> Quest for the Holy Gr--- Tea Cup
>  by Whirl Wind
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter One
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Whirl Wind and Sonic Flare in:
Quest for the Holy Gr--- Tea Cup
Chapter 1: It’s an Honor


Whirl Wind was being dragged by his tail to the train station by his Sonic Flare. Whirl was desperately trying to gain balance so he could stand up but Flare was dragging him too fast. 

“Flare! Stop for a second! I can’t go to Canterlot!” Whirl yelled desperately.

Flare spat out Whirl’s tail and stopped. “Can’t go? Why not?” He said with a confused expression.

Whirl got up and dusted himself off. “Princess Luna sent me a letter…”

“THAT’S GREAT!” Flare interrupted. “I am so happy for you!” He said as he bumped his friends shoulder.

Whirl smiled. “Thanks but there is a problem… Princess Celestia sent me a letter also, saying she would be very disappointed if I failed Princess Luna!” He said worriedly. 

“Well that doesn’t sound too bad.” Flare said plainly.

Whirl’s eyes widened and he grabbed Flare by his shoulders. “Not too bad?!?! That letter means she is watching me! She probably has agents all over the place ready to take me away so she can banish me to the moon!” He said as he shook Flare back a forth. 

“We-e-e-e-elll…” He tried to say before stopping Whirl. “I doubt she will banish you to the moon.” He said as he pushed Whirl off of him. “Anyway, why does that stop you from coming to Canterlot? If she has ‘agents’ here, what would going to Canterlot change?” He asked seriously.

Whirl held up his hoof and opened his mouth to retort but Flare had a really good point. Whirl put his hoof to his chin and thought for a moment. He raised his hoof and opened his mouth to say something but Flare had grabbed his tail again and started to drag him again.

It wasn’t too long before they got to the train station. “Two for Canterlot please.” He said to the ticket vendor. Flare paid for their tickets and hoofed one to Whirl. “There, now you have to go or you owe me fifty bits.” He said seriously. 

Whirl simply took the ticket and trotted onto the train. “Fine, but if I get banished I am taking you with me.” He said seriously as he boarded the train.

Flare chuckled at his friends worry and followed him on. “Don’t worry too much. I am sure everything will be fine.” He said as he found them a place to sit. 

Soon after they boarded the whistle blew and they were on their way to Canterlot. Whirl was sitting looking out the window towards the city on the side of a mountain. “I hope Celestia is in a forgiving mood.” He thought as they rode along. 

Flare saw how worried his friend was and tried to console him. “Hey, Whirl. Do you really think Celestia would take you, a nopony from Ponyville and randomly banish him to the moon?” He asked without thinking. 

Whirl looked over to his friend. “I am a nopony now?” He asked with a laugh.

Flare perked up in surprise as Whirl spoke. “No no no! That isn’t what I meant!” He said a bit worriedly.

Whirl simply laughed. “Don’t worry, it was only a joke.” 

Flare laughed a bit at his joke and then looked out the window as the train started moving. “Off we go!” He said with a smile.


****


“YOU DID WHAT?!” Luna exclaimed in a fit of anger. “That poor stallion must be panicking over the whole situation!” She said with a sigh. “How many locusts did you release?” She asked as she rubbed her temples with her hooves. 

The shy scientist pony was trembling at Luna’s words. “I-I only released a dozen on my brothers farm. But he started it by making fun of my locust study in the first place!” He said in defense. 

Luna sighed again. “Listen, there are better way of dealing with anger. Like banishing little scientist ponies to the moon for causing the princess of the night so much stress.” She said jokingly.

The scientist was at Luna’s hooves begging for his life. “Please don’t send me to the moon! I didn’t mean too! I am so sorry!”

Luna chuckled at the sight of the trembling pony. “Don’t worry, it was just a joke. But at least you aren’t angry anymore.”

The scientist got up and sniffled. “Your right, I am not angry.” He said with a chuckled sob. 

Luna smiled. “Go gather ten of the pegasi guards and tell them I told them to help you. Get the locusts in containment before they spread to other farms.”

With that the scientist bowed and left the throne room. As the door closed Luna relaxed in her throne. Celestia came in and trotted up to Luna. “Hello sister. How is your day shift going?” She asked with a smile. 

“Dreadful, I have never been so stressed over such minor things. I guess I am just nervous.” She said in response. 

“Nervous about what? Oh, this is about that stallion you are writing to in Ponyville isn’t it?” 

“How did you know about that?” She asked as she glared at Celestia. “Did you have the guards report my activity?” 

“Oh, uh… yes, yes I did. Sorry Luna, after last year I didn’t want anything to happen. They told me all about your night. The hunt, the candy, the… kiss.” Celestia smirked.

Luna blushed deeply. “Th-that was nothing. It was just a favor. He was so nice and he was so strong.” She said dreamily. “But we are just friends. He just writes me letters every now and then.” 

“I wrote him one too.” Celestia said without thinking. She realized what she had said and got a worried look on her face as Luna’s expression turned to anger.

“You wrote him a letter?! About what?” She asked angrily. 

“Well, I just told him to give you time. In case you do something… traditional.” She said innocently. 

“That’s all, you didn’t say anything else?” She asked as she raised an eyebrow.

“I told him if he hurt your feelings I would be disappointed.” She said as she turned to look out the window.

“WHAT?! You know how our subjects react when we tell them that kind of stuff! He must be so scared, he must think we are watching him in case he makes a mistake, he must be hiding in his house right now too afraid to come out!” She said with concern.

“Actually… he is on his way to Canterlot.” Celestia said with the same innocent tone.

“You are actually having agents follow him… aren’t you?” She said with a stressed sigh.

“One or two. It is only because I am concerned with your safety.” She said sincerely.

“Tia… you have to let me take some kind of chances on my own. I can’t be under your protection all day and night.” She said with a neutral expression, trying to be mature.

Celestia giggled. “Don’t be so serious, I get enough of that from our subjects.” She said as she turned back to Luna. She trotted up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder. “Listen, I can pull off the agents if you want. But it would mean a lot to me if you let me keep them tracking him. Just for a month or two.” She said with a grin.

Luna sighed. “Fine, keep them on him. But make sure they are not caught.” She said as she started to perk up.

A guard dressed in a disguise came into the room. “Your highnesses, I have new of the target. His train to Canterlot has just arrived. He and the red one are making their way through town as we speak.” He said as he kept his salute up. 

Celestia smiled and looked at Luna. “So? Are you going to meet with him while he is here? Maybe he came to see you? Did he?” She asked as she turned back to the guard.

“No your majesty he is here with the red one to get a tea cup depicting Princess Luna. The target has been showing erratic behavior, as well as severe paranoia since he left his home this morning.” He said, still keeping his hoof in a salute.

Luna glared at Celestia and then turned to the guard. “Keep on him, but he is not a ’target’. He is a friend, so if he knows you are following and confronts you treat him as such.” She said seriously.

The guard bowed and quickly went back to work. Celestia smiled nervously at Luna. “Well, I uh… guess you were right about the letter. Sorry about that.” She said apologetically. 

Luna sighed. “It’s fine, when I meet with him I will let him know not to worry. I guess I will lie about the agents as well.” She said as she stood up. “Do you think now will be a good time? I mean, it is not every day the princess of the night walks through town.” 	

Celestia smiled. “It is no big deal, just keep an eye out for the nobles. They can be suck ups when they are around royalty.” She warned. 

Luna nodded. “Of course. Well, I am off then. Wish me luck.” She said as she trotted out of the throne room. “I hope he doesn’t melt when he sees me.” She thought as she closed the door behind her.


****


Whirl and Flare stepped off of the train. Whirl looked a bit pale from the whole experience.  He never liked trains or boats, they always made him sick. He ran to the restroom immediately. Flare waited outside for Whirl and when he stepped out of the bathroom he looked much better. 

“Hey there, you are looking much better.” Flare said causally.

“Are you hitting on me?” Whirl said jokingly. 

Flare simply laughed and started to walk towards the streets. “So you know where to go right?” Flare asked with a smile.

Whirl sighed. “I haven’t lived here in years… and this place changes yearly to keep up with the trending fashion. What makes you think I know where to go?” He asked as he caught up with Flare.

Flare sighed. “Well, we can always ask for directions. Hey there is somepony over there we can ask.” Flare said as he trotted up to a well dressed stallion. Whirl simply stood by and watched as his friend was shot down by the stallion. Flare trotted back with a sullen look on his face. “These ponies are high strung.” He said simply.

“You can see why I only lived here for two years. All the ponies here only respond to certain clientele. Of course, you can always just fake it.” Whirl said as he smoothed his mane. “Be right back.” He said as he went into the bathroom. He came out with a dark blue mane with a light blue streak through it. He smoothed it out and put on a fake moustache. He walked up to the same pony that Flare had approached. “Hello my fine fellow, you seem to be dressed well. Obviously a pony who knows where to get a fine teacup for a fine mare.” He said with a fake accent.

