Progress

Chapters

Mornings Always Suck
Introducing the... Heroes?
And... There They Go
The Caves of Ancalos
Edge of the Everfree
Heart of Darkness
God of the Old World
Welcome to Paradise
Nightmare
Macintosh Shrugged

Mornings Always Suck

As the sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres, a single rooster's crow rang out to herald the dawn. Before the bird's voice had faded, one of the resident ponies was already up, and preparing for the day.

Big Macintosh was not known for being a very hurried stallion, and was normally quite methodical. But today he all but galloped down the stairs, through the kitchen, and out the back door, only grabbing a single apple as breakfast before leaving.

Granny Smith walked in just after, worried by her grandson's odd behavior. Today was going to be a very important day for him, after all. She hoped that wasn't why he was acting so strange.

Macintosh got to bucking in his family's orchard in record time, already well into the work by the time he was joined by his sister, Applejack. She didn't say anything at first, simply beginning to work alongside him.

After several awkward minutes, however, she decided to break the silence, asking about things he didn't want to think about.

"Ya'll know what day it is, right?"

"Eeyup." If there was one thing Big Macintosh was known for, it wasn't being overly talkative. He gave his signature one word response, not saying any more than necessary.

"And ya'll remember what you're going to be doing, right?"

"... Eeyup." His answer was more hesitant this time, his confidence waning.

"And ya'll know that ya need to get ready to leave?"

Big Macintosh remained silent this time, stopping his work and bowing his head in shame. He knew it, but he didn't want to leave the home he had grown up in, and where he had spent most of his life.

Applejack softened up slightly at the sight. "Listen, I know it sorta stinks and all, but you got other stuff that needs doin'. And it's not like you're not gonna be gone for too long, just a few days. Then you can come back and visit us, again."

Big Mac smiled at his younger sister, glad for her support, before looking around at the orchard that still needed harvesting.

As if she could read his mind and knew what he was going to say, she was already answering before he opened his mouth. "The fields will be fine. I can handle the farm by myself while you're gone." A skeptical look from Big Mac reminded her of the last time she had tried to 'handle the farm' by herself. "I mean it this time. I'll just get some friends to help out if I fall behind. Now get going. There's still a few hours before ya'll need to leave, right? Why don't ya'll enjoy yourself in town 'till then?"

After giving his sister a farewell hug, he did just that, slowly trotting in the direction of Ponyville. He was going at his usual pace now, walking along almost lazily. In a few minutes, he managed to reach 'town.'

The city of Ponyville, still called a town by most of the locals, was situated just outside of the Everfree. Despite its close proximity to the dangerous forest, it was also quite close to Canterlot, and supplied much of the capitol's food through farming.

As Big Mac walked along, he watched the many citizens of Ponyville, going about their daily business. There were also some visitors, likely looking to eat some of the town's famous foods, fresh from the source, or sell goods at the town's market.

Glancing over, he noticed what appeared to be a street performance, done by a light-blue unicorn with a pointed hat and cape, both covered in star patterns. She was showing off her magic, and seemed to be putting on quite the show, but Big Mac continued on past.

He was looking to get a larger breakfast before his day began. While he probably should have just eaten at home, he still enjoyed eating in town every once in a while, so it wasn't so bad. He made a mental note to check the mare's performance later, though.

After ordering some sandwiches at a local restaurant, he began watching the skies, waiting for the inevitable show to start. Just as he expected, two streaks could be seen flying through the air, going at break-neck speeds.

One was Rainbow Dash, an aptly named pegasus, and arguably the best flyer in Ponyville (and all of Equestria, according to her), pulling off the aerial equivalent of a sprint. It would have been impossible to recognize her, were it not for the long trail of colors she left in her wake.

Just behind her, however, was one of the few pegasi that could challenge her in a race: Vanilla, who had an equally ironic name, was trying to keep pace, managing to stick just behind her opponent. While not as naturally fast or gifted as Rainbow Dash, she was almost as talented. Big Mac could still remember her as a filly, flying around town, fleeing from her cranky teacher. She had always had good motivation to practice.

A few other pegasi pulled in behind, apparently part of the same race. Actually, it was more like they were having their own race, and Vanilla and Rainbow were having a completely different one; the two were so far ahead, by this point, that they could probably get back to the starting point before the rest finished.

Vanilla was good, but in a contest of speed, Rainbow Dash was unbeatable in the air. The two managed to reach a cloud that apparently represented the finish line, Rainbow easily winning, albeit by only a few feet.

Just afterward, Macintosh's food arrived, and he dug in greedily, easily finishing the meal within a few minutes. His server looked on in awe as the sandwiches seemed to disappear into the red stallion's mouth, snapping out of his daze when Big Mac paid him.

Now full, he decided to check out the market, and see if their was anything interesting for sale. He usually didn't spend much, but decided that he might as well look around.

Upon reaching it, he was surprised to see a red dragon setting up a stall. He was likely on his way to Canterlot, meaning to meet its unusual ruler, and just stopping in Ponyville for a day or two.

Fairly young, the reptile actually appeared to be a teenager. He certainly had the attitude of one, angrily telling off any pony that got too close, until he was done setting up. He seemed to be selling blown glass, which happened to be of excellent quality.

While Big Macintosh wasn't intending to buy much before, he decided that it might be worth making an exception. He examined the many vases and ornaments curiously, scanning each thoroughly before moving on.

The dragon didn't appear to like being kept waiting, however, and began tapping his claws impatiently. "Are you gonna buy anything, pony?"

A simple, "Eeyup," was Big Mac's only response, never looking away from the glass artwork. He eventually took note of one piece in particular. It appeared to be an apple, but wasn't shaped like any that he had ever seen. And, being of the Apple Family, Big Mac had seen a LOT of apples in his life.

He decided to buy it, and asked the dragon how much it cost (And in only two words!). It was expensive, but a truly interesting piece, and Big Mac happily handed over the necessary bits.

"Your name?" Big Mac made it a tendency to know the name of anyone he bought merchandise from, so that he could ask around for them later, if he wanted to.

The dragon seemed surprised by the question, but still decided to reply. "My name's-"

Before he could finish, he and his stall were knocked over by a large, feathery projectile. In the crash, Big Macintosh accidentally dropped the apple that he had just bought, and it shattered on the ground. But he decided to worry more about the dragon, and whoever had crashed into him, as most of the other glass pieces were also broken.

It quickly became apparent that a griffon had crashed into his stall. According to her, someone had knocked her out of the sky on purpose, but a quick glance back revealed a storm cloud that looked to have just discharged some lightning. Big Mac ignored this, instead simply watching the two, and making sure that they didn't get into a serious fight and hurt someone.

"Watch it next time, bird-brain!"

"What did you just call me, lizard-breath?!"

The two of them squared off, apparently intending to fight. The dragon looked absolutely furious, trying to find any of his wares that weren't shattered. "Look at this! Do you know how much time it takes to make this stuff? You owe me for all of this."

"Ha, as if I would pay you! It's not like it was my fault you were in the way."

The two were practically face to face now, having closed the distance between them during their argument. Smoke was wafting from the dragon's mouth, while the griffon was baring her claws.

Before things could get any worse, Big Mac knocked the heads of the two distracted individuals together, knocking them out cold. After moving them out of everyponies' way, he left some extra bits with the dragon, and took the griffon across the street so that they would be separated when they woke up.

Most of the ponies nearby weren't even fazed, just glad that the large and famous stallion had dealt with the problem before things got out of hoof. Or did the two fighters have hands?

Macintosh sighed, his relaxation time starting to become more of a hassle than it was worth. Just as he was preparing to leave, however, he heard two voices from across the market.

It was easy to find the source of the commotion, as the two showponies weren't exactly inconspicuous. What they lacked in subtlety, they made up for with flair, easily drawing everyponies' attention, and showing off a set of odd machines. They seemed to be selling inventions of some sort, and were getting nearby ponies interested with ease.

Once again, Big Mac found himself intrigued by odd visitors to his hometown. But he had no more bits left to spend, after helping out the dragon whose stand got demolished. So he simply went to check out the pair's odd show.

They were both unicorns and looked remarkably similar; Big Mac probably couldn't have told them apart, if one of them didn't have a mustache. The clean-faced one seemed to be the leader, performing the larger part of a song they were using to attract customers. The other would occasionally join in, but mostly seemed to be backup.

According to their song, the two were brothers. The shaved one was named Flim, while his mustachioed brother was Flam. Big Mac watched the brothers until their song was done, and then started walking away, ready to finally get going. Judging from the crowd's cheering, the two would be getting quite a bit of business today.

Big Macintosh went to the Ponyville Station, boarding the train to Canterlot. He was ready to get his hectic morning over with at last, and mentally preparing for the days ahead. He completely forgot about the magic show he had meant to see...

Author's Note

In the event that you somehow decided to read this without reading the description, this story is a sequel to a previous one, Through a Glass Mirror. You can find it on my profile, if you're too lazy to look it up.

First chapter. Not much else to say. Comment, and remember to give me honest reviews. I love them.

Also, I would like to thank a few people: PhycoKrusk (I think I'm spelling that right), for always commenting on my stories; lordgodsservant, for helping me come up with ideas for this story; and Scarecrowbrad, for helping me behind the scenes with some of the nuances of the site. They are all awesome, and I would recommend reading some of their stories, as well.

By the way, I have discovered something incredibly strange about my cat, while watching this cover art for this being made: he can crop an entire photo, by pressing a single key. We (meaning the artist and myself) still don't know which key it was, but I have decided that there is only one logical explanation.

My cat is a technomancer. A really dumb technomancer.

Introducing the... Heroes?

The Great and Powerful Trixie needed a glass of water to quench her thirst. She had put on a most spectacular performance, after all. She deserved it, after giving the more common ponies such a breath-taking show.

Ah, that's better. The unicorn mare named Trixie (The Great and Powerful) had just finished up one of her routines, and was taking a break before she continued with her magic show. She was quite famous for, and proud of, her abilities in the mystical arts, and was stopping in the small city of Ponyville, before heading to perform in the capitol of Canterlot.

