> Her Candidates
>  by Nyte-Blade
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> The Beginning- Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Another busy day at the clubroom during lunchtime, as the club members are working on their part of the school's weekly journal and eating lunch. Inside this journalism clubroom, are nine boys and girls, all of them except for one, were wearing the red and black colors of Cheshire State Westford Academy. The students all wore red blazers and black button-up shirts underneath, and red pants (boys) and skirts (girls). 

The clubroom in which these people worked, was a classroom with two rectangular tables in the center of the room with a few laptops on top. With a black and white checkerboard floor, the white ceiling had a few holes made for the large lightbulbs that lit up the room, and a vent in which the cool air from the air conditioner would relieve the occasional humidity. There is also a large window with an open, black curtain against the wall, between the storage cabinet on the left, and the Lost-and-Found box on the right side of the window. Near the window, was a large brown and rectangle teacher's desk with a brown cushioned chair, in which the club adviser would sit and grade his students' work. To the left of the room was a green chalkboard embedded against the red wall, and the right side of the room was another large beige desk in which the club president would have his laptop open and do his own work.

Trisha Cole, a tomboyish young woman with red hair that barely touched her shoulders and her bangs just above her eyes, held a flash drive in her hand to give to the club president, Jeremy Zaccheo, a dark skinned young man wearing a black flat cap with a big red stripe down the middle that covered his curly hair.

"What's on it?" Jeremy asked, sounding slightly annoyed that he had to stop typing away at his laptop.

"It's a play-by-play of the basketball game you asked me to do, remember?" Trisha said, holding out the flash drive to him.

"Ah, right... damn, I haven't gotten enough sleep lately.." Jeremy said, rubbing his eyes, then taking sip of his coffee from his black and metallic thermos.

Jeremy is the hard-working leader of "the crew" as he calls his club members. He'd always push himself to the limit when it came to getting things done on time. He founded the CSW journalism club due to school regulations, but if it weren't for the regulations he initially hated, these valued companions wouldn't be here together. Despite that, he's known for having a chip on his shoulder, but wearing his heart on his sleeve.

"Jeremy, I told you to get more sleep. You need to listen to your teachers more often." Mr. Martin said, sitting at the teacher's desk in the room, grading some test papers with his red marker.

Mr. Marten Martin is the club's adviser and is considered a member of the crew himself. He's a very tall (6'7) teacher with short, brown hair and sports a bit of a goatee. He's usually a laid back kind of teacher, but he does his job well, since he wants his students to get far in life.

"Don't bother. That guy's stubborn as a mule." Megan said, as he efficiently played an MMO at his laptop.

Megan Miles, a young man with green hair and sporting a pair of headphones around his neck with an 'M' on both sides, is a kind of person that works hard just like Jeremy. However, he's always known his own limits, and smart enough to pace himself and manage his time. He's the smartest member of the crew and very handy with various types of technology, but has a huge ego, which makes him a bit of a jerk. He's supposed to be in charge of the technology column of the paper, but he regularly prefers to help with club's tech issues.

"And who asked you!?" Jeremy snapped.

"Calm down, Jeremy! We're just concerned because you never sleep!" Alice told Jeremy as she typed her article on the computer at the table in the middle of the room.

Alice Stanfield is a young woman with her long purple hair in pigtails. She loves gothic lolita fashion to the point of being inspired to create her own clothes in that category. She's very good at sewing clothes, and becomes extra enthusiastic when she wants someone to try her clothes on. She's a very nice person,but it can be hard to keep her attention when she goes on about clothes, boys, or her boyfriend. She works on the fashion column of the paper.

"Of course I sleep! But I need all of the time i can get to get all of the work done!" Jeremy answered quickly.

"Well, you should depend on us more."  Mason the really tall young man (taller than his teacher) with red hair said calmly.

Mason Takahashi is a really tall (6'4) young man with short, dark red hair, and a member of the school's basketball team. He assists with the club's sports column. He's a soft spoken kind of guy, with everything he says usually being straight to the point. Sometimes, it's hard to tell what he's feeling.

"I have a proposal!" Chris proclaimed proudly while glancing at the girls in the room. "Why don't we go on a trip during Spring Break next week?"

"A trip? Really? Are you kidding?" Eva said in disbelief, as she ate her lunch with her brother at the middle table.

"Sister, why on earth would I kid about that? It's only natural that our boss needs a good vacation to relax his mind! Perhaps I can teach him my skills in picking up the ladies!" Chris said.

Chris King, the youngest member of the club, is quite the casanova actually. He's a blonde haired, rich kid with piercing blue eyes. He's good at picking up girls for dates, so one would wonder if he's ever loved anyone for real. He works on the club's Romance column.

Evangeline King or "Eva" as she's usually referred to, a young girl with long blonde hair wrapped in a ponytail, is the older sister of Chris. Her brother is slightly taller than her, and as a result, she's always mistaken for the younger sister. People who meet her at first glance have a hard time believing that she's a third year at the school. Because of this, she's got a fiery persona hidden under her somewhat cool and girly demeanor. She's works on the school's Art Column.

"Because, you can't just use the family's money like that!" Eva retorted.

"I can if i just tell my dad that we're going on official business! Come on, as long as I net a few connections, Dad won't get mad!" Chris happily said.

"Isn't that where I come in?" Avu said.

Avu Unchou, a young man with short, slightly spiky black hair, and green eyes, is the club's Information Guy. Jeremy brought him on because Avu's information and knowledge about everyone and everything that goes on in the school and beyond is extensive, as if he were a walking news station. If anyone wanted to know anything, they'd have to ask Avu.

"Why, of course! You can help me look for potential connections, and my dad won't be mad!" Chris said, flailing his arms about, as if he were waving away any sense of impending trouble.

"Look, dude, I appreciate the concern, but if you get in trouble, then I'm gonna end up feeling guilty. And you don't want me to feel guilty." Jeremy said, pointing his pen at Chris.

"Trust me, Jeremy. NOTHING WILL GO WRONG." Chris said with emphasis.

"Yeah, just do it, boss." Avu said, continually playing on his Nintendo DS.

"Did someone say VACATION??"

The gang turn their heads to the beige sliding door when they hear it open, seeing the last three of their group walk in with their lunch. One of the three, Mia, ran over to Jeremy and placed her lunch at his desk, earning a slight scowl from him.

"What the blue hell are you doing??" Jeremy said, raising an eyebrow.

"You haven't ate at all, I know it!" Mia exclaimed. "Anyway, what's this about a vacation? I gotta know!"

"Chris over there is babbling about getting us on some stupid trip for spring break." Jeremy answered, then looked away for a moment and said under his breath, "... Wait a minute, that's not the issue here..."

Mia Hughes, the cheerful girl of the bunch and the voice of reason. She's a girl with brown hair and braided pigtails and a few freckles on her face. She's also a bit on the chubby side, but she's still cute of course. Despite that, she has a variety of interests regarding anime and manga, especially when it comes to Yaoi. She's in charge of the yaoi column, one she added, much to Jeremy's dismay. 

"But it is! Now eat up!" Mia grabbed the fork from the plate, forked a chicken nugget and brought it to Jeremy's mouth. "Say AAAAAAHHH~"

Jeremy gently moves Mia's hand out of the way, then responds, "Uh, I obviously know how to eat."

"She's just trying to help, Jeremy." Mina said.

Mina is just as harsh as Megan, but unlike him, she doesn't look down on others as she's giving her bits of brutal honesty. She's a girl with a slightly curly bob cut hairstyle with and wears glasses. Since she's known for her brutal honesty, she's in charge of the Rants Column of the paper, which is the most popular section to read.

"Anyway, I'm actually FOR this vacation. We could use the time to relax." Mina said, taking a seat at the table and setting down her plate of food.

"OOOOH, I'd like to relax with ya!" Kitsu said excitedly, nudging against her.

"Keep dreaming, bucko." Mina shot him down swiftly.

Kitsu Madaki, a young Japanese boy with short black hair. A guy that loves to make everyone laugh with simple tricks of the trade and reference jokes, is in charge of the Comedy Column, which is the second most popular part of their weekly paper. He's good at telling jokes, but he spends most of his time playing tricks on his friends or hitting on Mina, whose crush on her is expressed with pride. He's the second youngest of the group next to Avu, whom are both second years. Kitsu also seems to keep his eyes closed almost all the time, like a fox.

"Dude, so where do you have in mind?" Kitsu asked.

"Ah... err, good question. Japan? Italy? Canada?" Chris pondered, folding his arms and starting to think.

"OOH! OOOOOH! I VOTE JAPAN!" Mia excitedly raised her hand as if she were in class.

"Me too! And her too!" Kitsu rose his hand, and grabbed Mina's hand, raising it up high.

"STOP THAT!" Mina freed herself from Kitsu's playful grasp. "Well, I wouldn't mind going to Japan, but still!"

"Wait, don't we need a passport for any of those places?" Trisha asked.

"Ah, no. Actually, our school ID's actually acts as a pass port! That's one of the best things about being in Cheshire State Westford Academy!" Alice said, showing her student ID around her neck.

"Huh... I see. Haha... Guess there's still stuff I don't know about this school. My old school was nothing like this one after all, but I still don't like all the stupid rules." Trisha replied.

Trisha is actually the newest member of the club and newest student of their school since she just transferred in January. The crew members understand that she doesn't know everything about the school, so they all did their best in helping her along until she eventually joined the crew by the end of her second week.

"That sounds like something delinquents say. And I have enough problems with those kinds of kids." Mr. Martin sighed, marking an X on one of the papers he's grading.

"No, I'm no delinquent. Not like this guy." Trisha said, pointing at Jeremy, who responded with a quick "HEY!". "I'm just not used to such strictness. But at least It should keep my mind off of other stuff. So it's not so bad."

"I was just messing with you, I wasn't seriously calling you a delinquent." Mr. Martin said, followed by a giggle. "Anyway, I wanna go to Italy. Mason told me that he and his family's been there before."

"Italy's food is amazing. I want you guys to do some sight seeing with me." Mason said with a light smile, as if he were recalling fond memories of his time in Italy.

"It doesn't matter." Megan said, still playing his game, rapidly using the mouse and keyboard like a professional.

"Megan, just vote. It's not like your character will get killed if you take a second to think." Mr. Martin said.

"Uh, actually..." Avu tried to speak up, but Megan answered Martin's question.

"Okay, Italy." Megan turned around and said, sounding annoyed. When he looked at his screen, he noticed that his character had taken significant damage. "UUUUUUGH!"

"Tried to warn ya... he's playing one of those really tough MMO's you know. He's really awesome at'em, but he's gotta concentrate too." Avu said, spouting his knowledge of the game. "Well of course, let's just try Canada."

"Okay... Three votes for Japan, four for Italy... one for Canada..." Chris said, jotting down the votes on a post-it note.

"I wanna go to Italy too! I think there might be some cute clothes for me to see there! I gotta do my research!" Alice said before excitedly doing a search on the internet.

"Uhh... I dunno actually." Jeremy said, resting his head on his hand. "Depends on what Ruby wants... because she'll wanna go. You guys know how that kid can be."

"Oh just surprise her or something! Tell her that she can see ponies at some ranch or something!" Mia suggested.

"Horses." Jeremy said.

"I thought little girls liked ponies?" Alice said, confused at Jeremy's statement.

"Horses, ponies, what's the difference? They all friggin' look alike!" Jeremy said, slowly going into a tangent. 

"No, Ponies and Horses ARE different. You're just too stupid to see that, unlike me." Megan said, his eyes glued to the screen.

"What was that?" Jeremy stood up quickly. 

"Calm down, guys! Anyway, Jeremy, just pick italy!"

"No, pick Japan!" Mia said.

"Ugh, Canada then. HOW'S THAT! HAHAHAHA!" Jeremy laughed at them mockingly before sitting back down in his chair. "idiots. Can't force MY hand!"

"Okay... two votes for Canada, four for Italy, and three for Japan..." Chris jotted down with his black pen.

"I'll go Japan then." Eva said, making it a tie between Italy and Japan.

"And now you, mademoiselle, what's your vote?" Chris asked Trisha in a flirtatious and princely tone.

"Hmm... How about.........." Trisha trailed off.





One Week Later...

Spring Break has finally arrived, and the CSW Journalism club have already boarded the King family's private flight. With all twelve members on board, plus Jeremy's ten year old cousin Ruby, they all set off to Italy. 

Megan sat in his seat closest to the cockpit listening to "Dust in the Wind", while Mr. Martin next to him, watched a movie on the TV screen above his seat. Avu sat on the other side of the plane, watching a cooking show on another TV screen. Kitsu and Eva were at different seats at the back of the plane taking a nap. Alice, Ruby, Jeremy, Mia, Trisha, and Mina, and Mason decided to gather around and chat for a bit. Chris of course, was with his pilot at the cockpit.

"Hey, big bro! What's it like in Italy??" Ruby asked, standing in her seat and looking at Jeremy, who sat behind her.

"Uhh... I... have no idea. I never went. You're gonna have to ask the big guy over there." Jeremy said, as he sat in between Trisha and Mia.

Ruby Shepard, Jeremy's cousin of only ten years of age, is usually considered an honorary member of the crew since she loves to help her "Big Bro" out with his tasks. Jeremy initially didn't want his cousin helping, but the other crew members didn't mind her presence, and he eventually warmed up to accepting her help. Ruby has black, curly hair and dark blue eyes.

"Italy's a beautiful place. It's full of life." Mason said in his usual deadpan manner.

"Oh second thought... how about no." Jeremy said to Ruby, his eyelids lowered in annoyance. Mason doesn't say much after all.

"I don't mind surprises... all I know is that Italy's got good pizza." Trisha said, sitting next to Jeremy.

"That's all you care about, huh..." Jeremy said, looking at Trisha with an eyebrow raised up.

"Why NOT?? The pizza's YUMMY. I've had Italian style pizza before and... WOW, you'll never want to eat any other kind of pizza again!" Mia went on, licking her lips as she described the food.

"I don't know about all of that..." Mina said, sitting behind Trisha.

"I think I'll skip out on all the foods there. I don't wanna get fat!" Alice said, worried about fitting into any of the clothes there.

meanwhile...

"Hey guys, how long till we arrive?" Chris came in, asking his pilot.

"Mr. King, sir, you might want to look at this..." The pilot said to Chris, pointing outside the window up ahead. He was pointing at... what's happening outside.

"Huh... is it night already? Maybe it's just that we're going to a different time zone." Chris said.

"I don't think so... Didn't you and your friends board this plane at only ten AM? It shouldn't be night time this quick even if we're going into another time zone." The pilot said, sounding worried.

"Are you sure you're going the right way then? I mean, you're supposed to be the best pilot money my father hired."

"I AM going the right way, I promise! It's just... this is strange! IT SHOULDN'T BE NIGHT TIME RIGHT NOW WHERE WE'RE GOING!" The Pilot yelled in a panic, startling Chris. "I'll contact someone and find out just if the time is right. I know I'm old, but I'm not senile yet!" 

"Okay, okay, calm down..." Chris said softly, hoping his pilot would calm down. "I'm sure there's a reason..."

Meanwhile, back in the passenger section...

Trisha turned her head to look outside the window and noticed that the skies look like a clear night sky.

"It looks really dark outside..." Trisha said.

"Dark? It's night time THAT quick?" Jeremy said, looking through the window, confused as to what he's seeing.

"Umm... what is that... black... purply stuff, big bro...?" Ruby asked, as she pointed at the floor in front of Jeremy's feet, at what appears to be the night sky actually moving like a mist...

"WHA- AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Jeremy screamed, backing up in fear. "WHAT IS THAT?!"

"I-I DON'T KNOW!" Mia, just like everyone else, was in a panic. Their screams eventually woke up Eva and Kitsu, and eventually, got Mr. Martin and Megan's attention.

"W-w-what the heck is going on?!" Eva woke up startled, hearing everyone panic.

"Maybe they told each other horror stories! I wish I had in on THAT!" Kitsu chimed in.

"No, dumbass! Look at the floor! there's some stuff leaking in! Some kind of gas or something!" Jeremy snapped.

"Ah, what is that stuff!?" Alice instinctively rose her feet to her seat, not wanting to get in contact with the mysterious mist.

"I don't think that's a gas..." Megan said, looking at the floor.

"Everyone, remain seated! I don't know what's going on, but please, stay in your seats! DO NOT MOVE FROM YOUR SPOT!" Mr. Martin told everyone.

At that moment, the plane began shaking very violently, causing everyone to get in their seats, buckle up, and hang on for dear life.

Trisha of course, found herself looking closely at the gas, and noticing that it looks just like the night outside, as if she were looking at the stars in the sky. Just what is this strange gas? Why did it look just like the night sky? Before she could begin piecing together this puzzle in her head, she realized that she was getting farther and farther away from Ruby and Mason, who were just in front of her. In one instant, the jet was forcefully divided... 

"BIG BROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ruby screamed for Jeremy.

"JEREMY, NO!" Mason shouted, knowing that Jeremy would attempt to save his crew.

"RUUUUUUUUUUBYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy desperately unhooked his seatbelt, wanting to get to his friends.

"JEREMY, DON'T! YOU'LL DIE!" Trisha grabbed onto Jeremy's hand, saving him from just falling out of the plane.

"LET ME GO! I HAVE TO SAVE THEM! I HAVE TO SAVE RUBY! SHE'LL DIE AT THIS RATE!" Jeremy was in a panic, desperate to get to the other half of the plane.

Trisha noticed that her seat belt was vanishing as the smoke covered it. Hearing the same thing happen to Eva, Kitsu, Mina, and Mia, everything was beginning to seem hopeless, and their deaths were inevitable. Trisha tightly closed her eyes, bracing for the worst.

"We're already falling from this height... we're probably all dead anyway." Trisha thought to herself.

[Do you want to Live...?] 

Huh...? What is that...? Who is... Trisha spoke to the mysterious voice in her head.

[Do you want to live?]

"Not if I can't save my friends... I don't want to live... if I can't be with my friends."

[Your friendship is magic.]





"AGH! What... what the hell?" Trisha suddenly opened her eyes, to find herself staring at a light-blue ceiling... "Am... Am I dead...?"

Trisha checked out her surroundings. The first thing she noticed was the moderately soft feeling pressing against her back and head, which made her realize that she was on top of a bed. She noticed that the bed was a simple one without any railings, and only white sheets. The floors were made of solid wooden planks painted light-blue like the ceiling.The walls were more of a darker shade of blue, with only two windows to let in the sunlight. She also noticed three other beds in the room: one to her left, and two across from her. When she looked at the brown door with blinds on it, she saw something that made her think she was dreaming.

"Nope!" a voice came from her left.

"WHA!? A... Uhh, what in the... I must be dead... or maybe this is a dream." Trisha said, looking at who was talking to her. "What... is that? A... pony...?"

Talking to her, was a cyan colored pony with wings on the side. The pony's mane and tail looked like a spectrum of colors, and there was a mark on the pony's flank that had a cloud firing a rainbow bolt of lightning. In fact, this pony didn't look like the kind of ponies Trisha was used to seeing. This pony looked... cute and easy on the eyes. The muzzle was pretty short, and she's capable of speech!

"No, you're not, and this isn't a dream. Me and the Wonderbolts just saved your lives!" The talking cyan pony said.

"Saved... but, this... I mean... My friends and I were practically falling to our deaths. How did you SAVE us??" Trisha asked.

"We saw you guys falling through the clouds, so we saved you. Instead of asking what I am, you should tell me what YOU are." The talking pony said, sternly.

"Uhh, I'm a human. My friends are humans too. Can't you tell?" Trisha answered her question despite still being confused over what's going on.

"I never seen a human before." The cyan pony said, looking confused.

"And I never heard of a talking pony, yet alone one with a strange color." Trisha retorted. "Anyway, where are the others, and where AM I? Who are you?"

"The name's Rainbow Dash! And you're at the Wonderbolt Academy!" The cyan pony proudly introduced herself proudly. It didn't take long to realize that this pony is the tomboy type.

"Wonderbolt Academy...? Wait, you said something about these, 'Wonderbolts' saving us... So about my friends..." Trisha remembered. 

"Relax! They're in the other rooms!" Rainbow said, pointing outside at the door with her hoof.

"Ah, then they're okay!?" Trisha said, trying to get out of the bed, but when her feet hit the floor, she suddenly collapsed, as if she forgot how to walk. "What... what's going on!?"

"What's wrong??" Rainbow ran over to Trisha to check on her.

"I... don't know actually..." Trisha looked at her hands as she was breathing heavily, shaking uncontrollably just like her whole body.

"Just... how long were you guys falling for anyway??" Rainbow asked out of curiosity.

"I... have no idea..." Trisha said, vividly remembering that horrifying moment when the plane was broken in two. 

"LET ME GOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! UUUUUUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!"

"That voice... Jeremy??" Trisha looked around, trying to figure out where his startling voice came from.

"That's one of your friends, huh?" Rainbow said, looking through the door leading to the hallway, and noticing a dark skinned man being restrained by two ponies whom appeared to be security guards. In front of them and blocking the way are two other ponies: A stallion with sky-blue fur and a dark blue mane, and the mare with a yellow coat and yellow and red mane that resembled a blazing fire.

Trisha followed Rainbow, crawling to the door to look. "Yeah... that's one of'em. And I figured he'd be like this... he was like that on the plane with me." Trisha said, trying to get on her feet.

"Plane? What are you talking about?" Rainbow asked, confused.

"You... don't know what a plane is?" Trisha asked, before finally noticing Rainbow's wings. "Okay... well, that explains it..."

"No way! I didn't even know what you are. I still don't even know WHO you are!" The cyan mare said, sounding slightly annoyed.

"Whoops... forgot about that bit. My name is Trisha Cole." She introduced herself, still feeling curious. "Anyway, can you help me up? I have to go to him."

"Sure thing!" Rainbow said. 

"I'm surprised... so she's got a group of people too, huh? and judging by the wings, I can see how they saved our lives..." Trisha thought to herself.

Rainbow helped Trisha back on her feet and the two of them hurried outside the room to get to Jeremy. Once Trisha seen how Jeremy's being restrained by the other Wonderbolts, she knew that she had to get him to calm down.

"YOU DAMN HORSES! GET THE HELL OFF OF ME!!!" Jeremy continued his struggle, but the ponies were obviously stronger than him; not that he cared...

"Just stop struggling and LISTEN!" One of the security ponies holding him down yelled.

"Spitfire, what's going on with this guy?" Rainbow asked.

"This idiot's about to jump out of here, going on about 'saving' his friends or something. Me and Soarin' needed security help trying to make him stop, but he's way too stubborn!" Spitfire answered.

"Jeremy, these ponies saved our lives, so please, calm down!" Trisha went to Jeremy's side and spoke calmly.

"HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO CALM DOWN!? RUBY HAS TO BE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE! If she lived, then the rest of the crew lived! I know everyone has to be alive! I HAVE TO SAVE THEM!" Jeremy continued to struggle, fueled with rage and tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, but what happened to the others telling you to rely on us more, huh?" Trisha said, trying to console him.

"WHAT CAN YOU PEOPLE DO!?" Jeremy said with a swift burst of anger.

"Uh, listen... whatever you are. We did just save your life. Instead of struggling like an idiot, just ask for a little help!" Spitfire said.

Jeremy fell silent, only slamming his fist into the ground repeatedly, grunting with each impact his fist made into the wooden floor. At the very least, he finally stopped struggling.

"Oh yeah, apparently Trisha and her friend are humans. You ever heard of anything like it?" Rainbow asked Spitfire.

"No, not me. What about you, Soarin'?" Spitfire asked Soarin'.

"Not me." Soarin' replied.

Eventually, the two Wonderbolts got their hooves off of Jeremy's back, letting him go. Jeremy got on his feet, breathing heavily, as if he were high on adrenaline. The very moment he stopped and waited for the two ponies behind him to walk ahead of him, he took off running once again, dashing to the door, only to nearly fall out. Rainbow quickly grabbed him by his belt with her mouth and pulled him back in, making him fall onto his backside.

"What the blue hell...?" Jeremy said, shocked to see there's nothing but clouds below.

"We tried to tell you. If you don't have wings, you're not gonna get very far in this area." Spitfire said to Jeremy, who could only fall onto his back, feeling completely powerless.

Trisha, accompanied by the other ponies, walked up to Jeremy. "Let's see the others, okay?"

"Damn it all..." Jeremy said under his breath, feeling defeated.

"I'm sure the rest of your friends are alive out there somewhere. But being reckless is not the way to go in finding them. And it sure isn't the Wonderbolt way either." Spitfire said to Jeremy. 

"I have to find them... my friends... Ruby... I have to find them... I have to find her." Jeremy muttered to himself repeatedly like a mantra.

"We will find them. I actually have a really good feeling they're alive." Trisha said. "In fact, I think these ponies can tell us what happened."

"What, so I get separated from the rest of my friends, plus my cousin, and suddenly I'm supposed to trust talking ponies. Hah... this day just gets better and better..." Jeremy muttered under his breath, giving a stiff giggle.

"What's his deal? Why do ya think these humans were falling anyway?" Rainbow asked Spitfire. 

"That's what we're about to find out. We'll start by asking the two there." Spitfire said, looking at the two humans.

While the ponies were talking to each other, Trisha turned to Jeremy, "We really should learn all we can about where we are first. If we went to look for Ruby and the others without knowing, we'd be lost instantly."

"Whatever. I gave her mom and dad my word that she'd be safe, and what happened? She's GONE." Jeremy said, taking his cell phone out of his blazer pocket. When he turns it on, he sees there's no signal at all. "Ugh, no bars either... bloody hell..." Jeremy grumbled.

"And that's why we need their help. These ponies might know a whole lot more than we do." Trisha said. "When I first joined your crew, you gave me a chance. Give them a chance too."

After a heavy sigh, Jeremy replied, "How the hell can you stay so calm, Trish? We just fell... god knows how many feet from the plane, and you're trusting talking... ponies. "

"Actually... I'm not really calm at all. It's just that Rainbow Dash is a pretty cool pony." Trisha said, still shaking a little, but put on a brave smile.

"Rainbow... Dash...? You mean... the one with the color mane?"  Jeremy asked, pointing at the respective pony.

"Yeah. She told me that the others are safe." Trisha said.

"THEY ARE!?" Jeremy shouted. Before he realized, they were already back in one of the emergency rooms.

"Whoa, someone's excited, huh?" Spitfire said, startled for a brief moment.

"Where are they? My friends... where are they?" Jeremy said hysterically, who just couldn't wait to see them despite so many unbelievable things happening in one sitting.

"Oh, they're in the room over there. You were in there with them, but you ran so fast outside like a maniac, you didn't even notice." Spitfire said to Jeremy.

Jeremy and Trisha noticed the door ahead, running up to it. He looked inside to see only Mia, Kitsu, Eva, and Mina, still unconscious. He turned his attention to the ponies to ask, "I'm glad they're safe... but Ruby... she's not here, is she?"

"Who's Ruby? You six were the only ones we found falling from the sky!" Rainbow said.

"Ruby's my cousin. Along with her, there were about six others, plus a pilot..." Jeremy explained.

"So you didn't see them at all?" Trisha asked.

"No way! It's as Rainbow Dash said, you six were the only ones we found falling." Spitfire answered. 

"Damn..." Trisha said under her breath.

"So why were you guys falling?" Soarin' asked.

"We were in an airplane, going on a trip, but then suddenly some kind of mist, or gas stuff flowed into our plane and sliced it in half." Jeremy summarized.

"So some mist attacked you guys? That doesn't sound right..." Spitfire said.

"Well, that's the thing... it didn't even look like mist. It looked like I was staring into the night sky or something when i seen it." Trisha explained.

"Wait, what did you say!?" Rainbow's eyes widened, as if she heard something serious.

"Oh... uh, the mist we saw looked like the night sky." Trisha repeated herself.

"No way... it can't be...! I have to tell Twilight! I'll be back in a bit, okay!?" Rainbow said, before flying out of the room in a hurry.

"What was that about...?" Jeremy asked.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash, who was flying as fast as she could to Ponyville, to tell Twilight about what she just heard... There's no way, but... there's no mistake with that description, right?
> The Beginning- Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Rainbow Dash hurried straight to Ponyville, straight to the house of a certain purple unicorn and her assistant dragon. Rainbow wanted to be sure, but... it's impossible. There's just no way that Nightmare Moon could be back.

When she reached a large oak tree, the home of Twilight Sparkle, she ran through the door immediately. She saw Twilight studying a magic book as usual, but that little hobby had to be interrupted.

"TWILIGHT! BIG PROBLEM!" Rainbow stopped right at Twilight's face, startling the purple unicorn into dropping the brown book she was reading, and wondering why she's in a hurry.

"Whoa, calm down! You're not usually this panicky without a reason." Twilight said, her head backed away in confusion.

"It's Nightmare Moon!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Wait, Nightmare Moon? That's not possible. Princess Luna shouldn't be in despair anymore, and she can change into Nightmare Moon without being evil." Twilight noted, but sounded curious to know more.

"But I saved some humans who say they were attacked by her!" Rainbow claimed in an excited tone, making Twilight cringe.

"Wait, that's not right. Like I said, Princess Luna shouldn't be under Nightmare Moon's control anymore." Twilight said, using her magic and putting a strip of paper into the book she was reading. "Unless... you're saying Princess Luna herself did it?" 

"Well... no... i mean... I don't want to believe Princess Luna would attack humans either." Rainbow didn't want to have any doubts, wanting to believe in the now reformed and kind princess of the night.

"I know. I trust Princess Luna wholeheartedly. And I doubt she'd attack random humans. I just can't see her doing something like that." Twilight said with confidence. "Actually, I'd like to meet these humans you saved. They must be from another world."

"Huh? You know about them?" Rainbow asked, taken by surprise.

"Of course I know what humans are! I've been reading a new book about them just now actually." Twilight said, levitating the book and showing Rainbow the cover. "I'm curious about their society's customs, and how they differ so much from ours.

"Huh..." Rainbow looked at Twilight, wanting to say 'that's something only a nerd like you would say'.

"They come from some other world. A world a little more advanced than ours, but lacking in magic. But they make up for that with this thing called 'technology'." Twilight said, before her eyes widened with an idea. "Now I really want to meet these humans you saved now. Can I?"

"Yeah! I'm sure you could answer a bunch of their questions, Twilight." Rainbow complimented.

"Well, I'm sure I could, but you could have too." Twilight said, being humble.

"Yeah, but I don't think I'd be able to answer anything too complicated, ya know?" Rainbow said, patting the unicorn on her back.

"But it's just simple stuff! how hard could it be?" Twilight asked.





Meanwhile, at the academy, Trisha was speaking to Spitfire in her office.\

The office Trisha was in, was similar to a detective's office from a movie. Aside from the light blue wooden planks and ceiling and dark blue walls like the rest of the place, this room had four file cabinets, two on each side of the room. Behind Spitfire was a window with the blinds open partially, so only a little sunlight would seep through and light the room further. There was a light hanging from above, lighting the room from the top center. Spitfire and Trisha sat in brown wooden chairs with matching arm rests and a blue cushioned seat, the desk in between being large and made of a light-blue kind of steel. On top of that desk was a full map of Equestria, and on top of that was a figurine of a wonderbolt, and various organized profiles of various ponies covering it, presumably all students of the Wonderbolt Academy.

"So you're telling me that this thing called an airplane was sliced in half and your seat belts vanished?" Spitfire asked, leaning forward, putting her head on her hooves and eying the human inquisitively. Trisha felt like she was being questioned by a detective.

"Yeah... and before we knew it, we were here. We don't really recall you saving us." Trisha said. "I only know now thanks to Rainbow Dash telling me."

"Yeah, she's is a real reliable pony. She was the one who saw you during one of our training exorcises today. It's why we decided to make her a lead pony for the remainder of her time in class." Spitfire said.

"Lead Pony...?" Trisha narrowed her eyes, confused.

"Haha, I forgot you don't know this stuff! What I mean, is that in most of our activities for class, we divide the students into groups of two: The lead pony, and Wingpony. From there, we have a series of lessons and activities, and if you graduate, you become one of us." Spitfire explained, moving a hoof around, motioning the flying tricks that the students have to pull off.

"A Wonderbolt... So is Rainbow one of you guys?" Trisha asked.

"No, not yet. But her flying skills are phenomenal, so I know she'll be one of us in the future. She's currently our top student here." Spitfire said with a smile.

"That's amazing!" Trisha said.

"We could talk more about the academy later. Back to the main topic..." Spitfire said before steering the discussion back on track, "Can you remember if you've seen anything before you fell asleep?"

"Wait, fell asleep? What are you talking about?" Trisha asked, confused, slowly feeling mortified. "We weren't sleeping while falling, were we...?"

"You guys were actually asleep for some reason when we caught you and your friends." Spitfire said, looking just as puzzled.

"I... had no idea I was asleep while falling... I thought I had just shut my eyes, bracing for a deadly impact." Trisha said, covering her mouth, but eyes quivering at the startling revelation.

"Hmmm... Well, from what I've heard, it might be Nightmare Moon that attacked you guys." Spitfire guessed.

"Nightmare... Moon?" Trisha, as expected, didn't know the name.

"Nightmare Moon used to be an old pony's tale, but it turns out the legend was true by the time of the thousandth Summer-Sun Celebration rolled around. The news of her defeat is kinda common knowledge." Spitfire said.





Meanwhile, several minutes later, Rainbow came back to the Wonderbolt Academy with Twilight since she wanted to meet the humans.  After coming inside, Twilight's eyes widened at the sight of the humans who were up, chatting with the ponies of the Wonderbolt Academy. Mia was chatting with a black coated stallion with a white Mohawk mane named Thunderlane, while Kitsu, Mina, and Eva were talking to a pair of mares, both with a similar blueish gray color scheme, but sporting a pale cerulean mane and a light grayish mane with a bow named, Cloudchaser and Flitter respectively. Jeremy of course, looked annoyed the entire time. 

"We're wasting way too much time in this building. I should be out there finding the others...! Isn't there a way down!?" Jeremy thought, forming a scowl.

"Glad to see you guys are making friends!" Rainbow said to the humans.

"So you're Rainbow Dash..." Jeremy looked at the cyan pegasus, then looked at the purple unicorn with the dark purple mane and pink highlights. "And... you are?"

"Hey there, I'm Twilight Sparkle. What's your name?" The unicorn held out a hoof in greeting.

"I don't feel like telling you. Not until I know everything about where the hell I am!" Jeremy said, giving Twilight a very intense glare.

"Okaaay... did I do something wrong?" Twilight asked, confused as to why the dark skinned human is so angry.

"I don't want you glaring at my friend, big guy..." Rainbow said, giving a glare back to Jeremy.

"Oh, if you're trying to threaten me, then don't mind if I respond with a little violence!" Jeremy began popping his knuckles.

"Ahhh, hahaha...! Jeremy's not always like this, you know..." Mia got up from her bed and got between the man and pony, intervening before Jeremy could pop off. "Anyway, nice to meet you, Twilight! I'm Mia! The girl with the glasses is Mina, the blonde girl is Eva, the fox face guy is Kitsu! And of course, you already know Jeremy!"

"Hi, Mia. Listen, I've never seen humans before in the flesh, so I'd like to learn all I can about you. Is that okay?" Twilight asked.

"Oh, of cour-----" "Whoa, where do you get off wanting to know about us? We don't even know where we are! Wonderbolt Academy? Just what the hell is this place, what ARE you!? And what the hell happened to the rest of my friends!?" Mia was cut off before she would agree to Twilight's request was cut short by Jeremy's outburst, whose anger grew to it's prime.

"Jeremy, calm down!" Mia said desperately.

"I usually don't agree with Jeremy when he has an outburst, and I agree he should calm down, but he raises very good points. We DO need to know where we are." Mina said with a sharp tongue.

"Ah, sorry about my manners. It's just, I'm so fascinated now that I see humans, just as you're described in my book!" Twilight explained sheepishly, trying to control her fascination.

"It's okay Twilight... to be honest, we were thrown into this place against our will. So where are we?" Mia said.

"You're all in the land of Equestria!" Twilight said.

"Equestria...?" Jeremy asked, confused. "What kind of name...?--"

Mina cuts Jeremy off by answering, "Looking around at all the ponies we've been talking to, it makes a lot of sense, actually."

"And not to mention these ponies are quite friendly, despite the initial shyness." Kitsu said. 

"While Trish was away, we saw some more ponies with wings looking into our room curiously. Of course, Jeremy had to glare at all of'em. But Kitsu and I showed them It was okay to talk to us!" Mia waved her hand across the room, showing the ponies.

"Yeah, I was a little weirded out at first, but I'm okay with it." Eva said, "Besides, this guy called Thunderlane here kinda cracks me up a bit."

"Yeah, Flitter and Cloudchaser were going on about this time when he spreaded the feather flu around." Kitsu said.

"And we would've broken the record too if it wasn't for that..." Rainbow said, remembering when she had that chance to set a new record when she and the other pegasi had to send the water to Cloudsdale.

"But I apologized for that!" Thunderlane protested, but still laughed along.

"I'm outta here. You guys can laugh, smile, and get comfortable here all you want, but I'm, not, doing this." Jeremy said, walking out of the room and down the hallway as fast as he could..

"Ugh, what's that guy's problem?? I'm giving him a piece of my mind!" Rainbow's eyes narrowed angrily, chasing after the disgruntled human.

"Ah, Rainbow, wait!" Twilight tried to stop her, but before she knew it, the cyan pegasus was already going down the hall. "Haaa..." Twilight sighed.

"Jeremy..." Mia said, feeling a bit down. "I swear, he's not always like this."

"Can't say I blame him too much though... I got separated from my little brother, and I'm actually worried sick." Eva said. "We just know that being rash won't help anything in a situation like this."

Twilight  nodded in agreement; "I understand. I just want to ask you all how you all got here, that's all. I just need to be sure of something Rainbow Dash told me." Twilight said.

"Alright, we'll answer in a bit." Mia said, before she and the others took the time to say goodbye to the other pegasi in the room, since it's only natural they couldn't spend all of their time talking to the humans.

"Well, let's see..." 

Mia tells Twilight their story on what happened on the plane, the strange night sky they seen, and how everything just went downhill from there until they were saved by the Wonderbolts.

"I see... well, that might be Nightmare Moon... it sounds like her, but I highly doubt that she's responsible..." Twilight said.

"Nightmare Moon?" Mina asked.

"Why's that?" Eva asked.

Twilight, noticing the humans' confusion, began to explain the legend of Nightmare Moon, her return on the thousandth day of the Summer Sun Celebration, and about the time when she and five other friends gathered together and used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon and saved Princess Luna from her control.

"That's... pretty amazing..." Mina said, her eyes showing genuine excitement. It means a lot when someone as brutally honest as her can say that. Mia, Eva, and Kitsu all agreed with her.

"Thanks guys. But still, I doubt Nightmare Moon attacked you." Twilight said.

"Why not? What you said kinda fits the bill." Kitsu asked.

"Because, Nightmare Moon came back after a thousand years, and it hasn't been that long since we defeated her. It's been a little over a year since then. And of course, Princess Luna has friends; plus her sister's love and support. I just can't see a reason for Princess Luna to attack you guys." Twilight explained.

"Yeaaaaah, buuuuuut..." Mia said, looking more confused, as she and her friends know that more questions have come up.

"Twilight Sparkle? What are you doing here?" Spitfire said, coming down the hall with Trisha.

"Oh, Rainbow invited me here. I wanted to see the humans you rescued." Twilight answered.

"You might be able to help them out better than I can since you and your friends defeated Nightmare Moon." Spitfire said in a humble tone.

"Well... I told them the story, but that only seemed to raise more questions." Twilight said, giving a dry giggle, as she knew she's got a mystery on her hands.

"I wouldn't rule her off as a suspect though. Just a tip." Spitfire said.

"But the princess...!" Twilight attempted to protest before Spitfire cut her off; "I'm just saying." 

Spitfire walked back into her office.

"Trisha you're back!" Mia said, happy to see her friend again. "So what were you two talking about?"

Trisha tells Mia about her and Spitfire's conversation. Twilight of course, notices that their conversation is similar, so she and Mia explain what their conversation was about, giving Trisha a bit more knowledge about Nightmare Moon.

"Well... if this Princess Luna is as good as you say, then it'd be okay if we found out, right?" Trisha asked. Even if we find the culprit... It's not like we can fight her. These ponies are way stronger than us.

"Right! Just what I was thinking! I want to take you guys to Canterlot to see Princess Luna, so you guys can know for sure that she's not evil. But she only comes around at nighttime, so I'll have to wake Spike up." Twilight said.

"Spike?" Mina asked. "He's a dog, huh?" 

"No! He's a dragon, and my assistant! He's usually the one sends any letter we write to Princess Celestia." Twilight said. "It looks like I have a lot of explaining to do as well..."





Meanwhile, Jeremy sits at the exit of the barracks, looking down at the clouds and grabbing his head in frustration, worried about the rest of his friends, his cousin especially. Where could she be? Is she even still alive? The uncertainty continues to cause a lot of stress for the man, as he held onto his black flat cap, making sure it wouldn't fly off his head. Jeremy's eyebrows rise in curiosity when he finally takes notice to something beneath the clouds. 

"Is that... a balloon?" Jeremy squinted his eyes, trying to get a better focus on it. He saw something round and purple in the clouds... "A HOT AIR BALLOON! I can use that!"

"Don't even THINK about it, big guy!" Rainbow Dash was already behind Jeremy, glaring at him.

"Ugh, damn... busted." Jeremy clicked his tongue, scowling at Rainbow.

"Why you... you were gonna steal Twilight's ride!" Rainbow scolded

"SO WHAT!? I finally have a way to get on with my search! I can finally go find Ruby!" Jeremy argued, his fists balling up tighter and tighter.

"And why do you have to be such a jerk about it!? You're even yelling at your friends too!" Rainbow argued back.

"Well excuse me for not wanting to mingle with a bunch of ponies! I'm grateful you saved our lives, but I'm not just gonna stand around and do nothing when Ruby could be out there!" Jeremy made his counter argument, his glare becoming fierce.

"And what about the friends with her?! Look, you can look down on us all you want, call us just 'ponies', but let's make one thing clear; I could just push you out through that door, and you'll just hit the ground. Go splat. You wouldn't be able to save yourself because you don't even have wings. You just stand on two legs and just happen to be a little taller than me, but you'll never get by in this world with that attitude of yours!" Rainbow made some scathing points, making Jeremy back away, only twitching his eye.

"You think I just want to kill myself!? No, want to save my friends, but...!" Jeremy's tone of anger began to waver.

"And the ones here, what about them, huh? You keep going on about saving your friends, but you're forgetting who you're supposed to be loyal to!" Rainbow continued to tear into Jeremy.

"Me, loyal to THEM!? IT SHOULD BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND! I MADE THIS CREW!!! THEY SHOULD BE LOYAL TO ME!!" Jeremy shouted, trying with every fiber of his being to not punch a hole in the wall.

"Oh, so you're their so called 'leader', huh? A real leader knows how to show loyalty to their team! It's a two-way street, big guy! So stop being so stupid and selfish! Because the second you try to steal Twilight's balloon, I'm NOT going to save you. I saved your life once, but my loyalty is to my friends!" Rainbow finally finished tearing into the disgruntled human.

"Grrrrrrrrrr..........." Jeremy could only clinch his fist in anger, as he knew that everything she said was right... But he mustered up some words, shaking the entire time. 

"Okay... you raise some veeeeeeeeeeeeery valid points. Bravo, resident of THIS WORLD. But hey:  What If you had a sibling... or someone you cared deeply for, like a little sister... you know something happened to that person, but you just... don't know their fate. What would you do? Would YOU keep calm? Wouldn't YOU want to find that person at all costs if you could? At any opportunity? That's what I feel. It's nothing like seeing someone dying and wanting to exact a little vengeance... hell, it's different from knowing they're okay. You NEVER experienced that anxiety of NOT KNOWING. You'll want to find out that person's fate no matter what. At least when they're DEAD, you're forced to move on. If they're alive, you get a sense of relief... but if you don't know which one, you're gonna want to. And not knowing is aching for me." Jeremy was literally shaking the entire time he said that, clinching onto his wrist, making a fist. Despite that, he still felt powerless.

"Then let us help you! Haven't you ever gone somewhere you've never been before and asked your way around!?" Rainbow made her argument, presenting another good point.

"Fine. I'll try to stick this out... for as long as my patience allows..." Jeremy said. 

"Oh, there you are, Rainbow! I was just about to take the humans to Ponyville, so we can have Spike send Princess Celestia a letter." Twilight said. 

"I don't know what you talked to my crew about, but how are we gonna get down?" Jeremy asked.

"Like this!" Twilight said, before she closed her eyes. The tip of her horn began to glow in a purple light, and after a quick flash... they were on the runway.

"Agh! What WAS THAT!?" Jeremy became unnerved.

"Oh it was just a teleportation spell."  Twilight explained, like it was no big deal.

"Remember when I asked if we were dead? I'm beginning to think we weren't that far off the mark." Jeremy snarked as he reluctantly followed Twilight and Rainbow along with his friends.

"Oh lighten up, man. We're in a land full of magic and rainbows and sunshine! Just take advantage of it!" Kitsu exclaimed, playfully patting Jeremy on the back.

"Whatever." Jeremy looked away, still annoyed.

"Now all I need to do is make a little room for you all to get on, and..." Twilight used her magic to expand the pink passenger basket to support herself and the humans. "There! Hop on, everyone! We're going to Ponyville!"

"You sure this thing can hold all of us?" Mia asked, worried about even getting on.

"Oh, this balloon's actually magic powered, so don't worry!" Twilight reassured.

Following Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash to the hot air balloon, the crew would fly into Ponyville, where they hope to have more questions answered, and hopefully learn a little more about the world they're currently stuck in. 

> Exploring Ponyville - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Escorted by Twilight and Rainbow, the humans are now leaving the Wonderbolt Academy and are now on their way to Ponyville. It turns out that near the academy, there was a whole town in the clouds just near the academy called Cloudsdale, but since it's mostly made of clouds, the humans wouldn't have any chance to really get by in a place like that. 

Even so, the main stop was Ponyville, the bustling town where Twilight and her friends live. Since Jeremy wasn't around to hear any history about the ponies or Equestria when Twilight talked to the humans, Trisha told him everything they talked about, so he'd be up to speed. He still seemed very unsatisfied though, but has calmed down enough to at least cooperate... for now. After a half hour flight, they have now arrived at Ponyville.

Ponyville to them, looked like an ordinary town you'd see in the human world, filled with well built houses and stores, except the area looks nothing like a modern day kind of town due to the style of the houses. For one, there were ponies everywhere who had their own form of economic business, as well as ponies who did the things Humans do, such as shopping, running shops, and going on dates, minus the walking on all fours and carrying things with their mouths or making them float. The town was lively, and to the humans, they were a bit weirded out.

"This is Ponyville, huh? Sure lives up to the name..." Jeremy said.

"Equestria is what lives up to it's name." Mina said. 

"Well we ARE ponies. Duh!" Rainbow said.

"Eh... But 'Ponyville'? Kinda pushing the pretentiousness a bit, don't you think?" Jeremy asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh you're just saying that because you don't know any of Ponyville's history!" Twilight told Jeremy and Mina.

"Ponyville history, huh? Guess you guys have a story on how you founded it, right?" Trisha asked.

"Of course! But we can talk about that more when we take a trip to Sweet Apple Acres, where my friend Applejack lives." Twilight said.

"Applejack, huh...? You guys have some cute names!" Mia said.

"They sound more like puns in the making to me." Kitsu said.

"We'll go there later. We have to go to my home first!" Twilight said.

As she escorted the humans to the giant tree in the middle of the town, she's tackled by a pink pony with a hot pink mane out of nowhere...

"Ah... Pinkie! What was that for-" Twilight is interrupted by Pinkie Pie's answer.

"DID YOU KNOW? DID YOU KNOW???" Pinkie started asking in such a hyperactive way.

"That the bird is the word...?" Kitsu said, suppressing his laughter. Jeremy and Mina of course, palmed their faces in embarrassment.

"That's right! THE BIRD IS THE WORD!" Pinkie said, then paused. "Wait a minute, that's not it!"

Kitsu could no longer hold it in. He burst out laughing, unable to control it. Pinkie of course, found herself laughing as well.

"Hey, that was pretty funny! OH WAAAAIT! I've never seen you before! Are you new? Where you from! I Have to throw you guys a PARTY!" The pink hyperactive pony boldly claimed.

"Wait, Pinkie!" Twilight called out to her, but by that point, she had already sped away like a cartoon character...

"Ah.. uhh, who was that?" Trisha asked.

"That's Pinkie Pie... She loves throwing a party for anyone new she meets... But what was she about to tell me earlier?"

"I see... a party, huh?" Mia said, imagining what a party thrown by ponies would be like.

"We don't have time, for some stupid party." Jeremy curtly said. "Now where's this place of yours?"

Twilight tried to hide her irritation, but it was very obvious when she let out a long sigh, and her face began to twitch. "It's this way."

"You need to fix that attitude of yours." Rainbow said.

"And YOU need to shut your face." Jeremy said to the pegasus. At this point, they're glaring at each other again. 

"Calm down!" Trisha and Twilight said at the same time.

"Hmph!" Jeremy and Rainbow both look away from each other. 

"Hey, where'd Kitsu go?" Mina asked.

"Oh bloody hell...!" Jeremy began grinding his teeth. Before he could run off to look for Kitsu, everyone's interrupted by hearing the gossip of a large group of ponies by the river near the forest.

"There's a bunch of ponies over there gathering around..." Mina said, pointing at the spot near the trees.

"That's the by the Everfree Forest! I'm going to check on the commotion!" Twilight said, hoping to cut through the town square and find out what the commotion's about. 

"We'll go too!" Trisha said.

"I'm gonna look for Kitsu." Jeremy said, trying to walk away from the group, but Rainbow stops him by pulling on his collar with her teeth.

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Rainbow said, pulling Jeremy away. 

"LET GO!" Jeremy tried to struggle, but it was futile.

Rainbow knew that he'd cause trouble with just that attitude alone. Not to mention he'd definitely get lost in the town. Once they arrived at the spot where the ponies were gathered, Jeremy was let down once Rainbow noticed the direction of the smoke. 

"Hey, Twilight!" Calling out to Twilight with a southern accent, is an orange pony with a blonde mane wrapped in a ponytail and wearing a cowgirl hat on her head.

"Hey, Applejack! what's all the commotion?" Twilight asked her friend.

"Didn't Pinkie tell ya?" Applejack asked.

"No, she went off to throw a party for the humans here." Twilight answered, motioning her head to point out the new creatures in town.

"Humans?" Applejack turned around and saw five humans with Twilight and Rainbow. "Huh... Ah' ain't never seen them before... they ain't from around these parts, huh?" Applejack asked, curious about the humans. 

"I happened to get the Wonderbolts to help me save their lives!" Rainbow boasted.

"Arrogant..." Jeremy said under his breath.

"Were these people trying to fly or somethin'?" Applejack asked, confused about the falling people.

"No, we somehow winded up here when our plane crashed." Eva said.

"Say that again? What in tarnation is a 'plane'?" Applejack asked.

"Ugh... we've been getting that everywhere..." Jeremy griped.

"Well we don't know about your world at all!" Rainbow said.

"Alright, a plane, or... well, Airplane, is a machine that's able to fly in the air from place to place." Trisha quickly explained.

"Well that explains how ya'll flyin' around without wings." Applejack said. "Anyway, see that there smoke? We saw some huge... something crash on over there at Rambling Rock Ridge." Applejack pointed at the steady stream of smoke in the distance.

"Did anyone see what it looked like?" Twilight asked.

"Well Fluttershy might know since the ridge is by the Everfree Forest." Applejack answered. "If only she were home..."

"She's not home?!" Twilight was surprised.

"Nope! Ah' reckon I'd pay her a visit earlier, but she was already long gone!" Applejack said.

"Maybe she doesn't know about it... but I wonder..." Twilight muttered to herself.

"Where is this Rambling Rock Ridge?" Mina asked Twilight.

"There's actually two bridges that lead to it, see?" Twilight said, pointing at the short wooden bridges with brown hand rails that go over the river and lead to a forest. "But you'll have to cut through a part of the Everfree Forest, and that place is really dangerous, especially at night..." Twilight finished explaining.

"Has anything ever been... built over there?" Mina continued her line of questioning.

"Nah, not that Ah' know of." Applejack answered. "Why all the questions anyway?"

"We have to go there..." Mina said.

"You'd have to go through the Everfree Forest, like I said." Twilight repeated her warning.

"Yeah! Anyone who's gone in, has NEVER COME OUT!" Rainbow jokingly said.

"No way!" Mina shouted.

"Whoa, take it easy! I was just kidding!" Rainbow said.

"We can't get stuck in there! We'll never get to the plane that way!" Mina said.

"Plane? Wait, THAT'S OUR PLANE!?" Jeremy was confused, but wanted Mina's words to be true.

"It has to be... If there was nothing built at the ridge, then there's definitely a possibility it might be our plane. Well, part of it anyway..." Mina said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"That's right... it did get cut in half..." Trisha said, holding her chin.

"Say what now?" Applejack asked.

"Our plane got cut in half and we fell out. That's how we ended up here in Equestria." Trisha turned to Applejack, explaining what she meant.

"Well I'd be darned..." Applejack said, astonished and a little bit confused at what she heard.

"The humans think it might've been Nightmare Moon." Twilight said.

"We kicked that Nightmare Moon's flank already with them Elements of Harmony! And besides, ain't Princess Luna in control of herself?" Applejack asked in disbelief of such a possibility. "Ah doubt she'd go all evil on us so soon."

"Well, that's the thing! I want to prove that Princess Luna is innocent!" Twilight said, boldly declaring her intentions. "I want to write a letter to Princess Celestia, asking about Princess Luna."

"Well, it looks like we have ourselves a doozy here... there's that doohicky airplane over by Rambling Rock Ridge, and there's your letter..." Applejack said, scratching her head with her forehoof.

"Hey, Twilight, can I go with you? I want to know a little more about this Princess Luna." Trisha asked.

"Okay, sure. I'm guessing you have something to ask her too?" Twilight asked.

"No, I'm just looking for answers. I'm curious about everything.." Trisha answered with a bit of demure in her voice.

"Well, I'm going to find where Kitsu ran off to. He shouldn't be fooling around at a time like this..." Jeremy said, already walking away and waving goodbye to his friends. 

"You're just gonna get lost." Rainbow remarked, flying in the air in a relaxed way.

"Then show me around instead of looking like a slacker. You can do THAT much, can't you?" Jeremy asked in an irritated tone of voice.

"What If I don't feel like it? You'll never find Sugar Cube Corner!" Rainbow boasted.

"Whelp... At least I know where to start. Maybe I'll just use alternative methods to find directions." Jeremy said, giving a very suspicious smile, which made Rainbow cringe, as she suspected the worst!

"Ugh, this guy's a pain in the flank!" Rainbow said, reluctantly following Jeremy into town, for she knew that if she left him alone, he'd probably be scaring everypony. Sure, he'd probably never find his way if he did that, but it would still cause trouble for her too.

"Well, it looks like you guys are with me. I'll guide you to that plane thing if ya'll don't mind." Applejack volunteered to help.

"That'd be fine." Mina nodded.

"Okay, so we'll meet back here at the town square in a few hours?" Twilight asked.

"You got it, Twi!" Applejack agreed.

"Yeah, no problem!" Rainbow agreed before dashing off to where Jeremy went.

Jeremy had already walked off, heading Sugar Cube Corner with Rainbow leading the way. Trisha followed Twilight to her home, while Applejack will lead the way to Rambling Rock Ridge with Mia, Eva, and Mina.





Twilight and Trisha

"So Twilight..." Trisha asked.

"What is it?" The purple unicorn asked.

"Magic is real... right?" Trisha wanted to be sure.

"That's an odd question. Here in Equestria, magic is second nature to us ponies." Twilight said.

"Well, but you're the only one I've seen use any magic." Trisha answered, remembering the teleport spell.

"Oh, well... that's because I'm a Unicorn. A Unicorn's magic is more... up front, you know? It's not subtle and involuntary like the magic a pegasus or an earth pony would have." Twilight explained.

"I see... So there's more to a pegasus than their wings, huh? And I don't know what an earth pony is..." Trisha put her hand on her chin, trying to process all of the info she's getting.

"Well, earth ponies are the ones you see without the horns or wings. But their magic has effects on the land around us, which allows for crop growth. A pegasus pony's magic really centers around their ability to control the weather, but it's also what allows them to walk on clouds." Twilight elaborated.

"I see... I guess I'm more curious about this world than I thought. There's gotta be a reason why we humans ended up here..." Trisha said, watching various ponies stare at her while others try to keep their heads down and mind their business. 

"I agree... I don't know of any magic to summon a human from their world. Only Alicorns like the princesses could pull something like that off without any problems. Maybe there's a spell book that would allow for it..." Twilight said, trailing off.

"Alicorn, huh? I'm gonna guess that it's a combination of all three pony types, right?" Trisha guessed.

"Yep. You're correct! Their powers are pretty much out of this world, really. I guess I could understand why Rainbow Dash thought Nightmare Moon was behind you and your friends ending up in Equestria, but..." Twilight trailed off, her eyes lowering in sadness.

"Nightmare Moon was defeated, and Princess Luna isn't evil." Trisha finished the sentence for Twilight.

"Yeah..." Twilight agreed, sounding somewhat crestfallen.

"That's why I came with you. I need to know. What do you mean when you say it like that?" Trisha asked curiously.

"Well... remember the prophecy I told you guys? About the longest day of the thousandth year?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. The stars will aid in her escape..." Trisha repeated the one part that stood out to her the most.

"Right... well, one day, when I looked in the mirror and I happened to be remembering the time when I first realized the true power of friendship... and when I looked at my cutie mark..." Twilight trailed off.

"Cutie Mark?" Trisha asked, thrown off by the suddenly girly term.

"See that mark there on my flank? It's called a cutie mark. Mine just happens to have stars on it." Twilight explained, turning her head around, beckoning Trisha to have a look.

When trusha looked at the purple unicorn's flank as she asked, she saw five white stars surrounding a large pink star in the center. "I see some stars... what about it?" Trisha inquired.

"I began to wonder... if me and my friends were 'the stars' in that prophecy, and that Nightmare Moon herself was 'the prison'..." Twilight elaborated.

"And by defeating Nightmare Moon, you freed Princess Luna... but what about that 'night time eternal' part?" Trisha continued her curios questions.

"I think it means that since we've freed Princess Luna from her prison, she's free to do her job and bring nighttime by bringing forth the moon, just as her sister does with the sun. I even confirmed this theory when I asked Princess Celestia about it..." Twilight answered.

"Wow..." Trisha was amazed, but also thought, "Isn't that how the passage of time works?"

"That's why Princess Luna can't be evil. Her being evil would mean being back in a 'prison' where she'd suffer from loneliness and bitterness." Twilight couldn't stress that enough. It was true that Twilight believed in Princess Luna the most.

"I'll believe you about the princess, especially since that story makes a lot more sense now." Trisha said, giving a nervous smile.

"Thanks, Trisha." Twilight said.

"No problem. I don't really know if I'm being naive though, believing in some princess I don't even know, but the story of loneliness... I guess I sympathize with it a little." Trisha said, remembering the days before she met the members of the Journalism club she's a part of now.

"Me too." Twilight agreed, for she too, remembered her days immersed in books, refusing to make friends until Princess Celestia told her to.





Rainbow and Jeremy

Jeremy walked through the town of Ponyville, but slowly for some reason. Some of the ponies around were just staring at him like he's a foreign object... And he felt it too. He only responded with a sigh, trying not to make eye contact with any of them.

"Why are you walking so slow? Didn't you wanna find your friend?" Rainbow asked.

"Why'd you come?" Jeremy quickly asked, nearly cutting Rainbow's words short.

"So you don't cause trouble for anypony." Rainbow said.

"Haaaaaaaaaah... Well, where is it? This Sugar Cube place." Jeremy asked after a big sigh.

"It's down this street here." Rainbow said.

"Good." Jeremy put his hands in his pockets and kept walking, each step making a *clack* sound, as his feet touched the somewhat concrete street.

Jeremy and Rainbow were silent for a little while until they finally caught sight of a large house up ahead with a gingerbread rooftop and two windows on the front. On top of that rooftop appeared to be an attic of sorts that resembled a giant cupcake with another window on it. The house itself appeared to be held together by several planks of wood seen throughout the white walls. The entrance of the house had a pink door and pink stairs to walk into. 

It was then that Jeremy spoke up.

"Do you fear change?" Jeremy asked, confusing the cyan pegasus.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Rainbow asked, somewhat surprised that he didn't bother to ask about that house.

"It's a simple question. Do you fear change? Things that severely alter your daily life?" Jeremy asked.

"Why would I even think about that?" Rainbow answered in a somewhat annoyed tone.

"Then I guess you don't fear it... Must be nice to be so carefree." Jeremy remarked with a bit of sarcasm, and heaving a deep sigh.

"What, are you saying you do?" Rainbow asked, sounding a bit smug.

"Dunno. Depends. You ever wonder what It'd be like to lose one of YOUR friends?" Jeremy asked.

" Ah... W-well, I wouldn't want to lose them..." Rainbow answered nervously, but only because she was surprised.

"What I'm asking, is say if something happened to YOUR friends. You wouldn't like that very much, huh? For me, it's worse. Because I'm not certain if I'll experience that change or not. That's what happens when you don't know the fate of those you care about..." Jeremy tilted his head around and looked at the pegasus at his side, and continued his explanation. The look in his eyes seemed somewhat like an empty fireplace, desperate to be lit up.

"I wouldn't want to lose my friends, and I'd give a hundred and ten percent to make sure they stay safe!" Rainbow said with confidence.

"Heh... you're a loyal one, huh?" Jeremy asked, unsurprised as if he already knew.

"Well, duh! I represent the Element of Loyalty after all!" Rainbow said with pride. "You should learn from me!"

"About what?" Jeremy asked, already looking irritated at the thought of learning from a pony.

"What it means to be loyal to your friends!" Rainbow boasted.

"Hey, I have PLENTY of loyalty to them! They're my LIFE!" Jeremy snapped.

"Then why don't you act like it!? It's like you're waaaaaaaay more worried about that Ruby girl than those other friends of yours!" Rainbow retorted. "Besides, what about your friends that are with you NOW?"

"Because I made a promise to her parents... I promised them she'd be safe! They trusted me... hell, even my own mom FINALLY believed in ME for once!" Jeremy's volume in his voice grew louder, he growing more irritable.

"Look, I said we'll help you find her AND your friends. But you're already fearing the worst! Don't you believe in those friends?? That's what it means to be loyal to them; never betraying them in any way! And that includes, never betraying your own faith in them!" Rainbow boldly stated.

"Believing in'em, eh? Huh... It doesn't change the fact that I have to find her and the rest of my friends... just because I believe in them, doesn't mean I'll find them any faster." Jeremy's eyes lowered, as if he was tired.

"You didn't entirely deny what I said though!" Rainbow's muzzle curving into a cheeky smile.

"... Shut up..." Jeremy replied, sounding defeated. "So why do YOU care anyway? We're practically like... aliens to you all."

"Because it just irritates me when I hear from anypony, how much they care for their friends, yet not care about the rest of the people that care about them!" Rainbow answered.

"I do care. I just want the whole group reunited... Having just the five of them just isn't enough for me. It's all or nothing." Jeremy said, clinching his fist, expressing irritation once more.

"Then why didn't you go with those girls to that plane thing? Wouldn't the rest of your friends be there?" Rainbow asked.

"Nope... our plane was broken in half remember?. It doesn't take rocket science to figure out that the plane piece they see is the back of it where my friends and I were seated. The only thing there now is wreckage and probably what's left of our luggage..."

"Luggage, huh? Guess the vacation got cut short." Rainbow said.

"... Nice pun, I guess." Jeremy complimented, albeit, still irritated.

Rainbow had a good point though, and Jeremy knew that. Perhaps he wasn't believing in his friends enough. Perhaps he was so focused on Ruby, he's losing sight of what it means to have this group of friends. Despite hearing so many good points, his worries continue to thrive...





Applejack and Mia, Mina, and Eva; near the Everfree Forest Entrance.

"Well, this is it; The Everfree Forest!" Applejack said. "Ya'll just stick together and I'll getcha through safe and sound!"

"R-r-r-right..." Eva said, clutching onto her arm, scared of the place. 

Upon entering the Everfree Forest, the humans of course, were constantly weary of their surroundings, looking at the dense amount of trees and bushes. It didn't help that the place was pretty dark thanks to the trees blocking all the sunlight during day time. They didn't want to imagine what night time would be like. Applejack would dispel that anxiety for a bit by striking up a conversation.

"Lemmie introduce mahself: The name's Applejack!" The orange earth pony proudly introduced herself

"Nice to meet ya, Applejack. I'm Mina, the pudgy one here is Mia, and the small one here is Eva." Mina pointed to her friends respectively, earning a scowl from both of them for her remarks.

"Hey!" Eva and Mia both chimed in, sounding slightly offended.

"So where are ya'll humans from?" Applejack asked.

"Oh! Um... we live at a place called Westford Island. It's a pretty big island that holds our famous private school, known for it's 'Hopes and Dreams' program." Eva said, taking a deep breath, as she's the one the most afraid of her surroundings, even looking down occasionally to make sure there are no bugs crawling around.

"Westford Island, huh? Never heard of that place. And you said, school, huh?" Applejack asked.

"The school is called Cheshire State Westford Academy. We're students there, actually." Mina answered.

"Well, I'd be! Then you all might be fast friends with Applebloom! She goes to school, just like ya'll." Applejack said.

"Applebloom?" Mina asked.

"She's mah lil' sister! She an' her friends are always stirrin' up some trouble though since she's so darn enthusiastic to get her cutie mark. She goes the Ponyville Schoolhouse" Applejack happily explained, showing the family love she has.

"A cutie mark? Does it make you cuter?" Mia asked curiously, a question partially made in jest.

"Ah, well I dun know about alla that. But see them apples on my flank? That there's a cutie mark! It's supposed to represent yer one special talent." Applejack explained, beckoning the humans to briefly look at the mark of apples on her flank as she said. "But since ya'll ain't no ponies, ya'll can't even get cutie marks." 

"I dunno... I kinda want one now! I wonder what mine would be?" Mia started pondering and grinning.

"I'm kinda curious myself actually." Mina said. "Having a cutie mark would be kinda fun..."

"That just means I get a tattoo for free, huh?" Eva said. 

"What's a tattoo?" Applejack asked.

"Oh... uh, it's basically kinda like that cutie mark thing you just mentioned, except we pay for ours." Mia answered.

"So let me get this right: You pay for you all's cutie marks?" Applejack asked.

"No, no, it's not like it signifies our talent. We just happen to see cool markings we want marked on our bodies. Not every human does it, but a some of us do get tattoos." Mina explained.

"Yeah... I actually want a cute tattoo myself. In fact, I think Alice herself has a few tattoos somewhere on her body." Mia said.

"Who's this Alice character?" Applejack asked.

"Oh, she's a friend of ours, but she's one of the people we're hoping to find." Eva said.

"Yeah. Jeremy's gung-ho on finding'em, but we just don't want him to do anything rash." Mina said.

"Yeah, I hear ya. It can be easy to wander into some dangerous parts of Equestria if you don't know yer way around. And this forest is the worst place to get lost in!" Applejack warned. "But don't you folks worry! We're almost close to Rambling Rock Ridge!"

"Oh, you're right! I can see the smoke!" Mia pointed out to the steady stream of gray just a bit past the trees.

"Heh, looks like this place isn't as scary as I thought! sure, the trees have faces, but they don't even do anything! Heh! What was I so scared for?" Eva started feeling a little smug after overcoming her fear, but that was short lived.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrllllllll.....

"EEP!" Eva jumped, hiding behind Mina. "Tell me you guys heard that!"

"We did..." Mia said, backing away, beads of sweat starting to form on her head.

"Oh great..." Applejack said, as she looked in the direction the growl came from.

Suddenly, at least three beasts came jumping out of the bushes, and began walking up to the humans slowly. They easily noticed that these beasts looked like they were made of tree branches. That didn't make them any less scary though...

"Timberwolves..." Applejack said, standing in front of the humans. 

"Timberwolves?!" Mia was surprised at the name, but also found herself giggling.

"This isn't a time to laugh, Mia!" Mina said.

"We're almost at the ridge! Just go straight ahead from here!" Applejack said, before making the humans  run away. "Now get goin'!"

The three girls all began running as fast as they could with Applejack right behind them. The Timberwolves of course, gave chase, and even started to catch up to them! But that's when Applejack saw a tree branch in front, and came up with a quick idea. Running underneath a tree branch sticking out, Applejack grabbed the branch, pulled back, and let it come swinging back, smashing the Timberwolves apart! 

"Way to go, Applejack!" Mina congratulated.

"Don't thank me yet! We're almost at the ridge!" Applejack said, as she and the humans girls ran to the Ridge, getting out of the forest safely. They all slowed down though since Mia dropped to her knees, out of breath.

"Ha... ha... ha... I'm... not used... to that much running...!" Mia griped, desperately catching her breath.

"Well, we're here, so rest for a bit." Mina said.





Meanwhile...

Kitsu had walked off at the same time Pinkie Pie ran off to organize a party at Sugar Cube Corner. He simply followed her, with the intention of finding out what the party was about. Seeing the pink pony go inside, he could see through the window up front at how fast she was setting things up. And so, the human walked inside the house and watched her set this party up. It turns out that Sugar Cube Corner is a confectionery shop, judging by all of the various sweets inside the container at the front, near the cash register. Looking around, he saw various tables with covers already over them, several rounded, pink wooden chairs, and several plastic cups in a variety of colors. The inside walls were painted with a bright yellow, with several photos of the pink pony, and two other ponies wearing red and white shirts, presumably the uniform of the store. To the right was the entrance to the kitchen, which contained a refrigerator, an oven and stove, and a large counter against the wall, where several materials for baking were already taken out.

"WOW! You're one of those humans! I'm Pinkie Pie! Did you come to your party? Oh no, it's not ready yet! But I can go faster~!" Pinkie said as fast as she could.

"I'm Kitsu Madaki, I came to see what it this party's about, I know it's not ready, please take your time, and I'm just here to see what this is all for." Kitsu responded in kind without a break in between.

"Whoaaaaaaaaaaaaah. You responded just like I'd respond! WHEEEEE!" Pinkie inched closer to Kitsu, becoming fascinated.

"So why throw a party for us? I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm aaaaaaaaaaalways down for a party! But you know, my boss will kinda get mad." Kitsu said hesitantly, but never dropping his smile.

"Oh, where do you work? I'll tell that mean ol' boss of yours to let you party all night!" Pinkie boldly asked, acting as if she were pulling a sleeve up from her nonexistent shirt.

"Well, you already met him. In fact, knowing him, he's probably out looking for me. I just wanted to check this party out though." Kitsu answered.

"Oh, i did? Well why didn't you tell me! I could've looked that pony straight in the eye and said 'hey! your worker wants to party! Wanna party too!?' or something like that!" Pinkie said.

"No, he's a human. Like me." Kitsu said, pointing to himself.

"A human huh? Hey, what's a human? You obviously aren't ponies, so how come I've never seen a human before, huh?" Pinkie asked.

"Humans are people like me! We walk with just two legs, we don't have that three-sixty vision like you, aaaaannnd only a handful of people from my world have tattoos on their butt cheeks." Kitsu said, giggling to himself.

"Tattoos? Ooooh, maybe you mean my CUTIE MARK!" Pinkie realized, wiggling her behind, showing off the image of balloons she's marked with.

"A Cutie Mark huh? Does it make you feel more cute or something?" Kitsu asked.

"Haha, you're pretty funny for the flattery! But noooope! It just means I LOOOOOOOOOOOVE to party!" Pinkie answered enthusiastically.

"Tell ya what... why don't I help set this party up, and we'll surprise my boss when he comes in! That way he can't be mad!"

"WOW, That's a GREAT idea! Quick! Help me out with these tasks!" Pinkie said,

"I'm on it!" Kitsu said.

Kitsu began helping Pinkie Pie set up a party for the humans Twilight invited. It was clear to Kitsu that Pinkie liked meeting new people to an unnatural degree, even if they're a completely different species that's not from her world. Kitsu decided he'd help out anyway though since he somewhat admired that fact.





Some time after reaching Twilight's house, which is a large oak tree with windows around the tree itself, she and Trisha open the door, only to be quickly greeted by Rarity and Spike, who both seemed to be waiting for Twilight to get home.

"Twilight, where WERE you?" the little purple dragon with green scales asked. To Trisha, he looked like a cute little lizard.

"I went to meet some humans." Twilight answered, motioning her head to point to Trisha, one of the humans in question.

The little purple dragon named Spike glanced at the human girl with curious eyes, seeing her clothes, shoes, red hair, and brown eyes, but he remembered he had something in his hand when he gripped his hand, hearing a faint crumbling sound of paper. "Well anyway, I just got a letter from Princess Celestia!"

"Oh, well give it here!" Twilight, although surprised, swiped the letter from Spike's hand with her magic.

"Hmm... wait, 'The Humans'...?" Twilight read the opening statement of the letter, making her tilt her head in confusion.

"Huh...? Why us?" Trisha asked.

"I don't know, but if the Princess wrote you a letter, then that could only mean that the princess knows you're here." Twilight said.

"Pardon me, but I seem to have gotten a letter from Princess Celestia too!" holding up her letter, is Rarity, a white unicorn with a dark purple mane that's very neatly combed. Her flank was marked with the image of three sparkly diamonds.

"You too, Rarity?! This is getting a little too weird..." Twilight said, putting a forehoof on her face...

Just what in the world is going on...?
> Exploring Ponyville - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Once Twilight and Trisha arrived at the Golden Oaks Library, they were quickly greeted by Rarity and Spike. Spike tells Twilight that there's a letter from Princess Celestia. There's only one problem... 

It's not for her...

"It's... for you." Twilight said, sounding very surprised as she levitated the letter to Trisha.

"Wait, WHAT!? Why? I mean, she may be a princess, but there's no way she could..." Trisha trailed off before putting her hand on her forehead, as she just remembered...

"[Friendship is magic.]"

"Could it have been her? This... Celestia? Don't tell me she's like this world's god or something... as if this world needs something like that..." Trisha began remembering the voice she heard when she was falling... until Twilight snapped out of her reminiscing. 

"Trisha!" Twilight called out to her.

"Oh, sorry!" Trisha apologized. "What were you saying?"

"I'm asking you that! You just stopped mid sentence for some reason!" Twilight explained.

"I was... gonna ask, why does she know? Is she some sort of... god? Like, an omnipotent presence?" Trisha made sure she asked correctly, as she was sure that ponies wouldn't know of 'god'.

"No, she's not actually." Twilight said. "But you ask a good question... she really shouldn't know you're here... unless Princess Luna told her..."

"Princess Luna... you mean the mist we saw on the plane!" Trisha realized.

"Exactly! Maybe Princess Luna might know more of what's going on, but told her sister!" Twilight surmised.

"Wait, if they're sisters, then why didn't Princess Luna just write the letter herself?" Trisha asked.

"That's a good question... well, we may know if you read your letter..." Twilight said, beckoning the human to read.

"Right... but I can't read this." Trisha said, squinting her eyes in confusion.

"Huh? You can't read?" Twilight asked. For someone like her, she'd probably be just a bit annoyed.

"Well... you guys may speak English, but this... it's not written English. Is this Equestria's... written language or something?" Trisha asked.

"It is the Equestrian written language. Looks like I'll have to read it for you." Twilight took the letter and read it out loud.

Dear, Humans who have arrived in Equestria. 

I apologize for your sudden arrival to such a foreign land to you. 

In Equestria, magic is second nature to all of it's residents, including any creatures you may see.

If you wish to know how you got here, then I am certain that you have already met my student, Twilight Sparkle and her friends, and therefore, know of Nightmare Moon, for it was she, who brought you here...

"WHAT!?" Twilight's eyes widened with shock, but read on.

But do not fear. My sister Luna is innocent of any crime you believe to be true. It may not make sense now, but I pray you'll continue to believe in my sister. 

She has a message for you to pass on to you and your friends, so I ask, that you come to Canterlot to see me after you all have spoken with my sister, and after Rarity has completed her task.

And my faithful student, as I assume you're reading this to the humans in question, I hope you're enjoying reading through the Book of Humans I gave you recently.

"So Princess Luna's coming here...!" Twilight grew excited, which quickly faded when she now knows that Nightmare Moon is back. "I... can't believe it... so she really IS back... but I have so many questions!"

"Ahem..." The white unicorn cleared her throat to get their attention.

"Oh, Rarity, sorry for ignoring you. I guess I'm just a bit mortified that Nightmare Moon is back, and she brought humans into this world." Twilight said.

"No need for apologies, Twilight." Rarity said.

"You're Rarity, right?" Trisha asked.

"Why, yes, I am!" Rarity said, introducing herself, speaking in a formal tone.

"I'm Trisha. Nice to meet you."

"Nice to make your acquaintance. Now, I'd like to know, just what ARE you wearing? That... shirt! that hood! that skirt! It just won't do!" Rarity commented on Trisha's clothing.

"Uhh... what's wrong with my hoodie?" Trisha asked, confused.

"A hoodie? Why, I've never seen something so... odd before!" Rarity said, looking at Trisha from various angles.

"You guys don't..." Trisha started, but decided not to finish her sentence. "Well, I guess it was wishful thinking..." Trisha trailed off.

"Oh, I didn't offend you, did I?" Rarity asked out of concern.

"No, no, it's not like that. I just... thought that since I see buildings and that you ponies are quite civilized... I just thought you all actually... wore something."

"What nonesense! We DO have clothes~! It's just that we prefer to show off our beautiful coats instead!" Rarity swayed her head a moment, showing off her mane.

"She must mean their fur..." Trisha thought. "I... see..."

"About that task..." Twilight said, remembering Celestia's letter.

"Of course! Allow me." Rarity said, using her magic to hold up the letter and read it.

Dear Rarity,

I would like to assign you a task that I'm certain you could handle with your exquisite fashion design. I would like you to make some clothes for some guests that you'll be meeting soon.

These guests are not suited for the dangers of Equestria, and I recommend that they wear some of your enchanted clothes.

"Oh dear, the day Princess Celestia requests a task from me, it's got to be the toughest task yet!" Rarity griped a bit.

"Well, you don't really have to... I mean, we did just get dragged to this world out of nowhere." Trisha said bashfully. "We're doing good that Twilight offered to help us find answers, really."

"Nonsense! I would've performed this task even if I hadn't been asked to. It's just those... clothes that need to go!" Rarity said.

"Oh come on, what's wrong with street clothes?!" Trisha asked, trying to keep her annoyance in check.

"Well, they lack that... fire, that elegance!" Rarity emphasized.

Trisha simply sighed, deciding that it's pointless to argue about street clothes. Why would she when she's in a world where there's no such thing? And so, she steered the topic back on track. "Anyway... umm... enchanted clothes though...? Um, is it like some sort of armor?" Trisha asked, picturing her and her friends literally wearing Medieval armor.

"Well... yes, and no. The thread and needles I, or anypony would use are all enchanted with magic so the clothes become tough, nearly impossible to tear!" Rarity explained.

"Soooooo... that still sounds like armor." Trisha lowered her eyelids, somewhat annoyed that her answer is becoming so roundabout.

"Still not quite. You could still get hurt while wearing the clothes, it's just you'll be able to take a bit more damage in a way. But we don't quite need them since we all have our own magic." Twilight explained. 

"I guess..." Trisha still sounded unsure.

"Well, with that out of the way, I'll need a reference of some sort... please remove your clothes!" Rarity asked, like it was nothing.

"I don't think so..." Trisha backed away quickly.

"What's the big deal? It's just clothes!" Spike chimed in.

"It's a VERY big deal!" Trisha said, becoming a bit flustered. "It may be fine for you all to be naked all the time, but for me, it's NOT!"