“Oh my yes, you must be one of the newest ponies to Canterlot. Well, I can see you are nothing like the common rough-and-tumble pegasi I have seen. There is a fine store on the other side of  Canterlot near the castle. It is called, ‘cups and bags’.” He said with his nose stuck up in the air. 

Whirl gave him a polite bow. “Thank you my good sir.” He said as he turned around and trotted back to Flare. “See? Fake it. Unfortunately I didn’t read the label on the mane dye, it’s permanent.” He said as he ruffled it up again. “Now then, he said we should head across town towards the castle.” He said as he started to trot in the indicated direction.

Flare was stunned by what he just witnessed. “So all I have to do is be fake to fit in?” He asked with a surprised look. 

Whirl nodded. “Yeah, most ponies here are hiding any financial problems they have by dressing up like pompous ponies. Don’t expect to blend in though, your colors are not in this year. It is all cool colors this year.” He said as he pointed to his mane. 

Flare sighed. “Well, it doesn’t matter. We have a location and we are going to it.” He said with a smile.

“Yes, but when we get there let me do the talking. I might be able to get you a good price.” Whirl said as he put on some blue sunglasses.

“What is with the get up?” Flare asked with a smirk.

“I need to look different. In case there are agents following me. Maybe now they lost track of me.” Whirl explained. 


Flare rolled his eyes. “There are no agen… whoa… dude… Princess Luna, twelve a clock!” He said as he pointed forward.

Whirl looked forward and saw the princess trotting towards them. “Oh no! I don’t look right! I am not me! What am I going to… Hello Princess Luna!” He said as he bowed. 

“Hello loyal subject. I need to speak with your friend.” She said to Whirl.

Flare raised an eyebrow. “Me? Why me?” He asked with a confused look.

“I am searching for your friend Whirl Wind. I heard he was with you today. Obviously the agents were wrong.” Luna said without realizing it was Whirl standing right there. “Princess Celestia made me have these agent follow him. It appears they mistook your other friend here as Whirl Wind.” She said with a sigh. “What is thine… your… what is your name?” She asked Whirl.

Whirl chuckled nervously. “Uh, Princess Luna… it’s me. Whirl Wind.” He said with a blush.

Luna’s ears perked up. “Oh my, Whirl, what did you do to your mane? And why are you wearing those sunglasses?” She asked with a confused look. 

Whirl sighed. “I did it to communicate with the locals.” He said with a chuckle. 

Luna laughed loudly. “It is true, you must change your very self in order to even talk to these ponies. I wish this wasn’t so, but it is.” She said with a grin. “So you are here for a teacup?” She asked Flare.

Flare smiled and gave a slight bow. “Of course you would know that. Those agents are good. Whirl, you were right about them.” He said with a laugh. 

Luna smiled. “Indeed he was. I wasn’t going to tell him about the agents, but he got me pretty good with his change.” She said with a giggle. “Follow me to the castle, I have something that will help you.” She said as she started to walk towards the castle. Two guards followed behind Whirl and Flare. It was like a royal convoy walking through town. Everypony they passed either whispered or bowed in respect. 

“Uh, Princess Luna… why is everypony acting weird?” Flare asked in a whisper.

Luna sighed. “It comes with being a princess. I have to tolerate all the conjectures and silent whispers of the ponies under me. As well as tolerate their stuck up attitudes when they need something. These ponies are the worst, they are the nobles. The closer you get to the castle, the more stuck up they get. Watch this.” She said as they came to a halt. Luna paused and looked seriously at a noble stallion. The stallion got a worried look on his face and dug it into the ground in a bow. Luna and the troop kept moving, she turned around as she walked. “See, they do almost anything in my presence. It is quite annoying.” She said with a sigh.

“I am sorry to hear that princess. Are we the only one who act normally around you?” Flare asked with a sullen look on his face. 

“Well, Celestia treats me normally. But other than that, you two are… well I guess Celestia’s student treats me normally too. She actually help me to blend in with my subjects last year during Nightmare Night. Other than THAT though, you are the only two.” She explained. 

Whirl was a bit shocked to hear it, but not that shocked. “Well, while I with always treat you like a princess, I will never change who I am for you.” He said with a grin. 

Luna giggled. “What if I ask you to change?” She said slyly.

Whirl’s ears perked up. “Well, I uh… I mean… I… yes?” He said nervously. 

Flare laughed at Whirl’s nervousness. “She got you there Whirl!” He said while laughing his eyes out. 

They were now at the castle gates. They opened as they approached and the guards gave a respectful salute. After they walked by the guards went back into position and stood like statues. Whirl had never been to the castle before. He looked around in awe as they entered. It was magnificent, everything seemed to have it’s own shine to it. He took an inhale in awe and looked around even more, until his eyes fell to Flare’s eyes. “Hey there, you done taking it all in?” Flare asked with a grin.

Whirl blushed and looked forward. “It is amazing, everything here is so… shiny.” He said plainly.

Luna giggled. “The castle’s servants do a wonderful job. Hard to believe that only a year ago this place was torn apart during the Grand Galloping Gala.” She said with a smile. 

Flare looked around for a moment. “It looks great.” He said with a smile.

“You two are so different. It is a surprise you two are such good friends.” Luna said with a smile.

Flare took a moment to think of what he should say. “We are light night and day, but they go together so perfectly.” He said with a chuckle.

Whirl was shocked by what Flare said. “Uh, what he means is…” He started to say before Luna cut him off.

“I think that Flare said it perfectly.” She said with a wink.

Whirl blushed and thanked Flare silently. Flare simply nodded.

“So Whirl, how hath… how have you been since we last spoke?” Luna asked with a smile.

“I have been panicking over the agents following me and the letter Princess Celestia sent me.” He said bluntly.

“Yes, I talked to her about that. I told her that I would keep the agents on you, for her sake. Don’t worry though, they won’t bother you. Just do what you do normally.” She said with a smile. 

“So where are we heading Princess Luna?” Flare suddenly asked. 

Luna giggled again. “You will see. I have a gift for you that will fix your problem.” She said with a smile. 

After a while they reached the kitchens. Luna dismissed the other guards and walked in. “Follow me.” She said as she opened the door with her magic.

Whirl and Flare followed her in. She walked to one of the cabinets and levitated a crystal tea cup. It was gorgeous and it had a crystal model of Luna on the side. “This is for you Sonic Flare. Think of it as a gift for introducing me to Whirl.” She said with a wink.

Flare shook his head. “Princess Luna, I can’t accept this. While it is a wonderful gesture, I can’t take advantage of your friendship with Whirl for this. You see, this isn’t just some spontaneous trip to Canterlot for a teacup. This is a spontaneous trip to Canterlot for a teacup for my wife.” He said with a smile.

Whirl did not believe what he had just heard from Flare. “Are you serious, that is what we came for! And it is from the princess herself! How could you say no?” He asked in disbelief.

Flare had a half hearted smile on his face. “Whirl, you will understand when you fall in love. It just isn’t the same unless I earn this teacup for her.” He said as he patted Whirl on his shoulder.

Princess Luna smiled. “Quite an honorable friend you have here Whirl. Flare, I understand. There is a nice porcelain shop just outside the castle. Have one of the guards escort you there if you would like. I need to talk with Whirl alone for a while.” She said as she gestured to the door. 

Flare nodded and gave her another half bow. “Thank you Princess Luna.” He said as he turned toward the door. He only turned to Whirl for a split second and gave him a wink as he trotted out. 

Now they were alone, just Whirl and Princess Luna. “Come with me, we… I have something I need to discuss with you, but I don’t think this is the place for that.” She said with a wink as she started to trot to another exit in the large kitchen. 

Whirl was so nervous, his cheeks were visibly red, he was sweating, and if he wasn’t wearing sunglasses you would see the shock in his eyes. He followed her out of the kitchen, down a few halls, and outside to the garden. She stopped outside of the hedge maze and smiled. “Whirl, I am sorry about the agents following you. If it were up to me, they wouldn’t be following us right now. Celestia is a very protective sister, even more so since I came back from the moon. I want to assure you that things will not change for you at all.” She said sincerely.

Whirl smiled nervously. “Yeah, you said that… I am not afraid of my life changing or anything. If anything, I am hoping it will change now that we are friends. I am tired of not having someone to talk to when I am down or alone. Flare is a great friend, like a brother really. But I am apprehensive when it comes to sharing things with him. He is not the most understanding pony. He is good to go to when I need help at work or if I am having relationship issues… not that any mare has ever been with me more than one night…” He said sullenly. “I just hope that you understand, you are my only other friend I have besides Flare.” He said sincerely.

Princess Luna raised an eyebrow. “Does thine not have… I mean, do you not have friends at work? And what about Flare’s wife? Are you friends with her?” She asked with a confused look. 

Whirl shook his head. “I wouldn’t call us friends, she barely speaks to me when I come over to their home for a visit. As for my co-workers, well… I work at a desk. The most interaction I get is handing team leaders weather reports and orders. Not exactly a conversation.” He said as he looked into the hedge maze. 

