The characters from the hit ABC series Once Upon a Time get trapped in Equestria after an attempt at a spell to take them home
Storybrooke was originally part of a fairy-tale world. Once the curse was half-broken they all remembered, apart from Regena and Mr.Gold. Then, when Hook and Korra, the mother of Regena, came to Storybrooke. That was solved easily too. Mary Margret, or Snow White, is still growing darkness in her heart when Gold finds a way to bring them back to their own world; but there is something else. The spell he uses could either bring them to a new world - or a completely different one. Deciding to take the risk, the Blue Fairy, Regena, Charming, Snow, Emma, Henry and Gold go together to test it; and end up in a world beyond what they can understand.
WARNING; I am labeling this for everyone, because Once Upon a Time is a family series, but it contains mild swearing. Also, if you dislike this, please leave a comment to tell me why so I can fix this, unless its the plot. Why would you click it and read it if the series doesn't interest you?
They looked at Gold. Of course, he knew magic, but could they really trust him?
"But, I killed someone just to let you make this... and you still broke our trust at one point. We even brought back your son." Mary Margret whimpered. She clutched Charming's arm, standing still as a statue. "Unless you have a better idea to get back to our fairytale land, dearie." Gold replied. Emma grit her teeth. It was hard not to just punch him in the face sometimes. Regina stepped forward, everyone watched her carefully. They knew she had also broken their trust. Most of all, she broke Henry's. "I think we should go with it, if we stand a chance at getting home." Emma didn't want to say it out loud, but she agreed. She had been there once, although only with Mary Margret and a warrior plus one. She wanted to go back, seeing as it had been her birth home. At the risk with agreeing with the evil queen, Emma stepped forwards. "I agree," she said. "As much as I don't want to agree with her," she added, "if it could get all of us back where we belong, we should risk it."
Henry also stepped forward. Wether he was agreeing for real or just agreeing with his mother she didn't know. No, she did know. Henry was a smart kid. She just wished she didn't, for Henry was the one who had brought her here from the city. The Blue Fairy, the Sister Superior, took a few steps toward Gold; They had worked on this potion together, although she really had no companionship with the man himself, they were both the most talented at magic. "There is one thing, though, that we couldn't get over..." The sound of the red-haired woman's voice was calm and collected, almost comforting those who were worried. "There is something in the spell that lets us travel to a different world, but it might not get us directly to our world. It might take us somewhere else."
"Then we risk it!" Henry said, and Emma couldn't help but to smile a little. Her son's confidence reflected from her father's, Charming's, and Charming stepped forward as well. "I agree. We need to get home, no matter what the cost." He glanced at Mary Margret. She was still suffering from her heart turning darker. Emma knew that he just wanted to get home so they could use magic to heal it. The only ones who could use magic without practice in the real world were Gold, Blue and Regina. Sure, Emma could use minor magic, but only in grave danger. It was all up to Mary Margret now. She sighed. "I suppose," she murmured. Regina had the faintest hint of a smile, and Emma made note to keep an eye on the queen. Gold placed the small, thin potion bottle on the floor in the middle of the antique shop. Opening the lid, a purple smoke began to fill the room. Everyone held hands... And then they were gone.
When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed is that she was not back in the kingdom; possibly in a village, but not one she had seen when she had been in the Enchanted Forest. The second thing she noticed is that she was near a giant oak tree with a door, a few windows, two stories, and a balcony or two. The third thing she noticed was her hooves. These she simply stared at for awhile, until she began to hear groans of familiar voices around her. "M-Mary Margret?" she got up to her hooves, feeling her neck prickle with unease. She turned when she felt a tickle on her back - and there they were. wings.
"Where the hell are we?" Regina's voice was heard above the other's groans, and Emma saw a grey alicorn staring at her hooves in astonishment. "That's what I wanted to know." Emma replied curtly, almost having a sarcastic air about it. "Gold! Where is he?" Emma saw a white unicorn with a dirty-blonde mane speaking with her father's voice, and realized this was Charming. Feeling a nudge at her side, Emma looked down to see Henry, now a light blue pegasus foal, looking up at her. For the first time, Emma saw real fear in those brown eyes of her son's. "It'll be alright," she whispered, trying to comfort herself at the same time. Her own color was pale and her mane and tail yellow. In fact, everyone's hair color was the same; black, blonde, brown, and red. From voices and looks, Emma figured out who was who.
