? Do we have the rune gate to the prison on lockdown?"

Shining nodded back, "We do. We got over half our guards waiting at the gate. We haven't sent anypony in yet because...well, we have a feeling if we did, things would get dicey quickly."

"Understood." Flash tapped the blade at his side, "Well, I'm ready to go in and knock some heads if need be."

"Jaden." Ruby spoke up, her apprentice standing to attention. "Thank you for staying here. I now want you to go and patrol the outer walls of the empire. I know the rest of our guards are there, and there is a blizzard going on right now, but we need to keep diligent watch."

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted her before running off, Flash chuckling at the sight.

"Ma'am?"

Ruby rolled her eyes, "I ask for some respect, unlike you. That and he needed to learn it after disobeying me with following me and Sombra." She gestured to him with her hooves, "Come. We have a lot to do."





The trio were now standing in the hidden room under the city jail, the place still filled with symbols and a rune circle on the floor. Flash and Springer nodded to Ruby, the unicorn nodding back before her horn shined. "Here we go..." Flash commented as the room shined with a runic light. And a second later, they found themselves in the exact same room.

"Get ready." Ruby whispered as Flash pulled out Lightbringer out of its sheath. Springer's paws burned with aura at this, Ruby putting her hoof on the door's handle and twisting it.

They slowly opened the door, Ruby glancing in first before entering, Flash and Springer soon following. But as they did this, the sight before them made them grimace. The Crystal Pen, the giant crystal fortress prison, was empty. There was nothing, no sound, no guards, no prisoners. Every door around them was open and the cells were empty. They glanced around at the octagonal place, seeing nothing.

"Uh...you don't think Shade released everypony and used a rune gate to get them all out of here, do you?"

Ruby shook her head, "No. We made precautions for that. We had Solid Script put anti-magic runes and anti-runes over the whole prison. No way to teleport out except the room we just used."

"Well, there's got to be something. Big Score somehow got out a while back."

Ruby hummed at this, "I know. We haven't figured that out, but think about it. A lot of criminals in here would not stay quiet if they got out."

"True."

"What I don't get is how Shade knew about this place." Springer chimed in, "Like, why come here?"

Ruby put a hoof to her chin at this, "I was thinking about that too. It might be because he was in prison when we were doing the prisoner transfers. We never transported him because we can't neutralize his powers regularly, but that doesn't mean he overheard about this place."

"Great..." Flash groaned as they walked down one of the bridges, still not seeing or hearing anything. "So...now what? Where did the prisoners go?"

"Oh, they're around. Just not here." said a new voice, making them glance up. There, they saw a certain bipedal black fox shining a huge grin as he laid out on top of the observation deck's side roof. "Hello Springer."

"Shade..." Springer growled, his battle form about to go mega until Shade flashed a claw.

"I suggest you don't do that. I mean, I know I turned off most of the anti-magic runes here, but I suspect you don't want to destroy this prison, do you? That includes your giant form from the last time we fought."

"What do you want Trickster?!" Ruby yelled as she summoned a crystal sword, "Where are the prisoners?!"

"Behind you."

The trio flinched at that before glancing back, only to see a unicorn they did not want to see. "Hello Sentry. Come to give me my Celestic Gear back?"

It was Doom Raizer, the unicorn shining a big grin before firing out a beam of magic. Flash quickly raised his blade at this, deflecting the beam before a sudden blur tackled him. "Whoa!" he yelped as the figure shoved Flash over the bridge and dived down with him.

"Hi again! I've been waiting for a rematch!" laughed the pony that tackled Flash, the defender now seeing it was Toxic Fang as the two fell down several feet.

"Flash!" Springer gasped, only for another flying pony to land in front of him.

"You two...where is my blade?! Where is it?!" the pegasi roared, both seeing it was Storm Blade. He then leapt at the duo, Ruby's horn shining as she summoned a crystal wall, Storm instantly ramming into it. A loud clang followed this, the pony slumping down as he had hit the crystal wall head first.

"We've got to move Springer! Now!" Ruby yelled, only for a bolt of lightning to come up from their left, both turning to see Electra. She was flying with electricity under her hooves, Banshee on her back as she leapt from her and onto the bridge.

"Hello Ruby." Banshee hissed, "I can't wait to blast your eardrums out."

"This keeps getting better and better." Springer commented, Shade laughing at this.

"Doesn't it? I'm so glad I snuck in here and let them all go. That being said..." Shade cackled before snapping his claws. The ponies all glaring at them stepping back as Shade pointed at the ceiling. "I'll make this easier on you Springer. Hop up here and follow me to the roof. We'll be fighting there while your two pals...well, they have a lot of friends here that really really want to kill them, and I'm not one to ruin their fun."

Springer and Ruby shared a glance before the jakhowl roared, "I'm not gonna abandon them to fight these villains alone!"

Shade just shrugged at this, "Oookay. Your funeral." He then hopped up from where he was and started to backpedal, "Well, good luck surviving. I'll be waiting up there."

Ruby and Springer went back to back at this, only to not just see Doom, Banshee and Electra, but a second later, Slushy, Longhorn and Grimhorn also appeared, the six surrounding the two.

"That's not good."





Meanwhile, on the prison's bottom floor...

"Get off of me!" Flash yelled as he kicked Toxic in the face, knocking him back. As he did this, another pegasi swooped in, kicking the defender in the face. "Blaugh!" His body slammed into the floor, soon skidding before spinning a second and hopping back onto his hooves. And as he did this, he looked up and saw the pegasi that kicked him, "Rickashay..."

The pegasi just grinned back, Flash quickly flaring his wings at the sight before leaping up. Just as the defender knew he should, a large figure suddenly dashed under him, hitting the wall a second later. Glancing down, he saw it was Boulder, the sight making Flash raise his blade up as his eyes darted around.

"Where's your boss?" Flash asked, only to get no response. Rickashay, Boulder and Toxic just smiled at him, the sight making Flash flinch. "Oookay...what's going on?"

"THIS!" yelled two voices as twin magic beams struck Flash's back.

"Yaugh!" he yelped as the blow knocked him down, his face hitting the floor. And as this happened, Boulder leapt at him, the defender glancing up before quickly rolling to the side, dodging the thug. This was followed by Rickashay diving at him with a kick to Flash's face, the defender blocking it with his blade. The pegasi's attack bounced off the enchanted steel, only for Flash's ears to perk up as he heard two horns charging up. Glancing back, he now saw the unicorns that had attacked him: Big Score and Shake Shocker.

BLAM!

Two beams came for Flash again, the pegasi spinning like a top as he flipped himself away from the attack. But as he did this, Toxic Fang leapt at him, tackling the defender as he opened his mouth wide. "Time for a snack!" Toxic laughed as he thrusted his fangs right at Flash's neck. But as he did this, Flash quickly thrust his knee into Toxic's stomach, making spit fly out of the bat pony's mouth, "Blargh!"

"I told you, get off of me!" Flash yelled as he then leaned his head back, only to thrust it forward, headbutting the bat pony. Toxic was instantly knocked off him, only for two beams to hit Flash's back again. "Yow!"

"Payback time, Sentry!" Big Score yelled as he fired another beam, Flash spinning around and blocking it with his blade. And as he did this, Rickashay and Boulder charged at the defender, Flash flaring his wings before taking to the air. "You're not getting out of this!"

"Yeah!" Shake added as he and Score kept firing beams at the knight. "We made the other prisoners give us first dibs on your flank! You die today!"

"Sorry, that's not on my agenda today, or for the rest of the week." Flash replied as he dodged both attacks, only to turn to see Rickashay charge at him. But as the thug came, Flash just clenched his hooves as Rickshay tried to kick him again. And as the criminal was about to strike, Flash caught the kick with one hoof, Rickashay going wide-eyed before Flash spun him around and flung the thug into a nearby wall. The pegasi's back hit the concrete instantly, the thug slumping down a second later.

And as this happened, Toxic tackled Flash from the back, both hitting the floor as Toxic opened his mouth, ready to try and bite the defender again. But as he did this, Flash flared his wings and yelled, "That's it! Armorize!"

"Armor-what?" Toxic replied, only to suddenly be blinded by a burst of light, "Yagh!"

"Get off of me!" Flash roared as the armor appeared on his body, the boosters in his wings instantly firing up as he rocketed Toxic off. And as he did this, he charged straight for Score and Shake, the two gasping at the impending knight. They began to leap away, only for Flash to screech, "Come here you!"

Score jumped away successfully, Flash tackling Shake before spinning mid-air and kicking him into a nearby cell, the unicorn hitting a wall before slumping over with swirls in his eyes. The defender then turned back to Score, Toxic and Boulder, rage clear on his face. "I'll give you one chance to give up. Get back in your cells, or else!"

The trio flinched at this, all starting to backpedal before Boulder glared at the defender. He then charged straight ahead, Score yelling, "No! Boulder, wait-"

But before Score's words could even hit Boulder's ears, Flash vanished before slamming a hoof into the earth pony's stomach. Spit flew out of his mouth, his eyes going white before slumping over. Flash then glanced back up at Score and Toxic, the two grimacing as they felt a wave on energy pour off the defender. And as they just began to react, Flash flung Boulder's body straight at Score, his horn sputtering as he tried to make a spell.

CRASH!

The earth pony collided with Score, knocking him out as well as both were thrown into an empty cell. This was followed by Flash glaring at Toxic, the bat pony flinching at the sight. But as he was about to speak up to surrender-

BLAM!

"Blaugh!" Flash yelped as a beam of magic hit his side, knocking him into a nearby wall. This was followed by another blast of magic hitting the defender, only for the knight to suddenly be slammed into the floor. Above the knight was now a small magic field of intense gravity, pushing him down. Toxic then turned to see Doom Raizer, the biggest grin on his face.

"I don't think so." He cackled before turning to Toxic, "Come on, don't be scared of him. He's just a rat my father picked up from the gutters. He's no real threat."

He glanced back at Flash, seeing him slowly move in the gravity spell pinning him to the ground. The sight made him smile, Toxic walking up to Flash as Doom just laughed, "Don't even bother." he commented as Flash began to slowly stand up, only for Doom's horn to flare, causing the gravity magic to slam him back into the floor.

"How are you-" Flash grunted out, only to see Doom start cackling again.

"Oh please. Even if those idiots had that magic nullifier on my horn all this time, I still have my hatred for you." Doom spat as he pointed at his horn, "After all, magic can get all it's strength back even for a little bit, with emotions alone." He began to stride up to Flash at this, "And I've held in endless hatred for you, you worthless gutter rat."

He then gestured to Toxic, the bat pony opening his mouth as his fangs dripped poison. "Give him a bite Toxic while I use my magic to pry that armor off of him." Doom shined the biggest grin as he said his next words, "Then we'll tear him apart...piece by piece."





Springer and Ruby were still on that top bridge, the unicorn summoning a crystal wall that shut off Banshee before dodging a bolt from Electra. As this happened, Spinger dodged two punches from Grimhorn, ducking and flipping around him as he summoned a Bone Breaker.

"Take this!" Springer roared as he swung the weapon straight for the minotaur's head...only to shatter on impact. "Uh-oh."

"You...weak!" Grimhorn yelled as he slammed a fist into Springer's stomach, his mouth now firing out a glob of spit. He began to fall over at this, only to glance up and saw the minotaur about to slam both fists onto his head. The defender quickly rolling to the side at this, both fists hitting and slightly cracking the bridge.

But as he dodged this blow, Slushy fired a beam straight for the jakhowl, Springer doing a slight duck as he dodged it, only for the beam to hit the crystal wall. The beam bounced off it, hitting Ruby's side, "Urgh!" She winced before Electra tackled her, electricity pouring out of her horn.

"Time to fry you!" She screeched as her horn fully lit up.

"Not a chance!" Springer yelled as he spun around, dodging another punch from Grimhorn as he fired an Aura Blast. Electra turned to the sphere, firing a bolt that made the ball explode. But as it did this, Ruby slammed her hoof into Electra's face, knocking her back.

"Urk! You little..." Electra hissed, only to see Ruby's horn flare as she summoned a crystal club. "Eep!" She yelped as she leapt off the bridge as Ruby swung the weapon at her. And as she did this, Slushy fired another beam, the knight hearing the sound of the magical projectile and rolling away just in time. But as she did this, the crystal wall separating the bridge exploded.

"No more hiding! I'm destroying your eardrums now Ruby!" Banshee screamed, "I'm gonna-" She muffled out as Ruby fired a beam straight at her face, instantly going down her throat. Ruby smirked at the sight, reminding herself to thank Twilight for showing her that trick. Banshee then opened her mouth again, now nothing coming out thanks to the muting spell, only for Ruby to punch her in the jaw, knocking her out instantly.

And as she smiled at the sight, the crackle of lightning rang out again, making her turn to see Electra floating in the air. Bolts poured out of her horn, Ruby's horn flaring in response. The two got ready to face off, only for Springer to fire another Aura Blast, Slushy leaping away from the sphere as the defender dodged another punch from Grimhorn. The jakhowl had to admit that the minotaur was much slower than him, but also he couldn't really damage him due to the minotaur taking two Aura Blasts head on like it was nothing.

But as Electra fired a giant bolt straight for Ruby, the knight leapt out of the way, only to feel a stray bolt hit her side. She flinched at the blow, Electra laughing as Grimhorn yelled, "Stop...moving!" The minotaur swung another punch, Springer diving and sliding under his legs before aiming both paws into the minotaur's back.

"Aura Force!" Springer roared as he fired the beam into the beast, pushing him across the bridge just as Electra fired another bolt...that went straight into the minotaur.

ZAP!

"YEAUGH!" Grimhorn yelped as his whole body lit up and showed his massive skeleton before falling over.

"Uh...oops." Electra muttered out as she saw the minotaur now laid out on the bridge. This was followed by a magic beam hitting her in the face, "Augh!" She screamed as she was knocked out of flight, the unicorn hitting the bridge below them.

"And that's another one down." Ruby panted before both knight and jakhowl turned to Slushy. The unicorn tensed up at this, her eyes darting between the two as both glared at her...only to notice who was behind her as well. It was Longhorn, the bull just staring at both with a blank expression.

Seeing this, Ruby turned to Springer and said, "Springer, go to the roof and fight Shade."

The jakhowl turned to her, his eyes slightly widened, "What?! I can't just leave you here!"

"I'll be fine. Get going." Ruby replied as her horn began to shine again. She then looked straight into his eyes, the jakhowl feeling a surge of emotion from her. It was...trust. That was all he could feel. Seeing this, he gave a small nod.

"Okay. Thanks Ruby."

"No problem. Now get going."

With that, Springer spun around and leapt onto the platform Shade had been on before. And with a quick few motions, he began hopping up the structure, soon finding a hatch that led to the roof. And as he opened this, Ruby charged at Slushy, the criminal grimacing at the sight. She began to backpedal, her horn sputtering as she fired a beam at the knight, Ruby ducking under it before getting right up in Slushy's face.

"Urgh!" Slushy moaned as Ruby slammed a hoof into the criminal's stomach. Ruby then spun around and thrusted her back hooves into Slushy's face, knocking her flying into a wall. "Blaugh!"

And as Slushy slumped down to the floor, Ruby suddenly felt something hit her side. "Oof!" She yelped before feeling two hooves grabbing her sides before slinging her into the floor, "Augh!" She then saw it was Longhorn, who slammed a hoof into Ruby's face.

"HA! I knew if I waited long enough, you would forget about me!" Longhorn cackled as he punched her again, the knight spitting out blood as she tried to summon some magic, only to feel another punch. The horn sputtered at this, Longhorn laughing as he continued to punch her. "I'm getting out of here, and you won't stop me!"





A freezing wind was the first thing Springer felt when he opened up the hatch to the prison's roof. His mind reminded him that Ruby and the others had mentioned a blizzard going on...and it seemed it was even closer to the prison than the empire. Despite this, the jakhowl slowly climbed onto the roof, only to see a sleet of snow covering the whole building.

And as he spun around, he saw the being he was looking for. The fox was on two feet, shining the biggest grin as runes decorated his body in shining blood red glory. "So...you finally came up here." Shade remarked as Springer closed the roof shutter. And as he did this, he saw the fox point to a collection of figures all on the rooftop. All laid out on the roof's floor was the missing prison guards, all wrapped up in ropes with rune all over the bindings and clothes stuffed into their mouths. That, and they were shivering like leaves. Who knows how long they've been up here in the freezing cold.

"You..." Springer growled as aura began to consume his paws.

"Don't bother." Shade cackled, shaking his head. His usual grin was still there, though it had a...melancholic tone to it. "If you attack me with aura, one of the guards will suffer. That's what all those runes are."

Springer glanced back at the guards, seeing ice forming around them and their ropes before glaring back at the fox, "Shade..."

"Put the aura away, jakhowl. We need to talk." Shade replied as he spun around, staring out in the distance. A second later, a harsh freezing wind hit them all. "Aaaah...this is why I like having fur. It lets me survive places like this." He glanced back at Springer, "Don't you agree?"

"No. I prefer being warm." Springer hissed as the blue flames around his paws sputtered out despite going into a fighting stance, "Let's skip the chit-chat. What do you want, Shade?"

"What do I want? That should be obvious." Shade laughed before shaking his head again, "We've done this so many times and yet you still don't get it? I only want one thing." He pointed at the jakhowl, "I wish to fulfill Dark Mist's dream. I want your kind dead, along with your precious princess of the night."

"And you did all this for that?!" Springer yelled as he gestured his arms out, "For this?! For some...stupid showdown between me and you while letting a ton of criminals loose?!"

"Of course." Shade replied in a calm tone, Springer's growls getting louder as Shade added, "I will always be there Springer. I told you before, you and I...we are destined to do this. That is the fate of the jakhowls and Tricksters." He raised both claws into the air before shining his signature grin, "This...is what we were born for Springer. This is yours and mine's destiny."

Springer's fists clenched up, every fiber of being trying to summon a spark of aura that he could just fire straight into the fox's face. But as he felt this, his eyes went back to the guards, making him snarl as he looked back at Shade, "Seriously?! That's it?! You know, you told me once that the Tricksters were a learning species that actually...what did you say? Oh yeah, value knowledge or something like that. How stupid are you?!"

