Pony Force

Chapters

Prologue: Darkness Stirs
Chapter 1: The Journey Begins
Chapter 2: Escape From Ponyville
Chapter 3: Fire And Ice
Chapter 4: The Forgotten Past

Prologue: Darkness Stirs

Princess Celestia wanders tirelessly through her castle, unable to shake a feeling that Equestria is about to see a greater foe than anything her subjects have seen before; worse than Discord, the Changelings or even King Sombra.

As she wanders, she runs into her sister, Luna. “You look troubled, sister. What can we do to help?” She observed with a worried tone, Celestia looks out of a window. “It may be nothing, Luna, but I fear that we will be seeing the return of our greatest enemy, one that hasn't been seen in over a thousand years.” She tells her younger sister, who is shocked by this premonition. “You're talking about the demon Starswirl and his companions sealed...” Celestia looks back to Luna and nods.

Elsewhere, a gray Pegasus and two brown Unicorns enter the ruins of a shrine and begin searching for something. “Be careful, there may be traps scattered about this place.” The gray Pegasus warns his henchmen before they split up. He spots a button on a wall and taking his own warning earnestly, he pulls out a tree branch from his saddle bag and pushes in the button. The ruins start shaking and the sound of a stone door sliding opening emanates near the gray Pegasus. The Unicorns return to their leader and one casts a light spell to illuminate the new passageway. “Onyx, stay here and keep the exit lit.”

Back in the castle, Celestia and Luna are in the kitchen having a late night snack of cake provided by Ponyville's Sugarcube Corner to help alleviate the tension. They both feel the earth shake a little. “What was that?” A laugh echoes in the kitchen. “You didn't think that feeble old wizard could keep us imprisoned forever, did you, Celestia?” A malevolent voice spoke. “Remember what we said all those centuries ago?” The two Princesses' heart rates increase. “The Dragon shall rise again...” The disembodied voice laughs again before vanishing. “The Elements of Harmony must be put into action immediately.” Celestia tells her sister.

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

Twilight Sparkle wakes from a good night's sleep, hops out of bed and tries to wake up Spike. “Good morning, sleepyhead. Time to get the day started.” Spike grumbles, rolls over and goes back to sleep. Twilight chuckles as she heads downstairs to organize her books when Pinkie Pie barges into the library all nervous and scared. “Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here so early?” Twilight inquires with a yawn.

Her Pinkie Sense shakes her over to Twilight, who recognized this as the doozy. "Is it really that bad?" Twilight asks. They hear Spike belch upstairs and Twilight can't believe it. “Spike! What did I tell you about manners?!” She scolds. "What do you suppose this is about, Pinkie?" Twilight returns her attention to the pink mare, who simply shrugs. "It's a doozy, that's all I know."

Spike walks down with a letter in his hand. “Excuse me, Twilight, but you have a letter from Celestia.” Twilight takes the scroll with her magic, opens it and starts reading. “Dear Twilight Sparkle, I have had a feeling of dread all night last night. I feel like something terrible is about to happen and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Please, gather the Elements of Harmony and meet me at the castle.” She lets the contents of the letter sink in and is scared herself. “Pinkie, we need to find the others!” She salutes Twilight. “Okey, dokey, lokey!” She says as her Pinkie Sense shakes her out of the library.

The six were gathered at the station, waiting for the train to begin boarding. “What do you suppose the Princess is afraid of?” Rainbow Dash asks. Twilight shakes her head. “I don't know, but I have a feeling Pinkie knows something.” Pinkie Pie looks confused. “Just because I know a bad vibe doesn't mean I know what it means.” She says. “We believe ya, Sugarcube.” Applejack assures her, wrapping a foreleg around her.

“ALL ABOARD!” The engineer yells out. The six lined up to enter and see an earth pony coming up to the door at the same time. “Oh, I'm sorry. Please, ladies first.” The gentlecolt says, bowing and revealing a sword strapped to his back. “Hey! You're not supposed to carry those things on the train.” Twilight says. The engineer comes up to the group. “Is there a problem here?” Twilight tells him about the sword. “You must be Flint, am I right?” The earth pony nods. “He's okay, ladies. Princess Celestia has given us orders to let him on board with his weapon." Still remaining suspicious, Twilight and the others board the train with Flint following closely.

The six have found their respective seats, and as it happens, Twilight and Applejack were seated across from Flint who is putting his sword in the overhead compartment. Twilight was relieved to see this, she thought that he was going to take it out and start killing ponies. He takes his seat and glances over at Twilight. “Oh, hello again.” He greets her, offering a hoofshake, Twilight accepts it so as not to give the wrong impression. “I'm Twilight Sparkle. You're Flint, right?” He nods. “Yes. I was in Las Pegasus when Princess Celestia summoned me. I can't imagine why I deserve the honor of going to Canterlot.” He tells her. Twilight blushes. “I'm her personal student,” she said, impressing Flint right away. “So I imagine you would have something important to share with her.” It sounded logical, but at the same time, he didn't know what would be important. “Maybe.” Flint adds.

The two have been talking the entire time and Twilight loses all of her distrust for the new pony. The train stops at Canterlot and the passengers begin to exit the train. Just like when they boarded, Flint lets the six leave first, with Twilight in front of Flint. He looks up at the castle, hangs his head and sighs. “What's wrong, Flint?” Twilight asks. “I haven't been in Celestia's territory in a long time... I just wonder if I still know anypony...” She raises an eyebrow. “Surely you haven't been outside of Equestria for that long.” He shakes his head. “Longer than you think. I was found abandoned in a Zebra village and was raised by them. They taught me how to forge weapons and tools and taught me their fighting style. When I became old enough to undertake their rite of passage, they told me about Equestria and I dedicated the rest of my life to find out who my parents were and why they decided to leave me there.” Now Twilight's confused. “How long have you been in Equestria, anyway?” Six months he says. “Hmm... we'll figure it out.” Then she thinks. “Hopefully we can find your parents.” He nods.

