An Earthbound Journey

Chapters

Town Troubles
The First Sanctuary
Of Fillydelphia And FUN!
Life's A Party
The Second Sanctuary
And Then There Were Three
Zomponies Gotta Go!
Can't Stop It!
The Third Sanctuary
The Manehattan Project
Dig Yourself Deeper
Moonhattan to Welcome
A Long Way Up
Repairs An Order
The Fourth Sanctuary
Sleepless In San Palomino
Tests And Tablets
The Fifth Sanctuary
The Sixth Sanctuary
Terror of the Deep
Sun, Sand, and Sales
Thy Dungeon Mare!
The Hayseed Swamp
We're Shy...
Bug Problems
The Seventh Sanctuary
The Eighth Sanctuary
What Dreams May Come
Where It Began
Last Preparations
Into The Past
Cease To Exist
Journey's End
A Little R&R Please?
Good Morning Ponyville!
Of Spooks and Sea Beasts
A Daring Descent

Town Troubles

“Stupid animals!” Rainbow said, having dealt with the far less friendlier skies as she tried to get to the populated areas of Ponyville. Spiteful crows and other angry birds were everywhere trying to knock her out of the sky till she finally made it into town. Looking around, everything seemed fine; ponies went about their usual business like nothing was wrong.

“Hey! Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow turned and saw Thunderlane, gazing back and forth and gesturing to her.

“Uhhh… what’s up?” the pegasus asked.

“I was looking for ya earlier. You’ve gotta see what Rumble and I found right under that cliff side they closed down after that carriage nearly went down it!” he said enthusiastically.

“Uh, don’t have the time, Thunderlane,” Rainbow said with an eyeroll.

“Come on, it’ll just take a sec! It’s way cool! We can, like, seriously sell this for a sackload!”

“Fine, fine,” Rainbow muttered, flying after the gray stallion and being brought to his and Rumble’s home and was led to the basement where she saw…

“What the hay?!” she shouted in disbelief. It looked like a statue of an alicorn, about her height, though. It was seated on its haunches, its wings spread out and its head bowed low. The statue seemed slightly translucent, as if made of some kind of crystalline mineral, giving it a dark silvery sheen similar to that of the Alicorn Amulet.

“I know, right? I was teaching Rumble some flying, and when I was catching him from a fall, we kinda crashed into the side, and some dirt came loose and well there it was! Took us awhile to dig it out and sneak home, but think this thing’s gotta be worth a lotta bits?” Thunderlane asked proudly. Rainbow leaned closer, looking it over. It was so surreal, yet admittedly creepy too.

Shaking her head and wondering if she was just paranoid, as it looked like an ordinary old statue otherwise, she turned to walk away from it. “Sure, just get it sold fast and you’ll be rich in no time!” she said. “Now, I really gotta go, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, no problem! I’ll let you know when I get it sold. Maybe get Rumble through flight camp or something,” the gray stallion said with a smirk. Nodding in approval, Rainbow trotted out of the cottage and back into town.

As she left the cottage, the first thing Rainbow noticed was that ponies seemed a lot more on edge for some reason.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Rainbow asked.

“A bunch of griffon punks just flew in! They’re making a mess of everything!” Roseluck protested, galloping past the pegasus and as Rainbow turned, she saw several griffons flying about, knocking over merchant tables and generally making a nuisance of themselves. Seeing one trying to intimidate a shopkeeper, Rainbow flew straight at the griffon, slamming her hooves into his chest and knocking him over.

“What’s wrong with you? Why doncha pick on somepony your own size?” Rainbow asked.

“Like you, dork?” another griffon asked behind her, and Rainbow saw he was not alone either.

“There ya are, Dash! Well, this oughta be fun!” a familiar female voice said.

“Gilda?! What’re you doing here?” Rainbow asked, shocked to see her ex-friend here.

“What’s wrong, Dash? Can’t handle a few pranks?” Gilda asked with a sneer.

“This is no prank, Gilda! Seriously, you think this is funny, scaring all these ponies just to get to me? I’m kinda busy so if this is about last time I saw you, we can do this later! Call off your pals and scram before this gets serious!” the pegasus snapped.

“Riiiight, Dash. You against these three, plus me? Dream on,” Gilda said, folding her forelegs and hovering in the air. “Kick her flank, boys,” the griffoness said with a laugh. The other griffons, including the one Rainbow had hit earlier, immediately charged at her.

Immediately, Rainbow flew straight up, knowing she’d have an advantage from the air. Griffons were stronger then ponies so she'd have to leave this off the ground, and in the air she knew she could outfly any one of them any day, Gilda probably being the only exception. As the three brutes flew at her, Rainbow flew in a loop then straight down, decking one in the face and sending him falling to the ground, out for the count. The other two glanced down at their fallen comrade, then back up at Rainbow and flew at her, but she was too nimble for them.

“Ready, boys?” Rainbow asked, suddenly flying around them, going faster and faster till a small whirlwind formed around the two griffons, causing them to spin wildly out of control before getting flung out from the centrifugal force, causing them both to go flying out of control and crashing into trees.

“Not bad, Dash. But now’s as good a time as any for some payback for embarrassing me last time I was here!” the griffoness said with a lionlike growl. “Just don’t start cryin’ when ya get hurt!”

Rainbow just smirked in response as ponies started to gather, watching the spectacle before them. “That’s my line, Gilda. Bring it!”

“Whatever you say, Dash. Gilda doesn’t lose!” the griffoness said with a laugh, flying right at her. Rainbow returned the favor, drawing her hoof back. As she made the swing, Gilda caught her hoof then swung her fist into the pegasus’ stomach. “And the dweeb goes down!” Gilda said, smirking.

“Not a chance!” Rainbow said, swinging her hoof in an uppercut, sending Gilda spinning backwards and into a haycart.

“Okay, that hurt!” Gilda answered, grabbing a few chunks of broken wood and flinging them at Rainbow, who weaved out of the way to avoid them just in time for Gilda to charge her again. “But I'm not callin' it quits yet! Check out my new toy! I brought it just in case!” Rainbow could have sworn Gilda's eyes flashed green for a second before the griffoness took a small remote of some kind from the satchel she was wearing and pressed a button. From behind a building, a mechanized bird of some kind with a cannon on its belly flew out.

“Meet Gildroid Mk.2! A special backup I got some gizmonks to put together for me! Once it’s got you beggin’ for mercy, I’ll have you down on your haunches apologizing your plot off until I decide it’s enough. Sound good to you?” Gilda asked as the airborne robot flew at Rainbow firing blasts of magic energy from its cannon and leaving little scorchmarks in the ground as the pegasus flew about doging it.

Rainbow tried to direct it away from the populace, then flew straight at it, avoiding another blast and flying over it, landing on its back where she saw a small magic gem attached; presumably powering it. Down below, Gilda growled in annoyance and started turning the small stick on the remote, causing the glider robot to swerve about wildly. Rainbow held on tight, wrapping her legs around it as she attempted to break the casing around the gem with her hoof. Succeeding, the pegasus bit down on the ends of the gem and pulled it loose. In seconds, the glider faltered and crashed into a tree.

“Nah, I’d rather it be the other way around!” Rainbow said, hopping down and approaching the injured griffon who'd thrown the remote away in annoyance. “So, wanna just call it a day and take your boys home?” The pegasus asked, landing in front of the griffoness and smacking her on the chest with her hoof.

“No way, I paid a lot for that thi—AAHH!” Gilda cried out in pain as she sat up, clutching her head for a moment and suddenly not even sure why she’d been so angry over something she’d thought awhile ago she was too cool to care about.

Rainbow’s expression hardened. “You alright, Gilda?” she asked, still very suspicious of her but glad she seemed to have backed off.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll live. I don’t need your help, dweeb!” Gilda snapped, trying to hold her last shred of dignity, but let out a sigh after. “Honestly, it’s weird last night all I was thinkin’ about was beating you up for embarrassing me at that party, got those guys to back me. Didn’t really feel worth it all that time ago.”

“Really, now?” Rainbow asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Come on Dash, if I thought you and Lamesville here were worth revenge I’d have pulled something in less then a week after I left the first time!” the griffoness said with an eyeroll.

Rainbow remembered something the bug-Celestia-thing had said to her about how Sombra’s influence would corrupt minds, making animals more aggressive, worsening bad thoughts. She saw Gilda’s eyes change color briefly during their fight… had his power somehow gotten into Gilda during that time?

“Well, I think the first thing you should do is apologize. To me and the town, and get your guys to help clean up, got it?” Rainbow asked, earning a reluctant nod from the griffon.

“Fine, fine, whatever,” she said, annoyed.

“Good. I gotta go to Town Hall anyway, so you can come along.” Rainbow said, giving the griffoness a stern look.

Slightly sore and dazed, the griffoness got up and followed, gesturing for her fallen comrades to stay put.

“So… yeah. I’m sorry. I don’t know what had come over me but Dash here handled everything. My boys and I will help clean up the mess—“ Gilda began, only to get nudged in the side. “—AND leave some money behind to help on… other repairs before we clear on outta here,” she said, lowering her head in embarrassment

“Well, I suppose that’s acceptable for now. We’ve already got a lot of issues with the press and that big black rock that appeared on the hill,” Mayor Mare replied with a nod. “Thank you for handling this, Rainbow Dash. If the Wonderbolts weren’t so spread with the other towns I’m sure they’d have been more helpful with this. Which reminds me, Spitfire will probably be back in another hour or so…”

“Well, let her know I’m gonna be over at the Centaur’s Step in the Everfree. Can’t say why, but trust me, I got my reasons,” Rainbow answered.

“Wait, what?” the mayor asked. “It’s dangerous enough with the regular animals getting aggressive! Who knows how that place is now! Spitfire gave instructions that nopony goes in there!”

“Hey, it’s me we’re talkin’ about here!” Rainbow said with a cocky smirk.

“Trust me, she trashed my gang, she can handle it,” Gilda chimed in.

“Her orders were very specific, Rainbow Dash,” Mayor Mare responded sternly.

Sighing, Rainbow turned. “Fine. Can I at least get a map atlas? I’m gonna be going a few places and I don’t really know the other cities that well outside of here and Cloudsdale.”

“Sure, just ask the pony at the front desk, she’ll give you one. We actually just got them updated!”

“Thanks…” Rainbow said, slowly leaving the office and heading downstairs where the receptionist was.

“Hey, Mayor said you got those new map booklet things. Can I have one?” the pegasus asked.

“Sure, right here!” the receptionist answered, floating one out from behind the desk. “We’ve been giving them out, they’re very useful. They got mini-maps of every town and city now, pretty cool, huh?” she asked.

“Yeah, cool. Thanks,” Rainbow said, catching the booklet in her teeth and placing it in her bag. “Later!” she said, trotting out the door and heading back outside, wondering how she’d get to the Centaur’s Step. Flying onto a rooftop, she pulled out the booklet and looked it over, grinning as she saw it had a map of part of the Everfree Forest, and sure enough the cave leading to the hilltop that the Centaur’s Step was found was right there. Unfortunately there’d be pegasi near the entrance. She needed a way to sneak in, something to distract them…

Looking back inside, she had an idea.

“What was that?!” a pegasus guard shouted, hearing a crash near the trees, causing him and the others to turn.

Now’s my chance! Fast as she could, Rainbow Dash flew straight into the forest. Gilda had flung the wrecked ‘Gildroid Mk.2’ into the trees and it had worked like a charm! Map in her hooves and giving a nod of thanks to the hiding griffoness, Rainbow Dash followed the trails towards her next destination…

The First Sanctuary

Getting through the Everfree Forest had been easy enough this time, namely because Rainbow had kept herself on the trails thanks to the map and avoided as many conflicts as she could, though some of the creatures within still managed to threaten her, namely…

“STUPID CROWS!!!” Rainbow growled as she knocked three more out of the sky. These birds were driving her up the wall but thankfully the hill that the cave she intended to find was at was finally just up ahead. Landing with a sigh of relief, Rainbow quietly approached, looking around to make sure nothing else was going to jump out at her and seeing the coast was clear, the pegasus immediately galloped inside.

The cave was large and dank, an odd glow kept the place surprisingly but reasonably lit enough that Rainbow could see where she was going. She knew the sanctuary location had to be around here somewhere. Pressing on, the pegasus looked about at the passages here and there, and a few rope ladders probably intended for ponies who lacked wings or sufficient magic to pull themselves up. Having the former, Rainbow Dash flew herself up and landed on a ledge. “Ha! Piece of ca—“

Before she could finish several large mice approached her.

“Hey, what’s up, guys? I just need to find this glow-y magic space so…”

SMAAAAAASH!

With the strength of a thousand mice, one of the rodents slammed its tiny fist into the pegasus, sending her falling from the ledge. Landing with a loud thump, Rainbow stared up at the ledge, seeing the rowdy mice all snickering down at her, their eyes all briefly glowing green before they turned and disappeared.

“Alright, that’s it! No bucking mouse is gonna laugh at Rainbow Dash and get away with it!” the pegasus snapped, spreading her wings and flying back up, only to get knocked back down courtesy of a mouse delivering a flying kick and rebounding off her so it landed safely back on the ledge. “Okay, no more Miss Nicepony!” Ready this time, Rainbow flew up as fast as she could, sneering smugly as the mice went flying under her, having missed their target and falling to the ground, the impact putting them out of the fight. “Yeah, that’s what you get for messing with the awesome Rainbow Dash!” the pegasus said with a laugh, landing on the ledge and continuing her search.

Several more troublesome rodents later, Rainbow had found her way to another long passage, this time seeing nothing in the dim halls and feeling confident now. As she proceeded, she heard a skittering and paused as a mass of tiny black shapes began to approach.

“What in the—“ Before Rainbow could finish a swarm of spiders came her way, their red eyes glowing as they charged forward. The pegasus took to the air and avoided them, but they suddenly began jumping towards her, but Rainbow swerved around, barely avoiding them. “Alright, creepy-crawlies! Time for a tornado!” the pegasus flew around in several circles as fast as she can, circulating the air enough to suck all the spiders up into the funnel and finally abandoning it, sending the cyclone spinning towards the way she came and leaving her able to proceed unopposed.

As she emerged from the tunnel, Rainbow found herself in a large passage, with several ledges leading further and further upward, with a few more rope ladders, though having wings she didn’t need them. Looking upward, Rainbow could see a glow emanating from the top… that had to be the Sanctuary source, she figured. Flying up the ledges, Rainbow proceeded up to the top; a few spiders were here and there along the way, but they made no move, all of them just watched her, as if… unimpressed. On closer inspection, Rainbow noticed webbing all over the walls and ceiling, making the place look just a little more creepy but did not deter her otherwise.

Reaching the top, Rainbow found the source of the glow and landed. “Excellent!” She tugged open her satchel and took the stone out, holding it out. As soon as she did, however, a strange, piercing noise that sounded like feedback went off, hurting the pegasus’ ears and causing her to step backward. “What the?!” She looked at the stone, which showed no sign of having acquired anything.

“You’ve found the first Sanctuary…” a voice hissed from within the glow. “But it’s MINE now!” A form emerged from it, revealed to be a gigantic spider, about Rainbow’s size. Its four eyes glared at her as they glowed green with wispy traces of purple smoke trailing from them, and it gave a fanged grin at the pegasus as a gleaming star-like aura glowed around its body. Suddenly, distorted music, the harmony twisted and disrupted by this creature that had seized its power for itself echoed around them. “Take it from me, if you dare!”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Rainbow muttered, staring agape at the giant arachnid that immediately charged her. Taking to the air, Rainbow flew over the massive creature and kicked one of its legs. The creature grunted and swept another of its legs out, swatting the pegasus and sending her flying into one of the walls. Whoa… thing’s got a mean swing… Rainbow thought to herself, getting up off the ground and twitching a little from the pain. “Oh snap!” She immediately jumped out of the way avoiding a blast of webbing that came her way. “Fat chance some big ugly spider’s gonna be taking down Rainbow Dash!” the pegasus shouted, flying high up into the air and swooping down at the spider, dodging more blasts of webbing and slamming her hooves into its face and knocking it backward.

The huge spider hissed angrily and suddenly scurried up the wall into the shadows of the ceiling, letting out a shriek. Rainbow looked around a moment, then heard skittering from all around as several normal-sized spiders began crawling out from behind stalagmites and corners towards her, their eyes glowing a bright green as they advanced on her. "Okay, who wants some?" Rainbow demanded, glaring as the many spiders drew closer. Timing it right, Rainbow swung her forehoof out, knocking one aside, then kicking another away. One scurried up her leg, causing the pegasus to immediately take to the air in a panic, spinning around as she flailed her forelegs trying to get it off. Finally catching it, Rainbow swiped it off her shoulder, sending it falling to the floor. "Ha!" she declared proudly, only to suddenly have the much larger one she'd been fighting tackle her from above and pin her on the ground.

The giant spider's fangs glistened and its many eyes trailed purple smoke as it reared back, preparing to bite down on the pegasus. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow scrunched in her hind legs and kicked the gigantic arachnid in the chest, sending it flying into the air.

The spider tumbled several times and fell from the ledge, letting out a shriek as it fell and a loud crash was heard.

“Well, that takes care of that!” Rainbow said with a grin, approaching the passageway up ahead. As she drew closer, however, she noticed a shadow rise up from behind her and turned. The titanic spider was horribly battered and barely standing, its green eyes narrowing at Rainbow as it drew closer, letting out a hiss as it made one last desperate lunge at her. The pegasus jumped out of the way as the giant arachnid collapsed and let out a groan, and the star-like aura coming from its body faded. Seconds after, the creature shrank down to a normal spider and its eyes turned from a glowing green to black. With a look of terror, immediately skittered away with its remaining followers trailing close behind it, the distorted melodies fading.

“Hm, guess the thing was getting power from the Sanctuary. Sombra-Ordered Special I guess…” Rainbow mused to herself. “Alright, let’s see about getting this Sanctuary thingy!” Rainbow said with a grin, entering the passage and soon finding herself on the hill summit where a large crater of sorts resembling a hoofprint waited for her. Setting the stone down, she noticed it had begun to glow, and a serene melody started playing. It was a tad cheesy for somepony as cool as she considered herself but it was also… relaxing. It brought back memories, of when she first took Tank home after he’d saved her from the rockslide…

Shaking her head, Rainbow took up the stone again and set it in her satchel, satisfied. Now all she needed to do was get back to town and get an idea of where to go next. Before she could, however, she heard that fanfare again and rolled her eyes, knowing what was coming next.

"Well, well, nicely done, Rainbow Dash!" Discord said joyously as he spun down from out of the sky and made the camera appear in his paw in a flash of light.

"Seriously, Discord? How long do you plan on doing this?!" Rainbow asked with an annoyed groan.

"Oh come on now, Rainbow Dash! Don't be such a killsport!" Discord said. "Now let's earn this moment a place in the scrapbook, hm? Say Fuzzy Pickles!" the draconequus said with a grin as he raised up the camera.

Sighing, Rainbow took a half-hearted pose. "I hate you..." she muttered as Discord snapped the photo.

"Make no mistake, Rainbow Dash, one day you're going to look back on all this and thank me!" Discord said with a laugh as he looked over the photo that had now immortalized Rainbow's exasperation with him at this historic landmark. "Well, I better be going! Best of luck, little pony!" And with that, the chimeric demigod spun back up into the sky, vanishing in a flash of light. That issue resolved, Rainbow walked over to the cliffside, spreading her wings as she prepared to fly back into town.

Rainbow?

The pegasus paused… was that Rarity’s voice?

“Rarity? Where are you?” Rainbow looked about frantically, she didn’t think the unicorn seamstress would enter the Everfree, let alone a muggy cave alone, she’d have at least attempted to get her attention sooner.

Rainbow… I may… be… in… t.rou…ble… something… weird… happening…

The voice was distant and broken, like she was being told these words every second or so... and she sounded extremely annoyed about something. Rainbow could have sworn that was… in her head? Did Rarity somehow use a spell? She remembered Twilight droning on about unicorns all being taught a few basic defense spells to get them out of tight spots. But even then, why not call Pinkie Pie? She was closer. Maybe she was in trouble too? They were at Fillydelphia, weren’t they? If both of them were in trouble, she’d have to get over there right away then! Who knew how much worse Sombra’s power was starting to affect other places!

“HEY! What do you think you’re doing up here?!” an angry female voice shouted, interrupting the pegasus from her thoughts. Rainbow looked up and saw a streak of orange and yellow circle above and land before her, revealing itself to be none other then Spitfire.

“Oh, hey, Spitfire! I just—“

“That’s Spitfire ma’am, to you,” the Wonderbolt captain said in a icy tone. “What made you think it was okay to go against my specific orders that the Everfree was closed off till further notice?” she asked, giving Rainbow a glare that made the one she gave cadets at the academy look tame in comparison.

“Look, it’s a really long story, I can explain all of this, see—“ Rainbow started again when suddenly Spitfire lunged right at her, hoofing her in the chest.

“Sorry to hear that, Rainbow Dash, but believe me, you can save it when I have you locked up and feel bored enough to hear you out,” the other pegasus responded.

What in the hay is her problem? Spitfire was stern when she needed to be but she was never like this! Rainbow thought to herself. “Sorry, but I kinda got a big save-the-world mission here, and I should really go find my friends, so can we please just—“

Again, she was attacked. This time, Spitfire flew circles around her, sending her spinning into the air and then drop-kicked her in the chest, sending Rainbow tumbling backward.

“You’re not going anywhere, Rainbow Dash. ‘Cept maybe the hospital if you don’t come along quietly… then again I may just rough you up anyway!” Spitfire said with a sneer, and the moment that cruel smirk came on the Wonderbolt captain’s face, Rainbow saw her eyes glow green, the irises of her eyes briefly turning from orange to red. Oh no! She’s possessed too!

“I’m sorry ma’am…” Rainbow said softly, approaching, Spitfire just scoffed.

“Not as much as you will be,” Spitfire answered, approaching and raising her hoof back. Before she could, though, Rainbow swung her own hoof up, uppercutting the other pony and sending her flying backward.

“Really, really sorry about this,” Rainbow said, approaching the fallen pegasus and immediately turning and bucking her off the hilltop, causing Spitfire to tumble all the way down.

“You’ll pay for that!” Spitfire hissed as she came out swinging and flying up into the air, swooping down at Rainbow, who barely moved out of the way in time, though the speed from the wonderbolt’s pass caused Rainbow to spin about several times in the air. Righting herself, Rainbow flew up in the air and flew as fast as she could to avoid Spitfire’s attacks, then went straight up and straight towards the older pegasus, doing a quick turn and fanning her wings, recalling a move she’d not gotten to show off, and a bright flash of light and sparks erupted in Spitfire’s face.

“The Buccaneer Blast! Just remembered it now, pretty cool, huh?” Rainbow asked, seizing the advantage to slam her hoof in Spitfire’s face, sending her spinning down onto the hilltop with a resounding thump. Flying down after her, Rainbow landed and found the Wonderbolt captain barely conscious in the crater. Spitfire suddenly jerked up, letting out a shudder as her eyes returned to normal and a confused look came over her.

“Rainbow… where… what happened?” Spitfire asked, confused as she noticed she was laying in the Centaur’s Step and much more bruised up then she’d been earlier.

“Ma’am, I’m not sure you’d believe me if I told you, but you attacked me for coming here, and when I saw you were possessed…”

“Wait, possessed?!” Spitfire asked.

“Yeah, notice how animals and stuff are getting really weird lately?” Rainbow asked. “Well ponies can apparently get affected too! Sorry I had to rough you up a bit, but at least you’re okay now, right?”

“Okay’s kinda stretching it but… yeah, sure,” The Wonderbolt captain said. “So… thanks, I guess. If you can get me to Ponyville General Hospital, is there anything I can… do for ya?”

“Yeah, sure,” Rainbow said, crouching a little so Spitfire could get ahold of her. “If you can maybe grant me permission to leave Ponyville and get to Fillydelphia that’d be great. I need to go find the others if we’re gonna stop this thing!”

“Shouldn’t I get the rest of the squad in on this?” Spitfire asked.

“Probably, just get ‘em to keep a lookout for any animals or ponies that start acting weird, okay? I got a bit of a beatdown from some really angry mice and a giant spider for Celestia sake!” Rainbow said, cringing a little from the memory of that.

“Duly noted, cadet,” Spitfire said, holding on tight and preparing for the ride to the hospital.

“Hold it, where are you going?” Rapidfire asked, flying in Rainbow’s path.

“It’s alright, Spitfire said I can pass,” Rainbow said, opening her satchel and fishing out the letter, allowing the Wonderbolt to look it over.

“Well, this is her signature,” the Wonderbolt said with a nod. “Okay, guess I gotta accept. Take care of yourself!”

With a grin, Rainbow flew off towards the northeast train station fast as she could. She’d need a rest from all she’d just gone through but flying part of the way would thankfully cut some of the time away, especially if Rarity’s brief call for help in her head was anything to go by. Sweetie Belle and her friends were also in Fillydelphia supposed to be staying with Rarity at the time, so there was a chance they may have known what happened to her and Pinkie. This adventure was just too weird for her to want to keep doing by herself, after all...

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN

At long last, another chapter up, and Rainbow finally moves on to the next town! What has become of Rarity and Pinkie Pie? Will she find them? Will the next destination be crazier then the last?

The adventure shall continue, more weirdness, more mishaps for Rainbow, and yes Trixie will show up again too, eventually... :trollestia:

Of Fillydelphia And FUN!

Rainbow Dash grinned as the train pulled into the Fillydelphia station. She’d not been here in awhile and the place was still bustling with plenty of activity. Getting off the train and paying the fare, the pegasus flew about the streets and looked around. Rarity’s message was still on her mind, however. Where was she? She recalled Sweetie Belle and her friends were in town as well, no doubt practicing some new means of earning their cutie marks, so it wouldn’t hurt to go and see.

As she flew across the city, the pegasus noticed the park had a lot of open markets in it, and in the middle was an all-too-familiar contraption with a pair of all-too-familiar unicorn twins. Immediately flying down, Rainbow confronted the two.

“Film… Flam… what are you losers doing here?” Rainbow asked, glaring at them and causing several ponies that had gathered around them to scatter.

“Well, lookey here, brother of mine!” Flim said with a smirk. “It’s one of those ponies who ran us out of Ponyville!”

“Now, now, brother of mine!” Flam answered, patting his brother on the back. “Maybe she’s come to apologize for reducing us to city park vending!”

“Apologize? Fat chance!” Rainbow said. “You guys tried to scam my friend and her family then you tried to kick them out of Ponyville! Why would I feel sorry for you?”

“Business is business, my dear!” Flim explained, his eyes briefly flashing green.

“And you can’t make cider without crushing a few apples!” Flam said with a wicked sneer, his eyes also flashing green. “Or a few big-mouthed pegasi!” Their horns glowed and the suction mechanism of their machine rose up, aiming at Rainbow Dash.

“Awww no!” Rainbow zipped out of the way as the machine’s suction turned on, nearly swallowing her up.

“Hold still, little pony! Rainbow cider is just the thing we need for a little business boost!” Flim insisted, the suction hose then beginning to pursue the pegasus.

Rainbow flew through the park, the hose in hot pursuit and knocking several stations over. The thing was strong enough to crush apart entire trees, she needed something… something… anything! Wait!

An idea came to her, and she began flying in circles, letting the hose continue to follow as she twisted and turned, spun and swerved. The hose formed a loop and Rainbow flew straight through it, the sucker following and soon, it tied itself into a knot and fell to the ground, scrunching together and causing the machine to shake and belch out steam before breaking down.

“Oh my! That’s gonna be a doozy to fix!” Flim said, looking to his brother in concern.

“Tell me about it! This is gonna cost us!” Flam said, stroking his mustache.

“Not as much as THIS!” Rainbow said, flying right at them and knocking their heads together. The two unicorns collapsed into their seat and the green faded from their eyes.

“Ohhh my, what happened back there, Flim?” Flam asked, nursing the bruise he’d gotten.

“I’ve no idea, Flam!” Flim said, nursing his bruise as well.

“I guess that mind control stuff’s broken now,” Rainbow said, looking at the two. “Doesn’t mean you guys aren’t jerks, though.”

“Awww, you again? What do you want? We already gave up the fancy statue, it was lousy as a hood ornament!” Flim protested.

“Wait, statue?” Rainbow asked, confused. “What’d it look like?”

“Oh come on, like we’d tell you!” Flam said with an eyeroll. “And don’t even think about beating us up or we’ll call the authorities!”

Rainbow groaned. With the scene they caused the last thing they needed was the city guard here. “If I buy some cider will you tell me?” she asked.

“Why sure, ma’am!” Flim said with a grin. “Two bits for a cup since it’s you though!”

“Whatever,” Rainbow tossed a pair of bits to them and downed her drink. Thankfully, it was actually pretty good. “Now what statue and where is it?”

“Okay, so somepony came by offered us this black crystal alicorn statue, it was pretty nice-looking so we bought it, stuck it on our machine, but then we realized it didn’t really go with it that well, and we sold it off to some other interested customer!” Flam explained.

“Oh, yeah? Who?” Rainbow asked, losing her patience with the two.

“Oh, that silly pink pony you hung out with in Ponyville. Said she was killing time by helping make a new town and thought it’d look great for a fountain, even stuck a party hat on the thing before she left town with some noisy blue unicorn who insisted she buy it off us,” Flim said with a hoofwave. “Now shoo, we have a machine to fix and customers to attract!”

“Thanks,” Rainbow said, growing a little concerned now, but it meant Pinkie Pie had been here. She’d have to find them and see if they could help her look for Rarity, wherever she was. She then remembered the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who may have been able to tell her which way they went.

Flying around, it didn’t take long from asking for directions to get to the motel cottage that Rarity and Pinkie Pie along with the crusaders had supposedly rented. Knocking, Rainbow waited till the door opened, revealing the three fillies.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cried out with joy, rushing forward and giving her hero a hug.

“Heya, squirt. How’re you all doing?” Rainbow asked.

“Bored-bored-bored!” Sweetie Belle said. “Rarity’s been gone awhile, I'm really starting to worry!”

“An’ Pinkie Pie barely said a word to us when we saw her the other day!”

Weird, that doesn’t sound like Pinkie Pie at all… Rainbow wondered. “Did she say where she was going?”

“Well, she was all ‘life’s a party, everypony’s gonna realize that!’,” Scootaloo said, but oddly using a strange monotone and a weird grin rather then the peppy tone normally associated with the pink earth pony which admittedly creeped the pegasus out a little. “And not to mention there’s some blue unicorn that was hanging out with her when they went into the cave with that statue.”

“Cave? Where?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, just east’a here!” Apple Bloom explained.

“Cool, I’m gonna find her, and see if maybe she knows where Rarity is,” Rainbow answered.

“WAIT!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“Huh, what?” The pegasus asked.

“Look, Rainbow Dash… we kinda don’t have any money since Rarity’s missing, so can you… maybe get us some food and maybe a… little on the side so we can do our newest plan for our cutie marks?” Apple Bloom asked sheepishly.

Sighing, Rainbow took out one of the large sandwiches she brought from her bag and lay it out for the three fillies to enjoy, which they did in a matter of seconds. “So… uh… what’s your new plan?”

“We’re gonna be inventors!” Scootaloo said proudly. “We’ll make cool new inventions that will change Equestria’s way of life as we know it!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders: Inventors! YAY!” the three fillies cheered.

“We had one really neat idea in mind, but we don’t have the money for it, think you can loan us some?” Sweetie Belle asked, her eyes somehow becoming much larger then normal as she gave a pleading expression.

Rainbow facehoofed and let out a sigh. “Fine, but Rarity owes me for this!” she said, opening her bag again and dropping several bits for them. “Just don’t make me regret this, alright? I’m gonna go look for Rarity and Pinkie Pie.”

“Thanks, Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said, giving the pegasus another hug and the three immediately pulled down all their sketches. Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash turned and left, heading eastward down the trail leading towards the cave the fillies had mentioned.

“Stupid hippie pony…” Rainbow grumbled to herself having recalled what had to be one of the strangest fights she’d ever been in. Apparently Sombra’s influence was affecting pony citizens as well, if that particularly strange pony that randomly attacked her before she could get to the cave proved anything. The trip through had been rather uneventful, and emerging from the cave, she found herself in a valley where a bridge that connected across to the other side had been destroyed. Scoffing, Rainbow flew right over it and went higher up into the sky, looking for any sign of something unusual. Soon enough, something caught her notice.

Flying closer, she found what looked to be a giant shimmering pencil statue that blocked another cave passage. Flying over and looking at it, the pegasus attempted to buck the odd object but it didn’t budge. Striking it a few times, she found it still brought no effect.

“Great, now what…” she wondered. Suddenly she heard an odd humming and turned. Behind her were three small floating black crystals. “Can I help you?” she asked, a little annoyed by the obstruction in her path.

In response, the crystals fired bolts of magic at her that she barely dodged. “Whoa! Hey! Stop it!” She took to the air, trying to avoid the blasts of magic “You’re gonna pay for that!” she protested as a magic blast hit her in the chest, sending her spinning backwards into a cloud. Looking down, she saw it was a storm cloud and smirked. “Come on, come on you stupid crystal-thingies!” she said. When they got close enough, she slammed her hoof on the cloud and bolts of lightning shot out, zapping the crystals and sending them plummeting into the ground, both exploding on impact. Hopping off the cloud, Rainbow tossed back her mane and posed proudly. “Serves you right for messing with the awesome Rainbow Dash!” She said proudly, but her smirk slowly fell into a frown at the realization she still needed to do something about that statue in her way. As if on command, she saw a pony flying in an erratic pattern towards her.

“Hey! Rainbow Dash!” a familiar, slightly slurred voice called out before its owner crashed in front of her. A gray pegasus mare with a blonde mane, bubbles for a cutie mark and a satchel around her neck smiled at Rainbow Dash. The most notable feature about her, however, was her strange eyes, one pointing upward, the other downward.

“So I was coverin’ in Fillydelphia and wouldn’cha know it! Messages! Gotcha a message!” she said proudly, reaching for something in her satchel and revealing a scroll. Rainbow approached and opened it.

Rainbow Dash! We finished our invention! Come quick! ~CMC

“Just two hours… this had better be good…” Rainbow said. Time had a way of flying by when one was having fun. “Thanks, Derpy.”

“Noooo problem, Rainbow Dash!” the mailpony said with a clumsy salute as she took to the sky, colliding with the storm cloud and causing a stray lightning bolt to nearly zap the blue pegasus. “Sorry!” Derpy called out as she flew away. Shaking her head at the oddball pegasus’ behavior and deciding to let it slide, Rainbow flew back towards Fillydelphia.

“Check it out, Rainbow! Isn’t it awesome???” Scootaloo asked with a big grin.

“Ta-DA!” Sweetie Bell said, gesturing as Apple Bloom opened the bag and revealed what seemed to be half a pencil with a giant crystal eraser.

“…What is it?” the pegasus asked.

“It’s a magic eraser! It’ll erase pencil-related mistakes ya make!” Apple Bloom said proudly. “Sweetie Belle found the spell for it, ah helped build it, Scootaloo got the parts with the money ya lent us, an’ now it’s all set ta go!”

“Uhh… can it get rid of giant pencil statues?” Rainbow asked sarcastically. “Because I got a bit of a problem with—“

“Of course it can! It’s magic after all!” Scootaloo said. “All yours, take it!” she said, picking it up in her teeth and passing it to her idol, and the three looked at their flanks eagerly. Nothing appeared.

“Awww, ponyfeathers!” Sweetie Belle said.

“Guess we’ll have to make a cooler invention!” Scootaloo said.

“It’ll be a lot more useful then this ‘un was!” Apple Bloom said, sticking out her hoof for a group hoofbump, which the other two joined in on.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders: Inventors take TWO!” the fillies cheered, galloping back into town, leaving behind the pegasus mare.

“Well, little buddy, let’s see how well you work,” Rainbow said, staring at the weird device as she dropped it into her bag before turning and re-entering the cave.

“Celestia’s mane… it actually worked…” Rainbow said in utter disbelief as the device made the statue vanish on contact. She normally would have doubted any chance of something those three invented could work, then again she couldn’t imagine this thing being useful in any other way right now, and they were just fillies so they may have overestimated any other purpose for it. Her pathway cleared, Rainbow entered the cave and after flying through the long, winding and dimly-lit tunnel she found herself gawking at a rather strange sight.

Pink. Pink everywhere. An entire town of pink. Balloons were everywhere, and the ponies wandering about all had huge smiles on their faces; not the friendly kind more the creepy variety. There was a fountain, but the statue that was supposedly going to be used for decorating it was nowhere to be found.

“Fun… fun… fun…” a pink-painted stallion muttered as he walked past her, flashing a huge grin her way and causing the pegasus to cringe.

Noticing a pink pegasus mare minding a shop, Rainbow trotted over to her. “Hey, have you seen a white unicorn with a purple mane… real uptight and all, and a pink earth pony who loves parties?” she asked.

“Life’s a party...” the mare said, her eyes wide and a huge grin on her face. “Especially in Fun-Fun Town! The FUN never ends here!”

“Oookay, creepy pony. I’ll… ask somepony else.”

“Perhaps you’d like to join our way of life?” the mare asked in an unnervingly soft tone. “You should speak to our leader, Miss Pinkamena… she LOVES making new friends! LOVES it.”

Miss Pinkamena…. Wait, that was Pinkie’s real name wasn’t it? Rainbow turned immediately. “Where? Where is she? I’d love to join and have lots and lots of fun and stuff!” the said with a big smile.

“Oh, she’s in the mansion at the southern point of town. New members of the Fun-Fun Movement have lots of FUN there!” the shopkeeper said, cocking her head while smiling and sending a shiver down Rainbow’s back.

“Th-thanks...” Rainbow said, heading back outside. The moment she did, she saw a few ponies wearing hooded pink cloaks huddled nearby.

“The whiny unicorn does not wish to convert,” one said softly.

“She has no love for FUN,” another said.

“Miss Pinkamena brought her here, said she needs to have her frowns turned upside-down,” a third one said.

“So she remains in the Party Pooper Prison just north of town?” the first one asked.

“Yes, her whining is unbearable. We choose to leave her by herself,” the second one said.

Quietly, Rainbow slipped past them and flew towards a tunnel that lead north. Emerging from the other side, she found herself face to face with a shack of some kind, and she could hear familiar wails within. Had they been talking about…

“This place is FILLLLTHYYYY!” the voice within whined. “Somepony let me ouuuuuut before I run out of tears to cryyyyyy!”

"Yup. Rarity."

Galloping to the door and pushing it open, Rainbow smiled at the sight of a familiar face within the barred cell. “Rarity! Hey!”

The unicorn immediately stopped her noisemaking and stared wide-eyed at Rainbow Dash. “Rainbow? Oh you made it, darling! I was honestly unsure if that spell was even going to work! Guess I was lucky after all, wasn’t I?” she asked.

“Yeah, definitely. Now stand back, I’m gonna buck these bars down!” Rainbow said, getting into position then swinging out her back legs. The bright pink bars didn’t budge, and Rainbow grunted from the pain brought by the impact.

“That’s the thing, Rainbow. These bars are lined with diamond gem. You won’t be able to break them. Pinkie’s got the key…” Rarity came over and stuck her hoof through the bars, a look of horror in her eyes. “Rainbow, Pinkie has gone crazy! Ever since she brought the statue in, she’s gotten so weird, then all these ponies started chanting about fun, and they began wearing those horrid pink cloaks, and painted everything pink! What manner of pony does something like that, I mean honesty, it doesn’t even go with the color of the town’s surroundings and it’s quite an eyesore if I may say so.”

So that was it… Pinkie was acting strangely, and it seemed the statue had something to do with it. Back when she first saw it, it had given off a weird vibe. “Okay, Rarity, you wait here, I’ll go deal with Pinkie Pie and see if I can get some kinda sense into her!”

“You do that… oh, and take this!” Rarity said, trotting over to her saddlebag and taking out some kind of necklace. “I suggest you wear this. Pinkie Pie’s renovated her party cannon and the last pony that didn’t comply to this ‘Fun-Fun’ thing got blown away by a huge blast of pink lightning! How she managed to make something like that is beyond me.”

“It’s Pinkie Pie… what more reason do you need…” Rainbow muttered as Rarity floated the necklace onto her. “So what’ll this do?”

“It’s a rare gem I found, some research told me that it absorbs certain magic attacks . I admit I was going to use it for accessories and turn a few bits for it, but after seeing what Pinkie did I’m hoping it’ll give you some protection against whatever kind of magic that was. A lady can never be too careful, can she?” she asked with a smirk. “Just hurry along, okay? I really, really don’t like it in this dingy place!”

“Sure thing, Rarity! I’ll be back before ya know it!” Rainbow said proudly, turning around and leaving the shed.

Emerging outside, Rainbow found herself face-to-face with four ponies in hooded pink cloaks. Standing in front of them was a familiar blue unicorn in a wizard cape and hat.

“Going somewhere, Rainbow Dash?” Trixie asked with a dangerous smile.

Author's Note

And at long last another chapter is made! Will Rainbow save Rarity and get some sense into Pinkie? And what in the world is Trixie's problem?!

Life's A Party

“Trixie… what brings you out here?” Rainbow asked casually. The unicorn scoffed at her.

“Isn’t it obvious? The Great and Powerful Trixie has finally acquired some worthy followers who appreciate her magnificent performances! Pinkie Pie was easy enough to persuade into buying that statue, funny the moment I saw it the thing simply called to Trixie!”

“Then why not buy it yourself?” Rainbow asked.

“Ha! The Great and Powerful Trixie does not spend money she doesn’t have to, and besides, how could she have managed such a worthwhile payoff like this without your friend’s help?” Trixie asked, gesturing to the cloaked ponies. “Now, as much as the Great and Powerful Trixie would love to stay and chat with you, she has important matters to attend to!” She began to back away, looking at her cloaked companions. “Educate this troublemaker in the ways of fun!” she ordered and let out a crazed laugh as she created a burst of smoke. As it cleared Rainbow saw her already at the tunnel, fleeing the scene and still laughing, but before she could follow, the hooded ponies advanced on her.

“Fun… fun… fun…” the ponies chanted, throwing back their hoods and revealing that their eyes all glowed green, all of them were sporting huge, creepy grins as they charged at her. Rainbow jumped into the air, barely avoiding them in time, flipping and landing behind them, the pegasus bucked the one closest to her, sending him flying and crashing into a tree. The other three looked at him and one shook her head.

“That’s not very fun, outsider,” she said softly, regrouping with the others as one that was a unicorn began using his magic to float out party string cans to the others. Sitting on their haunches, the ponies held them in their hooves. The pegasus regarded them in confusion for a moment before the three immediately opened fire.

Rainbow attempted to fly out of the way, but her wings got covered in gooey strawberry-scented semi-liquid string, causing her to move clumsily in the air as more was sprayed upon her. Unable to fly right, the pegasus crashed into the ground, the stuff was much stickier then she remembered it ever being, she could barely move now. The ponies did not stop, and in seconds, she was cocooned in the party string.

Everything was dark, Rainbow could feel herself being carried somewhere. She could hear a door being opened and being carried even further. The chants of the cultists were all around her now.

Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun. Fun.

She was suddenly dropped on the floor, and she struggled as much as she could; the adhesion of the party string had dried up and she attempted to tear her way out.

“Alright, no more Miss Nicepony!” Rainbow said angrily, ripping the makeshift cocoon off of her and shaking the remaining pink goop off of her. Her eyes widened when she found she was in a large room, painted completely pink with tattered streamers hanging about. There were rows of ponies in pink cloaks chanting but otherwise making no move towards her. Up ahead was a stairway leading up. Was this the mansion the other pony told her about? She didn’t like it here, all these creepy smiles were making her uncomfortable and she still had to find Pinkie Pie.

“Go up the stairs…” one cloaked pony said, emerging from the rows. “You must learn to have fun… Miss Pinkamena will show you…” he said, gesturing to the stairway with a big, creepy smile.

“If you say so.” she said.

“…After we have made you ready!” the hooded pony said, floating a knife out from under his cloak, and soon the others followed in producing similar weapons.

“Oh, no way!” Rainbow said, immediately taking to the air and flying past them as fast as she could and up the stairs. Reaching them, she turned and saw them slowy advancing on her, holding knives with magic, their hooves, or teeth and all grinning at her, their eyes glowing green.

“Come have fun with us, Rainbow Dash,” the ponies all said in a synchronized monotone, their large smiles not fading in the least. “Fun must last forever and ever…”

Turning and pulling open the door in front of her, Rainbow quickly hurried inside and closed it behind her, sliding the lock into place. When she turned around, though, she was treated to a far more unnerving sight.

She was in a smaller room, with a large shrine. All around hung balloons and streamers, with a huge banner in the middle with the words “Life’s A Party!” in crude red letters in front of a large table where there sat a pile of rocks, a flour sack, a clump of dust, and a bucket of turnips with eyes and a grin painted on it. At one end of the table near the window was the alicorn statue, and at the other, her back turned to her was a pony in a pink hooded cloak.

“What’s wrong Madame Le Flour? Do we have another guest?” the pony asked, and she got our of her seat, removing her hood. "Yes we do... she's no fun!" the pony said, in a higher, softer tone vaguely like Fluttershy's out of the corner of her mouth like poorly-done ventriloquism.

Rainbow cringed when she saw Pinkie Pie. The normally bubbly and cheerful party pony looked even more disturbed then the time she thought they had been avoiding her. Pinkie’s mane was completely flat, her pupils were like pinpoints in her glowing green eyes, and a wide sneer spread across her face.

“Aw, but this one I super-specially invited. Trixie sent the invitation but this one didn’t want to come,” Pinkie said, cocking her head. “Why do you wanna be a no-fun party-pooper Rainbow Dash?” she asked softly, her eerie sneer never leaving her face. “After all, everypony here wants to have fun…”

“Okay, Pinkie, I think all this craziness is getting to ya, so why don’t you just come with me and we can get Rarity outta that shed before she has a nervous breakdown?” Rainbow asked, managing a scared smile as she had a feeling it wasn’t going to be nearly that easy.

“Aw, Dashie, I can’t do that. She was a whiny-mc-whinypants who didn’t like my parties. She had to be put away so she didn’t make my other guests sad,” the earth pony answered, approaching slowly.

“Th-that’s close enough, Pinkie!” Rainbow said, holding her hoof out, and her friend frowned.

“What’s the matter, Dashie? Are you still gonna be no fun?” Pinkie asked. “Then maybe you’ll just need to be punished too!” she said, raising her voice on the last two words as she tossed back her cape and revealed her party cannon. Jumping behind it, Pinkie aimed it at the worried pegasus.

“W-whoa! Pinkie, this is going a little extreme here, isn't it? Come on, you don’t wanna do this! I’m one of your best friends!” Rainbow said, backing against the door and cringing when she heard the pounding on the other side from the eager cultists.

“Then you wouldn’t mind holding still for me like a good friend would!” The cannon suddenly fired a blast of pink lightning at Rainbow Dash before she could even move in time. Rainbow Dash jerked back as the blast knocked her back and crackled around her but then dissipated.

I’m okay? I’m okay! She looked down and noticed the gem Rarity had given her was still around her neck. “Whoa, thank you Rarity!”

“Fine! Be that way! Me and my other guests will be happy to show you real fun!” Pinkie said, the disturbing grin returning to her face as she drew a knife from behind her back and advanced. Behind her, Rainbow noticed the statue’s eyes glow for an instant.

“Madame Le Flour! Fire two!” Pinkie said, taking up the flour sack and stuffing it into her party cannon. “Ready, Miss Pinkamena,” she said out of the corner of her mouth doing a soft voice that imitated Fluttershy’s again and firing. This time, the pegasus was ready. Flying up into the air, she avoided the flour sack as it impacted the door, bursting into a cloud of white that filled half the room. Pinkie coughed and waved her free hoof around to clear it away, but Rainbow Dash had already swooped down and dive-bombed her before she could react, knocking her to the floor and disarming her.

“This isn’t FUN! GET OFF!” Pinkie ordered, her tone a cold, angry one as she bucked the pegasus off of her, then scooped up the rock stack, placing it into her cannon. “Rocky, fire three!” she said, then mimicked Rainbow’s voice as she spoke for the rock stack. “Right away Miss Pinkamena!” Pinkie fired again, sending the rocks at the pegasus before she could take to the air again and knocking her backwards with the first rock, but Rainbow managed to catch the second one and flung it back at the cannon, knocking it the other way and causing its owner to accidentally fire its last rock at the bucket of turnips, blasting it apart.

“Mister Turnip!” Pinkie said, aghast and she turned and glared at her friend. “You’ll pay for that, Miss Party Pooper Dash!” she said. “Sir Lintsalot, punish her!” She tilted her head sideways with a grin. “With great pleasure, Miss Pinkamena” she said, imitating Rarity’s upper-crust accent as she stuffed the clump of lint into the cannon and fired it.

As expected, the lint did little to offer on inflicting any sort of harm like the others would have. Rainbow seized the opportunity to grab a stray turnip and throw it into the cannon while Pinkie stared at it incredulously. Turning the cannon, Rainbow aimed it at the statue that sat at the end of the table, facing the window.

“What are you doing to my new bestest friend?” Pinkie asked in an unnerving, sad monotone as she took up her knife again and leaped onto the pegasus, attempting to stab her with it.

“Hey, stop it! Get off me!” Rainbow protested, struggling as she tried not to get gutted and rolling to the side to avoid the knife that promptly got stuck in the floor. The pink earth pony grunted as she attempted to pull it loose, buying just enough time for the pegasus to get up and grab the string on the cannon with her teeth, firing the turnip at the statue with enough force to knock it out the window.

“NO!” Pinkie cried out, rushing to the window and seeing it laying on its back on the ground. “You… you…” her eyes glowed green for a second, then they faded back to her normal blue and her pupils grew back to their usual size. “I… whoa… where…?” She looked around the room. “What was I doing?” She then saw her frightened friend and the memories came back to her. “Oh Rainbow Dash I’m so, so, so, so, so, SO sorry!” she pleaded, hugging the pegasus and letting tears flow. “I couldn’t stop myself! Ever since I got that statue Trixie was saying we should totally get so it can spruce up the town a little I thought it was a little creepy but she thought it looked cool so I bought it and then I started feeling all weird and stuff and then I started thinking all these weird things and a buncha rocks and flour and stuff were telling me to make everypony have fun by making some kinda group for it then I got mad because Rarity said I was acting wrong and you know I don’t get mad like thatandI’msososososososososososososoooooSO sorry I tried to kill you I didn’t mean to and I didn’t want to but the voices kept saying for me to and it was like my body and mouth were doing stuff without me wanting them to like one of those crazy dreams where you watch everything but can't do anything and I was so scared and again I’m REALLY sorry!” she ranted, somehow not even drawing breath till after she'd finished.

Rainbow flinched for a moment, then hugged her friend. “It’s alright, Pinkie. It’s over now, I think,” she said, noticing there wasn’t any pounding on the door anymore. “That statue did somethin’ to you, things have been getting really weird around here lately,” she explained, recalling Gilda and Spitfire and the FlimFlam Brothers.

“Y-you forgive me?” Pinkie asked, surprised after all she’d done, even if she wasn’t in control of herself at the time she still felt awful about it all.

“Of course, you’re my friend and I know you wouldn’t do something like that for real!” Rainbow said, giving her a pat on the back.

Pinkie’s mane and tail instantly poofed out again and she promptly gave her friend a huge hug. “ThankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouthankyouTHANKYOUSOOOOMUCH!” she said in her usual peppy and happy tone. “Oh, and I should probably give you this!” she said, reaching into her mane and taking out a key. “Go get Rarity, I’m gonna help clean up downstairs! There’s probably a LOTTA confused ponies down there!” she said with a grin; not the creepy one she’d had earlier, but her usual bright friendly one that livened up everypony's day.

“Sure thing, I’ll be back before you know it!” Rainbow said, taking the key and dropping it in her bag and flying out the broken window. The moment she was outside, however, she saw the statue floating now, engulfed in a magic aura, and next to it was a familiar unicorn in a wizard hat and cape, grinning at her.

“Trixie?”

“Why hello, Rainbow Dash. Don’t mind the Great and Powerful Trixie, for she is merely taking what’s hers!” the showmare said.

“That statue’s bad news, Trixie, you shouldn’t be messing with it!” Rainbow said, glaring at her.

“This statue has brought Trixie much luck, and she intends to keep it for later use!” Trixie replied, looking at it for a moment as it magically shrank down to a smaller size. Satisfied, the showmare floated it under her hat. “Farewell, Rainbow Dash!” With an over-the-top laugh, Trixie used her telekinesis to throw the pegasus against the wall of the pink mansion and set off another burst of smoke, fleeing immediately after.

Facehoofing, Rainbow Dash sat herself back up. “I swear, next chance I get…” she muttered, going over a million ways she’d personally beat that annoying showmare into a pulp, but another priority came to mind. “Rarity! Right!” Spreading her wings, Rainbow flew off to the tunnel leading north, and to the shed where her friend was being kept.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash! You look rather banged up!” Rarity said, cringing a little.

“Yeah, yeah, but I’ve been through worse,” Rainbow said, taking the key out of her bag. Rarity grinned and used her magic to float it to the lock to free herself.

“Why thank you very much, dear!” Rarity said, trotting out of the cell in her usual dignified manner. “Now, perhaps we should be returning to Fillydelphia?” she asked.

“We better check in with Pinkie Pie real quick, she was worried about you—“

“Oh my word, is she alright?” Rarity asked, recalling how strangely their friend had acted, and as it was Pinkie Pie they were talking about, that was saying something.

“Yeah. The statue’s gone, she’s alright now. It was controlling her or something. Remember that time when she thought we were avoiding her? Think like a hundred times creepier,” Rainbow explained. “But she’s worried about you, so let’s get back to the town before we head back.”

“Very well then. Hope the poor dear’s not too shook up,” the unicorn said. “By the way, if the statue’s gone, whatever happened to it?”

“Trixie. She ran off with it before I could stop her. Guess we gotta look for her, too. I’ll explain everything later; this whole experience is a total headache!” Rainbow answered.

As they emerged from the tunnel, the town was completely different now. The buildings were all painted like normal cottages; like a smaller, newer version of Ponyville. The creepy balloons and banners were gone, and the ponies all looked much more normal now, no longer wearing cloaks or creepy grins.

“Wellllll whaddya think?” Pinkie’s cheerful voice suddenly asked from behind the two. Both turned in shock… when did she get behind them?!

“Uh, looks great, Pinkie!” Rainbow said with a smile.

“Simply divine, dear. Very quaint and I’m certain it’ll only improve from there.” Rarity said. “Now shall we be returning together?”

“Naw, not yet for me. I’m gonna stick around and help with the rebuilding, plus I gotta help organize a real non-creepy-cult kind of new-town-celebration party! It’s the least I can do for all that’s happened,” Pinkie said with a wide smile. “If you see the others say hi to ‘em for me!”

“If you insist, darling,” Rarity said.

“And also, I’m really really sorry for getting all crazy and possessed by the evil statue and locking you up, Rarity!” Pinkie said, hugging her friend.

“It’s alright, dear. It’s in the past and we can move on from that now,” Rarity said with a smile. “Well, Rainbow Dash, I suppose it’s just the two of us then.”

“OOH! OOH-OOH!-OOH!” Pinkie said excitedly, jumping up and down. “That other tunnel over there that leads east! You should totally go there first!”

“Why whatever for, Pinkie?” Rarity asked.

“DUH, because that’s where the next sanctuary thing Rainbow’s gotta collect to save the world is!” she said, grinning.

“Uhh wait, how did you know about the sanctuaries and stuff?” The pegasus asked, confused. The pink mare shrugged.

“Eh, just a hunch!” Pinkie said. “Well, anyways I’m gonna go back and help out with fixing up the town. Have fun on your adventure!” With that, Pinkie bounced away in her typical, joyful manner.

Shaking their heads, the two ponies bid their goodbyes to their friend and after a quick trip to the town doctor to patch Rainbow up from her encounter as well as giving Rarity a chance to write a letter to send off to her sister that they’d be returning a little later, they headed off to the cave awaiting them, unsure what sorts of weirdness would be waiting for them…

Author's Note

And managed to put out another chapter before my life resumes. Hope you enjoyed it! :twilightsmile:

The Second Sanctuary

“Ugh! Honestly, Rainbow Dash, would this cave not be simpler to travel were you to fly us through it?” Rarity asked, grimacing at the mud that was starting to get on her hooves.

“Aw, you bummed by a little dirt and mud on your hooves, Rarity?” Rainbow teased, hovering above the ground as she lead the way, knowing she was getting on her friend’s nerves.

“YES! Being locked up in that filthy shed was bad enough, you feel need to make me suffer more?” the unicorn demanded.

“Yap-yap-yap that’s all I hear. No "where could the next sanctuary be"? I’d like to get this over with as soon as I can, Rarity,” Rainbow answered with an eyeroll, then dropped to the ground. “Hey, you hear that?” she asked.

“I heard nothing, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, looking about.

“Figures, you were too busy complaining,” Rainbow muttered. The sound went off again and several small creatures came their way. “Hey… are those…?” she wondered, only to suddenly get tackled by the offending rodents. “GET OFF OF ME!” Rainbow cried out, rolling about on the ground angrily and trying to get them off of her.

“Well those moles are certainly playing rough,” Rarity mused, watching the scuffle. “Wouldn’t you agree, bear?” she asked, looking over at the huge bear next to her that was staring down at her with a toothy grin. In a quick double-take Rarity screamed and backed away. “Stay back! Stay back you horrid thing!” she yelled, backing past Rainbow Dash as the huge bear advanced on her, its eyes flashing green briefly as it let out a roar, startling the moles and causing them to climb off of Rainbow Dash and flee.

“Now, honestly! Was that even necessary? Now in hindsight perhaps useful, Rainbow Dash was getting scratched up back there, but still! You expect a nasty brute like yourself can get away with menacing a lady?” Rarity demanded, glaring at the bear. “I most certainly think NOT!” Her horn glowed, and a stalactite broke loose and descended, turning and bashing the large beast on the head like a club. “Serves you right!” she said, briskly walking past the now unconscious bear and over to her pegasus friend.

“Okay, that was pretty cool, but I’m still not carrying you,” Rainbow said, standing back up.

“Okay, those bats were pretty pathetic, I mean they were attacking each-other!” Rainbow said in disbelief. Rarity simply looked around, her horn glowing to light the way but she seemed curious of the place itself. “Hey, you listening?” Rainbow asked.

“Dig right there, not two steps from your left!” Rarity said, earning an eyeroll from the pegasus who dug as fast as she could and found three gems; two purple one blue.

“Really, Rarity? We’re gem hunting while trying to save Equestria from total destruction?” the pegasus asked.

“Of course we are, Rainbow Dash! When this is over I don’t intend to travel this far again from Ponyville if I can help it, and not to mention this cave is hardly a place of my liking, so it’s only right we make the most of this,” Rarity said matter-of-factly, and her prim demeanor changed to excitement when she got a good look at the gems. “Oh my! These will be perfect for this new design I had!” Her horn glowed brightly again. “Now over there, in the wall!” she said, floating a rock and marking the spot with an X and earning a frustrated groan from the pegasus as she reluctantly complied. As she flew over, Rainbow noticed a shimmering light on a high ledge above them. “Hey, Rarity! Check it out! I think we found it!”

“Found what, pray tell? The gems are right where I marked them,” the unicorn answered.

“No, the sanctuary! It’s right up there, let’s go get it!” Rainbow said, flying over to Rarity and wrapping her forelegs around the mare and carrying her up.

“Wait! Rainbow! The gems! The GEMS!” Rarity hung her head, "That one had been rather nicely-sized too..." As Rainbow set her down, she noticed the shining light at the entrance of a tunnel. “Well, go on! Get the melody from it!” she urged.

Rainbow stuck her head into her satchel to take out the stone, but then remembered what had happened last time. “Something’s wrong about this,” she said. She slowly approached the light, cocking her head in curiosity. Suddenly the piercing feedback emanated from the stone as it failed to absorb the melody. Something had taken over this place too!

“You made it… you found second sanctuary!” a voice said and a large shape emerged from the light. It was a digger dog, like the ones the three creatures who’d captured Rarity one time had employed but much larger with glowing green eyes that had wisps of purple smoke trailing from them. “…But shiny place all mine now!”

“Seriously?!” Rainbow asked in annoyance. The creature’s drool spilled from its open jaws as it let out an angry snarl. Its armor barely fit its massive, transformed body now. “Where’s your pals?”

“Oh, them? They go to some big mine near Manehattan! Leave me in charge here but I don’t feel like leaving now! Other digger dogs run away when become Mondo Dog so have place to self now, even bears scared!” He let out an evil laugh and slammed his fist on the ground, causing it to shake and make the two ponies fall over. The beast’s body glowed brightly as it charged forward to tear into them with its huge claws. Rainbow immediately grabbed Rarity and they rolled out of the way, barely avoiding the hulking canine.

“A filthy creature like you keeping these gems to yourself? I won’t allow it!” Rarity said, floating several rocks at the creature but he swung his large paw and knocked them away. “With some extra effort, that is,” the unicorn added.

Rainbow Dash flew around the creature as fast as she could avoiding its swipes and attempting several kicks but the power of the sanctuary seemed to have made the creature’s reflexes improve as well. Finally a well-aimed paw strike sent her flying into a wall.

“Now crush annoying little horsey!” the ‘mondo dog’ said with a grin. Rarity’s eyes widened immediately.

“What. Did you. CALL ME?!” Rarity demanded furiously, her horn glowing brightly and discharging a blast of magical energy at the towering canine creature. When it impacted, an aura engulfed the monster and froze it in place, seemingly unable to move now despite its efforts. “I’ll have you know I am a pony NOT a horsey and if you call me that again, I… I don’t know what I’ll do but I assure you, you won’t like it!” the unicorn said sternly. The gigantic dog creature tried but failed to move let alone show much of a sign of reaction given its circumstances. Rainbow Dash meanwhile had gotten off the ground and got herself ready. Rarity seemed to have paralyzed it with her magic, which was sure to make this fight a lot easier now. Galloping forward, Rainbow jumped into the air and flew as fast as she could, her hoof out as she kicked the creature as hard as she could between the eyes, causing it to fall backwards against the opposing wall and several stalactites rained down on it, knocking the giant creature unconscious. Seconds later, its body glowed and shrank back down to that of a normal digger dog, and Rainbow gave a nod of satisfaction.

“Okay, Rarity, on a scale of one to ten, how would you rate that move?” she asked, earning a look from her friend. “Fine, you just don’t know awesome like I do. Let’s go.” With that, the pegasus lead them through the passage behind where the light had been and soon found themselves outside in a small enclosed summit.

“Well, it’s certainly very lovely out here, isn’t it?” Rarity said, taking in the fresh air. “Wouldn’t you say so, Rainbow Dash?” She noticed her friend had wandered closer to the tiny hoofsteps.

“Filly prints?” Rainbow wondered, looking closely at them. It was odd they’d stay intact this long, but there was an odd warmth about this place, like with the first sanctuary. She took the stone from her satchel and closed her eyes as she listened to the melody that began to play, and memories came back to her.

In her mind, she saw a tiny foal, cyan blue with a rainbow mane and tail. Sitting down cradling the foal was a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail, with twin lightning bolts for a cutie mark, smiling down at her.

Rainbow Dash froze a moment, she could feel her eyes water. Her dad always said she was like her mother. Wiping her eyes, the pegasus looked back at her friend, who was staring at her in confusion.

“Oh my, are you alright, Rainbow Dash? You look…” Rarity began, but the pegasus just raised a hoof up.

“I’m fine. Just, remembering some stuff. We’re done here anyway,” Rainbow answered with a slight smile. “Look, I’ll fly us back to Fillydelphia and we can let Sweetie Belle and the others know you’re alright.”

“Absolutely not! Under no circumstances are you coming along, it’s far too dangerous for you three and I won’t allow it!” Rarity said sternly to her little sister, ignoring the big pleading eyes Sweetie Belle and the others attempted.

“Awww, but we could get world-saving cutie marks for it!” Sweetie Belle insisted.

“Sorry, but I’m gonna have to go with your sister on this one, Sweetie Belle,” Rainbow said as she leaned against the doorframe.

“But we made that nifty invention for you! You even said it helped and you were able to help Pinkie Pie!” Scootaloo said.

“Wait! That’s it!” Apple Bloom said with a grin. “We can keep makin’ stuff for ‘em and send ‘em when they need ‘em!”

“How’ll you even know where we are? We got a few places to go,” Rainbow asked.

“Just write us or somethin’! Look, we already got this nifty idea goin’ ever since the stuff we been hearin’ about in Hollow Shades!” Apple Bloom said.

“What would that be?” Rainbow asked.

“ZOMPONIES!” the three fillies shouted, all of them going into attempted looming poses.

“…Zomponies?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, they’re takin’ over the town, an’ they got weird purple goo on ‘em and stuff an’ keep sayin’ that nothin’ can stop their boss! An’ nopony can get in there now! Somepony came runnin’ out in a panic said the tunnels’re haunted an’ nopony else can get out!” Apple Bloom explained. “So now it’s Cutie Mark Crusaders Zompony Stoppers! YAY!” The three hoofbumped.

“Yeeeaaaahh. Better leave this to me,” Rainbow said. “Probably Sombra’s doing! Wanna go check it out, Rarity?”

“I—“ the seamstress began but Dash instantly wrapped her forehoof around her.

“Of course you do!” the pegasus said. Now let’s go deal with those ghosts, they’ll be no match for the awesome Rainbow Dash!

“No match, huh?” Rarity asked, staring at the pegasus who now lay at her hooves shaking all over not ten seconds after attempting to fly through the tunnel leading to Hollow Shades.

“We’re gonna need another way in,” Rainbow muttered.

As if to answer that, a familiar gray pegasus with a blonde mane and tail suddenly flew clumsily towards them, crashing in front of Rainbow Dash and causing dirt to fly in her face.

“Hi there, Rainbow Dash!” Derpy said in her usual cheerful tone.

“Oh, hey Derpy. What do you want?” Rainbow said, standing back up and finally feeling the unbearable chills she’d experienced seconds ago going away.

“Care package from Fluttershy! A buncha birds gave it to me, who’da thought?” Derpy said, pulling a small box from her satchel. Tearing it open, Rainbow found a letter inside.

“Hello, Rainbow Dash! I’m hoping everything’s okay and that I’m not bothering you by sending this. Um, anyway I sent you some sandwiches and figured I’d let you know that back in Ponyville, the Pony Pizza Parlor has expanded its deliveries, so if you want to order something from them… or… maybe send me a letter sometime, you don’t have to if you don’t want to… well, now you know. Good luck!

~Fluttershy

Rainbow smiled a little, hearing from Fluttershy did have a soothing effect. Taking out the magic candle and some paper she looked over at Rarity. “Hey, can you write up a letter to tell Fluttershy you’re alright, and don’t make it too long okay?”

“Why certainly, Rainbow Dash,” the unicorn answered, floating out a quill from her own satchel and setting to work.

“Ohhh yeaaah, forgot! I was meant to give ya a message, too! Those two unicorns with the cider-thingy! Uhhh… Flim and Flam? They wanna see you! It’s like, way important and stuff!” the mailpony said with a smile.

“Those scoundrels? Whatever could they want?” Rarity asked in disgust as she looked up from her writing.

“I dunno, but we may as well see if we’re gonna be stuck here till we find a way past the tunnel,” Rainbow grumbled.

“You WHAT?!” Rainbow asked, unable to believe what the two unicorns were saying when they’d returned to the park, where the brothers had finished repairing their machine.

“Well, see you did manage to snap us outta that weird trance my brother and I were in so we figured a reward was an order!” Flim explained.

Rainbow and Rarity snorted, doubting this was the reason, but still… all those bits!

“Well anyway it’s yours, accept our rare moment of generosity!” Flam said with a grin. “See, everypony! Even the world-famous Flim Flam Brothers can be generous!”

Flim leaned next to his brother. “Charity? Well that excuse backfired on us didn’t it, brother of mine? Can’t leave town till we give it away!” Overhearing, Rainbow gave an eyeroll.

Figures...

“Next time, I only hope we don’t have to use the charity excuse to do business! It cost us dearly, brother!” Flam said dramatically. “But our business here is over! Next town, Brother?”

“Absolutely!” Flim said.

“Wait, any way we can get a ride through the tunnel?” Rainbow asked.

“The haunted one? No chance, ma’am!” Flim replied with a glare. “We’re not going near Hollow Shades, we’re taking a trip straight to Manehattan! Turns out that statue we sold was worth way more then we got for it!”

“Absolutely, brother!” With a brief dance, the two climbed atop their Cider Squeezy and drove off.

“How do we get to Hollow Shades now?” Rainbow wondered, facehoofing.

“Well on the bright side, we’ve got ten thousand bits right here in this bag!” Rarity said with a smile. Her eyes widened. “Hang on! I have an idea!”

“What? A shopping spree?” Rainbow asked. There were honestly a lot of things she’d have liked to buy with that much money…

“Oh come now, Rainbow! Why do shopping sprees when I make my own accessories?” Rarity asked. “I just recalled something going on at the Wild Mustang club here, perhaps a favor can be arranged… Come along,” the unicorn ordered, floating the bulging bag alongside her.

As they approached the club, they noticed the large carriage parked outside with a crazy mural of a white unicorn with purple shades and an electric blue mane painted on the side. Next to it was the unicorn it had been modeled after, drinking some bottled cider and looking none too happy.

“Well hello, there Miss Vinyl,” Rarity said.

“Hey, look, kinda not in the mood here. That stupid manager’s gone crazy! Now he keeps screwin’ me outta my cut of the profits for my shows here like he’s plannin’ to leave me in debt to him forever!” Vinyl said grimly, a stark contrast to the eccentric deejay’s usual cheerful demeanor.

“Ah yes, dreadful isn’t it? How much was it again?” Rarity asked.

“Ten thousand bits. With all the deductions he takes, I figure I’ll be outta this place in just as many years give or take. How did I end up in this mess?!” Vinyl asked, snorting. The accidents that happened with equipment that were blamed on her were ridiculous but she had no way of proving it and thus no way out.

“Well, I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but what does matter is Rainbow Dash and I may have a way to get you out of it, for a favor of course.”

Vinyl paused and looked over. “Babe, if you can get me outta here there’d be a shorter list of what I wouldn’t do if you asked.”

“Well, we just so happened to have ten thousand bits,” she said.

“Pull the other one,” Vinyl said, frowning.

“Rainbow, if you please?” Rarity asked. The pegasus sighed and opened the bag, revealing the much larger inside which was filled with bits. Vinyl raised her shades and her mouth hung agape.

“And this isn’t some kinda joke to yank my chain?” Vinyl asked, staring in complete disbelief at the two mares.

“Well I didn’t become the bearer of generosity for nothing, did I?” Rarity asked smugly. “Of course, if you don’t want it, I hear the vacation packages are to die for this time of yea—“

“No! I’ll totally take it! Thankyouthankyouthankyou!” the deejay said, pulling both ponies into a tight hug before letting them go with a sheepish grin. “Sorry, just, if you two are serious this means a lot to me. So what is it you want from me anyway?”

“We need a ride through the tunnel to get to Hollow Shades,” Rainbow explained.

“The haunted one? It’s a little outta the way to Manehattan but I guess I can take that way since you guys’re doing this for me!” Vinyl said with a smile. “And hey, don’t worry about those ghosties, the guy who got here from Hollow Shades said they don’t like music, and lemme tell ya if that’s true then they’re no match for DJ PON-3’s wubs! Just you watch they’ll scatter like roaches!”

Rarity cringed at the idea of such loud, pulsing noise. “Well in that event perhaps once you’re all paid off we can leave immediately?” she asked, wanting to get this over with.

“Sorry, I still got another show to do, first. I skip out on that it hurts my image more then the club’s. Bring that to the manager and we’ll roll out soon as I’m done!” Vinyl said, grinning as she went to her carriage and opened the back. “Also, backstage passes on me!” she said, floating them over to around Rarity and Rainbow Dash’s neck. “I may hate this place now but still check out the show ‘cause it’ll totally be worth it!”

“So let me get this straight, is that…?” the stallion dressed in a sharp business suit coat with a trio of coins for a cutie mark asked as he looked inside the bag.

“Ten thousand bits, you deaf?!” Rainbow asked, getting in the manager’s face. “Take the money, and let DJ PON-3 leave already!”

“Yeah! Sure! No problem! I’ll just… enjoy this!” he replied, his horn glowing as the bag floated behind the desk. “Consider her debt cleared, she’s free to leave.”

“Good, I’d hate to make you have to spend all your new money on hospital bills,” Rainbow said, forehoof raised threateningly, then smirking and flying out of the office, followed by Rarity who simply glared at him and stuck her muzzle in the air as she left.

After telling Vinyl the good news backstage, the deejay let out a cheer and went off to the stage in a better mood then ever before while Rainbow Dash and Rarity found themselves some seats.

“WUB-A-DUB-DUB! LET’S GET ROLLIN’!” Vinyl said cheerfully, her horn glowing as the carriage van suddenly came to life and blaring dubstep music began playing. Rarity sought out a pillow in the corner of the carriage van which she presumed to be Vinyl’s bed and held it over her ears, her sense of hearing having already been violated at the show and making her wonder how Octavia stood to be with the deejay. Rainbow Dash on the other hoof, was having the time of her life dancing in the back to the pulsing music while Vinyl bobbed her head in rhythm while she steered. The vehicle soon approached the dark tunnel ahead, causing Rainbow Dash to cringe as she looked out the window at the menacing creatures that drifted about. They looked a little like the legendary wendigo spirits, except they had an odd purple substance dripping off them and their eyes glowed yellow. They seemed to be backing away though, unwilling to come closer.

“Told ya! Told ya DJ PON-3’s wubs can’t be beat, by neither pony NOR ghost!” Vinyl said as they emerged from the tunnel and out into the streets of Hollow Shades. The place was… dark. It had been late afternoon when they’d gotten out of the club, but it seemed unnaturally dark here, the overcast was filled with black clouds, and nopony seemed to be outside. The cottages and buildings all had closed doors, and Rainbow swore she saw a circus tent sitting where town square should be.

“You two sure you wanna get off here? It’s a little spooky,” Vinyl said, regarding the two with concern.

“Yeah, we’re sure,” Rainbow said as she came off the carriage van, followed by Rarity.

“If ya say so. This place is way too creepy for me! You two get done with fixing this zompony apocalypse thing here, come see me in Manehattan!” the unicorn deejay said, and with that, the carriage came to life again and sped off down the road.

“I’m feeling far less certain this was a good idea, Rainbow,” Rarity said as several ponies with glassy eyes, disheveled manes, and traces of purple goo on their coats moaned and shuffled towards them.

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN. Much like the mole battle, the fight's practically won if you use PSI Paralysis from the start.

And that's my chapter for this week! What'll happen to our heroines next? :trollestia:

And Then There Were Three

“Excuse me, Mister… Sea Serpent?” Twilight asked, approaching the towering creature.

“Ooh! I remember you! You’re friends with that unicorn who fixed my mu-stache!” the sea serpent said in a giddy tone. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, you see, we kinda need to get across this river to the other side, if it’s not too much trouble,” Twilight explained. “Get us there fast, and you can have this mane spray we brought!”

“You know, I probably could use a spare! This luscious pompadour is not easy to maintain in these currents, I'll tell you!” the sea serpent replied, placing his hand to his forehead and leaning back dramatically.

“So is that a yes?” Spike asked.

“Of course it is, you cuddly little thing, you!” the sea serpent answered, leaning down and placing his head on the shoreline. “You two just climb right on and mind the hair, and ol’ Stevey will ferry you right across!” he said with a grin. Nodding, the unicorn and dragon climbed on, and the sea serpent rose up and looked over at his audience. “I’ll be back in juuuuuust a second, don’t you go anywhere!” he said with a grin, and lowering himself down, the purple beast swam his way across the river.

“Well... that went well,” Spike said. “Still, I wish I coulda brought this to Rarity, I know she might want it.”

“Don’t worry, Spike. I’m sure she’ll find some way to survive without mane spray for a little while,” Twilight responded, earning a glare from the young dragon.

“Obviously you don’t know her like I do,” Spike replied crossly.

“Poorly-maintained manes is no laughing matter, sweetheart!” the sea serpent chimed in as he continued swimming. “Tell you what, if you promise to bring that spray to that magnificent unicorn friend of yours as soon as you see her then you can forget about trading it to me, we’ll call this even-steven okay?”

“Yeah, sure,” Twilight said with an eyeroll, unable to believe she was still having this conversation.

Within moments, the two were brought to the shorelines of the other side of the river, where a large cave awaited them.

“Well, I’d best not keep my audience waiting!” The sea serpent said after the two got off his head.

“Thanks for your help!” Twilight said.

“Oh don’t worry about it! You two have fun!” the sea serpent replied, striking a pose as he slowly descended underwater and swam back towards Canterlot.

When the sea serpent had left, Twilight approached the cave entrance and looked over at Spike. “Well, we’d better get going if we want to make it to Hollow Shades,” she explained, floating out the map. “This says the cave leads to the obstacle course, and from there we’ll go through one more passage and then it’s Dr. Whooves’ lab!”

“Well then let’s get going!” Spike said, following Twilight as she entered the cave.

“Honestly, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, an exasperated look on her face as the pegasus smirked at the scroll that had just vanished when it touched the magic candle.

“Hey, I wanna see if this pizza delivery place is half as reliable about finding ya no matter where you order from!” Rainbow said with a chuckle.

“At a time like THIS?! Rarity demanded.

“Rarity, we’ve been down here awhile and we’re out of snacks,” Rainbow replied, and in the dim light she saw the annoyed unicorn facehoof and shake her head.

Welcome to the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns Official Obstacle Course!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“I see what Amethyst was talking about regarding Lyra’s enthusiasm for making this thing,” Twilight said, exchanging a glance with Spike. “I just hope this doesn’t set us back too much.”

Entering the next passage, they found a long stepladder leading down. Shaking her head, Twilight gestured for Spike to hold onto her and they immediately teleported to the bottom.

“Well, I can see she’s been busy,” Spike remarked; looking at the weird rock maze with random objects placed around them. “Doesn’t look too hard though!” Spike said, marching ahead.

“Spike, wait!” Twilight yelled, and before Spike got five steps ahead of her a pie flew out of a wall and smacked him in the face, knocking him off his feet. “See?”

“Ughh… didn’t see that coming,” Spike said, wiping the gunk off his face. “…So now what?”

“Well, if it’s like the previous ones, it can get a little crazy at times, but nothing too dangerous. We gotta make the right turns or else a trap goes off.”

“Well then let’s hope we don’t make any wrong ones again, that pie was kinda stale,” Spike replied.

As the two moved on, they were quickly beset by a fork in the odd rock path and a sign awaited them.

Have you left your hope behind? Or maybe the right choice will eventually come to you!

…Lyra Heartstrings

Twilight rolled her eyes and chose the path leading right. Continuing onward, they made several more choices with strange signs and were eventually met with three paths.

No need to duck out if you’re left with any more options!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“What does that even mean?” Twilight asked.

“Doesn’t make much sense to me, Twilight.” Spike said. “So where to?”

“Well, let’s go center this time. Logically paths take a center route near the end to afford as much free range for the exit,” she said. The moment she stepped ahead, though, quacking was heard, and several ducks suddenly came charging forward. “W-What the?!” she cried out, backing away. The ducks quacked loudly, their eyes flashing green as they flew around them erratically.

“Mad ducks?! This doesn’t make ANY sense to me anymore!” Spike protested, covering his head and swatting at the aggressive waterfowl.

“Hold on!” Twilight said, jumping over one of the rock boarders and ducking down. The unicorn smirked as the trap was triggered and several pies flew over her, smacking into the ducks and knocking them out of the air. Teleporting back onto the correct path, Twilight smiled at the defeated ducks and gestured for Spike to follow.

In a matter of moments, they had reached the end of the path and were greeted by another sign.

Thanks for partaking in the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns Official Obstacle Course! Wait till you see what I have planned next time around with a little help from Minuette's dad!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“Needs work,” Spike said as the two continued on their way and exited the cave, greeted by the daytime sky. Continuing onward, they passed another cave entrance.

“Hey, Twilight… this the way?” Spike asked.

Twilight floated out her map and looked it over. “Hmmm… Nope. That leads to a tourist site called the Ever Frozen Circle,” she explained. “Doctor Whooves’ lab is this way!” she said, gesturing up ahead. A few moments later, they came to the top of the hill and down below was a strange building the size of a large cottage. “Well, we better go say hello,” Trotting down the hill followed by her assistant, the unicorn came up to the metal door and gave it a crisp knock with her hoof.

The sounds of frantic struggling and angry sounds, and possibly one trip could be heard, and shortly after, the door was suddenly opened by a brown earth pony with a spiky brown mane and an hourglass cutie mark. He wore a collar with a green necktie and looked like he may have had a few too many coffees.

“Oh my, Miss Twilight Sparkle! What brings you out here?” the earth pony asked.

“Dr. Whooves? Your daughter Minuette told me you’d be here! She said you’d have something that can help get me to Hollow Shades?” Twilight asked.

“Oh did she? Heh, I trust she’s at least keeping well with her grades? By the way, it’s just ‘the Doctor’, please and thank you,” the earth pony answered.

"As far as I—“ Twilight began when the Doctor’s foreleg wrapped around her and yanked her in. The lab was filled with strange contraptions unlike anything she’d seen before, as well as a bed that was a mess, and a tall blue box of some kind sat in one of the corners.

“So I take it she must mean my new car! A far nicer design then those oversized balloons or blimps, enough to fit maybe four ponies even!” the Doctor explained, gesturing to a contraption that appeared to be some sort of hovercraft. “Minuette calls it the Whoovesmobile, which I suppose is as good a name as any!”

“I don’t see how it can fly,” Twilight said, looking it over.

“Details, details my dear!” Whooves answered. “That’s what the switches are for after all! She can surprise you.”

“So, it’s suited for all different modes of travel?” Twilight asked.

“Very good, Miss Twilight! I’d call you a genius except I’m in the room,” the earth pony explained. “I’ve been studying the anomalies that have occurred since the explosion in Ponyville and I must say the magical energy levels are off the charts!” he said, rushing over to a desk loaded with scrolls and notes. “Sombra is behind this? Of course he is! His horn survived and with it so did his magic. Ponies’ magic comes from the soul and thus enough of his soul endured that now it would seem he’s making quite the comeback!” he explained, raising his hoof up in triumph. “…You’re staring at me,” he said all of a sudden, cocking an eyebrow as he looked at the unicorn.

“How did you…?” Twilight asked, a little put off by the pony’s eccentricities.

“That’s not very polite, you know,” Whooves answered, earning a facehoof from the unicorn. “But still, I suppose that's not important is it?” the earth pony asked with a shrug. “What matters is getting to the bottom of what he intends, how he’s doing it, and most importantly where he’s doing this from!”

“Obviously,” Twilight answered, and she looked over to her dragon assistant. “Spike? If we’re gonna get to the bottom of all this and find Sombra, the good Doctor here might need some help, so I’d appreciate you stay here with him while I head to Hollow Shades.”

“An extra... or in this case actual set of hands would actually be much appreciated!” Whooves said with a grin. “Considering I don’t have any after all! Very well it’s settled, Spike will stay here with me and help me out. You have at and find your friends! Just pull the green lever and you’ll be up-up and away!” he said, gesturing to the ‘Whoovesmobile’.

“But Twilight… Rarity’s there!” Spike protested.

“I’ll make sure she’s okay, Spike. She’s one of my friends after all I won’t let anything happen to her!” Twilight said with a smile.

“If anything does, Twilight,” Spike said, glaring.

“I promise she’ll be fine, Spike!” Twilight said as she approached the vehicle she’d been directed to and climbing in.

“Ohh, okay, Twilight. Good luck! And don’t forget to give her that mane spray!” Spike insisted.

“I won’t, Spike!” Twilight replied with an eyeroll and focused her magic, causing the green lever to go down. The odd vehicle shook a few times, and it slowly rose higher and higher above the ground towards the ceiling before bumping into it.

“Oh my! Silly me I forgot to open the sky light, didn’t I?” Whooves said with a chuckle as he pressed a button on his desk and the roof split in half and opened up for Twilight to fly out of.

Taking a few breaths as she found herself up in the sky, Twilight pulled out her map and looked at the compass in the middle of the craft’s control board. Turning it northeast, she found a shift that seemed intended for directional movement and sent it forward with her magic, flying towards the Hollow Shades.

“Okay, now to find Rainbow and Rarity,” she said, floating out a town map and opening it up. “Locator spell, don’t fail me now!”

A tiny glowing point appeared over its cemetery. “Well there we go! Easy enough, now let’s gently move this thing towards them,” she said, pressing a red button labeled for forward thrust with her hoof.

“Strawberry!” Rainbow said.

“Rice,” Rarity replied.

“Casserole!” Rainbow said.

“Linguine,” Rarity answered.

“Nachos!” Rainbow replied.

“Omelet!” Rarity said with a smirk.

“Egg salad!” Rainbow answered, grinning.

“Angelfood ca—ARRRGH! I can’t play this game when I’m so hungryyyy!” Rarity half-sobbed-half-shouted, stomping her hoof on the dirt floor.

“Hey, gotta pass the boredom somehow, Rarity,” Rainbow answered as she stood up. “So, any other ideas?”

“None! At this point Rainbow I’m at my wits end! We may as well just hope something drops in from above and saves us!” the unicorn answered.

The moment the words left Rarity’s mouth, the ceiling collapsed and a strange craft fell through, landing on the ground between the two ponies and filling the cave with dust.

“What in Celestia’s name,” Rarity muttered as a figure rose up from the wreckage.

“Hey, girls! Hope you didn’t wait too long!” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “Ohh… guess that’s not gonna be usable for awhile!” she said, frowning when she saw the ‘Whoovesmobile’ was little more then smashed rubble now.