While she had technically only stopped for the sake of practice, her showpony spirit had quickly overridden any such plans. If the crowds demanded some demonstrations, then who was she to deny them? They were the ones putting bread on her table, after all.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a commotion from outside, and looked to see most of her bread-giving crowd starting to shuffle in the direction of the noise.

She frowned. How could they simply abandon her like that? What could POSSIBLY be more interesting than her?

Whatever it was, she decided that she had an obligation to her fans to find out what had interrupted her sho-

Taken her crowd's attent-

Stolen her spotli-

Whatever it was that had made them so nervous. Yes, that. Definitely that. She had absolutely no selfish motivations or intentions behind her actions, whatsoever. Not a one.

... uh. Even I think I'm a bad liar...

"Flam, are you ready yet?"

"Just a second, Flim. I have to finish penning down this idea."

Flim and Flam, more commonly known as the Flim Flam Brothers, were trying their luck in the city of Ponyville. The two generally preferred to stay in more rural areas, but Ponyville seemed like a perfect place for some good business; while it was large and advanced enough to accomodate their more complex and modern wares, it still had the small town sense to it that guaranteed they wouldn't get into trouble with the law should any... mishaps occur.

The two brothers were traveling salesponies, and made their own products. Of course, said products weren't always as reliable as one might hope, and they were frequently forced to flee from angry mobs, who claimed that they had been "ripped off."

If you heard Flim tell it to you, though, he would make it sound as if everything they made was absolutely flawless, and that it was their customers who were trying to rip them off. Why, no pony could make a product capable of withstanding those ruffians' abuse if the Flim Flam Brothers couldn't!

And it was for that exact reason that Flam let his brother do the talking. He was more of an idea guy, personally, and was currently busy finishing up some of the details for yet another invention he had thought of. It was ambitious, and easily the biggest he had ever dreamed up. But he was certain that the two of them could make it, and that then, the Super Speedy Cider Squeezy 6000 would be able to make them a fortune.

All they needed was a constant supply of apples, and his brother claimed to know exactly where they could get some. Flam knew he could trust him on that, so he just focused on the design process for now.

After finishing up with some more details, he exited the tent that the brothers had been using. "Ready to give them a show, ol' brother of mine?"

"You bet'cha. Shall we?" Flim waved his brother forward.

"I think we shall." Flam was happy to oblige, stepping into the market that they were using to sell their many inventions. But he quickly realized that the crowd they had been intending to advertise to had disappeared. Scanning around, he noticed a group of ponies on the other side of the square.

The two only had to share a single glance, and then the Flim Flam Brothers were off to see what the hay was going on.

Uh, my head. Did I drink too much cider, or something?

Gilda, a female griffon that had stopped in Ponyville to visit an old friend, was currently rubbing her temples and trying to figure out why her skull felt as if someone had hit it with a hammer.

The last thing she could remember was getting into a fight with some dragon. But she didn't remember it quite escalating to physical violence, so it couldn't have been him. Besides, she would have simply beaten him up if he tried anything.

She kept trying to think, but couldn't remember anything else, except that there had been a red stallion there too.

Wait... now that she thought about it, he had been rather big, and looked quite strong. The pony, not the dragon. The dragon was obviously a weakling.

He might have been an earth-pony, too, in which case he MIGHT have been able to knock her out. When she wasn't looking. Maybe.

Not likely, but possible. If he was responsible, then she was going to find him, and drop him from a cloud. No one messed with Gilda like that and got away with it. Well, except for Dashie, maybe. But she would still get a hard smack in return, so Gilda guessed that she still wouldn't quite get away with it entirely. No, must focus on revenge. Random thoughts can wait.

After flying a short distance into the air, she was able to see a large crowd not far away. It wasn't exactly hard to notice the big red pony that was at its center.

Smiling, Gilda headed for her prey.

Not too far away, a young dragon was having a similar experience. But where as his griffon counter-part had recovered quite quickly, he was having considerably more trouble.

All of the goods in his stall were destroyed. Every single one; he couldn't find so much as a glass bowl that wasn't shattered. Add in a throbbing headache, and he was NOT happy. His only consolation was that someone had left a substantial purse of bits on him. It wasn't enough to make up for the losses, but it was something.

"Great. Just great. And here I was thinkin' that I could actually make a profit this time. How silly of me, thinking that I might actually MAKE some money on the seventh try, rather than just losing everything in a freak accident. Again," grumbled the dragon, who was named-

Wait. Is that...? Yep, that's definitely the griffon that had smashed his stall. He was going to make certain that she paid for all of the damage she had done, no matter how long it took him.

With a grimace on his face, he followed after the flying fiend, noticing that she appeared to be heading for a large group of ponies, who were gathered around a familiar, and quite large, stallion...

Ah, horseapples. She had lost. Again.

Vanilla was lying on a cloud, letting her hoof hang lazily off the side. She was contemplating her recent race with Rainbow Dash. The race that she had lost.

How did that colorful pegasus manage to go so fast? Vanilla had always been the fastest flyer in town, but now, losing was something she was getting used to. Apparently the most promising student in all of Cloudsdale had been dropped straight into Ponyville.

Vanilla didn't really mind, however. She WANTED to see just who the fastest pegasi in Equestria were, and test herself against them.

What she did mind was losing. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how much she trained, she would always wind up being second place. Second place was not acceptable, not by any means. She had to be the fastest, or else she could never do her job.

If Rainbow Dash could get from point A to point B faster than her, then she would be forever worthless.

Her depressing and self-pitying train of thought was derailed when she heard a commotion from below. Peeking over the edge of the cloud, she could easily recognize the huge red stallion charging through the streets.

He was breatheing pretty hard, and for somepony as strong and tough as him, that meant that he had to have been running for a REALLY long time. Like, from Canterlot to Ponyville, long...

Vanilla flew down, eager to discover what, exactly, was going on. Many other ponies were joining her, as well as some other creatures.

Is he wearing armor? Well, that confirmed it. It was nearly impossible to get Canterlot Guard armor outside of, well, Canterlot, so he had to have been there before he ran all the way here.

Something had to have happened, and something big. She silently prayed that it wasn't something terrible, too, as everyone gathered around.

"The Princesses are back."

And then everything devolved into chaos. And NOT the good kind.

"Is something wrong? You actually look as if you're thinking."

Celestia frowned at her younger sister, Luna. "Oh? And is that strange?"

"Yes," the Princess of the Night dead-panned. "Remember, the day you come up with a good idea is the day I befriend Discord."

The Princess of the Sun did not like being talked back to, especially not by her whelp of a sister. How dare she disrespect her older sister, her better? "Well, I don't see you doing anything important."

"If you must know," Luna began, as she gave her sister yet another aggravating look, "I'm thinking about what we're going to do about a certain king. You know, the one that stopped us last time? I seriously doubt that he's been sitting on his hooves for our entire imprisonment."

Both sisters shuddered as they thought of what Sombra had done to them. There seemed to be no limit to the horrors he was capable of conjuring.

Celestia decided that now would be a good time to talk about something else, rather than thinking about their never-ending nightmares. So, she turned to the strangely jovial looking Spirit of Chaos, now locked in stone. "We should probably think about what Discord said, first."

"You mean how he seemed to have a plan of some sort?" Luna was surprised that her sister had seemingly become more intelligent during their long sleep.

"No. What does 'arrivederci' mean?"

Luna had never face-hoofed so hard in her life.

Author's Note

And... they're back. Well, that didn't take long, did it?

In case anyone is wondering, Discord's in the same position as he was in the show, originally. Arrivederci is, of course, a reference to one of Discord's lines in the show, and basically means goodbye.

Also, the princesses' escape will be explained at a later date. They didn't just break out for the sake of the plot. Sort of, anyway.

And... There They Go

Big Macintosh stood, immovable, as ponies panicked around him, and calmly waited for more of them to disperse. He had a mission, and he was going to complete it, but he would need to find help, first.

As the crowd started to thin, civilians galloping and flying in every direction, he spotted somepony that was trying to get to him, rather than running away: Vanilla. He was all too happy to see her; if he could rely on anypony in a crisis, it was her.

She eventually managed to land in front of him, where the market was less packed with crazy business ponies packing up their stalls. "Are you serious? Are they really back?" She sounded incredulous, unable to believe that something so terrible could have actually transpired. Big Mac couldn't blame her; the princesses returning after a thousand years... it was unthinkable. But it was happening, and Big Mac only nodded to confirm it.

"Then I'm going to do everything I can to help," she responded, a determined look appearing on her face. Big Mac could recognize it all too easily, having seen it on many other occasions. Whether the town was flooded, or a wild animal had wandered near the schoolhouse, she was always the first to respond during a disaster.

"Then Ah need your help, as well as anypony else's Ah can get," Big Mac stated, as he noticed several more ponies running in their direction.

"Then the Great and Powerful Trixie shall also lend her assistance!" As the light-blue unicorn mare stopped in front of them, Big Macintosh couldn't help but feel as though she looked familiar; it took him a moment to remember that he had noticed her earlier, and had been meaning to go to her show.

"Well then, welcome on board." Vanilla greeted their new recruit cheerily, if with a hint of hesitance. If the other mare noticed, she didn't show it. "But, uh, who exactly is 'Trixie?'"

The mare definitely reacted to that. "Why, I never! I'M Trixie! Haven't you heard of me?"

Vanilla scratched her chin in thought for several seconds; anypony that didn't know her would likely have thought it an act. "No, can't say that I have," she responded apologetically.

"Well, I guess it isn't my problem if SOMEPONIES don't know about the greatest magic show in all of Equestria. Now, do you want Trixie's help, or not?"

Before Big Mac could respond, two more unicorns stepped forward, seeming to just casually stroll on up. "Help with what exactly? I'm sure that me and my brother can be of assistance."

Macintosh decided to take the initiative this time, welcoming the newcomers first. "Stopping the princesses." Well, it didn't have to be a particularly polite welcome, did it?