The seven enter the castle and proceed to the throne room where Celestia awaits. “Thank you all for coming, especially you, Flint. Your knowledge in Equestrian history will play a vital role in this task.” Twilight looks at Flint strangely. “You've studied Equestrian history?” He nods. “Yes, even though he has spent his whole life outside of Equestria, he was able to acquire the knowledge of our history.” The Princess explains, and Twilight is still dumbfounded. “How?” Flint shrugs. “Exported books. I find history fascinating. While I was searching for my parents, I also decided to explore ancient ruins.” Twilight's suspicions for Flint returned. “Oh don't worry, I'm an explorer, not a pillager.” She still doesn't believe him. “Princess, would you care to explain why we're all here?” Twilight finally asks. Celestia descends to the group. “Follow me.”

The group makes their way to the Canterlot Library and stop at a wing familiar to Twilight Sparkle and Pinkie Pie. “Ooh! Is this where we were when-” Twilight covers Pinkie's mouth. “Please don't bring that up. And yes, this is the Starswirl the Bearded wing.” Flint's jaw drops when he hears the name. “THE Starswirl the Bearded?” Celestia uses her magic to open the lock on the door and they enter the room.

Celestia stops in front of a book case and turns to the group. “Long before my sister became Nightmare Moon, there was beast of unspeakable power that tried to, and nearly succeeded in destroying Equestria and its neighbors. Needless to say, it was defeated by a group of heroes led by Starswirl himself... with two being Flint's ancestors.” She explains and Flint does not believe her. “My ancestors were heroes? No way... I'm outta here.” He starts walking out of the room, and Twilight raises a foreleg toward him. “Wait, Flint!” He's already gone. “Let him be, Twilight.” Celestia tells her. “He may not want to believe right now, but eventually, he will.” Twilight turns back to her teacher. “This beast you mentioned, it's coming back, isn't it?” She nods. “So that's what it meant!” Pinkie Pie exclaims, first looking cheerful, then scared. “Where was it sealed, exactly?” Twilight asks. “Beneath Canterlot... long before it was founded. Myself, Luna and Starswirl cast a spell to seal the creature, but it has grown weaker. Twilight, I want you and the others to go to the shrine near the old castle where you freed Luna. There is an artifact there that I fear may have been taken.” Twilight nods. “We'll check it out, Princess.”

The group leaves the library, knowing where their initial task will lead them, but Twilight doesn't want to leave without Flint. “Hmm... if I were a pony in doubt of my heritage, where would I be?” She asks herself out loud. Pinkie Pie points to Flint, who's going to Joe's doughnut shop. “Ooh, I know!” With the exception of Pinkie Pie skipping, they walk to Joe's.

They enter the shop after Flint, who found himself a seat at the counter. “Flint, we're not leaving without you.” Twilight says and Flint sets down his doughnut. “Have you ever been in the Everfree Forest?” He turns to them. “No. What's so special about that place?” Twilight starts smiling. “It's loaded with ruins. Celestia told us to go to a shrine in there.” He walked right into that when he told them that he likes exploring ruins. “Fine... let's go.” He pays Joe for the doughnut, picks it up and they walk out of the shop.

Before they return to Ponyville, Flint thought he should be properly introduced to the others since he's more familiar with Twilight Sparkle. “Flint, these are my friends: Applejack-” She walks up to him and shakes his hoof. “Howdy, pardner!” She says before walking back to Twilight. “Pinkie Pie-” Pinkie hops up to him and hugs him. “Are you excited, because I'm excited-” Twilight pulls her away from him. “Sorry about that. Rarity-” She walks up to him. “Pleasure to meet you. You must be quite the lady killer, aren't you?” Flint rubs the back of his head with his leg and chuckles nervously. “Rainbow Dash-” She hovers near him. “Hiya!” She says. Twilight uses her telekinesis to bring Fluttershy into view. “And this is Fluttershy.” He smiles. “It's a pleasure to meet all of you, now what do you say we check out those ruins?”

The seven enter the Everfree Forest, but they weren't alone. “I vote we go back...” Fluttershy says, Flint didn't like the idea of continuing either, but they had to. Fluttershy screams, all eyes are averted to her direction, she was knocked over by a monster. Flint rushes, pulling out his sword with his mouth and kills the monster with a single blow before holstering the sword. “Are you alright?” He asks the stunned Pegasus as he helps her back up. “Y...yes. Th-thank you...” He turns to Twilight. “What was that thing?” She asked. Flint shook his head. “I'm not entirely sure myself.” He turns his attention back to Fluttershy, making sure she didn't get injured. “Whatever it was, it wasn't from the forest.” Fluttershy says before shrieking. The others turn and see a Cockatrice. Flint was ready to pull out his sword again, but Fluttershy stops him. “It's okay, I know this Cockatrice.” Flint relaxes as Fluttershy walks up to it. The creature beckons the group to follow it. “This wouldn't be the dumbest thing I did.” Flint remarks as they follow the Cockatrice.

The Cockatrice takes them to their destination. “You don't suppose this is where Celestia wanted us to be, do you?” The Cockatrice takes them to a statue of a Pegasus cowering in a corner and returns it to flesh. “Hey! What's going on?” The Pegasus says with confusion. He darts his head around, looking for his companions. “Where are they? Wait... I remember something.” Flint walks up to him and looks him in the eye. “Treat. It's always a pleasure to see you.” Flint greets the Pegasus sarcastically. “Do you two know each other?” Rarity asks. “Oh yeah. Me, Treat and Baltimare Bill were exploring ruins near Trottingham a couple of months ago. When things went bad, you deserted us, Treat.” The Pegasus chuckled nervously and tried to fly away, but Rainbow Dash stopped him, pinning him down. “I heard he was a criminal.” Twilight adds. “One that pillages historical sites and sells his stolen treasure to the highest bidder.” Treat continues to chuckle nervously. “I can explain.” Flint closes the gap and looks him in the eye. “Then start explaining.”