“Twi! You’re here! We can get out!” Rainbow said with a grin, spreading her wings and rising up into the air, only to be knocked out of the sky by a gray blur, causing her to crash back onto the floor. “What the?” she asked, struggling to get whatever had landed on her off of her back.

“Your pizza’s here, Dash!” Derpy said with a smile, holding up the warm box. “That’ll be five bits!”

“Zomponies?” Twilight asked.

“Zomponies,” Rainbow answered, pulling the last pizza slice from her box and tossing it into her mouth, dropping the box in a trash can after. Rarity meanwhile floated her slice in front of herself as she took tiny bites. “We gotta find some way to get to the passage at the back of the cemetery, but it’s too heavily guarded… and coming from a pony as awesome and capable as me that’s saying something.”

“Captain Spitfire’s got a whole group fighting them off at a big tent in the middle of town, so maybe we can get some ideas of what to do next if we meet up with her,” Rarity explained. “Also, thank you for the mane spray, Twilight. That was very wonderful of Spikey-wikey to include it in your supplies!” she added, giving her head a turn and letting her restyled mane bounce with her movement.

“You’re welcome, Rarity,” Twilight replied. “Well let’s get to the tent and see what they’ve got for us to do.”

Before they could go any further, seven zomponies emerged from behind the buildings and stood in their path, and promptly charged at them.

“Alright, plenty for all of ya!” Rainbow said, hovering in the air and swinging her forehooves. The zomponies growled and began to advance, and five more emerged from around the corner.

“Maybe we should run, there appears to be quite a lot of them...” Rarity muttered, noticing a few flying zomponies approaching, purple goo dripping off their decayed wings.

“Under our unstoppable lord we serve… he shall smother all,” one zompony said with a rotted grin before Twilight fired a burst of magic at it, shattering the decaying creature.

“Rarity’s right, there’s too many of them! Let’s just hurry to the tent!” The three ponies immediately ran for it, the zomponies in pursuit. After a few confusing twists and turns, they finally found themselves at a clearing, and the zomponies all seemed to stop and back away.

“Oh good, we’re here!” Twilight said with a smile as she looked over the large tent. “Hey, Captain Spitfire? Are you there?”

No answer.

“Uhh, Rainbow? Does it seem a little too quiet here?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah, last time we were here it was like a war-zone!” Rainbow replied, staring at the tent with suspicion.

“Spitfire? Dear? We’re back,” Rarity said softly.

“Hey! I’m glad you made it! Sorry to scare you there, we managed to drive them back! Come on inside for dinner!” s voice that sounded like Spitfire’s said from inside the tent, and the three ponies gave a sigh of relief.

“Thank Celestia,” Twilight said.

“It’d be nice to have something other then pizza,” Rarity added. As the three drew closer, however, Rainbow suddenly flew in front of them, her forelegs stretched out on either side of herself and blocking her friends from going any further.

“Wait! Since when was the tent they were using colored purple?” Rainbow asked.

The moment the words left her mouth, a pair of glowing green eyes and a fanged maw appeared in the front of the tent.

“I believe I said come on inside for dinner!” the tent said with a laugh.

Author's Note

At long last another chapter!

Yes, I have watched Excel Saga before :derpytongue2:

Zomponies Gotta Go!

“What in Tartarus?!” Twilight asked, eyes wide with horror as the tent suddenly began to approach.

“I’ll handle this!” Rainbow shouted, flying at the tent with her hooves out and slammed into it as hard as she can, only to bounce harmlessly off the purple fabric that made up its apparent body. Growling, the pegasus took to the air and flew circles around it, but the thing just started laughing.

“BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY!” it shouted, and a flash of light shimmered from its eyes, disorienting the pegasus and causing her to crash and tumble across the ground and into her friends.

“Did it seriously just say ‘Boogey-boogey-boogey-boogey’ or am I just imagining things…?” Rainbow asked, rubbing her eyes.

“Yes… I believe it did, Rainbow,” Twilight said, charging up her horn and firing several bursts of magic at the tent and burning a few holes in it, but it barely seemed to notice and began laughing again.

“BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY!” it yelled with a wide grin.

“CLOSE YOUR EYES!” Rainbow yelled, and they did, barely avoiding getting blasted with another flash of light, however, when they opened their eyes they found the tent now directly in front of them, grinning down at them hungrily.

“Oh dear… what now?” Rarity asked as the tent’s eyes glowed green with purple smoke trailing from the corners, making its toothy smile all the more unnerving.

“Sorry, Rarity…I’m terrified beyond the capacity for rational thought,” Twilight said, shaking. “Rainbow?”

“Dude, an evil tent this is a whole new level of freaky!” the pegasus protested.

"BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY-BOOGEY!" the tent chanted again.

“Look out below!” a voice shouted above, and a familiar yellow pegasus with an orange mane circled above the tent.

“Spitfire!” Rainbow shouted excitedly as the other pegasus dropped a bucket of something on the tent, that snarled and glared at her as she landed next to the three mares.

“Do forgive my criticism but I think soaking the tent just made it even more cross!” Rarity said as the tent growled, shuffling closer to them.

“Just give it a sec,” Spitfire said. “NOW!”

Immediately there was rustling in the bushes, and what appeared to be a several bottle rockets shot out at the tent, blasting it and exploding on impact. Immediately, the tent was engulfed in flames.

“Lighter fluid,” Spitfire said with a grin.

"When a tent starts a fight, BURN IT ON SIGHT!" Iron Will shouted as he rose up from the bushes with the empty launching rods and flexed.

“YEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!” the muscular white pegasus cheered as he rose up behind him, striking a pose.

The purple tent let out a ferocious, agonized roar as the flames covered it completely, and soon there was only ash. Twilight sighed in relief, Rainbow grinned in satisfaction, and Rarity passed out.

“Ohhh-kay. Guess we should head back to our tent, huh?” Spitfire asked, looking down at the unconscious unicorn.

“Probably a good idea,” Twilight said. “Rainbow what are you doing?!” she noticed her friend messing with a trash can that had been where the tent was.

“Pee-yew!” Rainbow said, pulling out a jar with some kind of liquid in it. “Want this, Twi?”

“Rainbow, what makes you think I’d want to carry something that’s been in the garbage?” Twilight asked in disgust.

“Muck-Ooze-Fungus Special Sauce?” Rainbow asked as she read the label. “Somepony’s got problems.”

“I guess it won’t hurt to hold on to, maybe it’s a clue I can analyze later,” Twilight said, wrinkling her muzzle as she got a sniff of its odor.

“So what were you three doing down there?” Spitfire asked.

“We got kinda sidetracked with all the zomponies, actually,” Twilight explained. “But what was that thing back there?”

“Not really sure. One of my guys saw zomponies just got ahold of one of the town’s tents and covered it with some kind of purple gunk, and next thing you know, boom! It’s alive,” Spitfire explained. “Guess it was lucky me and the others got there when we did!”

“I wonder if this stuff has anything to do with it?” Twilight asked, examining the jar again. “Do you have any samples of the stuff those zomponies used?”

“No, afraid not… we tend to want to get away from those things after we blow ‘em up, they do kinda smell,” Spitfire said with a sheepish laugh.

“If there was a way to capture one, that wouldn’t be an issue,” Rainbow said.

As if on cue, there was a puff of smoke in her saddlebag and Rainbow found a scroll inside that hadn’t been there before and opened it.

Hey, Rainbow Dash!

How’re you doing? I bet you’re being totally awesome beating up those zomponies!

Guess what? Me and the others are gonna help! We invented this totally cool way to deal with zomponies that’s sure to give us a cutie mark for it! Derpy’s gonna bring it to you soon.

Signed,

The Cutie Mark Crusader Zompony Fighters!

“Well, whaddya know,” Rainbow said.

“Um, Rainbow, you realize this is Scootaloo and her friends we’re talking about, right?” Twilight asked.

“Hey, they invented a thing that gets rid of magical pencil statues. I’ll give them a free pass,” the pegasus said, just in time to get tackled by a familiar gray pegasus with a blonde mane and tail that had come crashing through the roof of the tent.

“My bad!” Derpy said with a sheepish smile as she got up. “I was ‘sposed to give ya this!” she explained, holding out a box with her hooves. “It’s a bit heavy so please take it?”

Twilight floated the box out of the pegasus’ hooves with her magic and opened it. Inside was a folded up paper of some sort that glowed with some kind of glittering magic. Along with it was a note.

Just lay this down and the zomponies’ll be beaten!

~CMC, Zompony Fighters

“Uhh…” Twilight unfolded the paper and before she could react it magically expanded to blanket the whole floor of the tent. “What the hay?!”

“Some kinda giant flypaper?” Spitfire wondered, noticing that a logo on the corner said ‘CMC Zompony Paper’ “Well, I guess this is all we got. We’ll get some bait set and lure them in, then we’ll see if those fillies really came up with something.”

“You’re gonna go through with it?” Twilight asked.

“At this point I’m desparate enough to try anything,” Spitfire said. “You go take your napping friend there and get some rest. I’ll send you a message if this works.”

“If you say so,” Twilight replied, looking back at Rainbow Dash as she picked up Rarity and they headed for the hotel. “If this does, I can get a sample of that purple goop and see if it’s connected to that stuff Rainbow found in the jar.”

“Thank Celestia this place isn’t full of zomponies anymore!” Rainbow said as they passed through the halls being greeted by staff. Apparently with the creepy tent gone it had done a small blow to the zomponies enough for the ponies in town to get some business open.

“Ugggh…” Rarity slowly regained consciousness on the bed Rainbow had placed her on. “What happened? Crazy dream about a killer tent that was set on fire… where are we?”

“The Hollow Shades hotel,” Twilight replied.

“What?! This place was full of zomponies and the like earlier!” Rarity protested. “And Fleur! Oh goodness where could she be?”

“Beats me,” Rainbow said with a shrug. “I looked around and the place didn’t have zomponies anymore. Apparently Spitfire and her bunch cleared them out earlier.

“Oh my, I do hope the poor dear’s alright,” Rarity said.

“We’ll be able to look for her later, once the zomponies are dealt with,” Twilight replied. “In the meantime hopefully we’ll get a good idea of where these undead are coming from, and how to stop them.”

“They were guarding a passage earlier,” Rarity said. “A lot more of them then the three of us can handle.”

“Well, if this trap works, they won’t be a problem anymore. Any of ‘em left I’m sure we can trash ‘em!” Rainbow said, swinging her hoof to emphasize her point.

“Celestia’s mane, it actually worked?!” Twilight asked, staring agape at all the zomponies that were now magically stuck to the tent floor an hour later, all but covering it completely.

“Looks like!” Rainbow said as she flew in and looked down at the undead equines.

“If you’ll need me I think I’ll stay outside. That smell is positively ghastly!” Rarity said as she turned and sat down outside the tent.

“Well, at least now I can analyze that goop they have!” Twilight said with a smile, walking over to the nearest zompony and lowering a spoon into its mouth. After a few seconds, she brought it out and looked it over; it was now covered in purple ooze. With a nod, she floated a cup out from her saddlebag and shook the spoon off in it, giving the goo a quick stir. Floating out the jar they’d found earlier Twilight focused her magic on both of them.

“Well? Anything?” Rainbow asked impatiently as she hovered in the air.

“Hmmm…” Twilight focused more, and both glowed for a second. “They do have similar ingredients, though the one I took from the zompony has magical residue in it! I’d say this ooze is being used to abuse life and death!” she said with a giggle, earning a glare from Rainbow Dash and Rarity. “Sorry.”

“Well that’s all fine and dandy, but does that mean we have any way of stopping it?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing… can… stop… the master!” one zompony moaned.

“Oh shut up,” Rainbow said, smacking the zompony with her hoof for good measure.

“You girls done in here?” Spitfire asked from outside. “We’re about to set the tent ablaze and get rid of ‘em for good.”

“Oh, thank Celestia! A lady like myself can not abide those foul things any longer!” Rarity said with a smirk as Twilight and Rainbow came back outside.

“And with that pathway cleared, we can continue on and find answers to how this stuff is being made!” Twilight said. “I should be able to come up with some kind of ‘counter-ooze’ for want of better words with the untainted sample in the jar too if I use my own magic.”

Focusing on the jar from the living tent, Twilight closed her eyes and concentrated, a few moments passed as the other ponies watched, and suddenly the purple substance glowed pink. “Alright, let’s try this out,” she said, floating it over a trapped zompony, who stared at it blankly as she poured a few drops on it.

The reaction was instantaneous. The zompony immediately swelled up like a balloon, then burst in a puff of pink smoke like the Pinkie clones Twilight remembered dealing with when the mirror pool had been found. “Well, I think we have a success. We expose the source of this slime to it, and that should fix our zompony problem for good!”

“Let’s do this then!” Rainbow said, raising her hoof in the air proudly. “We’ll show whoever’s making all these zomponies what-for!”

“Well, if you’re gonna do that, then at least take this with you,” Spitfire said, opening a saddlebag and pulling out three bottle rockets. “May give an edge against whatever’s behind this.”

“Thanks, ma’am!” Rainbow said with a salute, and the three friends headed back towards the cemetery.

“Nice, the coast is clear!” Rainbow said with a grin as she flew into the open and now unguarded mausoleum.

“Ugh, into the dark, dank underground again? Give me a moment to take in the fresh… undead filth-ridden air… nevermind, let’s make haste shall we?” Rarity said, briskly trotting in after the pegasus, followed by Twilight, who lit up her horn once they got inside.

“We seem to be heading north,” Twilight explained as she looked over her map. After a few minutes of descending several stairs that took them deeper and deeper into the tomb, the three ponies finally came face to face with a closed door. Cocking her head, Rarity charged up her horn to open it, but found it to be locked.

“Not enough space for me to get enough momentum either,” Rainbow said, crossing her forelegs and huffing angrily as she hovered in the air.

“Hang on! I have just the thing!” Twilight said, using her magic to open her saddlebag and floating out the device Minuette had given her.

“What’s that, a sonic probe?” Rainbow asked, staring at the pen-shaped object.

“That’s screwdriver, Rainbow!” Twilight said with an eyeroll. Floating it over to the lock, Twilight focused on the small button on the side of the device and the tip suddenly glowed blue. A second later, a click was heard and the door slid open.

“Well, that certainly came in handy,” Rarity said with a smile. “Now, why don’t we—”

Five zomponies on the other side of the door grinned at them and began to charge at them.

“…Hopefully restore that lock right away!” Rarity promptly used her magic to slam the door shut, and a thump was heard as the zomponies crashed into it. “Oh…” The white unicorn re-opened the door and found the zomponies sprawled on the floor. “Well, aren’t you five just an eyesore!” she said, turning and bucking each one in the face before they could stand, knocking their heads off. “Much better. Let’s move on, shall we? I’d very much like to see where this tunnel leaves and be out of it as soon as possible,” she said with a smirk while Twilight and Rainbow Dash exchanged a surprised glance.

Ten minutes and three more encounters with the undead later, the three friends discovered another set of stairs, these leading up.

“Please tell me this leads to outside!” Rainbow said anxiously as she flew upward seeking out the top.

“Indeed, it’d be nice to find some air that doesn’t smell like rotted flesh,” Rarity said.

“I admit, I agree with you both,” Twilight said. “And the sooner we find the source of this zompony plague, the better!” she added.

"Another locked door,” Rainbow answered, looking back as she tapped her hoof impatiently. “Hey, I think I hear water on the other side,” she said, pressing her ear against the metal door.

Twilight floated out the sonic screwdriver again and positioned it in front of the lock. “Well then, let’s see where this leads to, alright?” With a flash of blue light from the device, the door creaked open, and the three were greeted by fresh, open wilderness as they emerged from what appeared to have been a cave entrance that had been sealed off by the door. Looking ahead, they noticed a large waterfall before them.

“Judging by the map, I’d say we’re at Neighagara Falls now,” Twilight explained as she floated out her map again and looked it over.

“Then whatever’s causing the problems in the Hollow Shades is coming from here,” Rainbow answered, staring at the waterfall but finding nothing out of the ordinary. “Well, what’re we waiting for? Let’s kick some—” Her words were promptly cut off by an all-too-familiar fanfare. “Ohhh no, no, no not again!” Rainbow groaned, face-hoofing and shaking her head.

“Is that…?” Twilight muttered as she stared up at the sky, noticing a long, thin figure come spinning down. As it got closer, she quickly recognized who it was.

“Honesty, don’t you have anything better to do?” Rarity asked when Discord, donning a pocketed, floral-print shirt landed before them.

“Oh mind your manners, Rarity!” Discord said with a wave of his paw as the camera materialized around his neck. “Honestly, I can’t believe I’m telling you of all ponies.”

“Uhh, what’s going on?” Twilight asked, looking at her two friends who seemed to have a much better idea then she did of what was happening.

“Ugh, he’s been pulling this since I got started on this crazy adventure!” Rainbow protested. “Just showing up at random to get pictures of us.”

“Seriously?” Twilight asked, glaring at the draconequus, who had just mounted the camera on a tripod that had just appeared from out of nowhere. “Don’t you think you could be a little more productive with your powers at a time like this, Discord?” she asked.

“Of course, Twilight! But where’s the fun in that?” the chaos god asked with a laugh. “Now, group together in front of the falls and say ‘fuzzy pickles’!”

“Fuzzy pickles?!” Twilight asked, the camera snapping the photo in mid-sentence and immortalizing her expression as well as the exasperated looks of the two ponies on either side of her.

Discord pulled out the photo the instant it slid out of the camera and grinned. “Oh! Caught you right as you were talking! Your mouth looks so ridiculous right there! I’ll have to show this one to the Princess before I put it in the scrapbook!” he said with a laugh and sliding it into his shirt pocket. “Well, I should probably be going now! Best of luck my little ponies!” Discord said with a salute as the camera vanished and he spun back up into the sky before he, too, disappeared in a flash of light.

After a moment of awkward silence between the three friends, Twilight finally spoke up. “Well, let’s take a look around, maybe there’s a clue here.”

“Like that?” Rarity asked, pointing her hoof at the waterfall as a zompony emerged from it and began to approach.

“I got it!” Rainbow shouted, flying straight at it and swinging her hoof at it, knocking its head off and sending it rolling into the bushes. Purple ooze spurted from the neck stump before the headless body fell to the ground.

“Ughh… so they’re coming out from behind the waterfall?” Rarity asked, looking back at where the creature had emerged from.

“Would seem so,” Twilight said, closing her eyes and her horn began to glow. Slowly, the waterfall parted, revealing a small cave with a door behind it.

“Better knock I guess,” Rainbow said, flying in and attempting to open the door, but to no avail. “It’s locked.”

“Password,” A voice said on the other side as a slot on top of the door slid open, and Rainbow saw a pair of opaque blue eyes peering through at her.

“Password?!” Rainbow asked. As soon as the words left her mouth the slid slammed shut and she faintly heard hoofsteps leaving. “HEY! Open up!” she yelled, pounding on the door but to no avail. “Twi! Get that thingy out and open it!”

“Right, right, sure!” Twilight replied, floating the sonic screwdriver out and focusing it on the door. “Did it work?” She asked. Rainbow tested the handle.

“Nope.”

“Hm, let me try again,” Twilight focused harder, but this time the door and the screwdriver glowed a sickly green and Twilight felt herself get knocked over by a magical feedback. “Okay… new plan!”

“What pray tell would that be?” Rarity asked.

“I have no idea!” Twilight said as cheerfully as she could manage under the otherwise dire circumstances. “Guess we just have to find another way.”

“Eek-eek! Ponies! Hey!” a voice called from behind a bush.

“What?! Who said that?!” Rainbow asked, looking around. “Come on out and show yourself!”

At that moment, a small monkey emerged. It was rather disheveled in appearance, with no less then five harnesses with various tools on them strapped to his body, and a pair of goggles on his head.

“A gizmonk? What are you doing here?” Twilight asked, staring down at the creature. She’d heard about these things; they were obsessed with inventing, tinkering, shiny things, and little else. She’d heard some lived in Equestria but mostly in cities where they were employed for maintenance and freelance inventing. What one would be doing way out here in the middle of nowhere was anypony’s guess as far as Twilight knew.

“They kidnapped the other gizmonks and make them work in their factory behind the waterfall! The gizmonk village is deserted now!” the gizmonk insisted between a few ooks and eeks.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Wait, a factory back there?” she asked, looking over at the now closed waterfall.

“A gizmonk village is around here?” Rainbow asked, having never heard of such a thing outside the more industrialized griffon territory.

“Yes! Yes! In the mines that way!” the gizmonk pointed to a small passage behind the bush he’d hidden in. “I escaped the factory and saw you.”

“Well don’t worry, we’ll save your friends,” Twilight said with a smile. “So how can we get in?” she asked.

“Oh? Easy! Stand there do nothing for three minutes when you’re asked the password,” the gizmonk said as though it were an obvious answer. “Zomponies do it all the time!”

“Seriously?!” Rainbow asked in disbelief. “That’d drive me nuts!”

“Meant to! The password is test of patience!” the gizmonk said with a sheepish laugh.

“So who may I ask is behind this?” Rarity asked.

“Some really pretty white unicorn… wow bet she’s like a model or something…” the gizmonk muttered, droning off, then remembering what he was talking about. “Well anyway, she was with these creepy bug-ponies! My guess is she’s controlling this big nasty purple slime inside that makes more zomponies!”

“Hmmm, interesting,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “Well, you head back to your village. I promise we’ll break the others out!”

“Please do! Come by when you’re done!” the gizmonk said excitedly and scurried into the cave behind the bushes. When he was gone, Twilight nodded to her friends and approached the waterfall again.

“About bucking time!” Rainbow muttered as the door finally opened and she brushed away the various tic-tac-toe games she and Rarity had played on the dirt ground for the last three minutes.

“Alright, girls! Let’s put an end to this!” Twilight said with a smile and the three ponies headed inside…

Author's Note

And there we go, another chapter! :twilightsmile:

Can't Stop It!

“Okay, this place is way creepy. Where is everypony?” Rainbow asked as she looked around. The factory was well-lit and spacious, with several passages and a large conveyor belt in the middle that had strange cocoons being moved along it, the sounds of heavy machinery hissing and grinding all around.

Approaching, Twilight used her magic to float one of the cocoons off, setting it on the floor. Lighting it up, she saw a curled up, equine form inside. “What the…”

“Is that a pony trapped in there?” Rarity asked, staring agape.

“Oh my gosh, it is! They’re kidnapping ponies!” Twilight said.

“That’d explain why we haven’t seen the zomponies actually killing anypony,” Rainbow said. “But why bring them here? It’s not like they can do any work all stuck inside this things!”

“Well, one way to find out,” Twilight said, turning around. As soon as she did, the lights grew dim, and numerous glowing blue eyes stared down at them, the sounds of chitin wings buzzing all around.

“Well... darn,” Twilight muttered as the numerous creatures immediately descended upon them and everything went black.

Rainbow stirred from her sleep, and attempted to move but found herself wrapped in a viscous green substance like what coated the cocoon they’d found earlier. I gotta stop letting this happen to me... she thought to herself as she looked around. Gizmonks were in chains slaving away at tinkering with the machinery that kept the factory running, as well as moving cocooned ponies around to be sent to Celestia-knows-where. Behind her she saw Rarity and Twilight also wrapped up in gooey substance, and in the better lighting the creatures that had ambushed them looked far more familiar.

“Changelings!” Rainbow shouted, struggling some more but with no success. The changelings carrying her turned and looked at her for a moment before continuing to march her and the others to wherever they intended to bring them. Rainbow’s yelling, however, had managed to wake up Twilight and Rarity, the former taking several seconds to fight off the grogginess and the latter promptly screamed as loud as she could.

“No! NO! NO! How could you, you disgusting bug-creatures?! I just showered last I was in the hotel now I have to do it agaaaaiiiiiiin!” she whined, causing the changelings carrying her to drop her as they pressed their hooves against their ears, desperate to drown her out.

“Ow! First you wrap me in this disgusting and may I add foul-smelling grunge, and then you have the nerve to drop me?! For an organized insectoid society, you have absolutely NO sense of etiquette! If whoever’s in charge here won’t put you in your place then I shall!” Rarity protested indignantly, her horn glowing as she floated a nearby trash can at one, smashing it into his face and knocking him out. Immediately, several more changelings surrounded her, glaring at the angry unicorn.

“Rarity!” Twilight shouted, squirming in the gooey substance she’d been trapped in, and focusing her magic to teleport out. Vanishing from where she was, she reappeared in front of her friend and fired bolts of magic at the changelings, driving them back.

“Hey, a little help here, too?” Rainbow called out, struggling harder as the changelings turned their attention on her.

Turning around, Twilight charged up a magic blast and fired it at a changeling who climbed atop the cocoon Rainbow was trapped in, knocking it off her, then galloped over to her, cutting away the semi-solid substance with her magic and freeing the pegasus. As Rarity joined the two, the changelings began to regroup and surround them.

“Okay, who’s first?” Rainbow asked, clapping her hooves together and grinning at the hideous creatures. As if to respond, they immediately charged forward, transforming into copies of Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity.

The three grouped themselves together, pressing against one-another’s backs as they knew if they separated the changelings could fool them. Rainbow swung her hind leg out, kicking a false Twilight in the face and sending it flying. Twilight fired several blasts of magic left and right knocking more of them away while Rarity grit her teeth angrily and uppercut a fake Rainbow that got near her, before using her magic to grab one and fling it into another. The changelings only seemed to grow more determined, several of them now lunging at them and grappling them with their forehooves, then tossing them into the crowd. Rainbow sat up, realizing she’d been separated from her friends. Great… she muttered, looking around at all the creatures that looked like numerous Twilights and Rarities and assuming her friends were in a similar dilemma. Striking and bucking each one that came close, Rainbow fought with all her might, and in seconds, had grabbed up another false Twilight.

“Wait! Wait!” the Twilight she’d grabbed pleaded. “It’s me, Rainbow! It’s me!” Sighing, Rainbow released her friend and looked around at all the unconscious changelings. “Great, now where’s Rarity?” she asked, noticing she was no longer there.

“They must have taken her in the confusion,” Twilight said.

“Well, then let’s find her,” Rainbow said, spreading her wings and taking to the air.

“I think I know where she is! Down that hallway!” Twilight pointed with her hoof.

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Rainbow said, flying down the hallway with Twilight close behind.

“I don’t see her,” Rainbow said, entering the room.

“Up here!” Rarity, cried out, standing up on a high platform.

“Rainbow, look out!” a second voice that sounded like Twilight’s shouted as a second Twilight stood up next to her but was immediately restrained by two more changelings.

“What the—“ Rainbow began before the pieces came together and she looked at the Twilight standing next to her. “Aw, horseapples.”

“Gotcha!” the changeling that looked like Twilight hissed, shifting back to its original form and blasting Rainbow with a burst of magic before she could react. Rainbow tumbled across the floor just in time to see her friends get pushed off the ledge and land next to her.

“Nice work,” a refined voice purred from a doorway behind where Twilight and Rarity had been pushed from. “Looks like I have three little ponies still meddling in my affairs!” Fleur De Lis said with mocking sigh as she stepped into the light. “Sombra was right that you’d be a nuisance, I underestimated you when I had the two of you locked under the cemetery… seems you’re still somehow able to get your friends to bail you out.”

Rarity glared at the slender white unicorn model. “Queen Chrysalis, am I right?” she asked. The unicorn laughed and grinned at her.

“I suppose it wasn’t too hard to figure out.” ‘Fleur’ said, and green flames engulfed her body. Her pristine white coat peeled away like brittle plaster and revealing ebony-black skin underneath, her body grew taller and thinner, a carapace emerged from her torso, and her glamourous pink mane and tail fell away revealing a dull green mane and a finlike tail. Her eyes turned a reptilian green and her horn grew long and jagged. There, where the unicorn model Fleur De Lis had stood, was the changeling queen Chrysalis, sneering down at the three mares.

“So, Queen Chrysalis, selling out to King Sombra? What a show!” Rainbow said with a chuckle. Immediately Chrysalis flew down and stood over Rainbow, her hoof drawn back as if to strike her, but the changeling just laughed.

“Sell out? Of course not. I’ve allied with him. When his victory is achieved over this land and the rest of the world, we shall have our spoils,” Chrysalis explained. “With his presence known, ponies are on quite the alert, making it hard to infiltrate towns. That’s where a new means was provided. A recipe that creates a semi-sentient substance that, with the proper added ingredients, can possess the dead!” Chrysalis chuckled in amusement. “Now’s where you ask me why bother with such a thing.”

Twilight groaned. “Fine. Why?” she asked, knowing if she could play on the changeling queen’s ego some more then give time to come up with a plan, though she couldn't think of one.

“So glad you asked. By creating a zompony invasion, the citizens of Hollow Shades become too distracted by a threat that makes an open assault they’ll fail to notice a more subtle one! The zomponies brought back our first crop for us, and now my children are preparing to take their places and infiltrate the rest of the town! The zompony invasion is meant to fail, but in that moment of victory, my children who will have replaced much of the town will immediately seize it! Then with our test trial a success, we lather, rinse, and repeat with other towns!” Chrysalis said, letting out a sinister laugh.

“And what do you have planned for us, pray tell?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, you came this far to meet the zomponies’ ‘master’ am I right?” Chrysalis said with a chuckle. “He’s quite… unstoppable. I mentioned I’d procured a recipe, created by a unicorn witch...” She rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Hydia… I believe her name was… it calls for muck, ooze, fungus, and cooked in volcanic temperature with a charge of magic I used from a… normally forbidden necromancy spell to give it the ability to create zomponies!” She spread her wings and flew up towards the ceiling “Well, prepare yourselves, my little ponies! I have preparations to make, so I’ll leave you in the capable… and quite grimy hands of my unstoppable creation, the Smooze!” Her horn glowed and a crank lever began to turn a gear mechanism in the ceiling that opened the entire wall section in front of Rainbow, Twilight, and Rarity. Laughing, Chrysalis flew off down the doorway she’d come out of, followed by the changelings.

“…The what?” Rainbow asked, confused. “Did she say ‘smooze’? What’s a smooze?”

“I don’t know, but I think we’re gonna find out,” Twilight said, looking at the new opening nervously.

Within, a weird chanting could be heard, almost like… singing?

“Oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh!” a deep voice that sounded more like a chorus chanted as it came closer.

“You can’t stop ME!” the voice’s owner declared, and from the opening emerged a towering glob of purple ooze with numerous eyes and mouths forming and receding from it continuing to chant. A larger set of eyes and a mouth formed in the center, with two stubby arms as it spread itself all around the room, prompting Rainbow to grab Rarity while Twilight teleported to the ledge, Rainbow landing next to her and setting Twilight down. Looking around them, the three noticed the ledge circled around the entire room, while the entire lower floor was blanketed by the massive purple blob. “Don’t even TRY!” the blob that had been referred to as the Smooze roared, lashing its massive hand forward at them, attempting to crush them.

Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity immediately jumped out of the way, but as they did, tinier versions of the Smooze formed from the wet handprint.

“Nothing can stop… the Smooze!” the tiny blobs sang in a high-pitched unison before Twilight blasted them one-by-one with her magic.

Rainbow took to the air, flying around the towering, gelatinous beast as several more hands rose from the flooded lower floor attempting to grab at her, but the pegasus was too fast.

“Girls! Look!” Rarity shouted, gesturing to the stairways near the door Rainbow and the false Twilight had entered earlier. Zomponies were crawling out of the Smooze’s body and climbing up the stairways towards them!

“You two! Deal with the zomponies! I’ll keep big, purple, and ugly busy!” Rainbow shouted. Immediately Twilight and Rarity galloped over to the two stairways and stood their ground, firing blasts of magic at the approaching zomponies. The undead creatures exploded in bursts of purple gunk and tumbled back down the stairs, but more quickly came in their place. Rainbow flew in front of what passed for the Smooze’s main body, forelegs folded as she hovered in place with a cocky smile. “Come on, Mr. Unstoppable! Try and catch me!” Rainbow said, immediately flying as fast as she could to dodge the blob monster’s gigantic hands and the numerous smaller hands and tentacles that rose from the flowing purple pool below, the many faces continuing to chant endlessly. Circling around the main body at high speed, Rainbow formed a small whirlwhind. The Smooze roared and thrashed as it was suddenly shredded apart by the wind and burst apart all over the walls below.

“Well, so much for unstoppable,” Rainbow said, but seconds later the purple ooze began to bubble, the faces reforming from it and chanting again.

“Oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh!” They sang, as the main body began to rise up again and narrowed its eyes at Rainbow Dash. “Told ya, you can’t stop the Smooze!” it taunted.

Barely dodging another slimy swing of the creature’s hand, Rainbow looked down at her friends, who were becoming slowly overwhelmed by the increasing number of zomponies rising from the Smooze’s body and approaching them. If she didn’t think of something, this fight may as well have been over.

No, don’t quit! she told herself. If there was a way to thin out the numbers… An idea came to her.

“Twi! That stuff we messed with that killed the zomponies in Hollow Shades!” Rainbow called out.

“Rainbow, I highly doubt we have enough for this many zomponies!” Rarity insisted, blasting away several more and taking a few steps back as many more emerged in their place.

“No, that’s not what I have in mind. Twi! Send it up here!” Rainbow shouted. Shrugging and floating out the jar and a bottle rocket, Twilight floated the rope she’d brought to tie it on and magically lit it. Using her magic to properly guide it, the bottle rocket immediately soared over to Rainbow Dash, who grinned as she stuck her hooves out at just the right moment to catch it and redirected it into the Smooze’s enormous mouth.

Light burst inside the Smooze as the bottle rocket presumably exploded, and it looked at Rainbow Dash in confusion, the pegasus smirking in response. Letting out a roar, the Smooze raised its hand back and prepared to swing at Rainbow Dash, but suddenly it froze in place and looked down at itself, then at Rainbow Dash. The zomponies that had now tackled Twilight and Rarity suddenly paused as well, strange pink light emanating from their empty eyes and mouths before collapsing in a lifeless heap. The Smooze itself began to thrash about, roaring in pain as pink cracks began to form all around its body, the multiple faces crying out as one by one they vanished. Rearing back, the Smooze let out one last scream as its body lost all solidity and fell apart with a wet splash, leaving only a lifeless, purple pool of ooze.

“Hey, nice thinking!” Twilight said.

“What can I say? I’m just that awesome!” Rainbow said smugly, not wanting to admit she wasn’t even sure it’d actually work and had just hoped for the best.

“Well, as pleased as I am that it’s over, we should at least do something about this mess,” Rarity said, walking back up to the ledge and spotting a control panel, which featured a “Flush” lever and immediately pulled it down with her magic. In seconds, the purple ooze drained out of the room, leaving them free to go back down to the lower floor.

“We’d better go check on those ponies and the gizmonks,” Twilight said, leading the others downstairs and back into the previous rooms. Much to their delight, the gizmonks had freed themselves, and were working diligently at peeling away the cocoons to free the captured ponies.

“Hey, it’s our saviors!” one gizmonk said with a grin. “We’ll get them back home. We heard you kill the Smooze! Saw all the zomponies just drop dead!”

“Good, I guess without the Smooze to control them they can’t function anymore,” Twilight said, smiling as the gizmonks pulled Fleur from one if the cocoons and slapped her a few times, waking her up.

“Whoa, where am I?” the unicorn model asked.

“You’re safe now. The zomponies are gone, and Chrysalis is in for quite a surprise,” Twilight explained.

“Speaking of, we better catch up to her! She went out the other way!” Rainbow said.

“Ponies!” Another gizmonk said. “She’s probably going through the gizmonk village! There’s another way into Hollow Shades from a passage through there we use for when we do services for the town! Just go right through, you’ll see the passage on the other side!”

“Thanks!” Rainbow said. “Well come on, girls, let’s get moving!” Rainbow said with a smirk, leading the way as Twilight and Rarity galloped after her.

Please tell me this stuff washes out… Rarity thought to herself as she looked down at her stained coat in annoyance.

Author's Note

And another chapter done! I tried to deviate away from the game more here but still be close enough to events not to abandon it completely, and the Smooze is too simple-minded to act on its own, as well as play out the fight like a major boss battle seen in most of today's games, and of course throw Chrysalis into the mix. Seeya next chapter!

The Third Sanctuary

“Wow, this place is kinda cool,” Rainbow said, looking around at what the three assumed to be the Gizmonk Village. It was still empty, given the gizmonks were still in the factory helping the captured ponies, but the automotive machinery was still fully functional. Gears turned, moving watermills, cables that moved dumbwaiters into different bunkers and cranes that moved elevators up and down whirred with life. A large pond sat at the center with pipes feeding into it for what Twilight gathered was the town’s plumbing.

“I’ll say. It’s more advanced then most pony technology. Makes sense, gizmonks don’t really rely on magic much,” Twilight explained. “Still, not much to do here till the gizmonks return.”

With that, the three friends headed towards another cave passage that awaited them at the top of a small hill near the back of the village.

“Hey! Ponies!” a voice shouted, causing them to turn. The gizmonk they’d met outside the waterfall scurried towards them. “You came through that passage? One the bug-ponies created?” he asked.

“Yeah, what about it?” Rainbow asked.

“I saw them! They flew right out and into that cave you’re heading into! What happened?” the gizmonk asked.

“We got past their big ugly blob-monster, and now we’re gonna go finish the job!” Rainbow said with a grin as she smacked her hooves together.

“Heh, well best of luck then!” the gizmonk answered. “Go through, you’ll find Hollow Shades on the other side, just past some fancy spot the tourists like! Now don’t mind me, I better get ready for when the others get back!” he said before scurrying off to one of the larger buildings.

“Oh that’s right! There’s some kind of spot called the Platinum Well there!” Twilight said, then noticed her friends staring. “I read about it. Quite a tourist attraction, it’s a pond with a floor that’s shiny like platinum, giving it a beautiful shimmer in the light, named after Princess Platinum herself when Equestria was founded. It’s very peaceful, too… one of Equestria’s most harmonious places!”

“Ya know… I wonder...” Rainbow reached into her saddlebag and took out the stone she’d gotten at the start of her strange journey. “Twi, can you see if this thing is connected with that?”

“What is it, Rainbow?” Twilight asked, approaching and looking at the stone.

“It’s something that was given to me from the future of all places. It’s called the Harmony Stone.”

“Wait, what?” Twilight asked. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Rainbow?!”

“Well, sorry if the whole zompony invasion kinda had my priorities elsewhere, Twi,” Rainbow said with an eyeroll. “Look, we can go on about that later. The point is, Celestia sent this to help stop Sombra. But for it to work, we gotta visit eight special places in Equestria that predate even the Princesses and it’ll… I guess the way to put it is that it’ll absorb the harmony energy or whatever you wanna call it from those places. If this ‘Platinum Well’ is one of ‘em, we gotta know!”

“Okay, okay, this’ll just give me a sec. If this stone is capable of doing that, it’d have to have a pre-established connection with it,” Twilight explained, her horn and the stone glowing. “Wow, so this is a Harmony Stone! But they’ve been gone for ages, I wouldn’t have guessed Celestia would have something like this. Or maybe she got it later?” she wondered, staring in awe at the small rock.

“Yes, Twilight, its history is a magnificent tale to be told, but may we please move on with this?” Rarity asked with a slight eyeroll, prompting brief stares from Rainbow and Twilight. They knew Rarity could be prissy at times but her outburst was a little surprising.

“I’m getting to it, please be patient,” Twilight said, focusing. After a few seconds, it flashed a few times, and a spark of light shot out a few feet in the direction of the cave before fading. “Well, there we go. I think we can afford another stop after we deal with Chrysalis. Let’s go, girls!”

“Yup, they’ve been down here alright. Just follow the slime!” Rainbow muttered as she looked around.

The lamps that hung around the tunnels, likely of gizmonk design, provided the cave its lighting. All around bits of green goo webbed the walls and around parts of the floor, confirming that at some point earlier the changelings had sealed it off further down. The three ponies’ suspicions were confirmed when they came across a viscous green web of sorts blocking their way to the next passage.

“Alright, get behind me, girls!” Twilight said. Focusing her magic, a burst of magical flame short forth, hitting the web and setting it ablaze. Seconds later, only dust remained.

“Lovely work, Twilight! I must say I’m glad you were able to make it into this little adventure of ours!” Rarity said.

“It was nothing,” Twilight said with a blush. The sound of skittering could be heard echoing down the tunnels ahead. “Now come on, hopefully Chrysalis isn’t too far ahead!”

Further down, the tunnels grew dimmer. Changeling goo caked the walls, but not nearly as much as it once had. Three shapes could be seen up ahead, hovering and seemingly bickering. As the three drew closer, they found that it was three changelings but they didn’t seem to notice them.

“Now’s our chance!” Twilight whispered, charging up her magic and firing a shot at one of them, blasting him into the wall. The other two looked over at them, and then continued to make hissing and clicking sounds to one-another.

“What in the world?” Rainbow wondered. “We just blasted their sibling there and they’re like ‘oh that’s a bummer’ and go right back to arguing? Well, thank Celestia for small favors!” she said with a shrug and flew straight at another one, taking a flying kick position and her hoof impacted with another one shortly after, knocking it unconscious. The last one stared at her, confused, and looked down the passageway with an odd, longing look on its face. It didn’t appear as though it felt endangered, rather that it just didn’t like being away from whatever was down that hall.

“Hey! Yo! Hey!” Rainbow shouted, waving her hoof in the last one’s face, but it seemed to just ignore her, staring down the tunnel.

“...Wannnnnt,” it deadpanned, its gaze not breaking even when the pegasus shoved it several times.

“Okay, this is getting weird,” Rainbow said, drawing back her forehoof and decking it in the face, and the changeling fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Well, there’s apparently something down there that was affecting these three!” Twilight said.

“Rainbow, do you think maybe this sanctuary’s tainted as well?” Rarity asked.

“The last two were; it wouldn’t surprise me! We better go find out. With any luck it’s got Chrysalis stopped on her tracks, too!” Rainbow replied. “We better hurry! If she’s gotten messed up like her followers, here, we can take ‘em down easy!”

“Well what are we waiting for then?” Twilight said, and the three galloped down the tunnel as fast as they could, passing by several dazed or unconscious changelings along the way. Up ahead, they could see a tunnel entrance with light glowing faintly from it, but as they approached, several changelings flew into their path.

“You can’t have it,” they said in a creepy unison, all staring down at the three of them with an odd, blank look on their faces.

“Just try and stop us!” Rainbow said with a smirk. “Twi, another one of those fireworks!”

“On it!” Twilight said, floating one out and using her magic to light it. The bottle rocket shot forward and blasted the changeling group apart, causing several to crash into the walls and fall unconscious and several others to tumble across the dusty floors.

“What…?” one muttered, rubbing its head. Before it could react, Rarity bucked it in the face, knocking it out as well.

“Well, problem solved,” Rarity said with a small smirk. “It’s rather odd, really. They seem extremely out of it!”

“Well we can’t really dwell on it with Chrysalis probably just up ahead!” Twilight explained. “We got just one bottle rocket left, can’t put it to waste on another bunch of these. If we had more time we could have gone back for more.”