"Hmm... well, I did read about that bit in the book about humans. For some reason, they don't like being naked. I understand that they need clothes to keep warm, but I read that they treat not wearing anything as something taboo." Twilight said.

"That book's a little too detailed... but well, it's not wrong either..." Trisha answered, but still felt unsure. "It's just, it's... indecent to be naked unless it's in privacy..."

"My word, that has to be the weirdest taboo I've heard in years!" Rarity was flabbergasted.

"I mean... okay, so maybe our ethics are a bit weird to you guys, but well... eh, maybe we're the first Humans to actually arrive here in Equestria..." Trisha said, then sighed again. "I feel like being in this world is going to be harder than I thought..."

"I think I'll have to study this book a little harder now that humans like you are actually here... There's so much I don't know about you all, and I'm hoping I could find out why this book even exists at all." Twilight said. "Anyway, we can save writing the letter for later."

"Right! Now about those clothes..." Rarity repeated her request.

"No! And besides, there are guys with me too!" Trisha said.

"Guys? You mean stallions??" Rarity asked.

"Umm... no, I err... mean human males... actual men. Just two, but still!" Trisha awkwardly explained, thinking of Kitsu and Jeremy, and trying with all her might to not picture them in her outfit.

"Oh, pardon me!" Rarity apologized, but griped. "Then how am I supposed to make clothes for humans without a reference? I'm certain that the clothes we wear wouldn't be suitable for you at all!"

"Yeah, umm... how about we wait for the others to come back to the town square? Mia and the others are probably at the wrecked plane, right? There might be a few magazines you can use, or clothes from our luggage that might be in tact!" Trisha said, still a bit flustered. She just couldn't imagine herself stripping down just because some ponies told her to.

"Yeah, but it may be a little while before they get back. In the meantime, let's go to Sugar Cube Corner! It's where Pinkie Pie lives, and it's where she holds her parties too." Twilight said.

"Alright. I'll get to catch up to Jeremy as well." Trisha said.

"And I'd like to ask a bit more about your clothes! Surely there's something more than these 'street' clothes you speak of!" Rarity said.

"Right..." Trisha agreed, but was still uncomfortable with the idea of just stripping down naked.





Meanwhile, Jeremy and Rainbow open the doors to Sugar Cube Corner, finding Kitsu and Pinkie Pie setting up the party she mentioned. Watching Kitsu place cups on the table and Pinkie filling them up with drinks, Jeremy's eye began twitching, as he was already annoyed.

"I should've known..." Jeremy said, clinching his fist.

"That's how Pinkie Pie always is." Rainbow said in a nonchalant tone of voice.

At that moment, Pinkie immediately noticed Jeremy and Rainbow there.

"Yo, Pinkie!" Rainbow greeted. 

"HIYA, Rainbow! Ooooo, who's the human with ya, huh? Huh?" Pinkie asked, eyeing the dark skinned human in question.

"Oh, he's my boss you could say." Kitsu answered, giving off a grin the Cheshire Cat could be proud of.

"Ooooooh, you're his boss, huh? Well listen here, buster! This guy complains that you work him too hard and he just wants to party once in a while! But don't worry, I told him to invite you, so you're tooooooootally invited!" Pinkie started rambling on.

"..............................." Jeremy folded his arms, closed his eyes and said nothing, as he had no idea how to respond. He didn't want to respond. "Kitsu, could we talk outside for a minute?"

"Hey, you! Didn't I just tell you-" Rainbow 

"I'm just gonna talk to him." Jeremy said in a calm voice, but Rainbow knew he was lying.

"You don't even look like it!" Rainbow retorted.

"I'm just gonna talk to him." Jeremy repeated himself, despite Rainbow's protests. He continued to repeat the same claim, much to Rainbow's annoyance. Before she could follow him and Kitsu outside, Pinkie began dragging Rainbow away, wanting her to help with the party as well.

"Pinkie, wai- let go! I gotta-" Rainbow struggled, but it was no use. Once Pinkie got in party mode, there was no use telling her 'no'.

As for Kitsu and Jeremy, they stop right behind the building near a window, and as Kitsu expected, Jeremy throws a fit.

"What the HELL are you DOING!?" Jeremy snapped, grabbing Kitsu by his shirt collar, and pinned him against the wall.

"Calm down, dude, we're just trying to have a bit of a party!" Kitsu said.

"A party...? In a world where only PONIES exist!? You want to party with these... animals!? Have you lost your bloody mind!?" Jeremy was furious.

"Dude, come on." Kitsu tried to calm him down.

"No, no! Don't you even start with that crap! Wanna know why I'm so damn irritated!?" Jeremy gripped Kitsu's shirt even tighter.

"No, but I have a good idea." Kitsu said.

"Didn't you guys decide to go on this stupid vacation because I've been 'working too hard' or something stupid like that? Well, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED. We got split up, and we don't even know if the others are still alive, and it turns out we got attacked by some FUCKING MONSTER, and you wanna act like this place is all sunshine and rainbows by having a fucking PARTY!?" Jeremy was serious...

It was then Kitsu sighed, opened his eyes, and said, "Jeremy, you're the one that's lost his marbles. I mean... come on."

"Ooooooh, I'm losing MY mind!?" 

"Hey, do you wanna hear me out or not?" Kitsu's expression became serious for once.

"Make it quick." Jeremy said.

"Alright, well, it's simple. You're panicking. You, and the rest of us should know that we're not gonna get anything accomplished if we panic. I mean, look at you. You're standing there, mad at me for wanting to kinda lighten the mood a little, and you're acting like I'm doing some debauchery in there. Well, I have a simple piece of advice for ya, dude: Don't show Ruby that face you're making, alright? She'll probably cry and be scared if she saw how you are right now." Kitsu calmly explained.

Jeremy slowly and hesitantly let Kitsu go, who moved out of the way, revealing the window to the inside of the building. Jeremy looked at the window, focusing on on his reflection, to see a scary expression of anger. He was right. "......you win."

"I know Alice always told ya this one, but for her sake, drop that 'win or lose' thing you got going on already." Kitsu said, heading back inside. He turned around to Jeremy once more and said,  "By the way, you're still invited to the party, dude. Once you have a clearer head, things may be a bit easier from here. Afterall, maybe we ended up here for a reason."

Suddenly, Rainbow came up to the window and opened it, poking her head out. 

"Laugh it up." Jeremy said, gritting his teeth.

"Hey, no one's laughing at anypony." Rainbow said.

"Yeah. Any PONY. I'm a human, remember? So really, the term would be 'anyone'. Sooooo yeah!" Jeremy corrected.

"Look, it'd be kinda hard to laugh at that face." Rainbow said, pointing out that his expression had already shifted to a gloomy one.

"Heh... people laugh at the kind of face all the time in my world." Jeremy said.

"It's like that somewhat in this world too. Scootaloo used to make that kind of face until she and her friends formed the Cutie Mark Crusaders." 

"Scootaloo? Snrrk...!" Jeremy couldn't help but laugh at the name.

"Hey, Scootaloo's a cool filly!" Rainbow said.

"Heh. I just find the name funny, and I tend to picture how who has it lives up to it." Jeremy said.  "Just like you."

"Hey, my NAME is awesome! I'm known as the best flyer in all of Equestria!" Rainbow boasted. "Besides, I still don't know YOUR name!"

"Egh... It's Jeremy Zaccheo." Jeremy reluctantly answered.

"Heh, It doesn't live up to anything!" Rainbow remarked.

"Shut up. The names of people from my world don't go so far as to match your looks or talent or whatever. It's just... uhh... actually, I'm not sure how to explain it without going 'it's normal'." Jeremy felt a bit embarrassed for not being able to explain it.

"Jeremy?" A familiar voice called out.

The young man looked up to find Trisha standing over him. At some point during his chat with Rainbow, he had sat down against the wall on instinct.

"What's up? Wasn't that Twilight Sparkle with you?" Jeremy said.

"Yeah, but she went inside with Rarity to help Pinkie and Kitsu with the party." Trisha explained.

"Rarity!? Oh for the love of..." Jeremy thought to himself.

"Well, I'll do my part too! See ya!" Rainbow shut the window and went back inside.

"Heh. Maybe I'm beginning to see why you guys are so calm." Jeremy said.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm 'calm' though... It's more like, I'm trying to not panic." Trisha corrected him.

"That's what Kitsu said... He made me realize I was panicking like a nutcase." Jeremy said.

"Alice and Mia told me you panic all the time though when things don't go right!" Trisha said.

"Because those two helped me calm down all the time, but this situation is just... way too bizarre. But Kitsu kinda helped me see myself and reminded me that I wouldn't want to make that little girl scared of me. I mean, come on. I got enough stupid girls at school who're scared of me." Jeremy said.

"You're always approaching them aggressively!" Trisha said.

"Women shouldn't be so damn delicate and meek. I hate that kind of shit. But you, Alice, Mia, Eva, and Mina are different from the rest of the ones at school. Ya'll ain't scared of me. And I respect ya'll for that." Jeremy said.

"Well, for me, it's because I can take care of myself. I mean, Mia and Mina did blab about how I used to get into a lotta fights back when we were kids." Trisha said, sounding slightly irritated.

"Eh, that's because you were in that stupid hero phase." Jeremy replied.

"Calling it a 'phase; doesn't quite do it justice." Trisha said, giving a wink to Jeremy. "Besides, it's a bit ironic, coming from you."

"I'm not in some Hero phase. The only people I care about are you guys and the ones we need to find. After we find Ruby and the others, we're gonna need to figure a way to get home. No offense to the ponies, but there's no way in hell I'm gonna settle down here." Jeremy said.

"Well, they're not bad. But I agree, we do need to find a way home. But It'd be nice to know the 'why' of this whole deal." Trisha said, still wanting answers.

"Huh?" Jeremy rose an eyebrow.

"I mean... like... why us? Airplanes take off every day, and we have had a few reports of planes crashing and all... but even so... why us?" Trisha wondered. 

"Come on, when you put it like that, it's you're saying we're special or something. And to be honest, I sure as hell hope we ain't. I didn't agree to a vacation just to get roped into some crazy anime type shit." Jeremy griped.

"Well I didn't ask for it either! None of us did! But now I'm just curious! I need to know why we're even here at all. I feel like we'll find the answer during our search. And the ponies? They've been a pretty big help so far in figuring things out. In fact, I think I learned a little more when I talked to Twilight."

"About what? That Nightmare monster?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah. I'll tell everyone about what I learned. Maybe we could come up with theories or something and solve this mystery." Trisha said.

"Ugh... so... we take a flight, encounter a monster, crash land in pony land, get split up, and now we have to solve mysteries. This trip just gets better and better." Jeremy complained with a bit of added sarcasm.

The window suddenly opened up, and Pinkie poked her head out.

"How long are you gonna stay out here? We're just about ready to have our party!" Pinkie said.

"Well... can we wait for the others to get back first? I mean, there are three more humans like us... it wouldn't be right if we started without everyone." Trisha suggested.

"Oh, you're right! Well they better hurry up though! A party is always best when it's fresh!" Pinkie said before closing the window and going back into her house.





Meanwhile, after escaping from the Timberwolves, Applejack and the human girls arrived at a cliffside at the edge of the forest with the smoke being just a short climb away, where Mina's suspicion is proven to be true: the back half of their flight was there, tilted against the cliff, tail up. After Mia caught her breath from running, Mia decided it was time to go to the climb the cliff and head to the plane.

"The plane's wrecked, but it looks like we can get our luggage!" Mia said excitedly.

"Well, an airplane doesn't tear that easily. Well, at least it shouldn't." Mina said.

The three girls ran up to the plane, only to stop dead in their tracks when they find a certain yellow winged pony there; her pink mane standing out. Her cutie mark displayed three flying butterflies.

"Fluttershy! There ya are! I was wonderin' why yer not home!" Applejack called out to her.

"Hi, Applejack. When I was feeding my animals, I saw this huge bird crash into this mountain, and I just had to see if it was alright, but... when I got here..." Fluttershy started to tear up a bit.

"Umm... that's not an animal... that's... some thing these here humans came flyin' in with." Applejack explained.

"Humans?" Fluttershy turned her attention to the strange creatures with Applejack. 

"That's us!" Mia said. 

"Oh no... were you three inside it's belly? It must've been scary in there..." Fluttershy said, examining the new... species.

"Okay, technically... we are animals, but-" Mina was cut off.

"It's okay, no need to be scared anymore. I'll do my best take care of you." Fluttershy made a bold claim with her reserved tone of voice.

"Umm... riiiiiiiight..." Eva said... 

Noticing that the humans are feeling uncomfortable, Applejack whispered to the girls: "Sorry, Fluttershy's usually a lil' timid, but gets all excited at new animals. So for her sake, just go along with it." 

"Yeah... sure." Mina replied.

"It was REALLY scary! I thought we were a gonner!" Mia said, going along with Fluttershy's claim.

"I would imagine." Fluttershy said. "Anyway, do you have names?"

"Yep! I'm Mia, and this is Eva, and the girl over with Applejack is Mina!" Mia said, pointing out the respective girls.

"My name is Fluttershy. So there's only three of you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Actually, there are eleven others. Three of them are in Ponyville right now, while the rest... are missing." Eva answered.

"Oh no, how awful! Are they okay?" Fluttershy asked out of genuine concern.

"Oh, well, the ones in Ponyville are fine... we're... not sure about the rest though. But I'd like to believe they're alive!" Mia said, trying her best to stay optimistic.

"I sure hope so." Fluttershy replied.

While Mia and Eva spoke to Fluttershy, Mina had other plans, as she began walking towards the plane.

"Well, I'm gonna go grab our items from out of there." Mina said, hoping to rummage through the plane.

"That thing looks pretty darn beat up..." Applejack said.

"Yeah, but look: the end we fell out of. It's a clean cut. The plane never exploded, so the smoke must be from this part of the plane crashing."

"Why don't I help you with that luggage?" Applejack asked.

"Ah... err, you don't have to." Mina said bashfully. "I mean, our being here is our problem."

"Yeah, and I can't let a newcomer feel untrusted. Ya'll may be a strange group, but I think it's safe to say that ya'll ain't that bad." Applejack said loudly, as Mina climbed the red velvet seats inside the messy plane to investigate. 

As Mina climbed up the plane, she saw the hatches for their personal items were forcefully opened, but luckily, none of their carry-on items never fell out. she then grabbed the a black belt strap she saw first and pulled it out, revealing a maroon shoulder bag with pictures of anime guys standing close together as if they were lovers. "This definitely is Mia's bag..." Mina then put the bag around her shoulder.

"That's weird. In our world, you practically have to do everything to earn someone's trust and be friends. Not everyone's a kind person." Mina stopped her rummaging to reply to Applejack.

"Well, not everypony is nice either. I think some of'em might be a lil' weary of ya folks. But it wouldn't hurt ta show just a bit of trust, now would it?" Applejack asked.

"Guess not. But I mean, humans are capable of helping each other through a crisis though... so I suppose you're reacting the way a person would if they saw someone shipwrecked." Mina loudly said while climbing into the cargo area.

Mina then went through the broken door at the very back of the plane to enter the cargo hold, which was entirely dark save for the bit of sunshine getting in through the holes around her. The place was a total mess, just like the rest of the plane, with steel pipes and beams hanging around and several plane related supplies scattered all over the place. looking above, Mina could see the compartment for emergency supplies, and to her left, she saw a cage containing all of their luggage.

Since the cage was locked by a chain, she looked around for something to break open the cage open through all the rubble. After a minute of rummaging through the trash, Mina finds a black crowbar at her feet and quickly picks it up. After a brief examination of it and concluding that it's still useful, she uses the crowbar to force the chain of the cage off, breaking one of the chain links and forcing the cage open, gaining access to their luggage at last.

Looking around the caged area in a brief, yet desperate scan, she immediately found her suitcase which had a combination lock on one part of the zipper area. The large suitcase is made of a green fabric, having six parts to hold items in, all held together by zippers. One of the holding areas of the bag was locked off by a combination lock, which was the first thing Mina went for.

30... 12... 6...10

The numbers unlocked the combination and she immediately opened the zipper, only to grab... a vial with various pills inside and a water bottle. She opened the pill bottle to see that the pills are not broken, letting out a sigh of relief.

"Ah... thank god it's safe!" She muttered to herself, forming a smile.

"What's the hold up in there??" Applejack called out to her, as Mina was taking a little too long.

"Ah, sorry! I was just... doing a check!" Mina replied, not wanting to reveal anything about the bottle she held. She then puts one of the pills in her mouth, then takes a single swallow of water, gulping it all down quickly. 

"Phew..." Mina sighed in relief, but then noticed that only seven pills are left. "Ugh... I'm gonna need to hurry and get home... they didn't approve of it for nothing..."

Mina then took her suitcase and let it slide on down to Applejack. She then looked at everyone else's suitcases in the cage, and noticed that it'll be a lot to carry, but went for them anyway.

"Hmm... well, I'll get everything out anyway. If we're gonna do this, we're gonna need some supplies..." Mina said to herself, before grabbing one suitcase at a time, sliding them down to Applejack.

"Whoo wee! This is a lot to carry! Just what were ya'll plannin'?" Applejack asked, watching the first three suitcases slide down in front of her.

"We were gonna stay in a hotel our friend reserved for us!" Mina replied.

"Well, this is a bit much, don't ya'll think?" Applejack said, looking at the large suitcases that slid down one after the other. "Ya'll remind me of Rarity!"

"Well, most of that stuff belongs to the girls! The guys didn't bring much, but some of it belongs to the ones who went missing!" Mina yelled out.

After sliding down all the suitcases from the cargo hold and eventually, a few shoulder bags and backpacks, Mina then looked around the plane for any extra items. Eventually, she remembers the cabinet for emergency supplies. Once she opens it, she finds a first aid kit.

"We'll definitely need that..." Mina said to herself. She then finds a flare gun as well. "This must be an extra  one aside from the front end or something... but we're gonna need this too." 

After a small while of gathering more supplies, Mina slides out of the plane with a few more shoulder bags, only to see that Mia and Eva are going through the luggage.

"We can't take everything with us. We'll only need to take what's important." Mina said upon coming out of the plane, but stopping in her tracks.

"Then what's all of that stuff you got with you, huh?" Mia asked.

"This is all stuff we may need at one point, such as first aid kits, lighter fluid, a box of matches, a flare gun, a compass..." Mina went on.

"Wait, Matches? Lighter fluid?? thought none of that stuff was allowed on the plane!" Mia said.

"Well... technically no, but this was a private flight. We can pretty much carry anything onto our plane, and this stuff was probably belonging to our pilot, or the guys who helped us pack." Eva explained.

"Eva's right. I found that stuff in an extra suitcase among ours. It probably did belong to the pilot." Mina said. 

"Either way, good find!" Mia said.

"Uuugh... I brought so much stuff too..." Eva complained.

"Well, get rid of all the make up! We don't need it, do we?" Mia suggested nonchalantly.

"We don't... even though it does pain me a little to part with it." Mina griped.

"Same here... Mia's right. But do we REALLY have to trash it?" Eva asked.

"Well... we could always just leave it behind at the plane over there. We'll just come back for it when everything's over!"

"Well, you guys might wanna hurry and get ya'll stuff sorted out. It's gettin' late, and ya'll DON'T want to go through the forest at dark." Applejack warned.

"Ugh... Guess we'll have to be quick about it... I might have to leave some clothes behind too." Eva said, as she put her more fancy clothes to the side.

"Why are ya'll so down in the dumps about some clothes?" Applejack asked.

"Because we're girls..." Eva answered. 

"Human girls. A lot of us care about what we wear." Mina said.

"I don't!" Mia said, jokingly.

"Shut up!" Mina and Eva said in unison.

"Okaaaaaay... ya'll are a buncha weirdos." Applejack tilted her head in confusion.

"You're weird for not wearing clothes!" Mina retorted.

Whaddya expect?! I AM a pony! Wearin' some weird clothes would just get in the way of buckin' the apple trees!" Applejack griped.

"Umm... guys...?" Fluttershy tried to call out to Applejack and the human girls in her reserved tone of voice.

"Wearing clothes just means you won't be naked! There's all kinds of clothes for any sort of job!" Eva snapped back.

"Uhh... they're here..." Fluttershy meekly said once again.

"Gimmie a break! Say if an outfit got caught on somethin? It'll slow me down!" Applejack responded.

"Timberwolves...!" Fluttershy said as loud as she could... but they barely even heard her.

"What?" Everyone asked in unison.

Fluttershy could only point behind them with her forehoof, which finally let them know that the Timberwolves are back, and preying on them.

"Guys get back!" Applejack said, backing away with the girls. However, Mina didn't want to step back.

"I have an idea!" Mina said, hoping to get to the lighter fluid she had set down by their luggage, which caused the Timberwolves to turn their attention to Mina. She ran around the luggage and climbed back into the plane. 

"Wait!" Fluttershy called out, but Mina was already trapped in the plane.

"Mina!" Mia was scared, but grabbed a huge briefcase, ran up to the Timberwolves, and smashed one of them to pieces. However, this only angered the other two wolves, and they pounced on Mia instead. She tries to defend herself with the briefcase she has, but they're quickly breaking through her defense, causing her to panic when the back of her hand gets scratched. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!! SOMEBODY!!!!"

Mia was scared for her life, but suddenly, Applejack kicked off the heads of the Timberwolves with her back hooves, saving Mia in the process. Mia backed away as fast as she could, thanking Applejack and Fluttershy.

"We gotta go! Timberwolves repair themselves all the time!" Applejack said.

Mina at that point, slides down out of the plane, picks up the lighter fluid, and pours a bit on the parts of the Timberwolves. Just as the Timberwolves are trying to come back to life, she then lights a match and tosses it on the wood, lighting it on fire quite easily. The only thing that could be heard were the pained cries of the burning Timberwolves.

"Ah..." Applejack cringed when she heard the painful cries. Fluttershy could only look away, as she knows that Mina just killed two Timberwolves... Even if they were hostile creatures, it's still sad to watch them die. 

"You didn't have to do that..." Fluttershy mumbled under her breath.

Mina, completely out of breath, ended up slumping to the ground. "That was too much..."

"Mia, your hand! it's bleeding!" Eva gasped upon seeing Mia's hand.

"Ah... guess I cut my hand on that thing, huh? Hehehe...?" Mia tried to put on a brave smile, despite being in a sharp pain, causing more beads of sweat to roll down her head.

"I better patch you up!" Eva said.

"Geez..." Mia griped, as she didn't mean to get hurt. But she didn't protest it either since she knew she'd need first aid.

"I'm not as good as Jeremy or Mr. Martin, but this should be easy..." Eva said, using a few supplies from the first aid kit to patch up Mia's hand and stop the bleeding the best she could. After a deep sigh of relief, Eva meekly asked, "We won't have to do something like this again, will we...?" 

Applejack wanted to tell them 'no'. She wanted to reassure them. But since there was that possibility that Nightmare Moon may be back, she just couldn't answer. There's no telling when she would attack, or how. Applejack felt bitter, knowing that she'd have to answer honestly. 

"It's alright. I already know. We might have to fight for our lives again at some point. We can't just leave the fighting to you ponies. If you got hurt because of us, then that would just be... wrong. You don't need to protect us." Mia said, looking sullen, but reassured Applejack and Fluttershy that they can take care of themselves.

"Well... uhh... It had to be done, ya know...?" Applejack said, trying to console the girls.

"Y-you didn't have to do that to them! I... I could've calmed them down! They were just being mean, they didn't deserve... that!" Fluttershy snapped, mustering her courage to speak her mind.

"And if we just left them alone, they would've ate us! It's kill or be killed!! DID YOU WANT US TO DIE?!" Mina said with brutal honesty, causing Fluttershy to shriek back and fly to her home.

"Oh no..." Applejack felt really bad for Fluttershy. 

"Let's get back to the others before it gets dark." Mina said, grabbing as much luggage as she could, with Eva and Mia helping her. It was hard for anyone to tell whether Mina felt bad about telling Fluttershy off or not...

"I'll help ya'll out with that stuff." Applejack said, as she couldn't stay silent. "I reckon I'm stronger than you all, since ya'll are strugglin' wit it all."

"Are you serious?" Mina was narrowed her eyes, confused.

"I'll talk to her, okay? Ah' know ya'll only did it to help yer friends, so don't worry about it." Applejack said, offering to carry some of the load still.

"Thanks." Mina said, with a slight smile on her face. 

With that, the girls and Applejack made their way back to Ponyville through the Everfree forest before it got dark, and made it to the town square to meet up with Twilight and the others. Upon meeting them, Mia ran into Jeremy's chest, crying and holding him tight. 

"Uhh... what happened...?" Jeremy looked mortified, as he, Trisha, and Kitsu could tell something happened in the forest, judging from everyone's expressions and looking at the bandages on Mia's hand...
> Pleading Self Defense
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After arriving at Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle, Raimbow Dash, and the humans all notice a large gathering of ponies by the river, near the entrance of the Everfree Forest. Going to see the crowd, Twilight finds Applejack amongst the crowd and informs her that something crashed over where the smoke was seen. The humans quickly deduce that their plane must be there, but there were other tasks that had to be done. So Trisha went with Twilight Sparkle to the Golden Oaks library, only to receive a letter from Princess Celestia, informing them that Princess Luna has a message. Rarity on the other hand, is given a task as well: to make enchanted clothes for the humans.

As for Jeremy and Rainbow, they head to Sugar Cube Corner to locate Kitsu and Pinkie Pie. Upon finding his friend, he drags him out of the confectionery shop and chews Kitsu out, only to realize that he himself is overreacting.

As for Mina, Mia, and Eva, they went with Applejack to cut through the Everfree Forest and get to Rambling Rock Ridge, where their plane was located. Along the way, the group is attacked by Timberwolves, but Applejack effectively defeats them. Upon reaching the plane, the girls meet Fluttershy, another Pegasus pony with yellow fur and a long pink mane. After getting their items from the plane, the Timberwolves attack once again and nearly kill Mia, which made Mina use the gasoline and matches to kill the timberwolves. Fluttershy however, was upset at the humans killing the beasts, but Mina told her off, causing her to fly home upset. 

Once the girls arrive back to the Town Square, Mia runs into Jeremy's chest and holds him tight, crying, making Jeremy, Trisha, and Kitsu grow mortified...





"Uhh... what happened...?" Jeremy could easily tell that they just went through something terrible. Even after Jeremy asked that, Mia cried for several minutes, while Mina could look away, emotionless.

Applejack spoke for them finally. "They... had to defend themselves."

"Huh...?" Trisha asked. Everyone was naturally confused. 

Applejack explained everything that happened in the forest, from the Timberwolves attacking, to Fluttershy flying home crying. Everything all happened so fast, and Mia felt really bad about Mina making Fluttershy cry, since her nearly getting killed is what made Mina kill the Timberwolves.

"Oh, wow... I'm sorry you girls had to go through that." Twilight said. "You guys go to Pinkie Pie's party. I'm sure she'll get you all to feel better. Me and the other ponies will talk to Fluttershy... she doesn't know anything after all."

"Yes... I would imagine she's quite shaken up, poor girl." Rarity said.

"Yeah..." Rainbow agreed.

"Spike, could you stay with the humans for a little while until we get back?" Twilight requested of the little dragon.

"Aww, why do I have to?" Spike griped.

"Well, they don't know their way around Ponyville, remember? Please, just take them to the party at Sugar Cube Corner, okay? If you're lucky, maybe Pinkie Pie might give you another sapphire cupcake!"

"Mmm... okay! I'd definitely love another one of those!" Spike said, licking his lips.

"Okay, we'll see ya later, okay Spike?" Twilight said, bidding farewell for now.

"See ya later Twilight!" Spike waved goodbye to the mares, and then turned his attention to the humans... then he suddenly felt a bit speechless, as he had to deal with a new species by himself. "Soooooo..."

"So?" Jeremy said.

"Umm... I... kinda don't want to go to the party right now." Mia said, still looking a bit crestfallen. Eva as well. Mina was the only one of the girls who didn't want to dwell on what happened.

"Moping about it won't change anything. If they come to treat us like fiends, then well, that's life. It had to be done." Mina said.

"Yeah... but I just... feel really bad. I mean, even if that Timber thing nearly killed me, I still felt a little bad for killing something from another world." Mia said, holding her injured hand a little more tightly.

"That's just it. Mina did what needed to be done. I would've done it without a moment's notice. No one harms my crew and gets away with it. No person, no pony, no creature, no whatever. They should be glad I wasn't there, because I would've taken them out without hesitation." Jeremy boldly said, showing that he was glad that Mina saved them.

"You would've been scared like the rest of us and you know it! You spout that nonesense, but when the time comes, you'll definitely be scared!" Mina snapped, remembering at how she too was scared.

"Oh yeah?! Then just what do you want me to do, run like a little bitch and watch my friends get hurt!? HELL NO. Someone has to step up. Don't get angry with me, just because you made some weak willed pony cry! You did what you had to do and personally, I commend you for it!" Jeremy firmly stated, as it was obvious Mina felt a little bad for making Fluttershy cry when she told her off.

"Let's just go to the party. It'll cool our heads, right guys?" Kitsu said.

"Yeaaaaaaaah, but one problem..." Trisha said, pointing to the large amount of luggage.

"Ugh... that IS gonna be a problem." Jeremy said, grabbing his head in frustration. "We might need to leave some of this stuff back at the plane. Can't we pick out some of the stuff we can leave behind, while we keep what we need?"

"I could guide you guys to some hotel rooms near Sugar Cube Corner?" Spike nonchalantly suggested.

"Wait, this town has hotels!?" Trisha asked.

"Well yeah! But you're gonna need to pay to get inside!" Spike noted.

"Oh hell, we got that covered!" Jeremy boasted, flashing his wallet.

"Wait, stop!" Mina called out to Jeremy, making him stop abruptly. She suddenly turned her attention to the little dragon and asked, "Spike, right? What's the currency here?"

"Currency? Uhh..." Spike was confused at the term.

"MONEY. What kind of money do ponies use?" Mina asked.

"Oh, we pay in bits!" Spike answered.

"Bits? What the hell are bits?!" Jeremy asked, as he was just thrown for a loop.

"Well, bits are gold coins! You can't buy anything without'em." Spike said.

"Oh, hell no." Jeremy said, as he just didn't want to realize that they're technically broke.

"Don't be stupid. Look around. Do you see an ATM anywhere? And even if we had our own money, we can't use it! I doubt anyone in our world knows about Equestria or it's currency to convert our money into bits!" Mina chided.

"Ugggggh... well, we're not gonna get by without money!" Jeremy complained.

"Guys, chill out, will ya? We'll ask Pinkie if we might be able to find a way to make some bits." Kitsu suggested.

"The fox face is right! Let's just go to the party! You never know who'll help you out." Spike agreed.

"This better not end in some one telling me to get a job..." Jeremy grumbled.

With that, the humans all divided each bit of luggage among themselves and get going. Being led by Spike, they head to Sugar Cube Corner to attend their party. Upon arrival, they're chastised by Pinkie for being late to the party, but thanks to her, there are ponies from town who greeted them and gave them a warm welcome. According to Pinkie, some of the ponies were really nervous about meeting the humans, but being who she is, and of course, wanting her party to work out, she convinced them to give the humans a chance.





Meanwhile, Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity all are at Fluttershy's home. The one to let the sullen yellow mare's friends in was none other than her pet rabbit, Angel. 

Her home was a large cottage with beige walls and a green tree-like rooftop, that sat at the edge of the Everfree Forest. Inside the house, Fluttershy is curled into a little ball, shaking in fear and sadness, surrounded by various little animals and birds trying their best to cheer her up, especially her pet rabbit.

"Fluttershy..." Twilight tried to speak to her, but continued to not say anything.

"They were crying..." Fluttershy muttered.

"Wha...?" Rainbow couldn't hear what she said. Neither could the other mares.

"They were crying." Fluttershy expressed more strongly. She didn't need to speak up, but the strength in her voice was enough to be heard. "Did they have to go that far...?"

"Fluttershy, listen... the humans... they're not even from Equestria. They're not even from this world. They're here because of Nightmare Moon." Twilight sheepishly explained, not wanting to upset Fluttershy any further.

"So Nightmare Moon wanted some... animals to kill other animals?" Fluttershy asked.

"Wha, NO! That's not it! They were brought here against their will! They just want to find their friends and go home. You have to understand." Twilight pleaded.

"Why are you even saying that...? I thought Nightmare Moon was gone... that Princess Luna is good now." Fluttershy was confused. She really doesn't know the situation at all. So Twilight took the liberty to explain everything from the top, leading to now in hopes that Fluttershy would calm down.

"I see... I... I don't know... I just... I... they didn't deserve that..." Fluttershy said, referring to the Timberwolves.

"Well, Ah' tried to tell ya that it's just a survival thing." Applejack said.

*KNOCK KNOCK!*

Rarity and Rainbow Dash, unsure of what to say to Fluttershy, both suddenly hear the door knocking.

"Twilight,  I believe Fluttershy might have an extra guest." Rarity said.

"Well, check outside! Who is it?" Twilight asked, anxious to know.

"Well, it's... one of those human girls." Rarity answered.

"How did she find this place!?" Fluttershy asked, as she became very nervous and scared.

"Ah' uh... mighta told'er where ya live..." Applejack said, remembering that she mentioned to the human girls that Fluttershy lives by the forest.

"Umm... I don't need to come in. But I have to say something!" Mia spoke loud enough for the ponies inside to hear.

"That one sounds like the one named Mia..." Twilight noticed, as she walked up to listen. 

"On behalf of my friends, I'm sorry! I understand why you're upset, Fluttershy, I do! Seeing what happened would be like you guys coming to our world and killing a few cats!"  Mia said, making up a really odd analogy.

"I don't quite understand that analogy..." Rarity couldn't imagine herself, nor her friends killing a cat. It's just implausible.

"It's weird, but It makes sense." Twilight agreed with a wry smile.

"I mean... I was nervous too when I heard the wolves' cries of pain as they died! I just couldn't stand listening to that! It sucks it had to happen, but Mina only did it to save my life, and she's not the only one who would've done it either!" Mia said, hoping to convince Fluttershy that the humans don't kill needlessly. "But please, I just don't want you guys to think we're bad, okay? Mina might have been right in what she said, but she didn't have to put it that way!"

After a bit of silence, Mia, after a sigh of defeat, starts to walk away. But she then stops when she hears the door opening up. Turning around, Mia could see Fluttershy at her doorstep, meekly looking at her.

"I... I overreacted." Fluttershy said.

"You didn't overreact, you just care for all animals, don't you?" Mia asked, but she knew, judging from Fluttershy's actions today.

"Well... now that THAT's resolved, let's go party!" Rainbow abruptly said, flying ahead of the group. 

"Yeah, I'm surprised it's still going!" Mia said. "My friends are still there, so let's hurry!"

"Aren't they worried?" Twilight asked.

"Nope! I told them I wanted to talk to you girls! I felt really bad and I had to clear the air, ya know? I don't want you to hate us." Mia answered, feeling much better than before.

"Umm... about your hand..." Fluttershy wanted to ask about her bandaged hand out of concern.

"Oh, It'll be fine! It's not THAT bad! It's just a cut!" Mia said, waving off the worry.

"You might wanna see the doctor for that." Twilight advised.

"Well, you'll just have to show me the way after the party, okay?" Mia said.

Mia returned to Pinkie Pie's party with the other mares leading the way. The party was filled with various ponies from town, talking to the humans.

"It's about TIME you guys came back! Let's hurry and PARRRTY! WHOO HOO!" Pinkie shouted.

"Mia! How'd it go?" Trisha asked Mia after pulling her aside. She knew to talk low so none of the ponies would hear them.

"It went okay for the most part..." Mia said, only confident to a degree.

"So... they don't hate us, right...?" Trisha asked, worried still.

"No, they don't hate or fear us... I mean, as long as neither of that happens, we'll be fine, right?" Mia asked, just to be sure.

"Right. It'd be trouble if the ponies were scared or hated us, and they're our only hope to finding answers." Trisha said.

"About why we're in this world?" Mia asked.

"Yeah... I'm feeling a strange need to just... have all the answers. And if more questions keep coming up, I'm gonna wanna know the answers." Trisha said. 

"Come on, aren't we here to find our friends and go home?" Mia asked.

"Yeah, sure... but It'd be nice to have some... you know, answers." Trisha said. 

Meanwhile, during the party, Rainbow checks on Jeremy who's sitting in a chair, as he ate only an apple and a slice of cake. He never ate any of the sandwiches, so naturally, she was bothered.

"How's the party? Pretty awesome, riiiiiight?" Rainbow nudged Jeremy, getting his attention.

"It's... okay, I guess." Jeremy looked at the table, wearing an expression of discomfort.

"Just WHAT could be wrong with Pinkie's party?" Rainbow asked, annoyed that he's not enjoying the party. "Can't this guy enjoy anything?"

"There's SOME foods that we humans don't eat." Jeremy said.

"You've GOT to be kidding! Mr. and Mrs. Cake bake delicious sweets ALL THE TIME! And how could you complain about that!?"

"Yeah, but that's not the problem!" Jeremy retorted, pointing to the hay on a plate, and sandwiches with flowers in between the bread. "See those flowers in that sandwich? WE CAN'T EAT THAT CRAP!"

"Hey, those daisy sandwiches are good!" Rainbow argued.

"No! HELL NO! Humans eat things that aren't flowers or hay!" Jeremy complained.

"You're crazy!" Rainbow yelled back with a scowl.

"Guys, stop!" Twilight got in between the two, using her magic to hold up the book of Humans, reading it. "Look, see? It says here that humans are omnivores, but they're picky about what they eat!"

"Yeah! Err........wait, you're taking her side..." Jeremy realized, causing his eye to twitch. 

"HAH! IN YOUR FACE! Now eat that sandwich!" Rainbow rubbed in the fact that Jeremy's technically an Omnivore due to being a human.

"NO! We have this thing called a tongue. It contains our TASTE SENSE. And I predict that sandwich is gonna taste like sh- MMMMMMPH!!" Jeremy was cut off by Rainbow stuffing a sandwich into his mouth, forcing him to eat it. 

"How is it? It's good isn't it? Yeah, I know." Rainbow said, getting a little arrogant. Jeremy didn't even respond, only moaned in defeat as he was on his hands and knees, sulking that he just basically ate a flower.





Later that night, the humans are outside the house with the six mares, who asked for their help regarding their luggage and a place to stay.

"Oh, I forgot, you guys wouldn't have any bits at all, huh?" Twilight said.

"Well, I could just provide you fair folks with the bits needed for your hotel stay." Rarity suggested. 

"No, it's okay, we'll find a place to camp." Mia said.

"Rarity, hang on a second!" Trisha stopped her, then went over to the pile of suitcases. "Umm... which one is Alice's suitcase again?"

"Oh, this one!" Mia pointed out the pink suitcase with at bat pattern on it. 

Trisha got to the suitcase and opened it up, searching for something. "Okay... umm... let's see... she's gotta have one..."

Eventually, Trisha finds a few fashion catalogs at the very bottom of Alice's bag. She flips through the pages of the Italian one first to make sure that the clothes are right, and then gives it to Rarity.

"Oh my! A catalog! Hmm... let's see... my word, whoever owned this has quite the unique taste in fashion!" Rarity said, simply looking at just the pictures of the various clothes. "I must meet the owner of this catalog!" 

"Let me see that!" Rainbow said, taking a look too out of curiosity. "Huh..."

"What'd you give Rarity that thing for?" Applejack asked.

"Princess Celestia for some reason wants yours truly to make clothes for the humans, you see." Rarity answered.

"The princess is giving special treatment??" Pinkie asked.

"Actually..." Twilight started to explain. She told her friends about the letters that Princess Celestia sent to the humans and Rarity, and how she's to make them some enchanted clothes to act as some sort of armor. 

"Enchanted huh? Even we didn't know about that." Jeremy said, as he and the other humans besides Trisha didn't know about the plan.

"Huh... well, can't we pick what we want?" Eva asked.

"NO." Mina firmly said as if she were scolding her. "We're doing good that she's even willing to make us anything to begin with. We shouldn't push it."

"Well, you're quite the generous person yourself, aren't you? I've already resolved myself to love and tolerate you humans afterall." Rarity said.

"We just don't feel like being a burden, that's all." Mina said.

"Hey, I like surprises, so I'm down with that." Kitsu said.

"Me too! I can't wait to see what you come up with!" Mia agreed.

"Well, okay. I'm a little nervous though." Jeremy griped, but decided to put up with it for now.

"Heh, I doubt nothing could be worse than what you're wearing, big guy!" Rainbow chimed a quick insult.

"What was that?" Jeremy instantly shot a glare at Rainbow.

"Calm down, you two!" Twilight scolded them both.

"Well, in any case, I'm going to need your sizes, so why don't you all come down to the Carousel Boutique tomorrow?" Rarity asked, pointing with her hoof to where the shop is.

"Sure thing!" Trisha agreed.

"How long is it gonna take?" Jeremy asked in his usual demeanor. "In my world, it takes several days, hell, even weeks for my friend Alice to make anything."

"Jeremy, it's because she has to study for exams like the rest of us." Mina chided.

"Bah. I'm just saying!" Jeremy said.

"Well, proper fashion takes a bit of time you see, so with the occasional break in between, I say, at least four days." Rarity said.

"Wait, what?!" Jeremy was shocked at Rarity's estimate.

"My word, is there a problem? I simply refuse to go any faster!" Rarity protested.

"No, no, I mean, I'm saying that's faster than I thought! Do you use magic or something to help in the process?" Jeremy asked out of curiosity.

"Why, of course! I am a fabulous unicorn afterall." Rarity answered proudly.

"Go figure." Trisha thought to herself. 

"Lastly, we're gonna need some money. Is there any way to convert our currency into bits?" Mina asked.

"I highly doubt that, considering you're not from this world." Twilight said. 

"Thankfully the hotels are Really really really really Reeaaaaaaaaaaaally cheap, so I can loan a few bits to help!" Pinkie said.

"And we'll make it even cheaper by staying in the same room. All six of us." Mina suggested.

"Whoa, that's a bit much, don't you think??" Jeremy wasn't comfortable with the idea of being in a single room, cramped together.

"Well, if they're willing to loan us a little money, we can't make them spend too much. It'd be stupid!" Mina answered.

"Well, that idea makes me a little more comfortable helping ya'll folks out!" Applejack said.

By this point, Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, and Applejack tell the humans to wait for them to get a few bits together, as the rest were much more agreeing to the suggestion that the humans stay at the hotel for four nights in the same room. The plan saves money, and it gives the humans a place to stay until they're ready to head for Canterlot. Once the mares return with the bits, the humans are led by Spike to the hotel and check into one of the bigger rooms they had.

Going up to the second floor, up to room no.30, the humans open the door to see white walls, a couch, a table to the side, a record player, and two beds by the window.

"Okay... well, before we decide where we're sleeping, we're gonna need to put our stuff away so there's enough room. I normally hate being chivalrous, but let's have the girls sleep on the beds and couch, okay? Kitsu and I will sleep on the floor." Jeremy said.

"Are you sure? You're not gonna wake up screaming if you see a roach crawling on your leg, are you?" Mia jokingly asked.

"W-w-w-well... that... I mean, we're in a different world! Why would there be any roaches here? Hahaha... ha?" Jeremy said in a nervous fit, trying his hardest to not show his apparent fear of roaches.

"Hehehe... why don't I sleep next to ya so you don't be afraid? You big baby you~!" Mia playfully teased.

"How about no. I'll be alright! Besides, I don't have time to fear any stupid roaches. We still have to find our friends. If I happen to find whoever is behind our vacation being ruined, I'm gonna knock it's teeth down it's throat. It doesn't matter if it's that Nightmare monster, or something else entirely. That goes double for separating us from our friends." Jeremy said, clinching his fist.

"Heh, you're stupid for saying something so absurd, but if, and that's a big if, you could pull that off, then do it for us all." Mina said, since she knew that any chance of actually punching out the culprit might be impossible if it's Nightmare Moon.

"I wanna deck her too actually." Trisha said. "Come on, I just wanted to have fun, and here we are stuck in this world. I just want to find all the answers, then we'll know who to punch!"

"Heh, you raise a good point, but this place? This... Equestria? It wasn't part of our vacation plan. I don't think we can just punch a pony and come out of that unscathed." Mina said.

"I'm sure my brother's feeling really bad about it right now... he's the one who suggested the trip. I... really hope he's okay..." Eva said, sitting on the bed, hugging her knees, as she worried for her brother.

"We'll find'em. If we start fearing the worst, that'll just mean that we don't believe in our friends." Jeremy said.

"Well said, dude!" Kitsu sat on the couch with Mina, clapping his hands, like he had no influence. "Anyway, since we're still here, we should try increasing our social links with the ponies who've helped us so far."

"You're still playing that game?!" Jeremy asked, irritated, as he's heard Kitsu crack references to that game all the time back at school.

"It's a good game!" Kitsu retorted.

"Kitsu's right, guys; we do need to keep our relationship with the ponies on good terms. That's why I went to talk to Fluttershy earlier. I don't think we'll live long if they hated us." 

"Yeah. We know the rest of the crew aren't in Ponyville. They could be at some part of this world we don't even know about. The ponies are the ones with magic, not us. They're practically helping us out in kindness, so we need to return the favor somehow, to show we're not taking advantage of their generosity." Mina said.

"Well of course! When this is all said and done, we'll show our gratitude to'em somehow before going home! Maybe make'em honorary crew members or something." Jeremy said.

"We have a clear objective in mind... and I agree with it definitely... it's just... why us? Why are we here? I really want to know." Trisha thought to herself.

With the unanimous agreement, the human six began organizing their luggage, setting up their spots to sleep, and turned off the lights.
> Dream Communication
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After organizing all of their items and changing into their sleep clothes, the humans finally decide to go to sleep for the night. The beds were small and uncomfortable for Trisha, Mia, and Eva. Trisha slept in a bed by herself closest to the window, while Mia and Eva slept in the same bed. Jeremy slept on the floor in between them, Mina slept on the couch, and Kitsu slept on the floor next to her.

After several hours, Trisha eventually finds herself waking up in the middle of Ponyville in the middle of the night.

"....." Trisha looked around at her surroundings, breathing heavily, as she knew that something was way off about Ponyville. "This isn't the Town Square, is it...?"

She noticed that the very active town of Ponyville was now devoid of it's civilization. It didn't seem like a time in which the ponies were asleep in any of the houses either. In fact, it just felt... completely abandoned. It didn't help that the sky was pitch black, as if the sky never existed...

Suddenly, she hears some galloping in the distance quickly closing in. Trisha turns around to see a dark figure galloping towards her. She knew it was a pony due to the figure and distinct sound they make when they're walking. The pony got closer and closer to Trisha, who decided to go into a fighting stance, and perform a swift roundhouse kick. The pony barely dodged the attack in time.

"What are you doing!?" It was Twilight, who ducked and covered her head with her forehooves, feeling irritated and startled for nearly getting kicked. "You could've knocked my head off!"

"Oh crap, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! I just thought I was going to be attacked!" Trisha frantically explained.

"Let me guess... you thought you had a nightmare?" Twilight asked.

"Yea- wait a minute! Why are you even here? This is supposed to be a dream, right?" Trisha was just as surprised.

"I think I might know..." Twilight said.

"Well, what is it? I'm not used to dreaming about anything, especially something so... weird!" Trisha asked, hurriedly.

"Have you ever heard of lucid dreaming?" Twilight asked.

"I think I might have. My friend Alice talked to me about it at one point during a class session. It's when you're aware you're dreaming, right?" Trisha asked, just to be sure.

"Basically. But there's so much about it that makes it interesting!" Twilight said in a way that came off as a bit nerdy.

"But... I mean, I wasn't aware I was dreaming at first until you told me." Trisha said. "This could be MY dream."

"Or it could be MINE." Twilight said, giggling a bit.

While the two were talking, Twilight catches a glimpse of another pony off in the distance from the corner of her eye. walking away just out of sight. 

"Is that...!" Twilight caught sight of a certain cutie mark that made her eyes widen in shock and excitement. She then chased after this pony that went around the corner, galloping across the bridge that lead to the Everfree Forest.

"Twilight, wait up!" Trisha chased after Twilight as fast as she could.

The pony that Twilight followed was already far off in the distance, at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, and could be seen walking inside. 

"Twilight, hang on!" Trisha called out, desperately trying to keep up with Twilight, but the purple unicorn was too focused on the pony's crescent moon cutie mark...

"There's no mistake... that's Princess Luna! But... something's off..." Twilight thought to herself, as she continued her pursuit with Trisha. 

Upon reaching the forest entrance, they see a very familiar trail of glowing mist in the air. Trisha resolved herself to follow the mist for her own personal reason that relates to the plane crash. Eventually, after following the trail and going through several bushes and trees, they reach a ruined structure familiar only to Twilight.

The structure appeared to be a rounded, yet destroyed temple or a sanctuary of some sort, with broken pillars surrounding the outside and inside of the rounded ground, and a spiral staircase, all made of a hard, gray brick. 

There was only one big difference this time that the purple unicorn recognized.

"This place..." Twilight widened her eyes at what she saw.

[It's where you freed me from my prison, Twilight Sparkle, by showing us the true power of thou friendship.]

"Princess Luna! Why...!?" Twilight was confused and mortified, for she had seen a statue of Princess Luna curled into a ball like a foal in the place of where the Elements of Harmony were first discovered. Her statue was held in place by several chains, but even then, that familiar essence; that mist that Nightmare Moon would have as her mane, would leak out of this statue of the princess.

[Twilight Sparkle, I have reached out to you and the human because I wish to warn you of Nightmare Moon, for she is trying to free herself from us.]

"Free herself? I thought we-" Twilight tried to ask, but the princess of the night would continue her explanation.

[Thou only succeeded in freeing me from the prison known as Nightmare Moon. It was never destroyed, for it is merely fractured and has been slowly repairing itself. Because of this, Nightmare Moon wishes to find a new prisoner. Her power has become too much to bear and contain during her self-repair; too much to control. And so, My sister, my niece and I decided that it would be for the best that I am sealed away until further notice.]

"Then... that means... Nightmare Moon brought these humans here because..." Twilight became mortified as she realized the answer.

[It is as thou suspect, Twilight Sparkle. The humans are the Nightmare Moon Candidates.]

"But, that doesn't make any sense! Why humans?? Why didn't she just target a pony??" Twilight asked.

[Because, it is thou and the Elements of Harmony that she fears! If she were to imprison another pony, she knows that the Elements of Harmony would always rise to the task of breaking her down once more, and the cycle wouldn't end!]

"So... me and my friends... we're at risk for becoming Nightmare Moon...?" Trisha finally, yet hesitantly, asked. "But that doesn't fully explain WHY US."

[Because, Daughter of Eve, It is because in your world, the Elements of Harmony do NOT EXIST.]

"I see... that makes a lot of sense...! But wait! Wouldn't that mean that she'd simply have to escape to their world!?" Twilight asked hurriedly, slowly beginning to see the full extent of Nightmare Moon's new plan.

[Having a human vessel would make going to the land of humans possible. The lack of magic in the land of humans would make bringing everlasting night to that world but a simple task to her when all she has to deal with are mere humans who lack magic.] 

"I see... In that case, why did you save us? If we're being targeted to become Nightmare Moon, then why didn't you just kill us when she brought us here!?" Trisha raised her voice, feeling beyond irritated.

"Trisha!" Twilight was shocked that she'd raise her voice to the princess.

[Because, it wouldn't be fair, now would it? Snatched from your world, only to meet a terrible fate! But alas, I saw some use for you and your friends.]

"Use? Just how can we be useful? We don't have magic! Can't you just send us back!?" Trisha was naturally frustrated at this point.

[Daughter of Eve, do you remember the words I spoke to you during your descent?]

"Friendship... is... Magic...?" Trisha repeated, but still confused.

[Correct. Do not let the darkness corrupt your spirit. With your friendship, your bonds, that will be enough to ensure your survival in this world, for you must leave Equestria as soon as you find your friends, before it's too late!]

"Wait, there's a way home!?" Trisha became excited.

[That... may not be possible right now in my current state. But this is why you and your friends must cooperate with the Elements of Harmony until a way to return you and your friends back to your world is discovered.]

"But if Nightmare Moon brought them here, there may be a magic similar to hers, right?" Twilight asked.

[Twilight Sparkle, Nightmare Moon uses a powerful dark magic! Your spirit will be corrupted if you use too much of it! You must find a way to send these humans home that won't corrupt your spirit! Speak with my sisters, for they'll have the answers you seek.] 

"Answers, huh? I feel like we have more questions than answers now. But you sealed yourself away to keep Nightmare Moon from getting another host, right? How did she even bring us here if that were the case?" Trisha asked.

[This seal isn't perfect, Daughter of Eve. Even now, Nightmare Moon leaks just enough power to have her minions roam this land in search of her candidates.]

Suddenly, the surrounding area began to disappear, with only darkness closing in on Twilight and Trisha.

[I cannot speak to you much longer! It takes an immense amount of power to speak with you two through your dreams in this state! You must find the other princesses, for they will provide you with the answers you seek. NOW GO, TWILIGHT SPARKLE! DAUGHTER OF EVE!]

Suddenly, Trisha jolted out of her bed, breathing heavily. She checked her surroundings to see that she was back in her room.

"That dream... that seemed a little too real for it to be just a dream... I'll have to confirm it with Twilight when the sun rises..." Trisha thought to herself, shaking in fear more and more, as the realization that Nightmare Moon is actively pursuing her and her friends sets in. "If all of that was true, then being in this world is really bad..."

"What's going on?"

Trisha quickly turned around to notice Jeremy wide awake, looking at her.

"Uh... I uhh... had a pretty crazy nightmare...?" Trisha nervously explained to dispel Jeremy's suspicion. "Why are you up?"

"Did you forget that I'm used to staying up for long hours? It's practically second nature to me." Jeremy said, looking at Trisha with narrowed eyes, as he's still suspicious.

"Right..." Trisha said, holding her head in disbelief over the dream she saw. "Hey, can I ask a question...?"

"Go ahead." Jeremy said, picking up his flat cap and holding it in his hand out of habit.

"It's... about the monster." Trisha proceeded. "What if... I told you that I just had a dream about it?"

"You mean the Nightmare monster that attacked us on the plane?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah... I mean... It's... it's like, a very real dream, like I found myself talking to Princess Luna in this dream. Twilight was there too..." Trisha continued to explain her dream, gripping her sheets a little tighter. "She told us that there may be some pursuers... minions, after us, and that we have to hurry and leave Equestria before it's too late..."

"Pursuers? What the heck? And what's this about leaving this world before it's 'too late'?" Jeremy rose an eyebrow, asking in a hushed tone.

"I don't know! All I know is that this world... there's gotta be more to it... I want to tell the others, and I know I have to talk to Twilight tomorrow... I'm sure she'll be letting her friends know too." Trisha answered irritably.

"This is bizarre... Look, if something comes after us, we'll just kick their ass. It's simple. Didn't you used to do it all the time back in Middle school, miss 'Bully Hunter'?" Jeremy asked.

"I abandoned that a long time ago. I can't go playing hero at a time like this." Trisha pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes as she retorted.

"True... we don't know our environment yet. Hell, we barely know the basics." Jeremy said, before letting out a long yawn. "Agh... I haven't had a single cup of coffee today... I'm getting pretty damn tired."

"Maybe I'm being crazy... but I think I want more answers." Trisha said.

"You'll find them along the way. I just want to focus on finding the others. Anyway, I'm dozing off. Sleep well, alright Trish?" Jeremy said, as he lied back down.

"Yeah." Trisha said before Jeremy nodded off to sleep. "I wonder If I can actually do anything in this world other than just surviving...? We can't possibly rely on ponies all the time, right?"





I come home from school today after discussing today's travel plans with the crew. It hasn't even been that long since joining the CSW crew, and I'm already going on a vacation with them on Spring Break. I'm pretty excited for it! I better tell my parents before I start packing my luggage!

This ordinary, two-story home of mine that I've quickly gotten used to since returning to Westford Island. 

This home in which I see a small corridor first thing when I open that brown wooden door. Up ahead is a flight of stairs in which I can quickly head to my room at any time. Down the corridor, there's an opening to my left and right. The left opening is where the kitchen, dining room, and lounge is located, while to the right, I could see the large living room, fitted with a leather couch against the wall, and a large, flat-screen TV to watch movies and TV on. 

"Hey mom! Hey dad! I'm home!" I greeted my parents when I went into the dining room, seeing my dad at the table reading his news paper and my mom playing with her smart phone. It didn't take long for them to find out that I'm happy about something.

"How was school? Did you have fun?" My mom asked inquisitively.

"Sure did!" I answered. 

"Spring Break's coming up. Do you have any plans?" My mom of course asked due to my expression. "You look like someone who's got plans!"

"Yeah. My friends want to go on a vacation to Italy, and I'd like to go with them since they invited me." I calmly explained, trying to contain my happiness. Really, who wouldn't want to fly to Italy? It'll be fun to rub that in Freddy's face when he gets home!

"Wow, your friends must be rich!" My mom's guess was pretty off...

"Nah, just one of them. You know the club I joined? My club president's been overworking himself, and the others thought this would be a perfect chance for him to relax." I began explaining to my Mom.

"Well, you don't have a passport, do you? Want me to take you down to the office to get you one?" My dad chimed In, as he sat at the table, setting the newspaper down.

"Nah, the school ID you paid for actually acts as a passport, remember?" It was a nice offer though, but our school ID's were pretty pricy considering all the benefits included with the passport.

"Most private schools I know don't have student ID's that go that far... then again, this must be because of the Hopes and Dreams program the school's being funded for." I guess my Dad still hasn't really accepted just amazing my school ID is.

"Well, since you already have a passport, why don't you and I do a little shopping to get you ready for your trip?" My mom suggested, clasping her hands together with a smile.

"That'll be good. Can Mia and Mina come along too?" Well, I couldn't go shopping without Mia and Mina. My mom knew them too when we first lived here in Westford Island. Both of them childhood friends that I haven't seen in years.

"Of course! I think you deserve this trip too. Maybe It'll help you unwind after all of those days of being everyone's heroine." Mom said, giggling a little.

"Mom, I already promised you and Dad I'd stop fighting at school. I left that behind for better things." Why did she have to bring that up? 

I'm not a hero. I never was. Not the kind you see in comic books. Trying to do it in real life has consequences.

"I'm not criticizing you, honey. I used to have my own gang back when I was your age after all. But your father is just concerned for you." My mom said. 

Even then, I felt just a bit irritated when the memories of my middle school time just surfaced.

"Your mother's right. We just don't want you to get jumped someday." My dad worried. 

I probably wouldn't have used my self-defense skills if they hadn't paid for those self-defense classes. I understand they only did it so I don't get molested or whatever, but still.

"I'll be fine, dad! I have a bunch of friends, and we watch each other's backs!" I reassured him. 

It's not like he met the whole crew, but he will eventually when one of them decides on a whim to have a party at my house. That's just how crazy they are. But I love them for that, and I really want to know more about them... Being the newest member of the crew, I'll naturally be curious. Always curious.

"Alright, well, we can shop for supplies tomorrow, is that good? Be sure to let Mia and Mina know." My mom set the time for tomorrow's shopping trip, and i agreed with her. 

Of course, dad would prefer to stick to work instead of doing the girly shopping gig. On the other hand, he has to remember the result of growing up with two brothers who played a lot of sports with me: A tomboy of sorts. The curiosity was always a little thing of mine.

It was fun those few days, preparing for our trip...





"I better get some sleep. It'll be hard, but staying up like this isn't getting me anywhere. I'll talk to Twilight tomorrow when I get the chance. I... need more answers." Trisha thought to herself before going back under her sheets to return to her sleep.
> Cold Opening
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The following takes place while Trisha, Jeremy, Kitsu, Mia, Eva, and Mina, found themselves at the Wonderbolt Academy after the destruction of their plane.





Feeling a cold breeze on his cheeks, a young blonde haired boy is laid out in a blanket of white, which gradually became soaked in crimson. 

Chris King slowly, but surely awakens from his unconsciousness, with the groggy feeling that dissipated with a steady stream of cold and snowflakes brushing against his skin. He opened his eyes and turned his head, noticing that the skies are dark, save for a beacon of light in the distance. Chris desperately got up on his feet and looked all around him until he saw a faint glimpse of the plane, not too far from him. He attempted to walk, only to feel a sharp pain on various parts of his body. He looks and grows horrified to see a gash on his left leg and right arm, and he felt several cuts on his face.

"Agh..." Chris groaned in pain, but struggled to get to the plane, trailing blood, "Damn it... just what... happened?"

Chris, trying his best to just ignore the pain coursing through his body, slowly dragged his way through the snow to the plane, with the hopes of seeing if everyone was alright. He could only think how horrible this is. He slowly checked his pocket to take out his smart phone, only to see that the screen was shattered beyond repair. He then reluctantly puts it back in his pocket, as he knows he can't call for help. He started to feel overwhelmed with desperation with a bit of guilt on the side.

"Hah... haaah... haaa... EVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!" Chris cried his sister's name, as he got progressively closer to the plane wreckage. 

"I'm... I'm so sorry...! God, Jeremy... everyone... please, PLEASE be alright...! Agh...!" Chris cried out before he eventually made it to the open end of the airplane where it was cut...

"What... the hell?! How did this happen...!?" Chris became horrified to see that his private jet was cut so cleanly in half like butter. He stumbled to the ground, only to find a rather large, light-opal colored feather stuck at the cut portion of the plane. He picked it up and held it in his hand, while walking into the plane. 

When he's inside the plane, he pockets the strange feather, only to find a white... something standing in the middle, between his unconscious and injured friends, hanging upside down, with their seat belts keeping them seated.

"Is that... a polar bear...?" Chris thought to himself, as his fear only grew ten fold. He knew that someone of his stature and current state would stand no chance against a polar bear. 

The "polar bear" turned around, to show a masked face. Now that Chris got a better look at it, he knew that what he's seeing isn't a polar bear; it's a horse with a horn and a blue mane, appearing to be wearing a balaclava on it's face. 

"Oh god..." Chris suddenly started to faint, but regained his composure. He decided, despite his injuries, to attack the Unicorn with a punch. But alas, his punch had no effect. It didn't even land. 

Chris blinked twice, and turned around to see the unicorn, using what appears to be some sort of power, carrying Mr. Martin, Alice, Ruby, Mason, Avu, and Megan in a clear bubble. Chris began backing away in fear, but he too, was soon lifted into a bubble. 

"Ah- wha, AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH! NO! NOOOOOOOOOOO! I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIIIIIIIIIIS!! NO, LET ME DOWN!!!! LET ME DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWN!!! HEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLLP! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH... ah..." Chris's screaming was soon cut short when he suddenly was hit with a laser that came from the Unicorn's horn, causing him to pass out. 

The next moment, Chris woke up in a panic, and falls out of a bed unfamiliar to him. He looked around, noticing that the walls, the floor and even the ceiling were crystal-like in appearance. Even the beds appeared to look like solid crystal, but for some reason, felt soft like a real bed. The entire room had a fine polish enough to see his own reflection. He looked at his hands, to find that they had a crystal-like appearance. It didn't take long for him to realize that this applied to his whole body... 

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!" Chris screamed to the top of his lungs, as if he had seen a ghost.

This of course, causes the other humans to wake up, and see Chris in his crystal state, causing them to gasp in fear as well, except for school teacher Mr. Martin, who was trying to rationalize the situation.

"Oh shit, dude! You're like a ghost!" Avu, a young man with short, spiky black hair and green eyes, was shocked as well.

"In all my years of disproving the existence of ghosts, I never thought..." Megan, a young man with a pair of scarred headphones around his neck, short dark green hair, and black-framed glasses, was dumbfounded and shocked.

"Guys, look at yourselves!!!" Chris pointed out that everyone else had crystal bodies, just like him.

"What's all the commotion?" A pony with a lab coat came walking into the room, with a crystal body as well. Her coat was a grayish blue with her teal-colored mane wrapped in a bun. She had an IV Vial mark on her flank.

"Oh god, this is too much...!" Chris stumbled to the ground, as he saw a talking pony... wearing a lab coat no less.

"Calm down everyone! Calm down! There's a rational explanation for us having crystal bodies!" Mr. Marten Martin, a tall and older man with short brown hair and a light goatee, wanted his students to calm down.

"Well, the human is right, there's no need to be alarmed you know." The pony said, trying to calm the humans down, but they practically ignored her, panicking amongst themselves.

"EVERYONE, CALM THE HELL DOWN!!!" The quiet, muscular young man with the short, red hair, shouted to the top of his lungs. "Sorry... I didn't mean to shout. But this horse has something to say." He apologized in a low, deadpan tone, and then pointed at the pony in the lab coat. 

"I'm a pony." The pony corrected the tall human.

"You did this...!" Chris grew angry out of fear.

"Umm... sir, I didn't do anything to you except treat your wounds. All of you were pretty badly injured when you were found." The pony, presumably a doctor, said sternly, standing her ground.

"Then WHY are we walking crystals!? I demand an explanation at once!" Chris shouted.

"It's because you're in the Crystal Empire." Another pony said. A pony very familiar to Chris.

"You...! YOU! You kidnapped us!" Chris picked up a vase and threw it at the white, blue mane stallion, who effortlessly stopped it mid-flight and levitated it back to where Chris grabbed the vase. Chris naturally backed away, freaking out at what he just saw.

"Chris, stop!" Mr. Martin scolded.

"I saved your lives! I saw something huge flying in the air and crash at the Frozen North! You can imagine what would've happened if you were left out there!" The white stallion said.

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait... You... you saved us? Then why do we look like... THIS?!" Chris seethed, yet fear could still be heard in his voice.

"Because as I've said, I brought you to the Crystal Empire. You're under the effect of the Crystal Heart. In fact, it's why your wounds are able to heal faster." The white stallion said.

"Crystal Heart...? I... I don't get it..." Chris said, grabbing his forehead, unable to comprehend what's going on as he felt himself sit on the floor.

"Allow me to apologize for my student's behavior. I'm their club adviser, Mr. Martin. Since you saved our lives, I'd like to thank you." The teacher humbly said.

"You're welcome. My name is Shining Armor. And the mare here who treated your wounds is Doctor Saline." 

"Thank you, Shining Armor, sir." The doctor thanked him. "As for you humans, I, and Shining Armor here, are what you would call, ponies."

"I know what a pony is, you fool." Megan quickly and arrogantly chimed in, only to be scolded a little by Mr. Martin.

"Sorry, my student can be a little rude to people he doesn't know." Mr. Martin waved off Megan's rudeness.

"Well, I would suggest that he'd refrain from being rude to the people that saved him and treated his injuries." Dr. Saline said.

"Easy, doc. They're humans, no need to scare them." Shining Armor said.

"Well, I have a question. It's a simple one." Megan said, adjusting his glasses, despite the lens being broken.

"A question, huh? It depends... we can't give too much information." Shining Armor said.

"How do you know that we're humans? To you, we should be some unknown alien species. But somehow, you know what we are. Explain yourself." Megan asked.

"I'm afraid I can't answer that now." Shining Armor said.

"Then how or why are we here? And didn't you find any others?" Megan asked.

"Other humans? No, I didn't find any. The only humans found and saved out there are you all." Shining Armor said.

"Wait, what about the pilot!?" Chris asked in a panic, as he noticed that the pilot wasn't with them.

"Oh... you mean the human at the front end of that thing... I... unfortunately... I couldn't save him..." Shining Armor broke the news, causing Chris to begin breathing heavily.

"Oh no... no, no, no, NOOO!!" Chris began to grab his head in a panic, realizing that his pilot is dead. He then begins to fear the worst. "Oh no... then the others... ugh... if they're all dead, it'll be all my fault...! Oh, how can I live with myself now that Jeremy's dead?" 

"He... he has to be alive, right? And what about Trishy? or Mia, or Mina, or Kit-tan, or Eva...?" Alice Stanfield too feared for their lives. Alice is a girl with purple hair, wrapped in twintails, and her clothes of goth lolita fashion.

"Jeremy's alive. I'm certain." Mason said in his deadpan demeanor, but had a bit of confidence hidden within. Mason wasn't one to panic very easily.

"Yeah, a guy like that, he wouldn't die even if you killed him." Mr. Martin said, trying to believe. "If he's alive, then the others definitely are. They have to be alive."

"Well, for his sake, I sure hope the others are keeping him in check. Right now, as we speak, I'm sure he's going insane." Megan chimed in.

"Assuming the boss is even alive. For all we know, he could be dead already." Avu made a morbid joke, even stiffing a laugh.

"Avu! We don't have time for your antics now!" Mr. Martin said scolding Avu. "We can't afford to panic right now, and we can't fear the worst! We don't even know where we are! The first thing we need to do is assess the situation and figure out what to do!"

"You... you mean... big brother is..." Ruby, the little girl in this group, with black, curly hair and purple eyes, began to tear up.

"No, no, I'm sure he's alive! He's gotta be! Don't you believe in him? I'm sure he's out there searching for you! For us!" Alice said, making a feeble attempt to cheer Ruby up.

"Mmm... yeah..." Ruby agreed, but still missed her big brother surrogate dearly.

"Still, this is kinda bizarre ya know. Like, guys, it's gonna take some time adjusting to all of this." Avu said.

"He's right. I'm sure you humans are probably uncomfortable right now. So why not sit tight and wait until your injuries are fully healed?" Shining Armor said.

"Wa-wait! Just how long do we have to stay?" Chris tried to ask, but Shining Armor took Dr. Saline outside, and left already.

"So much for that..." Megan mumbled.

"Uggggggh! Damn it, why is this happening?! Ugh... The pilot's dead...! And if Jeremy's dead, it's all my fault! And if he's not dead, he'll find me and maul me! Dad's gonna kill me for this! Agh, this sucks... this just... SUUUUUUUUUUUCKS!!!!!" Chris's fears and panic evolved into screaming.

Meanwhile, Shining Armor spoke with the doctor alone.

"I'm going to ask Cadence about what to do with the humans. Make sure nopony finds out that they're here, okay? We don't want the pursuers coming for them." Shining Armor said.

"Sure thing, sir. But really, it's been a while since the last time I seen humans. At the very least, can I tell them some information about where they are so they don't panic any further? That screaming is getting on my nerves." Dr. Saline said.

"Yeah, go ahead! Just don't let them out, no matter what." Shining Armor said.

Shining Armor left the medical section of the Crystal Palace, heading straight up to the top floor to speak to his wife, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, also known as Princess Cadence. 

"I'm glad you made it back safe! What did you find out there?" Cadence ran up to her husband, giving him a quick kiss.

"Humans... seven of them..." Shining Armor answered giving a deep sigh, getting next to his wife.

"More of them, huh? Has Nightmare Moon been looking for a replacement for THIS long...?" Cadence worried.

"I wonder... she hasn't gone after any in particular before, despite Luna's warnings. It might be the same for the seven I found out there." Shining Armor closed his eyes, thinking about Luna's words before the sealing happened.

"Something's... just not right this time. We already sealed Luna at her request last year, so why, and how?" Cadence wondered, worried that the seal's power may have weakened.

"I don't know, but the only way that seal will break is if Nightmare Moon found another host." Shining Armor looked into the eyes of his wife. "By the way, the humans I saved mentioned six other humans being with them..."

"If that's the case, then maybe she's finally making her move." Cadence shook her head in disbelief. "The humans who we saved years ago never made any reports of anyone missing from among them until now."

"Maybe there's a certain criteria that Nightmare Moon needs before she looks for a new prisoner." Shining Armor surmised.

"I'll write to to my sister Celestia about the news. The only hope have is that the missing humans were saved by the Elements of Harmony... Nightmare Moon won't have an easy task getting to the humans if they're with Twily." Cadence said, heading over to her table to grab a sheet of paper. 

"Maybe we should help these humans by showing them how things work here?" Shining Armor asked.

"Yes. But I'd like to speak with them myself too." Princess Cadence answered, as she wrote her letter to Celestia using her magic.





Meanwhile, Chris has finally calmed down by the time Dr. Saline returned to the room.

"Are you done with your screaming? It's getting on my nerves, making my ears ring." Dr. Saline asked, as she saw Chris sitting on his bed, hugging his knees, suffering from various fears.

"I don't blame the poor guy for being scared..." Alice said.

"It'd be kinda funny If the ladies at school saw the kind of wreck he's become." Avu teased, unable to resist a jab at Chris's habit of flirting with various girls at school.

"Avu, I think that'd ruin his reputation." Mr. Martin said.

"As for you, miss equine doctor, where are we? Where is this Crystal Empire?" Megan asked.

"To answer your question, you're in the land of Equestria. The Crystal Empire is just a part of it." Dr. Saline Answered.

"Hmph... Equestria? So we're in ponyland." Megan scoffed.

"Essentially. The one who saved you is one of our leaders, Shining Armor. Essentially, we're all Crystal Ponies, but Shining Armor is a Unicorn." Dr. Saline elaborated.

"Hah! Unicorns! Now I've seen everything!" Megan began clapping after he said that. Doctor Saline could feel that he's merely mocking her though.

"No, I disagree, mister glasses." Dr. Saline referred to Megan. "You've yet to see a pegasus. As for me, I'm technically an earth pony."

"Pegasus? You mean a hor- err, I mean, pony, with wings?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Of course. As for us Crystal Ponies, we're native to this empire, so being in this crystalline form is quite our nature. It's thanks to the magic and blessing of the Crystal Heart."

"There's that word again... just what IS the Crystal Heart?" Avu asked.

"It's what helps protect this place." Dr. Saline answered, pacing left and right at the entrance, keeping her eyes focused on the humans.

"Protect, huh? Is that some kind of magic like that Shiny pony was using?" Alice asked, referring to Shining Armor.

"Well, let's just say, the Crystal Heart is an all powerful artifact, so the magic from that is different." Dr. Saline said.

"Mmm... well, umm... maybe being crystal like... isn't TOO bad, right...? I mean, look at you! You're kinda cute in a way. All shiny and pretty..." Alice said, examining the pony and making the best out of the situation.

"Well, I am a little proud of my mane, but please, don't stare too much." The doctor said with a deadpan expression.

"Okay, I have another question. Why are ponies doctors? How do they know the basics of medical care? How do they hold anything with those hooves? It's as if your sentience is on par with that of us humans. What say you?" Megan asked.

"We have doctors because somepony needs to be able to help in case somepony gets injured. Good enough for you, Mister Glasses?" Dr. Saline explained rather irritably.

"No. Because it just doesn't fit within my realm of logic! You ponies are able to grab and hold things despite not having fingers! Ponies somehow speak human language, English no less, yet look at this text in this pamphlet! There's no trace of the language!" Megan picked up an old pamphlet from the stand next to him and waved it around, which appeared to have information of a festival of sorts.

"That pamphlet is of the Crystal Fair we had a thousand years ago." Dr. Saline said.

"A thousand years ago!? You mean to tell me you equines held onto thousand year old pamphlets!?" Megan couldn't help be irritated. "It's like you're becoming hoarders. How foolish!"

"Well, we did have one recently too, but that one was only held to restore this empire to it's former glory and get rid of that tyrant..." Dr. Saline said. "Oh wait, you wouldn't know about King Sombra, huh?"

"King Sombra? Who's King Sombra?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Ooooooh, only the most vile tyrant we've ever had." Dr. Saline explained the legend of the Crystal Empire, about King Sombra's reign over their land until the princesses sealed him away. She then went on to explain the time when Princess Celestia and Princess Luna sealed him away. But before his defeat, he cursed the Empire, causing it to vanish for a thousand years before it's sudden return. She would then explain how Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, and the Elements of Harmony helped to destroy the evil king.

"I don't recall reading a book this insane. And I thought you were telling a story from a children's book." Megan said, lying back down onto his bed, looking at the ceiling.

"What do you mean? I answered your questions about King Sombra. How could you compare that to a simple children's book??" Dr. Saline, stomping a hoof on the floor, showing her irritation.

"Haha... he means that the books he's used to reading don't have talking ponies defeating evil kings, that's all. He probably thinks this whole phenomenon is us being trapped in a children's book." Avu explained.

"Huh. Well, he's got to be the rudest patient I've treated." Dr. Saline griped.

"That's just his way of assessing the situation." Avu said, getting out of his bed.

"Why do you know so much about him? You speak as if you know him better than he knows himself." Dr. Saline surmised.

"Well, I just have this little talent for understanding people. It's not wrong, is it? I can tell you're not the kind to take ungratefulness very well, judging from your exchange with Megan. And I can tell that Shining Armor guy, I can tell he's a chill guy when he's not at work." Avu said, as he began walking around the pony in a circle, examining her. 

"I believe your little talent isn't going to work on us ponies." Dr. Saline said, keeping her focus on Avu.

"Oh ho ho ho! It's as I've said... my talent is reading people and knowing how they tick. Knowing how sentient ponies tick would be a challenge accepted. I think I'd do my boss proud if I figured you guys out and have a lot of information to give him when he finds us." Avu gave a devious smile, proud of his status as his club's information broker.

"Avu, are you seriously trying to figure out ponies? Really? I didn't think you were the type." Mr. Martin couldn't believe what Avu was saying. 

"On the other hand teach, you find these ponies... cute, right? I wonder if you find them cuter than Magical girls or something." Avu surmised, trying to hold in his laughter.

"I have no idea what you speak of. Anyway..." Mr. Martin, after denying Avu's claims, turns to the pony doctor. "This Equestria... any idea how we got here?"

"I'm afraid I can't answer that one. Lack of sufficient knowledge." Dr. Saline nonchalantly answered.

"I'll answer that one." A pink pony with wings and a horn walked into the room. Everyone found themselves gasping in awe.

"Wooooooooow... A unicorn with wings...! She's beautiful...!" Alice said, looking at her beautiful mane and pink coat. 

"She's so pretty!" Ruby agreed.

"Pretty or not, we still don't know who she is." Megan said under his breath.

"Greetings, humans. I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I'd like to welcome you to the Crystal empire. As for your bodies in their current state, please try not to be alarmed."

"They were alarmed for a while actually..." Dr. Saline said.

"Oh, wow... err, I'd like to apologize for the inconvenience..." Princess Cadence said.

"It's not an inconvenience. We're alive, right? That's good enough." Mason spoke, after all this time.

"I see... but why is that one so horrified?" Cadence asked, looking at Chris, as he was still shaking in fear, panicking. 

"It's all my fault..." Chris continued to mutter to himself.

"He... well, he thinks it's his fault that we ended up here..." Mr. Martin said. "He's the one who suggested we all take a trip of some kind, and the plane we flew in was one of his private planes... all for the sake of the club president who had been overworking himself lately." Mr. Martin explained.

"I see... so you guys are... a club? Like, from a school?" Cadence asked.

"We're a journalism club. I'm their teacher and Club Advisor, Mr. Martin. The guy with the glasses is Megan, the big guy there is Mason, the guy standing there by the doctor is Avu, the girl wearing all black is Alice, and the little girl she's holding is Ruby."

"Thank you for introducing me to you all. Now, I'm here because I have something you might want to hear." The Princess said.

"And that is?" Megan asked.

"You all were brought here by an evil force who is after you." Cadence said, which only caused Megan to laugh it off.

"Hah! Surely you jest! An evil force? It's bad enough you all are spouting so much nonsense about magic, evil tyrants, elements of harmony... this is all one elaborate prank, and I think I'm about to discover the punchline." Megan scoffed.

"A joke, huh? Well... let's try something here..." Cadence said, firing a beam of magic at Megan's eyes, causing him to take his glasses off and cover his eyes.

"AAGH! ...... what...?" Megan felt nothing on his eyes... in fact, his eyes were perfectly fine. The only thing he could see in the his blurry vision, is a pink light that soon faded. He quickly noticed that his glasses were fixed. "My... glasses... you..."

"I used magic to fix them." Cadence answered.

"Hah, look who just got schooled!" Avu teased, giving a slight giggle.

"Fool... this is just..." Megan felt irritated that he was proven wrong. He knew there was no plausible way to explain how his glasses were fixed with human tricks.