Before he could start, they hear a monstrous roar coming from the forest. “That sounded like an Ursa.” Twilight says, recognizing the roar. The creature that pops out from the trees was an Ursa Major. “I hate it when I'm right.” Twilight adds. “There's something wrong with this one.” Flint pulls out his sword and readies himself for battle. “Let Treat go, RD.” Flint orders the rainbow-maned Pegasus. “You run away, and I will kill you myself.” Flint continues, threatening his former colleague. Treat floats above him with a dagger in his mouth. “Not this time, Flint.” The earth pony and the Pegasus charge the Ursa Major; Twilight and Rarity use their magic to aid the two; Pinkie Pie uses her party cannon and apples are thrown by Applejack to distract the Ursa from Flint and Treat's attack.

The two deliver a deadly blow to the Ursa with the aid of the Elements of Harmony, and it explodes in a cloud of red smoke. “Is everypony okay?” He asks. They all confirm that they are with Fluttershy being very distraught. “Do Ursa do that?” Flint asks openly. “I've done some research on them a few years ago, but my book didn't say anything them turning into smoke upon death.” Flint eyes Treat, walks up to him and hits him across the face with his foreleg, knocking the Pegasus down. “Flint!” Twilight exclaims as she separates the two with her telekinesis. “Do you have any idea what they did to Bill? He had family for Celestia's sake!” Applejack walks between the two and gives them both a stern look. “Listen, sugarcube...” She starts, looking at Flint. “Y'all can argue about what happened a couple of months ago, but we'd prefer if ya'd focus on the here and now.” Flint was still furious, but the mare had a point. “When this is over, we're having a long talk.” Twilight releases her magical grip on the two. “Treat, why were you here in the first place?” Twilight asks calmly. “Celestia ordered me here to find an item of historical significance. She said something about it being a part of the 'Reharmonizer' or something.” Both Twilight and Flint's eyes beamed when he said that. “The Reharmonizer?” They both ask. “Yeah... you two know something about it?”

Twilight and Flint step to the side, and let the others talk to Treat. “The Reharmonizer was the sword Starswirl created to seal up the demon, wasn't it?” He asks, Twilight confirms. “Yes. He made it using two additional swords: the Sword of Harmony and the Sword of Chaos, which were given-” Flint knew what she was going to say next. “They were given to the husband/wife members. Fearing that the Sword of Chaos would eat away the spirit of the wielder, the husband volunteered to carry it while his wife carried the Sword of Harmony.” He finishes, then he moves his cape to reveal his cutie mark: a rainbow-colored sword on top of a sun. Twilight immediately recognizes it. “That's the Reharmonizer!” Something came to Flint as if it were prophecy. “The husband and wife didn't just carry the swords, they WERE the swords. Which means Celestia was right... I'm their descendent.”

Chapter 2: Escape From Ponyville

The revelation was too much for Flint. Twilight began questioning Treat as they returned to Ponyville. “Was there anything else here besides the piece of the Reharmonizer?” She asks, and Treat started thinking as he gave her the guard. “I believe there was... I think it was some kind of crystal... it was embedded in a wall.” Treat looked at Flint unsure if he should continue with the party, or if he should leave. “I'm sure my presence here is unnecessary-” Twilight glares at him. “As if we're going to let you leave so you can pillage more artifacts...” Treat chuckles nervously. “Yeah... about that. I was a lot worse before I met Flint. I used to rob people in broad daylight. He caught me when I tried robbing him and he beat me up so badly that I was hospitalized for a couple of weeks.” Flint scoffs. “Not my best moment, and this was when I first arrived in Equestria.” He adds. “You've known each other that long?” Flint nods. “Yeah, and we met Baltimare Bill a month later. By the way, Flint...” It was Treat's turn to glare at Flint. “I gave the relic back to Trottingham, and this was before I knew what happened to you and Bill.” Twilight was curious. “What exactly happened to Bill?” Flint shakes his head. “You don't want to know... it's too gruesome to explain.” Twilight looks to Treat and he nods. “He's right.” Everyone is horrified to hear this.

The team of eight enter Ponyville as the sun was setting. “We'll see y'all in the mornin'!” Applejack says before walking off, followed by Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Fluttershy. “Treat... Flint...” Twilight begins nervously. “I'm sure neither of you have a place to stay for the night...” Rainbow Dash races to Treat's side. “I'll take him to my place, Twi.” She then darts to Twilight's side. “Maybe you and Flint can exchange facts.” She concludes while poking Twilight with her foreleg.” Rainbow Dash pushes Twilight closer to Flint and she takes off with Treat. “Awkward...” Twilight says while rubbing the back of her head. “Tell me about it...” The two head towards Twilight's library.

Twilight opens the door, turns on the lights and the two walk in. Flint examines the bookcases and chuckles. “Daring Do... I've read every one of these. It's my favorite series.” He continues examining the cases and finds another one of his favorites. “You have 'The Pony Thing”? Twilight walks up beside him and shrugs. “I'm not much into the horror genre, but I've got several titles for the ponies who do.” He chuckles. “If you've never read it, you owe it to yourself. Not only is it a monster story, but also a psychological thriller.” She walks toward the stairs and sees Spike falling down them. Flint looks over at the young Dragon lying on his face. “Spike! Are you alright?” He picks himself up and dusts himself off. “I'm fine. You got a letter from Celestia a couple of hours ago asking you to go to Trottingham to recover another relic.” Spike tells her. “Ah! I found that book on the Reharmonizer.” Flint says, grabbing the book by the binding with his teeth and taking it over to the table. “Who is this?” Spike asks before being introduced.