She also realized that all of them, Henry excluded, had pictures on their rumps; Regina's was a potion bottle with a black crown over it, Mary Margret's was a snowflake with a white crown, Charming's a yellow crown with four stars around it, Blue's was a heart with a blue-purple entaglement in the middle, Gold's was a broken heart with his "Dark One" sword cutting in-between the two halves, and Emma realized her own was some sort of four-point star with a crown over the middle. The light-blue unicorn with a red mane, which Emma had recognized already as Blue, was trotting toward her with worry. "Have you any clue where we are?" "I think we're all delirious to the fact that this is a place we don't know!" Emma retorted.
A dark blue unicorn with a brown mane, Gold, Emma realized, was picking up his black walking stick with the dragon head, seemingly already used to the magic, and the aura from his horn was red. Now Emma took the chance to take in the surroundings. It was almost sunrise, and she saw a few other ponies, like how they looked right now, staring in astonishment at the mess of clueless strangers. "Hello?" a voice from the giant, doored tree behind her made Emma jump, and she whipped around to see a purple unicorn with a darker purple mane standing by the door, seeming, most unlike the crowd of curious ponies that were gathering in the predawn light, wide awake.
The rest of Emma's group stared at the purple unicorn as well. "Who are you?" The unicorn asked, then smot her brow with one of her hooves. "oh, you must have travelled awhile! And from somewhere else! Come inside! I want to know all about it!" She beckoned them in. Charming nodded confirmation and the lost, confused group of fairytale-ponies were led into a large library. At one end of the library, a display case held five necklaces and a tiara. Once they were all inside, the unicorn closed the door and trotted over to them. "My name is Twilight Sparkle," she said. "And you are?" Emma took the honor of introducing each of them, Blue telling Twilight why and how they were/had gotten there, and Charming asked where they were, why they were talking ponies, and if there was any possible way they could get home. Twilight thought for a moment. "I'll call over the girls," she said at last. "Then we can decide what to do together."
The five other ponies arrived shortly after Twilight had Spike send for them. Rainbow Dash and Applejack had come equipped with nothing but their sisters, who had insisted on coming. ("We just have to see if the colt has his cutie mark yet!") Rarity had come in her newest dress, hoping to make a good impression, with SweetieBelle trotting behind. Fluttershy had come with Angel, who had taken right away to Mary Margret, despite her growing dark heart. Pinkie Pie came with her party cannon and another wild party idea, along with a welcome song of which she instisted on singing.
Emma had to admit she had taken a liking to Rainbow Dash herself. Not because she was a pegasus, much like Emma herself was in this world, but because of her sense of authority and strength. Twilight had informed the "visitors" that they were each an element of harmony, and Emma also liked that about Rainbow; she was loyal. As soon as all the ponies arrived, the CMCs already good friends with Henry, Twilight asked Charming to tell the elements why and how he and his comarades, as he had put it, made it to this land, and how they desparately wanted to get back to their own. Twilight took over once he had filled them all in. "Any ideas on getting them back home?"
"We could use a cannon and shoot them so fast that they somehow wind up back in their own home, and Dashie could preform a rainboom that would make a portal, with the combined speed!" at this, Pinkie again, for about the fifteenth time this month, had slid on her fake moustache. "I'll wear this mustache." Rainbow rolled her eyes. "number one, that would be way too exaughsting and dangerous. I'm not gonna try anything that'll get anypony at the risk of being injured. I know what its like to have a broken limb." she flexed her wing. Applejack nodded. "Not even Ah would try that. No matter how darin'. Even if it was to prove Ah was better then Rainbow." Rainbow rolled her eyes.
Fluttershy looked around. "Um, maybe we could-" she was cut off, her quiet voice unheard.
"Maybe they could use unicorn magic to get themselves home." Rarity suggested. Twilight shook her head. "Too dangereous, it would take them years to learn unicorn magic, apart from levitation or any of the simpler spells." Fluttershy, wanting to be heard, waved her hoof in the air. Twilight saw and nodded, and all the ponies in the room turned their attention to the shy pegasus. "Um, I was thinking that we could, uh, maybe, ask the princesses for help." she said quietly, unliking all the eyes on her. Twilight beamed. "That's a brilliant idea Fluttershy!" Fluttershy simply blushed.
"Still, won't it take several days to prepare and ask, even to get the spell working and be able to return?" Emma asked. Twilight nodded. "We can stay here several days. I can ask the mayor if she'll allow you to stay in our empty houses at the moment, and if not, I'm sure we can find places for you guys at each other's houses." at this each of the elements nodded.