Luna looked at Whirl with a bit of concern. She saw he was looking at the hedge maze and smiled. “Not too long ago, six friends entered this maze to save Equestria. What they found was hatred and cruelty, they ended up breaking their friendship. But that didn’t last long, as one of them was reminded of the true meaning of friendship. She spread the word to her other friends and together again, they defeated the evil that threatened our land. My sister and I have declared this hedge maze to be a maze of friendship. For to get to the center, one must have a friend and they must work together.”

Whirl started to perk up as she told her story. He sat down for a moment and took it in. 

“Now I want to go through the maze with you Whirl.” Luna said with a smile.

Whirl perked up immediately. “Really? Why? I mean, we have only known each other for a short time.” He said with a confused look.

Princess Luna smiled. “This maze will weld our friendship together, so that it may never break.” She explained as she started to walk into the maze. A quick flash of her magic covered the top of the maze so that it looked more like a bunch of hallways instead of a hedge maze.

Whirl was nervous, but he didn’t want to seem like a coward. He stood up and started to follow the princess into the maze. “So what did you mean by ’you need a friend’ to reach the center?” He asked casually. 

Lune kept on walking, she turned her head to talk to Whirl as they ventured deeper into the maze. “The maze is meant to test one another. We will face trials that we cannot solve alone. It is not for the faint of heart, but I believe in you.” She said with a smirk.

“I wasn’t worried about me.” He said with a chuckle.

They both laughed for a moment before they came to a dead end. Whirl sighed and said, “Looks like we took a wrong turn.” He started to turn around when a wall of hedge blocked his path. “Oh, well it seems we are trapped here.” He said jokingly. He started to look around for something to get the hedge to lower. 

Princess Luna was also looking for something. “Whirl, over here.” She said as she found a stone tablet in the ground.

Whirl trotted over to where the princess was and looked  at the tablet. It had a bunch of numbers. Whirl’s expression turned to joy as he saw what it was. Math, his favorite subject. “I got this princess, give me just a second.” He got half way through the math problem when he encountered trouble. “Princess, what is it called when the moon is a crescent?”

Princess Luna saw that the problem required a word to be added. “That would be one fourth waxing, or three fourths waning.” She explained. “Why would it require that?” She asked with curiosity.

Whirl smiled. “Because three fourths is the exact number I need to solve this.” He said as he started to wrap the problem up. “The answer is… two. Wow, what a circle for such a simple answer.” He said with a chuckle. As Whirl spoke the answer the hedge lowered and they were able to continue. 

Princess Luna hugged Whirl from excitement. “You did it!” She exclaimed with joy. She quickly realized how un-princess like she was acting and pulled away. “I mean, good work Whirl.”

Whirl was blushing heavily. “No problem, I mean there was a math problem. Not that it was hard. I mean, I couldn’t have done it without you.” He said with a nervous chuckle. Trying to avoid further embarrassment he continued onward. 

Princess Luna followed along with a smile. She looked around at the hedged admiring the formality of it’s trimmings. She looked at Whirl and thought, “I hope he is enjoying himself, I don’t want him to fear me…” 

They came to a forked path with a sigh. It read, “Dearest friends, together you shall find the proper path. It will take heart and intuition, but it will be decided by the better of you.” 

Whirl read the sign to Princess Luna. “Well, which way do you think it is princess? It clearly wants you to choose.” 

Princess Luna nodded in agreement. “Lets turn left. Down this path.” She said as she started to trot down a path. Whirl followed close behind. Soon they came upon a familiar sight, the cross road with the same sign.

“It appears I have made a mistake…” Luna said sadly.

“It’s okay, we must not have read the sign correctly.” Whirl said as he started to read the sign again.

Over the next few hours they followed the path Princess Luna chose. Each time it lead them back to the sign. Even after they had chosen every path. “This is infuriating! And the sun will be setting soon! Celestia is probably searching high a low for me! Oh Whirl, I am sorry I got you into this mess.” She said apologetically.

Whirl smiled. “It’s okay princess. It isn’t your fault. The important thing is we are lost together.” He said with a cheesy smile.

Princess Luna laughed a little at his joke. Then it hit her. “Whirl… you are the better pony here.” She said sincerely.

Whirl looked at her with confusion. “What do you mean? I am not royalty, I can not do magic, heck I can’t even lead like you do.” He said sadly.

Princess Luna shook her head. “That is not what the sign means, when it comes to friendships the friend who is willing to do what the other wants is usually the better pony. You let me choose every path without an argument and without getting upset when I chose the wrong path. And I never stopped to ask which path you wanted to take. But I am asking you now. Which path doust thou…. Which path do you think is the proper path?” She asked with a smile.

Whirl smiled as well and looked into her eyes. “I don’t want to get you in trouble with your sister. Let’s turn back.” He said as he turned around.

Princess Luna frowned. “But Whirl, our friendship needs welding!” She said sadly.

Whirl chuckled. “What kind of friend would I be if I continued forward and risked you getting in trouble? No, I won’t see you get in trouble for me. I am not worth it. We can do this again later.” He said with a slight tone of sorrow. 

Princess Luna nodded and kissed his cheek. “Thank you Whirl, you really are a good friend.” She said as they went back the way they came. 

They were walking for hours before they came to an opening. Whirl assumed it was the exit. “There it is princess. We are almost out.” he said happily as he trotted along. As they approached the light at the end of the tunnel things cleared up and they could see outside. It wasn’t the start of the maze, instead they wound up in the center. 

Princess Luna looked at Whirl in surprise. “That was it! The path we took to go back was the right path!” She said with excitement. 

The sky was painted with a multitude of orange and purple. “It is almost night princess. You should fly back to the castle and tell Princess Celestia you are okay.”

Princess Luna shook her head. “I can raise the moon from here.” She said as she looked around. There was a small pond and a cloud hammock hanging between two apple trees. “Lets have a seat on that cloud hammock. We can relax a bit before we head back to the castle.” She said as she trotted to the hammock. It was big enough to hold her, Whirl, and any other ponies that may have been present. They both hopped into the hammock and laid on their backs looking up at the sky. When it started to get dark Princess Luna’s horn glowed and the moon soon raised over them. “This had been the best day I have had in a while Whirl.” She said with a smile.

Whirl smiled as well. “You know what, it has been my best day as well. I hope Flare got his teacup.” He said jokingly.

Princess Luna laughed with him as they looked up to the night’s sky. A blue shooting star flew over head. Whirl smiled and looked at the glow it left in the sky. “Just like the shooting star I saw when I got my cutie mark.” He said quietly.

Princess Luna giggled. “I know. It was the same star.” 

Whirl turned and looked at her. “You mean… you took the same shooting star and used it again just now?” He asked with a bewildered look.

The princess simply nodded and kissed him softly. Whirl tensed up but relaxed. After a short time they broke their kiss. Whirl looked into her eyes with soft eyes. Princess Luna stared back and blinked slowly. Whirl wrapped his forehooves around her and hugged her and she hugged back. He had not hugged anypony for many years. He felt a surge of emotion well up within him, it caused him to cry a little. “Thank you…” He said with a small sob. 

Princess Luna pulled away from the hug. “Why does thine eyes leak? Did we do something wrong?” She asked in her traditional voice.

Whirl smiled. “No, you are perfect. I just… I have not been this happy in years. Thank you. You have really made me feel like I am worth something to somepony.” He said as he wiped the tears away. “We should probably get back soon. Princess Celestia must be worried sick.” He said with a chuckle.

Princess Luna nodded and got out of the hammock. Whirl followed her down and opened his wings to fly. “After you my lady.” he said with a wink. Princess Luna took off and Whirl followed closely. 

> Chapter Two
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 2: Flare’s Day


Flare nodded and gave her another half bow. “Thank you Princess Luna.” He said as he turned toward the door. He only turned to Whirl for a split second and gave him a wink as he trotted out. 

Flare stopped just outside the door. “Those two are funny together.” He said with a chuckle. He turned to one of the guards. “So, I was told you know where to get a quality tea cup. The guard simply nodded and started to walk. Flare assumed he was meant to follow along so he trotted just behind him. “Working in the castle must be great huh?” He asked the guard. The guard simply sighed and continued walking.  “Not much of a talker are you?” Flare asked with a slight frown.

The guard sighed again. He stopped walking and turn around so he was face to face with Flare. He didn’t look too happy, mildly upset would be the best way to describe it. He stared at Flare for a while before saying, “I don’t get paid to talk to the princesses suck-ups.” He stood up and started to walk again.

Flare chuckled a bit. “Nice, your observation and great deducing skills are really good. Yeah, I came all the way here to kiss the princesses hooves so I can get whatever I want. That is why I clearly walked out of the room carrying something in a bag. Oh, wait I don’t have anything. Oh no, maybe you need to go back to detective school.” He said slyly.

The guard was furious. He turned straight around and got right up into Flare’s face. “You have something to say about the royal guards training?!” 

Flare simply laughed. “Listen, I don’t have any problems with you being a guard. I do however have problems with you being a giant plothole.” He said with a simple grin.

The guard held a hoof to Flare’s chest. “You don’t know a single thing about me!” He yelled as he poked Flare’s chest.

Flare simply kept his simple smile. “Of course I don’t, you refuse to talk to me. How am I supposed to know you if you don’t talk?” 

