Tale of the Nether Drake

by StreakTheFox

Rating: teen
Tags: Original Character, Trixie, Spike, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Tragedy, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Main 6, Romance
Length: 30578

When two strangers arrive in Ponyville asking for help, Twilight, Spike, and all their friends have no idea the magnitude of the quest they are about to embark on.

For everything dark, there is something bright.
For a world in day, there is a world in night.
From hot to cold, and young to old, balance has existed for ages untold.

But for this balance that has lasted so long, the forces of chaos will be just as strong.
The balance will shift, the realms will lose power...
And imbalance shall reign until it is all over.

When two strangers arrive in Ponyville asking for help, Twilight, Spike, and all their friends have no idea the magnitude of the quest they are about to embark on.
And something, somewhere, is controlling it all.

Published 2013-07-30 21:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-01 20:16:31 UTC

Ch1: Duo

-Chapter 1-

Duo

{~Present day on a cool, quiet night on the outskirts of Trottingham~}

Heth. The balance has shifted, and time has done nothing but make me stronger...

A shadowy figure, cloaked by a torn and tattered dark gray cloth, moved himself to the top of a hill, overlooking the sleepy city below.

For a Millennium I have slept, Rhadts... hiding from those that would only seek to further tip the scales. Niptar lik kalem... their own foolishness is threatening to cause chaos once again in this world of Rethen... Peace.

The figure turned its gaze to the largest mountain overlooking the city, its yellow eyes glowing like two small orbs in the night.

Hyliate was a fool, nipt, and Cecil was ruled by his emotions. Kalen'do Kirmenth ir mandulok kalen whoaze... they both deserved the punishments they received. One imprisoned in stone, the other thrust into nether, chaos.

Another, smaller figure approached the first one, a shroud concealing its identity as well.

f I do not act soon, the Rethen and Nether will no longer be whiszlok, myths from a long forgotten book, but rather a nightmare that will consume both of our worlds...

“Master Blaasz,” came a voice from the smaller figure as it approached with something in its possession. “I have retrieved the ancient tome. What would you have me do with it?”

“Weys. Give it here, young one, I shall hold it for the time being...” Blaasz said as he seemed to stretch out a limb towards the smaller figure.

The figure in question appeared to nod, handing over with a scaly hand an old, thick book with only an illustration of a complex symbol on the cover. After a few moments another figure appeared, this one from the sky, landing beside the smaller figure as its wings furled under its own cloak.

“Master Blaasz, I have found the map,” this figure said, holding out a rolled-up scroll.

“Yes, another piece of our Sigmiz, puzzle...” Blaasz extended another limb towards the second figure, taking possession of the map.

I need to stop this before it has a chance to begin. I must go back from whence I came, and trade places with the other from this world, so balance may finally be restored once and for all...

A breeze flowed through the air, but not one of any particular temperature. It was not cold, yet it ran a shiver through Blaasz's and the two smaller figures' bodies. It was not hot, but its energy seemed to sear their exteriors. A whisper, a message of some sort, was heard by Blaasz, his eyes closing momentarily to take it all in. He opened them slowly after a few moments, his gaze turning skyward towards the moon above.

“Are you two prepared to do what needs to be done, for the preservation of countless lives?”

“Yes, Master Blaasz.” both smaller figures said in unison without any sort of delay.

“Weys. Ponyville is your next target. Ook med, Go now and find the Heth'nral, the seventh diamond, so that we may obtain the first six. Do what you must, and do not fail, or the nether spread by Discord only a few months ago will look like a blessing in comparison to this world's fate.”

“Yes, Master Blaasz! We shall not fail,” again, their words were spoken in unison without hesitation.

The two figures turned around immediately and sped off, one taking flight while the other dashed across the ground. Blaasz did not turn to watch, but could sense them even as they went beyond earshot.

Slowly, he raised up his arms and brought his claws to the top of his cloak. He pulled it down, his feathers and beak staring off into the town with the same glowing eyes. The body that was not his own shifted around slightly, visibly shaken by the message he heard just a minute ago.

I have stayed in this Rethen for far too long. Parso... but If what the Nether Drake says is true, then the only way to restore Heth, balance, is to find the one who would inherit the title of guardian from him.

(Three days later, two hours after sunrise.)

The sun was high in the sky on another beautiful day in Ponyville. The town was buzzing with its everyday activity, ranging from trading at the markets to ponies working at their jobs, to traveling around to see friends or taking a nap on some cloud in the sky. Everypony in the town was outside and enjoying the beautiful day, except for, of course, Twilight Sparkle.

“Spiiike!” Twilight called from her reading desk after taking another sip of her green tea. “Did you find it yet?”

“Sure did, Twi!” Spike replied as he came rushing through the basement door holding a book. “I got it right here – The History of Major Magical Gems and Trinkets in Equestria.”

“Great!” Twilight smiled, taking it from Spike with her magic and setting it in front of her. “I'd been hoping to get some time to finish reading this book.”

“Are you sure you don't want to go outside today, Twilight? It sure is pretty today, better than usual now that Rainbow Dash has gotten the clouds clear.”

“Don't worry, Spike, there's plenty of gorgeous days in Ponyville, gotta find at least a few to sacrifice in order to read through a good book.”

“If you say so. But hey, all the chores are finished up, do you think I can go out for a while?”

“Go out?” Puzzled, Twilight turned to look at her assistant. “Where would you want to go out?”

“Oh ya know, go to Pinkie's place for a treat, maybe stop by Applejack's farm to hang out with the Crusaders, or even go to Rarity's!” Spike paused for a moment, his heart fluttering as he lifted his head and clasped his hands together. “Rarity....”

Twilight giggled, amused by Spike's fanboy antics. “Alright, you can go out for a while. Just try to steer clear of any trouble, alright?”

“Sure thing, Twilight!” Spike said with a smile as he quickly shot out the door and went out into the town.

Twilight sighed slightly and returned to her book, just reaching the next chapter.

-|-

Spike took his time walking around Ponyville, taking deep breaths of the fresh air every now and then. The town was alive and well, just as he'd always known it to be; Ponies were selling their products, the sky was clear of all clouds, kids were racing up and down the streets playing tag, two ponies were sitting on a bench talking, and even – hey, was that a dragon?

Spike stopped and looked down the street, seeing a small figure walking on two legs with a tail and spines similar to his. As they got closer, Spike was also able to see that this other dragon was about his height – and probably age as well – and was accompanied by... a griffon! There hasn't been a griffon in this town since Gilda was here, Spike thought to himself as he saw the pair casually walk down the street.

Many of the ponies in the town had stopped and watched the two for a few moments, most of them seeming pretty interested in the two newcomers. The two in question, however, simply watched ahead of them and didn't bother looking around at the ponies who were staring from the sides of the street, as if they had been through this before.

Curious, Spike also watched as they walked and eventually passed by him, though managing a split second eye contact when the dragon looked over at him, looking straight into his eyes just long enough for Spike to realize that he really was looking at him.

The two continued on, almost seeming to walk aimlessly through the streets of Ponyville. Spike saw them exchange a few short words, but never heard either of their voices. He thought about talking to them, but decided against it as he realized how close to Rarity's Carousel Boutique he was.

With his interests in her outweighing his curiosity towards the griffon and the other dragon, he simply shrugged the event off and continued on his way, the thought of Rarity's face bubbling up into his mind.

Upon reaching the Boutique, he was met with Sweetie Belle racing out the front door with Applebloom and Scootaloo close behind her. All three stopped one at a time after just passing Spike, turning their bodies to greet the young dragon.

“Hi Spike!” Applebloom greeted cheerfully.

“What's goin on dude?” Scootaloo asked, her attitude appearing upbeat and ready for a full day of crusading.

“Are you here to see my sister?” Sweetie Belle asked with a small smile.

“Uh, yeah! How'd ya guess?”

“Well it's kind of obvious,” Scootaloo remarked. “Everypony knows you have like, the biggest crush on Sweetie Belle's older sister.”

“Yeah Spike!” Applebloom giggled.

“W-what? Who told you!? Er, I mean, I'm just coming over to help... uhh... yeah, just coming to help Rarity out, that's all!” Spike said sheepishly, his eyes darting side to side.

“I think it's really sweet,” Sweetie belle said. “But don't worry, we won't get in the way. We're just going over to the market to see if we can find anything there to help us get our cutie marks!”

“Yeah! Today we're totally gonna try racing shopping carts down the street, it's gonna be rad!” Scootaloo smirked to the other crusaders.

“Yeah! Let's go do it!” Applebloom cheers.

“CUTIE MARK CRUSADER SHOPPING CART RACERS, YAY!” And with that, all three of them zoom off past Spike, leaving a cloud of dust in their wake.

Unsure of what all that was about and not finding much reason to care, Spike casually walked into the Boutique. The first thing he saw was Rarity on the opposite side of the room carefully picking out the right ribbons for a dress she appeared to be making. She seemed to be in the zone, as it were, and talking to herself softly as she looks through from ribbon to ribbon. Spike, his heart now fluttering, slowly walks in and approaches Rarity.

“Not that, no that's too sparkly, too small, no that's... oh! Hello Spike!” Rarity said with a smile as she notices the dragon approaching. “How are you this fine day?”

“Oh, I'm alright!” Spike replies happily. “I was just uh, ya know, wondering if you needed any sort of help with your dresses or something, ya know.”

“Hmm... well, I could use some help with these needles,” Rarity levitated a few needles over in front of Spike. “Think you could help me keep these organized like last time?”

“Oh, of course! Anything for you Rarity!”

Spike smiled, even as the needles stick into the scales on his back. It doesn't hurt; his thick scales prevent him from really feeling anything other than some slight pressure from the needles poking in. Spike bends over so the colored ends of the needles are clearly visible to Rarity, his eyes rolled up and watching her work closely. Time passes, Rarity works with Spike as the work pushes through, and Spike simply enjoys her presence.

Their time together is interrupted about thirty minutes later when the door to the Boutique opens and the bell on the door rings, announcing the arrival of a customer. Hearing the bell, Rarity springs to attention from her focus on her work and turns towards the pair that just entered.

“Welcome to the Carousel Boutique!” Rarity calls out, her eyes then a bit wide when she realizes who, or what the guests are. “Oh my, I don't think I've seen either of you around before. You must be new here!”

“Hey there,” The male griffon replied, walking in calmly with his dragon companion beside him, the same ones Spike saw earlier. “Yeah, we just came into town earlier this morning. Man I'm hungry...”

“Knock it off Shuske,” The male dragon said, giving the griffon a slight nudge with his elbow. His voice was semi-childish, sort of like Spike's except with a bit more of a coarse sound when he spoke. “We'll have plenty of time to eat later.”

“Is there anything I can help you two with?” Rarity asked, slowly approaching the two.

“Yeah, do you know where we can find anything to eat?” The griffon named Shuske asked, the dragon beside him face-palming slightly.

“Oh, why there's a lot of food stands around town, I'm sure you've seen...” Rarity says, looking back and forth between the two inquisitively.

Where did they come from? The griffon has a name, but what about the other dragon? He looks rather similar to Spike, but his scales were a dark red where Spike's were green, and brown everywhere else. His scales were also arranged a bit differently, as if they were... pointier. Rarity contemplated whether or not to ask, but decided against it in an attempt to not seem rude or nosy.

“Yeah, we saw,” Shuske said with a roll of his eyes. “But I like sweet stuff, like candy and cake and things. Do you have a sweet shop or something around here?”

“Oh! What you want is Sugarcube Corner then! It's owned by the Cakes, but my dear friend Pinkie Pie helps run the place, and she can make the sweetest, most marvelous pastries and candies in all of Ponyville.”

“Oh man, that sounds great!” Shuske replied, his beak starting to water slightly. “Let's go there Tazer! Uhhh... Tazer?” Shuske looked around his sides, noticing his dragon companion missing.

Tazer, the red-scaled dragon in question was standing right in front of Spike, looking directly at him. Spike looked back, their eyes meeting as their gazes peered into each other, Tazer seeming to look as if he was closely examining something while Spike looked back with... confusion. This was the same dragon Spike saw earlier, for sure, but why did he seem so interested in him? He seemed to be staring straight into Spike's soul, even taking a step forward when Spike took a precautionary step backwards.

“Hey, Tazer!” Shuske called, finally snapping the dragon out of his focus.

“Huh, uh what?” Tazer replied, shaking his head a bit as he looked back at the griffon.

“C'mon bro, let's get goin! I found a place where we can get some food!”

“I told you not to call me bro,” Tazer replied in annoyance, pointing a finger at Shuske as he walked back to him. “And fine, let's go get this hunger thing of yours dealt with already.”

“Thanks for stopping by, come again!” Rarity waved, a bit disappointed from the uneventful visit, but excited to see some newcomers in Ponyville.

The two walked out the door, but as they did, Tazer turned his head and took one last look at Spike, their eyes meeting for another split second before breaking again by the door closing behind them. Spike blinked a few times, trying to comprehend just what all of that was about.

“Well,” Rarity began, still looking towards the door. “It seems like you just might have a new playmate here in Ponyville, Spike! Another dragon around here is sure to liven things up a bit.”

“Uh, yeah... right.”

-~-

“What was that about?” Shuske asked as he walked beside Tazer.

“That dragon...” Tazer replied slowly.

“You mean the one you were staring at?”

“No, the one stomping all over Tokyo right now... yes, that dragon,” Tazer said in annoyance.

“Alright alright, yeesh... so why were you staring at him?”

“I think he's the one we're searching for.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“Well, think about it...” Tazer began. “We're in Ponyville. Word is, the element holders are here. The only places we have left to check are here, Canterlot, and that crazy inventor in the Dragon Domain. So, where else would the Guardian of Balance be other than with the Elements of Harmony themselves? It's destined to be.”

“I hear what you're saying, but I don't think you should just assume everything is based off destiny. I like to think we all still have a choice, ya know?

“You can't change what has been set in stone Shuske... Master already told us that.”

Yeah, I know...” Shuske sighed. He then felt a rumbling in his stomach and sniffed at the air. “Hey, Tazer.”

“What?”

“I'm hungry, let's go find some chow buddy!”

“Ugh...”

-~-

“Hey there Rarity!” Twilight called out as she opened the door of Rarity's Boutique.

“Oh, why hello Twilight!” Rarity replied, happy to see her friend. “What can I do for you?”

“Oh, I just came here to pick up Spike, and tell you that we've been invited to a party.”

“A party?” Rarity questioned, rubbing her hoof on her chin. “Let me guess, Pinkie Pie saw the two newcomers and decided to throw a 'welcome to Ponyville' surprise party for them?”

Twilight blinked in surprise, but then smiled. “Yup! But, how did you know that?”

“Oh, why they were here just a little while ago. They told me they wanted something sweet to eat, so I simply directed them to Sugarcube Corner. And then, well, it shouldn't be hard to imagine Pinkie dear's surprise with newcomers to the town. She always gets so delighted.”

“Yeah, I remember when she first saw me in town.” Twilight giggled, pausing for a moment in recollection. At first the poofy-haired party pony had gasped and run as if Twilight had the plague, only for her to later discover that she had organized a welcoming party right inside the Ponyville Library. She figured that their latest visitors were in for quite a treat; although, to be fair, she hadn’t taken her first party so well.

Come to think of it, neither had Gilda; the only other griffon to ever be in Ponyville that she knew of. And the dragon was an unknown quantity as yet. She frowned slightly, but decided to shrug it off until later.

“Anyways, I'm about to head over to Sugarcube Corner right now, and I told Pinkie I would bring you and Spike along with me. That’s okay, right?” her expression turned half-expectant, half-sheepish.

The white unicorned beamed a lustrous smile. “Oh why of course! In fact, I had just finished the last of my dresses thanks to Spike here helping me with a few things. I'll get my things and head over there right away!” And with that, she gracefully trotted upstairs, humming to herself. Spike stared at her fleeting form with a goofy expression on his scaly face.

“Alright. So Spike, ready to meet some new friends?” Twilight asked as she approached her assistant, a vibrant smile on her face.

To his credit, he managed to break free from his Rarity-mode without embarassing himself again, and cast a quick glance with a smile at her before speaking. “Yeah, sure, just let me get these needles out of my back.” One by one, Spike plucked out each of the razor-sharp objects and carefully set them on the table next to the others. Rarity always liked it when he helped to keep things orderly...

“It still baffles me how you're unable to feel a thing with those needles in your back like that...”

“I told you Twilight, thick scales. It just comes with being a dragon,” Spike shrugged with a bit of a smug smile.

“Right... well, when Rarity gets back, we'll all head over to Pinkie's for the party. Alright?”

“Sounds good to me, I guess,” Spike looked to the side for a moment, thinking back to when the dragon – who he then remembered was named Tazer – had stared him down earlier. Something about that didn't feel right to him, but he couldn't put a claw on it...

-~-

What is she doing here...? Rainbow Dash growled in her mind as she looked down from her single napping cloud above Ponyville. It didn't take exceptional eyesight to see the two strangers traveling through the streets from a distance, but with Dash's eyes, she was able to clearly distinguish one of the two as a griffon. And to Rainbow Dash, there was only one griffon that she knew...

“Gilda....” Rainbow Dash snarled. “She better not be trying to break me away from my friends again.”

As Dash watched, she noticed the two figures – more importantly the griffon – turn a corner and begin heading straight for Sugarcube Corner.

“She IS trying to break me away from my friends again!” Dash gasped, assuming that Gilda was heading over to Sugarcube Corner to confront Pinkie Pie. “Or worse... she's upset at Pinkie and wants revenge, so she's come to...” A rather horrible thought passed through Rainbow Dash's mind, one that made her cringe at first, but then infuriate her.

Without thinking twice, she jumped off the cloud she was on and sped straight down towards the griffon on the ground just as it was about to reach the door of Sugarcube Corner.

CRASH!

There wasn't any time for the griffon to react. One moment he was casually walking towards the door of Sugarcube Corner, his mouth already watering with the smell of delicious pastries. The next, a blue blur had swooped down beside him and hit him right on his side, sending him crashing into a nearby vegetable stand.