The two unicorns looked at eachother for a moment, before turning back to him, huge grins on both their faces. "Then the Flim Flam brothers shall do our best to aid you. Can't let a couple of tyrants take over, now can we? That would be bad for business. I'm Flim, by the way."

"And I'm Flam," his brother added. "Any ideas about where we might start?"

"Eeyup. We need to-"

Once again Big Macintosh found himself being interrupted. But this time, it wasn't a pony that landed next to him, practically diving out of the sky, but a griffon.

"Hold on a second. The princesses? As in Celestia and Luna? They're BACK? How? When? What the hay happened?"

While he appreciated all the help he was being offered, it would have been nice if more of them knew some basic manners. He turned to look at the large creature, noticing the slight hint of fear in her features. Apparently, she was still too proud to let that fear show, as she remained rigid, attempting to keep a cool face.

"The princesses broke out of their prisons, and used the Elements of Harmony to fight Discord. Ah... didn't see what happened to him. But he told me how to stop the princesses, and Ah intend to do just that."

Upon hearing that the princesses had used the Elements against Discord, the griffon's expression changed. But she didn't become more scared, like Big Mac would have expected. Now, she was enraged, and looked ready for a fight.

"Well what are we waiting around here for? Let's get to work! Oh, and, uh... my name's Gilda." She added in the last part almost as an afterthought, as if it wasn't all that important. But she looked like she was going to do whatever it took to do her part, and Big Mac found himself reassured by her attitude.

Big Mac looked around at the mismatched group, wondering how strange three unicorns, one pegasus, an earth-pony, and a griffon looked like from the outside. He chuckled quietly to himself, before beginning his explanation.

"Discord said that the only way to stop the princesses is to stop the Elements of Harmony. But, in order to do that, we're going to need their opposites: the-"

"THE ELEMENTS OF PROGRESS!"

Big Mac put his hooves over his ears as Trixie practically screamed, finishing his sentence for him. Everyone else in the group was glaring at her, having been similarly startled. She, on the other hoof, seemed unphased.

She continued on, speaking as though she were narrating some kind of performance. "The Elements of Progress were used by Discord, the Spirit of Chaos, and King Sombra, ruler of the Crystal Empire, to defeat Princess Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna, in a great and terrible battle over one thousand years ago. Then, to keep their power from ever being used for evil, Sombra took the Elements, and hid them away, placing them under the protection of three powerful Guardians. One, he hid deep underground, in a cavern filled with rivers of molten rock, home to the oldest dragon alive, far beyond-"

"Will you just tell us where to get these things, already?!" Apparently, Gilda wasn't in the mood for listening to an overly long and descriptive tale.

"Fine, be that way," Trixie huffed. "Two are in the Everfree, two more are in a nearby cave system, and the last ones are in an abandoned village. There, has Trixie made you happy?"

"Very." Gilda's smirk was practically stretching from ear to-

Wait, do griffons have ears?

"Well then, I guess we know where to go, or at least where to get started," cheered Vanilla. "Just point us in some more specific directions, and we can get looking for the first one."

"Eenope." Big Macintosh stepped into the middle of his new allies, all of which were looking at him curiously now, and more than one with suspicion. "Looking for them one at a time would be too slow. We need to get them as quickly as possible. The alicorns can get to any one of them faster than us, but there are only two of them. And, if Trixie is right-"

"Which she is!"

Macintoch continued on, ignoring her. "-then the Elements are hidden in three locations."

Flim was tapping his chin thoughtfully, as Big Mac spoke, and added in, "Which means that if we split up, we can probably get to at least one set before them."

Flam spoke up right afterward, continuing his brother's thought seamlessly. "But we won't be able to use the Elements if we only have two. We need the entire set for them to be of any use to us."

Big Mac smiled at that. "Eeyup. But the princesses won't be able to use them, neither. They already have the Elements of Harmony, why give them the Elements of Progress, too? Besides which, two Elements are better than none."

Vanilla leapt into the air, excited now that she had a firmer goal. "Then we split up, find the Elements, and meet back here. Got it?" She waited for a round of confirmations. "Then let's get moving!"

And so, after getting more specific instruction from Trixie, they set off on their way. Trixie and Vanilla headed west, to look for a chasm, from which they could enter the caves said to hold two of the Elements. Big Macintosh and Gilda headed south, to search for the abandoned village, on the edge of the Everfree. And the Flim Flam Brothers headed east, into the forest itself.

Flim and Flam had just started on their way, having packed up some belongings and supplies from their tent. They were making steady progress, but feared that the Everfree would put a stop to that. It would not be an... ideal location to look for two artifacts of unimaginable power. However, the younger of the two brothers was worried about more immediate concerns.

"We're being followed." He stopped, once again looking behind them.

"What? Why would somepony be following us?" Flim turned around as well, attempting to spot the pursuer his brother spoke of.

"Because I overheard that little conversation you bozos were having." As the brothers watched, a huge, red figure emerged from a nearby alleyway. "Oh, and I ain't no pony."

"And what would a dragon want with us?" Flam was the embodiment of composure at that moment, but his brother could read the minute signals he was sending with his body language: if things take a turn for the worst, run.

"Easy there," the dragon explained, as he held up his claws, "I'm not looking to cause any trouble. I want to help too, so I'm coming with you two."

While he seemed sincere, the brothers weren't sold just yet. "Then why didn't you join us earlier, when we were with the others?"

"Because I couldn't reach you; there were way too many ponies in the way. Besides which, that crazy griffon and I don't exactly get along. Ya see, she owes me a little money, but doesn't want to pay up. I figure that getting my money now won't do me any good if the worlds just gonna end, anyway, so I'm gonna help you guys get through that crazy forest, and put a stop to this."

The brothers looked at each other, once again using their body language to communicate, before turning back to the dragon. "Then the Flim Flam Brothers welcome you on our quest to save Equestria," they said simultaneously.

The trio set off, soon making their way to the edge of the Everfree forest, after stopping to warn the pegasus who lived in a cottage near its edge. As they began moving deeper inside, the dragon remembered something important: his name.

"By the way, I'm-"

Before he could finish, a branch smacked painfully into his snout, having swung back after being pushed out of the way by one of the brothers. "I'm sorry, what was that?" Flim, the one who had moved the branch, stopped to check on his companion.

"Oh, sweet son of Sombra, that hurt! You know what, forget it; things seem to run into me alot more when I try to introduce myself."

Author's Note

Poor ****** is never going to be able to say his name. Oh well, should probably save it for an emergency, anyway. He is Important Enough to Have a Name, after all.

Also, apologies on the delay. Gaming happened.

Edit: I'm going to be holding a contest, in which the first person to tell me what is wrong with this story's cover art will be able to request a one shot from me, which will be posted in Another Story (which is actually another one of my stories). Said cover art will be fixed afterward. That is all. I have a blog post explaining it a little more up, so read that first if you have any questions.

Edit to edit: contest is over. Everybody go home.

... not literally, of course.

The Caves of Ancalos

Vanilla and Trixie looked down into the massive chasm, trying to judge just how far down it went. Trixie had decided to toss a stone into it, to see if they could hear the sound of it striking the bottom.

There had been nothing but silence for over a minute.

"Well, that is... unsettling." Vanilla turned her attention to her left and right, once again searching the chasm walls for some way to get down. Her search was unsuccessful, and she started to think that they were in the wrong place.

Trixie wasn't willing to give up so easily. Or, rather, she didn't want to admit that she might have been wrong in leading them to their current location. "The Great and Powerful Trixie knows a few spells that may prove of use."

Her horn began to glow as she magically scanned the cliff-faces, searching back-and-forth, up-and-down, until she found what she was looking for. Focusing on the vaguely magic-charged rock that was just sticking out, she was able to activate the enchantment bestowed upon it, over one thousand years ago.

But she had acted too hastily, and activated a second enchantment, placed by Sombra himself to protect the treasures that lay beneath. Her smug smile was wiped off her face as a dark crystal nearly impaled her from beneath. Only Vanilla's quick reactions managed to save her from certain death.

Using her wings to keep the two well above the expanding field of sharp crystals, Vanilla couldn't help but roll her eyes at her companion's accident. If Trixie hadn't managed to also summon a staircase running down the side of the chasm, she might have subjected the unicorn to some verbal abuse, as well.

Gently placing the unicorn on the top steps, the two mares began the long walk down. And long it was; Trixie began to grow bored after only a few minutes of walking.

"So... the Great And Powerful Trixie was just wondering: what exactly do you do?"

Vanilla was caught off guard by the question, having once again been looking down into the depths of the chasm. "Uhhh... security, I guess. I've pretty much just been on vacation for a while, though, so I'm keeping busy training right now." I already know what she does, so I should probably ask something else, instead. "Where are you from?"

Trixie pondered the question for several seconds, before deciding to dispense with her usual theatrics. "Trixie doesn't know, really. She was an orphan, and raised by a travelling circus group. They taught her magic, and she left to go out on her own, when she was old enough. You?"

"Oh, um... I'm from somewhere... south of here. Very far south. You've probably never even heard of it."

Hmmm... Trixie will ignore all of that question dodging, for right now. "Well, we seem to be getting near the bottom. Trixie figured that it would take longer." Glancing up, Trixie noted that she could still see the top of the gorge.

Vanilla, who had flown ahead to check it out, as well as making sure that there weren't any traps, had the unfortunate job of letting her down. "I wouldn't speak so soon. It looks like it still keeps going, but in the other direction, now."

"What?!" Trixie ran to her and looked over the end of the last step, confirming Vanilla's report; there was a second set of stairs several feet below the one she was on, and running in the opposite direction. "Why the hay did Sombra have to have so many STAIRS?"

"Because it's a deep chasm?"

"Silence while the Great and Powerful Trixie is complaining!"

Thus their epic quest continued for another hour, and several more flights of stairs, before finally reaching the caves that lay below.

The tunnels were ancient, and worn smooth by some unknown force. A faint glowing could be seen from deeper inside, and there was a feeling of intense heat. After several minutes of walking through the dark, they came to the source of the light and heat: a river of magma, filling up the rest of the passage.