The guard raised his hoof for a kick. A loud voice boomed from behind the guard. “Is there a problem here private?!” The guard swiftly turn to attention and held up his hoof in a salute. This mysterious white pony was in purple armor with gold trim. “No sir! No problem sir!” The guard said nervously.

“I will have to hear it from the pony you were threatening first.” The mysterious pony said. He trotted up to Flare and stood tall, much like Whirl did so it didn’t intimidate Flare much. “Sir, has there been any problems with this guard?” He asked in the voice only a superior officer could have.

Flare smiled and shook his head. “No, no problems. It was half my fault anyway. I may have egged him on just a bit.” He admitted. “This is a fine guard, ready and willing to do his job. Not a very chatty guard for sure and his manners towards guests could use a tune up but other than that I was enjoying myself.”

The white pony turned to face the private. “Is this true? Were you treating this guest poorly?” He asked in his voice of authority. 

The guard was shaking a bit. He finally sighed and said, “Yes sir.” He never broke his salute for one moment. “But sir, he was talking bad about my training sir.” He said in defense.

The white pony simply sighed. “Your job is the well being of everypony in this castle, of everypony in Equestria. If you can’t figure that out, maybe your training wasn’t complete. Report to your commander and tell him the captain orders that you get a full workup. Dismissed!” He said before giving the private a quick salute. 

The guard turned without hesitation and trotted down the hall before vanishing around the corner. The white pony turned back to Flare. “So, where was he taking you? I can finish escorting you.” He said with a more natural voice.

Flare was looking down the hall where the guard had left. “Well, I didn’t mean to get him in trouble or anything.” He said with a slightly guilty voice. 

The white pony shook his head. “He was one second away from kicking you in the face. No, he needs to learn to cap a lid on that. As his superior office it is my duty to make sure he becomes the best guard he can be.”

Flare looked up to the white pony and noticed he was a unicorn. “Ah, you were probably born here in Canterlot huh?” He asked randomly. 

The white pony raised an eyebrow. “Yes, how did you know?”

Flare chuckled. “My friend Whirl Wind told me a large majority of unicorns come from Canterlot. It was just a lucky guess. He also told me a guard would never hurt a civilian unless he was threatened. I just wanted to see if that was true. I took it just a bit too far.” He said with a grin.

“Um, yes I would agree with that. Although I have to admit you faced a certain pummeling with great courage.” The white pony said as he looked down at Flare with slight admiration. “Have you ever thought about becoming a guard?” He asked with the same suddenness Flare had a moment ago. 

Flare shook his head. “Not once. It is only because I have a wife at home and a couple of foals on the way. No, a guards life would just make things hard.” He said as he shook his head some more.

The white pony simply nodded. “I can understand that. Balancing work and the wife has been a hassle for me too. We recently moved to the Crystal Kingdom and it has been trouble maintaining my position as captain of the royal guard while I am there. Of course I am sure Candance has enough work of her own to do, she is a princess after all.” He said as thought out loud.

“Princess Candance is your wife?! Wow, that is pretty amazing. You know, I never got your name captain…?” Flare gestured him to finish his sentence for him.

The white pony smiled. “Shining Armor. A pleasure to meet you uhh Duke? Noblepony?” He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Flare laughed loudly. “Oh no, you got me all wrong captain Armor. I was just visiting the castle with Princess Luna and my friend Whirl. I am no noblepony or Duke. I am simply a lowly mail delivery pony named Sonic Flare.” He said with an occasional laugh.

“You aren’t a Duke or anything? Great, I can relax a bit then.” Shining Armor said as he loosened up a bit. “It is a real pain in the flank to posture all the time. So, what business did you have with Princess Luna?” He asked with a slight grin.

Flare grinned as well. “My friend Whirl seems to be becoming friends with her. She wanted to give me a crystal tea cup for my wife, but I feel it is better to earn such things rather than have it given to me. I was actually following that other guard to a store where I can buy one.” He said as he peeked around Shining Armor to look down the hall again.

Shining Armor nodded. “I know the perfect place. It is a small shop that is family owned. It is on the other side of Canterlot. I shall escort you there.” He said as he started to trot down the hall.

Flare followed along happily. “So what is the Crystal Kingdom like? I’d imagine it is wonderful.” 

Shining Armor nodded again. “Yes, it is quite wonderful. I wish I was there now with my wife. Last time I saw here was just after we defeated King Sombra, I was recalled to Canterlot to be debriefed. I am here for another two weeks before I can go back. I will be taking control of the forces there and leading them with honor.” He said with his voice of authority.

Flare chuckled. “That sounds awesome. But you don’t need to sound so serious around me remember?” 
Shining Armor laughed. “Right, sorry it is just a habit.” He said as the exited the castle.

Flare looked around a bit at the scenery. He noticed a few servants working the grounds. “So, do ponies around here make a decent wage? I’d imagine they wouldn’t being under the princesses hooves all the time.” 

Shining Armor shook his head. “Our princesses are portrayed so fearfully. After getting to know them I can tell you that they are the two kindest souls in all of Equestria. They treat all of the workers here with respect and dignity. They aren’t tyrants that just enslave ponies to do their will.” He said as he looked back to Flare.

Flare was a bit amazed to hear this. He had heard stories that the princesses had a battle over day and night and one of them was banished to the moon, but he never really paid attention in history class while he was in school. “Well, that is good to hear. I am used to being treated differently because of where I am from. Well, only here in Canterlot I am treated differently. It is strange how a bit of money can change ponies for the worse.” He said with a slight frown as he noticed two noble ponies walk by with their noses stuck in the air.

“Not all of them have all that much money, a lot of them are acting so they don’t look bad. It could affect their position in their little noble system.” Shining said as though he wasn’t impressed by the acting of the nobles. 

Flare chuckled. “Social ladders are dumb. If we all would just work together the world wouldn’t be so bad for the less fortunate. You know I heard that Los Pegasus is having a drought because the weather funding was cut by somepony pony called Blueblood.” He said as he shook his head. “Why would anypony do that?”

Shining narrowed his eyes as they walked. “Prince Blueblood is a spoiled rotten pony who doesn’t deserve that title. The only reason he has it is because he is an honorary member of the royal family and he likes to remind those who are under him that he is a prince. In a way I am glad I married a princess, although I would have married Candance if she just made bread for a living. I get the opportunity to shape and entire kingdom. I will be able to help those in need because I will have the power to do that. That is why I became a guard, to help the less fortunate.” He said with a grin.

Flare nodded. “You sir, you are the true noble.” He said with a grin.

Shining turned them down an alley way. “Thanks that is nice of you to say. You know, you aren’t bad for a reg---” He didn’t get to finish his sentence before a shadow reached out and grabbed him. 

“Ohh Shining.” It said as it tugged him into the shadows. “We have some unfinished business!” A head started to form, it was King Sombra.

Without hesitation Flare kicked the head and started to pull Shining away from the shadows and into the light. Black crystals formed around his front right leg where he was grabbed. “Tell your princesses I am back and this time I will not stop until all of Equestria is mine!” King Sombra yelled as his shadow faded.

Shining Armor winced in pain as he was pulled along slowly by Flare. Flare got him to the streets where a couple of guards were. “Help! I need help!” He yelled towards them. The two guards ran up to Shining and Flare. Shining had lost consciousness and the two guards were frantic. 

“What happened?!” One of them asked.

“King Sombra! He is back! We need to get to the princesses!” Flare said seriously. He lifted Shining onto his back with much strain and started to walk slowly to the castle. 

The other guard had flown off to get more help while the other stayed to help Flare carry his captain. Together the two made it half way back to the castle before two unicorn guards came with a magically floated gurney. Flare and the guard helping him loaded Shining onto the gurney and they are started to gallop towards the castle. 

Once they arrived Princess Celestia greeted them at the entrance. “What happened?” She asked the guard. The guard gestured towards Flare. “This civilian can give you a full description of what happened your highness.”

Celestia turned to Flare. “What did you see? What happened to Shining Armor?” She asked with a concerned tone.

Flare took a deep breath and said, “King Sombra has returned. He grabbed Shining Armor by his leg and tried to kill him. I managed to get his leg free and drag him away. King Sombra wanted me to tell you… that he is back and he will not stop until all of Equestria is his.” He said with a frown.

Celestia glared at Shining Armor for a second before saying. “I want every guard at their post! Have some of the guards look for Princess Luna immediately!”

Flare held up a hoof. “They were last seen in the kitchen!” He yelled as the guards left to fulfill their orders. 

Celestia turned to Flare. “I need to know everything you was exactly. How did King Sombra approach you?”

Flare looked up at the princess with a worried look.  “He was a shadow. Then his head formed within it. I kicked him as hard as I could.” He said as he looked to the guards who were now carrying Shining Armor to the medical ward.

Celestia turned to another guard who came up for orders. “Put all of Canterlot on lockdown. Nopony should be on the streets, all events are canceled, get me a quill and parchment. We are going to need to call on the Element of Harmony for help.” She turned back to Flare. “You, citizen. Your princess requires your assistance. How fast can you get to the Crystal Kingdom with a message?” 