The stand practically exploded with the impact, sending carrots and cabbages everywhere along with pieces of broken wood and a large cloud of dust. Several ponies near the area screamed out in terror while one orange-maned pony with a yellow coat simply stared at the scene in awe, amazed that her vegetable stand could be so abruptly taken out like that.

“What are you doing here!?” Rainbow Dash blurted out loudly, not caring to wait for the dust to clear as she already knew she had her target pinned. “Why did you come back to Ponyville Gilda!?”

“Gilda..who? Ow!” Shuske rubbed the back of his head, his body aching in pain with a large lump present on the back of his skull. “What are you trying to do you crazy pony, kill me!?”

“Wait... what?” Rainbow Dash leaned back, holding still for a few seconds as the dust began to fade. This wasn't Gilda's voice, nor was it any female's voice, and when the dust finally let up enough to reveal her target's face, she gasped loudly, immediately pulling off of him. “You're not... oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!” She said, leaning a hoof forward for him to grab onto. “Are you okay?”

“Ugh...” Shuske replied, taking the hoof in his claws and tugging himself to his feet. With his other claw still rubbing the back of his head, he looked around at the mess and the pony who had caused it. “I'm fine, but... why did you tackle me?”

“I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else, someone who was here just to cause trouble and hurt my friends!” Rainbow dash fell back on her haunches in a bit of shame.

“Well that might be the result of all this...” Shuske said almost in a whisper.

“Excuse me?”

“Uh, nothing, but...” Shuske's ears perked up as he spotted the rainbow mane and tail on the pegasus. “Hey... I know you!”

“You do? Uh, I mean, of course you do!” Rainbow Dash started to flutter her wings, making her float of the ground. “Everypony knows about me and how awesome I am!”

“Yeah, you're Rainbow Dash! Like, one of the fastest fliers in all of Equestria!”

“One of?” Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrow. “Well, I'd like to see a pony try to beat MY speed skills... but hey, glad ya heard of me!”

“Of course! Who else can pull off a sonic rainboom TWICE!? That's so awesome!”

“Oh my gosh, I know right!? I could hardly believe I did it myself! Uh, I mean, yeah, piece of cake! Just you wait, pretty soon I'm gonna be doing DOUBLE Rainbooms!”

“Doubles!? Oh man that's just-”

“Excuse me!” Called a raised voice from beside the two. Looking over, it was the same earth pony with an orange mane from before with a very upset look on her face. “Any reason you two decided to crash into my stand like this...?”

“Uh, sorry about that Carrot Top!” Dash said as she rubbed the back of her head. “That's my fault, not... uh, what's your name?”

“My name's Shuske,” the griffon replied, wiping a bit of dust off his shoulder.

“Uh, yeah, it's not his fault. I kinda crashed into him myself so, I'll fix this, don't worry!”

“And how are you going to do that?” Carrot Top glared at her angrily.

“Um, well, how about... Twilight!” Rainbow gasped happily as she saw her friend coming down the road. “Man am I glad to see you!”

“Hey Rainbow Da-... uh, what happened here?”

“Uh, let's just say I was giving the newcomers a Rainbow Dash hello... hehe,” Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly at Twilight, who simply sighed in moderate irritation.

“I see...” Twilight looked over the wreckage, then over to Carrot Top who was still gazing angrily at Rainbow Dash. “Here Carrot, let me help you with this real fast...”

Twilight's horn flared up, and in a matter of seconds the cart and all its carrots were repaired and placed back where they were, including the jar holding all of the day's earnings in it, which was set next to Carrot Top's feet.

“Thanks Twilight,” Carrot Top sighed, calming down.

“Not a problem,” Twilight smiled before looking over to Rainbow Dash. “Just please try not to make a mess of things like that again, okay Rainbow?”

“Yeah... sorry!” Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her neck as she fluttered her wings a bit, holding her hovering in the air.

Twilight looked to her side, and immediately noticed the two strangers. It was then that she realized these must be the two new ones that Pinkie is holding the party for.

“Oh! You two must be the newcomers to Ponyville!” Twilight said.

“Yup, that's us!” Shuske replied with a cheerful smile as Tazer simply stood there apathetically. “My name's Shuske, and this here is Tazer, we're companions on a quest!”

“You're on a quest?” Twilight asked, seeing Shuske about to answer but Tazer elbowed his abdomen.

“Uh, not really. We just like to pretend, ya know?” Shuske chuckled awkwardly.

“I see... well, I'm the Ponyville librarian, and my name is Twilight Sparkle!”

“Twilight Sparkle!?” Tazer blurted out suddenly, his eyes widened. “You mean THE Twilight Sparkle!? The same one who defeated Discord using the Elements of Harmony!?”

“Uhh, yes, but I don't like to boast about it...”

“Psst, Tazer!” Shuske whispered. “we is incognito, remember? Ushhay with the lementseay!”

“R-right...” Tazer calmed himself down, returning to his previous apathetic appearance.

Just then Rarity and Spike came up the road right behind Twilight. Rarity had a new hat on while Spike was as his usual self. However, when Spike approached, Tazer once more began to stare at him, only this time it was... different. Like he knew something about him, rather than trying to find something out.

“Twilight, Rainbow Dash, aren't you two supposed to be inside...?” Rarity asked as she came up beside Twilight.

“Oh, Rarity!” Twilight smiled, then remembered what she was doing here in the first place and did a double-take. “Ah, right! C'mon Rainbow, let's get inside and uh, get those cupcakes we ordered!” She put on an unusually convenient smile as she approached the door.

“Uh, right! Let's go!” Rainbow Dash quickly followed Twilight to the door.

As the two were about to enter, however, a large collection of screams from the distance met their ears. All of them turned around to the source of the screams, looking down the road to see a dust cloud rapidly making its way down the street towards them. As it got closer, they could see that the source of the cloud was not one thing, but actually three different things... shopping cart things, to be exact.

“Move outta the way everypony!” yelled Scootaloo from the front-most cart. “We don't know how to stop this thing!”

The three carts, one filly in each, careened down the streets at breakneck speeds. Over and over ponies just barely dove out of their way as the karts ran through front yards, flower patches, small fence lines, and even a pear stand. For some reason, though, Applebloom didn't look all that devastated when her cart hit that stand.

“Uh oh, this looks bad,” Twilight muttered as she watched the carts get closer.

“Ugh, those crusaders are always getting themselves into this kind of trouble!” Rainbow Dash complained as she got up into the air. “C'mon Twilight, lets stop those carts before something really bad happens.”

“Right, let's go!” Twilight replied enthusiastically as the two charged out in the path of the speeding carts.

“Oh, be careful!” Rarity called out as Twilight and Rainbow Dash raced to meet the carts head-on. “Make sure they don't get hurt!”

Twilight and Rainbow Dash were too far out at this point, only mere seconds from meeting with the carts. The speed of the grocery carriers was amazing; they must have been sent off by something really strong! But Twilight and Rainbow Dash pressed on, unfazed as the two prepared to stop them. Twilight's horn glowed with magic as Rainbow Dash tensed her muscles, ready for some quick muscle maneuvers.

Shuske, Tazer, and Rarity watched from the entrance of Sugarcube Corner as the events played out before them. While at first Shuske and Tazer looked pretty unaffected, a cold shiver suddenly ran up their backs, their thoughts becoming clouded as if a black haze was streaming in through their brains. Something was trying to talk to them...

Tazer... said a ghastly voice in both of their heads that no one else but them could hear. Shuske... they are essential to lakem viscer... our mission. Prove yourselves now, so they will aid you in the future.

Twilight's magic reached out, focusing on the front most cart with Scootaloo in it. The other two were trailing close on either side, and her magic soon began to affect those as well. Twilight smirked, this was just as simple as she thought it would be... until her magic suddenly lost effect on her targets. A magical backlash pushed away all of her magical energy, allowing the carts to continue pushing forward at a slightly reduced speed.

“What!?” Twilight gasped as she gaped at the oncoming carts. “But, but that's not supposed to happen! My magic was supposed to-GYAH!” Twilight screamed as the carts knocked her out of the way, putting her in a daze as she flew to the side of the street and into a pile of fruits.

“Hold on, I got ya covered!” Rainbow Dash took the initiative, swooping down to the carts in order to pull the fillies out.

As she tried to reach down and grab onto Applebloom in the left cart, something set her off balance. She swerved in the air, eventually sending her crashing into the side of the cart, bouncing off of it and into a pile of hay beside a house.

The carts continued on, the fillies inside each screaming louder as they realized their rescuers had just failed. There was no sign to them stopping, and nothing they could do seemed to slow down the carts at all. They were too scared to move, too scared to try to think of something. All they could do was stare forward and scream for their lives as they sped out of control.

Tazer and Shuske shot each other a look, as if verifying that they each heard the same thing the other did. Tazer gave a quick nod, and Shuske a quick gulp. Suddenly another shiver ran up their spines, this one more ferocious, accompanied by a demanding voice that sprung them into action.

OOK, MED! GO, NOW!

After that, they did not hesitate. Shuske and Tazer both leaped into the paths of the carts, each grabbing on to one of the two back ones. They climbed aboard, the fillies not even noticing them through their screams. Shuske was the first to act, putting his talons on Applebloom's shoulders as he talked to her.

“Hey, I'm gonna get you out, you're gonna be safe, alright!?”

“Just help me outa' here!” She screamed, her front hooves flailing around and hitting Shuske in the face a few times.

Shaking off the annoying spots of pain, he grabbed onto Applebloom and flapped his wings hard, pulling her off. As he did, his left leg hooked onto the side of the cart and knocked it over, sending it toppling onto its side and safely into a collection of bushes, narrowly missing a few ponies in the process.

Tazer was on Sweetie Belle's cart, trying to figure out the best way to act. He could save the white filly right then, but that would leave the orange one all on her own, with probably no one to save her. Tazer looked forward, his eyes widening as he saw house dead ahead with a lone unicorn filly playing ball out in the front. This was it, now or never.

Tazer grit his teeth as he reached over to Scootaloo's cart, grabbing onto its edge with both hands as his feet clung onto Sweetie Belle's. With all his might he tugged, forcing the two carts into each other and forcing them into a hard skid, causing a nasty spray of dirt smoke and little bits of dirt and rocks to come up from the wheels. The carts were losing speed, but it was gradual, and the house with the filly in front was still getting closer and closer. Tazer pulled harder, grunting loudly as his muscles did all they could to put pressure on the carts.

The filly, little Dinky Doo, stopped playing with her ball as she heard the commotion from down the road. She looked up to see the two rapidly approaching carts with its passengers inside. She froze up, staring wide-eyed at the oncoming food carriers.

“Get outta the way!” Tazer yelled frantically as the carts approached her, fearful that it might run her over. “What are ya waiting for!? MOVE!”

Dinky did nothing. She just stared straight forward, even when the carts got so close that she could feel bits of dirt splattering her cheek. Tazer closed his eyes and gave all his strength into the carts, but it just didn't seem to be enough. Then, at the last moment, the carts suddenly skidded to a halt mere inches from the tip of Dinky’s nose.

“Huh...?” Tazer opened his eyes, and the screaming of the two fillies stopped.

He looked around to see Applebloom and Scootaloo already jumping out of the carts and making their way back to the others. He then looked forward, seeing the little gray filly stare up at her. A few seconds of awkward pause later, then the little filly giggled, licked his nose, and hopped away with her ball.

“What...” Tazer deadpanned before he wiped the bit of saliva off his nose.

“Tazer!” came a familiar voice off in the distance. “Are ya alright bro!?”

“I told you not to call me bro!” Tazer called back as he turned over, seeing Shuske flying towards him.

His expression changed from one of annoyance to moderate surprise as he saw the other ponies and the dragon trailing right behind him. After getting himself situated on the carts, he jumped off of them and brushed himself off, taking the time to take into account his surroundings. With a simple scratch of his head, he began walking to meet the group heading towards him. After a short while, Tazer was reunited with the others. He tried to say something, but Shuske flying into him with a tackling hug sort of made him pause in mid-sentence.

“You did great Tazer!” Shuske cheered as he hugged the dragon tightly, swooshing around in the air. “Ya saved those fillies like it was nothing it all!”

“Let go of me you freakin re-re!” Tazer growled as he struggled against Shuske's embrace.

Shuske blinked a few times, and then let go, unintentionally dropping Tazer a good ten feet to the ground. Tazer yelped before he hit the ground, his body slamming into the dirt and leaving a slight imprint.

“Oops! Uh, sorry!” Shuske said as he smiled sheepishly.

“Why you...” Tazer got up slowly, gritting his teeth. “Shuske, if I had my way, I would-”

“You saved them!” a voice called out suddenly, cutting off Tazer's threat. He looked behind him just in time to see the ponies gathering around them, with the sounds coming from the lavender one. “Wow, I can't believe you managed to do that all by yourselves!”

“That was pretty cool...” Rainbow Dash said as she flew by. “I still don't understand how the heck those carts just screwed us up like that!”

“Yeah, that was really strange....” Twilight paused to think about the event. “I don't get how my magic could just, fail like that! That's, that's never really happened before!”

“Uh...” Shuske looked over at Tazer, a look similar to the one they gave each other before they jumped at the carts. Tazer looked back at him, pausing for a second as he seemed to zone out into space, and then refocused and nodded his head slightly. “...Maybe it was just a fluke?”

“Hmm... hold up a second, dears,” Rarity said before she turned behind her. “Applebloom! Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Come over here please!”

The three fillies in question approached with a quick trot, but their heads were low as they expected some sort of scolding for their brash actions. Tazer and Shuske, meanwhile, backed off to the side of the road to try not to bring up that certain subject again.

“Yes Rarity?” Sweetie Belle spoke up as the three slowly raised their heads.

“What in the world were you three fillies thinking?” Rarity asked, her tone turning serious as Twilight and Rainbow Dash came up beside her. “You could have gotten seriously hurt! Do you have any idea just how fast those carts were going!?”

“But, we were just tryin 'ta get our cart racin’ cutie marks an' then-”

“That's no excuse for putting yourselves in danger like that,” Twilight spoke up in a mildly upset tone, one she usually would have used on Spike. “Those carts could have seriously hurt you, somepony else, somepony's property, or even a combination of the three.”

“Yeah, and what the hay kind of cutie mark would a shopping cart racing cutie mark be anyways?” Rainbow Dash added in.

“We're sorry...” Scootaloo said as all three fillies lowered their heads again.

“But, there's something I don't quite get...” Twilight began in a much more concerned tone. “When I used my magic on the carts, nothing happened. In fact, it was almost as if something was pushing away my magic.”

“You had that trouble too?” Rarity asked, almost in disbelief.

“Yeah! But, wait, I didn't see you out there Rarity.”

“Well of course not! Did you see those clouds of dust!?” Rarity began as she puffed her mane with one hoof. “Anyhow, I stayed back to the side, but I certainly did attempt to use my magic on the carts. The odd thing was I felt some sort of... resistance with them, as if they were enchanted somehow.”

“I sort of had a similar thing,” Rainbow Dash added in. “When I tried to grab onto the carts to stop'em, I lost balance somehow and flew into the side of it, and then it just bounced me off! I mean, I never lose balance when I'm flying! Or at least not doing stuff like that... but, still, it felt like something was throwing me off somehow.”

“Hmmm...” Twilight brought a hoof to her chin to think for a few seconds. “That is pretty strange...”

“GIRLS!” came a voice from the distance all of a sudden. The group of mares turned just in time to see Pinkie Pie leap at them at breakneck speed, just happening to tackle Twilight in the process. “Hey! Spike came into sugarcube corner trying to tell us something but we all thought it was somepony else like one of the new guys and we started our surprise but we found out it was really him and then he told us there was trouble with the cutie mark crusaders outside and I thought they were already in the building so I checked and they weren't so he was right and I came out here to check and I see you all waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay down here so I came over to see if you all were okay and you were!” Pinkie gave everypony there a bright smile.

That's when she glanced over to the side, seeing the two beings she had everything prepared for in the shop. “OOH! There you two are!” She gasped as she seemed to teleport directly in front of the duo. “Hey, you two should really come with me over to Sugarcube Corner! There's some really good food and pastries and sweets and other fun things just waiting there and maybe a little something fun and surprising and here's an invitation!” Suddenly, Pinkie Pie reached back with her head and pulled out two pink slips of paper out of nowhere, each with the words 'You're Invited!'' written in bold on the front.

“Uh... thanks...?” Shuske said hesitantly as he and Tazer slowly grabbed one.

“You're welcome!” Pinkie Pie beamed, before suddenly turning to her friends. “Hey girls, c'mon! We still gotta get ready for the Surprise remember?” Her eyebrows moved up and down at almost each word.

“Uhh... right, darling, um,” Rarity turned to her friends and the crusaders. “Well girls, shall we go on to Sugarcube Corner then? I really don't think we should keep Pinkie Pie and the others waiting more than we have to.”

“Alright, sounds fine with me,” Rainbow Dash replied with a small grin as she began to fly towards the corner, the Crusaders following close behind in an effort to escape any further scolding.

“Hmm...” Twilight hummed, still thinking deeply.

“You alright, Twilight?” Rarity asked as she approached her friend.

“I'm fine, it's just... I'm still wondering how that incident with our magic and Rainbow's flying could have happened with those carts.”

“Oh I wouldn't worry about it too much,” Rarity waved her hoof dismissively. “Who knows what could have happened? I mean, it's like that griffon already said to me; it was probably just a fluke.”

“Hmm....” Twilight didn't really notice Rarity trotting off until she found Pinkie Pie up in her face.

“Hey! Are ya coming Twilight?” Pinkie batted her eyelashes with an expectant smile.

“Oh! Yes, right, I'm coming...!” she replied; composing herself for just a brief moment before heading towards Sugarcube corner herself.

“So!” Pinkie said as she approached the duo again. “You both should come with me now to see a wonderful surprise!”