"Now that you finally believe that magic is real, let's get to the main point: Nightmare Moon." Cadence said. 

"Nightmare Moon? What, does she cause nightmares or something?" Avu asked.

"No, she... Nightmare Moon is a living prison that wants to bring everlasting night to Equestria." Cadence said.

"Everlasting night? What, so it'll just be night time forever? That doesn't seem like a very big deal." Alice said.

"Fool! If night lasted forever, there would be no way to grow any crops or plants due to a lack of photosynthesis! Trees wold eventually die, and the oxygen would be depleted. This planet would become a new moon! But it's as I said... this is just a children's book plot." Megan said.

"It's the kind with a bit of fridge horror, you have to admit, man. Think about it... Everlasting Night? What if there were no lights? The whole world would be shrouded in darkness, like a deep void." Avu said "I'm guessing that's why these ponies don't want us to leave. Am I right?" Avu glanced at Princess Cadence as he made his claim.

"You guessed right... I really can't allow you to leave. But at the very least, I'll help you find your friends." Cadence sheepishly said.

"....doesn't change the fact that the others being alive is only a mere possibility..." Megan said.

"Then give us some time to find out, okay?" Cadence said. Suddenly, just as Shining Armor and the doctor left the room, a beam of light from her horn flashed for a slight moment. 

"What was... that...?" Megan asked, but suddenly felt very drowsy.

"Big... bro..." Ruby muttered before passing out along with everyone else.

"Sorry about this... but it's going to take some time to find out anything you all want to know..."

"It's okay. You did what you had to." Shining Armor said, consoling his mare.

The humans eventually opened their eyes, finding themselves in the same room, with the same crystal form. They all turn around to find the Princess standing there. 

"Rise and shine, you all." Cadence greeted them with a smile.

"What the heck was that...?" Megan said, still feeling a little groggy.

"I decided It would be best to cast a sleep spell on you all. I didn't want to keep you awake while you waited for answers. That would've been pretty bad."

"And so tranquilizing us was the best solution. Good job." Megan sarcastically said.

"Megan, she has a good point, even though it's going to take a little bit to try walking again." Mr. Martin said, as he had a little trouble trying to stand.

"Soooooooooooo... how long were we sleep, princess?" Avu casually asked.

"For three days. But thankfully, I'm happy to inform you that your friends are safe! They'll have to com-" Cadence announced, but is cut off by the happiness of the humans.

"Really!? My big brother... he's... okay...?" Ruby meekly asked, her happiness becoming more noticible.

"Yes, he's alive. They all are." Cadence confirmed. "Thank goodness Luna saved them..."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! He's alive!" Ruby cheered.

"My sister...! she's okay!" Chris's tears began to flow like a waterfall, now that he knew that his sister is okay. 

"I told you guys, didn't I? They had to be alive. Did you all believe?" Mason asked, giving a light smile.

"Of course, silly Mason!" Alice answered, unable to hold back her tears of joy.

"Mr. Martin... I know you're a smart man... so you agree that she COULD be lying, right?" Megan whispered to Mr. Martin after walking to him.

"Well, the ponies did save our lives... I'd like to try trusting them..."

"Fools... celebrating so quickly...! We don't know these... beings...!" Megan said.

"And I say try having a little faith, Megan." Mr. Martin said.

"Well, I have no reason to see why she'd lie. She doesn't look the type." Avu said out loud. "Plus, what reason, would she have to lie? Ponies are herbivores, so they won't eat us. It's like... they're human in a way."

"Avu raises a good point... Hey, show us some proof! You can do that much can't you?" Chris asked.

"Uhh..." Cadence was stumped. How would she go about showing proof?

"Well?" Megan asked.

"Because she has no way of showing proof! Lay off her, will you?!" Shining Armor came to his wife's defense.

"Because we don't know if she's lying to us!" Megan angrily responded. "Our plane was cut in half, and six of our friends were separated from us! Yet you conveniently claim to have saved us? What a load of bull!" Megan said.

"The same could be said about you! So why don't you calm down and give her a break?" Shining Armor came to Cadence's defense.

"Please, don't fight!" Ruby cried out, running towards Princess Cadence. "This cute Pony says Big Bro is okay! I want to trust her!" 

"Typical naive kid..." Megan grinded his teeth, as he thought to himself.

"Thank you, but there's no need to defend me, really." Cadence said, flattered that even a child is on her side.

"Sorry. Once again, I apologize for my students." Mr. Martin said, lowering his head.

"No offense taken. I understand why you're all suspicious, but I promise you, we're here in peace. We have no intention of harming you." Cadence said, looking down at Ruby. "Isn't that right, child?"

"You can call me Ruby!" The little girl put her fist against her chest as she proudly proclaimed.

"Well, Ruby, I appreciate it." Cadence thank Ruby, brushing her head against hers, showing affection to the child.

"Anyway, did you say your plane... was cut...?" Shining Armor asked, wanting to know more immediately.

"IN HALF." Megan angrily confirmed.

"How?" Doctor Saline asked.

"That's what we'd like to know! I'd go so far as to say that something launched an assault on us!" Megan speculated, clenching his fist.

"I looked outside when I was in the cockpit with my pilot. He was worried that something was wrong when he noticed that it looked like night time a little too quick. We were only in the air for at least two hours, heck an hour and a half after takeoff." Chris explained, making frantic hand gestures.

"And then that scary... mist stuff started leaking into our plane." Alice shuddered, as she remembered being so close to the mist.

"Wait, there was mist in the plane?!" Chris turned to Alice, surprised, as he didn't see the mist leak in due to being in the cockpit at the time.

"It looked like a starry sky." Mason said, eyes closed, envisioning the mist by his feet.

"Sounds like Nightmare moon..." Cadence wondered.

"Nightmare Moon... you've mentioned that name already. It's as if you know how it happened." Megan said.

"I can't say I know how Nightmare Moon cut your plane in half, but I'm sure she had something to do with it..." Cadence said.

"Well... I... I have this feather I found by the plane... did this Nightmare Moon call a bird to attack us?" Chris said, pulling the feather out of his pocket. The feather was at least a few inches larger than a regular butcher knife.

"That's a pegasus feather..." Cadence immediately pointed out, which made the others 

"Pegasus... you mean a freaking pegasus was the one that cut our plane...?!" Chris said, looking at the rather large feather in his hand.

"That should be impossible! It's a feather! There's no logical way to explain that could cut through solid steel!" Megan argued, slamming his fist against the wall.

"Umm... I think I read somewhere that a Pegasus can sharpen their wings if they fly fast enough, but that was only a theory on a website somewhere..." Alice said, getting out of her bed and getting close enough to look at the feather.

"Well, a Pegasus is capable of using magic to sharpen their wings when they fly at high speeds, so the human is right." Doctor Saline said.

"Wait, how did you know that?" Shining Armor asked Alice.

"Well, In our world, there's always a talk of mythical creatures and magic and stuff. I know a lot of people don't believe in it, but I do, kinda... you heard of witchcraft before, right?" Alice explained the best way she could.

"No, we have not. We don't really use a strange term like that to describe our magic." Shining Armor said.

"I guess that's true... I don't see you reading out spells from a book or anything..." Alice said.

"But you do believe in magic, right?" Cadence said.

"Yeah!" Alice answered excitedly. "You're gonna teach us magic, right?"

"Not quite. But I think I can at least trust you humans with something special, but under one condition!"

"Really?" Avu commented.

"What are your demands? Is it money?" Chris asked, which only earned a laugh out of Cadence.

"No, silly human. Instead, I'd like for you to wait until your friends reach the Crystal Empire. Is that okay?"

"We can agree to that," Mr. Martin said, then gave his students a very stern look. "Right, everyone?"

The other humans agreed with Mr. Martin and settled on Cadence's simple condition of waiting for Jeremy and the rest of the crew to get to the Crystal Empire. 

"Okay. That being said, I'll entrust you humans with a means to at least protect yourselves." Cadence said, summoning her crystal guard to the room. 

The guard carried a huge, mysterious ruby-like treasure chest. Once the chest has been set on the floor, Avu and Chris walk up to the chest, and crouch down, holding the handle.

"Umm... I'm sure it's not money... Because otherwise, I feel like a pirate." Chris said.

"We can open this now, right...?" Avu asked, holding the handle, controlling his urge to open it.

"Yes, you may open it." Cadence answered.

"Are you sure about this...?" Shining Armor whispered to Cadence.

"If what my sisters said is correct... they'll need what's in there." Cadence replied, hoping to calm Shining Armor's suspicion.

Avu and Chris use their strength to open the lid of the treasure chest, which was heavy enough already. Upon seeing the contents of the chest, Avu and Chris's eyes widen at the sight of what's inside.

"Whoa, what is this...?" Avu asked, reaching inside the chest...
> Canterlot Confrontation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	During the dawn of their fourth day in Ponyville, as well as the fourth day in Equestria, the humans know that today, they finally set out on a search for their friends. Mina however, is not in the hotel room. In fact, Mina is at the Ponyville river, hoping to catch some more fish. Thankfully, Fluttershy knew a fisherpony who knew a good spot to catch fish at. She didn't mind the humans eating fish since she feeds some of her animals fish all the time. 

In the midst of concentration and patience, Kitsu comes up to Mina to give a simple good morning, or so she thought. 

"What is it, Kitsu?" Mina asked without turning around, since she knew it was Kitsu standing there. She simply gripped her hand-made fishing rod by habit.

"Still fishing, huh?" Kitsu asked.

"Well, I really don't want to eat hay and flowers all the time, and surviving off of just apples and sweets really isn't good for my diet." Mina said.

"I'm willing to bet, that by the end of this trip, we'll become GLORIOUS vegans!" Kitsu boasted, making a rainbow gesture with his hands. "Maybe we can just tell the school how ponies showed us the epic path of the vegan!"

"I doubt that. Sure, Mia might go grab some salad from Fluttershy all the time, but we have been eating sashimi thanks to Eva, and it's actually pretty tasty despite it being our breakfast every morning." Mina said, sighing as she continued to wait for that fish to bite.

"Yeah, I'm surprised Eva brought her cooking tools, even though Italy has it's own share of food..." Kitsu said, sitting down next to Mina.

"She probably wanted to upstage any pro chefs. I think that's her dream career or something." Mina said before yawning a bit.

"Well, you're the one who said that it'd be a bad idea to eat the fish in front of the ponies." Kitsu pointed out.

"Well, that was before Twilight and Fluttershy gave the okay. I only said it because, it might make us look bad if we just ate their fish out of nowhere. They're herbivores, sure, and they might not even care, but I really don't want to somehow burden this place." Mina said, then feeling a tug on her fishing rod. "Oh, a bite!"

Mina pulled on the makeshift fishing rod she made and reeling in her catch, adding it to the collection. Kitsu looked inside the plastic container Mina salvaged from the plane days ago, and counted at least four decent sized fish. 

"That should be enough... phew." Mina wiped the sweat off her forehead.

"We need to be glad that Mia got Fluttershy to... you know... forgive you for killing the Timberwolves." Kitsu stated.

"Eh... well, what can you do? We do need to survive, and we don't need conflict with the ponies this early anyway. Besides, Fluttershy's not so bad as long as she still thinks we're exotic animals or something."Mina said.

"Now the next question!" Kitsu happily started off. "Hmm... how many do you have left?" Kitsu said, sitting down next to Mina.

"What are you talking about? I'm not counting the fish in the river." Mina asked, confused. 

"I mean the ho-" Kitsu was cut off by Mina covering his mouth.

"SHHHHH!!!!" Mina looked around to make sure no ponies nearby to hear that.

"Haha, sorry! But seriously, how many?" Kitsu cheerfully asked.

"Three left..." Mina solemnly said.

"Yikes..." Kitsu grimaced. "Well-"

"Don't even say it. Even though there are doctors here, I refuse to ask for a new prescription. Not from here. It'd be stupid. And I highly doubt we'll ever encounter a pony like that." Mina said.

"Why not? I think it'd be interesting~!" Kitsu said.

"Even though the ponies are a lot like us in with how their minds work, those little facts are none of my concern." Mina replied with a scowl.

"But aren't you curious? Not even a little?" Kitsu grinned.

"... Okay, maybe just a little bit. But look around: There's way more females than males here in this town. The same might be for this entire land. Do you honestly think-" Mina is then cut off by Kitsu's suggestion.

"Come on! For all we know, these ponies are probably involved in several same-sex relationships for that sake of not being lonely! Like bonobos!" Kitsu said, giving a suggestive smile.

"Please, do not put images of pony copulation in my mind." Mina said, lightly hitting Kitsu in the arm with her elbow. 

"Haha, I'm soooooo tempted right now! Like, let's say that Pinkie Pie and that Applejack were sleeping in the same bed..." Kitsu trailed off, causing Mina to scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH SHUT UP, SHUT UP!!!" Mina covered her ears. "God, you're annoying!"

"And you're beautiful." Kitsu slipped in a quick compliment, giving a quick wink.

"Please, be quiet!" Mina blushed as she stood up, grabbed the bucket containing the fish, and stormed off.

"Hahahaha... she's as cute as ever!" Kitsu said to himself.





With the sun now high and bright like an afternoon day, the six humans check out of their hotel at last, and make their way to Rarity's Carousel Boutique. 

The building, despite being a really pretty house, looked like three carousel rides stacked on top of one another due to the look of the rooftop. The building appeared to be at least two stories tall with an attic at the very top and the walls are white with a blue diamond pattern going all across it. The edges of the rooftops had a heart at each corner of the outside, where the poles that held the building together stood.

Still carrying around the large amount of luggage, the humans set it all down by the windows, then make their way inside. 

"You sure about leaving all of that stuff outside?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, we can't just bring it in, now can we?" Mina said, making a good point.

"Yeah, but still, you sure there ain't no thieves in Ponyville?" Jeremy asked.

"Will you quit worrying so much? The ponies are generous and nice! They're not gonna steal from us!" Mia defended the ponies.

"Well, all we have in our bags is a bunch of clothes, makeup, and maybe some gadgets that's already useless here since we can't even plug things into the wall." Trisha said.

"Well, the makeup is still useful!" Eva said.

"You're not suggesting that you look pretty while we go looking for the rest of the crew, are you?" Jeremy asked, already annoyed at the thought.

"WELCOME, humans!" Rarity greeted the humans, interrupting their discussion. 

"Ah, sorry about that!" Trisha apologized for everyone for forgetting they were inside the boutique already.

On the ground floor of the boutique, the room is stocked with materials and supplies such as mirrors, dress form mannequins, and movable screens. On the right side, there's a desk with a giant sewing machine, for where Rarity makes her outfits, and the left side is another counter with a cash register. Behind that counter, is a large rack, with various outfits up for display.

"Apologies are quite unnecessary, Trisha. Now, I want you all to behold! Your enchanted outfits!" Rarity said, opening the curtain behind her with her magic to reveal their clothes. 

"Glad you kept'em simple like we asked. I doubt we'd be able to move very well in anything fancy." Jeremy said.

"Simplicity would be for the best for adventuring. Alas, It's thanks to that, I was able to finish just a day faster, allowing me to put on the finishing touches! Making human clothes is slightly more difficult, but IT IS DONE! The most top of the line clothes made with the most elegant fabrics! Sublime threads! Graceful Magic! Such beauty contained in it's simplicity!" Rarity went on and on about how awesome the clothes are. 

"Alright, so we get to put them on, right?" Trisha asked, trying hard to not think of any snarky remarks in her head.

"Why, of course! We have a changing curtain right here!" Rarity pointed the curtain in the next room, beckoning the humans to go inside. "Well don't keep me waiting, go on!"

"Right... well, I think the guys need to leave." Eva said, scowling at Jeremy and Kitsu.

"Sorry boys, it's girls only from here on out!" Mia happily said.

"Yeah, yeah. Make it quick." Jeremy said before walking away with Kitsu to leave the boutique. "Come on Kitsu, let's go."

As for the girls, Trisha, Mia, and Eva got behind the curtain. They noticed that Mina didn't follow them in, however.

"Oh, no. I'll stay here until you guys are done." Mina said.

"Why, what could be the problem? I understand you humans don't like to be naked, but-" Rarity said before hearing Mina's interrupting sigh.

"Look, I just... I just can't." Mina said, grabbing her arm.





Those people, wanting a vacation... I'm sure Megan would prefer to study for exams, but whatever. 

I come home and set down my things after saying goodbye to Mia, Trisha, and Kitsu. This house is pretty empty every time I come home due to my parents being at work. But of course, I convinced them that I don't need them around and they can focus on getting the extra hours from their jobs. They did pay for me to go to Cheshire State Westford after all.

And so, after setting my things down and changing my clothes in my room, I fire up my computer and go on to my pharmacy's website to see when I have to get a new prescription.

"Week after next, huh...?" I sighed. It's only just week. With mom and dad paying for my prescription with their insurance, I really should be grateful. They're allowing me to be true to myself. They finally accepted me after all. 

I'm sure it was hard for them to have their kid come out of the closet...

When I took my shirt off, I looked at my chest, and notice that my breast development is a little slow. But I just have to be patient. They're a little sensitive at least, so that's a good sign. 

"It'll be worth the wait." 

No one can't see this body until it's ready. Guy or girl, I can't show this. It still looks like... the old in me. 

"Sigh... I'm worrying too much. The crew accepts me, and I have one guy pining for me..."

Kitsu's not a bad guy. He's a little nuts... well, we all are, but he can take the cake. And he is kinda cute... but he's probably just a chaser. I'm not interested in chasers. Wonder how long he's gonna last with me shooting him down so much...





Mina turned her back to the girls, who finally gave up and changed their clothes. Rarity however, came up to the dejected Mina and gave her two bits.

"There's no need to feel ashamed of your body. It doesn't matter what kind of body you have, you just need the right fashion for it, that's all!" Rarity gave a smile, hoping to cheer Mina up. "For every type of body, there's definitely a type a fashion that's nothing short of perfection!"

"It's not really about the fashion, but thank you." Mina stoically said.

"Then whatever could it be?" Rarity asked, still curious.

"It's... not something I want to talk about right now." Mina said. "Aren't there more important things anyway?"

"Like your pursuers? Of course. Twilight told me what happened to Princess Luna and what she said in the dream." Rarity said. Mina already knew what she was talking about since Trisha discussed her dream with the others already, and Twilight confirmed that Princess Luna can enter dreams.

"Right... minions or something. That just means we'll have to find the others even faster now..." Mina said.





Meanwhile, when Jeremy and Kitsu get outside, they see an assortment of items scattered everywhere by the exit. Upon going outside, the two guys notice three little fillies going through their items... 

One filly with a burnt orange color had wings and a purple mane that resembled a giant leaf. The second filly had a yellow coating and a reddish colored mane with a bow tied behind it. The third filly had a horn, a very light gray coating and a light purple and pink mane. 

Jeremy tried not to scowl, as wanted to get the kids' attention and figure out what the heck they're doing.

"Are we being ransacked?" Kitsu put a hand to the back of his head, not sure how to approach the tiny ponies.

"Hey!" Jeremy scared the three fillies out of their bags. "Care to tell us what you're doing?"

"Ah uhh... we just wanted to know what kind of stuff humans have!" The yellow filly answered with a slight southern accent.

"Yeah, I hear they're waaaaaaaay different from us!" The orange filly added.

"And you all have little wiggly things on your hooves!" The white filly said.

".........." Jeremy stayed silent, trying his best to not glare at them, his eye twitching and all. This is the first time anyone's called his fingers 'little wiggly things'. 

"Haha... the little wiggly things on our 'hooves' are called fingers!" Kitsu corrected, wiggling his fingers on his hands.

"Also, we have hands, not hooves." Jeremy added. "But you know, I gotta say, It ain't nice to go through ... uhh..." Jeremy turned to Kitsu and whispered, "Do I say 'somepony', or 'some person'?"

"Beats me, dude! We can't say people, and it'd be weird for us to say 'somepony'!" Kitsu answered.

"APPLE BLOOM! What in tarnation are ya doing!?" Applejack came rushing to Apple Bloom.

"Oh, big sis! Uhh, we thought It'd be a good idea to study the humans, and maybe we'll get an Animal Care Cutie Mark!" Apple Bloom answered.

"........I..." Jeremy at this point, just stayed silent. He raised his hand, trying to think of a response, but nothing came out. He was that dumbfounded. He knew he wanted to yell. He knows he's technically an animal, but he feels too much pride to lower himself to a term like that. 

"Oh, forgive them! They're just curious about us! Isn't that right, little filly?" Kitsu said, speaking to the fillies.

"Uhh... why are your eyes closed??" Apple Bloom asked.

"Yeaaaaah..." The orange filly as obviously afraid.

"Eep!" The white filly hid behind Applejack.

"Aww, come on. I'm not a bad guy." Kitsu felt briefly dejected when the fillies were scared. 

"Because you look like an overly happy mask salesman, that's what." Jeremy answered with a smirk.

"Ah' sorry about my sister goin' thru yer stuff." Applejack apologized for her sisters. "She can be a bit of a troublemaker when it comes to them cutie marks!"

"Bloody hell... oh wait... they don't have one?" Jeremy palmed his face like usual, but he looked at their flanks and noticed that theirs are blank...

"Sure don't! But we're determined to find ours! That's why we formed the CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" Apple Bloom proclaimed. "I'm Apple Bloom! That there is Sweetie Belle and This one here is Scootaloo!" Applebloom pointed to the light gray filly and the burnt orange filly respectively.

"Nice to meet you folks! I'm Jeremy, and ol' fox face here is Kitsu. Don't let the face creep you out too much. He's a good guy. Why you think I hired him?" Jeremy crouched down to their eye level, putting on a persona.

"Pretty funny coming from you, dude." Kitsu snarked.

"Shut up!" Jeremy then turned his attention back to the three fillies. "So ya'll got yourself a little crew, huh? Well, I have got one too!" Jeremy said, somehow feeling a little cheerful.

"You're looking for your cutie marks too!?" Applebloom's eyes widened.

"Well... not quite, but we DO want to be the best known club at our school! We're called the CSW Journalism Crew, where we cover stories at school on a weekly basis! YEAH!" Jeremy and Kitsu suddenly gave each other a high five.

"Oh, we have our own journalism club at our school too!" Scootaloo said.

"Oh do ya now? I bet they don't match up to our awesomeness!" Jeremy couldn't help but brag. In fact, He didn't realize he was getting along with the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

"Ah'm surprised to see yer gettin' along with Applebloom just fine!" Applejack said, as she's always seen him as a grumpy kind of human.

"Whoops... forgot you were still here. Hehehe..." Jeremy got up, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, when it comes to kids, he does a complete 180 from his usual self!" Kitsu explained.

"Hey, I'm always like this!" Jeremy retorted.

"Jeremy, Kitsu, what are you guys doing?" Eva asked, wearing her new clothes. 

Eva was wearing a white short sleeve blouse and some dark blue capris. Mia wore a yellow women's polo shirt and some blue pants. Mina wore a light-brown sleeveless blouse and black shorts. Trisha wore a dark purple long sleeve shirt and black capris.

"We were talking to some kids who ransacked our stuff." Kitsu answered nonchalantly like it's no big deal.

"WHAT!?" Mina quickly grew furious, rushing over to her bag to see that it's been unopened. "Phew..."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you mad!" Applebloom desperately apologized the moment she saw Mina's anger.

"It's... it's fine! No harm done... no harm..." Mina muttered to herself. "I overreacted, and I'm sorry."

"So how do I look? Huh?" Mia asked Jeremy, walking around him in a circle.

"Looks good. Then again, does it matter? Really?" Jeremy sighed.

"Oh don't be such a sourpuss!" Mia said.

"That's kinda hard not to do when we've already been in Ponyville for four days now." Jeremy griped.

"Dude, the girls look awesome, you gotta admit. Especially Mina." Kitsu looked at Mina, giving her a smirk. Naturally, she blushes.

"I don't really care. We gotta get our clothes on too, so I guess we'll be right back. Come on, man, let's get this over with." Jeremy said, walking into the shop.

"So what happened?" Trisha asked the fillies, while picking up her items that scattered everywhere.

"Well... we didn't steal anything! We just wanted to know what kind of stuff humans had since your stuff is different from our stuff!" Scootaloo said, defending herself and her friends.

"But that dark guy with the hat was really nice to us! I thought he'd be more mad!" Apple Bloom smiled.

"Huh... He never struck me as the type to get along with kids..." Trisha mumbled.

"Oh, that's just because he has Ruby! Ruby's a kid, and he's always nice to her, so he'd obviously be nice to other kids!" Mia heard what Trisha said and responded anyway.

"I see..." Trisha said, "Since he's always so gung-ho about work, he kinda came off as a stop-having-fun kind of guy." Trisha said.

"Well, that's because you don't know him that well." Mina said.

"I intend to change that..." Trisha thought to herself.





Jeremy and Kitsu walk into Rarity's Boutique, meeting with Rarity herself so they can get their outfits.

"So what took those girls so long?" Jeremy asked.

"Oh, because the ladies all became curious about my clothes I have on display here!" Rarity said, full of pride that even humans liked her designs.

"Well, uhh... I'm... gonna not imagine that." Jeremy palmed his face, not trying to imagine the girls wearing pony clothes.

Kitsu pulled Jeremy close and whispered, "Dude, imagine it! Just picture the girls on all fours, wearing those clothes!"

"Oh god, no! NO!" Jeremy shouted. Rarity of course, figured out why he shouted. 

"My word, such absurd imagination! They wouldn't dare try on clothes that are not for them! After all, the clothes on display are designed for ponies!" Rarity quickly defended the girls.

"Right." Jeremy looked away with an expression of uncertainty, as if he didn't believe her. 

"Don't worry, he believes you! He just has a hilarious image in his mind." Kitsu smiled.

After the brief exchange, Jeremy and Kitsu went behind the changing booth and changed into their clothes. After a few minutes, they emerge, now clad in new outfits. Jeremy, putting his flat cap back on, is now wearing a black long sleeve dress shirt with light blue stripes going down, and black pants. Kitsu wore a white polo shirt with black shorts. 

"FABULOUS!" Rarity said. "I think I did a good job if I do say so myself!"

"Yeah. Pretty light, easy to move in." Jeremy said, pulling the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbows. "Just gotta make sure the cuffs don't get in the way..."

"Heh, I'm okay with this." Kitsu said, unbuttoning the last button on his collar.

"So... now we're protected in case of some... pursuers... but really, I'm not convinced." Jeremy began to doubt. "I mean, it's been four days since coming to friggin' Ponyville. Something should've happened by now."

"If I were you, I wouldn't wish for Nightmare Moon's minions to come after you. You should be happy that nothing's happened so far." Rarity said, as she followed Jeremy and Kitsu out the door.

"Well, I don't like being paranoid. It's a suffering feeling." Jeremy said, putting his hands in his pockets.

"I don't think Trisha was being paranoid when she told us about the dream, dude." Kitsu said. 

"Well, I'll believe when I see." Jeremy said.





After the much needed preparation, the six mares and the six humans make their way to Canterlot by boarding the train. Twilight had already written a letter to Celestia, informing her of their arrival. The humans left the huge amounts of luggage at Rarity's Boutique, taking only their own shoulder bags and backpacks with them.

The train they boarded was one of several train cars of different colors of blue, purple, and pink. The interior of the trains each consisted of several maroon seats big enough to hold at least three ponies. In between the seats is a purple carpet that was as long as the train itself, extending to the other train cars. The humans would find themselves taking up more space in the trains however.

Trisha, sitting by the window and next to Twilight, starts to doze off. When she opens her eyes, she looks outside the window, noticing the starry sky again. Her eyes, widen, but she quickly rubs her eyes, only for the night sky to be gone. Seeing the sun, she put her hand on her head in disbelief.

"Was I seeing things...?" Trisha thought to herself. 

"Why are you freaking out?" Twilight asked, noticing the look on Trisha's face.

"I... I guess I was seeing things." Trisha answered, still feeling disbelief.

"Well, okay. You must be tired though." Twilight said.

"Yeah, I guess." Trisha replied to Twilight, giving a wry smile. "I'm... I'm not seeing things, am I?"

After a very long train ride, the group finally arrive at the Equestria Capital, Canterlot. 

The Capital of Equestria is filled with better crafted buildings, giving a more majestic feel. The streets made of a light green concrete, were all filled with ponies, presumably all wealthy to purchase any of the expensive items the stores have to offer.

"This place looks a little like England." Trisha muttered to herself, as she checked her surroundings, full of buildings and houses that resemble being in a part of the country itself. The bustling town, filled with ponies of course, was quite crowded.

"What's England?" Twilight asked.

"England's a country in our world, and I've seen photos of it with buildings just like these. I've never really went there though..." Trisha answered. 

"Huh... maybe your world is similar to ours more than I thought..." Twilight suspected. 

"Maybe... we don't have talking ponies though." Trisha reminded.

"Wait, you have ponies in your world? And they don't talk??" Twilight asked, surprised at what she heard.

"Well... yeah. We don't have talking animals. Sorry... I mean... sure, uhh... well, ponies... uhh..." Trisha became nervous and thought, "Do I dare answer this...?"

"Well? So they don't talk for some reason? Are they tongue tied or what?" Twilight answered.

"This is getting difficult for me to answer..." Trisha hesitated to continue the conversation. "I think I'll plead the fifth on that one..."

"Plead the fifth, huh? Let's look in the book of humans..." Twilight, who had the book of humans with her, opened it up and began flipping through some pages with her magic. "Huh, so they're like us, except they don't talk, and they're not civilized. Well that's not very fun." Twilight scowled.

"I didn't wanna say it because I thought you'd be offended." Trisha said apologetically.

"Well, if anything, It makes me want to go to your world just to educate these ponies!" Twilight said.

"You're kidding, right...?" Trisha thought, looking away out of nervousness.

Eventually, the group makes their way to Canterlot Castle. Upon reaching the castle entrance, the humans are suddenly surrounded by white ponies wearing white and golden armor and helmets. 

"HALT, Trespassers! What are you doing, following the Elements of Harmony!?" 

"Wow, are you guys royal guards??" Eva became excited, at the sight of the Canterlot Royal Guard. "You guys look like Spartans!"

"They're cute!" Mia said, resisting her urge to pet them.

"Are you guys IDIOTS!?" Jeremy called his friends out on wanting to pet the hostile guards.

"Whoa, wait, guards! They're with us!!" Twilight defended the humans.

"They are? These... things?!" One of the guards said.

"I take offense to that." Mina said.

Jeremy could be seen cracking his knuckles, and Rainbow immediately dashes over to stop him. But the situation is quickly diffused when a tall pony from above the balcony got their attention. 

"Stand Down, guards! They have an audience with me!" The tall white pony called out to the guards, making them back off with her orders. The humans notice that unlike the ponies they've seen before, this one has a horn and wings. Her mane is also similar to an aurora in the sky, ever-flowing with the non-existant wind.

"Princess Celestia!" Twilight was excited to see her teacher of magic.

"I apologize for the slight inconvenience, humans. Twilight, please escort the humans into my throne room." Celestia said, returning to her quarters.

"You may proceed, humans! Pardon the interruption."

"Yeah, you better..." Jeremy grumbled under his breath, low enough so he won't be heard.

The six mares escorted the humans to Celestia's throne room, which was a really long walk up several stairs. Upon arrival, The royal princess greeted them with her presence.

"Welcome, Humans. I am Princess Celestia."

The ponies all bow down to her, while the humans follow their lead. Jeremy being Jeremy though, didn't bow down.

"Hey, lower your head to the princess!" Twilight scolded Jeremy.

"Ugh, FINE." Jeremy griped, then bowed down to her.

"There's no need. Please stand, all of you." Celestia commanded, and they all stood up.

"Princess, you had something to tell us, right?" Twilight asked.

"Indeed I do, my student." Celestia answered. "I assume that my sister has already reached out to you, correct?"

"Yes, Princess. It's true, right? Nightmare Moon has returned?"

"Not quite, my student. The seal she explained is what keeps Nightmare Moon from escaping her body and being reborn."

"Yo, princess! I got a question!" Jeremy called out, raising his hand like he was in the classroom.

"Hey! You can't talk to the princess like that after we went out of our way to bring you here!" Twilight scolded him.

"Why not, huh?! We didn't want to be in this world! I don't see why I gotta follow this world's rules!" Jeremy snapped at Twilight, despite his friends trying to make him shut up.

"Calm down, you two." Celestia said, diffusing the situation. "My student, the human raises a good point."

"Hmph..." Jeremy crossed his arms, feeling irritated, which made Celestia turn her attention to him next.

"As for you, human, I think it's very rude to not introduce yourselves. Care to do that first?" Celestia beckoned him with a smile.

"Fine. I'm Jeremy Zaccheo. Club President." Jeremy sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I'm Trisha Cole." 

"Kitsu Madaki here!"

"I'm Mia Hughes!"

"I'm Evangeline King, but call me Eva."

"And I'm Mina." 

"Are you all from some sort of school club?" Celestia asked out of curiosity.

"Yeah. We are. We're the CSW Crew. But you know... I haven't been one-hundred percent happy, since the rest of my crew could be god knows where." Jeremy answered.

"Your friends are alive. I can guarantee this to you now." Celestia said, which made Jeremy light up for a brief moment.

"How do you know?" Jeremy desperately asked, wanting to believe the princess's words.

"Now, why would you have doubts when all we've done is help you? Afterall, Nightmare Moon is after you and your friends." Celestia said inquisitively.

"Okay, fine. So you all helped us a bunch. But this whole thing about the Nightmare monster's 'minions' hasn't even happened yet. And I highly doubt it's going to!" Jeremy said, quoting the warning Trisha got from Luna.

"Jeremy, are you REALLY doing this?" Trisha asked, feeling irritated.

"Doing what?!" Jeremy naturally wasn't having this.

"Dude, calm down, man!" Kitsu tried to calm Jeremy down.

"I'm calm!" Jeremy retorted with a glare.

"My Pinkie sense is tingling!" Pinkie's tail started to vibrate...

"Oh no..." Twilight said.

"I tell you what's going on, and you don't buy it?!" Trisha was furious that she wasn't believed. "I told you that the dream I had was real! Princess Luna can talk to you in your dreams!"

"Jeremy, move, NOW." Twilight got closer, warning Jeremy to move, but that only fueled his irritation.

"Or else what!? You know what, Why don't I call the monster out? Because the only time we got attacked, was on the plane and that was about four days ago!" Jeremy looked at the ceiling, and shouted, "HEY! COME AND GET ME, YOU SON OF A BIT-"

Suddenly, Pinkie tackles Jeremy out of the way, just before something came crashing down through the roof. Jeremy wanted to yell at Pinkie Pie, but he saw just what crashed down the roof. Everyone is looking... at three pegasi in the room.

"The Shadowbolts!?" Rainbow knew of these three who tried to deceive her the first time during her encounter with Nightmare Moon.

"Get away from them!" Celestia warned to everyone, knowing that the Shadowbolts are dangerous.

Twilight quickly uses her magic to teleport both the humans and the mares out of the throne room and into town square. However, the pegasi immediately flew out the throne room from which they came.

As for Twilight and the others...

"We have to run, NOW!" Twilight ordered, getting everyone to get away from town as fast as possible.

"Ugh, what the hell!? So they were right!?" Jeremy was shocked, and actually shaking beyond belief. 

"Do you believe me now!?" Trisha said, quickly pulling Jeremy up from the ground and running with him, but that would be short lived.

"Wait, what about that princess!?" Jeremy asked, worriedly.

A sudden blade of wind cut right in front of the group, stopping them in their tracks, and causing the citizens of the town to run for their lives. At that moment, a Shadowbolt came flying down from the castle and kicked Jeremy in the face, knocking him down across the ground.

"You're not going ANYWHERE! Didn't you want us here!? I heard you LOUD AND CLEAR! Nightmare Moon will be GLAD to have you inside her!" The Shadowbolt that kicked Jeremy smiled with glee. She then called out to the other two: "Hey, NUMBER TWELVE! NUMBER TWENTY-ONE! I have one already! Get rid of the rest!"

"Ah... I-I was joking!" Jeremy was rubbing his face in pain. "Ya'll... can take a joke... rig-aaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!?" Jeremy screamed as the Shadowbolt picked him up with her forelegs and carried him off with amazing speed...
> Dust in the Wind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


It was time for the humans to leave Ponyville at last, as they head to Canterlot with six mares known as the Elements of Harmony. Arriving at the Royal Palace, where Celestia awaits, she confirms to the humans that their friends are alive. However, Jeremy demands proof, and any attempts to make him calm down only made him even angrier, even noting how they've been in Equestria for Four days without doing anything but waiting, so Jeremy begins to call out the monster.

The moment Jeremy calls out the 'nightmare monster' however, something suddenly crashes through the ceiling, intending to hit Jeremy where he stood. Luckily, Pinkie Pie tackled Jeremy out of the way just before that 'something' landed on him. When the smoke clears, it turns out to be three pegasi wearing a black and purple suits. Rainbow Dash knows them as the Shadowbolts. Upon Celestia's warning, Twilight immediately teleports the group out of the castle and into town square, but the Shadowbolts waste no time going after them and set their sights on Jeremy, who practically called them out. With one Shadowbolt dragging him away at high speed, the other two are told to get rid of the rest...





"JEREMYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!"  Mia called out, trying to go after him, but another blade of wind cuts in front of her path, stopping her in her tracks. 

Filled with fear, Mia stumbles to the ground after tripping over some rubble and finds herself backing away as fast as possible. Suddenly, a force field is conjured up to protect the group, just as the two Shadowbolts made their wings glow and began unleashing blades of wind again.

Twilight, using her magic to create the force field, found herself becoming overwhelmed by their attacks, which came at a very fast rate. Rarity used her magic to assist Twilight's force field and make it stronger.

"How are we supposed to get out of here now!?" Eva began to panic.

"Well, they have to get tired at some point!!" Twilight said, giving it her all to keep the force field up.

"Hey, when did Rainbow find a way out??" Pinkie asked.

"Wait, where is she!?" Applejack asked, surprised to see Rainbow is already out of the forcefield.





Meanwhile, Jeremy is in the air, being carried away from Canterlot, struggling to get himself free.

"YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE PONIES! THE HELL ARE YOU USING YOUR LEGS!?" Jeremy asked, still struggling to break free from the Shadbolt's forelegs, using them like human arms.

"Shut up and be a good prisoner!!" The Shadowbolt tightened her grip, making Jeremy feel like he was being hugged by a bear.

"UUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGH!!!! DAMN... YOU!!!!!" Jeremy still continued to struggle, wiggling around as much as he could.




Argh... Maybe he was right... Maybe I am over working myself. But I can't stop. I won't stop. This club is my lifeline. Without it, I have nothing. So eh... guess going to Italy won't be so bad. 

The only problem will be getting mama's approval... 

So I step into my house, looking around to see if anyone was awake. The first thing I hear though is Ruby greeting me.

"Welcome home, onii-chan!"

"Didn't I tell you to not say that? It's friggin' weird." I sigh every time she calls me that weird name. I know it means brother in japanese... anyone who knows of anime would know that basic thing. But it's wrecking my brain when she calls me that. Makes me suspect my crew of getting her to say it  without my knowledge... "Anyway, where's mom?"

"She's still sleeping. She had another hard day at work." Ruby pointed to my mom's room.

"I see. Well, anyway, I'm gonna be gone all next week..." I quickly broke the news to Ruby. Really, she's pretty good at handling my bluntness, but I still hold back for her sake.

"Aww, where are you going?" Ruby asked, sounding dejected. She never really liked it when I wasn't around her for a long time. Guess that's what I get for getting that kid too attached to me. Not that I'm complaining.

"I'm going to Italy apparently... the crew wants to help me unwind, so-to-speak. It's not like I have any choice in the matter, since all of'em want me to take a break, and I think they just made that excuse up so they could drag me along." I griped. I still think a trip just to make me take a break is stupid. It' not gonna stop me.

"I see... well... hope you have fun on your trip. You work hard for me all the time, so..." Oh good grief... not the face! Not that face! I can't say no to that dejected face!

"Ah... uhh, well, actually, I wanted to invite you along! I mean, how about it? You can have fun on the trip with me and my crew!" I frantically told her. I don't think I'd be able to relax if I went away and saw her sad face. "But only on one condition!"

"Oh, what is it?" Ruby looked at me with those curious eyes. She likes getting into my business, even though she never outright says it...

"Do NOT Call me onii-chan at all during the trip! It'll be embarrassing, and it'll make me look bad!" I frantically explained.

"Why?" I knew she'd ask that!

"Just... take my word for it." It figured she'd ask a whole lot of the 'why' in this, but seriously. I don't want to have a strange image in another country.

"What's this about Italy?" I heard a voice, and I instantly shuddered. I turn around to see my mom in her pajamas, just now waking up.

"Well, I'm going on a trip to Italy... and I was wondering if I could take Ruby with me." There, I said it. I didn't pull any punches either.

"Uh huh... and what makes you think you can go to another country, huh? And you think you're responsible enough to take care of Ruby?" My mom asked. Of course, this is far from the end of it.

"My crew thinks I've been working too hard." I explained to her the one reason... or, excuse, they came up with.

"What do they know about you?" My mom just had to go there.

"Mom, not now." I said. I really meant it. 

"I asked you a question. What do they know about you?" My mom repeated the quested more sternly, crossing her arms. Here we go...

"I could ask you that." I gave a smart-ass reply. She doesn't know the crew like I do.

"Don't talk back to me and answer my question!" My mom glared at me, demanding I answer her.

"I would if I didn't think you were insulting my crew! It's the same thing every time! You haven't trusted my judgement ever since that day!" Ah... that day. Fun times. Ugh.

"Because you're a reckless and stupid boy that makes the school and even the police call my house so much!! Your judgement got your ass whooped! Your judgement got your feelings hurt!" My mom yelled right back, with twice the force. It's not my fault all of that happened. I did no wrong. 

"Mom, you can't trust me just once!? You never acted this way with Damien!" I just had to yell... I always find myself comparing how she treats him with how she treats me... 

"You're right... his mistakes got him where he may never come back... but there's still hope for you! You can stop hanging with the wrong people!" My mom spouted nonesense. Ever since that goddamn day I made a little mistake, she hasn't trusted my judgement for a really long time. She still doesn't trust my judgement.

"Aunt Nora, Onii-chan, why are you fighting??" And of course, Ruby hated seeing me and my mom argue.

"Tch..." My mom clicked her tongue. "Fine, do whatever you want... but you better ask her parents before you go, got it? If anything happens to that girl at any point while you're gone... There will be hell to pay. You hear me, baby boy?" My mom gave me a fierce glare like no other. 

My crew was always scared of my mother. Even I'm scared of her. But at least I'm willing to stand my ground and defend those guys. I know I'm not hanging out with the wrong people. I'm not gonna let her say what she wants about my crew. They're nothing like the people that guy hung out with... and they're damn sure nothing like... her...!





"Ack, Wh-STOP MOVING!" The Shadowbolt became irritated at the human's struggling, tightening her grip even more, which eventually started to cut off his air flow. 

"I'm not gonna take this damsel crap...!" Jeremy thought to himself, refusing with all his might to not become overwhelmed by the Shadowbolt's strength. 

Not being one to give up, Jeremy still continued to struggle, eventually using his head to hit the Shadowbolt on her nose. Due to wearing his flatcap, his headbutt had enough reach to strike hard enough to force her to lose her grip on him.

"UUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy started falling from several feet, and not having any idea where he is. But that didn't even matter, as he knew that death was certain. "I can't die like this...! I haven't fount Ruby yet...! I need to find her!! THIS AIN'T WHAT I PROMISED HER PARENTS!"

Seeing a river below, he knew that not even that would save him, but he held onto his hat anyway and braced for impact. After shutting his eyes, expecting to meet death, he notices that his descent has been cut short.

"Huh...? I... stopped...?" Jeremy looked below and noticed that he stopped falling mid flight, and his altitude was getting higher. "...there's no way I grew wings..." 

"You're right, you idiot." Jeremy looked above to notice a familiar rainbow mane and the cyan 'arms' that carried him.

"YOU!?" Jeremy was clearly surprised. Rainbow Dash was the last pony he expected to be saved by.

"Hey, is that any way to thank the awesome pony who just saved your life?!" Rainbow was naturally irritated by Jeremy's lack of gratitude.

"Ugh..." Jeremy was irritated more than ever for being powerless, and he really didn't want to thank a pony.

"Well, well, Rainbow Dash! I see you've come to take our offer this time?" The Shadowbolt that was carrying Jeremy flew to their level. "You're a loyal pony, be a good mare and hand the human over."

"Heh, I figured you wouldn't take no for an answer. You did just watch a display of my pure awesomeness!" Rainbow bragged.

"Is this REALLY a time to be bragging?" Jeremy thought to himself, scowling at Rainbow.

"You're right. It's a real shame that the best flier in Equestria would stick with the sorry Wonderbolts." The Shadowbolt said, shaking her head.

"Hey, don't insult the Wonderbolts like that!!" Rainbow defended her favorite group of fliers.

"Why not? Not everyone can join the team, remember? In fact, it's your fault that somepony's dreams were destroyed!!" The Shadowbolt suddenly seethed at Rainbow Dash, as she flew straight at her in high speed, trying to snag the human from her grasp.

"What is she on about!?" Rainbow thought to herself as she continued to dodge the Shadowbolt's attacks. 

Rainbow attempted to fly with great speed back to Canterlot, but the Shadowbolt did not make that easy. She found herself dodging the Shadowbolt at every turn, making it hard to fly and hold onto Jeremy at once.

"UAAAAAAH, WHOOOOAAAAAAAAAA- AAAAAAAAAGH!!" Jeremy was starting to feel more and more dizzy with all of Rainbow's flying maneuvers. Amazing as she may be, dodging this Shadowbolt's attempts to take the human back made things a little more difficult for the cyan pegasus. 

"DROP THE HUMAN ALREADY!!" The Shadowbolt demanded, getting frustrated with Rainbow constantly dodging.

"What's the matter, can't keep up??" Rainbow taunted. The Shadowbolt didn't respond... instead, she stopped her flight, and took several deep breaths. "Aww, trying to calm down?"

"Yeah. I AM!" The Shadowbolt flew at Rainbow with lighting speed, tackling her hard enough to force the human out of her grasp long enough for her to snag him out of the air. "Thanks for the package!" The Shadowbolt taunted before flying off with Jeremy, honding onto him with her forelegs.

This time, Jeremy may be held by the waist and face down, his arms were free, so he quickly used his elbows to strike the Shadowbolt in her side several times, causing her to drop him once more. 

"UAGH! I should've cut your arms off!!" The Shadowbolt's wings started to glow with a dark power, and suddenly she unleashed a blade of wind aimed straight at Jeremy! Luckily, Rainbow got him out of the way in time. 

"Go hide somewhere!" Rainbow said to Jeremy as she landed him on the ground, then flew back into the air.

"ARGH!!!" Jeremy collapsed, still feeling incredibly dazed from all of the flying. He knew he had to hide, so he struggled to get behind a rock nearby, all while trying to resist the urge to vomit.

Rainbow engaged the Shadowbolt and tackles her out of the way so she doesn't go for Jeremy again.

"Agh! Rainbow Dash... always stealing the spotlight... crushing people's dreams with your stupid loyalty...!" The Shadowbolt became frustrated, flying straight at Rainbow fast enough to land a punch on her, which sent her flying. 

The Shadowbolt used her wings to fire another blade of air, aimed at the cyan pegasus, whom dodged after stopping her plummet mid-flight. Rainbow then flew straight at the Shadowbolt fast enough to headbutt her at full speed, sending the enemy flying back to Canterlot. Rainbow then grabbed Jeremy and chased after the Shadowbolt.

"What the hell was that...?" Jeremy, who watched the whole fight, had feelings mixed with awe and frustration. He got himself kidnapped, and he felt humiliated. He felt like a damsel in distress, and he hated it.

"Oh that's just me being awesome like always!" Rainbow boasted.

".............." Jeremy didn't respond at all. He kept his mouth shut, only grumbling. He didn't even want to cross his arms to pout, knowing he'd just feel like a child who got in trouble.





Meanwhile, Twilight Sparkle and Rarity's forcefield won't be holding out for much longer...

"UGH! WHY WON'T THESE GUYS QUIT!?" Twilight grew frustrated.

"Because they don't wanna go back to their master and hear her chew them out! She'd be like 'how dare you fail me' and they'd cower in fear  of her incredible fury! It'd be worse than breaking a pinkie promise!" By the time Pinkie answered the question, the forcefield was on it's last leg, as it started to crack like a broken window.

"Ya'll folks get ready to run, ya hear!?" Applejack said to the humans, then turned to Fluttershy. "Fluttershy, stay with'em!"

"M-me...?" Naturally, she was flustered at having such a huge responsibility.

"YES, YOU!" Applejack insisted with great force.

"Okay! Umm, this way, humans..." Fluttershy, despite her reserved and meek demeanor, knew the urgency of the situation and accepted the responsibility.

At that moment, two armor-wearing pegasi tackle the Shadowbolts to the ground. It was the Canterlot Royal Guard.

"Twilight, the princess ordered us to protect you while you all gather the elements of Harmony!" The guard let them know while keeping the Shadowbolt under his hooves.

"The way has already been opened! Go! We'll handle these intruders!" The second guard said, motioning for the mares and humans to get going.

Eventually, two unicorn guards arrived and began firing their magic at Shadowbolts, hoping to incapacitate them. However, before being hit with the magic of the guards, they both turn into a mist that resembles the night sky and combined together. Moving at an incredible speed, the unicorn guards fired their magic at the mist, but it proved to be almost intangible, as it dodged with water-like movements and passed them by. Eventually, the mist catches up to the humans and grabs Mina, pulling her into it's body.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"  Mina shrieked, as she's taken into the darkness of the monster.

"MINAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Kitsu became instantly enraged, seeing the object of his affections being taken away. He ran towards the mist monster and used his bag to attack it, to no avail, for It kept dodging each and every frantic swing.

When the monster attempted to get away, the royal guards swooped in, trying to attack the monster as well, but it would constantly dodge their attempts.

"Attack together!" Trisha shouted, running up to the monster, and attacking with her bag.

"What in tarnation is she doin'?!" Applejack was confused, seeing Trisha yell that, then suddenly attack the monster.

"It's as she says! It can't dodge too long if we all strike at once!" Twilight said, using her magic to fire at the monster, forcing it to dodge again.

"Marvelous strategy!" Rarity said, using her magic to attack as well. 

Eventually, everyone commenced an all out attack on the monster, as it was having much trouble dodging every attack thrown at it. This distraction gave Fluttershy the chance to fly up and pull Mina out of the mist. Before the monster could grab another human, a Shadowbolt suddenly crash lands into the monster, dispersing the mist and forcing it back into it's form of two Shadowbolts. 

Lying on the ground, the Shadowbolt's head gear had been dispersed into the night sky mist, revealing the head and mane of light blue coated pegasus mare, with an amber and vivid gamboge colored mane. Her matching colored eyes looked at the ponies and humans with disgust and hatred, as she knew they didn't know who she was.

"So you guys don't remember me, huh...? That's fine... I'll make you remember me. Because every time you see me, I'll make every encounter your worst nightmare." The pegasus said, glaring at everyone, catching her breath.

"What are you talking about!? You just attacked us, and you're working for Nightmare Moon too!?" Twilight asked, glaring at the pegasus. But that's just it: She was a regular pegasus unlike the other Shadowbolts.

"Heh, I'm not obligated to tell you ponies anything!" The pegasus gave a cocky smile.

Rainbow comes flying back with Jeremy in tow, only for her eyes to widen with shock, which quickly turned into a glare. "Lightning Dust... You're one of them!?"

"What does it look like? I'm just here, pushing my limits, far more than you ever will!" Lightining Dust mockingly said.

"Why?!" Rainbow was genuinely surprised. She thought Lightning Dust wanted to be a Wonderbolt.

"Why not? This is a good opportunity to make you and Spitfire pay for ruining my dreams! I'd be a Wonderbolt already if you hadn't gone to Spitfire about the tornado WE made!" Lightning Dust emphasized the 'we' part. 

"You nearly blew my friends away with that tornado! You expected me to just take that!?" Rainbow angrily replied. Despite having respect for Lightning Dust, she wouldn't forget her attitude that day when her friends nearly got taken out by that tornado they conjured up.

"They're a hindrance if you ask me. You'd be on my level right now if it weren't for them... But hey, becoming one of the numbers was probably the best decision I've ever made. Pretty soon, I'll be living the dream! But for now, I'm outta here. Number Twelve, Number Twenty-one, let's go." Lightning Dust said, beckoning the other two Shadowbolts to get up.

"WAIT, LIGHTING DUST!!!" Rainbow called out to her, but she and the other two Shadowbolts had already fled at high speed. 

"Rainbow, we need to get the Elements of Harmony! We'll deal with her later!" Twilight said, putting a hoof on Rainbow's back, knowing that Rainbow had every intention of flying off after Lighting Dust.

"I... I can't believe she'd stoop so low! I knew she was bad, but to go for revenge?!" Rainbow was angry to see that Lightning Dust had gone from being a reckless apathetic pony who pushed herself to the limit, to a pony obsessed with vengeance enough that she'd work with the Shadowbolts, and by extension, Nightmare Moon.

As for Mina, whom Fluttershy had let down, they all check up on her, only to grow horrified when they see how her eyes were wide open... 

"Mina! MINA! Snap out of it!" Kitsu opened his eyes as he held Mina in his arms. He could feel her shaking with so much fear, it felt contagious. He held her tight. 

"What the heck happened...?" Jeremy too, was horrified to see his crew member in that state.

"This is your fault, dude..." Kitsu muttered, quivering with anger. Despite the boiling emotions, Kitsu wasn't one to yell.

"How the hell is this MY fault?!" Jeremy responded in kind by yelling as usual.

"Guys, don't start now!" Eva called out.

"If you hadn't called them out, this would've never happened..." Kitsu said, calmly, but it was obvious he was angry.

"What, so I somehow summoned them here?! You're saying some stupid shit now!" Jeremy began to storm up to Kitsu, but then he stopped when he heard Mina.

"It... f...e...e...l..s... c-c...ol..d... mom... ever...y...one... lef...t..." Mina started muttering, trembling, as her words barely came out.

"It's okay... I'm here..." Kitsu said to Mina, continuing to hold her tight.

"I... no... there's... there's not..." Mina continued to barely mutter to herself, her eyes wide open, her lips quivering...

"Is this related to what Princess Luna went through when she was Nightmare Moon...?" Twilight said.

"What's that about Princess Luna?" Applejack asked.

"Didn't she describe being inside Nightmare Moon as... cold, dark, and lonely?" Twilight surmised.

"She did, didn't she..." Rarity said, remembering the expression Princess Luna had upon being freed from Nightmare Moon.

"We can't let this happen again..." Twilight said, knowing just how dire the situation really is. She knew that protecting the humans was the right thing to do.

"Next time those Shadowbolts come, I'm gonna beat'em up! Gonna give'em a left, and then a right! POW, right in the kisser! Then they'll start cowering in fear but then I'll look them in the eye and make them cry for their mommy! Whee!" 

"I just know that next time I see Lightning Dust, she's mine!" Rainbow said, making a punching gesture.

"For now, let's get back to the palace. I'm sure Celestia still wants us to get the Elements of Harmony just in case we have to fight the Shadowbolts again." Twilight said, using her magic to teleport herself and the rest of the group to the Royal palace...
> Picking up the Pieces
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After the intense confrontation with the Shadowbolts, minions of Nightmare Moon, one of them is revealed to be an actual pony unlike the others. A pony Rainbow Dash knows all too well, going by the name of Lightning Dust.The Shadowbolts make a hasty retreat. As for Mina, who had been attacked by the monster, she looked as if she was suffering from a seizure. Her words she muttered  as she stared off into space were enough to make even Kitsu horrified, but he held her tight, hoping she'll snap out of it. Twilight then decides it's time to return to the royal palace, and meet with Princess Celestia.





Upon arriving at Celestia's throne room, she saw Mina's condition, and immediately used a spell, causing Mina to fall asleep.

"She will return to her normal self once she has a good rest. I'm afraid she has experienced the prison of darkness, just as my sister has. Thankfully, her spirit can make a recovery since you all saved her in time, but for the time being, I have put her in a slumber to calm her down." Celestia said, which made them all breathe a sigh of relief. "As for you, humans, I already have a room reserved for you."

"Really? I mean, we are humans... and we're not exactly in any position to be staying at your palace..." Trisha said, being humble.

"Then I'd like for you to think of it as a protection program." Celestia said, giving a warm smile.

"Sounds like witness protection... I never thought I'd see the day where ponies would offer it..." Trisha thought to herself.

Celestia then summoned a Royal Guard to the chamber. "Guard, please escort my guests to their rooms." 

"Yes princess!" 

From there, Kitsu picks the sleeping Mina off the ground and carries her like a princess, following the guard. Jeremy however, stayed far behind his friends, as he looked down at the ground, wanting to find something to kick... something to punch... anything to relieve the frustration he's feeling. But then he stops, letting everyone else walk away.

"Yo, Princess. Got two questions for ya, if I may?" Jeremy asked, his with his politeness being a bit rough around the edges.

"You will not speak to her highness like-" The guard's attempt to scold Jeremy was interrupted with a simple glance from Celestia, which let the guard know to stand down. She then turned back to the disgruntled human.

"What would you like to ask?" Celestia responded in kind, as if she expected him to ask her something.

Jeremy proceeded to ask his questions, with only his head turned to her. "First... you're an important figure, so why didn't those dark pegasus ponies attack you instead?"

"You already know the answer to that one." Celestia answered, making Jeremy look down and remember how they said he and his crew are their targets.

"Okay. Question number two..." Jeremy trailed off, took a deep breath, and asked, albeit skeptically, "Mina. She'll be fine with a simple rest, right?"

"I can give you my word. But perhaps, you would prefer to watch over her yourself?" Celestia suggested, knowing how Jeremy reacted before.

"I got my crew doing that for me. No need for me to get involved." Jeremy scoffed at the idea, wearing a wry smile.

"Quite an interesting friendship you have." Celestia said, giving a gentle smile. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jeremy scowled in response, feeling like she was definitely implying something. Before he could get the answer to that, he heard a voice grab his attention.

"Jeremy, you coming?" Trisha called out to him. He didn't respond, and simply followed Trisha along.

Once the humans were escorted to their room, Kitsu laid Mina on the first bed he saw, to the right. The room they were assigned had six beds (three on one side, three on the other), with a window, which gave a nice view of the palace garden. The floor was covered with a nice red carpet and the walls were nicely with rounded corners. There was even a ceiling fan above their heads.

"If you have any questions, ask me first. I will be your escort if you need to go anywhere important. I will not escort you to the Princesses' chambers unless her highness says otherwise." The guard said, before walking out of the room and standing by the entrance.

"Are we really living with the queen of England?" Eva asked after walking up to a bed and feeling the nice silk sheets on it.

"No, she's Princess Celestia!" Mia answered, laying in one of the beds, and hugging one of the pillows. "She's pretty awesome with that ever-flowing mane of hers! It's like an aurora or something! Or a Rainbow!"

"No, I mean like, she may be this world's counterpart to the Queen of England! Think about it!" Eva asked, laying down on the bed, hugging her pillow as well.

"Ah, who knows... this world is a lot like ours, with the way civilization works... it even has some of the flaws our world has." Mia sighed a breath of relief, laying on her bed, as she felt that the bed she was in was definitely more comfortable than the ones at the hotel they stayed in.

"Yo, guard!" Jeremy walked outside the room to speak to the guard outside.

"What is it, human?" The guard asked.

"Remember that big living room with the couch and fireplace we passed up? I'd like to go there and think. I want to be alone for a while. Is that okay?" Jeremy calmly asked.

"Hmm... I suppose. The room's right around the corner, and there's already another guard stationed by her highness's throne room. So I'll escort you."

"Fair enough." Jeremy said, as he left with the guard.

"He's... still feeling angry over what happened, isn't he?" Mia asked out of concern.

"That's because he and Kitsu got into a serious argument, throwing accusations around..." Trisha said, laying in a bed next to Mia's and giving a deep sigh.

"Was I too harsh on the dude? I mean, I know I was mad, worrying about Mina here, but... I just want her to be okay..." Kitsu said, sounding somewhat bitter. "When I held her in my arms, even I was horrified. I don't know if she suffered any brain injuries or not, and if she did, I wouldn't know what to do!"

"We have to stay away from the star mist..." Trisha rose from her bed and focused on Kitsu. "What happened to Mina might be the same for us if one of us got engulfed in it."

"Yeah... All I wanted to do was make the best of this whole ordeal... being in a world with talking ponies... and then I just had to tell that guy that we're in a world of sunshine and rainbows. Am I that stupid...?" Kitsu asked, feeling really bad as he watched over Mina.

"Nah, you're not stupid." Trisha said, reassuringly.

"Trisha's right! You only wanted to just see the good of this world so none of us would panic!" Mia said, holding on to her hand that's still wrapped in bandages, remembering her encounter with the Timberwolves.

"Right! And I'm sure my brother and the others are out there, waiting for us to catch up with them! We can't give up! We just need to be more careful" Eva smiled, hoping to reassure him.

"Yeah... you're right..." Kitsu said, wearing a bitter smile, as he still felt depressed seeing Mina in her sleep. "I wonder what'll happen to us if we stay in this world for too long...?" 





It'll be awesome to go to Italy I guess. But I really wanted to go to Japan! Oh well. I'm not complaining. I just wanted to take Mina to maid cafe and have her dress up. That would've been hot! Well, maybe Italy has a maid cafe somewhere... Heh, I guess I could do some research a bit. 

And so, I'm walking home from school with Mia, Mina, and Trisha, who's the newest face of our group. I already did my share of pranks on her, such as putting gum in her hand on our first meeting. That was hilarious.

"So, since we all got outvoted in our Japan vote, let's try to make the best of Italy!" I shouted. I wanted to come up with some plans, maybe have a cool party or something.

"Umm... I didn't vote for Japan." Trisha said, sighing. I knew she'd point that out, but she needs to understand! Once you know the wonders of Japan and it's weirdness, you'll want to be apart of it! And then deconstruct it a little!

"Oh, but if you had gone, you'd know the wonders of going to a maid cafe!" I let her know. Just gotta appeal it a little.

"Aren't you just trying to turn her into a weaboo?" My lovely Mina asked.

"Le gasp! I wouldn't do something so heinous!" I literally gasped. Kinda. I wonder if she too me seriously...

"Right..." Hah, of course Mina wouldn't take me serious like usual. But that's the way I like it. She's always got that wall up about as tall and strong as Mason, and I'm kicking it down, little by little! I wonder if she'll see me as an older brother or something? Wait, she's older than me. Well, by one year, but still!

"Hey, what's wrong with being a Weaboo?" Mia asked. Ah, Mia can be like my comrade in arms at times. If anyone could get someone to watch anime, It'd be her. It's because of her that just about all of us watch it. Megan likes to think his taste is better than everyone else though. I already watched anime by the time she tried to get me on it.

"Because you'd just somehow get me involved and turn me into a yaoi fangirl." Trisha quipped, noting that Mia likes yaoi. I don't mind hitting on other guys if it fuels her imagination, since her reactions are hilarious. It probably makes her all the more crazy since she knows I kinda go both ways, so she and I actually recommend yaoi to each other sometimes.

"Hey, nothing wrong with that!" I proclaimed.

"Well... eh... I still wanna fit in with you guys, but I'm pretty certain yaoi isn't the way. I might be up for watching some anime though." Trisha said, folding her arms.

"Oh, I know the perfect one!" I'm so gonna recommend a quick yaoi to her... just to see what happens.

"Kitsu, if you recommend that garbage to her, I'm decking you." Mina, why so serious? Hehe, but that honesty is what I love about you, even though you're glaring at me through those glasses of yours!

"Haha, you got me!" I played the defeat card.

"Umm, what was his recommendation?" Trisha asked.

"Oh, it was going to be Bok- mmmmmm!" Mina covered Mia's mouth before she could finish that sentence. Of course Mia knew what I was going to say. But that was all part of the plan!

"Come on, tell me! I'm curious now!" Trisha becoming curious was all part of my magnificent plot. Ha! Am I trolling her though? Avu's more creative at trolling than I am. But unlike him, I do it in good fun and make everyone laugh and have a good time.

"You're kidding, right, Trisha? The anime they're going on about is garbage! It's something you don't need to ever watch. Your eyes are still pure! Look, I'll bring some anime with me during our trip, and I'll watch it with you, okay? It'll be good anime too. Stuff you can really get into! Stuff that even that elitist Megan likes!"

"Boo, that stuff's boring! If you make her watch Honey and Clover, I'll break your DVD of it!" Mia said, as she had an uncanny hatred for Honey and Clover.

"Hey, I like Honey and Clover myself." I let them know, which only irritated Mia even more.

"But that anime only teaches you it's okay to be an asshole! You can't just lead a poor girl on while chasing after another!" Mia argued with me and Mina about this before.

"Mia, I respect your opinion, but there are things you're kinda blind to.

"I'm kinda curious about Honey and Clover too..." Trisha said, pondering about what we're even babbling about. Her trying to fit in with us is cute in it's own way.

"Whoa, wait, what about that other one Kitsu and I were gonna recommend? Still curious about that, riiiiiiiight?" Mia desperately tried to divert her attention.

"Can't I watch both?" Trisha asked. My answer to that is obvious.

"Certainly! I'll bring a torrent of it and we can watch it on Megan's laptop, since he'll definitely have his with him!" Yep. That's the best way.

"Guys, Megan will kill us if we watched that on his laptop!" Mina worried. But it's okay, really!

"Well, let's become cats and have nine lives!" And there, I said it, making a cat gesture.

"Actually, that sounds like something Jeremy would say..." Mina pointed out, palming her face.

"Jeremy, really?" Trisha asked. Guess she doesn't know about how Jeremy's old self would come out every now and again in contrast to his super serious business self of today.

"Yeaaaaah... he has a tendency to say really stupid stuff when he's arguing, irritated, or dumbfounded, or all it at the same time. It's... a sight. Kinda rare, but still." Mina might've exaggerated a bit, but she's right.

"Yeah, I remember when we were at the Dashboard doing a podcast, Mina said that it's 2 AM in the morning when we finished, and he shouted 'And I'm the MOON!' Most hilarious thing ever! We didn't shut up about it for a while, just getting on his nerves! Next time you call him, be sure to say that. He'll get super embarrassed, it's cute!" I rambled. But I wasn't kidding when I said that he could be cute at times when he goes all tsundere on us. 

But really, when I'm with my friends, with the crew, it's so much fun. I love laughing together with them. It just keeps a smile on my face every time. This is my kind of life. I hope nothing breaks us apart, really. Because I love the crew. All of them.





Jeremy sat in the large room, presumably a living room, since he didn't know what kind of room it was. All he could see around him were windows with a fireplace in between, well crafted walls, a painting of Celestia on one side and a painting of Luna on the other side, and a large carpet which had Celestia's cutie mark embedded in it. He's sitting in the middle of the floor with his legs crossed together, staring at the fire while deep in thought, almost as if he stared off into space.

"Was today's incident really my fault...? I just can't see it..." Jeremy thought to himself, while sitting down. 

"Ugh... I have to rely on ponies to actually do everything for us...? I hate feeling powerless..." He said out loud, then sighed, laying on the floor. "I wanna go home... I'm sick of this crap..."

"Talking to yourself?" Jeremy heard a familiar voice, making him sigh in annoyance.

"Jeremy's not home right now. Please leave a message after the beep. BEEP." Jeremy sarcastically joked, sounding very annoyed the moment he heard Mia's voice. He knew it was her, and he didn't want to be bothered by anyone right now.

"Well, this is Mia, and I hope you call me in a bit! DING." Mia played along with the sarcasm before taking a seat next to Jeremy.

"What the hell do you want?" Jeremy asked, sitting up and turning his attention to the girl next to him, greeting her with a scowl.

"I just wanna see if you're okay. I know Kitsu got mad at you, but are you really gonna let that come between you guys?"

"Yeah, well, Kitsu did say it's my fault." Jeremy muttered, grabbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers. "But that's not the issue here."

"Then what's wrong?" Mia looked at him with eyes of concern, which made Jeremy answer her.

"Because I'm... actually GLAD all of that happened. That's the problem." Jeremy sighed deeply, covering his face in shame.

"Really? Why?"

"Because I wanna be on you guys' wavelength. You guys kept telling me to calm down, but I was impatient, so I wanted something to happen. Trish said pursuers would come for us, but it'd been too long since she said that. And now I know that these guys are serious and not dicking around." Jeremy answered, looking at Mia.

"Don't feel bad about it. Sure, it's a little twisted that you want that, and Mina got hurt too, but it's not like you can call bad ponies at will." Mia said, holding her knees close, resting her head on them and still looking into Jeremy's dark eyes.

"No, but wanting that to happen just to get back on the same wavelength with the others... it's what happens to you when a series of unfortunate events drives you a little insane, catch my drift?" Jeremy looked at Mia, and gave a kind of smile that's hard to determine if it's genuine or bitter. 

"You're still bothered by that day?" Mia sighed

"Hey, I never said I was proud of it. Why do you think I'm frustrated to begin with?" Jeremy then scowled at Mia, expecting her to have figured that out.

"So are you just gonna give up now that this all happened, staring at this fire all day?" Mia's expression turned serious, as she outstretched her legs.

"No." Jeremy clinched his fist and glared at the fire. "That just means we're gonna try harder. I won't let what happened to Mina be in vain."

"Well, let's start by having you and Kitsu kiss and make-up!" Mia said, suddenly grinning.

"It sounds bad when you say it..." Jeremy stood up and walked away to their assigned room.

"Hahaha, I couldn't resist! Wait up!" Mia went after him, with both of them laughing in good fun.

Upon having a guard escort them back to their room, Jeremy walked towards the bed where Mina rested, and sat on the bed next to it. Jeremy gave Kitsu a stern look, but he never budged, as he held Mina's hand, holding it against his face. 

"Haaaaaaah..." Jeremy sighed, then broke the ice. "Look, I'm sorry, okay, dude?"

"It's fine. I blamed you blindly since I was mad that this happened to Mina. She didn't deserve it." Kitsu said, looking at Jeremy for a moment.

"You're right." Jeremy walked into the room and plopped on the bed closest to the door; the bed next to Mina's.

"Despite that... this is all happening for a reason." Trisha chimed in as she lied in her bed.

"Happening for a reason? The only reason we're in Equestria in the first place is that the Nightmare monster wants to turn one of us into it!" Jeremy said, scowling at Trisha.

"Yeah, but I feel like we're missing something. There was a normal pony among them, right? She didn't seem like the other two dark ponies." Trisha rose from her bed and put her feet on the floor.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Eva asked.

"Well, like those dark ponies that fired those wind blade attacks at us-" Trisha trailed off before being cut off by Jeremy.

"Hate to break it to you, but that 'normal pony' you're talking about? She's able to do that attack too." Jeremy said.

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that she IS a normal pony unlike the dark ones." Trisha went on explaining. "The dark ponies combined together to become a monster, right? But as soon as the normal pony crashed into it, the monster became the two dark ponies."

"That doesn't explain why this pony called 'Lighting Dust' can use the same attack as them." Jeremy said, wanting to know more.

"Well... she did refer to the dark ponies as 'numbers', right?" Trisha asked.

"I think she said... Number twelve, and number twenty-one?" Eva asked, making sure she was right.

"Yeah, she did, now that I think about it." Jeremy agreed, but still felt unsure.

"Right! Well, let's ask ourselves... the fact that there's a normal pegasus with them... can we really say that this whole mess is ALL Nightmare Moon?" Trisha asked.

Mia gave Trisha a curious look.

"W-what?" Trisha asked, confused.

"You're smarter than you look." Jeremy said, giving a teasing smile.

"Well, not really. It's just, with you guys here, it's easier to piece this whole mystery together." Trisha said in embarrassment.

"Yeah, a mystery we don't got time to be solving." Jeremy said in annoyance. "It's not like we're gonna write a whole report on this when we get back."

"I thought you were on our wavelength!" Mia scolded Jeremy.

"I am. I'm willing to wait. But the second we can find out where the others are, I'd like to go to them as soon as possible. All I'm saying, is that we'll have to be a lot more careful from now on, okay?" Jeremy suggested.

"Ugh..." 

Kitsu rose his head in response to a familiar groan... The moment he opened his eyes to look at Mina, he grew ecstatic.

"Um... guys...? Where are we...?" Mina asked, feeling groggy and wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"MINA!!!" Kitsu jumped onto her and gave a huge embrace, happy to see her awake and fine, compared to earlier. Mina responded to his hug by pinching his cheek pretty hard. "ACK!" Kitsu rubbed his cheek. "What was that for??"

"Letting you know this isn't a dream. Well, I don't think it is." Mina said, winking at Kitsu. Suddenly, everyone except Jeremy hugged Mina in a group as a group. "G-guys, please!"

"Mina, we were worried!" Mia said, getting teary-eyed.

"We thought you suffered some brain damage or something!" Eva cried out.

"Brain damage?!" Mina was surprised to hear that, as if she didn't remember what happened after being pulled into the darkness. Everyone then released her from their warm, yet chocking embrace.

"Do you have any idea what you looked like when Fluttershy saved you!?" Trisha asked. As she looked into Mina's eyes, she remembered just how horrifying she looked when she came out of the monster's grasp.

"Err... everything went... black when I got caught by that thing. I don't remember much else..." Mina said solemnly.

"Really? Not a thing?" Trisha asked, worried.

"Really. Literally, everything just went black for me. I found myself trying to find a way out, but it was just an infinite void with no end in sight." Mina, placing a hand on her forehead, groaned in frustration.

"Heh, I'm glad you're okay at least!" Kitsu didn't mind the pain, as Mina being herself only made him all the happier. 

"As for you, Jeremy..." Mina gave the dark skinned man a scowl.

"What, you wanna chew me out too?" Jeremy rested his head on a hand, looking at Mina suspiciously.

"No, but you really are stupid for being in such a hurry. We're not in our world, so things won't go our pace or how we want them to." Mina gave her usual brutal honesty. "We have to conform to this world's logic if we're going to survive."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. I get it already. I'm just glad you're alright." Jeremy said, tilting his head, wanting to lay down, but didn't.

"I'll be right back." Trisha began walking out of the room.

"Where ya headed?" Jeremy looked at Trisha.

"I'm going to see Twilight and the others. I want to get a little more information." Trisha said, walking out of the room, and asking the guard to take her to Twilight.





Meanwhile, The six ponies are on their way to their assigned room, located right next to the humans' room, from the chamber holding the Elements of Harmony, having retrieved them.

"We'll be able to fight the Shadowbolts with these!" Twilight said, wearing her Element of Magic, which is a tiara unlike the other five elements, which were necklaces.

"Yeah... guess this means I'll have to blast Lightning Dust while we're at it." Rainbow scowled, unable to forget the smug smile on Lightning Dust's face.

"Rainbow..." Twilight felt bad for Rainbow, knowing that Lightning Dust isn't just 'anypony'.

"Ain't that the pony who nearly blew us away when we came to see you?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah... but I helped make that tornado, remember? I just didn't like how she didn't feel guilty at all for nearly getting rid of you guys!" Rainbow griped.

"We got to see you anyway, so what's the problem? It's not like we would've been sent flying like birds if you hadn't saved us!" Pinkie rambled.

"Well, I might want to teach that Lightning Dust a lesson myself!" Rarity chimed in.

"What she'd do to you?" Twilight asked.

"Why that tornado really roughed up my beautiful mane that day! Why, I was flabbergasted when I saw the damage it had done!" Rarity complained, showing off her mane. 

"Why would she want to bring Nightmare Moon back?" Fluttershy asked.

"She said she wanted to make me and Spitfire pay for what happened back at the academy, remember?" Rainbow said.

Twilight shook her head in denial. "That can't be all! There has to be much more to it that we're not seeing! Like, for one, how did she get in contact with Nightmare Moon in the first place?"

"Perhaps she can communicate through dreams, just like Princess Luna can." Rarity speculated.

"Maybe, but... that just doesn't sound right." Twilight closed her eyes, trying to piece together the puzzle.

"What I wanna know, is how is she able to charge her wings up like that!" Rainbow said, annoyed.

"Charge her wings up...?" Twilight paused momentarily, putting a hoof to her mouth. She suddenly gasps at what she just heard. "Wait, just like the other two Shadowbolts!"

"So they can do it too, huh? But yeah, that's what she did! She kept firing some sort of wind slicing thing at us after her wings charged up!" Rainbow exclaimed.

"Turns out that them Shadowbolts can turn into a bunch of mist when they join together!" Applejack said.

"What if that's what the humans saw when their plane crashed?" Twilight speculated, then looked ahead to see a familiar human at their room door, knocking. "Trisha?"

"Oh, Twilight! I was just looking for you! I have questions about today. Got a minute?" Trisha asked.

"Sure. We wanted to talk to you and your friends as well." Twilight said. "I guess it's about Nightmare Moon, right?"

"Yeah. My friends and I were talking about the Shadowbolts and that normal pony that's with them." Trisha answered.

"We were talking about the same thing just now, actually!" Twilight said, enthusiastically. "At this point, I think we all want answers..."

Trisha decides to take the ponies to her room with the humans so they can carry on their discussion.





Meanwhile, in the distant sky at the Wonderbolt Academy, Spitfire is in her office, currently looking through one of her file cabinets; the one drawer with the "Expelled" label. As she flipped through the alphabetized folder lids, she decides to take out the "L" Folder with her mouth and walk to her desk with it. Once she set it on the desk and opened the folder with a hoof, she began flipping through the pages until she stopped at one particular pony.

"Lightning Dust..." Spitfire thought to herself. "I wonder if it was a wise decision to let such great potential go to waste like that? She pushed herself to the limit, even more than Rainbow Dash." Pondering while looking at the photo, she looks at Lightning Dust's incredible record even when starting off. "I might bring her back if she's learned her lesson..."

Suddenly, her thoughts are derailed at the sound of a lightning bolt crashing outside. She jumped, looking around, to find where the sound came from. "It's not scheduled to rain today..." She thought, getting out of her chair and rushing out of her office. Once she arrives outside, she finds a Pegasus standing on a storm cloud, wearing a suit similar to that of the Wonderbolts, except for the black and purple colors.

"I knew you'd come running out here, Spitfire! Any pegasus would if they heard a bolt of lightning strike when it's not supposed to!" The pegasus shouted, standing on the cloud, ready to stomp her hoof once more to strike the academy with lightning. 

Spitfire of course, flew up and knocked the cloud away immediately, knocking the pony off balance momentarily.

"Whoa, careful there Spitfire, you wouldn't want to harm an innocent pony with 'RECKLESS BEHAVIOR', now would you?" The mask of the dark Wonderbolt soon faded into a starry sky-like mist, revealing the face of the pony Spitfire was just thinking about...

"Lightning Dust?! Just what do you think you're doing!?" Spitfire seethed, not taking too kindly to Lightning Dust's behavior.

"I just wanted your attention, SPITZ!" Lighting Dust mocked.

"I'm your-" Spitfire intended to remind her of her position.

"SAVE IT! Don't you DARE call yourself MY superior!" Lightning Dust suddenly snapped, cutting off Spitfire's words with absolute ferocity.

"You're right. I'm not. But I considered giving you another chance..." Spitfire said, scowling at Lightning Dust, looking at her outfit.

"Really??" Lightning Dust asked, smiles and all.

"Yeah. But I changed my mind. You haven't changed at all. In fact, you've gotten worse." Spitfire words seemingly cut into Lighting Dust like a knife. She looked genuinely hurt for a moment, but...!

"YOU DON'T SAY?!" Lightning Dust gave a very unnatural smile, as if she was proud to be rejected. "I knew it, you were only messing with me... But...! I have every intention to make this whole academy see what Everlasting Night is all about! I'll be living the dream, while you live in the DARKNESS!!"

"Maybe I should incorporate capital punishment into school regulations, for ponies like you." Spitfire said, glaring at Lightning Dust.