Flare gave her a salute. “Your highness, messages are my specialty.” He said confidently.

“Good, because no trains are going anywhere until we find Sombra.” She wrote a message down on some parchment and rolled it up into a scroll. “Take this to Princess Candance in the Crystal Kingdom. She needs to know to put a protective barrier around her kingdom until this situation is contained.” 

Flare nodded and took the message in his mouth. He gave another salute before taking off as fast as he could. “I am going to be so late home. I hope Air doesn’t tear me a new plothole.” He thought as he flew north.

> Chapter Three
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 3: Emergency in Equestria


Whirl and Princess Luna were flying around the grounds after their trip through the hedge maze. Both of them were lost in the fun until one of the guards flew up to the pair. “Your highness! Princess Celestia requires your immediate council!” He said as he gave a salute.

Princess Luna sighed. “What does she need private?” She asked in a exhausted tone.

“King Sombra has been sighted in Caterlot. Captain Armor is wounded. We have been searching for you all day your highness.” The guard said never dropping his salute.

Princess Luna gasped. “Whirl, come with me. We may require your help.” She said as she started to fly down towards the castle.

Whirl and the guard followed her in a ‘v’ formation. “Who is King Sombra princess?” Whirl asked as they flew. 

“He is an evil unicorn who took over the Crystal Kingdom a thousand years ago. Recently he was thought to be slain, but no part of him was ever found. How could he have returned? How is this possible? And how did he get his hooves on the smartest captain we have?” She asked herself as they flew.

Whirl shook his head. “I don’t know princess. But I will do whatever I can to help.” He said confidently.

They landed on a balcony and walked inside. The room they had entered seemed to be a bedchamber of some kind. “Sister! Where have you been?!” A voice boomed from the door. Princess Celestia had just walked in as they entered. 

“I am sorry sister. I was in the maze with Whirl.” She said as she gestured to Whirl

Whirl simply held perfectly still in a bow he had formed when he saw the other princess arrive.

“Stand up Whirl, there is no time for pleasantries. I sent your friend Sonic Flare north to the Crystal Empire to deliver a message to it’s princess. However I have another task for you, if you are willing.” Celestia said as she started to write. “King Sombra is blocking my communications out of Canterlot. I need you to take this letter to the librarian in Ponyville immediately.” She rolled the scroll and tied it. 

Whirl took the scroll and looked to Princess Luna. “I will do it for you.” He said as he took out his sunglasses. He put the scroll in his saddle bag and turned to the door.
Princess Luna stopped him. “Wait.” She looked at him with concern. “King Sombra will try to stop you… please… please be careful.” She said with a concerned voice.

Whirl smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder. “I promise I will be back after I deliver the letter.” He said as he looked into her eyes.

Princess Luna smiled weakly. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I know you will.” 

Whirl turned back towards the door and trotted out. He jumped off the balcony and streamlined straight down. Just before hitting the ground he turned upwards and flew over the walls. He was quickly on his was back to Ponyville.

Princess Luna kept her eyes on him until he was out of sight. “He will be fine. He is strong and resourceful.” Princess Celestia said as she put a hoof on her sisters back.

“I know he is.” Princess Luna said with a smile. “I know he will be back with the elements in tow. I think he loves me…” She said with a smile.

Princess Celestia nodded. “I know he does. But right now we need to focus on the defense of Canterlot.” She said as she turned to her table. She spread out a map of Caterlot and Princess Luna joined her by the table.


****


Whirl was almost to the edge of Canterlot. The moon was high and he could use the darkness to avoid King Sombra, or so he thought. He flew near the edge of Canterlot and he heard a voice echo in his head. “Messenger sent by the princesses? You will be consumed by the shadow!” Whirl didn’t even hesitate as he heard the words, he helixes to the right narrowly avoiding a shadowy tentacle. He looked down and the shadows were leaping at him from the ground in the form of tentacles. 

He was dodging and weaving through them. Just when he was about out of range one of them hit his back left hoof. The pain was unbearable! It sent him in a spiral down towards the earth. Black crystals grew on his leg and squeezed it tightly. He straightened his flying out when he got the chance. He felt substantially weaker, he was losing altitude as the covered hoof dragged him down. “You made a promise!” he thought as he descended. He landed with a thud and kept his back hoof off the ground.

He started to walk towards Ponyville as fast as he could, doing the best he could to ignore the pain in his leg. It felt like an anchor that was attached to his limb as he walked. Every now and then he would fly for as long as he could. 


****

Flare was getting exhausted. He had been flying non-stop for six hours. “Air was right… I need to work out more…” He thought as he flew. He looked ahead and saw a massive wall of falling snow ahead. He sighed and pulled out his goggles from his saddle bag, at least part way out before they got stuck on the zipper. “Oh come on!” He yelled in vain as he tugged. He made one last effort and pulled hard. This proved to be a fatal mistake as it tore the bag from it’s strap. It plummeted down towards the earth with great speed, Flare quickly got his goggles on and took a dive. 

Going as fast as he could he streamlined the snow around him as he chased down the bag. He managed to grab it moments before they hit the ground. He pulled up as best he could and the friction between him and the snow was causing a static discharge. It was awful, random shocks zapping his coat caused him to twitch in pain. Going at his speed the twitches caused him to lose control, he quickly found himself in a spin. He crashed and tumbled in the snow. 

It was winter during his childhood all over again. Bullies taking him outside and throwing him in the snow. He came to when he heard hoof steps in the snow. His eyes cracked open, he saw a figured standing above him. Even through the fog of the snow he could make out a sort of shine on the figure. The cold soon became too much and he lost consciousness again.


****


One day, it had been a full day since Whirl Wind got hit by the crystal that was now affecting his leg. It had grown to cover the entirety of his back leg and even part of his hip. He drug it along on the ground, causing and indent as he went along. “Just… a… few… more… miles…” He thought as he pulled his leg along. Something was coming over the next hill, it sounded like wheels.

“Hey! Heeeey! Is someone there?!” He called out.

The wheels kept turning and a faint voice could be heard. “Hello?! Is somepony there?!” 

It was clearly a stallions voice. Whirl was relieved when he got an answer. “Yes! Please hurry! I need help!” He said as he fell to the ground.

The wagon came over the hill with a red stallion pulling it. The speed of the wagons wheels had quickened. Soon the wagon had pulled right next to Whirl. “What happened to you?” The mysterious stallion asked. 

Whirl was panting heavily, he was exhausted from hauling his leg around. “I got… I got… I got a message… for the librarian… in Ponyville…” He said between his pants. “It’s urgent!”

The red stallion nodded. “I was just coming from Ponyville. I am hauling a new apple tree to a friends house. I could take you to the library after I…” 

“No time! Canterlot is in danger!” He said seriously. “We need to go now!”

The red stallion was taken aback from the sudden shouting. “Alright, I understand. I assume you can’t walk anymore. Let me make room in the wagon for you.” He said as he unhooked the himself. He shuffled the tree around a bit until there was enough room for Whirl to fit. “Do you need me to lift you into the wagon or…?” 

“No. I got this.” Whirl said as he stood up. He dragged his leg to the back of the wagon. He bucked his back legs into the wagon first before jumping the rest of himself into it. “I am ready to go.” He said as he shifted around in the back. “We need to hurry though. Sorry for being so impatient earlier. But…” 

“There is no need to explain. If Canterlot is in trouble then the librarian is the one to see.” The red mysterious stallion said. “What is your name by the way?” 

“Whirl Wind. What is yours?” Whirl responded with a wince of pain.

“Big Macintosh. If you don’t mind me asking, what happed to your leg?” 

“I was hit by some kind of spell from King Sombra.” When he said the name King Sombra the wagon suddenly kicked up in speed. 

“King Sombra?! That unicorn put my sister in danger! He is extremely dangerous! We need to hurry!” Big Mac said as he ran at full speed.

“That’s what I said…” Whirl thought as he held on. 

It didn’t take long for them to get back into Ponyville. Whirl heard the chatter of other ponies as they drove by. “Out of the way! This is an emergency!” Big Macintosh yelled as they entered the market district. Panicked ponies quickly moved out of the way as they ran by. Another voice sounded next to Big Mac. 

“Big Mac! What is going on? Ya‘ll are s‘posed to be taking that tree to Fluttershy‘s!”

“ AJ! The stallion in the back has an urgent message to get to Twilight. King Sombra is back.” Big Mac said as he started to pull the wagon to a halt.

“KING SOMBRA?! How is that possible? We saw him explode after the crystal heart was put back!” 

“You are going to have to come in and listen.” Big Mac replied as he opened the back of the wagon.

Whirl dragging himself out of the back. The crystal had covered his entire flank. When he got down he started to drag himself to the libraries door. Big Mac and AJ had already opened the door for him. Whirl was in agony as he pulled himself through the door. He let out a cry of pain and he closed his eyes. He fell to the floor inside of the library. 

“Twilight! Twi! Where are you?!” AJ cried out.

“I’m coming! What is with all the…?” Twilight came into the room and gasped. “Oh my gosh! What happened to him?!”