Shade's grin instantly vanished as he yelled, "I am not stupid! I am doing-"

"Shut up." Springer interrupted as he got into a fighting stance. "I'm so sick and tired of fighting you. Let's just do this and get it over with."

Shade let out a snarl at that, "It is not stupid and neither am I!" The fox then pointed at the guards, "Why do you think I took hostages and let the prisoners free?! It is all to beat you! To kill you!"

"Seriously?!"

"Of course!" Shade exclaimed before pointing at Springer, "I know I can't beat you! Your power is greater than any jakhowl. So, I have to even the playing field. Create a scenario where you can't get any of your pathetic friends help or let you use your full power! That is my plan!"

"And I'll still stop you. I don't need my aura to beat you, Shade." Springer replied, Shade's body now erupting a black aura.

"You will not beat me!" The fox roared as the runes on his body glowed, "Tonight, I will take your head, and tomorrow, the rest of your kind and the princess of the night shall fall! And then, I will-"

"Oh, shut up!" Springer yelled as he charged at the fox, thrusting a jab straight at Shade's face. The fox instantly ducked under it, quickly countering with a dark aura infused claw as he tried to slash at Springer's stomach. But as the claw got close, the jakhowl instantly backpedaled, dodging it in a hair's breath before spinning like a top while swinging a kick straight for the fox's head.

THWACK!

The ankle of the foot smacked Shade's face, a bead of spit coming out of him before he thrust another claw at Springer. The jakhowl quickly sidestepped away, only for Shade to open his mouth, "Dark Blast!" A black orb instantly came out, firing straight for the jakhowl as he crossed both his arms.

BOOM!

"Yaugh!" Springer yelped as the explosion from the orb knocked him back, breaking his guard as Shade charged in. A claw instantly hit Springer's stomach, spit flying out his mouth now before getting backhanded by the fox. But as this blow hit him, Springer spun around again, thrusting another kick into Shade's face. The blow knocked the fox back, stumbling back before Springer rushed in, three jabs quickly hitting the fox's chest.

"Urgh!" Shade growled before wildly swinging his claws, Springer shuffling his feet as he dodged each blow, only for Springer to thrust a leg into Shade's chest, knocking the fox off his feet. His back hit the roof, the Trickster quickly rolling back onto his feet, only to see Springer's foot coming straight for his face. This was followed by four more kicks, every blow knocking the fox back before Springer did a flip, the tip of his foot uppercutting into Shade's head. The fox's head hit the roof again, the rest of his body smacking the floor as well before a black aura surged off his body at this, Springer about to charge in again, only to backpedal a step.

"Grrr...you're still the same old jakhowl, aren't ya?" Shade grumbled as a bit of blood dripped off his mouth as he got up, putting a claw up to his lips and wiping it. "Guess I'll have to try something else." He then snapped his claws at this, Springer raising an eyebrow before hearing a muffled scream behind him.

"MPMH!" The jakhowl glanced back and saw one of the tied up guards try to scream as a rune on his him suddenly surged a blast of electricity into the pony.

"What the-urgh!" Springer tried to say before Shade slammed a claw into his face. The jakhowl then thrusted a punch back, Shade ducking under the jab before stabbing a claw into Springer's stomach, making the jakhowl spit out a glob of blood. Shade opened his mouth next, summoning a Dark Blast before firing the orb right into Springer's face. "BLAUGH!"

The guards watched the jakhowl hit the roof's floor, Shade laughing as Springer rolled back onto his feet. The fox then shook his head as he put his fingers together, making the jakhowl tense up as he said, "Don't move."

"Or what? You're just gonna hurt your hostages because you know you can't beat me?!" Springer snarled, aura trying to appear in his paws.

Shade let out a hiss at that, "You..."

"That's it, isn't it?" Springer growled and pointed at him, "I put you in a corner and you immediately started cheating. That's why you'll never win, Shade." Springer then waved off his paw, "Just give up. You'll never beat me."

"You...you..." Shade muttered as a dark aura covered his body, the runes on his body now shining. And as the runes glowed fully, he let out a roar, "Why don't you get it?!" He pointed to himself before pointing at Springer, "This is why I exist! Why we exist! I exist to kill you and your kind, and that means I have to cheat to fight you! That is the fate of all Tricksters and jakhowls!"

Springer just stood tall at this, soon shaking his head, "Sorry Shade, but I don't care." He then pointed at himself, "I'm only here to make sure you stop causing trouble, beat you, go back down there and help round up the other prisoners, and then go home! That's my fate."

"You..." Shade hissed, his claws shaking as dark aura consumed them.

Springer gave the fox a 'come on' gesture with his right paw, "Come on Shade, let's finish this already."

Shade's eye twitched at that as a chilling wind hit both, the blizzard that was still a few miles away now pushing itself closer to the jail. "You will do nothing." Shade growled, "I will win today. You will die, your friends will die...and I will win! It...it is why I exist!" Two Dark Claws appeared on his paws, "I won't lose, jakhowl!"

Springer just shook his head and switched to a fighting stance. "You're not winning today. You or the prisoners."

"SHUT UP!" Shade screeched as he charged at the jakhowl, "IT ENDS HERE SPRINGER! YOU DIE TODAY!"





Toxic's fangs slowly descended onto Flash's shoulder, the biggest grin on his face as he did this. The defender was still squirming, the ground under him rumbling as he kept fighting against the gravity magic, glaring up at Doom with anger filled eyes. The sight made Doom laugh, "My my...even now, you try to defy me."

His horn flared even more at this as he slowly said, "Make it extra painful Toxic."

"Absolutely." the bat pony chuckled as his fangs were about to touch the defender. "Time to eat! I'm gonna-"

ZAP!

A lightning bolt suddenly slammed into the bat pony, making him scream as he thrown across the floor. Doom flinched at the electricity that streamed right by him. "What the-"

"Hey pops." chimed in a voice, making Doom glance back and see a certain smiling unicorn. "So, do you want me to zap you now, or let Sentry go and let him have fun with you?"

Doom blinked at the sight of his son now flaring his horn, the villain replying, "Aw, son of a-"





"DIE!" Shade screamed as he thrust Dark Claw after Dark Claw, Springer dodging each like he was dancing. The jakhowl sidestepped each attack, ducking under another before jabbing the fox in the face. This was followed by three more punches, each hitting Shade in the face and stomach.

"Urgh!" The fox sputtered before firing another Dark Blast at point blank range, only for Springer to raise his arms in a cross position, blocking the attack as it exploded in front of him. And as Shade thrusted another claw, Springer twisted his arms and snagged Shade's before pulling back his head and then thrusting it forward. The jakhowl headbutted the fox, making the Trickster cry out before Springer slammed a foot into the fox's stomach, knocking him off his feet.

"Just give up Shade. I don't need aura to beat you." Springer commented as Shade rolled across the roof, feeling the sheet of ice under his body as a freezing wind struck both.

"No..." Shade then snapped his claw, a muffled cry ringing out next. Springer glanced back at this, seeing one of the guards now getting hurt from the runes as Shade stood up. "No moving till I say so!"

He then charged at the jakhowl as Springer looked back at him, the fox slamming a claw into Springer's chest before hitting him twice in the face. And as he did this, Springer grabbed the third attack, his paw clenched over Shade's claw and began to squeeze. "Augh! No! No fair! Stop attacking or that guard-"

"Shut up!" Springer yelled as he slammed a fist into Shade's face, knocking him back again. And as Shade's body rolled on the roof's floor, Springer slowly walked up to him. "Turn off the runes and fight me fairly."

Shade spat out a bit of blood before getting back up, wiping his mouth at the same time. "Alright..." He snapped his claw, the rune deactivating before he opened his mouth again, "DARK FORCE!"

A black beam shot out of him, Springer about to dodge until he saw he was directly in front of the guards, making him instead guard himself against the attack. The beam hit him head-on, Shade laughing as an explosion followed, the jakhowl crying out in pain. However, the fox's laugh instantly vanished when the freezing wind blew away any smoke the explosion caused, revealing a still standing proud jakhowl.

"I told you. You're not winning this Shade."

"You..." Shade hissed as he charged again, Springer doing the same as both began to clash once more.





Longhorn now had Ruby pinned to the floor, the knight barely able to move as he growled and leaned down to her face, "Listen here, knight. You're gonna come with me and you're gonna be my ticket out of this blasted place, and if you don't cooperate, I'm gonna turn your skull to dust."

"I...I..." Ruby squeaked out, only to feel another hit to her face.

"Shut it! I do the orders here! You're helping me, so shut up and-"

"Give up." interrupted a voice.

"Yeah! Give up!" Longhorn roared, only to go wide-eyed as he glanced back at the voice, only to see a certain earth pony. It was Iron, a long frown on his face.

"Get off of her, or else." Iron hissed, Longhorn quickly spinning around before slamming his hoof down on Ruby's head.

"Don't move or I cave her head in!" Longhorn screamed, only to see a blank expression appear on Iron's face, making him shiver for a second before adding, "I'll do it!"

"You'll do nothing." Iron replied as he pointed Piecemaker at the bull, only for it to instantly turn into a long metal pole, the weapon thrusting out and slamming into Longhorn's head. The blow knocked him off Ruby, the bull stumbling back. And as he tried to recover, he then saw that Iron was already up in his face before Piecemaker turned into a big metal club.

WHAM!

With one swing, the bull's body was flung into a wall, making him slump down a second later. "That felt good." Iron chuckled as his weapon turned back to normal before glancing down at Ruby. He slipped his hoof under the mare and helped her up, "You okay?"

"You're...late..." she mumbled out, making Iron sigh.

"Sorry. This is what happens when you just rely on Sentry and nopony else."

"I...know..." Ruby muttered before limping over, Iron then moving her over to the prison's observation deck.

"Now, time to go clean up a mess." Iron commented as he put her in a chair before turning to the door where the rune gate was, two empire guards walking through. "Take care of her."

"Yes sir!" they both saluted before rushing over to the knight.

And as Iron left the deck, he let out a sigh as he glanced down and saw Lightning finish up with Doom...and several prisoners now scrambling around the prison. "Time to get to work."





"Blurgh!" Shade spat as Springer's fist slammed into his face, only for the jakhowl's foot to hit the fox's stomach, making the Trickster stumble back. He then raised a claw, snapping it as a muffled cry of pain to ring out. Springer flinched at this, the fox then saying, "Stop. Stop or one of them will die."

Springer glanced back to see a guard now being electrocuted by the runes, the jakhowl grimacing at the sight. He looked back at the fox, Shade spitting out a glob of blood as a dark aura appeared in a claw. "Don't...move." Shade growled as he took a deep breath, trying to get his balance back.

"Stop hurting him." Springer replied, his paws clenching up as he saw the fox try to fully stand up. In the past few minutes, Springer had found every time he got the advantage over Shade, he would instantly hurt one of the guards. This was followed by Shade hitting him once or twice, only for Springer to counterattack, easily knocking the fox back.

And as Shade snapped his claw, the runes turned off as the fox got into a fighting stance. A long deep breath escaped the fox's mouth, Springer speaking up again, "Just give up Shade. Even if you make it so I can't use aura, you still won't win."

"Shut up!" Shade roared as he widely opened his mouth, "Dark Blast!" A black orb shot out of it, only for Springer to raise a paw and smacked it away, "What?! But-"

"I told you, you can't win." Springer responded as he flexed the paw that had deflected the orb away. It was here that Shade saw what he meant, as the paw was unharmed despite not using aura. The fox went wide-eyed, Springer knowing he was about to ask what the jakhowl was doing, and decided to just go ahead and explain it, "I knew that when we would fight again that you would do something to restrict me. I'll admit, it took me a while to figure it out, but since you're so keen on making sure I don't use my aura, I decided to use it a different way." He then patted his chest, where the damage from Shade's earlier strikes were now gone, "If I don't use my aura in battle, I'll instead make sure it uses every bit of itself to heal me. As long as I'm not taking constant damage, or some weird magic or runes like you did last time isn't affecting me, you won't win."

"You..." Shade hissed as he raised his claw to snap it again.

"Don't even bother. Even if you want me to turn it off, I can't. You and I both know that my aura is part of me. You can't make it go away." Springer countered.

"You filthy furball..." Shade growled, "Are you saying I can't win this?!"

Springer just blinked at him before resisting the urge to facepalm as he said in a deadpan tone, "Yes. Yes, I am. Along with the last like...twenty times I said it."

"You...NO!" Shade screeched as he charged at Springer again, wildly swinging his claws around as the jakhowl just backpedaled from each blow. And as he dodged four swipes, Springer ducked under a fifth before thrusting a leg straight into Shade's face, "Blaugh!"

The fox began stumbling back again, only to see Springer charging at him now. "Don't touch me!" Shade yelled as he snapped his claws again, a muffled cry ringing out once more. "I...I..."

Springer glanced back to see the guards grimacing in pain again, only to look back at Shade with a snarl, "Let them go Shade!"

"Shut up! This is the only way I can win!" Shade cried as he still tried to get his balance, the runes on his body glowing like crazy as he stood back up, "I have to win! I have too!" He opened his mouth again, "DARK FORCE!"

Another black beam shot out of the fox, hitting Springer head-on once again. The jakhowl let out a scream at this, an explosion consuming him next. Shade shined the biggest grin at this as another frigid wind struck the prison roof. But as it instantly blew away the explosion's smoke, his smile began to vanish as he saw Springer still standing. His body was full of wounds now, but Springer was still standing strong.

"Why?! Why doesn't that finish you?! Why are you still standing?!"

"I told you." Springer replied as smoke came out of his mouth, "You're not winning."

"Shut up!" Shade spat, "I'll show you! Dark-"

ZAP!

"Eeyaugh!" the fox yelped as a lightning bolt struck his chest, the bolt knocking him off his feet. The sight made Springer go wide-eyed, glancing back to see Lightning now standing in front of the guards.

"Sorry I'm late." the unicorn announced as he saw the wounds all over the jakhowl, "You okay?"

"I'm fine." Springer grumbled as looked back at Shade, the fox now standing back up. "See Shade? Now I've got backup, which means your little jailbreak distraction plan failed as well."

"No...I can't..." Shade muttered out before holding up his claws to snap them again.

"Just stop it. Even if you hurt them again, you still won't win." Springer interrupted before putting his arms to his sides, not even bothering to get into a fighting stance. "It's over."

"It's not over!"

"It is." Springer instantly responded before closing his eyes, "It's over...because I say it is. I'm done fighting you Shade. This feud between jakhowls and Tricksters has gone on long enough." The jakhowl shook his head at this, "I won't fight you again. There's no point."

"No point?! NO POINT?!" Shade screeched before pointing to himself, "That's why we exist, jakhowl! We exist to kill each other!"

Springer opened his eyes at this, "If that's your reason for living Shade, then I pity you."

"Pity me?!" Shade yelped, the dark aura on his body now surging like a pillar off his back. The sight made Lightning tense up, his horn flaring...only to glance over at Springer. The jakhowl hadn't moved an inch.

"Yeah. I pity you Shade. You're just a fox stuck in the past."

"I...I..." Shade sputtered out before yelling, "Oh yeah?! Then what is your reason to live, huh jakhowl?!" He then pointed a claw at the jakhowl, "Let me guess, it's so you can be with those stupid ponies and their worthless friendship nonsense! Am I wrong?!"

Springer just stared at him for a second, only to shake his head, "No. I'll admit, I spent a long time thinking about who and what I am recently. When I saw what happened to our races, and then learning our origins along with you attacking me again and Ace and Mira...I still didn't understand what to do next."

"Our origins?" Shade slowly replied.

Springer nodded back, "I know why we exist Shade. And...I realized that it's pointless to dwell on it. It's in the past, and it needs to stay there. Sure, we can learn from it, but it still needs to stay there." He then pointed to himself, "I came here to fight you because I believed it was something I had to do to protect Ace and Mira...but I was wrong. I think...I think my reason to exist is...it's to help the next generation of jakhowl." He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. "This fight...seeing you like this, stuck in the past...it made me realize that we both need to let go of the past and move on."

Shade didn't respond at that. The dark aura that was pouring off him was still there, Lightning still flaring his horn as he glanced between the two. However, as this happened, Springer said one final thing, "I'm done fighting you Shade. I'm going to go home, and I'm going to tell Ace and Mira everything, and then I'm going to stop looking at the past and into the future."

Springer then spun around, making Shade go wide-eyed. The jakhowl began to walk away, making the fox grind his teeth before yelling, "What are you-where are you going?!" But the jakhowl didn't respond, the sight making Shade screech, "Don't you dare walk away from me! I am your destiny! I am the reason you exist! We must fight Springer!"

Springer came to a stop at those words, only to slightly glance back at the fox, "That's the thing Shade. I don't want to fight you anymore."

And as those words left Springer's mouth, Shade felt something snap in his head. Lightning watched as Springer looked away again before the fox put his claws to his head and began scratching, "No...no...NO! This is all wrong!" His eyes went bloodshot red at this, making Lightning flinch as he saw the dark aura surrounding the fox now surge even more. "I'll kill you!"

"Springer, watch-"

"RAAAAAAAUUUUUGGGHHHHH!" Shade screeched as the dark aura consumed his entire body, runes glowing like a spotlights shining off his body...only for a blast of smoke to consume him. The sight made Lightning flinch again, only for another burst of freezing wind to hit the roof. A second later, the smoke was gone...and it revealed a tiny little black fox.

"No...no!" Shade cried while looking down at his paws, "I can't...why did my...what just happened to me?!"

Springer spun around at this, seeing the fox in his true form and said, "It means you lost again."

"No...shut up. I haven't lost." Shade muttered, "I just-"

"You have." Lightning chimed in, "Stop tormenting Springer and give up."

"Never!" Shade roared as he pointed at the unicorn, "Stay out of this, you disgusting pony! I am a Trickster, and I'm above your worthless kind!"

"You're nothing but a criminal." Lightning instantly responded, "Just come quietly already. We got a nice cell waiting for you just a few stories-"

"SHUT UP!" Shade screamed, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I won't lose! I refuse to lose!" He then thrusted a paw into his mouth, pulling out a small red and white ball a second later. He tapped the main button on it as he continued to scream, "This isn't the end! I will return! I will win one day, and I-"

ZAP!