“Well, we don’t, Twi. This has to get handled now,” Rainbow said, leading the way. The moment they entered, they saw that before them stood none other then Queen Chrysalis…

“Whoa… she’s like… completely out of it, just like the others!” Rainbow said, waving her hoof on the changeling queen’s face. Chrysalis remained where she stood, completely unresponsive as she stared blankly at the shining light several feet away from them, numerous changelings lay around the room unconscious; and it looked as though they’d all taken eachother out.

“That’s weird, there’s no freaky monsters there!” Rainbow said. “Twi, lemme see the Harmony Stone!”

The unicorn floated it over and Rainbow held it out. The moment she did, however, she and the others ears were promptly struck by a piercing shriek as the light became brighter.

“There’s something here!” Rainbow said. “But I don’t get it, aside from that big boulder next to it, there’s nothing!”

“What EVER are you talking about, Rainbow Dash?” Rarity asked, a grin slowly spreading on her face as she approached the shining spot… and walked right over to the boulder next to it and wrapped her forehooves around it as best she could.

“So… beautiful,” Chrysalis muttered, devoid of emotion. As soon as she said this, Rarity turned and fired a bolt of magic stronger then either Twilight or Rainbow had ever seen from her at Chrysalis, blasting her off her hooves and into the wall.

“NO! It’s mine now! Take it from me, if you dare!” Rarity shouted. Twilight and Rainbow stared in shock as a faint purple glow emanated from parts of Rarity’s body and became similarly-colored patches on her coat; the rest of her color seeming to drain out of her completely and leaving her otherwise appearing as shades of white and gray and a sneer of obsessive greed spread on her face.

“Don’t… look…!” Chrysalis mumbled, shaking her head to fight off the dizziness. Twilight and Rainbow saw the boulder changing, growing more sharply-cut and shinier, and an odd, distorted music began to play all around them as Rarity stood protectively in front of the diamond.

“Oh Tom, I shall never part with you again! And I shall destroy these horrid ruffians who would dare to keep us apart, my trillion-aged diamond beauty!” Rarity said, the purple patches on her body glowing again as she stroked the huge diamond.

“Rarity, snap out of it!” Twilight shouted, approaching. As she drew closer, however, Rarity fired a blast of magic at her.

“NO!” Rarity shouted, her eyes flashing green as she glared at her friend. “Stand back, you thieving rogues!” The diamond began to glow brightly and Rarity smiled, her eyes glowing green as purple smoke trailed from them. “Tom is saying he wishes you’d appreciate him more!”

“CLOSE YOUR EYES!” Chrysalis shouted, and the two ponies complied immediately. Even with their eyes closed, it was evident the room became might brighter for a second. Reopening them, they looked over at the changeling queen, who just chuckled in amusement.

“So it would seem its history was true... using such focused dark magic to animate the Smooze has quite… interesting side-effects!” the changeling queen said, taking to the air.

“It’s somehow affecting Rarity?! And why did you just help us?” Rainbow demanded, surprised Chrysalis would bother to do anything on their behalf.

“Don’t misunderstand me. I merely repaid the favor for snapping me out of the hold that rock seems to put on others,” the changeling queen laughed. “As for your friend, I’d say that’s your problem, not mine. My only priority now is a… temporary retreat since that thing took out nearly all of my available changelings. Best of luck!”

With those words, the queen turned and flew out the tunnel they’d come through, laughing. With a sigh, Twilight and Rainbow returned their attention to Rarity, who simply stood protectively in the light of the gigantic, shining diamond before her.

“Twi, I have an idea,” Rainbow said, whispering into the unicorn’s ear.

“THAT’S your plan?” Twilight asked, surprised. “You better hope this one works, Rainbow. Last time Rarity got like this, she was pretty violent.” The incident where Discord had escaped for the first time was hardly an experience Twilight would forget, ever; especially with how it affected her friends. Rarity was ready to beat senseless anypony who got near the boulder the chaos god had hypnotized her into thinking had been a giant diamond.

“My plans are too awesome to fail, Twi,” Rainbow said, spreading her wings and flying straight at Rarity.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Rarity shouted, jumping atop the glowing diamond and firing several blasts of enhanced magic at the pegasus, who dodged each one.

“Can’t hit me, Rarity! Must be getting slow in your age!” Rainbow taunted, pausing in places long enough to make her fire at her, then moving just as she shot more magic at her.

“My… AGE?!” Rarity fumed, her eyes flashing green again. “OHHHHH IT. IS. ON!” Rarity focused on Rainbow and the pegasus was engulfed in a purple aura of magic, notably not the light blue Rarity was known for and was flung into the nearest wall, multiple times. “Wish to apologize for insulting me and attempting to rob me of Tom?” she demanded.

“What, that useless hunk of rock?” Rainbow asked, chuckling despite the beatings she was getting.

“Tom is NOT a rock!” Rarity shouted. “He’s my precious PRECIOUS baby!” she declared proudly, collapsing on the diamond and hugging it. “Learn to see things how I do!” she said, her horn glowing again and Rainbow felt herself pinned against the wall. “Now open wide and marvel at Tom’s splendor!” she declared as the boulder began to glow brighter and brighter.

“Okay… sure!” Rainbow said, slowly opening her eyes and smirking at what she saw just out of the corner of them.

Twilight stood back as the bottle rocket she’d lit shot forward, slamming into the giant diamond and exploding violently. Rarity went flying into the air and tumbled across the floor, breaking her magic’s hold over Rainbow and allowing the pegasus the chance to fly straight at the damaged rock as fast as she could, causing a deep crack to form into it and splitting it in two. The false diamond’s crystalline appearance rolled off it like a smoke cloud, revealing a boulder that promptly crumbled apart into dust, the light vanishing from it completely as the distorted music faded along with it.

“NO!” Rarity cried out, seeing what had happened. “You’ll… you’ll…” The green light faded from her eyes, the purple patches vanished off her body, and color returned to it. Rarity’s coat went from a dusty gray its original ivory and her mane and tail regained their rich violet color. “What just… Twilight? Rainbow? What in the world just happened?” the unicorn asked.

“You went mental there. Chrysalis bailed first chance she got,” Rainbow explained.

“Mental? Explain.”

“The boulder that was sitting in this shining spot, it turned into a huge diamond and put you under its control. Chrysalis mentioned something else, too before she left… you remember when we fought the Smooze, some of its residue got on you?” Twilight asked.

“Ugh! Don’t remind me, dear! I can’t wait to wash it out, I can still feel the stickiness!” Rarity protested, shaking her head in disgust.

“Well, from the looks of things, if what Chrysalis said was true... because the Smooze was animated by dark magic, maybe it has a way of… bringing out negative emotions in ponies it touched after a period of time. The corrupted sanctuary must have produced enough of a dark magic aura to affect it, but destroying what was affected by it seems to have broken its hold over you,” Twilight explained. “For now, anyway…”

“I… I see,” Rarity said, looking downcast. “What can we do about it?”

“Well, when we get the chance we’ll need to clean you up, and get a purification potion made to cleanse you of it completely. Actually…” Twilight thought for a moment, her face suddenly lighting up as an idea came to her. “Oh! Manehattan’s got the biggest library close by, they have a copy of the potion-making book I’ll need!”

“How do you know, Twi?” Rainbow asked.

“Well… I kinda keep a checklist of every book I ever borrow and return, and all ones I have on reserve in other libraries. If memory serves it’s actually one of the books I had on my reading list for once I returned from Canterlot,” Twilight said, earning an eyeroll from the pegasus.

“Thanks, Twilight. I’d say it’s best we make Manehattan as our next destination, then!” Rarity said, managing a smile.

“Soon as we handle this!” Rainbow said, gesturing to the tunnel ahead. “Now that the thing blocking the sanctuary is gone, we can get to it and collect the melody!”

“I see, well perhaps it is best we do that first, it’ll bring us one step closer to saving Equestria, won’t it?” Rarity said.

“It should be just outside,” Twilight said, noticing daylight coming from it that indicated the tunnel lead outside.

Emerging from the cave exit, the three found a small pond, about the size of the one in Ponyville. It was rather beautiful; the light shining off it and the almost… metallic sheen within gave it a beautiful, platinum look. The place had a serene feel to it that brought smiles to the three ponies’ faces, the three of them unable to resist a chance to just appreciate its splendor.

A second later Rainbow looked around and reached into her saddlebag. “Well, it’s not gonna collect itself!” she said with a cocky grin as she flew over and held out the Harmony Stone. A soft tune began to play in her mind, and she could feel fillyhood memories come back to her.

…

“I’m gonna be the most awesome-est flier in all Equestria, mommy!” a much younger Rainbow Dash said proudly, flying in circles around her mother. “Then, I’m gonna be a wonderbolt, just like you were!”

“I know you will, sweetheart,” the pink pegasus mare said, catching the cyan filly in her hooves as she hovered in the air. “Never stop being the brave, loyal daughter you’ve shown me that you are.”

“I won’t, mommy! I promise!” the rainbow-maned filly said, hugging her mother back.

…

The soft melody ended, and Rainbow found herself back by the pond, her friends staring at her. Shaking her head, the pegasus realized her eyes had watered again; this time her cheeks felt a little wet now, too as the memory had played in her mind. It did not go unnoticed; as now both Twilight and Rarity stood on either side of her.

“Rainbow… is there anything you want to tell us?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“We’re your friends, Rainbow. If there’s something bothering you, we’re here to listen,” Rarity said, putting a hoof on Rainbow’s shoulder.

“There’s a lot of things that went on in my life before I met you two,” Rainbow said. “Too much to talk about now. Besides,” she added, managing a smile and holding up the stone with her hoof. “We got what we were here for, right? We should probably be heading back to the Hollow Shades and hope the train station’s back in business!”

“More walking?” Rarity muttered, feeling rather fatigued from what had recently occurred.

“Nah, I’ll get us there in no time!” Twilight said. “Just come over and hold on to me.”

Twilight’s friends put their hooves on her shoulders and all three closed their eyes as her horn charged brightly with magical power, and in a flash, the three were gone.

“Now this I prefer!” Rarity said, smiling at the sunny sky that now overlooked the Hollow Shades. Zomponies and ghosts were nowhere to be seen, and townsponies were out and around repairing damages and going about their business. Up ahead, Rainbow noticed Spitfire and the others who had been fighting the zomponies off earlier supervising some of the repairs.

“Hey, Captain!” Rainbow said, flying over.

“Heya, cadet! Glad to see you made it through! Just a little while ago all those thick clouds began to fade, and then me and the others flew on up and cleared up the sky,” Spitfire explained. “Nice to finally see the town get back its good looks and a few less of the walking dead around." Spitfire let out a sigh of relief. "So where’re you three off to, now?”

“We’re heading to Manehattan!” Rainbow explained. “Know if the train station’s open now?”

“Far as I know it is,” Spitfire replied. “Fleur De Lis actually got on the first one, and the ponies the town was reporting missing turned up with a couple gizmonks who brought them over and explained everything. Nice work busting up those changelings, by the way!”

“Thanks. Wouldn’t have done it without my friends watching my back,” Rainbow said, looking over at Twilight and Rarity. “Well, maybe… their help was appreciated at least!” she added with a grin, causing both unicorns to partake in a synchronized facehoof.

“I’m sure it was,” Spitfire said with a laugh. “Well, if you three wanna catch that train, you should probably get moving. It’ll be leaving in just a couple more minutes.”

“Right! Catch ya later!” Rainbow said, and the three friends hurried off to the train station, which was now bustling with ponies who until now had been delayed by the zompony attack.

“Well I don’t know about the rest of you, but I’m looking forward to experiencing Manehattan as well!” Rarity said proudly, her eyes practically starry now. “Have you heard of the Star Reacher Department Store? It’s the second tallest building there next to the Equestian State Building, and is positively to die for!” she said. “Not to mention remarkable cuisines and the absolutely amazing Bridleway theater performances!”

“Careful, Rarity. I think you might pass out from all the excitement,” Rainbow said with a chuckle as she finished the daffodil sandwiches the train served. Just up ahead on the island off the coastline, Equestria’s biggest and most bustling metropolis awaited them. Aside from what she’d heard Applejack go on about once, she admittedly knew little else of the place, so it was sure to be an interesting experience either way, even with the threat of Equestria’s future looming over the three of them.

“Shouldn’t be too much longer, girls! Manehattan City here we come!” Twilight said, staring out the window as the massive city grew closer and closer…

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN!

And as ever... the epically creepy Sanctuary Guardian battle music...

Catch ya next time when I get the time for another chapter, and hope you all enjoyed this one and its twist 'boss fight'. :twilightsmile:

The Manehattan Project

“So here we are in the Big Orange itself!” Rainbow said, taking in the view all around her. Manehattan was HUGE, from down on the the ground many of the buildings seemed to pass the clouds themselves, paved streets spanned all over the place in every direction; with carriages being busily pulled here and there while ponies of all kinds moved along the sidewalks going in and out of the city's many establishments.

“I’m so excited! I can’t wait to see that department store!” Rarity said, trotting in place as her excitement grew.

“We’ll get to that, Rarity. First we need to get to the library so I can go grab that book we need,” Twilight said.

“What are we waiting for, then? Let’s get this out of the way! Nothing else in the world is going to keep me from seeing a few sights while we’re here!” Rarity replied eagerly.

Rainbow, meanwhile, remained silent. The towering skyscrapers were kind of cool; she betted if she sat on one she’d see the whole city, which gave her an idea.

“Gimme a sec, girls!” With those words, Rainbow flew straight up as fast as she could, to the roof of one of the nearby buildings and looked around. Even from her perch, a number of them still went higher then she was. A building with several signs on it she quickly recognized to be the One Equine Plaza was a couple blocks away which, according to Rarity marked the entertainment district. Meanwhile, a marble building that looked to be a museum was in another direction with what she hoped was the library next to it, and a taller building that had a large sign that read ‘Star Reacher’ on it was just past it. One building in particular caught her notice, however; a skyscraper taller then any other out in the distance that had a large, golden horse head sculpture on top of it. The Equestrian State Building, maybe?

Shrugging, Rainbow flew back down and rejoined her friends. “Alright, well I think the library’s just to the north of us, shouldn’t be too far!” Noticing Rarity’s expression, Rainbow frowned. “What?”

Rarity looked absolutely livid.

“Rarity, please tell me the Smooze stuff’s not gonna make you go all crazy again,” the pegasus muttered.

“That stallion…” Rarity's tone was low and dangerous.

“Rarity, one stallion looked at you funny,” Twilight said with an eyeroll. “Just let it go, already!”

“Not a chance! I am showering this instant! Bring us to a hotel, preferably a nice one!” Rarity said, turning her muzzle up in annoyance at the severe blow to her pride. Twilight did have to admit Rarity looked rather grungy after what they’d gone through with her but she wasn’t about to admit to anything that’d slow them up. Still, she knew a hopeless argument when she saw one and lowered her head in defeat.

“Twiiiiiiiiiiiiii!” Rainbow whined indignantly.

“Rainbow, you know she’s not gonna quit until we find somewhere to stop at. You bring her to the nearest hotel so she can wash up, and I’ll go look for the book we need,” Twilight replied, earning a facehoof from the pegasus.

“Fine,” Rainbow groaned. “Let’s go, Rarity.”

“Why thank you very much, Rainbow!” Rarity said, her mood far more improved.

“Well, I have to say, this shampoo is hardly what I would call high-quality, but I suppose I can make an exception if it can get this gunk out of my mane. And this conditioner will hopefully restore the luster to my coat,” Rarity said from within the bathroom as the shower water ran. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, lay on the double bed performing the fifth facehoof she’d made in the last twenty minutes. Fortunately, soon after, Rarity's tirade ended and she began to hum to herself in the shower. Admittedly she did have a beautiful singing voice, which was something Rainbow could stand to listen to as she lay back and closed her eyes, figuring her friend’s irritability had worn off now thanks to the smooze being washed out.

Moments later the manedryer had switched off and Rarity emerged from the bathroom, looking much cleaner with her mane and tail restyled.

“I suppose this will do for now; however, when the opportunity presents itself, I intend to stop by the salons of the department store to get some mane and coat-care products far more up to standards at maintaining the appearance of a lady like myself. I may even treat you to the same, Rainbow. How long has it been since you last bathed anyway?” the unicorn asked, prompting Rainbow to once again apply her right hoof directly to her forehead.

“Oh my! Look, Rainbow!” Rarity shouted suddenly, looking at the paper and catching the pegasus’ attention again. “Fancy Pants is here in Manehattan! He has recently purchased the upper portion of the Equestrian State Building for his new branch here," Rarity said, her eyes beaming with excitement. “We should go say hello once Twilight returns! I’m sure he’ll be delighted to see me again!” Rarity rubbed her chin with her hoof. “Odd, though. Given his status in Canterlot, I would wonder why he’d have need for such a significant form of expansion here.”

“Well, I’m no expert on that kinda thing, but this is a pretty big city, full of upper-crust ponies, Rarity. I’m sure there’s plenty to get out of having your business spread here, too,” Rainbow replied with a shrug.

“I see what you mean," Rarity replied. "Plus a lot of entertainment and art is done here, it’d be quite the field to get into, knowing as many models and fashionistas… myself included of course… it would be a reasonable place to expand his influence in.”

“Hm… dragon fossil display at the museum? Good thing Spike’s not here,” Twilight muttered to herself as she passed the large building, from Rainbow’s direction the Manehattan Library shouldn’t have been much further. As she kept her eyes on the museum, she did not see where she was going and felt somepony bump into her.

“Hey, careful there!“ the mare she’d bumped into protested. “…Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight looked at who she bumped into and saw a familiar white unicorn with a wild blue mane and tail, and a pair of mirrored purple sunglasses staring at her. She recognized the pony from Rarity’s fashion show and her brother’s wedding. Vinyl Scratch, was it? “Yeah, that’s me,” Twilight said. “Vinyl? What brings you to the Big Orange?”

The other unicorn sighed. “It’s a long story, alright? I’m sorry but I really can’t talk right now… if I don’t get back soon, they’ll sic their dogs on me,” Vinyl explained, looking around nervously.

“Vinyl, is there anything I can do? I got Rarity and Rainbow Dash waiting for me at one of the hotels.”

“Oh, they made it through the Hollow Shades? That’s awesome!” Vinyl said, managing a small smile. “But I doubt even they can help me now, especially after all they did for me last time.”

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

Vinyl prepared to speak but then something in her saddlebag set off an alarm. “Meet me at the Rock N’ Roadhouse, down Horseshoe Lane in one hour, it’s kinda out of the way but I go there to chill after my gigs. Don’t be late, and I’ll explain everything!” the unicorn said, and without another word, galloped off down the road and was gone.

Watching the other unicorn leave and wondering what was up, Twilight was tempted to follow but realized it would have probably accomplished nothing right now. Continuing onward, Twilight entered the library and approached the desk.

“Hi, I’m Twilight Sparkle, I run the library in Ponyville and I had a book on reserve… Baccus Brew’s Potion Compendium. I trust it’s still here?” Twilight asked with a friendly smile.

“Was, yes,” the librarian stallion answered. “I believe somepony checked it out for the day. Wanted it for perfecting some special effects.”

“What?! But I had it on reserve!” Twilight protested. “It’s really important and I need it right now for an emergency!”

“You had it on reserve for six days. After the fifth it’s fair game,” The librarian answered. “If you need it that badly, you can wait till the pony who borrowed it returns it, or go and see if she’ll lend it to you.”

“Maybe I will!” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes in annoyance. “So who exactly borrowed it?”

The librarian turned and went to the desk, pulling out the log of those who had borrowed from there. Finding the match, he floated it over to where Twilight was and placed his hoof on the name. “Right there. All I can say is good luck,” He said as Twilight’s expression became one of utter disbelief.

“I… I see… also, can you tell me if there’s any… special tourist attractions here? Maybe ones that are especially old, like… predate-the-city old?” Twilight asked, deciding to keep this trip from being as little a waste of a time as possible.

“Yes, actually… well, used to be, right inside a cave just off the coast of the island… at least till till it got bought out just yesterday and sealed off… real shame, ponies used to picnic around there all the time!” The librarian said with a sigh. “I still have an old pamphlet, not that it’d do much good but you can take it if you want...” He floated a pamphlet out of a drawer and over to Twilight, who looked at the picture on it, which featured a bright blue crystal formation.

“Sure… so any chance that I can just go ask who bought it if they can let us in?” Twilight asked.

“You can do that when you see about that book, I figure,” The librarian said with a smirk, prompting an annoyed groan from the unicorn.

“Looks like I’ve got a letter to send,” Twilight muttered as she floated the pamphlet into her saddlebag.

“Rainbow Dash, when I said I wanted to sample Manehattan cuisine, I did not mean order Neighsian takeout!” Rarity muttered, floating her chopsticks in a small box and taking some noodles and vegetables into her mouth.

“Aw give it a rest, Rarity. I was starving and those little sandwiches weren’t gonna hold me over. Besides, you were the one who gave your last sandwich to that miner at the station, and all you said when we discussed food was ‘no pizza’,” Rainbow answered as she simply poured her carton’s contents into her mouth, chewed it down, and swallowed it all. Rarity stared at her for a moment and gave a slow blink before resuming the far more refined manner of eating her own food. Her disgust was quickly halted when she noticed the candle spark and light up, and a scroll appeared from it.

“Oh my, who’s sent us something?” Rarity wondered, using her magic to place her food on the bedside desk and open the scroll.

Hello! Hope you’re all doing okay, and I hope I’m not bothering you!

If I am, I’m really, really sorry! Anyway, everything’s okay! Pinkie brought Applebloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle back safely and it looks like they’re taking to trying to invent things. It seems dangerous but they really want to try their best in helping you girls, so we’re keeping watch over them. Write back sometime.

If you wanted to, I mean.

~Fluttershy

“Aw, it has been a little while since we wrote her, hasn’t it?” Rainbow said, realizing Fluttershy may have been getting worried about them. Still, it was relaxing to know Fluttershy was still alright, as well as Pinkie Pie and the fillies. She could only wonder what kind of crazy thing they’d come up with next.

“Well, I’m glad to know Sweetie Belle and her friends made it back safely,” Rarity said, already working on a response. “Let’s get this sent to her at once… and I’ll need to ask her if she can give Opal a bath!” Rarity said, tapping her chin with the quill floating next to her. “…Better remind her to use Opal’s favorite mouse toy or she might be extremely fussy! Even Fluttershy has trouble controlling her when it comes to baths!”

“Well, let them know Twi’s gone out, she’ll be back soon and we’re three sanctuaries down!” Rainbow said. “Also let her know to tell Scootaloo I said hi.”

“Will do.” Rarity said, writing the rest down and then setting it over the candle. In seconds, the letter vanished.

“All taken care of, now we just need to—” Before Rarity could finish, another scroll appeared. “Oh my that was quick!” Opening it, Rarity sat next to Rainbow so the two could read it.

Girls, I need you to meet me at the Rock N’ Roadhouse. I’ll explain everything there.

~Twilight Sparkle

“Well that’s vague,” Rainbow said, glancing over at her friend as both wore unsure looks on their faces.

“My word, could this place look seedier if it tried?!" Rarity muttered as she and Rainbow walked into a basement-level tavern and looked around. The place had some dim lights, a pool table in the corner, a jukebox, and several tables and booths. At the end was a bartable with a wall loaded with bottles and barrels of what Rainbow suspected to be hard cider.

“Hey, it’s not that bad. You just got crazy-high standards,” Rainbow answered.

“I like to think they’re reasonable standards, Rainbow!” Rarity answered. The ponies present paid them no mind and went about drinking and playing at the pool table.

“Over here!” Twilight whispered from one of the booths, prompting Rainbow and Rarity over.

“No offense, Twi, but couldn’t you have picked a better place? I’ve had enough experience underground already,” Rainbow said.

“Well don’t expect that to change any time soon, Rainbow. I got a lead on the next sanctuary,” Twilight explained, floating the pamphlet she’d gotten earlier out of her saddlebag. “This is the Sapphire Spire, a large, concentrated sapphire growth that’s been here before the city was built, believed to have been around since before Equestria was founded. It actually wasn’t long after that Commander Hurricane had to protect it from a dragon that tried to steal it, so it’s got some history to it.”

“The Sapphire Spire!” Rarity squealed, gawking at the photo. “I’ve heard of it but never even seen a photo of it! Oh my, it’s absolutely lovely! I wouldn’t mind seeing it with my own eyes.”

“Well, until we find a way to make the place public again, it’s not gonna happen. It’s been magically sealed off,” Twilight said. “Also, the book I needed from the library’s been… checked out.”

“What? By who?!” Rainbow asked.

Twilight sighed. “Fancy Pants’ newest star and consultant in his expansion into financing entertainment management. She’s now in charge of Bridleway but she’s got an office in the Equestrian State Building.”

“Well, then I say we go talk to her and get that book, we probably need it more then her, after all. And not to mention Fancy Pants is a friend of mine, I’m certain he’d be willing to assist!” Rarity said. “Is it Fleur? I’m sure she’d be happy to return a favor for saving her from the changelings.”

“No, it’s not Fleur. Funny though, Fleur is set for a couple modeling shoots here, later,” Twilight mused. “Still, beside the point. The pony I’m talking about is—”

“Hey, Twilight! Made it early!” Vinyl Scratch said as she trotted over and sat herself down. “Aw, cool! You girls are alright! Hope Hollow Shades wasn’t too much trouble for ya!” she said when she saw Rainbow Dash and Rarity there.

“Eh, nothing we couldn’t handle!” Rainbow said with a hoofwave.

“I’m just glad it’s over. Those zomponies were simply horrid! And then there was that disgusting Smooze, and the changeling queen was behind it all!” Rarity explained.

“Whoa, the changeling queen from Shining Armor and Princess Cadance’s wedding?” Vinyl asked.

“The very same,” Twilight said.

“Wow… Equestria really has been getting crazier every day. And I thought my problems were bad!” Vinyl replied.

“Yeah, about that. What’s wrong, Vinyl? You seemed really… jittery earlier,” Twilight replied.

“Ehhh…” Vinyl looked downcast and crossed her hooves on the table before burying her face in her forelegs. “Mmmimmdmmmtagmm.”

“Excuse me?” Rarity asked.

“I’m in debt again,” Vinyl said softly.

“AGAIN?! After we bailed you last time?” Rainbow protested. “Are you seriously just that careless with your bits?”

“No! No! It’s nothing like that!” Vinyl protested. “I got here, and I’m suddenly greeted by these ponies in suits at the Bridleway, and they give me all these new things for my gigs, and after I use ‘em and the show’s done, they show me my contract again and literally with this poof of blue magic these added terms pop on it with this huge bill of ONE BUCKING MILLION BITS! And they won’t let me pay it by-and-by they want the whole thing up front but I can’t come anywhere close with all these added expenses they put on me when I’m doing my shows here and not to mention paying for keeping my carriage parked! They got me locked in for life now!” the deejay ranted, covering her face again and trembling a little as she tried to hold back tears.

The others stared agape from Vinyl’s story. None of them had that kind of money at all and just stared at eachother for a moment. A smile suddenly came to Rarity’s face.

“Wait, we need to see Fancy Pants, I’m sure he can pull some strings and get you out of this horridly deceitful contract!” Rarity said.

“Seriously… you don’t have to. It’s my problem. Besides, she won’t let you!” the deejay replied.

“She?” Rainbow asked.

“The one I gotta do all the music effects for. She’s like way up on the ladder and works with him as his main consultant. The contract’s terms’ll get ya laughed out of any courthouse, too so don’t expect to be able to get even the royalty in on this,” Vinyl said, sulking.

“Well, like I said, I can probably talk Fancy Pants into helping out. I’m sure of it!” Rarity said with a smile.

“Don’t you worry, Vinyl. We’ll have you outta this mess in no time. We got a couple things to settle anyway so it’s like several birds and one stone!” Rainbow said.

“Thanks… thanks so much. I’ll be at the Bridleway theater if you need to find me,” Vinyl explained, looking at the clock and immediately rushing out.

“Well, girls, we better get all this taken care of!” Twilight said.

“Next stop, Equestrian State Building!” Rainbow said, leading the way.

“Wow, it’s tall!” Rainbow said, staring straight up as the three of them stood before the large doors of the skyscraper.

“Well, we didn’t come for the view, so we’d better go inside,” Twilight said. As soon as they entered they were treated to the sight of a plush lobby with sky-blue walls and plush, azure sofas. The wall behind the reception desk had a painting with a familiar star wand and blue mist. “Hey, we need to see Fancy Pants?” Twilight asked the receptionist pony with a polite smile. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia, I’m sure you can make room for me? It’s very urgent.”

“I apologize, Mister Fancy Pants is out right now on a personal matter. Not sure when he’ll be back but his entertainment consultant is handling things here in his absence, so any issues will be brought to her. 50th floor, last door at the end of the hall. Don’t do anything foolish, the security is of Canterlot Royal Guard quality!” the receptionist explained like it was routine for her and pressed a button on her desk. “Three for floor 50.”

“Uh, yeah, thanks,” Rainbow said as she lead the others to the elevator that awaited them, and were greeted by a unicorn within.

“Hello, I’ll be taking you to the 50th floor. We apologize for Mister Fancy Pants’ absence, due to this access to his main office will remain off-limits until further notice, however due to his branch here focusing primarily in the entertainment industry, his primary consultant shall be happy to address any and all matters you may have and bring them to his attention immediately.” the unicorn recited from the clipboard that floated in front of her before pressing the star-shaped button on the elevator with her hoof.

“That’s all fine, we need to talk to her anyway about a couple things,” Twilight said, managing her best smile though it was evident she was getting somewhat irritated by the inconvenience as well.

As the elevator rose, the wall facing from the doors ended, revealing open sky through the glass windows, giving them a higher and higher view of the bustling metropolis.

“It really is something, isn’t it?” Twilight asked. “If we don’t stop Sombra, it’ll all be lost.”

“Don’t be a downer, Twi. We’ve stopped a lot of threats before, we can handle this!” Rainbow said with a grin.

“I for one just can’t wait to get this over with, this side trip is quite the inconvenience, though if I didn’t know better I’d think it was done intentionally.” Rarity said. “But that doesn’t seem like Fancy Pants at all! I wonder what could be wrong? I’m certain there’s an explanation!”

“Well, we’re about to find out.” Twilight said as the elevator came to stop and the doors opened, and they marched past the operator and down the hall, passing several brawny unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies in armor, giving steely glares at them as they walked by.

“Well I must say, this all feels rather unnecessary,” Rarity murmured, regarding the security as they passed them to the large golden-plated doors in front of them, where a lone unicorn stood guard.

“You may enter. But any horseplay and you’ll pay for it dearly!” he said with a smirk, his horn glowing and the doors opening.

Upon entering, Rarity stared agape, her friends’ expressions quickly mirroring hers. The office would put Canterlot’s suites to shame any day; featuring a gold-plated desk, paintings on the wall, plush cloud-soft sofas, a hot tub that was currently covered and attended to by more pony security, and reclined on an elaborately-decorated bed or possibly throne of some kind, was a familiar blue unicorn, her eyes were covered with cucumber slices, and a pair of mares tended to her, one brushing her mane and tail, the other feeding her grapes while they stood on either side of her. She wore a purple bathrobe with star and moon patterns on it, much like her wizard costume which hung on the wall, and took a sniff at the air.

“Someone here to see you, Miss Lulamoon,” the security pony said as he entered after the three.

“Is it that so? What could possibly be so important as to interrupt the Great and Powerful Trixie's beauty treatment?” Trixie snapped angrily, pulling the slices from her eyes and turning over, her eyes immediately widening in disbelief when she saw who it was. “Well, look what the timberwolves dragged in!” she said with a haughty smile.

“Trixie?! YOU’RE Fancy Pants’ new assistant?” Rarity said, louder then she meant to.

“Of course! Did you think the Great and Powerful Trixie’s talents would go unseen for long? With a little persuasion, Trixie convinced Fancy Pants to expand his business into investing and representing both fine and performing arts, given his strong appreciation for them. In return, she has become his assistant and gets sold-out shows quite regularly!” the showmare boasted.

“Well, I’m happy for you, Trixie. I’m glad to see you’ve moved up in the world,” Twilight said with a smile, though her nervousness was evident, and Rainbow and Rarity’s disapproving looks only worsened it for her. “Look, if it’s not too much trouble, we kinda need a few favors and we’ll be out of your way… they sorta concern the fate of the world and a pony who got cheated by those who… well, work for you.”

“Ahhh yes, Vinyl Scratch! Trixie cannot settle for anything less then the finest deejay in Equestria for the sound management in her performances! Of course Trixie had to make certain she could keep her close by!” She said, rubbing her chin with her hoof as she smirked to herself.

“Wait a minute, you did that to her on purpose?!” Rainbow shouted angrily.

“Now, now…” Trixie gestured to a poster on the wall which featuring several conduct rules, the first being that none but Trixie may yell in her office. Rainbow promptly facehoofed and glared at the smug showmare.

“That was very dirty of you, Trixie. What’ll it take to get her free of you?” Rarity asked.

“Oh, just the one million bits she owes!” Trixie said with a hoofwave. “Trixie doesn’t suppose you came up to tell her you have it, or something of equal value to compensate for such a grievous loss on Trixie’s part?”

“Well… no. But that’s not the only reason we came up here!” Rainbow said. “Also, we can’t get to the Sapphire Spire, and the library says you checked out a book Twi needs!”

Trixie turned and laughed, spreading out her forelegs and allowing her assistants to disrobe her and a pair of unicorns came over and magically dressed her in her wizard costume. “Oh, Trixie is sorry for that, but that won’t be changing any time soon. The Great and Powerful Trixie will reopen the former to tourism in… oh, perhaps another two months. As for the book, Trixie finds it quite insightful for her performances so you may be waiting a while on that one as well.”

“We don’t have that long, and that book’s a one-of-a-kind tome, Trixie!” Twilight protested.

“Sounds like your problem, not Trixie’s,” the showmare said in a condescending tone.

“Just a darn minute here!” Rainbow said furiously, her wings flaring out as she approached Trixie. “I remembered seeing you run off with that Alicorn Statue that messed up the ponies in Fun-Fun Village earlier, and I’ve seen what it did to Pinkie Pie and the FlimFlam brothers! You’re using it for all this aren’t you? Including getting Fancy Pants to ever pay attention to a rank fraud like you!”

Trixie’s eyebrow twitched and a livid expression quickly formed on her face. “You DARE to make such absurd claims against the Great and Powerful Trixie with no proof but your word?”

“This isn’t a game, Trixie! We need those things now!” Twilight protested.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie has half a mind to cast you uncivilized foals back into the streets from out the nearest window for your disrespect, but in an undeserved show of mercy, she will give you this one chance to use the elevator,” Trixie replied, turning her nose up and walking away.

“Why I oughta—!!!” Rainbow shouted, furious as she flew right at Trixie, only to be engulfed by an aura of magic by one of the security unicorns.

“Show them out at once!” Trixie said, her back turned. “Now you see who is truly the great and powerful one!” the showmare said with a smug laugh as fireworks went off around her for added show while the three were immediately trapped in magic auras and lead out of the plush office and down the hall to the elevator.

“Come on, Twi! Lemme go right now! I’m gonna fly right up there and beat that stupid showmare to an inch of her life!” Rainbow shouted, struggling furiously against Twilight’s magical hold as they were once again outside the building.

“Rainbow, that’s not gonna accomplish anything! Aside from having a lot of security who knows what else she has there!” Twilight said. “You mentioned an alicorn statue? Do you mean the Alicorn Statue?”

“Yeah, why?” Rainbow asked, slowly calming down.

“I think I read about it… it was a favored statue in Sombra’s palace during his reign in the Crystal Empire, representing his aspirations for alicornhood that he hoped to achieve one day. Like many of his relics, it stored a lot of dark magic, and corrupts those around it like its accessory cousin, the Alicorn Amulet did, which I recall he made as a sort of first step to achieving power to challenge the Princesses,” Twilight explained. “Good thing they stopped him before he could succeed completely.”

“That’s all interesting, Twilight, but it means Trixie’s using it to get all the wealth, fame and glory she ever wanted here, at everypony else’s expense!” Rarity said. “It had made Pinkie Pie crazy and converted an entire village into a party-obsessed cult, perhaps it has affected her… or Fancy Pants!” the unicorn said with a shudder.

“Well, that’s one of a lot of things we got on our plate, girls, with no real way of how to handle them,” Twilight said. “I’m sorry I couldn’t get the book, either, Rarity.”

“It’s alright, darling. I’ll manage till we can find something to do about all this,” Rarity said, managing a small smile. “Oh! We can check out the Star Reacher!” she said excitedly.

“Figures, shopping’s on the mind,” Rainbow said with an sigh.

“Not necessarily, Rainbow. I do like to see what my work is up against, and I am in need of new mane and coat care products! Plus I really do not wish to partake in more Neighsian takeout!” Rarity answered, trotting off in the direction of the department store, prompting a synchronized eyeroll from Twilight and Rainbow.

“She’s got a point I guess. I haven’t really eaten recently, either. And maybe somewhere fun will help us think of what to do next,” Twilight said. Right as she and Rainbow followed Rarity, a loud and all-too-familiar fanfare sounded off, stopping all three mares on their tracks as an equally familiar serpentine figure descended from above and landed before them.

“Awww, tough time, my little ponies?” Discord asked with a chuckle. “Well, I think you three should know the drill by now,” he said, making a camera appear before him. “Closer together and say… Fuzzy pickles!”

A snapping sound was heard, and the photo was taken, immortalizing the three ponies all facehoofing where they stood.

“Now this Prance parfait is delightful!” Rarity said with a grin as she sipped some more of her decorative beverage down as they all sat in the massive food court. Twilight, meanwhile, had gotten herself a decently-sized salad while Rainbow had chosen only a cup of hay fries due to having filled herself earlier.

“Glad you like it, Rarity," Rainbow answered. "But we’re still no where closer to any leads. Getting the book, getting to the sanctuary, stopping Sombra, kicking Trixie’s flank into next year, or even getting Vinyl out from under her hoof!”

“We’ll never get the bits for that, we’d need something of enough value that the Bridleway theater would be obligated to accept,” Twilight said.

“But wouldn’t we need to take it to Trixie? She could just say no or move the goal post further!” Rainbow said, munching on some hay fries.

“Not necessarily,” Twilight said with a smirk. “Vinyl’s debt is likely managed by the theater, she’s contractually bound to work there, and I’m sure Trixie doesn’t have the patience to personally oversee it and probably left it with them. We pay the theater manager, they’ll need to accept and terminate Vinyl’s contract… with or without Trixie’s approval... we start small and handle this first, maybe Vinyl will know something that can help us handle the rest of our problems.”

Rainbow grinned. “I like that idea. If anything so I can see the look on Trixie’s face when she finds out.”

“Not to be the party-pooper,” Rarity began. “But where are we going to find anything of such value to clear a one million bit debt? Even the gems I found in the cave near Fun-Fun Village are more suited for fashion decoration and wouldn’t reach that level of appraisal combined. Could you maybe ask Celestia to send the money?”

“Rarity, I may be her personal student, and have my connections, but even that’s asking a little too much. Besides, Celestia’s having enough stress as it is with all that’s happened… I can’t put that kind of pressure on her if there are alternatives we can use.”

“You ponies lookin’ for a way to make money?” a stallion asked as he approached.

“I don’t do exotic modeling, or service myself on season,” Rainbow deadpanned, causing the stallion to laugh, and Rarity immediately recognized him.

“Wait, you’re that miner I saw at the station!” Rarity said.

“Sure am! Name’s Dig Site by the way. Thanks for the sandwich by the way! I was ready to keel over any second and it held me another hour!” the earth pony said.

“So what brings you out here?” Twilight asked.

“Funny thing, that. Here me an’ the others were, tunneling away, we found a gold vein in there! Not to mention plenty of gems, too! Probably would do wonders for renovatin’ this city a bit! But anyway next thing we know… a couple’a diamond dogs show up! They chased the lot of us out and sealed off the entrance! Some city guards tried to tunnel in but… well I think anypony knows those guys’re way better with dirt then ponies! Till further notice, we’re off-duty but anypony that can get back in there can get some nice compensation!” he said with a shrug.

“Tell you what, handsome,” Rarity said with her most charming smile. “What if the three of us help you get the tunnels back, will we be compensated, maybe… keep what we find?”

“Heh, big talk, there, young lady!” the miner said.

“I’ve dealt with those unsavory mutts before! Ask any of my friends! We get them out, we can keep whatever we feel is worth the job?” Rarity asked, batting her eyes.

The miner laughed. “Tell ya what, you somehow pull that off, you can keep whatever you want in there and we’ll call it even… provided you leave enough behind to go to the city.”

“Why thank you, sir! You’re too kind!” Rarity said with a toss of her mane and she trotted toward the stairs. Shrugging at the miner, Twilight and Rainbow then followed their friend to their next destination.

“This must be it!” Rainbow said, looking at the mounds of dirt that surrounded the three of them as they stood on the hilltop one teleportation spell later. Several authorities and a few miners stood near what the three presumed was the entrance.

“We’ll need to teleport in. Don’t wanna be seen and have to deal with questions,” Twilight said.

“Just don’t teleport us into a bunch of dirt. I don’t want my shower to have gone completely to waste!” Rarity said.

“Whatever, I’m just ready to let off a lot of steam on these diamond dogs!” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Alright, hold on tight, girls!” Twilight said, focusing the magic of her horn as her friends held onto her before the three of them vanished in a flash of light and into the sealed mine…

Author's Note

PHEW! Long chapter, that! Not much action or heavy tension at this point, but that's all to change next time around when anyone whose played the game knows crazy stuff really starts to happen then! And hey, two chapters in one week not bad! :twilightsmile:

In the meantime, enjoy that upbeat tune that is the Big Apple expy of Eagleland, Fourside!

Dig Yourself Deeper

“Ugh, I can already smell those filthy mutts in this Celestia-forsaken cave!” Rarity said, crinkling her muzzle in disgust.

“Sooner we clear them out, the sooner we can get our reward and be on our way,” Rainbow replied, taking to the air while Twilight’s horn lit up so they could see better. The tunnels spanned further and further, with several wooden ramps leading to lower areas. Along the walls, a few traces of gems and precious metals could be seen.

“Oh my! Perhaps we could stand to be here a little longer!” Rarity said, admiring all the glistening. “But why don’t we open the entrance up and let some fresh air in?”

“The diamond dogs would probably hear it, and fill it right back up or block off any passages to them. We have to be careful if we’re gonna handle them!” Twilight whispered.

“As you wish, Twilight,” Rarity said, looking at the paths that lay before them. “So which way first? In my experience with diamond dogs, while they are foul-smelling brutes and can be rather talented at ambushes, but they also aren’t exceptionally bright and are rather greedy; I mean can you imagine all that trouble that could have been avoided had they been nicer about getting me to help them find gems?”

“What point are you getting to, Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

“My point is, Rainbow Dash, if you’d let me finish,” Rarity explained. “They’ve no doubt split up, to ensure they can keep everything they get the miners they captured to find for themselves and not have to worry about splitting the findings. They handled me and Spike easily by teaming up. While they’re separated they should be easier to take on.”

“And if we stick together and keep our eyes on one-another at all times, they can’t ambush us,” Twilight replied. “We’ll start with the left tunnel, I’m sure they connect sooner or later, it makes it easier for the miners to keep track of eachother.”