“I have a…” Whirl started.

“King Sombra is back!” AJ interrupted.

“Yes and…”

“He cast a spell on Whirl Wind here.” Big Mac said over Whirl.

“Yes but that…”

“Oh my gosh, that must be incredibly painful!” Twilight interrupted as she poked the crystal.

Whirl let out a yelp of pain and grabbed Twilight’s hoof. “Canterlot is in danger!” He said as he pulled out the message from Princess Celestia.

Twilight took it and read it silently. “AJ, go get the others. Canterlot needs our help!” She said as she rolled up the scroll with her magic.

AJ nodded and left without another word. Whirl was panting from the pain. His vision started to turn black. “H-help…” He said as the crystal grew over his chest.

Twilight’s horn started to glow. “I will use my magic to counteract the crystal. Hold absolutely still.” She said as a purple beam shot from her horn. It made contact with the crystal and it started to recede slowly. Whirl let out a gasp of pain as it started to move. It was like he was in a vice that had been in a fire for days. He gritted his teeth and let out a groan. After a while the crystal was gone and Whirl fell to the floor.

Twilight was panting heavily. “There… all gone… I need to sit down…” She said as she fell to her flank.

Whirl lifted his eyes to her. “Thank you. But we need to discuss what the plan is to save Canterlot.” He said as he tried to stand.

Twilight shook her head. “Your job is done Whirl Wind. You just needed to get a message to us.”

Whirl fell back down, he was too weak to stand. “Listen, I made a promise… I will not break a promise to… my love…” He said softly.

Twilight walked over to him. She put a hoof on his shoulder. “Rest, we have to get everything prepared before we can go. I understand why you want to come, we could use the extra muscle. Big Mac, go to the mayor and tell her to start preparing Ponyville’s defenses… in case we fail.” She said as she turned to him.

Big Mac nodded and said, “Eeyup.” before he trotted out the door.

Whirl tried to stand up again. This time he managed to get up on all fours and shake. “We need to get to Canterlot…” He said weakly. He started to move towards the door when Twilight stopped him.

“Listen, we need a plan first. We can’t just run to Canterlot with no idea what to do. Especially in your state, you need to rest. Here, come lay down on the couch and I promise, I promise we will get to Canterlot.” Twilight said as she moved him to the couch.

Whirl didn’t have much choice but to follow her, she was nudging him and he was too weak to fight back. He finally gave up and laid down on the couch. “Please, we must hurry.” He said sadly.

“Hey, I made a promise. I just need you to trust me.” Twilight said with a soft smile. “My friends and I have saved Equestria more than once, and we have defeated King Sombra before. Who did you leave in Canterlot that you love to come give this message in the first place?” She asked with curiosity. 

Whirl blushed and laid his head down. “Just… somepony amazing…”

“It’s okay, I am sure the princesses will keep all of Canterlot safe.” Twilight said with a reassuring smile.

“By putting themselves in danger… that’s the problem…” Whirl said without thinking.

Twilight looked at him with surprise. “Princess Celestia?” She asked curiously.

Whirl’s eyes widened. “No! No… It’s… It’s…” Whirl let out a sigh. “Princess Luna… I just… left her…”

Twilight put a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s her job to protect Equestria, there was nothing you could have done to make her come with you. But don’t worry, the princesses are the two most powerful beings in all the world. She will be fine.” She said reassuringly.

There was a knock at the door. “Come on Twilight, open up.” A voice called out through the door. Twilight opened the door with her magic. “Come in!” She called out. A light blue pegasus trotted through the door. Whirl recognized her as Rainbow Dash, the best weather pony on the team. 

“Twilight, why are you here with my supervisor?” She asked as she walked through the door.

Twilight looked at Whirl. “Well, he was the one who delivered the message from Canterlot. I didn’t know you supervised Rainbow Dash.”

Whirl nodded and looked at Rainbow. “Hello RD, what are you doing here?” He asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Rainbow trotted in and jumped on the couch. “I am here to save Equestria again. So Twi, AJ told me that it was King Sombra again. How is that even possible?” 

“I don’t know Rainbow. All I know is that I trust what this stallion has said. Where are the others?” 

“Fluttershy is coming, she is just getting somepony to watch her animal friends. With Spike visiting Breaburn and the Apple family in Appleoosa, she is kind of strained to find somepony. Rarity will be here soon too, and Pinkie Pie is behind you.”

“SURPRISE! Hia Twilight, Raindbow, Whirl! This is exciting isn’t it!? We get to go to Canterlot and see the princesses again!” Pinkie said as she announced herself in the usual way. 

“Pinkie, this isn’t a vacation or a play. Equestria is in danger, we need to be alert and ready.” Twilight said seriously.

“Oooohhhh. Well, I am ready to save Equestria! Are you? Oh is Whirl coming? Why? Is he a mysterious seventh element or something?” Pinkie asked in a string of wild questions.

Whirl got lost half way through that jumble of words. “Element? What do you mean?”

While the others started to shuffle in Twilight explained the elements of harmony, why the princesses called on them, and why it was very important that he got here when he did. With the rest of the elements of harmony finally together, Twilight called them to order.

“Alright, as you all probably know by now King Sombra is back and apparently he is here for all of Equestria, not just the Crystal Empire. We need a plan to stop him again.” She said as she looked at the ponies in the room.

“I don’t mean to be so blunt, but why don’t we just use the crystal heart again?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Because the crystal heart isn’t here and he isn’t going to risk falling for that a second time.” Twilight said in response.

“Um, Twilight. Why don’t we use the elements of harmony to stop him?” Fluttershy asked quietly. 

“That is exactly what I was thinking, but first we need to get into Canterlot.” Twilight said as she tapped her chin.

“I can get you in…” Whirl said suddenly from behind the crowd.

They all turned to him with confused looks. “How?” Twilight asked.

“Last time I flew out of Canterlot…King Sombra focused all of his efforts on stopping me. I can distract him while you get in from the other side of Canterlot.” Whirl responded.

“We can’t let you sacrifice yourself to get us into…” Twilight started.

“This isn’t about me, this is about all of Equestria, this is about you getting into Canterlot to save us, this is about you. I am going back to Canterlot in two hours. I will be back here ready to go, if you are coming with me I suggest you be ready.” Whirl said as he walked out the door.

The rest of them just watched as he left. When the door was closed Rainbow suddenly asked, “What is wrong with him?”

Twilight sighed. “It’s nothing, he just left something very important in Canterlot. Even though I don‘t like his plan, I don‘t think we can stop him. We should be ready to go when he gets back.”


****


Flare’s eyes cracked open. He was warm, he was rested, he felt alright. His eyes opened all the way to reveal a crystal room. It was glistening with the light of the candles in his room. His eyes drifted around until they fell on a pony sitting next to a counter writing down something. 

Flare’s head hurt and he let out a grunt. “Excuse me, but where am I?” He asked as he rubbed his head.

The crystal pony turned around and smiled. “It’s okay, you are in the Crystal Empire now.”

Flare’s eyes widened. He jumped out of bed and grabbed his bag. He ignored the pain in his head as he moved towards the door. “I need to see the princess immediately.”

The nurse was trying her best to get him to sit back down. “You can’t leave yet, you aren’t well. Please lay down.”

Flare shook his head. “No, it is too important. I was sent by Shining Armor to deliver an important message.”

The nurse gasped. “Prince Armor sent you? You should have just said so in the first place. Follow me, I will take you to her.” she said as she trotted out the door.

Flare followed her through many halls. All of which were made of pure crystal. He felt odd as he walked, as if he had taken a train to the head. He ignored the pain and moved on. They moved into a large room and at the other end of it was Princess Candance sitting on her throne.

“Ah, the mystery pegasus is finally awake. I trust you are feeling better.” She asked as she stood up. She walked over to him and smiled. 

Flare looked up to her with a frown. “How I feel doesn’t matter.” He said as he pulled a scroll from his bag and gave it to the princess.

She read it with haste when she saw it was from Princess Celestia. She rolled it up again and looked at one of the guards near the door. “Go get me general Shield immediately.” 

The guard gave a salute and trotted out the door. Princess Cadance turned to Flare. “So, you… you saved Shining Armor?” She asked softly. 

Flare simply nodded slowly in response. He never expected the sudden hug that followed. “Thank you.” Princess Cadance said softly.

“You are welcome. I need to get back home.” He said as he pulled away from the hug. “I have a wife… and two foals on the way. I need to get back home.”

Princess Cadance nodded. “I will call a chariot to take you home. Unfortunately the trains are not going to be running for a while, but I will get four of my strongest to get you home.” She said as she looked to her other guard.

The guard nodded and left to get three more stallions to pull the chariot. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” Princess Cadance asked.

“No, you have done enough for me. I just need to get home as soon as I can.” He said with a smile.

Princess Cadance nodded. “I have a debt I need to repay. If you ever need anything, let me know.”

Flare nodded. “Well there is one thing. I think I have earned it.”