Emma felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see Henry. "Is it okay if I stay with these three?" The Cutie Mark Crusaders stood behind him, looking at Emma with hopeful eyes. "We have a clubhouse that we can stay together in! Its near Ponyville, not off of Sweet Apple Acres!" The white unicorn filly said. Emma nodded. "Don't get into too much trouble though. Once we're ready to go see these princesses we need to be ready to go home." Henry nodded before cantering back to the three fillies.
It was now that Emma turned and saw Regina studying a page in a book for a moment before turning to talk with the newly-found companions. Emma, wondering what the evil queen had found so interesting, trotted over to the book to have a closer look. The page had a pictire of a necklace witha red embalm the shape of an alicorn. It read The Alicorn Amulet overtop as a heading. Emma didn't know why, but she felt a ripple of unease, and closed the book, turning to talk with Rainbow Dash, forgetting the thing she had just seen.
It was soon decided that, instead of being in separate houses, it would be better if the newcomers stayed with the six other ponies. The royals, which included Mary, Regina, and Charming, stayed with Twilight. Rarity took Blue to Carousel Boutique with her, insiting that she make a dress for the blue unicorn as a welcome gift. Gold went to stay with Applejack, Henry with the CMCs (who, fortunately for her, were staying with Pinkie Pie that night) and Emma, happy herself of this, went to stay with Rainbow for the night.
Rainbow had patiently pushed a few clouds a bit lower for Emma to half-jump, half fly to, in order to get to her own house made of clouds. "Thanks," she panted as she reached the topmost cloud. "Don't sweat it," Dash said, only then realizing what a terrible joke she had just made. She mentally slapped herself for not making a funnier one. Emma barely took notice of being able to walk on clouds; she had already done it before, climbing up a beanstalk to get a useless object and nearly getting killed in the process. She knew she was quite safe in the blue pegasus' home, however. She trusted this mare as she had when she had first seen her.
"You'll be staying in the guest room," Rainbow said, leading Emma to a large room with a fluffy cloud bead, a window, and actual furniture. "I built it for Scoots originally,but because you're staying and I really have nowhere else and the Crusaders are staying with Pinkie and in their own clubhouse, I just assumed I could let you use it." she shook her head. "It'll be just my luck if they get in another fight." Emma looked at Rainbow. "I should hope they don't! With Henry with them-" "Oh, don't worry about it. I doubt they'd get into a fight when they JUST got a new member. Ask Applejack." Emma made a note to do so.
She had soon made herself comfortable in the guest room. Really having nothing of her own except a hairclip that had somhow stayed in her mane during the short transformation from human to pony, it had taken her only a few minutes to settle in. Rainbow had told her about some sort of practice for these famous ponies called the Wonderbolts, she had dashed off. no pun intended, Emma thought herself. Rainbow had said that she could help herself to some food, or go outside and practice flying, or even go exploring the cloud-mansion. "You have to know your way around the place you're staying," the cyan pegasus had said.
But Emma wanted to think. What had Regina taken so much interest in, with that page in the book? What was the Alicorn Amulet? Emma reflected on what little she had read on that page before turning to discuss with the others. She had definitely seen the word "corrupted" come up more than once in the sensatnces. She had also seen once sentance, in purple-black writing, dotting the bottom of the page; The Amulet is back in hiding. Locations only known to the princesses and the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, including the shaman in the Everfree Forest, Zecora. Emma breifly considered going to the Everfree Forest to ask this so-called shaman, but she cancelled that thought. She didn't know the forest and it would be a bad idea going there without a guide.
But she needed answers. When she got a chance, she would ask Twilight about the Amulet. She wasn't going to trust Regina.
Henry sat at a table in Sugarcube Corner, in between Scootaloo and Applebloom. Across from him was Sweetie Belle. He liked being with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, and to him, being a boy amongst 3 girls wasn't bad, although other colts might've thought differently. Scootaloo had taken a liking to him right away, and he said yes without thinking when they asked him to join. He was going to be here for awhile anyway, so why not make friends?