“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s get this taken care of!” Rainbow said, flying off ahead, her friends galloping after her.

“Wait, we need to keep the element of surpri-IEEEEEEEE!!” Twilight screamed as the floor collapsed out from under her and Rarity. Rainbow paused and turned, seeing Rarity clinging to the edge of the hole as best she could with her hooves while Twilight was holding onto her tightly, gazing down nervously at the dark pit beneath them. Rainbow immediately flew down to where Twilight was and pushed herself underneath her.

“C’mon, Rarity! Pull!” Rainbow said, pushing as hard as she could and Rarity, with some effort, pulled herself and Twilight up. Once all three were outside the pit, they shared a moment to catch their breath.

"You could have teleported us back up, you know," Rarity commented.

"Oh! Heh, right!" Twilight replied, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

“Looks like they’ve got traps set for anypony who tries to get in,” Rainbow said.

“Well, we should probably get moving," Twilight said. "I’ll stay ahead this time in case there’s any more. Rarity get behind me, Rainbow keep your eyes to the back to make sure nothing comes up behind us.”

“On it!” Rainbow said, flying to the back of the line while Twilight faintly lit the tip of her horn with her magic and proceeded with caution.

“BAAAAATS!!!!” Twilight screamed, running out of the tunnel they’d chosen in a panic. “Get them away get them away!” A swarm of bats, their eyes glowing green in the dark, flew after the three of them. Rarity ducked down and allowed them to fly past her, a look of fear on her face as she watched the chiropterans pass over her.

“Don’t worry! I got this!” Rainbow said, flying at them and then going in circles as fast as she could as Twilight and Rarity quickly took cover. As Rainbow flew around the bats, a tornado formed and the pegasus broke away; the tornado zipping off towards a wall and smashing into it, rendering the bats unconscious.

“Oh yeah, score one for the awesomeness of Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow said proudly, striking a pose in the air. As she did, however, a net shot out of the tunnel and engulfed her, sending her tumbling to the floor. Turning around, Twilight and Rarity had just enough time to see two more nets shoot out of the darkness and catch them. The sound of multiple feet were heard and the brawny figures of digger dogs loomed over them. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she prepared to teleport away but one of the dogs promptly smacked her, breaking her concentration.

“Enough!” a raspy voice said, and another figure approached and stepped into the dim light. It was a diamond dog; one of the same ones that had kidnapped Rarity some time ago. He was short, with a tan coat with several scales peeking through his dirty fur here and there. He wore a studded collar and a filthy gray vest with several gems in the pockets. His reptilian eyes glowed faintly in the dark as his sagging cheeks raised into a toothy grin. “Well, well! Look who it is! Those ponies from last time!” He said with a chuckle. “Know what this means?” He asked, looking at the armored digger dogs as they simply shrugged, causing the diamond dog to facepalm. “Means Spot’s squad gets gems faster!”

“Not a chance!” Rainbow protested, struggling to get out of the net she’d been trapped in, but could not untangle herself.

“I don’t wanna be heeeeeeeeeeeere!” Rarity whined, as loudly as she could. “Why do we have to woooorrrrrrrk?” The unicorn thrashed around indignantly and let out a loud, shrill cry of frustration, prompting the doglike creatures to cover their ears frantically.

“BE QUIET, PONY!” Spot yelled furiously. “Ugh! I forgot how annoying this unicorn is!” He pointed to one of the digger dogs. “You! Gag the annoying pony now!” he ordered.

“This isn’t faaaaaaaaaaaair!” Rarity whined, louder this time and knowing how well this had worked last time kept it up. “You can’t keep me heee—” Before she could finish, the net was cast off her and a pair of digger dogs held her down while another strapped a pink ball gag to her, muffling her speech and otherwise making it difficult to move her mouth.

As they began to release Rainbow Dash, however, the pegasus immediately bucked them in the face, knocking both of them over. Twilight’s horn glowed again and she teleported herself out of the net that held her, and fired a magic blast at Spot, who jumped out of the way just in time.

“Hehh, well this wasn’t expected!” Spot said nervously. “But try and catch me!” he shouted, running down to one of the mine trolleys and giving it a quick push before hopping in.

“Come back here!” Twilight shouted angrily, followed by Rainbow Dash and Rarity, the latter using her magic to remove the ball gag before catching up with her friends.

Following the tracks through several more tunnels, they found Spot had already parked the trolley, and two other familiar diamond dogs stood with him. One was very muscular with a shaggy blue coat and black vest, the other was tall and thin, with a red vest and gold, diamond-shaped tag on his collar. Nearby were several caged ponies, and a pile of gems and gold nuggets.

“Rover! The ponies! They’re here!” Spot said to the skinny one, Rover, as he pointed at the three ponies.

“Oh, look! Them again! Even got the whiny one, too!” Rover said with a scowl. “So, pesky ponies want to free the miners? You’ll have to catch us, first!” he declared, showing off the key in his paw before pocketing it. “Fido! Get us out of here!” he ordered, and the larger diamond dog saluted.

“No you don’t!” Rainbow yelled, flying at them but Fido got to her first, swatting her aside and sending her tumbling into her friends. The brutish diamond dog chuckled at them as Rover and Spot climbed into the mine trolly, and Fido gave it a mighty push before hopping in with them, and the three diamond dogs rode into the tunnels, blowing raspberries at the ponies as they sped off.

“Why those vile, lowly mutts!” Rarity hissed. “Twilight? Rainbow! Let's follow them at once! It. Is. ON!" she yelled, climbing into another trolley, followed by Twilight. After the two unicorns hopped in, Rainbow took to the air and rammed it with her hooves and pushed, giving it extra speed with her wings to catch up to the diamond dogs before hopping in.

“WOOOOOOO! This is just like that Daring Do book!” Rainbow cheered as the trolley sped down the tracks and deeper into the mines, catching up rapidly to the diamond dogs ahead of them. Spot turned and a panicked look came on his face, tugging Rover’s vest. “We’re catchin’ up to ya, buddy!” the pegasus said with a grin. Twilight’s horn began to glow as she fired a magic blast, but the dogs ducked their heads quickly.

“Not for long, ponies!” Rover shouted, reaching into the trolley and pulling out what appeared to be a small, crude dynamite stick and held the fuse along the side to light it with the sparks flying off the wheels on the tracks before flinging it at them.

“WHOA!” Twilight shouted, using her magic to freeze the flying dynamite stick and fling it aside, the explosive blowing up in a fiery burst seconds later. “They have bombs!” Twilight said in a panic. “They have BOMBS!”

“Noticed!” Rainbow shouted as the diamond dogs laughed and waved at the three ponies. At that moment, the rails the trolleys each rode on went on into a pair of tunnels separated by a wall for a few seconds. Emerging, the rail was now bridging over a gap that spanned a good distance down, the only light coming from magical torches and the many gems lining the walls. Rainbow’s eyes widened and she gestured to the side. “Look!” she yelled, seeing the diamond dogs now had another dynamite stick ready to throw.

“Twilight! A barrier!” Rarity yelled as the diamond dogs flung the dynamite stick at them. Twilight focused her magic and a shimmering pink barrier formed around the cart just in time, and the dynamite exploded harmlessly outside of it.

“I must say, there must be safer ways to lay out a mine then this,” Rarity mused, looking over the edge of the trolley as they suddenly began to move along the walls, gaining a distance between themselves and the diamond dogs.

“Rarity, can you steer? I don’t want us falling off the tracks when we turn. Rainbow, stay in the back in case you need to give us more speed. I’ll try to keep those diamond dogs off our flanks,” Twilight said, and shuffling around so Rarity could get in front of her. Twilight positioned herself in the middle, moving over to face the side of their trolley that faced the diamond dogs, who were now getting closer as the two rails began to draw towards one-another again and were soon side by side once more.

While Spot maneuvered the handle to keep their trolley on the tracks, Rover sneered and looked over at Fido while gesturing to the three ponies. The larger diamond dog grabbed some gems from his vest and flung them one after the other at the ponies, Twilight doing her best to slow and re-direct them away, a few landing in their trolley. Rainbow grabbed one up with her hoof and flung it back at them, hitting Fido in the face and dazing him enough to make him tumble backward, rocking the diamond dog’s trolley a little as they continued to speed down the tunnels. Spot struggled with the handle to keep them from falling while Rover glared angrily at the ponies in the other trolley. Up ahead, the tracks began to merge, and soon Rarity, Twilight, and Rainbow found their trolley being pursued by the one containing the diamond dogs.

Rover laughed and pointed at them while Spot grinned evilly. Fido sat back up and rubbed his head and grinned as well, gripping onto the edges of the trolley.

“Rainbow, speed us up!” Twilight said urgently. Rainbow nodded and climbed out of the trolley and flew behind it, her body pushing against it forward to give it more speed before climbing back in and narrowly avoiding several gems the diamond dogs flung at her.

“I-is tha-at re-eally necessary?!” Rarity asked as the ride became bumpier and making it harder to speak clearly. “Thi-is i-is getting ha-arder to ste-er!” She turned the handle sharply when they approached a sudden turn, sending them through a narrow tunnel lined with gems that briefly made the unicorn seamstress momentarily forget about their predicament as she marveled at their splendor.

“Focus, Rarity!” Twilight shouted, turning to face the diamond dogs as they started closing in again.

“In a moment, darling!” Rarity said, grinning at all the glittering, multicolored gems and focusing her magic on them. In seconds, the gems began raining down on the diamond dogs, who cried out in pain and swatted their paws about trying to knock them away.

Growling, Rover reached back into the trolley and pulled out another dynamite stick and held it near the sparks flying from the trolley wheels, lighting it. “Catch, ponies!” he shouted with a sinister laugh as he flung it towards them. The dynamite landed right into the ponies’ trolley, the fuse close to burning away completely.

“Quick! Get rid of it!” Rarity shouted when she turned and saw it laying there in the trolley with them.

“On it!” Rainbow grabbed the dynamite stick with her teeth, hoping to Celestia she’d have enough time to toss it back before she lost everything above the shoulders and immediately flung it back as hard as she could towards the diamond dogs, whose eyes all widened in horror as the dynamite flew back at them and exploded right in front of their trolley, sending it and its riders into the air. The diamond dogs’ trolley slid on its side into one of the walls, and the dogs themselves tumbled along the tracks and eventually came to a stop, their faces full of dirt and looking more then a little bruised up.

Smirking, Rarity pulled back the handle and their trolley came to a stop, allowing the three ponies to climb out and confront the three canines.

“No! No, no, no!” Don’t hurt us, Miss Rarity!” Rover pleaded, now on all fours and looking up helplessly at the unicorn, Fido and Spot huddling next to him shivering.

“That all depends. Where’s that key? …Or are you… gonna make a lady cry agaaaaiinnnn?” Rarity asked, her lip trembling and her tone slowly slipping towards the grating, whining tone they’d come to dread from her.

“Heheh! The key? Right here, Miss Rarity!” Rover said with a nervous smile as he hurriedly reached into his vest and took it out for her. With a smile, Rarity floated the key from his paw and into her saddlebag.

“Well thank you very much, handsome. Now, as a small consolation for putting us through that dreadfully frightening trolley chase, you can give us whatever’s of the most worth down here!” she said, smiling down at the three diamond dogs.

Spot and Fido frowned, and Rover grimaced, and the three exchanged reluctant nods. “Uhhh… we might have something. We think maybe worth a million bits! We were gonna be so rich!!!” the diamond dog protested.

“Well, if it makes you feel better it will go to an excellent cause.” Rarity said, pacing back and forth in front of them.

“No! You can’t take it! Ours!” Fido protested angrily.

“Buuuuuuut I waaaaaaaaaaaant it!” Rarity whined as loudly as possible, causing the large diamond dog to cover his ears and kick his legs out in frustration. “If you won’t let me have it… I suppose I can stay down here with you until we find a better one. I’m sure my friends won’t mind.”

“No! No! You can have it! Take it! It’s back with the ponies we captured! It’s a big prism diamond we found in the mine! Worth more then lots of other gems and gold combined, big as a pony’s eye!” Rover said anxiously, and Rarity’s eyes got wide as she imagined it.

“A prism diamond? I’ve heard about those. They’re pretty rare, and always worth a lot of bits. It should have a decent appraisal value to get Vinyl out of debt,” Twilight said. “Well thank you very much for your generosity, you three!” she added with a smile, floating a nearby rope from a box of mining supplies and using it to tie the three up. “Now why don’t we take the shortcut back to those ponies you foalnapped?”

Before the diamond dogs could reply, Twilight and the others approached them, the unicorn’s horn glowed brightly, and all six of them vanished.

In a flash of light, the three ponies and their captives reappeared in front of the cages where the captured miners were.

“I still think that ride was pretty awesome, by the way,” Rainbow said, looking over at Rarity, who just rolled her eyes.

“Hey, everypony. We’re here to get you out now,” Twilight said as Rarity floated the key out and used it to unlock the cages.

“Thanks, so much!” an earth pony miner said as he stepped out and took in a deep breath. “Anything we can do for ya, anything at all just name it.”

“Well, we kinda need this prism diamond I assume they made you dig up. A friend got conned into a serious debt by Manehattan’s new management in the entertainment business and we think this’ll help fix that,” Rainbow explained. “Come on, that’s gotta be a fair trade, right?”

“Sure, go ahead and take it,” the miner said with a smile. “There’s plenty of gold and gems in here to handle the city renovations we’re doing this for anyway!” he gestured his hoof over to chest sitting near the small table by the cages. “They put it in there. It’s all yours, now. Thanks again for helping us out.”

“So what about these three ruffians?” Rarity asked, looking over at the three diamond dogs who were presently tied up; Spot having the pink ball gag he'd used on Rarity stuffed into his mouth.

“I’m sure we can keep ‘em under wraps till the guards get down here. Just let ‘em know they can come in now that the dogs’ leaders are rounded up and they’ll take it from there,” the miner said with a tip of his helmet.

“Well, thanks very much!” Twilight said with a smile, using her magic to open the chest and remove the shimmering diamond within.

“Oh MY!” Rarity said with a grin, admiring it as Twilight floated the gem into her saddlebag.

“Well, girls, we better go get the guards down here and head back to Manehattan. Vinyl’ll be glad to hear the good news!” she said.

“Good idea, Twilight. I honestly cannot stand being in this dank cave anymore,” Rarity replied with a sigh as she and Rainbow stood next to Twilight and the three immediately teleported away.

“Wow, that was like, so intense!” Rainbow said the next day as she flew about in circles and flips as the three ponies wandered the streets of Manehattan. “I swear, they gotta turn that into a roller coaster when they’re done in there!”

“Still got awhile until we’ll be able to meet up with Vinyl again,” Twilight said, staring up at a clock on the Manehattan library. They’d attempted to reach her at the Bridleway theater, but she had been busy with another show and would not be available for another hour.

“Well, I dunno about you, but all that action worked up an appetite!” Rainbow said. “Whaddya say we stop by the department store again before we meet up with her. We’ve got plenty to celebrate now!”

“Now that actually sounds like a good idea to me,” Rarity said, looking over at Twilight. “I think after that mess in the caves, checking out their spa would be the perfect way to pass time!”

“I suppose it would,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Just don’t expect me to get involved in that,” Rainbow said, folding her forelegs and turning her head to the side defiantly as she hovered in the air.

Within moments, the three found themselves back inside the massive Star Reacher department store and after a few flights of stairs, found themselves at the Manehattan Master Spa, which was plush beyond description compared to Ponyville’s. Time quickly passed as Rarity enjoyed a full hooficure and a dip in the hot tub, and a cleaning of her mane and tail. Twilight had decided to join in on the latter two, while Rainbow simply sat in a nearby chair and took a nap.

With fifteen minutes to spare, the three left the spa feeling better then ever. Twilight and Rainbow shared a cup of hay fries while Rarity smiled in absolute satisfaction.

“Well, I will say, I will always love the spa sisters back in Ponyville first and foremost, but whenever I visit this place I won’t ever pass it up!” Rarity said as she trotted along happily. “Now, why don’t we head on down to the Bridleway and give Vinyl the good news. She more then deserves it after all she’s been through here.”

“Yeah, she’ll probably be on her way to the Rock N’ Roadhouse by now,” Twilight said.

“Alright, last one there’s a rotten—” Before Rainbow could finish, however, Rarity suddenly collapsed to the floor. “Rarity? You alright?” the pegasus asked, flying over to her friend and putting her hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder.

“I… something… in my head…!” Rarity whimpered, her body shivering and suddenly purple patches on her coat formed, glowing briefly. The unicorn cried out in pain, startling every pony around them and causing them to look over in confusion.

“Rarity! Oh no… the Smooze infection must be coming back! But why now?! It doesn't make sense!” Twilight protested, and her horn started glowing. “Rarity, listen to me, focus, I’m gonna try to use a healing spell, but you HAVE to stay with me, okay?”

“I… I can’t! The... the Alicorn Statue! I... Twilight! Rainbow! PLEASE! HELP ME!” Rarity cried out, balling up as suddenly purple smoke began trailing from her eyes as they suddenly glowed green… then turned a bright blue with reptilian pupils.

“Rarity… what’s—” Rainbow asked, and suddenly Rarity fired a burst of black magical energy at her, sending her flying into the wall. Panicking, the other shoppers immediately fled out the door as fast as they could. Rarity stood up, engulfed in a black magical aura and a sinister grin spread on her face. The aura receded into her, turning her body into a black silhouette that began to grow taller and more slender to about Luna’s height, her mane and tail grew incredibly long and billowed around her as white streaks formed in them. The next thing that changed was her horn, which grew longer and sharper. The diamonds that her cutie mark consisted of then changed into a collection of stars, and her coat turned a dark gray.

“That’s Nightmare Rarity to you two foals!” the transformed Rarity sneered in a echoing, sinister tone as all the lighting in store suddenly went out. In the darkness, the demonic unicorn looked over her two friends, her glowing blue eyes and the light from her horn providing the sole illumination. “And as you may have just now noticed, even the so-called bearers of the elements are not immune to the mighty power of King Sombra! Enjoy the luxuries of your confinement… while you can!”

Nightmare Rarity reared back, her horn glowing as shadows crept off the walls and surrounded her as she let out a terrifying laugh, and she vanished in a burst of black fog.

“Great…what now? We can’t just sit here till we think of something!” Rainbow protested, still in shock over what had just happened.

“I… can’t argue with that last part, Rainbow,” Twilight said, gesturing around them. All around, glowing green eyes formed from the shadows, taking bizarre shapes; some resembling ponies, other various objects in the department store; all of them slowly advancing towards them…

Author's Note

Yay! I got an update! Hope you all enjoyed this one! The adventure's only gonna get crazier from here! :twilightsmile:

Moonhattan to Welcome

“Well, Twi, only one way out of this!” Rainbow said, smacking her forehooves together.

“Looks like...” Twilight replied, her horn glowing brightly and causing several of the shadow-things to back away. “Hm, they seem to hate light.” She mused. Several more of the creatures began to form around them, some resembling tables with spidery legs, others looking like bent plants. Their glowing green eyes trailed purple smoke as they began to approach, though shying away from the light as they surrounded the two ponies.

“Hang on!” Twilight said, firing a blast of light near the exit and causing the shadows to back away, leaving it open for them to escape through. Immediately Twilight and Rainbow raced for the doors and attempted to push them open.

“Darn it all! It's locked!” Rainbow said, beating her forehooves against the door, then turning and trying to buck them down, only to suddenly get tackled by several more shadows.

“Rainbow!” Twilight summoned another burst of light, causing the shadow creatures to shriek in horror and dissipate into smoke, leaving Rainbow free to get back up.

“We gotta get outta here, Twi.” Rainbow said. “Doors locked, shadow-things everywhere…”

“If we could just somehow light the whole place up we may be able to get rid of them all.” Twilight said.

“Wait! Look!” Rainbow gestured up at the sunroof, which was currently blotted out. “I smash through that, we can get out and light this place up.”

“Rainbow, you sure that’s safe?” Twilight asked.

“This is me we’re talking about, Twi!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Now hang on tight, I’m gonna need ya to use that light spell to clear those things away before we hit!”

Before Twilight could answer, Rainbow wrapped her forehooves around her and began flying upward in a winding, circular motion. Around them, numerous shadows formed wings and began to fly after them. Twilight lit up her horn, firing blasts left and right to keep them at bay as Rainbow flew several circles to gain speed before going straight up.

Up above, the blackness over the sunroof moved, and numerous green eyes formed on it. The thing hissed and lashed out several shadowy tendrils at the two ponies, but Rainbow was too fast for it.

“No department store spook’s gonna keep Rainbow Dash down!” Rainbow shouted proudly as she avoided another tentacle that lashed out at them. “Twi! NOW!”

Focusing, Twilight fired a blast of bright light at the apparition, causing it to burst apart into a swarm of smaller shadow-beings resembling bats, causing the unicorn to panic.

“Bats! Why did it have to be BATS?! Twilight cried out, hugging Rainbow tightly as the numerous creatures flew around them like a cloud, causing Rainbow to falter slightly.

Righting herself, the pegasus flew several circles to regain any speed she’d lost. “Hold on to me tight, Twi!” Rainbow warned, and with a nervous nod, the unicorn complied, wrapping her forelegs around her as tightly as she could. Rainbow immediately stretched her forehooves straight out, and with all her might, flew right at the sunroof. The impact shattered it apart, and the two ponies flew straight out and into the warm, sunny sky. Within they could hear horrible shrieks of pain, and a black smokelike substance spilt from the hole in the roof and evaporated away.

“That was close.” Twilight said, still shaking a little as Rainbow slowly flew them down to the street and set her friend down. “Before she changed, Rarity said something about the Alicorn Statue, and you said you saw Trixie run off with it earlier after you broke its hold over Pinkie Pie. You think it’s connected to what happened to Rarity?”

“I’d bet my wings on it, Twi, that thing’s bad news. And it must have… I dunno… set off whatever effects the Smooze has and super-charged it or something!” Rainbow said. “But that’d mean it’s gotta be somewhere in this city to do something like that to a pony!”

“Well we better go look.” Twilight said before pausing in place. “Wait! Vinyl! We should at least let her know about the diamond while we search for clues.”

“May as well. She should be at the Rock N’ Roadhouse by now, right?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, she should be!” Twilight replied. “Lets get down there right away!”

In a flash of light, the two teleported into the seedy bar, where Vinyl Scratch sat quietly, sulking as she downed a mug of cider. Noticing Twilight and Rainbow, she smiled a little and the two approached.

“Hey, Vinyl!” Twilight said with a smile. “How are things?”

“Ehhh, same old, same old.” Vinyl said, returning the smile though there was sadness in her voice. “How about you?”

“Well, we found something that should clear your debt.” Twilight replied. “We went into the mines, had to deal with those diamond dogs and save the ponies working in there. The gem they let us keep should be enough to pay off how much you owe.”

“Really?” Vinyl asked anxiously.

“Yes, Vinyl. Just keep quiet about it till we make it over. Rarity’s gone missing and once we’ve found her we’ll come by.” Twilight answered.

Vinyl looked down at her drink for a moment. “Thanks… it really means a lot. Can’t wait to get outta this place.”

“Hey, we won’t leave you hanging! That’s a promise!” Rainbow said, patting the unicorn deejay on the shoulder.

“Alright. Just bring it to the Bridleway Theater when you get the chance.” Vinyl said, looking noticeably happier now. “I’ll be waiting for ya!” With those words, she got up and trotted outside. Seconds later, however, she returned. “Hey… you girls may wanna see this.” She said, turning her head and gesturing to the stairs leading back outside.

Glancing at one-another in confusion, Twilight and Rainbow followed the deejay upstairs.

Outside, several ponies were gathered around something in one of the alleys.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” Rainbow wondered, flying over the other ponies and spotting two familiar faces sprawled out in the street.

“Flim? Flam?” Rainbow asked, shocked to find the two travelling salesponies like this.

“What happened to you two?” Twilight asked, nudging her way through the crowd.

“Oh my… look who’s found us, brother…” Flim said weakly.

“The pegasus and… another of her little friends, dear brother!” Flam replied, out of breath. The twin salesponies looked noticeably roughed up, and oddly without their strange contraption they often rode on.

“Where’s your Cider Squeezy thing-a-majig?” Rainbow asked, landing in front of them.

“Fancy Pants… ponies in suits… took it from us…we tried to get it mass-marketed in exchange for the Alicorn Statue.” Flim answered. “They… conned us of all ponies! Crazy, huh?”

“So he has the Alicorn Statue?” Twilight asked.

“Yes! Indeed he does…” Flam replied.

“Then where is it? Back in his office?” Rainbow asked.

“Heh… you would think that… wouldn’t you, you headstrong pegasus?” Flim said with a chuckle. “No, he… keeps it hidden… somewhere else.”

“Where?” Rainbow demanded, her patience running low.

“Word on the street… is he frequents the Rock N’ Roadhouse of all places! Somepony we were chatting with… said he… goes there to ‘get away from it all’, but it sounds like horseapples to me!” Flam said. “I bet that’s where he… keeps the statue! Gotta… marvel at such a… beautiful thing after all!” The stallion grinned for a moment, recalling its splendor.

“Yes, yes indeed he does frequent it! We staked the… place out to see!” Flim said. “We spotted him and… some… tall mare in a cloak going into the Rock N’ Roadhouse not… long ago! Lucky devil, I’d say from the way her mane and tail billowed, those slender flanks, that grace in her step… she’s quite a catch, wouldn’t you say, brother?” He asked, grinning at Flam weakly.

“Oh… indeed she is!” Flam said, grinning back. “Wonder… what her… name is…”

“It must be Rarity!” Rainbow whispered to Twilight.

“That doesn’t make sense. I never saw them when I came in.” Vinyl protested.

“You wouldn’t… they messed with… one of the shelves behind… the bartable and… that’s when we got jumped by their goons!” Flam said.

“You must have showed up after they took us, but before they dumped us out here!” Flim said with an amused chuckle. “Ohhhh that a beating it was, brother of mine!”

“Indeed, brother of mine!” Flam responded in a weak yet upbeat tone.

“We better check out the Roadhouse again, Rainbow.” Twilight said before looking back at the two brothers. “Are you guys alright? Do you need to be taken to the hospital?”

“Not at all, we’ll get ourselves there in no time!” Flim said, and before Twilight could respond, the two got up and danced around them.

“I’m Flim! He’s Flam!” Flim sang, and the two immediately began a little song as they held out their hats and danced off down the street, singing in perfect unison.

We’re the world-famous FlimFlam Brothers!

And with injuries we’ve sus-tained!

It’s best the both of us re-mained!

In the nearest medical fa-cil-i-tyyyyyy!

Everypony stared in silence for a moment as the two brothers took off in the direction of the hospital, then the crowd slowly dispersed.

“Well, I better get back to the theater, I’ll see you two later!” Vinyl said, giving Twilight and Rainbow a wave before galloping off down the street, leaving the two to themselves.

“Well, let’s get going.” Twilight said, heading back down into the Rock N’ Roadhouse, followed by Rainbow Dash.

“Well… Nothing seems out of the ordinary.” Twilight said, looking the shelves over.

“Heeeeyyyy, check this out!” Rainbow said with a grin, holding up a bottle of Apple Clan Rock-Hard Cider.

“Rainbow, we don’t have time for……..” Twilight suddenly froze, staring off into space.

“Hey, Twi? What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked, waving her hoof in Twilight’s face and then turning to see what she was looking at. “What’re you loo-ooooo-ooooo…..” Rainbow’s eyes glazed over as well, her stare fixed on the hole in the shelf where the hard cider bottle had sat. It seemed to grow bigger, and bigger, and they were being pulled into it… reality itself suddenly seemed to twist and contort, ponies all around becoming stretched and wavy along with everything in the roadhouse, and then everything spun around into the blackness like water down a drain.

Reality un-twisted itself, and took on strange, psychedelic colors that seemed to flow and flash all around, forming into various shapes and forms until it resembled a bizarre, colorful mockery of the Rock N’ Roadhouse.

“Whoa… Twi… where are we?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head and looking around. It looked like the Rock N’ Roadhouse, but every surface was solid black, outlined by everchanging, glowing colors of all kinds. The lights in the tavern were now just floating orbs of tie-dye color, giving the place an odd, and, given the blackness that made up most of where they were, ineffective illumination.

“I don’t know, Rainbow…” Twilight said, looking at the bar patrons, all of which did not seem to be aware of anything out of the ordinary. “Excuse me… where are we?” Twilight asked the bartender, who simply grinned and cocked his head.

“Welcome to Moonhattan… We mecol na tta hno oM to!” He said, his grin never wavering.

“Moonhattan?! Don’t you mean Manehattan?” Rainbow asked.

“Of course I do mean Manehattan!” The bartender said, cocking his head again.

“Then why’d you say Moonhattan?” Rainbow asked, annoyed.

“Because this is Moonhattan.” The bartender said, grinning again.

“Twi, I think we’d better get out of here, this place is kinda weird.” Rainbow said.

“Agreed.” Twilight replied, and the two ponies immediately hurried down the stairs and outside.

Emerging from the basement floor upside-down and turning right side-up as they got outside, Twilight and Rainbow Dash stared agape at the world around them. It was just like the Roadhouse had been, everything solid black but outlined and illuminated with random and changing colors. Lights were all warped, colorful orbs, and the moon itself seemed to flow with weird coloring like soapy water. Signs had lit-up arrows that pointed up and down, others had arrows that spiraled into a random direction, and one simply read “Spinach”. an equally bizarre music of some kind seemed to come from all around, making the place all the creepier.

“Yeesh, it’s like Discord got really drunk and forgot to turn on the lights!” Rainbow said, staring at a fire hydrant that was bouncing around on the streets.

Suddenly, the hydrant paused and hopped towards them, then stopped a few feet from them and stared up at them with large green eyes.

“Uhh, can we help you?” Twilight asked nervously.

“WASHY-WASHY!” The fire hydrant shouted, and suddenly both ponies were hit with a powerful blast of water, sending both of them tumbling backwards onto the sidewalk. The hydrant giggled like an enthusiastic child and hopped away, chasing after a giggling ball of fire.

“What was that all about?” Rainbow protested angrily.

“We need to get to the bottom of this. We’re in some kind of alternate reality, I think. It has to be where Fancy Pants and Rarity are!” Twilight replied.

“Well let’s ask somepony if they saw them!” Rainbow said.

“Hopefully they’ll be a little more helpful.” Twilight said, spotting what looked to be a pink pony with spiral eyes and a beanie on her head, twiddling her lips with her hoof as she hovered about in place despite having no wings. Her cutie mark appeared to be a screw and a baseball.

“Uh, excuse me…?” Twilight asked. The pony grinned at her and Rainbow.

“HELLO! And…. GOODBYE!” The strange pony said, and before Twilight or Rainbow could respond, they felt the bizarre city scroll past them from one place to another in fast motion.

“Okay, that was weird.” Rainbow said. “I’m gonna fly up and take a look around.” With that, she flew straight up, as high as she could so she could overlook the city. As she did, she noticed an odd pillar of green light flowing into the sky from where a structure resembling the Equestrian State Building stood. As she flew towards it to get a closer look, however, the strange, red clouds formed a pair of gigantic lips that smiled down at her.

“Better go back down, babe, or I’m-a EATCHA!” It said in a deep, base voice similar to the one Fluttershy briefly got thanks to the poison joke. Rainbow screamed in alarm and flew back down as the lips opened wide and bit down, barely missing her before fading back into clouds.

Landing, the pegasus breathed heavily as Twilight trotted over to her.

“You okay, I heard you screaming up there.” Twilight said, looking back up at the clouds.

“The clouds… they tried to EAT me, Twi!” Rainbow said.

“In a place this strange, I guess I can’t be surprised.” Twilight replied. “Find anything that might lead us to Rarity?”

“Yeah, there’s a weird light coming from a skyscraper that looks like the Equestrian State Building.” Rainbow said. “So how do we get over there? I can’t fly us or the clouds will come after us again!”

“We can try teleporting!” Twilight said. “Hold onto me.” Rainbow complied and Twilight’s horn began to glow. However, right before they could vanish, the strange pink pony appeared and smacked Twilight upside the head with her forehoof.

“Not in my house!” The pony said, laughing maniacally while spinning in the air.

“Well I guess that’s out, too.” Twilight said. “So now what?”

“HELLO… and…”

“Oh no, not again!” Rainbow said, shaking.

“…GOODBYE!”

The city scrolled past them at high speed again, and they found themselves right in front of the Equestrian State Building.

“Well, I guess that did save us some trouble.” Twilight said as they approached, only to be stopped by what appeared to be a wonderbolt in a tie-dye colored uniform, licking a lollipop.

“Can I help you two?” He asked.

“Hey, look can we go by, we kinda gotta get over to that building.” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Hmmmm…. Can’t do that. I’m not leaving this spot till I got that delicious pie with the warm crust and the smily-face drawn on it out of cherry paste I’ve been promised back at the hotel!” The wonderbolt said, popping the lollipop back into his mouth and folding his forelegs as he hovered in place, looking down at them in disdain.

“We don’t have time for this, let us through!” Rainbow said angrily, swinging her hoof at him. The wonderbolt easily caught it, then flung the pegasus into Twilight, sending them tumbling across the black streets, weird hot pink dust trailing from them.

“Pie first, then you pass.” The wonderbolt said, striking a ridiculous martial arts pose.

“Come on, Rainbow.” Twilight said. “Let’s get to the hotel and find where this pie is.”

“Why is this building upside-down?” Rainbow asked, staring at the black building with the neon-green outlines and glowing pink windows, a sign next to it read out “We NEVER Have Vacancy!”

“You’re questioning the logic of a place that clearly doesn’t have any?” Twilight asked, an eyebrow raised at the pegasus. “Guess we can go through this window.” She said, noticing one of the rooftop windows which sat on the ground was open.

Walking in, the two found the room itself to be right side-up, and stairs nearby led up. Following them, they found themselves in a hallway that seemed impossibly long for the building’s size. Like everything else, all the surfaces were completely black, save for blue and green outlines, and the odd ‘splashes’ of color that appeared with every hoofstep Rainbow and Twilight made. Pictures on the walls featured strange objects in them, such as records, fire hydrants, grinning mouths, mushrooms, and a book that said “An Earthbound Journey: WIP” on it. As they came to the end, there was a large portrait of Trixie that took up where a door should be.

“Am I Great and Powerful?” The painting asked, looking down at the two.

“Uhhh, yes?” Rainbow asked. The painting scowled.

“HOW DARE YOU!” It yelled, its mouth opening and a massive, green and blue-striped snake slithered out at them.

“I’m thirsty!” The snake declared as it coiled itself up, then lunged at them. “Let me DRINK YOU UP!”

Twilight and Rainbow jumped out of its way, Twilight turned quickly and fired a blast of magic at it. As soon as the blast impacted, the snake exploded into brightly colored confetti that fluttered off down the hall.

“What in Tartarus?!” Rainbow asked, staring agape and wondering what had just happened.

“Am I Great and Powerful?” The painting asked again.

“No.” Rainbow said.

“Oooh THANK YOU! I know I'm not!” The painting said, clapping its hooves. “You may pass.” It then swung open like a door, leading into another strange room. Inside was an odd filly and what looked like Bulk Biceps.

“You like my painting? The filly asked, smiling at the two ponies as they walked in and showing off a blank canvas.

“Uh, no.” Twilight said, going with what she’d been gathering how this place communicated.

“Yay! You just made my day!” The filly cheered, bouncing around and scooping up her canvas. “Be sure to bring that pie to the bolter-wond at the Equestrian State Building!” She said, prancing out the doorway and it disappeared behind her.

“What pie? I don’t see a pie…” Rainbow said, looking around.

“Must be some-WHOA!” Twilight fell over something invisible and landed flat on her face. “What the hay?!” She turned and saw a faint ripple, as if something transparent were there where she tripped.

“NO!” Bulk cheered from the corner, flexing proudly.

“Hm, it feels warm.” Twilight said, moving her hooves around the shape and finding it to be circular at its base. Cocking her head, she attempted her magic on it and the outline of a pie floated in her magical aura.

“Hey! Careful! Hard to keep my cherry paste smile with you floating me up so quickly like that!” A cheerful voice said.

“Uhhh… Rainbow? I think I’ve found the pie.” Twilight deadpanned.

“Well that’s great, but how do we get out of here?” Rainbow asked, noticing there were no doors or windows in the room. Approaching Bulk, she stared up at the gigantic pegasus. “Hey, can you get us out of here instead of just standing there doing nothing?”

“NO!” The pegasus yelled back, snorting loudly. The room’s neon outlines suddenly broke apart, Twilight and Rainbow rushed over to eachothers sides, holding eachother worriedly as the outlines reshaped into a huge, grinning face before changing into the city streets, right outside the hotel.

“Okay, Twi, seriously? I’ve had enough of this crazy place!” Rainbow said.

“Tell me about it, Rainbow.” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes.

“Hey! Are you two marefriends?” The filly from before asked, trotting over to them.

“No!” Rainbow answered instinctively.

“Awww, congratulations!” The filly said, patting their backs before trotting off in a sideways motion and up a building side.

“Well she seems sweet! Eh-hehe! Makes my crust all nice and warm!” The invisible pie remarked as Twilight and Rainbow immediately let go of eachother, cringing from the awkward moment the strange filly brought upon them. “Well, we have the pie now. Let’s get back to the Equestrian State Building and find Rarity.” Twilight said. “Now if we can just find that weird pony agai—”

“HELLO!” The pink pony shouted from behind them, tapping both ponies on the head.

“Oh, there you are! We were just—”

“annnnd… GOODBYE!” The pony said, and the city once again scrolled past Twilight and Rainbow at high speed, and they found themselves near a few black trees outlined with glowing green light right near the Equestrian State Building.

“Ooh! There he is! There he is!” The pie’s voice said happily.

“Let’s get rid of this thing, fast.” Rainbow said, and the two approached the pony in the colorful wonderbolt costume.

“Ooh! My pie! You found my lovely pie!” The pony said, grabbing at the invisible space with his teeth and set it down. “So, Pie, wanna go share some drinks?”

“Absolutely! You know I love a good cider as much as the next pastry!” The pie said, and the strange wonderbolt picked the pie back up and flew off.

“Well, the coast is clear now!” Rainbow said, and they began to approach the entrance to the building, where a pony in a hooded cloak stood before the Alicorn Statue.

“Hey, you!” Rainbow shouted. The hooded pony turned, his hood falling back and revealing a rather startled Fancy Pants underneath.

“Oh my! I-I do say! Wh-what are you two ladies doing here?” Fancy Pants asked.

“Could be asking you the same thing! Now why don’t you step away from that nasty statue you got there and tell us where Rarity is?”

“Oh, I don’t know… I… wonk t’nod I, ho….” Fancy Pants said, his voice suddenly becoming distorted and he blew away in the wind like dust.

“That wasn’t him… then what’s going on here?” Twilight wondered.

“Isn’t that the question of the ages, darling?” An echoing, menacing, but still familiar voice asked above them. Looking up, the two ponies saw the ‘Nightmare Rarity’ reclining on the archway, staring down at them with a fanged grin and glowing blue eyes, her white and purple mane and tail billowing around her as she stood up. “Welcome to my new world. I rather like it here, such lovely colors, and delightful ponies and things, wouldn’t you say?” She asked, around Twilight and Rainbow, several odd shapes approached, revealing themselves to be trees, fire hydrants, mailboxes, signs, and the like. “Now, now, boys. These two are mine to play with.”

“Rarity! Snap out of it!” Twilight protested.

“The only snapping that will happen today is your necks, my little ponies!” Nightmare Rarity declared with a laugh, her horn glowing brightly and wind began to blow around them, forming a glowing purple cyclone that propelled Twilight, Rainbow Dash, the Alicorn Statue, Nightmare Rarity, and random debris high into the sky and onto the strangely-colored moon’s surface, and a strange, otherworldly music began to echo all around them as the sky itself changed into several undulating colors pulsing around where the statue stood.

The Alicorn Statue’s eyes glowed green, and Nightmare Rarity’s horn began to glow again and she fired a blast of blue magical lightning at Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Twilight hurriedly put up a magic barrier, blocking the lightning blast, but it proved too powerful for her and shattered the barrier, sending her tumbling across the moon’s surface and into a fallen mailbox that had landed amongst the rest of the debris that had been brought there with them.

Nightmare Rarity chuckled. “You’re out of your league, foals!”

“Don’t be so sure, Nightmarity!” Rainbow shouted, flaring out her wings.

“That’s Nightmare Rarity to you! Or MISS Nightmare Rarity!” The unicorn shouted angrily, firing several blasts of magic at her. Rainbow weaved around them and flew straight at the demonic visage of her friend, then flew around her, spinning several circles around her to create a cyclone. Nightmare Rarity looked left and right, seeking out the swift pegasus as she flew around her faster then she could follow. Growling, the corrupted unicorn let out an angry yell and a burst of black energy erupted from her, sending Rainbow Dash tumbling.

"Come on... Rarity... you gotta break free..." Rainbow pleaded. "This isn't you!"

"Oh? But it feels positively delightful Rainbow Dash! You should try it!" Nightmare Rarity said, using her magic to float Rainbow off the ground and toss her about like a rag doll.

“Don’t you see? You have no chance against me here! King Sombra shall win, after you both have been crushed… unless you wish to join his court as his next Nightmare envoys!” the dark pony sneered, her mane billowing around her and growing longer, snagging Rainbow off the ground and lifting her up high.

“Not…a bucking… chance…” Rainbow said, gritting her teeth as she struggled to free herself from Nightmare Rarity’s prehensile mane as it grew tighter around her.

“So be it.” Nightmare Rarity sneered, her eyes narrowing with glee as a current of dark magic channeled through her mane and shocked the pegasus, causing Rainbow to cry out in pain.

“Hey, Rarity!” Twilight’s voice shouted, causing the corrupted unicorn to turn towards her in confusion.

“What is it, insect?” Nightmare Rarity asked. “If you’re so eager to die you’ll have to wait your turn, it’s quite rude to be so impatient!” She said with a laugh.

“Not exactly. I just wanted your attention.” Twilight said, firing a fully-charged fire spell at Nightmare Rarity's mane, severing the part holding Rainbow up and sending the pegasus falling down to the prismatic lunar surface.

“MY MANE!!!” Nightmare Rarity shouted, and glared at Twilight with a look that could make any lesser thing explode. “I. WILL. DESTROY YOU!!” She yelled furiously. The Alicorn Statue’s eyes glowed again, and the image of a small diamond appeared on the tip of Nightmare Rarity’s horn. Dark magic formed rapidly around it as she aimed at Twilight, who hurriedly summoned a magical barrier to protect herself as a beam of powerful magic was fired at her, blasting Twilight backward despite the barrier.

“You can’t hold it up forever, Twilight!” Nightmare Rarity said with a triumphant laugh, charging up her magic and firing several more blasts as Twilight did her best to dodge and block them with barriers as best she could, though she was beginning to show signs of fatigue. "And now this ends..." The dark unicorn said with a grin, but was suddenly socked in the face when Rainbow swooped down and decked her with her hoof, sending Nightmare Rarity tumbling onto her side.