****


Whirl was ready to go. He was heading for the door when he suddenly stopped. On the wall hung a saddle bag that his father had given him. “Don’t open this bag, don’t wear this bag, don’t even LOOK at this bag until it is a dire emergency.” His fathers words rang in his mind. Whirl walked up to the saddle bag and opened it. Inside was a pair of goggles and a poster of the Wonderbolts. On the back was a letter written by his father. 

Dear Whirl Wind, 

My son, if you are reading this then it must be a dire emergency. If it isn’t an emergency, then I am very disappointed in your discipline.  Whirl rolled his eyes then kept reading. These goggles were mine, when I was a Wonderbolt. Recognize the pony In the middle row, third over? Whirl couldn’t believe what he was reading, his father had always told him that being a Wonderbolt was a wasted dream. But there was his father, an earth pony, staring back at him with his smile. You are probably wondering how I was a Wonderbolt with no wings, well here’s the thing. Back when I was young the Wonderbolts had two teams, the air team and the ground team. I was the leader of the fastest earth ponies in all of Equestria. You have it in your blood to be the best of the best. Never forget that. Now, you go and do what needs to be done.

Love, 
Your father.


Whirl was nearly in tears as he read the last of the letter. He put the goggles on and smiled confidently. Even though they did not go with his royal guard costume they gave him more confidence. Whirl walked out the door and headed towards the library. When he arrived he found all six ponies waiting for him. They were all wearing separate saddle bags depicting their cutie marks. They all stared at him in his armor. Even though it wasn’t real it was almost as good as the real thing. “Are you a royal guard Whirl Wind?“ Whirl shook his head, smiled confidently and started to walk out of town. Rainbow Dash trotted up next to him and stared at his goggles. “Those… those are real! Where did you get them? Are you a Wonderbolt in secret?” She asked with a grin.

“No, but my father was part of the old land team.” He said in response. “And no, this is not real armor, but it is real gilded steel so it is good enough.”

Rainbow was grinning madly. “Your father was a Wonderbolt?! That is so awesome! I have to get an autograph! And you say he was part of the land team? That was disbanded years ago. Not many remember that there even was a land team, but they were awesome!” She said in a series of questions that Pinkie Pie would be proud of. 

Whirl chuckled. “I didn’t even know that he was a Wonderbolt. He left me a letter and these goggles for an emergency. It was meant to give me confidence… it worked.” He said seriously. 

They were all moving at a good pace. They all spoke about the plan and how they were going to get into Canterlot. None of them wanted to mention Whirl’s part in the plan, they didn’t even mention his name. They just said, “When King Sombra is distracted.” It unnerved him a bit. Like he wasn’t going to make it at all. He kept his confidence up by adjusting his fathers goggles. As they were moving along the road they heard a chariot approaching. Whirl noticed a red coat that he would never forget. He flew up in the air and waved. “Heeeey Sonic! Flare! Stop for a moment.” He said as they pulled up. 

“Whirl! Where are you going? Home is the other way, and why are you wearing your… you aren’t. You aren’t going back to Canterlot, are you?” Flare asked with a concerned look.

Whirl nodded. “I… I made a promise to her Flare. I can’t go back on my word.” He said with a frown. 

Flare couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “But King Sombra is attacking Canterlot. How could you just go back.” 

“Flare, if Air was in Canterlot wouldn’t you risk everything to help her?”

Flare nodded. “I understand. I… I want to go but…” 

“I know, you have two foals on the way. Go be with your family. “ Whirl said as he gave his friend one final hug.

The chariot continued onwards and Whirl watched it leave. He closed his eyes and turned around to keep going. The rest of them saw that he didn’t want to talk and kept quiet. 

When they arrived outside of Canterlot they were met with a horrifying sight. The place was being besieged by shadow. It was as if the whole city was under attack by the an evil fog. Whirl gritted his teeth in anger. “I will approach from the north. You will have five, maybe ten minutes to get in. If I survive… I will meet you at the castle.” He said as he trotted off without another word. He was scared of what was to come, he had to hold off an evil shadow for at least ten minutes. The most he had was his speed and in this armor he was slower, but at least he had something to protect himself from any projectiles. 

He stood on a hilltop north of Canterlot. He was ready to do what was needed to be done. Whirl flapped his wings and closed his eyes, he adjusted his goggled and finally took flight. His eyes opened and he saw the shadow moving towards him. “Bring it on you piece of shadowy garbage!” He yelled as he dodged the first onslaught of darkness. But there was a second wave of darkness coming that he could never avoid. He closed his eyes and waited for the end. Suddenly he felt an impact and it made him open his eyes. It didn’t hit him from the front but from the side. He looked around and saw Flare giving him a salute in his night guard armor. Whirl smiled and started to dodge more of the shadow. Flare was doing a lot better than he was, mostly because Flare did this sort of thing for a living. Whirl felt something hit his wing, this time it wasn’t Flare, on the contrary it was a strand of shadow casting his wing into a crystal encasement. 

Whirl went into a tailspin and tried his best to recover but he couldn’t move his wing at all. Flare had seen what happened and grabbed Whirl from behind, he tried his best to keep them in the air. They finally came out of the shadow and saw Canterlot. A barrier was keeping the shadow out now. They fell right through it and were falling fast towards the ground. Flare pulled up hard and they were starting to slow down but it wasn’t going to be enough. They hit the ground with a hard thud.



	

> Chapter Four
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter 4: Taken


Twilight and her friends made it through King Sombra’s shadow and into Canterlot successfully. Once they were inside they searched the skies for signs of Whirl Wind. 

“There!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed. She spotted Whirl and Flare coming in fast. She took off in the hopes of catching them, but they were too close to the ground. Rainbow landed near them just after they hit the ground, the thud from which could be heard by the others on the other side of Canterlot. Rainbow covered her mouth with both hooves as she saw them land. She walked up to the crater slowly and peeked over the edge. She saw Flare on top of Whirl’s crippled body. Flare was breathing heavily, but he seemed like he was in better shape than Whirl was. 

“Oh my gosh!” Rainbow said in horror as Flare got up off of Whirl. Whirl was crippled, his back legs were in odd angles, his wings were covered in black crystals, and he was bleeding from his mouth and nose. Flare was pulling Whirl out of the crater as gently as he could.

“You… go find… help…” Flare said to Rainbow Dash with an exhausted tone. 

Rainbow nodded and took off towards the castle. Flare took Whirl’s hoof and said, “You are going to make it brother. Just hang in there, you are going to be okay.” The thought of losing his closest friend brought tears to his eyes. Whirl’s breathing was becoming shallow when the medical crew arrived. 

“Step aside sir, we will take it from here.” One of the medics said. There were four unicorns, each of their horns were glowing and each of them were working on different parts of Whirl’s body. The sound of bones resetting could be heard from even where Flare was standing, which was pretty far back. He couldn’t watch, he couldn’t stand there and see his friend in so much pain. 

Flare started to take off his armor, throwing it aside and stretching out. Rainbow never came back, Flare assumed she stayed at the castle to wait for her friends. Flare heard a set of hooves land, he raised an eyebrow and looked to see if Rainbow actually did come back. He was surprised when he saw Princess Luna standing at Whirl’s side. They had loaded him onto a gurney and were starting to walk him back to the castle. Luna turned her head and saw Flare standing there, facing away from the situation.

She walked up to him. “Sonic Flare, thine friend hath served Equestria well.” She said with a sad smile.

“Yeah… I know… but was it worth it? He can’t even talk to you right now, he may be crippled for life…” Flare said sadly.

Luna shook her head. “These medics are the best in all of Equestria, they will fix him up as good as new. Do not worry about him, once the crystals are removed he will be fine.” She said with an unconvincing tone. It was more of a tone that said, ‘I hope he will be okay.’

Flare heard the tone she was carrying, tears were rolling down his face. “Yeah, Whirl is strong. He will be fine.”

Luna turned around and started to follow the medics back to the castle. Flare followed suit and tagged along. The only thing left behind was two sets of fake armor, a crater, and a pair of broken goggles spattered with blood.


****


Whirl’s eyes cracked open. He heard the sound of a heart monitor and the sound of a breathing machine. He felt a tube in his mouth and casts over his back legs. His wings felt like they were ten pounds heavier. The room was well lit but all he could see was the ceiling. It was like his eyes were paralyzed. A voice rang in his mind, “You did good Whirl. You did good.” It was his fathers voice, it made him smile. 

“Whirl! You are awake!” Princess Luna exclaimed in surprise as she ran over to his side. 

Whirl felt a magic aura over his head and he could move his eyes again. He looked over to Luna with tears in his eyes. The tube in his mouth was lifted out by Luna’s magic. “You’re okay.” Whirl said in relief. 

“Of course I am okay. I made a promise to you that I would stay safe.” Luna said with a smile.

“I… fulfilled my promise to you too… I am back, just like I said I would be… THE OTHERS! Did they make it?!” Whirl asked worriedly. 

Luna nodded with her smile. “They made it in because of you and Flare.”

“Flare?! Is he okay? Did he make it through?” Whirl asked as he tried to get up.

Luna placed a hoof on his chest and pushed him gently back down. “He is fine, he actually saved your life.” She said with a smile.