Flint stands next to Twilight as she flips through the pages. “Why do I have a feeling that the relic in Trottingham is the same one we found?” She stops flipping through the pages. “According to this, the sword had three components: the hilt, the guard, which is in our possession and the blade itself.” Twilight reads and Flint nods. “Yeah, the hilt was made of silver. So we did find it. What about the blade?” The two look over the book more. “Hmm... it doesn't say much about the blade.” Twilight observes as she continues to glance through the book. “Oh, here's something. 'When the six become one, the blade will emerge.' Six become one?” Flint shakes his head. “I'm sure it means the Elements of Harmony.” Flint sits down and rubs his chin. “What exactly happens when you use them?” Twilight thinks about how to best summarize the event. “Well... we take formation and our combined energy envelopes and banishes evil.” Flint stands back up and thinks for a moment. “Then that would mean that the energy would have to be concentrated on the wielder of the Reharmonizer so it can manifest itself.” Twilight floats the guard out of her saddlebag and sets it on the table.

There was a knocking on the door. “Come in!” Twilight yells. The door opens and Princess Luna enters. “Hello, your majesty.” Twilight greets her and Flint kneels. “Flint, please rise. You may relax in our presence.” Flint does. “Of course, ma'am.” Twilight walks up to her. “What brings you over here?” Luna looks at the table and sees the guard. “Is that the guard of the Reharmonizer?” Twilight nods. “Yes, your majesty. The location of the hilt is in Trottingham. Though I don't know if Flint and Treat would be welcome there after what happened two months ago.” Luna nods. “Yes. Rest for the night. I will tell the mayor of Trottingham to expect their presence and explain what is going on.” Flint walks up to the Princess. “Thank you, your majesty. We will leave first thing in the morning.” After that, Luna leaves the library. “Come on, Flint. Let's get some shuteye.”

Flint wakes up to the sound of explosions. The library shook a bit from the shock waves. “WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!” Spike yells as he scrambles to get things together. Flint hops out of the bed and straps his sword to his side. He looks to the empty bed across from his own. “Where's Twilight?” He picks up Spike and sets him on his back. “She's downstairs gathering supplies.” Flint races down and sees Twilight packing things. He takes the guard off of the table and puts it in her saddlebag. “Come on! We don't have time for this!” He grabs Twilight and rushes out of the library.

The two are greeted by a bipedal beast. It was no taller than Flint, but it was stocky and looked really tough. Twilight quickly uses her levitation spell to throw the creature to the side. “Nice. Let's get moving.” Twilight and Flint race to the train station. On their way, they run into Applejack and the others. “Not this way. Those things are all over the train. Follow us.” The five race through the town when suddenly the attackers are being attacked from above. “Look!” Twilight exclaims pointing toward the sky. “I was wondering where Rainbow Dash and Treat were.” It wasn't just those two Pegasi, there was a battalion of them aiming lightning at the attackers. Rainbow Dash and Treat land by their friends. “Sorry it took so long, we started recruiting Pegasi.” No kidding, Flint thought. “It looks like you've got the entire city of Cloudsdale to join you.” He said. “Oh that. When Spitfire heard about what was going on, she rounded up the Wonderbolts and brought them here.” Flint was impressed again. “We need to get out of here. Rainbow Dash, you and Treat continue helping the Pegasi with the assault, save as many ponies as possible and when you're done, meet us at Dodge.” Rainbow Dash salutes him. “On it!” She takes off. “Good luck, Flint.” Treat says before following Rainbow Dash.

The coast was clear. Flint, Twilight and the others come upon a carriage with Big Macintosh at the front. Twilight levitates Spike off of Flint and onto her back before getting into the carriage with the others. Flint quickly attaches himself to the carriage and looks at Big Macintosh. “Ready?” He nods. “Yup.” The two start galloping out of Ponyville toward Rambling Rock Ridge.

Inside the carriage, Twilight and the others start talking about Flint. “Ah've got a feelin' we shouldn't trust Flint or that Pegasus fella... what was his name again?” Twilight is confused. “His name is Treat. Why shouldn't we trust Flint?” Applejack points out the window. “They're takin' us to the ridge. It's a death trap if there's a rock slide.” She notes. “Maybe he has his reason.” Fluttershy responds. Twilight looks at the yellow Pegasus and smiles. “Maybe that's his reason. If there is, Rarity and I will be able to hurl the boulders at anything in our path.” Rarity fixes her mane. “I don't know about that, Twilight. My levitation spell isn't as powerful as yours. Say what you will about him, he may look rough, but he's a true gentlecolt.” The others chuckle. “Smitten are we?” Twilight asks and Rarity blushes. “I can't be the only one who thinks so. He could've stayed overnight with any of us... except for Rainbow Dash, of course, but he chose to spend the night with you.” She says to Twilight. “I suppose, but we really shouldn't judge him so soon. We've only known him for a few days.

Dawn was breaking, Applejack looks outside of the carriage and sees that they've made it to the ridge. Outside of the carriage, Big Macintosh glances at Flint and is impressed by the smaller pony's endurance, but also worried by his choice in routes. "Everything will be fine." He assures Mac, then sees a horde of creatures ahead of them. "Hey, ladies! How does it look behind us?" Twilight sticks her head out of the window, looks behind and sees another horde of creatures. "Not good!" She says. Flint looks up at the sky. "Come on, Treat... where are you?" He says under his breath and to his surprise, Treat and Rainbow Dash start flying toward the carriage and end up locked at the carriage's sides. "Sorry it took so long, Flint." Treat apologizes. "How about we take over?" Rainbow Dash adds. "Sounds good to me, what do you think?" Flint asks Big Mac. "Yup." He replies and the two earth ponies unhitch themselves and hop into the carriage as Treat and Rainbow Dash hitch themselves and fly out of the ridge. "Hey, Flint!" Treat yells. Flint sticks his head out of the window and looks at the Pegasus. "What?!" He yells. "We found a couple of old friends willing to help us out!" He yells as a dark blue Pegasus flies past. "Was that Thunderhooves?!" Flint asks. "Yeah!" Treat answers. "Then Afterburner's here too!" He comments as a volley of fireballs strike the side of the mountain, causing the rockslide Applejack was worried about.