“Uh...” Shuske scratched his head. “Is this like... to a party or something?”

“Sooooooooort of!” she giggled.

“Will there be food?”

“Yup! Lots of tasty treats and sweets and eats!”

“Allllriight!” the griffon exclaimed, a hungry smile upon his face. “Let's go then! C'mon Tazer!”

“Ugh, fine...” Tazer huffed as he followed behind Shuske and the pink pony.

It didn't take them long to reach the door, and while Shuske seemed perfectly fine, Tazer was having a hard time figuring out where that strange pink pony got all the energy to constantly hop around like she did. Was she a mutant?

“Here we are!” the pink one announced. “Here, lemme just get inside real fast, and you two should follow behind me in exactly 7 seconds! Are ya ready? 1 2 3 start!” without pause, the mare dashed into the door, closing it behind her so fast that they didn't even catch a glimpse of the inside.

The two stood puzzled for a few moments, before Shuske took the initiative and spoke up as he approached the door.

“Hey C'mon Tazer! Let's go see what these ponies got cookin up in there!” He said with a smile as he reached out to grab the doorknob.

“Alright alright, let's go then you big lunk.” Tazer scoffed as he and Shuske approached the door.

“That's the spirit!” Shuske smiled as he turned the doorknob and opened it slowly. “Oh man, I can just smell all the pastries inside! Like the muffins, the cupcakes, the turnovers and croissants, danishes, and maybe a big tasty-”

“SURPRISE!”

-|-

The surprise party went off without a hitch; the two newcomers were welcomed warmly, and over half the town was present. As with any Pinkie Pie party, especially a welcome party, there were balloons, streamers, confetti, and an assortment of sweets strewn out through the entire bakery. Even her upstairs bedroom was being used as a secondary recreational area for dancing and hanging out.

Tazer and Shuske got their chance to introduce themselves. Shuske said he came from the Griffon Kingdom as part of a training program in order to get himself familiarized with adventure. Tazer didn't say much, but he did mention coming from the Dragon Domain and that he was also out to get familiarized with adventure and things of the sort. Shuske added in that they had their own personal trainer, or 'master' that gave them guidance and put them through a series of tests and trials for them to pass to become stronger and better rounded.

After an introduction to the Elements of Harmony, and to many of the other ponies around Ponyville, the party pushed into full swing and everyone spent the following two hours simply eating, playing, and having fun. All except for Spike, who couldn’t help but notice the occasional stares he received from Tazer. Getting a strange sense from the other dragon, he approached Twilight about the situation.

“He's doing what to you?” Twilight asked after gulping down another bite of cake she was floating up beside herself.

“He's like, staring at me or something... it's getting really creepy.”

“Why would he be staring at you?”

“That's what I'm trying to figure out! But every time I look over I always see him just... staring... it's really weird. It's like he's stalking me or something.”

“He's probably just surprised to see another dragon around here, that's all. You may just be over-thinking this, Spike.” Twilight took another bite of her cake.

“There's something up with that guy, I just know it...”

Pinkie Pie had just finished pulling off a dance move when she suddenly froze, her eyes wide as a cold shiver ran through her body. She relaxed for a moment, sitting down as her eyes narrowed. She turned to look at a few of the ponies, not noticing anything at first, but when she turned to Spike her body began to lightly shake and shiver all over, similar to how it did with Twilight and the hydra.

“Uh oh, my Pinkie Sense is telling me there's a doozy coming!”

AUTHOR NOTE:
-|- and -~- are simply different types of transitions. I will change between these two and a few others from time to time, each capable of signaling either a passage through time and scene, or simply scene or time alone. Their workings are flexible in that sense.

ALSO: “re-re” is another way of saying “retard”. It’s an insult.

Ch2: Masters

-Chapter 2-

Masters

(~The Griffon Kingdom, inside the castle of the capital city of Brisalzia~)

“What is the meaning of this!?” bellowed a large griffon as he pushed open the doors of the main conference room, marching in on his hind legs with his front claws curled up into fists.

The griffon in question was Chalizar Brownbeak the Fifth, ruler of the Griffon Kingdom. He was almost twice the size of Gilda and was muscularly built throughout his body. He bore a scar over his left eye, a crack on the left side of his beak, and his right back leg had a bald streak on it where he was burned years ago.

He wore his royal crown, gold and pointed with an assortment of gems, his cape which held the griffon colors of red, brown, white and yellow, and his bracelets made of hardened steel that he wore on his wrists at all times. The feathers around his eyes and protruding from his forehead were a dark gray with a hint of maroon. His claws were sharpened, his tail was long and braided at the end, and his wing tips were sharp and crisp.

Inside the conference room was a large oval table surrounded by an assortment of different chairs. There were were three other griffons inside; one was the captain of the royal guard, the second was one of his guards, and the last one was one of the King's most trusted advisors. All of them turned their heads as Chalizar Brownbeak stormed into the conference room.

“What is this I'm hearing about my son being lost!?” He stomped on the ground loudly as he approached the group of three.

“My lord,” the noble, a skinnier griffon with a tan robe and a frantic look on his face spoke up, “We tried searching everywhere for him but-”

“I don't want to hear it!” Chalizar growled. “I want to know what the hell was going on before he got lost, and then I'll decide what to do from there!”

“Sir,” the captain spoke up. “We were last notified of his presence when he visited the Equestrian city of Trottingham. He was with his trainer at the time, and was also accompanied by what our informants say was a baby dragon. He should have arrived back at the village of Chardwort two days ago, but has not been spotted since leaving Trottingham.”

“Trottingham!?” Chalizar ignored the part about the dragon. “In Equestria... by the gods they've gone too far this time!”

“My lord...?”

“Those bloody ponies, always snooping around in our affairs! I knew they would try something like this, but with my own son...”

“S-sir, are you suspecting that the Equestrian Government had something to do with your son's disappearance?”

“It's the only reasonable explanation!” The king barked, balling his claws up into a fist. “I've had it! Captain, rally your guards and gather the council of nobles, we're going to Equestria to find my son by force if that's what it takes!”

“S-sir, are you sure that-”

“Do you question my authority!?”

“Enough!” A feminine voice called out, silencing the individuals in the conference room. They all looked to the entrance to see Queen Melihana Brownbeak there, wearing her royal attire as she walked calmly into the room.

“My queen...!” The noble choked out, startled slightly by her entrance.

“That is quite enough dear; I do not think there is any need to jump to such rash conclusions...” Melihana spoke calmly as she approached her husband, who started to look as though he was calming down.

“B-but Meli... he was last seen in Equestria, surely that means that those ponies had something to do with-”

“I have another idea,” she interrupted, holding up a claw to his beak. As the King finally stood back on all fours, she continued. “As the Queen, I have taken personal watch over our son's training these past several months. Up until a few days ago, things have been going smoothly, yet I still have my suspicions about his trainer...”

“Farnatchi?” The King's face was full of confusion. “But he is their trainer, a mere guide on their current training quest. He is a fellow griffon, one with an outstanding service record in our military. Are you proposing that-”

“It’s not how things seem,” Melihana spoke up, her eyes narrowing as she stared straight into her husband's eyes. “I was just informed earlier that they found Farnatchi's remains near the outskirts of one of our smaller villages, the second place your son went on his quest.”

“What!? But, he's already nearing the final few spots in the training program, months ahead of then! T-that would mean...”

“Farnatchi isn't the one your son is with...” the seriousness in the queen's voice caused an uneasy still in the room. “Chalizar... someone else is with our son. And whatever they have planned, they're starting it now.”

“No...” Chalizar looked down, his eyes peering side to side in thought. His claws bundled together in anger as he grit his beak. “I cannot accept this....” he turned to his captain suddenly, rage consuming his eyes and his voice. “Go to the barracks you! Get your finest men out to Trottingham and get searching for him, NOW!”

“Yes sir!” The guard said with a quick salute before his wings unfolded and he shot out of the conference room, flying through the halls as fast as he could.

“You!” He pointed to the noble next, who jumped slightly as he looked back at him. “Get in contact with our police force and alert them of the situation! Get everyone in and out of the country looking for my son, right now! I will personally head to Canterlot and demand they do something about this travesty!”

“Y-yes my lord!” The noble stuttered, also leaving the conference hall in a haste similar to the guard captain's.

Chalizar stood there, his eyes still wide open as he began to think about what he would do to the perpetrator once he got his claws on him. He stared there for a few more moments before he felt two arms slide around him from behind, a body embracing him. He calmed slightly, but internally his rage still burned. He closed his eyes and held onto his wife's arms with one of his own.

“Chalizar...” the queen whispered softly as she buried her beak into his neck. “I fear for our son... I am afraid of what might happen...”

“As am I...” he replied before turning to fully embrace his wife. “As am I...”

(~The Dragon Domain, inside the mountain palace of the capital city of Belrock.~)

“Lord Talranis!” A dragon clad in light armor shouted as he burst into the main throne room dug into the rock of the mountain. “I bring dire news of your son!”

The dragon in question, Dragon Lord Talranis Mith, was in the middle of eating through a large platter of assorted gemstones. His scales were a dark red with his middle scales along his belly up to his chin and down past his legs were a dark gray, almost black. His spines were long and curved, their tips as sharp as pinpoints as they traveled all the way down his back to his tail, which had two spines running straight out to make a forked end. His elbows had smaller spines protruding from them while his wings had sharpened tips at every end.

Talranis looked up at his guard, chewing through the gems he had taken in and swallowing before standing up in front of the stone table in front of him. He licked at his muzzle while looking at the dragon, staring straight into his eyes for a few moments, examining him carefully.

“So then...” He said just above a whisper of his level, but his voice was as loud as war drums and just as deep, reverberating through the halls. “My son is missing after all, isn't he?”

“I, y-yes! How did you know my liege!?”

“I could see it in your eyes,” Talranis explained as he walked around the table to approach the guard. “After all the years I spent ruling this kingdom, I can tell many things just by the looks that are given to me, and to others.”

“Well, that's not everything sir...”

“You know where he was last spotted?” Talranis asked, his voice unusually calm. “Tell me, so then we might go to wherever it is and burn it until we get some answers.”

“Well, as you know, your son was taking lessons under a trainer of the Griffon Kingdom,” Talranis nodded. “But the last place he was seen before his disappearance was the Equestrian city of Trottingham. After they left the village to head back to one of the outlying griffon towns, they never reported in. Furthermore, our informants never even saw them enter the village!”

“Hmph...” Talranis turned around, making a few slight flaps of his wings as he contemplated his next moves. “As your leader it is my job to assume the worst, while still wishing for the best. The griffons have had a steady alliance with us for some time, but the ponies have been... somewhat resistant.”

“My liege...?”

“I see the main issue leaning on the Ponies right now. But I know Celestia, and I know she would not do anything without probable cause...”

“Should we send a diplomatic force to Canterlot to see what we can gain from the princesses there?”

“No.” Talranis turned back around, breathing once through his nose and sending a small flurry of golden flame out. “I will go there myself. This is a matter directly associated with my line, with my blood. It is only fitting that I handle this personally.”

“And what of Trottingham? We may be able to find something useful there if we investigate!”

“Indeed we may... send a small group of smaller dragons there, preferably ones that are still in their schoolings. Assign a cadre of guards as their escorts, and begin gathering what information you can. By the time they arrive, I should have already made it to Canterlot and begun discussions with Celestia and Chalizar.”

“Chalizar? Chalizar Brownback? Why would the Griffon King be in Canterlot?”

“The trainer was teaching the Griffon Prince as well, and if they all went missing, then Chalizar is obviously going to have a fit...” Talranis walked towards the door, shoving the guard out of his way as he expanded his wings. “So I expect to see him there soon, assuming his hot head hasn't already ordered an army against the ponies by this time.” Talranis took a few more steps before stopping, waiting another moment before turning his head. “Well, get moving! Get those groups I just mentioned out to Trottingham right now!”

“Yes, of course my liege!”

(~Back in Ponyville, inside Sugarcube Corner~)

“You two are leaving?” Pinkie Pie asked, her voice almost saddened as she looked at Shuske and Tazer.

“Yeah, sorry,” Shuske apologized, scratching the back of his head. “But we're scheduled to meet back up with our master pretty soon, and he doesn't like to wait.”

“Oh, I guess that makes sense,” Pinkie said with a small smile, and then perked up suddenly in excitement. “Oooh, maybe we should throw a party for your trainer guy too! Wouldn't that be great!?”

“NO!” Both Tazer and Shuske suddenly yelled, causing half the party to fall silent. “Uh, I mean,” Shuske stared up in a much lower tone. “It's okay, really. We're really busy, and we normally don't have this long by ourselves. This whole visit here was more or less like a mini-vacation.”

“Oh, well then we need to give you a proper goodbye before you go, like a going away party!” Pinkie hopping in place as she thought about another party.

“Uh, no thanks, I mean, we really appreciate it but it just can't happen, sorry,” Shuske backed up a bit, slightly uncomfortable with the pink pony's obsession with parties.

“Hey, you guys are leaving?” Rainbow Dash asked as she floated over, accompanied by Twilight, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike.

“Yup, sorry, but we really gotta get back to our master. I hope you all don't mind.”

“Oh, not at all,” Twilight replied with a reassuring smile. “We know you have an adventure to go on, so it wouldn't be right to keep you waiting.”

“Why, of course! In fact, we sincerely wish you two the best of luck in your travels,” Rarity added.

“Kick flank, you two!” Rainbow Dash smirked with a swing of her hoof.

“Ya'll be safe now, and don't get yerselves into any trouble,” Applejack tipped her hat slightly.

“Make sure you treat all cuts and abrasions with the proper ointment, and try to be careful of the wildlife,” Fluttershy added.

“Thanks, we will,” Shuske smiled back at them while Tazer simply shrugged them off before they both turned around and headed for the door. “Take care!”

“You too!” Twilight Sparkle said as she and her friends waved. “Hope to see you soon!”

“Oh, you will...” Shuske spoke quietly after turning back around to exit through the door.

The two walked through town together, their bellies filled with sweets and punch and their focus set on returning to their master. Shuske, however, appeared to be in deep thought, and as they reached the outskirts of town, he decided to bring up his questions with Tazer.

“So we're sure about this then... right?” Shuske asked as he glanced towards Tazer.

“I'm positive... I mean, where else would he be? You got the Elements of Harmony and some random dragon... it's gotta be him! It's fate!”

“Hey, you know what Master says about fate...”

“Yeah yeah, but I mean, c'mon... there's gotta be some other force making all this happen. It can't be just coincidence.”

“No, it can't...” said a voice from nowhere, making Shuske and Tazer stop just as they reached the Treeline to the Everfree Forest.

Just then a cloaked figure dropped down from the canopy before them, its glowing yellow eyes visible past the shadow over its face. Shuske and Tazer immediately dropped to their knees and bowed in respect in the presence of their master. The cloaked figure approached, but stopped at the edge of the shadows created by the trees.

“Hoosim... you two seem to have found what we were looking for," their master said, his voice almost to a whisper.

“We believe so, Master,” Tazer spoke up as he kept his head down.

“Lak vok... tell me what you have discovered then; I'm all ears.”

“Master,” Shuske spoke up as he raised his head to look at him. “The Elements of Harmony are here; all six are ponies, just like you said they would be.”

“And they're not alone,” Tazer said as he raised his head as well. “They are accompanied by a dragon, one that goes by the name of Spike.”

“Hmm...” The Master looked up for a few moments, and then back down to the two before him. “Tell me more about this dragon then.”

“According to what we learned from the ponies, he is the assistant to a pony by the name of Twilight Sparkle, and-”

“Twilight Sparkle!?” The master blurted out suddenly. “Kala chruntz...That is the Whasd'Irilen, the Element of Magic! Muul... wait, Is this pony a lavender unicorn mare with a cutie mark that looks like a purple and pink star?”

“Actually, yes, that's exactly what she looks like,” Shuske spoke up, a bit surprised at the Master's ability to describe the pony.

“Then there is little doubt... I have seen this mare myself; I watched from a distance as she and her friends returned returned Nether'Bwala, the Spirit of Chaos, to his stone prison.”

“Master...” Tazer spoke up. “If I may, what is the significance with Discord and The Powers of Balance?”

“Ah... that, my young student, is a booch und gry osdolo, tale for another time. For now, let us focus on the task at hand...” The upper right half of the master's cloak shifted, and he then reached out one of his arms to bring out a large, old book and held it in front of the two. “Take this tome, and bring it to the Whasd'Irilen, Twilight Sparkle.” The two took the book from his claws as he continued. “Vok kalee... tell her about your quest to find the diamonds, and how the Elements of Harmony, Rethen'Irilen, are needed to avert a major crisis...”

“Yes, Master.” Shuske said as he looked down at the book that he and Tazer both had a hold on.

“And what of the dragon Spike, Master?” Tazer asked.

“He is the one, I have no doubt about it. Ensure he joins the element bearers on the quest, and make sure he comes in contact with each diamond at least once during your travels... do you understand?”

“Yes, Master,” They both said in unison.

“Zu mith rhodo... one more thing,” The master said as he stared at each one of them intensely. “In order for the diamonds to be lingan, active... either the Elements or that dragon must touch it first. Once they have touched it, then you can handle it yourself. And remember...” He leaned his head forward, bringing it out of the shade, parts of his face becoming visible, and his eyes momentarily turning to a shade of red. “Do not fail laka viscer... this mission. Use whatever means necessary to achieve your goal, or neither of you will escape the coming shadow... Tre-buneth, do I make myself clear?”

“Yes master,” they both replied, visibly shaking as their eyes were wide with fear.

Their master stared at them for a few more moments, his featureless gaze seeming to stare straight into their souls. But after a few moments he turned away as several ragged coughs escaped from his body.

"Master," Shuske began, "Are you-"

"Kovo!" their master snapped, his eyes snapping back to them. "Silence! It is merely the essence of this world tearing away at my form again... I need to go recover."

"Yes, master," Shuske replied softly.