“That’s why she’s got me to watch her back.” Rainbow said with a smug grin as Nightmare Rarity lay there, dazed.

“Now for the finishing move.” Twilight said, floating what she’d found inside the mailbox she’d hit earlier and revealing it to be a rather large bottle rocket. Using her magic, she lit the fuse and the big bottle rocket zipped straight at Nightmare Rarity, who promptly ducked down, then realized too late that Twilight wasn’t aiming at her.

A massive explosion went off behind the pegasus and the dark unicorn, and Nightmare Rarity cried out in horror. For a second, her eyes changed from the reptilian appearance to Rarity’s normal deep blue as she looked at the Alicorn Statue, which now had a huge hole in its chest and numerous cracks all over it from where the bottle rocket had hit it. Glaring, her eyes became reptilian again and glowed brightly. “You’re going to pay for that. Both of you!” She shouted, charging up a magical blast to aim at Rainbow, but was suddenly engulfed in an aura of magenta magic courtesy of Twilight.

“Now, Rainbow! I can’t hold her any longer!” Twilight yelled, just before Nightmare Rarity emitted another aura of dark magic that broke her hold over her. Rainbow Dash, meanwhile, flew straight up and swooped down, as fast as she could; an aura of prismatic color beginning to surround her as she picked up speed to strike the Alicorn Statue where it had been damaged. Upon impact, a burst of colorful light emitted from Rainbow Dash, and the Alicorn Statue shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces, scattering all over the place.

Down below, Moonhattan began to twist and contract, like a swirling vortex. Nightmare Rarity screamed out in pain as her body turned completely black and shrank back down, the blackness billowing off of her like smoke and revealing an unconscious, but normal again Rarity underneath. The warped music that had filled the strange world grew more distorted and slower, before finally fading altogether, and in a brilliant flash of light, everything vanished around the three ponies.

The light began to fade, and the three found themselves in what appeared to be a storage room of some kind in the Rock N’ Roadhouse. Boxes of various things, including food, drinks, toys, and even a few bottle rockets and other such oddities lay strewn about. There was no sign of Fancy Pants, or anypony other then a confused barpony staring at them through a doorway.

“You three okay? I came in here and found ya just kinda standing there all spaced out.” The barpony said.

“We’re fine, thanks. Never been better.” Twilight said with a smile.

“Uh, yeah, sure. But I’ll have to ask you three to come on back out here, you’re not supposed to be in here.” The barpony said.

“Yeah, sure.” Rainbow said, getting up and heading for the door, but not before noticing the shattered remains of the Alicorn Statue.

“That was beyond weird, Twi. Whaddya make of it?” Rainbow asked.

“The Alicorn Statue, it must have created some kind of illusion, and I suspect when Rarity was under its power she was brought here to guard it.” Twilight said as she followed Rainbow to the door, carrying Rarity on her back.

“This is serious, Twi. Sombra’s able to just… tap into our dark sides like Discord was able to?” Rainbow asked. “What about me? What if I have some dark part of me he can bring out?”

“Calm down, Rainbow. If we’re gonna stop Sombra, we have to be strong. It’s weird but I haven’t heard anything from Celestia lately, I’m gonna send her a letter when we get back to the hotel. Rarity needs some rest and we can decide what to do next afterwards. Since the statue’s destroyed, she should be okay until we can get that book and make the potion I need for her.”” Twilight said as they headed up the stairs and back outside.

“But if we’re gonna get that book, we’re gonna have to storm the Equestrian State Building and get it from Trixie ourselves!” Rainbow said, smirking at the idea of giving the arrogant showmare some long-awaited comeuppance. “But I guess you’re right, Twi. A little rest first is probably a good idea. That whole experience back there was just way too screwed up for me.” She said with a shudder.

Author's Note

OHAI! Another chapter done! I loved this part in the game so I just had to get this part made and done! Hope everyone enjoyed it... h o peev eryo ne enj o yed it. Ti deyojne enoyreve epoh!! :twilightsmile:

And just for everyone's enjoyment, the wonderfully swinging tune we know and love!

A Long Way Up

“Uh, Excuse me…” Twilight said, entering the lobby of the Bridleway Theater.

“What do you want?” A large earth pony stallion in a black suit asked, glaring down at her. “Shows aren’t open for a while.”

“I need to speak with whoever’s in charge here.” Twilight said. “It’s an important matter regarding Vinyl’s contract here."

The guard raised an eyebrow and shrugged, as if figuring it wasn’t really his business whatever the unicorn had in mind. Leading her to an office door, he pushed it open with his hoof. “Try anything, and I’ll throw you out so hard the wonderbolts won’t be able to catch you in time.” He warned, closing the door behind her.

Turning nervously, Twilight faced the pony who sat at the desk. It was a grayish-blue unicorn stallion with a spiky black mane and wearing a matching black suit and white tie. A trio of white stars adorned his flank and his eyes were concealed by a pair of large, black sunglasses.

“Yes? Can I help you?” The stallion asked.

“Neon Lights?!” Twilight asked. “I thought you worked in Canterlot!”

“Well, what can I say, change of venue came with Fancy Pants’ expanding his business to Manehattan.” Neon replied with a shrug. “Anyway, what do you want…” He lowered his shades, looking down at the other unicorn. “…Twilight Sparkle?”

“You’re Vinyl’s manager right now, right?” Twilight asked.

“More or less. I’m middle-management to Trixie, but I handle all her… red tape and paperwork regarding this place.” Neon said. “Now what’s Vinyl got to do with you being here? Looking for an autograph?”

Twilight sighed. “No, I’m here to clear off her debt to you so she’ll be free to leave.” She explained.

Neon burst out laughing. “Twilight, you may be Princess Celestia’s personal student but even that sort of leverage means nothing against a signed contract. We businesses don’t exactly appreciate government interference after all… It’s one million bits up front or she stays here till she pays it off herself.”

“What about something of equal value?” Twilight asked.

“I suppose that would be acceptable.” Neon said, rubbing his chin with his hoof. “But I can’t see even you having anything like that.”

“Are you sure?” Twilight asked, floating the prism diamond out of her saddlebag and onto Neon’s desk. The stallion removed his sunglasses and stared agape at the glittering, hoof-sized diamond.

“I… wha… where did you?!” He stammered. Using his magic on it, he took a closer look and marveled as brilliant colors shone from it. “Where… did…?”

“So will that pay off her debt?” Twilight asked. Neon, mouth still hanging open, slowly nodded his head. Reaching under his desk he removed the contract with Vinyl’s name on it and set it over a candle, burning it.

“She’s free to go as soon as her next performance ends. We’re already sold out for it, I’ll give her word immediately.” Neon said.

“And I have your word that her contract is terminated, and she’s free to go without any underhoofed efforts to force her back into servitude?” Twilight said, approaching with a dangerous glare in her eyes. “Because THAT is something I would not appreciate in the least.”

“Sure! Sure! No problem! I promise!” Neon said with a nervous smile, pocketing the gem and bolting out the door. Seconds later, Twilight heard a mare’s voice cheering and Neon Lights returned with Vinyl Scratch following, a wide grin on the deejay’s face.

“Thanks loads, Twilight!” Vinyl said, giving Twilight a hug. “Sorry… just, you need anything at all, you just ask, got it?”

“Just meet with us later, me and my friends are gonna go have a few words with Trixie…” Twilight said with a smile.

Neon cleared his throat. “At any rate, I believe there’s still one show left to do, Vinyl. Soon as that’s over you’re free to leave, and I’m free to enjoy…” He floated the gem out of his suit again, grinning like a schoolcolt. “THIS!” He said, trotting to his desk and staring at it happily, prompting Twilight and Vinyl to exchange a look and shake their heads.

“Well anyway, I’m going to go check back in with my friends. I’ll see you later, Vinyl.” Twilight said, trotting out of the office and giving Vinyl a wave.

“Unnnghh” Rarity moaned softly as she slowly opened her eyes. As her vision cleared up she heard movement around her and saw Twilight and Rainbow Dash looking down at her. “Twilight? Rainbow? …Where am I?” She asked, looking around and sitting up. “Please tell me none of you kissed me…”

Both mares looked away awkwardly.

“You did?!” Rarity protested, causing both to start laughing.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow said, attempting to compose herself. “Shoulda seen your face, Rarity.”

“I’m sure it was hilarious.” The unicorn said with an eyeroll as Twilight giggled. “What happened exactly? Why are we back in the hotel room? I remember us being on our way out of the department store and suddenly… here I am…”

“Well, you kinda turned into a Nightmare, like Luna was, trapped us in the store with a bunch of creepy shadow monsters, then we escaped, told Vinyl we found the gem to pay off her debts then found out you had gone into the Rock N’ Roadhouse, and we would up in this way-way-waaaay freaky dimension you were ruling over, and fought you on a just as freaky moon and wound up destroying the Alicorn Statue, which was apparently the reason for your new look and that crazy dimension, so when it got smashed apart you turned back to normal and the other dimension disappeared. You were out like a light and we brought you back here. Twi went and gave the Bridleway Theater that gem up to clear Vinyl’s debt and got back here just before you woke up.” Rainbow ranted. “Or something like that.”

Rarity sat quiet for a moment, as if unsure what to make of the pegasus’ strange story. “I see.” She said at last. “Well thank you very much then. Though I have to admit ruling my own reality sounds delightful.”

“Everything was made of neon colors, and everypony there talked in complete nonsense. …And the moon looked like it was made of oil stains, like something Discord would make.” Twilight said.

“On second thought, I’m rather content with what I have.” Rarity said quickly.

“I do admit I wish you remembered it, though. Shoulda seen how totally awesome I was when I busted up the Alicorn Statue.” Rainbow said with a laugh.

“I’m sure it was a lovely sight, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said with an eyeroll.

“With the statue gone, you should be safe from repossession and we can get ahold of that book next, so we should probably go and deal with Trixie and Fancy Pants now.” Twilight said. “Are you able, Rarity?”

“I’m quite well now, dear. I’ve been asleep for what I’m certain is long enough.” The other unicorn said, climbing off the bed and stretching her legs out. “Besides, I’m quite certain if I can just talk to Fancy Pants, he’ll see what a no-good scheming showoff that Trixie is and will be more then happy to assist us.” She explained, floating out her mirror and brushing her mane out for a moment. Before they could leave, however, a gray form crashed through the window and tumbled across the floor.

“Derpy?!” Rainbow asked, staring down at the ditzy mailmare.

“That’s my name!” Derpy said happily, standing up. “I was worried I’d get the wrong room, too! Aaaaaaanyway, I came to deliver a package for you!”

“Rainbow, you didn’t order pizza again, did you? Because that was only funny the first time.” Rarity asked, annoyed.

“No pizza! This one’s from…” She pulled a box from her messenger bag. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders! Here ya go!” She said, placing it on the floor and nudging it to Rainbow Dash with her muzzle. “Well, I better be off, I got other things to deliver and other ponies to deliver to! Derpy Mare Mail, AWAY!” She said, flying towards the window but crashing into the wall next to it. “My bad!” Righting herself, she hovered out the window slowly and flew off.

“Well, let’s see what the squirts came up with this time…” Rainbow said.

“I just hope it doesn’t explode. Sweetie Belle can sometimes get into things she really should stay away from.” Rarity said, using her magic to tear the wrapping paper off and open the box, revealing what appeared to be some kind of soft-serve dispenser. “Oh MY! A yogurt dispenser! I’m very much in the mood for a good mid-day treat!” She said excitedly. “Who can say if it’ll work or not but I’ll say if it tastes good Sweetie Belle has outdone herself!” Humming to herself, Rarity floated herself a coffee cup from the cabinet on the nightstand and held it under the dispenser, using her magic to activate it. Soft, lime-green yogurt poured from it and the unicorn gave it a smell. “Well it does smell divine! I can’t wait to taste it!”

Meanwhile, Twilight looked inside the box curiously. “Hm, there’s a note in here. Let’s see what it says.” She used her magic to float it out and unroll it, Rainbow walking over beside her to read it.

“Oh! It’s as delicious as it smells! Do give my little sister my thanks, will you? She certainly deserves a cutie mark for whatever part she played in this.”

Hi!

We’ve been super-busy and thought maybe to make some extra money we’d try and get a cutie mark in frozen treat-making! So anyway, we made this new magical-flavor yogurt dispenser and it works perfectly! Its got magic in it to supposedly create yogurt of any flavor!

…Unfortunately something went wrong with the spell… for some reason we always end up with fish-flavored yogurt! Funny, huh? We mixed basic ingredients and stored them in it for you so you can try and get a different flavor, but we wouldn’t count on it, really. Well anyway, we decided fish-flavored yogurt wasn’t gonna get us a lot of customers (except that griffon, Gilda who’s still in town. She seemed to like it just fine) so we thought we’d send it to you and maybe you can find somepony who’ll appreciate it more!

Hope you’re all doing okay saving the world! We’re gonna keep on trying to invent new stuff to earn us our cutie marks!

Signed, the CMC!

“Fish-flavored yogurt?” Rainbow asked, staring in disbelief at Twilight.

“This is simply divine but I can’t place the flavor!” Rarity said; finishing the serving she’d gotten. “You should really try some!”

Twilight and Rainbow both looked nauseous.

“What’s the problem, you two?” Rarity asked, confused.

“Uh, Rarity? That’s fish-flavored.” Twilight said at last, floating the letter in front of her friend’s face. In seconds, the white unicorn’s face turned an interesting shade of green.

“Please excuse me…”

“Go right ahead, carnivore.” Rainbow said, chuckling as Rarity galloped past her and into the bathroom. Seconds later loud hacking and gagging, followed by the sound of intense vomiting was heard from behind the closed door.

“Well, I guess we may as well bring this along, our time in this room’s gonna be up in the next half-hour.” Twilight said.

“Honestly, Twi… who’s gonna want a yogurt-dispenser that’s stuck on fish-flavor setting?” Rainbow asked with an eyeroll.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands an explanation!” an angry showmare snapped, glaring down at the earth pony bowing before her.

“Your Great and Powerfulness! It’s true! Vinyl’s out of her contract and the statue you had safeguarded at the Rock N’ Roadhouse is destroyed!” the guard said, not wanting to look at the livid blue unicorn.

“Did Trixie not order that lout of a stallion Neon Lights to keep Vinyl under Trixie’s hoof?!” Trixie demanded, snorting heavily and causing her masseuse pony to step away from her. “Now her glorious shows will be only sub-glorious! Semi-phenomenal! NEARLY-cosmic!!!!” She sighed, flopping back on her bed, her hoof over her forehead in melodramatic despair. “What is the Great and Powerful Trixie to do now?”

The door opened and another pony rushed in. “Great and Powerful Miss Lulamoon! We got more trouble!”

Trixie sat up, growling. “How? Trixie is certain that creep calling himself her legitimate number-one fan was already tossed out the fifty-story window!”

“…N-no, ma’am. Still in a bodycast.” The second guard explained. “It’s those three ponies from before, they’re already outside the building right now!”

Trixie paused for a moment, then laughed. “Oh, is that all? Trixie knew hiring a griffon as the one guarding the elevator was a stroke of genius on her part! Like anypony but Trixie would have a means of providing him fish products to regularly enjoy!” She said, laughing proudly.

Down in the lobby, Twilight, Rainbow, and Rarity walked over to the receptionist, who stared down at them.

“Floor 50.” Twilight said.

“Whatever. Proceed.” The receptionist answered, returning her attention to the Mare Do Well comic she was reading as the three ponies walked over to the elevator where a pony stood inside.

“Welcome to the Equestrian State Building. We’re under extra supervision on Miss Lulamoon’s orders.” The mare in the elevator said. Rainbow’s eyes drifted over to the pony’s flank, due to the rather odd cutie mark that simply resembled an arrow pointing up and down. The mare sighed in annoyance. “Stand behind me and don’t stare at my cutie mark. I know it’s a rather disappointing one.” She said.

As they reached the top, they were greeted by a large griffon with a black suitcoat and sunglasses.

“You three… you match the photos Miss Lulamoon gave me. I can’t let you through here.” He growled.

Rarity smiled flirtatiously. “Oh really, handsome?” She asked, sauntering over to the stone-faced griffon. “You sure we can’t persuade you? Perhaps treat you to dinner?”

The griffon narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses. “Not gonna work, pony. Even if—” The griffon’s stomach made a loud growl as the word ‘dinner’ went through his mind, causing him to glance sideways in slight embarrassment.

“Well, someone hasn’t eaten today, has he?” Rarity asked.

“That’s hardly your business!” The griffon said. “Hungry or not, you’re not going through, end of story.”

“Oh really, even if we offered you a…” Rainbow said with a coy smile as she opened Twilight’s saddlebag. “Fish-flavored yogurt dispenser?”

The griffon removed his sunglasses and stared at it with the slightest hint of longing in his eyes.

“Uhhh, Miss Lulamoon?” A unicorn guard asked. “You did remember to give him his fish meal today, right?”

Trixie paused for a moment. “He can survive one day on fruit.”

The guards looked nervously at one-another before the one who’d spoken before decided to speak up again. “Griffons are known to betray others for a good snack if they’re not fed what they like… you sure that’s a good idea? Plus, it’s been two days now…”

Trixie glared angrily at the shaking unicorn guard. “Oh, Trixie is SO sorry! She didn’t realize YOU were the Great and Powerful one here!” She said sarcastically. “It will be fine, what are the odds Twilight and her friends are going to conveniently have anything that could meet his needs?” She asked smugly as she walked out the door of her office, followed by her guards, pausing right as they stepped outside and staring agape at the griffon who was now holding a dispenser of some kind and shaking Twilight’s hoof while sporting a huge grin as he rushed into the elevator and departed immediately.

“Huh… imagine that.” The unicorn guard muttered, cowering when Trixie shot him a dirty look.

“Trixie!” Rainbow shouted. “Out of our way, we have an appointment with your boss!”

“Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie wishes you the best of luck with that!” The showmare said with a laugh, setting off a burst of smoke. As it cleared, Trixie was seen rushing into the next elevator while her bodyguards stood there coughing from the smoke. “Farewell, foals!” Trixie said, taking a bow as the doors closed and she was gone.

“We gotta catch up to her!” Twilight shouted, rushing to the elevator followed by Rainbow Dash and Rarity. After a few moments, the elevator door opened and they piled inside; the guards finally managing to stop coughing and staring in disbelief at the three ponies.

“Later!” Rainbow said; blowing a raspberry as the doors closed around her and her friends. As the floors zoomed by, Rainbow grinned with anticipation. “Trixie’s going down now.” She said proudly. “Soon as those doors open, we give her a what-for!”

“I can’t say I’m able to argue with that, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said.

“You’ve both got a point.” Twilight said. “Trixie’s gone too far, now. We get that book back and handle Fancy Pants, whatever Sombra’s up to can be delayed a little while longer.”

At that moment, the elevator ‘dinged’ and the doors slid open. The three ponies stepped out cautiously and the intercom suddenly cut on above them.

“Welcome to the top floor, foals! Mr. Fancy Pants is a tad busy right now with being locked in his office, so allow the Great and Powerful Trixie to make this show a little more entertaining with a few of this building’s top-quality security inventions, courtesy of some very helpful freelance gizmonk inventors!” Trixie’s voice declared with a laugh as a door at the end of the hall opened and a large tank with a dragon head emerged from it, rolling towards them.

“Oh bucking Tartarus!” Rainbow shouted as the tank’s mouth began to glow bright orange. Twilight immediately summoned a barrier just before they were hit with a missile that fired out of its mouth, causing a massive explosion that nearly knocked them back into the elevator. Immediately, the dragon tank fired a pair of laser beams from its eyes, causing Twilight to strain a little holding up her barrier. Looking over at Twilight, Rarity turned her attention on the dragon tank and waited patiently.

“Go ahead, try and break this barrier! Do your worst!” Rarity shouted, prompting Rainbow to stare in disbelief at her. As the dragon’s mouth began to glow again, another missile shot out. Rarity smirked and focused her magic on it, causing it to freeze in place and flipped it over so it’d face the dragon tank before she released it. Immediately, the missile flew at the tank and into its mouth, causing it to explode violently. “Yes, lovely taste, wasn’t it?” Rarity asked as Twilight dropped her barrier and let out a sigh of relief.

“Don’t get too cocky, there’s more where that came from.” Trixie’s voice said over the intercom before it cut off.

“Let’s get going, girls.” Twilight said, leading the way down the hall and through the door the tank had come out of. Entering the room, they found it turned right, and another dragon tank stood between them. Its mouth began to glow and a missile fired out.

“I got this one!” Rainbow said, flying foreward and grabbing it with her forelegs, flipping in the air and steering it towards the dragon tank that had fired it. “Say ‘Ah’!” The pegasus said, letting go as it flew right into the dragon tank, blowing it up. “If this is the best Trixie has, she’s gonna go down fast.” Rainbow said with a smirk, kicking open the door ahead, this time greeted by two dragon tanks. “C’mon, plenty for all!” Rainbow shouted as Twilight and Rarity galloped in behind her. The dragon tanks locked onto Rainbow and prepared to fire, Twilight promptly summoning another barrier to protect them. As the dragon tanks prepared to reload, Twilight used her magic to turn the tanks towards eachother, causing them both to blow eachother up, trashing the room completely.

Getting up from the floor, Rainbow shook her head off while Rarity sighed and dusted herself clean. “I must say, we’re really ruining the décor of this place, aren’t we?” Rarity asked. “Though honestly this room could use a different color anyway; I blame Trixie.”

“Well let’s hurry, Trixie and Fancy Pants can’t be that far ahead!” Twilight ordered, leading the way through the next door, which lead to a hallway that had a door to their far right and three dragon tanks in their path.

“Password.” The middle tank ordered in a monotone voice.

“Buck you.” Rainbow said, flying forward and going in circles around them, causing the winds to pick up and lift them off the ground. Twilight and Rarity ducked against a wall, another barrier up as the tanks spun out of control and Rainbow quickly moved out of the tornado as it flung the three tanks in random directions, smashing into walls and putting them out of commission.

“Ugghhh… Trixie admits defeat. Proceed.” Trixie’s voice deadpanned over the intercom.

“Trap?” Rarity asked.

“Trap.” Twilight and Rainbow said in unison.

“In that case I’ll lead.” Twilight said. “I’ll put up a barrier for whatever shows up.” As they entered the next door, a missile came straight at them, causing Twilight to quickly put up a barrier. A violent explosion caused the three of them to tumble back through the door, and clanking steps of four metal hooves were heard. As their owner stepped into the light, Rarity stared agape at what stood before them.

It resembled her sister, though clearly robotic in nature. Its chest had a small gem that powered it, and its eyes glowed bright green. Its face was frozen in an impassive expression as its eyes flashed red, looking the three ponies over.

“Analyzing first intruder. Pegasus. Mare. Threat Level: Moderate,” it said as its eyes projected a beam that scanned Rainbow Dash.

“Excuse me?! Only MODERATE?!” Rainbow demanded indignantly.

“Unicorn. Mare. Anomaly Detected, resemblance to sister unit uncanny,” the robot continued.

“I’d really like to know why Trixie would have such a thing,” Rarity mused, staring awkwardly at the robot as it turned its attention on Twilight next.

Unicorn. Mare…” Its eyes suddenly flashed red. “CRITICAL ALERT! HIGH PRIORITY TARGET BY ORDER OF MISS LULAMOON!” It stood up on its hind legs and its chest cavity opened, another missile emerging from it. “EXTERMINATE!!!” it declared in a loud but monotone voice as it fired at Twilight before she could put up a barrier. The explosion blasted Twilight off her hooves and through the next room, sending her tumbling across the floor. “High-priority target of Miss Lulamoon disabled. Resuming passive mode,” the robot said, a compartment in its back opening and a daffodil sandwich popped out. The small robot used her magic to float it in front of her mechanized muzzle and munched on it. “Restorative measures…” She paused for a moment, her eyes changing from red to green. “…Complete.”

“Hey, hang on a sec!” Rainbow said angrily, flying at the robot and decking it with her forehoof, sending it tumbling across the floor and into the wall. The robot rolled its body from the neck down over and stood itself back up, its eyes turning red again.

“Come on, you wanna keep going?” Rainbow asked.

“Angry Younger Sister Mode Enabled. Commence Tantrum Sequence,” the robot said, sitting down on its haunches as its head extended upward, its mouth opened wide, and its head immediately began spinning around, firing lasers in every direction.

“WHOA!” Rainbow immediately ducked down, narrowly avoiding getting incinerated by one of the energy bolts. “Twi, you okay back there? We could use some help!” she cried out, Twilight moaned in response from the pain she was in.

“Seriously… for a robot copy of your… little sister, Rarity… it sure puts up a… fight…” Twilight muttered, attempting a healing spell on herself as she tried to keep as low to the floor as possible to avoid getting blasted by the lasers the robot was firing.

“Twilight, dear, I’m already extremely uncomfortable as it is dealing with this,” Rarity said, ducking down as well. Taking aim, Rarity prepared to fire a blast of magic at the robot, then paused. “I’m sorry, Twilight… I can’t fire upon something that looks like dear little Sweetie Belle, even if it is trying to kill us!” she said, tearing up and letting out a melodramatic sigh, earning a facehoof from Twilight.

“Then what do we do?!” Rainbow demanded. At that moment, however, the door opened and a large speaker of some kind wheeled in, an electric-blue tail peeking out behind it. As it got closer, the pony behind it became fully visible.

“Vinyl?! What are you doing here?!” Rainbow asked.

“Figured you girls needed help, and wouldn’t you know it, looks like I was right! Don’t worry, I got this!” Vinyl said with a grin, patting the large, wheeled speaker next to her. The robot suddenly stopped firing lasers and stood back up, its head retracting back down and cocking sideways in curiosity.

“Analyzing… analyzing. Unable to compute device. Analyzing new lifeform… Unicorn. Mare. Threat level… unclear...” The robot’s eyes glowed red. “Potential danger, defensive mode activating,” the robot said; its chest opening and a missile readying itself.

“Cute, but can your missiles cut it against DJ PON-3’s BASS CANNON?” Vinyl shouted, her horn glowing and the speaker’s cover split open, revealing multiple glowing blue lights. “You girls may wanna move outta the way,” Vinyl said as a growing humming sound began to build up. The three ponies complied and leaped out of the way just before a powerful beam accompanied by noisy dubstep beats erupted from the strange weapon, blasting the robot clear through the wall and into the next room, and into the next wall before the beam faded. “Told ya, I had this!” the eccentric deejay said with a grin.

“Uh… thanks, Vinyl,” Rainbow said, removing her hooves from her ears. “I gotta admit, that was pretty awesome, but we still woulda had it in the end!” she said with a smug smirk.

“I suppose that horrid noise you call music does have its uses,” Rarity said, standing back up and dusting herself off again.

“That was pretty helpful, though,” Twilight said with a smile, but then watched as the Bass Cannon immediately sparked and fell apart.

“Eh, yeah but I can only use it once before it falls apart. Tryin’ to fix that little problem,” Vinyl said. “I think the wubs are a bit too strong for her still!” she added with a laugh. “Well, you girls go on ahead, I’m gonna get this thing picked up and get back to my carriage, believe me this thing’s not easy to lug around. I’ll be just outside if ya need me!”

“Thanks again!” Twilight said as the other unicorn left and the three of them proceeded into the next room, where the strange robot was staggering to get up, sparks bursting from parts of its body.

“Servo motors reeling from power of bass. Emotion levels down to 35%. Beginning soft cry mode,” the robot said, before making whimpering noises.

“Sheesh, who knew a robot version of Sweetie Belle was that tough?!” Rainbow said, letting out a deep sigh.

“Relax, Rainbow. At least it’s over now and it can’t get any weirder,” Twilight said with a smile, only for them to be interrupted by the next door opening and another, accented mechanical voice spoke.

“Initiating Panic Mode: What have you done to my darling little sister?!” the voice demanded, and out of the door emerged a robotic version of Rarity.

“You realize this is your fault for saying that…” Rarity said, facehoofing.

“Exclamation! Sister Unit!” the smaller robot said.

“Query Mode Initiated: Sister Unit, are you well?” the robotic version of Rarity asked as the real one simply stared agape.

“Running Diagnostic Scan… No permanent damage detected. Charge at 27%. Entering Sleep Mode for power preservation until proper repairs are made,” the robotic filly said.

Rarity looked about ready to faint as her friends slowly put their forehooves around her and dragged her off into the next room.

“Initiating Relief Mode. Begin Loving Sister Nuzzle Program,” the Rarity robot said from the other room as it proceeded to gently nuzzle the Sweetie Belle robot while the latter powered down.

“Honestly, what use would anypony have for such ghastly contraptions?” Rarity asked, shuddering a little as they proceeded onward.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is lonely. Robots, return at once and entertain Trixie!” The showmare ordered through the intercom. Getting no response, she sighed. “So they’ve overcome Trixie’s entertainment robots!” Trixie froze for a moment, staring upward as she sensed something in the room with her, or perhaps in her mind with her.

A moment passed and she sighed again. “Perhaps it is best Trixie cancel this performance prematurely! Farewell, Fancy Pants!” Trixie shouted to the cowering figure behind the nearby desk, setting off a burst of smoke. As it cleared, she ran up the nearby stairs and was gone, just as Rainbow Dash kicked open the door.

“Alright, Trixie? Fancy Pants? Where are you?” The pegasus demanded, searching around and seeing a figure hiding behind a desk. “Aha!” Thought you could hide?” Rainbow asked, flying over the desk and glaring at the well-dressed unicorn behind it.

“Please! I say, miss! Don’t hurt me! I never… I couldn’t… the statue!” The unicorn pleaded.

“Fancy Pants! I’m VERY disappointed in you. Serving King Sombra is hardly becoming of the most important pony in Canterlot! What have you to say for yourself?”

“Please, Miss Rarity! I’m so, SO sorry! Let me explain!” Fancy Pants insisted. The pained, honest look in the businesspony’s eyes was all Rarity needed to know he was very much himself now. “Understand, when Miss Lulamoon approached me in Canterlot a few days ago, she presented me with that statue, insisting it would be a fine centerpiece for my new business in Manehattan! I complied, while she may be a boastful showoff, she knew how to draw in crowds so I decided to give her a chance. Then… things happened… it was like for some reason I couldn’t say no to anything she proposed to me! We set up business in the Equestrian State Building, took upper management of the Bridleway Theater, with my every intention of giving the likes of miss Octavia and Fleur De Lis a boost in their own careers…” He explained. “But then… once more, it was as if I couldn’t say no to anything Miss Lulamoon wanted. The Alicorn Statue began to… draw me to it, I say. The more I was around it, the more I came to fear it, feeling as though it were watching my every move. Trixie advised its relocation to the Rock N’ Roadhouse, a place I liked to frequent from time to time to enjoy myself away from business so transporting it there was easy enough. But that only made it worse…”

“Worse, how?” Twilight asked.

“The room I put it in… took on a life of its own. The Alicorn Statue’s power grew, and I was approached by a strange, dark mare who told me her new master wished to speak to me.” The businesspony continued.

Rarity shifted uncomfortably at Fancy Pants’ words and looked over at her friends, then down at her hooves.

“Miss Rarity, a-are you alright?” Fancy Pants asked, concerned.

“Y-yes. I-I’ll be quite alright, please continue.”

“Very well… you see, as I mentioned, the room took on a life of its own. I was drawn into a strange, abstract mockery of Manehattan, where a voice began speaking in my head. Apparently, this statue was like a conduit for King Sombra’s power, weakening a pony’s soul and putting them further under his power… I suspect this has already befallen Miss Lulamoon long before I met her…” Fancy Pants mused. “A horrible, deep voice like something from the pits of Tartarus itself spoke to me in that twisted world. That his new servant would challenge them shortly… though I suppose you already took care of her, I trust?”

Twilight and Rainbow both nodded while Rarity again flinched.

“Also, that you are to be kept from reaching Bahamare Island. It’s a rather lovely resort just to the southeast, in the Mareibbean Sea… and something about an ancient tomb in Saddle Arabia…” Fancy Pants mused. “Well, thanks to you I imagine, I’m free from Sombra’s influence. Perhaps I can still be of service for your help, and to make up for what I’ve been forced to do…” He said.

“That means a lot to us, Fancy Pants!” Rarity said with a smile. “We are very grateful for any assistance you may provide us.”

“On that subject, do you happen to have a spellbook that Trixie may have had in her possession?”

“You mean Baccus Brew’s Potion Compendium? Right there on my desk. Trixie left in quite a rush so she must have left it behind.” Fancy Pants said, gesturing to the book on the desk. Smiling, Twilight floated the book into her saddlebag.

“Thanks so much. But what about the Sapphire Spire's barrier, and how will we get to Bahamare Island?” Twilight asked.

“Well, Trixie set up the barrier remotely with a spell that can only be deactivated from within the barrier itself, so we're out of luck there unless a way in is found. As for how to get to Bahamare... I do remember the FlimFlam brothers selling their invention to me, and we were experimenting with a air-travel method for it… oh my… are they alright?” Fancy Pants asked, as memories of what had happened last he saw them came flooding back.

“They’re in the hospital, last we heard.” Rainbow said with a shrug. “But hey, it’s about time they got theirs… anyway what’re you getting at, you made that thing fly?”

“To my understanding, yes!” Fancy Pants said. “I believe it was going to be called the Cider-Copter 6000. By now it should be functional. It’s up on the roof right now so its test flight could be attempted.”

“Well let’s get going then!” Rainbow said, flying up the stairs, followed by Twilight, Rarity, and Fancy Pants.

“No… bucking… way…” Rainbow muttered as she saw the copter lifting off already. Peering over the edge was the unwelcome sight of a smug blue unicorn in a wizard hat and cape.

“Trixie was wondering when you would show up!” Trixie yelled proudly. “This is far from over, for once again the amazing, show-stopping magnificence of the Great and Powerful Trixie triumphs over your filly-grade efforts! Farewell for now, foals!” Trixie said with a mock salute as she reared back in her seat, setting off an explosion of smoke. When it finally cleared, Trixie turned the flying machine around and flew off, blowing a raspberry at them as she laughed victoriously before it suddenly picked up speed and sped off into the afternoon sky.

“WHY THAT LITTLE—” Rainbow snarled, spreading her wings and preparing to fly after her, only to find she couldn’t move at all. “What the… what’s going on?!”

At that moment, a fanfare sounded off.

“Oh COME ON!” Rainbow protested. “NOW?!” Glancing upward she saw a familiar serpentine figure come spinning down from the sky and touch down on the rooftop in front of her and the others.

“Ohhhh, YES, now!” Discord said in a jolly tone, chuckling as he snapped his claw and a camera appeared in it.

“Discord, seriously?! I gotta catch Trixie, she’s getting away!” Rainbow shouted indignantly.

“Yeah, this is kind of serious, Discord!” Twilight said.

“Oh pish-tosh! There’ll be other opportunities to trade hits with that loud showmare!” Discord said. “However, one can never miss a golden opportunity for another photo!” He said, snapping his other claw and causing Rainbow to land on the roof, mobile again, though her wings would not unfold.

“Now all four of you, close together and say… blue cheese!” The draconequus said with a grin.

“Blue-wha—” The four ponies said in confusion as Discord snapped the photo, preserving the baffled looks on their faces and watching the photo slide out of his camera. “Oh this one came out just spectacular! Wouldn’t you agree?” He asked, showing it to them, prompting exasperated groans from the businesspony and the three friends. “As for the blue cheese thing I just thought I’d change it up a little and take you by surprise. At any rate, have fun on your adventure, my little ponies!” Discord said in a mockingly cheerful tone, placing his paw to his chest and outstretching his eagle claw, spinning back up into the sky and vanishing in a flash of light.

“I say, with all due respect to Celestia… I’ll never understand her reasoning for allowing such a being to roam freely again…” Fancy Pants mused.

“At any rate…” Twilight sighed. “We’re gonna need to find another solution if we’re gonna get to Bahamare Island...”

Author's Note

At long last, the newest chapter is up! Big thanks goes to Luna-cy for some of the hilarious dialogue, and of course to my readers for continuing to stay with me, and persuading me to use a certain fan-character reference for the 'boss fight' as it did turn out to be what I felt was one of the real highlights of the chapter. :twilightsmile:

Yes, I skipped the monkey cave part. Why? Because it felt like a senseless filler side-quest to me. Every time I played through it I just wanted it over with right away. Besides, Twi can teleport anyway. I apologize to anyone who enjoyed the monkey cave, but that is my opinion of it. :pinkiecrazy:

Repairs An Order

“Well, that didn’t take long at all!” Twilight said with a smile as she looked over the finished potion. “Thanks so much for getting us the ingredients we needed, Fancy Pants.”

“It’s the least I can do, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Anything for Miss Rarity’s health,” the businesspony said as Twilight floated the finished mixture to her friend.

“Alright, Rarity. Drink up and we can give a permanent goodbye to Smooze and nightmare contamination!” Twilight said. Rarity stared at the mixture for a moment, and caught it in her magic aura, floating it over to her lips.

“You promise it at least tastes good?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know. Never had to make one before!” Twilight said with a sheepish smile. “Guess we’ll find out!”

With a sigh, Rarity closed her eyes and chugged down the potion. For a moment, she looked like she was going to be sick. Collapsing to the floor, the purple marks reappeared, but then drifted off of her coat like smoke and faded away. As her vision cleared, the unicorn shook her head and got back up. “Horrid taste but… you have my thanks, Twilight.”

“Well, that still doesn’t solve our problem of how we’ll get to Bahamare Island. Trixie kinda took our one and only way of flying there. Well… as a group anyway,” Rainbow said.

“Not necessarily,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “The flying machine Dr. Whooves let me borrow is still in that catacomb under the Hollow Shades, if I remember correctly.”

“One thing, though, darling, it’s wrecked! Not to mention it’s several hours before the next train and you’re still far too worn from that last fight to be in any shape for such a long-distance teleportation spell!”

“You’re right, it’s gonna take me a while to fix it.”

“Hold on, Vinyl’s probably still in town. We can send her a message to wait for us and give us a lift back!” Rainbow said. “Besides, she’s way more fun to ride with then some train,” she added with a grin, prompting an eyeroll from Rarity.

“Good idea,” Twilight said, floating out the candle and preparing a letter before sending it off. Within a few moments, they got a response.

Hey!

It’s no problem, I’m just finished packing and I’m right outside! Head on down whenever you’re ready!

~Vinyl “DJ PON-3” Scratch

“Um, Twilight? There’s something you should know about Vinyl…” Rarity began.

“Not now, Rarity! We need to get back to Hollow Shades on the double!” Twilight said, putting her hooves on her friends and focusing her magic, teleporting them outside as Fancy Pants waved goodbye to them.

“ROCK THIS WORRRRLD!” Rainbow and Vinyl shouted in unison along with the loud, pulsing music that blared from the wagon’s stereos.

“OH YEAH! LET’S CRANK THIS BABY UP!” Vinyl shouted, using her magic to do just that and then giving a hoof bump to Rainbow after, and the two ponies promptly began cheering even louder then ever.

In the back, Twilight and Rarity lay covering their ears with pillows they’d found. Rarity mouthed something but the noise and muffling efforts drowned her out completely to Twilight.

“What?” Twilight yelled, though unable to hear herself either.

Rarity mouthed something again, but paused and rolled her eyes, hoping this trip would end soon.

“…WHAT?” Twilight shouted.

“Hey, keep it down back there or we’ll turn the volume up!” Rainbow yelled, before proceeding to head-bang to the music along with Vinyl, unaware of the synchronized facehooves that the two unicorn passengers in the back made.

“THANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUTHANKYOUUU!!!” Rarity cried out, having leapt out of the wagon and hugging the ground after another hour of pounding dubstep music; forgetting all about her aversion to rolling in dirt while caught up in the moment of finally being away from the excruciating noise she dare not ever call music. Twilight had managed to exit in a more reserved manner, but showed very obvious signs of relief as well.

“Some ponies… no appreciation for the awesome,” Rainbow said with an eyeroll as she trotted out.

“Well, I better split. And don’t worry, I’ll be more careful next time!” Vinyl said. “You girls be safe! I’m rootin’ for ya, and you can always remember DJ PON-3’s epic wubs whenever you’re in a pinch!”

“I doubt we’ll forget any time soon.” Rarity said flatly, standing back up and giving Vinyl a wave as the unicorn magically reactivated her wagon.

“We totally gotta hang sometime after all this is over!” Rainbow said.

“Oh yeah, totally!” Vinyl said with a grin, hoofbumping the pegasus and hopping back into the wagon, and speeding off back down the road.

“Well, now that we’re here we can go check out the Whoovesmobile. With a little time and effort, it should be an easy fix!” Twilight said.

A quick journey through town later, the three ponies found themselves back in the now-far more peaceful cemetery, though the hole in the ground was still present from where Twilight had crash-landed earlier. Entering the pit, they found that the wrecked machine had remained untouched.

“Hopefully this won’t take too long. I suggest ordering a meal, though,” Twilight said, looking it over. “I’m gonna need a few tools if I’m gonna—” At that moment a compartment on the passenger side fell open, and a few tools spilt out, along with a booklet of some kind with a picture of the vehicle on it. “Okay, nevermind. Guess he thinks of everything!”

“Well, I know what I’m having!” Rainbow said with a grin, getting out the candle and a parchment scrap, along with a quill ready.

“Rainbow, don’t you dare..," Rarity said. “I already have no love for this place after spending hours trapped in it do we really need pizza?”

“Hey, you don’t want any more for me,” the pegasus said with a smirk, sending the note through the flame.

Two hours later, Twilight had finished. “Well girls, what do you think?” she asked with a proud smile.

“It looks lovely, Twilight! We’ll certainly be heading to Bahamare Island in style!” the other unicorn said.

“Eh, it’s alright I guess.” Rainbow said, having already finished the last of the pizza some time ago. “So, hope you can drive this thing better now,” she said.

“Rainbow, I learn from experience, I won’t crash us this time!” Twilight said. “Everypony get in!”

As the three got inside the machine, Twilight used her magic to activate it, and the Whoovesmobile roared to life and rose from the pit, causing a few stares from random townsponies.

“Um, Twilight? Do we even know how to get to Bahamare Island? And what’s that meter for?” Rarity asked.

“Hm… good point it’s not on Equestria’s map. That meter… huh… I guess us not knowing where the island is exactly is just as well, it looks a little low on power. We may need to make a quick stop to Canterlot and see if Dr. Whooves has a way of recharging it and maybe get us a map to get to the island.” Twilight said, studying the meter. “I guess the crash may have drained it a little, it wasn’t this low when I got here. We’d better hurry, then!”

“Well let’s go!” Rainbow said.

“Indeed, I’d much like to see Bahamare Island for myself as soon as possible,” Rarity said, grinning. “I admit our quest is important but I can’t shrug off an opportunity of a lifetime after all.”

“Well at any rate, you may want to buckle up, this may be a little…” Twilight began, pressing one of the buttons. “FAAAAAST!!!” she screamed out as the vehicle rocketed off in the direction of Canterlot, carrying three screaming ponies.

“Slow it down, Twilight!” Rarity shouted as Twilight managed to pull a lever to steer it, then managed to get the machine to slow down to a hover.