"Assuming you CAN." Lightning Dust said in a smug manner, giving a delightful smile...

> To Smite with Great Vengeance
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After saving Mina from the monster, the humans take her back to the Royal Palace, in which Celestia places traumatized Mina to sleep, allowing her to recover from experience the kind of darkness Princess Luna once suffered through. 

During this moment of rest, the humans and ponies take the time to discuss and hopefully, piece together why Lightning Dust, a former student and former aquaintance of Rainbow Dash, was working with the Shadowbolts. 

As for Lightning Dust herself, she pays a visit to Spitfire...




"Maybe I should incorporate capital punishment into school regulations, for ponies like you." Spitfire said.

"Assuming you CAN." Lightning Dust said in a smug manner, giving a delightful smile.

At that moment, several other Wonderbolts, wearing their suits, flew up to Lightning Dust, eventually surrounding her. 

"Threatening my superior and friend, huh? You won't get away with this, Lightning Dust." Soarin' glared at the rogue pegasus through his goggles.

"I won't, huh? Come on, guys! Spitfire used to love it when I pushed myself farther than anyone else! Why do you think she made me Lead Pony instead of that wimp Rainbow Dash, huh?! She's smart enough to know just how much better I am than that loser and those 'students'!" Lightning Dust ranted.

"Wonderbolts, let's take her down!" The moment Soarin gave his command, Lightning Dust flew away, the Wonderbolts chasing her at high speed.

Spitfire intended to fly after Lightning Dust herself, but Soarin stops her for a brief moment. "You sure you'll be okay without your suit?!"

"I'm the one she wants, so I'll be the one to take her down!" Spitfire took off flying after Lightning Dust, with Soarin following.

As for Lightning Dust, she's flying through the obstacle course consisting various rings to fly through, high winds, and mass produced storms. Despite the Wonderbolts going after her, she takes the time to show off by completing the obstacles fair and square. The wind hitting her face is unable to break the smile of the crazy Lightning Dust who is clearly enjoying this game of cat and mouse. She looks behind her a brief moment, only to see a bolt of lightning shooting past her, barely missing it's mark.

After narrowly dodging the bolt, she notices that the Wonderbolts are flying above her, sending bolts of lightning, attempting to strike at her exposed wings.

"Looks like they figured out that my suit is lightning proof just like theirs... but I'll do them one better!" Lighting Dust thought, continuing her flying through the storm clouds. 

She then started to bounce off of the clouds in an angle so she could flip them over. Due to her pressing a hoof into each cloud, a bolt of lighting fires out of each one, forcing the Wonderbolts chasing her to break their flight formation.

Lightning Dust didn't stop there! Her wings then began to glow in a dark aura first, then she made her side face her persuers and twisted her body in such speed, unleashing two blades of wind, aimed at the Wonderbolts chasing her. The blades quickly came rushing in, but being barely visible, the whirling blades hit two of the Wonderbolts, one on the left wing, and the other on the back-right leg.

"WAVE CHILL! MISTY FLY!!!" Soarin called out to the two Pegasi who were hit. "High Winds, Fleetfoot! Emergency Maneuvers!"

On Soarin's call, High Winds and Fleetfoot helped the injured Wonderbolts land safely.

"HAHAHA!!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!! HOW DID YOU BECOME WONDERBOLTS ANYWAY!? I GO-"

"SHUT UP!!!!" Spitfire shouted, flying at Lightning Dust at blazing speed, tackling her as hard as she could, slamming her onto the pavement of the runway.


"AGH!!!" Lightning Dust struggled to get free, but Spitfire pressed her forehoof down on her head and back hooves on her wings, ensuring that Lightning Dust doesn't get away. "YOU!!!!"

"You better hope they don't send your sorry flank to Tartarus after this...!!" Spitfire seethed, angry that Lightning Dust would actually harm other Wonderbolts.

"Hahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh puh-leaaaaaaaaaaaaaase! Are we really doing this!? Are we really gonna pretend you've won?!" Lightning Dust could barely express her unnatural happiness as her face was pressed firmly to the ground. 

But at Lightning Dust's declaration, the whole sky began to darken, the surrounding area engulfed in a mist that resembled a starry sky.

"What's going on here!?" Spitfire only checked around for a brief moment, but focused back on Lightning Dust.

"Looks like my new family has arrived..." Lightning Dust gave a cocky smile, as she knew she'd be able to get away.

As the mist covered the area, the Wonderbolts quickly landed on the runway, getting away from it. Eventually, two pegasi wearing a black and purple version of the Wonderbolts suit, a stallion and a mare, emerged from the mist, walking towards Spitfire, outstretching their wings.

"Yo, Number Twenty-one! Number Twelve!" Lightning Dust called out to the pegasi approaching her. "Nice timing!"

"What the... who are they!?" Spitfire demanded.

"Oh, they're here to get me out of here. I'll probably be scolded later, but I'm sure it'll be understood I wanted to have a little FUN first. Size you up before I really take you all down. But hey... look around you. They're not the only ones here. Looks like Number Five, Number Ten, and Number Sixteen finally freed themselves..." Lightning Dust said, looking at three other strange Pegasi, dressed like the two continually approaching Spitfire, standing on large storm clouds, ready to smite the academy with lightning.

"Numbers?! What are you on about!?" Spitfire asked, commandingly, but each question would go unanswered, as Lightning Dust didn't even bother.

"Lightning Dust isn't done with her task yet. Although her petty grudge has nothing to do with our goals, we still require her assistance and skills for our task. So let her go, and this Academy will be safe. Understood?" The pegasus called 'Number Five' finally spoke, standing on a Storm Cloud, covered in the starry-sky mist.

"So this is what you're going for now, Lightning Dust? Working with these phonies?" Spitfire asked, genuinely disappointed in Lightning Dust.

"The Shadowbolts... they're not phonies. But I can't really talk too much here, now can I? But it's okay. We'll be meeting again, hopefully able to show off whatever's left of Rainbow Dash when I get rid of her." Lightning Dust said.

"Let's stop them!" Soarin and the other Wonderbolts were prepared to fight, but the Shadowbolt on one of the clouds above spoke again.

"If you insist on combat, we won't hesitate to use force and destroy the academy." Number Five said.

"WHO ARE YOU TO DECIDE THAT!?" Spitfire seethed, but suddenly, a Shadowbolt tackles her off of Lightning Dust while the other grabs the rogue pegasus, all with swift precision.

With that, the mist cleared, and the Shadowbolts were long gone, and had already taken Lightning Dust with them. 

"The SHADOWBOLTS?! This is stupid!" Spitfire seethed.

"We'll track them down and apprehend Lightning Dust! I have a bad feeling that we'll be in for something huge if we don't stop her..." Soarin said.

"I'm still the one she's after... and she wants revenge on Rainbow Dash too. At this point, she's acting like a sore loser. It kinda hurts to see someone with that much potential become like this." Spitfire sighed, putting a hoof to her forehead. 

"I wonder if that's really all... Everlasting Night? That sounded a lot like Nightmare Moon..." Soarin speculated.

"I heard that too. But that can't be right! Nightmare Moon's supposed to be gone!" Spitfire said in disbelief. "But nevermind that. Go to Canterlot and let the royal guard know that we want a warrant for Lightning Dust's arrest.





Meanwhile, Lightning Dust, who was being carried off by the other Shadowbolts, is taking several deep breaths and trembling, wearing a grin on her face. 

"That... that was close... TOO close... Spitfire... you're an elite afterall, but that's good. Taking you down wouldn't be worth it if you weren't!" Lightning Dust thought to herself, breathing heavily.

Soon, the Shadowbolts stop flying. One of the Shadowbolts turn around to face Lightning Dust. 

"You should wait until later to settle your petty grudge. It wasn't wise recklessly flying there to face Spitfire and the Wonderbolts. Our plans still require your skills, so please refrain engaging in a skirmish with them." The Shadowbolt said. "Their numbers are vast and there is a ninety percent chance that they will be more troublesome than the Elements of Harmony."

"Hah, I'm being scolded now, or what?" Lightning Dust asked, still cocky.

"We have no need to scold you, Commander. However..." The Shadowbolt held out a hoof, with a small cloud of starry-sky mist above it, an odd, black and red shaded horn dropped on top of the hoof. "With this, the plan's success will increase by forty percent."

"Oh, it's that horn again..." Lightning Dust said, unsurprised.

"We will put the main plan on hold, and instead, hunt down the other seven humans that came here." The Shadowbolt suggested.

"You mean... we're really doing THAT, huh? We should've done it when we were in Canterlot." Lightning Dust added.

"The Elements of Harmony are a hindrance when they're together. I recommend targeting a human that doesn't have their protection." The Shadowbolt gave the horn to Lightning Dust. "You know what you must do."

"I getcha. So you'll track down these other humans, right? Sounds good to me!" Lightning Dust grew a maniacal smile, as she held the strange black and red horn in her forehoof...
> Whatever the Case May Be
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	
~Previously~


After the encounter with the Shadowbolts, Mina was put in a temporary slumber by Princess Celestia so she could recover from her mental damages inflicted by the Shadowbolts. During this time, Jeremy took the time to reflect on his impatience, as he's forced to accept that this world is not his own, and he has to conform to the world's logic. Afterwards, the humans and ponies discuss what happened, wanting to know why Lightning Dust is working with the Shadowbolts.

Meanwhile, Lightning Dust takes the time to pay Spitfire an unexpected visit, but due to her actions, it doesn't take long for Spitfire and the Wonderbolts to apprehend her. However, the Shadowbolts would arrive just in time to free Lightning Dust from the Wonderbolts. It is then when the Shadowbolts suggest a change in plans by giving Lightning Dust a strange black and red shaded horn and recommending that they hunt down the other humans...





Trisha, after finding Twilight and the others, comes back to their room with the ponies.

"Huh... didn't expect to see them until a little later." Jeremy commented, coming off as annoyed.

"I thought we'd be able to figure something out if we put our heads together." Trisha said, walking back to her bed.

"Sorry, but how's yer friend there? She doin' okay?" Applejack asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Mina answered, shaking off any drowsiness that remained.

"That's good. So, do you remember anything?" Twilight asked.

"No, I can't. It's kinda blurry. Every time I try to remember, my mind starts to go black or something." Mina awkwardly described, having trouble figuring out what words to use.

"I think Celestia might've purged that memory for you, since you... well, looked pretty bad." Twilight said

"Yeah, I heard." Mina answered, glancing at her friends. "They said It was like I was having a seizure or something."

"If anything, you looked like you had a nightmare; probably the worst one ever." Twilight surmised.

"If that's the case, I'm starting to see why that monster lives up to the name..." Jeremy griped, referring to Nightmare Moon. 

"If we ever see the mist, we'll need to steer clear of it. It might even be dangerous to inhale it." Trisha surmised.

"And that brings us to the next mystery: Lighting Dust." Twilight started, "It's clear she's in with the Shadowbolts to capture you guys, but one thing's bugging me. I'm sure you guys figured out what it is, right?" Twilight asked, believing the humans are on the same track.

"Oh, i know! Is it a conspiracy?! Aliens? Other humans? Secret agents?!" Pinkie began guessing.

"Umm... not quite, Pinkie..." Twilight rolled her eyes.

"How about all of the above?" Kitsu chimed in.

"Are we really doing this?" Jeremy asked, scowling at Kitsu and Pinkie.

"No, I'm pretty sure Twilight means if this really ALL Nightmare Moon's doing." Trisha answered, diffusing the silly answers. "It's what I wanted to talk to you about, Twilight. I wanna know more about Princess Luna, regarding her seal."

"That's what I was thinking too. Something's just not right..." Twilight trailed off, felt uneasy. 

"I thought the Shadowbolts were just Wonderbolt phonies Nightmare Moon made up to make me betray my friends the first time we saw her." Rainbow said.

"That's the thing! They shouldn't be exist! Princess Luna is sealed away, so Nightmare Moon shouldn't be able to create the Shadowbolts!" Twilight said, feeling agitated.

"Princess Luna did say that the seal isn't perfect either..." Trisha reminded.

"I know, but this still doesn't make sense. Even if the seal's not perfect, I doubt it'd be fragile enough for Nightmare Moon's power to leak out this much..."

"And that brings us back to the big question: Is Nightmare Moon really behind all of this?" Trisha asked. "She's supposed to be sealed."

"Can't we just ask that white Princess already? It's better than just sitting here wrecking our brains over this." Jeremy suggested.

"It's Princess Celestia." Twilight quickly corrected him.

"Whatever. Can we see her or not?" Jeremy asked.

"You don't have to be such a jerk about it. But I'm sure the princess wants to see us too! Let's go everypony! And... err... everyone!" Twilight beckoned the group to go with her to Princess Celestia's chambers. Before they could proceed down the corridor leading to the throne room, a guard walks up to Twilight in a hurry, bearing some news.

"Excuse me Miss Sparkle. Her Highness has just summoned you all and the humans to the royal dining room." The guard said.

"She's expecting us?" Twilight asked, as she wasn't expecting the sudden invitation.

"Yes she is. She sent me here to escort you. This way, please." The guard confirmed with a nod, and then led the way down the long corridor and down some stairs, to the royal dining room. 

The room was amazing, as expected of royalty. There was a big round table with a silk table cloth on top, surrounded by well crafted wooden chairs. Up ahead is a large window with a view of the entire town, made only more beautiful by the sunset. After the humans checked their surroundings, Celestia finally graces them with her appearance.

"Welcome, all of you.. I'm glad you all could join me for dinner this wonderful evening." Celestia said, beckoning the group to sit at the table. On the table were a variety of salads and hay for them all, and water in well polished glasses.

"...Hay again...?" Jeremy griped, keeping his voice low key.

"A meal's a meal. We can't really afford to be too picky about what to eat here." Mina replied.

"We were just going to see you, princess. What's the occasion?" Twilight asked, taking her seat along with everyone else.

"I figured you would have to ask me some questions sooner or later, so why not talk over dinner?" Celestia 

"She's totally hitting on us, dude... Ack!" Kitsu snarked to Jeremy, only to have his toe stepped on by Mina.

"Okay, well... let's get right to the point. It's about Princess Luna... just when did the seal happen? I need to be sure, because with all that's been happening, we're really confused." Twilight said.

"Well, it was two weeks ago, when Princess Luna came to me, feeling very ill." Celestia trailed off, answering the question.





	"My sister... what could be wrong...?!"

My dear sister, was on the floor in my room, surrounded by an aura I'm all too familiar with. She looked as if she were in great pain, suffering from the inside out.

"Celestia... ugh... it's... it's... become... too strong... agh..."

"Nightmare Moon? But... how...?"

"No... time... please... call Cadance... and... seal me away... like last time..."

"But Luna..."

"HURRY AND SEAL ME NOW!!!" My sister howled in the Royal Canterlot voice. 

It had seem that this was occurring for some time now, truth be told. She'd struggle with constant relapses of Nightmare Moon attempting to "imprison" her again. However, Nightmare Moon couldn't imprison my newly reformed sister so easily since she had come to known the magic of friendship and harmony. Her belief in her dear friends was enough to keep Nightmare Moon at bay when it repaired itself. However, My sister's will would not keep Nightmare Moon at bay, for it would slowly regain it's strength, until it was overpowering my sister.

And so... I alerted Cadence to help me with the seal. It was a sealing ritual I performed like it was yesterday.

"We really have to do this, huh?" I could see in Cadance's expression that she didn't want to see Luna gone again.

"Yes. Unfortunately, Nightmare Moon threatens Equestria once again." I revealed the grave news to Cadance.

"Can't we just use the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon again?" Cadance asked.

"Nightmare Moon is a prison that's proven capable of repairing itself. I think having to repeat that again and again would become painful for Luna."

It's as I surmised. I believe that my sister wishes for a way to rid her of Nightmare Moon for good this time. So it was then, Cadance and I performed the sealing ritual to seal Princess Luna away.





"Two weeks ago?! But... then, how..." Twilight suddenly stood up, now even more confused. Just how did Nightmare Moon bring them here?

"Is that everything you know? Or everything we NEED to know?" Jeremy asked curtly. 

"Hey!" Twilight scolded.

"It depends on how you make use of it." Celestia answered briefly, causing Jeremy's eye to twitch. He then sighed and ate his salad.

"Wait, wasn't Lightning Dust able to use that same attack?" Rarity asked.

"Oh, OH! The one them Shadowbolts was usin'!" Applejack added.

"That would mean Lightning Dust was probably approached by Nightmare Moon at some point... Wait, it'd be impossible for a Pegasus to use the kind of magic that brought the humans here." Twilight surmised.

"I think... I might have an idea..." Fluttershy tried to give her input, but her voice didn't reach anyone.

"Hmph. Maybe she was the one who cut our plane in half." Jeremy said, still nibbling away at the salad.

"Yeah, that's right!" Eva bolted out of her seat, pointing at Jeremy with a fork. "There's no other way to look at it!"

"Hmm... did you, Mina, and Mia take a good look at the plane?" Trisha asked.

"Umm... excuse me." Once again, Fluttershy wasn't heard.

"Yeah, we did!" Eva answered excitedly.

"Well, I was the one who got a close look at it. It was definitely a clean cut." Mina answered.

"Well, I guess that means Lightning Dust is the ass we need to kick." Jeremy popped his knuckles.

"Guys, Fluttershy has something to say!" Twilight interrupted.

"She really should speak louder sometimes. Like me!" Mia bragged a bit.

"Umm... what about her suit...?" Fluttershy meekly asked, unsure if her input would contribute to the speculation.

"Suit? You mean her Shadowbolt suit?" Rainbow asked.

"Oh! Didn't that suit seem to be made out of that mist?" Twilight asked, then added. "When her mask was torn, it was leaking that mist!"

Twilight then glanced at Celestia, who silently enjoyed her food, all while having a smile on her face. 

"Oh, don't mind me. I just found it a little entertaining to watch you all piece together this mystery. It's like watching a detective play." Celestia quipped.

"With all due respect Princess, it sounds like you already know the answer." Twilight suspected, squinting her eyes.

"Honestly, I'm not sure how Nightmare Moon could bring the humans to Equestria other than through Lightning Dust. In fact, it sounds like this Lightning Dust is the key to all of this." Celestia gave her input.

"Yeah. It still sucks that she had to turn to Nightmare Moon for revenge." Rainbow said, feeling bitter.

"Hey, didn't she say you snitched on her or something?" Jeremy asked Rainbow.

"I didn't snitch! I just told Spitfire how there's a difference between being reckless and pushing yourself as hard as you can, and quit the academy since it seemed to me that being reckless was rewarded!" Rainbow snapped.

"Huh. Then how the hell did she draw that conclusion of snitching?" Jeremy was confused since Rainbow's explanation sounded nothing like snitching.

"I don't know! She wasn't in the room when I talked to Spitfire about it! All I know is that Spitfire brought me back to the academy since she realized what I said made a lot of sense, and in return, she made me Lead Pony at the cost of expelling Lightning Dust."  Rainbow gave a guess, her lips forming a frown.

"Sounds like there's some bad blood between you guys. But hey, we kinda got beef with her too. I'm pretty sure she's the one behind our plane crash." Jeremy said.

"Well, she's still my responsibility!" Rainbow chided.

"And it's her and her damn suit's fault!" Jeremy argued, unknowingly earning the stares of everyone else. "W-what?!"

"I forgot we were talking about her suit, but that's it! Her suit might be the source of her power!" Twilight surmised. "Alright, we're getting somewhere!"

"That would mean Nightmare Moon must've given her a suit at some point." Trisha added.

"Yeah, when she ran away crying." Jeremy and Rainbow said in unison, which caused them to scowl at each other.

"Speaking of that... when did that happen?" Mia asked, looking at Rainbow.

"Oh, that happened last month." Rainbow answered.

"Well, that settles it. A month's plenty of time for Lightning Dust to get in touch with Nightmare Moon somehow." Jeremy chimed in.

"Yeah, I guess..." Trisha agreed solemnly.

"What?" Jeremy scowled at Trisha.

"Well... is that really it? I still feel like we're missing something here. I can't put my finger on it. But..." Trisha sighed, pausing for a moment, then carried on. "I mean... so Lightning Dust gets expelled, and runs home crying... then wouldn't she have had to come here to Canterlot? I'm sure Princess Luna wouldn't go for some random stroll."

"Yeah, but Princess Luna can communicate with anypony through their dreams. It's safe to assume Nightmare Moon can do it too." Twilight added.

"Mmm... yeah, but... I still feel like we're missing something." Trisha said, folding her arms.

"Then the Crystal Empire might be where you'll find that answer, young human." Celestia chimed in.

"Crystal what?" Trisha was thrown off for a moment.

"It ties into the Nightmare Moon legend. And It so happens to be where your other friends are." Celestia said.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Jeremy bolted from his chair and began shouting. "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US THAT!?"

"Well, I was rudely interrupted, remember?" Celestia said, reminding them of the Shadowbolts.

"Tch..." Of course, Jeremy clicked his tongue upon realizing that his outburst may have been the initial interruption.

"It's why I summoned you all here, so that perhaps I could shed some light to the mysteries and be of some assistance."

"Well you sure have a hella roundabout way of doing that. Ugh." Jeremy plopped in his chair and folded his arms in frustration. "You're worse than Avu."

"Well, I think this means we should go to the Crystal Empire next. But really, I think it'll be best If we headed back to Ponyville first. We still have our jobs, so I think it would be best if we took care of that..." Twilight chimed in.

"Yeah, we gotta let our friends and co-workers know we'll be gone for a bit." Rainbow said.

"Wow, you guys have jobs too, huh?" Eva asked.

"Well of course, silly! We all work and get paid!" Pinkie answered. 

"Yeah, them apples at Sweet Apple Acres ain't gonna buck themselves!" Applejack added.

"Pfft...!" Kitsu laughed to himself.

"Sure, the weather won't be on schedule since nopony else can do it fast like me! But I'm sure it'll be fine." Rainbow bragged.

"Good grief... You guys control the weather?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, of course. All the Pegasi can do that." Twilight answered.

"Mmm... well, I feel a little bad for getting you guys to leave your jobs for our sake." Trisha sheepishly said.

"Well, it shouldn't be too bad. All we need to do is beat the Shadowbolts and get you guys home. We have the Elements of Harmony, so how hard could it be?" Twilight said, feeling confident.

"Okay, well, as long as we don't burden you all somehow. I don't want that to happen." Mina stood her ground.

"Quit yer worryin' already! Ya'll were brought here against ya'll will, right? If anything'll be a burden, it'd be them darn Shadowbolts. Little rascals are more annoyin' than flock of fruit bats." Applejack said reassuringly.

"So we're going back to Ponyville first, right?" Trisha asked.

"Yeah, we just need to take care of some things."

"Yeah, fine. Guess I can go to. Now that I think about it, I wanna go check the plane wreckage." Jeremy grumbled briefly.

"Why? There's nothing else there except other clothes." Mina questioned, believing that it's pointless to go back.

Because..." Jeremy finally finished his salad and stood up. "I need a weapon." He then walked out of the room."

"Is he out of his mind? There's no way we'd have any weapons to use!" Eva said, flabbergasted. "It'd be impossible if we had to go through the airport!"

"No, but that plane was a private jet, right? There might be something we could use..." Trisha said.

"Weapons, huh... I figured it'd come to that." Twilight said, feeling uneasy.

"I kinda see where Jeremy's coming from though. He's basically saying, he doesn't want you guys doing all the work!" Mia said, defending Jeremy.

"Yeah, I guess..." Twilight said, then using her magic to quickly skim through the Book of Humans again. Once she reads the part about how humans have guns, she sighs, and closes the book.

Afterwards, the group say their goodbyes to Princess Celestia and board the train back to Ponyville. 

During the ride on the train, Twilight is reading through the book of humans once more, locked in a deep focus with Trisha next to her. Trisha however, breaks that focus for a moment. 

"Twilight, you've looked like that since the dinner. What's wrong?" Trisha asked.

"Well, It's just... I'm reading on how good and evil works in your world." Twilight said, showing Trisha the passage she's reading. "Oh, oops... I forgot, you can't read our language."

Trisha never got a good look at the medium-size tan-colored book before, but now that she looks at it up close, she notices that the edges of the cover look worn off and have traces of sand, and that there's nothing on the cover except for the words 'Humans: A Study of their Free Will' written in English. However, the text inside is definitely a language she's never seen before.

"Oh, it's fine. But I get what you mean. Is Equestria like that too?" Trisha asked.

"Well, considering you guys did get attacked today, I think that'd answer your question." Twilight answered, followed by a dry laugh. "Equestria has it's share of dangers too. It's just, when I read the part about guns, I just see that as something... really vile, you know?" Twilight said, feeling bitter.

"I guess you hate how guns kinda make murder an easy thing to do, right?" Trisha said.

"It's just... they instill a brand of fear into others just as quickly as the dangerous creatures! Fear, hate, chaos... It's just... there's some history about world wars as well... I'm beginning to wonder who even wrote this book, and how they know so much, and if Celestia actually read through it..." Twilight trailed off. 

"I'm curious as to what Princess Celestia thinks of that book..." Trisha wondered.

"You know, even if there weren't guns, I believe murder's still possible through a variety of means." Mina, who was sitting behind Trisha, chimed in after hearing her.

"I know that!" Twilight answered quickly, but slowed down as she finished. "I know... it's just people instill fear into others with just weapons in general. Then again, it's also possible with magic, or being in control of dangerous creatures..."

"That just don't happen as often here in Equestria." Applejack added. "This place has love and harmony all around, ya know? It's just some ponies don't like followin' tha rules."

"I know. Some of the most dangerous enemies we've defeated, like, Nightmare Moon, Discord, Queen Chrysalis, King Sombra..." Twilight listed off the various enemies.

"You guys fought a lot of bad guys huh? You really are heroes..." Trisha trailed off, feeling admiration for the ponies, but her eyes lowered, and her mouth formed a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, noticing Trisha's expression.

"Ah! It's nothing! Really!" Trisha answered as she waved the suspicion away. "I was just admiring how you guys are pretty much official heroes and get respect for it." Trisha desperately explained.

"Mmm... I don't think being a Hero is the right term. We just do the right thing, to help maintain the balance of harmony, that's all. Being called a hero is a bit heavy..." Twilight said, giving a wry smile. "If anything, I'd prefer to just live my normal life, writing letters to the princess about every lesson of friendship we learn all the time."

"Well... we're friends, right? I mean, I'm sure you've questioned the credibility of that book from time to time, especially when you read some of the more crazy stuff about our species..." Trisha asked.

"Well, to be honest, I never thought about that... I just talk to you about the book sometimes because, it's as you think, I do question this book's credibility. But our conversations help me confirm a lot of things. So yeah, I'd like to be friends and learn more about your culture and your species! I'm quite curious about humans myself afterall!" Twilight said.

"Only an egghead like you, Twi." Rainbow snarked.

"Says the one who reads Daring Do every time a new book comes out!" Twilight quipped.

"Hey, Daring Do is a COOL book for cool ponies like me!" Rainbow declared.

"Well that makes me cool then too, because I love Daring Do!" Twilight retorted, which only resulted in laughter from everypony.

"What the hell is a 'Daring Do'?" Jeremy asked abruptly.

"Oh for the LOVE OF CELESTIA..." Rainbow groaned in annoyance at the question "How can you not-"

"Well excuuuuuuuuuuuse me for not knowing about your world's literature!" Jeremy quickly argued back, as he knew what she'd say.

"He's a human, and he's not from Equestria, remember? It'd be impossible for him to know that." Rarity said.

"Heh, well, that just means he's not even cool!" Rainbow retorted.

"I don't wanna be considered 'cool' by someone like you!" Jeremy said, resulting in him and the cyan pegasus exchanging glares.

"Well, to be fair, none of us humans know who Daring Do is." Mina said.

"Gotta resist..." Kitsu knew what kind of joke he wanted to say, but held back, all the while covering his mouth, muffling his laughter.

"Alright, before you guys go home, you guys will know just how cool Daring Do is!" Rainbow said boldly, then turned to Jeremy, "ESPECIALLY you, you uncool human!"

"Good luck with that." Jeremy snarked.

"Count on it!" Rainbow agreed, taking the challenge.





After a lengthy train ride, the group arrives back in Ponyville. By this time, the sun was steadily going down. From there, everyone began to split up for their own tasks.

"Allllrighty, now that we're here, time to go to that plane." Jeremy said, starting to walk off.

"You forgot what we said about the Everfree forest already, huh?" Twilight asked.

"Come on, I'm just gonna dash on through, get to the plane, and come back. How hard can it be?" Jeremy asked, giving an inquisitive look. He really did think it'd be easy.

"But it's almost night time!" Twilight warned. "It always becomes dangerous at night!"

"Bah! It'll be an hour till dark. I'll be back in thirty minutes." Jeremy said, starting to walk off, but is stopped by Rainbow.

"Once it gets dark, and you're in the forest, you'll never come out!" Rainbow warned in a condescending manner.

"Uuuuuugh!" Twilight groaned, feeling annoyed, knowing that Jeremy and Rainbow may argue again. "We don't have time for this!"

"I don't buy it. Like I said, it'll be an hour before it gets dark." Jeremy began walking off, but suddenly, Rainbow picked him up and flew him to the airplane, way faster than he could've gotten there by running.

"How do you like THAT? Ten. seconds. FLAT." Rainbow bragged.

"ARGH!!! No one asked you to do that!" Jeremy kicked the ground out of frustration as he yelled.

"I did it to see the look on your face!" Rainbow taunted.

"Goddamn show-off..." Jeremy grumbled. He then took a deep breath to calm down, and turned his attention to the plane that's tilted against the mountain. "Well, since I'm here..."

Jeremy walked into the open end of the plane and went up inside by climbing the seats. Entering the cargo hold where the majority of their luggage once was, he looks around to see that the area is pretty wrecked. To the left, he finds an open cage once held together by a chain. There's nothing useful except for a crowbar left behind, which was presumably used to force the cage open. 

"Well, this is useful..." Jeremy picked up the crowbar, doing a test swing. "Nice..." He then takes the loose chain with the bent edges off of the cage and wraps it around his hand. "Makeshift brass knuckle... alright." He then looks over to find a few broken steel bars and chooses to pull them off, using the crowbar to help force them off.

"Hey, quit being such a slow poke in there!" Rainbow yelled at him.

"Finding useful weapons takes time, you jerk!" Jeremy yelled back at Rainbow. He opens his bag to place all the items inside, but hears a jingle inside. "Well, looks like I forgot about these..."

Jeremy then slides down out of the plane after slipping the weapons into his shoulder bag. He laid out a crowbar, a chain, and four steel bars, one more edged than the others.

"Hey, I found a little nice weapon." Jeremy said, picking up one of the steel pipes and swinging it like a baseball bat, which nearly caught Rainbow off guard.

"Hey! Watch it!" Rainbow chided.

"Oh, don't mind me, I'm just testing the weapons."  Jeremy said, this time swinging the bar like a sword.

"Well test it on the Shadowbolts, you moron!" Rainbow snapped at him.

"Relaaaaaaax, I wouldn't do something so heinous as hit you with a pipe or a chain, or a crowbar..." Jeremy said with a smug expression.

"Then what's with that look!?" Rainbow noted the somewhat maniacal expression he was wearing.

"Oh, this face? It's how I always look!" Jeremy smiled, swinging the crowbar around this time, albeit a little wildly.

"Sounds like you're insane to me, big guy." Rainbow surmised, keeping her distance.

"Nah, I'm not insane. I'm just feeling useful in a way. I wanted to arm my crew. That incident back at Canterlot's got me feeling a little cautious." Jeremy said.

"Then shouldn't you arm yourself?" Rainbow said, breathing a sigh of relief since he stopped testing the weapons.

"Oh, I already had a weapon. I just pretty much forgot about it until now when I opened my bag to carry these things. See this chain? Trisha's an ass kicker, so she'd use it as a brass knuckle. Eva, Mina, and Mia... They can use some pipes. Kitsu can have that crowbar. But me?" Jeremy dug into his bag and pulled out some keys. "I have these..."

"Wait, what are those?" Rainbow asked, finding that his keys look vastly different from their own keys.

"Oh...well, I guess the keys in this world are more of the old ages... none of the modern-day stuff. But these are my house keys." Jeremy said, placing a key between each finger. "It'll hurt like hell if I don't be careful, but it's more effective than you think."

"You really are crazy..." Rainbow said, scowling at Jeremy. 

"Nah... I just have a few screws loose, that's all, no biggie." Jeremy said, putting the weapons back into his bag. "So don't worry about it too much. You'll get a headache."

"I've got my eye on you then! And just so you know, you couldn't hit me even if you tried!" Rainbow boasted.

"Hmph. Yeah, well, I don't have wings to fly around like a butterfly all day. So you got one on me. I'd just have to getcha while you're sleeping." Jeremy looked away with a smirk.

"Alright, you're asking for it!" Rainbow moved into a fighting stance.

"Settle down, Skittles. I'm not gonna fight ya." Jeremy said, suddenly nicknaming her.

"Wha- SKITTLES!?" Rainbow was thrown off guard instantly by the sudden nickname.

"Yeah. Skittles. I think the shoe fits ya well."  Jeremy said, walking off. "Whelp, time to head back to townOOOWAAAH!?!"  Suddenly, Jeremy felt himself unexpectedly flying at high speed once again, feeling the heavy amount of wind slapping him in the face. Once he was dropped, he looked up to see Rainbow looking smug at him, which ticked him off as usual. "I SAID DON'T DO THAT!" 

"You shoulda never called me Skittles! BLEEEEEEEEGH!" Rainbow stuck her tongue out and flew off. 

"YEAH, YOU BETTER RUN, SKITTLES!!!" Jeremy stood up as he yelled into the sky at her, shaking his fist.

Once he turned around, he noticed Kitsu, Mina, Eva, and Mia there, waiting for him.

"You guys didn't hear that, did you...?" Jeremy asked, becoming embarrassed.

"Yep... so you went and nicknamed her. I thought you only did that for crew members." Eva wondered.

"HOW CUTE! Awwww, you don't hate Rainbow after all, do you?" Mia teased.

"Hey, the name was insulting! And it pisses her off, just like I want! HAH! Anyway, where's Trish?" Jeremy asked, since he didn't see her there.

"She went with Twilight. Those two really get along huh?" Mia said, then tilted her head in curiosity.

"With the way she's been curious about this world, she probably just likes asking the smartest pony in the bunch." Jeremy said.

"She is kinda the brains of their group, huh?" Mia asked.

"She's gotta be. At least she ain't a douche about it like Megan is though." Jeremy said.





Meanwhile, Trisha and Twilight are at the Golden Oaks Library. 

"Welcome back, Twilight!" Spike greeted her. "I'm always shocked to see how many ponies love a good read sometimes!"

"Thanks for taking care of the place while I was gone, but, I'll be gone for just a wee bit longer!" Twilight said sheepishly.

"Aww, are you kidding me?" Spike's shoulders slumped as he griped.

"No, I'm afraid not. We have to go to the Crystal Empire to help the humans." Twilight explained.

"I was wondering why this little guy wasn't with you." Trisha said, looking at Spike.

"I had him watch the place while I was gone." Twilight answered, then turned back to Spike. "Well, I did say you could've asked Lyra or Bon Bon for help. What happened?"

"Well, I tried looking for Lyra, but I haven't seen her around all day!" Spike answered, albeit a bit agitated. "I couldn't find BonBon either!"

"Hmm..." Twilight began to think about the two ponies Spike mentioned.

"Lyra? BonBon?" Trisha naturally didn't know who they were talking about.

"Oh, Lyra Heartstrings. She used to be a classmate of mine back when I attended magic school at Canterlot. We're friends now, and she used to volunteer to help with the place whenever I was out saving the world. And Bon Bon is her friend. They're pretty much always together. I don't' know why they aren't in town though..." Twilight said, feeling that them being out of town this late is a little strange. "Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Lyra ever since I got this old book from Princess Celestia... she would've been excited to have a look through it..."

"How about we get the Cutie Mark Crusaders to watch the place? I mean, They'd do a way better job than me!" Spike suggested while he looked away. Twilight could tell from his face that he just wants to avoid doing his task.

"They don't know anything about being a librarian! And you're the only one who knows the job well enough to handle it for me while I'm gone!" Twilight said as she used her magic to clean up the library a bit by putting away some books.

"Come oooooon, Twilight!" Spike continued his complaint.

"Okay, okay, if you do as I ask, I promise I'll bake a gem encrusted cake with you when we get back, okay?" Twilight asked, making an offer.

"Mmm... I don't know..." Spike was unsure.

"Please, Spike! I'll make the cake as big as a wedding cake! So please??" Twilight begged, giving a pout.

"Mmm... I'm still not sold." Spike gave Twilight a deadpan look, unconvinced of her offers.

"I'll help make it so you and Rarity can eat some cake together!" Twilight added.

"Whoa! A gem cake, and a date with Rarity!? I'm SOLD!" Spike was ecstatic.

"Okay, thanks! Watch the place well while I'm gone, okay? I'll be back as soon as I can!" Twilight bid farewell to the little dragon.

With that, Trisha and Twilight leave the library and head back into town to meet with the other humans. Even now, Ponyville's still just a little busy.

"That little dragon likes Rarity? Like, romantically?" Trisha asked, curious about it.

"Yeah. It's pretty obvious actually." Twilight answered.

"Hmm... A dragon and a pony... is... is that even..." Trisha sounded doubtful, and also a little squicked.

"Oh! Uhh... right... you're talking about THAT. Well... it IS possible. It would explain how something like Discord came to be."

"Discord? Is he some Dragon-pony hybrid?" Trisha asked.

"Hard to say... his body parts aren't really that of a pony's. It's somewhat... strange though. But he's what's called a draconequus." Twilight explained.

"Umm... so... well, speaking of that, even though you all are umm... *ahem* naked, what about the umm... private... areas? How... haven't we seen them?" Trisha's cheeks gradually turned red.

"Geez, this is embarrassing... ah..." Twilight's cheeks became red as well, wanting to explain, but feeling awkward about it. "W-w-well... they... well... it's... invisible until... um... you know... it's... that time."

"I'm guessing... like when you have someone to love, right?" Trisha nervously guessed.

"Right... Oh, this is embarrassing... I never liked talking about that, yet alone thinking about it!" Twilight complained.

"I... see." Trisha said, feeling uneasy at the thought of a pony and a dragon mating. She then shook her head frantically the moment some images popped into her head.

Once Twilight and Trisha meet back up with their friends and thankfully shook off the feeling of embarrassment. Back together, they depart for the train station, hoping to take the last train to  the Crystal Empire.

"So how'd things go with you guys?" Twilight asked her friends.

"Big Mac said he'd have few members of the family come on down to help with the apples. He'll also make sure Applebloom helps out a little more too, which is a relief!" Applejack said.

"I of course, already have a few fashionistas such as myself to help with my boutique! I told them to make sure the place remains fabulous in my absence!" Rarity said.

"I-I asked for a caretaker to feed my animals..." Fluttershy said, nervously.

"The Cakes already said they'll take care of the shop while I'm gone! I even brought my party cannon with me!" Pinkie said, standing next to a huge, pink cannon with a star pattern on it.

"What the hell!?" Jeremy looked at the cannon, which looked pretty lethal.

"Umm... there's no way to carry that on the train... here, let me help." Twilight used her magic to shrink the cannon to the size of her hoof.

"Ooo, a MINI cannon! Let's try it!" Pinkie tried to fire the cannon, but whatever ammo is in there, it shrunk too. "Aww..."

"I already got a few friends to help with the weather, so no big deal there." Rainbow said, waving off the worries.

"And well, you know us. We're all set." Trisha said.

"Not yet! I almost forgot!" Jeremy said, taking the items he got from the plane out of his bag.

"Whoa, I forgot about the tools in there." Mina said, looking at the crowbar, remembering that she used it to get a few items out of there.

"Yep. A chain for Trish, a pipe for Mina, Mia, and Eva, and a crowbar for Kitsu." Jeremy took each weapon and placed one on each hand of his crew.

"Wait, why do I get a chain?" Trisha asked.

"You used to fight, right? Use it as a brass knuckle! Or swing it around! Whipah! Wham, ya know? It's actually pretty thick and looks strong too, so if we get attacked, we can defend ourselves." Jeremy said, watching his crew place their weapons in their bags.

"Wait, you didn't get yourself a weapon... don't tell me you're using your keys again..." Mia said, sounding worried as she closed her bag up.

"Yep." Jeremy answered quickly.

"Don't blame me if you scar your fingers." Mina said.

"Maybe he wants to become the master of unlocking." Kitsu joked.

"Shut up. We gotta get going anyway." Jeremy said.

"Alright, we're all set, so let's get going!" Twilight said, beckoning the group to come with her.

Everyone began boarding the train to the Crystal Empire, but Eva stops for a moment when she notices a Wonderbolt putting up a poster...

"Hey, hurry up or you'll be left behind!" Jeremy called out to her before she could take a look.

"Oh, sorry!" Eva ran onto the train before it closed.

Once everyone took their seats and the train started to move...

"Okay, what was that about?" Jeremy turned around and asked Eva, irritated that she was almost left behind.

"I just saw a Wonderbolt putting up a poster over there! Look!" Eva pointed out of the window, looking at the train station wall to see the poster.

Rainbow looked outside as well, even opening the window quickly to glance at the poster. But the face she saw caused her to seethe with anger. 

"You've GOT to be kidding me!!" Rainbow shouted.

"Whoa, what's wrong??" Twilight looked to Rainbow, confused as to why she'd be angry.

"The Wonderbolts were putting up a WANTED poster for Lightning Dust!" Rainbow seethed.
> Crystal Clear - Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After Mina finally awakens from her sleep, she seems to have recovered, but lacks any memory of what she was like when she was taken into the Star Mist. As for Trisha, she gathers the six mares and they carry on the discussion of the day's events, which is continued in the Royal Dining Room. It is then, that Princess Celestia gave a critical clue, as well as the location of the rest of the journalism crew. With the new information, the group returns to Ponyville for preparations, then set out for the Crystal Empire.

Upon leaving on the train though, Rainbow Dash and Eva catch sight of a Wanted poster for Lightning Dust...





"I'll be right back. I gotta check on something!" Rainbow said, climbing out of the train window.

"We don't have time for that!" Jeremy chided.

"I'll make it quick like always!" Rainbow jumped out and flew to the train station to meet with the Wonderbolt who was putting up the wanted flyer. As she climbed out, Jeremy was unintentionally kicked in the face with her back hoof.

"Agh...! I autta rip out her spine for that!" Jeremy complained, rubbing his chin. "Last time I sit next to her on this damned thing..."

As for Rainbow, she quickly met with the Wonderbolt in question and stopped the stallion in his tracks.

"Whoa, Rainbow Dash? You kinda scared me popping up out of nowhere like that." The Wonderbolt said, who turned out to be Fire Streak.

"What's with the wanted posters? Did she attack the academy!?" Rainbow asked, getting straight to the point.

"You guessed it. Lightning Dust didn't destroy anything there, but she did injure a couple of our comrades. I think that's grounds to bring her in. She's gone too far already." Fire Streak answered briefly.

"Ugh! I can't BELIEVE THIS!" Rainbow stomped a hoof down.

"I hear she attacked Canterlot too, so getting these wanted posters approved took no time since the Royal Guard wants her captured as well." Fire Streak elaborated. "You must've seen her judging from your reaction."

"Yeah! she attacked the humans we're with!"  Rainbow answered.

"Humans? Wait, those creatures we saved a few days ago? Why is she after them?" Fire Streak asked, surprised to know that Lightning Dust is targeting humans.

"All I know is that she and the Shadowbolts seem to be targeting them and that this is all related to Nightmare Moon... something about them being her candidates or something.." Rainbow answered.

"Candidates, huh? Hmm... sounds a little far fetched. I thought Princess Luna was Nightmare Moon." Fire Streak said, sounding unsure.

"Yeah, but she was sealed away, so there's no way she could be Nightmare Moon right now!" Rainbow defended.

"Well, I have to thank you for the information! I'll be sure to relay the info to Spitfire and let her know you're okay."

"She's fine, right? Lightning Dust wants revenge on her and me after all." Rainbow asked.

"Of course she's fine! She'd never let a rookie like Lightning Dust beat her in a fight." Fire Streak answered with confidence.

"*Phew*! Thank Celestia! Alright, I'll catch ya later!" Rainbow bidded the Wonderbolt Farewell before flying back to the train and getting back into her seat, kicking Jeremy in the process again, this time in the arm.

"AAAAAAARGH! You have to watch it! I'm a human! We're more squishy than you ponies!" Jeremy griped, rubbing his arm.

"Oh quit being such a baby! You're a man, take it like one!" Rainbow chided.

"You're asking for it..." Jeremy cracked his knuckles.

"Calm down, Jeremy!" Eva said, in which he responded with a grunt.

"Well, what did that Wonderbolt say?" Rarity asked.

"He said that the academy didn't get destroyed or anything, but Lightning Dust actually injured two Wonderbolts."

"My word, she's worse than I thought!" Rarity was appalled. 

"All to get back at Spitfire, right?" Twilight asked, in the seat across from Rainbow and Jeremy's.

"Yeah, and me. But If it's a fight she wants, then she's got it!" Rainbow said, making a punching gesture.

"Aww, if I knew you'd be fighting, I would've brought my bell!" Pinkie chimed in.

"Uhh... a bell?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah! DING DING DING! Like that! I'd be all like, 'FIGHTING IN THE BLUE CORNER, Weighing in at-" Pinkie was interrupted.

"It's not a boxing match!" Rainbow said, cutting off Pinkie's rambling..

"You guys have boxing in this world?! Are you kidding me!?" Trisha turned around in surprise and asked in a demanding tone. 

"Well duh! Well, that's more of a new thing in Manehattan though, but it's getting plenty of steam already!" Rainbow answered with enthusiasm. "I guess you guys have that in your world too, huh?"

"Yeah, we do! It's nothing new, but it's always exciting to watch them fight!" Trisha explained, making punching gestures.

"You're still pretty gung-ho about that, huh?" Mina asked.

"I told you I don't go around fighting people anymore! That's not my thing!" Trisha desperately denied. 

"You're gonna have to when we encounter the Shadowbolts. We're armed now, so we have to be ready to fight." Mina said.

"Mina's right, Trish. And we're about to meet the others too, so after that, it'll be a fight to get home." Jeremy said, folding his arms.

"I'd like to call this whole thing 'Spring Break: Hard Mode.'" Kitsu quipped.

"...Really?" Jeremy palmed his face, sighing in disbelief. 

"Yeah, dude! I'm not saying I'm happy about it or anything!" Kitsu defended his joke.

"He's just trying to lighten things up like usual! Besides, you're the one that wants us to fight!" Mia pointed out, pouting.

"Because we can't leave the fighting to these ponies! It kinda pisses me off to be protected by creatures only little girls would like!" Jeremy said strongly.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Rainbow angrily asked.

"Jeremy's got a point, but I don't entirely agree. It doesn't make me mad to have protection in the least unlike our boss, but if we can reduce their burden, even a little, then I'll step up and fight." Mina agreed.

"And I just told ya'll that ya'll ain't no burden!" Applejack said.

"You sure? You took some serious damage." Kitsu asked out of worry.

"Yeah, MENTAL damage. Nothing serious. And I'm fine!" Mina replied, scowling at Kitsu.

"Alright, alright. But hey, we'll finally get to see the others finally!" Kitsu said, smiling.

"Yeah. About damn time too." Jeremy said, before yawning. "Yo, Twilight. How long till we get there?"

"I'd say in another few hours. You can take a nap if you want." Twilight answered, adding a suggestion.

"Hmph. Don't mind if I do." Jeremy said, pulling his flatcap downward a bit to cover his eyes and eventually fall asleep.

"I'm tired too... it's been a long day hasn't it..." Trisha said before leaning her head against the window and dozing off.

Eventually, the whole group fell asleep in their seats, as the train made it's way to the Crystal Empire.





Meanwhile, during Jeremy and the crew's troubles and eventual encounter with the monster and enemies, the rest of their friends were offered a gift from Princess Cadence; a gift she believes they'll need. Once Avu and Chris opened the treasure chest, they discover something unexpected...

"So... care explaining what these are, Princess?" Avu asked, glancing at the various crystals in the treasure box.

The Crystals were already crafted into the form of various bracelets, necklaces, and even earrings, each with it's beauty amplified by the light in the room shining on them, giving off various bright colors. The crystal accessories each had a simple design, but they were very clear, nearly see-through trinkets that each had a slight weight to them, making one wonder just how these crystals were made.

"Those... they're called Equine Crystals..." Cadence said, hoping to explain as carefully as possible.

"Crystals? I hate to break it to you, but where we're from, they don't have much value, no matter how well-polished and exquisite they look. Surely you don't expect us to sell these and make some money to get home with." Megan said, looking inside the chest.

Alice of course, takes out a few necklaces and hangs them around her neck, one by one. "Hehe, they're kinda pretty actually!" Alice looked at the crystal necklaces as they're reflected in the light, giving them more of an elegant shine and beauty. "Ruby, do you want to try them on?"

"Sure, but..." Ruby nodded to Alice, then turned to the alicorn behind her, "Miss Mi Amore Cadenza? Why are you giving us jewelry?"

"Because you'll need it to survive. And please, call me Cadence." The princess answered, then letting Ruby call her by her nickname.

"Okay! So... Miss Cadence... Is it dangerous outside?" Ruby asked.

"Well... yes, and no. I mean, it's safe here in the empire, I promise. And even if something were to happen, those crystals will protect you, and so will I." Cadence said reassuringly.

"Yay! But if you were protecting me, wouldn't your pretty mane be messed up? I wouldn't want to be responsible for you getting hurt..." Ruby said happily, her voice turning solemn. 

"It's fine! I'm the ruler of this Empire. It's My and Shining Armor's duty to protect it." Cadence reassured her.

"Okay, that's well and dandy, but If I may pose a simple question, how will these little trinkets protect us? Explain yourself." Megan scowled at the princess.

"Well, since you so kindly asked," Cadence started with a bit of sarcasm, "These crystals are powered by bonds. Friendship."

"Friendship, huh... what, are you saying Friendship is magic?" Megan asked.

"Maybe you don't believe in friendship, perhaps?" Cadence asked.

"Oh, I believe in friendship alright. You just have to be on my level to be my friend, that's all. If you're not on my level, if you can't keep up with my superior intellect, if you can't prove your worth to me, then I don't want to be friends. The people in this room have all proven their worth to me in some way, shape, or form." Megan answered in a matter-of-factly tone.

"Aww, you really love us!" Avu teased. "Want a hug?"

"You're not THAT worthy." Megan scowled at Avu.

"Hahahaha, juuuuust kidding. I don't swing that way anyway." Avu said.

"Neither do I, obviously." Megan said.

"Ahem..." Mr. Martin cleared his throat, signaling the two to be quiet. "So, Princess... umm... let's see... about these crystals. How will they protect us?"

"Well, they protect you by granting those who possess them the magic of speed and defense. Not much is known about these crystals except that they were the secret weapon used by my people during the Sombra Rebellion a thousand years ago..." Cadence explained.

"Sombra Rebellion...?" Chris asked.

"I recall you speaking of this... evil tyrant that once ruled your kingdom with an iron fist... Am I correct?" Megan guessed, but wanted to be sure.

"Yes, you're right... Shining Armor and I learned of the rebellion when we spoke to some survivors of the rebellion. They thought that they could fight against Sombra's army during his time in power." Cadence explained. "The Equine crystals, during the time of finding out their powers, we only discovered that they're used for speed and defense and that they're also very limited."

"I'm gonna guess these 'limits' on the crystals is why the rebellion failed, right?" Avu asked, putting a bracelet and whirling it around his finger.

"Precisely. In fact, it made his rule worse, and he turned everypony into a slave to mine and craft more of these crystals for use, simply because their power is eerily similar to that of the Crystal Heart here, yet very much different. These weapons piqued Sombra's interest, and he wanted them for himself to find out their power."

"And how did that go?" Alice asked.

"Not well. He never discovered anything beyond the speed and defense that those crystals grant. However, he figured out that if used strategically, he may even be able to overthrow Celestia and Luna by initiating a campaign to take Equestria and expand his rule. However, as I said, these crystals are limited..." Cadence trailed off for a moment, took a deep breath, then carried on. "A crystal breaks each time when it's used for speed and defense, so these crystals are meant for survival purposes only, not fighting." 

"Umm... what does friendship have to do with getting away from monsters?" Ruby asked.

"Well... you have friends, right? Like the humans here with you now? Or your big brother that's coming here to see you?" Cadance asked.

"Yeah... yeah I do! All of my friends are here!" Ruby said as she looked at everyone, thinking of the others as well.

"That's where their power shines through! It resonates with your will to live for your and protect the friends you love and care about!" Cadence said encouragingly.

"Call me crazy, but you make friendship sound AWWWWWESOOOOOOME." Alice said, expressing her astonishment.

"Wow... that sounds really cool! That means friendship really IS magic!" Ruby eyes gazed at Cadence in amazement.

"That's right! Friendship is magic!" Cadence answered firmly.

"Hey, will you all be my friends too?" Ruby asked.

"Of course you can be our friends." Cadence answered in a very caring tone, lowering her head so Ruby could give her a hug.

"You really like that kid, huh? I'll admit, she's pretty adorable. Reminds me of Twily when she was little." Shining Armor said, thinking of his sister.

"Of course... It also makes me think we should have children someday." Cadence said looked at Shining Armor, causing him to blush.

"Oh, errm... give the word, and well... yeah..." Shining Armor said, his smile shining through.

"You two are married?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Of course we are!" Cadence and Shining Armor said in unison.

"It was obvious from how they looked at each other, teach." Avu said, sounding a little cocky.

"Step off." Mason chided.

"Hahahaha! Nah, man. I won't step off." Avu replied with his unwavering cocky attitude.

"Awwwwwwww, how cuuuuuuuuuuute!" Alice said, beaming with happiness.

"More like atrocious... It's a natural thing, but I don't wish to have an abominable image in my mind!" Megan thought, palming his face and giving a deep sigh. 

"Well, you guys haven't eaten much, right? Feel free to explore the town and buy some food, okay? I think It'll be okay to let the citizens see you around. They should accept you guys as refugees for the time being." Shining Armor offered.

"Is that why you didn't let us leave before?"

"Yeah... I wanted to try and ease you guys in before they actually see you, so the ponies won't get alarmed." Shining Armor said. "Anyway, like I said, it's safe to explore the town now."

"Really?" Ruby looked up at the two ponies.

"Yes, really! I can show you around, if you'd like!" Cadence offered to Ruby.

"Yay! I wanna see the town!" Ruby jumped, becoming more excited.

"Well, might as well, right? I am starving!" Alice said, then added, "Well, I don't wanna get fat, but I think it'd be okay to pig out a little, just for today!"

"Okay, well, try not to make these nice ponies spend too much, okay? They're going out of their way to help us, so it'd be bad if we burdened them." Mr. Martin chimed in.

"We know, you primate. But I'm not feeling very keen on ingesting hay though..." Megan replied to Mr. Martin.

"Just offering some friendly teacher's advice, Megan." Mr. Martin said, as he walked with the others out of the medical room and into town.

"I really AM gonna have to get used to this...?  oh my god, why is this happening...?!" Chris thought, heaving a deep sigh.

"Chris, you coming?" Mason asked.

"Aww, man... I really do, huh...?" Chris griped as he finally decided to follow Mason.





As for Trisha, Twilight, and the others, they've finally arrived at the Crystal Empire the next day, waking up just in time to hop off the train. Beyond the train station was a field of large crystals on a shiny ground and a large crystal tower which reached far into the sky. The morning breeze only served to make the place feel more like a perfect spring vacation spot.

"Well, this is it! The Crystal Empire!" Twilight said, as they seen the brightly lit empire.

"Finally... FINALLY! I can finally see Ruby! HA! HAHAHAHA!!" Jeremy, ecstatic now that he's arrived, began running to the empire at full speed.

"Why's that boy in such a darn hurry!?" Applejack asked, surprised to see Jeremy dashing so quick.

"Ruby's here, remember? We're all excited about seeing her and the rest of our friends, so why not!" Kitsu explained to Applejack before chasing after Jeremy. 

"Hey, wait up! I wanna see if Avu and my brother are okay!" Eva gave chase.

"I'm going too!" Trisha also ran to the empire.

Mia and Mina were left behind with the ponies at the station, for they decided to not rush.

"Hahaha... Running's not really my thing... hehe." Mia said, sheepishly. "Maybe I should loose a little weight?"

"Well, if we got technical, you probably will by the time we get home. All we've eaten are healthy foods." Mina added, then looked at Twilight. "We're just excited to finally reunite, that's all. It'll be kinda cool to meet the whole family."

"Family, huh?" Twilight closed her eyes, pondering the thought, eventually smiling.

"Yeah. Well, that's the way I see it. The crew I'm with is like a second family to me." Mina explained.

"I'm curious to see if this family of yers is as close as the Apple family!" Applejack said.

"I dunno about all of that... blood's thicker than water, you know." Mina said, giving a small giggle. 

"In the meantime, let's catch up with them! It'll be great to see my B.B.B.F.F.  and Princess Cadence again!" Twilight said, running off as well.

"I wanna see this kid that big guy wouldn't shut up about." Rainbow said, flying off after the humans.

"I think it'll be a good idea to throw a party for them too!" Pinkie added.

"I highly doubt such a wondrous reunion would be livened up by one of your abrupt parties." Rarity said.

"You never know..." Fluttershy said.

"See! Fluttershy knows her stuff! To the empire!" Pinkie pointed forward with a hoof.

With the group finally heading to the town of the Crystal Empire, Jeremy is the first to arrive since he got a head start of everyone. 

With crystal buildings, houses, and ponies everywhere, and the ground being shiny and almost as sleek as ice, he stopped, but not without nearly slipping, In the middle of town.

"I doubt she'd be in there..." Jeremy thought, ignoring the tower ahead of him, straightening himself up.

Instead, he looked around at various ponies walking about in town, looking at him. But he paid them and their crystal bodies no mind. 

"Is that another human?"
"What is he doing?"
"He looks desperate..."

Despite the gossip among them, the only thing on Jeremy's mind was Ruby. Just turning around and scanning the area, looking at his surroundings, he couldn't find his little cousin. He knew his scan of the area was brief, but he wasted no time regardless.

"RUUUUUUUUUUUUBYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!" Jeremy shouted, calling out for the little girl.

After a moment, Ruby's head popped out of the window of the crystal tower ahead of him. "Big bro!!! I'm up here!!!!" She responded to his call as loud as she could, easily getting his attention. Upon looking up and seeing her, his eyes grew wide, his expression of joy aided by the biggest smile he's had ever had since coming to Equestria. With that, he had begun to run full speed ahead, but...

"What the hell!?" Jeremy put the breaks on his running upon seeing a bright light, only to end up slipping and sliding past it. "Ugh... the heck!?" Jeremy noticed a pink winged unicorn with her head turned around.

"Are you okay?" The winged unicorn asked.

"You tell me who you are first!" Jeremy stood on his feet, steadily raising his voice to the winged unicorn.

"Big Bro, don't be mean to Miss Cadence! She's been a huge help!" Ruby walked towards Jeremy from the other side of Cadence.

"Ruby!?" Jeremy, asked, growing teary eyed. He wasted no time giving a big hug. "*hic*... I was worried sick! I... I thought... I thought...!"

"I'm fine, big bro... I'm fine..." Ruby gently reassured Jeremy, hugging him back, the tears flowing down her cheeks and onto his shirt.

"Awww... What a cuuute scene!" Jeremy heard a voice behind him, turned around and scowled at Avu for a split second, but smiled. "Glad to see you're okay, boss." Avu said to Jeremy.

"Avu!?" Jeremy saw Avu walking out of the castle along with Mr. Martin, Alice, Megan, and Mason. "Alice! Megz! Mason! Martin too!? You guys really ARE alive!!!"

"JEREMYYYYYYY!" Alice ran to Jeremy, tackling him to the ground, holding him tightly.

"AGH! Get off me! HEY!" Jeremy felt his back hit the ground.

"You're my best friend, so stay and let me hold you till I know you're alive, got it?!" Alice shouted into Jeremy's chest, as she held onto him as closely as possible.

"Me too!" Ruby shouted.

"Egh... this is too much." Jeremy groaned, remembering that Ruby's hugging him as well.

"AVU! You're alive!" Eva ran up to Avu, immediately hugging him.

"Heya, I know you love me and all, but don't tackle me too hard." Avu said, smirking.

"I-I- Don't!!" Eva became flustered, but didn't let go.

"See girls, this is how you properly tackle someone. But alas, the only girls our boss has are his friend who has a boyfriend, and his little cousin."

"You're making it hard for him to breathe, you two." Mr. Martin told Ruby and Alice know while scratching the back of his head.

"THEN GET THEM OFF OF ME, YOU LAZY ASS!" Jeremy lifted his head and chided his teacher.

"Nah, I think you deserve this one." Mr. Martin looked away, replying to Jeremy's scolding. "Pffft..."

Ruby and Alice eventually release Jeremy from their heartwarming embrace, allowing him to sigh in relief. Mason then picks him up by the shirt and stands him on his feet.

"Dammit, Mason, I can get up myself!" Jeremy scolded Mason.

"For old time's sake." Mason gave a rather quick reply, his lips forming a slight smile.

"Yeah, when we played basketball and you beat me senseless at it." Jeremy said, looking away and palming his face.

"If only you had some skill." Mason quipped.

After Alice got on her feet, her eyes widened at the sight of Trisha and gave her a big hug too. "Trishy!!! You're alive too!"

"Ack... that's enough... Alice... too tight...!" Trisha tapped on Alice's shoulder.

"Oh, my bad!" Alice let Trisha go for a bit, scratching her head in embarrassment. "But it's great seeing you guys survived! Where were you guys!?"

"It's a long story..." Trisha said, sighing as she knew she'd have to explain how they ended up at the Wonderbolt Academy, as well as the current situation.

"Hey, my fanclub isn't complete without ME, now is it?" Kitsu chimed in, walking towards Alice, who gave him a hug too. 

"Of course! we can't have a Kit-tan fanclub without the Kitz himself!" Alice said excitedly.

"Wait, did the student council ever approve of that club?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Who cares what that crazy betch says anyway! We gotta celebrate our reunion!" Alice exclaimed, happy as a lark.

"NOW You're talking! WHEEEEEEE!" A Bright pink pony ran up to Alice. "Whoa, you sure don't come off as a party girl though!"

"Oh, you mean my clothes?" Alice looked at her goth lolita clothes and black fingernails for a brief moment before continuing her reply. "Ah, I get that all the time, but I think one's totz justified!" 

"Big Bro, can we really have a party?? PLEASE?!" Ruby looked at Jeremy with her bright eyes, making Jeremy wince a bit.

"Geh... and I wanted to go home too..." Jeremy thought to himself, looking bitter and touching the lip of his black flat cap. He then looked at his crew quickly to ask, "Wait, before I answer that, where's Chris? He's gotta be here."

"The cowardly prince hides behind the walls of the castle." Megan said, adjusting his glasses.

"Is that right...?" Jeremy asked, looking inside the palace. He took a step forward, then stopped. "I'm not gonna let Skittles stop me again... she's definitely watching..." Jeremy turned to the pink winged unicorn behind him and briefly asked, "You're the authority around here, right? Lemmie in there."

A white unicorn with a blue mane came out, dragging Chris by the collar with his magic. Once Chris was dropped to the ground, the unicorn made his remark. "Geez, you're just as rude as the human with the glasses."  

"I didn't wanna come out here! He's gonna kill me!" Chris crawled back, shivering in fear.

"No one's killing anyone!" Jeremy yelled at the rich blonde haired boy, who shook in fear. "What's your deal? I finally meet ya and you're running like a mouse!"

"He's been like this ever since we got here because he thought you were dead, or injured." Mr. Martin explained, scratching the back of his head.

"B-b-b-but... it's my fault! WE'RE HERE BECAUSE OF ME! This whole vacation was supposed to be for you, man! I don't know how or why our plane got chopped in half, BUT I'M SORRY, MAN! I didn't mean to ruin your trip like this!!!!" Chris explained himself in such a rapid fire manner, that half of the things he said weren't even understood.

"Brother, why are you being so pathetic!?" Eva yelled at Chris, marching up to him like fiercely, but Jeremy puts his arm in the way, beckoning her to stop.

"NO! It's my fault we got attacked by a monster and our pilot got killed!! If I only hadn't pitched that stupid idea...!" Chris grabbed his head and shut his eyes. "Eh...?"

Jeremy palmed his face, looking at Chris, trembling in fear, as he backed to the wall.  He heaved a deep sigh, then walked up to Chris, only to put a hand on his head, making him stop. "Yeah, you're right. Our vacation is ruined because a goddamn monster attacked us, and it sucks that someone actually died. But let's make one thing clear. You really autta stop shaking. I'm here right now, right? We're ALL HERE. The crew's back together. What more could you ask for?"

"Y-y-you mean... I... I won't be fired...?" Chris asked sheepishly, 

"No, you're not gonna be fired. I'll admit, if I didn't have any of you guys here with me, I would've finally succumbed to that little bit of insanity in me a long time ago from being in this world. But with my crew that I worked hard to bring together in the first place, I think I can be a little more happy now. Besides, I fire people for slacking off, not for nearly getting me killed, dumbass."

"You guys actually get paid by this guy?" Rainbow asked.

"No, that's just his way of handling club business." Mina answered.

"Mmm... Yeah... you're right, man... err... boss..." Chris said to Jeremy, wiping away the tears forming in his eyes.

"Hey, that's my name for him! No stealing it!" Avu chimed in with a joke, making all the humans laugh.

"Now can we party? CAN WE?" Pinkie ran up to the humans, declaring a party.

"FOOLS! It's way too early in the morning!!" Megan shouted. 

"WHO CARES!!" Pinkie and Alice shouted, waving their arms.

"Oh bloody hell, I forgot about that... Do whatever you want. I got a feeling you'll do it anyway If I said no..." Jeremy palmed his face and reluctantly agreed.

"You're not seriously foolish enough-" Megan tried to chide Jeremy, only to be cut off.

"I was kinda foolish to get you into my crew because you called your science teacher a primate two years ago, but you don't see me complaining."

"Umm, I hate to cut the reunion short, but I think we should head into the Crystal Palace." Cadence spoke up.

"Whaddya mean?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, you've all been standing by the Crystal Heart the entire time, and everypony here has been staring at you guys, wondering if you'd knock it over or something!" Twilight explained, prompting the humans to look around.

Twilight was right...

Several of the Crystal ponies are still talking amongst themselves, and apparently have inched closer and closer to the Crystal Heart.

"They're not gonna break it, are they!?"
"What should we do?"
"The princess and her knight are there, but I think we need to protect it!"

All the Crystal Ponies gossiped amongst each other, worrying about the empire's artifact.

"What, you mean this thing?" Jeremy asked, pointing at the heart made of crystal, which floated at it's pedestal. 

"Yes, that 'thing'! It's the Crystal Heart. I'm sorry, but we don't want you to touch that no matter what." Cadence requested with a stern tone.

"Apparently this artifact gives this place it's life... always shining brightly. When I first seen it, I admired how it looked. It's beauty, forever shining across this land. Outside the power lies a cold and desolate area filled with snow. If it wasn't for this heart, this whole place's temperature would be near freezing levels." Megan explained, looking at the Crystal Heart.

"Ho, ho! Megan you learned a lot while you were here, huh?" Jeremy asked.

"I prefer to be on the uptake, unlike you. It DOES make me happy knowing that my vast knowledge surpasses each and every one of you." Megan answered, forming a smile.

"You arrogant jerk... well, let's get away from this thing. Don't wanna touch it and upset the peeps here." Jeremy said, walking towards the entrance to the palace. His brief march to the palace suddenly stops, turning to Cadence to ask, "We can go in there, right?"

"It's not a problem as long as you go to your assigned rooms." Cadence said.

"Rooms?" Trisha asked.

"Yeah. Cadence set up a couple of rooms you and your friends." Shining Armor explained. "I'll have some guards lead the way."

"Alrighty then. As long as we can get home later today..." Jeremy smiled, his eyes expressing relief.

"..............." Upon hearing Jeremy's words, Ruby's lips curved sadly as she gripped her skirt. She looked up at Shining Armor and Cadence, whom share her expression. 

Following Jeremy and the other humans into the palace, Cadence turns to her husband.

"We're gonna have to tell him, won't we...?" Cadence sheepishly asked, her eyes narrowing from uncertainty.

"Yeah, we will... and I have a feeling it might not end well..." Shining Armor replied.





Upon entering the Crystal Palace, two guards are summoned to lead the humans to their assigned rooms, while Twilight and her friends follow Cadence and Shining Armor to the throne room. 

Once the ponies arrive, Twilight and Cadence suddenly smiled at each other.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" Twilight and Cadence performed a small dance, hopping on their hooves, crouching down and covering their eyes briefly, then clapped their forehooves together and then shook their backsides.

The throne room was similar to the one at the Canterlot Palace, 

"Hahahaha, that's always amusing!" Shining Armor commented.

"You know you wanna do it too!"

"Come on, that'd be way too embarrassing! But it's good to see ya Twily." Shining said. "Getting straight to the point, I'm guessing you know that we were expecting you anyway, right?"

"That Nightmare Moon is trying to make a comeback by gaining a human body?" Twilight started off.

"Right. Princess Celestia already told us what happened at Canterlot." Cadence explained.

"Oh, I almost forgot, you're the captain of the Royal Guard, right? Was it you who approved the Wanted poster for Lightning Dust?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah. She attacked Canterlot and the Wonderbolts, so Princess Celestia wants her brought to justice." Shining Armor elaborated. He then used his magic and showed them the letter Princess Celestia wrote.

Twilight read the letter, which contained orders to be on the lookout for Lightning Dust.

"Wow, this is more serious than I thought..." Twilight grimaced.

"Of course. The guards here are patrolling the Crystal Empire border, keeping an eye out for the Shadowbolts. I still don't get why Nightmare Moon would go out of her way to acquire a human form instead."

"Isn't it because she doesn't just want us to defeat her again?" Twilight asked.

"I know all of that, I can't wrap my head around why she'd want to go to the human world just to avoid being destroyed again. Why those humans in particular?" Shining Armor asked.

"In particular...?" Twilight asked.

"Right... well, I guess I should say it now... the humans you're with, and the ones we rescued... they're not the first ones we've seen."

"There are MORE humans!?" Twilight asked, shocked to hear.

"Yeah. I can point out at least two places where more humans were seen." Shining Armor said, before using his magic on a crystal spike on the floor, which lit up to display a holographic map of Equestria. "Right here, at the Frozen north, is where I spotted some humans taking refuge when I investigated the Frozen Enclave. They've even gone so far as to set up a series of barracks out there. And I've heard a rumor that there are some more humans hiding at the San Palomino Desert as well."

"Now hold on! How the heck can these humans build anything out there? Ain't nothin' out there to use!" Applejack pointed out.

"That's where it gets confusing... These humans, they have to have some kind of help from a unicorn who knows teleportation magic. We know Humans can't really use any magic after all."

"Umm... I thought Nightmare Moon brought the humans we know here..." Twilight said.

"That's the problem. What if Nightmare Moon DIDN'T bring them here? What if they were brought here by some other magic? By somepony else?" Shining Armor speculated.

"That can't be true! The six humans with us and the seven with you... they had to have been brought here by Nightmare Moon! They even said that they saw her mist on the plane! Are you saying they're lying to us?" Twilight asked, with a look of concern.

"No, I'm not saying that! I'm saying that Nightmare Moon may be aided by another pony. Somepony other than Lightning Dust. And whoever this pony is... well, we'll need to get the answer out of her when she's apprehended." Shining Armor said.





Meanwhile... far, far away, in the northern skies, Lightning Dust rests her body on top of the clouds, wearing a bitter expression, scowling every time Spitfire or Rainbow Dash comes to her mind.

"Ugh... I should've taken out the Wonderbolts first before attacking Spitfire... they can be troublesome when they're flying as one unit." Lightning Dust talked to herself, staring off into the darkened skies, wearing an expression as if she were angry with the stars themselves.

"Commander. We have a report." A Shadowbolt mare makes her appearance to Lightning Dust in the form of the dark mist, taking her pony form before making her statement.

"What is it, Number Five? Make it quick. I don't have all day. I'm a little irritated that I didn't get to rub Spitfire's face against the pavement..." Lightning Dust asked, peeved that the Shadowbolt is even reporting to her.

"I have located the candidates. They have arrived at the Crystal Empire." The Shadowbolt said, pointing the way with a hoof.

"Is that right? Anything else?" Lightning Dust asked, unconcerned.

"Amongst them, we have found more suitable candidates. If we go now, there is a eighty percent chance we can capture a human suitable to revive our mother indefinitely." 

"Hmph... is Rainbow Dash with them?" Lightning Dust smiled before asking the question.

"Yes, she is." The Shadowbolt confirmed.

"Ah, well, that motivates me to do this a little then. Hehe... I was wondering when I'll be able to take her down this time..." Lightining Dust's express became maniacal.

"Thanks to your new powers, you have a sixty percent chance at defeating Rainbow Dash." The Shadowbolt said.

Lightning Dust's eyes narrowed dangerously, "Only sixty?! What about a hundred!? A thousand percent!? Come on, can't you shadows do anything right!?" She began to flail her forelegs about, going on a rant.

"Commander, she is the holder of the Element of Loyalty. If she were to use it, she would have a chance of defeating you. And remember, you can't allow yourself to be defeated under any circumstances. Your services are still needed to show the world a true everlasting night."

"Whatever... Then I'll just have to take her out... in Six point five seconds... a brand new record...! Hehehehehehe.... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!" Lightning Dust said, before going into a maniacal laughter and jumping off the cloud to fly to the crystal empire at full speed, laughing all the way...
> Crystal Clear - Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After the humans that Shining Armor rescued opened the treasure chest, they found various crystal accessories containing magic within them. Cadence granted the humans these treasures as a precaution to the current threat against them. Later, while the humans reunite, Shining Armor confirms with Twilight Sparkle and her friends that they're not the only humans in Equestria, leading him to suspect that there may be another method to getting to Equestria. As for Lightning Dust, she's now on her way to the Crystal Empire to fulfill her mission and hopes to thrash Rainbow Dash while she's at it...





"WHOO WEE! Feels good to have the crew back together!" 

Jeremy outstretched his arms, his back turned to everyone once they arrived to their assigned rooms, but for now, they're all gathered in a single room so they could kick back and mingle. The room was fitted with six single-beds, each with soft sheets and mattresses that gave off that crystal clear shine in the light. Above their heads is a crystal chandelier and see-through crystal windows. On the center of the floor is a rectangular blue carpet that leads all the way to door. The rounded walls of the room are made of pure crystal as well, shiny and sleek to the touch.

"Tell me about it. We've been worried about you guys the whole time!" Mia said, sitting on one of the beds and caressing the sheets. "Wow, this bed is Soooooooooooooft! So good!" 

"I know, right? Man, I wanna live here!" Kitsu laid on another bed, snuggling his face against the pillow.

"How do they make this stuff!? The beds look like crystal, but they're soft as clouds!" Eva said, touching the mattress of the bed, then bouncing on it a little.

"Looking good there, Eva!" Avu said, walking next to her and showing a devious grin.

"What are you plotting!?" Eva backed away, folding her arms.

"Oh, me? I'm not plotting a thing! I'll be frank, I have no time to go around trolling anyone or anypony, ya know. But I betcha I could." Avu said, his mouth forming a cat's grin.

"No, please don't do that." Jeremy scolded Avu, then turned to Alice. "By the way, how did you guys get saved anyway?" Jeremy asked.

"Well... to make a long story short, Shining saved us!" Alice answered. "He got us a doctor to treat our injuries, used his magic to repair our clothes... he's really cool and nice!"

"Shining? Like... the movie?" Jeremy asked, confused. 

"No, silly! I mean the pony, Shining Armor! The white pony with the blue mane, remember?" Alice corrected Jeremy, hanging her body over the railing of the bed.

"Sounds like you guys had it worse than us." Jeremy surmised after hearing their story.

"Tell me about it... unlike us, you all got a change of clothes." Megan noted, looking at Jeremy's clothes.

"Well..." 

Jeremy looked at his crew, trailing off. Megan was still wearing his white button-up shirt and black tie with a blue vest over it. His blue jeans and matching sneakers were all undamaged, and his glasses looked as good as new. As for Mr. Martin, he wore a simple black blazer, black pants, and white shirt with black loafers. 

Chris still wore a blue plaid waistcoat with a black button up shirt underneath and black pants and brown loafers. Alice wore a black button-up blouse and a black lace gothic lolita skirt with pink streaks, black and pink striped stockings, and matching boots.

Mason is wearing a black and red Basketball Jersey with the number 30 on it, a white T-shirt underneath, and black shorts with red tennis shoes. Avu is wearing a black polo shirt with orange horizontal pinstripes on the collar, blue jeans with a chain on the side and white and blue sneakers. And Ruby is still wearing her a maroon blouse and dark green skirt, black stockings, and a silver moon pendant around her neck.

"Apparently we have to wear these... kind of a but-thou-must moment." Jeremy looked at his own clothes after looking at everyone else's clothes before making his comment.

"Is that right...? It's a wonder. I thought you would've strangled somepony by now." Avu asked, giving a smirk.

"You're seriously talking like that!?" Jeremy asked.

"So give it to us straight. Did Jeremy go nuts?" Megan asked Mina.

"HEY!" Jeremy shouted.

"Yep. I'm not surprised either..." Mina answered immediately, leaning her back against the wall next to the window.

"He even chewed me out just because I wanted to party with Pinkie Pie, dude." Kitsu added, giggling along with the others.

"Jeremy, what did I tell you about keeping your cool?" Mr. Martin said, scolding Jeremy.

"You really expect me to keep my cool? I haven't had any coffee for days and I've been worried sick about Ruby, and on top of it all, we get attacked by some damn shadow ponies. You REALLY expected me to keep my cool here!?" Jeremy seethed.

"Attacked by shadow ponies?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Yeah, apparently they're called 'Shadowbolts', and they want one of us to become the new Nightmare Moon." Trisha explained.

"Wait, does that include us?" Alice asked, worriedly.

"Well that explains why Princess Cadence gave us these." Avu took a crystal bracelet out of his pocket and showed it to Jeremy, explaining what he received.

"An accessory?" Trisha asked.

"Actually, It's from that treasure box over there. It's full of these things." Avu pointed at the huge, red treasure chest by the wall in between the beds. "The princess claims they're pretty limited, and they can only be used for speed and defense, for they are powered by bonds and friendship."

"Friendship is magic...!" Trisha's eyes widened upon the sudden realization. "Maybe princess Luna knew! She knew about these! Why else would she say such a cryptic message?!"

"Yeah, that seems like the thing here..." Avu said. "They're called Equine Crystals. We're supposed to use them only whenever we get ourselves in a tight spot. Problem is, we never got to figure out just how to use'em, so we don't even know if they still work. But Princess Cadence DID say to wait till you guys got here, so you guys put some on."

"You actually believe in that...?" Jeremy asked skeptically.

"What choice do we have here?" Mina asked, scowling at Jeremy. "We have to follow this world's logic after all."

"Ugh, good point, I guess..." Jeremy groaned, looking at his crew members wearing the crystal accessories. He even just noticed that Ruby was wearing crystal stud earrings. He reluctantly went into the treasure chest, took out a few necklaces and bracelets, and put them into his brown shoulder bag. "There's no way I'm wearing these things..."

Trisha wore a bracelet on each wrist while three necklaces went into her red and black shoulder bag. Mia wore all four of her crystal necklaces, but placed them under her shirt. Kitsu wore at least three earrings, a bracelet, and a kept  necklace in his dark-green backpack. Mina wore one bracelet and one necklace, then placed six accessories into her white backpack. Eva of course, wore a bracelet and three necklaces, putting them under her shirt. 

"I wonder what the ponies could be talking about?" Mia asked, fixing her shirt.