A single bolt shot over the roof, instantly hitting the ball in Shade's paw. The sight made him go wide-eyed as the ball split in half, the top part now in pieces. The device he had used so many times to get away...was now broken.

He glanced back at the two, now seeing Lightning standing with a smoking horn. "You lose." Lightning chuckled, "Now, how about you take a little visit to one of the cells right under-"

"SHUT UP!" Shade screeched, making Lightning stop as he found himself surprised how loud the tiny fox could be. "You...do you have any idea what you've just done?!"

"He broke your way out of here." Springer chimed in, "Now give up Shade. This unending fight between us is over."

"Over?! OVER?!" Shade exclaimed, his right eye twitching as the group then felt another blast of icy cold wind hit them. They turned to see that the blizzard was now picking up, snow smacking the roof in giant sheets. Seeing this, Shade's teeth grinded into each other before pointing back at Springer, "Fine. You win." The two glanced back at him, only to see nothing but pure raw anger on the fox's face. "But I won't go in a cell. I'm leaving Equestria."

"You're not going-" Lightning started, only for Springer to raise a paw in front of him.

"Where are you going?"

Shade's eyes narrowed as he glared at Springer, "That's not important. What's important is this: I will never give up. One day...one day you'll see why we have to fight. Until then..." He put his paw in his mouth again, this time pulling out a small black ball before yelling, "I'll see you in your nightmares, jakhowl!"

With that, he threw the ball down, a burst of black smoke covering him. Lightning quickly fired a bolt into the black fog, but it went right through. And as the blizzard shoved another harsh wind over the roof, the smoke was instantly destroyed...only to show nothing. Shade was gone.

"Where did he-"

"He leapt off the roof...and into the blizzard." Springer interrupted, "Don't bother going after him. It's not worth it."

Lightning turned to the jakhowl, seeing a look of pain on his face. Springer...looked tired. As if he had aged years upon years just doing this one fight. The unicorn did a small nod before putting a hoof around him, helping him back down into the prison and out of the cold.





It wasn't long till Shining came into the prison with a full group of guards. Glad to see most of the prisoners knocked out, Iron commenting that he should have been invited earlier as he did a lot of the fighting of other prisoners, they quickly stuffed them back into their cells while taking the guards that had been tied up on the roof to the hospital. This was followed by Cadance asking Celestia for an extra set of guards until things could get settled again.

As for the defenders and Ruby, they were all checked up by the empire hospital, soon getting a clean bill of health. The only one that didn't was Springer, the jakhowl telling the others he needed to get back to Ponyville. Flash told him to stay, but his partner refused. He said he had to take care of something.

And as Springer came home first, he found Twilight waiting at the gate. She was horrified by his wounds, but he told her it was nothing, as his aura would heal him. He then used his aura to telepathically summon Ace and Mira, the two quickly appearing a few minutes later. And as they arrived, they saw how badly beat up Springer was, gasping and worrying over him. However, despite this, he led them to the crystal room and turned on the crystal. The room shifted to the Everfree Forest, showing the Tree of Harmony.

"What the-what is this?" Ace asked as Mira recognized the tree.

"That's the-"

"Sit down." Springer pointed to a log, the two quickly hopping onto it. And as they did this, Springer kept his paw on the room crystal, "I need to show you two something."

"What...what are you gonna show us?"

"My life." Springer replied, "I want to show you because...because you're the next generation, and I haven't treated you right. I felt you needed to grow up and be your own jakhowls. I didn't want you encountering Shade and...and having to fight that battle." He took a long deep breath at this, "But I was wrong. You need to know everything. And more importantly, you need to know why I had to fight Shade."

The two shared a glance before looking back at Springer, now seeing what he truly was. He was an adult jakhowl, one that had gone through ten times the amount of things they had. And despite that, they could tell from just his aura...that he cared. He truly cared and was proud of them.

"We're ready." Both said in unison, Springer nodding back.

"Thank you. Now, it begins here because...my egg was sealed here."

And as he began to show them, the two young jakhowls went wide-eyed as he began to show them scene after scene. They saw the history of Springer the jakhowl, how he had first met Flash, became a defender, how he had to figure out everything with his aura all on his own...and then his first encounter with Shade. How that led to more and more fights, each one causing him pain and grief...only to learn from it. To endure and become something greater. And as the story came to an end, one where he received their eggs, he stopped the room and saw the looks on their faces. Their eyes were filled with starry-eyed wonder, something that made him chuckle. And it was at this moment he knew, he knew that the future of jakhowls would be alright. Even if disaster struck, he would make sure that everything turned out alright for the two.
> School Raze PT1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flash let out a moan as he felt himself spinning, his brain peeling as he tried to focus. He opened his eyes and found he was in a mental void, but one unlike anything he had ever seen before. Instead of one color, or a couple flowing together in perfect harmony, the void was constantly shifting colors and patterns appearing in random spots all around him. And he was spinning around, feeling like he was in zero gravity and being thrown around by something.

"What's happening?" He groaned out.

"Flash!" The voice was barely audible, Flash's ears perking up at this, "F-ash. -lea-- -elp me."

"Faust?" He recognized the voice despite its distortion. "What's happening? Where are you?"

"-agi- is...dy..." Was all he could hear as the void's shifting colors grew more and more out of control. He called out again, but he could no longer hear the voice.

"Faust...Faust! FAUST!"





"Whoa!" He sat up, "Ergh..." he rubbed his face as his brain kept hurting, "What happened?" He moaned as he tried to recall the dream he had just had, but the memories were already beginning to grow fuzzy. He opened his eyes and saw he was in his and Twilight's room, which was unoccupied except for him. Twilight had likely gone off to the school, Flash not having to worry since he didn't have any classes that day. However, as he was about to lay back down, he remembered he was meant to be on patrol.

"YAAAH!" He leapt out of the bed, zipping out of the room and grabbing his sword along the way. He passed a hallway clock on his way out and saw it was almost half seven, the pegasus flinching at how late he had slept. He headed out a window and rushed toward the town, hoping to do a speedy search of the town to make up for the time he had lost. But by the time he reached the first street, his lungs were screaming at him to slow down. "Huh?" He came to a stop and floated down to the ground, panting as he did so.

When he touched down, he had to lean against a wall to catch his breath. "Flash?" He turned to see Grand standing down the street, the older Royal Knight moving over to him. "You okay?"

"Just a little...winded."

"Oh?" Grand raised an eyebrow at this, "How long have you been flying?"

"I just woke up," Flash replied, "I overslept, so I tried to catch up on my patrol. But for some reason, I was barely able to make it here from the castle without losing my breath."

"That is strange," Grand responded, "You could normally get a whole day of constant flying and barely feel tired. Have you been getting enough sleep lately?" Flash nodded, "Eating right?" Flash nodded again. "Stress?"

"I'm a Royal Knight, Defender of the Peace, Element of Harmony and teacher to a bunch of rowdy students plus giving extra lessons to Fire Heart. What do you think?"

"I think you might be overdoing it. You should try and take a break whenever you can. Why not take the rest of the day off and relax? If you don't have any lessons at the school, you can enjoy yourself and recharge the old batteries." Flash smiled and thanked his mentor, the two knights separating with Flash heading in the direction of the school.

Along the way, he took the time to simply enjoy the scenery. And as he did this, he noticed Derpy flying through the air on her delivery route, heading for the school. Taking a letter out of her bag, she seemed to be focusing on the address.

"Derpy!" He called out, "Watch out for-" He didn't get to finish as Derpy slammed headfirst into the wall above the door and dropped all her letters. Luckily, Cozy was there to catch them all so they didn't fall into the water. Cozy had really come into her own over the last few months at the school. With the CMC's help, she was acing all her classes and Twilight had been so amazed by her sudden growth that she had offered Cozy the position of her Friendship Assistant.

"Thank you for the mail delivery," she told Derpy as the pegasus flew away. "Have a wonderful day!" She put the letters in her saddlebag and straightened up her Friendship Assistant medal, Flash arriving at the school as she did. "Oh, hello Professor Flash. Aren't you supposed to be on patrol this morning?"

"Grand gave me the day off," Flash replied, "Told me to take it easy so I don't wear myself out."

"That makes sense. You're always going the extra mile for everypony. You shouldn't push yourself too hard." She spun around and walked into the school, Flash following her as both headed for Twilight's office. Along the way, Cozy spotted a discarded juice box on the floor. She rolled her eyes and smiled as she picked it up, throwing the box into the recycling bin and its straw into the garbage.

She then noticed a pegasus filly Flash didn't recognize, who was currently looking at a map. "You're new here, right?" She nodded, "I'm Cozy Glow, Professor Sparkle's friendship assistant. Welcome to our school!" She took the map and smiled, "Your first class is just down that hall." The filly smiled and headed off in that direction, Flash and Cozy continuing down the hall and cutting through the library as a shortcut to Twilight's office.

Along the way, they spotted Silverstream currently doing a crossword puzzle. Cozy happened to see she was having trouble with a particular column that was also part of several other worlds. "A seven-letter word for teamwork." She put a hoof to her chin, "Have you tried synergy?"

"That's it! Thanks, Cozy!"

"What are friends for?" Cozy giggled as the pair left the library.

"I gotta say Cozy," Flash smirked at the filly. "You've really come into your own here. You were one of our worst students when you arrived, but now I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up graduating Valedictorian."

"Thanks Professor Flash. I never would have been able to do it if the ponies here hadn't helped me so much. For the first time in my life, I feel like I'm where I belong."

Flash chuckled at that, "Sometimes, you remind me so much of Twilight. Going from being completely clueless about Friendship, to being her Friendship Assistant. I wouldn't be surprised if end up running this school when you're older."

"That's nice of you to say. But I could never replace the Princess of Friendship." They then arrived at Twilight's office and Cozy opened the door, Flash walking in as they both saw Twilight at her desk looking over a long scroll. "Good morning, Professor Sparkle!" She placed the letters she had gotten from Derpy on Twilight's desk, but this only made Twilight panic.

"The mail's here already?" She looked up at the clock, "What time is it?!" Seeing it read eight o'clock, Twilight's face went pale, "I'm late for my class's field trip to Cloudsdale!"

"Oh yeah," Flash had forgotten about the trip. It was the whole reason he was lessonless today.

Twilight rushed over to a cabinet and took out her saddlebag, but Cozy stopped her before she could rush out the door. "Don't worry." She took her saddlebag away, "I asked Professor Rainbow Dash to cover for you."

"And she said yes?!" Twilight yelped.

"Uh-huh," Cozy nodded, "I told her how busy you are and how much her loyalty meant to you." She then took out a notepad. "I also color-coded your teaching schedule by friendship element and catalogued all the magical artifacts in the school."

"Yup," Flash sat on a couch, "A tiny little Twilight in the making."

Cozy gulped at that, "I hope that's okay."

"Okay?" Twilight smiled, "Cozy, that's amazing! You're like my right-hoof pony!" She hugged her before returning to her desk. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

Cozy giggled at this, "It's like you taught me: Helping is what friendship's all about."

"Exactly," Twilight sat down, "And hopefully my class is learning that on their field trip right now."

"I heard they might do some sightseeing first," Cozy added as Twilight looked out the window, wondering how much fun the students were having before turning back to her paper and got back to work. But before she could that, she realized Flash was there.

"How long have you been here?"

"Same time as Cozy," Flash laid back on the couch. "I'll try not to disturb you." He let out a yawn, Twilight raising an eyebrow.

"You okay? You're looking kinda tired."

"I'm not sure," Flash responded, "I've been feeling off all morning. First I overslept, then I got winded flying into town. And now my body doesn't seem to wanna do anything except relax."

"Huh," Twilight hummed at this, "That's not like you. Usually, you've got energy to spare as long as you're not doing something extremely strenuous. Were you using your Sacred Light?"

Flash shook his head. "Grand seems to think I'm overdoing it. That's why he's taking over my patrol today. Told me to relax and unwind."

"Good idea," Twilight nodded, "Just do me a favor and don't make any noise. I need absolute concentration to get this work done." Flash nodded and laid back, allowing himself to succumb to the exhaustion he was feeling. Luckily, he managed to fall asleep without snoring. His sleep was a peaceful one, without any weird dreams this time, only for-

"We have an emergency!" Starlight's voice caused him to jump and reach for his sword, the pegasus seeing the unicorn rush into Twilight's office along with Rainbow, Heart and Soul.

"The students dropped out of the sky!" Rainbow cried, shocking Cozy while Flash and Twilight went wide-eyed.

"Slow down," Twilight replied, "What happened?"

"The others almost died, that's what happened!" Heart responded, "It's a good thing more than half the class were flyers, or we'd be scraping Ace, Mira, Yona and several other ponies off the ground and filling a single bucket with them!"

Twilight flinched at this before turning to Starlight as she added, "I cast a spell for our field trip to Cloudsdale, but my magic just failed."

"We barely caught everypony in time!" Rainbow continued.

"It was horrible," Soul sighed, "I tried casting that relaxation spell you taught me to calm them down, but it didn't work!" She tried to light her horn, but nothing happened.

"I'm glad you're all okay," Twilight flew over to them. "But I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, Starlight. Maybe you did your spell wrong." Starlight looked insulted that this theory, "And Soul probably just lost control of her magic again." This time it was Soul who looked insulted, since she hadn't had any issues with her magic since she discovered her healing magic. "Let's take a look." She grabbed a book in her magic and pulled it off the shelf, only for it to suddenly cut out and make the book fall to the ground. "I...I didn't drop that book."

"Maybe you did your spell wrong?" Starlight told her sarcastically right as a bang occurred from the door.

"Ow!" A familiar female voice called out as the door opened to show Fluttershy, Iron, Lightning Blitz and Rarity. Rarity was rubbing her head as Fluttershy slowly told them what happened.

"Rarity ran into the door."

"My magic is go-o-o-one!" The unicorn sobbed, stepping inside to show them her tail. "I even had to use my hooves to coif my tail!" The tail looked an absolute mess, with stray strands sticking out in all directions as a hairbrush was stuck through it and a pink bow was tied around it at the flank.

"It's not just her!" Lightning added, "My magic's gone kaput too! I can't even make a spark or pick up a can of soda!"

"Unicorns are having trouble with their magic all over town," Iron continued, "Lyra was helping Bon Bon fix her store's sign and almost dropped the board on her. Vinyl was playing music and dropped a record onto her turntable wrong, sending it flying out a nearby window and almost taking out a pony's eye!"

"Still think there's nothing to worry about?" Rainbow asked Twilight, the alicorn grimacing at this.

"This doesn't make any sense," she replied, "Magic can't just disappear. Something has to be causing this."

"Um," Cozy held up a hoof, "Didn't we learn in class about a creature that eats magic? Ter, Tee...Tir-something?"

Fluttershy gasped at that, "Tirek!"

The others flinched, only for Rainbow to chime in, "Isn't he trapped in Tartarus?"

"He got out once," Iron growled. "Maybe he got out again." But as he said that, the door flew open and Spike rushed in. The young dragon was gagging, as if he was choking on something.

"Spike? What's wrong?" Spike was blowing out tiny wisps of smoke, the ponies gathering around him as they realized he was trying to spit out a letter. Rarity slammed her hoof down on his back, flattening him against the ground and making him finally cough out the magic ash.

He sighed as the ash formed a scroll, "Thanks. I've never had a letter get stuck before." He picked it up and began reading. "It's from Princess Celestia! We've all been called to an emergency meeting in Canterlot! Look!" He held the scroll out and Twilight grabbed it in her magic. But as soon as Spike let go, her magic gave out and it fell to the ground.

"Pretty sure I know what it's about."

"Let's get Springer, Applejack, Pinkie and Grand," Flash sheathed his sword. "If magic is failing, that means the Rune Gate's not an option. Looks like we're taking the train to Canterlot." He then let out a loud yawn, making everypony stare at him, "What?"

"Let's go!" They all headed out, each splitting up to grab the four who had also been summoned. Grand had also become aware of the magic failures, the earth pony fearing his Celestic Gear might also start failing. Luckily, Lightbringer, Grand Slammer and Piecemaker appeared to be working just fine. And once they were all gathered, they rushed for the train and only had to wait five minutes before it arrived.

The train ride had been worrisome, many unicorns now being seen having trouble with their luggage due to their magic failing. Twilight was wondering if unicorns and alicorns were the only ones affected. "Flame on!" Heart yelled at this, his hoof igniting. He threw the fire onto his other hoof and wasn't having any issue, making Twilight sigh in relief.

"Looks like your kirin magic isn't being affected. At least not yet." She turned to Springer, who formed an Aura Blast without much issue. He dispelled it and formed a Bone Breaker, Steel Paw and even went Mega Mode for a moment before returning to normal. "And Springer's power is perfectly fine."

"Probably because it's not magic," Flash pointed out, "So whatever's doing this, it's only targeting magic."

"Does anypony have any idea how this might be happening?" Applejack asked.

Twilight thought about Tirek, but decided not to announce her theory on a crowded train where who knows how many ponies could head and spread it before saying, "I don't know. I just hope we can figure it out and put an end to it before something bad happens."

"We'll be fine," Pinkie waved her hoof, "Celestia's gonna tell us what's wrong, we're gonna find it and take it down. We've done this so many times it won't a problem. Even if unicorns and alicorns can't use magic, we've still got Springer and his aura, Heart and his flames, the Royal Knights and their weapons and Flash's Sacred Light. There's no way anything could stand a chance against all those odds."

They all nodded at this, only for Twilight to gasp, "Your Sacred Light!" She turned to her boyfriend, who just blinked at her before going wide-eyed.

"Oh no." He got up and everypony gave him some space, "Armorize!" He exploded with light and the armor began to form on his body, but something was wrong. The light wasn't as bright as it usually was, and the armor was taking longer to form. And when the light finally died down, his armor was there, but the sight made him frown since the metal didn't have that same shimmer it usually had.

"How do you feel?" Twilight asked, looking the armor over.

Flash tried to move his mechanized wings, but found a lot of resistance with them. And as he tried to fire his thrusters, he suddenly felt a wave of dizziness overcome him. "Whoa..." he lost his balance and staggered to the side, the others moving to catch him as his armor started to disintegrate.