It turned away again, coughing a few more times as it cursed under its breath. "Gaza'doochin... Jhink." With that, the shrouded body jumped back up into the trees, disappearing into the branches.

Shuske and Tazer turned to each other, a nervous look in both their eyes. Shuske then proceeded to take the book and place it under his shoulder as he flapped his wings to get into a hover.

“Let's get going then,” Tazer said as he looked at the book, and then back at the town.

“Yeah, we got a long road ahead of us. I just hope we don't run into too much trouble.”

“Don't worry. The master will watch over us and help if we really need it... the only thing that worries me is Spike...”

-~-

Zecora cantered through the forest at a steady pace, her wicker bags filled with berries on both sides. She had a content smile on her face, pleased that she had gathered so much in such a short amount of time. With the sun still relatively high in the sky and enough berries to last her past dinner, Zecora began to contemplate going out again to gather ingredients for a new potion she had been reading about.

A noise was heard and she stopped, recognizing it as the sound of something falling to the ground. She stood still, listening closely to her surroundings before she heard another noise, able to pinpoint its source to be just beyond a small line of bushes. Curious, but weary that it might be a dangerous creature, Zecora slowly and quietly poked her head through the bushes, being careful not to make too much noise.

Hey eyes widened as they fell upon a figure covered in a shroud. It was large, about the size of an adult griffon, and the cloth surrounding it was old and tattered, bearing little color other than what had come in contact with it as it traveled through the forest. What startled Zecora the most was its eyes; she could see into the darkness covering the head and at the glowing yellow orbs. It seemed to look around momentarily, as if making sure nothing was watching it before it let out a deep sigh. It then began coughing, gagging even as something seemed to be tearing away at its lungs. A cacophony of bodily sounds escaped from it as the shrouded figure nearly collapsed to the ground in what could only be discerned as pain. The zebra was about to reveal herself and offer her assistance, but what she saw next quickly changed her mind.

Zecora continued to watch, her face shifting to a look of horror as she watched what she thought was a griffon change. A dark purple mist had begun to seep out from under the cloak, pouring straight out from the exterior of the being itself as if there were a billion tiny pores all over its body. The mist oozed out and covered it and most of the cloth, but the eyes were still shining through the darkness. Though no parts of the body could be seen, Zecora could make out that mist was changing its shape as it fell away, revealing that whatever was under it was changing form.

The area where its arms was grew, and its face seemed to get longer and wider. The body also enlarged, as did its limbs and its feet. She could not make out any of the main body out from the mist still, but she was able to see a couple sets of tentacles begin to dangle around where the arms were, as well as some sort of distorted jaw up at the face. All the while the creature seemed to groan like it was doing some sort of heavy lifting.

The area around the creature grew unnaturally dark, as if the mist it produced was absorbing the light around it. The grass in the immediate vicinity of the creature turned brown and then to a black charcoal color in a matter of seconds. The air was ghastly; it smelled like something that had been dead for years, mixed with with a heavy charred odor like the same thing that had died was smoldering. Little wisps of the mist reached Zecora and seemed to drain the light around her and the life from the bushes that concealed her slowly.

What she saw next almost made her blow her cover. The figure took off its cloak, revealing its true identity. Zecora could not look any longer, unable to gaze upon such a horrific scene. She quickly pulled back and ran in the opposite direction, quietly and carefully at first, but then as fast as she could as she gained distance. She needed to get home, she needed to get to safety and wait for this thing to pass.

If she was lucky, she thought of how she would be able to get to Ponyville later to tell the ponies of what she had just seen, hopeful that they would know what it was. She sincerely hoped they knew, for a creature of such composition was nothing like she had ever even heard of in the wildest tales from her homeland.

She reached her home and slammed the door behind her. She then set the berries down and turned off all the lights and closed all the windows except for one. The one window was left cracked as she peeked out of it, her body shaking as she kept watching for the creature, hoping it didn't follow her. She could still feel its presence, the mist that radiated from its body. There weren't many things that spooked Zecora too much, but what she witnessed had her bones chilled and her heart feeling like it was about to burst from it beating so hard.

She waited there for a while, still looking around for the creature from her window. Whatever it was that she saw, it must not have noticed her, and by then, was probably gone.

Ch3: Diamonds

-Chapter 3-

Diamonds

(~An hour before sunset, Ponyville Library.)

“Well, that was a pleasant surprise,” Twilight remarked with a smile as Spike and her entered into the library, the sedate interior in stark contrast to the balloon- and streamer-covered environs they had left. “I'm glad we were able to throw those two a good party before they left on their adventure. Did you have fun, Spike?”

“Sort of...” Spike muttered, only half-listening as he padded towards the kitchen.

He didn't get much to eat at the party; not that he wasn't hungry, but he just felt too awkward to do much while he was there. He couldn't put a claw on it, but he kept getting a strange feeling about the two newcomers, especially that red dragon, Tazer. He had just kept staring at him for the majority of the party, and Spike couldn't help but feel that there was something they knew about him. What it was, he had no idea, nor did it make any sense that they would know anything after only just meeting them. There was something more, and Spike kept his head low in deep thought as he tried to imagine what.

“Are you still feeling uneasy about that other dragon?” Twilight cocked an eyebrow as she stopped and looked at Spike, snapping him out of his moderate trance.

“Wha-uh, well, kind of, yeah....” Spike stopped and crossed his arms in thought. “The griffon one is okay, I think, but that Tazer guy... I dunno. I'm telling ya, he just keeps giving me these looks, like he knows something...”

“Knows what?” Twilight asked, subconsciously switching to the kind of analytical mien she used when fact-checking a book. “What exactly do you mean? Like they know something you're hiding, or...?”

“No, it's not like that,” Spike sighed, a bit aggravated.

“I think I know what it is...”

“You do?” he said with surprise, his eyes flicking upward to the unicorn.

“Yes... well, think about it.“ Twilight cantered towards him slowly as she began to elaborate. “He said he's been gone from his home, wherever it is, for a long time. He's been out training with this other griffon and some other “master” of theirs, and explored probably all over Equestria. Odds are, he probably hasn't seen many other dragons - especially baby ones. He might just be having a bit of a realization shock or something, which is quite understandable.”

“But why would he keep staring at me like he does?” Spike huffed. “It creeps me out.”

“Well, I've seen you stare at plenty of things that either intrigued or surprised you, so why would his case be any different?” she replied pointedly.

The baby dragon blinked, mulling over Twilight’s admonition for a few moments before realizing that she was right - ‘As always,’ he thought dryly, then chided himself for even having such an idea.

“Yeah, I guess so...” Spike sighed as he slumped slightly. “I guess I might just be overreacting a bit, or something.”

A smart knocking of raprap-raprap-raprap came from the door, drawing the attention of both librarian and assistant before she could reply. The knock came again, more and more rapidly, and finally Twilight simply gripped the handle in a telekinetic field - she had barely opened it a crack before a pink blur slammed the door open and charged right for her. The unicorn felt a brief surge of fear before the blur came to a skull-jarring halt before her, revealing the eternally smiling face of Ponyville’s favorite partygoer.

Twilight felt her sense of panic become vividly acute.

“Hey Twilight, come quick!” Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped around her in a circle.

“We need you at Sugarcube Corner!”

“What for, Pinkie? What's with the sudden excitement?”

“You know the two from earlier? They came back after they talked to their master and he said that they could use some help on the next part of their quest and stuff so they decided to come ask us so they came back to the party and it was only me and Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy there so we all agreed it would be fun and Rainbow Dash went to go get Applejack and Fluttershy to get Rarity and me to get you so we can all get together and go on a super new adventure which sounds totally fun!”

Silence hung in the room for a moment as Twilight stared at the bright grin all over the pink pony’s face, then finally shook her head in conciliation.

“Uhh... so, what you're saying is Shuske and Tazer want us to join them on their quest?”

“That's right!” Pinkie Pie cheered as her hopping finally ceased. “Oh, and they said Spike should come too!”

“Me?” Spike asked as he turned around. “Why do they want me to come?”

“I dunno, I think the griffon one thinks you're cool.”

“What about the dragon one?”

“I bet he thinks you're cool, too!”

“Right...” a strange feeling began to overcome the young dragon as a cold shiver ran up his spine. He suddenly felt the desire to just... go away. Spike didn’t need this kind of spontaneous, ludicrous request piled on his already-suspicious feelings toward the pair - now he was certain that something was up.

“So c'mon! They're all waiting for us at Sugarcube Corner!” Pinkie bounded in place, looking as though she may explode any minute from sheer excitement. Twilight, on the other hand, was understandably skeptical.

“Wait a second,” Twilight interjected, tapping a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “Why would they just meet us today, and then ask us to join them on some sort of adventure? I don't really see the reasoning in it unless they were intentionally looking for some ponies to have accompany them.”

“I dunno, but they brought a really big book that they said has to do with their quest, and they said that they want you to read and analyze it. It looks really really old and old and probably has to do with some ancient artifacts or maps or something!”

Twilight only needed to hear two words: ‘ancient’ and ‘book’.

“A-a... oh-okay, letmejus... just grab some materials!” The unicorn rushed over to her desk, muttering excitedly to herself as she began methodically opening drawers and lifting out various small objects with her telekinesis, every now and then filing an item into the colorful canvas bags.

“Alright,” Twilight said after a few moments, and a lavender-colored aura appeared around the saddlebags, which floated over to rest comfortably on Twilight’s back. “I’m ready to go! How about you, Spike?”

“Um... do I have to?” Spike asked hesitantly.

“Oh don't worry, Spikey-wikey!” Pinkie Pie cheered as she appeared beside the baby dragon and put a hoof around his neck. “It'll be fun; just the six of us!” Pinkie then remembered that Spike added onto her friends and made seven. “Oh, I mean seven!” Then she also remembered the two in focus in the first place. “Um, I mean nine, yeah nine.” Then she added the possibility of their master joining as well. “Uh... ten?” She smiled sheepishly.

“C'mon, Spike, this could be fun!” Twilight reassured him as she motioned towards the door. “And who knows, maybe Tazer could turn out to be a new best friend for you.”

“Oh, fine...” Spike sighed in resignation. “I guess I'll go along, but... who's gonna watch the library while we're away?”

“Oh, that's no problem. I'll just leave a note for Owlowiscious telling him the situation. He's been looking for some sort of bigger tasks to take on recently anyways, so this one should be just the thing!”

“Then it's settled!” Pinkie bounced as she grabbed Spike and then zipped over and grabbed onto Twilight as well, holding them both in her front hooves as she stood up straight, puffing her chest out with pride. “Onward, to Sugarcube Corner!”

In a multi-colored blur, the three sped out the door and down the street towards the pastry shop. They sped through the streets of Ponyville, barely dodging multiple food stands and an uncountable number of bystanders who gave little more than a passing glance and a small smile at just another one of the hyperactive pony’s antics, and in under a minute all three burst out through the door and skidded to a halt in the main room of the shop.

In the room were Shuske and Tazer, with the griffon cradling the book in question in his left foreclaw while Tazer simply stood behind them. Rainbow Dash and Applejack came in soon after, followed by Rarity and Fluttershy. They all gathered around Shuske and Tazer, expectantly waiting to hear what this was all about.

“So, is this the tome in question?” Twilight asked as she trotted up to Shuske, eying the book with great interest.

“Yup! This is it,” he replied as he held out the thick volume and laid it on the floor with a loud thump.

Pinkie Pie wasn't lying when she said the book was big; it was about as wide as an average pony was long, and thicker than a mattress. Shuske struggled slightly when he carried it out - the book must have weighed at least forty pounds. The group looked at the tome in astonishment, with Twilight already getting up to examine it. Again, just as Pinkie said, the book was very old with its hard cover torn and crumpled almost all over. When she used her magic to open the book, she felt something peculiar about it.

“Well this is interesting...” Twilight said as her magic lifted up the hard cover to the first page.

“What is it, Twi?” Applejack asked as her and the others continued to watch.

“This is a big book, but it's not exactly big content-wise...” Twilight proceeded to flip one of the light tan pages, revealing it to be almost a whole tenth the thickness of the book. “These pages are really thick... and this isn't normal paper.” She felt a hoof across one of the pages for a few moments, examining it carefully. “This is a type of paper called Coalparch - it's a brand of parchment most often used by dragons. And the ink is a mixture of water and volcanic sediments, which is also a popular type of ink for dragons.”

“So, what you’re saying is... A dragon made this book, right?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered overhead.

“That’s a pretty safe guess,” Twilight replied as she inspected the pages a bit further before turning back to the book's cover, displaying a puzzled look as she looked at it more closely. “It doesn't have any words or a title, only this strange symbol...”

The symbol on the front consisted of multiple lines, both swirly and straight, and some circles and dots. In the center was a triangle with the tip pointed up, with two dots on either side running parallel with the triangle. On the tip ran two squiggly lines that reached out upwards in a diagonal direction, with both of them swirling at the ends. Below the triangle was a zigzag that ran parallel to the triangle's base, and in the very center of the main triangle was another, smaller triangle that fit upside down and had all three of its corners in contact with the center of the larger triangle's edges.

“...I don't think I've ever seen this anywhere before,” Twilight finally announced after taking a minute to carefully look over it. “Where did you two get this book? And what exactly is it, anyways?”

“Our master gave it to us,” Shuske replied. “He told us he got it from an old library back in the Griffon Kingdom that doesn't exist anymore.”

“As for the book itself,” Tazer began to add in. “It's a journal that gives semi-detailed notes and descriptions about the diamonds.”

“Diamonds?” Rarity perked up at the mention.

“Not just any ordinary diamonds,” Shuske said as he opened the book himself to the third page, showing a colored illustration of six geometrically similar diamonds. “These are the mystical Diamonds of Balance.”

The group “ooh'd” and “aah'd” at the page, which had a remarkable illustration of six diamonds of different colors, each bearing a different symbol on their tops. While they could see some of the notes and wording on the page was either hasty or sloppy, whatever filled these pages seemed to take a lot of time to portray these diamonds, as if they were of great importance.

“Diamonds of Balance?” The group asked in unison.

“That's right...” Tazer said, pointing at each and every one. “From what we've gathered from the book, these six diamonds control the flow of balance through our world, keeping it intact. Along with that, they each bear a special element force...”

Tazer pointed his claw to the red diamond on the page. “This is the diamond of Heat. Don't confuse this with a fire diamond, cuz it says right here in the notes that it isn't fire.” Indeed, a line was drawn towards the diamond with a small cluster of wording on the other end saying ‘radiates heat, not a source of pure fire energy.’

Tazer then pointed his claw to the blue diamond.

“This is the diamond of Cold. Again, not ice or water, just lower temperatures. Also, this one is an exact opposite of the heat diamond, so we think those two interact with each other to balance the flows of heat energy throughout the world.”

Next, Tazer pointed to the purple diamond.

“This is the diamond of Death here.”

Then, on to a green diamond.

“This one, if you guessed it, is the diamond of Life. We hypothesize these two to control the flow of life and death through the world. Again, you can see the pattern here.”

Tazer moved his claw to a brilliant white diamond.

“This here's the diamond of Light. So, that would make this black one over here, the diamond of Darkness,” Tazer explained as his claw moved over to the last diamond, which bore a shadowy aura.

“So all these diamonds work together, but contrast each other at the same time?” Twilight thought aloud as she looked over the diamonds again. “It would make sense that they would counteract each other, hence their name and everything. But... what exactly are they? And why or how do they exist?”

“We're not sure, really,” Shuske sighed as he looked over some of the notes. “We thought the book might have those answers, but for some reason whoever wrote it decided to put everything down in different languages. All we know comes from the stuff they put down in Equestrian.”

“Let me take a look,” Twilight said as she approached the book, flipping over a few pages with practiced ease.

Just as Shuske claimed, there were plenty of notes in Equestrian, but there were also some passages written with symbols and words she just didn't know. There were plenty of diagrams and illustrations that had been tagged with notes, but without understanding the context, she could only make guesses as to their meaning.

There was a cave with molten rock coming out of the walls and streaming around to form a large river of lava. Another showed the inside of a cave, multi-faceted pillars and smooth surfaces of ice covering the walls with many cavern openings spread out in all directions. It showed an underground dungeon shrouded in darkness, as well as a similar one doused in light. A desert with a large collection of rocks around an area, and a thick forest with an abnormally large tree. There were so many things written down about each of these areas, but none of them were in Equestrian. Twilight scratched her head in frustration as she tried to think of what they could be.

“Well, you're right about that... but I think I can help you.”

“You can?” Shuske asked in surprise.

“Yes. Though I can't read these languages, I do know where a few of them come from. There's some old Dragontine in here, as well as a bit of Griffonish. Looks like the same hoof writing, so whoever took these notes must have been quite a linguist.”

“Yeah, we sorta figured that ourselves,” Tazer said.

“Well, I don't have any books that can translate this sort of stuff; these languages are very old... however, I'm sure their places of origin should have at least a few living speakers. Maybe if we traveled around a bit, we could find them.”

“Wait a second...” Shuske stepped forward, bringing a map out from a small backpack he had concealed under his left wing. “Look at this... this is a map we were given to us by our master recently, and we believe that it shows the locations of each diamond.”

The map in question wasn't large or well-illustrated, but it certainly named a lot of places. It showed many cities ranging from Canterlot to Trottingham, and even Stalliongrad in the Equestrian Kingdom. But as soon as the land spread to a different territory, an old language from that area was used to label everything. Unfortunately, due to its lack of detail they couldn't make out the identity of each tagged area just by looking at it.

“The only problem is that we can't tell where all these places are, and there's no compass directions shown here. We're not even sure if everything's the right distance or direction from other places! It's kind of frustrating... we would need to find a translator for each language to find out more, it seems.”

“Hmm...” Twilight examined the map and its notes closely, and quickly came up with a hypothesis. “I can see here and here that these two languages are Griffonish and Dragontine just by looking at them. So that means that those should be the Griffon Kingdoms and the Dragon Domain, if I'm right. Also, look here,” Twilight pointed to a symbol in the area surrounded by Dragontine. “See this symbol? It's the same as the one for the heat diamond, here,” Twilight flipped back to the page with the diamonds, pointing directly to the diamond of heat.