Vanilla could tell from the low ceiling that attempting to fly over the river would be a near-death experience at best, and didn't figure that Trixie was going to fare any better.

However, her companion was practically ecstatic, now that she had a chance to show off her magic skills without the possibility of more of Sombra's traps kicking in. Well, it wasn't likely, anyway. This IS Sombra we're talking about, after all.

"Step back and be amazed, as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs her spell!"

"What kind of spell?"

"Wha-? Do you have to question everything that Trixie does?"

"Sorry. I was just wondering what you could use to get over lava..." Vanilla did as she was told, watching the unicorn curiously.

"We unicorns possess the ability to learn quite a few elemental spells. One such spell should render us safe from the magma."

Vanilla was somewhat skeptical. "... should?"

"WILL! I meant will!" Trixie's face changed from blue to red as she turned away, and began casting her spell. After several seconds, a blue light engulfed herself and Vanilla, and she let out a small, "Aha!"

Cautiously, she began to near the molten rock, and gingerly started to reach her hoof towards its edge. "You know what, Trixie thinks that you should go first. I mean, fillies first, right?" She grinned sheepishly as she spoke.

"Aren't you a filly, too? Wait... are you implying that I'm a foal?" Sticking her tongue out in a very foal-like manner, Vanilla flew through the narrow space above the magma, still careful to keep from touching it.

... well, that completely defeated the purpose of making her go first, didn't it? Once again beginning to reach for the river's edge, she was keenly aware that she didn't have any more excuses, and had to take the risk herself. She was quite pleased when her hoof wasn't burned by the roiling magma, and instead only experienced a faint warmth moving up her leg.

After swimming throught the river for a few minutes, she was once again able to pull herself onto solid ground. Looking around, she was left speechless at what she saw.

The chamber that she and Vanilla had entered was massive, large enought to fit Canterlot Castle, and ringed by the molten river. On the far side was the entrance to a smaller chamber, with vast piles of gold and gems visible inside.

"... wow," they both said simultaneously.

"Well, Trixie thinks that it would be a good idea to investigate that other cave over there. Sombra might have hidden the Elements inside, after all."

"You just want to take some of the gold, don't you?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Well, Trixie would look good in some new jewelry." As she spoke, Trixie began to make her way forward, noting that the spell she had cast to get them through the magma had faded, and preparing to cast it again.

Before she got far, the magmic river exploded in front of the treasure chamber's entrance, sending the molten fluid high into the air. A massive figure emerged from the depths; its scales were a fiery red, it claws made massive gouges in the walls, and its hands crushed the platform that the mares were standing on.

Looking up, they looked at the face of the oldest and greatest dragon in existence.

...

"Trixie told you so!"

"Just shut up and dodge the lava!"

Author's Note

New chapter, finally! Comment and Review!

Be sure to tell me if I make any mistakes, I've been looking back at my old stories, and noticing a LOT of them.

Edge of the Everfree

Gilda remained silent throughout most of the journey along the Everfree out of distrust of her new companion. She only wished to get her current ordeal behind her so that she could get back to her normal life. Macintosh was simply being Macintosh.

Uh... so. Many. TREES! How big is this stupid forest, anyway?

"So... Big Red Pony..." What was his name, again? Mcdonald, or something.

"Eeyup?"

"Exactly how much longer are we going to be walking? My feet and paws are killing me right now." Beating her powerful wings, she lifted herself into the air above the stallion, scanning the horizon for signs of this supposed village.

"Until we get there." After an unamused look from Gilda, he decided to elaborate. "The forest is really big. It could take us days."

Gilda's eyes grew to the size of a griffon's dinner plates as she slowly drifted back to the ground. "Days..? Why the hay couldn't Sombra have put these things closer together?!"

"Because then it would have been easy."

"Whatever. I don't even care anymore."

Despite her words, Gilda soon began to feel the effects of boredom, and once again turned to her only source of distraction.

"What's with the armor? You some kind of soldier, or somethin'?"

Somewhat surprised by the question, it took Big Mac several seconds to respond. "Ah'm a guard. Ah work for Discord."

...

"So, how long have you been a guard? And why the hay do they have to call it a 'guard?' Makes me think of those crazy princesses, and what they did." Gilda shuddered as she remembered the many stories her mother had told her, of how the princesses had enslaved hundreds of griffons, and how they had an entire army of 'guards' serving them.

"Ah was accepted as a guard a few years ago, but just started today. Don't know why Discord calls us guards, though."

...

"Well, you don't seem much like a guard, other than how much you DON'T talk. Ya seem more like a farmer to me. Why'd you join? Not making enough money plowing fields?"

Big Macintosh glanced at her, seriously considering the question for a considerable amount of time. "It's somethin' of a family tradition. Bein' in the military is just something that some of us feel the need to do, you know?"

Gilda could respect that. Being awesome was just something that she had to do, after all. "Makes sense. Anypony else in your family in the military?"

"No. One of mah sisters is too young, and the other one works in the fields. Mah only other immediate family is Granny Smith, and she's too old." He then began to think about his whole family, from his slightly estranged sister, to his cousin Braeburn, and even their relatives in Manehatten, the Oranges and Babs Seed.

"So you're alone, huh? I don't see why you would want to work so hard. You should be like me, and just go where the wind takes you. Although you might be a little bit too heavy for the wind to carry." Gilda smirked at the large stallion, only to see that he was looking at her with... worry?

"You mean that you don't have a home?"

"Home is wherever I'm crashing. I don't really care, and I don't need your pity." Gilda started walking faster, pulling ahead of her companion, who started running after her.

"Wait! There's a-!"

Just as Big Mac tried to warn her, Gilda felt the ground beneath her feet give way. The cliff she was standing on began to break apart, and she found herself sliding down a steep dropoff that she hadn't even noticed before. Before she could take to the air, a nearby tree fell and pinned her.

She started screaming in a very uncool fashion, and closed her eyes as she waited for her bones to get broken on the rocks below... only for the portion of cliff she was on to abruptly stop, still far from the bottom of the cliff.

Managing to pry herself from underneath the branches of the fallen timber, she looked below her to see the red pony supporting the entire cliff with his hind hooves, his forehooves firmly planted on a small ledge.

"You okay?" he asked with only slight strain in his voice.

"Um, yeah, I'm good." She took off, and hovered in the air. Big Macintosh simply shifted the weight slightly, letting the entire load of earth and wood tumble past him.

"We should get going."

"Oh! Uh... yeah, we should go." Setting down and once again walking along beside the stallion, she fought an internal struggle with herself for the next few minutes. "... thanks." Aaahhh... that was so uncool.

The two once again walked in silence, Gilda now trying to come to terms with the fact that she COULD trust this pony, even though he was still practically a stranger to her. Big Macintosh was just being Big Macintosh.

Lost in her own thoughts, it took Gilda several moments to notice when her companion stopped walking, turning around after several steps. "What, is something up?"

Big Mac was looking past her when he answered, his eyes never moving. "We're here."

Gilda turned around once again as he walked past her, her breath catching in her throat when she saw the village.

It was old. And not old like your grandparents, or King Sombra. This place was OLD, and falling apart. It was a wonder that any of the ancient homes were still standing, as most of them were covered in mold and holes.

On one side of the village, the edges of the Everfree were beginning to creep in, the invading trees pushing entire buildings out of the way to make room. The sounds of wild animals could be heard from inside, yet none of them entered the small settlement.

Nothing moved, and even the wind seemed to die upon entering the village's borders. A thick fog hung in the air, along with the smell of something sickly-sweet.

Gilda knew that smell, but couldn't put her talon on what it was. Is was like something... corrupt. Something rotted. And then it hit her. It was the same kind of scent given off be a hunk of meat that was left outside for too long, and was being attacked by worms.

It was the smell of a corpse, and it was coming from something standing in the middle of the street, not too far away.

"Big Red?"

"Eeyup?"

"Do you know what that is?"

"Eenope."

"... do you think that we should start running?"

"Eeyup."

Author's Note

What, did you think that I was going to continue with Trixie and Vanilla?

HAH! It's much better to leave it off on a cliffhanger, and then get back to it like, three chapters later.

Just for the record, my computer got all glitchy after I had just finished writing this... and deleted the second half of it. Yay. Again.

Anyway, yeah. Comment and stuff.

Heart of Darkness

"Ow! Okay, seriously, give me a warning or something next time you do that!"

"Do what?" As Flim pushed yet another branch out of his way, he once again failed to notice said branch swinging back to hit his companion on the nose.

"Ow! That! Warn me before you move one of those stupid trees!"

"I don't think that I can move a tree, but thank you for the flattery. Oh, and there's another branch in the way," Flim responded.

The dragon moved one of his arms up to block... and then got hit in the shin. "Ow! I hate that!"

"Hey! I think I found something," Flam called from slightly farther ahead.

"Excellent. It's good that we didn't run into any trouble out here. There's probably all kinds of nasty things in these woods. So, what did you fi-?" As Flim trotted up to his brother curiously, he saw a cave on the other side of a small clearing, and in the side of a large hill. The mouth was small, with some kind of moss growing along its edges, but something about it seemed... off.

"Well, are we going in, or what?" asked the red reptile after several moments of silence. Looking at his two companions, he noticed that neither seemed very eager to proceed. "Hmph. Shoulda' known you ponies would just be a couple of pansies. Whatever, I'm headin' in."

Flim and Flam glanced at each other, each took a deep breath, and then trotted after the dragon.

The inside was dim, barely letting in any of the already soft light from outside. As they walked, the two stallions drew up beside their larger companion, using their magic to illuminate the immediate area...

And revealing a white alicorn right in front of them.

Flim and Flam leapt backwards, jumping behind their draconic ally, who held his claws at the ready. However, after several seconds had passed with nothing happening, the three realized that the princess was asleep, and snoring quite loudly.

Whispering, Flam asked, "What's she doing here? And why is she asleep? She should be trying to take over the world or something, right?"