Pinkie Pie bounced up to their table, a tray off small cakes on it. She had set up balloons all over the place, so it did have the air of a party in spite of only the four crusaders and a hyper mare being there. "This party is for you!" Pinkie said, looking at Henry. "It's in honor of you being here and being a new crusader!" after saying that she had bounded off to the kitchen for more sweets. Sweetie Belle smiled. "Sometimes it's hard to tell if Pinkie's a mare or a filly!" Applebloom nodded. "So, Henry, why don'cha tell us 'bout where you come from?" Henry thought a moment, wondering about how they'd react, when Scoots said "We won't freak out or anything, you know. We already know you're from a different world or something."
"Well..." Henry thought about how to begin. "My world has humans. They stand on two legs and they have hands and feet." no questioning. "In the town where we lived, which was called Storybrooke, there were fairytale characters trapped in real life. I'm the grandson of a prince." Sweetie gasped. "You're royalty?!" Henry, slightly surprised and taken aback, replied "I guess." Sweetie seemed to bounce like Pinkie Pie. "We have a prince in our club!" she squealed. Scootaloo simply looked astounded for a few moments before shaking it off. "Twilight's brother is a prince, and most prince's, apart from Shining Armor, are stuck up." Scoots narrowed her eyes at Henry. "You won't go acting like the boss of us, right?"
Henry shrank back, intimidated. "Aw, cut him some slack, Scoots." Applebloom glared at her friend. "Ah really doubt that he'll go about bein' bossy. He hasn't so far. Right?" She looked over at Henry, who nodded. Scootaloo relaxed a little, but in her head she made note to watch him. She had taken a liking to him, but she still had her suspicions about the colt who had come from nowhere. Pinkie emerged from the kitchen, another tray holding cupcakes on her head. "Here you go!" she beamed at the four foals. "So, what'cha doing for crusading today?"
"Well, we haven't really planned anything..." Sweetie started, when Scoots cut in. "We didn't get to try skydiving because of Spike before. Why not do that?" Henry immedietly nodded. "That sounds fun!" He wondered what the picture would look like on his flank. Applebloom nodded ecstatically, and Sweetie had no choice to agree, knowing she was outvoted again. Pinkie beamed again. "I can give you a ride into the sky, if you want!" she pulled out a box and motioned to the door, bouncing out. Confused, the four Crusaders followed the pink mare. She set down the box and pressed a button, a hot air balloon popping out. Henry looked ar Scootaloo, confused. "Don't ask. She makes no sense." Scootaloo said. Henry looked back at the balloon, where the crusaders were filing in behind Pinkie. Well, at least it would be interesting.
It was today that Rainbow and Fluttershy decided that the older winged ponies that they had met the day before should learn to fly. "You're too old to be sent to flight camp," Dashie had said. "So we'll be teaching you to do it. Fluttershy will help you out with most of the stuff, I'm here to coach and save you if you go on a skydiving trip." Emma thought that Regina had looked slightly indigant when Dash had said this, but she still was fulfilling her goal to keep an eye on the black alicorn.
Emma trusted Fluttershy. She kept them balenced when they wavered on the clouds, she would encourage them in her kind voice, and she would assure them that they were safe with her and Rainbow. As much as Emma liked Dashie, she felt safer with Fluttershy helping her. Regina, on the other hand, snapped at Fluttershy's encouragement. Emma felt glad that the cyan pegasus reprimanded her when she nearly struck Fluttershy out of anger, although she was out of earshot, she could see clearly that the rainbow-maned mare was not taking very much of a liking to the evil queen.
All too soon, in Emma's opinion, they had to try a spiral dive and swerve through homemade cloud hoops. "It's easy when you get to learn it, and you seem to have done well enough to try this." Dash didn't even look at Regina when she said this, and Emma knew why. Fluttershy looked at Emma. "I'm sure you'll do great," Fluttershy said. "If you fall, we're here to help you." A sense of security flooded over Emma right then. "Just go when you're ready," Rainbow said. Both the pegasus and the alicorn newcomers took off once she said this. Rainbow looked at Fluttershy, and without words the same thought was exchanged; Lets hope they make it through.
Emma wavered slightly, aiming for the first hoop which was straight down. Making it through with ease, she felt as if she could overcome anything. She had never flown before, being a human, and now she realized how strong she felt. The adrenaline she had felt when chasing Baelfire was nothing compared to the excitement she felt now. She began to realize a pattern in her flight; flap, thrust, altitude, cloud. Instinctively, although she hadn't known this before, she knew that as long as she kept that pattern, she would fly fine. Sooner than later she completed the circle and landed beside Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash cleanly. Regina followed a moment later.