"It's even affecting your Sacred Light," Twilight gulped as they helped Flash to his seat, seeing how tired he was looking. "Oh no."

"What?" Springer asked.

"Flash's Sacred Light is connected to his very soul. You all saw what happened to Shadow Corrupter when his Corrupted Shadow was removed. The only reason he survived was because of special equipment that helped him. If Flash is losing his Sacred Light, it's a lot worse than what's happening to us. Ponies can survive without their magic. Flash can't survive without the Sacred Light." She paled at this, "You'll die."

Flash let out a moan before glaring at her, "Then we need to figure out who's doing this and how to reverse it." They all nodded back as the train arrived at the station, where an attachment of Royal Guards were waiting to lead them straight to the castle. Along the way, they saw that the city was in disarray. The many unicorns that lived there appeared to be having trouble going about their day to day lives since they couldn't carry anything or use the magic many of them had based their entire professions around.

And once they got to the castle, they were led to the throne room and headed inside. There, they spotted Celestia and Luna on the throne while Cadance was standing at the base of it. And they weren't the only ones. Most of the Royal Knights were already present. Ruby Scarlet, Cold Steel, and Skybreaker were already there, with Flash, Iron and Grand making their number six. Tidal Wave, First Aid and Heather Bloom weren't there, but the ponies assumed if they could have used the Runes Gates, they would be. Trixie was also there, standing beside the throne with a bandage wrapped around her right leg.

"Good," Celestia nodded, "You're here. I apologize for the sudden summons, but we appear to be facing a great crisis. Throughout our city, ponies have been reporting tales of their magic failing. Spells going wrong. Potions not working."

"Even raising the moon has become difficult," Luna added, "Are there similar troubles in Ponyville?"

"We experienced it first-hoof," Twilight nodded, "And it's worse than you think. Flash's Sacred Light is somehow being drained away." The princess and Royal Knights all grimaced at this, seeing the defender looking rather drained.

"So whatever it is has the power to drain the Sacred Light as well," Celestia stated as Cadance spoke up.

"It's the same in my kingdom. The Crystal Heart seems safe for now, but I worry if this continues."

As she said that, the doors opened and a mailpony flew in. He was panting heavily, looking like he had flown non-stop to get there. "Letter for the princess from Starswirl the Bearded!" He took the letter out and Spike flew it over to Celestia, holding it up so she didn't have to try and use her magic. And as she read, her expression paled.

"It is even more terrible than we feared! Magic is disappearing all across Equestria!" They all gasped at this, "Starswirl believes the power will drain from our land in three days. First, unicorn magic and spells will fail."

"That's what's happening now," Starlight cried.

Trixie flinched as she rubbed her bandaged leg. "Of all the time to lose my magic, it had to be when I was making scalding hot tea."

"On the second day, creatures will lose their magic abilities."

"Oh no!" Fluttershy gasped as Heart summoned his fire, hearing it might be gone forever.

"And finally, magical artifacts will stop working." The Royal Knights looked down at their Celestic Gear, all grimacing at this, "When the sun sets on the third day, the magic in our world will be gone forever!" They gasped again.

"No magic," Ruby quivered, "The Crystal Empire can't survive without magic."

"The whole of Equestria can't survive without magic," Grand added, "Without magic, there'll be no way to raise and lower the sun and moon."

"Cloudsdale will be lost," Skybreaker growled, "If the pegasi lose their ability to stand on clouds, they won't be able to live on Cloudsdale. And they won't be able to make the weather needed to keep Equestria alive."

"And then there's the magical items," Cold pointed out, "And places that run on magic. The prisons of Equestria need magic to stop the criminals from getting out. Even if they lose their magic, they can still cause a lot of problems."

"And what about medical magic?" Lightning continued, "There are ponies out there that need magic to help them survive." Applejack heard this and remembered Rogue, knowing that without the golden apples, his poison would eventually overtake him.

"But why is this happening now?" Cadance asked.

"That's the worst part," Luna sighed. "We have no idea."

"Has anypony checked on Tirek?" Twilight asked, only for Pinkie to jump up next to her.

"You mean the big, red, scary centaur who eats magic? Why would we wa-Ohhhh. Riiiiight."

Celestia bit her lip at this, "If he has found some way to escape his prison or work from within it, he could be responsible for this."

"That is the best explanation so far," Luna nodded, "Somepony should investigate."

"We'll go," Twilight replied, only for Rarity to turn to her.

"Oh, no-no-no-no-no-no. Not without us, you wo...wait. Did you say we?"

Twilight smiled at them all, "I've finally learned that it's okay to count on your friends for help." They smiled back before Twilight then asked, "Um, you do want to come, right?"

"Uh, duh!" Rainbow exclaimed as the others nodded.

"We can't all go," Grand chimed in, "The Royal Knights will stay behind to make sure nothing goes wrong in your absence." He turned to his apprentice, "Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Yeah," Flash nodded, "I'm not letting what's happening to me slow me down." He took out his Celestic Gear, "I might not be able to use my Sacred Light, but this still works. And even if it fails, I'll use it the old-fashioned way if I have too."

"Thank you, all. We will search for ways to protect Equestria in your absence." Celestia proclaimed next.

"Be careful," Luna added, "Tartarus has changed since you were there. It now holds many dangerous creatures, and you won't be able to rely on your magic."

Applejack put a hoof around Twilight's back. "With her friends by her side, she won't have to." They all smiled before running out the door, Trixie, Cadance and the Royal Knights watching them and praying they found a way to stop this. Since the Rune Gates actually were operational, they managed to use it to get them back home. However, Twilight told them that they would need to walk to Tartarus since there was no way to teleport a Rune Gate there without Alicorn magic. As such, they all headed home and prepared themselves for the long trip. Flash did his best to hide how tired he was feeling, but somepony did know just how exhausted the knight felt.

"You shouldn't push yourself," Springer told him as they were in Flash's room. "Twilight and the others can handle this on their own."

"No way," Flash replied, "They had the face the Storm King on their own because I wasn't able to fight back against Void. I'm not leaving them to face off against another monster without me."

"Well, if you're sure," Springer sighed, "Maybe I should go with you. Just for some extra protection."

"No," Flash placed a hoof on his shoulder, "You need to stay here. If we can't stop this by the third day, the Tree and Elements of Harmony are gonna lose their power. Without them, the Everfree forest will start to spread to the rest of Ponyville. With Iron, Grand and Lightning off protecting other sections of Equestria, this place is gonna need your help keeping it and the students safe."

Springer sighed, but nodded. "Alright." Flash smirked and held up a hoof, Springer bumping it before they left.

The jakhowl then headed out on patrol as Flash made his way back to the school, the others, minus Twilight and Starlight, heading there too along with saddlebags of every they would need to survive their trip. "You all ready for this?" He asked, the group all frowning but nodding at the same time. And as they made their way through the school, they spotted Twilight and Starlight walking down the opposite hallway. Flash could tell Twilight was worried about the school, but Starlight said something that made her calm down.

"Okay!" Spike cheered as he looked through his backpack. "Cozy packed us all up for a trip to bad guy central."

"Don't forget the sandwiches," Cozy suddenly appeared with brown paper bags on her back. "I marked whose is whose, just in case." She leaned over to whisper to Spike, "Starlight can't stand mustard."

Starlight blushed at this, only to walk up and pat Cozy's side, "That's sweet of you Cozy, but Twilight has asked me to stay here to run the school." This statement caused Cozy's face to drop as she dropped a food bag.

"Oh," she glanced down, "I thought that after what happened last time-"

"Once she's survived Discord, anything else is a piece of cake." Spike chuckled at this, only to hear Cozy whimper as the filly looked ready to burst out crying.

"Plus," Twilight added, "She'll have you to help her."

This statement got Cozy's happiness levels right up. "Oh, golly, yes! I promise I'll be the best assistant ever!" She flew over to Starlight and grabbed her by the hoof. "Come on! We can start working on your substitute headmare plans right now, if you like."

"Wow. Uh, okay." Starlight gave them one final good luck smile before following her, the others heading to the door.

"See?" Twilight told Spike once she, he and Flash were left in the hall. "Nothing to worry about." But then she grabbed them both by the bags and pulled them close, showing a big grimace, "Tell me there's nothing to worry about." Spike gave her a frown, Twilight laughing as she let them both go and brushed them off.

"Will you relax?" Flash sighed, "We'll be fine. We're gonna get Tirek to undo whatever he did. And if not, we beat him until he cries momma."

"Okay," Twilight looked Flash over and saw he already seemed pretty tired. "Are you sure you can handle-"

"I'm fine," Flash assured her. "Just focus on getting us to Tartarus." Twilight sighed, but nodded and began to head for the door. Flash and Spike followed as they caught up with the others and began to head off in the direction of the dark mountains that held the only entrance into the dangerous prison. It was gonna be a long trip for sure.





Heart and Soul were in the courtyard, going over each other's homework, though it was more like Soul checking to make sure Heart had done his right while Heart saw how it was supposed to be done. When he finished reading through it, Heart put Soul's down and held up his hoof. He ignited it and as he did, he looked at the flame like it was the most important thing in the world.

"Are you okay?" Soul asked, Heart not replying as he stared at the flames. She rolled her eyes and since they were sitting next to some water, she used her tail to splash him and put out the flames.

"Hey!" He yelped.

"You didn't answer me. What are you doing? That fire's not gonna help you with your homework."

"Well, I might not have much more time to enjoy it!" Heart barked, "By this time tomorrow, my fire's gonna be gone!" He sighed and laid back on the ground, Soul shaking her head.

"Flash and Twilight are gonna get the magic back. Compared to the stuff they've already faced, this shouldn't be that hard."

"Maybe...but what if they don't do it before my fire's completely gone? I wasn't born with my abilities. Who's to say they'll come back when the magic returns? The fire is what makes me special. If it's gone-"

"Nothing's gonna change," Soul chimed in, "Flash didn't just make you his apprentice because of your flames. He chose you because of who you are, not what you are. Even if the fire goes away, Flash isn't gonna stop training you. Don't forget, most Royal Knights are ordinary ponies that worked hard and didn't have any special powers until they got their Celestic Gear. You're still gonna be the same pony, even if you can't shoot fire out of your butt." Heart glared at her at this, only for both's ears to perk up as they heard the sound of wings. Turning to it, they now saw Cozy flying in while staring at a piece of paper, only to now about to fly into a wall.

"Cozy, stop!" Heart yelled, Cozy stopping herself at the command.

"Oh," she glanced up to see the wall before turning to the colt, "Thanks Heart." Heart slightly blushed as Soul rolled her eyes again.

"What are you looking at that's so important you almost crashed?"

Cozy flew down and showed them the paper. Heart squinted his eyes at it, only to find he couldn't read it, "What am I looking at?"

"Starlight's hoof-writing," Soul sighed, "It's even worse than her horn-writing."

"Tell me about it," Cozy nodded, "I'm impressed you could tell it was Starlight's."

"I've read enough of her writing to recognize how she writes her K's and Q's. Is this supposed to be a lesson plan or something?"

"Yup," Cozy nodded again, "Though I doubt many students are gonna be able to read it. I might have to rewrite it myself, so I'd better get going. Bye!" She flew off before either of them could say anything, Heart waving her off with a big grin, Soul laughing at him as he glared back at her. And after another hour of homework reviewing, they were happy to see the work looking good, making sure both weren't identical but still good.

As they put their things away, they noticed the sun was beginning to set. Apparently, Celestia and Luna had enchanted a special device after Tirek's last attack that could do their duties of raising and lowering the sun and moon. With alicorn and unicorn magic gone, they would be relying on that until it also lost power, or magic was restored to Equestria.

The pair made their way through the school as it was getting dark, several other students going to since it would soon be time for lights out. "Why don't we go see how Starlight's doing?" Soul chimed in, "I'm worried about her running the school all on her own."

"But I thought she'd be fine." Heart responded, "She's done it before. Like Spike said, if she can handle Discord, she can handle anything."

"True, but she did have Spike's help that time. This time, she's all on her own." Heart shrugged, but nodded and the pair headed to Twilight's office. The sun had completely set when they reached it and Soul knocked, "Starlight?" But there was no answer, leading to her knocking again. "Starlight, are you in there?" Again, no answer. "Huh?"

"Looking for somepony?" The twins yelped at that sudden question and turned to see Cozy smiling at them, the pair panting.

"Don't do that," Soul grumbled.

"Have you seen Starlight anywhere?" Heart asked, but Cozy shook her head. "That's odd. I thought she'd be in Twilight's office."

"That's where she'd usually be until late," Soul added.

"I'm sure she's here somewhere," Cozy smiled before flying up and patting her head. "Don't you worry your pretty little head. I'll tell Starlight you were looking for her."

Soul raised an eyebrow at that gesture, only for the alicorn to reply, "You don't need to do that. I'll ask Mira to look for her. She and Ace have been learning to scan areas for ponies and they should know Starlight's aura pretty well. If she's not in the school, they can call Springer to scan the town."

They spun around at that, and as they did, Soul noticed a look of panic appear on the filly's face. "Wait!" They glanced back, "I just remembered. She said she wanted to check something out in the library. She probably went to do that."

"Huh?" Soul blinked at this, "Well...I'll just go see what she's up to."

"I don't think that's a good idea. It's almost curfew and I don't think Starlight would like you out of bed after hours."

"I'm sure she won't mind. We're just making sure she's okay. She'll probably appreciate it." Heart added as the pair began to head for the library. Cozy grimaced at this, knowing that Twilight's office wasn't far from the library, which was typical for the alicorn, which meant they didn't have far to go before they reached the room.

Heading inside, they found the place was now fully dark and creepy-looking. The sight made them blink before slowly walking in, "Starlight?" Heart called out, "You in here?"

"I'm sure she was in here," Cozy added as she walked in behind them. As she said that, Soul noticed a light seeping through a gap in a bookshelf.

"What's that?" She followed the light and looked through the bookshelf, seeing the light was coming from the other side. Looking around, the three saw the light was coming a grate in the ground. "Where did this come from?" Heart and Cozy also saw it, Heart raising an eyebrow while Cozy gulped.

"You think Starlight went down there?" He asked his sister.

"Maybe," Soul shrugged, "She probably saw it and went to investigate."

"On her own?" Heart replied as he pulled the grate open, looking down into the large cavern. "I'm gonna go see if she's okay." He jumped down the grate before the girls could say anything and found the cavern were full of crystals, the light that had directed them to the grate flowing out of a side tunnel. Heart followed the light as Soul and Cozy flew in behind him, the trio finding it was coming out of a semicircle window. And when they looked through it, the twins gasped at what they saw.

"Starlight!" Soul cried as she and Heart flew through the window and into a round cavern full of crystals. And in the center of the cavern was Starlight, trapped inside an orb of magic that was being created using the seven ancient relics that had been used in the spell-venger hunt. "What happened?!" Soul asked as she and Heart flew up to the orb, Starlight speaking but nothing was coming out. "What?"

"We can't hear you!" Heart yelled, "This thing must be soundproof!"

"Who did this to you?!" Soul added, only for Starlight to point behind them, the pair glancing back to see a charging Cozy, "WHOA!" Soul yelped as she jumped to the side as Cozy slammed into Heart. "HEART!" Her brother was smacked into the orb, soon sucked inside before going silent as he cried out.

"Oh," Cozy sighed, "Butterscotch." She turned to Soul, who was glaring at her.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" She screamed, charging at Cozy who smirked back. The pegasus dodged the alicorn's attempt to punch her, then dived down as Soul attempted to tackle her.

"I didn't want things to turn out like this," Cozy replied, "Everything would have been perfect if you hadn't gone all Shadow Spade on me. Now you have to disappear."

"Let them out!" Soul screamed, "NOW!"

"Or what?" Cozy asked, "You might be an alicorn, but you're one without any magic. What can you possibly do?"

Soul growled back at her, only to see one of the relics behind Cozy. She charged at her, Cozy quickly dodging before grabbing Soul's tail, stopping her right before she could grab the Talisman of Mirage. The filly proved to be quite strong as she pulled her away from the relics, using all her strength to swing her around and smash her into the ground. "Augh!" Soul flinched and forced her eyes open right as Cozy leapt on her. The two struggled against one another, rolling around the cavern as they did. "I always knew there was something up with you!"

"And you didn't say anything?" Cozy asked, "That's dumb!"

"I wanted to believe that whatever was up with you, being our friend could help you overcome it. But now I can see, you're far from just disturbed. You're down-right evil!" She spun them around and pinned the filly down, "And I've got no choice but to stop you!"

"You can try," Cozy then shifted her back hooves into Soul's chest. "But you'll fail!" With a single push, Cozy kicked Soul off, the filly landing on the magical circle below the orb. As soon as she touched it, the orb reacted and unleashed magical tendrils. Each one had a claws hand on the end of it that reached for Soul.

Starlight and Heart cried out a warning, but she didn't hear them, the tendrils instantly grabbing her. "Hey!" She cried, trying to pull away, but they began to pull back.

And a second later, she was in the orb.

"SOUL!" She heard Starlight cry out as she was pulled inside, she and Heart catching her before she could slam into them. "Are you okay?" Soul growled as she pushed herself against the orb and punched it, but it did nothing. "Don't bother, I've tried."

"Cozy!" Heart yelled, pushing himself against the orb. "Why?" The pegasus filly said nothing as she turned to leave, "COZY!"

"I hope you don't mind," Cozy replied, "But I'll be borrowing your homework. I'll need it to forge a letter saying you went with Starlight." With that, she left the cavern, Heart continuing to scream for Cozy while Soul punched against the magic and Starlight let out a long sigh.

"Twilight, wherever you are, get back here soon."





Twilight was laying in the tent she and Flash had set up, which had taken a lot longer without the help of magic, unable to fall asleep due to worry. She was worried that whatever was stealing magic from their world would be irreversible. That Tirek actually wasn't the one behind it and they were wasting their time. And that they wouldn't be able to stop this before it was too late for the most important pony in Twilight's life.

She rolled over and looked Flash over, the pegasus having fallen asleep rather easily due to how tired he was. Despite his exhaustion, Flash had been leading them, and hadn't slowed them down at all. Another reason Twilight admired him so much.

Flash then started moving in his sleep, letting out groans and moans, making Twilight grimace as he knew whatever nightmare he was having, Luna couldn't help him. That alone made things even worse.