The two Pegasi lifting the carriage land on the other side of the horde, next to a red Unicorn with an orange mane and tail. He was glad to see Flint was alright as he and Big Macintosh exit the carriage and help the mares out. "You always had a thing for the ladies, Flint." The unicorn comments. After everyone left the carriage, Flint walks over to his friend and gives him a hoof bump, then a hug. "Good to see you again, Afterburner. Allow me to introduce you to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony." He introduces Afterburner to them one by one. "A pleasure to meet you." He says. "Lady Rarity, I presume." He says, taking her hoof. "Word of your beauty has spread far and wide, but they hardly do you justice." Adding, giving her a kiss on the hoof. Rarity giggles like a schoolfilly. Flint clears his throat. "I'm afraid this isn't the time to be the ladies' stallion, Burner. We've got problems." Afterburner gives Rarity a wink before focusing his attention on Flint. "Don't we all?" He asks rhetorically.

Thunderhooves, Treat and Rainbow Dash land next to the others. "The path is clear, Flint." Thunderhooves says. Applejack walks over to her brother. "Mac, Ah think ya should get back to Ponyville and clean up any stragglers." Big Macintosh simply nods. "Yup." He says before galloping back to Ponyville. "We haven't seen you since Trottingham." Afterburner comments. "What have you been up to?" He adds, hoping for a little bit of conversation as they continue down the road. "Drifting from town to town. I ended up in Las Pegasus before being summoned by Celestia." Both Afterburner and Thunderhooves' eyes widen. "Celestia?" Thunderhooves asks. "Why are you going this way?" He adds and Rainbow Dash hovers next to them. "Yeah, we don't need to go to Dodge, but rather Baltimare." She contributes. "That's right. If we're to get the next piece of the Reharmonizer, we need to take a ferry to Trottingham." Twilight says, Afterburner and Thunderhooves both wince at the idea. "Considering what happened, that's probably not a good idea." Thunderhooves says. "It wouldn't be if Princess Luna hadn't gone there to tell them to expect our arrival." Afterburner nods in defeat. "You got a point there. Next stop, Baltimare."

The group divert eastbound to the port city of Baltimare. Treat hovers beside Flint, who was taking point, as the wingless ponies gallop to their destination since the axles on the carriage were busted on the landing. "Have you been to Baltimare since...?" Treat asks. Flint shakes his head. "Not yet. It's going to be a painful visit, I'm sure." He responds. "His family is going to want us dead for that and you know it." Flint continues. Treat nods slowly. "Yeah..."

Rainbow Dash was flying beside Thunderhooves in the back of the group. "You don't suppose they're talking about Bill, do you?" She asks as quietly as possible. "That would be a strong possibility, Rainbow Dash." Thunderhooves answers. "Do you know anything about that?" She asks. Thunderhooves shakes his head. "No. Flint and I met after that. He's a good stallion, his heart's always been in the right place. Sometimes bad things happen and there's nothing you can do to stop it." Rainbow Dash nods in agreement.

Flint had called Twilight up to the front with him. "What's up?" She asks. "You don't happen to know any attack spells, do you?" The question shocked the purple Unicorn. "Heavens no. I never felt like I needed to know any." Flint shakes his head. "That's alright, Miss Sparkle, but we'll be needing as much magical support as we need physical and you seem to excel in magic." This statement makes her blush. "I don't like to brag, but I do know many spells." She says. Flint nods. "When we get to Baltimare, talk to Afterburner. I'm sure he'll help you learn a couple of fire spells." He says, looking at Twilight as if she didn't want to have any part of that. "You'll need them. Trust me."

The group slowly approach Baltimare as they see clouds of smoke rising from the city. "Sweet Celestia!" Afterburner shouts. "Treat!" Flint shouts for his Pegasus friend who flutters next to him. "You and Rainbow Dash find Bill's family and make they're safe. Everypony pair up and help any survivors you find." He commands. Applejack with Afterburner; Rarity with Fluttershy; Pinkie Pie with Thunderhooves and Flint with Twilight Sparkle.

Chapter 3: Fire And Ice

The town was swarming with monsters, some cockatrice, a few serpents and manticores, all led by what appeared to be an earth pony in a sinister looking suit of armor and mask. Flint peeks around a vacant hotel and sizes up the situation. "How does it look?" Flint pulls back to the blind side of the building, thinking a manticore saw him. "Well... I've dealt with worse." He replies. "At least there aren't any dragons." He adds in a chipper tone. "What do we do?" Twilight asks. Flint bobs his head thinking. "Do you know any protective spells?" Twilight nods. "I do, in fact. I learned one from my brother a while back." Flint steps away from the building as Twilight encases him in a shield. "You're not going to charge head on, are you?" She asks. Flint shakes his head. "No. I'm going to see if I can at least find Afterburner. We need some attack magic. If you know an invisibility spell, now would be a great time to use it." He says before bolting into the battlefield. Twilight hears the roar of a manticore, they know he's out there now and she takes Flint's advice and renders herself invisible and instead of staying behind, she quietly follows Flint... after all, he didn't tell her to stay put.

Flint effortlessly avoids attacks from the manticores when, speak of the devil, Afterburner and Applejack get into view. "Now would be a good time to do your thing, Burner!" Flint yells, prompting an initial volley of fireballs aimed at the manticores behind him. Applejack runs past Flint and delivers a lethal blow to two of the manticores. Flint readies his sword and finishes a third. In the sky, they see Thunderhooves, Treat and Rainbow Dash attacking a group of cockatrice.