At the top was the same symbol, a collection of four lines pointing up and outwards with a zigzag running horizontally directly below the four lines.

“It looks like the map shows where each of the diamonds are by these symbols on them, meaning that we should be able to pinpoint where each diamond is once we learn the names of all these different areas.”

“Neat,” Shuske smiled. “Sounds like we finally got a lead!”

“Hold up a second,” Rainbow Dash spoke up, putting herself between Twilight and the duo. “So why are you looking for these 'all-powerful' diamonds anyways? Wouldn't it be best if we left them alone?”

“I agree,” Fluttershy added. “I mean, if they fall into the wrong hands, somepony could get hurt...”

“That's why our master told us to find them,” Tazer said in a slightly annoyed tone. “If this book exists, then there may be more notes of these diamonds out there, savvy? And what if some treasure hunter goes out and finds them, and then misuses them? I'm pretty sure some freakin re-re is gonna do some stupid crap with 'em, and before you know it all Tartarus’ broken loose. So our goal is to find these diamonds, hide them again, and leave no trace. Simple.”

“So that's it?” Applejack cocked an eyebrow. “We're just gonna go on a wild goose hunt to find some gems just so we can hide 'em again? That sounds kinda silly...”

“Well...” Shuske scratched the back of his head. “I'll admit, yeah, it kinda is, but it's important that we do this. Master said it's the final training quest until we're done, and we could really use some help. Besides, if you came along, we could travel all over, throughout and beyond Equestria!”

“Ooh! Ooh! Road trip!” Pinkie began bouncing eagerly. “That sounds like fun! Can we go. girls? Can we can we can we!?”

“Now hold on ya'll,” Applejack said in a stern tone. “We gotta think about this. I mean, Tazer, Shuske, ya both seem like good fellas, but it ain't exactly normal fer some strangers to suddenly roll on in'ta town askin others to go on some big quest with'em. Ya know what I'm sayin?”

“Yeah, we should really think about this, guys!” Spike spoke up, wanting his piece into the conversation.

“I know it sounds weird...” Tazer started, actually sounding sincere for a change. “But this is a big deal. If we've discovered notes like this, then what else might have been unearthed already? Someone - or something - else may be on its way right now to find those diamonds. With the kind of power these things have, we simply can’t take the chance that they could fall into the wrong claws. We gotta go out and find ‘em before it’s too late.”

There was a silence in the group just then. The six ponies and Spike looked at one another, each exchanging glances of confusion and unrest. Spike glanced at Twilight and the rest of her friends, and he knew that, even though he didn't want for them to be, they were actually considering this request. It wasn't until after a long minute that the silence was broken.

“I think we should help them on their quest,” Rarity chimed in. “After all, it would only be a generous thing to help two kind strangers in such a noble task.” For once, Spike stared into her expression with something very different than normal.

“Yeah, I think we should too,” Rainbow Dash agreed, pumping her hoof out once with a confident smirk on her face. “After all, you two did really help us out with the crusaders and their kart racing thing, so I guess we kinda owe ya there.”

“Well...” Applejack sighed. “I guess it would be pretty neighborly of us, huh? And it was a good thing they helped with the little'uns.”

“Road trip! Road trip! Road trip!” Pinkie chanted happily with synchronized bounces.

“I guess we could help,” Fluttershy added softly. “But only if it means ensuring others’ safety.”

“I guess it would be a really good educational experience...” Twilight mused. “Alright, if my friends are all up for it, then I'll come, too.”

“Alright then, it's settled!” Shuske smiled as he looked around through the group. “How about we all head out tomorrow morning?”

“Sounds like a good idea,” Twilight nodded. “We should all get anything we need packed and replacements put up for any of our work for about a week's length. Does everypony think they can manage that?”

“Not a problem dear,” Rarity said proudly. “My latest orders were all completed just last night, so I had actually planned on a few days of off-time around this week anyhow.”

“T'ain't many apple trees left to buck, so I'm sure Big Mac can take care'o the rest.”

“I take my own breaks from my weather job all the time, so I don't think it's much of a biggie if I go away for a little bit, so long as everypony knows I'm saving the world and stuff. Ya know, the usual.”

“I hope Angel can take care of himself while I'm away... But, I think everything should be alright... I hope.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Cake haven't had much business lately, so I think it would be okie-dokie-lokie for me to go on an adventure for a while! Count me in, wooh!”

“And I'll guard the library!”

The words had hardly left Spike’s mouth before he felt six pairs of eyes upon him.

“What?”

“Don't you wanna come with us, Spike?” Pinkie asked in a slightly saddened tone.

“Well hey, someones gotta guard the Library, right?”

“Don't worry Spike, Owlowiscious can take care of the library for while. I'm sure things will be fine, he is very dependable, after all.”

“Well - yeah, but, I mean--”

“You don't gotta come if you don't feel like it,” Tazer interrupted as he shot Spike a mischievous look. “So you don’t wanna come; that's fine, we'll just pack up and roll on, I guess. After all, I'm sure some ponies only want the more strong-willed and overall dedicated individuals to join them on this long adventure...” Spike looked at Tazer as he shifted his eyes towards Rarity. Spike was quick to pick on to Tazer's implications, while everyone else in the room seemed out of the loop on what was going on exactly.

“H-hey! I'm strong-willed, I'm dedicated!” He claimed as he looked at Rarity, then back at Tazer. “I... I'll come!”

Gotcha.

“Are you sure, Spike?” Twilight asked. “Just a second ago you seemed pretty intent on staying.”

Twilight was right. Spike felt little desire to go on this 'quest' with the duo before him; however, he figured from Tazer's looks that he might be going for Rarity. This would not fly with him. Rarity was his, and he had to do what he could to keep him away from her. There would be no way Spike would let Tazer get his claws on her.

“I changed my mind, really.” He said, still hesitant in his voice but knowing very well his priorities. “I mean, it should be a lot of fun... right?”

“Yeah, fun!” Shuske exclaimed. “A lot of fun, like a, a, hmm...”

“Like a party!” Pinkie finished for him.

“Yeah, like a party!” Shuske cheered.

“Alright, so it's settled then, I guess,” Twilight finally concluded. “We'll all meet up at the library in the morning after we get all of our things taken care of. I'll get the balloon filled up with Spike's help, and by the time you all arrive we should be just about ready to go. Everypony got it?”

“Got it!” The group replied in unison.

“I'll take this with us for the night, I guess,” Shuske said as he grabbed for the book, but Twilight intervened with her hoof on the pages before he could close it.

“Hold on,” Twilight said, a hint of desperation behind her mask of the professional librarian. “If it's okay, I would like to use my time today to study this book some more, along with the map. Maybe there's some more things that I can discover about it. Do you mind?”

“I don't think--”

“Sure!” Shuske agreed, interrupting Tazer. “Maybe there will be some really helpful information on there that you can find out for us.”

Twilight’s bright smile could have made the sun jealous. “Thanks, and don't worry, I'm sure I can find out some more secrets hidden in this book!”

Shortly after the decision was made, the seven friends and the two new ones parted ways, leaving Sugarcube Corner to prepare for the following morning. All of them were not only ready, but eager to start on this new quest. Their minds were filled with the possibilities ahead of them, and they all slept well that night with dreams of great expectations. All except for Spike, who still could not agree with what was coming the following morning. He thought about further voicing his objections, but Twilight seemed incredibly dedicated to the cause already. Sure of his inevitable defeat, Spike ultimately decided to try to get some rest of his own, to prepare himself as much as he could for tomorrow and the days to come.

Ch4: Light

-Chapter 4-

Light

(~the following morning, a couple hours before noon~)

“Twilight, we're here!” Rarity called out as her and the others approached the front of the library.

Out in front, Twilight and Spike had already inflated the balloon and gotten it tied to the ground, packed up a sizable amount of provisions, and were just finishing running through the last few items on their checklist. At hearing Rarity's voice, Spike's head shot up, turning to the source as he smiled brightly.

“Hi, Rarity!” he greeted with a wave.

“Hey girls, great timing!” Twilight said with a smile. “We're just about done here, so we should be able to leave shortly. Are you all set to go?”

“Why of course darling,” the fashionista replied. “I already got my schedule cleared for the entire next week, and all I had to do after that was just pack a few things.”

Rarity's horn shimmered brightly as a bag floated over and set down beside her. And then another bag followed suit, and another, and another, the flow continuing on as more and more bags and suitcases began piling up around her. Twilight watched in disbelief - was she really about to try to bring all that stuff on the balloon?

“We tried to tell her it was too much stuff,” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes as the pile grew to the size of a small shed.

“Rarity, I really don't think you need that many supplies to bring with you for just a week,” Twilight explained. “What could possibly be in there that you need?”

“Why, all the essentials of course! I have my accessory kit, my dress bag, my hat bag, my casual day bag, a suitcase with all my sewing supplies, an assortment of fine-”

“Rarity...” Twilight deadpanned. “You get two bags. If all that goes on the balloon, then none of us will have any room, even if the balloon is able to even lift off with all that weight.”

“T-two!?” Rarity choked out.

“Two.”

“But, but--”

“Two,” everypony said in unison.

Defeated, Rarity pouted cutely and began sorting through her pile of bags to see which one she needed the most out of them all. Of course, to her, they were all extremely important... who knew what sort of fashion emergency they might run into on the way!

“Alright, everypony else got their stuff?”

“I got my things right here, Twi',” Applejack approached with her saddlebags and an extra bag hanging from her neck. “I hope ya don't mind me bringin three bags, two of'em got apples in'em ta eat.”

“That's alright Applejack, some extra food will surely help out!”

“Ooh, ooh, I got my things! Right here, right here!” Pinkie bounced up to Twilight carrying her saddlebags. “They're filled with cupcakes!”

“That's fine, Pinkie,” Twilight said with a smirk. “That won't be a problem, more food is always good.”

“Um, I hope I didn't bring too much...” Fluttershy slowly approached, setting down her two saddlebags. “I brought some medical supplies and a couple of towels, along with just a few brushes, if that's okay...”

“Of course it is Fluttershy, some first aid equipment is sure to come in handy!” Twilight smiled as the pegasus before turning her head over towards the last friend. “Uh, Rainbow Dash, you're not bringing anything?”

“Why would I?” Rainbow asked, cantering up to her like it was no big deal. “I've been out on plenty of adventures all on my own, I can handle this sort of thing easy. And don't worry about extra weight, cuz I'm just gonna be flying around and stuff, kay?”

“Um, alright... that works, I guess.” Twilight contemplated the positive aspects of Rainbow Dash not bringing any supplies, or not having to add more weight to the balloon, and decided that may have been wise of her.

“So is everypony here yet?” asked Applejack.

“Not yet, I'm still waiting for Shuske and Tazer to arrive. Has anypony seen 'em around lately?” The group collectively shook their heads, save for Rarity who was still shuffling through her luggage.

“Well hey, if they're not coming, I guess that means we don't have to go,” Spike offered, looking around for anypony to agree with him. Just then a strange rattling sound came from beside him. Looking over, his eyes enlarged when he saw Pinkie's tail twitching sporadically.

“Uh oh, Twitchy Tail!” Pinkie warned as all the ponies suddenly became aware of the threat.

“We're here!” A voice suddenly called out from above.

Looking up, they saw Shuske dive-bombing straight towards the ground with Tazer on his back.

“God damn, pull the hell up you reject!” Tazer growled as he held on for dear life, not wanting for this quest to end before it even began due to Shuske's antics.

“Hold on, I can do this, just watch!” Shuske was grinning wide as he gained more speed, intending on turning up at the last second and making a cool skid across the grass.

This, however, did not happen. Only a few seconds away from the turn point, Tazer – not one to trust his companion with such a stupid stunt – Dug his claws into Shuske's neck and tugged, hard. Shuske yelped out in pain, flying off course and straight towards the library home. The group on the ground winced as the duo went straight down into Twilight's tree, smashing through numerous branches and layers of leaves before breaking through the lower end, falling significantly slower, but still landing quite painfully on the ground below.

“Ouch...” Shuske muttered.

Shuske began to get up, brushing himself off in doing so, but was tackled in the head by a very angry Tazer before he could get up all the way.

“You blockhead! I freakin told you not to try a stunt like that!” Tazer yelled as he beat his companion over the head with a fist.

“I-ow! I'm sorry Taze-ow! I was just trying to have some fu-ow! Can you stop now!?” Shuske flinched as he felt for another swing, but Tazer had stopped.

With a heavy sigh, Tazer crawled off of the griffon and got his own feet down to the ground, brushing himself off as well. He looked up at Shuske, his eyes piercing like daggers as he stared for a few seconds.

“You and I are going to have a lot more problems if you keep trying crap like that...”

“Uh, are you two alright?” came Twilight's voice, briefly startling the duo.

“Oh! Uh, yeah, we're all fine over here!” Shuske said, his expression switching almost instantly to a cheerful tone.

“Whatever,” Tazer scoffed as he crossed his arms.

The due walked towards the group, their eyes overlooking them, their collection of baggage, and more importantly the large hot air balloon that was already filled up.

“Wow, you really do have a big hot air balloon!” Shuske said as he marveled at its size.

“Thanks, it was a gift from Princess Celestia herself,” Twilight explained. “She said it would be useful in helping me get around places other than Canterlot when I needed it, and I think this is a pretty good occasion for its use.”

“Alrighty then, looks like we're all set,” Shuske suddenly paused as he remembered something. “Oh, wait, did you remember the-”

“Tome and the map?” Twilight smirked as she levitated the two items out of the balloon's basket. “Of course I would remember to bring them, they're essential to the quest!”

“Alright, you go Twilight!” Shuske gave a little cheer and fist pump into the air.

“So wait a second,” Tazer spoke up abruptly. “Did you find out anything new or interesting about the map or the book?”

“As a matter of fact, I did!” Twilight announced as she laid out the map and the book in front of everyone there, her magic opening the book up to the page with the diamonds. “You see, what I found yesterday with the diamonds on the map wasn't a coincidence I don't think... the map has all six of the diamond symbols tagged at different locations.” She sat down before the two items as one hoof pointed to the heat diamond and the other pointed to some place tagged in Dragontine. “See where the heat diamond is on the map? That looks like it's in the Dragon Domain. And what's more, I think it might be inside a volcano...”

“A volcano!?” A few of them gasped.

“That's correct. Look on this page,” Twilight flipped a few pages over to where it showed the illustration of inside a cave with rivers of lava. “The Dragon Domain is notorious for its abundance of tectonic activity, meaning there's a lot of volcanoes and stuff there... so, it would make sense for the diamond of heat to be inside a cave just like this, which would most likely be somewhere in the Dragon Domain!”

“Well, I gotta hand it to ya Twilight, you sure can figure 'em out pretty dern well,” Applejack complimented as she looked over the map and the book.

“So those other pictures then,” Rainbow Dash began, catching onto Twilight's hints. “They probably represent where the other diamonds would be, right?”

“That's exactly what I'm thinking,” Twilight replied as she nodded slightly. “And if you look over the map, you can see where each diamond would be. Well, if we could read the exact locations that is. So far only one place with an actual diamond that's written in Equestrian in Canterlot.”

“Wait, does this mean we're going to be going to Canterlot!?” Rarity's eyes glimmered as she smiled wide at Twilight.

“Yes, in fact that's where I planned on heading first.”

“Wait a second,” Tazer butted in. “I never really thought about the pictures being connected to the diamond locations... so at least that's a good find. But where in Canterlot would a freakin dungeon or temple be for something like this?”

“Hmm... well, that is a good point...” Twilight focused on the illustration where they assumed the light diamond would be. Inspecting it closely, she noticed something. “Aha, there!”

“What?” asked Tazer, leaning in to where Twilight's hoof pointed.

“See those figures that are growing out of some of the corners of the walls?”

“...Crystals?”

“Exactly! There's an abandoned crystal mine underneath Canterlot, I've been down there before. I bet if we search through there, we might just be able to find the temple with the diamond inside!”

“Whelp, we got a plan!” Shuske announced cheerfully as he clapped his talons together. “Everypony ready to go!?”

“YEAH!” Replied the group, except for Spike, and with that they all went to gather up their things to start loading them onto the balloon.

Tazer gave an annoyed glance up to Shuske, but then just shook his head as he himself began towards the balloon. Twilight watched over her friends and the duo for a moment before she noticed something, and she spoke out.

“Hey, Tazer, Shuske!” she called to them. “Where are your supplies?”

“Our what?” Shuske replied as both of them turned around.

“Your supplies. You know, stuff you'll need to carry with you to aid in your quest.”

“Well, we would bring some, but our Master said that we need to learn to live off the land with what we don't have on our backs... hehe.”

“We don't need any supplies anyways,” Tazer replied with a deadpan expression. “Any ordinary reject can survive out there if ya know the right stuff to do and the right things to use. So that's the purpose of our master teaching us all that.”

“Well, alright then, if that's what you have to do,” Twilight gave the two an odd look as they turned back around and proceeded once more to the balloon's basket.

One by one, piece by piece, all of the passengers and all of the luggage was loaded onto the balloon. A few of them questioned if it would be able to hold all of their weight, but Twilight assured that with her magical enhancements, it would do just fine. With all of them secure in the basket, except for Rainbow Dash and Shuske who simply wished to stay flying on their own, the new group of adventurers began final preparations, which consisted of Twilight going through a checklist to ensure they had everypony and everything.

Thanks to Twilight's magical modifications, the balloon itself was twice its normal size, and the basket itself was more than three times it's normal size. Twilight knew that they would be fitting several more passengers than the balloon was used to, so she made the correct calculations and re-sized the balloon accordingly earlier that morning. Even the ropes were a bit thicker to support the extra weight of the passengers and their cargo.