Inside Flash's mind, he was again inside the void. "Urgh..." he whispered as he felt better than he had done all day. Slowly, he was starting to remember the dream he had had the previous night. "That's right! Faust, are you here?"

"Flash!" He heard Faust's voice call out, still weak, but a lot more audible. "Flash, please help me!"

"Help?" Flash asked, only to realize what was wrong. "The magic. It's being drained from Equestria. It's...it's hurting you!"

"It's killing me!" Faust screamed, "Please! If the magic of this world vanishes, I'll cease to exist. And without me, this world will not survive!"

"What?!" Flash's eyes widened, "Why?!"

"Think of the world as a giant machine. It can work just fine on its own, but someone needs to do maintenance on it to keep it from breaking down. I've been keeping the world in order since its creation. As much as I'd like it to be able to survive on its own, that's just not possible. Without someone to lord over it, plants will die, trees will stop producing oxygen and many other atrocities will occur." That last part was hard for Flash to hear, as Faust's voice was starting to distort again. "I'm los--- cont--- -gain. Hu--y Fla--. -top wh--- hap--ning --fore it- too -ate"

"FAUST!" He cried before everything went out of focus again.





"YAH!" Flash shot up, making Twilight gasp.

"Flash? What's wrong?" she looked him over, Flash now panting as he put his hoof to his face.

"We have to hurry!" Flash cried, getting up and starting to pack the bags. "Faust's dying!" Twilight's eyes went wide at this as Flash rushed out of the tent. "Everypony up!" His voice awoke those in the other tents, Fluttershy and Rainbow poking their head out of one while Applejack and Pinkie did the same from their tent and Spike stepped out of his, holding a teddy bear. "Rarity," Flash shook the last tent, "Take your earplugs out and wake up."

A moan escaped the tent as Rarity glanced out, still wearing her eye-mask and beauty cream. "What is going on?"

"We have to get going. The entire world's at stake!"

"WHAT?" They yelped, getting out of the tent as Flash explained his dream. As soon as he mentioned Faust being the only thing keeping their world running properly, any thought of going back to bed felt their heads.

"We have to stop what's happening," Twilight gulped, "It's one thing to make the world be without magic. But destroying it outright is going too far."

They all quickly started packing up and once they were finished, they continued their trek towards the entrance of Tartarus.





The next morning...

The students of the School of Friendship awoke to a magicless morning. Those rooming with a unicorn found their roommates having trouble getting ready, though one room found their magical sleeping partner was gone.

"That's weird," Mira commented as she, Silverstream and Ocellus stepped out of their room. "I can't sense Soul anywhere."

"Maybe she went to the castle," Silverstream chimed in, "She might have wanted to get away from the snoring."

"You two don't snore," Mira pointed out as the pair turned to her, "HEY!"

As she yelled that, Ace, Gallus and Sandbar walked up to them as Ace asked, "Have you seen Heart? He wasn't in bed when we woke up."

"No," Mira shook her head, "And Soul's gone too."

They all frowned at this before walking to the main hallway and found Cozy standing behind a podium. "Good morning, friendship students!" She cheered as they glanced around, wondering where Starlight was. "I know we're all sad Professor Sparkle is away. But don't worry, because she left me in charge to do things just the way she would."

This statement made them all tilt their heads, Gallus raising a claw, "Uh...I thought Starlight Glimmer was gonna be temporary headmare?"

Cozy nodded, "She was, but she left me this note." She held up a pick of paper, showing them all the terrible hoof-writing. "I have to go. Twilight needs my help. I know the school is in good hooves with you, Cozy." She giggled. "Isn't that sweet? We won't let Starlight down, will we?"

"Are you sure that's what happened?" Mira asked, "She might have left you a note, but she probably would have told Heart and Soul."

"She did," Cozy showed them the note. "See, Soul added more to it." Mira took the note and looked it over, surprised that it was written in Soul's hoof-writing.

"Heart and I are going with Starlight. Keep things running until we get back." Mira read aloud, blinking at the paper, "Something about this doesn't feel right. They wouldn't just leave a note..."

Smolder nodded, "It is kind of weird, isn't it?"

"I don't know what you mean," Cozy shrugged.

"Like," Smolder crossed her arms, "Why'd Starlight change her mind? Why did Starlight write a note instead of saying goodbye to us herself? Same with Heart and Soul."

The other students were starting to feel the same, but Cozy just giggled. "Oh Smolder, you forget." She sat down on the podium, "We're not scheming dragons. We're ponies." She flew up and tapped Smolder's nose. "Sounds like some-creature needs to do a little extra friendship homework." She winked at Smolder, who let out a snort of smoke.

"Yak not pony either!" Yona cried, "If Smolder get homework, Yona get homework!"

"Me, too!" Ocellus cheered.

"I'm in!" Sandbar nodded.

"Alright!" The jakhowl high-fived.

"Yeah!" Silverstream then laughed, "Homework party!"

This was met with a groan from Gallus. "Fine."

"What loyalty," Cozy smirked, "Professor Rainbow Dash would be so proud. You are such good friends. You all are. And I'm grateful because it will be awfully hard running a whole school alone. Can I count on each of you to help me?" The students all cheered, though Sandbar and the non-ponies just flinched at this, "Thank you so much!" Cozy cheered, "It's just like our professors taught us. Together, we can get through anything!"





The ponies were all exhausted, all suffering due to their lack of magic. For instance, the anti-bug spell Rarity could not use. "Ow!" The fashionista cried as she rubbed the nose she had just punched, trying to swat a fly. "Ugh! I have had it with these horrible flies!" She began to tear up at this, "I miss my magic!"

"Have you tried using your tail to shoo them away?" Twilight asked, making Rarity gasp like somepony had just suggested using a fashionable dress as a dishcloth.

"Bite your tongue!" She held her tail protectively, "It's for decorative purposes only!"

They sighed at this, only for a few stomach grumbles to ring out. Pinkie then looked into her bag, only to frown, "Hey! I didn't know we packed green cupcakes!" She pulled them out, revealing the cupcake was old and moldy with a mushroom growing on it.

"Um," Fluttershy flinched, "We didn't. They must've gone bad without magic to keep them cold."

"That was quick," Flash gulped, "How old is that cupcake?" Pinkie decided not to say, attempting to eat it anyway until Flash swatted it out of her hooves, "Looks like the drain of magic is starting to spread to things other than ponies."

Rainbow rolled her eyes at this, "Magic this, magic that. We don't need magic to go on a little hike." But as soon as she said that, a smash of thunder occurred behind them before it started raining so hard that they were all drenched in a second.

They quickly ran for cover under a tree, Rarity glaring at Rainbow. "You were saying?"

"You just need to think more like Earth ponies, y'all." Applejack commented as she reached into her bag and took out a jar of brown paste. "Granny's Apple Core No-Bite-No-More!" She opened the top as they dipped their hooves in it. "That'll keep the flies off."

Pinkie sniffed it before covering her nose, "Ugh! It smells just like it looks!" They started applying it to their faces, as Fluttershy noticed a bush beside them.

"Even if our food's spoiled, these blueberries are still good to eat." They nodded before looking up at the dark clouds.

"Too bad we can't do anything about the rainstorm," Spike sighed, seeing only one pony with the cloud busting skills as Flash was still weak.

Rainbow stood tall at this, "I can't stop that storm by myself, but I can still help!" She shot into the air and dived into the clouds, returning a moment later pushing a white cloud out that was rain free. They quickly rushed under it as the rain fell into the cloud but slid down the sides away from the ponies.

"I think we have all the magic we need right here." Twilight giggled, "Not that I don't want to get it back. Heh. Let's go!" They cheered and continued onwards, hoping flies and rain were the only problems they were gonna have to deal with.





The day passed and at the School of Friendship, everything was going surprisingly smoothly. Currently, Sandbar, Ace and Mira were walking through the hallways, seeing everypony there looking happy as could be. And they couldn't blame them, given how much Cozy was doing to make them all comfortable during this time of unrest.

"Cozy Glow baked our class cupcakes today!" One student cheered as they passed them.

"And she made all of us friendship bracelets!" Another mare smiled as they showed off their many leg accessories.

"She's the nicest pony I've ever met," the final mare added, "I'm so glad she's headmare!"

The three raised an eyebrow at this, Sandbar asking, "Uh, temporary headmare, right?"

"Oh, oh, of course. But if Twilight takes her time coming back, I won't mind."

"Why?" Ace chimed in, "Cozy's great, but she's still a student like us. Everything she could teach us about friendship would be stuff we've already learned."

"Maybe," the first mare shrugged, "But she's still fun." They laughed and continued to head down the hall, leaving Sandbar to sigh and pick up his books as they headed to the library. And when they got there, they found the library was completely deserted.

Cozy hadn't given out any homework, so nopony was there working. Nopony except their closest friends. "Finally!" Silverstream smiled when they arrived at their study spot between the bookshelves. "We thought you forgot about study club."

"Sorry we're late," Sandbar replied, "Cozy Glow gave our class tickets to a Sapphire Shores concert in Ponyville tonight."

"It was awesome," Ace added, "Though I don't know what exactly we were supposed to learn about friendship from it."

"Nothing," Mira responded, "There's nothing we could learn from a concert."

"You get the feeling Cozy's trying too hard to make us like her?" Gallus asked, the others frowning as Occellus spoke up.

"Or maybe she just wants to help us keep our minds off of how scary it is that magic's disappearing."

"I don't trust her," Smolder slammed her book shut. "What's she up to behind those big eyes and bouncy curls?" She turned to the jakhowls, "Can't you two figure out what she's up too? You have your 'aura sense' or whatever that is."

"It's not that simple," Mira shook her head, "We can sense feelings, but we're not psychic. And whenever we're around Cozy, her aura's always weird. It's like she's able to mask her emotions around us. Even when she looks happy, we can't feel it from her."

"That's kinda weird," Sandbar added before Yona heard something.

She looked through the bookshelves and spotted something. "And why Cozy pony coming out catacombs so late at night?" They all looked through the books and saw Cozy walking out of the grate, a lantern in her hooves. She made her way out of the library, the students looking between her and the cavern. They all stared at her before looking back at the caverns, remembering their last trip into the caverns, and knowing they weren't keen on returning.

"Let's go ask her," Gallus stated before they began to chase after the filly.





Meanwhile...

Flash and the rest of the Mane Seven had finally reached their destination. It had stopped raining, so they no longer had to worry about getting damp, but as they reached a large door with pink links and symbols carved into it, Flash had to lean against one of the rocks, his form slumping over.

The others grimaced at this as Twilight commented, "This is the only door to Tartarus. The good news is the seal isn't broken, so we know Tirek didn't escape."

"Let me guess," Applejack chimed in, "You got bad news, too?"

Twilight nodded, "Last time I was here, I had to use magic to get in. And according to Star Swirl, all unicorn magic was gone by yesterday's sunset."

"Maybe he was wrong," Rainbow added, Twilight nodding and closed her eyes. But her horn didn't so much as flicker, causing her to sigh.

Pinkie stepped up at this, "Don't worry, Twilight. I got this." She ran behind a nearby tree and leapt back out wearing a pizza costume with a box of the delicious food in hoof. Flash had a feeling no amount of magic drain could un-Pinkie Pinkie. She knocked on the metal doors, "Free pizza delivery!" She waited, but they didn't even budge. "Huh. Always worked before. Oh, well." She threw the box away as Applejack turned to the others.

"Did any of y'all pack somethin' that could actually help?" They started looking through their bags, only to shake their heads.

Rarity took out some sewing supplies. "These all do magic, but not the kind we're looking for I'm afraid."

Flash frowned as he held up his sword, wondering if he could use the Alicorn Magic it was made from to maybe recharge Twilight long enough to open the door. But before he could suggest such a thing, Spike spoke up. "How about this?" They turned to him and saw the drake holding up a crystal cone with gold coverings.

"The Key of Unfettered Entrance! Where did you find this, Spike?" Twilight gasped.

"In your bag," Spike replied, "Cozy Glow must've packed it for you."

"She really did think of everything," Twilight cheered as she took the key.

"What does it do?" Fluttershy asked.

"It can magically open any door," Twilight replied, "And since artifacts like this haven't lost their power yet..." She placed the key inside a hole that, strangely, fit perfectly. They all watched as the crystal parts glowed the spread its magic into lock, causing them to spin and unlock. The doors then slid open, revealing the path into Tartarus. A dark path with many different horrible sounds being carried on the wind.

Twilight reached to take the key, only to find it exploding into dust. "I guess it only works once," she whispered before they began to walk inside.

And as soon as they were through, the doors slid closed. Flash gasped and rushed to try and stop them, "NO!" But his weakened state slowed him, the doors slamming shut, "Ah!"

"What's wrong?"

"The doors closed," Flash pointed out like it was obvious. "And locked."

"Oh dear," Rarity gulped, "Does that mean we're trapped in here as well?"

"Not unless Cozy packed a second key of opening," Spike muttered, the others frowning as they now realized their only hope of escaping now was restoring their magic. As such, they headed into the cave. However, not three steps in something shot out of the darkness. A familiar creature that was half chicken, half snake and all terrifying.

"Cockatrice!" Applejack screamed as the creature stared at them and they covered their eyes.

"Do something, Fluttershy!" Rarity added, Rainbow pushing the cowering pegasus forward.

"Don't look at it!" The athlete cried, "It'll turn you to stone!" The cockatrice roared at them, but none of them felt its effects changing them. Pinkie opened her eyes and looked herself over.

"I don't feel like stone." She bounced up and down, "Unless it's really bouncy stone." The rest of them opened their eyes and turned to the cockatrice, who they now realized was locked inside a cage. The creature squawk roared again before curling its serpent tail around its body and sitting down.

Fluttershy then stroked its feathery body. "I think he lost his magic, too." She glanced around at this, their eyes adjusting to the darkness of the cavern as they now saw many different beasts in cages. Some they recognized, like the bugbear, but others they had never seen in their lives. One thing they all shared in common though, aside from being caged, was how upset they looked. "All the creatures here must have."

"Starswirl said that would happen on the second day," Twilight sighed before turning to Flash, seeing him looking extra drained.

"I know it should make me feel safer," Spike added, "But it just makes me sad. We gotta fix this!"





Back in the school, the eight students watched as Cozy made her way through the school.

"Weren't we gonna ask her what she was doing?" Ace asked as they watched Cozy turn a corner, "Why are we following her and not just getting on with it?"

"I wanna see what she's doing," Mira pointed out as Cozy arrived at the door to Twilight's office. She stepped inside and as they moved up to it, they heard a familiar voice.

"Where is Princess Twilight?!" They all recognized that voice, and as they looked through the crack in the door, they saw Chancellor Neighsay sitting at Twilight desk.

"Oh, golly." Cozy smiled, "She's away on a quest. I'm watching the school for her."

"Magic is failing across our land, and she left a foal in charge of this facility?"

"Yes, sir!" Cozy giggled, "Is there anything I can do for you?"

"That won't be necessary," Neighsay replied, "Twilight's folly stops here. As of now, I am headstallion. And I have quite a few changes to make." He smiled at this while Cozy frowned and the students grimaced at this.

Neighsay picked up several files off the desk and threw them in the trash, making Cozy gasp, "What are you doing?! Those are Twilight's student files!"

"These aren't," Neighsay announced, "Not anymore! With Equestria under attack, ponies must stand together! Twilight has endangered us all by skipping off on friendship trips while these dangerous creatures run loose."

"You don't think they're the reason magic is disappearing, do you?"

"Yes," Neighsay nodded, "And I came to warn Twilight." He jumped off the desk. "But since she is gone, it falls to me to protect you foals from these monsters."

"Is he serious?" Ace asked as the others murmured their own distaste, a little too loud unfortunately.

"Did you hear something?" Neighsay asked, Cozy looking to the door.

"It sounded like it came from over there!" They moved toward the door and before those on the other side realized what was going on, they opened them up and the eight all fell to the ground in a heap.

Neighsay glared at them. "You again. As I suspected." He touched the EEA badge on his chest, the enchanted item unleashing a blast of magic that flew into his horn and charged him up. Moments later, he launched a blast of magic that formed a magical chain. The students cried out as it wrapped around them all, tying them to one another and preventing them from moving. "From now on, this school is pony-only!" Neighsay smirked, "As nature intended."

"Dude!" Ace growled, "When Springer sees what you've done, he's gonna Aura Blast your sorry butt into the stratosphere!"

"Please," the unicorn spat, "Against all of the EEA, he wouldn't stand a chance." Mira would have told him that the EEA was full of nothing but now powerless ponies while Springer had all his abilities, but decided to let him figure that out the hard way. Instead, Neighsay used his badge's magic to pull them over to the boy's room and threw them inside. "Since you refuse to explain your plot against Equestria and return the magic you stole, you will stay here while I summon your guardians to take you home."

"We live here!" Mira cried, "Our guardian literally lives next door! Here, let me call him for you." She closed her eyes, Neighsay raising an eyebrow.

"Telepathy," Gallus deadpanned, "Something jakhowls can do. You'd probably know that if you took the time to actually learn about us and our kind instead of simply dismissing us."

"Alright," Mira smirked, "He's on his way, and he is not happy."

Neighsay glared at them and turned to leave, but Sandbar spoke up. "Wait!" Neighsay spun back around, "You were right about them from the beginning, Chancellor. I see that now."

"What are you saying?!" Smolder gasped as Silverstream cried his name. Ace and Mira could sense he was lying, both smirking as they realized what he was up too.

"I don't want anything to do with creatures that could threaten Equestria!" Sandbar cried, Neighsay grinning at this.

"Wisely put, colt." He touched his badge and the chains holding Sandbar vanished. "Everypony will come to their senses eventually." And as he said that, a loud banging sound filled the air.

"NEIGHSAY!" Springer's voice screamed, Neighsay sighing at this.

"Excuse me. I have some unwelcome guests to deal with." With that, he stepped out of the room with Sandbar following. When he reached the door, he dispelled the chains as Sandbar shut the door. He touched his badge and fired a blast of magic at the door, causing the room to become enchanted so that those inside couldn't break free.