They finally catch the attention of their masked leader. "How noble of you..." He says with a distorted voice. "Evacuate the citizens before attacking the monsters." Flint starts digging at the ground and snorts in anger. "I don't know who you are, but anypony willing to attack their own does not deserve to live." Out of nowhere, several more manticores appear with a sudden volley of ice spears attacking the new beasts. Flint and the others look to see where they came from; they came from a Unicorn.

The new addition to the battle prompted the antagonist to retreat. "Until next time..." He says before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. "Dang it!" Flint yells. His anger dissolved as he walks up to the Unicorn. Speaking of Unicorns, Twilight Sparkle cancels the invisibility spell and walks up beside Flint. Afterburner was already talking to her, he sees Flint coming and clears his throat. "Flint, this is Ice Floe." He introduces her and the two shake hooves. "Thanks for the assist." He begins. "Is it safe to assume you two have a history?" He asks. Both Afterburner and Ice Floe nod. "We do." Afterburner answers. "But we haven't seen each other for a couple of years." She adds, slapping Afterburner across the face. Flint winces. "I don't think I want to know what that was for..." He comments, looks over at Twilight and looks back at Afterburner. "Hey, Burner. When you get the chance, teach Twilight some fire spells." He says, trying to break the tension. Ice Floe looks over at Afterburner and over to Twilight. "How about some ice spells as well?" She inquired. Flint smiles as he looks at a nervous Twilight. "It won't hurt. What do you think?" She resigned herself to the imminent spells. "I guess not..."

Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rarity finally join the group. "The ponies are all safe." Rarity says as she fixes her mane. "Two fillies wanted to join us." She adds as they spread apart to reveal a mother and her daughter. Flint recognized the two as Baltimare Bill's family and felt his throat swell up. The others take notice. "Come on now, let's leave these three be." Applejack says, getting everyone else away from the scene.

The mother walks up to Flint and glares at him. "I should be mad at you for letting my husband die like that, Flint." She begins with an irritated tone, but she, and the daughter give him a hug instead. "But you risked your life to save this town. Bill would've done the same. Thank you." She adds, releasing her grip and wiping away a tear from Flint's eye. "We're due in Trottingham..." Flint says. "Treat and I will be met with a lot of hatred, but they have something we need." Twilight rushes up to Flint. "Sorry to interrupt, but I've got some bad news." Flint looks to her, seeing she's pointing toward the harbor. He looks there and sees smoke... a lot of smoke. He scans the harbor. "They burned all the ships." He finally says. "We won't be going to Trottingham from here." Twilight adds. Rarity walks up to them with a smile. "I might know somepony who can help." She says, getting a chuckle out of Twilight. "Fancy Pants, right?" She asks. Rarity nods. Flint looks back to Bill's wife. "I'll come back as soon as I can." He promised her. "But right now we need to head back to Canterlot." He finishes. Both Twilight and Rarity nod in agreement. "Yes, but first, I think we should take a breather." Flint shakes his head, but resigns to the decision.

Later that morning, Twilight, Afterburner and Ice Floe are gathered in a remote part of the city to teach Twilight some spells. Afterburner demonstrates a low level fire spell, one he regularly uses in his volleys. He lifts a watermelon with his levitation magic and places it on a tree stump. "You try it." He says, encouraging her. Twilight concentrates and a fireball appears in front of her horn. She looks at it, then at the watermelon and hurls the fireball at it, scorching the fruit. "Not bad, Twilight." He compliments. "Floe, your turn." He says, passing Twilight to Ice Floe. Afterburner walks out to the tree stump and creates a fireball. "Observe, Twilight." She says. The fireball is flung to her and she freezes it and levitates the newly frozen fireball to them. "My goodness. I've never seen anything like that." Twilight comments. Ice Floe hurls the frozen fireball at Afterburner, who dodges it. "For Celestia's sake, Floe!" He yells. The two mares giggle. "You try it." Floe suggests. "Alright, but I won't be throwing it at Afterburner." Twilight says, relieving the poor Unicorn. "Thank you, Twilight." He says before conjuring another fireball and hurling it at Twilight. She freezes the fireball and lets it land next to her. Afterburner and Ice Floe would continue to pass Twilight back and forth during the remainder of their session.

It was mid-afternoon. Twilight had finished her initial training, learning both low level ice and fire spells. Baltimare officials were kind enough to lend a large carriage to the group. It took three Pegasi to lift the seven wingless ponies. Thunderhooves was put in the front with Treat and Fluttershy providing support. Rainbow Dash was tasked with scouting for unfriendlies.

"Afterburner, Ice Floe..." Rarity says, gaining the attention of the Unicorns. "How did the two of you meet?" They look at each other, smiles appearing on their faces. "We attended the same classes for many years back in Canterlot." Floe begins, placing a hoof on Burner's leg. "He'd contribute to many Winter Wrap Ups with his fire spells and I'd manipulate where the melting snow would go." She continues. Afterburner nods. "Yes. Sometimes we'd also help the Canterlot Pegasi with rain water. It wasn't very often, but every little bit helps." He says before lowering his head. "Then things changed. It was roughly the same time Twilight left for Ponyville when I took a train to Las Pegasus." He says, getting a nod from Floe. "Oh my! You two haven't seen each other for that long?" Twilight asks. "Yes, but it was by choice." Afterburner answered. "There was an accident in Canterlot that was caused by our combined magic. Most of the citizens didn't hold a grudge, but we felt if we were to separate, nothing like that would happen again." Floe explained. Twilight started thinking. "Maybe these events are a sign that you two should be together again."

Flint looks out of the window. "Are we getting close to Ponyville?" Twilight asks. Flint nods and look back at her. "Yeah. It doesn't look very good though." He shoots back, getting Twilight to look out the window, seeing many of the homes lay in ruin. It wasn't a total loss as she sees her library was still intact. "We should see how bad it really is." Flint continued. "Hopefully there aren't any casualties." He says, waving a hoof to get the attention of the Pegasi. "Land!" He shouts.