Once everyone was on board, Spike centered himself below the main opening of the balloon, ready to breathe an extra burst of flame to get the thing airborne. Twilight then gave him a hoof up as her magic disconnected the single rope tied to a rod in the ground. Spike paused just briefly, giving a bit of a sigh as he let what was left with the knowledge that he was about to go on this 'quest' with creatures he didn't trust. But, unable to do much about it, he took a deep breath after that short moment and blew a large burst of fire up into the main compartment of the balloon.

Twilight's balloon was magic, and the enchantment on the rubbery top allowed it to hold onto the heated air inside for hours on end without needing more fire to keep it up. Because of this, no fire was needed below to constantly feed it hot air. Spike was very thankful for that, knowing that he would have already met his end if he had to constantly blow fire up into the thing on earlier trips.

With the new rush of hot air, the balloon was off the ground and rapidly ascending in mere seconds. The entire town came into view, and then gradually got smaller as they got higher and higher. The cloud line was quickly approaching them, and all of the inside passengers looked out with a few “ooh's” and “aah's” as they progressed upwards. In less than a minute, the balloon had reached its optimal height and had leveled out in the sky, a soft breeze gently pushing it around.

Shuske and Rianbow Dash flew around the balloon as Twilight went to work inside, adjusting the ropes just slightly so the balloon would tilt in a certain direction, making them travel where they wanted. With only a few little tugs on a certain couple of ropes, the balloon wafted to its side gently and began heading towards the east, with Canterlot in its direct path. It wasn't anything fast, but it was progressive, and its advantages were allowing everyone to travel together as well carry sufficient supplies. In only a little over an hour or so, they would be close enough to Canterlot to begin descending to land. And if Twilight's memory served her well enough, they would be in the crystal mines searching for that diamond in no time.

(~Canterlot Castle, around the same time~)

...”Princess Celestia!” called out one of the white-and-gold armored stallions as he and another guard barged into the throne room. “Urgent news, your majesty!”

“Yes, what is it?” Celestia asked as she watched the two guards approach her.

Giving a bow just as they stopped, they held the pose for only a moment before they both returned to standing regularly, their voices visibly shaken.

“Your Highness,” the first guard began. “We just spotted several griffon royal guards on their way to the castle gates as we speak!”

“Griffon guards?” Celestia stood up at this, her face showing her obvious confusion. “What brings them here to Canterlot?”

“We don't know your highness,” the other guard started. “But there's seven of them. From what we saw, six of them appeared to be royal guards, while the seventh was... something else. Probably an ambassador of some sort, because he certainly wasn't a guard, even if he was bigger than them.”

“An ambassador?” Celestia thought to herself for a few moments, her memories of the griffon escort system surfacing. “...No, that wouldn't be an ambassador. Griffons only send two, maybe three guards to escort ambassadors.” She stepped down the stairs of her throne, coming down to ground level as she watched the front gate to the room. “If there were six... that can only mean direct royalty.”

“So then, you mean-” A sudden shout behind the large doors interrupted the first guard.

“I said get out of my way!” barked a voice, one that Celestia immediately recognized.

“...It's King Chalizar Brownbeak,” Celestia stated with an air of nervousness in her voice.

As if on cue, the doors to the throne room burst open. Both large gates were pushed aside by the Griffon King himself as he stormed into the chamber, an angry glare on his face as his guards followed close behind in two columns of three, spears positioned pointing upwards in their grasps. On any other occasion there would have been a friendly reception to his coming to Canterlot, but his unexpected arrival only made everypony nervous that something bad was about to happen.

“Princess Celestia of Equestria!” he spoke out in a raised voice, effectively conveying his negative mood.

“Ah, Chalizar Brownbeak,” Celestia replied in a calm voice, hoping to draw down the volume a bit to something less aggressive. “Good day, and welcome to Can-”

“Spare me the formalities!” Chalizar growled as he approached her, his talons balled up into fists. “I just received word that my son is missing, and he was last seen in one of your kingdom's cities! Care to explain!?”

“Your son?” Celestia asked, honestly confused as to what he was talking about. “King Brownbeak, I do not know what you are talking about. Please, let's talk over this before--”

“No!” he yelled, raising his foreleg to point an accusing talon at her. “No more talking, no more 'conversations' with you in some stupid conference hall! I want my son, and I know you know of his whereabouts.”

“King Brownbeak, please, I don't understand the situation,” Celestia attempted to sooth him as much as she could with her soft, regal voice. “I was completely unaware that your son is missing. By all means, though, I will be more than willing to help in any way I can.”

“Your lies won't get you anywhere, Celestia. Now, this is your last chance...” He lowered his head slightly as his eyes shot daggers at her. “Tell me where my son is, right now, or else I'll--”

“Dragons!” a guard blurted out as he burst through the main door, galloping halfway in before stopping and continuing on. “Dragons above, three of them, very large!”

“Dragons?” Celestia asked as she stared wide-eyed at the guard.

'They appear to be wearing some sort of armor, we think they're guards from the Dragon Domain!”

“What!?” Chalizar growled as he turned his body towards the entrance. “The Dragon Lord... what makes that lizard think he can just bust in on my affairs like this?”

“Your affairs, hm?” Came a loud, low rumble from outside the castle. The sound of large wings flapping outside added a soft rumble that sent light vibrations through the walls of the castle. “My, my, King Brownbeak, you are quite the hotheaded one... at least Celestia has been able to keep her cool. Quite ironic for a goddess of the sun, though...”

“What business do you have here, Lord Talranis?” Celestia was shouting up to the ceiling.

“You ponies never make anything large enough for us dragons to fit in... come to your castle's garden area, I will be waiting there.”

After a few moments the sound of flapping wings stopped as they felt the ground rumble slightly. Celestia and Chalizar exchanged glances for a moment before they both made their way through a back entrance, a group of guards for each close behind.

Coming out to to the gardens first was Celestia and her group of Royal Guard escorts. She immediately saw The Dragon Lord there, casually sitting down beside a fountain with his two escorts behind him on either side. While the dragon guards wore armors with helmets, chest plates, leg and arm braces, and spiked gauntlets, Dragon Lord Talranis Mith did not wear anything.

As Celestia and her guards took up a spot on one side of the gardens, Chalizar and his guards came out to take up another side, all three having a clear view of each other and their guard groups. There was an eerie silence just then as all three leaders looked at one another. The intensity in the air was building, while the only sound was the soft blow of the wind and the rustling of a few leaves. Talranis broke this silence as he let out a deep sigh while he lowered his head.

“Celestia does not know where they are...”

“What?” Chalizar looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean? How do you know?”

“I can see it in her eyes, it's too obvious,” Talranis replied as he looked up to Chalizar. “Your son is missing, as is mine. And while the pain on our hearts is great, it is still important to approach these sort of situations calmly. Unfortunately, I could see in your eyes that you almost wanted Celestia to have taken your son, just to give you a reason to wage some sort of war on them...”

“T-that's not true!” Chalizar barked indignantly. “I just want my son, that's all there is! I could care less about the ponies!”

“Have it your way then,” Talranis then turned to Celestia. “Princess Celestia, it's been a while.”

“Indeed it has, Talranis,” Celestia smiled softly as the two exchanged glances.

“It's been quite some time since we last met like this... how long ago has it been? Over a thousand years?”

“I believe so,” Celestia closed her eyes for a few moments as memories began to collect in her mind. “I somewhat recall it being just after your brother went missing.”

“Hmm... sounds right,” He looked back at Chalizar, seeing his obvious impatient. “Well, someone's a bit anxious to get on with things.”

“And how could I not be!?” Chalizar grew more upset. “I just recently found out my son is missing, gone with some trainer who isn't really a trainer at all!”

“You mean Farnatchi isn't really a trainer?” Talranis tilted his head slightly.

“He is, actually... but that's not the problem,” Chalizar collected his thoughts for a brief moment before continuing. “I just found out yesterday that Faratuchi's body was found near the remains of one of my small villages... the second place our two sons went on their quest.”

“An imposter?” Talranis' eyes grew wide. “Who would be so foolish as to kidnap two princes like that? And furthermore, why would they continue on their quest for so long, but then just recently decide to go off track?”

“Perhaps the two princes had known all along,” Celestia suggested. “Maybe what this imposter seeks is to earn the trust or compliance of the two so that he could use them to do his bidding later on.”

“Inconceivable!” Chalizar spoke up. “My son would never do such a thing! He may be a bit of a foolhardy lad, but he would never willingly go against our kingdom!”

“The same goes for my child as well,” Talranis said. “He strives to show that he is worthy to take my place one day, I can see the passion burning inside of him every day. The idea that they would be going against us directly as an act of their own free will does not quite seem quite possible at this time.”

“What would you both suggest, then?” Celestia looked back and forth at the two as she spoke. “You said they were last seen in pony territory only a few days ago, so you're both giving the assumption they're still here. Now, while I too believe this to be a possibility, I must bring up the alternative, that they are actually somewhere else.”

“Hmm, this is true,” Talranis mumbled under his breath.

“So what would you suggest then Celestia? That we all search high and low for them?”

“Yes, Chalizar, that's exactly what I'm suggesting,” Chalizar looked ready to bark back a reply, but Celestia continued before he could. “None of us know where they are, and that's the problem. What's more is it seems there is an unknown being with them, one who’s intentions are also unknown. In order to find this being and find out what they're after, we must first find your sons. And the only way to do that is to simultaneously search as much as we can while retracing their steps and looking for clues.”

“Seems like the right approach to me,” Talranis mused as he looked over to Chalizar, his arms crossed and giving a small huff. “Come now Chalizar, put your personal thoughts aside. There is something much more amiss here than just a simple kidnapping it seems.”

“Fine, We'll go with the search and investigation approach,” he said with a bit of resentment in his voice. “But if I do find out that some ponies are responsible for this, Celestia,” he continued as he glared over to her. “We will have problems...”

“I understand,” she replied with a slight nod. “Let us not waste anymore time then, and set our law enforcement groups to work at once.”

“So be it, my time here is done,” Talranis spread his wings as he stood up straight, his guards doing the same. “Farewell Celestia, Chalizar, may we meet again when this is all resolved,” with that he gave a hard flap of his wings and launched himself into the air, the two guards doing the same.

The gust of wind from their wings was strong enough to make all the plants in the garden to lean over as their leaves shook violently from the sudden force. Standing firm through the wind, Celestia and Chalizar watched the Dragon Lord fly away before they looked at each other again.

“I shall take my leave then as well,” Chalizar said as him and his griffon guards also stretched out their wings. “I hope we do not have to come to any sort of violent resolution in the future, princess...” with that, Chalizar leaped into the air with his guards just behind him, their path a straight line for griffon territory.

Celestia watched the two groups fly off and eventually disappear in the sky. She looked down, her thoughts delving into the back of her mind. This turn of events was certainly a rather troublesome occurrence, one that might change everything if not handled carefully. She hoped that they would find the two princes soon before relations with the other kingdoms turned sour.

“Guards,” Celestia said suddenly as she looked back at the group behind her.

“Yes your highness,” they replied.

“I'm sure you all heard the plan. Get in contact with every sort of law enforcement group across Equestria. We must find the princes and their new 'trainer' before it's too late.”

“Yes, your highness!”

-~-

High into the sky the group of adventurers carried on with their quest. They had only been in the air a little longer than ten minutes, but already Canterlot was edging noticeably closer. A few of the ponies marveled at how fast these balloons moved, even if it didn't feel like they were going very fast at all.

Rainbow Dash and Shuske were still floating around the balloon and just lazily keeping up with the balloon as it floated through the air. Rainbow Dash was hugging a cloud and fluttering her wings a bit in an attempt to rest and fly at the same time while Shuske was pretending to do backstrokes as if he was swimming. Rarity and Fluttershy had moved to the top of the balloon piece itself and were laying on their backs, casually sunbathing while oversized shades covered their eyes. At that altitude, there would've been practically no clouds to block the sunlight, making it almost perfect for them.

The rest were still inside the basket keeping themselves busy either with some chatting, like Pinkie Pie and Applejack were doing, or sitting down reading a book, like Twilight was. Spike was sitting beside Twilight with his back pressed against a pile of saddlebags and his arms crossed behind his head, happily napping away. Tazer, however, was standing on the side of the basket that was not occupied and was simply leaning against the edge with his head over the side, looking down at the ground below. He simply stayed there, not moving as he stared blankly at the forest below as if he was deeply entrenched in thought.

“So what I was thinking,” Pinkie Pie began as she sat in front of Applejack. “Is that we should get a whole bunch of that zap apple jam and put it in some donuts that can be filled with jelly and then we can have zap apple jelly filled donuts that would be super sweet and apple-tastic!”

“Hmm... ya know, that ain't a bad idea Pinkie. Mixin' some of our family's jam with some of your pastries might just be a darn good idea.”

“Yeah!” she had a wide grin on her face for a few seconds before she looked over to the side, her smile almost completely evaporating as she spotted Tazer. “Hey, what's he doing over there all by himself?”

“Hm?” Applejack looked over as well, looking at the dragon for a few moments before replying. “Oh, well I dunno. I guess he just likes lookin down at the ground er somethin.”

“Awe, he looks lonely,” Pinkie frowned a little before immediately cheering back up again as she got an idea. “Let's go cheer him up!”

“Are ya sure about that? He looks like he might just wanna be left alone...”

“Nah, it'll be okay! Nopony – or dragon – likes to be alone all the time. C'mon!” before Applejack could voice anymore opposition, Pinkie Pie had already hopped her way across the basket, coming to a stop right behind Tazer. “Hi!”

“Hm?” Tazer looked over at Pinkie who was wearing a wide grin on her face, only to be met by a raised eyebrow on his. “Yeah, what do you want?”

“Oh, I just wanted to say hello and see how you were doing!” she exclaimed happily.

“Whatever...” Tazer deadpanned and turned back to stare blankly at the ground.

“Hey Tazer,” Applejack spoke up as she approached him as well. “Are y'alright? Ya seem like ya got a lot on yer mind.”

“Don't worry about it,” he replied.

“But we wanna make sure there's nothing bothering you,” Pinkie added in.

“Mind your own business, would ya? I got freakin enough to worry about right now.”

“But we're your friends!” Pinkie Pie said in a pleading tone as she leaned her head beside his to look at his face.

“Yeah right,” Tazer said with a deep sigh. “I don't got any friends.”

“Ya don't?” Applejack asked, her and Pinkie's eyes widening a bit.

“Nope.”

“But why not?” Pinkie asked

“No point. Friends just get in the freakin way and slow ya down, especially when you wanna reach the top.”

“Get to the top...?” Applejack scratched the side of her head with a hoof. “I don't follow...”

Tazer sighed and slumped his head a bit lower. “It's my dad... let's just say he's in a really important position, and I'm trying to live up to be as good as, if not better than him.”

“So, is he like, a mayor or something?” Pinkie asked.

“No re-re, he's-” Tazer stopped himself, thinking up another explanation to the truth. “He's a really powerful and wise dragon, and that's the whole reason I'm on this whole quest deal with Mr. Blabber Beak over there,” Tazer pointed his thumb back behind him in Shuske's general direction before continuing. “I'm doing this so I can get stronger and wiser... nothing more.”

“So then he's just going on this quest with ya for pretty much the same reason?” Applejack wondered aloud.

“Pft, that mother pecker isn't fit for any sort of real progress. His dad's got a lot of power too, and while the reason for coming on this quest is the same as mine, I know that dimwit isn't going to go far with an attitude like his.”

“Like what? Ya mean how he's kinda goofin around every now'n then?”

“Every now and then?” Tazer actually turned around partially to look at the two ponies. “Shuske's always jacking up crap with his little 'ventures of fun.' The re-re is always getting in the way and causing unnecessary trouble and taking ridiculous risks while I'm left to clean up after him and make sure he doesn't get himself hurt or killed. He's like a flippin’ child... it's pitiful.”

“But it's fun!” Pinkie cheered as she hopped in place a bit with a bright smile. “You don't always gotta be so grumpy dumpy serious! Sometimes ya just gotta shake your hooves off and live a little, yeah!” the last part of that sentence was emphasized with an upward hoof-pump as Pinkie's grin stayed plastered on her face.

“Whatever,” Tazer replied in a dull tone as he turned back to where he was staring originally. “Crap like that just gets in the way of what really matters. No need for it... no need at all for me.”

Pinkie and Applejack sat there staring at Tazer for a few moments, their expressions showing both signs of confusion and pity for the dragon. They knew what it was like to have friends and to let loose and have fun, they did it all the time. And then there's that dragon, a baby one at that, acting as serious as Cranky Doodle Donkey did. What was up with that?

“Uh, Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said in quiet voice.

“Yeah?”

“I think we should leave him be for now... ya know?”

“Okay then...” Pinkie huffed slightly in defeat. But as she and Applejack trotted back to their side of the balloon, she made an inward promise to get him out of his shell and to be a true friend, just like what he did with Cranky. Pinkie Pie doesn't give up that easy on spreading the smiles!

Unknown to all three of them, though, was that Spike had been listening in on their conversation the whole time while watching with one eye open. His dad's really powerful huh? Spike thought to himself. Wonder what that could mean..

Over just a few meters away, Rarity and Fluttershy were engaged in their own bit of small talk as well.

“What about Caramel?” Rarity offered as she made a sideways glance towards Fluttershy.

“Oh, um,” Fluttershy stammered slightly. “He's nice and all, but, isn't he taken...?”

“Oh, right right. My goodness, how could I forget a detail such as that? Some gossip gal I am...”

“It's okay Rarity, we all forget sometimes.”

“Now then, moving on...” Rarity put a hoof to her chin to think for a bit. “How about... Hokey Spokes?”

“N-no, he's much too dirty all the time... I heard he likes to roll around in mud a lot like a little colt.”

“Good point darling. Hm, Pokey Pierce?”

“All those needles... ouch...”

“Ah. Well, how about that doctor, Doctor Whooves?”