The ponies all felt a sense of dread as they got closer and closer to Tirek's cell. Luckily, Fluttershy's way with animals had allowed them to get past the guard known as Cerberus, and were now staring at a large cage that housed one of the most dangerous creatures in the land. Tirek spotted them approaching and smiled, the ponies seeing he was still a withered and skinny creature that lacked any magic.

"The Princess of Friendship came here for a visit. What have I done to earn the honor of your company?"

Twilight stomped up at this, "We want answers, Tirek. Magic is disappearing from Equestria."

"I know," Tirek licked his lips. "What a waste of such..." He licked again, "...mmmm, delicious power."

"So you are behind this!" Rainbow growled, Tirek shaking his head.

"Silly filly, if I had all of that magic, you think I'd still be locked up in here?" The ponies flinched at this, only for him to add, "But I might know something about it..."





Springer stomped through the hallways, following Neighsay's aura trace. And when he found him in the hallway, the unicorn stood tall while Springer created a Bone Breaker.

"Let those kids go," he growled.

"The younger members of your race are waiting for you to pick them up. You may wait outside while I collect them, then the three of you will not darken these doors again."

"That's not what I'm talking about," Springer hissed, "Those kids are staying here where they belong, and you're the one leaving this place. Why Starlight even let you in here, I'll never know."

"Starlight?" Neighsay asked, "When I arrived, a foal was in charge."

Springer blinked at this, only to shake his head, "I won't let you destroy everything Twilight and her friends have worked so hard to create. If you don't let all the non-pony students go, I'm gonna make you regret it."

"You would attack a citizen of Equestria?!" Neighsay yelped, "Wait-what am I saying?! Of course you would! You think now that you've made magic disappear, you're the most powerful being in Equestria! Tyrants don't care about laws!"

"You're the one being a tyrant," Springer replied as the aura bone in his paw flared with aura, "Last chance. Let them go, or I'm gonna arrest you for unlawful imprisonment and intruding upon private property."

"Those charges wouldn't hold up."

"Maybe. But I'd be able to keep you locked up long enough for Twilight to finish her mission and get back here to deal with you herself." He pointed his weapon at Neighsay, "Do it."

Neighsay frowned before touching his badge, which sent a burst of magic into his horn. Springer tensed up at this, only for Neighsay to fire the spell at the ground. The entire school suddenly glowed, Springer blinking at this before Neighsay hit him in the chest.

"Augh!" He staggered back and suddenly his entire body was wrecked with pain. "What did you do?"

"I've cast a spell that causes a place to reject those deemed not suitable to be inside it. You have been deemed not suitable. Now leave before you pass out." Springer's bone breaker instantly dissipated at this, the jakhowl feeling the pain surge through him.

"This is just like Shade's runes...I can't pass out right now. I gotta get out of here. But first..." he growled before pointing his paw at the unicorn, an Aura Blast flying out next and hitting Neighsay.

The pony gasped as the orb struck him in the chest and exploded, sending him flying back. "Augh!" He cried, hitting a back wall and slumping over. And as this happened, Springer began to feel the pain again, Neighsay picking himself up as the unicorn now noticed his badge had been damaged.

"No!" He roared as he picked himself up, checking the magic and realizing its power had been severely depleted. It likely had only one more spell within it. With his badge damaged, he was now as powerless as the rest of the ponies in Equestria. He then glanced up and saw Springer was gone. "That monster...he must have planned this so I couldn't defend the school when he and the rest of his cohorts attacks! Well, he'll be in for a shock when he finds defeating me won't be so easy!"

He walked off at this, Sandbar smiling at this as he used the distraction to sneak out of the school. "Now to get some help."





"Where is Equestria's magic going, Tirek?" Twilight yelled at the weakened centaur, "What's making it disappear?"

Tirek smirked as he moved closer to his cage, starting right into Twilight eyes. "If you let me out, I'm sure it will jog my memory. What do you say? I scratch your back, you scratch mine?"

"How stupid do you think we are?" Flash asked, "We wouldn't release you even if you were the only thing that could return magic!" The others nodded as Rainbow moved in closer, grabbing Tirek by the beard.

"How about you tell us what you know, or you'll be stuck here forever because we're out of magic keys and nopony can open the door!"

This caused Tirek to start chuckling as he looked away from them with his hands behind his back. "What a pity. Well, for you. Sweet revenge for me." They all glared at him as Tirek glanced back at them. "It seems my little protégé's plan worked after all."

This info caused all but Flash to gasp, the pegasus wanting to ask who he was talking about. But he was starting to get too exhausted, Applejack needing to do it for him. "Which little protégé?"

"Oh, we've never met. We're pen pals."

"You get mail in here?" Flash asked, Tirek shrugging.

"I need something to keep me entertained. Usually, I just get magazine subscriptions and a puzzle book. But recently, I've been getting letters from a pony who wanted to know about taking away magic. Each letter had so many questions about draining magic."

"And you answered them?!" Pinkie shrieked as she hopped up to the cage.

"I was bored," Tirek replied, "So, I simply pointed my pen pal in the right direction." He pushed Pinkie's head back until she lost her grip and fell to the ground, Fluttershy moving over and helping her up.

"Can't you just tell us your pen pal's name? I mean, since we're stuck here anyway?"

"Oh, why not? The irony is too perfect. Her name is..."





"Cozy Glow!" Sandbar yelled as he glanced around the library, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom being there with him, the trio being the only ones he could think of to ask, "I could've sworn I saw her come down this way when she left her office."

They glanced around and spotted the grate leading to the underground cavern was once again open. The four stepped up to it, Sandbar keeping it open so the girls could jump down into it. They looked around the cavern and spotted the same light Heart and Soul had seen the previous night, the quartet moving over, only to gasp and quickly jump out of sight. Seeing Starlight, Soul and Heart trapped in a magic orb, they realized something really wrong was going down.

And as they stared at the orb, a voice spoke up. "Enjoying yourselves in there?" They followed the voice and saw Cozy stepping out of the darkness, "I'm sorry I had to push you in. But what else could I do? You were going to ruin all my plans."

"What's going on?" Scootaloo whispered as Cozy began circling the magical orb and checking the relics that were powering it.

"I know it's probably a little cramped in there, but you might have to endure a little more company soon. if I can't make that annoying Neighsay BACK OFF!" Her face suddenly stopped being cute for a moment, stress showing itself all over her face.

Only to take a deep breath and her cute expression returned, "All this magic needs time to drain from Equestria before my vortex sucks it to another realm." She let out a giggle, "Three days can sure seem like forever, huh?"

Their eyes went wide at hearing this, "Cozy..." Heart whispered from within the orb. He glared at her as he tried to blast the orb with his fire. But in the time he had been trapped, his magic had been sucked away. He was useless as all the others.

Cozy giggled at this before removing something from behind one of the crystal pillars. "You know, you ponies got it all wrong. Friendship isn't magic. Friendship is power! With Twilight and her lackeys out of my way, all of Equestria will bow to me!" She held up a crown with the emblem of friendship on it. "The future Empress of Friendship!" She placed the crown on her head before she burst out laughing, everypony seeing this knowing one thing: Cozy Glow was well and truly insane. And if they couldn't figure something out soon, she was gonna do more damage to the world then she could possibly realize.
> School Raze PT2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sandbar, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom watched in absolute shock as Cozy Glow had practically confessed to being the one responsible for the magic of Equestria vanishing. They continued to watch after she placed her crown on her head, the filly checking all the relics before turning back to the orb, "Stop glaring at me like that. I said I was sorry." Heart said something and she couldn't hear, making Cozy sigh. She then touched one of the relics and turned it around, the energy from it flying into the orb and into Heart.

"...and it'll be the last mistake you ever made!" He finished his half-heard sentence.

"I can hear you now," Cozy replied, Starlight and Soul starting to speak, "Only him."

They growled as Heart glared at her, "Why?!" He asked, "Why do all this?! We were friends and you betrayed us! Why?!" Cozy didn't say anything at first, instead looking away from him. "Cozy, if somepony's making you do this-"

"Nopony's making me do anything," Cozy turned to glare at him, "This is something I'm doing, on my own. And when all the magic in Equestria is gone, the only magic left will be the Magic of Friendship. And once I get control of this school back, everypony will bow to me."

"That doesn't make any sense," Heart replied, "Twilight was a princess before she was the Princess of Friendship. Becoming Equestria's Friendship Expert doesn't make you next in line to the throne!"

"We'll see about that!" Cozy laughed, "Now if we're done here, I have a Chancellor to deal with."

"Wait!" Heart cried as she reached for the relic, "Please don't do this."

Cozy looked back at him, the pair's eyes locking and staring into each other, before the filly sighed, only for a bulb to go off in her head, "You know, as the future ruler, I'll be the one deciding who gets knighted. If you join me, I'll let you out of there and you can be my personal pony bodyguard." Heart went wide-eyed, "We could be together and have fun like we did before. And who knows, if we work as a couple, travel well together and see how cohabitation goes. Maybe even...you could be king one day."

Heart could only blink at her, his mind going over everything that had happened between them before he said, "So you...really feel that way about me? You weren't just using me?"

Cozy blushed and waved her hoof, "Oh, you weren't even part of my plan. I thought about it, but I decided using the Cutie Mark Crusaders was a better idea. You were just a happy accident. I liked hanging out with you."

Heart's head lowered at this, only to glance back at his sister, seeing her show a big frown before he looked back at Cozy, "What about Soul and Starlight? Are you gonna let them go to?"

Cozy shook her head, "Sorry, I can't." She gave Soul a glare, "I can tell from the look in her eye that your sister really wants to stop me. And I know she wouldn't stop until she'd ruined all my plans."

"You're darn right I would!" Soul screamed even though Cozy couldn't hear her.

"See? I'm sorry, but she has to go away. I'm sure she'd prefer it if at least you'd be free to keep Equestria safe."

This statement hardened Heart's heart, the colt's expression turning to a glare as he punched the energy orb. "Forget it!" He yelled, "I'd rather spend eternity trapped in another dimension than spend so much as five minutes with you! You're not worthy of running a bookshop, let alone an entire kingdom!"

Cozy's smile slowly shifted to a glare. "The rest of Equestria won't see it that way. The school knows me as Twilight's Friendship Assistant, who started out just as bad at friendship as she did." She gave him a cute face, "But with the help of the friends she made, she started to excel and became the leading expert in the field. Doesn't that remind you of anypony?"

"She's trying to make ponies see her as the next Twilight," Starlight gasped, the twins just glaring at this. And before either of them could say anything, Cozy spun the relic around and stopped Heart from talking.

"You had your chance. You love your sister so much, so have fun floating in an endless nothing with her." With that, she turned to leave and the three started screaming at her, the filly laughing all the way as she left.





"Cozy Glow is behind all of this?!" Twilight cried, Tirek laughing at her reaction.

"I'm not usually a fan of ponies, but draining your precious world of magic so she could trap the seven of you was inspiring!" He laughed again, but also coughed, causing Spike to frown as he counted, seeing seven ponies and one dragon.

"Um, there's eight of us." Twilight turned to run back to the door, the others following with the still weak Flash bringing up the rear.

"I knew we shouldn't have left!" Twilight cried.

Applejack ran next to her, "But Starlight's in charge at the school. If anypony can stop Cozy Glow, it's her."

"Cozy Glow outsmarted the seven of you! I doubt this Starlight stands a chance!" Tirek cackled before coughing again.

"We have to get out of here!" Twilight yelled as they reached the door, "Our students can't handle Cozy on their own."

Rainbow flew up next to her, "Then I guess we'll just have to bust our way out!" She let out a battlecry and charged, picking up as much speed as she could. She then threw a kick right into the door, only to go splat against it. She slowly slid down it and hit the ground, groaning in pain. "That didn't work," she held her head and groaned.

"Not everything can be solved with brute force," Rarity chimed in, "We need magic to escape."

Flash heard Pinkie saying something, but wasn't listening and instead looking over at the door. He then glanced down at his hoof as it glowed, the last remaining sparks of the Sacred Light apparent. It was clear he wasn't gonna survive this situation. Even if they escaped right then and there, there was no way they could return to the school in time for him. There was only one thing to do.

"I'm afraid not," Twilight replied to whatever Pinkie said, "The most powerful villains and monsters of all time are trapped here. And without our magic, so are we." She sighed and looked back at the door. And when she did this, she saw Flash standing in front of it. "Flash...what are you doing?" Flash didn't say anything and instead, held up his hoof. The light from it caught Twilight's eye and the alicorn gasped. "NO!" She ran up and grabbed him before he put his hoof on the door, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"Getting us out of here." Flash slowly replied.

"If you use your Sacred Light to open the door, you'll die!"

Flash sighed and shook his head, "Let's face it, I'm a dead stallion walking. There's no way I'm gonna survive long enough to stop Cozy." He clutched his chest, making them all gasp. "I'm sorry, but it's the only way."

"No!" Twilight screamed, "I refuse to believe that. I'm not letting your sacrifice your life like that."

"I'm a Royal Knight. Sacrificing my life to save Equestria is what I'm supposed to do."

"As an absolute, one hundred percent, no other way last resort."

"And what do you call this!?" Flash was getting very close to screaming in that moment as Twilight turned to the others. They all frowned, only for Flash to add, "Face it, this is our only chance of stopping Cozy. Don't forget, if magic vanishes, then the world ends. Faust won't have long left to live. We need to get out of here, now."

Twilight was close to tears hearing this as she looked away from Flash and her friends. And as she did this, she saw Cerberus. She then turned to the creatures caged in the prison of Tartarus, all of which had lost their magic. "Unless..." She moved up to them, the others watching her, "These creatures might be losing their magical powers, but there's still a magic that makes up what they are. Maybe we can borrow some of that." She looked back at Flash, "Let me try something first, okay?"

Flash stared at her, seeing a fire in her eyes, "Alright," Flash sighed, "Let's try it your way."





Back at the school...

Cozy had gone to talk to Chancellor Neighsay, Sandbar and the CMC watching her leave before stepping out and making their presence known to the ponies trapped in the orb.

"Hey!" Sandbar said as the three inside gasped, "We saw what happened! We know Cozy's the one behind all this."

They nodded as Apple Bloom turned to the others, "Come on, we gotta get them all out of there before she comes back!"

The other girls nodded and ran up to it, the others all going wide-eyed. "Wait!" They yelped, though only Sandbar realized what they were trying to say and yelled the same thing. This caused the girls to stop, but not before Sweetie Belle stepped onto the magic circle. As soon as she did this, the orb unleashed some magical claws that flew out and grabbed her.

She screamed as they began to pull, "Sweetie Belle!" Scootaloo cried as they ran to her.

"Help!" The filly screamed as Scootaloo bit onto her tail. Apple Bloom grabbed her tail and Sandbar grabbed her's, the three pulling back as hard as they could. Eventually, they pulled Sweetie out of the light of the circle, the claws losing their grip before returning to the orb.

"That's gotta be what's suckin' up all the magic in Equestria," Apple Bloom commented as Sandbar turned to them.

"But if that's true, then Twilight and the others went to Tartarus for nothing! And if all of Equestria's magic's getting sucked up in there, there's no way for them to get back!"

They all flinched at this, only for Scootaloo to raise her hoof, "Don't panic! We need to get help."

"But Starlight's trapped here, and there's no way to get word to Celestia or anypony else!"

"Then we have to get Springer," Apple Bloom added, the girls nodding before rushing out while Sandbar stayed where he was. He knew Springer could help, but he also knew they would need all the help they could get. And he knew exactly where to get it.





Springer was outside the school, wishing he wasn't the only Defender at the moment. He tried to step through the doorway, only for his body to be racked with pain. "Augh!" He yelped, staggering back until he was out of the school. "Come on!" He growled as the pain instantly subsided. "Seriously? All the magic is vanishing and this still works?!"

"Springer!" He turned to the voice and saw the CMC, "We got a problem!"

"I know," he groaned, "Chancellor Neighsay has captured the students and locked them up. But I can't get in to stop him."

"That's not the...well, it is a problem, but we've got a bigger one." Apple Bloom took a deep breath, "It's Cozy. She's the one stealing the magic!" Springer's eyes went wide at this before telling them to explain everything.





At the same time...

The non-pony students were still trapped in the boy's room. Gallus was pulling at the door while Ace had a Bone Breaker out, which he was using to try and break the door down. But no matter what they did, the door remained closed and didn't even get a scratch.

From atop a bunk bed, Smolder sighed, "Still locked, huh?"

"Ragh!" Ace growled, "I thought all the magic was supposed to be gone. So how come I can't bust us out of here?"

"The door was sealed using that badge thing Neighsay was wearing," Mira reminded him, "And magical artifacts won't lose their power until sunset tonight. And by that time, all the magic in Equestria is supposed to vanish. So by the time we get out of here, it'll be too late."

"We gotta at least try to get out!" Gallus added.

"Why?" Ocellus asked. "If Sandbar's turned his back on us, every other pony probably has, too."

"Sandbar not turn his back!" Yona assured her, "Sandbar is our friend!"

"Uh," Smolder rolled her eyes, "Did you miss the part where he said he didn't want anything to do with us?"

Silverstream frowned, but tried to stay optimistic. "Maybe he just said that so one of us could be free to snoop around and figure out what's going on." And as she said that, the window suddenly opened.

"I dunno." They turned to see Sandbar smiling at them. "That sounds too clever for a pony to come up with."

Yona gasped before laughing and tackling Sandbar in a hug, "Yona knew Sandbar was still our friend!"

"We all are," Sweetie added as she, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom all leapt through the window.

"Except for Cozy Glow," Scootaloo continued, "That pony is not who we thought she was."

"Come again?" Mira asked.

"She's the one draining magic out of Equestria!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, making the non-ponies gasp.

"WHAT?!"

"We'll explain on the way," Sandbar began to climb through the window. "But right now, we gotta get to get to Chancellor Neighsay."

"Huh?" Gallus asked.

"Springer's already headed off to Canterlot to tell Celestia and the rest of the princesses. But we'll need all the help we can get. I know he doesn't like non-ponies, but if we tell him what's going on, he'll help."