The dragon examined her as closely as he dared, confirming that she was, in fact, out cold. "Maybe she set off some kind of trap. Something Sombra set to make her fall asleep."

Flim started scanning the area with his magic, his brother soon joining him. "I don't sense anything. If their was some kind of trap, it's not magical."

After carefully tiptoeing their way around the sleeping princess, they began making their way deeper into the cave. As they walked, the dragon's keen eyes spotted something deeper inside. "Hey, I think I see the-"

Before he could finish his sentence, a black streak flew in front of his eyes, knocking him off balance. The two unicorns tried to find the unseen assailant, only discovering more shadows beyond the light of their horns. Suddenly, they heard a crash as the dragon fell, first to the ground, then into a deep slumber.

As Flim rushed to check on him, he never noticed the mass of darkness flying over his head. Soon, his mind went numb as he felt his consciousness slipping away, laying down next to his already silent brother. The last thing he heard before his world went completely black was an unfamiliar voice, whispering into to his ear.

"Bitter nightmares."

Author's Note

Curse you writer's block!

I'm very sorry that it took so long to get you guys such a short chapter, and I'll try to be better in the future. Once again, sorry!

Anyway, we've officially established where all of the protagonists are at right now (along with one antagonist). I imagine most of you can guess what happens next: the meat of the story. Yay! Finally! Why are you people still reading this instead of something from an author that's actually good?!

God of the Old World

Ancalos looked down at the insolent creatures that dared to intrude upon his lair.

Ponies. He hated ponies. Noisy, arrogant, bothersome little creatures, and always finding new ways to annoy him, even after all these years. Well, no more. He was going to crush these two glorified and oversaturated insects, then he was going to lay their feeble race to waste. They would become corpses, their cities would be turned to ash, and he would gloat over the bones of their dead friends and family.

Smiling slightly at the thought, he began his work.

When the dragon roared, its voice shook the rock around them, and dislodged massive chunks of stone that rained down upon the two mares. Trixie ran around in a way that vaguely resembled a headless chicken, while Vanilla tried her best to keep away from the beast's claws.

But its arms reached across for dozens of feet, and it had little trouble tearing chunks out of the far wall. His lower body remained submerged below the magma's surface, yet what was visible was still much larger than Ponyville's town hall. When he turned his head to get a better look at his prey, she realized that his eye was over twice as large as her entire body.

Managing to keep her head on straight, she deftly weaved between his attacks, looking for some way to harm the creature. Every part of him looked like it was armor plated, and she doubted that she could even do any kind of significant damage to his eyes. At least, not without any magic... glancing down, she was glad to see that Trixie was relatively safe for the time being.

After managing to gather her wits and realizing that the dragon wasn't focused on her, Trixie began casting two more spells; one to protect her from fire, and the other from physical attacks. She hoped that it would work against such a mighty beast, but her hope was running rather thin.

After several more missed swipes at the pegasus, Ancalos decided to try a different tactic, and sunk back into the depths of the lake. Seeing her opportunity, Trixie called Vanilla down to her, and managed to erect the last of her defenses just in time to stop the dragon's next attack.

Reemerging, Ancalos spit forth a new river of molten rock, covering and liquefying the entire stone platform that the mares were standing on.

But Trixie's magic held, and the two ponies were left dry and unmelted. Grinning slightly and congratulating herself on the powerful magic, Trixie very nearly lost her concentration when Ancalos decided to go back to the direct approach.

The caves once again shook as the drake's mighty hand came down on the immobilized ponies, pushing Trixie's shield to its limit. Gritting her teeth, she tried her best to hold out, but knew that it was hopeless. The two would-be-heroes were going to die here, and she couldn't do a thing to stop it.

Watching as Trixie visibly shook with every blow, Vanilla felt an anger rising in her. She was angry to be helpless. She was angry to be so close as to have her goal in sight, yet be unable to claim her prize. But mostly she was angry there was someone in front of her in danger, and she was doing nothing about it.

With a final, thundering strike, Trixie's shield gave way, leaving the two mares defenseless. Collapsing, Trixie let her eyes drift closed as she waited for her end.

But it didn't come. Instead, she heard Vanilla's voice shouting a challenge to the monster. But there was something wrong with the way she sounded. Her voice sounded hollow, almost like it was echoing. Opening her eyes once again, Trixie gasped at what she saw.

Vanilla was gone, and in her place was a creature that Trixie had never seen before, in all her travels. It was shaped vaguely like a pony, but it was pitch black and had a shell covering its body, rather than fur. It had what appeared to be a mane on its head and neck, but it looked like it was rotting. A green, fiery light was coming from the horn on its head, and it was using its magic to do battle with the dragon.

Shocked at the sudden appearance of the new creature, Ancalos still decided that it was best to continue on as he had, and tried to crush the creature. He immediately regretted his decision when his fist was met with a sensation that he had never felt before.

He was being burned.

Roaring in agony rather than anger, the dragon now backed away from the strange creature, clutching his wounded had. It followed him, using large, insect-like wings to fly above his head. As it moved, Trixie saw familiar patterns and maneuvers, although with a slightly more unsteady rhythm than before. As she watched the still graceful movements of the creature, Trixie lost any doubt about who she was looking at.

"Vanilla... what are you?"

If the creature had heard the half-spoken question, she ignored it. Focusing on the dragon, she continued dodging around his heavy blows and shooting green bolts of magic at him. His seemingly impenetrable scales were chipped away by her spells, causing more and more pain to the behemoth.

But as Trixie watched, she saw that 'Vanilla' was losing more and more air to the drake, who was starting to turn the tables. Getting more and more desperate, the creature was only barely managing to dodge the dragon's attacks as he pushed her back. As she saw the final strike coming to knock her out of the air and into the pool of magma, 'Vanilla' realized that she still hadn't been able to save Trixie.

Falling to her doom, the creature began to slowly close her eyes, and prepared for her sudden exit from the world of the living. But rather than a soft but painful splash into the lake, her body was met with a hard impact on a very solid surface. Jolting back into full awareness, she realized that she was being supported by Trixie's magic. Turning her head, she saw the unicorn walking towards the titanic beast.

"Hey, you!" Whatever else 'Vanilla' thought about Trixie, she couldn't help but be astounded by the strength and weight in her voice as she faced a creature that could easily kill her in an instant. "Yes, you! If you know what's good for you, you'll stop attacking us right now, and do as Trixie tells you."

After several moments, the dragon reared back its head and let loose a thunderous laugh. After shaking the cavern for several more seconds, he looked down to see that the pony was still entirely serious. "Oh, really? And why should I listen to you?"

"Because if you don't, someone very dangerous will put you in your proper place."

Once again letting out a tremendous laugh, the reptile seemed ready to collapse in his mirth. "What, like your little 'princesses?' They tried putting me in chains before, pony, and they failed. I had that sun-butt running with her tale between her legs, and you know why? Because I am Ancalos! Greatest dragon alive, and a god compared to puny creatures like you!"

Trixie began casually examining her hoof as she spoke again. "Strongest dragon alive, eh? Well, Trixie supposes that Sombra can always fix that."

After she spoke, Ancalos became perfectly still, a look of wide-eyed terror on his face, followed quickly by suspicion. "You're bluffing. There's no way that he's still alive after so many centuries!"

"Oh really? Is it really that hard to imagine that the most powerful pony that ever lived, one whose name has gone down in the history of all races as one of the greatest creatures to ever walk the face of the planet, might have been able to find a way to cheat death? Would it really be so hard to believe that he has fully ascended to his rightful place as a god, possessing immortality itself?" Trixie looked Ancalos right in the eye as she finished.

The dragon seemed to wrestle with himself for several seconds, before finally conceding defeat. "What do you want."

Trixie smiled, and said, "Trixie believes that there are two items in your horde that we would very much like to have. Give them to us, and you shall never have to hear from us again. Withhold them, and risk Sombra's wrath."

The dragon let out a bellowing sigh. "Very well then. But you may only take two things. Anymore and I will kill you, regardless of whose wrath I invoke."

Deciding that the dragon was thoroughly cowed, Trixie turned back to her silent companion. "... Vanilla?"

The creature cringed at the name, and turned away from Trixie's curious looks. "I'm sorry. I lied to you, and that was wrong, but... how do you explain something like this? How do you say, "yeah, sorry, but I'm secretly not a pony at all, just a shapeshifter that can make myself look like one?" I'm just... I'm so sorry." Breaking into a fit of sobs, 'Vanilla' jumped when she felt Trixie's comforting hoof on her side.

"It's okay. You saved Trixie's life back there, even though it meant giving up your secret. I really owe you one."

"No you don't. You just saved both out lives by talking that thing down."

"I heard that."

Ignoring the dragon's complaint, 'Vanilla' continued on. "If anything, I owe you one. But, I guess that's what friends are for, right?"

Trixie stood stock-still for several seconds, a vacant look in her eyes. "F-friends?"

"Well, I mean... if you'll have me."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that, it's just... I've never really had any 'friends' before."

Smiling, the creature pulled Trixie into a hug that was only slightly uncomfortable. "Well, you do now. Wait... did you say 'I'?"

Trixie's eyes grew wider than anypony would have thought possible, before she shouted out a hasty, "Trixie did no such thing!" and ran towards the dragon's horde, casting her lava-swimming spell on the way.

Chuckling, Zoraptera followed her new friend towards their destiny.

Author's Note

Points to any science geeks who know where 'Vanilla's' new name came from, without looking it up.

Bonus points to any fantasy-literature geeks who know what the inspiration behind Ancalos is.

Remember to drop some critiques. I love them, even if they're negative. Just make sure it's actually thoughtful.

Welcome to Paradise

“Get offa’ me!” Rearing back, Gilda raked her front claws along her assailant’s face… and took half that face off. The creature to whom the face belonged seemed completely unfazed, and continued trying to bite her with its blackened teeth.

Leaping into the air, she accidentally dragged one of the equine creatures with her. Pulling back one of her hind legs, she kicked it with all her might, causing it to explode in a rain of rotten flesh.