“Yeah, I only like going this fast when I have control over it, Twi!” Rainbow said.

“Dr. Whooves’ lab should be just around here…” she said, before getting a good look at the land around her. “What the?!”

The entire ground was blanketed in snow. All the water was frozen and icicles hung over everything in sight; the trees, buildings, cliffsides, everything.

“I was wondering why so many thick clouds were building up around the place, I admit,” Rarity said. “Whatever could have caused this?”

“I dunno… but I should probably ask Celestia as soon as we land. I’m sure she’ll have an answer, or an idea of what to do.” Twilight replied, spying the roof of Dr. Whooves’ lab and landing on it. Shivering from the cold, Twilight climbed out. “W-wai-ait h-h-here, g-girls,” she said, and she vanished. Seconds later, the place the Whoovesmobile had been parked on began to descend into the building, a roof closing overtop them as the elevator brought them down.

“Well, good to see you three are well!” Dr. Whooves said. “Interesting weather!” he remarked as he sipped a mug of hot chocolate. “You’re staring…”

“TWILIGHT!” Spike shouted, rushing over from behind the earth pony and giving Twilight a hug. “You’re alright!” His attention immediately fell on Rarity. “Rarity! You’re safe, too!”

“Of course I am, Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity said. “And thank you so much for the lovely mane spray!” She added, giving the young dragon an affectionate nuzzle, causing Spike to nearly faint of happiness.

“Never… washing this cheek… again,” he fawned as he lay on his back, hearts in his eyes as Rarity giggled in amusement.

“Anyway, we did notice the weather,” Twilight said. “It’s a bit early for winter, isn’t it?”

“Oh! So it is! Well there’s no time anomalies that suggest it is suddenly winter now,” the earth pony said.

“Time anomalies?” Rainbow asked.

“No concern of yours, I’m afraid. There is one however that I am hard at work on figuring out but it has nothing to do with this,” the Doctor remarked casually.

“So, why hasn’t Celestia done anything about this? This seems like something she’d show at least a little concern for!” Rarity protested.

“Hm… don’t know actually,” Whooves replied, rubbing his chin with his hoof. “But I’m sure she does! So anyway, what brings you back here, because I assume you didn’t see the weather until you made it over…” His eyes widened. “Oh my, Minuette isn’t feeling homesick, is she? I know she can get rather touchy when dad’s not around for too long, but honestly…”

“No, not that I know of,” Twilight said. “Look, the Whoovesmobile’s really low on… whatever you use for fuel, and also I need directions to get to Bahamare Island. Whatever Sombra’s after, it’s there so we need to get there next!”

“Is that so? Well that’s interesting!” Whooves said. “Can’t be for the sights and a nice tan… well no matter! I’ll have this recharged and get the location imprinted into it for you! You won’t need to know where to go, by the time I’m done it’ll take you there itself in a flash!”

“So what do we do till then?” Rainbow asked. As if to respond to her inquiry, Spike suddenly twitched on the ground, his eyes wide with realization.

“Oh! Right! I got this not long before you came here! It’s from Princess Luna of all ponies!” the dragon said, rushing off and returning with a scroll.

“Luna?!” Twilight wondered aloud, magically opening the scroll and looking it over.

Twilight Sparkle,

I’m certain by now you’ve noticed the odd weather around Canterlot as well as my sister’s inability to resolve the matter. Please come to the palace as soon as you receive this message and I will explain everything.

~Princess Luna

“Girls, hold onto me. Spike, stay here and help the Doctor with repairing the machine. We’ll be back later!” Twilight said.

“Aye-aye!” Spike said with a salute as Rainbow and Rarity placed their hooves on Twilight’s shoulders, and the unicorn focused her magic, prompting the three to vanish immediately.

“Princess Luna!” Twilight cried out, leading the way as she galloped into the throne room, followed by her friends. Upon entering, she found a downcast and slightly fatigued-looking Princess.

“Greetings, bearers of the Elements.” Luna said. “No doubt you wonder why I called you here…”

“Yeah, what’s up with all the weather? Why aren’t the pegasi on this?” Rainbow asked.

“And where is Princess Celestia?” Rarity asked. Luna shifted uncomfortably.

“Perhaps it is better I show you,” Luna said. “Come out, sister.” Luna turned around, and immediately the three were treated to the most unexpected of sights when a very different-looking Celestia trotted out from behind the throne…

“Awwww, Woona! I was having fun pwaying Hide and Seek!” the small, pink-maned filly said with a giggle.

“…Princess... Celestia...?” Twilight asked, staring agape at the filly.

“Nope! I’m CEWESTIA! PWINCESS OF DA SUN!” the filly cheered in her own attempt at the Royal Canterlot Voice as she reared back on her hind legs proudly, then she stared wide-eyed at Twilight. “I missed you so much, Twilight!” She immediately galloped over to the unicorn as fast as her stubby legs could carry her and hugged her tightly. “My most favowitest student!”

“Uh, hi!” Twilight said nervously, putting her forehoof around the filly.

“Wanna play? I wanna play!” the alicorn filly said with a big cheerful smile, trotting in place. “How about tag?”

“With all due respect, Princess, this is NOT the time for games!” Rarity said firmly.

“Woonaaaa! The mean old lady mare doesn’t wanna play!” Celestia said, her large round eyes tearing up.

Rainbow immediately fell to the floor, bursting into laughter at the filly’s complaint and forgetting the seriousness of the situation while Rarity looked ready to explode with rage.

“Why you LITTLE!!!!!” Rarity shouted lividly as Celestia began flying around her, giggling playfully.

“Old lady! Old lady!” the filly sang before being snagged into Luna’s magical aura, while Twilight did the same to the now-furious Rarity.

“That’s quite enough, sister,” Luna said firmly.

“Woo-naaaaaa!” Celestia protested, pouting as she was brought back towards her now-older sister.

"Release me, Twilight!" Rarity yelled, struggling wildly in Twilight's magic aura. "Princess or not, she will pay for that remark!"

“Would you believe I was actually the more mature one out of the two of us during our fillyhood?” Luna asked with an eyeroll. “Anyway, the weather and my sister’s condition are in fact connected. Sombra’s resurfacing is growing all the more evident, as is his influence over the other lands outside Equestria,” she explained. “Just two days ago, penguins from up north descended upon Canterlot. Their leader froze much of the kingdom and unleashed a powerful blizzard over the city. When Celestia and I attempted to stop him, he cast an age spell on my sister… reducing her to this. I would not have expected such power from them, let alone one strong enough to oppose us so effectively.

“So where are they now?” Twilight asked as Celestia flailed about in the air trying to free herself from her sister’s aura. “How could their leader have gotten this much power?”

“I’m not sure, but they are based in a cave leading to an old tourist attraction near here. The Ever Frozen Circle… a spot where the ice never melts and a cold air is always present… it’s existed before Equestria was founded,” Luna explained.

“Wait! Maybe it’s a Sanctuary!” Rainbow said.

“Excuse me?” Luna asked.

“When I first got dragged into this crazy adventure, this weird creature from the future gave me this… Harmony Stone thing,” the pegasus explained, removing it from her saddlebag. Luna narrowed her eyes in curiosity and floated it over to herself. Immediately her eyes widened.

“How did you get this? My sister has the only one but it’s been dormant ever since she’s had it!” Luna said.

“Like I said, a creature from the future gave it to me. I think Celestia in that time sent it. She said it would… gather the harmonious energy from these eight special places in Equestria and give us strength to stop Sombra. Maybe this Ever Frozen Circle is one of those places!” Rainbow said.

“It would make sense…” Luna said. “I’ve heard of there being certain places in Equestria where spiritual energy focuses.”

“If the penguins’ leader got ahold of this place, he could have gained its power,” Twilight said.

“Yeah, I’ve been to three of these places, each one had something there, guarding it,” Rainbow explained.

“If that’s the case, then it’s important that you get to this place and defeat him so you can acquire its power,” Luna said. “I will continue to tend to matters here… including my sister,” she explained, eyeing the filly who now sulked as she hovered in the air. “Be wary… several of his forces are already attempting to invade Canterlot!”

“I know where it is! I saw it not far from Dr. Whooves’ laboratory! We can teleport there right away,” Twilight explained.

“Good luck, my subjects,” Luna said, before gritting her teeth and attempting to keep her rambunctious de-aged sister under control.

“I wanna move da sun!” Celestia protested.

“You’re not strong enough for that right now, sister!” Luna replied.

“Then can we make a cake? Cewestia, Pwincess of da Sun is hungwy!” the filly pleaded, giving the best puppy-dog eyes she could muster, prompting a snicker from Rainbow Dash and a facehoof from Luna as the three friends vanished from the throne room.

“Ugghhh… very well,” Luna muttered, unable to resist her sister’s adorable face and leading her to the kitchen, hoping the three element bearers got this taken care of quickly.

Appearing in the middle of the snow-covered fields, the three ponies found themselves caught in a monstrous blizzard.

“Whoa!” Rainbow shouted, nearly getting blown off her hooves. “Things are getting pretty intense out here!”

“Tell me about it! And I don’t even have my winter wardrobe!” Rarity protested.

“Girls, the cave’s just up that hill!” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes to peer through the blowing snow and ice. “Now come on, let’s do this!”

Before they could move, however, spires of ice burst from the ground in front of them, blocking their way as several large penguins emerged from the cave, wielding ice spears.

“Going somewhere?” one asked with a sneer, as the others quacked with laughter, drawing their spears on them as well.

Author's Note

Not the most action-packed chapter, but not all of it can be! I may get another chapter up during the christmas break, or by the following weekend. We shall see! In the meantime, enjoy the lovely jig of Winters!

Filly Celestia came from here. Beware the artist's other work if you fear death by overwhelming filly adorableness :trollestia:

The Fourth Sanctuary

“Guess we gotta bust our way through, huh?” Rainbow asked with a grin.

“Guess so!” Twilight said, her horn charging up as she fired bolts of magic at several of the penguins, knocking them over. Rainbow flew over the ice spires and landed between two of them, dodging one’s spear and bucking the bird behind her before swinging her hoof up to deck the one in front of her. Rarity focused her magic on a chunk of ice, lifting it off the ground and flinging it at another penguin, smashing him into the wall of the mountainside.

“Well that wasn’t too hard,” Rainbow said with a smirk. As soon as the words left her mouth, however, a sliding sound was heard and three more penguins belly-slid down the side of the mountain towards them, ramming the three of them and sending them tumbling backwards into the snow.

“Okay… that hurt,” Rainbow muttered, getting up and grunting in pain as the penguins stood up, waddling towards them with glowing green eyes and armed with ice spears, prompting a laugh from Rainbow.

“You know, when you’re outta your element you’re kinda silly-lookin’!” the pegasus said, flying around them swiftly and causing a snowy whirlwind to scoop them all up, sending them flying in random directions. “OH YEAH, who’s the coolest pony? That’d be ME!” Rainbow said with a cheer.

“Don’t kill yourself with your pride, Rainbow,” Twilight said. “Let’s try and get into the cave, before more of them show up.”

“Right,” the pegasus said. As they advanced, however, the winds grew stronger again, and more ice spires began to form.

“Allow me!” Twilight said with a smirk, firing magic blasts again to blow up the spires in their way. However, as she did, more formed, circling around them and drawing ever closer to impaling them.

“Rarity!” Rainbow scooped up her friend and flew out of the circle while Twilight teleported herself outside.

“Thank you,” Rarity said, catching her breath. “We’d best find this penguin leader fast, before things get colder. We unicorns aren’t as good at acclimating to cold weather as you pegasi are, I’m afraid.”

A rumble was heard, and the three looked behind them as the ice spires became a giant mouthlike structure that advanced on them rapidly.

“INSIDE! NOW!” Twilight shouted, and the three galloped into the mouth of the cave as quickly as they could, ice covering the entrance behind them.

“Whoa,” Twilight muttered as she looked around. The entire inside of the cave was lined in shining, smooth ice. The unicorn would have thought it beautiful had it not been caused by a threat to Canterlot’s well-being. Cold winds gently blew towards them, causing Twilight and Rarity to shiver and prompting Rainbow Dash to lead.

“Careful, the ground’s slippery,” Rainbow said, flying over it as the two unicorns walked as carefully as they could.

“Oh my goodness… look!” Rarity said, pointing around them with her hoof. All around were the royal guards of Canterlot, all encased in ice and put on display like statues.

“We have to stop him. The longer they stay this way,” Rainbow began. “Well… come on!” she said, flying ahead of her friends.

After a while of journeying through the frozen cavern, they found a small hill going upward, coated in ice. As they approached, however, a pair of penguins suddenly appeared, leaping down the hill and sliding towards them.

“Look out!” Rainbow yelled, leaping out of the way of one and spinning around to buck the other in the face while Twilight blasted the other into a wall.

The one Rainbow had attacked spun out of control and slid across the ice on his back, moaning in pain.

“Alright, pal. Which way to your boss?” Rainbow asked. The green light and purple smoke faded from the penguin’s eyes and he looked nervous.

“Wha?!” it quacked. “The-the boss? H-he’s up there! He gets his power from some weird glowy place! He was able to curse Princess Celestia!”

“What’s this all about?” Rainbow asked angrily. “You realize how much trouble you’re gonna be in when I kick his butt into next year?”

“Ehhh… a lot?” the penguin asked nervously. “I couldn’t control myself, I swear! When he started taking orders from someone called Sombra, everything got all… hazy! I’m sorry! Please, snap him out of it! If you beat him I’m sure Princess Celestia and Canterlot will return to normal!” the bird pleaded.

“…I believe you,” Twilight said, approaching. “We’ll deal with your boss, and break Sombra’s hold over him and you guys can go back to the frozen lands when this is over.”

“Yes! Of course! But please, be careful! I wouldn’t wanna be on Charlatan’s bad side; that glowy place has made him really powerful and seriously nuts!” the penguin said, nursing his head as he stood up and waddled clumsily towards the tunnels the three ponies had come through.

“Charlatan… that name sounds familiar,” Twilight mused. “Wait, he’s the ruler of the Penguin Kingdom! But I’ve heard he was kind… and a loving father… that’s horrible if he’s fallen under Sombra’s power…”

“Well, Twi, be that as it may, he’s still causing trouble so we best not keep him waiting!” Rainbow said with a cocky smirk as she flew up the hill while Rarity held Twilight as the latter teleported them both to the top along with her. Up ahead was a thin wall of ice that blocked the next passage. With a grin, Rainbow turned and gave it a fierce buck, cracking it, and another kick shattered it completely. The next chamber was very wide and circular in nature, with a set of ice-covered stairs leading up to another tunnel ahead, but a brilliant glowing light stood at the entranceway.

Approaching, Rainbow took the Harmony Stone from her saddlebag and held it out, and was immediately met with a screeching feedback noise that caused the three ponies to cringe.

A sinister, refined laugh was heard as a figure emerged from the light. “Congratulations, ponies. You’ve found the sanctuary!” the voice said, it was deep with a refined, dapper accent that would fit in with Canterlot’s elite; though what emerged was a tall, barrel-chested penguin with an ice crown on his head and a blue beak. “…But it is King Charlatan’s now! Take it from me, if you dare!” he declared, raising his flippers and large, jagged ice spires grew from the walls and over the doorways, and a distorted music from the corrupted melody of the sanctuary began to echo around them.

“So you’re the one behind all this!” Twilight said angrily, her horn charging up. “You used to be a good king, have you been promised power by Sombra for this?”

“That is correct, my dear!” the large penguin said with a smug laugh. “This ‘sanctuary’ as it’s called has granted me great power as Sombra promised it would, and now Equestria will be as the frozen lands! Starting with Canterlot!” he shouted, a pair of glowing blue eyebeams shot from his eyes, freezing over the floor. Immediately, Charlatan got on his belly and slid at them before any of the three could move due to the slick surface, knocking them all aside like bowling pins.

Spinning on the ice, the penguin stood up and laughed, firing coldbeams from his eyes again at the ground, and it slowly formed a large spiky ball of ice.

“What is he—” Rarity wondered, right before Charlatan did a quick charge and knocked it loose, sending it sliding at them.

“LOOK OUT!” Rainbow shouted, pushing her friends aside and barely avoiding getting smacked by the deadly ice ball.

“Stay away from the walls, girls,” Twilight said, attempting to regain footing on the ice as she fired magic at Charlatan, who easily dodged as he slid about on the icy floor. “It’s no good, he’s like a wrecking ball when he slides around like that!” she said, teleporting out of the way just in time before the penguin rammed into her and crashed into a wall, shaking the ice spires loose and sending them crashing around him.

“You can’t keep this up forever, little ponies! Canterlot shall be MINE! Now why don’t you three just, as you youngsters say, chill out?” Charlatan yelled, firing coldbeams at them, this time encasing all three of them up to their flanks in ice. Letting out a laugh, the penguin sneered at them. “I believe telling you to ‘freeze’ now may sound redundant so I’ll settle for suggesting you keep a cool head for what’s to come!” he said, firing coldbeams at the ceiling and forming large icicles. “Ready… and look out below!” he shouted, making a charge and sliding across the floor, past the ponies and into the opposite wall, causing it to shake violently and the icicles began to crumble and loosen.

As quick as she could, Twilight summoned a magic barrier, protecting them the chunks of ice hailing down on them. “Ugh, any ideas, girls?” Twilight asked.

“I think I got one, but we need to get free,” Rarity said. “Get that nasty brute to try it again, then we use our magic to send the ice at him, perhaps it may stun him long enough for Rainbow to get a hit in!”

“It’s worth a shot,” Rainbow said. “HEY fatso! Betcha that won’t work a second time either!” She yelled.

“How DARE you! You shall pay for insulting the sultan of snow, the emperor of ice, King Charlatan!” Charlatan shouted indignantly.

“Bring it on!” Rainbow said with a grin. Growling, Charlatan fired more coldbeams up at the ceiling, forming large icicles again and then readied himself for another belly slide. As he suddenly shot forward like a rocket, Twilight fired a magic blast at the ice Rainbow was trapped in and then summoned a barrier as Charlatan impacted with the wall, shaking the new icicles loose. Immediately as the penguin stood up, Twilight and Rarity used their magic to capture the chunks of ice and flung them at him.

“Gaaahhh! Stop it! Stop it!” the penguin yelled furiously as he swatted at the chunks of ice in vain with his large flippers. “When I am through with you, I will turn you into foals and send you back to Princess Luna personally for this!” He shouted, covering his face from another chunk of ice that went flying at him as he advanced on them. His eyes began to glow again, just as Rainbow flew straight at him, slamming her hoof into his face, then striking several more times. The penguin stumbled backwards, grunting in pain as he fired another coldbeam, hitting Rainbow point-blank but as she was now above him, the frozen pegasus landed right on top of him, breaking her free and stunning Charlatan for a moment.

“Phew…” Rainbow muttered, shaking the bits off ice off her body. “Get ‘em, Twi!” Rainbow yelled. The unicorn nodded, a magic blast charged up as she fired it at the large penguin, sending him flying off his feet and into the nearest wall, breaking some of the ice that lined it and causing it to fall on top of him, burying him up to his neck and the strange harmony faded into silence.

“Uggghhh…” Charlatan moaned, dazed from the avalanche as his crown shattered and crumbled off his head and the magical energy drained out of him.

“Alright, you!” Rainbow said, standing on the fallen penguin’s chest.

Charlatan yelped and struggled under the ice. “How dare you! I will have this kingdom in the name of Sombra!” he shouted angrily.

“Why? Is that what he offered you?” Twilight asked, approaching.

“No! I-I mean yes! It’s none of your business!” Charlatan said angrily, his eyes glowing green briefly. “My heart is cold, I’ve no use for anything but more power for the Penguin Kingdom!”

“I doubt that. I’ve read about you…” Twilight said, glaring at him. “You have a son, don’t you? What’s he got to say about all this?”

“Edgar? What does it matter what he thinks? Father knows best, and Sombra is the best course of action to follow!” Charlatan bellowed, struggling again.

“That’s not true. That doesn’t sound anything like the penguin I read about,” Twilight said. It didn’t surprise her with Luna’s banishment the Princess of the Night would not have recognized him, but Celestia surely did, though she was in no position to confront the penguin king now. “Celestia spoke of you… I remember now… and you cursed her, too! What would your son say if he saw you now?”

“I… little Edgar…” The penguin’s eyes squeezed shut as he remembered playing with his son in the snow, visits with Celestia who had become a godmother to Edgar when he was born… tears formed in the penguin’s eyes as the green light and purple smoke faded out of them, his heart growing warm again. “I… I’m sorry… Sombra, he tyrannized my kind as well, millennia ago… yet now I saw him and could not say no! I desired a great kingdom for my son to inherit, he came in my dreams the past several days… made me cold, and wanting more… I’m so sorry, little pony,” he said, no longer struggling against the ice.

“You have Celestia to apologize to as well,” Twilight said softly, gently cracking the ice apart with her magic, and the frozen cave began to drip as the ice slowly melted away.

“I shall, and the curse should be broken now… I must get home immediately… Edgar is probably worried,” he said, downcast. “One more thing, pony… it is odd, but Sombra felt… close when I heard him… I do not know what that means but I was certain he himself was not far… I will look into this and keep Celestia informed.”

The ice began melting faster, and the passageway leading outside crumbled apart.

“I am sorry again; I wish you luck, ponies. We will pull out at once before it gets too warm!” he said, waddling to the other passage and hopping on his belly, sliding away.

“Weird… Sombra… close?” Twilight wondered.

“Whatever he means, Twi, he doesn’t know either. Even if he did, we don’t stand a chance till we get to all the Sanctuaries, and one of ‘em’s just up ahead!” Rainbow said. “So come on, let’s get going!”

With those words, Rainbow hurried down the cave passage and soon found herself back outside in a clearing. The snow was already melting away rapidly, though up ahead was a circular shape, covered in ice that glistened in the light of the sun as it slowly crept out of the dissipating clouds. “This must be the Ever Frozen Circle,” Twilight said as the pegasus approached, taking out the Harmony Stone again and holding it out.

A soft melody played in Rainbow’s mind, and memories came to her.

“Come on, Dashie! Drink up!” the blue-maned pink mare said years ago, holding out a cup of fresh apple cider to her as they stood near the table where the Apple Family held their business every Cider Season.

“Okay!” the cyan, prismatic-maned filly said as she wrapped her tiny forehooves around the large mug and chugged it down, letting out a small burp after. “Ohmygosh! That was so awesomely delicious, mommy!” she said excitedly, flying into her mother’s forehooves and hugging her tight.

“I knew you’d love it, sweetie!” the mare said, nuzzling her daughter.

Rainbow could feel the taste of her delicious first cup of apple cider in her mouth for a second, and the memory of who had introduced it to her was enough to make her shake a little, missing her that much more. Taking a deep breath, Rainbow kept herself from tearing up again. No need for them to see me go all cryfilly. She thought to herself boldly as she turned to face her friends, forcing a smile. “Well, girls… maybe we should get back to the palace, and check in on the Princesses, huh?” she asked with a grin.

Twilight and Rarity exchanged a glance, wondering what was on their friend’s mind but nodded regardless.

“Once we make sure the guards are okay, that would probably be the best course of action, Rainbow,” Rarity said. “I for one am just glad it’s warming up out here.”

Turning around, the three of them headed back inside to search for the guards that had been frozen at the entrance earlier.

“CELESTIA GET THYSELF DOWN FROM THERE AT ONCE!” Luna bellowed in the Royal Canterlot Voice.

“Can’t catch me, Woona!” the energetic filly said with a giggle before blowing a raspberry at her sister and teleporting away again and causing Luna to crash into the column Celestia had been hovering in front of a second ago.

At that moment in a flash of light, Twilight, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash appeared in the throne room, noticing it to be in shambles.

“Is this a bad time?” Rainbow asked.

“WE SHOULD SAY SO!” Luna shouted, her voice reverberating across the room as she finally managed to catch Celestia in her hooves and hold her as tightly as possible. “Let’s see you escape me now, sister!”

Before Celestia could respond, however, a brilliant light engulfed her and a second later, Luna found herself struggling to hold her taller, leaner, and once again adult elder sister, causing them both to plummet to the floor.

“Luna… what are you doing?” the very confused Celestia asked.

“You… don’t remember?” Luna asked, staring at her older sister with a look of exasperation and disbelief.

“No, I’m afraid not,” Celestia said, shaking her head as she tried to remember but nothing came to mind.

“When we encountered King Charlatan, who was under Sombra’s influence, you were… hit with an Age Spell. You spent the last few days as a filly,” Luna explained. “And you were not so different then you were the first time you went through fillyhood,” she added with an eyeroll. “Let us leave it at that.”

“Yes. Let’s,” Celestia immediately said, not wishing for any further elaboration on the matter.

“Well, anyway, the guards are fine, too, and will be on their way back. Charlatan is back to normal as well, and is already gonna be on his way back.”

“Oh my… so he was possessed. That explains a lot, he had always been rather benevolent in the past, especially once his son was born,” Celestia mused, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “It would seem Sombra’s power extends beyond Equestria’s boarders, now.”

“Sure looks like it!” Rainbow said. “And our next stop is Bahamare Island. Apparently Sombra’s after something there, and we gotta find out what as soon as the Doctor’s got the Whoovesmajig back up and flying!”

“Well in that case, as thanks for helping Canterlot through this rather troubling experience, why don’t you three take a rest and have dinner, and tell me all about your adventures so far,” the Princess suggested.

“You have done very well so far, my faithful subjects,” Celestia said with a smile as they finished their meal and the somewhat sloppy-looking cake that had followed, which looked as though a rainbow had crash-landed it and died a horrible and twisted death upon it. Luna shifted uncomfortably when she’d seen it, but said nothing.

“I’m very proud of you. At this rate, I am confident you will find the means to stop Sombra for good. Remember, it is you who wield the Elements, so it will ultimately fall on you to destroy him permanently.”

“Will do, Princess!” Rainbow said with a salute. “Just leave it to us!”

“We won’t let you down,” Twilight said as she packed her saddlebags with new supplies.

“I worry about Trixie, however. You say she has fallen under Sombra’s power early on. I suspect it may have been due to her misuse of the Alicorn Amulet,” Celestia said.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“It was created by Sombra in his efforts to match our power. Thus with it his evil power gave it the terrible curse it carries. Trixie had used it for an extended period of time, so its lingering effects, I suspect, may have made her more susceptible,” Celestia explained. “Though given she no doubt felt vulnerable and afraid after you had helped her, she may have also been in a state that Sombra could take advantage of… I only hope that there may be a chance of helping her still.”

“We will try,” Twilight said. “Sombra is bringing out the darker tendencies in ponies. We have to work fast to get to these last Sanctuaries. Once the chance comes after we’ve figured out what Sombra’s hiding from us in Bahamare Island, we’ll take care of one that’s in Manehattan as well.”

“Then we wish you the best of luck,” Celestia said, nodding to them as the three stood together and vanished in a flash of light.

“Ah! Welcome back, ladies!” the Doctor said as he trotted over with a grin. “The weather’s quite lovely again, I will say!”

“You can thank us for that,” Rainbow said with a laugh.

“Hm, so it seems,” the earth pony said. “Spike? Are those final touches ready?” he called out behind him.

“Almost, Doctor!” the young dragon called out, and seconds later he ran over with a wrench in his claw. “All finished!”

“Smashing!” the Doctor said with a grin. “Now all you three need to do is hop on in and press the new blue button I’ve installed till the words Bahamare appear on it and then press the green switch, and off you go!” he explained.

“Thank you, Dr. Whooves,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Just the Doctor, please and thank you!” Whooves said. “And I will say, Spike’s been quite helpful as my temporary assistant!”

“Well, he didn’t get to be my Number One assistant for nothing!” Twilight said with a laugh. “Well, we’d better get going, then.” She explained before looking over at Spike. “I can’t tell you how much help you’ve been. Keep it up and I’ll make sure you get plenty of gems when this is over!”

Spike licked his lips hungrily. “You mean it, Twilight?” he asked, eyes wide with wonder.

“Of course, Spike,” Twilight said, patting the young dragon and joining her friends in the Whoovesmobile.

“For good luck, Spikey-Wikey!” Rarity said, blowing a kiss to the dragon, which promptly caused him to fall on his back with a big smile again.

“Thank you,” he fawned.

“Alright, girls, ALLONS-YYYY!” Whooves declared, pressing a switch and opening the roof, and the airborne vehicle rose up, and flew off in the direction of the renowned Equestrian island resort…

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN

Whew, another chapter up! :yay: The plot continues on!

Sleepless In San Palomino

“Oh, my! Oh, MY! Look at it, girls!” Rarity shouted excitedly as she looked over the edge of the Whoovesmobile as it descended into the beautiful, exotic beach resort of Bahamare, situated right in the middle of the equally beautiful and exotic Mareibbean Sea.

“Wow! It’s beautiful up close!” Twilight said with a smile. “Uhh… a little too close… to fast… oh no!” Twilight shouted, her smile fading as she noticed the fuel disappearing rapidly along with it.

“What’s going on?” Rainbow asked. “Don’t tell me we’re gonna…”

“Crash? Yes. Grab Rarity and get to the beach now, Rainbow!” Twilight said urgently. Rainbow did as told, and flew straight down towards the beach with the white unicorn in tow, joined shortly after by Twilight as she teleported next to them. Seconds later, the Whoovesmobile came plummeting out of the sky and crashed into the sand, burying itself nearby. Several ponies stared for a moment at the display, but went about their activities after.

“Everypony alright?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, yeah, no sweat, Twi!” Rainbow said.

“Oh… LOOK AT THIS PLACE! Rarity shouted, starry-eyed with wonder.

All around was sandy beaches, with many ponies laying under umbrellas on blankets, enjoying picnics as they watched the clear waves crash along the shores. A towering, luxurious hotel with pools on each floor and lined with palm trees and clear glass windows loomed behind them past the sidewalk, and next to it, a high-class restaurant and a club of some sort. Further down the road were several vendors and shops that dealt in exotic drinks, foods, and beach supplies.

“Well I for one think we could use a few things, the sun here is rather rough.” Rarity remarked. Twenty minutes later, the three of them were wandering the streets wearing sunglasses and sipping tropical drinks.

“Say it.” Rainbow said.

“No.” Twilight said.

“Say it.” Rainbow repeated.

“No.” Twilight replied.

“Say it.” Rainbow repeated once more.

“NO!” Twilight shouted.

“Come on, Twi. Say it.” Rainbow said, striking a pose.

“Ughhh…” Twilight facehoofed. “Fine, you look cooler then ever, Rainbow.” The unicorn muttered, prompting a small cheer from the pegasus and an eyeroll from the other unicorn.

“Well, it’s probably best we explore and see what exactly Sombra’s afraid of us finding out about while we’re here… and not to mention since the Whoovesmobile is probably gone beyond repair now, we may need another way to Saddle Arabia as well.” Twilight said.

At that moment, Rainbow’s saddlebag flared up, and the corner of a scroll suddenly poked out of the side.

“What the?” Rainbow asked, tugging the bag open with her wing and taking the scroll out with her teeth. “Who’s it from? What’s it say, Twi?” She asked.

“Hmmm…” Twilight floated open the scroll and a small bag with sandwiches fell out, caught by Rainbow before they hit the ground while Twilight lifted up her sunglasses, reading it over.

Hi…

I hope you’re all doing okay! Where are you at, now? I sent some sandwiches in case you, you know, get hungry and don’t have to spend the extra money. I mean, if you don’t want them that’s okay I don’t want to come between you and the exciting meals you are probably getting a chance to enjoy in all these places you’ve been visiting!

Anyway, the Crusaders have left Ponyville again, seems they’ve been in touch with Dr. Whooves to help them with their inventing and he wants them to come help him and Celestia on research for some new thing they need to find Sombra with! I hope that’s not a problem… they’re gonna try real hard and Celestia’s gonna have them brought over to Canterlot. Please believe in them! They’ve really been outdoing themselves on this ‘inventing’ thing!

…and I really don’t feel comfortable with them using pieces of my animals’ habitats for their projects either. I’m sorry but, Mr. Squirrel really wasn’t happy when half his wire-walkway was missing.

Write me back soon, if you want to that is.

~Fluttershy

“Huh.” Twilight said, cocking her head. “Well, looks like the Doctor’s gonna have his hooves full.”

“Whatever do you mean, Twilight?” Rarity asked, looking over at the letter and a horrified look came over her face. “Sweetie Belle?! Oh, nononononononononoNO I cannot allow this! She’s far too delicate for such risks, and who knows what—”

“Eh, she’ll be fine, Rarity!” Rainbow said. “I’m more worried about what that Doctor guy’s getting himself into!” She said with a laugh.

Rarity sighed. “I suppose if Celestia is overseeing this, I can try and trust her. But still, an older sister worries, you know.” She said.

“No point in worrying over it now. At least they’ve got some progress going on. Meanwhile we’re still at a flat nothing.” Twilight said.

“Well I dunno about you but I say we check out this club!” Rarity said. “I’m sure it’ll be quite lovely.”

“Then it’s agreed, let’s go there first. Maybe somepony will know something.” Twilight said with a smile.

“Free cupcakes? AWESOME!” Rainbow shouted suddenly, snatching a particularly appealing-looking cupcake with green icing atop it right off a cart and shoving it into her mouth as she rejoined her friends.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked.

“Yeff Tvi?” Rainbow asked, her speech muffled by the cupcake as she finished with it, prompting a facehoof from her friend.

“First, don’t talk with your mouth full…” Rarity scolded, looking away in disgust as crumbs and drool fell from the pegasus’ mouth.

“Second…” Twilight continued. “What are you eating?”

“Fwwe…” Rainbow gulped her snack down and licked the crumbs and icing off her hoof. “…Free cupcake.” She said matter-of-factly.

“Free cupcake? Who gave it to you?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“The nice mare over there.” Rainbow said, gesturing to the vending cart with the sign that read “Free Cupcakes” run by a smirking mare who gave them a small hoofwave.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked, looking from the mare to her friend, whose sunglasses had fallen off revealing a glassy look in her friend’s eyes. “How many fingers am I holding up?” She asked.

“Seventeen…” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Rainbow, we don’t have fingers.”

Rainbow stared for a moment, then laughed to herself.

“You’re high off your mind aren’t you?” Rarity asked accusingly.

“That would explain why you two are suddenly unicorns!” Rainbow said, patting Rarity and Twilight’s horns and chuckling.

“I’ve always been a unicorn, Rainbow.” Twilight said flatly.

“Oh yeeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhh….!” Rainbow slurred as a big, stupid grin spread on her face and she began to sway back and forth. “You four are right… heheheh…”

“Rainbow!” Twilight and Rarity yelled in unison, catching their friend as she fell over and landed on top of them, laughing hysterically at the smily-faces and colors that spun around in her mind, which then transformed into a bushel of different-colored apples that swirled away from her…

“Phew-ee! This is some tirin’ work, here!” Applejack declared that afternoon as she finished the next apple tree in a long line that was Appleloosa’s source of food and trade with the buffalo tribes out in the San Palomino Desert. “Got the rest, Big Mac?” She asked her towering brother.

“Eeyup.” Big Mac answered, bucking another tree and sending the apples into the barrels.

“Ah’m gonna go take a breather. Maybe see Braeburn about seein’ if ah got any mail. Care ta join?” The farmpony asked as she trotted off to her cousin’s home.

“Eenope!” Big Mac replied, continuing on to the next tree with a smile. “Take however long ya need, little sis!” He added as he paused a moment before resuming on knocking the next set of apples into their barrel.

“Whatever ya say.” Applejack said, turning and nudging open the door. Shortly after she walked in, a figure in a shaw approached Big Mac, who cocked his head in curiosity at the visitor.

“Well, howdy, little cousin! You’re just in time! Thirsty?” Braeburn asked as Applejack fanned herself with her hat upon stepping inside.

“You bet ah am!” She said. “Get me some’a that apple juice right quick, my throat’s dryer then San Palomino right now!”

“Right away!” Braeburn replied, turning the knob on the keg and filling his cousin a mug which she snatched up without hesitation and guzzled down just as quickly. “Ya been workin’ out there since mornin’, cousin! Ya gonna be alright?”

“Ah do this stuff all the time, Braeburn! A little time out here ain’t nothin’ ah can’t handle!” Applejack replied.

“Hey, now. We all know you’re stubborn as all Tartarus, but don’t overwork yourself.” Braeburn said as he sipped from his own mug.

“Ah told ya, ah’m fine.” Applejack said with a smirk. “Sweet Apple Acres is always glad to help out the rest’a the family when they need us.”

“I gotta admit, weird stuff’s been goin’ on lately. All these ponies gettin’ all sick from this weird weather we been havin’! Ah never seen so much rain come around!” Braeburn mused.

“That’s why we gotta get this harvest done! Weather like this could spoil the crop if we let it go!” Applejack explained. “Ah admit it’s mighty weird, though! Even with Cloudchaser and Flitter here pullin’ weatherpony duty tryin’ to get this under control, it’s like the bad weather just keeps on comin’ in on its own! An’ given they’re the fastest pair other then Dash that’s sayin’ somethin’ about whatever’s goin’ on here. Braeburn, ah know where ah’m needed, an’ it’s right here in Appleloosa till this clears up for good!”

“Ah dunno about that…” Big Mac said as he stepped in. Next to him was a figure in a shaw that looked rather damp. Pulling back the hood, the visitor revealed itself to be a familiar young buffalo calf.

“Little Strongheart?” Braeburn asked, surprised to see her here. “Somethin’ up? Ah thought we sent our pie shipment out pretty recently.”

“That is not the problem.” The buffalo said. “I come with an important message. My father needs to see you right away, Applejack.” She said, looking at the farmpony.

“Me? What would he wanna see me for?” Applejack asked.

“He did not say; it is between him and our shaman but he promised to explain once I have brought you before him.” She replied. “Please, pack and come with me. We must hurry at once.”

“But… what about our harvest? With all the crazy weather we gotta put all our efforts into this before the crop’s messed up!” Applejack protested.

“We got this, Applejack.” Braeburn said, patting his cousin’s shoulder assuringly. “You get a move-on, find out what Thunderhooves wants.”

Applejack sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to win this one, and there was a good chance that this was pretty important. “Okay… let’s get goin’ then.” She said after a moment.

“Take some juice with ya, an’ a sandwich ‘case your hungry! It’s a bit of a hike gettin’ to their new place!” Braeburn said, placing a jar of apple juice and a wrapped sandwich he hastily made into his cousin’s saddle bag and gave her a nudge to the door.

“Guess ah’m ready. Lead on.” Applejack said, looking over at the young buffalo and they returned outside, just in time to see two lilac-colored pegasi attempting to dissipate another thick gray cloud that had drifted into the town.

“Hold ‘er there, Flitter!” Cloudchaser ordered, hovering above the cloud.

“Got it, Cloudchaser!” Flitter said, zipping around it in circles till it stopped drifting.

“Okay, on three! One… two… THREE!” With that, the two pegasi flew around it in opposing ascending and descending circles at tremendous speeds, building up wind around them. As they did, the cloud slowly began to break apart, and a blob of water was visible within the vortex. The two pegasi turned their spinning slowly into a horizontal direction, ejecting the water off into the distance.

“Thanks, you two!” Applejack called out.

“No prob, Applejack!” Cloudchaser said with a wave. “One less independent cloud to worry about!”

“You off somewhere?” Flitter asked, cocking her head.

“Yeah, Little Strongheart here needs me to meet with ‘er dad about somethin’. Dunno when ah’ll be back but hopefully soon.” The earth pony replied.

“Besta luck. It’s a pretty long trip!” Cloudchaser said. With a nod, Applejack looked over at the young buffalo and she lead her onward to their destination.

An hour of walking would have indeed been far worse had she not been prepared. While Little Strongheart seemed to have no problems, Applejack was about ready to drop by the time they’d reached the buffalos’ new campsite, though she wouldn’t admit to it. Forcing a grin when she entered the campsite, she fought her exhaustion as best she could as she approached the buffalo present.

“Eh… howdy… y’all…” She said between breaths. Shaking her head to keep herself focused, she fixed her tired gaze on the three Chief Thunderhooves that stood before her.

“Please rest for a while, Applejack.” The buffalo chief instructed.

“No… ah’m… fine… ah came… din’t ah?” She asked, struggling to stay awake.

“Rest NOW!” Thunderhooves ordered loudly, prompting Applejack to stare in shock at his sudden raise of voice. The buffalo chuckled a little. “I apologize. Just, what my shaman has foreseen you will need all your strength for facing with the threat that has befallen all of the lands.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow at the buffalo’s statement, the chief having her full attention now. “Facin’ the what now? Look, ah’m all aware’a the weird weather goin’ on but you sayin’ this is somethin’ bigger then that?”

“Very much so, Applejack. My shaman’s vision made mention of you, and your friends… the two unicorns, and the pegasus who spent time with us when we were in conflict with Appleloosa.” Thunderhooves answered.

“Ya mean Twilight, Rarity, an’ Rainbow Dash? What’ve they gotta do with this? An’ what do ya expect outta me? Are they in trouble?” She asked.

“Not yet, no.” Another buffalo wearing a tiny bird skull with large plumes on his head said as he stepped out from behind Thunderhooves. “But a great evil is reawakening… I saw a terrible shadow… with the most hateful eyes… glowing green, with purple smoke trailing from them. Ancient and angry…”

Applejack rubbed her chin with her hoof, trying to see if those words rang a bell, and then one came to mind. “King Sombra?”

“So that is what he is called…” The shaman answered. “This weather is connected to him, and will not cease until his hold over this place has been weakened.”

“Well what’re we waitin’ for? Let’s go!” Applejack said, her brief adrenaline rush giving out again and allowing fatigue to take her over again.

“I apologize, but you are much too exhausted from attempting to harvest at such a fast rate, and even then you are no match for his influence here. You must reunite with your friends, they have with them a means to silence his whispers in this land.” Thunderhooves explained as Applejack let out a yawn she spent more of her strength attempting to prevent. “Rest now. When you wake, we will have the spirits help bring you where you must go to find your friends.”

“You can use my tepee. I’ll wake you after.” Little Strongheart said, gesturing to her tepee nearby.

“N-no… it’s all… fine…” Applejack said weakly, feeling herself give out and soon sleep was upon her. With a sigh and a nod from Thunderhooves, one of the buffalo lifted her up onto his back and slid her into the tepee before rejoining the group.

“I only hope that this can work.” Thunderhooves said, looking about cautiously around their camp.

Applejack awoke to the sounds of conflict. Finding herself laying on a set of quilts that made up Little Strongheart’s bed. Climbing out of the tepee, she found the buffalo standing around the camp as something blew and drifted around them. In a blur of motion, she recognized what was there.

“Dust devil!” She said; gritting her teeth as suddenly dry weeds and rock formed together into a coyote-like form. She knew them to be the desert cousins of a timberwolf and were no friendlier then their everfree counterparts. Their ability to turn into a small cyclone of debris and reform at will if anything made them tougher.

“It just showed up! They are a hostile creature but we have never seen them this bold!

“Look!” Little Strongheart called out as she gestured up at the sky, where another dark cloud was drifting towards their camp. The young buffalo and the farmpony exchanged a glance, the same idea forming in their head as both knew of the creature’s weakness.