The Pegasi land in the town square and unhitch themselves from the carriage. Flint and Afterburner exit the carriage, helping the mares out. Rainbow Dash flies to Flint's side. "Bad news, a lot of the buildings are toast; good news, it doesn't look like anypony is seriously injured, but I haven't found everypony" She reports. Twilight and her friends leave the group. "Where do you suppose they're going?" Afterburner asks. "Take a guess." Flint replies with a snarky tone before following Applejack.

Afterburner and Ice Floe walk around the town to size up the situation. "Is it really that bad, Burner?" She asks. He nods. "Yeah." He says softly. "I'm not sure about this whole 'Reharmonizer' thing, but Flint seems to think we'll need it to stop whatever this thing is." He adds. A young Unicorn filly sees them and gallops toward them. "Well hi there." Floe says, greeting the distressed Unicorn. "Are you lost?" She asks. The Unicorn shakes her head. "No, but I need help saving my friends. They're trapped under some rubble." Floe and Burner look at each other and nod. "Take us to them." He says, following the filly.

The three arrive at the ruins the filly mentioned. Afterburner quickly gets to work with his levitation magic. "What's your name, sweetie?" Floe asks, consoling the young filly. "Sweetie Belle." She answers. Floe wipes away her tears. "It's alright, Sweetie Belle. Burner's levitation magic is strong. Your friends will be out in a jiffy." She continues, seeing Afterburner move layer upon layer of rubble, eventually reaching Sweetie Belle's friends. "They're out!" He yells, moving the unconscious fillies; the Pegasus onto Floe's back and the Earth Pony onto his. "Is there a hospital in town?" Floe asks. "Yeah. Ponyville Hospital isn't too far from here."

Floe and Burner make it to the hospital, with Flint waiting outside. He sees his two friends and waves. "Hey! Glad you could make it." He says before seeing the unconscious fillies on their backs. "Oh Celestia... are they alright?" He says as two nurses exit the hospital and take them. Sweetie Belle follows them. "I hope so." Burner says. Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow dash exit the hospital and run up to them. "Thanks for finding our sisters." Rarity says, giving Afterburner a hug. "Sisters?" Rarity and Applejack nod. "And the Pegasus?" Floe asks. "I kinda adopted Scoots as a sister." Rainbow Dash says. "I've been her idol and..." Floe and Burner nod. "Say no more. Are they okay?" Floe asks. "They'll be fine." Applejack answers. "You should keep an eye on them, just to be on the safe side." Flint suggests. "Where are Treat and Thunderhooves?" Burner asks. Flint turns around and points up, seeing the two Pegasi darting around looking for any other injured parties. "We've got two hours, then we'll move on to Canterlot. So rest up." He orders.

Amazingly, the bakery was not a victim of the other night's attack. Afterburner and Ice Floe enter and see Pinkie Pie preparing and baking some treats. "Hiya Burner and Floe!" She says, greeting them with a plate of oatmeal cookies. "Have some. They're a couple of days old, but they should still be delicious!" She exclaims, bouncing back toward the oven. "Burner... do you think it'd be possible for us...?" Ice Floe asks timidly. "Considering what we're doing, I have no doubt that we'll be able to learn to control ourselves." He answers, giving the ice mare a nuzzle.

An hour had passed in what seemed to be a blink of an eye. Afterburner and Ice Floe were strolling through Ponyville to make sure nopony else was in the same predicament as Sweetie Belle and her friends. They see Applejack gallop toward them. "The train just arrived. It'll be leavin' for Canterlot in an hour." She told them. "Thank you, Applejack." Ice Floe said. "Hey, AJ..." Afterburner opened. "How's your brother?" He asked. Applejack smiled. "He'll be fine. He'd been through worse than that fracas." She said with a lot of enthusiasm. "Where's Flint?" He asked. "I reckon he's at the station picking up some tickets. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta get some supplies."

Another hour had passed, the group was onboard the train to Canterlot. Flint had spoken to the conductor and the path back to Canterlot was clear; Afterburner and Ice Floe sat in their respective seats. "We're going home." Burner says, resting his foreleg on Floe's.

It was a day's ride from Ponyville to Canterlot. When the train arrived, everypony was shocked that Canterlot didn't take the beating Ponyville had. "Floe, would you look at this?" Burner says with disbelief. "I'm seeing it, but I don't believe it."

The train comes to a stop and everypony leaves their seats and exits the train in a single file. When outside, Burner and Floe walk side by side in the back with flint taking the lead.

The city may not be as busy as it was last time, the group does see several ponies wandering around, keeping up with their routines. The group stops in the middle of town and gathers in a circle. "Rarity... you, Floe and Burner go look for Fancy Pants." The three nod. "Treat... you, Thunderhooves and Rainbow Dash gather supplies." Rainbow Dash groans. "We've already got plenty from Ponyville." She complains. "I realize that, but it's better to be prepared though." He says. Rainbow Dash lets out an upset sigh. "Oh alright." She says. "Rest of you come with me." He concludes and the group splits up.

Floe and Burner watch as Flint's group heads to the castle before catching up to Rarity. "So tell me, Floe... may I call you Floe?" Rarity says, making sure she's not being rude. "Of course." She answers. "Excellent! I'm afraid I wasn't in Canterlot when your incident occurred. What exactly happened?" It was an event that neither Floe nor Burner wanted to relive, but Floe let out a light sigh. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell her, would it?" Burner asks. "No." Floe responds. "You know that Burner and I excel in opposing thermal magic." She says, eliciting a nod from Rarity. "Well... when those opposites collide, it's potentially violent. With us it was explosive." Floe continued, getting a shocked look from Rarity. "You mean you two almost blew up Canterlot?!" Rarity asked wide-eyed. Burner nodded. "It could've ended that way, but the odds were in our favor and we accidentally blew up an intersection." Burner says. Their reminiscence frightened Rarity, but the three march on.