Oh… oh Sweet Son of Sombra. I think I’m gonna puke…

On the ground, Big Macintosh was faring no better. While easily able to overpower the pony like creatures, they refused to stay down, and seemingly endless rivers of the things were coming from the nearby ruins.

It didn’t take long for Gilda to figure out who was going to win this fight. “We’ve gotta get outta here!”

Nodding in agreement, Big Macintosh started trying to make his was to the edge of town, fighting the living corpses every inch of the way. Gilda, flitting back and forth overhead, was too absorbed in her worry for the stallion to notice one of the creatures making its way across a roof just a few feet below her.

“Gaaaah!” Tumbling down with a pair of grotesque jaws clamped firmly on her wing, Gilda smashed through two stories of wooden flooring before coming to a halt. Turning her attention to the not-quite-dead pony, she swore out loud when she noticed still more of them shambling from deeper within the building.

Startled by the griffon’s scream, Big Macintosh almost lost his balance to the onrush of creatures. While it was possible that his attackers’ still possessed enough of their brains to coordinate a strategic and well-timed rush, it was more likely a matter of coincidence that they seemed to be attacking more ferociously at that moment.

Turning in the opposite direction, he began smashing his way through the waves of creatures three at a time, forcing his way through to help his friend. But his limbs were growing heavy, and he never noticed the hooded figure watching from a short distance away.

Two living souls come to a village that is on no maps? Have they come seeking Sombra’s treasures, perhaps? But it is of no real consequence, when all is said; there is no room for the living in the land of the dead.

Grinning ever so slightly, the cloaked equine retreated further into the shadows.

With no room to fly and an injured wing holding her down, Gilda was forced to duke it out the old fashioned way. But even she had to admit that the odds weren’t in her favor. Grabbing a piece of railing, she smashed it over one creatures head so hard that the wood shattered, then…

Wait, railing?

Turning around, she saw a staircase leading upwards, with light coming from above. She only then realized that she had fallen into the house’s basement, and had a clear shot out of the building. Sprinting up the stairs for everything she was worth, she collided headlong with yet another pony shaped creature. Pulling out her talons, she prepared to swipe at…

“Big Red?”

“Eeyup.” Blasting another creature with his hind legs, he led the griffon back outside, the two of them now fighting side by side to get to safety.

With Gilda tearing and Big Mac smashing, they made good progress. But even after destroying what felt like hundreds of the monsters, more just kept coming. Weary and injured, Gilda began to realize that they wouldn’t make it. Not both of them, anyway.

Her wing was starting to feel better, so if she just took flight…

Gritting her beak, she ripped the leg off of one corpse-pony and started using it as a club, knocking three more down before the limb broke apart.

They were still making progress. They were still fighting. She could see the edge of the village as they came around the corner of one house, just a hundred yards away. It was so close, yet so far…

Fighting with newfound vigor, they pushed forward as fast as they could. Come on… Come on! Just a little bit farther! They were almost halfway there; they might actually make it!

Without warning, a shrill whistling sound filled the air. Their muscles felt like lead, their movements became sluggish, and the air itself seemed to be made of mud.

No! Not now, not like this! Unable to fight back, they were overwhelmed by the torrential flood of creatures. Falling to the ground, Gilda struggled for a few final moments as her world went black…

But Big Macintosh was having none of it. Knocking his own assailants aside, he head-butted those that were holding Gilda down and started dragging her unconscious body with his teeth. Now taking blows from all sides, he struggled forwards without the slightest hesitation, never once stumbling. One foot, then five, then ten…

As he got within ten yards of the village’s edge, he realized that he wasn’t going to last much longer. Summoning every last bit of his strength, he swung his head and tossed Gilda through the air. Holding his breath for several tense seconds, he sighed in relief when she landed outside of the strange creatures reach. They seemed to ignore her now that she had exited the town’s border.

He collapsed on the spot, and waited for the creatures to finish him.

The hooded figure started grumbling when she saw the red pony go down. She briefly considered going to fetch the female griffon first, but decided that she should grab the stallion. It was better if he was alive, after all.

Approaching the prone pony, she passed through the walking corpses unmolested. She spoke in an ancient tongue that few remembered, even in her homeland, and the creatures near the unconscious stallion parted for her. Kneeling, she briefly examined him.

Earth-pony. Large, and incredibly muscular. Probably a farmer. He would do quite nicely.

Her good mood restored, she grinned as she ordered the creatures to take him to her hut on the edge of the Everfree, then made her way toward the griffon. This one was also quite fit; not as good as the pony, perhaps, but still a valuable find. Perhaps this one could be the subject of one last test, before she completed her masterpiece.

As much as she disliked manual labor, the corpses couldn’t leave their village, so she would have to drag the griffon a short ways, first. Oh well. She was going to remedy her servants’ little problem soon enough, anyway.

As Macintosh came to, he was vaguely aware of a voice coming from his right. It became clearer as his consciousness returned, and he realized that it was chanting. He recognized the voice as female, but didn’t know who it belonged to, nor could he understand the language being spoken.

Hesitantly cracking one of his eyes, he almost jumped at what he saw. He was lying on his back on a table in some kind of hut, and was surrounded by hideous masks and carvings. Shifting his gaze to the creature that was chanting, he realized that it was a zebra mare. He hadn’t seen very many zebras in his life, but he didn’t think that chanting over a pot filled with bubbling green liquid was normal.

Glancing to his left, he saw Gilda crumpled up on the floor. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he wondered why he got all of the special treatment, what with the vine restraints and a special wooden bed. But his focus was more on how to get them out of their current situation; it was pretty obvious that this zebra wasn’t just having them over for tea, and he wasn’t eager to find out what she did want with them.

Making sure that the zebra was still distracted with her brew, he tested the bonds. They were made from some kind of plant that he wasn’t familiar with, and they were pretty thin, so even his littlest sister shouldn’t have had any trouble breaking them. But they didn’t tear in the slightest, even when he tried pulling as hard as he could while keeping quiet.

Must be some kind of zebra magic… I think I’m starting to really hate magic.

Struggling even harder, he tried everything he could think of to get out. While he was reaching over and trying to pull on it with his teeth, he realized something very bad: the only thing he could hear was his own grunting.

“Woken up, have you? Care to try my special brew?” Carrying a ladle filled with the green substance, the zebra tried pushing his head back onto the table and forcing the vile liquid down his throat. Try as he might, he couldn’t loosen his restraints, and it was getting harder to keep his mouth reasonably gunk free.

Just as she forced his lips apart enough to get a few drops in, a second voice rose behind her.

“Hey, guess what?”

Turning around, her head swam with lights as she flew across the room.

“I might not walk too softly, but I did find a big stick.”

Apparently the zebra’s enchantment only protected the vines from brute force, as Gilda was able to free Big Macintosh with her claws. “You doing alright, big guy?”

“Eeyup.” Ignoring the zebra, they both ran straight out the door, Gilda taking flight not long after.

Still in a daze, the zebra staggered slowly to her hooves. “Arrogant fools, do they think they can escape into the flora? No creature outsmarts Zecora!” Calling upon her undead slaves once more, she ordered them to hunt down their quarry. They would bring back that stallion, whether he was alive or dead!

Flying up above the tree line to get a better view, Gilda groaned when she saw where they were headed. “He, Big Red? You aren’t gonna like this.”

Just as she spoke, he burst through the last patch of foliage, and skidded to a halt next to a familiar looking building. “Uh oh.”

“Great, now we’re back where we started. Come one, let’s just turn around and find some other way out of the forest.” Unfortunately for them both, those plans were quickly shot down by the sickly moan of something else they were becoming far too familiar with. “Never mind, ‘away from the mindless corpse’ is a much better direction.”

Sprinting as fast as his heavy legs would take him, he almost came within sight of the village’s edge before more of the creatures showed up to block his path. Grunting, he slowed down, and looked for a way to get through…

Wait, was that..?

“Yo, where are you going?!” Gilda watched helplessly from above as the stallion, apparently stricken with a random bout of insanity, turned around and started running towards the village’s center.

Grunting as more of the walking-corpses appeared to block his path, he charged through them with abandon, determined to get to the very center of town. For there, sitting on the top of rickety flag pole, were the Elements.

Well, well. It looked like he was indeed trying to get the relics that Sombra had placed there one-thousand years prior. But he wouldn’t make it. Her little minions would make sure of that. And then she could…

Wait, why wasn’t he stopping? Why did he have such a fierce expression on his face? How was he plowing his way through her living corpses without so much as slowing down?

He shouldn’t have been trying that hard. Sure, the artifacts were almost certainly valuable, but not enough to risk one’s life for. Darn it; she would have to step in herself.

Luckily, she had a way to deal with situations like this…

Streaking across the sky at a speed that would make Dashie proud, Gilda tried to reach Big Red before he went and got himself killed. But she saw that stupid zebra starting to do another one of her little chants, and knew that it was too late. She didn’t scream when he went down. She didn’t cringe in pain, and start drifting towards the ground in shock. And she definitely didn’t let a tear fall down her face as she watched her friend fall to the ground.

“You monster!”

Turning just in time to get tackled by the feathery ball of rage, Zecora struggled for her life against the much larger griffon. Managing to kick her away long enough to get a word in edgewise, she shouted, “Stop!”

“And why should I? You murdered my friend!”

“Not quite, actually. He is simply unconscious, you see. But if you try to hurt me, my minions will not wait. Attack me, even once, and you shall seal his fate.” Zecora grinned, certain that she had won. She could finally claim her prize, and create a walking corpse of her own. He would not only be bigger and stronger than any of the others, but he wouldn’t be limited to this tiny patch of land. He would be the perfect servant. “Now surrender peacefully, and no more harm will befall him. Resist anymore, and his fate will be-“

Gilda punched her hard enough to knock her out cold. “I hate rhyming jerks.”

Forcing her way through the corpses to Big Red, she smacked him a few times in an attempt to get him back to the land of the living. She would never admit how relieved she was when he struggled back to his hooves, just like she would never admit that she cried when she thought he had died. “Come on, we really gotta get going this time.”