Rainbow looked at them with a sort of pride. "Good job, you two." she said. "You've done pretty well for first time fliers." Fluttershy nodded, her gentle smile on her face. Emma glowed with pride in herself, but she shook it off. It wont last forever anyway, she thought. A sadness overcame her with that knowledge, but she shook that off as well. Nothing could get in the way of their current mission. They had to get home.
It wasn't until about a week to their departure that Emma managed to find Twilight on her own. She had simply been wandering the clouds, flying to the farther ones and lazily parkouring the closer ones when she spotted the unicorn heading into her library. She knew the others were all busy doing other things, so Twilight would be on her own, and if not then with Spike. The assistant was usually there, but there was no reason he shouldn't know Emma's questions, and he might have some answers himself. So, Emma soon found herself landing near the tree library and knocking on the door, winding up inside beside a purple unicorn soon after.
"Something's been bugging me scince we had that meeting." Emma began. Twilight tilted an ear, and Emma pointed to the book, which still sat in the same position on the reading stand. Twilight gently used her levitation and brought over the book; it had been so long scince the incident of which it had been needed that the cover was too dim to read. "What's wrong with the book?" Twilight turned to Emma once looking it over. "Regina had taken quite an interest into one artifact," Emma stated, and flipped through the book until she found the page titled The Alicorn Amulet. Twilight showed slight alarm, and Emma felt that she was trying to keep her cool.
"This artifact is extremely dangereous," Twilight began, her voice creaking as if she was an old mare."The last time it was used was when Trixie was here. I'll explain who she is later," Twilight added as Emma opened her mouth with question. "It'll corrupt one the more they wear it, and if they're a unicorn, it'll increase their magic substantially." Emma's heart nearly stopped. If Regina got ahold of this... "Is it hidden well and safely?" Emmas eyes seemed fixed on the library behind Twilight, but her question was directed at the unicorn before her. "Very well," Twilight replied. "Zecora has it well hidden, and nopony else knows where it is except us."
Emma felt slightly releived as she heard this, but the unease continued. Regina might not stop until she found it. She could resort to murder, and if she acctually did find it... Emma didn't want to think of the terrible possibilities. It was better Regina never tried, but now she would watch her like a hawk. Every movement the black alicorn made would mean something. Emma now had her eye on her prey. She had to prevent it from keeping its objective.
Emma thanked Twilight for her help and left the library, beginning to walk toward the area of which Dashie had situated her home in the sky. She looked over to the horizon thoughtfully - and saw four shapes falling from an air balloon, parachutes opening and then closing again. Alarmed, Emma flew toward them, then realized they were the Cutie Mark Crusaders. She also realized a giant pile of popcorn below them, and Pinkie Pie flying the balloon that they had jumped from. Emma nearly went into a blind rage and laughed at the same time. I swear, that pink pony will be the end of everyone! Emma thought before flying to see if they were badly injured.
The week was up, and now all of the ponies, strangers, elements, and crusaders (after being taken to the emergency room and having a looong lecture on skydiving without a responsible moniter, no offense to Pinkie), had managed to save up bits and were buying each other tickets for the train to Canterlot. Naturally, the Crusaders all sat together, chatting exstatically about going to meet the sun and the moon princesses personally. Having only been there once, and only for Hearth's Warming Eve, the three fillies of the group had their hopes about getting a tour of the castle from Pinkie Pie or Fluttershy (mostly them being the "more fun ones").
Emma sat alone, wanting to think more and enjoy the scenery. The rest sat in larger groups, chatting about what they were going to do if the princesses did know. Mainly meeting the rulers of this land had made most of the group excited, and Blue, after hearing of Luna, wanted to hear more about her. Emma simply hoped that nothing would go wrong. As Rainbow had told her, almost every adventure they had, something bad happened. She had been told of a few of the many thing that had gone wrong, mainly the Changeling Invasion, the Discorded Town, and the Everlasting Night. Emma would have been much happier if Equestria was really the place it seemed; happy, shiny, and absolutely-nothing-could-go-wrong. Well, at least she had taken her share of licks, and would be prepared if something went wrong.
It also seemed most apparent, acctually, to Emma, that something would go wrong. It almost always did. It would be a miracle if something had gone terribly right, but if it did, it might've been a trap. That's why she was also so cautious simply in Ponyville. It had ponies that said they would protect you, then places like the Everfree which had animals who wanted to eat you, or like the Changlings who could take on the shape of a pony. It looked like a haven, but it was also a death trap. Just like the Enchanted Forest, it's a place with happy endings, but dangereous things in between those happy endings. Emma thought.