"Who cares! They need to hurry the hell up. We're reunited, now we need to get home. If they can't send us home, we'll just build a boat and sail home. Easy peasy." Jeremy griped.

"That has to be the most RETARDED thing you've said since we first met!" Megan chided Jeremy.

"What? All I suggested is that we build a boat!" Jeremy argued.

"Have you FORGOTTEN that we're in another world?!" Megan continued to chide Jeremy.

"But that's just IT! They might not be able to just magically send us back, so we'll need to do it ourselves! Equestria might be just a damn island out in the pacific! We don't know for sure, but this place is a lot like ours, civilization and all! Who says that we might not be near Westford Island already?" Jeremy explained.

"Then by that logic, we have magic too." Megan started with some sarcasm before finishing his rant, "What you're saying makes absolutely no sense. We haven't even seen the ocean yet, and we don't know how big Equestria really is! It could take us weeks to find any shore to build a boat, and in addition, those equine creatures don't even know about Westford Island! For all we know, we could end up at a completely different civilization! If this place has talking ponies, who knows what else is out there!?" As Megan ranted, Ruby clinched the end of her dress.

"Then how are we supposed to get the hell out of here then?" Jeremy asked.

"We could just... you know, ask Twilight. But I think we're forgetting one crucial thing." Trisha suggested, then reminded.

"We were brought here by Nightmare Moon. Right?" Avu answered.

"Huh... already getting to work on trying to learn everything about everything, huh?" Mina asked, annoyed.

"Oh, come now. It's my duty as a member of this gracious crew! Plus I wouldn't want my grumpy ol' boss here to think I'm slacking off." Avu replied to Mina, then turned his attention to Jeremy, lightly elbowing him in the arm. "Ain't that right, boss?"

"Well, yeah, but we don't have time to be doing ANY sort of journalism duties. And even when we do go back, no one's gonna believe us when we have a headline as dumb as 'A WORLD OF TALKING PONIES!'. I mean, come on, guys." Jeremy griped, rolling his eyes.

"Then we'll just need to prove it. I'm sure we need to have something to prove our case when we get home." Mr. Martin said.

"How's that? We're gonna need a camera, and we didn't find one when we went through the back half of the plane." Mina asked.

"No, the video camera I have is a personal item, so it should be on the front section of the plane." Mr. Martin answered. "We're gonna need to go to that snowy area outside to get to it."

"A camcorder, huh?" Avu asked, looking at Mr. Martin suspiciously.

"It's a pastime to record my students' embarrassing moments. For the sake of memories." Mr. Martin said as he formed a square with his fingers and looking through it.

"Umm... well, we all have smart phones... If we really wanted to, we could just take pictures and video and upload them to our blog when we come back." Alice suggested.

"Ugh... my phone's broken though." Chris griped, taking the broken phone out of his pocket to show the shattered screen. Unknown to him, a feather fell out of his pocket.

"Oh, what's that?" Mia asked as she picked up the opal colored feather of the ground. "This feather is pretty big..."

"Oh, I almost forgot about that feather... I got it when I was trying to save the others and before I ran into that Armor guy. I was told it belongs to a Pegasus. So that alone was evidence to who cut our plane in half." Chris explained.

"The same color as Lightning Dust... so she DID cut our plane in half..." Jeremy said, clinching his fist.

"Who the heck is Lightning Dust?" Chris asked.

Jeremy and the others take the time to explain who Lightning Dust is, identifying her as the one who launched an attack on them at Canterlot and that she's only in it for revenge against a couple of ponies for ruining her dreams. 

"Geez... she's a meanie... and a baby!" Alice said, frowning.

"To be honest, we already suspected Lightning Dust as the culprit, but we weren't too sure until now. We were thinking Lightning Dust was involved with another." Trisha said.

"Alright guys! Our plan is now simple! We kick Lightning Dust's ass, then we find a way home!" Jeremy declared.

"Umm..." Ruby sheepishly attempted to speak, her mouth curving sadly.

"What's up, Ruby?" Jeremy kindly asked.

"Why do we need to leave so soon...?" Ruby asked, her voice quivering in nervousness.

"W-well, this ain't our home. We got families to see and school to attend... you know, that stuff. We can't stay here forever." Jeremy grimaced as he answered.

"He's right... I don't wanna lose my chance to graduate because of this whole ordeal." Mina agreed.

"B-but... I... well, I just... became friends with Cadence and Shining Armor... and I don't... I don't wanna leave them so soon..." Ruby said, meekly.

"Oh uhh... you know... well... umm... you don't... quite know those... erm... ponies that well. And besides, us being here and them going out of their way to protect us... well, I'm sure that'll be a burden to'em..." Jeremy tried to explain, trying to sugarcoat his words.

"I'm not a burden to them! They agreed to be my friends!" Ruby shouted.

"Well... uhh... okay, but still, they're only protecting us. They're not our friends." Jeremy argued, this time sounding a bit more honest and firm.

"Jeremy!" Alice yelled at him.

"What!? I'm only statin' facts! They're merely protecting us and that's it! Why would they want to be friends with us!?" Jeremy snapped at Alice, yelling at her.

"They've done nothing but be kind to us and help us! They even saved our lives, and helped us to adjust to our situation! How can you just be like that?!" Alice argued back, slamming her fists into the railing of the bed.

"Let me ask: don't you wanna go back home to your boyfriend!?" Jeremy asked sharply.

"Yeah, of course! I wanna make up with him more than anything! But you can't just think like that about the ponies! They've been too kind to us already!"

"YES I CAN! There's no evidence to support it anyway! And besides, just how long do we have to stay in this world, in constant fear of danger!? I didn't ask for this crap! I didn't ask to be in this damn world where oh, 'friendship is magic' or something retarded as that!!" Jeremy's voice grew louder.

"It's dangerous in our world too, you fool. In this world, just replace guns and robbers with crazy magic using ponies, and you'll still be in the same situation." Megan explained. "I agree we do need to go home, but you're in a hurry. Can't you just wait for them to do their job? This isn't our world, and we can't order them around. That's just not how things work!"

"I don't want Ruby to get hurt! Is that so much to freakin' ask!? I want Ruby to be safe! I promised I'll protect her far more than her pathetic parents ever did!" Jeremy screamed, which shocked everyone in the room, especially Ruby. 

Ruby held her mouth, and the tears slowly formed in her eyes... "...hate y..." she said under her breath, her eyes closed shut.

"What?" Jeremy turned to Ruby, glaring at her without realizing it.

"I HATE YOU!!!!" Ruby let out a heart wrenching scream and ran away in tears, which made Jeremy nearly loose his footing due to the shock. His eyes widened at her words and he nearly forgot to breathe. But he regains his composure and storms out of the room, going after her.

"Ruby, wait!!! I'm sorry!! I didn't mean that about your parents! I'm sorry!!!!" Jeremy shouted desperately, hoping his voice would get through to her as he ran through the corridor, his and her footsteps echoing throughout.

"That idiot...! How could he say that to her??" Alice thought to herself, hopping out of the bed and going after Jeremy as well.





I know... 

I know that Big Bro does his very best... but when he's immersed in his work for that club... his face is scary...

He looks as if he's just doing chores... I don't like that...

After he and I changed our clothes, we went to go visit mommy and daddy. It was just a few days before we had to go, but Aunt Nora told him to visit Mommy and Daddy...

When we left home, Big Bro had an expression that looked... dull. He held onto my hand with his left and a bouquet of flowers in the other. He smiled at me, but I knew he didn't mean it... He never liked visiting my Mommy and Daddy. I could tell that he hated them.

We walked down the busy sidewalk, getting to the train station. Mommy and Daddy lived in a very far away place now, so it took a little while to get there. 

When we're on the subway train, Big Bro would always hold me close so no strangers would touch me. He's always overprotective when we're on the trains. When we got off the train, we walked the rest of the way to where Mommy and Daddy are supposed to be.

The whole time, Big Bro never spoke. He never said anything. He never did the first time... But that's how I can tell that he doesn't like Mommy and Daddy...

But why does he have to compete with Mommy and Daddy to take care of me? I like Big Bro. I want to play and have lots of fun, make lots of friends. I like Big Bro's friends too, but he doesn't feel the same way. 

We arrive at a field filled with smooth, large stones with names engraved on them. Mommy and Daddy have their names engraved on stones too. Big Bro and I would go to these stones, and he would slump to his knees, like the energy in him just faded instantly.

"Here I am again. And look who I have with me. The daughter you abandoned. It's been almost a year since the government dropped her off at our place..." Jeremy started speaking to Mommy and Daddy. His voice was shaky, like he was holding something back. "I'm just here to let you know that your kid's taking a nice little trip to Italy... I'm letting ya know, so you don't worry; so you'll know that your precious daughter is in good hands." Jeremy continued speaking to Mommy and Daddy. 

I'm sure they're listening very well...

But... Mommy and Daddy never abandoned me. I'm sure of it...





Ruby ran all the way outside, gaining the attention of the palace guards. At this point, it was a full blown commotion, which would only get worse from here...

"RUBY, LOOK OUUUUUUUUUUT!!!!!" Jeremy screamed, after seeing a dark ball of mist land in front of Ruby, the force blowing her back a little.

"Wha...?" Ruby quickly came to, only to see a dark, winged pony wearing a black and purple suit... "EEEK!!!" Ruby quickly became startled the moment her eyes met with the dark pony's.

"You will make a suitable candidate for our mother. Come with us." The dark winged pony slowly inched closer to the frightened girl.

"Eh...?" Ruby desperately crawled back, trying to get away from the pony despite her fears and tears.

"UUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!" Jeremy ran up to the Shadowbolt, screaming, just in time to punch the mare in the face. Before he could run to Ruby to pick her up, he suddenly feels a familiar pressing feeling against his face, forcibly knocking him to the ground. At this point, the Crystal Ponies all began running for their lives.

"JEREMY!!" Ruby cried out after seeing him get kicked in the face by a pony wearing the same suit, but her color was different from the dark ponies who appeared one after another. The moment she screamed, she was already picked up by a Shadowbolt stallion with his forelegs. "HEEEEEEEEEEELP!!!!"

Fueled by rage, Jeremy attempted to free himself from Lightning Dust's hoof by grabbing her back leg and forcing it off, but she would pin him down on his back by standing his arms and legs using all four of her hooves.

"Not so fast, human! You really wanna get away from me after our second meeting!? Come to think of it, you hit me in the face, huh...?" Lightning Dust asked, her eyes narrowing dangerously, all while smiling.

"Get off me or I'll kill you!!!" Jeremy seethed.

"Is that right? Hey, why don't you try it?!" Lightning's face was inching closer to Jeremy's, her eyes widening in excitement. "There's nothing between us but air and opportunity, and guess what!?" Lightning Dust said before bringing her face closer, her lips nearly touching his. She suddenly inhaled deeply, then smiled again. "I just sucked up AAAALLLLL THE AIR! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" 

Suddenly, Rainbow Dash comes flying down  of the crystal palace, being the first pony to arrive before the rest of the join her.

"Heya, Dashie!!! YOU MISS ME!?" Lightning Dust asked, nonchalantly, smiling with glee as Rainbow flew at her.

"Not this time!" Rainbow flew at Lightning, only for her to dodge her attack just in time.

"Whoa, slow down there! No need to be reckless!" Lightning Dust said sarcastically.

"Why did you attack Wonderbolts!?" Rainbow angrily asked.

"You know about that, huh? Too bad you got it twisted, Dashie! I wanted to show off just how much better I've become! Oh, and you can forget about the guards coming. They have their hands full with my new buddies!" Lightning Dust said, showing that she was right; there are even more Shadowbolts than before, each fighting the guards.

"We're stopping you this time, Lightning Dust!" Twilight declared.

"Oh, shut your trap you nerd, this is between me and this soon-to-be has-been!" Lightning Dust shot a glare at Twilight while pointing at Rainbow Dash. Four other Shadowbolts appeared in front of Twilight and her friends, their wings charged and ready to unleash their blades of wind.

"Well this is fantastic..." Rarity sarcastically said, as she and her friends backed into each other.

"We have to protect the humans!" Twilight declared.

"Ya ain't gotta tell me twice!" Applejack agreed. 

"Come on, Fluttershy, we gotta do this!" Pinkie said to Fluttershy, who was hiding in fear behind her.

"O-Okay... I'll do my best..."

"Oh yeah! Unshrink my party cannon!" Pinkie reminded Twilight, who quickly complied, transforming it back into the large cannon it was before. "Thanks!" Pinkie, after thanking Twilight, readies her now full-sized cannon and aims it at the Shadowbolt holding Ruby. "Eat this!"

The cannon fired a series of cupcakes at full speed at the Shadowbolts, hitting them all in the eyes, stunning them.

"Now! Let's Show them the power of friendship!" Twilight shouted, beckoning Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie to use the Elements of Harmony! As the gem on Twilight's tiara glowed, so did the necklaces of her friends. Shining with an awesome power, light of harmony pierced the bodies of the Shadowbolts, instantly causing their bodies to shatter into a cloud of lingering mist. 

"Alright!" Twilight shouted.

"We're not done yet!!" Applejack pointed out to the Shadowbolt that just dropped Ruby being blinded by the light of harmony.

"RUBY!!!!" Jeremy called out, running as fast as he could to catch her, but...

"Gotcha!" Alice caught her instead, sighing in relief. Alice then ran back to the doors of the crystal palace where the other humans were and set Ruby down and pushed her to Mr. Martin's side.

"That was SWEET!" Avu said in amazement.

"Hehe, I wonder..." Alice said, sticking out her tongue. "No seriously. I wonder! That was close!"

"Alright, enough chit-chat! We gotta go! NOW!" Mr. Martin ordered, running back into 

Before Alice could follow Mr. Martin and the others, she soon feels herself grabbed around the waist and being dragged away from the humans. 

"ALICE, NOOO!!!!" Mia screamed, seeing Alice being taken away by the Shadowbolt at full speed.

Alice struggled to free herself and struggle to keep herself pinned to the ground, involuntarily closing her eyes. It's then she began to think...

"Those crystals... resonate with your will to live for your and protect the friends you love and care about!" 

"This has to work... I believe...!" Alice thought to herself as she concentrated as hard as she could. Eventually, the bracelet on her wrist began to glow brighter and brighter... and then her body began to glow. At that moment, she suddenly felt an increased burst of wind after moving her feet forward to push herself back, slamming into a wall at full speed! When Alice opened her eyes, she was in a pile of rubble, on top of the unconscious Shadowbolt.

"It... It worked!!!" Alice said to herself. She then looked at the bracelet on her wrist, watching it fall off her arm and turn to dust. "Aww, guess she was right about that too..."

"How... HOW!? HOW DID SHE USE MAGIC!?" Twilight noticed what Alice did, and was understandably shocked. "Humans aren't supposed to use magic!"

"That was magic!?" Rarity asked, astonished.

"That definitely had to be magic... it look like it came from that bracelet too!" Twilight said, recalling the light that shone brightly.

"Ugh... looks like the humans became more of a pain in the flank than I thought..." Lightning Dust said, grinding her teeth.

"Looks like the crystals worked!" Shining Armor could be seen in the distance, having five other guards with him, earning a glare from Lightning Dust.

"I thought the Shadowbolts were supposed to be taking care of you!" Lightning Dust seethed at the sight of the guards and Shining Armor.

"I'll admit, you might have gotten us by surprise, but you forgot about me." Shining Armor said, glaring at Lightning Dust. "I simply teleported to aid my comrades while you were here showing off. So why don't you turn yourself in before things get worse?"

"Ugh... great. JUST GREAT! I just wanted to fight Rainbow Dash one-on-one, kick her sorry flank and show her hide to Spitfire next time I see her! But I guess that won't be happening unless I do something about you eyesores." Lightning Dust began complaining at the increasing number of ponies surrounding her.

"Don't forget me!" Cadence appeared in front of Lightning Dust.

"Alright, that's it! You'll all regret getting so close to me! But hey! Lemmie put on a little show for you guys!" Lightning Dust glanced at everypony, giving a cocky smirk. "Uuaaaaaah..."  Lightning suddenly outstretched her opal wings as far as possible... and then flexed them out... "HAH!!!"

*Shatter*

Her wings became pitch black with white speckles that resembled the stars. The opal color that once was became nothing more than a shattered pieces of glass.

"I bet you all wanna stop me, but look at these awesome wings! Can't you see how COOL they are!? I EARNED THESE WINGS! YOU'RE ALL JUST JEALOUS OF ME!!!" Lightning Dust began to ramble about her newfound wings.

"What's happening to you...?" Rainbow asked, looking at Lightning's wings.

"Better to show than to tell, right!?" Lightning Dust then disappeared, leaving behind a puff of star mist behind.

"Ooooo, a disappearing act!" Pinkie said.

Twilight looks ahead though to see that Lightning Dust has just reappeared right in front of her brother! "SHINING ARMOR, LOOK OUT!!"

"What the-" Shining Armor didn't have any time to react or cast a spell. Before he knew it, he felt the hoof of Lightning Dust quickly pressing into his face from the side, sending him crashing through several crystal houses.

She then proceeded to punch each of the guards with her forehoof, sending each of them flying at super speed with each punch.

Twilight runs off from the group to check on her brother. Her horn starts to glow, attempting to teleport to him but before her spell could be completed, she sees the back hoof of Lightning Dust so close to her face. Her eyes widen in a panic, hoping to finish the teleport, but she too is sent flying back crashing through the area, destroying more crystal property.

"UUUOOOOAAAHHHH!!!" Rainbow roared, as she charged at Lightning Dust at full speed, who sped away again at near light speed. 

Rainbow turned around to see Lightning Dust already in the air, already about to perform a somersault kick on Fluttershy, who started to succumb to her fear by flying back into the crystal tower.

"FLUTTERSHYYYY!!!!!!" Rainbow flew as fast as she could, but it was too late!

*BAM!!*

Fluttershy was kicked on the back of her head, sending her flying to the ground at full speed! "You idiot! You don't run away when I'm trying to show off!!!" Lightning Dust screamed.

"Ah gotcha, Fluttershy!!" Applejack shouted, as she ran to catch Fluttershy before she made impact to the ground, but... "Agh!!!" The force at which Fluttershy fell caused Applejack to hurt her back upon catching her.

Lightning Dust, then flew up to Princess Cadence at full speed, bracing herself, as her horn glowed with a pink light, quickly forming a barrier around the Crystal Heart to ensure that it doesn't suffer any damage. "What the...?!" Cadence's eyes widened when Lightning Dust just disappeared...

This time... appearing in front of the humans, who were outside the Crystal Palace, attempting to escape by running away from the scene. 

"NO YOU DON'T!" Lightning shouted, as she took out a pointed black and red shaded horn from her and threw it at full speed like a bullet.

*Whoosh!*

"AAAAUGH!!!" Avu... the horn impaled him right above sternum! "Ugh..." The moment the horn made impact, he felt himself hit the crystal ground.

"AVU, NOOO!!!" Eva screamed, as she ran up to Avu. She turned him over to see his shirt already becoming soaked with red... Eva reached out to the... thing, that's in his chest, but... "AGH! What the...!" She tried to touch it again, but... "OW!!! UGH! WHAT IS THIS!? A STAKE!?" She tried again, despite her hand feeling a shock each time, noticing that a red string of lightning flowed around it.

"Guh... *cough* ah... damn it..." Avu's voice was barely audible, but he gave it his best to speak nonetheless. "Man... this kinda sucks... *cough*"

"Don't talk! We'll save you, so DON'T TALK! SAVE YOUR STRENGTH!!!" Eva said, attempting to pull the... thing, that appeared to be a stake out of his chest, feeling an intense burning sensation on her hands. The moment she got a good grip and began to pull...

"GUAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!" Avu howled in pain the second she tried to pull the 'stake' out...

"Wh-What?!" Eva backed off the second she figured out that pulling the 'stake' is actually causing him pain...

While the humans were concerned with Avu, Lightning Dust wasted no time, biting into the back of Ruby's collar...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Ruby screamed, as she was flung into the air, only for another Shadowbolt to catch her with it's forehooves. She struggles, but she's no match for the Shadowbolt's strength, for it would fly away from the Crystal Empire at full speed...

Jeremy could hear the screams of his little cousin, as he could only watch her get taken away... "No...! Agh... NO!!!" His voice began to rise as he tried to move his body, but a sharp pain would strike at his elbows and shins due to the hooves that stood on him.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy knew there was no way to save Ruby at this point. Fueled with rage, he uses all his might to ignore the pain on his limbs and stand. He turns over to his front and finds his black flat cap not too far from him.

As for Rainbow, tried to fly after Ruby, but Lightning Dust would fly right in front of her... "Nope! This is between you and me!"

"That's it! I've had enough!" Rainbow seethed, her eyes glaring back at Lightning Dust's. The element of Loyalty around Rainbow's neck shone with power, eventually surrounding her body. "You may be able to fly faster because of those wings, but they're NOT YOUR WINGS!!"

Rainbow suddenly vanished! "Oh boy, we're really doing this, huh? lame speech, then attack?" Lightning Dust stuck her forehoof out to her left, feeling an impact of energy pressing against it. She looked left to see Rainbow Dash, just as she thought, but once more, she disappeared! "Hey, if that's how you wanna play, fine by me!" Lightning Dust declared, jumping out of the way of Rainbow's charge.

Lightning then flew straight into the air, flying into Rainbow head on!

*Clash! Clang! BAM!* 

The two were flying into each other at super speed, each impact making a loud sound, as if two swords were clashing as they zipped through the air!

"Come on! WE CAN DO THIS ALL DAY, DASHIE!" Lightning shouted, flying straight at Rainbow. Suddenly, the cyan pegasus disappeared from Lightning Dust's sight! "Where are you!?"

"EAT THIS!!!" Rainbow shouted. Lightning Dust turns her head skyward, seeing a flash of light aimed straight at her.

"Whoa, that was close!" Lightning commented, nearly being hit by the bolt of lightning. Soon, a series of lightning bolts come from above, aimed at her wings, each bolt barely dodged. "Tch... Let's see how she likes this!"

Lightning Dust then smiled deviously, deciding to change her flight course, and headed straight for the white unicorn and pink earth pony on the ground... "Let's see how she'll react to striking her own friends down!"

"NO YOU DON'T!" Rainbow shouted, going full speed to kick a storm cloud in the sky, sending a special bolt of lighting headed straight for Lightning Dust's wing, homing in on her. *CRASH!*

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHGH!!!" Lightning Dust could feel the hot pain coursing through her left wing, which caused her to crash at the Crystal Plaza.

When Lightning Dust quickly got back on her hooves... *WHAM!* She suddenly feels a blunt object striking her head.... then she felt that bluntness again to the left of her face... and again from the right... and again on the back of her neck, all in quick succession.

"Agh, UGH, ARGH, AH!!!" Lightning Dust screamed with each strike, as she noticed the one striking her was non other than Jeremy, who was fuming with anger as he frantically and swiftly struck her with a crystal beam picked up from the rubble nearby. She immediately stood on her hind legs, and grabbed the crystal beam Jeremy was using with her forehooves...!

"WHAT THE SHIT!?" Jeremy was shocked to see that not only Lightning Dust's face was starting to crack, she stood on two legs and got a hold of the beam he used. He could feel that her strength was starting to overwhelm him as she pulled the pole out of his hand. He would try to strengthen his grip, but the pole was already gone before he'd even thought about it...

"HAH!" Lightning Dust shouted, smashing Jeremy upside the head with the crystal beam so hard, the beam broke at the middle. Before she could stab him with the now broken beam, she finds herself sliding on the ground upon feeling an impact on her side.

"We're not finished yet!" Rainbow shouted, charging at Lightning Dust again, but...!

"Yes you are." A Shadowbolt suddenly appeared in front of Rainbow Dash, emitting a wall of Star mist between Lightning Dust and Rainbow, forcing the cyan pegasus to abruptly put the brakes on her attack. "Commander. The plan is complete. We have a captive already. I request that this petty revenge is ceased at once."

"What? Come ON! Are you KIDDING ME, NUMBER FIVE!? And don't get it twisted, you jerk! My revenge is every important as your plans for Nightmare Moon! Now, let me fight!!" Lightning Dust ranted.

"Cease this at once, or mother will simply... replace you. Surely you wish to live out your dream as promised. But now, we must go and prepare for the revival. Come."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! Fine!" Lightning stomped the ground in a tantrum, then turned to Rainbow, "But Dashie! You only won because I held back! I wanted to toy with you just to embarrass you and make your friends deaf by your screams! Next time we meet, you'll be WINGLESS when I'm done with you!" Lightning Dust seethed, as she disappeared into mist and vanished with the Shadowbolt.

"COME BACK HERE!" Rainbow tried to fly into the mist but the two Shadowbolts were already gone...

Rainbow, with a desire to go after Lightning Dust, turned around to see Jeremy limping towards the outside of the Crystal Empire, noticing that a steady stream of red ran down his face.

"I... I have... to get her back...!" Jeremy felt immense pain in his elbows and shins, but he clinched his teeth, running towards the edge of the border.

"What the heck are you doing!?" Rainbow called out to him.

"I'm going to save Ruby!!!" Jeremy screamed. He forcibly closes an eye due to the blood slowly getting in it.

"Not with those injuries! Don't you need to be treated first!?" Rainbow shouted.

"I don't give a damn! I PROMISED I'LL PROTECT HER! My god, I'll do just that! Leave me alone and go to your friends!" 

"Same to you, you idiot! One of your friends just got hurt real bad! Don't you care!?" Rainbow's voice became more fierce...

"Agh, RUBY COMES FIRST! They can wait!!!" Jeremy yelled without turning around. As he walked, he felt a hoof tap him on the shoulder... "I said leav- GUH!" He suddenly felt a hoof pressed against his face, knocking him to the ground. "Oh... you picked the wrong guy to mess with!" Jeremy quickly got on his feet to return the favor, his clinched fist making contact with Rainbow's muzzle as hard as possible, with what little strength he had left.

By this point, Jeremy and Rainbow began exchanging blows... With each punch, Jeremy could feel his energy leaving his body. With each impact, Rainbow felt her energy drain away. The pain in their faces weren't enough, for they simply kept up the attack until both of them punched each other out, forcing them to fall on their backs and looking up at the sky...

...

"Ha... ha... ha... I... I couldn't... protect..." Jeremy panted as he laid, stretched out on the ground, his face stinging with pain.

"Shut up... you think... you're the...only one with... somepony to protect...?" Rainbow replied, panting, exhausted from their fight.

"How barbaric... Well I hope you two are proud of yourselves." Jeremy and Rainbow heard Rarity's voice. Rarity's white face and purple mane hovered over Rainbow's line of sight, blocking the sky from view. "I wanted to stop you two from going through with such senseless violence, but this human said to let you fight."

"Yeah... That, and according to Rarity, Rainbow probably wanted to stop you because if you go out to the Frozen North, the Wendigos would've turned you into a Popsicle, Jeremy. Apparently they're attracted to hatred and fighting, and knowing you, you have a lot of anger built up." Alice sat next to Jeremy, speaking to him.

"Ha...! I tried to warn him... I know...!" Rainbow panted giving an arrogant smug.

"Same goes for you too, Rainbow. My word, it doesn't take a genius to see that you're just as angry as he was! You would've went after Lightning Dust if you never seen him, right?" Rarity explained.

"Ugh..." Rainbow griped. "She hurt you guys..."

"What happened to the others...?" Jeremy asked.

"Avu... he... he got impaled with... something. I think it's a stake..." Alice hesitantly explained.

"Ah, goddamn it all... seriously... damn it all to hell..." Jeremy had no strength to get up. He clinched his fist and began beating on the ground. "Damn it... damn it... damn it..."

"What about Twilight? And Fluttershy, and Applejack, and Shining Armor, and the princess...?"

"They're fine too. I have to say, this all happened so fast, I couldn't really keep up with any of it!" Rarity explained. "That Lightning Dust sure seems to have it out for you, even wanting to bring us down!"

"Not to mention... she's... become faster... with those... wings...!" Rainbow complained, trying to get up.

"Don't even think about trying to get up! The guards will help you two to the clinic, so you both sit tight! Goodness, to think you'd engage in combat with a human..." Rarity said, putting a hoof to her face.

"It's... better to settle it with... your hooves... than with words... sometimes..." Rainbow explained, still panting.

"Ugh... you know, I agree for once... except... I don't have hooves... just fists..." Jeremy said, barely forming a smile.

"I agree too! It's how Jeremy and I used to settle our differences when we were kids!" Alice happily said. 

"Wha- Oh, are you... I'm sure you're just telling a joke! I'm sure one with a unique sense of fashion such as yourself..." Rarity trailed off, looking at Alice's unique clothes, then continued, "Wouldn't engage in something so... savage, right??" Rarity asked.

"Oh come on! Just because I'm a girl and a little fashionable, doesn't mean I'm incapable of fighting. If I have to punch someone, I will!" Alice rose her fist, making an 'I can do it too!' gesture.

"Ah, perhaps you might have a point. I do practicion in a bit of Hoof-fu myself, but not for..." Rarity went on, then glanced at Jeremy and Rainbow and winced in disgust, "...this."

"Hahaha! Well, I did say when I was a kid! I don't know about nowadays though!" Alice replied, wryly smiling.

"Hey... shut up, or I'll kick you, or something." Jeremy threatened, which only made Alice giggle. She knew it was an empty threat, made in jest.

"Yeah, yeah." Alice said, then motioned some crystal ponies to come over and help.





An hour later, Jeremy and Rainbow wake up to the feeling of a soft bed and sheets, and the sight of a crystal ceiling. Jeremy turns his head left and sees a crystal pony wearing a white lab coat and glasses, standing at the counter with a pile of books in front of her, currently reading one of them, as if she were desperate.

"Must be the doctor or something... Wonder what the heck she's looking for?" Jeremy thought to himself. "Hey, where's my hat?" Jeremy asked.

"Your hat is on the counter over there, but it's way too stained with blood. If I were you, I wouldn't wear that thing anymore." The doctor answered. Jeremy's eyes glanced to the small counter next to his bed where the books were. It was there, he had seen his flat cap.

"Look, that hat is my granddad's hat. He let me have it, so no, I'm not getting rid of it." Jeremy said in a solemn tone.

"Just be sure to clean it off, whatever. I already had trouble getting it off your head since it was stuck. Anyway, could you not bother me? I'm trying to figure something out." The doctor asked in an annoyed tone, never tuning her head away from the book.

"You sure like that hat, huh?" 

Jeremy turned to his right and saw Rainbow in a separate bed next to his. Seeing her already awake and kicking back, he scowls at her briefly at how relaxed she looks, but even then, he couldn't really find the energy to get angry. The pressure coming from the bandages on his head didn't help. He sighed as he looked back at the ceiling. "Damn... You have one hell of a punch... then again, you had an advantage with those hooves."

"Hey, if you had used those keys of yours, you'd have scarred my face!" Rainbow retorted.

"And you could've kicked my ass quick if you flowed like a butterfly and stung like a bee." Jeremy replied with a scowl. "So why'd you hold back?"

"Didn't we discuss this outside a while ago? You weren't gonna listen, so..." Rainbow trailed off, looking nonchalant about it.

"So that justifies punching an injured person? My god, you're heinous." Jeremy said with a slight chuckle.

"Who cares! You still put up a good fight!" Rainbow chided.

"Whatever..." Jeremy then turned his back to her, and groaned. "Ugh... maybe this is my fault..."

"What's that supposed to mean??" Rainbow sat up and looked at him like he said something crazy.

"Ruby got taken and my friends got attacked, and it's all my fault..." Jeremy trailed off, palming his face as he sat up in his bed. He sighed, then continued explaining. "She... she doesn't like it when anyone disses her parents, with that old 'abandonment' shtick. She firmly believes her parents never abandoned her for some stupid reason."

"Oh, she lost her parents, huh...?"  Rainbow looked solemn for a moment.

"Yeah... and with the will they wrote, the government suddenly told my mom to come bring the kid to our place." Jeremy said, slowly curling up under the sheets.

"So why would you say that her parents abandoned her?" Rainbow asked, in a stern tone.

"It's just... I thought about her parents, how they just died so suddenly and outta nowhere, and one thing lead to another. This might sound a little nutty, but I'd think she saw them as parental surrogates. They must've treated her with kindness and alla that junk. But that kid... she saved me..." Jeremy said, curling up into a ball even tighter.

"Saved you? What, from monsters or something?" Rainbow was confused.

"No, my world doesn't have monsters, Skittles." Jeremy turned over and scowled at Rainbow.

"Hey!" She frowned at hearing that nickname again.

"I mean, she saved me from my err... slump... at the time. That's the nicest way to put it. Yeah." Jeremy awkwardly explained.

"Huh... well, I guess that explains why you seem to not care what happens to your friends?" Rainbow asked in a stern tone.

"...Part of it I guess, I dunno. But you got the idea... A lotta shit happened." Jeremy said, turning on his back to look at the ceiling.

"I see... I'm not gonna apologize for chewing you out all those times though."

"Did I ask for an apology?" Jeremy glanced at Rainbow, sounding annoyed as he spoke.

"No, but you need to care for your friends as much as you care for that kid! It just... makes me so mad to see how little you care for your 'crew'!" Rainbow quoted the word he used. 

"Yeah, you're right. I learned my lesson when I heard what happened to Avu... So I'll only say this once!" Jeremy sat up and looked straight into Rainbow's eyes seriously, took a deep breath and...  "I'm sorry. You're the first person... err, pony, to ever seriously see through my twisted priorities, and see what I was doing was wrong. And I'll thank you too. I think I have a more solid focus on what my friends wanted to say. Sure, It's true, I wanted to get the hell out of Equestria in a big hurry. And truth be told, I STILL want to leave this place. But I need to learn to not be in such a damn rush with everything. And I also need to trust you guys more too."

"Hmph. I gueeeeeeeeeeeess I can accept your apology, but I dunno... You'll have to apologize to your friend that got hurt, got it? Show your loyalty!" Rainbow said in a commandeering tone.

"Don't push it. I don't care whether you accept my apology or not." Jeremy smirked, giving her a shrug.

"Then why apologize!?" Rainbow angrily asked.

"Well... maybe because I kinda respect ya now." Jeremy admitted easily.

"You should've respected me from day one, big guy!" Rainbow pointed a hoof at him in declaration.

"Ugh, instead of calling me 'big guy', call me Jeremy. I mean, sure, maybe I've told you my name, and you might've overheard it a bunch, but it's about time you started using it. Seeing Mason and Mr. Martin again kinda reminded me that I'm not a 'big guy'."

"You're right! I should call you 'little guy' instead! Hahaha!!" Rainbow started laughing.

"Ugh..." Jeremy simply rolled his eyes.

"So... Jeremy, huh? How about I call you Chocolate instead?" Rainbow, hearing his name, looked at his skin color... and then slapped on her own nickname for him.

"What!?" Jeremy's eye twitched upon hearing the nickname.

"You slap on a stupid nickname for me, so I get to do the same for you! So CHOCOLATE IT IS!" Rainbow boasted.

"ARGH! Don't get cocky just because I respect you a little!!" Jeremy scolded.

"Hahaha, whatcha gonna do, Chocolate!? Fight me again!?" Rainbow continued her teasing.

"Whatever, I'm outta here!" Jeremy got out of his bed and stormed out of the room.

"Hehehehe! Hahahaha!!!" Rainbow cracked up at Jeremy's reaction, kicking around on the bed.

Jeremy then comes back into the room briefly to ask the pony doctor, "Oh, by the way, where are my human friends?"

"They're in the next room. And please, keep it down in here, I'm trying to work." The doctor answered, her eyes still glued to the book.

"What, ol' Chocolate can't find his way around the palace!? Hahahahahahahaha!" Rainbow chimed in, laughing the entire time.

Jeremy simply flips the bird at her and storms off. Little did he know, this only made Rainbow laugh even harder.

"What's THAT supposed to mean anyway? Hahahahaha! All he did was stick up a finger!"

Jeremy left the room and went to the next thanks to the doctor's quick directions. Upon entering the next room, he saw his friends looking crestfallen. He then saw the reason why. 

In the room just like the one he was in previously, Avu was encased in a crystal capsule, sound asleep. His shirt had been taken off and the bandages wrapped around his upper body didn't cover the red and black shaded 'stake' in the center. Even now, it continued to emit a dangerous amount of energy, little by little...

"What happened...?" Jeremy asked.

"Lightning Dust got him... I don't know why she did this, but this..." Eva said, tearing up.

"I mean... why the crystal?" Jeremy specified his question.

"I hear it's so he'll stabilize. The ponies are currently trying to figure out exactly what Lightning Dust stabbed him with." Trisha explained, looking just as crestfallen as everyone else.

"Ugh... With Avu like this and Ruby gone, we can't go home yet..." Jeremy clinched his fist.

"Are you still in a hurry, foolish leader?" Megan asked nonchalantly.

"Nah... if being in such a damn hurry caused all of this, then it ain't worth it anymore. Besides, it kinda pains me the most to see Avu like this, since I owe him quite a bit too." Jeremy said.

"Owe him? Why's that?" Trisha asked.

"Because if it weren't for him, you wouldn't even be in the crew, Trish. If it weren't for him, I would've remained blind to a lot of truths out there, ya know?" Jeremy explained, walking up to the crystal Avu was in and lightly knocking on it.

"In other words, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this world. I could look at it like that." Trisha said.

"Wha-" Jeremy turned around, shooting a glare at Trisha, but she cut him off before he could go into his usual rant.

"But... I'm glad. I owe him too then. I would've never found the club room to meet you guys. And well, it's as you said, I wouldn't be a part of the crew if it weren't for him. But I've been doing some thinking... and well... I don't really have a position."

"What are you going on about?" Jeremy asked, giving an inquisitive look.

"When you said that Avu's the reason I'm here, I suddenly started thinking again that things wouldn't be all that different whether I was here or not. But I've been wanting to change that... I thought it'd be okay to stop playing hero when I moved back to Westford Island, but I can see that's not really doing me anything. I feel kinda bored, to be honest." Trisha said, grimacing.

"So what are you trying to say?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm saying... I want to be more involved. I want to get us home, safe and sound. All of us, together. I know I'm just 'the new girl' to you, but Jeremy, please. Even if it means I'll have to play hero sometimes. In that short amount of time... all of you became such good friends to me. Friends even Sam and Mariya can be proud of. So I want to help you save Ruby. I want to help Avu. I want to help Twilight and the other ponies too, even if I become a nuisance because of it. I want to do something that'll help us somehow! But I... I just don't know where to start."

"Okay, well, let me give it to you straight. Every single crew member in here has a talent they specialize in 'cept me. All I can do is bake a fucking cupcake, and that's because Ruby always demanded me to make confectioneries. Kid has a freakin' sweet tooth, I tell ya." Jeremy griped, then continued. "But what I'm saying is to look around: Martin's got good understanding skills since he's a teacher. Eva's good at making great food. Kitsu's great at making people laugh. Megan's techno-savvy, so he's good with that. Mason's tall and strong, plus he's fast since he plays basketball. Chris is good at flirting with the ladies and somehow good at playing violin or whatever. Mia's great at calming people down, hence why she's our voice of reason. Mina's brutally honest and doesn't hesitate to give it to you straight. Avu's got the skills of a seasoned snooper. Alice is great at making clothes, and you're good at giving that extra helping hand that everyone needs. You just need to do it and stop hesitating."

"Well, you're good at something too!" Trisha replied.

"Don't kid yourself, Trish. It's my fault Ruby got kidnapped and Avu got stabbed. Hell, if I recall right, my impatience cause a lot of trouble for you guys."

"Well, we wouldn't be together if it weren't for you, remember? You're the one who decided to annoy us and bring us into this foolish crew." Megan said. 

"Yeah, I remember how he pestered me to being your adviser. But hey, I'm kinda glad he did. Becoming friends with my own students is part of being a teacher too." Mr. Martin added.

"Huh... eh... well, whatever ya'll say." Jeremy said, feeling bashful, then turned to Avu, pressing an arm against the crystal, then leaning forward. "I'm sorry this happened, man. But we're gonna we're gonna work with the ponies to find a way to save you. And we'll rescue Ruby too. And then we'll survive!"


"I guess I'm seeing what Rainbow Dash meant all along, going on about loyalty being loyal to my crew... 

It's trust, isn't it?"

> Frozen Enclave
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After arriving at the Crystal Empire, the humans are introduced to the mysterious Equine Crystals, capable of granting speed and defense to whomever wields them. However, due to their very limited use, they weren't sure how they worked. After the journalism crew reunite at last, Jeremy decided to make plans to hurry and leave Equestria as soon as possible, but this all lead to Jeremy and Ruby having an argument, ending in her running away crying. Jeremy chased after her, but the Shadowbolts commence their attack on the Crystal Empire, which resulted in a struggle to keep themselves from being taken. Lightning Dust even showed off her brand new wings, which gave her an extra boost of speed, allowing her to take down nearly every pony around her.

The struggle would end with Ruby taken, Avu impaled by a strange horn, and Lightning Dust getting away despite Rainbow Dash's best effort to take her down.





Thanks to the Crystal Ponies led by Rarity and Pinkie Pie, medical attention was given to the injured immediately. since they weren't as injured, Twilight, Shining Armor, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Princess Cadence have all recovered enough to walk around and discuss what happened.

"I hate to say it, but that Lightnin' Dust got us good..." Applejack angrily said.

"She moved so fast, we couldn't use the Elements of Harmony on her even if we tried! And not to mention she caused us to separate anyway... it's like she was prepared!" Twilight said.

"She didn't seem to panic at all though. You guys have the elements! She should've shown more fear! It's as if she didn't care!" Shining Armor said.

"No, I think she DID care. That's why she acted so fast. And then there's that horn that human got impaled with..." Cadence disagreed.

"Horn?" Twilight asked, confused.

"Yeah. I went to look earlier. One of the humans got impaled with a unicorn horn dead center." Shining explained. "It's emitting a strange power, so I had the human encased in a crystal capsule and monitored for any changes. The other humans weren't happy, but I told them that it'll save their friend. I just... have this really bad feeling about that horn. That magic... I know I've seen that dark magic before." Shining said grimly.

"I agree... It looks familiar to me too. If the other ponies saw that energy, I'm... I'm sure they'll panic."

"You're not saying... that horn belongs to King Sombra, right...?" Twilight asked.

"It's a possibility, but I'm not entirely sure. We all saw the power of the Crystal Heart destroy him. So if his horn alone emits that kind of power, then we need to find a way to remove it without taking that human's life." Shining said. 

Rainbow Dash walks into the room and overhears them talking about the horn, and joins in on the conversation.

"Rainbow, how you feelin'?" Applejack asked.

"I'm fine. But about Lightning Dust... Why would she do that?" Rainbow asked. "And those wings!! Why did some fancy wings make her faster!?"

"Those... wings... they're... Nightmare Moon's..." Fluttershy nervously said, shivering.

"I also have a bad feeling about Lightning Dust. Like Fluttershy said, her wings look way too much like Nightmare Moon's. It's as if she's the one turning into Nightmare Moon somehow..." Cadence said. "Remember the legend?"

"Princess Luna became bitter since we shunned the night and went to sleep, while everypony would play during the during the day. She felt lonely and bitter..." Twilight said solemnly.

"Yes, that's right. This sort of fits Lightning Dust as well if we're going by her desire for revenge..." Cadence confirmed.

"Hold on, hold on! That's crazy! You mean she's becoming a NEW Nightmare Moon due to her bitterness? I thought we figured that Nightmare Moon had a mind of her own!" Rainbow shook her head and asked, confused.

"Well, the reason Princess Luna wanted to be sealed to prevent Nightmare Moon from finding another host..." Cadence's eyes widened in horror as she covered her mouth, "Oh no... I think we might've made a huge mistake...!"

"What... you're not saying that that's already happened, are you?!" Twilight quickly realized the implications.

"That has to be it! How else would Lightning Dust gain that much power?"

"But the legend...!"

"We figured that she's a prison based on that... one looking for somepony to imprison and bring herself to life to bring everlasting Night... It's as if she's a ghost looking for a body to take over." Cadence elaborated.

"Then shouldn't Lightning Dust be Nightmare Moon by now?!" Rainbow quickly asked.

"No. According to Luna, the transformation was a slow and gradual process. When she was bitter, and as time went along, she kept hearing a voice in her head, convincing her to bring the Everlasting Night... but this might change everything we know if Nightmare Moon's able to change her host at will..." Cadence continued her assessment.

"Yo, ponies, I have something that needs to be said!" 

The ponies turn to the entrance to see Jeremy, leading his friends into the room. 

"Oh boy..." Rainbow rolled her eyes at hearing Jeremy's words.

"Rainbow, please. This is important." Jeremy said to Rainbow, who thought he was just going to act crazy again. 

Jeremy would then drop to his knees and lower his hands and head to the crystal floor, bowing to the ponies. Naturally, her eyes widen when she sees that.

"Whoa, what!?" Eva gawked at Jeremy literally bowing down to the ponies.

"Dogeza!? Dude!" Kitsu asked, astonished at what Jeremy's doing.

"You don't have to prostrate yourself!" Mina said, shocked like everyone else. 

"I assume you're the leader here, right?" Jeremy asked, which made Cadence step forward. He's ignoring his friends, who are palming their faces in embarrassment and astonishment.

"I'm Princess Cadence, yes... I'm sure you want to save Ruby, right?" Cadence asked.

"Yes. I request your help. I beg of all of you to help us. My actions up until now didn't show it, and they've even caused some problems, but I appreciate all the help you all have given us now. And right now, I beg of you, to help me save Ruby. I need to save her. I need to save my friend Avu. I want my friends to survive! I care too much about my friends to lose them now! I refuse to take any more losses, and I'm willing to beg you all for help. So please help us! Help us save our friends!"

"Well... first off, no need to go that far. I already planned to help you. That little girl... she wanted to be friends with us."

"I know that! It's my fault she got kidnapped in the first place! I wanted to hurry and leave Equestria as soon as possible! I didn't consider her feelings, I didn't listen to my friends, and this is the price I paid! That girl saved me before, so now it's my turn to save her... Avu, he's the one who helped me to open my eyes last year so I owe him too. I've taken my friends for granted, but I know I can't do it alone and I'll need all the help I can get. So please!" Jeremy said.

"Why don't you stand up already, Chocolate!" Rainbow said.

"Oh be quiet!" Jeremy scowled at Rainbow.

"Actually, she's right. Bowin' down, puttin' yer nose to the ground like that is... kinda insultin'. What kind of ponies do you think we are?" Applejack asked.

"We're not tyrants you know! We're not the kind of ponies that you have to grovel on the ground and beg for!" Twilight added, making a point.

"I think he might've looked down on you." Mina said replied to Twilight.

"Hey!" Jeremy glared at Mina.

"I'm just saying that I see where they're coming from. They've helped us out all this time, so no need to prostrate yourself now. They believe in friendship, and you don't apparently. But It's not too late to learn." Mina said.

"Doesn't believe in friendship?!" Twilight was shocked.

"I knew it! Why you think I got mad at you so much!?" Rainbow proclaimed how right she was.

"Kinda makes me curious as to why you all stick around." Shining said.

"Well... he wasn't always like that. I don't really know what happened last summer, but if anything, we stick around because he needs us. He won't admit it, but he does." Mia answered.

"Ugh..." Jeremy groaned, as he rose his head off the ground, but sat with his head hanging low in shame.

"He brought us together. So we stick together." Mason added.

"They're right, Jeremy. They all are. These ponies didn't have to save us at all. They could've left us to die, but they didn't. They helped us and patched us up too." Mr Martin walked up to Jeremy and placed a hand on his head, causing his eyes to open. "Now be a good student and apologize to the ponies. Stand and do it right."

Jeremy heaved a deep sigh as he got on his feet, then looked at the ponies. "I'm sorry for insulting you all just now."

"Apology accepted. Just don't do that again!" Twilight said.

"Yeah. Did you know? Twilight and I are friends, and I don't see any problem with befriending them! We gotta help each other out after all!" Trisha said.

"You were serious about that..." Jeremy looked at Trisha like she lost her mind.

"Well yeah! Whenever Twilight and I talk, we exchange information about each other worlds, which I think to be a great learning experience! Plus we might be able to report this on the school paper!" Trisha proclaimed.

"Hmph... I still find these equine creatures to be beneath me. Alas, even though these incidents started because we're here, our problems are mutual. I believe we can survive if we join forces." Megan said in his typical condescending manner.

"I have a feeling you won't be looking down on us for very long!" Twilight said, giving Megan a sharp look.

"I do hear you're the brains of the group... doubt that your intelligence is on par with mine though. Alas, I won't foolishly challenge an equine creature in a match of wits. Not when my knowledge if this world is as limited as your knowledge of our world." Megan said.

"Believe in them." Mason said to Jeremy.

"We believe in love, friendship, and harmony. I know that Equestria isn't perfect. We still have our flaws. But we feel that peace can be maintained as long as we learn to reach out and understand one another. To each other, we're different species, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." Cadence said.

"Yeah, yeah... but It's... gonna take some time to get some time getting used to it. But hey, I've no problems cooperating. For now, I'll think of this as a human-pony alliance, if that's okay." Jeremy said, putting a hand in his pocket out of habit.

"Just an alliance, huh?" Rainbow asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Oh, he'll come around, trust me!" Mia added. "He's nicer than he lets on! You just gotta give him a shot!"

"Well, I'm sure he'll be happy to know that there's a way to save Ruby." Cadence said.

"Really!?" Jeremy instantly widened his eyes, giving a nervous smile.

"Of course. Remember the Equine Crystals? They have an additional ability: dowsing." Cadence said.

"Dowsing?" Jeremy asked, tilting his head.

"She means we track her location." Megan answered.

"That's correct. The crystals allow you to dowse for anypony, or in your case, anyone else whom you know has an Equine Crystal themselves, only if you have a bond with that individual. I believe it works by simply thinking about your bond with her, conjuring up a vivid image in your mind." Cadence explained.

"Yeah, it's what I did when I thought of my boyfriend and how I wanted to apologize to him when I get home!" Alice chimed in.

"Speaking of that... what was it like when it first happened? Because I've never heard of these things before."Twilight asked.

"Oh, umm... like I said, when I started thinking about my boyfriend and how I wanted to make up with him when I get home... well... how do I put this... It's like, a sudden force just gave my body a boost of strength, or at least it felt that way." Alice awkwardly explained.

"That's what I heard. But it really is only limited to speed and defense when it comes down to it, and the crystal will break away each time it's used, so you really do need to use them sparingly." Shining Armor warned.

"Wait a sec, so back to that 'dowsing' thing. That's using the crystals too, right? Wouldn't it break away if I were to use them to search for Ruby?" Jeremy asked.

"Thankfully, no. The Dowsing ability can be used as many times as needed."  Cadence answered.

"Sounds good." Jeremy said before opening up his bag.and taking out a crystal bracelet he packed earlier. It slides onto his wrist fairly easily, giving his wrist that initial chill. "Good grief these things feel like they were buried in snow..." He griped, then shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Haaa..."






The sun shines through the curtains in my room as I sit with my back against my bed. This room started to collect a little dust since I've locked myself in here. My action figures on the shelves... my computer, my X-Box 360... even this carpet I sit on, I can feel dust on my fingertips. 

So much dust...

Even if it makes me sneeze, I don't want to see the sun. The sun keeps shining through my curtains anyway... I just want to be left alone.

Alone...

That's the way things should be. Ever since that day, I think it's a fitting punishment for committing such an unforgivable crime.

Things will be okay like this. She... she's in a better place now. It was her choice. But I drove her to it. It makes me no less than a criminal.

*Knock Knock*

I wish mom would leave me alone already.

*Knock Knock*

".........." I remained silent. Then again, I get the feeling It's not Mom knocking. She would've yelled at me by now. 

Is it Mia?

Nah... She would've said something by now. She would've tried to make me eat lunch. 

*Knock Knock*

So who the hell is it!? LEAVE ME ALONE!

...is what I wanted to scream. But...

"Jeremy...?" I heard the voice of a little girl.

Huh... that's weird. This is a new voice.

"Who are you?" I asked. Might as well know who I'm about to tell off.

"It's me, Ruby. Can we play?" The girl asked. 

Play? Are you serious??

Wait, Ruby? Huh... mmm... I think my mom told me about Ruby at one point... when she told me that her sister was pregnant with a kid... right now my first time meeting her. But I only heard that name ten years ago. How or why is she here?

No... I think I know. I think mom told me that she'd be living with us when I came home that day, but I was trying to tune her out. It's not like I can shut off my hearing.

But... wait, why now?

"Go away..." I finally spoke.

"Aunt Nora... she said that you'd play with me."

"She lied."

"No I didn't." Now my mom speaks up.

"This girl just lost her parents. But you wouldn't know that because you're so busy sulking like a baby over some girl. Ruby though... she's stronger than you. Probably stronger than you'll ever be. When the government got me to pick her up, she smiled the whole time. Her parents didn't want her to be sad the whole time, so she's smiling, and she's trying to reach out to you. You're free to stay in that room for the rest of your life and rot away for all I care. But this girl... she wants you to play. So what will it be?" My mom is as harsh as ever. It really pisses me off.

"............"

Hmph. She never cried? Unbelievable. My mom's lying. There's no way a little girl like this could be happy right now.

And so I finally mustered up some strength and got a firm grip of that silver doorknob, turning it. Once the door opened... there she was, looking up at me with those bright eyes... They weren't the eyes of someone who cried. No... in fact, they were the eyes of one who could only look forward.

Why...? Why does she have the will to look towards the future? 

No... I won't ask her that. It's none of my business.

"What's wrong, Jeremy?" Ruby asked me, looking at me with those dark blue eyes. I sigh, as found myself lowering myself to the door.

"I'm... a monster."

"You sure don't look like one..."

"A monster doesn't have to be hideous." I retorted.

"But in the stories I read, even a monster can be given a chance! Sometimes monsters are really nice! You just have to look at their heart!"

"................." I was taken aback.

How... how can she say that to me...? I'm... well, no. It's not like she knows... and she doesn't need to know. Stuff like that you just don't tell a kid.

But... why...? Why is a kid who lost her parents, able to smile unlike me, who lost a girl he used to like? When I look at it, I find myself feeling pathetic in comparison.

...She's beating me. No... I'm losing to her in happiness. 

Maybe I should just take her up on that offer and play.

I guess I could save myself the grief and do as she asks, before I end up spilling too much.

From that day forward, I began to warm up to Ruby over the summer. We'd play a little catch, a few video games, watch TV... stuff only I could think of. Eventually I found myself buying board games too and passed the time like that. I even wanted to see if I could find some ponies she can pet since for some reason, she showed a lot of interest in them.

I discovered that playing with this girl was enough to shift my focus and try and forget about Angela. 

She doesn't need to know who Angela is. Ever.





A bright light shines through Jeremy's eyelids as he hears the astonishment of everyone around him. Upon opening his eyes, he sees what appears to be a magic circle with an arrow at the tip pointing diagonally...

"Wha...?" Jeremy held out his hand, and the arrow adjusted it's direction differently, pointing straight forward when he faced the direction of the arrow. "It's like a compass... and I'm guessing that that arrow..."

"Points to Ruby's location. I'm certain of it!" Cadence finished.

"It's like I can feel her presence when I face the direction of the arrow." Jeremy said, forming a faint smile. "I just remembered the day she slowly pulled me out of the darkness with her innocence, that's all. I guess I can see how you two wanted to be friends with her. She did the same thing with my crew here when they first seen her."

"Then we'll need to set out and find her then! We got a lead, right?" Trisha asked.

"Not so fast; there's Avu to deal with. In fact, I say we split up into three groups for now. Remember the front end of the plane?" Jeremy asked.

"That's right, we need to get our stuff from there!" Alice gasped.

"Right! So, Megan, Trisha, you two come with me to get Ruby back." Jeremy looked at his crew and began laying out a plan like a real leader for once. 

"Hmph. So you realize you're an idiot and need someone smart. Gotcha." Megan said condescendingly.

"Oh come on, Megan. You know you're curious to see what's out there." Trisha said.

"Kitsu, Mia, Eva, and Mason should stay here and keep an eye on Avu, make sure he's doing okay and make sure he gets better." Jeremy continued. "Mason, I'm counting on you to protect the girls."

"Got it." Mason agreed.

"Geez, we don't need any protection." Mia pouted. "We're not weak girls!"

"Uh, considering all that's happened to us so far, I'm surprised you're even saying that..." Mina said, palming her face.

"Mina's gotcha on that one..." Eva agreed, giving a wry smile.

"Mr. Martin, can you, Chris, Mina, and Alice all go investigate the front half of the plane, like, search high and low for anything useful, as well as get the rest of your stuff? And if the radio still works, you can use it to call for help." Jeremy finished his orders.

"Yeah..." Chris muttered under his breath, still looking solemn. He places a hand on his chin and thought, "I'd like to find the pilot's body though..."

"Sure, you have a good plan and all, but what about your team? It's just three of you. If you're going to save Ruby, then you need to remember that you'll have a fight on your hands." Mr. Martin asked.

"I'll let the ponies decide which teams they wanna be on and whom they wanna help." Jeremy said, giving a smile. "It's not my place to order'em around. They seem to have free will like us. Besides, It'll give me the chance to develop a trust with'em."

"Atta boy. I think you've really learned this time." Mr. Martin said.

"Hmm... that's... actually kinda nice of you for once." Rainbow said, surprised to hear Jeremy say that.

"Hey, I'm always nice!" Jeremy argued.

"Hah, puh-leeeze! Says the guy who punched me a while ago!" Rainbow retorted.

"What?!" Twilight's shock was understandable since she didn't know about the human-pony fist fight.

"I'd like to forget about that..." Jeremy said as he palmed his face.

"Maybe we could write a report on that on our paper when we get home? Like, 'Crazy high school guy vs a pony! Pony wins!" Alice teased.

"OH DEAR GOD NO!" Jeremy squirmed in panic. A headline like that would make him a laughing stock!

Now it was time for the ponies to decide their teams...

"I'm gonna go with Chocolate. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Rainbow declared.

"For somepony who just got into a fight with him, you sure hang around him quite a bit." Rarity noted.

"Oh come on. I took it upon myself to make sure that he doesn't harm my friends in any way! And I've done awesomely at that!" Rainbow boasted. "And besides, if he's going to rescue that girl, then that means we'll definitely run into Lightning Dust. When I get my hooves on her, she's gonna wish she never thought of allying herself with Nightmare Moon!"

"Yeah. In that case I'll go with you too. Lightning Dust has to be stopped." Twilight said, having a look of determination in her eyes. "Plus she hurt my B.B.B.F.F.! She already crossed the line!"

"I'll go with ya then, Twily! If we work together, we can hopefully apprehend her at last!" Shining Armor said.

"Ah'll go check on that other half of the plane with Mina and them." Applejack said.

"But what about your back, Applejack?" Twilight asked.

"Ah'm fine! This gal ain't gonna let saving one of her friends keep her from standin'!" Applejack reassured.

"I'll go with Applejack too. I believe she'll need a little help walking in case her back hurts." Rarity said, standing next to Applejack.

"I-I'm sorry that I hurt your back..." Fluttershy sheepishly apologized as her head hung low.

"Oh, don't you start now, Fluttershy. I saved ya because we're friends! And besides, you'd be hurt a lot worse if I had let you crash like that!" Applejack chided, but gave a smile to Fluttershy to reassure her that it's okay.

"Better to share the pain! Whee!" Pinkie said. "Anywho, I wanna stay here so I can throw a party for you guys when you get back! An after-battle party! Whoo hoo! Fluttershy, you can help me out!"

"Uhh.. okay, I guess..." Fluttershy agreed.

"I'll stay here and monitor the injured human myself and work with the doctor in hopes of saving him. I also need to protect the Crystal Heart in case the empire gets attacked again." Cadence said.

"Then I guess we're all decided then!" Twilight shouted, and turned to the humans.





With the teams formed at last, they all set out for their respective tasks, all heading out of the Crystal Palace and make their way to the Crystal Pier, which has two boats parked on each side of the dock. Seeing a dock, one would expect to see the ocean ahead, the confused humans see nothing a beautiful field of grass and flowers going far towards the horizon.

Jeremy looked at the 'radar' that was conjured up a while ago and mutters, "Looks like Ruby's not too far off..." He then looks at the vehicles on the sides of the pier. "Whoa, what's with the boats?" Jeremy asked, widening his eyes in amazement, looking at the mechanical structures, each as large as a private boat. The body of the boat was made of a well crafted crystal, even spreading to the inside. The deck is made of white steel planks, and for some reason, the back of the boats had two giant propellers in the back of them.

"You mean Hovercrafts..." Megan corrected, sighing, as he pointed to the bottom of the 'boat', prompting Jeremy to see a large black rubber bottom, which appears to be inflated already.

"...Close enough!" Jeremy retorted.

"They're hovercrafts that the guards use to explore the Frozen North whenever we need to search for somepony, or anything for that matter. It's how I found you all when you first crash landed here." Shining Armor answered.

"Well that explains alot..." Chris said, looking away from Shining Armor in shame for some reason.

"I see... But how come we don't see any snow? It looks like an endless field of grass and flowers." Trisha asked.

"Well, that's because we're still inside the barrier formed by the Crystal Heart. While we're in here, the weather is nice and the Crystal Empire's civilization and economy can thrive. Outside though, is pretty empty and bleak, and it's also where the Windigos live."

"I see... so I'm guessing that's why this dock stops halfway..." Trisha asked.

"You betcha!" A voice was heard from within one of the hovercrafts. Who emerged was a dark-blue coated stallion with a dark gray mane, which looked much like the steel of the fan. In fact, his cutie mark resembled the fan on the back of the hovercraft. His body also seemed to be covered with scars.

"Hey, Hover Clear! We need to go to the Frozen North to look for a friend! Can you take us?" Shining Armor walked up and asked.

"Hey, you ain't gotta ask me, kiddo! You're captain of the royal guard, AND the prince! You autta just take the thing and ride out there yourself!" Hover Clear said.

"I don't really know how to operate a hovercraft as well as you though. Plus, just because I'm a prince, doesn't mean I can't show respect to my elders!" Shining Armor. "Oh, where's your brother, Air Flow?"

"Right here! So you all need a lift?" Another stallion named Air Flow, this time with a metallic black coating and a light blue mane. He wore an eye patch over his left eye and his body was also covered in scars... His cutie mark however, appears to be a burn mark.

"Right! See, we're going to be splitting up! One team of us will be going on a rescue mission, while the others will go investigate the thing that crashed a few days ago." Shining Armor told them.

"Sure thing! We don't have much to do these days anyway!" Hover Clear said, beckoning them all to hop on. "Hey, Air Flow, ya remember the way to that mechanical structure out there??"

"Sure do!" Air Flow said, giving a smile and a salute. 

"Chris! When you guys finish searching the plane, head back to the empire and meet with the others and make sure Avu's doing okay!" Jeremy called out to him after hopping onto the hovercraft Hover Clear was operating.

"Right! Got it!" Chris nodded as he climbed onto Air Flow's hovercraft.

With everyone now on the respective hovercrafts, they both took off. In a mere second, the surrounding area went from beautiful grassy fields to a snowy and desolate area in the blink of an eye. The sky was dark and cloudy, yet just a few thin rays of sunlight seep their way through the bleak firmament. It was as if they really did pass through a bubble of sorts. 

The hovercrafts then separate as soon as the ponies operating it nod to each other.





"It's... kinda beautiful out here..." Jeremy muttered to himself.

"This? THIS is beautiful to you? It's cold, and empty! Not to mention freezing!" Twilight complained.

"Well... It's just, when I look out there, and I can see a hint of the sun despite the dark clouds, it gives it that... feeling of hope, or something to that effect...  It's like, not completely dark out here. It's kinda melancholy. Just the way I like it."

"Yo, kids! Mind telling me where to go?? We're not headed to that metal thing out there, so don't you have a lead?" Hover Clear called out.

"Yeah! Gimmie a minute!" Jeremy replied, making his way to the operating section of the craft. Once inside, he holds out his wrist, showing the still glowing circle with the arrow pointing northeast.

"Oooooh... that's an Equine Crystal! Oh those were the days..." Hover Clear said, looking at Jeremy's wrist.

"Wait, you know already?" Jeremy asked.

"You didn't know? I'm a survivor of the Sombra rebellion!" 

"Umm... Sombra Rebellion?" Jeremy asked.

"These ponies... the ones at the crystal empire, were once under the rule of an evil tyrant who's known as King Sombra. Apparently, some crystal ponies decided to be brave and launch a rebellion to overthrow the king, using the Equine Crystals as their secret weapon. These ponies all had families and friends they wanted to save, so naturally they knew how to use the crystals with ease and effectiveness." Megan explained.

"You... knew all of that?" Twilight asked.

"Naturally. If I feel something is important, I look it up or gather information. I don't ever want to be considered ignorant by anyone." Megan replied to Twilight.

"I doubt you know all of the details though. You can't read our language after all." Twilight said.

"But he's right, lil' filly! We did have a rebellion! I was one of the leaders of that rebellion too! But hoo wee! That King Sombra didn't mess around! He figured out our secret weapon and devised a strategy to take us all down!" Hover Clear added.

"I'm interested to know how he defeated you all. With a boost in speed and defense, you should've had an advantage." Megan said.

"We were up against some of the most vile creatures! I don't know how that Sombra got them to his side, but we managed to go hoof-to-hoof wit'em! We'd zip on through their line of defense with one crystal and use another to block any magic for a moment! We really thought we'd take the king down ourselves, but they figured us out!"

"I'm guessing he must've figured that the crystals break away when used." Trisha guessed.

"You got it, missy! The rebellion went on for only a whole day, which ended in our loss! King Sombra forced us to kneel and punished us for our efforts by hurting our closest brethren and enslaving them! As you can see with Air Flow... he paid with his eye and cutie mark...!" Hover Clear's voice began to sound more anguished.

"Oh god..." Trisha's eyes widened in horror.

"Well, I'm glad Sombra's gone, otherwise he'd be answering to me!" Rainbow said, her eyes scowling.

"That's really horrifying! What could drive somepony to even be that... evil?" Twilight asked, putting a hoof to her muzzle in horror.

"Now, there's no need to show us any sympathy! We're free now thanks to good ol' Princess Celestia and Princess Luna!" Hover Clear gave a reassuring smirk.

"Still, that's... really terrible... I read up on the Crystal Empire's history before and learned about the rebellion, but hearing from an actual survivor really makes the horror kick in a little more than reading it from a book..." Twilight said solemnly.

"By the way, it looks like the compass is pointing towards the Frozen Enclave behind the mountains." Hover Clear said, looking at the arrow pointing now north since Hover Clear is following the direction as indicated.

"Frozen Enclave?" Twilight asked.

"Ah, it's a place we don't exactly like to bring up. It's where that tyrant enslaved us!" Hover Clear said, his eyes progressively starting to narrow dangerously. "Whoever you're looking for will probably be seein' a lot of bloodshed from our kin..."

"Enslaved...? So far away??" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. King Sombra took the leader of our rebellion and made him cough up where he found the Equine Crystals!" Hover Clear said. "Shining Armor and I went on a little expedition and retrieved the crystals he forced our brethren to find."

"And they were found at this 'enclave'?" Trisha asked in a way that indicated that she didn't know what an enclave is.

"An Enclave is a territory entirely surrounded by another territory." Megan chimed.

"Could you like, stop being such a walking dictionary? My god!" Jeremy griped.

"You're envious of my superior intellect, obviously. It's okay, no need to be ashamed." Megan adjusted his glasses as he gave a cocky smirk.

"Anyway, your friend's right. It's why we call that place the Frozen Enclave. This entire territory used to belong to the Crystal Empire, while Sombra had his own little territory. In fact, Sombra was surprised to know that such powerful items were hidden at his former territory, so he built a Mining Facility, making our kind mine as many crystals as possible." Hover Clear said.

"Geez... that guy sounds like a real piece of work..." Jeremy griped.

As the hovercraft sailed through the snow and got closer to the mountains, the sky abruptly opens up and a large black tower of light shines it's way through...

*CRASH!*

A severe thunderous sound could be heard in the distance as soon as the black light hit the area... 

"What the heck was that!?" Rainbow asked.

"That energy... it can't be what I think it is..." Shining Armor clinched his teeth.

"It's where Ruby is, right!? We have to hurry!!" Jeremy shouted.

"I'm on it!" Hover Clear quickly sped the hovercraft up, going through a gap in the mountains to reach a very large, snow-covered structure, with eight broken and worn away pillars. Up ahead is a broken flight of stairs in between the columns that ascends to the entrance of the rounded structure.

Upon arrival, Jeremy quickly jumps out of the craft and make his way to the structure, only to be stopped by Hover Clear. 

"Wait! Don't be hasty!" Hover Clear shouted.

"Why!? Ruby could be in trouble!!" Jeremy yelled.

"You can't get in there without using magic!"

"Damn it! What about the Equine Crystals!?"

"They're not unicorn magic, so they won't work!"

"I'll go then!" Shining Armor hopped out of the boat and ran up the broken stairs with Jeremy following.

Twilight, Rainbow, Trisha, and Megan soon follow the two, but they notice that they stopped already, looking at a familiar pegasus and her now black wings sitting at the edge of the structure's rooftop.

"Oh, Daaaaaashieeeeeeeeeeeee!" Lightning Dust called out.

"Lightning Dust!!!!" Rainbow's expression quickly turned to anger upon seeing her former friend.

"Oh, you're giving me such a fierce look! What, you mad? I'll be honest, I was mad that we couldn't finish our fight too! What a buzzkill! But ya know... I think when you guys go in there, I'm gonna have much fun watching what unfolds. Because hey! You guys are in for one heck of a treat!" Lightning Dust tilted her head in the direction where the black light shot at.

"Lightning Dust, have you even looked at your face?! Don't you know what's happening to you!?" Twilight asked out of concern, noticing that Lightning Dust's face is cracked like an egg.

"Do I look like I care!? I'll slice that horn off if you don't shut up!" Lightning Dust glared at Twilight.

Suddenly, Rainbow flew into the air, straight at Lightning Dust at full speed. Naturally, Lightning Dust quickly moves out of the way, sitting on one of the broken pillars this time.. 

"Come on, we JUST had a fight! Don't you wanna be recovered so I can properly beat you down? It'll be better that way, truuust me. I mean, REALLY. You're in such a hurry! But it's fine. What you'll see in there... let's just say that a terror like no other awaits. I've done my part in awakening that terror. I just need to wait till after the... fireworks, to get paid." Lightning Dust said as she stood up, wearing a maniacal expression. Standing on her hind legs, she claps her hooves together before disappearing.

"She's gone...!" Rainbow glared at where Lightning Dust once was.

"What did she mean by awakening that terror...?" Twilight asked.

"I... I have a feeling I know what she's talking about..." Shining Armor said, as his expression grew serious as he walked up to the large door. The door had five crystals protruding out of it. "Stand back. I'll open the door."

Shining Armor's horn lit up in a blue hue, and a beam of light fired out of it, hitting the crystal in the center. The center crystal lit up, and four lines of light escaped from each, lighting up the four crystals at each corner of the door...

*Boom*... 

A small quake could be heard from the door, as it splits itself in two, then opened the way inside the structure. As the door opened, a burst of cold air escaped and briefly startled the group, revealing a flight of stairs leading into darkness...

"You ready?" Shining Armor asked Jeremy, looking at the radar on his wrist, which is now pointing downward.

"Yeah... she's definitely here..." Jeremy said, feeling determined. "Wait for us, Ruby... we'll save you, no matter what...!"

Jeremy takes out a flashlight from his bag and points it into the structure, finally going down the stairs with everyone else to see what awaits them ahead...
> Always Do Your Research
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


While recovering from the assault on the Crystal Empire, Jeremy feels ashamed for letting his impatience loose track on the importance of his friends, and apologizes for his behavior. Afterwards, he agrees to an alliance with the ponies, and forms three teams: One team for rescuing Ruby, one for Looking after Avu, and another for investigating the front half of the plane.

After the teams are formed, the humans set out for their tasks by boarding a hovercraft and heading out to the frozen north. On the way there, a huge red pillar of light shot down at the Frozen Enclave, a structure where King Sombra began his reign a thousand years ago. The group runs into Lightning dust, who speaks of an unspeakable terror before vanishing. With the doors to the structure at the Enclave now open, the group heads down inside...





Upon entering the structure, the group notices the feeling of snow under their feet shiver at the cold breeze that passes through occasionally. Jeremy shined his flashlight around, noticing that walls are covered in ice and frost and the ceiling is full of icicles that could fall any minute. Surveying the whole area, he notices that the whole room is vast and spacious. The ceiling consisted of several icicles throughout. The floor is covered almost entirely in snow and ice and the walls having what appears to be steel hatches frozen over; three on each side. looking up ahead, there appears to be a few mine carts throughout the room all filled with snow that appears to have been tampered with.

"The floor's covered in snow... did someone leave the door open?" Trisha noted, looking at the ground, as she noticed that the snow was thick enough to take the weight of her steps. 

"Brrr... aren't you ponies cold at all??" Jeremy complained, shivering.

"No, we don't really get cold thanks to our coats." Twilight explained.

"I betcha wished you had fur now, huh?!" Rainbow gloated.

"Shut up. J-j-just shut up." Jeremy scowled at Rainbow. 

"We can get around safely if we walk along the wall. It'll keep us out of the way of the icicles." Shining Armor said, beckoning the group to follow him. "And if one falls, I can protect you anyway, but I'd like to save all of my power for whatever we're gonna be up against here."

"So, you've been here before, right, Shining Armor?" Twilight asked.

"Yeah. We decided to do a little investigation here some time after Sombra was destroyed, and that's when we discovered this run-down place."

"Yeah, but when I look at the ground, I think i see some conveyor belts..." Trisha said, looking closer at the black spot at her feet.

"Hang on a sec... I thought this world wasn't capable of technology!" Jeremy said out of curiosity.

"No, I'm guessing that whatever this place was, it probably powered with either steam or magic, like most of our technology." Twilight answered.

"Hmm... so you guys have technology afterall?" Megan asked.

"Well, not to the extent you guys have. According to the Book of Humans, your technology pales in comparison to ours. Sure, we can have magic or steam powered machines, but we don't have anything advanced such as gas-powered vehicles, or these things called computers."

"Hoo boy... If I didn't know any better, I'd say we entered the dark ages-OW!" Jeremy felt a hoof hit him on the back of his head. He then glares at Rainbow Dash who was floating behind him and griped, "Watch it, my head still hurts!"

"Well excuuuuuse us for not having all the cool gizmos!" Rainbow retorted.

"Will you two shut up!?" Twilight scolded the two. Jeremy and Rainbow would shut up, but not without one last glare at each other.

"Ah... umm, okay, so, anyway..." Trisha awkwardly started. "About this place..."

"Right... according to the radar... It looks like it goes underground. Hmph..." Jeremy looked at the direction the arrow was pointing, and it seemed to be pointing downward, but the edge still pointing northeast.

"Looks like the arrow bends more and more the closer we get." Shining Armor said.

After walking along the wall for a while and reaching the end, they change direction and continue until they reach another turning point, at which they run into another wall...

"Ugh... looks like the radar's going crazy here, but it looks like a dead-end! What the hell!" Jeremy griped.

"Maybe there's a door hidden behind it?" Twilight surmised.

Jeremy then looks at his feet and starts to kick around various lumps of snow. "Ha! Maybe... there's a hatch.. down here...! Mmph!"

Megan, walking around and looking at the ground, calls out to Jeremy. "Jeremy, hand me the light." Megan asked.

"What for?" Jeremy abruptly stopped kicking snow away.

"I think I saw something interesting, but I can't be sure unless I have the light." Megan said, sounding annoyed.

"Well, I'll provide one." Twilight used her horn to shine a light by Megan, who thanked her. "Now what did you notice?"

"Look at the ground..." Megan crouched down as his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "See?" He pointed along the other side of the room, seeing some dubious traces in the snow... "Footprints."

"He's right...!" Shining Armor's eyes widened.

"Hang on, weren't you here before??" Rainbow asked Shining Armor, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Yeah, but I walked along the left wall, just like before! I never walked along the right wall! Maybe somepony's here already!" Shining Armor answered quickly.

"Or someone..." Megan said, looking closely at the prints, noticing that they're shoe tracks. "There's multiple footprints... I think more than one person has been here already, or they're here now." 

"It might've been those other humans I mentioned earlier...?" Shining Armor said. 

"Wait, other humans!?" Trisha asked.

"I came across some strange area when we went out here to explore the enclave. In fact, they looked like... camps. There, I saw some strange creatures. At the time, I didn't bother approaching them, but I managed to figure out that they were humans when I saw you and your friends having the same features..." Shining explained.

"I see... hmm... we still need a way to get down here though... If humans have been here, then I doubt they managed to go down, judging from the footprints. In fact, they make a right here, going to the middle. Were they looking for something?" Jeremy pondered, as his light traced the trail of the footprints, which stop dead in the middle.

Twilight narrows her eyes in suspicion, as she walks along the footprints to where they stopped. She looks closely at the ground, noticing something shiny protruding out of it.

"Is... that a crystal...?" Twilight asked herself. "I wonder..." Twilight's lit horn grew brighter with power, then unleashing a beam of light at the crystal. Suddenly, the crystal began emitting a strange, bright light, which expanded more and more.

"What the heck!?" Jeremy was startled to see a huge wave of light engulf the whole room, removing the snow and ice!

"Well, that was fascinating..." Megan looked at his feet and noticed that he was standing on a steel ground, with no wetness in sight. It was as if the snow and ice just... disappeared completely. 

The room had steadily revealed it's true form... The walls and ceiling crafted in a light gray colored mix of brick and steel, the ground made of a light gray colored metal, and revealing the hatches to the left and right walls which were still closed shut. Across the floor were various crystals scattered all across the black conveyor belts and the carts no longer had the huge amounts of snow piled in it. However, none of the machinery was operational. 

"Was this... a crystal mining facility?" Twilight looked at the new room in awe.

"Now THIS I didn't know about..." Shining Armor said, looking at the place in amazement. 

"There's so many crystals here! Hey, how didn't you know about this?!" Rainbow asked.

"Because all the ones I found were all buried under the snow, and I could only carry so many of them to begin with." Shining answered.

"But this is so amazing! This may have been where the slaves worked, but still... this is... pretty advanced! How was any of this operational at all??" Twilight asked, walking around, surveying the area, looking for any switches.

"That's the thing... it looked so empty before. It's like hitting that crystal with magic caused a time shift..." Megan surmised.

"Yes, that's the thing right there! It's like the crystal heart, containing similar properties! Oh wow, this is sooooo amazing! I wanna learn so much about it!" Twilight was amazed, rambling like a nerd.

"Hmm... Let's try to open the hatches this time. We might be able to see a way down..." Shining said, walking over to one of the hatches.

"I'll help you out." Megan followed Shining Armor.

"I think we should collect more of these crystals... there's a bunch here!" Trisha said. "Rainbow, could you help me pick these up? I think they might be more Equine Crystals."

"Eh, why not."

The moment trisha picked up a crystal, she saw a strange dark stain on a few of the crystal jewels she picked up off of the conveyor belts... "Uhh... this is weird... it's not what I think it is... right?"

While the rest of the group was exploring the newly revealed room, Jeremy turns around, and raises his eyebrow briefly, before becoming excited.

"Finally! A door!" Jeremy looked down the small corridor that was formerly a dead end, finding a shiny, pitch black steel door. Due to the kind of guy he is, he immediately opens the door, but... "Agh...! What the shit...!?" 

He is blinded by a huge burst of white light... Shutting his eyes in response, the light continues to pierce through the eyelids until everything is suddenly black...

Once his eyes open...





"Huh...!?" Jeremy gasps as he looks around to find himself lying under the blue sheets of a familiar wooden bed with a flat headrest where a plastic cup sat. He steps out of bed, letting his feet press into the beige carpet on his floor. He notices that he no longer has an Equine Crystal on his wrist when he looked, that he's wearing a white tee shirt and black shorts and barefoot. Looking to his left, he saw one bookshelf which held a few unread mystery novels on the first row, and the and a collection of action figures of various super heroes on the third row. Still looking to his left, he saw a small chocolate colored desk with a flat screen monitor sitting on it, a keyboard, mouse, and a black chair in front of the desk.