Seeming to gather his wits for a moment, he suddenly became distraught. “Wait, the Elements!”

Looking upwards, she saw the two metal rings hanging from the old flag post. “I’ll grab them, you get going.”

Fighting his way out for what was hopefully the last time, Big Mac was happy to note that the creatures were even slower and weaker than before, apparently sapped of their strength without their master giving them orders.

After rushing through the last of them, he was tempted to run up and hug Gilda in the safety of the outside world.

Watching from a safe distance, Princess Luna smirked. Just as expected, they had done all of the work for her and gotten the Elements away from those repulsive creatures. Now, all that was left to do was to wait for her opportunity to strike.

Then, she would be able to go and grab the other Elements, and rub her prizes in her sister’s face. She would finally be able to prove that her brain was better than Celestia’s brawn, and put her in her proper place.

Luna’s teeth gleamed in the darkness as she looked up at the moon. Her moon. Soon, she would no longer be a princess. She would not even be a queen.

She would be the Empress of the Night, and ALL would bow to her will.

Author's Note

… and then they slipped away while Luna was daydreaming.

For those of you that were thinking that Luna was more of a misguided good guy… so sorry, but she’s actually the worse of the two.

Also, I don’t apologize for anything. Not even taking this long to update. Sorry... no, wait!

Nightmare

Blood.

There was blood everywhere.

Flam covered his mouth and tried to hold in the vomit rising in the back of his throat. He couldn’t even stand to look at all of the bloodshed and carnage.

Flim just stared at him, his eyes empty and cold. “You did this. This is YOUR fault.”

“No… no… I didn’t do this! I couldn’t have!”

“You made the machine.”

“You helped sell it!”

“But you’re the one that made it faulty. You’re the pony that made it dangerous.” Flam’s ears drooped as his brother’s specter made a very valid argument. “How many other ponies have bought things like this from you? How many other mares do you think died because of what you did?”

“No… I… I never wanted this.”

“It doesn’t matter what you wanted!” Flam flinched as his brother’s voice changed, morphing into a sickening mockery. The stallion’s features melted and coalesced into that of another pony; Flam couldn’t tell who, as he was unwilling to look at its face. “The only thing that matters is what you’ve done, and how many have been and will be hurt because of it!

“All that matters now is that you know what true suffering is.”

As the stallion twitched in his sleep, he remained blissfully unaware of the creature watching his agonizing slumber. After making certain that he was in suitable pain, the black furred creature checked on the other pony. Leaning down, the equine let its wings gently flap over the other stallion’s snout.

“Don’t worry; it’ just a bad dream. Ahahahahahahahaaa…”

“Brother…”

“Flam? Is that you? Where are you?!”

“Help me… Brother.”

Running silently through the thick and dark mist, Flim desperately searched for any sign of his younger brother. He couldn’t see anything through the fog, but he could feel stone beneath his hooves.

“Flam? Can you hear me?” As he ran, he saw a strange figure in the mist. Drawing closer he saw that it was equine shaped. He started running even faster.

But as he approached the pony, he saw that it wasn’t his brother. Instead of a horn, the creature sported wings, and had a pitch-black coat. Turning towards him, it set its crimson gaze on him just as the ground disappeared from beneath his hooves.

As he fell into the abyss, his body turned in midair, until he was looking upward. Flam looked back.

“Why did you let this happen to us?”

This one started twisting in his sleep, and seemed to be trying to scream. Whatever nightmare he was having, it must have been particularly unpleasant for him.

Grinning slightly, the pony overseeing their torture felt a surge of pride. No creature was going to get to the Elements, not unless they were worthy. And judging by how things were going for these two ponies, this group of adventurers would fare no better than the last.

Now, there was just the drake.

The young dragon stretched out his arm muscles as he made his way from the den that he had slept in the previous night. Spotting some of his old friends, he rushed over to them.

They were in the middle of their migration, and were sticking around this particular volcano for a few days. Taking the opportunity to hang out with his gang, he challenged one of them to tail-wrestling.

After beating his opponent quite handily, he soon found himself going up against yet another dragon. This was followed by a third challenger, and then a fourth.

Eventually, he was challenged by a tiny purple and green dragon. A tiny part of his brain questioned how the squirt had followed them on the migration, or why he was challenging a drake ten times his size to tail-wrestling. But a much larger part simply couldn’t form any coherent thoughts, and he got into position like normal.

Most dragons would have predicted that the runt would lose. Even with a mind as numbed as his was he could figure that much out. But he didn’t just lose.

He backed away from the pile of blood and guts that used to be the tiny dragon. All of the other dragons, every single one in the entire migration, was surrounding him, mocking him, taunting him, accusing him.

This couldn’t be real. Stuff like this just didn’t happen. It couldn’t!

“Oh really?”

He spun around to face the speaker. All of the other dragons were gone, as was the volcano he had been standing on. In their place was a black pony, standing in the middle of a cave.

“Who are you? What do you want from me?”

The pony smiled. Upon closer inspection, the drake saw that she was a pegasus mare. But she looked nothing like any pegasus he had ever seen; he found it difficult to look at her straight, as her body seemed to shift and bend under his gaze, and her eyes were blood-red slits, rather than round.

“Who am I? I’m your fears.”

“I’m your doubts.” The dragon turned once more as the voice came from his left, the pony having somehow snuck around him. The cave was gone, now replaced by a forest clearing.

“I’m your nightmares.” He already knew that she would somehow be behind him when he turned, but the drake still spun around to look at her. He jumped backwards when he saw her eyes right in front of his.

Once again, the forest had disappeared. They were now indoors, and the dragon struggled through the mud filling his head to figure out what kind of building they were in.

As he looked up, he saw that the pony was now seated behind some kind of podium. To her right were all of the adult dragons from the migration, all with somber looks on their faces.

To her left sat the tiny dragon that had dared to tail-wrestle him.

The mare spoke again, her question now aimed at the adult dragons. “Has the jury reached a decision?”

Their thunderous voices boomed out as one, “Guilty!”

The judge lifted her tiny mallet in her hoof, and struck the podium. Then, everything went black.

The mare hummed a tune to herself as she finished checking on the last of the creatures. As much as she had come to enjoy her work, she was still growing a little bored. Deciding to get a quick snack, she wondered what her unfortunate victims were experiencing right now.

She had never really understood her powers, other than that they allowed her to put other creatures to sleep, and give them terrible nightmares. She had no way of knowing the exact effects, so she could only guess what the two stallions and dragon were going through right now. Were they experiencing loss? Failure? Betrayal?

She mused silently about the mysteries of the universe as she went to her small living area. It was quite minimal on account of her living in a cave in the Everfree Forest, but she had still been pretty comfortable for the many years she had spent there. Grabbing a drink and some cooked squirrel, she wondered aloud why ponies seemed so uncomfortable when it came to eating meat.

Why..? Why did things have to go so wrong? How could he have made something that could actually hurt somepony? He would never have sold anything like that…

Flam looked at the designs he had made. What had he done wrong? What had he missed that could lead to such a dangerous malfunction?

As he stared at the pieces of paper on his worktable, he started focusing on one corner in particular. Something about it seemed… off.

Of course! How could he have missed something so obvious?! Grabbing a pencil in his telekinetic grip, he began to furiously scribble down notes and sketches…

Flim fell…

And fell…

Somehow, he wasn't feeling any less terrible about what he had done. His brother was still falling beside him, after all.

He had messed up. He had made an unforgivable mistake. He didn't deserve to lead, his brother should have, instead. He was always so much smarter than Flim, yet he still let him be in charge. Or, at least, as much as either of them was in charge of the other.

And look where he had landed them for it. Yeah, he had definitely screwed up.

At least all of this falling gave him plenty of time to think. Speaking of falling, he wondered, shouldn’t there be a cliff-face somewhere?

As if on cue, a wall of solid rock appeared from within the mist. As it rushed past them, an idea tickled the back of Flim’s mind…

In a sudden moment of inspiration, he used his magic to construct a magical slide-shaped barrier beneath the two brothers.

Impacting the stone wall hard enough to knock a few teeth loose, Flim noted that he was still alive, and held on for dear life. Catching Flam in a telekinetic grip before he could continue falling into the chasm, he deposited his brother on the side of the wall next to him.

“Shall we go up?”

No matter how hard he tried, the dragon couldn’t stop hurting others, and he could never avoid the inevitable trial and sentencing that followed. Over and over again, as if he was always trying to outdo his last mistake. It was never ending, and it made him realize something: it wasn’t real.

None of it could be real. He didn’t know what was going on, and his mind was still too sluggish to work out any of the details, but he knew for a fact that what was happening couldn’t be happening.

So he waited. He made his not-real mistakes, he went before the not-real judge, and he paid for his not-real crimes with not-real sentences.

He waited. Eventually, something would snap. And then, he could get out of this awful nightmare.

“… nightmare.”

… What? What was that? Was one of her prisoners… talking?

No, that was impossible; no creature, not even Sombra himself, could do more than grumble when under her control. The gases that she produced shut down the nervous system almost entirely, so having somecreature retain enough control to speak was… well, it just didn’t happen.

Curious, she walked back into the cave’s entrance and kneeled before the dragon. Thoroughly examining him, she decided that it was better to be safe than sorry, and released more toxic gas from her wings in an attempt to pull him back into his slumber.

She froze when she heard a shuffling sound behind her. Only turning her head a few degrees, she glanced over her shoulder, sighing in relief when she saw that neither of the ponies…

Oh no. She couldn’t see the ponies. She had left them right there! Starting to panic once more, she desperately searched for her prey.

They had to be around here somewhere. Even if they had somehow managed to wake up, they couldn’t have gone too far. All she had to do was find them, then…

She jumped backwards as a red projectile whistled past her head.

“Ah, Flam, you missed!”

“Hey, you try aiming this thing! Why did we make it hoof operated, anyway? We have magic!”

“Weren’t we going to try selling it?”

“… Touché.”

She turned to see the two stallions, standing next to a… something. She honestly had no idea what kind of weird contraption they had managed to make, but she was pretty sure she was standing in front of its business end.