Whirl laid his head back down and relaxed. “Thank goodness…” He said with a sigh.

“Don’t worry about anything else except for getting well again.” Luna said as Flare walked into the room.

“Hey! Whirl! Oh my gosh! I thought you were going to die!” Flare said as he ran into the room and hugged Whirl.

Whirl let out a gasp of pain and Flare pulled away.

“Sorry, I got carried away.” Flare said with a chuckle.

Whirl smiled. “I guess I owe you a life debt now huh?” 

“Nah, you remember that I owed you for saving my life countless times when we were young?” Flare said with a slight laugh.

“Like the time you said we should do belly flops into the lake from that hundred foot tall tree? Then when you hit the water you were so winded you couldn’t swim.” Whirl said with a chuckle. 

Princess Luna giggled at the story and Flare blushed. “Yeah, stuff like that.” Flare said as he opened his saddle bag. He pulled out the remains of a crystal tea cup that Princess Cadance had given him. “Well, looks like I am going to need another one of these…” He said sadly. 

Whirl frowned. “You had what you needed and you sacrificed it to save me? Why didn’t you just go home and give it to Air?”

“Funny thing is, I forgot to give it to her before I left. At least I told her I loved her… and that I would be back… no matter what.” Flare said with a sad smile.

Whirl nodded. “I almost made you break your promise.” He said sadly.

Flare smiled. “No, it was King Sombra. Not you.”

Princess Luna cleared her throat to get their attention. Both of them turned their head towards her. “With the six ponies you brought here we will stop King Sombra. There is no need to fear now.”

As if on queue Princess Celestia ran into the room. “Sister, the elements of harmony have been stolen!” She said in a panicked tone.

“What?! How is this possible?! Only you can open the vault!” Princess Luna said in shock.

“There is only one explanation, King Sombra has infiltrators in Canterlot. We need to protect Shining Armor, now that they have the elements they will try to escape. But the only way they can do that is by taking down the barrier.” Celestia said in response. 
“Sonic Flare, you stay here and protect Whirl Wind. In case King Sombra has made him a target.” Luna said in her voice of authority.

Flare gave a salute then turned back to Whirl. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia left the room in a hurry. Whirl held up his hoof to try and stop Luna, but she was already gone. “Wait…” he said weakly.

“Don’t worry Whirl, I am sure this isn’t her first war.” Flare said reassuringly.


****


Shining Armor was fighting for his life. He couldn’t use his magic to fight back otherwise the barrier would fall. The four guards on either side of the door had already fallen and yet there were more coming in. Just when it seemed all was lost a ray of light blasted the door open, all the foes in the room dissolved into nothing. Shining Armor stood up and ran over to the guards who were protecting him. Two were dead from massive lacerations. The other two were gravely injured. Medical team flooded through the door, they set up a triage and started to work on the two alive guards. 

Princess Celestia walked through the door. “Changelings, I should have know. King Sombra has enlisted the aide of Chrysalis and her kin. We must keep our eyes open and Shining Armor safe. We need to take you to the safe room Shining Armor, come with me.” She said with a sense of urgency. 

Shining Armor followed her out of the room and out of the castle. “Princess Celestia, why are we going this way to the safe room?” Shining asked with a confused look. He stopped in his tracks, sensing a sense of danger. 

Princess Celestia stopped as well. “There is no time to delay, we must hurry Shining Armor.”

Shining Armor looked at her carefully. “What did I ask you yesterday about my sister?” He asked with a glare. 

“You asked me where she was.” Celestia responded. 

Shining Armor shook his head. “I never asked you anything about my sister, you told me she was on her way before I had the chance to ask, Queen Chrysalis!”

Shining turned around and ran back towards the castle. He didn’t make it far before Chrysalis flew in front of him. “You aren’t going anywhere foal! Now, take down the barrier or I will make you take it down!”

Shining Armor stood defiantly. “I would rather die than put the citizens of Canterlot in danger!” 
“A noble sentiment, I can grant that request!” Chrysalis said as she lifted him off the ground with her magic. 

Shining Armor was being squeezed by her magic. He couldn’t breath and he couldn’t call out for help. His horn still glowed bright and held the barrier in place. His vision began to blacken as he looked into the changeling queen’s eyes. “Good bye Shining Arm-AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!” Chrysalis let out a loud scream of agony and a beam of light hit her. Then a second beam of blue joined the other. Chrysalis was melting away from the magic and Shining Armor fell to the ground. He let out several large breaths before concentrating on his barrier spell again. Chrysalis let out another cry of pain that caught Shining’s attention. He saw her melt away into nothingness. All that remained was a small box containing the elements of harmony.

“And so ends the reign of Queen Chrysalis.” Princess Celestia said as she landed with Luna. They walked over to Shining Armor and helped him up. “Are you alright Shining Armor?”

Shining nodded and took a few more breaths. “Let’s get him back to the castle sister.” Luna said as she put a wing over Shining’s back to support him.

“Thank you Princess Luna. Thank you Princess Celestia.” Shining said as they moved back towards the castle. 


****


The elements were ready, the ponies who wielded the power were ready as well. They stood in position inside of the barrier. Whirl was watching from a wheel chair from the side and Flare stood next to him. The necklaces and tiara started to glow and the elements began to lift into the air. Princess Luna and Princess Celestia stood by and watched with Shining Armor. Everypony had a smile on their face. The ground started to shake and Shining Armor took down the barrier. A rainbow shot from the six ponies and headed straight towards the shadow.

The impact shook the ground violently. A scream of pain was heard throughout Equestria. An explosion of power sent a shockwave that knocked the ponies on the ground down. Whirl looked up at the elements and saw a dark beam travel through the rainbow. It hit the six and they were encased in black crystal. The crystal expanded to Shining Armor who was stunned due to the explosion. It covered his horn, then his entire body. Then it reached out to Celestia and grabbed her wings. It didn’t take long for her to be covered as well. Whirl leaped into action being the only one not stunned by the explosion, he wheeled himself over and leaped in front of the crystal before it grabbed Luna. “Get out of he---!” He said before he was covered. 

Flare saw his friend wheel over and jump in front of the crystal before it grabbed Luna. Unable to do anything before he couldn’t stop him. But the tremors were lessening and Flare ran and grabbed Princess Luna and pulled her away. “We need to go!”

Luna was crying and trying to grab Whirl from the crystal, but Flare held her back. “He sacrificed himself for you! Now go!” Flare yelled as he started to move Luna. She finally relented and ran away with Flare following closely. “We need to get to the Crystal Empire to get help!”

Luna’s horn was glowing causing sirens to go off. This signaled the ponies to evacuate. Guards were scrambling to hold back the shadow while others escorted citizens from the city. The shadow began to form into a pony figure, King Sombra was whole again. “Foals! Time to kneel at my power!” His horn started to glow and shadow figures rose from the ground. These forms started to charge the guards and break through the lines. 

Flare followed Luna to the train station where ponies were being loaded onto trains. “I thought these were shut down!” Flare said in surprise.

“We either take the chance of the train or we let our citizens get captured.” Luna said seriously. Her horn started to glow and fired a beam of blue light towards the shadow figures. Many of them dissipated into nothing. “We need to go!” She said as she fired off another volley.

Flare got on the train and was followed by Luna. When they got on board with the last of the guards she started firing volleys out the window. After the train was away she used her magic to make the train go faster. Flare was pinned to his seat while the guards fired out the windows at the figures chasing them. After only a few minutes of going they were far enough away that they could stop firing.

Luna pulled her head back into the train and started to cry. She put her hooves over her eyes. “I failed. I failed them all.” she said sadly. 

Flare didn’t know what to say, his mouth kept opening and closing as he tried to say something. He finally reached over and gave the princess a hug. “No, no you didn’t. I don’t know what happened, but there is no way you could have seen it coming. We all thought it was going to work, even your sister.”

Luna sobbed at the sound of her sister. “They are stuck there, with King Sombra… He is probably torturing them as we speak.” She said as she hugged Flare back. 

“You know, I am sure your sister cried this much when you were gone. But she kept on going. She kept on ruling. Make her proud and keep on fighting, in her name, in your name… in Whirl’s name…” He said as he started to cry as well. 


****

King Sombra walked up to his newest statues. “Mmmm, you all look very nice. A perfect example of my power.” He moved along to Celestia. “And you. You defeated me once and banished me to the ice of the arctic north. Let’s see how you enjoy the cold.” His horn started to glow and the crystal around Celestia grew icicles. “One thousand years will not be enough for you.” He said as he turned away. Moving  in front of Whirl he gave an evil grin. “You, are a strong stallion. Three times in crystals and two times you managed to escape. I could use you.”

King Sombra’s horn started to glow and it covered Whirl’s head. In his mind he lived another life, one of pain and suffering at the hands of the princesses. Being tortured for twenty years in a matter of seconds. When Sombra’s horn stopped glowing the crystal faded. Whirl’s wounds were healed and he stepped out of the wheel chair. “Who do you serve?” King Sombra asked him.

“My high lord King Sombra.” Whirl said as he knelt down in a bow.