“Um, well...” Fluttershy cheeks began to burn a bit as she nervously rubbed her hooves together. “I, I do like his accent he has... and he's well groomed.”

“Aha, I knew I would find a stallion you had a crush on, I can see the guilty blush right on your face!”

Fluttershy giggled a bit at this, “Oh Rarity, you know I could never approach him though...”

“Nonsense darling, you're a model after all! It would be an honor to him to meet you, after all.”

“I, I guess you're right, but... oh my...” the heat in Fluttershy's cheeks increased as she thought about the situation a bit further.

Rarity giggled a bit at her friend's bashful display, and then decided to look around a bit. It was a habit of hers really to just look around randomly like that, and it would be practically pointless in a situation such as that since they were so high up and all that was around was the blue sky, the sun, Rainbow Dash on a cloud, and that griffon that they were helping with their quest. But as Rarity looked over to Shuske as he continued his mid-air backstroking, she began to wonder if she should try to learn anything more about him. Griffons always were a fairly uncommon creature to come across, so having one that wasn't mean like Gilda come around and join them for multiple days like this certainly wasn't a very common thing at all.

“Hmm,” Rarity hummed to herself lightly as she made her decision. “Oh Shuske, Shuske!” she called, waving a hoof in his direction as she rolled over onto her stomach with her hooves crossed in front of her.

“Huh?” Shuske's head perked up as he rolled over a to look at Rarity. “Yes?”

“Be a dear and come over here, would you please?”

“Um, Rarity...?” Fluttershy peeped a bit as Shuske began to hover over.

“Yes, Fluttershy?”

“Why are you bringing him over here...?”

“Oh don't worry about it darling, I was just going to have a chat with him, you know, to sort of get to know him better.” Rarity looked over at her friend, and even through the glasses she could see the nervous expression on her face. “Oh come now, don't worry, I assure you he's not like Gilda.”

“I, I hope so....”

“They both turned to see Shuske stop just in front of them, still keeping himself afloat as he maintained a happy smile.

“Hey, what's up?” he asked.

“Oh nothing too much at the moment,” Rarity began. “We were just wondering if we could get to know you a bit better. After all, we are going out of our way to help you in this quest of yours, so it simply seemed fair that we would get to know more about you.”

“Oh, alrighty then,” he said as he casually settled down on top of the balloon in front of them, sitting there with the same smile on his face. “So, what do ya wanna know first?”

“Hmm,” Rarity thought for a moment as she looked over him, carefully picking out her questions. “First off, you're from the Griffon Kingdom, right? Well what city in the kingdom are you from, exactly?”

“Oh, well, I was actually born in the capital city of Brisalzia.”

“Capital, you say?” Rarity's mind wandered around the possibility that his kingdom's capital might have been as luxurious as Canterlot was. “Well, that sounds rather dazzling! Tell me, is the city very luxurious and high-class?”

“High class?” he scratched his chin. “Um, yeah, kind of. Everything's uptight and stuff, but more because it's a military capitol.”

“Military?” both ponies asked.

“Yeah, I don't really care for it... everyone there is all strict and serious. They cut the feathers on their heads really short, they work out all the time and keep on doing the same boring things day after day, and on top of that most of them are just jerks.”

“Well, working out sounds like it would be a very healthy thing for you,” Rarity chipped in.

“Yeah, everyone knows that, but the problem is when there's a person that doesn't follow the same routine is kind of outcasted. If there's a griffon that isn't fit, or one that likes to keep his features free styled, or one that perhaps likes to keep things kind of relaxed and non-strict, they get kind of weeded out and picked on every day...” at this point Shuske looked down with a frown on his face as he seemed to be momentarily thinking about something.

Fluttershy and Rarity exchanged looks for a quick moment, both of them getting the hint. Shuske, as far as they had known, had always been a sort of playful and happy griffon, one that always tried to just have fun and do what felt right. They couldn't imagine what he must have gone through all of his life living in such an environment, but thinking about that brought up another question in Rarity's mind...

“Shuske,” Rarity began again. “Are you happy to be on this quest?”

“Well of course I am,” Shuske replied with a nod. “I really want to be an adventurer when I grow up, one to just go out and explore mass expanses of unknown territories and--”

“No, well, actually..” Rarity interrupted with a slight cough. “I was wondering if you were happy to be on this quest and away from... well, your home.”

“Oh... oh!” his eyes widened a bit for a second, then half-closed as he stared back at the ground. “I... I am glad, really. I mean, I feel so free out here, so alive, even if Tazer keeps getting on my back about it.”

“So, um,” Fluttershy peeped up in a little more than a whisper. “You... wouldn't want to go back home...?

“Honestly?” Shuske paused, thinking deeply for a minute before letting out a deep sigh. “No, no I don't think I would. I don't dislike my parents or anything, but I just really don't like all that militarized stuff back in Brisalzia. That's part of the reason I want to be an adventurer, so I can get out and get away. To be able to fly away without any guards chasing to restrain me.”

“Heavens!” Rarity gasped lightly. “They send guards out to make sure no griffon leaves?”

“Uh, well,” Shuske stammered, his eyes daring side to side as he almost let loose one of the secrets he kept from them. “They don't like it when we just suddenly run away, ya know? Like, it's gotta be business related and stuff... things of that sort.”

“My word, that sounds sort of like a prison than a real home, especially for someone like you.”

“Well, it did sort of feel like it...” he sighed again. “All my life I've been taught that things always happen for a reason, that one day the pieces will fall into place for everyone and that we all will be destined to do or become one thing or another. That just seems sort of, I dunno... too restricted to me. I like to think that sometimes I have a choice in things....”

“Well, I think now you do,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, you're out on an adventure right now, right? You can choose any path right now, and no one can tell you otherwise.”

“Yeah, you're right...” he smiled softly at her, but the smile vanished as he thought to himself just then. But master is still telling us what to do though... after that thought, Shuske quickly realized his smile had left and put up another one to add assurance to the ponies that he was alright.

“Of course she's right,” Rarity said as she gave a soft flick of her mane. “Shuske, just stick with us for a while, and we'll help you stay away from anywhere that you think might hurt you or cause you distress.”

“Thanks, I'll be sure to keep that in mind.”

Rarity gave him an assuring smile just then, as did Fluttershy. Shuske's smile increased a bit at this as he felt a comforting warmth spread through him. He liked this feeling, it was something he hardly ever felt. To be close enough to someone where you could exchange smiles while not having much to care about in the world. To him, they seemed to be like his...

“Friends?” He asked as he extended a foreleg to them.

“Friends,” Rarity replied with a nod as the two shool hooves, or talons, or whatever... you get the point.

“But I thought we were already friends,” Pinkie Pie said as her head suddenly popped up over the side of the balloon.

“Oh! Uh,” Shuske stammered again, still not used to Pinkie's 'ways'. “Um, I guess this is making it official?” he gave her a sheepish grin.

“Okie Dokie Loki!” she bounced up to him exuberantly and grabbed his hand with both hooves, shaking it rapidly. “Great! Now that we're officially super awesome friends, we can hang out more and stuff!”

“Pinkie Pie,” Rarity interjected. “How did you manage to climb up here?”

“I used the stairs!”

“What sta-- never mind,” Rarity sighed to herself before talking under her breath. “It's just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie.”

-|-

The flight to Canterlot itself took only a little over an hour. As the balloon began nearing the city's edge, Twilight began to wither down the magically-kept flame inside the balloon to work their descent. Though the balloon stuck out like a sore thumb in the sky, Twilight and her friends knew that the guards would recognize it and simply let it pass without much thought. After reassuring Tazer and Shuske of this fact, the balloon quickly made its way down and landed safely just inside the city walls.

“Alright everyone, we're here!” Twilight announced as she hopped out of the basket.

“Well, it sure is good to be on solid ground again,” Applejack said as she got off herself.

“I feel the same way Applejack,” Rarity said as Fluttershy helped her down from the top of the balloon. “Though I must say, the sun bathing part of this trip was certainly a nice treat.”

“It was fun!” Pinkie said as she bounced off the basket. “We were so high and stuff and even though I have been waaaaay higher before and one time into space it was still really cool! Especially with all of you up there!”

“I had a pretty fun time,” Shuske offered as he hovered to ground level.

“Stupid re-re...” Tazer muttered under his breath as he walked up beside his companion.

With all of them gathering beside the balloon, Twilight took a quick inventory and head count to ensure everyone was accounted for. After that, she began explaining how things would go.

“So, as I stated before,” she began as she levitated the book out in front of her. “The illustration in here showed some crystal formations that I specifically remembered seeing in the caves beneath Canterlot back when the Changeling Queen tried to take over. So, all I have to do is go back to the entrance of the cave and we can begin searching for the hidden chamber with the diamond.”

“That's assuming that it's actually there, and you're not completely wrong about this,” Tazer pointed out.

“Well, I'm pretty sure it's the right place, I mean...” Twilight trailed off as she examined the art more closely, starting to second guess herself.

“C'mon Tazer,” Shuske spoke up. “Have faith in Twilight Sparkle, she seems like she knows what she's talking about. Just lead the way, Twilight!”

“Well, alright then. Just follow me everypony.”

With that, the group of nine began their walk through Canterlot with Twilight leading the way. With her and Spike having grown up in the city, it obviously wasn't much of a challenge to navigate through the city's streets. But one thing they didn't count on was the number of royal guards doing patrols around the area. Unknown to the most of them, however, Shuske and Tazer were getting extrordinarily nervous by seeing so many guards out.

“Um, T-twilight...?” Shuske spoke up, his voice stuttering slightly. “Do you think we could get to the diamond a little faster?”

“What's the rush?” she asked as she turned her head around.

“Well, nothing really, I'm just a bit anxious and all... ya know, with the whole quest deal and everything.”

“Don't worry, we're almost to the cave already.” she turned her head forward again and kept on walking with the group close behind.

“Just hurry the hell up...” Tazer muttered under his breath as he glared angrily at Twilight.

Unknown to him, Spike was walking off to the side and not only saw Tazer's glare, but heard his rude comment. Spike shot him his own angry glare before running up to walk beside Twilight.

“Twilight, I really don't think it's a good idea to be on this quest with those two guys,” Spike whispered over to her. “I just really don't think they're up to any good!”

“Oh don't worry Spike, it's fine. Besides, I examined the book myself, and it is definitely very old. They couldn't have fabricated things like that out of nowhere.”

“But do you really think they've told us all they know?”

“Why wouldn't they?” Twilight looked over at Spike, who simply sighed and shook his head.

Not getting anything from Twilight, Spike decided to get Rarity's opinion on the matter. He slowed down his walk so that he would fall back just enough to be walking beside Rarity, and he then leaned close to whisper to her as well. “Hey, Rarity.”

“Yes, Spike?” Rarity asked as she looked over to him with a simple smile.

“I don't think we can trust these guys... I really don't think they're up to any good.”

“What?” Rarity reared her head back a bit at the statement. “How could you say that? I just know those two have good intentions with all of this and would never do anything to harm or mislead us.”

“But, I just heard one of them--”

“Spike,” she said in a stern voice, one she would have normally used on Sweetie Belle to scold her. “I had a personal chat earlier with one of them, and I could tell the dear was just so happy to be out on an adventure like this. Not only have they already proved to be benevolent, but I could see it in their eyes that they are good beings and that we should trust them.”

Of course she would say that, she's the element of generosity! Spike thought to himself. “But, I just have a really bad feeling that--”

Spike,” she interrupted again. “I don't want to hear it. Just because you can't look past the surface doesn't mean you should just assume things. You should take the time to look deeper into ponies, or, other creatures in this instance, and not judge a book by its cover.” At this, Rarity gave a flick of her mane and looked away, obviously giving Spike the cold shoulder.

Spike's heart sank at hearing that, and he fell behind a while walking with his head low. He didn't really know if it was just the stares he got or the things he was hearing, but something inside of him was telling him that those two were up to something... not right. Like an unknown instinct guiding his direction, only to be pushed aside by how he forced himself to follow his friends. He wanted to believe the duo were good so that he could stop worrying about them, but deep down, he still felt the same, nagging feeling that they weren't as benevolent as Rarity said they were.

After only a short while later, the group reached the edge of a garden belonging to a small mansion on one side of the city. Twilight led them behind a row of tall bushes with an also tall fence on the other side, revealing a large hole in the ground between the bushes and the fence. The hole was easily large enough for a pony to comfortably fit, and the light that streamed down showed a few crystals glimmering at the entrance.

“Here it is!” Twilight announced as the group gathered around the cave.

“So, this is where you guys got trapped by that big changeling queen huh?” Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered over the hole.

“Yes, this is the entrance to the cave of the underground crystal mines.”

“Oh my, um, it seems pretty dark down there...” Fluttershy said as she peeked into the cave.

“Don't worry,” Twilight reassured her. “Rarity and I should be able to spread enough light for us to maneuver around.”

Rarity flicked her head as she fed magic to her horn, producing some light. “Light spells are so simple, yet so useful,” with that, the group proceeded to enter the cave one by one, with Spike being the last to reluctantly hop in.

The entrance was just like Twilight remembered it. The cavern was a vastly open space with the walls and ceilings filled with crystals of all kinds of shapes and sizes. The group took a few minutes to marvel at the brilliance of the cave and how their lights made the cave itself seem to sparkle.

“My word,” Rarity gasped as she looked around. “This place is heavenly! I've never seen anywhere like it!”

“Now THIS place is pretty cool!” Rainbow Dash said as she flew around a few of the larger crystals.

“Oh my, this is place is really, really nice...” Fluttershy said as she looked around.

A loud crunch was heard coming from the side, and everyone looked over to see Spike standing over a crystal with a large bite taken out of it as he chewed noisily. “Hmm... needs salt.”

“Here ya go!” Pinkie said after she zoomed over and hoofed Spike a salt dispenser.

“Oh, thanks,” Spike salted the crystals and took another bite, moaning a bit as the taste of the salty crystals worked against his taste buds before being swallowed down. “Now that hit the spot!”

“Alright y'all, let's stay focused here,” Applejack spoke up.

“Right,” Twilight began as she took a few steps forward. “This cave is pretty vast, and though normally I would suggest we split up, the fact that it's very dark can get us lost, so I think we should stick together.”

“Roger that Twilight,” Shuske replied as he took a few steps forward into the cave with several others.

With Twilight leading the group, she took them into the parts of the cave she had already been through. Down the giant chasm, following the abandoned rail cart path, through the various split paths and multi-directional areas all the way back to where she had found Cadence. All the while the group was 'ooo'ing' and “aah'ing' at all the crystals, with Spike and even Tazer taking a few experimental bites from some of the more lustrious looking gems.

Twilight trotted down a dirt path to a part of the cave that seemed to be blown apart. She walked through the shattered crystal opening to the same area Cadence had been during the Royal Wedding. She looked around a bit, trying to see if there was anything she could find in the area.

“This is as deep as I was taken back when the Changeling Queen sent me down here,” Twilight said as she looked around more. “This is probably one of the deepest parts of the cave system, so we should start searching from here.”

“Er, Twilight...” Applejack muttered as she approached her. “Ya do know that this whole place is really big'n confusing... right?”

“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed. “It's like a house of mirrors kinda, only with crystals. Ooh, I wonder if I can hold a super duper crystal mirror party down here!”

“That just sounds stupid,” Tazer deadpanned.

“Well, we gotta start somewhere, don't we?” Twilight looked around at all of her friends, noticing each was returning her gaze with unsure looks.

“Well, this is getting us nowhere,” Tazer announced as he began to walk off.

“Hey, Tazer, wait!” Shuske called for him as he flew over to his companion.

“I think Tazer might be right on this one,” Rainbow Dash said as she looked around. “I mean, I can see why you thought this might be a good place to start, but there's a ton of different paths that we already went by. Why don't we just start there?”

“Oh, I dunno,” Twilight sighed as she lowered her head. “I just had a hunch that this would be the best place to start looking.”

As the ponies plus Spike talked amongst themselves about what to do next, Shuske caught up with Tazer just out of the rest of the group's hearing range. It was almost pitch black at that area, but they could still make out each other through the darkness.

“Hey, c'mon Tazer, don't back out on this now.”

“I'm not backing out you re-re,” Tazer huffed as he crossed his arms, giving his companion a scowl. “I'm going to search on my own. It'll get things done faster than just sitting around talking about random crud and how they 'shoulda done this' or 'shoulda done that.' It's pretty freakin stupid.”

“Well, we gotta use the others for light, don't we? I mean, what else can we-”

They both froze as a cold shiver ran up their spines, just like it had before they saved the young fillies from the out of control kart. They both knew this was how their master would contact them if he needed to, but every time it happened they couldn't help but feel utter fear gripping them as his energies took hold of their bodies.

Tazer, Shuske... the voice rumbled as it seemed to come from nowhere.

“M-master...?” They both stuttered as they looked around.

A pair of yellow glowing orbs suddenly appeared before them in the darkness, the light from the group not penetrating enough to see the figure that the orbs belonged to.

“Kal hook ro-blem... you two seem to be lost,” their master's voice echoed from within the shadows.

“W-we, we were just trying to f-figure out where to, uh, go next... yeah,” Shuske replied as his eyes darted side to side.

“Hmph... the path you seek, I shall light by ethereal fire... yolt'bwolo ook lingan!” with that, the orbs tilted to the side as a trail of light-green transparent flames seemed to pop out of nowhere in the darkness, not providing any light but still visible by themselves. It was as if they were painted into the “The path you seek I shall light by ethereal fire... yolt'bwolo ook lingan!” with that, the orbs tilted to the side as a trail of light-green transparent flames seemed to pop out of nowhere in the darkness, not providing any light but still visible by themselves. It was as if they were painted into the very scenery, yet they still seemed to burn and flow in the same way as any other flame. “Follow the path only you two can see, and the Daal'Cregz, the Diamond of Light, will be yours.”very scenery, yet they still seemed to burn and flow in the same way as any other flame. “Follow the path only you two can see, and the Daal'Cregz, the Diamond of Light, will be yours.”

