13 - What's Big, Blue And A Threat To Everypony?

Those two words couldn't have been less true. I had broken a friendship. I had possibly disabled the Elements of Harmony. I had scorned the pegasus I'd been taking notes on all along. I needed that coolness, and Dash was my inspiration, but now I'd gone and thrown it all away...

That thought brought a great song into my head, but it sure wasn't enough to fix the mess I was now in. And things were only going to get worse.

The forest was cool and dark. Shadows hung over the team and I, like the party decorations of a depressed ghost town. It was dry and hard underhoof, making the journey very uncomfortable. My thoughts were a tangled mess. Comparing them to earphones would make them seem too easy to figure out.

I decided to focus on my duty as leader of the team, and headed over to Applejack. "Hey, AJ! How's everypony doing?"

"Sure is a tough journey," she huffed, exhausted. "We've come a long way." Her near-infinite resilience gained from years at Sweet Apple Acres was running out. Apple Bloom was slung over her back like saddle bags, which seemed surprising, considering Sweetie Belle was trotting along happily. As for Scootaloo, she was nowhere to be seen. She's probably chickened out, but...wait a second. Yeah, I've probably made another enemy. Damn.

"You're all doing great," I replied happily. "Keep it up, and don't lose sight of Equestria!" I winked, crossing over to Pinkie Pie.

"Hi, Pinkie. You OK? Wait, that goes without saying..." The pink pony was bouncing along happily at head height, as usual.

"Yeah! Guess what I've got?" Pinkie whipped out a trombone, followed by a massive pack with almost every instrument one could name. "Sweet, huh?"

"Is that just in case we come across any –" I followed her eyes to my left. A gargantuan blue sphere towered over us, with beady green eyes and a perfectly innocent smile. But at five ponies high, I found the expression tough to believe. Its huge wings slashed the trees beside it, knocking them down in one flap.

And, no surprises there, Fluttershy was hugging it.