"You sure?" Ace asked, Sandbar nodding back. They all climbed out of the window and down a ladder. And as they did this, Celestia began to raise the sun for what could be the final time. They rushed for the door, being sure to keep out of sight to make sure nopony saw them. But as they stepped inside, they found that everypony that would usually be up at this time were all gone. They soon learned why as they made their way through the corridors, hearing Neighsay's voice speak up. "I am sure you are all concerned about the magic situation." They stepped around the corner and saw a large crowd, which had Neighsay and Cozy standing in front of it.

"Let's tell him now," Ace whispered.

"Hang on," Mira stopped him, "Cozy's there and she might warn Neighsay that we've escaped. We've gotta wait for him to be alone."

They all frowned at this as Neighsay continued speaking, "But I want to assure you that this institution is safe, despite the absence of your head-mare. As your new head-stallion, let me be the first to say that the reign of Princess Twilight is over!" The students flinched at this, Neighsay glaring at them as he walked around and held up a familiar looking book. "From now on, this school will adhere to EEA doctrine, as it should have from the start!" This statement got the students murmuring, many of them remembering how horrible the school had been the last time that book had been in it.

However, before Neighsay could say anything else, he heard clapping and looked down to see Cozy. "Thank you, Chancellor Neighsay, for that rousing speech."

"What's she up to?" Gallus asked, Sandbar and the CMC all gulping at this.

"I know you're a stallion who truly believes what you say," Cozy continued as she picked up the book. "And when you say this school will be run according to EEA doctrine, I know you mean it." She threw it behind her and moved to join her fellow students. "And when you say there won't be any more lessons from the Princess of Friendship at the School of Friendship, I guess you mean that, too."

This made all the students glance at each other before murmuring again, Neighsay now seeing nothing but frowns. "That's not exactly what-"

"But," Cozy interrupted, "Twilight decided to run her school outside of the EEA guidelines, and even though you tried to stop her, Princesses Celestia and Luna trusted her enough to support her."

The students all turned to Cozy before glaring back at Neighsay as he stuttered out, "Well, I-I wouldn't say that-"

"So, since I know you mean what you say, my question is really for the students." She turned back to the crowd, "Are we going to give the pony who already tried to wreck Twilight's school once another chance to do it?" The students all went wide-eyed at this, only to all glare again at Neighsay, "There's our answer. I guess things will have to stay the way Twilight wants them." Cozy smiled as she looked back to Neighsay, "Which includes leaving me in charge."

With that, she pointed at Neighsay as the students charged up to him. Neighsay gasped as the crowd quickly surrounded him, "This...I can...just..." Was all he got to say before the students picked him up and started carrying them away, Cozy leading them to the office. Those against her all quickly leapt into a closet as they passed, the group hearing the cheers from the other students who clearly thought they were doing the right thing.

"Ooookay," Sandbar gulped once they opened the door. "So maybe we need a new plan."

"What do we do?" Ace asked, "He was our only hope. If Springer doesn't get back with Celestia and Luna soon, we're gonna be in serious trouble!"

"We'll just have to rescue him," Mira replied, "But we'll need to distract Cozy until then."

"We'll do it," Apple Bloom chimed in, "We're the only ones she might not be suspicious of." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle nodded, the CMC jumping out of the closet with the others following behind. They made their way through the school toward Twilight's office, the CMC then waiting outside while the others hid in a room opposite of the office. They heard Cozy laughing at something as she stepped out, about to lock it until Scootaloo spoke up.

"Hey Cozy Glow! What's so funny?"

"Are you just happy to be running the school?" Sweetie added, Cozy turning to them as her hooves slid away from the door, not noticing she didn't lock it yet.

"Oh, I'm just keeping Twilight's seat warm." She began to walk away, but the girls followed with Apple Bloom shining a big smile.

"Still, it's pretty impressive."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Sweetie asked, Scootaloo rapidly nodding.

"We can hang out with you all day if you want." Ace and Mira could feel a great amount of frustration radiating off Cozy, the pair knowing she was likely very close to breaking her act and yelling at the girls to go away...only to just shine a shaky smile.

"You know, there is something I need help with." The girls cheered as Cozy led them away, the others soon walking up to the office door.

"I hope those three will be okay."

Ace put a paw on her shoulder. "They've got their job to do, and we have ours. Let's go." She nodded and they slipped into the office, finding Neighsay chained to Twilight's chair. He was currently hopping around, trying to move the chair around as he reached for a trash can with his back hoof.

When he saw them, he let out a long sigh, "Oh, wonderful. I suppose you've all come to gloat?"

"Actually, we've come to undo all these chains and free you!" Silverstream exclaimed, Neighsay going wide-eyed as Silverstream and Sandbar tried to undo the padlock holding the chains together.

"But...but why?"

"Now that nasty pony met even nastier pony, maybe nasty pony not be so nasty." Yona replied before charging at him, the pony flinching until she stopped right in front of him and used her horn to unlock the chains. When the lock was undone, Neighsay squirmed out of them and accidently fell backwards, shattering the chair.

"Also," Sandbar added, "We'd kind of like to stop Cozy before she drains all the magic from Equestria."

"She's behind that as well?!" Neighsay yelped as he stood up. "I must get word to Celestia and Luna!"

"Springer's already gone to tell them," Mira responded.

"Although," Ace pointed out, "If you hadn't made it so he couldn't enter the school, he probably would have stopped Cozy Glow by now and found a way to return all the magic in Equestria!"

Neighsay flinched at this, only to knock a trash can over. "Even so, I can probably get there faster, and time is of the essence."

"How?" Sandbar asked, "Without magic, it'll take forever to get to them."

Neighsay glanced down at the trash he had thrown on the ground. "While it's true that unicorns have lost their ability to cast spells, the most potent magic in Equestria is housed in our...artifacts." They looked down and saw the broken EEA badge on the floor, Neighsay picking it up, "The EEA medallion allows me to travel throughout Equestria. Its magic worked when I chained you up. Perhaps it still has enough to send me to the princesses."

"Is it supposed to be cracked like that?"

The unicorn shook his head, "It was damaged during my fight with the jakhowl. It would only work for one more spell before it becomes damaged beyond repair." He placed it on his chest and tapped it, but nothing happened. He tapped it again and to their relief, it began to glow and sent out a burst of energy that flew into Neighsay's horn. He fired a blast forward, which opened a portal as the crack on the badge spread. The medallion crumbled as Neighsay stepped forward, looking back at the students and giving a worried look. They weren't sure if he was scared about the portal not working properly, or leaving them free to move around. Either way, he stepped through seconds before the portal vanished.

"I hope he makes it," Ocellus gulped.

"I hope he doesn't come back and lock us up again," Smolder growled with crossed arms.

"If he comes back."

"Everything's gonna be fine!" Silverstream chimed in, "Twilight and the others are probably already on their way!"





Cerberus let out a happy growl as Applejack and Rainbow threw a large spherical rock between them, the overgrown dog chasing the ball. As this happened, the others were looking around the cages at all the creatures that they hoped would allow them to escape. Twilight had spent hours working on a spell that would hopefully transfer the remaining magic that made them into her, giving them just enough time to escape.

"Um, are you sure there's magic in Cerberus?" Fluttershy asked as Twilight continued to work on the enchantment. "Clarissa the pig has two tails, and while her singing voice is lovely, I don't think it's magical."

"We need to try everything if we want to get out of here," Twilight replied before throwing a glance over at Flash, who was now positioned by the doorway. The pegasus barely had the strength to even stand now, so he would need to get out as soon as the doors opened.

"I don't know," she then heard Pinkie say. "Tartarus isn't so bad." She was currently holding a stick in her mane, which had a marshmallow on it. The chimera that was stuck in a cage launched a blast of fire from its goat head, toasting the marshmallow. "I could hang out here for a while!" But before she could enjoy it, the goat reached out and ate the marshmallow as well as half the stick. "Eh. Maybe not forever though."

"But that is just what it will be!" Tirek laughed from his cage. "If my protégé has followed my instructions, by sunset tonight, every last vestige of Equestrian magic will disappear into the ether forever!"

As he was saying this, Twilight flew up to his cage, "Have you even thought about what losing magic would mean?"

"It means the seven of you will be trapped here! Like me!"

"EIGHT!" Spike screamed from down below.

"Exactly," Twilight replied, "It means you're trapped here. Forever. With us."

"Uhhhh," Tirek slowly responded, "I hadn't thought of it like that."

"And if magic goes, the world dies." Tirek blinked at her at that, only for Twilight to add, "Flash got a warning from someone. Someone very power. Faust."

"Who?"

"She created Equestria, and the rest of the world, including you. She's made of magic and if it goes, she dies. And without her, the world will eventually die as well. You helping Cozy drain the magic of the world away will mean the end of everything, including you!"

Tirek glared back at her, only for the alicorn to fly away as Rarity, Fluttershy and Spike crowded around her. "So, what do we do, Twilight?"

Twilight pointed to their friends. "Dash and Applejack nearly have Cerberus tired out. If Rarity pitches in, I think they can get him to sit still long enough to try what I have in mind."

Rarity nodded and headed over as Fluttershy showed a small smile, "I'm sure I can get the other monsters to help." She then leaned over and whispered to Spike. "Besides, I would never call them monsters."

"What about Tirek?" Spike asked when she left, "He's probably got some magic, too, right?"

"Leave him to me," Pinkie giggled as she bounced up to the cage.

Meanwhile, Rarity had gotten a large bone from...somewhere, which she was holding up to Cerberus. "Down!" She told him, the large three-headed dog doing just that as Fluttershy spoke to the caged creatures.

"Okay, everyone! Time to show Equestria that you aren't monsters! You're wonderful, mystical creatures!" The animals all saw this and cheered as Twilight turned to where Flash was. He was looking worse and worse by the second.

"Flash...don't worry, I'm going to-"

"FINE!" Twilight suddenly heard a very irritated Tirek roar, "I'll help you leave! Just please stop!"

"Tirek's in!" Pinkie chimed in, Twilight smiling at the sight.

"Good. Let's begin."





Down in the crystal caverns, Starlight, Soul and Heart continued to float within the orb. With every passing moment, more and more magic was being drained into the sphere, soon all of Equestria's power would be taken. And when that happened, the portal to another dimension would suck it and them inside.

Soul grunted as she tried to summon some magic, Starlight sighing and shaking her head, "Give it up, Soul. That's not going to work."

Soul groaned as she stopped, "I thought since we were inside the magic orb, maybe we could harness it." Starlight knew what she was trying to do, having tried to do it herself when she was first thrown in there. But whatever magic Cozy had done, it had prevented those inside the magic orb from using it. She looked down at the magic circle, having been written using magical chalk to create the runes. She tried to read it, hoping to find a way to free themselves, but she barely knew anything about rune magic.

Soul looked over at Heart, who was simply floating there with his head down. "Heart..." she placed a hand on her shoulder, "Are you okay?"

"No," he growled, "I am not okay." He couldn't help but think about all the fun times he and Cozy had had. Cozy had a special place in his heart, but all that time she was making a fool out of him. Now his heart was starting to break, only for him to remark, "If we manage to get out of here, I'm never letting myself get that close with somepony ever again."

The mares flinched at this, Soul glancing over to Starlight as the unicorn just looked away. She knew she was the last pony to ask about relationships, especially since her's involved Sunburst and how that turned her into a monster. Instead, all she could do was tell Soul to hug her brother, hoping they could heal him later.





Hours had passed and there had been no sign of Neighsay, Springer or anypony else. The students had made sure to keep out of the way, waiting to see if anypony arrived to stop Cozy. But with every passing hour, the students grew more worried, only for Sandbar to yell, "That's it! Follow me!" He yelled before directing them through the school while continuing to keep themselves hidden. Soon, they arrived at the library and headed to the entrance into the catacombs.

Sandbar jumped down and the others followed, Yona asking the question everypony was wondering. "Uh...why pony lead us back down here?"

"We obviously can't handle Cozy on our own," Sandbar replied as he went to the room where the orb was located. "But we can't just sit around and wait for help. So, there's a few more prisoners I think we should free."

The others followed him to the window and saw the sphere, all gasping at the sight of it. "HEART/SOUL!" Ace and Mira screamed, the ponies hearing this and looking up. They could sense relief coming from Starlight and Soul, but Heart's emotions seemed completely out of whack. Ace flinched at this, Mira sighing as she knew why he was feeling this way.

"Hang on," Ace chimed in, "We'll get you out of there." But in that moment, Yona ran down the stairs and onto the floor that held the magic circle.

"Counselor pony, come out!" She got closer and closer, "We need help with nasty pony!" But Starlight tried to tell her something, Yona not hearing as she moved too close to the circle. That is, till Sandbar managed to stop her before she could step onto it.

"She can't talk to us from in there, and if you step on those runes, you'll end up joining her!" He yelled, the others flinching before backpedaling from the runic floor. "We have to figure a way to get them out without getting close to the orb."

They all nodded and glanced around, soon standing in front of relic that belonged to each of their kingdoms. "Hey!" Gallus commented, "This is just like chapter twelve in Kanthaka's Facts and Artifacts, from Twilight's class!" The others looked at him in shock, "What?! I've been studying! Finals are coming up, you know?"

Ocellus smiled at this, "Actually, I remember that, too!" She glanced around, only to walk over to a small stacks of books and take one out. She then flipped to the chapter she was looking for. "Cozy must've linked these artifacts to act like a mystical magnet, attracting all the magic in Equestria into that orb."

"I didn't think these things had that much power," Ace added as he stared at the gauntlet.

"Maybe not on their own," Mira continued, "But when combined, they're probably amplifying each other to this level." She frowned at this, "She's found a way to turn friendship into a weapon."

"So, can we shut it down by yanking one of these things out?"

"Sure. Though that would probably cause a magical feedback loop and destroy the whole school!" Ocellus replied, the group going wide-eyed at this.

"Destroy the School of Friendship?!" They spun around at a new voice, now seeing Cozy and the whole student body entering from above. "Oh, dear! Chancellor Neighsay was wrong about a lot of things, but I guess he was right about all of you!" This statement got the rest of the students to glare at them, the ponies slowly moving down at them.

"Uh-oh," Ace gulped.





Back in Tartarus, all the monsters had been released from their cages, though none of were rampaging, as Fluttershy had made them all agree to help. Flash remained by the door, his form slumped over as he barely had his eyes open. The sight made Twilight grimace before turning to the others, "Alright, is everypony ready?"

"Sit!" Rarity told Cerberus, who did so as she threw the large bone at him. "Good boy!" She turned to Twilight, "I can't say for how much longer."

The sound of cymbals filled the air as Pinkie in a money suit circled around Tirek. "All eternity!" She exclaimed, making Tirek growl.

"Yes! By all means, please! Just get on with it!" Tirek cried as Twilight nodded and raised her horn, Pinkie removing the suit and jumping into the cage.

"There's your cue, you evil centaur, you." Tirek groaned before opening his mouth as a stream of red magic flew out of it and into Twilight's horn. Cerberus was next, his chest unleashing a yellow light while the rest of the mystical creatures let out their own light. Soon enough, all their magic had been drained and the creatures transformed. Cerberus split into three tiny dogs while the combo animals all split into their individual components. Meanwhile, their magic flew into Twilight's horn and caused it to glow bright purple.

"That's it!" She cheered, "I think it's working!" She turned to the door and unleashed the magic, hitting it and causing it to illuminate. As it did this, the doors began to open. Flash didn't waste a second and pushed himself up, staggering to the door. "Come on!" He heard Twilight cry as he got through, "I don't know how long I can hold it!"

Flash glanced back as everypony except Twilight got out before the doors began to shut. Flash gasped at this, but Twilight leapt out seconds before it shut, tackling Flash as the pair began rolling along the ground before coming to a stop.

They moaned as Twilight picked herself up, Pinkie cheering, "Yay! Twilight did it!"

Twilight nodded back. "I couldn't have done it without all your help."

But before they could celebrate, Rarity screamed. "I'm not sure we did it!" They looked up and saw the sun was beginning to set, the ponies gasping.

"No!" Twilight cired.

"Tirek said all of Equestria's magic would be gone at sunset," Applejack added.

"Without magic, there's no way we'll get back to the school in time!" Twilight screamed as Fluttershy turned to her.

"What does that mean?"

"It means...we've failed!" Twilight finishing, Flash opening his mouth to tell them there was still hope, only to fall over. "Flash!" He heard Twilight cry as he hit dirt, his eyes closing in that last second. "Flash! Flash, please wake up! FLASH!"





The eight friends stared at the rest of the fellow students as they all glared at them. "After everything Twilight's done for you," Cozy faked a look of betrayal as they all got closer. "Why would you want to destroy her school?

"We don't!" Gallus growled before flying up and poking her in the chest. "You're the one using these artifacts to drain magic from Equestria!"

"Me?!" Cozy gasped, "We all just saw you with your claws all over them!"

"Yeah, right!" Mira growled, "We're trying to undo what you've just done!" She turned to the others students, "This thing is what's draining magic from Equestria. And when Cozy got found out, she threw our friends inside to be sent to another world with it!"

"Yeah!" Ace added as he pointed at the trapped ponies, "Who's the one who threw you in there?" The three all pointed to Cozy, "See?!"

"How could I have done all this?" Cozy asked, "I don't know what that orb is doing. And I definitely didn't throw them in there. How could I? I'm just a weak little filly." She then gasped, only to point at a certain changeling, "I bet it was actually Ocellus, transformed into me. You probably planned to pin this all on me if everything went wrong!"

"That...actually could be believable if I didn't know Ocellus well enough to know she's not evil."

"Ace!" Mira cried, Ace shrugging as the rest of the students all glared at them.

Cozy then gasped again, "It all makes sense. These creatures want magic gone from Equestria because it's the only thing ponies have that they don't!"

"Technically," Ocellus spoke up, "There's a magical component when Silverstream and I transform."

"And Yona's friends' friendship is magic!" The yak yelled, "Twilight said!"

"And you repay her by sending her to Tartarus on a wild goose chase so you could destroy everything she built!" Cozy cried, pointing at the ponies in the orb. "They've even trapped those three in that-that thing!"

"We're not trying to destroy anything!" Mira replied, "Soul's my best friend. Why would I ever do anything to harm her?!" Soul nodded as Cozy glared at them. "Listen to me! Cozy's nuts! She thinks that if she gets rid of magic, everypony will bow to her if she can become the head of the school!"