After that the glowing orbs faded away into the darkness, as did the ethereal fire. Shuske and Tazer blinked a few times as they felt their master's presence leave them, and then looked at each other.

“Tazer, Shuske!” Twilight called from the other part of the cavern. “What are you two doing over there?'

“Oh! Uh,” Shuske stammered a bit as he scratched at the back of his head. “Nothing much! Just, ya know, looking around and-”

“I think we found a path,” Tazer interrupted. “You all should come check it out with us.”

Almost immediately the rest of the group came up to them with their surroundings brightening up with the light sources being close by. Shuske and Tazer looked back to where they saw the fire and noticed a path strewn out in that direction.

“You think you found the right way?” Twilight asked as she trotted up to the duo.

“Yeah,” Tazer replied. “I think I'm having a freaky psycho moment here, and I got some mad vibes in that direction.” he pointed a claw over to the path he was still staring at.

“Over that way?” Applejack rubbed a hoof on her head. “How do ya figure?”

“Like I said, just a hunch. You yourself had a hunch to come down here, right Twilight?” he looked at her as he said this. “Same thing, right? Let's go scope it out.”

“Well, I guess it's best if we check it out. I mean, we gotta start somewhere...” Twilight's voice trailed off as she looked at each of her friends. They all eventually nodded in agreement except for Spike, who simply crossed his arms and looked away. “...Alright, we'll follow your lead then.”

At this Tazer immediately turned towards the path and began walking down it. “Well let's go then, no sense in freakin waiting around lookin like a bunch of re-re's.”

“What's a 're-re'?” Pinkie asked to nopony in particular.

“Uh, don't worry about it, heh,” Shuske smiled sheepishly as he began to follow Tazer, the rest of the group following close behind.

The cave began twisting and turning much more sporadically than usual the further they got down, as well as get smaller. By the time they had walked for about a minute, the spacial area had shrunken by roughly half its original amount. The number of crystals around them had also increased, with some areas completely encased in them from floor to ceiling. As they pressed on, the path suddenly opened up to a large chamber with seven paths, all going in vastly different directions.

A few of them began wondering what path to take, but Tazer and Shuske simply looked at each other and gave a nod. They closed their eyes for a moment and then opened them again, their minds somewhat demanding the world around them to show the flames again. And it did, to them they could see the light flicker of the ethereal flames point the way down one path to the left side. They led the group that way, and then at another multi-pathed chamber they did the same thing. In all, they used the fire about four times before they finally came to a dead end.

“Hmm...” Tazer hummed to himself as he closely examined a portion of the wall that comprised the end of the tunnel by rubbing his claws against it.

“Is there something there?” Twilight asked as she came up beside him.

“This isn't crystal. This is marble right here, feel it.”

Twilight felt the wall with her own hoof, and hey eyes opened wider as she realized it was indeed marble. But there was something else, something familiar about this marble... she could see it and feel it, as if she had seen this before. But with the task at hand, she pushed the thought aside for the time being and focused on another question. “So, you think the chamber is past this wall?”

Tazer looked back at Shuske who had just closed his eyes, and then opened them. As he looked at the wall for a brief moment, he gave Tazer a simple nod.

“Yeah, this is it, definitely. Can you use your magic to blast through?”

“Well, I'm pretty sure I can, but I don't want to risk causing too much damage to something as important as this.”

“Twilight, it's a freakin diamond, I think it can withstand a little explosion.”

“Well, alright....” Twilight took a few steps back as Tazer fell back behind her with the rest of the group. Twilight channeled magic into her horn, preparing a simple blast of magic to push through the wall. While she didn’t know how thick it was or how to properly gauge its hardness, she focused on her magic feeding through her horn as she lowered her head, pointing it straight at the wall. After a few more seconds she released the energy in a brilliant lavender-white beam.

The blast shook the linings of the cave around them as it tore through the marble. Smoke billowed out form the impact point for a few seconds, but then began to clear. As it did, the group noticed light beginning to shine out from the hole.

“Is... is there a light source in there?” Twilight asked in surprise as she tried to peer through the smoke.

“Let's check it out!” Rainbow Dash ordered as she rushed through the pony-sized hole.

Everyone followed suit, and each stopped to stare in awe at what was before them. It was a large square room made of marble with a few diamonds coming out of the corners and some of the walls, just like in the illustration. And in the center, sitting on a magnificently carved pedestal was a large light-yellow diamond shinning with utter brilliance. It wasn't abnormally large, but the light it was producing was surely an interesting factor.

The group stood staring at it for a moment, and then some of them began to draw closer to it. Tazer and Shuske also found themselves walking up to the diamond until their master's words suddenly came shouting into their heads.

Do not let them touch the diamond! Spike must touch it first, before anyone else! Stop them!

Tazer and Shuske exchanged a quick glance, fear apparent in both their eyes before they looked back to the quickly advancing group.

“Wait!” suddenly called out, causing all of the ponies and Spike to stop and look at him. “D-don't touch it!”

“Why not?” Twilight asked.

“Well, cuz, it could be freakin dangerous, that's why.” he thought up a few lies on the spot and decided to go with them. “That thing is producing light, right? So it's obviously magic and probably really important, so we don't know what will happen if we just take it.”

“Hey yeah, Tazer's right!” Rainbow Dash spoke up, gaining everyone's attention. “It's just like in my Daring Do books, Daring Do comes to find the treasure, but it's always booby trapped. We should think of something first.”

“Yeah, and uh,” Tazer shot a glance at Spike who looked back at him. Tazer knew Spike had seen him, and he was also aware that Spike didn't trust him or Shuske... so he decided to try to play that to his advantage.

“We... I mean, you all should let me come up with something. Perhaps some plan to extract the diamond safely. I mean, we don't want to just go up and touch it.”

“Yeah, I'm alright with that,” Applejack said. “Y'all have been on the money with this so far, can't hurt to see it the rest'o the way now.”

Tazer shot Spike another look, who proceeded to scowl back at him. Spike turned away and began to quickly walk up to the diamond.

“Oh please, there's no sort of trap for this thing,” Spike began as he approached the pedistal which was almost just as tall as him. “Just go up and take it already.”

“Spike, wait!” Twilight called out, but she was too late. Spike touched the diamond, his claws firmly around it.

Spike froze in place, his eyes wide and pupils dilated.

In an instant something seemed to grab onto his mind and pull it away from everything else, taking him away from the physical world and to somewhere unknown. In an instant everything went white, and then black wisps began to seep out of nothing all around him. The black color moved like heavily wind-blown smoke as it swirled around him in weird ways, taking rough shapes of strange figures all around him. He found himself able to direct his vision somewhat, to look around at the scene around him.

It was like he was in some sort of very tall, circular room with a dome on top, only everything was black, white, and real mass as it took shape around him. Directly surrounding him were six diamonds, with one of them lit up to with a yellow glow, being the only thing with color in the entire area.

He looked around and up, seeing six figures overhead placed over each of the diamonds. Their features were distorted by the strange effects of the place, but he could make them all out to be dragons of different sizes and shapes. The figure above the only diamond with color had its color of its own granted to it, revealing a white and yellow dragon that was the smallest of them all.

Spike began to lose focus as if his connection with the area was being constricted somehow. He didn't understand what was going on, but he needed to know, he felt like he just had to figure out what all this was.

He looked up more, seeing two figures looming above the six dragons. One was a large dragon, but it seemed more like a regular one unlike the other six. The other was... something else, something he had never seen before. It had a body with two arms and legs, but many of its features were much different than anything he had seen before, and the texture and distance of it made figuring out specifics impossible.

He looked above them too, but by this time his vision began to white out along the edges as it felt like his very life was being drained away. He strained to see what was at the top, but could make out two more diamonds, no, they were different, they were larger and pointed on their tops and bottoms. And above them were-

His link with the strange realm was cut just then as everything faded away, bringing him back to reality in another instant. Spike blinked several times as he reared himself back from the pedestal, falling to his rump with the diamond still tight in his grip. He blinked a few more times as his senses came back to him, and the sounds of voices and hoof-steps were heard coming up from behind.

“Spike!” Twilight called out as she wrapped her hooves around him. “Are you okay?”

“What the hay just happened?” Applejack asked as she looked over to Spike's bewildered face.

“Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh,” Fluttershy peeped as she hoped dearly that nothing bad happened.

“I told you guys to watch for traps!” Rainbow Dash blurted out.

“But how could one infuse magic into diamonds? They're immune to such enchantments!” Rarity said as if she was defending the gem from accusers.

Spike shook his head groggily as he finally came to, his thoughts returning to him full swing, along with a small headache.

“W-wah? What happened...?” Spike looked around, seeing everypony leaning over him with worried expressions on their faces.

“Oh thank goodness, you're okay!” Twilight sighed in relief as she hugged onto him a bit more.

“Did... did I miss something?” He arched an eyebrow at her.

“Well, you just seemed like you saw a ghost or something,” Twilight explained. “You stood there for a quick second and then just kinda fell back onto the floor, we didn't know if something happened or not.”

“A quick second?” Spike asked as he thought about what just happened. To him, it had been more like a whole minute. “Well, I uh, I dunno, it's kind of a blur and--”

“Well, Spike's okay!” Shuske announced suddenly as he happily flew around the room. “I guess now we can just take the diamond and go, right?”

“Huh, that's weird,” Rainbow Dash mused as she floated in front of the pedestal to examine it. “I thought for sure that there would be a trap of some sort.”

“Oh, lighten up, Dash,” Shuske said as he hovered over beside her. “For someone as brave as you, I dunno why you're acting so worried about that.”

“Hey, I'm just being cautious is all,” Dash rebutted as she crossed her front hooves defensively.

“Sure you're not just chicken?” Shuske muttered in a playful tone before he started snickering.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash lunged over at him and grabbed one of his feathers with her teeth, plucking it off of him and spitting it out of her mouth. “I ain't a chicken, got it?”

“Yowch!” the griffon yelped, backing off a good two meters from the angry pegasus. “Hey-hey now, no need to get physical, I was just--”

“Hey you two, cut it out already,” Twilight called to them as she wore an unamused expression. “We got more important things to deal with right now.”

The two slowly hovered back down to the ground with Rainbow Dash scoffing a bit while Shuske clutched onto his wing, giving a slight pout and groan. Twilight walked up to Spike and grabbed onto the diamond with her magic, floating it up in front of her to inspect it herself. As she did this, however, the radiant light from the diamond suddenly faded away, leaving only a soft glow coming from the gem. Twilight and Rarity quickly reactivated their horns at this as they wondered why the light would suddenly cut out.

“Well that's odd,” Twilight said aloud as she took a closer look at the diamond, even putting her hoof on it to feel for anything unusual.

“What the hay made the light go out?” Applejack asked.

“I don't know really know,” Twilight replied.

“We probably just disturbed the diamond's chi or some crud like that,” Tazer explained. “Just put it away so we can get out of here already.”

Twilight nodded and floated the diamond into her saddlebag before turning to the rest of the group. They all agreed to go up to the surface so that they would not have to stick around in this dark, dreary cave anymore. With Twilight pulling one more head count to ensure they were all there, they all moved back the way they came and eventually found their way back to the surface.

With the first diamond in their possession, the group felt a wave of achievement wash over them. One down, five to go, and it hadn’t even been a whole day yet. If they were lucky, they might even be able to finish the quest in less than a week.

But while everyone gave their own little minor celebration, Spike stayed to himself, wondering about what exactly it was that he just saw. He wanted to bring it to the others, but they seemed like they didn't want to listen to him. They never listened to what he had to say the last couple days, so why would they then...?

~T~

Word was getting around Canterlot quickly, and at this rate they would probably begin putting fliers up soon. News of this magnitude was not something to be kept as a sort of side-talk subject for very long, and she knew that. Two princes were missing, each from a different kingdom. She had already overheard a few guards saying their last known location was Trottingham, so that's where she knew she would go first.

The Great and Powerful Trixie finished packing up the last of her essential items in her hotel room, stuffing them into two saddlebags before placing them on her back. Over top of them she put on her new cape and hat, which looked just the same as the ones she lost in Ponyville those many months ago. But none of that mattered anymore, for she had her sights set on finding the two princes herself, and more importantly, getting the reward money and the publicity that would come with rescuing royalty.

Trixie stepped out of the door of the hotel, looking around the city and taking in the sights one more time before she left. The only thing off about the city that day was the strange hot-air balloon that had landed a while ago, but she paid no mind to it. Her sights were set on fame and riches, and with her glorious rescue mission, she would achieve new heights.

She cantered down the street and to the train station, which had just started filling up for a trip to Trottingham. She paid for a ticket and got on, a smug look on her face the entire time. As she took her seat, she could barely contain the excitement within her, but only did so to keep her superior appearance in public.

“Yes, this is exactly what Trixie needs,” she said to herself as the train closed its doors and began to move. “Once Trixie puts to use her unmatched detective skills, she will find the princes and finally be recognized as the greatest and most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria! Hahahahaha!”

Prologue

Prologue

"...Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"Yes, I have no choice..." the dragon said as he walked over and began to gather his gear off the old wooden table.

"But you can't possibly hope to do it all alone! the blue unicorn frightfully said. They'll kill you on sight!"

"I have to do this..." he said, taking a deep breath as he looked around his cave.

This makeshift shelter had been his home for the past several months, adorned with scavenged furniture and old, rusty tools and utensils. It was dark inside save for just one small magical lantern that had been serving long past its expiration date, kept working only by the unicorn's abilities with magical devices.

"Why though? All of your friends... they're dead. They're dead and they can't be brought back... why can't you see that?" She pleaded, looking up to him with tearful eyes. "I don't want to be alone again..."

"I'm already dead inside without them," the dragon said, grabbing his sheathed sword and securing it to his back. "I don't know why I was brought here, nor do I know how, but..." Admiring his shiny shield with a crescent moon decorating it, he slowly slipped it onto his back, just over his sheathed sword. Making sure both pieces of equipment were secure, he said, "...I just know I have to fix things. I have to find a way back and stop all of this from happening."

He slipped on his gloves and began to secure his belt with accessory pockets when a magic force stopped him from buckling it onto him. He turned to see the unicorn with worn gray hat and cloak on her shed a tear, her eyes wide as they seemed to plead with him not to go. The dragon looked down, unable to bear looking into her eyes while they were filled with so much sorrow.

"It has been twenty years..." She said almost as low as a whisper, taking a couple steps towards him. "I don't even know if there is hope for our world now, but we have to try... we can make things better, at least for us! If I can just figure out how to make the soil around here fertile and usable again, then we can plant food, and maybe we'll find some other survivors, and we could start from scratch, right here."

"You know that won't work... you don't have the same powers as you used to."

"So what!" She cried, stomping her hoof as more tears slowly made their way down her face. "I may not be as great and powerful as I used to be, but I still have some magic left in me! And it's a lot better than your plan, what with going out just to get yourself killed trying to raise the dead... it doesn't make any sense! Why do you keep thinking you can fix things!"

"Because they told me I could!" The dragon snapped, a growl in his voice. He paused, taking a look as the mare did not step back, but simply displayed her objection in silence with the expression on her face. After a few seconds the dragon sighed, closing his eyes to recompose himself. He leaned forward and gently grabbed a hold of the sides of her face, feeling his claws on her rough, unwashed coat.

"I'm sorry," he said, softly brushing his claws against her.

After a few seconds, she replied, Well, if that’s what you truly believe...”

"What?"

"If that is what you truly think will fix this world, then I won't stop you... neigh, I shall support you in your decision. I just pray to Celestia that you're right..."

The dragon smiled softly, pulling the top of her hat off to reveal her surprisingly shiny silver mane. Her hair fell daintily over her the side of her head and curled after reaching past her chin. She moved her face closer to his, her tears stopped but the streams on her cheek still present.

"I won't let you down, I promise... I can fix this, Trixie."

The mare said nothing, instead leaning up to him and pressing her lips to his, kissing him fully as she closed the distance between them. The dragon hesitated at first, and then returned the kiss fully, allowing her tongue to slip into his mouth. His long tongue slithered around hers as it traveled into her mouth, their lips rubbing together as the dragon gently stroked her mane. After several seconds the dragon pulled back, slipping his tongue off of hers.

"I have to go..."

"I'll miss you...!"

"I'll miss you too, Trixie." The dragon pulled his arms away, looking down to check that his utility bags were secured on his belt and filled with everything he needed.

"Will I ever see you again?"

"I don't know... not in this time, at least," He began to walk towards the entrance of the cave, his surroundings growing darker as the lantern's light became distanced from him. "Perhaps if I make it back, I can stop all of this before it ever starts." He walked for another minute, Trixie trailing close behind him as they reach the entrance to their cave.

He took a long look at the land around them, the red sky painting as grim a scene as it truly was. The forest that hid the cave was dead, all the trees charred black from fire as the ground was a mix of dark gray and brown. The air was hot and would burn the skin of a pony if they were out there too long, but his scales were tough enough to resist. The only smell present was a varying mix of old dust, charred remains of something once alive, the ghastly smell of sulfur, and occasionally some smoke from somewhere nearby.

The cave was on the side of a mountain with the remains of the forest spread for miles around, the large ruins of some city in the distance. There was no sun in the sky. There were only the occasional streaks of red and orange light, acting similar to auroras as they feathered across the light crimson sky. There were no birds, and there were no clouds. The only source of water came from underground where a small reservoir was pumping up steam which would be captured and cooled for drinking. Other than that and the few plants remaining alive inside the cave with help from artificial sunlight, everything around them was dead and uninhabitable.

"Be careful, Spike... I love you," Trixie said, looking up to him with a soft smile, tears once more dripping down her cheeks.

"I love you too, Trixie. And don't worry, I will set things right again, I promise."

"You make it sound like this is all your fault..."

"In a way, it is," Spike shrugged, taking the first steps away from the cave as he readied himself for the long trip ahead. "None of this would have happened if I would have just died that fateful day.”

“No, Spike... maybe it's your father that should have died that day instead.”