"Why... am I in my room...?" Jeremy began to panic.

Turning his head to the right of his room, he saw a second large bookshelf, which only the third and fourth rows held various X-Box games. And this eyes wandered to the flat screen TV at the foot of his bed...

"No... calm down... this... this is... my room... but why am I in my room?" Jeremy began to excessively think to himself, breathing heavily.

"Jeremy, come down!" A stern, feminine voice could be heard from down below.

"Gyah! Mom!? You're here?!" Jeremy asked, bewildered. 

"What the hell kind of question is that!? Get your ass down here!" Jeremy's mother asked, already irritated.

Jeremy then cleared his throat, stood on his feet and walked to the door. He hesitantly placed his hand on the knob and turned it, opening the door, and looked down the corridor, thinking, "This... is definitely my house." 

The same beige carpet expanded all throughout the house and even down the stairs Jeremy walked down. Slowly walking down those stairs, holding onto that brown wooden handrail, he immediately went to the dining room, where he saw that familiar dark brown square dinner table with a white sheet over it. Four wooden chairs surrounded the table, each seat being white with it's own abstract pattern and the wood well carved with round edges and a hole in the back rest of the chairs. At the table, he saw a dark-skinned woman wearing a lab coat, maroon bandanna, matching button-up shirt, and black slacks. This woman was eating a bowl of cereal and watching the news on a small TV that sat on the kitchen counter.

"Umm... what's going on?" Jeremy sheepishly asked his mother as he slowly came down.

"I should be asking you that. You're acting strange today, baby boy." Jeremy's mom replied.

Jeremy not only seen his mother at the dinner table, he saw a familiar curly black-haired girl with a milano skin color sitting at the table, wearing her pajamas and eating a bowl of cereal. "Ruby...?! RUBY!!" Seeing his cousin, he ran down and, hugged her tightly. 

"Wh-Onii-chan!" Ruby was startled to see her surrogate brother hug her so suddenly.

"I'm so glad you're okay...! I mean, you are, aren't you?! The Shadowbolts didn't hurt you, right?" Jeremy asked, earning the curious stare of his mother.

"I... umm, are you high?" His mother asked, narrowing her eyes.

"What!? No! NO! I'm not high! Why the hell would I be high!? I'm straight-edge, dammit!" Jeremy snapped at her, slamming his hand on the table like he wanted to flip it over.

"Because you're asking if she's okay like she just got kidnapped! And what the hell are 'Shadowbolts'!?" His mother began to argue back.

"Auntie, Jeremy! Please, stop fighting!!" Ruby desperately tried to diffuse the situation.

"Ugh... What time is it?!" Jeremy angrily asked.

"Don't talk to me like that!" His mother angrily demanded.

Jeremy then sighed and asked much more nicely. "Dear mother, what time is it...?" Putting on the most fake smile he could muster up, his eye twitching and all.

"Well, since you asked oh-so-nicely, it's--" *Static*

Suddenly, his vision had went out for a brief second... when it did, it was as if his whole world was a TV that just lost it's cable service. But the second his vision turned back to normal...

"What the shit!?" Jeremy shouted, gaining the attention of a certain crew he was working with...

Looking at his surroundings, he could tell from just looking at the desk in front of him, the table in the middle of the room, that chalkboard ahead of him, that window, and that red and black school uniform that he and the others are wearing...

"Jeremy, what's wrong??" Mia asked.

"I... I mean, I was in the Mining Facility... then... I was home... and now I'm here...?" Jeremy answered Mia, but in a way that made her believe he was telling himself that.

"Umm... are you okay?" Mr. Martin asked out of concern, getting out of his chair to walk towards Jeremy.

"I'm fine! I'm the one that should be asking YOU guys that!! Trisha, Megan, you're with me, right!? You guys recognize the name I mentioned, right? The Crystal Mining Facility?" Jeremy asked the two, whom only ended up looking at each other in confusion. "What about the Frozen Enclave!?"

"I... have no idea what you're talking about... you must've been dreaming." Trisha hesitantly said.

"How foolish, describing your dreams in such great detail..."

"Chris, what about that vacation to Italy due to me working so hard? What happened?"

"What vacation? Dude, why are YOU asking these strange questions?" Chris asked, feeling just as thrown off as the rest of the crew.

"HOW could you forget THAT!? Chris, you were sobbing, acting like I was gonna fire you, but I didn't! And guys, how can you forget about the talking ponies?! I mean, there's Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Shining Armor, Princess Cadence, the Crystal Ponies... and my god, that annoying Rainbow Dash!!"

"Jeremy, I know you claim you're straight edge, but maybe you got high from sniffing glue or something." Mina suggested.

"Yeah, sure sounds like it... hahaha..." Kitsu agreed.

And suddenly, everyone began to laugh amongst themselves... laughing at Jeremy, as if he were describing a really stupid dream. A dream no sane human being would have...

"Oh my god, you've GOTTA be shitting me!!! Avu, this isn't one of your pranks, is it!? AVU!!!"

"Who's that?" Mason asked.

"...what...?" Jeremy was thrown for a loop the second Mason asked that.

"You heard the guy... we wanna know who this Avu person is." Eva nailed that statement in, causing Jeremy's eye to twitch.

"Maybe from that dream of yours?" Alice asked.

"........................................" Jeremy slumped to his chair, his eyes now wide open in shock and frustration. He grabs his head, and grinds his teeth... "They have to be joking... they have  to be joking... they have to be joking... they have to be joking...

Suddenly he stops and musters what little composure he has left and bravely asks a simple question.

"W... what... what about friendship... being magic...?" Jeremy nervously asked.

"What hogwash..." Megan shot it down. 

"That does sound kinda dumb..." Alice said. "Why in the world would you say 'friendship is magic'?"

"It's dumber than the 'I am the moon' remark he made at the end of that podcast the other week! Hahahahahaha!" Kitsu began laughing out loud.

"Kitsu, when we were in Equestria, don't you remember me chewing you out for wanting to party with Pinkie Pie!? And for you saying Equestria is a world of sunshine and rainbows!?" Jeremy desperately turned to his fox-faced friend.

"I have noooooooo idea whatcha mean, dude. You sure you doin' okay?" Kitsu asked.

"Perhaps he hit his head." Mason said. "He did just name a person who doesn't even exist."

"But...! But...!!! I mean... I thought... what... I mean, I was told to be loyal to you guys, I..." Jeremy started stammering, mixing his words up. He then hung and shook his head frantically.

"No... NO! This... Equestria... Equestria can't be a dream! It couldn'tve been a dream! No! NO!"

"Haaaa.... ha.... ha... ha.... ha... ha... ha... ha..." It was then Jeremy began to breathe heavily...

"Jeremy, I think you need to see the nurse-" Mr. Martin tried to suggest. 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy screamed as he started throwing his coffee mug, his book, and his laptop on the floor..."NO! NO NO NO NO! You will NOT take me there!!! I'll go by myself!" Jeremy snapped at Mr. Martin.

"Hey, he was only trying to help! You're acting way too weird!" Mina scolded Jeremy. 

"No, you shut up! SHUT THE HELL UP!!!" *CRASH!* Jeremy yelled at Mina before kicking his desk over with all his strength.

"Jeremy, calm down!" Mia desperately pleaded.

"No, NO!!! HOW CAN I?! You guys are playing a sick joke! A Fucking sick joke! What's with you guys anyway!? You guys were never this cruel!!" Jeremy began throwing accusations around, frantically swinging his arms in an outrage.

"We're not joking around, man!!! We seriously think you might have a problem and we wanna help you!!" Chris said, nervously pleading.

"No, YOU Guys need the help!!! How did you forget about Equestria!? The Shadowbolts!? Nightmare Moon!? All of it!? HOW!!?" Jeremy yelled to the top of his lungs, sick with anger.

"Because you're spouting such nonesense!!! Even if you had such a dream, none of that is real!!!" Mr. Martin argued, getting closer to Jeremy, to put an arm on his shoulder. *WHAM*! "Agh!!"

Jeremy suddenly punched his teacher Mr. Martin in the face with all his might, knocking him down to the floor.

"Okay, you've gone too far now..." Mason glared at Jeremy, ready to storm up to him... "I'm sorry, but someone needs to knock some sense into you."

"No! Get away from me!! I'm not WRONG!!!!" Jeremy suddenly bolted out of the clubroom as hard as he could, only to run into someone else in the hallway before he could get any distance away from that now accursed clubroom.

Jeremy looked ahead to see whom he had knocked down. He thought he couldn't be shocked any more with what's happening, but seeing this person made him wish this was a dream...

"Oh, I'm sorry... was I in your way perhaps...?" The girl with long black hair... that hime cut... those green eyes...

"A-a-a-a-angela...? Angela...? Why...?" Jeremy's face grew with shock and horror as he looked at the girl whom had already crawled up to him...

"What's wrong, Jeremy? Or should I call you Mr. Club President? Ufufufufu..." Angela giggled. "It's nice to see you've made so many friends..."

"You're... supposed... I thought... I thought you were supposed to be dead...!!!" Jeremy started to breathe heavily as he said out of desperation.

"Oh come now... you said you're my savior, remember...??" Angela continued crawling up to him, slowly.

"But you're supposed to be dead!" Jeremy shouted once more.

"Why are you being so cruel?"

"WHY AREN'T YOU DEAD!?!?" Jeremy's fury hit it's peak, as his hands quickly wrap around Angela's neck.

"Jeremy!" Trisha called out to him, which made his hands loosen up and nervously turn his head around...

When he saw his group of friends there, witnessing what Jeremy was doing, his eyes widened with terror. "Wait, guys... I mean, it's... not what you think...! Come on, this is... all one big joke, right...?"

"What are you talking about? You got your wish." Trisha coldly said, turning around and walking away. Before he could get up and go to his friends, he felt a sudden cold hand on his face...

"But you said you'd be my savior... what happened...?" Angela said, grabbing Jeremy's attention. The second he looked at her, intending to release his grip from her neck, a thick, red liquid started to pour from a large gash in her neck.

"Ah... AHHH!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Jeremy backed away in fear, for not only did the wound in her neck open, he immediately noticed that her hand she touched his face with was devoid of flesh!

"Why do you run? I need you." Angela asked, smiling at him gently.

He tried to get up, only to find that the floor had already been flooded in blood and he was slowly but surely sinking into that sea of red. He turned around to see that the beautiful girl's flesh had slowly melted away, becoming one with that crimson sea that continued to spawn from her throat...

But that didn't matter...

He turned to his friends, whom had already begun walking back into the clubroom.

"GUYS!!! PLEASE, I'm sorry!!! I'M SORRY!!! I WON'T HURT YOU GUYS AGAIN, SO PLEASE!!!! HELP ME!!!" 

His friends kept walking into that clubroom without another word... without even turning around... it was as if he wasn't even heard. He didn't realize that his whole body had already started to sink into that sea of crimson...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!! PLEAAAAAAASE! I'm sorry!!! I'LL DO ANYTHING!!! PLEASE!!!! I'M SORRRY!!!!" Jeremy screamed with all his might, trying to keep his head above the surface... 

"...ermy..."

"........." Jeremy had fully sank into that sea of blood... being dragged down by the skeleton of that girl, her hands slowly sinking into his flesh.

"Je...my...!"

".............................."

"JEREMY!!!!" A voice continuously called out... His eyes, faintly open, sees a hand reaching out to him and getting a hold of his wrist, pulling him up...





"JEREMY!!!" Trisha and Rainbow were calling out to him, but it was no use. The whites in his eyes had turned green, and an endless stream of tears were flowing out, as he laid there, motionless.

The door in front of him had already been closed shut, as Twilight, Shining Armor, Megan, Trisha, and Rainbow surround the human who had fallen victim to his biggest fear.

"Come on, what happened to the tough guy I fought a while ago, huh!? Get up!!" Rainbow angrily demanded.

"This is really bad... I know Spike and I were put under the spell of a door like that before, but it was never this bad!" Twilight said grimly. "We have to snap him out of it, quick before he looses all hope to live!"

"Care explaining what kind of abomination that door is!?" Megen asked, his tone of voice being a bit shaky.

"It's a door that shows you your worst fears if you open it..." Twilight grimly explained, speaking as if she herself experienced it.

"He's not getting up, no matter what I do...! Why don't I destroy that door?!" Trisha asked angrily. But then...

"GET UP!" Rainbow screamed before punching him with a hoof. Despite the barbaric act, the punch actually knocked the green out of his eyes...

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhh...!!!!!!!!!" Jeremy began to scream uncontrollably, curling into a ball and clutching his head, but then suddenly stops...

"What... ow...!! Ah... what... huh?! I mean... where..." Jeremy suddenly got out of his curled up state, desperately turning his head left and right. His eyes wander to his arm, making him notice that he's wearing the Equine crystal around his bracelet once again. The bracelet is lit up, and still tracking where Ruby could have gone. He also sees that he's no longer in his school uniform. He looks to his right to see Shining Armor and Twilight Sparkle...  and to his left, he saw Rainbow Dash, Trisha, and Megan there. He quickly realized he was back in Equestria...

"Holy crap... I never thought I'd be happy to see ponies again... that was the WORST..." Jeremy shut his eyes and shook his head a little, trying to get rid of of those horrific images in his head.

"How are you feeling?" Twilight asked.

"I feel like a rock just hit me in the jaw. Otherwise, I couldn't be any happier..." Jeremy said, trying to shake off the noticeable bags under his eyes.

"Jeremy!!" Trisha suddenly ran up to hug him.

"You're the real Trish, right?" Jeremy nervously asked, just to be sure.

"Of course I am! Why would you even ask that?" Trisha asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it too much. You'll get a headache." Jeremy said, calmly smiling at her.

"I believe that would be pretty difficult, considering the tears." Megan noted.

"Geh..." Jeremy quickly wiped away his tears the second they were pointed out. "Damn nightmare... but why do I feel like someone hit me with a rock...?" Jeremy asked, rubbing his face in pain, only to hear and see a certain pegasus with a multicolored mane whistling... "You..." Jeremy scowled as he quickly stood up and stormed up to Rainbow.

"Oh come on, not now!" Twilight thought he'd get into another argument with Rainbow, but...

"Whoa, what?!" Rainbow was shocked the second he ran his hand warmly petted the top of her head, smiling coolly at her. "Ah, h-hey! STOP THAT!"

"Ya know... just this once, I'll letcha slide." Jeremy said after petting her mane. "Let's just leave it at that, alright?"

"Geez, way to say thanks, jerk. You coulda said 'thanks for saving my flank, Rainbow Dash! You're the coolest!' or something." Rainbow mockingly suggested.

"I think he DID thank you. In his own way. He's never direct with what he says, but when you know an fool like that long enough, you can read him like a children's book." Megan answered.

"Dude, shut it. It's not like I'm thankful to her or anything. I just thought I'd let her know I'd let her slide for punching me." Jeremy retorted.

"Maybe I autta deck ya again for good measure." Rainbow said, scowling.

While Rainbow and Jeremy bicker like usual, Twilight heads over to the door, and looks at the top frame of it to find a dark crystal sitting there. She uses her magic to zap the crystal, making the steel door turn from black to white. She then turns the doorknob with her magic and calls out to the others.

"Okay everybody! Let's go-OOMP!" Twilight said to the group before running headfirst into a wall. "Ah, WHAT THE HECK!? There's nothing here! UGH!!"

"Wait, you SURE this isn't just a trick?" Megan asked.

"The last time I dealt with a door like this, I had to dispel the dark magic on it before I could go through it!" Twilight argued.

"I'm starting to think we need to get through those hatches... Like, maybe they're the way down?" Trisha asked.

"Yeah, but they won't budge, remember? They're locked from the inside." Shining Armor said.

"Oh, wait, I have another idea!" Twilight ran back over to the middle of the room and looked at the crystal on the ground, shining brightly thanks to her magic. She then shuts her eyes tightly...

"Umm... what is she doing?" Rainbow asked, noticing that the tip of her horn started to glow with a more darker aura.

"She's using dark magic..." Shining Armor answered, showing an expression of worry.

"Dark Magic... that's possible? I didn't even think there was a such thing since you guys are all about friendship and alla that." Jeremy asked.

"Yes, but it's difficult to use if your spirit is pure. But the more it's used, the easier it is to perform, which is a bad sign." Shining Armor explained.

Twilight's horn then fired a blast of dark magic, which gave the crystal a dark green and purple aura. Suddenly, a black line of light expands from the crystal and engulfs the entire room once more, but this time, instead of changing it's appearance entirely, it activated all of the room's machinery. The conveyor belts suddenly become operational while moving various carrying carts, the hatches are now opened, and the short corridor that led to the fake door is completely gone...

"What the heck!?" Jeremy was startled when he suddenly started to move straight into the open hatch. He instinctively jumped off the conveyor belt he was standing on, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I knew it..." Twilight said to herself, observation, as she saw a cart every ten seconds, coming into the room from the left hatch, and eventually going into the right. She then turns her attention to Rainbow. "Hey, Rainbow, could you go through the hatches to see if there's a way down?"

"You got it!" The cyan pegasus readily agreed, flying into the first hatch she saw to her left, then flew out and went into the right. Once she came back, she made her report. "I see some stairs down below on the right side!"

"Good going, Skittles!" Jeremy gave Rainbow a thumbs up before heading to the hatch.

"Hey!" Rainbow only took offense to the usual nickname. After all, a pony wouldn't know the thumbs-up gesture.

"Alright, let's save Ruby!" Trisha declared.

The group hurried to the open hatch, getting on the Conveyor Belt before another cart arrived. Once through the hatch, the path unexpectedly turns steep, causing everyone to slide down bit by bit. Down below looked to be a room lit up with a red and orange-ish light...

"That's not the incinerator, is it!?" Trisha asked, observing what's waiting at the end of the conveyor belt. 

"I don't know, but we better get off, fast!!" Twilight

"The stairs are right there, to your left!" Rainbow pointed at a set of stairs, going downward in a square-like fashion.

"Got it!" Twilight's horn lit up, just like her brother's, teleporting the group to the stairs immediately. with a quick inspection of the stairs, the steps are cold as ice due to being made of steel. The handrails are made of steel as well.

"*phew*... You know, you could've said that there was an incinerator down there..." Jeremy griped after catching his breath.

"Hey, Twilight asked me to see if there's a way down, not what's at the end!" Rainbow retorted.

"Argue later! We still got someone to save, remember?" Twilight scolded, prompting Jeremy to look at the projected radar coming from the equine crystal he wore on his wrist.

"Yeah, she's definitely down here!" Jeremy stood on his feet and began running down the stairs, with each step echoing through the dark area. Looking to the left, the group soon realize that they weren't headed into an incinerator, but the crusher! However, the carts stop just before the entrance to the crusher, making a sharp turn to the right.

"Okay, so we weren't in much danger... but from the looks of it, I think whomever worked here had to grab the crystals from the mine carts, and then send them through the crusher to make them into smaller crystals." Megan noted.

"Observe later! We have to hurry!!" Jeremy chided.

"Are you even okay? Considering what happened a little while ago?" Twilight asked.

"Never better!" Jeremy confirmed, despite the hint of anxiousness in his voice. 

At the end of the stairs, the group arrives at a corridor lit up in a bright light. The walls were completely white and the floor was made of a greenish-white marble tileset, and to the sides, was a long window on each side of the wall, allowing one to see inside. At the end of each window, there's a door leading to the inside.

Looking through the glass barrier on the right side, there's a lit room with a conveyor belt in the middle and a lump of pitch black crystals sitting there. Further back were closed dressers at the top, and a counter top that had a power drill, with various used drill bits surrounding it. However... there were some dark stains on the tool and parts... 

"Black stains...?" Jeremy asked.

"Hmm..." Megan's eyes narrowed.

On the Left side, through the glass barrier, there were... at least... seven large glass tanks, and from the looks of it, there are even more. However, what's inside the capsules were the real shocker...

"Oh, mother of Celestia..." Twilight's eyes widened, as she looked at the gallery of... subjects.

A creature with the head of a lion, body of a man, legs of a beast.
A creature with the upper body of a chicken, lower half of a lizard.
A creature with the appearance of a wolf and a body made of wood, completely in pieces.
A creature with the appearance of a pony and it's head having a giant hole in the forehead.
A creature with the appearance of a pony with it's wings gone...

"A Manticore...? A cockatrice...? A timberwolf...? A unicorn and a pegasus too!? WHAT IS THIS!?" Twilight's expression turned into horror, seeing even fellow ponies. Worst off, most of the test tubes contained ponies with crystalline bodies...

"This... wha, did... did Sombra do this!?" Shining Armor grit his teeth the moment his eyes caught sight of several crystal ponies. "And Hover Clear never said ANYTHING about this!"

"I... he would've said something if he knew... I know I read about the rebellion and slavery period of the Crystal Empire before Celestia intervened, but there were no records of experiments performed on all the creatures here...!" Twilight surmised, turning her head away as she could no longer look at what was through that glass. What was on the table didn't even help, making even Rainbow Dash quickly fold her wings in, cringing.

On the steel table, with several cutting tools scattered about and black stains splashed around, there was a unicorn horn on the table, and a pair of wings, both already cut into. In the case of the horn, there are small, circular holes at the back end, as if something drilled into it already...

"I... No. this can't be the work of a pony. I heard the legend. Sombra was a tyrant, yes? But logic also tells me that he was a pony. I just can't see a pony making a laboratory like this, and doing research on their own kind. I may see you all perform experiments on certain creatures, but even then, I don't think a pony can perform research of this caliber." Megan winced, as he looked around, explaining.

"You're saying... this was... done by a human, right?" Twilight quickly guessed, having a hint of hesitation in her voice.

"Correct. You catch on quick." Megan took his glasses off. He grabbed the edge of his vest and started to clean the lens slowly, breathing heavily. His fingers pressed the fabric into the lens firmly as he wiped away the now nonexistent blur.

Jeremy quickly walked to the door that led to that room and tried to open it. "Egh! Ha!" Jeremy used his shoulder to ram the door since there was no doorknob in sight, but it wouldn't even budge. "Damn the door's locked!"

"You're going in there!?" Rainbow asked, shocked at his attempt.

"Yea! What if Ruby's in this room!?" Jeremy yelled, just before kicking the door one last time.

"Don't bother. If the door's locked, you're probably not gonna wanna go any further. Look around the glass" Megan said, still cleaning his glasses, albeit, faster now.

Jeremy, following Megan's advice looked through the glass barrier, and turned his eyes to the left, immediately shutting his eyes in disgust. "Oh..." Jeremy immediately turned his head and walked away really fast upon seeing two decayed human bodies lying in front of the door on top of one another. The bodies appeared to be wearing pants, shirts, and lab coats. On top of that, there were large holes, right at the stomach on both of them.

"Ugh... The humans... someone or something killed them already!" Jeremy shook his head furiously, desperately ridding himself of the urge to vomit.

"One glance is enough to know those bodies have been there for a while..." Megan surmised.

With everyone's backs turned, Trisha makes one last glance at the left back door. It's then, her eyes began to wander to the floor, as something shiny catches her eye...

"What's this?" Trisha muttered to herself in a hushed tone. Once she approached the object which sat in a large black spot on the floor, she gets a closer look at it, finding out that the object is a small, rectangular, and has some words on it... "MERLIN Report No.  wha...? Is this... a tape?"

Trisha unfortunately couldn't see the number on the object she had picked up, since it appears that the number was blotted out by what appears to be dried blood...

"Yo, what's the holdup?" Jeremy called out to her, causing Trisha to immediately pocket the object.

"Oh, It's nothing!" Trisha hurriedly answered.

The group then looks ahead to find a large, steel door with a circular edging. The door for some reason was a solid black with a red tint thanks to the light in the room. To the right of it however, appeared to be a device hanging on by the wires in the wall with a small green screen with a grid-like pattern.

"Looks like the door's locked... and I don't see any way of opening it." Shining Armor noted.

"Except for this busted control panel here..." Megan turned to Shining Armor, narrowing his eyes. "Okay... Shining Armor?" 

"Huh?" Shining asked.

"You say you've seen humans before. We even saw footprints upstairs. But there's a problem... the humans here are already dead, and you say you've seen a whole camp of them. Do you have any idea how long these humans were here? Because judging from the bodies, I'm going to guess that they've been here for over a year now or even longer than that."

"I can't really say. It's not like I could just run up and talk to them suddenly." Shining answered.

"Well, we have to do SOMETHING! Ruby's in here!" Jeremy showed the radar from his crystal bracelet, which pointed straight forward, through the door. "This door should be a little faulty, right? Let's force our way through!"

"Now THAT'S my jam!" Rainbow for once, agreed with Jeremy, and just like he, took hold of the bottom lid, and begun to use their strength to raise the heavy steel door.

"Let's help'em!" Shining Armor, with that prompt, used his horn to light the bottom portion of the hatch, in which Twilight followed suit.

"We need to do it too!" Trisha said, prompting Megan to run up and help force the door open with their strength. 

With all six members of the group using all of their strength, the door eventually, but slowly starts to rise...

"Alright, it's working! Let's do it, everypony!" Twilight said, giving an extra boost of morale. 

With just a bit more... and *WHOOSH!* the door was finally forced open, but everyone who were at the front pushing it up were thrown off balance and fell to the floor.

The room they entered, which looked somewhat spherical with the curved black walls and ceiling, had but one throne at the very back and a single light shining on a red carpet in the center of the room.

"Gah... Everyone alright?" Jeremy asked.

"Yeah... my arms hurt though..." Megan answered. "Ugh, I'm not one of those people fit to do such heavy lifting..."

"Hey, that's what builds AWESOME! I didn't break a sweat!" Rainbow boasted.

"Maybe we shoulda left it to you then, jerk." Jeremy griped.

"For once, I'm with him on that one... ow..." Trisha held her upper arms as she complained.

"There she is!" Twilight pointed up ahead, prompting the rest of the group to see a girl, sitting in that very throne, emitting endless amounts of star mist...

"Oh, no, Ruby!!! Damn it!!!" Jeremy became mortified, seeing his cousin in such a state. Immediately, his legs start to take him to her in a sprint, but... "AGH!!!" He runs into an invisible wall. "What the hell is this!? Egh! HA! YAH!" Jeremy starts striking the wall with several punches, but it's no use... when he looks at his fist, he can see that he's been singed...

"The Elements of Harmony... The Captain of the Royal Guard... the Candidates that survived the crash... welcome..." A deep, yet calm voice could be heard in the room.

"Hey! WHERE ARE YOU!? SHOW YOURSELF, YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" Jeremy seethed as he looked around, trying to find who was welcoming them.

"Give Ruby back, now!" Trisha yelled out.

It's then, that everyone sees a shadow on the ground, which prompted them to look up and see someone descending from the giant hole above. In fact, the figure turned out to be human, wearing a crimson cape and black pants. Once the person finally landed in front of the group, everybody's eyes widened in horror.

"...A...Avu...?" Jeremy hesitantly asked his friend, who was now sporting a red king's robe with long sleeves. His hair had also grown to shoulder length and slicked back. When his eyes opened, the whites were already green and his irises were crimson red like blood. Underneath that robe, where Avu was shirtless, revealed the dark unicorn horn, now lodged deeper into his chest.

"I knew it... That's not your friend! That's Sombra!!" Shining Armor revealed.

"S-Sombra...?" Jeremy nervously asked.

"I demand that you address me as King, fools..." The king narrowed his eyes dangerously, emitting a black aura from his them.

Suddenly, Shining Armor's eyes widened menacingly, as he clinched his teeth. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO CADENCE?!"

"Come on Avu, you're... trolling me like always, right? Y-you gotta be...!" Jeremy nervously asked.

"Let the girl go and give the human's body back!!" Twilight stepped forward, ready to cast her magic against the now human tyrant.

"Kneel first, and I may consider." Sombra calmly asked, staring at the group condescendingly.

"Never!!" Shining Armor declared.

"We beat you once, and we'll beat you again!!!" Twilight declared as her element of Magic got ready to fire.

"You're not so tough! Let's get'em, Twilight!!" Rainbow prompted, while her element of Loyalty started to shine.


"I SAID KNEEL!!!"


the moment the tyrant's roar echoed throughout the room, the dark purple and black aura emitting from his chest unleashed a huge shockwave, forcing all who stood before him to forcefully drop to their hands and knees and lower their heads. Struggling to stand, the evil king looked down on them all, with a glare like no other, a glare that shows his anger built after his first death...
> One Man's Trash...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


Upon entering the mysterious structure, the group discovers that Ruby is definitely there underground according to the radar projected from the Equine Crystal. while trying to look for a way to get down, Megan discovers a set of human footprints in the snow, which led Twilight to locate a crystal protruding out of the ground. Activating the crystal with magic, the inner structure became a mining facility, and in addition, revealed a door by the dead end corridor. Jeremy opens the door while everyone else was busy trying to find an opening, but it turns out to be a trap that forced Jeremy to see that one moment in life to cause absolute despair. Thankfully, his friends managed to snap him out of it in time, But the door ahead turns out to not lead anywhere at all.

This prompted Twilight to zap the crystal on the ground with dark magic, activating all of the machinery inside, and opened the hatches to the walls. Once Rainbow surveyed what's lies up ahead, the group heads for the conveyor belts, and quickly teleport to the stairs in the middle. At the end of the stairs, was a corridor that led to another steel door blocking the way. After forcing the door open, they find Ruby at last! 

Unfortunately, the evil tyrant of the Crystal Empire legend graces the group with his appearance, forcing the group to kneel to him...





Meanwhile, Chris, Martin, Alice, Mina, Rarity and Applejack are on a separate hovercraft, effectively sailing through the dense amounts of snow and ice, heading back to the front end of the plane.

"I hope the others can find Ruby soon..." Chris muttered.

"If this Nightmare Moon business is true, then what we SHOULD be hoping for is that nothing's happened to her." Martin surmised.

"I'm sure she'll be fine! We just need need to believe! Friendship, guys! FRIENDSHIP!" Alice expressed boldly.

"You're pretty gung-ho about that..." Mr. Martin said.

"Well yeah! If you don't have hope, then what's the point! We can't be hopeless! Let's think positive, alright?"

"Yer friend's got the right idea there!" Applejack agreed.

"Why yes, while I quite agree, I find it a bit odd that you humans aren't quite shivering. I wonder why that is?"

"I think we're in a room temperature while on here."

"Oh, that's because there's a crystal on this craft!" Air Flow, the crystal pony operating the hovercraft, answered their question.

"A Crystal? You mean like the crystal heart?"

"Not in particular. You see, when we built these crafts to explore the Frozen North with, we needed a way to keep the engine and fan back there from freezing over! So we decided to have these crystals, blessed by the good ol' Crystal Heart itself, to keep them warm! It'd be bad if the engine and fan froze over!" The eye patch pony explained.

"Hold on, would the engine really freeze over that quick?" Mr. Martin asked.

"It would if we parked this thing out there!" Air Flow finished explaining.

"I see... That does explain quite a bit."

"Heeeeeeeey, Minnnaaaaa!"

"Eh?" Mina, who had her eyes closed for a little moment, turned to Alice.

"Mmm why do those clothes look so... familiar? I know I seen them in a catalog..." Alice squinted, as she looked at Mina's clothes.

"That's because we gave Rarity your catalog so she could have a reference."

"Now, wait just a minute!" Rarity walked up to the two girls talking, overhearing their discussion. "You mean, she's the owner of the magazine of human clothing??"

"Yes! I'm the one!" Alice proudly proclaimed.

"Why, pardon me, but I'd like to request that I'd be allowed to keep it!"

"Wait, what? Why do you need a catalog for human clothes??" Alice asked, dumbfounded.

"Didn't I just explain that...?" Mina thought to herself.

"To expand my fabulous inspiration of course! Looking through it inspired a few new designs of my own!" Rarity answered proudly.

"I guess... I mean, it was a pretty cheap magazine I bought at the store..." Alice mulled it over before sighing. "Alright, I guess you can have it. But you'll totally have to show me your designs! In return, I'll show you MINE!"

"Well, well! I did hear from your friends that you're quite adept at making outfits for your friends."

"Well DUH! Like, I'm awesome at it! I Loooooooooooove sewing and making clothes! Especially gothic lolita! I KNOW you ponies have those clothes!"

"Not quite. My preference of fashion focuses on the royalty side of things. Especially considering that I require various gems to complete my best outfits!"

"Gems? You actually use GEMS?!" 

"Why of course! Only the best clothes deserve to shine, afterall!"

"Oh my god, I wanna use gems in my designs! You SOOOOO gotta teach me!"

"Perhaps when this whole ordeal is over, I'll teach you everything I know. My word, I never thought I'd meet one of a different species that's so enthusiastic about clothes as I!"

"OMIGOSH, THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH! YOU'RE AWESOMESAUCE AND STUFF!" 

"YoOuUu'RreEe, Quite welcome...!" Rarity regained her composure quickly after Alice shook her hoof a little too enthusiastically. "Oh dear, you shouldn't shake a lady's hand so much! You'll ruffle my mane!" 

"Haha, sorry about that, but my gosh, this is sooo good! I'm hoping to get some gems myself if I'm gonna pull that off!"

"Well, acquiring gems is but a simple task. You just need to know where to find them." Rarity said.

"No, no... in our world, gems are like, waaaaaaaaaaaaaay expensive since they're soooooooo rare to find! So like, we gotta pay for the gemstones ourselves, and my boyfriend would get so mad if I asked him to buy me something so expensive!"

"Boyfriend? Per chance, do you mean a coltfriend?" Rarity inquired.

"Ummm... if that's what they say here, then yeah. Like, having that special someone or umm... somepony I guess? I dunno..." Alice tilted her head, confused.

"Ah, yes, that's what I meant. But my word, why wouldn't a gentle...man buy his woman any jewelry? Why, that's unacceptable!"

"No, no, you're wrong! He buys me stuff all the time! He's like, the most generous boyfriend ever! Like, I don't wanna come off as a spoiled girl or something... I mean, we fight enough as it is..." Alice trailed off, her eyelids lowering sadly.





Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay!!!

That was the first thought that ran through my head the second I saw 'March 19th 7:00 AM' , my penguin alarm clock! That alone was enough to get me all pumped up and excited! So I hop out of my bed and fix the pink colored sheets with the penguin pattern on them, and I open my black curtains to let in a little sunshine!

"Hi, Pengy! Hi Owlsy! Hi Lizzi! Hi Horsy!" I started greeting my stuffed animals good morning... my entire collection of over fifty stuffed animals!

"Oh, I need to check on the blog!" I said to myself, hopping out of bed, and going straight to my computer screen with a pink frame! But then turn around again since I forgot something...

I let my feet press against my black carpet, walking towards my bookshelf near the window. My bookshelf only has three rows, so it's small, but two rows are dedicated to my fashion section... while the last row at the very bottom houses my compendium of mythical creatures, as well as various research books on magic and witch craft.

I swear though, I'm not a typical goth! I just like the fashion style and i'm just fascinated by magic and witchcraft, that's all!

Once I get my compendium, which is a pretty thick black covered book with the picture of a winged unicorn on the cover, I head to my chair and sit at the computer screen, and I reach around the side of my computer desk, letting my wrist touch that cold steel, and tap the power button on top of the tall black box on the side. I slide out the wooden table holding my keyboard and mouse underneath, and get ready to open up my web browser.

Once I click open my web browser, I find myself heading straight for that favorite tab at the top that says "Befriending the Myth" the moment I hover the arrow over it.

Yep... there's this blog I've been going to ever since Trishy came to Westford Island! A wordpress blog that updates every so often, giving different info on new mythical creatures! It's called 'Befriending the Myth' by someone with the username 'FAUST'. Kinda weird, huh? I check this blog every morning when I first wake up and before I leave for school every chance I get, since I can only read so much at a time! 

The blog has information on all sorts of mythical creatures I haven't even seen! I heard of the lake monster and bigfoot, but to see such detailed information on Timberwolves, Manticores, Cockatrices, Wendigos, Unicorns, Pegasi, Earth Ponies... you name it! I love this blog!

One thing about it though, is that the creatures in this blog are described differently from the ones in my book. I sometimes like to compare notes just to see if this 'FAUST' person knows what he or she is talking about.

"And so... let's see... Oh a new update! Hmm..." I said to myself the moment I saw the strange name. "Ali...corn? That's weird... Let's see!"

I quickly click the 'read more' tab, taking me to an extensive post about the creature in question, and well, I found myself tilting my head the second I read the description. 

"Isn't that just a winged unicorn? I've never heard of that term before..." I muttered to myself as I immediately flip through the pages of my book, turning to the winged unicorn page. "Hmm... well, winged unicorns can use magic, I know... but on here it says they're princesses and that they rule the land..."

It really is kinda strange. I mean, I always thought of unicorns as a more... princesse-y kind of creature while pegasi were more of the warriors or at least the horses that many fictional heroes would ride. But here, they're described as if they're ponies!

This is why I like this blog though... It's not as if they have any pictures to support their claims, but I can feel it in their writing that they're umm... kinda serious with what they say. 

It also reminds me of the other day when I read about these creatures called 'Bloody Hooves'... But they sound like a mixture of a homunculus and a zombie! A Zombie Homunculus! How cool!

I also read up on this creature before called a 'Marionetter', which is apparently this biiiiiiiig spider whose webs can control you and send you straight to it's feeding ground!

"HEY! Spring!!"

"AH!" I suddenly shrieked at my name being called so forcefully, causing my chair to roll away from the computer. Looking at who's standing at my door, I let out a breath of relief when I saw my boyfriend, William standing there. I call him Willie.

His hair is slicked back, he's got a lotta piercings on his ears, his nails are black, and he's got plenty of tattoos on his body. He's pretty skinny, yeah, but for some reason, that's just what I like. I'm really picky about what guys I like. Like, Waaaaaaaaaaay picky.

When he and I first got together, It was hard enough trying to convince him that Jeremy and I are just childhood friends and we only see each other as brother and sister! But then again... I'm worried if me having a boyfriend is what caused Jeremy and I to drift apart a little... or was it something else...?

"Come on, are you really gonna just sit there and waste time on that stupid blog again?" Willie asked, lowering his eyelids and smirking. But I can see he was clearly bothered. 

I wish he wouldn't get so annoyed at my hobbies, even though he shares the same ones with me! Crazy huh?

"It's not stupid! God!" I argued, rolling my eyes.

Of course, Willie started to approach me after quickly taking his white tee shirt off, showing off that body with the tatoo of a pair of wings spreading across his pecs... oh god... but still! "Come on, I know you gotta leave for your trip today, so instead of being on that silly blog, whose facts don't match, why don't we... have a little fun...?"

"Ah... haha, I'm not exactly in the mood, ya know...?" I'm actually telling the truth here!

"I can getcha in the mood... mmm..."His slips suddenly press against mine. "Ah... just a few kisses to start you off, Spring..." He went in for another and softly let his tongue in. Yes, he calls me Spring for some reason. It's his personal name for me.

I let my tongue dance with his for a little bit, but I push away, telling him, "Ah... mmm... I need to get ready... mmm!!"

"Hey, don't worry, babe... mmm... ah just want a little action since you'll be gone for a week... mmm..."

"But I only got... mm... thirty minutes... mmm!"

"Can we do it in the shower...?"

"No! I need to meet my friends!"

"Are those idiots really more important than me? Come on, ever since that childhood friend of yours started yellin' atcha, we haven't had much action! Come on, can't you just let me touch you a little bit?" Willie reached his hand to that sweet spot, but I stopped him. 

"I don't feel like it anymore. I don't like it when you call my friends idiots! I don't call your friends idiots, now do I?! Even though they're all other girls!" I immediately yelled at him, which made his hand back away.

"Ugh, come on! All you do most of the day is sew, do homework, read that stupid blog, and go to the Dashboard, which I'm never invited to!"

"Because Jeremy doesn't want any outsiders, and I don't have time to deal with that stress!"

"Oh, he's a selfish little shit, that's what he is! What, so all I gotta do is be friends with him? easy enough, right!?"

"He doesn't care about that! He doesn't want anyone new in his circle anymore!"

"Ya know, fine. Go to your stupid trip. I mean, I coulda went too, but you guys just HAD to schedule it where I couldn't take off of work!"

"I didn't make the schedule, my friends did, and it was just bad timing, get over it!" My voice was getting louder, but I didn't care.

"Yeah, go do what you want with your precious friends!"

Why...? Why does he have to be like this? I mean, I like hanging out with my friends... the crew... and I still love my boyfriend... I still love Willie... so why can't he understand? I know he wasn't invited, and maybe it's my fault... I really have been so focused on other stuff, we don't have action as often as we used to... *sigh*... but... but he's been so irritable lately himself! What's going on!?

...

........

I better get ready...  

I think a nice shower will help wash away the tears...




"Ahem... pardon me, you seem to be a bit down." Rarity called out to Alice, who noticed the obvious wetness in her eyes.
.
Alice quickly wiped her eyes after Rarity called out to her. "Oh! Uh... I was just thinking about my boyfriend... annnnd... how... well, since we're in this situation, I'm kinda glad I didn't invite him. I... don't want him to get hurt or be killed. I still love him a whole bunch..." 

"Ah... I see. I believe love is quite a beautiful thing." Rarity said.

"Do you... have a special... umm, pony?" Alice sheepishly asked. It is her first time telling one of a different species about her own love life, and it's embarrassing asking ponies who they love.

"Oh not in the least! Stallions these days haven't really caught my eye. I did have a bit of a thing for a certain prince once, but that went worse than I expected when he and I met during the Gala..." Rarity closed her eyes in disgust as she started to remember.

"Haha, I guess even ponies have love troubles?" Alice nervously laughed, but showed interest in the topic.

"Why, yes they do! But my standards these days are quite high... it'll take a special stallion to sweep me right off my hooves!" Rarity went on about her criteria.

"*sigh*..." Suddenly Martin let out a deep sigh, then turned to Rarity and Alice. "Girls, all this love talk is making me depressed. Can't we just focus on the task at hand?"

"Oh my, you're not jealous of our love lives, are you?"

"No, but I just wish mine would be a little... better at the moment." Mr. Martin said, expressing indifference.

"It's okay, he's married already!" Alice proclaimed.

"Alice, I told you guys to keep that a secret. We don't need any unnecessary prying, yes?" Martin asked in a stern tone, yet Alice could tell that he was angry with how harshly he asked.

"Alright, ya'll respect the human's privacy now." Applejack lightly scolded.

"Hey humans! That thing you came in is up ahead!" Air Flow shouted, which prompted the group to look straight ahead at where the light of the hovercraft shone at. Seeing a giant steel and pointed structure with several busted windows and dents all around, the hovercraft gets close and parks right next to it. To the humans, this white 'structure' is the front half of their plane turned upside down. The side of the plane had a large red stripe on the side with "KING FO-" written on the side, under the window.

"Alright, we're here! You sure you can handle the cold from here?"

"Yeah, we'll be right back! It won't take us long!" Alice happily reassured.

The humans close their eyes and hop out of the hovercraft, bracing for the cold air to hit them hard, but...

"Eh...? Why...?" Chris opened one eye, and suddenly became puzzled. He wasn't feeling any sort of cold air.

"Oh, you can thank me for that one, dear." Rarity's horn was lit and emitting a barrier around the group of humans. "I heard you all aren't as tolerant of the cold as we are. Not having fur must be pretty tough, yes?" Rarity asked, genuinely curious.

"Umm... I'm kinda glad to not be a furry." Chris sheepishly said.

"Oh, wow... pfft..." Mina quickly held in her laughter.

"Ahhh... hahaha! No, he means he's glad to not have any fur! But that's why we wear clothes, kinda. But these days, clothes also enhance our appeal too. Soooo... yeah. I'm with him on that one!" Alice waved off Chris's slip of the tongue.

Confused, Rarity raises an eyebrow. "Well, I don't see how that was necessary for correction. Saying you aren't a furry simply means you don't have fur like us!"

"Wow. Okay, let's look around, before the misunderstanding gets out of hand..." Mina went ahead of everyone before she would crack up laughing.

"I'm... confused." Applejack tilted her head.

"It's just kids being kids. I think." Martin waved off their banter.

Once inside the front end of the plane, which had became more littered with snow over time, everyone in the group takes their time investigating. Inside, the group could see the passenger seats upside down, as well as the carry-on item compartments, which were by their feet.

Mr. Martin, who went over to his seat first, crouched down and opened the compartment where his personal item was located, and pulls out a small rectangular bag, which looked like a box with rounded corners. He unzips the top zipper and takes a peek inside, and breathes a sigh of relief to see that there's no snow inside. "Looks like the camcorder's safe..."

"It is?" Mina asked.

"Yeah, I'm kinda surprised too. Haven't we been in Equestria for at least five days now? It should've frozen over. It's kinda strange, don't you think?" Mr. Martin asked Mina.

"I agree... It's not like it's a thermal bag... well, we don't know if it still works though." Mina added.

"Yeah, that's true. I'm not gonna test it until we get it in room temperature though."

"What is that thing?" Applejack asked.

"Ah, you don't have a camcorder? Like... a device that's capable of capturing stuff on film?" Mr. Martin asked.

"Nah, we ain't got nunna that here. that there is alien to us!" Applejack answered.

"It's a shame. You can use this to record live footage of... you know, ANYTHING, into a little black box. It's made for storing precious memories on film. If you have a family, and you have a reunion, a camcorder is perfect for moments like that. It's an amazing device for preserving history. Think of it as a moving picture." Mr. Martin answered. 

"Oh! Well, you were using a weird term, but I have heard of a device that can take moving pictures! Stuff's pretty expensive though!"

Meanwhile, Chris was already inside the cockpit. The first thing he noticed was that the two front windows were broken, an that the shards at the bottom were stained black.

"I must've gotten ejected when we crashed... guess that explains the injuries... But what about Mr. Reigns? Did he get ejected too?" Chris thought to himself, squinting his eyes. "I can't see him out there anywhere... no signs of him at all... If both of us were ejected, then... oh... why am I even thinking about that now?!" 

Suddenly, Chris crouched down, grabbed his head, grinding his teeth, his eyes widened, and continued his horrifying thoughts... "I should've searched for him first, but I went to my friends instead! Are my priorities THAT fucked up!? I LEFT HIM TO DIE, DIDN'T I!?" 

"Chris, you find anything?" Mr. Martin walked in with the others.

"GYAAAH!!?" Chris suddenly jumped back, looking at Mr. Martin with fear in his eyes.

"Chris, calm down!"

"Aa-a-ah... sorry..." Chris apologized and shook his head, "B-but... n-no... not really... I errr... guess I was just thinking..."

"I'm gonna guess it's about the pilot..."

".......I'm kinda horrible." Chris tearfully said.

"Eh?" 

"I know I said that I wanted to give Mr. Reigns a proper burial as my reason for being here, but... when I looked at the glass, I realize that if I was ejected from the plane, he was ejected as well. But it just dawned on me that I might've abandoned him out there when I went for you guys instead!! I'm the reason he's dead!"

"Hmm... you have a point. It was mighty selfish to not check on the pilot..." Mina pointed out.

"See!?"

"BUT! It just means you care about us more than you thought." Mina finished her sentence, but that didn't seem to calm Chris down.

"You don't get it!! I... there was a chance to save him and I BLEW IT!" Chris cried out. 

"Did you ever think that perhaps... this... Mister Reigns fella woulda wanted ya to survive? Perhaps, it's tough when ya prioritize yer friends when lives are on the line, but you weren't alone then, and you're not alone now. You did everything you could."  Applejack commented.

"I forgot, you ponies are all about 'friendship'...! What would you have done, huh!? Get in my shoes, and TELL ME, JUST WHO WOULD YOU'D TRY TO SAVE!?" Chris seethed at Applejack and Rarity.

"I'd try to save them all if I could. And I'd use every bit of power I got." Applejack answered.

"Same goes for me. Alas, I couldn't imagine myself in such a situation, but I agree with Applejack. But you... didn't you try?" Rarity asked.

"........" Chris went silent for a moment, then spoke, "I'm sure... if I hadn't met that guy that saved us, I... probably would have after checking on my friends..."

"I'll be honest... If I really were in yer 'shoes' as ya put it," Applejack waved a hoof as if she were making a quote, "I'd probably check on my main friends first. Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow, Rarity, Pinkie... I'd go to them first. And really, if my family were out there, they'll be first. So no, It ain't wrong to wanna save yer friends or family first, and it ain't selfish in the least, especially when you want everyone to be okay." Applejack gave her honest opinion.

"............. So that's how it is..." Chris solemnly muttered, looking at them with tired eyes.

"Is there a problem?" Rarity asked.

"No... I'm sorry for yelling earlier... Even if you are ponies, I usually don't yell at the ladies like that, so that was seriously unbecoming of me. I thought you guys were all just a group of pure... no... a species that people find ideal, I guess." Chris stretched out his legs and leaned his head backwards.

"Do we really seem that way? We ain't perfect. We just want to do the best we can with our lives, that's all. If we were perfect, we would've kept what happened at the crystal empire from happening easy." Applejack retorted.

"That's... I can't say that's good. It's not good to have a bunch of faults and bad things happen. I hate it when bad things happen..." Chris tilted his head to the side, which then hit a small black device hanging on a wire. "Oh... the radio..."

"Ah!" Martin suddenly snatched the hanging mic. "I forgot about this!" Martin then presses the button on the side, "Hello?! Hello?! Can you hear me? We're stranded on an island!" The frantic teacher places the radio against his ear, hoping to hear something on the other end, but... nothing.

"Damn...!" Martin threw the mic out of frustration, but suddenly...

"....Some... there..." A loud burst of static mysteriously sounded throughout the plane. through it, There was a voice...

Martin caught the mic he threw when it swung back, and desperately asked, "Are you human?!"

"Th... hum... som...*STATIC*" 

".......tch... the signal's too bad. I can't make anything out of what I'm hearing... Must be all this snow." Martin clicked his tongue.

"Well, isn't this wonderful news? There are humans, just like you!" Rarity said.

"Umm... Mina? I thought ya'll told us that yer friends were the only ones who crash landed here." Applejack inquired.

"We were... Something's not right..." Mina agreed. "Not that I have a bad feeling per se, but... I'm just finding the thought of human NATIVES in Equestria strange."

"Come to think of it, there was a pony in Ponyville who went on about your kind all the time... What that unicorn's name again?" Applejack brought up.

"I believe her name was... Lyra Heartstrings?" Rarity answered.

"Huh... and I thought we were some sort of alien species to you guys..." Alice said.

"You are! But you're not completely unknown! We all thought she had some screws loose, so it was sort of a fleeting thought, but I guess she was right, huh?" Applejack answered.

"Still... other humans... they may know of a way to get home." Martin speculated.

"We've stayed here long enough..." Chris stood on his feet, and continued to look at the (floor) ceiling. "Oh, Mina, can you hand me my bag? It's the light green one." Chris held out his hand.

"Oh, here." Mina handed Chris his backpack.

"Thanks."

"Chris has a point though. being in here doesn't exactly mean... WARMER, you know... Let's hurry back!" Mina agreed, sighing.

"Do ya'll have everything?" Applejack asked, as she saw Mina holding onto a two shoulder bags, while Alice held two backpacks in her hand and one shoulder bag, along with a tool box found by the co-pilot's seat.

"Yep! We're allllllllll set!" Alice said, walking out of the plane. 

Once everyone began leaving, Chris started to follow, but his foot taps something solid. He looks down to see a blanket by his foot, prompting him to remove it and reveal a small gray colored, steel attache case. Out of curiosity and a sense of hurry, he quickly opens the case to reveal something he's always feared... a black object with a trigger that's waiting to be pulled. Next to it is a small, rectangular cardboard box.

"A Glock 19, huh? I remember how he used to be one of my body guards too when I was little..." Chris thought to himself as he held the gun in his hand, giving him the feeling of holding a block of ice. He then turns his attention to the small box, skimming the label. "FMJ ammo, huh? Comes with a hundred rounds... it's full too since he's never had any reason to use it..."

The barrel of the gun had the words 'Glock 19 Austria 9x19' engraved into it's steel. The handle of the gun felt rough, providing an extra grip. The trigger alone was enough to send shivers down Chris's spine. A special kind of weight could be felt with this gun.  

Responsibility.

There was no other way to describe this special weight coming from the gun in his right hand.

"I do NOT like this... but I know if we're gonna survive, then-" 

"Chris, hurry up!!" Mr. Martin called out to him.

"Sorry!" Chris quickly put the gun and ammo into his backpack. 

As he made his way out and back to the hovercraft, he sits down next to Mr. Martin.

"What were you doing in there? You were the one who said it was time to leave."

"I... guess I managed to find a way to pay some sort of tribute to my pilot, that's all. You guys are right... I did want to save everyone, even if i was injured."

"Good. Now that that's done..." Martin trailed off. But then...!

*WHOOOSH-BOOM!!!*

"What the heck!?"

At that moment, the group sees a large black beam of light, crashing at an area off in the distance...

"Ain't that where Twilight and her group are headed?!" Applejack asked, scowling.

"You wanna go check on them?" Air Flow asked, ready to steer the hovercraft in the particular direction.

"We should, but I recommend dropping these items off first at least." Martin suggested.

"Are you sure about that?" Mina asked.

"Judging from the distance, I doubt your friends are at that location yet, so they're definitely safe." Air Flow chimed in, hopping to put any worries to rest.

"Alright, well we'll drop these bags off first, then we'll go meet with Twilight." Mina said.

"You got it!" Air Flow answered, turning the hovercraft around and heading back to the Crystal Empire at full speed.





Upon returning to the Crystal Empire, Chris, Martin, Mina, Alice, Applejack, and Rarity hopped off the hovercraft, but they were in for an unexpected calamity...

"KING SOMBRAAAAAA!!!"
"Help the princess!!!"
"He's baaaaaaaaack!"
"We have to get out of here!!!"

Several Crystal Ponies were in a state of panic, furiously galloping to the train station! 

"Whoa, there! WHOOOA!" Applejack tried to stop a few, but they ignored her in their state of panic. 

"King... Sombra...?! No...! NO!!!! NOOOOOOOOOO!!" Air Flow suddenly grabbed his head as his whole body begun to tremble in fear.

"HOLD ON THERE!!" Applejack forcefully grabbed a random crystal pony from the stampede. "Now what in tarnation is goin' on here?! Sombra's supposed to be long gone!!"

"HE'S BACK! I SAW HIM WITH MY OWN TWO EYES!! HE'S BACK! LET ME GO!!! I DONT WANNA GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN!!!" The Crystal Pony forced herself away and furiously galloped away.

"My friends... We need to go to our friends...!" Chris hesitantly said. 

"You can get to the palace from the back entrance! Hurry!" Air Flow pointed out.

With the crystal pony's quick tip, the group rushes to the Crystal Palace from the back entrance, avoiding the stampede of Crystal Ponies.

"I sure hope nothing happened to Princess Cadence and the others..."





Arriving at the palace and sprinting down the curved corridor, various broken vases, cracks in the walls, and burn marks on the carpet could be seen more and more as the group got closer to the entrance. It was as if someone went on a rampage. The group finds the start of the destruction... coming from the room Avu was detained in.

"He's gone...?!" Mina muttered to herself, as she and the others noticed that the crystal he was in had become a bunch of black lumps of crystal.

Following the trail of destruction, hoping to find Avu...

"Ah!! Pinkie! " Applejack rushed over to find the pink earth pony lying on the ground, covered in injuries.

One by one, the group found their friends, unconscious and covered in several cuts and bruises, knocked out.

"What happened...?! Even the guards were beaten!" Rarity said, feeling even more mortified the moment she saw Fluttershy among them.

"I don't want to believe it but..." Mina cut her thought short, her lips pursed bitterly.

Chris's eyes wander to the body lying outside of the palace. "Eva...!!" The blonde haired boy jumped through the opening and sprinting to Eva's side immediately.

"Damn... he... he's gone...! Avu's gone...!" Eva struggled to say. Her tears flowed endlessly, desperately telling Chris what happened.

Chris's eyes widened with shock the moment his sister told him what happened. "What... do you mean...? He's... still alive, right...?"

Behind him, the only thing in tact at the entrance was the crystal heart. The crystal shade however, looks as if someone has set a bomb off. Pieces of crystal all over, and a large burnt spot on the ground, indicating that whatever happened occurred at that spot.

Even Princess Cadence was defeated...

With all of the clues laid bare, there was only one obvious answer as to who the culprit could be.
> Return of the King
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You're Jeremy Zaccheo, yeah?" I kindly asked, putting on my best smile.

"Who's asking?" He answered me, but his eyes looked like someone who just lost a pet that they cared for a little too much.

"Avu Unchou! Resident cool cat around here that just so happens to want to join your crew."

"Eh... don't talk to me. I'm trying to work..." What dedication! He's working with a focused look in his eyes. It's as if he's doing it for someone.

Ah... the day where I try to join Jeremy's crew. There are... reasons why I wish to join the CSW Journalism Club. And of course, I gotta join, no matter what.

"Oh, come on! Why the depressing face?" I asked.

"Hmm... oh... that's right... I said I'd work harder for her sake." Suddenly, Jeremy's mood improved from that gloomy state.

"I think he got rejected recently, right?" A little blonde girl answered for me. A little blondie named Evangeline. She's got a really cute voice now that I think about it.

"Ah, that's right! You've got a thing for the school prez, dontcha??" I agreed, giving a mischievous grin. I saw the confession already too. Did he even realize he was being watched the whole time? And he thought the place was secluded from snoopers. Well, it's not like he knows that I'm the best there is among snoopers.

"Wh-Agh! I... don't know what you're talking about!" Jeremy got flustered so suddenly... how adorable!

"It's written all over your face. Not to mention... I just happened to watch the whole spectacle."

"Oooooh... Oh ho ho ho! Alright, I get it... you're one of THOSE people..." Jeremy's eye started twitching a little. 

"You mad?" I nonchalantly asked, hoping for a reaction.

"No. I just feel like ripping your eyes out, chopping them up like boiled eggs, and handing'em off to the cats..." Thaaaaaaaaat's what I like to hear! His words only made me laugh my ass off, since by that point, he knows I'm just trying to rile him up a little. But alas, I think this is the first step.

"Alright, alright, calm yourself, my friend! I come in peace!" I rose my right hand up, holding my middle and ring fingers apart so he'd get it... gotta say this much. I don't want him to seriously cut my eyes out. That's a scary thought, not being able to see. I mean, this isn't an anime where I can just wear an eye patch and look cool. Nope. Not in the least.

"Then what's your game? You say you wanna join my crew, but you're already pissing me off by mentioning... THAT THING." Oh, that's one hell of a glare, boss!

Now to start gaining his interest with a pitch.

"Oh, where you confessed to Angela and she shot you down without even telling you WHY? Tisk tisk. Listen. I wanna join your crew, because your columns have kinda gone down in quality, and it's been that way since Valentine's Day ended! I think you're not getting enough information, and I know some HOT scoops that'll cheer ya right up!" 

"Huh... I'm not sure If I buy that..." After messing with him, of course he'd be a little skeptical. But considering the kind of guy he is, he's a little gullible. He's got quite a reputation at school for being reckless and causing a scene whenever something happened to his friends. 

For example: I heard of the time when some guy who was stalking Alice got his reputation shattered by Jeremy, who created false rumors. Jeremy, being the jerk he is, decided that justice is something that has to be carried out by any means necessary, so he decided to have the poor guy labeled as some stalker who'd fap to the guys and girls changing clothes during gym class. Despite how hilarious that was, he got in massive trouble for that. I hear his mom even punched him for it! Crazy, huh?

"Ah... Boss, allow me to introduce myself as a seasoned snooper. Or an information broker. Whichever you prefer." I bowed to him in the way a butler would. Why you ask? because in order to get what you want, you gotta suck up to'em just a little bit. But at the same time, he now knows that I know about his confession attempts. How will he react next?

"Umm, I'm not your boss. But what's this 'seasoned snooper' deal, man?"

"Hmm... Well, I think It'll be better if I showed you better than I can tell ya. Apparently, you don't believe in my skill even after watching you confess to the stuco prez. I mean, WHY NOT, RIGHT? LOL!" Yeah. I said LOL as one whole word, not the letters. It's my gig.

But you know something? Today just happens to be March 3rd, 2011. A few weeks since the Boss confessed to the Student Council President, Angela Eris. Yeah. She's beautiful, smart, good at sports, great leadership skills, and she's famous in the town for proposing the harsh, yet successful 'Hopes and Dreams' program our school has. Problem is, I never really thought highly of her. She came off as a typical Mary Sue from a poorly written fanfic, yet the Boss kinda knew that. 

Sooooo... Why did he fall for her again? 

I felt he needed to know the truth. I felt bad, seeing a guy working so hard for a girl, who'll never love him back.





At the Crystal Empire, In the room where Avu was kept in a crystal capsule to keep his life stable, Dr. Saline, resident physician of the Crystal Empire, slams the last book among the pile on the desk shut. She takes this book she recently read into her mouth and trots out of the room.

"I've found it...! A way to remove that horn!" The crystal doctor thought to herself, as she headed down the curved corridor on the first floor. "The princess needs to know this quick.

Meanwhile, Princess Cadence stood by the Crystal Heart with her guards, ready to defend it at any time from any further attacks. 

"*Sigh*... How did Lightning Dust get her hand on King Sombra's horn...? I thought he was destroyed when we harnessed the power of the Crystal Heart. Is this something Nightmare Moon really planned by herself? Or is this something else entirely...?"

"Princess! I've figured it out!" A voice called out to the princess, prompting her to turn around quickly. Seeing Doctor Saline made her sigh a little in relief

"A way to remove Sombra's horn?" Cadence asked.

"Yes. Normally, I would've suggested to use the Crystal Heart by now. But I'm afraid that would end up taking the boy's life along with Sombra's. But look here about the Elements of Harmony." Saline used her mouth to open the cover of the book, and her left forehoof to flip through several pages, showing a passage about the Elements of Harmony.

"...Healing? Hmm... Now that you mention it... the stories I've heard about the elements use have all been used to heal something... either this land, or Princess Luna... I see...!"

"Yes! We'll need to combine the powers of the Elements and the Crystal Heart! Then we can save the human and be rid of Sombra all at once!" Saline declared.

"Good! *phew*... For a second I thought I'd have to deal with an uproar over the king." Cadence closed her eyes and sighed another breath of relief before opening them once more to see the human named 'Mason' coming back from the town square. "Oh, welcome back! I'm sure you're a bit weirded out by Pinkie Pie's need to start a party for you guys all of a sudden, right?"

"No." The tall human answered flatly.

"Ah... umm... I see." Cadence awkwardly tried to ask another question. "Ahem! Well...pardon me a bit, but you... haven't said a word since you've been here."

"I don't really have much to say." He answered flatly again, giving the impression that he doesn't like talking.

"He talks more when you ask questions, it seems." Doctor Saline surmised. "At least from what I've observed."

"Oh! Well, you see, I just was hoping that things aren't a burden for you at least."

"We're the ones with that concern." Mason answered fast. His answers have always been short and to the point.

"Really? We did volunteer to help you, and helping you all out benefits us as well, as we know what to protect the empire from in this time."

"....A question, Princess?" Mason asked, as if he had been holding it in the whole time.

"Yes?" Cadence of course, agreed to answer.

"Are there any sports in this world?" Mason asked.

"Oh! Are you interested in the Equestrian Games?" Cadence asked, forming a smile on her muzzle.

"I guess." Mason sheepishly answered, since he had no idea what kind of sports ponies played.

"Well, hmm... Let's see..." Cadence put a hoof to her mouth, going into serious thought. "I think I'm going to have to think of sports that he'd actually have a chance of playing since he seems interested. But It would be kind of weird to see a human in the Equestrian games..."

"Basketball?" Mason asked, with his tone of voice sounding like, 'Do you have basketball at least?'

"Basketball...? Hmm... I think we have that, now that I think about it. We also have swimming, a 500 meter dash, tennis, stunt flying, Magic duels-"

"You lost me at 'stunt flying'." Mason closed his eyes. Despite looking nonchalant, Cadence got the 'that's enough' vibe from him.

"Ah, sorry. I'm sure humans only play basketball, right?"

"We have the dash. And Tennis. and Swimming. We just don't have magic duels or stunt flying. Or any other sort of pony exclusive sport." Mason answered. "I'm on the school basketball team though."

"Sounds like you're really good, though, I'm sure here, you'd have an unfair advantage with your stature."

"Hmm..." Mason looked down at the ponies, and sighed. "Being tall isn't all that it's chalked up to be. But there are perks."

"Perks huh? I suppose it would make reaching for things a little easier. Well, sorry to take up your time, um, Mason, was it?"

"Mhm." Mason simply nodded and walked into the palace with the bags in hand.

Meanwhile, Eva, Mia, and Kitsu are all in the royal crystal dining room, helping Pinkie set up another party.

The room had several rounded crystal tables with a fine polish, all covered by a clear film to keep them clean. At each table were three crystal chairs with a rounded back and a reddish crystalline padding for the seats. Paper plates and plastic cups were all prepared and laid out for the incoming food and beverages.

"Oh, I never asked! What do you guys eat?"

"Oh, we eat ste-MMM!" Eva covered Kitsu's mouth quickly.

"You idiot! We can't tell her that we eat steak!" Eva whispered to Kitsu in a very hushed yell.

"What steak??" Pinkie suddenly popped up in between the two humans.

"EEK!" The blonde haired girl shrieked the moment the pink pony popped up, causing her to stumble back, and nearly fall over. She then inadvertently glared at Pinkie. "Don't DO that!"

"Oh what's with the big frowny face? I just wanted to know what kind of steak!"

Eva awkwardly stood up, "Umm... wait, you guys... have steak?" she asked.

"Never heard of it!" Pinkie happily answered, throwing Eva off.

"Oooookay. Weird. But um..." Eva cleared her throat and proceeded. "It's meat. We're omnivores, so aside from fish... we... we eat meats by killing other animals."

"Hmm... no biggie!" Pinkie said, sounding so easily accepting.

"Wait, WHAT!? Why??"

"Spike's pretty eats anything too! But thanks to Twilight, he's just hooked on gems instead of pony meat!" Pinkie answered without a care in the world, unintentionally making Fluttershy cringe.

"You say that so nonchalantly..." Kitsu's voice as slightly shaky as he commented.

"Umm... please don't talk about that, Pinkie... I don't like hearing that."

"Why not? It's just Pony meat!" Pinkie said to Fluttershy.

"................" Fluttershy naturally would be afraid of the idea of being eaten.

"No, no! I mean TOFU! I just call it Pony Meat since we don't eat meat, we eat tofu ourselves!"

"Ooooh, ho ho ho..." Eva breathed a sigh of relief. "Sooo... wait, you guys actually eat tofu too?"

"Y-yes... sometimes we do since it's very nutritious. We don't eat meat though, but I don't mind..." Fluttershy nervously answered, but had a hint of enthusiasm in her voice.

"You don't? Hahaha... that's a relief! I thought you would've gotten scared of us!" Kitsu put on his usual grin.

"Oh no. I wouldn't!" Fluttershy sheepishly defended herself there.

"You did when Mina told you off..." Mia, who had been sitting at one of the tables nearby, rested her head on her hand. Her eyes were lowered and her lips were curved dangerously as she listened to Fluttershy, which made her snap briefly.

"Mia!" Eva scolded.

"Ah! Umm... sorry! Sorry!" Mia suddenly snapped out of it and immediately rushed over to Fluttershy, who was naturally a bit unnerved at Mia's sudden remark. "I'm sorry! It's just... I'm really stressed out right now..."

"O-oh... I'm sorry for running away that time too..." Fluttershy meekly said, causing Mia to furrow her eyebrows...

"Ah... umm, look. We were in the wrong that time, okay? I mean, umm... *sigh*" Mia exhaled deeply and palmed her face... "I just... don't handle stress all that well, okay?"

"Ooooh! That's like the time when Fluttershy was screaming 'YOU'RE GOING TO LOOOOOOVE MEEEEEE!' to the animals at the Gala!" Pinkie imitated at full volume, startling everybody, especially Fluttershy.

"Don't tell them that! I'm still ashamed even now!" Fluttershy covered her face and shivering in embarrassment.

"That's a heavy demand." Mason walked in with the shopping bags in his hands, looking down at Pinkie.

"N-no! T-that's a misunderstanding...! It was about the animals...!" Fluttershy meekly cleared up the misunderstanding.

"Hmm..." Mason stayed silent and closed his eyes, making everyone wonder what he's thinking.

"Umm... did I say something wrong?" Fluttershy asked.

"No... I don't think so... He's always like that. It's hard to tell what he's thinking at times." Mia answered.

"He's a sports dude, so... maybe he's thinking about balls. Lots of balls. I mean basketballs of course." Kitsu answered.

"What about other balls?" Mia asked, drooling a bit.

"Guys, don't say it like that..." Eva palmed her face after hearing the exchange. She then started to walk off.

"Oh, where ya going?" Pinkie asked, tagging along with Eva, hopping up and down like a rabbit.

"I need to check on our friend. I'm sure he's still asleep." Eva answered. 

"Then let's go wake him up! WHEEE!!" Pinkie shouted enthusiastically and ran off, forcing Eva to give chase to the pink party pony. 

"HEY WAIT UP!!!!"





	So I had Jeremy with me, taking him down the hallways of this Cheshire State Westford Academy. I can't get over those black and white checkerboard floors and red walls, like WOW. I know this is a private school, but that's a design calling us pieces in a game of checkers. Just the way I like it.

These halls are only filled with a bunch of students right now, since it's after school, and club activities become the primary focus.

"Okay, so what's the big idea? I mean, It's not like I'm busy, but what's with the 'Oh, before you let me join, let me show you one hell of a scoop!' deal?" Jeremy tried to imitate me when he quoted my words, waving his arms around in a hammy fashion.

"Mmmm... Well, like I said. I want to prove to you how much I know by showing you a secret that the whole school has no idea about!" Avu said.

"And that is...?" Jeremy looked at me skeptically.

"You'll see, boss." I had to show confidence here!

"I'm not your boss."

"Yet!"