The ride seemed far too short for her liking, and she found herself getting off last, behind the crusaders. Twilight and her six friends quickly escorted the strangers to the palace, which seemed almost as big as the castles in the Enchanted Forest. Twilight had a quick word with the guards by the inner entrance, and they led them through a hallway and halted them beside two large doors; on one door, a moon was imprinted, on the other was a sun. One of the guards slid between the two doors, too fast for the strange group to see what lay on the other side. Quiet whispers were heard before the doors were opened, and two large alicorns stepped out, one white, the other navy blue.
Emma looked up at the alicorns before them. They were a few steps lower from the sun and moon princesses. Seeing most of the main ponies stooping into a bow, she began to do so as well, unsure of the customs in Canterlot. The white alicorn, Celestia, motioned with her wing for the bowing ponies to stand. Luna looked at the strangers, then at Twilight; it was clear to Emma once she saw this that the two had a bond, most likely just friends or penpals and rarely saw each other. Twilight looked back at Luna, and Luna nodded. "Luna, Celestia, can we talk with you in more private quarters? what has to be heard must be for our ears only, not anypony else, for safety." Twilight said. Celestia nodded and motioned for the group to follow them into the hallway that had been closed before, and Pinkie Pie took the Crusaders away to a different area to play, with a guard watching them upon request.
They reached an enclosed room with stained glass pictures all around. All told a story, but Emma was too anxious to admire the beauty of them at the moment. Perhaps when she was calmer, but not right now; there were matters to be discussed. Celestia turned to them. "Has something dire happened?" Celestia's gaze raked over the ponies before her, glazed with worry, like a mother for her foals. Emma realized that the princess of the sun treated her subjects like her children, always watching out for them, protecting them, and she trusted these ponies to warn her if something had happened. All five leftover mares who led the newcomers shook their heads.
"These ponies come from a different world," Twilight said. "They need to get back home." Charming stepped forward, carried out formal introduction, then explained what he could. Celestia's gaze stuck on Gold and Blue. "So, you two brought them here?" the princesses voice was gentle and curious, not hostile or angry. Both nodded. "It should be, then, that you could take yourselves home, shouldn't it?" Gold shook his head. "It's not as easy as that, my dear." Luna tilted her head. "How cometh?" she asked. "The magic here is very much different to the magic that we're used to. It might take us to a world even worse than this one if we try, or even put an end to us." Gold replied. Not very many people would miss you, Emma thought bitterly.
"We were wondering, possibly, if you had any spell that might take us back, or at least one step closer to getting home, such as back to Storybrooke." Emma stepped up. Luna bit her lip, folded her ears back, and shrank back, seeming much smaller to them. Celestia looked at Luna questioningly, and Luna sighed. "There used to be a tome holding a spell that might've helped you today, but when I became Nightmare Moon, I destroyed it, cleanly out of blind rage." unable to look at the ponies, she looked down at her hooves guiltily. The light that lit Celestia's eyes hadn't dimmed yet. "The tome must still rest somewhere, possibly somewhere else in Equestria." Now all the ponies looked at each other, hopeful once more.
"It would be pure luck if so," Regina had spoken up suddenly. "And if it did exist, somewhere, is it possible that there are only a few places we can sum up for it to possibly be?" Emma winced at Regina's many uses of the word "possible", but she had to admit that the queen had a point. She sighed though. This mission might've been more difficult than she thought. Such a nice place could have evil, and that evil might've destroyed the only chance they'd had at getting home.
*****
It was a long time before the discicion was made that they would look in the oldest known libraries in Equestria for the tome, and now the group was walking down the hall in silence. Emma opened the doors to the outside, trotted down the steps, followed by the others - and was knocked down by four flying foals. A blue blur landed atop her, and Henry laughed as he landed atop Emma. "Well? we surprised you, right?" Emma couldn't help but smile at her son's optimism, and she gently pushed him off so she could get up, and then saw that AJ, Rainbow and Rarity had been knocked over by their sisters, and that Rainbow was now tickling Scoots as a punishment for startling her. "Okay! I'm sorry!" the orange filly yelled between laughs, and Emma's smile widened. Yes, they had a long quest ahead of them, but the hell would be entered once heaven was finished with being explored.