As Flam aimed his next shot, Flim decided that it was time to take a more… creative approach.

“How can she move so fast?”

“How can your aim be that bad?” Jumping and twisting through the air, she avoided every shot sent her way with the grace of a true predator, while wondering why in the name of Discord they had decided to make a cannon that shot apples. Seriously. Apples?

Closing the distance to her prey with ease, she leapt over the cannon’s barrels and tried getting her teeth on the stallion’s throat. He managed to duck just below her, and searched anxiously for some sign of his brother, only to find that he had disappeared.

“End of the line, pony. It’s lunchtime.” The mare bared her unusually prominent fangs as she approached Flam, who found himself backed into a corner.

“Listen, we just want the Elements of Progress; once we’ve grabbed them, we can leave, and never bother you again.”

“What do you think I’m supposed to be, the welcoming committee? No creature can get the Elements unless they prove themselves worthy.”

“Did you not notice the giant white Alicorn sleeping in your doorway? The princesses are back!”

“And that’s all the more reason to keep them out of reach of those that don’t deserve them!” She made another lunge, this one too low for Flam to duck under. Weaving to her right, he braced for the impact of her wing, only to cry out in pain as he felt a chunk of flesh get torn out of his leg.

Retracting the serrated bone on the edge of her wing, the mare walked over to her crippled prey, Flam panicking at the unnatural creature’s approach.

“As I said before: lunchtime.”

“Excuse me, your majesty, but it would seem that you’re sleeping on the job.”

Celestia groaned as her consciousness slowly returned to her. Opening her eyes, she saw a unicorn stallion standing before her. “What do you speak of, peasant? Speak quickly!”

“Well you see, I, as a concerned citizen of your great empire, would just like to point out that you really can’t let somepony get away with putting you into a drug induced sleep like that. Why, I think that that black mare deeper within this cave deserves to get a good thrashing, wouldn’t you agree?”

“What black mare? What are you talking about? Oh, I swear, if she’s the one responsible for this headache, a “thrashing” is going to be the least of her worries!” The Princess of the Sun stormed into the cave, bathing it in light as she entered the deeper chambers.

Spotting the mare that the unicorn had described, she immediately loosed a blast of magical energy.

Blinded by the sudden surge of light, the mare tried to dodge out of the shot’s way, getting grazed as it passed. Staggering and rapidly blinking her eyes, she was barely able to see the next attack sent her way.

Upon getting a good look at her attacker, she decided that the unicorn stallions could wait; there was larger prey to hunt.

“So, let me get this straight: you woke yourselves up from your crazy dreams on your own, woke up Celestia and convinced her to attack the nightmare-pegasus, and then you grabbed me and the Elements and bailed while the two of them were trying to kill each other?”

Flim and Flam shared a glance and shrugged. “More or less.”

The dragon shook his head. “What do you know? I guess I didn’t give you guys enough credit. You’re alright, alright?”

“Thank you, good sir.” Flim spared a glance back towards the cave. “But we should really get going. I don’t want to be nearby to find out which of those two won.”

Celestia screamed in agony as the mare bit into the back of her neck with vicious fangs and, trying to shake the creature off, discovered that it possessed an absurdly strong grip. Panicking, she tried blasting at her assailant with her horn, only managing to scorch her own fur in the process.

Eventually, the creature let go, only to leave some kind of black fog behind her. Celestia felt her consciousness starting to slip, and made a mad dash for the cave’s entrance.

Crazy… mare… struggling to remain awake, the princess decided that now would be a good time to beat a hasty retreat, and flew off on unsteady wings, defeated and humiliated.

After watching the alicorn leave, the black mare searched her home for the Elements, confirming her suspicions that the strange group from earlier had taken them.

“Huh… I guess you were worthy after all."

Author's Note

In case you didn’t realize it yet, each of the Guardians that Sombra picked is powerful enough to give an alicorn a run for her money.

Remember to comment! Yes, I'm talking to You, specifically. Hit that "add comment" button! press it like a boss!

Macintosh Shrugged

“So, Trixie doesn’t believe that you ever got around to explaining what, exactly, you actually are…”

Only slightly startled by the unicorn’s sudden question, ‘Vanilla’ turned back to her, having returned to her pegasus form. “We’re called changelings. Or, at least, that’s what we call ourselves. Very few creatures actually know about us, so I guess you should feel kind of proud of that.”

Trixie sat back from their small campfire as she contemplated the response. “So, your kind have managed to keep themselves secret from all of the other races? Why?”

“Well, if I had to guess, I would say that it has something to do with us looking like monsters when we’re not in disguise. It also doesn’t help that we feed off of love, which is hard to come by when everycreature thinks that you’re gonna eat their children.”

“Fair point. You really don’t look that bad, though. Your mane is kind of… nice.”

“Most changelings don’t have manes. I’m one of the queen’s royal guards, so I get extra feeding privileges, but most are lucky if they get to keep on a healthy diet. Love may be an efficient food source, but it’s not a plentiful one.”

“That sounds… terrible. I’m really sorry that I can’t do anything to help.”

“Eh, don’t worry about it that much. We’re used to it by now. All I need is to get faster than Rainbow Dash.” Vanilla shrugged as she spoke.

Yes… She was definitely Vanilla. Trixie could tell that much.

“Why do you want to get faster? You seem plenty quick to me.” Trixie leaned slightly forward as she spoke.

“Because my job is keeping the queen safe, and I can’t protect her from somecreature that’s faster than me. I mean, yeah, I’m fast, but I still can’t keep up with that darn pegasus! It’s like she has rockets strapped to her flanks or something.” The amount of angry flailing that accompanied her angry rant was a sight to behold, and Trixie couldn’t help but giggle.

“Hey, this is not funny! Do you know how many years I’ve spent training to protect her majesty?”

Trixie reigned in her laughter as she spoke. “Trixie knows, she shouldn’t have laughed at you like that. But really, how much faster do you think you can go? If this “Rainbow Dash” is faster than you, then it can’t be by much.”

Vanilla sighed. “Yeah, but it’s still a huge problem. Think about it: Rainbow is just one pegasus who happens to be faster than me. What if there’re more? What if there are ponies that are even faster than her? How can I keep my queen safe if somecreature can slip past me like that?”

Trixie let a small smile form on her face. “If it’s really that important to you, then I’m sure you’ll find a way.”

“… Yeah. I guess you’re right.” For the first time since she could remember, Vanilla felt herself relax.”

“Soooo… Is Vanilla your real name, or…”

“Oh, my real name’s Zoraptera, although I would prefer if you just called me Vanilla around others. They might start to get curious if you suddenly gave me a nickname after our little trip together.”

Trixie only managed to keep her face from turning red for about a second. “That… is just… I’m gonna go for a walk.”

“Don’t fall into the chasm again!”

Gilda stared at the pair of rings that were made of some unidentifiable metal that she and Big Macintosh had just risked their lives to get. “So… this is it?”

“Eeyup.”

“… Now what? Are we supposed to, like, do something with them, or..?”

Macintosh shrugged.

“I bet Sombra is just laughin’ up a storm right now, thinking about us trying to figure out what to do with a couple useless hunks ‘a metal.”

Macintosh shrugged.

“Maybe we grabbed the wrong thingamajigs by mistake. What do you think?”

Macintosh shrugged.

“Okay, now your just screwing with me, aren’t you?”

Macintosh shrugged.

“Forget it. Let’s just head back to town.”

“So the Elements are jewels, huh? Seems a little weird, but whatever works, I guess. You guys sure these are the right… things?”

“Absolutely. You may not be able to sense magical enchantments…”

“But those things are practically swimming in energy. Even if they aren’t the Elements, they’re still extremely powerful.”

The dragon looked between the two brothers, trying to remember which one of them was which. “Well, okay then, I guess. Now what do we do? Claim them for ourselves and run out into the wilderness?”

Flim and Flam stared at him.

“That was a joke. Let’s get going. Hopefully the others will be waiting back in Ponyville.”

…

“Hey, did it take this long to get back the fir-” CRITICAL HIT! “OW! Enough with the stupid branches!”

Flim spared a glance back. “Sorry. And no, it didn’t. In fact, I don’t think we even went through this way the first time…”

“Guys? I think we’re lost.”

The drake grunted as he managed to grab the next branch that was flung into his face. “Hey, I caught—ow!” He then spent several seconds hopping on one foot. “Give me a moment, I can just fly up and check where town is. Stupid branches…”

…

“HOW DID WE GET THIS FAR OUT?!”

Flim glanced worriedly at his brother. “Um, is something the matter?”

The young dragon was audibly grumbling as he made his way down, landing with a loud thud and pointing. “The edge of the forest is that way. I think.”

The Flim Flam Brothers glanced at each other, then asked in unison, “You think?”

“Excuse me, but it’s a little bit hard to see the edge of the darn forest when we’re a few miles in.”

Flam gulped. “Really? How’d we manage to get that far?”

“That’s what I asked! Stupid forest, stupid getting lost, stupid pegasus, stupid alicorns…” As he continued his rant about how everything in the world was stupid, the drake idly reached down to pick up one of the two red gems that the trio had managed to steal from the nightmare-pony.

On a whim, Flim decided to do the same, tossing the last Element to his brother. The moment it came in contact with Flam’s magical aura, it flared with a blinding light.

The dragon tried to throw the searing crystal out of his grasp, but it was practically glued to his hand. Shouting in pain and confusion, he and the brothers were engulfed in light.

“What did you do?!”

“I don’t know! Trixie just touched it, like you did!”

“Hang on, I think this is gonna hurt!”

“This is totally your fault!”

“Eenope.”

“All I did was touch the darn thing, just like you, but now it’s freaking out! This is totally your fault!”

Big Macintosh just rolled his eyes as the Elements did whatever they wanted to. Well, let’s see what you’ve got in store for us, Sombra.

Author's Note

Filler chapter is filler. I apologize for nothing.

Now give me your comments! They're like crack, but better, because I would never do crack