But still. Things at my last school didn't go to well due to a little screw up, so here I am, trying to make new friends, starting now. Showing Jeremy the truth about that little miss perfect he has his eyes on and show him that she's nothing but a lying bitch. 

~~~~~~~


After walking down the hall, turning a corner and walking downstairs, we head straight outside to the school's courtyard. 

I love this courtyard, with many paths throughout the school being made obvious by the red brick road. It's big, spacious, fancy, and has a bunch of spots for snooping since there are many bushes, trees, and benches to hide behind. 

There's a water fountain in the center of this courtyard with the statue of a pitch black horse with wings and a horn sitting on top, standing on it's hind legs as if were preparing for battle. We call this mascot of ours 'The Darkhorse'.  This school's about fulfilling your hopes and dreams, and it's beliefs that no matter who or what you are, that your goals can be achieved as long as you have the drive to excel. That horse there wasn't around until the 'Hopes and Dreams' program proved to be successful. 

And so! That brings us to little Angela.

"So... what are we here for?" Jeremy asked me, after taking a little stroll on that red brick path, all the way to a shed that houses an extra club room for students to use.

"Peep."

"Eh?"

"I'm asking you to peep on the people inside."

"Dude, wait, there's not a couple in there making out, right? Pervert." Jeremy gave me a disgusted look.

"Nah. I beg to differ." I wore a smile on my face like I was excited for his reaction the second I took his head and forced him to look through that glass.

When I saw his eyes widen and his breathing pattern become rigid, I knew... I knew that'd his eyes had opened to the truth. The truth that Angela's pretty much a lying bitch. 

"Ah.... uh... ugh... urk..." Jeremy ran on over to the tree  nearby so fast, and VOMITED.

"That was unexpected." I commented. No really, I didn't expect him to vomit!

But then he walked away without saying a word to me at all. I wonder what kind of emotions he was feeling... anger? Jealousy? Hatred?

There's a method to my madness here. I took an interest in this club. I needed to see if It'd be able to stay afloat. I wanted to know who Jeremy is REALLY doing this for: His friends, or that bitch?

I'm a snooper. So naturally, Journalism would be my thing. But with such questionable motives as to how the CSW Journalism club was formed, I had to find out. And the best way to do that?

Make him see the truth. Make him face reality.

I needed to pull him out of that fantasy scene.




*CRAAAAAASH!*	

While Eva was chasing Pinkie down the hallway, she heard a heard a terrifying noise of something breaking down the next corridor, making her speed up the pace. Once she turned the corner, she noticed a shirtless Avu down the hall, her eyes widened, making her run up to him.

"Hey, Hey! You're they're friend, right? I'm Pinkie Pie! Nice To meecha! That's right, we're throwing a party for you right this minute, so haaaaaaang tight!"

"Egh... I... don't know If I can attend the party..." Avu said, as his feet are suddenly in motion.

"Avu, what the heck was that noise!? And why are you out?!" Eva demandingly asked.

"Ugh... err... I don't know if I can answer that, Eva..." Avu asked, shaking off that groggy feeling as he kept walking.

"Oh, that was him breaking the door down! It was AMAZING!" Pinkie answered the question instead, making Eva even more confused. 

"Umm... broke the... crystal door down, you mean...?"

"Yeah! You shoulda seen it! It was like, BOOOOOOOOM!" Pinkie made a gesture with her forearms, showing how it happened.

"Haha... that's... err, nice and all, but could you... you know, hold me down?" Avu nervously asked. "This exactly wasn't a way I wanted to wake up."

"Hey, how can you NOT want to wake up to a PARTY!?" Pinkie scowled at Avu, who still continued to walk down the corridor. "HEY!"

"Avu, are you trolling us again...?" Eva muttered his name, as her eyes squinted, focusing on his legs... 

There's a dark energy... the same kind that came from that... 'stake', emitting from his legs. The energy started at his feet and had already gotten to his knees. His movement looks a little stiff as well, which means...

"Oh no... Pinkie, we have to stop him!!" Eva screamed, dashing to Avu and grabbed him by the waist. 

"What!? NO ONE STOPS OTHERS FROM ATTENDING MY PARTY!" Pinkie stormed up to the two, still missing the point.

"Pinkie Pie, THIS IS SERIOUS!!! STOP HIM!!! HE'S NOT DOING THIS HIMSELF--WH-WHOA! AAAH!!!!" Eva yelled at Pinkie, but was interrupted, getting pulled along with Avu's walking, which progressed slightly faster. "UGH!!! WHA!?"

"AGH!! I don't know! I DON'T KNOW! JUST KNOCK ME OVER OR SOMETHING!!" Beads of sweat ran down Avu's forehead, sounding pained as he yelled out.

"Oh, alright! You better attend the party after this!" Pinkie reluctantly agreed to stop Avu from attending her party by galloping in front of the boy, but... "AUGH!!!!" She intended to stop him from the front, but she was suddenly kicked in the torso by those possessed legs! "THAT'S IT!" Pinkie grew angered, and used all her might to stop him by standing on her hind legs and using her forehooves to stop his movement. 

Avu's movement actually began to slow down, but... *WHOOOSH*

"WHA!!" Pinkie was suddenly sent flying into the wall.

"AAGGH!!" Eva was sent flying into a crystal flower pot, shattering it.

Eva and Pinkie were suddenly blown away by an unknown force, and Avu's walking became even faster, turning into a jog. The girls notice that the aura that was flowing from his legs had now spread to his torso. Not only that, he was getting closer and closer to the front entrance of the palace, where the Crystal Heart is located.

"Wh-Avu!?" Mia called out, startled to see him coming at her fast.

"Guys... I really... REALLY could use your help...!" Avu said, as his constantly winced in pain.

"HURRY!!!!" Eva cried out, struggling to get back on her feet.

Mia quickly moves out of the way from Avu's march and grabs him from behind by the waist, while Eva hops forward to grab his legs.

"Ah, MASON! Perfect! Come on, knock me down, QUICK!" Avu desperately asked the moment he saw the tall and strong human. Mason quickly followed suit by grabbing Avu by the upper torso, restraining his arms. Avu is then lifted from the ground and thrown down to his back. "AGH!! Ugh, not exactly the way I wanted that, but... hey, I think I've stopped moving! Urk...!" Avu winced in pain, but a smile formed on his face...

"*phew*... that stake in him... we have to get rid of it...!" Mason said, moving towards Avu's body, preparing to grab it, but Doctor Saline rushes up to stop him, bringing the guards with her.

"WAIT!! Don't do that! He'll perish if you improperly remove it!" The doctor fiercely warned.

"Then what the hell do we do!?" Eva screamed.

"We need the Elements of Harmony and the Crystal Heart! Both powers combined are needed to stabilize his life AND destroy King Sombra! You want him to live, don't you!?"

"Wait, WHAT!? I don't get this!!" Eva shook her head in disbelief... "Wait, is... that why he looked like he was in so much pain first time I tried to remove it...?!"

"EGH...! AAAGH!!! UAAAAAAAAAAGGH!!!!!!!" Avu screamed in pain when his body started convulsing violently, as his own legs behaved wildly on their own....

"Hold him down!!" Doctor Saline demanded. At that moment, Kitsu, Mia, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Mason all hold his body down with all their might, but even then, they're struggling to keep their hold on him. 

"He's... getting too strong...!!!" Fluttershy cried out.

"It's getting worse...! I didn't think he'd act this soon...! He's probably aiming for the Crystal Heart...! GUARDS!!" The doctor called out.

The Guards quickly arrived at the door, forming a barricade between Avu and the exit. 

"Don't let him through!!!" The center guard ordered.
"Right! Princess, we'll hold the line! We can't let the people know about King Sombra!"

"EVERYONE! DO YOUR BEST TO STALL FOR TIME UNTIL THE OTHER ELEMENTS OF HARMONY RETURN!!" Cadence shouted from outside. "Is waiting even an option right now...!? If he comes in contact with the Crystal Heart, he'll taint it with darkness!" She thought to herself in a panic.

Suddenly, Avu's legs stood up with an unnatural amount of strength, and suddenly his body lifted itself, throwing everybody off. It was then there was a cracking sound in his back... "AAUUUUGH...!!!!"

Avu, after being forced to stand, began coughing violently. As he began to do so, small streams of red ran down his mouth and down to his chin. But even then, with the evil king's control now extended to the human's collarbone, his legs and body began moving even faster. 

"AGAIN!!!" Eva screamed, which beckoned the group to try and stop Avu, but the dark magic would suddenly unleash an even stronger shockwave, sending everyone else flying back and away from him.

The only thing standing between the darkness and the Crystal Heart... is Princess Cadence, who stepped forward, and formed a barrier around herself and the Crystal Heart. 

"What...? Oh no, that magic...!!! IT CAN'T BE!!!"
"It's... Sombra!!! KING SOMBRA!!"
"NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

The crystal ponies have already caught sight of the familiar aura surrounding Avu's body... an aura they know all too well, enough to cause a stampede, for these crystal ponies who were once enslaved by this tyrant, they would rather escape than be under his reign of terror again...

At this point, Avu's right arm began to move on it's own and reach for the Crystal Heart, only to be singed by Cadence's magic barrier. Yet it still persisted, which only cause Avu even greater pain...

"Just... kill me..." The human gravely asked.

"What...?!" Cadence was shocked at the human's remark.

"I'm burned out... and this magic that's controlling me... if it's from that guy who hurt your people, it's better to kill him than to make these guys suffer. Besides... I... don't feel like being... the one... who... destroyed... someone else's... empire... that's not... how I roll..." Avu painfully explained.

"NO! There's a way to save you!! We just-" Cadence pleaded, but was interrupted by the human's plea.

"We... can't wait...!!! This can't... wait... ugh... agh...! Just... do it!!" Avu painfully demanded.

"NOOOOOOO!!!" Eva, who rushed to Avu's side, and held him from the front, in a feeble attempt to stop the young man's body. But it was no use... the dark magic continued to singe Eva's body as she held him down...

"Eva... stop... Just... don't."

"No! I'm not gonna stop!"

Avu closed his eyes calmly, took a deep breath, and tried to left arm. Despite the control, Avu used all of his strength to lift his arm just enough to hit Eva in the side of her head, knocking her away.

"Do it!" Avu demanded of Cadence, as her barrier actually began to shatter!

"Fine... I'll protect my people..." Cadence's horn started to glow with a bright light.

"Yo...! Eva!! I'm sorry! And... when the boss get's back... tell him I said 'thanks you for keeping me in the crew, despite everything that's happened'! Can ya do that for me?"

When Avu turned his head back around, he saw an incoming beam of light, aimed straight at him. 

"Ah, this blows..." Avu thought to himself, just before the light engulfed his whole world...

"AVUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!" A steady stream of tears came from Eva's eyes as she cried out his name... 

Cadence shut her eyes as she could feel the pain of the human girl, now reduced to tears. However, that wouldn't even last...

*WHOOSH... BAM!*

Suddenly, a tower of black light would suddenly shoot up from where Avu once was, and destroy the shade over the Crystal Heart. When the light subsided, there was nothing around but a spot of darkness on the ground.

"Hehehehe.... Hhahahaha...!! AAAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!"

"No...! What have I done...!?" Cadance could only look in horror as she heard that familiar laughter.


With Avu's body gone, the only thing left behind... 
was a terrifying laughter of victory...



> Kobayashi Maru
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


While Jeremy's group went out to go rescue Ruby, Chris's group went to the front half of their plane, gathering additional items for them to use. They attempted to use the plane's radio to call for help, but the signal was too bad for them to make out anything the other end was saying. But the fact that they heard anything at all gave them a mixed feelings.

As for the rest of the group, they had their own hands full with trying to save Avu from destroying the Crystal Heart while he himself struggled against King Sombra's control from within. However, their efforts would prove to be futile the moment Avu is inches away from the Crystal Empire's source of love and harmony. Avu, asking Cadence to kill him, hoped that his death would solve the problem.

Unfortunately, that too would prove to be futile, as Sombra had already finished taking over Avu's body, leaving the empire in ruins and causing a widespread panic amongst the citizens.

Jeremy's group, after finding Ruby, have a heartbreaking encounter with the newly revived King Sombra, who used his magic to make them all kneel before him...





Looking down on the humans and ponies before him, was the now reborn King Sombra. With the face and body of Avu Unchou, a human and a valued member of Jeremy's crew, the whites in his eyes are eerily green and the once green pupils were already a crimson red. The eyes of their friend, now looked down on them with great contempt, like a tyrant who just rounded up some traitors from his own ranks.

In this spacious room, He slowly marched up to Twilight Sparkle on the red, velvet carpet, who, just like everybody else, is forced to kneel before him due to his dark power. His mouth formed a slight smirk as he noticed her feeble attempt at getting on her feet. But that smile disappeared the second his right foot struck Twilight's head from the side...

"AGH!!!" Twilight fell back to kneeling before the tyrant the moment he kicked her, knocking her Element of Magic off of her head and onto the edge of the red carpet. Naturally, this angered her brother the most.

"YOU...!!!! YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!!!!" Shining Armor seethed at Sombra, but he'd simply grab the stallion's unicorn horn for a brief moment and release it. "What...!!?"

As Shining Armor was shocked that his magic wouldn't work, the king spoke to him. "Attacking a king is considered treason. Did you really think you'd make a difference in our second encounter? You couldn't do anything then, and you can't do anything now. You're useless." He calmly said, then looked at the aura coming from his left hand, "but since It seems like my power is limited in this body, I'll be generous and delay your execution... for now."

"You think just because you were once a king, you can do whatever you want?! You’re delusional! You were knocked off your throne!" Shining Armor angrily said.

"Right... a king dethroned by some princesses... fools who believe in 'harmony'... Considering you yourself were powerless. I find it sickening that you want to take any credit for my death." Sombra uttered those words as he looked around and saw Rainbow Dash desperately trying to use her wings to fly despite the dark magic’s power. The strength of her flight was enough to lift her off the ground for just a bit. the evil king however, casually walked up to the cyan pegasus and wrapped his fingers around the crest of her necklace, getting a firm grip, and… *CRASH* ... down came the pegasus! 

Sombra snatched the Element of Loyalty right off of Rainbow's neck by pulling it down, and her with it. The impact caused Rainbow to cough and wheeze, making her have a strong desire to curse gravity.

            Sombra then noticed a purple blast of magic coming from Twilight, who too was furious for the things he said to her brother and what he did to Rainbow.

            The tyrant wouldn't have Twilight's foolish resistance at all though. He would knock her magic to the left with a backhanded slap, sending it to the ceiling just above the door everyone came through. He would then march to Twilight and disable her magic as well with a single touch.

"And now, you're useless too." Sombra remarked. "Without any more interruptions..." Sombra started off after tossing away the element of Loyalty. He turned his eyes to the dark skinned human, smiling, much to everybody's surprise.

"I would like to extend a congratulations for bringing me this girl. You've done well, foolish human." Sombra calmly said, standing in front of Jeremy.

"What the... what the hell are you talking about?!" Jeremy seethed after recovering from the brief surprise.

"Because the memories from this body are shared. And I recall this girl declaring her hatred of you. It's quite a strong hatred. A strong resentment that mirrors the resentment Luna once had for Celestia. It's almost funny to see such anguish among humans again."

"What are you talking about!?" Trisha demanded.

"Don't question a king. I'll be the one to ask you the questions..."  Sombra carried on. “Since you are humans with a relation to this girl, I believe you may know the answer to this question..."

Sombra walked up to Trisha and looked down on her, "Do you know the name of 'Heartseed'?"

"Huh...? Why would I even know that!? I don't know who or what that is!" Trisha angrily asked, which made King Sombra sigh.

"Hmm... This human boy's knowledge of you all... it's lacking on anything about you in particular, human." Sombra said to Trisha, then walked over to Jeremy, "It seems... you're the one with the most likely chance... do you know the name, 'Heartseed'?"

"...No... I never heard of it... and why are you even asking us that?" Jeremy glared at the self-proclaimed king.

"Due to this girl arriving at your home in particular according to this human's knowledge about you," Sombra said, tapping his forehead with his finger, "I felt you would be the one who'd know. I tried to ask the girl, but... that foolish Lightning Dust went on ahead with the plan. She will be properly punished for hindering my plans."

"You mean...!?" Rainbow was naturally shocked at the idea of Lighting Dust undergoing some form of punishment.

"A few of the Shadowbolts are gone... or perhaps, I should say, they've poured their own existence into this child, and now she's just one fraction away from transmogrification. I'm just... perhaps a tad frustrated, since this child had all the answers I sought. And so now... I turn to you, you pitiful souls... Especially you, Jeremy Zaccheo."

"Tch... I still don't know what the hell you're talking about..." Jeremy grimly said.

"During last year... last summer, the time where your precious someone was buried six feet under and you unleashed a fury like no other on your school's student council... you locked yourself away, believing to be a beast who deserves eternal nothingness... only for his heart to be saved by the arrival of this girl who now sits in my throne, awaiting for the final process of her transformation. At the time she arrived in your world, she should've been scared the entire time, but she was assisted... so perhaps, I should rephrase my question." Sombra let out another sigh again, walking up to Jeremy and crouching to his level, "Do you know Heartseed's daughter?"

Jeremy rose an eyebrow and went silent for a moment, then gritted his teeth. "No... Why would I? It's just as you said, you bastard... I locked myself in my room and threw away the key... Naturally, Ruby met ME, not the other way around..."

"I see. I'll cease this line of questioning." Sombra closed his eyes.

"Who the heck is 'Heartseed'?!" Twilight thought to herself, confused as everyone else. The name sounded unfamiliar even to the ponies in the room, so why Sombra wanted the location of 'Heartseed' remains to be seen.

"It's a pity... I thought you would've given in to the darkness and threatened to kill me like you do for everything else... is it fear? Or do you hold back because of that pitiful ‘friendship’ these fools preach about?" As Sombra speculated, then placed a hand on his chest. "This human... his acts of manipulation and trickery... despite such a history, why do you glare as if you're angry I took over this body?"

"Because he’s one of my crew members..." Jeremy angrily gave a simple answer.

"According to this boy's knowledge... the amount of hatred you posses in your heart... Well, I believe at this point, you would've made a more suitable vessel to channel the dark magic with." Sombra speculated, looking at his left hand. It sparks with a black and greenish aura before dispersing it with a simple clinch.

"Let me ask you one question." Megan spoke up this time.

"I already declared that questioning your king is-" 

"Did you kill those humans back there? Did you initiate those unethical experiments!?" Megan's voice rose as he asked his questions anyway, interrupting the self-proclaimed king.

Sombra's eyes would suddenly widen with a sudden ferocity, as he immediately marched to Megan and... "SILENCE!!!!"... he screamed, making a swift, powerful stomp on Megan's back.

"Gah...!" Megan felt the unnaturally intense pressure against his back. Even if it was brief, it was enough to put an end to his questioning.

"ENOUGH!!! This insolence has gone on long enough!" Sombra declared, "Since the first phase of the ritual has begun, I'll just have to finish it..."

The evil king turned his back to the group and made his way over to the little girl sitting in his throne... "No one belongs on my throne... no matter how important you are." Sombra muttered to Ruby, whom he lifted using his magic. To the humans, it looked like a form of telekinesis, since Sombra held his arm out and she was magically lifted.

Sombra then held out his other hand...

"To turn the turn the brightest day, to the darkest night... To lift the moon and put down the sun... to show the world the beauty of darkness, to forever cloud the ugliness shown by the light..."

            Suddenly, a glowing magical circle formed around Sombra and Ruby, the light being a special kind of black. Looking at Ruby's expression, they could clearly see that the pain was making her regain consciousness.

Jeremy, who refused to just sit and watch, quickly starts to get on his feet, slowly, but surely forcing himself out of King Sombra's spell.

"UUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!!!" The moment he managed to plant a foot down, he slowly managed to get onto the other, managing to finally awkwardly stand. Not wasting another second, the crystal on his wrist shone with a light-blue aura, giving him the boost that allowed him to charge at Sombra at an unnaturally high speed, with his right fist balled up and ready to strike the back of the tyrant's head. The moment he made his attack, Sombra would stop the spell and nonchalantly step to the left.

"Hmph...! Foolish aren't you!?" The evil King glared at the human attempting to fight him. "Alas, this may be the world’s logic granting me this chance to adjust to my new body. I’m not sure if I’m disgusted or excited.”

“If you’re disgusted, give his body back, then!” Jeremy of course, continued his attack! He would throw a left... and then a right, and another left! And then a roundhouse kick, followed by another right! But with each attack, Sombra would dodge would easily! And then...

*Slap!*

Jeremy abruptly stopped his attack the moment his face felt a sudden stinging feeling on his left cheek. "Wha...?"

“Disappointing..."

Jeremy regains his composure quickly though. "You're saying that with his face..." Jeremy seethed before starting his attack once again, by swiftly throwing another punch, and then another, which made Sombra narrow his eyes a little, realizing that Jeremy's movements are speeding up. It turns out Jeremy finally realize that he'd have to hurt his crew member if he was to have any sort of chance of getting him back. Of getting Ruby back.

With Jeremy moving all over the arena thanks to Sombra's dodging, his feet would kick back Twilight's Element of Magic, all while continuing his assault.

"Ah...! My element! With this...!" Twilight thought, as she stopped watching the fight to desperately reach for the tiara that laid in front of her.

"Heh, he's not as dumb as he acts!" Rainbow thought to herself, then looked to Twilight.

"Come on, Twily... hurry!" Shining thought, hoping Twilight would quickly dispel Sombra's dark spell on their horns.

Jeremy, still continuing his futile attempt to strike Sombra at least once, slowly increases the speed of his strikes, but just when he thought he would finally land a hit, Sombra catches Jeremy's right fist...

"Fool!!!" Sombra shouted, as his hand began to grip onto Jeremy's fist even tighter, his fingers starting to firmly touch the bones.

"Geh...! AGH!!!" Jeremy could feel Sombra's grip going into his fist, attempting to crush the bones within as he desperately tried to pull away. At that moment, a dark aura started to cover Jeremy's fist, making him breathe faster in panic. "LET GO!!!"

"You brought this on yourself with your INSOLENT RESISTANCE!!" Sombra continued to apply pressure to his grip, causing Jeremy to lose his footing the moment his grip became stronger, making the aura extend to his elbow. At that moment...

"EAT THIS!!!" Rainbow suddenly flew at King Sombra at full speed, forcing him to let Jeremy go and step aside, narrowly avoiding the attack.

"Hmph!!" Sombra's glare immediately focused on Rainbow Dash this time, but before he could do anything, he suddenly moves to the side, avoiding a purple blast of magic. That however, let Sombra know that Twilight has regained possession of the Element of Magic back.

The evil tyrant couldn't have the elements of Harmony active in any way, knowing just how much of a threat they pose to him so he focused his attention on Twilight, fully intending on getting rid of the threat. His body twisted quickly and marched to her.

Suddenly, Sombra would feel a strong pressure going into his side, knocking him onto his throne and his head hitting the golden bar above the head rest. Opening his eyes after the injury, he notices Shining Armor, the one who tackled him just now, preparing to tackle him again.

Shining would charge at the humanized tyrant, firing a barrage of magic shots from his horn rapidly, then would ram into a barrier that Sombra quickly conjured with magic, stopping the stallion’s charge. Shining surrounded his body with a magical field and began trying to break down the magic by ramming the barrier repeatedly.

It is then, that Sombra would bring Ruby to his hand with magic, catching the back of her neck and holding her in front of Shining Armor, forcing him to put his assault to a halt.

“You...! You’re using a hostage!?” Shining Armor seethed, shaking, wanting to ram that barrier one last time.

“A hostage? That's just your interpretation. If you desire to take me down for the sake of your precious Princess, then do so. Fulfill your mission, captain. Or will you remain useless?” Sombra said in such a cool, condencscending tone, Shining Armor felt the urge even stronger to hurt this man. To hurt King Sombra. Not only for holding a hostage, but for hurting Princess Cadance. But Sombra was right. Their mission is to rescue Ruby, not hurt her.

“Put Ruby down!!” Trisha demanded, clinching her fist tight.

“If you’re thinking of breaking through the barrier, then I assume you’re prepared for the consequences of fulfilling your mission.” Sombra closed his eyes as he still held Ruby, his grip slowly tightening.

“Our mission is to rescue her!” Twilight declared strongly, but cheap words wouldn't get through to the likes of a tyrant.

“But you can’t rescue her without stopping me. Without killing me once again. The barrier I have set is fragile, and you can break through at anytime. But do know, that your goal won’t be accomplished without mistakes.” Sombra didn't waver one bit, and he didn't show an ounce of fear. All he could do was watch the insolent fools before him.

“Ha, you’re just too chicken to fight us!” Rainbow taunted, hoping to get to him just a little, but naturally, he dismissed her taunt.

“On the contrary. I just want to put your resolve to the test.” Sombra retorted.

“I thought it was your goal to have her become Nightmare Moon!” Megan said.

“She can always be replaced. We have reserves.” Sombra answered coldly, almost forming a smirk, but he seemed to resist the urge.

“YOU BASTARD!!!!” Jeremy seethed, running up to the barrier and began wailing at it. With each strike, the force field started to shatter bit by bit, but not without smaller burns and cuts appearing on Jeremy's fists.

“Jeremy, WAIT!” Twilight worriedly yelled. “THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT HE WANTS!”

“SHUT UP!!!! DON'T TELL ME WHAT I CAN'T DO! I CAME HERE TO SAVE HER AND THAT'S THAT!!" Jeremy's resolve, shaken as it once was, repaired itself and made him strike the barrier with all his might. The strength his resolve contained, faded in an instant the moment he heard Ruby's cries of agony and signs her breath was being cut off. 

“....shit...!” Jeremy stopped his attack, with his fist inches away from the force field...

“You were making a wise decision. Instead of giving in to despair, you choose to channel that hatred into strength. But now you stop the moment this girl’s pain reaches your ears. Disappointing.” Sombra looked down, actually crestfallen that Jeremy stopped his attack.

“Just... don’t hurt her anymore! STOP HURTING HER!” Jeremy clinched his fist, trying to hold back his tears, backing away slowly until his foot stepped on something he didn't want to pay attention to.

“I have two options... and they’ll both test your conviction.” Sombra loosened his grip on Ruby’s neck as he started, “You can destroy that barrier and kill me, or you can destroy the Elements of Harmony present in this room. If you do either one, the girl’s pain will cease immediately. We'll see what you truly desire.”

“What...?!” Twilight was shocked by his outrageous demand, turning her head to Jeremy, then back to Sombra.

“GAH!! ...Big... bro...ah.” Ruby muttered after feeling a hot, electric shock around her neck, surging down to her back.

“..........” Jeremy went silent suddenly, clenching his fist.

“Jeremy, are you STUPID!? Are you seriously considering that!?” Trisha turned to Jeremy, scolding him to no avail. 

Jeremy’s fist clenched tightly as possible as he didn't have another word left. His eyes then wandered to the Element of Loyalty on the ground by his foot. He lifted his left leg slightly higher, but Trisha and Rainbow would tackle him out of the way!

“LET GO! YOU DARE DO THIS TO YOUR BOSS!?” Jeremy seethed at Trisha.

“NO! You can’t do this!!! You’re not destroying this world’s only hope! I won’t let you if it’s the last thing I do!” Trisha pleaded, as she held his legs, and Rainbow held onto his arms.

“I SAID GET OFF!!! I HAVE TO SAVE RUBY! SHE’LL DIE AT THIS RATE!!” Jeremy continued fuming at the two, who held him back. He would wiggle his legs and use his arms to try and shove Rainbow off of him. It was clear that he would do anything to save Ruby, especially if her life was in danger. Even doing something heinous as betraying his friends, and Rainbow and Trisha saw that immediately.

“NO WAY! I’m not letting you destroy it!! IS THIS HOW YOU REALLY WANT TO DO IT!?” Rainbow yelled back at him.

Megan... his spine was still in agony from Sombra's stomp earlier, but all he could do was watch the scene before him. He bit his lip, not knowing what to do, knowing he can't do anything. He started to feel weak. He's never fought anyone before, despite his holier-than-thou attitude, and today marked a perfect day to change that. Yet, he couldn't... even now, with the situation becoming unwinnable, there was nothing he could do.

As Jeremy struggled with Rainbow and Trisha, he grabbed the element of Loyalty and held it high in his hand, causing the struggle to get even worse, at which Sombra looked with disappointment.

“It’s disgusting to see you fighting over harmony, or friendship based reasons. Ha! You fools hold onto harmony so dearly yet are blind to what Harmony TRULY is!” Sombra held out his free arm as if the world were in the palm of his hand. “It’s a bar to natural progress! We ponies are a superior race. Our intelligence knows no bounds. Our own possibilities are limitless. We could be a superior race. And yet... we hold ourselves back. And for what? For the sake of ‘friendship’? ‘Harmony’? Don’t make me laugh. BEHOLD! You came here to rescue this girl, and yet you’re holding back! You all could easily destroy me, and yet you just had to teach the humans ‘friendship’. Take a good look, Twilight Sparkle, Shining Armor. This is the result of ‘Friendship’!! FRIENDSHIP IS TRASH!!” Sombra made a compelling argument.

        But in reality, Sombra made a point, and Twilight, Shining, and Megan knew... they knew that by caring about Ruby so much, they would hold back. Especially Jeremy, whose whole reason for everything he’s done so far, was all so he could rescue his little cousin.

At that moment, a bright light shone in the room, blinding everyone present. It was such a sudden flash, one would think someone brought the sun into the room.

The shine slowly began to subside, and the one responsible for that flash would be revealed to be standing before everyone, even King Sombra. The one familiar being with the aurora-like mane, stood tall and smiled at her student.

“Princess Celestia...?!” Twilight’s eyes widen with a bit of happiness upon seeing her mentor there to help them. “Wait, how did you know we were here!?”

“You’ll have to thank Princess Cadence for asking for my intervention.”

“So she’s okay?!” Shining Armor desperately asked.

“Yes, she’s fine. There’s no need for worry.” Celestia said.

“So she’s princess Celestia, huh...?” Megan thought to himself.

The royal princess of the sun would earn the ire of Sombra, who realized that Ruby was no longer in his grasp. Instead, she was hoisted on Celestia’s back, unconscious.

“Still as foolish as ever, Sombra. How’s the new body?” Celestia asked the king, whose glare was more intense than ever. He hadn't glared at the fools before him, not in the way he would glare at the princess of the sun.

“It’ll take some getting used to. But It won’t take long for me to dethrone you... You’ll pay for what you’ve done a thousand years ago to my ambition! My ideals! My kingdom!” Sombra suddenly declared angrily.

“You were disrupting the balance of harmony with your tyranny. I wouldn’t have had to intervene if that weren’t so.” Celestia answered nonchalantly. “And now I have to seal away the Midnight Lost Child too.”

At the mention of the name, Twilight's eyes widened curiously, but listened on. Is she referring to Ruby?

Sombra destroyed his own barrier, and inched closer to Celestia, fighting back his urge to strangle her, hurt her, maul her in any way he saw fit. “You honestly think that sealing her away will do any good!? The process has already started! It’s only a matter of time before this world is covered in a void of darkness! It’s only a matter of time before your precious ‘harmony’ is obliterated!”

“You still haven’t learned the last time, have you? Harmony brings the world peace. Your ideals bring nothing but chaos and hatred. They don’t create any form of ‘progress’ you seek at all.” Celestia argued calmly, despite sensing Sombra's killing intent.

“Seal!? Wait, you bitch! WHAT’S THIS ABOUT SEALING RUBY!?” Jeremy stood on his feet, making Celestia his target this time. Rainbow and Trisha let him go, since there was no need to hold him back.

“Oh, you’re here too, humans? It’s good to see you. But It’s as I’ve said. The Midnight Lost Child needs to be sealed away before Equestria’s everlasting night begins.” Celestia greeted, then reminded Jeremy in particular, seemingly ignoring his justified anger.

“NO! I came here to SAVE Ruby and work with you guys to find a way home... but now she has to be sealed AWAY!? SHE CAN’T GET THAT FUCKING MONSTER OUT OR WHAT!?” Jeremy seethed, not caring that Ruby is called something else entirely.

“That ‘monster’ is able to thrive within her because of you.” Celestia bluntly answered.

“WHAT THE HELL!?” Jeremy was taken aback, angry, yet surprised that Celestia made that statement. His left eye twitched more than ever.

“I can feel her resentment for you, Jeremy Zaccheo.” Celestia added on to her claim, making Jeremy back down even more.

“Geh... wait, hold on! HOLD ON! I’m not at fault here! It’s this bastard and Lightning Dust! THEY DID THIS!” Jeremy desperately claimed, pointing at Sombra, his breathing becoming more rigid in panic. "What the hell do I have to do with that!?"

“You made this girl hate you, building up more than enough darkness for Nightmare Moon to latch onto. You put her through despair yourself. You projected your own despair into her." Celestia continued her explanation, turning her head around to look at the unconscious little girl on her back.

“You retard!!! YOU’RE BLAMING ME FOR THIS!? I’M NOT WRONG! I’ve taken care of Ruby ever since she came to my house!! I’ve done everything for her! ” Jeremy began seething, nearly hyperventilating, but then smiled. His smile made Celestia give him a scowl in return. The smile she saw was not of someone who's sane. “Oh, I gotcha... You’re just spouting some BS to test my resolve... like hell you will! You have no proof that I did that! I was nice to Ruby all along!” Jeremy said, having a fragile tone, as if hesitating with his claim.

“Do you even know WHY she came to you?” Celestia asked inquisitively.

“Because her damn parents abandoned her!!! I took care of her as if she were my damn little sister! I wanted to make her smile!” Jeremy answered so fast, Celestia wasn't surprised at his denial. In fact, she sighed as if she were slightly upset.

“But that’s a lie, isn’t it...?” Celestia asked.

“There you go again, spouting more BS!” Jeremy nervously said holding his arms up, trying to hide that his resolve losing it’s ground. 

“The nightmare aura coming from her is telling me this. It’s no different before my sister’s transformation.” Celestia explained. “You’re only taking care of the Midnight Lost Child as an excuse to run away from your latent despair. Your ignorant hatred for her parents only helped to build onto the darkness.”

“N-no... NO! You’re wrong! Ruby’s precious us! To me! She’s our family! My mom, me... We took care to make her smile!” Jeremy desperately said, his yelling progressively became more hushed the more he talked. He didn't want to submit though.

“But her parents never abandoned her and she knew that, yet you're ignorant. If you truly were the one who was assigned to take care of Ruby, then I’m gravely disappointed in you. You’re a horrible benefactor. All of your attempts to make her smile, your unintentional insults to her parents and your constant bickering with your own mother, naturally that would give birth to her despair.”

“But... That was... I mean... what about everything I’ve done until now!? EVERYTHING I’VE DONE TO SAVE HER!!? I just wanna bring her home!! What if I practiced magic or something, can I bring her parents back to life!? Then she wouldn't hate me!” Jeremy said, sounding pathetically desperate, showing a happy smile of insanity, holding out his arms, hoping he'd get Ruby back. But the smile is of someone who lost himself a long time ago.

“That's a forbidden magic, Jeremy Zaccheo. It's a magic that will bring you eternal pain and suffering." Celestia warned.

"But-" Jeremy tried to explain, but was instantly cut off.

"Right now, you’re just a pathetic human pulling any excuse you can out of your hat. Ruby’s on the path to becoming Nightmare Moon because of you. And because of it, your home will experience Everlasting Night. That’s why I need to seal her away, to stop it.” Celestia finished her calm rant.

“Now you’re not making any sense...!!!” Jeremy would say that, but deep down, he started to believe she was right about everything, no matter how much he denied. He then started to have flashbacks... 





“Alright everyone, we got ourselves a special guest today apparently.” 

“I can see that.” Megan made his usual retort.

“Alright, introduce yourself.”

“My name is Ruby... Ruby Shepard! Nice to meet you all...?” She meekly introduced herself to the crew that gathered before us.

        We’re here at our usual hideout, the Dashboard. 

        The Dashboard is an old bar that Mr. Martin’s family used to own years ago. The building was pretty run down though due to a flood about forty years ago, so we asked Mr. Martin if we could pay the bills on it with money from our part-jobs. He gave us permission, and we took the liberty to clean the place out to make it good as new. 

When Chris joined the crew, he used his wealth to help us put our own spin to the place, so it’s become real awesome. He did it so he’d earn his place in the crew, even though we told his ass that he didn’t have to. But we’re grateful.

Our beloved hangout is made almost entirely of wood. Outside, there’s so much moss and and vines around the cabin, one would think the place was still rundown. And that’s the point. To keep outsiders away from our sanctuary.

The inside is what it’s all about. We turned that old bar into our personal hangout joint. The wooden floors are a bright brown color made of planks that are polished to the point where you can somewhat see your reflection in them. Starting from the entrance, which is from the back, is the room that was formerly the manager’s break room. Inside are bean bag couches, a TV, and a few Video game consoles in which we can just sit back and have fun. The TV and consoles sat inside of a metal shelf, which contained the rest of their video games.

The main lobby of the Dashboard, is where we kick back and eat dinner and midnight snacks sometimes. To the left were seating bars, where two people could sit in between each table on nice leather seats, and to the right, was the actual bar itself where a bartender would be. 

Over there we would drink lots of soda. There used to be several bottles of wine and liquor, but Mr. Martin wouldn’t let us drink any of it, since he’d be in trouble. Instead, we know he keeps that stuff for himself nowadays. 

Today, my crew wanted to meet Ruby, and I was reluctant. However, meeting Alice and Mia, they’re the ones who made her want to meet the rest of the crew. I was skeptical, but it seems like the crew likes her after all.

“Well, well! Little princesses such as yourself are destined to grow up into beautiful maidens. It’s like evolving into a beautiful swan!” Chris said to Ruby, which made her smile.

“Thanks little guy!”

“Ah...! Well...!” Chris, being the shortest guy in the crew, was shocked that she would call him short. But he took it well.

“Hah, don’t worry about my brother. He’s just full of flattery.” Eva said for Chris.

“Okay! But I wonder if you’re his little sister?”

“...... No... of course not. I wonder why you would say that?” Eva’s eye twitched, since she hated being called short under any circumstances.

“You didn’t upset her in the slightest She’s really happy that you called her small, you know! Small things are CUTE things!” Avu chimed in, which evoked a painful reaction from Eva. “Gah!”

“DON’T... YOU... TELL HER THAT...!” Eva said to Avu in a hushed tone, while pinching his ear..

“Hi, Ruby!”

“Oh, Mia! And Alice too! Hi!”

“Hey Ruby! How are things at home with Jeremy? You’re adjusting to your new home just fine right?”

“Y-yeah! He’s a lot of fun and we play together lots!” Ruby answered. Now that I think about it, she sounded just a wee bit nervous. Did she hesitate to tell them about how much I argue with my mom?

“Heeeeeeey theeeeere, Ruby! I’m Kitsu Madaki!”

“Eeep!” Ruby shrieked back after seeing Kitsu’s face. “A fox!”

“Aww, I’m a human, see? I have two eyes, and I don’t have a furry mouth! Totally can’t eat’cha!” Kitsu said, opening his eyes just a bit, making an animal gesture.

“Hehe... hahahaha...!” Ruby stiffled a giggle.

“See? I knew she’d come around!” Kitsu happily said.

“Maybe if you’d open your eyes like a normal person, kids wouldn’t be afraid of your ass all the time!” I had to .

“I’m surprised she's not afraid of you, considering your poor attitude these days.” Megan said.

“Shut up, man! I’m doing my best with her! She’s smiling with you guys too, so I introduced her to ya’ll!” I of course, took the credit.

        “She’s a pretty happy child. It makes me wonder how her parents could abandon her like that...” Mina muttered. However, she was loud enough for Ruby to hear.

        “My parents never abandoned me at all! They told me I could come here!” Ruby said.

She’s STILL saying that? Her parents abandoned her and died. How else would you explain the will they wrote?

Wait a second...





“Is that... why? Because I kept trying to beat that into her head...? I was just trying to tell her that she’s not alone anymore! I couldn’t have been wrong...! The will of her parents... and yet she smiled...” Jeremy stood there grabbing his head, his eyes widened with shock, unable to say a word. Celestia’s words and his memories with Ruby... everything began to come together, hitting him all at once, like an audience throwing bricks at him. “...Wait... Did I ever even bother to learn about her parents...? Did I just... assume everything!? No... NO!!! I couldn’t! Her despair... she... she knew me too!? This ain’t right!!”

“I HATE YOU!!!”

        Remembering Ruby’s last words he heard before her kidnapping, the dark skinned human would drop to his knees limply, letting his head hit the floor.

“What have I been doing all this time...!?” His eyes began letting out an endless stream of tears, as he hung his head so low, no one could see.

He didn’t even realize that Celestia had already left the scene.

“Disappointing. Celestia’s gone, the child is gone, and I’m surrounded by fools who leave their hearts vulnerable due to harmony. Only with a heart and mind of steel, can one achieve natural progress. It’s a shame. But I’ll leave you all with a parting gift, that’ll put an end to that human’s despair.”

With Sombra’s last words, he would snap his fingers, disappearing into a goblet of dark energy.

*Snap! SNAP! CRACK!!* 

The sounds all came from all sides of the walls slowly breaking down. Soon, several white phantoms began invading the room. Creatures that can only be described as 'ghost horses'...

“Ghosts!?” Megan was shocked by their sudden arrival.

“Windigos!!! WE HAVE TO GO BEFORE THEY FREEZE US!!!!” Twilight warned, prompting everyone to make a dash for the exit.

All except for a lone, motionless young man.

“JEREMY!!! GET UP!!!!!” Trisha screamed, as she noticed that he was still sitting there, with his head limply against the floor. She soon noticed his feet slowly freezing more and more, but it’s as if he’s given up on living.

Trisha desperately ran up to Jeremy, trying to lift him off the floor and snap him out of it, but he wouldn’t budge at all,and the ice started to surround her too. 

Suddenly, Rainbow would swoop past Trisha, grab Jeremy with her forearms, and flap her wings, bursting into the air through the hole above; the hole Sombra originally came through.

“Wha!?” Trisha, surprised briefly, knew that Rainbow’s just saving Jeremy’s life.

“TRISHA!! WE HAVE TO GO!!” Megan got up, despite the pain on his back and grabbed Trisha’s hand, running out of the room to get away from the Windigos.





“I can’t believe this!!! You’re seriously giving up like that?!” Rainbow thought as she flew through the frozen north, being chased by a few Windigos. The snow was hitting her face, but she didn't care. She only felt frustration for the one she held in her forearms. “What happened to trusting us!? WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT ALLIANCE?! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR RESOLVE?!”

“..........................................................”

As for Jeremy... He didn’t say a word. He didn’t have any life in his eyes. He didn’t hear Rainbow’s plea at all. But despite that... he firmly held onto the Element of Loyalty. His grip on it was strange. He had no reason to destroy it, so why hold onto it? He should just give it back. But he's in no position to do so.





Twilight, Shining Armor, Trisha, and Megan are all still running, having managed to quickly get outside thanks to the unicorns teleporting them outside and getting back to the hovercraft.

“What the- WINDIGOS!?” Hover Clear, the operator of the Hovercract scowled at the sight of the ghastly creatures flying closer to them.

“JUST GO! HURRY!” Shining Armor ordered.

“I’m on it!!”

        The Crystal pony already had the engine running, so he was able to operate the controls to get the hovercraft moving immediately. It navigated its way through the snow, headed for the gap between the mountains to go back the way they came, but...

“THEY FROZE THE PATH!?” Hover Clear saw a huge, mountain-sized, jagged block of ice in the way. And so he desperately turned the hovercraft around and went behind the now sunken structure, hoping to find an alternative path!

As the craft cruised through the snow at full speed, Hover Clear heard the engine sounding very strange. He turns around to find that the engine is slowly being frozen solid!!

“Stubborn, aren’t you!?” Shining Armor fires a blast of magic at one of the windigos, knocking one of them out of the sky. When he fired another, the two remaining Wendigos moved out of the way, dodging his attack.

“Everyone, hang onto something!!” Hover clear warned, alerting everyone that he was approaching a snow ramp. He was already too close to turn around, so went straight for it, and... WOOOSH! The hovercraft flew in the air, gliding through the wind briefly before making a very rough landing.

*CRASH!*

        All who were on the hovercraft were sent flying off due to the rough landing and into the snow. Despite it being very cold, the snow was soft enough to break their fall, allowing the group to get on their feet unscathed. Up ahead, were several wooden cabins.

“What’s with the cabins?!” Trisha asked, quickly realizing that they look man-made.

“Who cares, we can take shelter in them!” Twilight retorted, making a mad dash for the first cabin in sight along with everyone else. Using her magic to open the door, everyone ran inside quickly, safe and sound, but...

“We can’t relax yet!” Shining Armor warned, noticing the windows of the cabin are slowly being frozen over, and the temperature is steadily dropping. Everyone can already see their own breaths.

This cabin, while simple in structure, had a lightbulb on the ceiling, a wooden bed with dark-blue sheets over it to the right, and a steel kitchen sink sitting in front of the only window present. By the door was a mid-size photo of a cluster of balloon vines. The group didn’t have any time to look around the house, due to the Windigos still outside.

“We need to do something or we’ll be frozen!”

“Is there any way to get rid of them?” Megan asked Twilight.

“The fire of friendship! That’s the only way!”

“And where do we get it?” Megan asked.

“We have to believe in it!” Twilight answered seriously.

Megan would briefly palm his face first as a result of being thrown off by Twilight’s answer, and then asks, “What...?! What do you mean? Are you saying we’re supposed to make something that doesn’t exist into reality?”

“The Fire of Friendship exists. Trust me. It’s happened before, and I can make it happen again. We can’t lose hope, no matter what, okay everybody?” With Twilight's serious motivation to everyone, Megan had no choice but to cease arguing against it.

“Hmph... fine. I won’t argue against it. I just need to believe, right?”

“I believe! I won’t lose hope! We already have a bond with you and your friends!” Trisha chimed in.

“Are you referring to when Jeremy declared that we form an alliance with them?” Megan asked.

“He was awkward about it... but we can use that. An alliance means we have to believe in each other anyway. We believe in friendship! It’s not stupid like that Sombra was saying!” Twilight answered.

“Twily’s right! You guys almost forgot your alliance with us, huh?” Shining Armor asked.

“Not for a second!” Trisha happily gave her answer.

“What’s this about an alliance?” Hover Clear asked.

“A pact to become friends and help each other out!” Trisha informed the crystal stallion.

“Hey, I know what that is, but I didn't know you guys even had one going!” Hover Clear said.

With everyone believing in their bonds, Twilight then closed her eyes, going into a deep focus. The tip of her horn shone brightly, suddenly unleashing a hot-pink flame the moment her eyes opened, glowing white. It broke through the ceiling of the cabin, burning brightly as it formed it’s heart shape. The flame thankfully warmed the cabin up, eliminating all 
of the ice on the window and cold air the cabin was being filled with.

The snow in the surrounding area is even melted thanks to the fire of Friendship that Twilight unleashed.

“Beautiful...” Megan used one word to describe the fire in the sky as he looked in admiration. He uses his shirt to wipe his glasses off, then puts them back on. He couldn’t help but smile.

“I agree. Friendship saved our lives. Friendship gives us hope. This just shows that we can’t give up, no matter what.” Trisha elaborated.

“Good job, Twily!” Shining Armor petted his sister around her neck.

“Thanks!”

The mood called for a brief celebration on their survival. Friendship actually saved the day. But their happiness would soon come to an end.

*BANG!* 

“What was that!?” Twilight was startled. turning her head to the door.

“They can’t be back...!” Shining said, wondering if the Windigos are trying to break in.

*BAM!* *BANG!*

“I doubt those phantom horses would bang on the door like that...!!!” Megan said, slowly backing away from the door with everyone else. 

      *Cli-click...- BOOM!!!*
        
        After a loud, booming sound similar to a gunshot, the door to the cabin would shatter to pieces through the middle. Suddenly, an arm covered by a sleeve resembling the night sky would peer through the hole and unlock the door, opening it wide. 

        Entering the cabin, are two beings wearing long, starry trench coats that resemble Nightmare Moon’s body. The mysterious figures also wore black gloves, black pants, black military boots, and masks that resemble a horse’s head. The first one to enter was holding a shotgun, while the other was holding a handgun.

“Time to die.” One of them said in a digitally deep voice, immediately aiming his shotgun at Twilight’s face, in which her eyes widened with fear... 

Twilight stared into the steel barrels of the shotgun knowing just how dangerous it was. Her mind suddenly began racing with a series of thoughts, hoping to escape.

"If I were to move, just how fast would this... thing be able to fire? Will magic be enough to stop it? What would happen if I resisted? What do I do...!?"

These thoughts raced through the purple unicorn’s mind as she feared the thing that stood before her. Any plans for escape can never be acted upon.

*BOOM!*
> The Darkhorse Equation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~




        Face to Face with King Sombra, the group is surprised when it turns out that he’s looking for something or someone by the name of ‘Heartseed’, and that Ruby is connected to this it somehow. However, Ruby has already been infected with the curse and is undergoing transformation. Hoping to rescue Ruby, They all engage Sombra in combat, but to no avail. Despite his power not fully returned, he gained the upper hand when he took Ruby hostage. Knowing how much Jeremy valued his cousin, he was nearly coaxed into destroying the Elements of Harmony if it meant Ruby would be safe.

        Luckily, Princess Celestia would intervene and take Ruby, but she reveals her intention to seal her away, just like her sister. Jeremy’s anger hit it’s peak, knowing the implications behind that, but the royal princess of the sun would break down his twisted resolve in a heartbeat, pointing out one flaw after the other, forcing him to realize that Ruby became an eligible candidate for Nightmare Moon by his own hands. 

        Soon after, King Sombra would disappear, leaving them to the Windigos to freeze everyone in the room to death. Jeremy’s resolve was so broken however, he didn’t even budge, forcing Rainbow Dash to rescue him and take an alternative path while Trisha, Megan, Twilight, and Shining Armor, head for the Hovercraft to escape the sinking facility.

        While trying to escape from the Windigos, their path is blocked off, and they’re forced into hiding inside the first wooden cabin they find amongst a series of them in the field of snow. Running inside and slamming the door shut, Twilight would then unleash the fire of Friendship, driving back the ghastly creatures. Unfortunately, their survival may be short lived, when they’re shocked by the arrival of some strange figures wearing masks that resemble a horse’s head, aiming their gun at Twilight Sparkle.





        Twilight stared into the steel barrels of the shotgun knowing just how dangerous it was... but that was intentional.

        What truly ran through her head, was a mystery to all but this mysterious being. She wanted to fight the horror off by focusing on anything but that mask. All she knew, was that making eye-contact was a huge mistake.

The dark beads that represent the eyes of the mask,

*Ka-chuck* *BOOM!*

        The trigger is pulled, and everyone averted their eyes, not wanting to see a potentially gruesome sight. 

“Damn!” 

The Horsehead cursed at his failure to turn the purple unicorn’s head into mush. On top of that, Twilight snaps out of her strange paralysis the moment she felt the burning sensation on her cheek and left side.

        Shining Armor, the one who protected his sister with his magic, immediately rammed into the Horsehead wielding the shotgun, knocking him outside and into the snow! The other horsehead immediately would aim his handgun at the white stallion, prepared to shoot him to save his accomplice.

“OOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!” Trisha ran up to the second horsehead, screaming. With it’s attention now focused on Trisha, the Horsehead would aim it’s gun at her, but she grabs the horsehead’s wrist with her left hand and used her right to jab the adam’s apple, then grab it’s head and slam it against the picture on the wall with all her might. The horsehead fell to the floor and lost the grip on it’s gun, wheezing and clinching it’s throat. Trisha would then pick the gun up and throw it outside while rushing Shining Armor’s aid.

“What... was that...!?” Twilight muttered to herself, putting a hoof to her head, trying to comprehend what just happened

“Worry about that later! We need to restrain him!” Megan ran up to the Horsehead

“Oh, r-right!” Twilight nervously complied, still trying to shake that strange image out of her head. Using her magic, she attempted to bind the mysterious assailant’s hands and feet together. “Wha...? My magic’s not working!”

        The mysterious assailant suddenly starts to crawl towards target abnormally fast. The moment their eyes met, Twilight fell into that paralyzing fear from before. Before she knew it, her airflow became thinner and thinner...

        Thankfully, Hover Clear tackled the attacker, freeing Twilight from his grasp. Megan then followed up by smashing a chair to the back of his head. With the Horsehead unconscious, he pulled the sleeves of his coat up, exposing the skin of his wrists...

        “It can’t be...!” Megan though, just before Twilight successfully restrained the hands as well...

        “Looks like we know who’s attacking us...” Twilight noticed the skin as well...

        Human skin.





As for Shining Armor, who’s still struggling with the first horsehead that tried to kill Twilight, he’s quickly thrown off and the enemy immediately gets back on it’s feet, preparing to fire! The moment the Horsehead pulled the trigger, Shining Armor would quickly sidestep, narrowly avoiding the shot. He even conjured up a magic force field just to be safe. The horsehead however, would fire a second shot, with the white stallion narrowly dodging that shot as well. The mysterious Horsehead would then drop his shotgun the moment the stallion teleported above it’s head. 

It would then pull out what appeared to be a small black box with two jagged tips at the front, like a beetle. He would then strike at the stallion’s forcefield, creating a huge electrical discharge, eventually breaking through!

Shining Armor’s eyes widened the moment he realized his magical barrier was broken, just before he felt a hard fist slamming into his face like a brick. Before he knew it, he was lying on his side, watching the enemy’s feet come closer, hearing a familiar clicking noise.

“Righteousness is on our side! DIE!” The Horsehead spoke as he inserted two fresh shells into his gun, then readied it to fire... But then...! 

He heard a burst of wind from his side, catching his attention. “Wha-GUAAAAAAH!” The Horsehead felt a strong kick to the side, right in the liver! It would get a good look to notice a human girl attacking him this time!

“Wait, I’m a human too!” The horsehead suddenly said in a pleading tone.

“I DON’T GIVE A DAMN!!!” Trisha shouted, aiming her next kick right at the horsehead’s groin, making him double over, squealing in pain! She then forcefully steals the taser from the horsehead and knocks him out with a good zap to the back. Trisha then  hurries over to Shining Armor to help him. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, thanks! What the heck is with these guys!? If they’re human like they say...!” Shining Armor trailed off, then said, “Let’s restrain him.

“You’re right. We need to at least interrogate these guys, find out why they were trying to kill us.” Trisha agreed, walking with Trisha back to the cabin, lifting the unconscious horsehead.





        With the two assailants restrained back to back, Twilight, Trisha, Shining Armor, and Megan planned to interrogate them all. However, Hover Clear was the first to speak...

“Those creatures... I think I’ve seen them...! Maybe they were the ones who attacked us...!” Hover Clear put a hoof to his head, averting his eyes away from the masks, just as Twilight did.

“What are you talking about? It’s obvious that these heads are just masks.” Megan chimed in, before unmasking one of the attackers. “See? It comes right off. Are you saying Humans attacked you?”

Everyone had an idea that, behind the masks, these two were human beings... but they didn’t want to accept the possibility.

For the journalism club, they believed they were truly the only humans there...

For the ponies, they didn’t want to believe that humans would be so hostile like that compared to the group of teenagers they’ve befriended so far.

        With his mask removed, the face of a man with a blonde crew cut was revealed. He appeared to be in his late twenties. The second mask was removed, revealing man with medium-straight black hair. A man who also appeared to be in his late twenties...

“You goddamn kids...!” The blonde man said. “You should be WITH US, not AGAINST US!”

“You tried to hurt my friends. So fuck you.” Trisha coldly said.

“Ha, you’re glad you’re some kind of hero just because you took us by surprise?” The blonde curtly retorted.

“Yeah, I am a hero. Deal with it.” Trisha boldly said it as if it were natural. As if she’s done this for years.

“Umm, Trisha? We’re supposed to be interrogating them, not gloating about your heroics.” Megan reminded, adjusting his glasses.

“Ah, sorry about that! Guess that side of me came out again...” Trisha sheepishly said.

“Still, I’ll gladly say thank you for saving me and my brother.” Twilight smiled, then turned to the two men wearing the strange night-sky coats. “Why were you trying to kill us?”

“Our lord ordered us to do it. And we WILL fulfill our mission!” The black haired human said.

“Who do you work for?” Megan asked.

        At that moment, the blonde haired man spat on Twilight’s face, then said the word, “Bitch.”

        Shining Armor of course, smacked him in the mouth with his right hoof. The human’s mouth bled profusely, and even let a tooth slide out of his mouth. “Spit on my sister again and you’ll lose all of them.”

“‘You’re gonna regret getting in the way of our cause!” The blonde haired man shouted. He barely managed to get his words out due to the constant bleeding from his mouth.

“What cause are you talking about?” Twilight asked, after wiping away the spit on her face.

“You already corrupted the humans here, so we’re not obligated to tell you anything!” The black haired man said.

“There’s eight more of us anyway. There’s plenty of us to get the job done. Just know you’ll be saying HELLO to EVERLASTING NIGHT, BITCH!” The blonde haired man angrily said.

“You’re working for Nightmare Moon then?!” Twilight asked, shocked at that phrase.

“Hey, you said too much already!” The black haired man said to the blonde.

“Who cares, they’ll never figure it out with whatever we told’em! I’d rather these idiots despair and NEIGH like the fucking horses they’re SUPPOSED to be!” 

“How racist.” Megan said, folding his arms, scowling at the blonde man’s remark.

“Geez, are all humans like this?” Hover Clear asked.

“No, we’re not like that, I swear! Not all humans aren’t stupid like this guy!” Trisha defended herself.

“I sure hope not.” Twilight added.

“Racist? Come on, man! That’s how these ‘PONIES’ are in our world! They don’t talk, all they do is whinny and neigh all damn day, shit and piss all over the field unexpectedly, and who knows what the hell else! You get what I’m saying, right? You know damn well I’m right!” The blonde human said.

“............” Megan didn’t say anything. Mostly because he knew arguing against a man like this is meaningless. 

“He has a point you know. But our discovery of intelligent ponies just happened to make us realize that they could be so much more, that’s all. At least according to the King. It doesn’t change the fact that we’re the alpha species.” The black haired human chimed in.

“UGH! Okay, so what if he’s right... ponies in their world are considered animals... and in our world, humans are practically aliens... so it evens out, right? Ugh, I hate this subject! It’s degrading!” Twilight closed her eyes tightly as she thought to herself.

“Either way, we’ll never talk, even if you torture us.” The black haired human added.

“Is that so? I was trained to torture terrorists during my time at the royal academy. Are you sure you should be saying that?” Shining Armor warned, glaring at the restrained humans.

“Oh, in that case, we’ll do you one better. Ready, Steiner?” The black-haired human smiled bitterly.

“We really gotta do that, huh Reyner?” The blonde haired man called ‘Steiner’ rose an eyebrow at his partner.

“We have to. We can’t let the plan be known under any circumstances. It’s not for the humans here to know. They’re supposed to NEVER find out. That was part of the deal. The deal to make our ideals a reality.” Reyner closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Heh, yeah whatever. Hoo boy, that person’s crazy, but means well I guess. Let’s do it!” Steiner formed a smirk on his face, closing his eyes too. At that moment, the two restrained humans started to emit a sudden burst of star mist from their strange coats...

“What the hell?!” Megan started backing away.

“For the sake of our ideals, we offer thy bodies to imprison this world! WE WISH TO BRING FORTH EVERLASTING NIGHT!” The two humans said, suddenly fading away into star mist quickly.

“WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?” Trisha asked what everyone was thinking. Why are they disappearing?

“You know girlie... being a hero is pretty damn lame. No one gives a damn about heroes anymore and you know it.” Steiner said to Trisha, with half of his face completely gone...

“This world has so much potential. Yet, in our world, it’s filled with dregs and hypocrites. In this world, it’s filled with weak willed beings holding back potential. It’s a shame I won’t be around to see the new world, but it’ll be nice to be part of the solution.” Reyner said, with the top half of his head already faded away, followed by his mouth.

        Soon, the two were no more, turned into a goblet of mist that floated into the skies. The only thing that remained were their black long-sleeved overalls and boots, and the horse head masks they wore. Strangely however, their odd coats were no longer present either, as if they allowed them to disappear like that.

“They just... killed themselves like that? Why...? It doesn’t make any sense! WHY ARE THEY GOING SO FAR JUST TO BRING EVERLASTING NIGHT!? Why are they doing so much for Nightmare Moon!?” Twilight closed her eyes, unable to contain her frustration. 

So many questions, and absolutely no answers...

“It was horrifying watching them die like that...”  Trisha commented.

“I think the true horror stems from the fact that they were willing to die for the sake of this strange cause and did it in a heartbeat. It’s like they were programmed to be suicidal terrorists... Kind of a letdown.” Megan speculated.

“Is it like that in your world...?” Twilight solemnly asked.

“Yes, it is. It’s a rare occurrence, but there are people who are so deranged, they believe they’re doing something they truly believe is right.” Megan bluntly answered.

“We don’t know what that cause is though...” Shining Armor said.

“What if Sombra did this to them? I wouldn’t put it past that evil tyrant to plant something in their heads like that.” “But... those masks... if they’re the ones...” Hover Clear speculated. “But... those masks... if they’re the ones...”

“We need to get out of here though... We’ll discuss this more when we get back to the Crystal Palace.” Twilight suggested.

“In a minute...” Trisha answered as she went over to the clothes of the two men who disappeared.

“What are you doing?!” Twilight was slightly thrown off by Trisha searching through those clothes, digging in the pockets.

“Seeing if we can find anything useful, maybe something containing answers. It’s not like I’m grave robbing, you know.” Trisha jokingly answered, giving a wry smile.

“You just couldn’t leave it alone, could you?” Megan asked.

        As Trisha searched through the first set of pockets on the overalls, she finds five keys on a ring, each of them looking like the kind they use in their world. In another pocket, she finds several Equine Crystals they have yet to use.

“Wow... good thing we took them down when we did... if they had used these, we would’ve been in trouble!” Trisha nervously said.

“Well, the fact that they had these pretty much answers our question on who was in the mining facility...” Megan said.

“They might’ve been the ones I seen that time... but I don’t remember seeing them wear those masks before, yet alone those strange coats they disappeared with.” Shining Armor added.

“That’s one thing I’m confused about. It’s as if they’re like the Shadowbolts when they wear those coats, yet they don’t have their speed and near intangibility... If they did, they would’ve killed us without all the trouble we gave them.” Twilight speculated.

        Trisha continues to dig in the pockets, finding a brown wallet with silver metal edges. Written on the front side reads, “King’s Foundation.”

“King’s Foundation? Wait a minute...” Trisha trailed off.

“Chris’s family... his last name is King, remember?” Megan reminded her.

“Well, that little guy’s got some explaining to do. If those people were working for his family...” Shining Armor furrowed his eyebrows dangerously.

“Wait, wait! Chris is a good kid, I swear! He can be a bit selfish, cowardly, and a bit annoying when he flirts with me, but he’s got the crew’s best interests at heart, I can tell!” Trisha defended him.

“He also helped us to renovate our hideout when he didn’t have to, all to be accepted by us. Besides, someone scared as he is, he wouldn’t think to betray us.” Megan also chimed in, defending him.

“That kid still has some questions to answer though when we get back.” Shining Armor scoffed, still feeling irritable.

“Sorry, he’s just angry over what happened to me. That’s why he’s my B.B.B.F.F.! He’s so awesome!” Twilight gloated.

“Oh Twiliy! I’m just doing what a brother is supposed to do!” Shining nudged.

“Umm... what does that stand for again?” Trisha asked.

“I’m going to guess Big Brother Best Friend Forever, right?” Megan answered with a look of indifference.

“Hey, how’d you know?” Twilight asked.

“It’s painfully obvious. Even the lowliest of primates could’ve figured that one out.” Megan arrogantly answered.

“Whatever you say, Mister Genius.” Twilight quipped.

“If you were half as smart as I, you’d look at your peers as mere primates too.” Megan shot back.

        Trisha then opens the wallet to find an ID card with the name 'Frederich Steiner' on it, and a photo of him, Reyner, and at least twenty-four people, all wearing casual attire. Included in the photo, is a blonde haired man who looks a lot like Chris, save for the light stubble on his chin. Among them is even a pregnant woman too...

“Huh... is this his family? Well... it’s a bit of a stretch to say though...” Trisha asked.

“If that other guy’s in this photo, I’m going to guess it’s his crew. He did say there were eight others, but this photo shows way more than that. Makes me wonder... did some of them die already?” Megan asked.

“We only saw two bodies inside that facility, but there could’ve been more that we’re unaware about.” Twilight added, observing the picture.

“The bodies were sorta faced down, so we couldn’t tell who they were.” Shining Armor added.

        Trisha finished checking the pockets, only to find a simple flip phone with a strange white screen. There was no pictures on it or even a user interface. Just... a glowing white.

“This is weird... like the plot out of some horror flick.” Trisha muttered to herself.

“I think I know what we’re doing to Jeremy next halloween.” Megan covered his mouth, trying to hold back his laughter.

“Halloween...?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, well... In our world, there’s this holiday called Halloween, where we dress up in costumes, go from house to house, and get candy. But we also can take this time to give people a good scare too!” Trisha explained.

“Oh, that sounds exactly like Nightmare Night!” Twilight said. “We dress up in costumes, get candy and such as well! It’s actually Princess Luna’s favorite time of the year because she gets to have all the fun she wants.” Twilight smiled, then gave a look of determination. “That’s why we’ll stop this Nightmare Moon plot once and for all!”

“Yeah! We might as well help you out, because this whole plot is why we ended up in this world to begin with. If we can help you in some way, we might be able to finally go home!” Trisha said enthusiastically.

“We are her candidates after all.” Megan fixed his glasses. “Still though, this phone is strange... did something happen to the LCD?”

“LCD?” Twilight asked.

“Liquid Crystal Display. It’s what several screens are made out of for our cell phones, as well as our television and computer screens...”

“I think I read about something like that in the Book of Humans...” Twilight said.

“Huh... that’s weird... I didn’t think this world would know anything about that.” Megan narrowed his eyes, unable to believe Twilight. She then used her magic to show him the Book of Humans, opening it to show the page she was referencing. It only took a simple glance at a page for him to turn his head away in frustration, “......Tch... can’t read this...”

“Oh, I thought you were a genius.” Twilight made a light remark, but continued. “But well... we don’t. It’s just, this book is something Princess Celestia got rather recently and passed it off to me, so I’ve been studying it for a while now. But I feel like that book will help me understand human nature a bit more. I know all humans aren’t bad. You guys just have your share of bad apples, that’s all.”

“Twilight really does believe in us. I’m happy knowing that, even after what happened today.”

Trisha then looks through the other set of overalls left behind by Reyner, finding more Equine Crystals. 

“Once again, thank goodness we took them down before they could use these...”

        She then finds another flip phone with the same white screen. The phone itself is colored red and black, just like Steiner’s phone.

        “I think those might be Equine Crystals...” Hover Clear chimed in.

        “The LCD screens?” Megan asked, looking at the strange phones.

        “Yes. I believe we might have used the crystals as a form of communication at one point during the rebellion.” The crystal stallion carried on his explanation. “Remember that treasure box Shining Armor showed ya? Those rings were earrings! We placed them on our ears and used them to communicate with our friends who had them.”

        “Huh... if what you say is true, then...” Megan trailed off, then asked Trisha for one of the phones.

“Umm... sure.” Trisha agreed, handing the phone to him. Afterwards, she widened her eyes to notice him walking outside. “Megan?”

“Put the phone against your ear, and wait.” Megan asked, pointing at Trisha before stepping through the door.

.............

“Trisha, can you hear me...?”

“Ah!” Trisha widened her eyes the moment she heard Megan’s voice on the other end. “Megan!”

“I knew it... I had a hunch these guys actually replaced their LCD’s with Equine Crystals... Princess Cadance said they could be used for dowsing, but it’s really beneficial for us if they can be used as a form of communication as well.” Megan said on the other line. However, it didn’t sound like he was on a phone at all. Instead, he sounded as if he were speaking mentally, giving an extremely clear sound without any static or feedback. Megan then walks back inside the cabin, closing the flip phone, and says, “I think we’ve discovered ancient form of communication.”

        Trisha would then continue to search the second set of overalls, finding another wallet, along with five extra shotgun shells.

Trisha sighed to herself as she held onto the shells. She then looks at the blue wallet with the silver, curved metal edges. “Another King’s Foundation wallet?” Opening the wallet, she finds an ID card with the name, ‘Reyner Graham’. Along with it, is another picture of him, Steiner, and the same people. The only thing that’s missing this time is the blonde haired man that looked similar to Chris...

“Hmm... he’s not in the picture? Maybe he’s not with the group after all...” Megan speculated.

“What makes you say that?” Twilight asked.

“Well, that man wasn’t wearing the same suit as everyone else in this picture...”

“But neither is that pregnant woman, and she’s still here making a strange symbol with her fingers.” Shining Armor said.

“That’s a peace sign...” Trisha nervously corrected.

“Wait, LOOK!!” Twilight’s eyes widened the moment they laid their sight on... a curved strand in the corner of the photo. The strange strand that appears to be a tail, is colored dark green with a streak of  dark gray... “That’s... a pony’s tail, right?”

“It can’t be!” Megan looked closely, then scowled at the sight. “There’s no way...!”

“But... it might be possible. After everything that’s happened so far, I don’t want to risk disbelieving anything strange. And besides, if this is really the tail of a pony. Then it may have had a way to enter our world! It’s a huge breakthrough!” Trisha and Megan gained a newfound hope, despite this picture raising more questions.

“So there really is a way to get home... but that would mean finding out if that’s really a pony, and if that IS one, we have to find out how it came to our world. We still have a lot to investigate, and we have to tell the others.” Megan suggested.

“Yeah... we do...” Trisha agreed, but looked solemn. 

“He’ll be fine.” Twilight suddenly said, giving Trisha a smile.

“What do you mean?”

“Princess Celestia... there’s a meaning behind everything she says. Even if it was harsh this time, there’s still a meaning behind what she said to Jeremy. He just needs to figure out the meaning. When he does, he’ll come around. I’m sure of it.” Twilight then thought, “But... I get the feeling what she said wasn’t JUST for him to figure out... what’s with this whole “Midnight Lost Child”?”

“How can you be so sure? I actually cringed when she broke him down like that...”

“Because as her faithful student, I’ve had to figure out the meaning behind everything she’s said to me time and time again, and I’ve always found the answer. So everything will be fine.” Twilight said confidently.

“Alright, I’ll trust you.” Trisha nodded.

        With that, the group leave the cabin, walking out into the snowy field, taking horse mask with them. Thanks to Twilight’s Fire of Friendship of course, the snow isn’t thick anymore and strands of grass could be seen growing through the field of white. With the orange sky making itself obvious through the now thin clouds, the group head back to the hovercraft. When Hover Clear walks up to the engine to start it up, he’s surprised that it’s even making a sound.

“It’s a miracle that this thing even works after all that’s happened!” Shining Armor looked surprised.

“Are you kidding? It was just the engine that was frozen, but now that it’s defrosted, It should work properly again!”

“Oh good! I’m so worn out, I don’t think I’ll be able to teleport all of us back to the palace until tomorrow!”

“I’m guessing it requires a lot of magic to teleport in the first place?” Trisha asked.

“Not really. But the more people that I have to take with me, the more magic I’ll need to use. And there’s five of us anyway.” Twilight answer.

“I’m with Twily on this one. I’m exhausted from all the fighting!” Shining Armor said.

“Well, okay. But are you sure you want to leave the guns behind?” Megan asked.

“As tempting as they are... I refuse to become a murderer. I want to help people, not kill.” Trisha said, throwing away the shotgun shells. “And what about you? Why are you taking the phones with you? Couldn’t they track us or something?”

“Because I have a plan, and I want to use these as the base to modify our phones. I’ll seek out a pony who can use magic to cut the crystals into the perfect shape.” Megan said.

        Setting off for the Crystal Empire, the group take the time to relax and rest from today’s hectic events. 

Megan, sitting at the back of the hovercraft, is looking back at the cabins and scratches his head. He takes his glasses off and wipes them off again. He looks ahead though to see a blue, blurry, and floating image in front of him. He puts his glasses on again to see it was Shining Armor there.

“I’m surprised.” Shining Armor started.

“At what?”

“Remember when I first saved you and your friends? You looked down on us pretty hard, yet when that human said those things about our kind, you actually stood up for us. Did you have a change of heart or something?” Shining Armor asked.

“No, I look down on everyone. It doesn’t matter if you’re human, equine, an ant... I’ll look down on you and think I’m miles above until proven otherwise. But at the same time, I know my limits. I feel that in itself is what makes me superior.”

“That explains why you haven’t fought once.” Shining Armor said.

“The thing you excel at is fighting. You were professionally trained to fight just about anything. I’m sure you’ve also been trained to survive dungeons and fight dragons. So it doesn’t surprise me one bit. Why are you even talking to me?” Megan coldly asked, folding his arms.

“Why do YOU look down on everyone? What if you were killed by those humans, or Sombra, or those Windigos? Everything’s been dangerous so far, and yet you still have that attitude!”

“I have... my reasons for looking down on everyone. If I were to humble myself at any moment, I’ll be vulnerable.” Megan averted his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“It is none of your concern, Shining Armor. I provide my intellect when necessary, and I know of the dangers, and assist those I trust without fail.”

“One of these days, you’ll be blindsided.”

“As if.” Megan scoffed.





"Just because the teacher made a mistake, doesn't give you the right to call him that!" The principal called himself ‘scolding me’.

"I simply told the truth. Is it not okay to tell the truth?" I answered honestly.

        I sat in the chair in front of the Principal’s desk. It’s only been six months since I’ve been in this school, and the teachers here are all mediocre at best. In front of me is the principal himself, a middle-aged man wearing an eyepatch, sitting at his desk. Behind him is a large bookshelf filled to the brim with various text books. To my left, there was a large window with the sunlight of lunchtime peering through the curtains. To my right was obviously the exit, which looked very tempting.

        But I had to stick around, obviously. I didn’t ask my dad to send me to Cheshire State Westford Academy for nothing. And so I crossed my legs, folded my arms and answered the principal without flinching or wavering one bit.

“I can teach that class, and his skill as a teacher is highly questionable. That’s why he deserves the title of ‘primate’.”

“YOU BRAT!!!” Mr. Harrison, an average looking man, started to lunge at me. Thankfully the Principal held him back for the sake of his career.

        I’m sure you’ve figured out why I’m here in the principal’s office by now...

        However, as I sat there, bored out of my mind, I hear a click at the door. Knowing someone was opening the door, I turn my eyes to it, awaiting who the next fool’s gonna be. The moment the door opened, it revealed a dark skinned man, appearing to be the same age as me. Thing is, his hair looks wavy like a clump of seaweed.

“Uhh, this is like, the principal’s office, ya?”

“Oh, you must be Jeremy! We’ve been expecting you! Angela’s already told me everything. In fact, this is an opportunity for Megan here to redeem himself!” The principal beckoned him to come take a seat next to me.

“Who?” Jeremy rose an eyebrow, not knowing that the principal was referring to me. Usually, I’m not bothered by my name unless someone assumes I’m a girl. Other than that, I never really liked my first name much. Personally, I prefer to be called Megiddo. But that wouldn’t go well if I asked my peers to address me as such.

        So this one’s named Jeremy? Never seen him before... he seems like one of those... outgoing types.

"Okay, so here's what I want. Megan, for your punishment, I want you to work with Jeremy here to create a club within one week." The Principal suddenly made an outrageous statement, acting as if he’s making a suggestion.

"Whoa, what!? Dude, I don't even know this guy!" Jeremy complained. Naturally, I would too.

"Why should I work with this ingrate?"

"It'll give you the chance to build character." Character? Working with ingrates builds character?

"My character is superior, sir." 

"What'd this guy do anyway?" Jeremy asked.

"He called his science teacher a primate, saying he could teach the class himself." The Principal answered.

"Really? Awesome!" How... is that ‘awesome’?

"This isn't a laughing matter!" The principal would scold Jeremy, then continue his orders. "Now I want you two to work together to create a club that will shine, and in turn, understand what your hopes and dreams for the future are. You are dismissed."

        And so... I had to work with this hard-headed guy. I didn’t like it one bit.

"Soooo, any ideas, man?" Jeremy asked curiously.

"You're the one who needs to figure this out, so figure it out. Use your brain." I flatly answered.

"I am using my brain, and I have no ideas!" He continued to grate my ears with his complaints.

"That just means your brain is inferior to mine."

"Then use that superior brain of yours to figure something out!"

"You're unworthy." I quickly answered.

"GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRR! Fine then, be an ass!" Jeremy yelled and then stormed off.

The ingrate got angered at my words all the time. But as the days went by, he kept coming to me, pitching ideas, even though I always angered him.

“How about... a music club?” Jeremy stupidly suggested as we were walking down the hall.

“Don’t you know your limits? We can't play instruments. And there's already a music club.” He really doesn’t know anything.

"Light?"

"There's a Light Music club too." I felt like I was specifying to this idiot...

"Oh, how about the cooking club?" 

"No." I don’t wish to cook.

"Occult?"

"Negative." I didn’t like the idea of fooling with magic or supernatural trash. That stuff doesn’t exist.

Then came Friday, when he muttered more ideas, until...

"Hey, Megan! I GOT IT." He sat at the lunch table in front of me suddenly, with the dumbest grin ever like he won the lottery.

"What?" Honestly, I had my hopes up a bit.

"An anime blog club! How do you like the sound of that, eh? Eh? Am I right, or am I right?" I was stupid to expect an intelligent answer from him...

"Anime blog... club?" 

That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard him say.

"Well, yeah! Like, for blogging and alla that!" Jeremy specified like I didn’t know. But the way it was worded just... ugh.

"Hmph."

"Well, what's your bright idea, Einstein?" I wish that was my name instead of ‘Megan’.

"Just do a simple journalism club and be done with it." I suggested.

"Journalism? Wait, I thought there'd be one by now..." Jeremy looked confused.

"Don't you ever look around? A lot of people never thought of a journalism club because they thought it was taken. Isn’t that foolish of them?" 

That shows how paranoid the common public can be.

"Whoa, I think I like that idea better! So how'd you think of it?" He asked, ignoring my answer before.

"It's called looking around. If you did that, you wouldn't even be bugging me about this."

"But the principal wanted us BOTH to figure out a club. In a way, I guess that makes us partners or something!" He finished his can of soda quickly as he said that.

"Hahahahah! Partners? What nonsense do you speak of!?"

"Well, it's pretty logical to me. Two guys who hate each other are all of a sudden forced to team up to fight ultimate evil for the greater good! Or something like that." Does this guy have eighth-grader syndrome or something?

".... you're insane." The words just slipped out of my mouth. He really did sound insane saying that. Does he think this is some comic book? "And even if you do want to make this club, you realize that you need two more members and an adviser, right?"

"Well, you'll be number two, and Alice can be my Number three, so we just need to find an adviser, and BAM! Club formed, man!” He waved around his sandwich nonchalantly.

"What!?" I almost spat out my drink. ME? The Number Two?

"You're still my partner in this. We don't even have to be partners anymore once the club's official. We're under orders." For once he had a point.

"You're giving me a headache..."

"Oh bloody hell, take an advil or something!"

"Tch. I'll pose as your second club member until it's official, but as soon as it IS official, I'm quitting."

"Fine by me, smart ass." Jeremy scoffed.

        As we discussed our plan, we happened to be seeing our new school mascot being built at the school’s courtyard. A horse...

“The Darkhorse... that’s the mascot Angela wanted the moment her stupid Hopes and Dreams program got approved...” Jeremy griped, as if he didn’t like it.

“I didn’t think they’d go through with it... despite how strange it is, it makes sense in portraying a single message... that you can do it. It doesn’t matter who you are.” 

“What, achieve their dreams?” Jeremy wanted clarification.

“Yes, exactly... perhaps it’s her way of giving the entire student body the courage to work hard for their goals.”

“I thought that was all about talent. Man, I don’t got any of that... I’m only even trying because of Angela. That’s it.” Jeremy griped.

Trying because of Angela...





“Fool... you’re the one who brought us together in the first place. That in itself is a talent. If only you would see that...” Megan thought to himself with a grimace before sighing and placing a hand on his forehead.

        The group continues their journey back to the crystal Empire, hoping that everyone is okay. With the way today’s events concluded, they all know that their unintended vacation is far from over... 

Why are there humans who are going so far to serve Nightmare Moon? What are their plans and ideals? 


Did a pony really come to the human world...?

> The Factor of Hope- Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~


After the encounter with newly revived King Sombra and escaping from the Windigos, Twilight, Trisha, Megan, Hover Clear, and Shining Armor are saved by the fire of friendship.

        Their victory is short lived however, the moment the cabin is broken into and Twilight is held at gunpoint by a couple of strange beings wearing a the mask of a horse’s head, later revealed to be humans.

        A short, but quick fight occurs, and the two humans, despite their seemingly adept knowledge at fighting ponies, are easily defeated by Trisha, who took them by surprise. They felt that Trisha shouldn’t be attacking them since they’re fellow humans.

        The group would asks the tied up assailants who sent them and why, but many of the answers they gave were dodgy. Afterwards, they chanted a spell that turned their bodies into Star Mist, seemingly committing suicide.

        Despite the horrifying end to their journey of the frozen north, the group is now left with even more questions than answers. 

        Did a pony really come to the human world? 
        
That was the biggest question on everyone’s mind right now.






“Yo, it took ya long enough to get back! I was starting to think we’d have to go out and search!” Rainbow Dash greeted everyone with a smile, along with Applejack and Fluttershy at the Crystal Docks.

“Where ya’ll been?! The town looks like a stampede of buffalo ran the place down!!” Applejack pointed to the disastrous scene, filling Twilight in on the news.

“We know what happened already.” Twilight said with a grimace.

“Not about all of the Crystal Ponies abandoning the kingdom!” Rainbow added. 

“What!?” Twilight, widening her eyes upon hearing that, runs out to the town square, only to notice that it feels cold and desolate now. Looking around, the doors to several houses are left wide open, many shops are ruined more than ever despite the damage from the Shadowbolts’ attack, and the entire area has lost the warmth that it once had. The Crystal Empire had felt desolate, nothing like what she had seen when she first arrived back when the place magically returned after a thousand years. 

        Fluttershy, Applejack, and Rainbow explain to the others about a majority of the crystal ponies running away from the empire the moment King Sombra was revived. They actually sensed his presence and they wanted nothing to do with Sombra again. Not after everything that’s happened involving his tyranny. 

“It’s worse than I thought...” Twilight looked down, pacing left and right, repeating to herself how bad the situation is.

“Where’s Cadence?” Shining Armor quickly asked.

“In her room.” Fluttershy answered quickly. Shining Armor of course, would suddenly use his magic to teleport. After the brief magical flash, Fluttershy sees Megan, and what he’s holding in his arms, causing her eyes to widen in fear. “W-W-WHAT IS THAT!?”

Megan narrows his eyes, confused as to why the yellow pegasus is suddenly paralyzed with fear. He then looks at the horse head in his arms.

Fluttershy’s breathing became rigid and rapid, unable to move a muscle.

“S-s-sugarcube...?” Applejack looked at Fluttershy, feeling her trembling violently. Her voice too suddenly started to vibrate the longer she stared at that mask.

“Cover the mask!” Trisha shouted, prompting Megan to put the mask behind his back. Fluttershy then collapsed, but seemed to be back to normal.

“T-t-that, that thing!!!” Fluttershy spoke wobbly.. 

“I don’t like these things either, but the humans who attacked us was wearing them. We-” Twilight tried to explain.

“Wait, HUMANS!? Ya’ll were attacked by humans?!” Applejack cut Twilight’s explaination off, desperately asking.

“Yeah, and we managed to beat them, but,” Twilight trailed off, suddenly feeling crestfallen.

“Wait... you didn’t...?!” Fluttershy’s eyes quivered at the thought of them murdering humans this time. To Trisha and Megan, it was clear that she just doesn’t like the idea of bloodshed to begin with.

“No, they kinda killed themselves.” Trisha answered gravely.

“Uh, kinda? How do you ‘kinda’ kill yourself?” Rainbow asked tightly.

“We’ll explain everything when we get back to the palace.” Twilight said, beckoning everyone to go inside to meet with everyone else.

“Rainbow, I have to ask, where is Jeremy anyway?” Trisha asked, walking next to her, gripping the inside of her pocket.

“I took him to the academy.” Rainbow answered in a taut manner.

“The Wonderbolt Academy?” Trisha asked, feeling nostalgic.

“Yeah, It was the first thing that came in my head as I was flying away from the Windigos.” The multi-colored pegasus sighed.

“Why didn’t you just take him back here?” Trisha asked.

“I didn’t want to risk leading the Windigos here!” Rainbow quickly glared at Trisha.

“Well, judging from what we know, the Crystal Empire and the Frozen North are practically neighboring lands. I don’t think it’s that big of a stretch to say that those phantoms would want to freeze the Empire too.” Megan interjected, understanding Rainbow’s reasoning.

“Exactly! You forget how awesome I am! Your friend’s safe, got it?” 

“He’s your friend too, right?” Trisha asked.

“W-we just have a common enemy! Why would I wanna be friends with that jerk anyway?” Rainbow scoffed at the remarked, then began to rant in a hushed tone. “That idiot hasn’t said anything since we got there. He didn’t even want to move. I really wanted to punch him, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. how could he sulk like that! Who does he think he is!? That sulking isn’t cool at all!”