It took a while, but they managed to find Fancy Pants. He was seen with Fleur de Lis as they were packing things into a cart. "Hello, Fancy Pants!" Rarity shouts, gaining the attention of the Unicorns. "Lady Rarity!" He yells. The two trot up to each other and hug each other. "Good to see you again. I wish these were better circumstances." He says before letting go. "As do I. We were going to take a ferry to Trottingham, but... all the ships were destroyed." Fleur and Fancy Pants look at each other in shock. "My goodness. I don't suppose you need a lift?" He offered. Rarity smiled. "We were hoping." She says before turning to Floe and Burner. "Find the others and bring them here quickly." She ordered and the two take off.

The two gallop to find the rest of the group. "Let's split up." Floe suggested. "You take the marketplace and I'll go to the castle." Burner nods. "I'm on it."

Floe approaches the castle in a gallop, but slows down as she approaches the guards, who block her from continuing. "I need to speak to Flint right away." The guards look at each other before letting her pass.

Floe would be escorted to Celestia's throne room where Flint, Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were present. "Thank you for giving us an audience, your majesty." Flint says as he bows. "It looks like somepony else has some news." Celestia says, noticing Floe. Flint and the others turn around. "Tell me it's good news, Floe." He says. Floe nods. "Yes, we're about ready to leave for Trottingham. Burner's retrieving the others right now."

Afterburner gallops toward the market as Floe heads toward the castle. It takes him a while, but he sees Rainbow Dash fly overhead, leaving her signature rainbow contrail and whistles. "Hey! Rainbow Dash!" He yells.

The rainbow Pegasus stops in her tracks and races over to Burner. "What's up? Are we ready to get the show on the road?" She asks. Burner nods. "Just about. Rarity's securing our transport and Floe's picking up Flint and the others." Treat and Thunderhooves flutter over to the two and land. "I think we're ready." Treat says, tapping on his bag.

With Flint in the front of the group, he leads the others to Rarity and by extension, Fancy Pants' airship. Flint takes a deep breath, still worried about what might happen to him and Treat and continues.

Author's Note

The next chapter will focus on Flint.

Chapter 4: The Forgotten Past

Thanks to Rarity and her connection with Fancy Pants, the team fly their way to Trottingham. The latter Unicorn stood beside Flint for the duration.

"I say, dear boy, have we met before?" He asks. Flint shook his head. "I doubt it. I haven't set hoof in Canterlot until recently... and I've only been in Equestria for six months." Fancy Pants fixes his monocle. "Really? Where were you born?" Flint shakes his head. "I'm not sure. I was found by a Zebra tribe and was raised by them. I don't even know who my parents were." Fancy Pants let out a quick sigh before tapping Flint on the foreleg. "That's it then. Your parents were acquainted with mine. Follow me."

Fancy Pants and Flint enter the cabin. The former searches the cabin for something. "I know it's around here somewhere..." He says, opening every drawer and cabinet before finding what he was searching for... an old photograph with them and their respective parents. Flint examines the photo and immediately recognizes himself since he already had his cutie mark. "Celestia..." He says quietly. "I know. It's not normal for a newborn colt to have their cutie mark right away." Fancy Pants comments as he looks for more things, but gives up. "I could have sworn I had more... oh well." He walks to the table across from Flint. "Does the Reharmonizer mean anything to you?" Flint asks. Fancy Pants rubs his chin thinking about it. "Perhaps. I recall my parents saying something about yours being on a mission to find the mythical sword. I guess the clues they found led them to Zebra country..." He says, fixing his monocle.

Flint places his saddlebag on the table. "The sword is no myth, sir." Flint says, opening the bag. A curious Fancy Pants pulls out some things from the bag, until he reaches the guard. "I say... this is a rather interesting piece." He comments. "Where did you acquire it?" Fancy Pants returns the guard and other items in the bag. "Treat and a couple of his buddies found it in the Everfree Forest." He explained. "Interesting. Where do you suppose the other pieces are?" Fancy Pants asked. "I'm not sure about the blade, but the hilt is in Trottingham." Flint says. Fancy Pants nods. "I see. Rarity told me about what happened in Baltimare... a real shame. I'm glad I could help."

Rarity and Fleur de Lis enter the cabin. "Hello, ladies." Fancy Pants says. "How are things out there?" Both Rarity and Fleur fix their manes. Flint and Fancy Pants look at eacher. "They always have to do that, don't they?" Flint asks quietly. Fancy Pants simply nods. "Yes, indeed. It gets rather annoying, doesn't it?" The two stallions chuckle. "Everything is fine, Fancy Pants. We're about half-" Rarity says before getting interrupted by an attack. "Oh dear..." Fancy Pants says. "I don't suppose you know any attack spells, do you?" Flint asks pessimistically. "I'm afraid not, sorry." Flint dashes to the entrance to the cabin, past Rarity and Fleur. "I suppose I should help them..." Rarity says before exiting the cabin, leaving Fancy Pants and Fleur behind. "Dear me..." Fancy Pants says. "I do hope my ship comes out of this in one piece..."

The battle was over, and thanks to the Pegasi, Fancy Pants' airship came out with mild cosmetic damage. He and Fleur exit the cabin and trot up to Flint who was standing next to Twilight Sparkle. "Thank you for keeping my airship safe." He says to Flint, resting a foreleg on his shoulder. Fancy Pants quickly removes his leg when a squad of Pegasi guards approach the airship. Their captain lands in front of them. "We've designated a landing pad for you. Please follow us." He says. They are now in Trottingham airspace.

Author's Note

Sorry about making this chapter shorter. I had writer's block on this for a while. Next one will be longer.