"Don't listen to her," Cozy countered, "She's not a pony. She can't be trusted. Twilight made this school so that ponies like us can save Equestria when she's not around. Now we have to show her everything we've learned." She pointed at them. "We have to defend this school!"

The students cheered as they charged, the non-ponies gasping as Sandbar ran in front of them. "No! No, don't listen to her!" But they didn't, barreling passed him and attacking the rest of his friends. Ace and Mira fought the urge to use their aura, knowing they could hurt these ponies who were just being manipulated.

They were quickly surrounded and did their best to fight them off, Gallus trying to fly away, only for his tail to be caught. When the pegasus let him go, he shot up and accidently slammed into the ceiling. "Augh!" He fell down toward the orb, slamming into it before he could fly to safety.

"Gallus!" Smolder gasped, managing to knock the ponies holding her away as they all charged in to save him. But as they did, they crossed the magical circle and the orb unleashed its tendrils. Everyone gasped as one caught Ocellus and pulled her in, Yona attacking the tendril to grab her with Ace, Sandbar and Mira grabbing them. But they were pulled in too as Smolder and Silverstream were all caught.

And in that moment, in the very center of the magic circle appeared a swirl of energy that began growing larger and larger. Cozy smiled seeing this, knowing that any moment the vortex would suck the magic and all her remaining obstacles away forever. But the students were more focused on something less.

"They just sacrificed themselves trying to save their friend," a yellow unicorn mare pointed out. "Professor Dash always said there's nothing more loyal than that. Shouldn't we try to save them?"

"They brought this on themselves," Cozy told her with crossed hooves. "There's nothing we can do."

"That doesn't seem very generous," a pink earth pony mare chimed in, "Or kind."

Cozy flinched at this, only to shake her head, "Yeah, yeah." She then took to the air and flew over the crowd, "The Elements of Harmony are very important. They're just not applicable in every circumstance. And with magic gone from Equestria, I'm not even sure the Tree of Harmony will be as helpful as it once was."

The students all exchanged glances at this, only to murmur agreements. The sight made everyone in the orb grimace, but then the seven crystal pillars going up the wall of the room began to glow. There was a purple one, a pink one, a yellow one, a white one, a blue one, an orange one and a green one. The light travelled up the pillars until they met at the very top, causing a bright flash of rainbow light. That light flew down and struck the orb, which had been about to fall into the vortex. When it did, the orb stopped falling and rose back up. Those inside were shocked, but even more shocked when all eight started glowing.

It was at this moment Cozy and the students noticed the light, "What's happening?!" Cozy yelled, only to see the eight students she had just sentenced to oblivion float out of the orb.

Each one glowing a color: Yona glowed green, Silverstream glowed pink, Sandbar glowed yellow, Smolder glowed blue, Gallus glowed purple and Ocellus glowed white. Ace and Mira were both glowing orange, the pair smiling at each other while those inside and outside the orb were in shock.

"They're glowing like the Elements!" The earth pony mare gasped, "I think the Tree of Harmony saved them!"

Cozy pushed her way to the front of the group, as the eight smiled down at her. "Guess our friendship is pretty magical after all," Gallus laughed before Ocellus pointed to the seven relics.

"Hurry! Grab the artifacts!" They all nodded and flew down, each staring at the relic of their nation as the glow vanished.

"Um..." Silverstream looked back at Ocellus, "Didn't you say that could destroy the school?"

Ocellus nodded. "But if we don't try, we could lose magic forever!"

"We got no choice then," Ace replied, "But...we better take some precautions in case we do go boom."

Sandbar nodded before turning to the rest of the students. "You all better get clear!" The students flinched at this before running off, leaving Cozy alone.

"Wait!" She screamed, "Where are you going?! STOOOOOP!"

And then the eight each grabbed their relic and lifted them up, causing the beams they were expelling to lift the orb up into the air. As it did this, the orb began to grow smaller and smaller, Heart, Soul and Starlight needing to hug so they weren't crushed. Then, it exploded and unleashed a wave of magic in all directions. It flew through the walls and up above the school, radiating out across all of Equestria. It was followed by multi-colored wisps of light that flew all around the place, flying toward a certain individual that had once held it.





On the outskirts of Canterlot, Springer, Celestia and Luna were making their way down the road with an entire army following them. A rustling of the bushes caused them to all get on guard, only to see a particular unicorn step out. "Princess!" Neighsay cried, looking rather disheveled as his robes were ripped and his mane and tail were a mess.

"What happened to you?" Springer asked, still holding an Aura Blast just in case.

"The damage you did to my medallion meant the spell I cast couldn't go all the way! Instead of Canterlot, I got spat out in the middle of the woods!"

Springer glared at him, ready to throw the orb, only for a wave of light to fly over them. "Whoa!" Springer yelped as he saw the many lights shine over the sky, "What is happening?" He got his answer when the lights slammed into all the unicorns around him, along with the princesses, their horns glowing as they felt their magic returning.





Outside the doors or Tartarus, the girls continued to try and wake Flash up. His breathing was growing weaker, making them fear each breath would be his last. But before they could all start crying, the wave flew into them. Two wisps went into Twilight and Rarity's horns along with Spike's chest. Others then phased through the doors of Tartarus, likely restoring the magic that made up the creatures within it.

Then, a large golden light flew down and into Flash. They gasped at the sight, only to see Flash remain still. "NO! Flash!" Twilight screamed as she hugged him, only for his eyes to shoot open.

"WHOA!" He gasped, taking in a huge breath of air. The sight made everypony cheer, the others then hugging him as he moaned out, "What happened?"

"I don't know," Twilight replied through a stream of tears, "But it's clear the magic's back." She then released her hug and sparked her horn, all her friends turning to her, "We got no time to lose. We're going back to the school now!"





The students were still running through the courtyard to escape in case the school went kaboom. That is, till a bright flash of blue light made them look up and see Starlight, Heart and Soul appear. The ponies they had just attacked were also there, the group now seeing them unharmed, with Yona even laughing. "Counselor pony!" She jumped toward Starlight, but the unicorn caught her in her magic so to not be crushed.

"Uh, it's nice to see you, too." She put Yona down as Soul activated her magic, actually happy to see that her magic was back. But not as happy as Heart was when he ignited his hoof, the pegasus cheering at the return of his flames.

"I guess magic is back," Ocellus giggled before a very angry voice caught their attention.

"You've ruined everything!" They turned to see a ruffed up and smoking Cozy Glow. "Now Twilight and her ridiculous friends can escape from Tartarus!" She looked ready to hurt somepony, the group all glaring at her as Heart's flames surged off him. But before he could attack her, a flash of light signaled the return of Twilight and her ridiculous friends, the eight appearing between the crowd and Cozy. The sight made her flinch before squeaking out, "I mean...yay! All my friends are safe!"

Applejack slammed a hoof down at that, "You can drop the act, Cozy Glow! Your pen pal Tirek told us all about how he helped you suck up all that magic!"

Cozy flinched again, only to see Twilight walk in front of everyone with a big frown on her face, "But I still don't understand why. Why do this, Cozy?!"

A growl escaped Cozy's lips. "Why?! WHY?!" Twilight stepped back at the sudden outburst. "Because friendship is power! You might be the Princess of Friendship, but as headmare of this school, I can collect even more friends than you!"

This statement was heard by not just them, but the students that were all hanging around the edge. Twilight blinked at her, only to shake her head, "You're the one who doesn't get it, Cozy. Friendship is powerful, but power isn't why you make friends. I'm sorry I couldn't teach you that."

"Well, you taught us," Gallus added as he and the students gathered around her.

Silverstream nodded. "You can't let one bad apple make you think you failed."

"And we never could've stopped her if we hadn't learned what you taught us about friendship." Sandbar added.

"Honesty?" They turned to Cozy, "Loyalty? Generosity? Blah-blah-blah! I can make more friends without using any of them! And if I can't do it here, I'll do it somewhere else!" She then took to the air and tried to escape, but her escape route was quickly blocked by several of the students.

"Yeah," a pegasus mare told her, "I don't think so!"

Cozy spun around at this, only to see a certain pair of alicorn sisters arriving along with Springer, Neighsay, the Royal Knights and multiple guards. "It's over," Springer made a Bone Breaker. "Just come quietly before you get hurt."

Cozy growled as the Royal Knights stepped up next, "Cozy Glow," Grand Hoof stated. "You are under arrest for attempting to steal the magic of Equestria. Who knows what would have happened if you had succeeded."

"Oh, I know." Everypony turned to Flash, "Cozy's acts could have had the worst ramification imaginable. She almost killed Faust." Those that knew that name were shocked, others just raising eyebrows.

"Who?" Cozy asked.

"Oh," Ocellus chimed in, "I remember this from Twilight's lectures. She's the being who created the Sacred Light and Corrupted Shadow, who created the world as we know it." Many others remembered that class, some of them amazed that such a being existed whilst others had their doubts. One of them being Cozy Glow.

"Her life-force is made up entirely of magic. If you had succeeded, she would have died. And without her, our world wouldn't have lasted long." Flash pointed at the filly, "All your ambitions, all your power-hungry fixations almost led to our world's end! Even if your insane plan was actually possible, this world would have died long before you could have even pulled it off!" He flew up to her, putting his face within inches of hers, "You would have ruined our world for nothing!"

"You really expect me to believe all that nonsense?" Cozy spat, Flash pulling back.

"Doesn't matter if you believe it or not. It's the truth. And you're gonna have to pay for that crime."

"You can try!" Cozy yelled as she shot straight up, the guards instantly appearing before her, only for the filly to give them puppy dog eyes.

"Err..." A guard turned to the princesses. "I know she's evil and all, but I don't think I can attack a filly."

"I can." Cozy turned to the voice, only to see Soul to her side as she slammed a hoof into the filly's face. The blow knocked Cozy straight into the fountain, the sight making everypony flinch.

"That's for messing with my brother." She blew on her hoof, everyone else grimacing at the angry look on the filly's face.





Everything seemed like a blur after that. Cozy was carted away to be tried and dealt with while the students and Starlight explained everything that happened while the Mane Seven were away. Twilight had not been happy hearing about how Cozy had tricked the three into the orb, and even more unhappy with Neighsay for imprisoning her students, attempting to take over her school and enchanting it to harm Springer. Celestia was also unhappy, and would be having stern words with the EEA about this matter, making Neighsay have to give a very heartfelt apology so as to not lose his job or be arrested.

Now he, Celestia, Flash and Twilight were making their way through the halls to ensure no damage had actually been done to the school after the magical explosion. As it turned out, the school was perfectly sound. As they did this, Neighsay sighed. "I'm glad you're back in charge of the School of Friendship, Princess." They reached Twilight's office and opened the doors for her. "It's clear to me now that there is nopony better suited for the job."

"You sure you're not just saying that so we forgive you?" Flash asked, Neighsay slightly chuckling and looking away. But before they could say anything else, Twilight noticed something down the hall that really caught their attention.

The eight students that had saved the school were all lined up, dressed in graduation gowns as Spike walked past them while burping up diplomas. "What's going on?"

Silverstream waved, "Hi, Headmare Twilight! We're just practicing for graduation!" As she said that, Spike belched out another diploma.

"Graduation?" Twilight asked.

"How long was I unconscious for?" Flash asked, the others laughing.

"Well," Ace smirked, "We were thinking..."

Gallus continued. "Now that we've saved Equestria, we figure we're done with school."

This statement shocked the adults, who quickly broke into a round of laughter much to the student's surprise. "Saving Equestria is nice, but I'm afraid it'll take more than one semester to learn all there is to know about friendship."

"Yeah," Flash nodded. "It took Twilight saving Equestria at least four times before she was made a princess. And another two times before she was given her title. Sure, you all saving Equestria's magic and preventing its total collapse was big, but I think it only equals two of Twilight's saves."

The students frowned as Spike belched out another scroll, "Told ya." The students all moaned as Spike moved back over to the others, Neighsay smiling as he nodded.

"Your teachers are right. I thought friendship was something only ponies should share with each other. But you all taught me how wrong I was. I suppose true friendship can take a lifetime to understand."

Twilight giggled at that, "If it were easy to learn, we wouldn't need a school." She winked at the chancellor, only for a sudden crash to fill the air and make them look around to see Apple Bloom and Scootaloo flying out a broom closet.

"We held her off as long as we could!" Apple Bloom cried as Sweetie appeared behind them, hoping around with a bucket on her head.

"But she locked us in this closet!" Scootaloo yelled, Sweetie pulling the bucket off her head.

"What happened?!" The little unicorn exclaimed, "Is everything alright?! Where's Cozy Glow?!" Everyone laughed, confusing the three as Flash moved over to help his sister to her feet.

"Everything worked out just fine," Twilight replied.

Celestia nodded. "As for Cozy Glow, I can assure you that where she's going, she won't be causing any more trouble."





Back in Tartarus, Cerberus was back to normal and laying down next to Tirek's cage. With its friends now gone, things didn't seem to be as fun as before. He turned to Tirek and whined, the centaur groaning. "Of course it's boring here now! But at least you're not in a cage!"

But in that moment, something totally not boring occurred. A flash of light made him turn to see a portal appear beside his cage, which Grand and Skybreaker stepped out of. The pair glared at Tirek and were ready for him if he tried anything, only to see that everything in Tartarus was just as it should be.

"Clear!" Grand called out, Luna walking through the portal along with Cold and Ruby. The unicorns her carrying a certain somepony in their magic, whilst Luna used hers to conjure a smaller version of Tirek's cage. They threw their prisoner inside and slammed the cage shut, the five quickly leaving back through the portal as Tartarus' newest resident turned to Tirek.

"Hey, neighbor." Cozy was smiling before her face turned sinister, "Wanna be friends?"





Flash and Twilight were both exhausted as they got ready for bed. With everything that had happened the last few days, the pair of them hadn't had much sleep. And now that they had the time to, they expected they wouldn't be waking up for almost two days.

"I still can't believe Cozy was tricking us that whole time," Twilight sighed as she brushed her teeth.

Flash was preening his feathers and sighed as well. "It's like the others said, you can't blame yourself for one bad student. The others did great thanks to what we taught them. But yeah, she certainly pulled the wool over our eyes. But as bad as we feel, Heart must be feeling even worse."

Twilight's heart almost broke at hearing this, as she remembered what Starlight had told her about Heart and Cozy's conversation. She knew Heart must be feeling horrible, and if what Starlight had told them Heart had said was true, it could leave lasting scars that might haunt him for years. "We have to try and help him through this." Flash nodded as Twilight stepped out of the bathroom and they both got into bed. "But we're in no condition to do it yet."

"Then we'll start first thing in the morning. Or whenever we wake up." Twilight laughed at this and the pair shared a kiss before going to sleep. They fell into a slumber rather easily given everything they had been through. Both felt themselves drift off into what would hopefully be a peaceful sleep.

That is, till Flash opened his eyes and found himself in a familiar void. Only this one wasn't completely insane like before. "Faust?" He asked.

"Hello Flash." He spun around and saw the ball of light flying over, Flash sighing in relief.

"Faust. I'm glad you're alright. A part of me was worried Cozy managed to kill you before the others gave you back your magic. Are you sure you're gonna be okay?"

"I am fine. Admittedly, I am a bit drained, but I should recover in time. I'm just sorry I couldn't warn you sooner. By the time I realized magic was being drained, I was already too weak to create a stable connection with you."

"Did you not know what Cozy was doing?" Flash asked, "I thought you were all seeing?"

"No, that's Santa Claus." Flash had no idea what that was, "Anyway, it doesn't really matter. I'm alive, magic wasn't lost forever, and everything can go back to how it normally is."

"But we did cut it pretty close," Flash sighed, "If the students hadn't done what they did, when they did, you'd have been gone and the world would have followed after you." He didn't want to imagine what a dying world looked like. "If you had...you know, is there any chance of our world surviving?"

"I'm afraid not. Everything would likely be okay for about a month or two, but it's like I told you: The world is like an engine. It can run on its own for a little bit, but without somepony to keep it working properly, eventually it'll break down. Without a conscious mind to keep this world in balance, it would have died. And I'm afraid there aren't a lot of other deities with the unbreakable will needed to take my place if I'm gone. If I go, so does the entire world."

Flash gulped at that, "Then I guess it's a good thing we're here to help you if you're ever under attack again. I promise, we won't let it get this close again. Whenever you need us, we'll be there."

"Thank you," Faust replied, "But I didn't bring you here just to chat."

Before Flash could ask what she was doing, she flew up to Flash and into his chest. "Whoa!" He yelped, only to see Faust fly back out of him, "What did you just do?"

"Just wanted to be sure you didn't suffer any ill effects from what happened. Remember what happened to Shadow after I removed his Corrupted Shadow?" Flash nodded back, "This is the same. Luckily, it seems you are the picture of perfect health. A little rest and relaxation and you'll be ready for anything the world decides to throw at you."

Flash sighed and shook his head, "I think I'd rather go without any grand adventures for a while."

"Well, I'm afraid that likely won't happen. You have done many great things, but I have a feeling you're greatest adventures have yet to come."

"How do you know that?" Flash asked, "Can you see into the future?"

"No. Your mother allowed me to see a few snippets of what was to come, but we passed that time a while ago. This is just a gut feeling I have, even though being a conscious mass of formless energy means I don't have a gut." They laughed at this. "No, I just have a feeling that something big is coming. Something that will require us all to make a choice between what is right...and what is easy."

Flash frowned, but knew she was probably right. The future was an unknown and there was no telling what great evil would appear next. But when it did, Flash would be ready. No matter what form it took.





In the middle of an unoccupied sector of Equestria, near the badlands but still had many trees and even a river running through it, was a large mountain. The mountain was so large that if it was moved to Ponyville, it would have crushed the entire town and part of the farm beneath the base. The mountain looked completely unordinary, but about half a mile up it, a small cave could be found.

Inside this cave, at the very back, was a magical seal that had been burned into the rock. Magic flowed into it, swirling and powering it...until all the magic had been stolen. The magic that had been torn across the land had been removed...and the seal was beginning to crack.

And as this happened, the wall began to fall apart, the entire back breaking apart. This revealed a tunnel, a deep and dark chamber...and within, a pair of bright violet eyes appeared.