        Trisha didn’t say anything else after hearing that. She knew that Rainbow was probably more upset than anyone else. She knew that nothing she would say would cheer anyone up. She didn’t know what to feel either, whether to feel upset at Celestia for breaking his resolve so thoroughly, or at Jeremy himself for being in this state. She pursed her lips and clenched her fist, knowing that despite that, she knows that they have even bigger things to worry about. 

        How does King Sombra know about Humans?
        Who in the world is ‘Heartseed’?
        Why did Celestia call Ruby the ‘Midnight Lost Child’?
        Why are there humans who want to bring Everlasting Night to the Human World?
        And did ponies come to their world already?

        So many questions buzzed through her mind as she headed to the Crystal Palace, and she was sure that they would buzz through the minds of her friends as well when she breaks the news to them. In a way, knew that the discussion would be a long one.





Meanwhile, inside Cadence's room, Shining Armor arrived, startling the crystal princess out of their bed through the crystal-like sheets. She wasn’t expecting him to be back at the moment, but a smile formed on her lips the moment she saw him, and sighed a breath of relief. The two trotted across the red, crystal-like carpet to each other and embraced each other.

“I’m so glad you’re back!” Cadence cried in his arms.

“Of course I’m back. Are you okay? Did Sombra hurt you?!” Shining Armor desperately asked, checking for any injuries.

“I’m fine, dear. I’m just exhausted. There’s so much going on, I don’t know what to do!” Cadence answered, panicked.

“It’s okay, I’m here for you! We’ll restore the empire to it’s former glory-” Shining Armor tried to comfort her, but was interrupted.

“I don’t think you understand! The fact that the Crystal Ponies ran away, they’ve taken all of the trains available, and they won’t be back until King Sombra is defeated! That in itself has thrown the balance of harmony in a state of disarray! It was my duty to keep that from happening, and I’ve failed!”

“It’s not your fault. We didn’t predict that King Sombra would come back. But we can still fix this. I mean, this can’t be any worse than the Changeling invasion, right? And Twily and her friends will help us bring the Crystal Ponies back.”

“They won’t listen to reason until King Sombra is gone! This was the very thing I was afraid of the very day the Crystal Empire returned!”

“I know. Taking him down is part of the plan. We won’t let him win.” Shining held his wife in his arms until his eyes wandered to a letter on their bed. He uses his magic to hover the letter over to them after ending their warm embrace. “A letter from the princess? When’d she write this?”

“It was here when I came to. It’s addressed to everyone here, but I’ve yet to read it.”

“The humans included?”

“Yes.”





        As for Twilight and her friends, they got together to discuss their findings, piecing together all the new information.

        The discussion is cut short upon knowing that humans attacked earlier.

        “To be honest, things have been kinda gettin’ worse ever since them humans arrived here.” Applejack held onto her hat.

        “Yeah, but we can’t blame them for what happened!” Twilight defended them.

        “Then why the masks!? Those... images!?” Fluttershy folder her forearms, shivering and trying to hold back tears.

        “Whoa, what images?” Rainbow asked, having no idea what she meant.

        “I seen them too.” Twilight added. “I saw images of humans killing ponies in their world.”

        “Ah!” Rarity gasped. “Y-y-you’re, *gulp* surely you speak in jest, right?”

        “Oooo, how did they do it?”

        “Pinkie, this isn’t funny!”

        “I know. But how did they do it?”

        “You know what a ‘gun’ is, right?” Twilight asked, then went to finish her answer, “They shot them with it; right in the head.”

        Upon hearing that, Rarity nearly fainted, and the levees in Fluttershy’s eyes finally broke.

        “Why, it’s those masks, right?” Applejack asked, trying to stay strong for everypony’s sake.

        “Yes. Those masks seem to have a strange power. If you make eye-contact with them just once, you’re going to see those images.” Twilight explained.

        “And the reason?” Pinkie asked.

        “Reason?” Twilight asked, trying to not glare.

        “You know, the reason for the shooting, killing and stuff!” Pinkie clarified. She was bubbly as usual, but she seemed to understand just how serious the topic is.

        “I don’t know. To be honest, I didn’t hear anything.” Twilight answered, looking down at the crystal floor as she struggled to recall any voices.

        “Then be honest with us, Twi.. What exactly did you see? We need a clear description!” Applejack pressed.

        “Wha?”

        “Come on, Twilight! I refuse to stop liking my new human friends!” Twilight was taken aback by Pinkie’s words.

        Pinkie had a point. She was starting to understand humans a little. She was starting to see that they were a friendly species.

        “You’re right. I’m sure Lyra only obsessed over humans for the best parts, not the worst parts.” Twilight thought, thinking about a certain mint-green unicorn. “Wait, why did Lyra come to mind?”

        “Well? What’d you see?” Rainbow asked, wanting Twilight to answer.

        “Well, I think we should talk to the humans first before we continue this discussion,” Twilight sighed, “I don’t want to feel like we’re plotting against them now.”

        “Tch. you guys shoulda did that with me before you pulled that Mare-Do-Well stunt.” Rainbow said under her breath while pursing her lips.
        
        “Huh?” Twilight asked, wanting to know what Rainbow said, hoping that it wasn’t an objection.

        “Don’t worry about it. Just know it wasn’t an objection.”

        “Well, err, okay.”

        “Mind if we joined that discussion?”

        “Spitfire? Soarin? What are you two doing here?” Twilight was surprised to see the two Wonderbolts in their Officer uniforms instead of their usual suits.

        “We decided to take a trip here when we crossed paths with Rainbow Dash. She told us that she’d fill us in on everything that happened here if we came, so we did.” Spitfire answered.
        
        “And you’re just in time too! Hopefully we can actually come up with some answers this time.” Twilight said, slightly agitated.
        
        



        Meanwhile, at the cafeteria section of the Crystal Palace, the humans grabbed several chairs and sat around each other in a circle so they could have their discussion. Funny enough, this is how their club meetings would work, so it was a bit of nostalgia.

        “Humans? you’re kidding! So, we’re not the only ones here?” Chris asked.

        “Ooooh boy...” Martin grabbed his head out of nervousness.

        “That’s great! We might be able to ask them how-” Alice’s suggestion was immediately shot down.

        “These other humans are less likely to cooperate. We can’t just act as if we trust them when it’s clear they have some goal.” Megan said.

        “This whole adventure just went into conspiracy territory.” Mia sighed as she gripped the edge of her shirt.

        “What do you mean?” Trisha asked.

        “Well, if there’s some sort of mastermind behind all of this, us coming here, the monster, the shadow ponies, Ruby being kidnapped, Avu turning into a monster, that’s... that just can’t be right.” Mia listed off everything that’s happened so far, expressing her disbelief of the idea of a mastermind.

        “Isn’t that just biased to dismiss the possibility though?” Eva asked.

        “Well, I don’t like conspiracies. No, really. I hate them to the core. It makes people paranoid and stupid! Conspiracies cause discord!” 

        “You’re saying that this whole plot might make us lose faith in humanity?” Trisha summarized Mia’s words while hoping she wasn’t far off the mark.

        “Fool.” Megan crossed his legs and folded his arms, shooting a glare at Mia.

        “Wh-how am I...!?” Mia’s glare didn’t faze Megan at all.

        “It’s true, most conspiracies are foolish and it’s one of the few things that makes the vocal minority distrust our government. But if that conspiracy turns out to be true, without much room for doubt, then what? Are we to turn a blind eye to the facts? Face it. There is a mastermind, and if it’s a conspiracy, then so be it. That possibility isn’t something worth dismissing when we have plenty of facts to support the theory.”

        “Everything happens for a reason, ya know?” Martin summarized Megan’s explanation, earning a scowl from him.

        “But it’s still a conspiracy! I thought Nightmare Moon was the villain, but this isn’t even right! We’re going completely off track now!” Mia refused to face the possibility, considering everything that’s happened.

        “We’re not off track at all. Simply put, the humans who attacked us implied that they’re working for the Nightmare Monster, but other words they mentioned implied there’s a third party they’re working for. They even went so far as to kill themselves so they wouldn’t spill any tortured secrets.” Megan countered Mia’s argument.

        “Whoa, ponies can torture!?” Eva asked, taken aback by the sudden implication.

        “That means they might be into S&M!” Kitsu quipped.

        “You idiot, don’t say that! I don’t want to imagine that kind of thing with... ponies!” Mina elbowed Kitsu on the side.

        “Hiiiiiiiiiii everyone!” Pinkie suddenly poked her head between Trisha and Megan’s seats, startling them both.

        “Hmph! Foolish pony.” Megan said in his usual condescending tone, but took a deep breath to remain composed.

        “Sorry to interrupt, but we need to talk. Can we join in on your discussion?” Twilight asked, dragging a chair to the circle.

        “Please do. To be honest, I want your input on this matter.” Megan said, then turned his head around to see two unfamiliar pegasi with Twilight and her friends. Two pegasi who wore blue, button-up shirts that resemble a standard-issue police uniform. “I wasn’t aware you brought friends.”

        “I guess the new faces I see are the humans that the ones we saved were referring to.” Spitfire scanned the faces of Megan, Mason, Chris, Martin, and Alice. “I’m Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts.”

“And I’m Soarin, the second-in-command. We want in on this discussion, because we feel it’ll help us learn more or at least, figure out why Lightning Dust went rogue.” The light-blue pegasus introduced himself.

        “Then It’s fair we get acquainted with each other then. I’m Megan Miles.” What a condescending presence he gives off. Spitfire thought.

        “I’m Mr. Martin, their teacher and adviser.” He doesn’t seem like a teacher.

        “I’m Alice Stanfield! Awesome to meet ya!” Strange clothes. Her friends styles are a little far off, so...

        “Mason Takahashi. Nice to meet you.” A human taller than all of his friends. it’s a wonder he isn’t some hot blooded guy like Snowflake. Spitfire thought.

        “My name is Chris Ciel King. Nice to meet you err, would it be okay if I call you ‘lovely maiden’ or something?”

        “How about, no.” Spitfire flatly answered.

        Eva, who is sitting next to her brother, grabbed him by the ear and whispered, “You can’t be serious!” 

        “Hey! I was trying to be polite! I wasn’t flirting with her! You know I have standards to uphold!” Chris whispered back.

        “What’s with the whole circle anyway?” Soarin’ asked.

        “Well, It’s something we kinda adopted when we used to have a round table at school. We just kinda wanted to recreate the atmosphere.” Eva explained, “Ah! But it’s not like we’re homesick of anything.”

        “That won’t be too far off.” Mina spoke in a matter-of-factly tone.

        “Come on, it’s only been a few days!” Kitsu waved off the worrying claim.

        “Doesn’t change the fact that it can happen anyway. We’re in a world we still know very little about! The second you think about your family, you’ll be more likely to get that way!” Mina stated the facts.
        
        “Then just avoid the topic for now. It’s as simple as that.” Megan said.

        Seconds later, Cadence and Shining Armor would also join the circle of chairs instinctively, with the husband using his magic to pull forward two chairs for himself and his mare.

        With the circle full, the discussion of today’s happenings began immediately. With so many questions on everyone’s mind, no one was be willing to wait. With everything that’s happened so far, they wanted to reach some answers.

        “Ahem. Now that everyone is gathered here...” Megan started off.

        “Dude, you might mean ‘everypony’.” Kitsu attempted to correct.

        “I refuse to say ‘everypony’. In any case, I’ll be the one to start this meeting since our foolish leader decided to sulk over his own actions...” Megan crossed his legs and snapped his fingers. “First thing we should discuss, is the humans attacking us, and their relation to the enemies we’ve encountered over the course of this whole ordeal.”

        “I want to discuss the corpses we found first, actually.” Twilight started off.

        “C-c-corpses?!” Fluttershy shrieked at the mention of the word.

        “Yes, Fluttershy. We found human corpses at a Mining Facility we discovered. We only discovered two, but, I get the feeling there may have been more...” The purple unicorn put a hoof to her chin.

        “More? How could have there been more!? The room those bodies were in looked small!” Rainbow objected.

        “From that angle anyway.” Megan interjected.

        “Angle?”

        “There was something there obstructing our view of that room. Do you remember what it is?”

        “Something obstructing it...” Trisha closed her eyes, replaying that scene in her mind. “Ah! The capsules!”

        “She’s right. Those strange containers with the dead creatures; they obstructed our view, and we even averted our eyes to most of it.” Shining Armor backed up Trisha’s claim.

“Oh, I forgot about those! Well, more like, I wanted to block them from my mind.” Rainbow looked away, pursing her lips.

“It’s okay! It’d be strange if you didn’t!” Trisha reassured her.

“Pony experiments, right...?” Fluttershy asked, hesitantly. 

        “Yes.” Twilight confirmed with a grimace.

        “What else was there?” The light-yellow pegasus inquired further.

        “All sorts of mythical creatures, but the ones up front were mainly from the Everfree Forest.” Twilight listed off the various creatures from all over Equestria, even other ponies, which only made Fluttershy all the more horrified. But a single gulp was enough to force back what little composure she had when dealing with such a morbid topic to her.

        “Everfree? How’s that even possible? Dontcha think we woulda noticed somethin’ strange out there if these humans were out huntin’?” Apple

        “Applejack, you make a good point, but that’s something that we won’t know until we have a way of knowing when these experiments were performed.” Mina said.

        “So...” Fluttershy took a deep breath, then asked, “Did the humans perform the experiments?”

        “Perhaps.” Megan answered.

        “Think the dead ones are the culprits?” Shining Armor surmised.

        “I have a theory,” Rarity chimed in. “Perhaps, a pony actually murdered the humans you’re speaking of?”

        “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, curious about Rarity’s line of reasoning.

        “Perhaps, that somepony killed those humans for experimenting on his or her kind, for the sake of the revenge?”

        “That kinda depends on how the humans died, you know.” Spitfire added. “We can’t say for sure that a pony did it unless we know the method.”

        “The method?” Trisha asked Spitfire.

        “Well yeah. I mean, did a Pegasus take’em into the sky and drop’em? Did they strike’em with lightning with a cloud? Did a Unicorn use some form of magic to kill them? Did an earth pony break their bones with a simple buck?”

        “Pfft- gah!” Kitsu giggled to himself at that last bit, only to earn an elbow to the side from Mina.

        “Now that I think about it...” Trisha thought to herself. “Ah! Wait, there was a hole on their bodies. A hole around their stomach areas!”

        “I see... then maybe a pony did it after all. Specifically, a unicorn.” Spitfire theorized.

        “With magic? T-there’s a magic for killing people!?” Chris asked, looking at Twilight and Rarity with quivering eyes.

        “Well, yes and no.” Twilight answered quickly, catching on to Chris’s fear. “We can’t kill anypony with magic unless we use dark magic. And at magic school, they teach us to never, ever use it, you’ll suffer from the side effects.”

        “B-but, what about that Sombra pony? He’s a unicorn, right!?” Chris asked.

        “Was.” Cadence reminded.

        “Oh, right... you guys killed him before.” Chris solemnly uttered those words, earning a slight scowl from Cadence.

        “You say that like we wanted to do it!” Cadence directed her annoyance at the unfortunate implications.

        “Chris, don’t you watch TV and Movies? Whenever there’s a bad guy on the loose, the good guys usually kill him in the end. This scenario’s no different. This isn’t a movie, sure, but Sombra was a tyrant, and terrorized this princess’s people. They did it because it was the right thing, not because they wanted to.” Mina tore Chris’s implications apart, making him silent. She then looked away, finishing her statement. “Besides, I wholeheartedly support their actions in taking down a tyrant.”

        “Well, It’s not like that in horror flicks though! The bad guy always comes back to life!” Alice said enthusiastically. “Actually, this really does feel like a horror flick! At least it’s not a lame slasher though.”

        “I’ll apologize for my brother’s paranoia. He doesn’t hate you guys, but still. He has his reasons for being the way he is.” Eva waved off her brother’s remarks.

        “Yeah, but...”

        “Shut up, Chris!”

        “......” The young blonde boy groaned as he hung his head low, holding his left arm.

        “Actually, I got a problem with this whole line of reasoning.” Soarin finally spoke up. “You guys are trying to say that King Sombra was the culprit, right? That blonde haired human made a good point if you ask me.”

        “Chris?” Eva asked.

        “Yeah. He said Sombra was dead. Isn’t that where things don’t add up? How can he kill anyone if he wasn’t even alive to do it?”

“We can also rule Lightning Dust out as a suspect as well since I doubt she was under anypony’s control at the time. That, and the only blood she wants to spill is that of the Wonderbolts.” Spitfire added.

        “Wait, there’s something not right though.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin again.

        “Yeah. The condition the bodies were in is enough to show that Sombra’s a possible culprit, right?” Shining Armor reminded.

        “The bodies...” Trisha closed her eyes for another moment. “The bodies were a little decayed, weren’t they?”

        “Precisely.” Megan confirmed. “Of course, once again, we all turned our eyes away 

        “Well, how long were those bodies there?” Spitfire asked.

        “We don’t know. We stopped looking upon seeing them. All I can recall is that the bodies looked like they were rotting a little.” Trisha answered.

        “...!!” Fluttershy slammed her eyes shut, shivering and feverishly shaking her head.

        “Sounds like the humans you found were killed a while ago. But that still doesn’t exactly make that tyrant a suspect. Not until we can determine when those humans died.”

        “Yeeeeeeeaaaaaaah, I’m gonna go with Spitfire on this one.” Kitsu scratched his head. “I mean, that dude just came back to life, and he used Avu’s body to do it, ya know?”

        “Is the death of those humans really all that important though?” Alice asked.

        “I’d like to think it is.Think about it: The fact that the bodies were rotting by the time we got there means that the humans have probably been in Equestria for a while. We’re not the only ones here. Not to mention, there’s the ones that attacked us, and that there’s eight others just like them.” Megan said.

        “You want to determine just how long the humans have been here, right?” Cadence asked.

        “Yes. If we can figure out that information, we can answer nearly all the questions we have. If the humans were here much longer than we were, that could mean that travel between this world and ours is more simple than you might’ve made it out to be.” Megan concluded his claim.

        “About the Followers...”

        “What do you mean, Mason?” Alice asked.

        “Ah. Perhaps that’s the name for them. It’s quite fitting for a group who tries to enforce the will of the monster.” Megan added.

        “Oh, how cute, even in a brainless, single-minded way! It’s like they’re Zombies!” Alice clasped her hands together, rambling on with enthusiasm.

        “Yeah, but didn’t you say they’re dead too?” Mia asked.

        “Heh, more like suicide.” Rainbow corrected.

        Mia scowling at Rainbow, “Same difference! Tomato, Tomato!” she grumbled.

        “Ah, Twilight, I recall you saying that these humans; they turned into a mist similar to Nightmare Moon, yes?” Rarity inquired.

        “Right.” Twilight answered.

        “Then certainly they left something of importance to them behind, yes? Something that could prove quite beneficial?” Rarity leaned forward in her chair.

        “The wallets!” Shining Armor exclaimed. “Yeah, I had planned to ask that blond kid some questions!”

        “Huh...?” Chris, rose his head, staring at the white stallion in disbelief.

        “Does ‘King’s Foundation’ Ring any bells?” Shining Armor asked curly.

        “Eh!? Wait, how do you know about my father’s business?!” Chris widened his eyes as his lips began to quiver.

        “The humans who attacked had wallets made by that company,” Shining answered, then pointed a hoof towards Chris, “They probably worked for that company, and for you by extension!”

        “W-wha, wait! No, hold on!” Chris tried to explain in a fit of panic. “You can’t be serious! Just because I’m the heir to the company, you think I planned this?! That’s what it is, isn’t it!?” 

        “Well, how can you explain those wallets!? They even had photos of other people! One of them looked like you! An older version of you, so we can only believe that it’s your father! You have to know something here!”

        “Oh come on! I have nothing to do with this crisis! I didn’t send some guys to attack my friends, and-”

        “But that’s the problem right there!” Shining cut him off, fiercely pushing his claim forward. “Megan Miles and Trisha Cole are your friends, right?! The humans never focused on them, their sights were set on us ponies!”

        “Look, they just happened to be from father’s company! Those guys weren’t sent by me! And there’s no way my father can be involved in this! I wouldn’t wanna hurt you guys either! You saved my life!” Chris finally made his rebuttal, and added, “And for crying out loud, how would I even have the time to send for some guys to attack anyway!? Ever since that day you saved us, we were kept in that freaking hospital room for about, three or four days!”

        “First of all, I put you and your friends to sleep for a few days, but-”

        “SAME DIFFERENCE!” Chris snapped briefly, but since it was Cadence, “Ah, I’m sorry for screaming at a lovely princess such as yourself, but still!”

        “Don’t disrespect my mare!” Shining Armor’s glare caused Chris to shriek back in his chair.

        “Perhaps there’s a problem your claim.” Spitfire chimed in.

        “What!?” Chris couldn’t catch a break.

        “Well, I think you’re forgetting that his little sister is in this room.” Spitfire reminded, pointing a hoof at Eva.

        “I’m the older sister, goddamn it!” Eva sharply replied. “Wait, now you wanna shift the blame to me!?”

        “Not necessarily. But you’re free to make a counter-argument.”

        “Why do I feel we just turned this discussion into a court room?” Soarin’ asked.

        “Beats me. But it kinda reminds me of this one game I’m sooo into right now.” Kitsu answered with a cheshire cat grin.

        “This is serious! We don’t have time for jokes!” Mina scolded.

        “If you’re thinking I sent those guys, then you couldn’t be further from the truth!” Eva began her counter argument, leaning forward in her chair, “I left that family! I wanted nothing to do with my father!”

        “Then why did you leave?” Spitfire asked.

        “That doesn’t matter! Just know that I did, and I have no connection to the King’s Foundation!”

        “You kinda just dug a grave for yourself.” Martin palmed his face, sighing.

        “Wha-”

        “Sounds suspicious to me.” Spitfire said.

        “We can’t just call her a suspect out of the blue like that!” Twilight argued.

        “Twily, those humans tried to kill you, and even spat on you. I can’t just let this go!”

        “And so you turn around suspecting me and my brother of being the culprits!? No offense, but you’re being an idiot! A dumbass!”

        “Why you...!"

        “Try to look at it from his perspective: If someone spat on your brother, or tried to kill him, you wouldn’t react too favorably either, would you?” Martin cooly asked.

        “Of course not! He’s a lame brother, but he’s my brother!”

        “Good. In that case, allow me to interject with one of my own theories, like a good teacher would.”

        “We’re all ears.” Spitfire said, beckoning him to proceed.

        “Okay. It was when I took my students to the front half of the airplane. We tried to check and see if the radio would work, if we could contact someone for help. The idea came to me when Jeremy was rambling like an idiot about the possibility of this place being just an island.”

        “Actually, about that... he’s not that far off the mark.” Cadence said, surprising Martin for a bit.

        “Is that so?”

        “Well, Equestria is an island, yes. But then there’s the Griffon Kingdom to the east, the land of Dragons to the south, the bat ponies to the west, and to the north, we have the Windigo homeland.” Cadence answered.

        “Haaaa... so we really are in another world.” Mr. Martin sighed, but continued his explaination. “You see, I picked up the radio, I was calling for help, basically. I heard a voice on the other end, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying.”

        “Hold on Mr. Martin, surely you’re not saying...!” Chris worried for his teacher.

        “Yes. While you guys were out there, I probably alerted those guys. Probably. Soooooo, yeah. Sending those guys was probably my fault. It wasn’t intentional though. But it makes sense, given the location.”

        “The location?” Twilight asked.

        “Well, didn’t you all tell us that the place you were attacked was an area with several cabins spread out there? I thought there could’ve been a radio out there. Maybe.”

        “Are you saying you have connections to the King’s Foundation!?” Shining Armor sharply asked.

        “I have none whatsoever.” The teacher calmly answered, followed by a sigh.

        “Then why are you even making that claim!?”

        “Well, i’m just a bit annoyed that you’re kinda throwing some crazy accusations around. Yes, I understand that you’re making a connection based on evidence, but I don’t believe we have enough to determine our culprit. Perhaps you’re ticked off at the humans that attacked your group hurt your sister, but why don’t we focus the blame on those who actually committed the action? It’s as if you’re saying my students are talented enough to mastermind some complex and crazy plot.” Mr. Martin gave a calm smile, then scratched his head, “I suppose I should thank you for complimenting them though. To think they’re that talented.”

        “Guh...!” Shining eventually calmed down.

        “Now, hold on there! They ain’t out of the woods yet!” Applejack cut in this time.

        “Oh come on!!!” Chris cried out.

        “Ya’ll still ain’t explained them fancy wallets those humans had!”

        “Geh...” Chris wore a grimace as he knew exactly where this was going.

        “Hmph. I suppose you bring up a good point, but the wallets’ importance is nil, despite the label.” Megan said.

        “How can ya say that!? It connects them humans ta those kids!”

        “Hey!” Eva grumbled.

        “Those photos we found in them!” Trisha’s eyes lit up. She dug into her pocket to take out the photos she was referring to. The one she displayed up front first, contained a picture of a group of individuals.

        “Those people...” Chris trailed off.

        “You mean to tell me... this many humans came to our world?!” Rarity asked.

        “I wonder if we could throw a party for them all!”

        “Last I checked, these humans are trying to kill us! they don’t deserve a party!” Shining Armor complained.

        “I know those people...” Chris still trailed off, grimly closing his eyes.

        “I knew it!”

        “WILL YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME SPEAK! JESUS, I CAN’T GET A WORD IN AT ALL!” Chris was reaching his boiling point.

        “What, so you can-”

        “I’m sorry, I know you’re my BBBFF, and I love you very much, but could you please let him explain?” Twilight politely asked.

        “............” Shining Armor reluctantly fell silent.

        “Why thank you very much, fair maiden!” Chris spoke light-heartedly to Twilight, but he maintained his serious expression. “These people...” Chris took a deep sigh before finishing his sentence. “They’re, a research group formed about twenty years ago. I wasn’t born at the time, but still, It’s just what I overheard.”

        “By that bastard father of ours?” Eva asked.

        “Well, no. You see, my Uncle was the one who founded it. You remember Uncle Daryl, right? You actually liked him more than you did my father.”

        “Yeah, but looking at the photo, he looks like Chris quite alot. If you hadn’t said it, I would’ve thought that was your dad.” Mina squinted at the photo handed to her.

        “Well, that’s because my father has a twin brother. My father’s name is Harold. My Uncle’s name is Daryl.” Chris explained, stopping in between, as if he were still hesitant to explain. “You see, Uncle Daryl was more book smart and research savvy unlike my father, who’s all about business and making money. Naturally, My father inherited the King’s Foundation since he was more qualified. But my uncle? He decided to form a research team called the Merlin Initiative, with my father’s help.”

        “Merlin?!” Trisha asked, shocked to hear the name. Her eyes then turn towards her pocket.

        “Why are you so shocked? Don’t tell me you’re a big fan of that story, right?” Chris asked.

        “A-ah, no reason! Continue!” Trisha nervously urged him on, focusing on her pocket. Spitfire of course, narrows her eyes, looking at Trisha suspiciously.

        “Well, as I was saying, this group; they were founded for the purpose of researching mythical creatures. You know, like Bigfoot, or the Lochness Monster, or even the ancient Sphinx. Those things mentioned in legends.” Chris grips his arm, sighing deeply again. “Of course, I only overheard it when I was just a kid.”

        “You were quite curious as a kid, huh?” Alice asked enthusiastically.

        “I think the real question is how come Eva there doesn’t know about it?” Spitfire asked.

        “I told you, it’s because I left the King family! Yeah, my last name remains unchanged. But still, Chris and I don’t even live together!”
        
        “Well, yes. It’s as I said. Eva’s two years older than me, and yet she moved out anyway. She’s always been a bit more mature. But I guess that’s why she chews me out so much.”

        “Carry on with the Initiative. How much more do you know?” Megan asked.

        “Well, It’s just, I don’t know the ins and outs of it. I did a little snooping every now and again, but that’s after all twenty-four members of that group disappeared ten years ago.”

        “Ten years ago? That was when you were only five.” Eva pointed out.

        “Eva, you remember when your grandmother and my father had a falling out? My uncle was there, and he took me away so I would hear such a vile argument. That was actually the last time I saw him. He ended up disappearing along with the rest of his crew the next morning.”

        “Did he say anything to you?”

        “That’s where my mind draws a blank. I can’t even remember anything about what he said. Of course, now I think it may have been important.”

        “Well of course. Like the rest of us, you didn’t think you’d wind up in another world, going on some absurd adventure.” Martin sighed.

        “You do realize that your revelation is pretty easy to piece together, right? At the very least, you just helped me come to a horrifying conclusion.” Megan said.

        “Eh?”

        “You said there were twenty-four members of this group, right? One of  the two Followers told us that there’s eight others. And with the dead bodies we came across at the mining facility, it’s enough to explain what happened to the rest.”

        “You mean, they were killed!?” 

        “Murdered is more like it.” Megan bluntly put it.

        “Great, first a conspiracy, and now a murder mystery. And this seriously has something to do with our arrival?” Mia asked.

        “Well, possibly. I’m beginning to think we weren’t pulled here for nothing. Perhaps, we may have been part of an unlucky group of people, but I highly doubt that we were brought to Equestria on a whim.”
        
        “I agree on this. As I said, everything happens for a reason.” Martin said.

        “Ugh! This is getting stupid! I hate this! Why a conspiracy!? Why can’t we just go home?!” 

        “We would if we knew how. There’s no point in getting home sick now.”

        “But we just witnessed Avu turn into some tyrant guy, Ruby getting kidnapped, and Jeremy’s in total despair! I don’t know what I’d do if anything else happened to my friends!” Mia’s tears already began to flow from her eyes.

        “Surely you don’t suggest we sit and do absolutely nothing.” Megan seethed.

        “I... I can’t...”

        “Then leave. Go to the bed and just sleep. If you don’t want to contribute to our survival, then leave. We don’t need those who’ll hinder our survival rate. This is survival of the fittest after all.”

        “Megan you dumbass!!” Mia got up from her chair and ran away.

        “Mia, come back!” Mina ran after her.

        “Hmph. Fools.”

        “Megan, that was unnecessary.” Mr. Martin scolded.

        “No, it was necessary. We have to do everything to survive, you know.”

        “Jeremy was saying the same thing! Wasn’t it we who convinced him to think rationally and handle this carefully?!”

        “Tch... If anyone should be leader of this crew, it should be me, really. But I guess I’m just a mere number two. Here I am, taking the most action to solve this problem.”

        “then why did you hold that horse head mask towards Fluttershy?” Trisha called him out.

        “W-what!?” Fluttershy perked up, startled at the revelation. Megan would answer Trisha’s question by turning his attention to the introvert pegasus.

“You froze with fear, did you not? I got you to look into the mask’s eyes and you froze, the same way Twilight did. That was enough to prove my theory that The Followers use the horse head masks to combat your race. Quite adept of them, I believe.” Megan.

        “Wait, you knew what that mask was doing to Fluttershy?!” Twilight shot a glare at Megan, who simply responded calmly, but curtly.

        “I had a theory. I simply needed a confirmation. One has to make the necessary decisions to take actions that prove to be meritorious. I’m not weak like our foolish leader, so I have no reason to hold back.”

        “You jerk!” Rainbow Dash got out of her chair, prepared to charge at Megan, who sat there as calmly as possible. He removes his glasses to clean them however, looking at the lens as he made his reply.

        “You’re free to do as you please.” Megan sighed.

        “MEGAN!” Martin would stand up and get in between the two. “Stop this at once!! You’re just provoking them! You’re provoking everyone! Didn’t we come here to piece together everything!? What do you gain from stirring up everyone’s feelings like this?!”

        “Weeding out the weak. I already removed one weakling. Why not remove the rest?” Megan sighed, put his glasses back on, and walked out, leaving behind an air of unease.

        “Awkwarrrrd...” Kitsu whispered to himself. “Uh, well, I think I’ll see how Mia and Mina are doing, soo, uh, Ja ne~!” Kitsu hesitantly slipped away.

        “Alright sugarcube, let’s get going.” Applejack beckoned Fluttershy to come along. Rainbow Dash left walked away as well, grumbling about what happened. As Applejack tried to put a hoof around Fluttershy, she shockingly pushed it away and kept walking, picking up the pace.

        “Gah, weelllll, that escalated quickly.” Soarin rubbed the back of his mane with a forehoof.

        “Haaaah. Is there any alcoholic beverages around?” Martin asked, but backpedaled. “On second thought, forget about that. It’d be pretty weird to assume that you guys had any whiskey.” The teacher sat back down in his chair, leaning backwards a bit.

        “That... went down horribly. I thought we were supposed to work together. And here we are, accusing our allies. Of course they’d get hostile; we’re not losing friends like they are.” Cadence spoke gravely.

        Everyone knew Cadence had a point as their they hung their heads low, contemplating the discussion today.

        “Well, I suppose I went too far to go pointing hooves at a human I helped. I suppose I was still pissed off at how those humans spoke, and the way they treated my sis, you know.”

        “Umm, I guess I need to apologize as well. Yes, I guess I’m a little hostile towards Chris here, but I still love my brother. But for me, my bitterness stems from something else. Something I actually wish were envy.” Eva apologized to both Chris and Shining Armor. “I’m sorry for taking it out on you. On both of you.”

        “Getting accused of being the bad guy isn’t a nice thing! And now we’ve saddened this lovely maiden! Her tears, beautiful like a clear, crystal lake! Wait, I shouldn’t be saying that, sorry.”

“Err, it’s quite alright.” Cadence awkwardly waved off Chris’s weird compliment. 

        “Being seen as the bad guy, huh? Even though you’re only just doing what you think is right or minding your own business?” Trisha asked, leaning back and staring at the ceiling.

        “Why, yes! That’s precisely what it was like, lovely!” Chris enthusiastically agreed.

        “I know that feeling a little too well, and to be honest, I kinda hate it. But watching it happen, you just don’t know what to say, I guess.” Trisha grimaced. “Well, I’d rather not look at those days.”

        “Princess Cadence, you said something about working together with these humans, right?” Spitfire asked.

        “Well, the humans here have one they acknowledge as a leader, or ‘club president’, and he suggested forming an alliance with everyone. He practically got on his knees and begged for it, but we scolded him for doing that. We agreed, because we wanted to form an alliance as well. We thought it’ll beneficial, and I think our goals can be achieved if we work together, not tear each other’s throats out.” Cadence explained, bringing out the voice of reason within.

        “An alliance, huh? I see. I suppose I was the wrench that flew into that one.” Spitfire sighed.

        “No way! You were just doing your job, questioning people and stuff!” Eva fervently waved off Spitfire’s apology.

        “My job? I’m just a stunt flyer, technically!”

        “I thought you guys were like, detectives in this world, or something.” Eva said.

        “Haha, that’s funny.” Soarin answered. “Policing is the job of the Royal Guard, as well as each town’s respective law enforcement! We only come in during a world-wide crisis, otherwise we’re just here to put on a show for the princesses with some good flying moves.”

        “I don’t think ‘good’ does our stunts any form of justice ya know. We are the Wonderbolts.” Spitfire stifled a giggle. “But still, I’m only questioning and taking such an active role because one of our own... well, I guess that’s not right. But still, Lightning Dust has to be stopped. And the humans, the Followers you call them; I thought there was something fishy about Lightning Dust, and thought there had to be somepony she was working for, but now I believe she might be affiliated with those humans somehow.”

        “That’s right. I kinda forgot about her for moment. But all this talk of there being a mastermind has me wondering if Lightning Dust is simply someone else’s pawn to some grand scheme”. Trisha thought to herself, then shook her head. “No way, this is sounding too much like a comic book. But at the same time, it’s kind of hard to ignore.”

        “I guess It’d be awkward to ask, right?” Pinkie spoke up finally.

        “Pinkie Pie, you’re still here?” Twilight widened her eyes.

        “I thought about it, but I still want to be friends with the humans! I already got to party with the first six we saw, but not with the other seven!”

        “Pinkie, this isn’t any time for a par-”

        “IT IS!” Pinkie protested.

        “Agreed.” Mason, who remained silent the entire time, spoke at last. He stood up, towering over everyone as usual. He silently removes his hat as well.

        “I was wondering when you’d speak up. It’s like you’re a statue.” Spitfire jokingly said.

        “Nothing I said would’ve really been of any use. I didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation since I hadn’t done much to investigate.” Mason sighed. “However, Pinkie Pie...” He trailed off, “She’s right in the idea to strengthen our bonds.”

        “Haha, I know right! So much back and forth, shooting arguments left and right! Bam! Pow! And going all, ‘YOU GOT THAT WRONG’!” Pinkie spoke in jest.

        “Mason, was it? Listen, Pinkie Pie throws parties every day just about.” Twilight explained, hesitantly. He knew that she was somewhat intimidated by his height, but he carried on anyway.

        “She’s simply strengthening the bonds you share, I believe.” Mason put a hand over his chest, “Friends are precious. Teammates are precious. Even alliances are precious. Having bonds and strengthening them is what we need.” He spoke sternly. “Don’t take them for granted.”

        “Strengthening bonds, huh. To be honest, I never seen it that way.” Twilight went into a thought, remembering all the times Pinkie Pie would spontaniously have a party. “That was all to strengthen our bond?”

        “Bonds can only be maintained when we want to maintain them. Bonds are never one-sided. One-sided bonds are, too sad.” Mason closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. “It’s something I’ve always believed in since I was a child.”

        “Hahaha, Mason, I never thought I’d see the day, but you’re talking quite a bit!” Alice said.

        “That’s because...” Mason paused again, “I’m hurt.”

        “You sure don’t look it!” Soarin’ thought.

        “I’m seeing the bonds we humans here share with the ponies being broken. That’s not something I want to see. I don’t like bad endings in real life, because sometimes, they can’t be prevented. Aren’t the bonds we build with one another, the factor of hope?” Mason spoke louder this time. He put emphasis on ‘hope’.

        “Hope. bonds. coexistence.” Twilight thought to herself, but she suddenly felt a zap in her head. “Gah! What was that!? And why did Lyra pop up in my head again?!”

        Twilight quickly shook off the brief shock, and looked Pinkie in the eyes. “Okay, so, you have a point. Let’s throw a party!”

        “A party huh? Well, there’s gonna be pie, right?” Soarin’ asked, which only made everyone in the room burst out into laughter.


        That discussion didn’t go too well. We still haven’t covered everything... but perhaps it went south like this because we don’t have enough information. Maybe this tape I have can answer those questions. At least I hope so.


> The Factor of Hope- Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


~Previously~




        After the events at the Crystal Empire, the groups all return to the castle, and begin to discuss their findings and try to piece together everything, hoping to reach the truth. 

        Unfortunately, not only do they not have enough information, things became stressful and the discussion went south, causing conflict within the group. 

        At Pinkie and Mason’’s suggestion thankfully, they decide to throw a party to re-strengthen their bonds, for they need to get along to survive.





        “It’s getting dark out there.”

        Trisha stood near the window of the Crystal Palace, looking outward as the sun continued to set for the day.

        “It means Princess Celestia’s okay, and we still have time to come up with a plan to stop Sombra and the Followers from making Everlasting Night a reality.” Twilight used the name Megan and the others came up with, finding it fitting for a group like that.

        “I thought Celestia went to seal her away. The ‘Midnight Lost Child’ I mean.” Trisha leaned her back against the cool wall, sighing as the feeling calmed her down.

        “I was hoping to discuss that as well. I never heard of a Midnight Lost Child before. It made me wonder if there’s actually more to that little girl than we thought.” Twilight sighed, “Then again, with the way Jeremy reacted, there’s no way he knew either.”

        “He’s probably more shocked than any of usl. Maybe the one thing that made him sink the way he did was the fact that he didn’t know Ruby like he thought. He just took care of her without knowing anything. But he’ll be okay. If he really cares about Ruby... he’ll bounce back. But for now, I think we should refrain from talking about Ruby during our discussions. I just don’t think it’ll be fair to him.”

        “Why not? I’m sure he’d be eager to know!”

        Trisha walked past Twilight, turning around to answer her pressing suggestion. “Haha, trust me. I just have a feeling he’ll flip out if everyone but him knew something that important to him. If you asked the rest of the club members, I’m pretty sure they would agree unanimously.”

        “How weird.” Twilight simply agreed and walked with Trisha back into the cafeteria. 

        The two wanted a break after spending the past few hours preparing for the party with Pinkie, Cadence, Shining, Rarity, Spitfire, Soarin’, Martin, Mason, Alice, Chris, and Eva. Preparing this party and intentionally taking their sweet time with preparations was a perfect way to not only let things cool down with the group, but to also strengthen the bond with everyone currently present. 

        According to Mason, he felt it would be for the best to make an example for everyone to follow, so they needed trust each other. Nothing will ever be done if there’s constant distrust.


_______________________________________________________        


As for Chris, who was busy decorating the tables with the finest cloths Rarity picked out, he seemed stressed out already. With each sheet he adjusted, he sighed to himself. 

        “My, whatever could be the problem? Surely you can’t possibly think these cloths are of poor choice! A fine impression is always a single step to bring in potential clients!” Rarity walked up to Chris, then glanced at his handiwork.

        “Clients?” Chris sighed, “No offense lovely maiden, buuuut this isn’t a business.” Chris tried to put on his usual front he has for the females, but it just wouldn’t work. He simply gave up trying and moved on to the next table.

        Rarity used her magic to adjust the cloth on the table into a more proper position each time he set the cloths up. “Ahem. I quite know that. But your face tells me that you’re unsatisfied with something. Also, please do not talk like that, it’s quite annoying.” After making her blunt statement, she hears something fall to the floor. Quickly whipping her head to the source, thinking it may have been something important, she instead, sees the blonde-haired boy on his hands and knees, rapidly muttering something to himself.

        At first, it sounded like a crazy mantra to her.

        “I see... this is the first time I’ve ever been told I’m annoying! It’s always worked in my world! Is it my eyes? Is it because I’m scared? No wait oh right she’s a pony! Yeah, just a pony! She’s just a pony she’s just a pony she’s just a pony I have no interest in that stuff but getting told off like that is such a shot my spirit oh GOD my spirit! I must’ve lost my touch! I lost my touch, but she’s just a pony she’s just a-”

        “Surely you know that I’m right here, yes?” Rarity understood that this wasn’t some mantra as she looked at him with contempt.

        Chris froze immediately, hesitantly turning his head around until their eyes met. After a brief gasp, Chris suddenly backs away from the fashionista unicorn, all the way until his back reaches the wall, quickly hugging his knees..

        “Oh my god oh my god oh my god she hates me she hates me she hates me oh crap what do I do I looked down on her oh crap does this mean I look down on ponies oh crap that makes me no different from Megz! Oh no no no no, she’s a lady a female, a -”

        Chris’s rapid, paranoid, analysis of the situation was interrupted once again when his eyes met Rarity’s. 

        “Oh crap, if you’re gonna buck me, then not the face! NOT THE FACE!” Chris quickly covered his face. “OH CRAP SHE HAS MAGIC SHE CAN JUST BLOW IT OFF-”

        A single stomp from Rarity would cause him to shriek in fear, but that only made him cover his face even tighter.

        “Now I’ve had QUITE enough of this uncouth behavior from a prince such as you! Mother of Celestia, you’re worse than Prince Blueblood!” Rarity complained.

        “Who?” Chris rose his head just slightly, eyes widened and all.

        “You claim you’re such a prince, so act your role! How dare you behave in such a cowardly fashion! You dare call me a lovely young maiden when you say it out of cowardice! You even think I’ll grotesquely destroy your face! Who do you think you are to look down on us AND fear us!? I say, stand on your feet right now and look me in the eye!”

        “YES-MA’AM!” Chris bolted up, standing with his hands on the side and feet glued together like a soldier. Of course, Rarity would scowl when he didn’t look her in the eye, opting to look straight ahead. All he could see was her well kempt purple mane and horn.

        “No, no, no, no, no! You will not address me as ‘ma’am’! You make me sound like your mother! If i’m some ‘lovely young maiden’ like your claims suggest, then look me in the eye and say it! That is what should be done to be a real prince charming!”

        The young boy tried his best to focus his vision on the angry Rarity, despite his unquestionable fear and confusion. His eyes even slammed shut as he struggled with his inner self to turn his head down slightly enough.

        The next time his eyes opened, she’s there, looking into his eyes. His eyes gain an uncontrollable twitching, which stops when his eyeballs move in different directions. It was like trying to force the same end of a pair of magnets to touch.

        “You’re a lovely maiden you’re not scary PLEASE DON’T KILL ME!”

        Rarity could only sigh at the pathetic, unnecessary plea.

        “Hahahahaha!!!! He doesn’t even say ‘ma’am’ to our mom!” Rarity turned around to find Chris’s sister laughing at her brother. “Oh man, that guy is hopeless! There’s no way you’ll get him to calm down!”

        “Sis, you’re here HELP SAVE ME FROM THIS CRAZY MARE!” Chris clung to his sister’s arm, still fearing Rarity.

        “Hmph! I suppose I’ve truly found your world’s Blueblood.” Rarity scoffed.

        Eva shook off Chris’s clingy grip nonchalantly, “Blueblood? Oh come on, we’re not some royal family or something!”

        “No, no. I don’t quite mean the term. I mean the actual prince, Blueblood. He’s Princess Celestia’s nephew.” Rarity explained.

        “You mean there’s a prince that’s named Blueblood?” Eva asked.

        “Yes. Of course, I shouldn’t have expected you to know the name. To him, I was but a mere meat shield. Sure, he shielded himself from a cake, but he still used me instead of magic to block it! I’ve known what kind of stallion he is for quite some time now. No offense, but your brother’s behavior is too much.”

        “None taken.” Eva giggled, much to her brother’s dismay.  But still, seeing Chris scared out of his wits is funny and all, but I’ll be fair: He’s never used anyone as a shield. In fact, he’s probably the most generous person in the crew. He was the one who organized our Spring Break trip, paying for the hotels and such. He even helped us out when we wanted to remodel the Dashboard.”

        “Hmmmm, is that so?” Rarity asked, looking at the young boy curiously.

        “Well, yes... but Eva, could stop laughing? If you were on the front half of the plane, found out you were thrown out, and experienced NOTHING but problems one after the other while wondering what happened, then you’d be horrified too!” Chris chided.

        “I’m scared now! What kind of person do you think I am?! Unlike you, I remember that we’re not alone and I believe we’re gonna survive! You’re alive, so why should I let my fears overtake me!? And what about the rest of the crew!? We’re in this together! We’re NOT alone!” Eva argued, in which Chris responded with a sigh.

        “Okay. You got a point. It’s just, I organized the trip for us to have fun, not put our lives on the line and be away from our families for who knows how long, and I... I don’t wanna lose hope, but it’s tough hanging on to it! You know we have no power to do anything. We have to leave all the fighting to the ponies. And you know how I feel about having ladies fight my battles.”

        “You can’t be serious! If that’s how you really felt, you wouldn’t be such a chicken! This isn’t like those Shonen mangas you read all day!” 

        “Just because At least I don’t read all of that mushy Shoujo stuff!” Chris argued.

        “Pardon me, but mind enlightening me on this, ‘shown in’ and ‘show joe’ thing?” Rarity asked, tilting her head.

        “Err, another time Rarity.” Chris waved off, not in the mood to explain a portion of Japanese pop culture.





        As for Martin, Mason, Soarin, and Spitfire, they all outside rounding up a few supplies for the party. The nightly breeze felt cold enough to make one believe that it came from the Frozen North. However, this cool air was somewhat tolerable thanks to the Crystal Barrier.

        Martin, who held onto a basket to help carry the items, decided to speak up first. “Hey, mind if you all could tell me something important?”

        “Depends on this question.” Spitfire said after tossing another zap apple into the basket with her mouth.

        “How secretive.” Mason commented, holding onto Soarin’s bag of bits, promptly placing the correct amount into the cash register.

        “How does your school system work?” Martin asked, taking out an apple to give it a quick look. “They have mouthwash I’m sure... right?” He thought before quickly shaking his head.

        “School System? Are you referring to the Wonderbolt Academy?” Spitfire turned around, raising an eyebrow. “I was sure you’d ask about the weird apples we’re tossing into the basket.”

        “I suppose.” Martin sighed, tossing the apple he held into the air and letting it fall into the basket.

        “What’s that supposed to mean?” Spitfire asked, somewhat annoyed that he’s sounding indecisive before tossing another apple into the basket.

        He paused for a bit, scratching the back of his head before answering. “It’s just that, I wanted to understand this world’s schooling system in general I guess.” 

        “You said you’re a teacher, right? I guess you’re trying to get some teaching pointers from us?” Soarin asked, before mentioning to Mason “Oh, and that costs about twenty-five bits.”

        “Weird economy.” Mason commented about the bits, looking at the golden coins he placed down.

        “You can put it like that.” Martin caught a normal apple Spitfire tossed.

        “Heh, we’re not exactly ‘teachers’. We’re drill instructors. We make sure that the cadets at the academy learn our ways and techniques fast and efficiently, showing that you have to be ready for anything during flight, and that includes combat.” Spitfire explained.

        “Well, you could always ask Cheerilee for teaching advice.” Soarin’ suggested, before turning to Mason “And regular apples cost about five bits. Much cheaper than Zap apples.”

        “How expensive.” Mason said, placing the bits into the register as instructed.

        “Who?” Martin asked.

        “She’s a school teacher at Ponyville and a pretty good friend of mine. If you want some real teaching advice, I’m pretty sure she’s your best bet.” Spitfire explained before tossing another apple with her mouth. “Last one!” 

He barely caught the apple like usual. It’s hard to talk with something in covering the mouth after all. “Gotcha.” Nontheless, he caught it anyway.

        “Wait a sec, how long have you been teaching anyway?” Soarin asked Martin.

        “Longer than when I met this crazy group of kids, that’s for sure.” Martin pointed at Mason with his thumb, causing Soarin to narrow his eyes.

        “You’re kidding, right? He’s younger?!” Soarin looked at Martin, then at Mason, and back again.

        “Height doesn’t mean age.” Mason explained.

        “Ah, err, well yeah, but you’re taller than your teacher!” Soarin couldn’t wrap his head around it, trying to not compare him to a dragon.

        By a few inches.” Mason flatly said.

        “You sure don’t say much, huh? Compared to earlier anyway.” Soarin pointed out.

        “I’m not hurt anymore.” Mason handed the bag of bits back to Soarin, who tucked it back under his wing.

        “You didn’t look hurt to begin with!” Soarin thought to himself. “Ah, err, let’s hurry and get this stuff back in there so we can get the pies rolling. Especially the Zap Apple pies. Oh man...” Soarin’s mouth started to drool, thinking about the pies he’ll get to sink his teeth into.

        “The dinner’s gotta be cooked first, so wipe the drool from your mouth.” Spitfire interjected as she walked back to the Palace with the others.

         Soarin wiped his drool quickly, “The pies should’ve come first, but i’m not complaining.” It still sounded like a light complaint to everyone else though.





        Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Cadence, Shining Armor, and Alice are inside preparing the food.

“I’ve never really cooked any vegetarian foods before, but I’ll give it a shot!” Alice held her arm, making a ‘I’m ready to work!’ gesture.

Alice was at the countertop, taking over Eva’s vegetable lasagna in preparations just as she asked. She picked up the knife and began chopping away at the carrots since the mushrooms and bell peppers were chopped already, and the pot on the stove was just set to boil a minute ago. Cadence is using her magic to precisely chop up the cloves of garlic.

“You know how to cook, right?” Shining Armor asked, obviously unsure of her ability.

“Of course I do! Jeremy and I take Home Ed classes together every week!” Alice answered, 

“Home Ed?” Shining asked.

“Home Education. Teaches you about alla that cute home making stuff such as sewing, cooking, cleaning...” Alice went on and on about the things you learn in the class until she was hit with a good question.

“Doesn’t that just sound like a maid?” Shining Armor asked.

“More like a housewife.” Cadence giggled. 

Alice finishes her chopping and moves onto the onions. “Do you like, know how to knit? DO YA? I bet you knit some really cute stuff for your hubby!” 

“Haha... I wish I could agree to that, but considering my responsibilities, I don’t quite have the time.” Cadence answered.
 
“Aww, so like, how often do you get to be together?” Alice enthusiastically asked, continuously hoping for some cute story.

“We’re together every day, but we can’t quite spend time leisurely until night time if we’re lucky and not tired.” Cadence elaborated.

“I guess running a kingdom isn’t anything like the fairy tales, huh?” Alice asked, dejected at the reality. She really wanted it to be like some sort of fantasy.

“Not in the slightest. Although, I guess that the ones in your world are different from the fairy tales we have.”

“Well yeah! Well, like, I can’t say my suggestions though... they’re a bit too grimdark and stuff. I mean, I watched the disney version, which was more idealistic and hopeful and stuff, but for some reason, I kinda preferred the grimdark version.” Alice hesitantly explained her odd tastes.

“What you said just went right over our heads.” Cadence’s words halted Alice’s rambling.

“Ah, sorry about that!” Alice scratched her head, then put down the knife, “See, I’m not exactly sure how I’d explain what I’m talking about when it doesn’t exist in this world, ya know? I mean- OH! Tell me how you two met! That’d be a fun and cute story I hope!” With a sudden change of subject, Cadence was thrown off.

“She’s a bubbly one, huh?” Shining Armor thought to himself.

        Despite the sudden topic switch, Cadence agreed to talk about the story afterall. First, she set down her knife on the cutting board, then turned to Alice with a smile.
        
        “You’re really gonna tell them that?” A hint of red grew on Shining Armor’s sheeks, which only made Alice all the more giddy. She wanted a cute story, and much to his dismay, she was gonna get one.

 “Hmm, let’s see. It all started when I got the job of being Twilight Sparkle’s foalsitter...”





        Twilight’s parents asked for a sitter whenever they went out to work, and Shining Armor at the time was too busy with his studies at the knight academy to really do it himself.

        Being a teenager at the time, that’s where I came in.

        We met when he came home from a usual day at the knight academy, and he just stared at me for a little while. It was like he was under a spell or something.

        When he came home, the first thing he did after stepping through the door and putting his bag on the hook, was greet his sister, petting her on the head as usual.

        “Hey, big brother! Look! I made a new friend!” Twilight told him, pointing her cute little hoof at me. Our eyes met, and he just stood there with his mouth agape, like he saw something shocking. A simple tug from his sister snapped him out of it though. It took a minute for him to realize that he was wearing a weird grin.

        “So what’s with that weird smile? Is that how you greet strangers?” I asked, walking closer to him. Seeing him act like that, I knew I had to tease him a little.

        “Ah! Umm, ahem. I’m her brother, Shining Armor! Ah-I hear you’re the foalsitter, right?” He asked, walking around me into the living room.

        “That’s me! Your parents told me a bit about both of you when I took up the job.” I told him.

        He looked up and down at me again, noting how strange and rare it is to have an alicorn for a foalsitter. “So what did they say?”

        “That Twilight’s a curious little pony, and you’re a knight-in-training that can be a little hot-headed.”

        “Err, I’m working on that. Haha...” He nervously explained. I could hear him complaining under his breath about his parents telling me that embarrassing info.

        I could tell he liked me right away, and I’ll admit, he was kinda cute back then. But of course, Twilight came first since that was my job. But whenever he came home, we’d talk a little more and play together. All three of us.

        And then that day came when Twilight would move to Ponyville, and things became more busy for the both of us. It was a tough time since there was so much to do, preparing for Nightmare Moon’s return and all. Princess Celestia had actually gone missing the same day of the Summer-Sun Celebration. But that crisis was averted rather quickly when we heard news of Nightmare Moon’s defeat thanks to the Elements of Harmony. 

        A celebration of Princess Luna’s return after a thousand years was held twice: Once over at Ponyville, and the second at Canterlot. That’s when he and I met once again, in that royal ballroom...

        “Wow... ah... err...” Shiny’s eyes widened when he saw me. I sort of wondered if I had changed that much too him. The maids simply picked out the newest dress that Aunt Celestia made for me, and I was a little afraid it was too flashy.

        “Is that how you greet a stranger?” I smiled, hoping he’d do more than just gawk.

        “Well, that’s the thing! You’re not a stranger!” Shining Armor made a good point, but the cat definitely had his tongue a minute ago. “Ahem... well, how about a dance? For the sake of catching up?”

        That suggestion made me giggle a bit. “For the sake of ‘catching up’?” I teased.

        He choked a bit, but regained his composure. “...is that a no?” Maybe he was so nervous he didn’t catch that I was teasing at the time.

        “Silly, that’s a yes! I’d love to have this dance.” And so I held out my forehoof, ignoring auntie Tia watching me.

        I saw him make the happiest expression ever like he just won the grand prize at a raffle. In fact, I thought I heard him whisper ‘woo hoo!’ to himself. Afterwards, he took my hoof, and we danced with the lights on us on that shiny ballroom floor, as a princess and her knight. 

        He was a bit awkward with his steps during the dance at first, but I understood he was nervous dancing with a princess.

        After, he stealthily whisked me away from the crowd, making a shocking proposition.

        “What’s the occasion? You know I have to be there to-” Welcome back Princess Luna, I was gonna say, but...

        “We already did that. And I’m happy that her majesty is back, but seeing you tonight, well, I... kinda wanna spend more time with you.” He’s lucky nopony else was within earshot. Normally, It’s not such a good idea to talk so casually to anyone of royal blood.

        “Well, we’ll have to do so at the party.” I said, not wanting to attract attention, but I was surprised at how persistent he was.

        “I don’t want the other stallions talking to you!”

I was taken aback, but I’m sure he didn’t know with how fast my reply was. “Oh, jealous, right?”

        “W-well, it’s not like that, I just... well, feel like I wouldn’t get the chance to catch up! I mean, the dance was good, great actually, but I... want to know more. Well, that is, if you don’t mind. I mean, If you don’t want to, you could always order me to stop, and I will, and-”

        “Listen, Shiny. We may be Lady and Knight, but we’ve known each other for a long time. And, well, I want to know what you’ve been up to as well.” I told him the honest truth. I really wanted to be with him for a little longer. What I didn’t tell him, was how handsome he looks in that royal knight uniform.

        “Oh, OH! Well, that’s great! How about we go for tea? For the sake of catching up?” He always added that little bit at the end whenever he invited me out, just to make an excuse to be with me. It was cute anyway, so I took him up on that.

        “Going on a date to ‘catch up’ sounds good to me.” I smiled at him. I could definitely see a blush on his white cheeks, and that grin started forming again. Of course, he shook it off again, trying to act cool. 

        “Great!”

        So he took me to a teahouse that his friends from the royal guard never came to, intentionally making sure that it was just us. He intended to start from the ground up when it came to our dates, so we could catch up, and hopefully know more about each other. 

        Taking my status into consideration, we had to date in secret, for we didn’t want to draw unwanted attention. I would even wear a dress to hide my wings from time to time, which wasn’t a big deal. Better than trying to cover my horn somehow.

        Hearing him go on about how he learned how to slay various kinds of monsters, hearing about all the different strategies to protect the princesses when the time comes, I could tell that he was really smart.

        To be honest, I thought he was sort of a typical kind of stallion that didn’t care much for his studies, but now I knew that he was serious about becoming a true knight.

        “To be honest, well, I wanted to be a knight ever since I was just a little colt. But when I met you...” He paused, his face slowly reddening like a tomato gone ripe, “Ah, umm... well, let’s just say that it made me work harder at the knight academy.”

        That there shocked me. That would explain why the lieutenants and captain of the Royal Guard were always amazed at Shining Armor’s potential. He worked extra hard to prove his worth, to stand out from the rest of the knights.

        “So you knew I was already studying to be a proper princess back then, right?”

        “Well, my friends told me when I heard about it. You’re Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. I was shocked to learn that a princess was in the house foalsitting my sister. Remembering how Princess Celestia saw my sister’s talent, that pretty much explains why though.”

        “Speaking of Celestia, even if you are her student’s brother, you may get in trouble for kidnapping me like this.” I said in jest, just to see how he’d react.

        “K-kidnapping!? This isn’t kidnapping, this is just a simple date! A date! I’m certain Her Majesty would understand that I wanted to know more about her beautiful niece!” He said fervently, but quickly took a deep breath to regain his cool composure. “But, if it came down to that, I’ll be honest and take responsibility!”

        “Hehe, I was just teasing! No need to get worked up! Were you afraid you’d be fired from the Royal Guard?”

        “Well, um... if I was, I wouldn’t be able to protect you and stand by your side as your trusty captain.”

        That’s when I knew. He worked hard just to be by my side. Just to protect me and be with me. My heart throbbed for the first time in my life.

        Truth be told, my magic specialized in helping other couples out. I had the ability to help others along and find their true love, and I did that alot when I was younger. But that day, I knew how those ponies felt when they fell in love. I know I wasn’t using my talent on myself, so this had to be real.

        From that day forward, I always looked forward to seeing Shining Armor, even as the days went by and he worked extra hard to rise in the ranks until he became captain of the Royal Guard. He thought that by being captain, there would be no complaints if he’s always by my side. 

        I knew his goal and I cheered him on until he got there. 

        And then, the day came when he finally proposed to me, asking my hoof in marriage.





        Alice stared at Cadence as she told her story, giving the cheekiest, happy smile ever. It was as if she was a cat given a bowl of the best milk in the universe. She loved romance stories, and this one to her was special.

        “Ahhhhhh, how cuuuuuuuuuute! OMIGOSH, you two are sooooooo cute together!” She squeed like a typical fangirl.

        “Ah, well, you don’t have to get THAT excited, do ya?” Shining Armor asked, somewhat unnerved at how excited Alice got at the knowledge of how he and Cadence met.

        “Haha... well, I appreciate the flattery, but well, that’s pretty much the gist of it. We had a really rough time when I was his fiancee. Just a few days before the wedding, I was kidnapped by Queen Chrysalis.”

        “Ooh, you mean the changelings! I read about’em online! So tell me, did Shine-shine save ya? Did he?”

        “Did she just...?” Cadence thought, hearing the word ‘changelings’ come from the mouth of a human. Did she just say that in passing or was she hearing things? Alice has been rambling so fast, she thought she was hearing things, but...

        “Wha, Shine-Shine!?” Shining Armor looked at Alice liked she had lost her mind.

        “Well, no. In fact, he was under the spell of the culprit, Queen Chrysalis. To this day, it’s kind of a sore spot for him.” Cadence nervously answered Alice’s question, still wondering.

        “I should’ve seen through that witch’s lies.” Shining Armor continued the conversation.

        “Huh... so~, if he didn’t save ya, the~n, who did?” Alice asked, engrossed in the story.

        “That would be me.” Twilight walked into the room, overhearing a bit of their conversation.

        “Whoa, really?” Alice was surprised, but quickly turned to Trisha, just to say hi to her.

        “Well, yeah. If it weren’t for Twily, well, everything would’ve ended in failure. We might not even be ourselves here. We probably would’ve been replaced by Changelings or something.” Shining answered, still grateful for his sister’s efforts.

        “They do have a tendency to do that, huh? They feed off of love, right?” Alice asked, shocking everyone in the room and confirming Cadence’s suspicion.

“Yeeeeeeaaaaah...” Cadence agreed, lowering her eyelids suspiciously. “Err, how did you know that? You even mentioned it earlier.” Cadence asked.

        “I looked it up online!” Alice happily answered, as if she expected them to know what she even meant.

        “What do you mean by ‘online’?” Shining Armor asked, slowly furrowing his eyebrows.

        “I mean going on the internet and searching on google! Like, duh!”

        Trisha quickly pulls Alice within earshot and whispers, “Psst! Alice! They don’t know about the internet, remember!?”

        “Oh crap, I forgot!” She covered her mouth in embarrassment, then turned to the other ponies. “Err... ah... err, how can I explain the Internet...”

        Twilight then opened the Book of Humans, turning to the technology section and read out a few passages, quoting bits of it as she went along. “You use a device called a ‘computer’ to log in using an... ‘application’ called a... ‘web browser’, and you access it from there, right?”

        “OMIGOSH, THAT’S RIGHT!” Alice gasped, “Wow, it’s like that book’s the same as that website!”

        “Website? Oh, a page that’s created on that ‘internet’ thing, right?” Twilight asked, making sure she’s on the right track.

        “Let me see that!” Shining used his magic to levitate the book over to him. As he flipped through the pages, skimming through the paragraphs, “Umm... when did you get this book? It’s awfully detailed.”

        “I got it as a gift from Princess Celestia. She said I may find it useful somehow, learning about human nature and technology. Honestly, with all that’s happened, I never expected to encounter other humans so I’ve been thinking that I need to study it more.” Twilight tucked the book back into her side bag.

        “Maybe we all need to study it, so we can know just enough about the humans.” Shining Armor suggested.

        “Just the bad ones.” Cadence added.

        “Yeah, she’s right. If you want to know more about humans, we can just ask our friends.” Twilight suggested.

        “Well, all we’ve been doing is talking and learning about how your world works, but you still don’t know about our world much except for the little bits. I don’t know how detailed that book is, but there’s many things that happened in our lives; good and bad.” Trisha added. She turned around, hearing some heavy footsteps, finding Mason approaching them. “Oh, Mason!”

        “Oh. You’re strengthening bonds.” Mason commented, showing a slight smile on his face.

        “Mason, you’re back, you gotta help-” Chris begged, but his voice was tuned out by everyone’s excitement.

        “Yep! Like, we’re getting all buddy-buddy! I just heard a suuuuuuuuper cute story about how Shine-Shine and Cadie met! Wanna hear? Do ya!?” Alice was on a high from hearing such a romantic story, she just wanted to spread it around.

        “No, don’t!” Shining Armor demanded, covering his reddening face with a hoof.

        “Why not?” Cadence asked, lowering her eyelids.

        “Well, I uh, kinda have my pride to uphold as a stallion, ya know?” Shining nervously answered.

        Cadence, ignoring him, turned to the others to tell the story. “Alright, so here’s how it started.”

        “What’s embarrassing about it? You’re a stallion, aren’t you?” Chris asked, “You scored yourself a mate! You should be proud!”

        “I don’t wanna hear that from a kid!” Shining chided.

        “Hey! I’m the best when it comes to getting the ladies! So I want in on this!” Chris said, listening to the story as well.

        “Don’t bother. When he gets all gung-ho like that, you can’t stop him.” Eva waved off Chris’s enthusiasm.

        “He’s completely different compared to earlier! Mother of Celestia, this kid is just too hard to understand!” Rarity sighed, but wanted to hear the story as well.


_____________________________________________________


        While everyone else was having fun, Pinkie Pie bounced down the hall, cheerful and all, singing about inviting everyone to the party she’s starting.

        “Having fun and bonding, having fun and bonding, making up and party~, making up and party~ Whee!”

        Prancing down the hallway her friends went, she continued to sing down the hallway. She could see everypony’s face in her mind as her plan played out in her head to gather everyone.

        “PINKIE!”

        “Wha-!” Pinkie fell flat on her face the moment she heard her name called. She quickly turned around to see both Applejack and Rainbow Dash standing behind her, going the opposite direction. “Wow, you’re both practicing sneaking up behind me, aren’t ya!?”

        “Pinkie, we’ve been calling your name this whole time!” Rainbow chided.

        “You were in yer own lil’ world, bouncing up and down like a rabbit!” Applejack added.

        “Sooooo what’s up?” Pinkie asked in her usual cheerful manner.

        “Uh, we were kinda gon check on everyone. See how they doin’.” Applejack answered.

        “Oh, we were making a party and I was planning to invite you guys, but you somehow knew about it!” Pinkie drew her face closer to the two, scowling. “How suspicious!” 

        “We didn’t about that know till you told us just now!”

        “Sooooooooooooo, where’s Fluttershy?” Pinkie asked.

        “Yeaaaaaah, about that...” Rainbow trailed off, hesitating to say it.

“Ah think she’s been traumatized enough. The idea of bein’ used n’ put down kinda did a number on her head, but she really wanted t’be left alone so she can get over it.”

“Huh... so ya figured it out?” 

“Yep. Ah’m pretty sure she’s gone thru it before; puttin’ down an animal to end it’s suffering is the hardest thing we animal lovers gotta have to go through.” Applejack explained.

“So she won’t be able to come to the party?”

“‘Fraid not, sugarcube.” Applejack hesitantly answered, lowering her hat. “If it makes ya feel any... better...” She trailed off as she rose her head to look her friend in the eye, but... “Ah, she’s gone!”

“She’s gone to see Fluttershy!” Rainbow dashed down the hall, hoping to stop Pinkie. She knew how Pinkie was when it came to parties. But this wasn’t just any kind of party. It was a party filled with hope. 

A hope filled party meant to rid the air of despair.

She knew Pinkie would be determined to show Fluttershy that hope. But is this really the right way to go about it?

“Oh, Fluuuuuuttershyyyyyy~” Rainbow saw Pinkie  calling out, preparing to knock on the door. But instead of knocking on the hollow crystal door, she knocked on a yellow forehead instead.

“Owie...!” Fluttershy held her head, then heard something make a screeching halt.

“Heya Fluttershy! We’re having a party!” Pinkie invited her friend without a care in the world.

“I’m confused.” The yellow introvert looked away, not understanding what’s going on. She looked down as she held onto her forehead, seeing Rainbow Dash just inches away from Pinkie. 

“I was trying to get her to leave you alone like you asked!” Rainbow shouted as she stood on her hooves.

“What were ya doing? Come on! Come on!”

“...I was trying to fight it.”

        “Fight it? If you wanna fight, ya need a ring! And announcer! And a bell! And everypony watching!” 

        “N-no! Not that kind of fight! I meant... those images. I was trying to fight those... images.”

        “Images... Oh! you mean from that mask!”

        “I think... their purpose, is to make us fear and hate them.” Fluttershy tearfully explained.

        She surmised that through fear and hatred, nopony would be willing to stand up to the humans, and instead, let the feelings of anguish build over time. 

        To Fluttershy, the purpose did not matter. Only that she had to overcome it. If they were going to work with humans; humans that somepony considered ‘friends’, then she had to overcome it, no matter what. 

        On top of it all, she fought those images alone. If her friends were there, what if she were to subconsciously replace herself with one of her friends to suffer that image of being put down?

        “Glad t’know that ya ain’t affected too much!” Applejack sighed in relief after hearing Fluttershy’s story.

        “Soooooo, ya coming to the party?” Pinkie asked.

        Fluttershy shook her head slowly, giving them a look of determination. “Not yet. I need to thank him first.”

        “Who?” Pinkie tilted her head.

        “That human. Megan is his name. I think I need to thank him.” Fluttershy answered, her eyes filled with determination.

        “Are you crazy!? You’ve seen how he is!” Rainbow stood in front of Fluttershy, blocking her path.

        The yellow pegasus stepped to the left, but Rainbow did the same. “But there’s a reason-”

        “Yeah, just to ‘weed out the weak’ he says! He’ll just-” Rainbow and Fluttershy constantly kept side-stepping, interrupting each other.

        “But I don’t think-” Fluttershy tried to explain, to no avail.

        “Who cares! Leave that jerk alone! All he does is look down on everyone! He even made his own friend cry!” Rainbow chided.

        “But he’s stressed out! I think a simple thank you would mean a lot to him!” Fluttershy argued, this time flying past Rainbow, much to her surprise. Of course, the multi-colored pegasus wasted no time chasing after her friend.

        Fluttershy wasn’t exactly the fastest flyer, but she could definitely do anything if she set her mind to it, and she was determined to find Megan before she was caught.

        Heading straight down the hallway, flying past the cafeteria at breakneck speed, Fluttershy randomly push a door open, hoping for Megan to be inside. Lucky for her, there he was, lying on a bed alone.

        He had his headphones covering his ears, with some very noisy music coming from them.

        “Noooo!” Rainbow screamed.

        Fluttershy took a deep breath, and screamed... in her own, meek, little way.

        “Megan...!”

        Of course, nobody heard her at all. Despite that, he noticed the ruckus at the corner of his eye and turned his head to her, sighing in disbelief. He took his headphones off, got off the bed and headed for the door. 

        “Hmph. I should’ve made my request to be left alone more known.” Megan put on his usual curt attitude. Upon seeing Rainbow Dash behind Fluttershy, he took his glasses off and began to clean them. “State your business. Otherwise, I request for your immediate leave.”

        “Thank you.” Fluttershy said quickly. It was meek, but Megan definitely heard her.

        “What.” Of course, the human that stood before the two pegasi looked down on them as he usually would. But this time, he didn’t believe what he was hearing.

        “I said thank you.” Fluttershy repeated, this time more strongly.

        “Hmph. Thanking me? I see. You’re trying to appease me.”

        “No. I’m not trying that. I truly mean it when I say thank you.”

        Megan folded his arms and says, “State your reasoning.”

        “You used th-that mask on me to confirm your theory, but, I don’t think you meant any harm.” Fluttershy said, earning a scowl from Rainbow. “Okay, maybe you did, considering what it does, but umm... I think you wanted to share what you found out to everypony. You wanted to give us that awareness. It wasn’t fair that you were singled out.”

        Suddenly, a giggle escapes his lips. “Pfft. My, my. I never thought I’d see the day.” 

        “What do you-” Fluttershy asked, only to Megan to raise his hand, stopping her.

        “Don’t concern yourself.” Megan quickly turned his back to the ponies, “I’ll meet you all back in the cafeteria.”

        “Wait, you already know about the party?” Pinkie popped up suddenly. Megan made a quick glance before facing the wall again.

        “No, I just assumed I’d be able to continue the discussion.” Megan suspiciously palms his face again, sighing, “But I suppose it can wait.”

        With that, the other ponies left the room, leaving Megan alone. He sighs to himself, “What am I doing?”


_______________________________________________________


        Several minutes later, after Pinkie managed to round everyone up, the party has begun, and hopefully, everyone is in a better mood. 

        Everyone has taken a seat at different tables with different humans and ponies, feasting on the food and desserts conjured up.

        “Soooooooo, we’re not wanting to punch and buck each other’s lights out this time, right?” Alice asked in an innocent tone.

        “Uhh, I don’t think that’s what anypony wanted to begin with.” Twilight corrected.

        “We organized this party to bond with each other, so start bonding and have fun!”

        “What about Jeremy?” Mia curtly asked, quickly letting the others know that she’s still in a bad mood.

        “He needs to settle the score with his demons I guess.” Mason answered quickly. “Don’t worry about him. He’ll be fine. No matter how many times he falls, he’ll always stand.”

        “That’s why I refer to him as our ‘foolish’ leader.” Megan followed up.

        “You guys sure know him through and through, huh?” Twilight asked.

        “Well, he’s pretty easy to read! It’s just, during Summer last year, before Ruby came to us, he changed for the worst. For some reason, he took on all the work and always stayed up as late as possible. We figure something really bad happened, but we don’t know what.” Alice answered.

        “He’s not ready to come clean yet. Give him time, okay?” Martin chimed in, crossing his legs.

        “So you know why that idiot is such a jerk, huh?!” Rainbow scowled at Martin, demanding to know.

        “I do. But I promised him I won’t say anything, as he wants to talk about it himself. Personally, I want him to hurry up with it, but it’s actually a very delicate matter.” Martin sighed, scratches his head, and continues, “I suppose I want him to believe in his crew, that’s all. If he values us as much as he claims, then...” Martin trailed off, sighing.

        “We just have to believe in him. I believe in him. I have to. I worry, but I believe in him. I always have, and always will.” Mia sighed.

        Martin claps his hands twice while sitting at the table next to Applejack, “Good. Now that’s out of the way, let’s enjoy ourselves to the fullest and mingle. At the very least, I get to settle for some pretty good apple cider.” He picks up his mug and chugs the drink down. 

        Mia however, suddenly grips her arm tightly, letting out a pained breath. Despite this, she decided to put on a smile and join in on the fun. Mr. Martin was right after all. 

        “That’s the Apple Family’s finest cider yer drinkin’ there!” Applejack chimed in, drinking her mug as well.

        “Your family sure runs a serious business, huh?” Kitsu asked, giggling a bit. 

        “Get out!” Mina playfully hit Kitsu on the arm, picking up on his pun. 

        “Ya darn right! We make sure that all of Equestria has tha chance to taste our finest products!” 

        “‘Oou got ‘hat ‘ite!” Soarin said, despite his mouth being full of pie. Spitfire chided him for spitting crumbs everywhere, but with that goofy grin he was wearing, it’s obvious he regrets nothing! 

        “Kinda scared to ask, but just how big is the Apple Family?” Chris asked.

        “Huge! There’s Apple Pie, Apple Fritter, Braeburn, Big Macintosh, Granny Smith-”

        “That’s, quite alright.” Mina palmed her face, sighing.

        “I remember meeting the whole family when I first moved to Ponyville.” Twilight chipped in after another sip of milk to go down with her share of pie.

        “And ya didn’t wanna stick around over that whole Nightmare Moon business!” Applejack teased.

        “W-Well, that kinda was more important, but I did meet’em later, right?” Twilight frantically explained.

        “Yeaaaaah, we all did! And we met more at Apploosa!” Pinkie added, already thinking of dragging the people there to the party they’re having now.

        “Makes me wonder how everypony’s doing down there?” Applejack set down her mug. wondered.

        “Speaking of that, you might get to check on them sooner than you think!” Cadence spoke as he eyes widened by the bright light shining from her own idea bulb. 
        
        “Whaddya mean?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow at the sudden proposition.

        “It’s just, I just remembered something really important,” Cadence raised a hoof, then used her magic to teleport a scroll to her. Opening it, she immediately began to read the contents of the letter.

        Dear Cadence.

My niece, I send this letter to you, in hopes that everyone present hears this message. 

I have sealed away the Midnight Lost Child with my sister, and returned to my duties to guard Canterlot. As of now, I have ordered a lockdown on all of Canterlot now that King Sombra has begun to make his move, and I am certain that he will launch an assault on Canterlot.

I wish for all of you, humans and elements of harmony,  to assist you in identifying the mastermind behind this chaos.

        I have given you permission to reactivate the Terminals once used by the Lunar Illuminati and the Celestial Committee a thousand years ago.

        I’ll leave it to you, Cadence, to explain the functions of the terminals.

        May the magic of friendship protect you. 
Princess Celestia.

        So much for such a happy party...

        The letter only served to damper the cheerful mood by reminding everyone that there’s still a madman on the loose. And to top it all off, they’re filled with the uncertainty of the impending  attack. When will he strike?

        *BAM* Shining slammed a hoof on the table, “Tch... so he’s already begun, huh?” 

        “You’re captain of the royal guard, right? Shouldn’t you hurry back to Canterlot?” Mina asked.

        “Well, I would, but once the princess initiates a lockdown, then that’s that. I’m pretty sure you guys have that kind of thing in your world as well.” Shining Armor explained.

        “No one in, or out under any circumstances, yes?” Megan asked.

        “You got it.” Shining Armor answered. He wants to go back to Canterlot however, no matter what.
        
        “Hang on a sec...” Chris rose his hand meekly. “Didn’t that letter say ‘Illuminati’? You know,. in our world, that’s just a crazy conspiracy theory.” He hesitantly warned in disbelief.

        “No, the Lunar Illuminati used to exist. But last time I heard, they were disbanded.” Cadence explained.

        “Eh? So...” Alice pondered, trying to piece it together.

        “You told us of a research group called the Merlin Initiative, yes? Well, think of the Lunar Illuminati as the same.”

        “So they were a research group as well?” Mina asked.

        “Yes. I heard the stories on how both the Lunar Illuminati and the Celestial Committee were assigned a different job a thousand years ago. Back then, Celestia and Luna learned of an oncoming apocalypse. So they gathered three hundred of Equestria’s best minds, and split their numbers in half to form two groups: One to assigned to search for the Elements of Harmony avert the crisis, and one to find an alternative habitat should the Committee fail their mission.” Cadence explained.

        “They sound eerily familiar to the Initiative though; minus the whole magic thing of course.” Chris pressed his fingers together.

        “I’ll explain more when I show you the Crystal Empire’s terminal tomorrow. For now, I think we should rest tonight.” Cadence suggested.

        “Before we do that... I have a favor to ask of everyone present in this room.” Megan stood up, placing a hand in his pocket. What he took out, was an odd flip phone with a bright screen. 

        “My, what in the world is that thing?” Rarity asked, pointing a hoof at the strange device.

        Megan explained what a cell phone was as briefly as possible and that the model was older compared to their current phones, so he could quickly focus on the LCD screen. “If any of you has any ability to craft gems or crystals by any means necessary, then I require your assistance.”

        “Who do you think you-” Rainbow angrily glared at Megan, remembering his behavior from earlier.

        “Please. I don’t intend to beg. But I do have to do this much for my friends. I want to replace the LCD screen of every phone with an Equine Crystal so we can communicate.”

        “Well, I am quite attuned to the art of crafting gems for the sake of my clothes, but I think it shouldn’t be too much trouble. But if it’s as you say, then I think I should craft some earrings for everypony here as well.”

        “That would be essential.” 

        “I think it would work out. I think our bonds may have gone up with this party.” Mason agreed.

        “I believe so as well. But this will be a long task. I may have to pull an overnighter if I want to get the modifications to our phones finished.” Megan explained, sliding the flip phone back into his pocket. He walks over to the center table to grab an empty paper bag.

        “Oh silly human! I’ve pulled all-nighters several times!” Rarity said.

        “I see. I thank you for your assistance.” He then turned to Rainbow Dash and sighed, resisting the urge to take off his glasses.

        “What?” Rainbow scowled at him, wanting to tell him, ‘Spit it out already!’

        “I have a favor for you as well. Can you retrieve Jeremy’s cell phone and bring it here?” Megan calmly asked.

        “What do you think I am, your dog?!”

        “Mph...” Megan grunted, then cleared his throat. “No, do not misunderstand. I only ask, because you were the one who brought him to a location away from us.”

        “Err, Good point.” Rainbow calmed down when she heard that, seeing a valid point. “I guess I can make it quick. A phone thing looks like that block thing you had, right?”

        “No. What we all here have are Smartphones, a more advanced version of the common cell phone.” Megan corrected, showing his smart phone, one that doesn’t need to be flipped open.

        “Whatever! At least I know what to get now, so gimmie a minute!” Rainbow headed for the door.

        “Thanks.” Megan said.

        “Not doing it for you. I’m doing it so I can check up on that idiot.” Rainbow reluctantly agreed to Megan’s request.

        “Oh, Rainbow, don’t forget to show the guards at the academy your ID card!” Spitfire reminded.

        “I know!” Rainbow took off like a rocket, leaving behind a rainbow blur like usual.

        Megan then turned to his friends, holding out the paper bag. “Now, if you don’t mind, I need your cell phones. The sooner I get to work, the better. Thanks to Mina finding that toolset, I can even do this.”

        “Don’t push yourself too hard, okay?” Trisha said, dropping her smartphone into the bag.

        “Hmph. I’m nothing like our foolish leader, remember?” Megan answered giving a smile for the first time in a while. “In any case, if you require me, I’ll be in the treasure room with the rest of the crystals. For now, I bid you all a good night.”

        “Aww, man, tomorrow’s gonna suck!” Chris complained.

        “No sense complaining. Apparently we have to solve a mystery before we can even begin to deal with the latest threat. Besides, I wonder why so much is being done just to bring Nightmare Moon back. It doesn’t make any sense. What does it even have to do with ‘ideals’?” Shining said.

        “Trials like these are simply a challenge for us Wonderbolts. I’ll have to inform the others about the plan. We need all the help we can get..” Spitfire smiled, looking forward to tomorrow.

        “You got that right. We’re gonna have to inform the cadets as well.” Soarin added.

        “Yeah. Okay everyone, let’s try to sleep well tonight, okay?” Twilight said, to which everyone agreed.

____________________________________________


        Meanwhile, in a seemingly far away land, a young, dark-skinned man felt the nighttime breeze brush his cheeks, gently waking him up.

        Wearing a dark, button-up shirt with black pants and cyan tie, the young man’s eyes slowly began to open. Once his hands felt the rustling of the grass beneath him, his eyes shot open extremely fast.

        With a quick scan of his surroundings, he immediately realized that something was wrong.

        “Uhh, where the hell am I?” The man rolled over and slowly stood on his feet, eventually facing what appeared to be a field of very bright flowers. looking down, he saw even more of those flowers brushing against his legs, rustling in the direction of the wind pushing against the young man’s back.

        He wanted answers. And he wanted them now.

        That request would soon be answered with a simple question addressed to him.


“Doth thou seek the truth?”