“Alright, ah got mah lasso in mah saddlebag. If we can catch it while it’s solid, we can restrain it long enough to tear open that there cloud an’ soak it good!” Applejack said.

With a nod, Chief Thunderhooves stepped forward. “Come and face me, cowardly desert beast!” The chief said fiercely at the swirling debris. A howl was heard from within as it reformed, and shaped into a coyote made entirely of tumbleweed, chunks of dead desert plants, and sand. Its glowing green eyes trailed purple smoke as they narrowed at the chief, who stood his ground. “NOW!” He yelled.

Immediately Applejack flung her lasso over the creature, causing it to gasp in surprise. Little Strongheart seized the opportunity and kicked a pebble into its throat, causing it to choke. As it stood there, beating its chest, Applejack made a quick dash around the bound creature to wrap her lasso around it. The creature stared in confusion, sand beginning to slowly fly off its body again…

“Qurrrkkk!” Applejack said, her rope in her mouth muffling her speech. Little Strongheart nodded and grabbed up a sharp rock dagger from her supplies and flung it at the cloud overhead as it began to pass over the captured monster. The rock flew through the cloud, tearing through it and causing it to dump its water prematurely, soaking their captive. The dust devil cried out as its body then melted down into a pile of mud and wet plant remains, the green fading to yellow in its eyes as it slithered away and dissolved into the sand as it fled.

“That was close.” Little Strongheart said.

“Nothin’ we couldn’t handle.” Applejack replied with a grin, giving the young buffalo a hoofbump. “Well now that ah seen what Sombra’s doin’ firsthoof, ah think ah’m ready for this thing with your spirit friends, so call ‘em on over.” She said.

Thunderhooves looked to the shaman, who nodded, then up at the sky. “Very well.” He said as the shaman arrived with a blanket in his teeth that he lay on the ground, and departed to his tepee, returning again with incense that he ground down into a bowl and lit. “Breathe in. You will be tested.”

“Tested? Ha! Y’all saw me handle that dust devil back there, ah can handle any ol’ test these spirits wanna play on me!” Applejack said confidently, causing Little Strongheart and Thunderhooves to look at one-another in concern.

“Don’t be so sure.” The chief said. “Be prepared for anything. This will send you on a spirit walk, and prepare you to link your soul to that of your friends so they may find you as well. Then you will be brought to them.”

“What choice do ah have? Let’s get this here thing over with right now!” Applejack said, stamping her hoof stubbornly.

“Very well. We just felt it necessary to warn you. Spirit walks can be… quite taxing, even for a mighty race such as ours.” Little Strongheart warned as the shaman held the incense out to Applejack, who took in a deep breath of it.

“Phew! Well that smells like my basement after winter season!” Applejack mused, before suddenly feeling the world go black around her.

Author's Note

And at long last AJ shows her face! What sort of trials with the spirits put her through before she sees her friends? Find out next time...

Thanks to Luna-cy for the hilarious cake dialogue. :twilightsmile:

Also, art made by Flutterpal!
GO GIRLS, GO!

Tests And Tablets

“Where am ah…” Applejack wondered as her eyes fluttered open and she found herself in a blurred, barren landscape. The sky was a swirling pink and the clouds drifted in random directions. “This that spirit walk they told me about?” She asked aloud.

As if to answer her question, her shadow suddenly stretched in front of her and detatched itself. Forming into a circular puddle, a large, imposing figure emerged from it, looming over the earth pony.

“So... you have come…” It said in a low voice, its yellow eyes peering through the serape it had draped over itself, the numerous feathers on its headdress billowing in the wind. Applejack narrowed her eyes, trying to get a better look at the entity that stood before her.

“Yeah, ah have. An’ you must be this fancy spirit guide they told me about?” She asked.

“That would be correct.” It said, hovering towards her, and immediately shedding off its cloak.

“Why HELLO there, Applejack! Fancy running into you here!” The now-uncloaked Discord said with a cheerful tone as he tossed off the headdress which promptly flew away as though it had wings.

“DISCORD?!” Applejack shouted, shocked to see the God of Chaos present before her in this weird dream. “What the hay are ya doin’ in my mind?!” She demanded.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m the spirit guide they called upon!” Discord said with a chuckle, summoning a glass of chocolate milk and drinking down the glass, letting the milk blow away in the wind.

“Ah don’t believe that for an instant! The buffalo tribe wouldn’t be consultin’ with you!” Applejack replied, glaring at the draconequus.

“Normally, or until recently you’d be quite right, Applejack.” Discord replied. “To them I’m viewed as a trickster entity… a flattering term if I may say so myself, but a deity nonetheless! But ever since reforming I felt it’s time I repay that act of ‘reverence’ if you would, by being on call for bending the laws of reality in exchange for a test the subject must go through!”

“What kinda test?” Applejack asked, cringing as a grin spread on the draconequus’ face.

“Why, a test of entertaining ME of course!” He said as though the answer were obvious. “Pass, and I’ll use my power to send you to your friends. Fail, and it’s no deal. Since you’re one of the bearers of the Elements, believe me when I say I’m going to REALLY enjoy this!” He explained.

“Fine, whatever. Let’s get this over with already!” Applejack said with an eyeroll.

“If you say so, Applejack. But answer me this first… is your body ready for this?” Discord asked, causing the farmpony to glare at him in disgust. Discord rolled his eyes and scowled. “No, not remotely what you’re no doubt thinking. Get your mind out of the gutter!” He said. “Anyway, answer the question.” He said, putting his arms behind his back as he leaned ominously over her.

“Yes…” She said, taking a fighting stance and expecting whatever she figured he’d throw at her.

“Good.” He said. “First I’m going to take away your hind legs so you can’t apple-buck anymore!” The draconequus explained with a grin. “Are you fine with that?” He asked, before speaking up almost immediately again. “Of course you are!” Discord declared with a chuckle, bringing out his eagle claw and with a snap of his talons, Applejack’s hind legs vanished in a flash of light.

“WHAA?!” The earth pony cried out, her back half was merely torso and a tail, and felt nothing else.

“Now, now. Wanna back out?” Discord asked with a grin. “If you do, you get them back but you fail.”

Applejack grit her teeth at the chaos god. “No. Keep goin’.”

“As you wish!” Discord said, hovering in the air and circling around her. “Next I’m going to take away your forelegs. You’ll be unable to walk… though I suppose hopping might still be an option. Gonna let me do it?” He asked, his grin spreading. Before Applejack could answer, Discord interrupted. “Of course you will!” He declared, snapping his claws again and Applejack’s front legs vanished in a flash of light.

Discord took one look at her and burst out laughing. “Oh… you… you look like a bath toy or something now!” He said, wiping tears from his eyes, prompting an angry snort from the earth pony. “Now next I’m going to be less lenient… your ears go next… you’ll become deaf. Can you handle that, Applejack? As if we don’t know the answer!” He said, snapping his fingers. In a flash of light, all was silent for the earth pony.

Discord began saying something, but Applejack could not hear him. A sense of worry came over her, but she knew she couldn’t quit now. Her friends needed her…

Oh, forgot! You can’t hear me anymore, can you? Not out loud anyway! Discord’s voice asked in her mind, laughing. Does it scare you, being so helpless? Well guess what, next thing that’s gonna go is your sight!

Applejack cringed, and she heard Discord laugh again in her mind.

Oh no, no! That’d be treading too far into creepypasta territory right there! I just demand you close them tight and not open them till I allow you to! Discord’s voice said, though Applejack didn’t feel too assured. Suddenly, her eyelids seemed to take a life of their own and forced themselves shut, and then she was surrounded by darkness.

Fear began to grow inside her. She couldn’t bear this… the dark didn’t really frighten her, but being so… helpless… did. She wanted to move, wanted to open her eyes, wanted to hear, ANYTHING to get rid of this growing terror.

No! She had to be strong! She had to be…

Discord’s laughter grew far more sinister now.

Think I’M frightening, you should see how Princess Luna does this sort of thing! Discord’s voice taunted. All that’s left is that precious mind, Applejack. That precious mind I can corrupt if I wanted… tell me, Applejack… when you saw you had no choice and couldn’t stop me from taking the rest of what you had… did you become scared that I can do that to you now, while you’re laying there helpless?

No, no, no….

…

“Yes.” She said, though she could not hear herself say it.

You’re a very honest pony, Applejack. You pass. Discord’s voice said in a satisfied tone, and as she heard those words in her mind, Applejack felt something petting her shoulder.

“Oooohhh… where am I?” Rainbow asked, noticing she was laying on a hospital bed.

“It took some work and some help from your friend Twilight, there. That cupcake was loaded with Poison Joke!” The doctor said as he headed to the door. “You should be fine now. Just head to the desk and sign out when you’re ready.”

“About time you snapped out of it.” Rarity said, hopping from the bench. “You stared at your hooves commenting on how big they are, flew in a fashion that’d make Derpy look like a wonderbolt in comparison, and then gorged yourself on an entire vending cart’s supply of oat products.”

“That last one cost us more then a few bits…” Twilight said flatly. “Anyway, Rarity and I had to use our magic to bring you here with some fuss. I’m just glad you’re better now.”

“Thanks, now let’s get outta here and deal with what we came for!” Rainbow said. “And girls? Whatever I did on that stuff? Let’s talk about it, like NEVER, okay?”

“Agreed.” Twilight replied as the three of them left.

Getting outside, the three ponies were stopped by a sudden dramatic fanfare.

“Oh come on, really?!” Rainbow demanded, glaring up at the serpentine figure swirling down from the sky till it touched down.

“Well hi there! LOVELY weather isn’t it?” Discord asked. “And have I got the PERFECT picture venue… and a little surprise for you as well!” He said.

“What could you possibly have for us that’d be useful?” Rarity demanded.

In response, the draconequus snapped his claw and in a flash of light an orange, limbless, earless pony torso with its eyes squeezed shut plopped to the ground in front of them, and all three ponies screamed as loud as they could.

Click!

Discord laughed hysterically as he lowered his camera after snapping the photo and immortalizing the three ponies’ reactions to his little prank. “HA HA! I thought you’d be happier to see your little friend!” With a snap of his claw, the torso was engulfed in a flash of light and Applejack was back to normal, though slightly disoriented as Discord looked over the photo he’d just taken.

“Ahhh, this will always bring back the FONDEST of memories! Well, for me anyway! Farewell, girls!” The draconequus declared, raising his claw up and spiraling back into the sky, vanishing in a flash of light.

“Ugghhh… what in the sam hay just happened?!” Applejack demanded, shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness. Turning she saw her three friends staring at her. “Oh, uh, howdy girls! Miss me?” She asked.

“Applejack!” Twilight cheered, giving her friend a hug and was soon joined by the others. “Good to have you with us!”

“Oh my… I do hope that trip wasn’t too unpleasant…” Rarity said nervously.

“Eh, nothin’ ah couldn’t handle.” Applejack said with a smirk.

“Soooo…” Rainbow began. “This mean since I’ve totally been the hero and leader of this crazy adventure you’re gonna fight under my awesome direction?” She asked with a grin.

“…Keep dreamin’ Dash.” Applejack said flatly.

“You mean like I did a couple minutes ago?” Rainbow asked.

“Uhh… Rainbow?” Twilight asked sheepishly. “We’ve been here for several hours.”

A brief, awkward silence passed between them before Rainbow spoke up again.

“Uhh, girls?” She asked.

“Yeah?” Her friends asked in unison.

“No more cupcakes till we save the world. This is, like the second time something like that’s happened to me.” Rainbow grumbled.

“So… where ya reckon we go now?” Applejack asked.

“Let’s check the paper, see if there’s anything in it that might help.” Twilight said, approaching a newspaper vending machine. Sliding a bit in, the box unlocked, and a paper slid out. Floating it up and unfolding it, Twilight’s eyes widened. “Girls, look!”

Coming over, her friends saw the headline.

New Saddle Arabian Artifacts A Breakthrough At Museum: Attraction to Open Tomorrow!

“Fancy Pants mentioned Saddle Arabia. I wonder if this is why Sombra was trying to keep us out of here!” Rarity said with a smile. “Then I suppose it’s settled; let’s be on our way to the museum.”

The museum was gigantic, to say the least. All around the place seemed to be dedicated to exhibits from Saddle Arabia.

“Check it out, girls! King Trot’s sarcophagus!” Twilight said, admiring the golden casket that an ancient middle-eastern ruler had been buried in.

“Wanna pose with him?” Applejack asked sarcastically. “This stuff ain’t anything ah’d know about, so ah really got no idea what we could be lookin’ for.” She muttered as she and the others joined Twilight by the sarcophagus. As soon as they did, however, another cheerful fanfare went off.

“Seriously?!” Rainbow pleaded in disbelief as Discord again descended in a spiraling motion, this time from the ceiling and touched down.

“Well hello again, my little ponies!” Discord said cheerfully, his camera already out. “Miss me?” He asked. “I couldn’t resist so I just had to drop in on my favorite little heroines again!”

“Discord, kinda busy.” Applejack said, clearly annoyed. “If ya ain’t gonna help us, then git!”

“Oh fine, be that way. But first…” He raised his camera. “Say fuzzy pickles!” He ordered.

“Fuzzy wha--?” Applejack began, and in a single click her baffled expression along with the exasperated ones her friends wore was immortalized.

“Oh, PRICELESS!” Discord said with a laugh as he looked over the photo. “You know, if I were you, I’d use those wonderful connections to friends in high places to… well… get to high places if you know what I mean, Twilight.” Discord said with a mocking grin that oozed a condescending tone. “Well, I’m off! Adieu, ado, and arrivederci!” He said, raising his claw up and spiraling back up toward the ceiling, vanishing before reaching it in a flash of light.

Glancing up in annoyance, Twilight lowered her head then noticed a stairway with yellow tape and a guard next to it. Curious, she got up and trotted over.

“Excuse me…” She said to the guard, who glanced down at her.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“What’s up there anyway?” She asked.

“Oh, up there? The new exhibit! A buncha stuff just came in now. The curator’s handling the paperwork with another donor who showed up as we speak.” He explained.

“Any way my friends and I can see it a little early?” Twilight asked.

“No way. Some noisy blue unicorn already came through, But she flashed a lotta bits to get an early entry. You’d need some major leverage to do that now.”

“Trixie…” Rainbow muttered angrily, snorting.

“Well, this is entirely for educational purposes.” Twilight explained. “As the personal student of Princess Celestia herself…” Twilight explained, floating out her academy pass from her saddlebag. “I ask if you’ll do me and in turn her a favor by letting us through?” She asked with her best smile.

The guard looked it over for a moment, then at Twilight and sighed. “I guess. But if the curator has a problem with it, don’t involve me.” He said, using his magic to lift the tape and allowing them to pass.

Heading up the stairs, the four were greeted by a hallway. As they approached the door at the end, an older stallion whom they guessed was the curator emerged with a mare who looked just a little older then them. She had a dark yellow coat and traces of a dark gray mane were visible under her gray hat. Her magenta eyes were framed by a pair of large red glasses and she wore a purple cloak over her back that made it impossible to tell what kind of pony she was.

“Thanks for the donation, Miss Yearling.” The curator said. “I’m betting there’s a lot of ponies who’ll come by to see the rings you brought!”

“Pleasure’s all mine. Figured I had to get a look at that tablet for myself and needed the right leverage.” The mare named Yearling said with a nod and a tip of her hat as she turned and trotted down the hall, passing the four ponies and heading down the stairs.

Deciding to catch the curator before he could got back in, Twilight rushed over to him. “Excuse me, Mister…” She began.

“Relic Find.” The curator said. “I run this museum. Can I ask what you four are doing here? The place is off-limits till tomorrow.”

“My apologies. I’m Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia and I’m only able to be in town for today. I was wanting to get a look at the new Saddle Arabia import for a research project.” She explained. Relic Find looked past her at the stairs for a moment. “Well I suppose if it convinced my security it’s convinced me. Just be careful, alright? I don’t want it busted up before I can get this exhibit hall opened.”

“No worries. My friends won’t cause any problems.” Twilight said as she lead the other three into the room with her. As they came in, Relic Find gestured to a large stone tablet.

“This was brought in recently, it came from a large tomb in Saddle Arabia. A blue unicorn came by earlier and had a lot of money to pay me some time to look it over… though I can’t say I wasn’t happy when she left. She kept referring to herself in the third person and acting like some stage diva.”

“I see.” Twilight replied. “Who was the other pony, then?”

“That’s Miss A.K. Yearling. She’s an author and—”

“OHMYGOSH!!!” Rainbow cried out. “YOU MEAN AS IN DARING DO AUTHOR A.K. YEARLING?!” Her eyes were larger then ever, a shocked look over her face.

“Uhh, yes. The only one I know of.” The curator said, facehoofing as he realized his mistake.

Rainbow growled angrily and beat her forehead several times with her hoof. “Walked RIGHT past me and I had NO idea?! I didn’t get her autograph! URGH! Life’s so not fair right now!” She whined, collapsing on her back and kicking her legs out in frustration. “I gotta go catch her before it’s too late!” She said, rolling onto her side and preparing to fly off, only to be snagged by Rarity’s magic aura.

“Try not to have a heart attack, Rainbow. We DO have higher priorities then getting autographs.” Rarity muttered, shaking her head.

“Guess you’re right.” Rainbow groaned with a snort. “So what’s the big deal with this tablet? It came from some old tomb in Saddle Arabia?”

“That’s right. We were working on the translations, and have managed to get a legible outcome from them.” Relic Find said.

“Oh? What’d they say?” Applejack asked.

“They said—LOOK OUT!!!” Relic Find yelled suddenly, eyes wide with horror as he backed away.

“Kinda basic for such a big tablet, don’t ya—” Applejack began before noticing the shadow that began to loom over them. Turning, all five ponies present screamed as a tall mummy horse towered over them and let out a guttural whinny and slammed its decayed hoof into the ground, foul dust puffing from its nostrils as it glared down at them with glowing green eyes.

“I got this!” Rainbow said, flying forward and slamming her forehooves into the mummy horse’s neck. With a dry cracking sound, the creature’s head flew off, smashing into the wall in a cloud of dust. Immediately after, however, bandages flew off its neck and lashed at the pegasus, snaring her.

“Little help here?” Rainbow asked urgently.

“Got it!” Applejack said, galloping forward and giving a fierce buck into the mummy horse’s front leg, causing it to topple over. More bandages began to lash out from its stump, snaring her as well. Rarity cocked her head, and focused her magic on one of the undead creature’s bandages and used her magic to give it a firm yank, causing it to rapidly unravel and fall to the floor and dissolve apart in a pile of dust and decaying bandages.

“Okay, what was that all about?” Relic Find asked.

“Sombra…” Twilight said. “This tablet must have a really important story on it.”

“Sombra? As in King Sombra?” Relic Find asked.

“Ya better believe it.” Applejack said. “Hear about all the crazy stuff happenin’? He’s the cause of it! The four of us are workin’ on tryin’ to stop him for good this time.”

“I… see…” Relic Find said. “So the whole research project thing?”

“…Was more or less true. I do need to research this so we can stop Sombra, Princess Celestia requires it of us.” Twilight explained.

“So… by helping you… I help save Equestria?”

“If ya wanna look at it that way, yes.” Applejack said flatly.

“YES! EAT MY SADDLEBAGS, ARTIFACT SEARCH!” The curator declared proudly, then caught himself and grinned sheepishly “Heh, sorry. The curator of the Manehattan Museum and I have been at ends for the longest while! Alright, let me get the transcript out, it’s right here…” He explained, his horn glowing as a scroll floated over and unrolled. “Let’s see…”

“Know this well, anypony who reads this. Sombra tried to spread his tyranny to the neighboring kingdoms. His ambition is without bounds, his desire to subject all to fear and oppression would have come to pass if not for the Princess’ intervention. The Shadow King of the Crystal Empire faced imprisonment then, but with him so too did the Empire disappear. Should it return, so too shall he return as well. Be warned, everypony, for then his power will be greater…” The curator explained. “And even then, death shall not be death for he; the King of Shadow.”

“Death shall not be death…” Twilight muttered. “Dr. Whooves! He mentioned something about Sombra’s horn! …That maybe a part of his soul endured… oh no!”

“Then that’s how the mummy horse came alive?” Relic Find asked. “Shame, he won’t be in much shape to display anymore…”

“There’s more…” Twilight said, unrolling more of the scroll. “The way to Sombra… is shrouded in mystery. Where dragons dwell, and fire burns then shadow falls unto crystal…” The unicorn groaned. “Ugh, why do these things always speak in riddles?! Can’t they just say “Sombra is here!” Or “Go here!”…?”

“Shrouded in mystery, though?” Rainbow asked.

“Wait…” Twilight looked at the hieroglyphics carefully. “Not mystery. Mists. The Hayseed Swamps… it’s gotta be the Hayseed Swamps. The mists there are so bad there’s no way through, and that’s not even counting the thick muck the place has for ground.” Twilight explained. “Now it makes sense! There must be a passage into the Badlands then, hidden by the mist. The Badlands must have something Sombra doesn't want us to get to!” Twilight clapped her hooves excitedly.

“But how do we expect to get through there?” Rainbow asked. “Only one of us can fly.”

“Hmmm…” Twilight unrolled the scroll. “The Eye of the Sun shall light the way... for the pony who shall oppose the Shadow King. Kept away in our ruler’s final rest.” She read. “I wonder… the tomb… it’s gotta still be there!” She looked over at the curator. “Thanks for helping us with this, sir.” She said floating a scroll and quill from her saddlebag and making a quick drawing of the eye, and pocketed it.

“Hey, no problem.” Relic Find said. “But I could ask of one teeny favor for me…”

“Yeah, what?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Please, if you can… when you’re in Manehattan again, go see what Artifact Search wants to show me that he thinks is gonna top what I got here. Something about the sewers and the Sapphire Spire… though not ABOUT the Spire.”

Rainbow looked over at her friends. “Wait, maybe… hey Twi, think it might be a way to get to the Sapphire Spire?”

“Hmm… one way to find out, I suppose.” Twilight said.

“What’s this all about?” Applejack asked. “Why do we need ta go to Manehattan for some tourist attraction? Ah’d think gettin’ to Saddle Arabia’s a little more important.”

“We’ll explain when we get back to Manehattan, dear.” Rarity said. “Can you handle that kind of teleportation, Twilight?”

“I don’t know, honestly…” Twilight said. “But I may have an answer as to how we can handle such a long distance trip! I know a spell, you channel your magic with mine, we can increase the potency of my teleportation spell. We do this; we should be able to make it!”

“Well, I suppose it is worth a try. We’ve got no other way back there on such quick notice.” Rarity mused. “Very well, Twilight. My power is yours.”

“Okay, just focus on… we’ll go with outside the Equestrian State Building.” Twilight said. The two let their horns cross, and magic charged from both. “Girls, hold on tight!”

Rainbow Dash and Applejack held onto Twilight and Rarity as magic engulfed the four of them, the world began spinning faster and faster around them as they vanished in a brilliant flash of light.

Author's Note

Another chapter! WOO-HOO!

The Fifth Sanctuary

A flash of light appeared at the front of the department store, and two unicorns, a pegasus, and an earth pony appeared instantly.

“Wow! I can't believe it! It actually worked!” Twilight cheered.

“You mean you didn’t know if it would?!” Rainbow asked, still dazed. Applejack, meanwhile, had galloped over to the nearest trashcan and vomited.

“My beautiful coat is covered in ashes!” Rarity protested. “I’m filthy… my luster is gone… I smell like charcoal… WORST… THING… EVER!!!” She cried out.

At Rarity’s complaint, Twilight then realized that the same went for all of them. “Ehh, to be honest I just kinda came up with the idea on the fly. Said I knew a spell so you’d go along with it, I mean what choice did we have?” Twilight asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. Looking over at the sobbing Rarity and nauseated Applejack, Twilight sighed. “Well on the bright side, like I said, it worked! Here we are, in Manehattan now.”

“I guess so…” Rainbow said. “Now we can see what that pony running the museum here wanted, hopefully it’s a way to the Sapphire Spire.”

“Yeah, we’d better get down there right away. Come on, girls!” Twilight said.

“In… a sec… Twi…” Applejack said, still fighting off the nausea.

“Not until I can clean up, Twilight. After all, you couldn’t have pulled this off without me so I insist we shower first before anypony sees us like this and then we’ll consider ourselves even, dear.” The other unicorn said as she trotted up the department store steps.

Before she could reach the doors, however, an all-too-familiar fanfare went off...

“I SWEAR when I get my hooves on that ruffian of a draconequus, I’m gonna—” The now-clean Rarity hissed, but was stopped when Twilight stuck her hoof out.

“Rarity, we’re here, so let’s calm down, okay?” Twilight said as they entered the museum.

“Hello? Artifact Search? We’re here on behalf of Mr. Relic Find?” Twilight called out, and as soon as she said this, a pegasus stallion bolted over and came to screeching halt in front of them.

“Oh! You’re here to see the thing I found for him, yes?” He asked.

“Uhhh yeah. He sent us over to see it for him in exchange for showing us some tablet.” Rainbow said.

“Tablet? Ha! That’s nothing compared to this! I’m gonna be in the papers for THIS one, you know!” Artifact Search gloated, then frowned. “HowEVER. you four are NOT Relic Find so I’m not just gonna let you see it for free. However, I think we can work out a deal!”

“Deal? What kinda deal might that be?” Applejack asked, raising an eyebrow.

The stallion fawned. “The renowned cellist Octavia is performing at the Bridleway Theater, but I can’t go because I have to fill out the reports on this find! Tell you what, if you four can get me her autograph… I don’t care what it’s on, anything will do so long as you get me that autograph… I’ll let you see what I found.” He said with a smile. “Deal?”

The four friends looked at one-another, then at Artifact Search. “Deal.” Rainbow said.

“Excellent! At the door tickets opens quite soon so you better hurry.” He said, giving a hoofwave. “Shoo, shoo!”

“Well at least it wasn’t too costly.” Twilight said.

“You being Celestia’s student thankfully got us that lovely discount, Twilight.” Rarity said with a smile. “Now Rainbow, I trust here you will be taught what real music is, unlike that uncouth noise Miss Vinyl Scratch is so fond of.”

“Whatever.” Rainbow said with an eyeroll as the four were brought to their seats, thankfully a spot that gave them a good view of the stage.

A halfhour later, The light’s dimmed and changed to a serene purple as an elegant, slate-colored earth pony mare with a long black mane and tail, and a pink treble cutie mark entered. She wore a pink bow tie and sat down at her stool in a dignified manner, preparing her cello and laying her bow across the strings. After a beautiful overture, Octavia bowed to the applause, then the lights changed again, and a pianist behind her began to play, and seconds after, Octavia began to sing…

Twilight smiled as she listened, and watched the cellist perform. Rarity had been wiping her eyes, trying her hardest not to break down into sobs. Even Applejack and Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but be moved by the song.

“Wow…” Twilight said.

“My eyes… will they ever… be dry again?” Rarity whispered.

“This ain’t usually my kinda music, but that was right lovely work there.” Applejack said with a smile.

“Eh, not bad. Still prefer Vinyl’s stuff.” Rainbow said with a hoofwave, though looking away to hide the tears welling up in her eyes.

“Well, once the show ends, we’ll see if we can meet up with her.” Twilight said before the next musical number played.

Once the performance was over, the four headed down the hall to visit Octavia’s room, though were stopped by security.

“We want to bring flowers.” Twilight said, holding up the bouquet. The guard looked it over, then floated them back over to Twilight.

“You get five minutes.” He said.

“Thank you.” Twilight said with a smile, leading her friends down the hall and knocking on Octavia’s door.

“Come in.” Octavia’s voice said from inside. Opening the door, they found the cellist tending to her cello.

“That was beautiful.” Twilight said with a smile, floating the flowers to Octavia’s table.

“Thank you. I’m glad you think so.” She said with a small but genuine smile. “This is actually my first time performing in this city.”

“Well, you did an awesome job!” Rainbow said. “Now, look… we kinda wanted a favor here, if it’s alright with you, I mean. There’s this pony who runs the museum and he—”

“I’m already taken.” Octavia said abruptly. “I trust you’ve met Vinyl Scratch?”

“Yeah, she—” Twilight froze. “WHAT?! YOU AND HER?!”

Rarity raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “…You didn’t know this, Twilight?”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash burst out laughing.

“Seriously, sugarcube… for a librarian ya sure can be outta the loop on some things!” Applejack said as she got her laughter under control.

“Anyway…” Twilight said, glaring at her friends then putting on her best smile. “Look, what I meant to say was he couldn’t make it to the show since he got caught up in his job due to some new discovery, so he wanted us to get him your autograph.”

The cellist smiled. “Well, you did bail Vinyl out twice, so I’d think at the very least I owe you something for that.” She said, going to her to her desk. “Very well, do you have anything I can sign?” She asked.

The three looked at one-another, unsure now.

“Uhhh… will this do?” Rarity asked, floating out a scrap of banana-yellow fabric from her saddlebag. “I was saving it, but I feel this may be more important then what I had in mind for it.”

Octavia picked up a pen with her teeth and signed it, then applied some lipstick and gave it a kiss for good measure. “I trust that should reach his standards?” She asked.

“It should, thanks!” Twilight said.

“No, thank you again.” Octavia said, giving them a wave as they left.

“Ohhh yes! This’ll do nicely!” Artifact Search said with a grin as he pocketed the signed fabric scrap in his labcoat. “Now, I believe I promised something groundbreaking regarding a way to the Sapphire Spire!” He said, a prance in his step as he lead the way down a long hall, past several exhibits and to a locked door.

“Soooo… what is it? A secret passage past the barrier?” Rainbow asked excitedly.

“Yes and no.” The curator said. “While it DOES lead to provide an alternate route to it, that’s not what this is about. I, Artifact Search, have just proven what all the tabloids in this city claimed… to be completely true!”

“Uhhh what might that be?” Applejack asked.

“There ARE cragadiles in the sewers under the city! Well, one technically, but he’s big enough to be worth at least four!” He said with a sheepish laugh, pausing when he saw all four ponies staring at him. “What, don’t believe me? Go check it out! This is like, big news!”

“What makes ya think we wanna see somethin’ that’d probably try an’ eat us?” Applejack asked.

“Well, the weird thing about this was… not only was it larger then the average cragadile is typically described as, but there was weird light by it and—”

“That's all I needed to hear!!” Rainbow interjected. “We’ll go check it out! Come on, girls, we got a sanctuary to get!”

“Sanctu-what?” Artifact Search muttered as the pegasus zipped past him and into the door, and straight down the open sewer passage within.

“Hey, you girls coming or what?” Rainbow called up. “It’s just a sewer tunnel!”

“You have GOT to be kidding me! I JUST SHOWERED! Rarity protested, prompting a snicker from Applejack.

“Aw, give it a rest, Rarity. Bein’ covered in mud at the Sisterhooves Social didn’t bother ya much.” Applejack said.

“Darling, may I remind you that mud and the FILTH OF MANEHATTAN… pardon my foul language… are two entirely different things!” Rarity said indignantly.

“Rarity, we’re just gonna have to tough it out. Besides, I’m sure there’s walkways we can use.” Twilight said.

“Ugh, you girls done chatting? I’m kinda waiting?” Rainbow shouted, annoyed now.

“Coming, Rainbow” Twilight called.

“Ugh, this place smells like an outhouse!” Rarity said, cringing and trying to breathe through her mouth, lest the stink cause her to grow nauseous again.

“Eh, ah tend ta pigs every day, Rare. Ah’m used ta this sorta smell.” Applejack said casually as she trotted onward through the dark tunnels, the only illumination was provided by Twilight’s magic.

“Hmmm…” Rainbow said, flying up to a fence wall. “Lemme see if I can knock this down!” She said, flying back and zipping straight at it.

“Rainbow wait!” Twilight yelled, catching her friend with her magic aura. “We can’t go causing property damage! Besides, there’s a door on the other side.”

“O-Other side?” Rarity asked, staring at the grungy river that flowed next to them.

“Applejack, Rarity, hold onto me.” Twilight said, and they were immediately teleported to the other side while Rainbow flew over to join them.

“Hmmm… locked.” Twilight said. Smirking as an idea came, she floated Minuette’s sonic screwdriver out and used her magic to activate it. Several whirs and clicks later, the door swung open. “Ah-ha! Easy!” She said as she walked through, the others following.

Proceeding further down the walkways and switching sides when they needed to, the four ponies found themselves at the end of the road, the paths ending and all there was now was a ramp that descended into the fetid water. The four exchanged a glance, and a worried look came over Rarity’s face.

“Oh, nonononononononoNO! Out of the question! There has to be a way around it!”

“I’m afraid not, Rarity. We don’t know how far this spans, and I’m sure it’s not that deep since the workers have to wade through it.” Twilight said.

“Even still, Twilight…” Rarity began. Realizing she wasn’t going to win, and getting to the sanctuary was a priority she wouldn’t turn away from her friends for, the unicorn sighed. “Let’s just get this done before I change my mind…”

“That’s the spirit, Rare!” Applejack said with an amused grin as she patted her friend on the shoulder. “Now let’s get movin!”

Seconds later Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack were wading through the sewer’s foul, flowing river while Rainbow Dash flew overhead leading the way.

“I still can’t believe I’m wading through this filth to get to the Sapphire Spire…” Rarity muttered with an eyeroll, nearly gagging from the smell.

We'll be fine, Rarity.” Twilight said as her horn showed them that the passage finally lead to more walkways, and a huge round entrance into complete darkness up ahead in the distance that some water trickled out of. “That barrier spell Trixie put over it can only be broken from the inside…”

“Yeah, and you don’t see me complaining?” Rainbow asked as she flew above.

“Rainbow, be quiet. Of course it won’t bother you, you have wings to fly over all this filth!” Rarity snapped.

“Jealous much?” Rainbow asked with a laugh, prompting an irritated eyeroll from Applejack.

“…besides those myths about a cragadile in the sewer are just silly. I’m sure the curator just did that to get some attention.” Twilight said.

As soon as the words left Twilight’s mouth, loud roar was heard from within the tunnel entrance up ahead.

“…EVERYPONY OUT OF THE WATER!” Twilight shouted, panicking and she and her friends screamed loudly. Applejack and Rarity fled to the left catwalk as quickly as they could while Twilight teleported to the opposite side. Rainbow, meanwhile, hovered closer to the entrance as a brilliant light began to shine from it. A cocky smirk formed on her face and she fished the Harmony Stone from her saddlebag. “Alrighty, let’s draw this beastie out!” She said, holding it out.

Sure enough, a horrible screech was heard, causing her and her friends to cover their ears.

“What in tarnation IS that?!” Applejack protested.

“The sanctuary! It’s been corrupted! I’m betting that cragadile’s the reason!” Twilight shouted.

Another roar was heard, and the distorted melody began to echo around the four within the sewer tunnels as a pair of glowing eyes peered through the dark passage. As they drew closer, an enormous cragadile, covered in bits of garbage and filth, emerged from it, letting out a guttural snarl as filthy water spilled from its jaws.

“Not much of a talker, are you? Fine by me, I like skipping to the action, anyway!” Rainbow said with a grin as she flew straight at the beast. However, before she could reach it, the creature moved at speed that was seemingly impossible for a beast its size and easily evaded her, diving into the water. Rainbow flew past and tumbled into the tunnel.

“Well, that was an impressive display of agility…” Twilight remarked. “Girls, hang on!” Twilight aimed her horn at the ceiling and fired a blast of light, illuminating the area better. “Now it’ll be harder for him to hide, but stay sharp girls, he’s fast!

As soon as she said this, the beast emerged from the water, snapping its massive jaws at Twilight. The unicorn barely moved out of the way in time, firing several blasts of magic at it to drive it back.

The cragadile snarled in pain, retreating into the murky water and swimming towards one of the walls and slamming it with its tail, and at that moment Twilight noticed a lever it had struck.

“Rainbow!” Twilight shouted. “Get out of that tunnel NOW!” She yelled.

“What are you—” Rainbow began as she heard a rumble and suddenly a wave of grungy water came rushing towards her. Letting out a scream Rainbow galloped towards the exit as fast as she could and flew out, getting decently splashed but avoiding getting washed into the river below.

“Twilight… the water’s rising…” Rarity said as she and Applejack desparately edged to higher ground while the cragadile sneered at them before swimming towards the two ponies. “A little help!”

“Hold on!” Rainbow shouted, swooping down at the cragadile and striking it in the back of the head with a fierce kick. The creature grunted and looked back at her, sweeping its huge tail up and swatting at the pegasus, who quickly dodged.

“Missed!” Rainbow said, dodging another swipe. “Annnnd missed again!” She taunted with a laugh. The creature glared and puffed twin clouds of thick green gas from its nostrils right at the pegasus.

“What’s that suppo—” Rainbow immediately went into a coughing fit, and began plummeting towards the beast’s open jaws. Before she could, however, Rarity’s magic aura engulfed her, yanking her to safety before the cragadile’s jaws could chomp down.

“Hope this works!” Applejack yelled, twirling her lasso and flinging it over the cragadile’s jaws and giving it a firm tug, tying them shut despite its larger-then-average size.

“Twilight! Get that pump shut off!” Rarity shouted, jumping onto Applejack’s back and causing the earth pony to wince a little as the water rose more.

“Right!” Twilight replied, rushing over to where the pump lever was and attempting to pull it with her magic, but it didn’t budge. “Girls! I can’t move it!” She yelled.

“Ugh… hang on… let me…” Rainbow said between coughing fits as she got up and flew over the struggling cragadile, barely avoiding another tail swipe as she flew to the other side of the lever and began pushing. Using her magic again and assisted by Rainbow’s pushing, Twilight was able to finally pull the lever, and the waterflow stopped just as the water reached hers and Applejack’s hooves.

The cragadile, seizing the opportunity with the deeper water, dove under and swam towards its lair, Applejack being pulled along and Rarity hanging for dear life with her forehooves wrapped around her friend.

“Applejack! Rarity!” Twilight cried out, using her magic to fire a blast at the cragadile but missing it as it circled in the water at incredible speed; Applejack and Rarity now riding its back.

“Rnnnbow! Geeh oherrr here!” Applejack yelled, attempting to hold the rope with her teeth as she pulled back. The pegasus flew over and landed next to her, the cragadile increasing its struggling as it suddenly rolled over, prompting the three ponies to hold on tight as they were pulled under water for a second and gasped for air as they were brought to the top. “GRAB THAT ROPE!” Applejack shouted, the body roll having prompted her to let go and avoid a mouthful of filthy water.

“You’re joking, right?” Rainbow asked with a disgusted look on her face.

“Just grab an’ PULL HARD! Ah don’t much care how!" She instructed the pegasus. "When she does, Rarity an’ Twi, fire your magic. Then ah’ll make my move! NOW!” Applejack ordered to the two unicorns.

Rainbow grabbed the rope in her forehooves and tugged as hard as she could. Rarity and Twilight then immediately fired their magic, both striking the beast as it turned in the back of the head. Thrashing angrily, it caused Applejack to get propelled into the air. Doing a flip, the earth pony turned herself in the air and bucked the giant beast right between the eyes, knocking it out cold. The bizarre melody faded, and the unconscious cragadile shrank back down to a normal size. Rarity cringed but sighed in relief as the smiling Rainbow Dash picked her up and carried her over to the pipe entrance, while Twilight floated Applejack over and then teleported herself over to join them.

“Phew-ee! That was a close ‘un!” Applejack said, fanning herself with her hat.

“Looks like I’ll need another shower as soon as we’re out of here.” Rarity lamented, shaking herself off and looking like a mess, causing the unicorn to growl in annoyance.

“Well, either way, now we can get the barrier down and collect the melody of this sanctuary!” Twilight said, her horn lighting up again as she lead them through the tunnel and finding a ladder leading up at the end.

Rainbow grinned and flew up and out the opening, finding herself in what appeared to be a city park of some sort, and was greeted by the sight of the glowing barrier around them. Nearby was a small pink gem that cracked with magical energy.

“This must be what she used. Some kind of charm.” Twilight said as she noticed it upon climbing out.

“So how do we deal with it?” Applejack asked.

“Simple.” Twilight said, stomping it with her hoof and causing it to shatter. Immediately after, the barrier vanished.

“Goodness! LOOK!” Rarity said, marveling at the sight behind them. Turning, the others saw a thick, magnificent spire about twice Celestia’s height made of translucent blue crystal, with several smaller crystals growing around it. “This must be the Sapphire Spire!”

“It looks like!” Twilight said with a smile.

“Well ah’ll be darned. It’s quite a sight!” Applejack said with an approving nod.

“Well, let’s get what we came for!” Rainbow said, taking out the Harmony Stone again and holding it out with her hoof. A soft, beautiful melody played in her mind, and a peaceful sensation came over her as she closed her eyes…

A tiny cyan foal, with a tiny rainbow-striped mane and tail, drinking from a bottle…

Rainbow saw her mom and dad, both looking down at the foal, content smiles on their faces as they turned and kissed.

The foal giggled and her mother held her close, her dad draping his hoof over them both.

Rainbow stood quietly for a moment, and realized her ears drooped for a second as the memory came back to her. “We’re done here. Let’s go.” She said, spreading her wings and flying away from the park. Her friends exchanged a glance and followed quietly.

“Well, that’s one more sanctuary down, three more to go!” Rainbow said with a grin as she sat excitedly on one of the beds in the hotel room the four of them had rented.

“If Rarity ever gets out of the shower.” Applejack said with an eyeroll. Rarity had been willing to let the others go before her, provided she got to take as long as she felt she needed, which turned out to be quite a while. However, seconds later, the sound of the water being turned off was heard. “Ugh, finally!”

“Think Braeburn got that message yet?” Rainbow asked.

“Hope so. Appleloosa’s got a candle, too, for important messages. Ah asked him for an update on the weather situation so hopefully we’ll be hearin’ back soon.” Applejack replied.

“Hey, something’s coming through now!” Twilight said as the magic candle flared up, and a scroll appeared.

“Well, let’s see what ol’ Braeburn an’ my brother are up to…” Applejack said, pushing the scroll open. As she read it, her smile faded quickly. “Oh no…”

“What’s wrong?” Rarity asked, emerging from the bathroom and toweling herself off.

“It says the weather’s not stopped. Cloudchaser an’ Flitter went to the gorge to investigate where it’s all comin’ from… not long after they left, the weather got a dozen times worse! Girls! We gotta get down there now, they need our help!” Applejack said.

“Alright, Rarity, let’s get ready, we’re gonna have to do this teleportation spell again.” Twilight said.

“You sure you got it right, this time?” Rarity asked. “I just cleaned off and all…” She said, floating her saddlebags over to herself.

“Second time around, I’m certain I got this. Everypony, hold on tight!” Twilight said, leaving a tip on the bed as they gathered their things and held onto one-another, vanishing in a flash of light.

Appleloosa had seen better days, to say the least. Swirling black clouds hung over the sky ominously, winds and drizzling rain blew about as the four ponies appeared in the middle of the town. Windows were boarded and locked shut, The trees had been mostly stripped bare of apples, and nopony was present outside.

“Wow! He sure ain’t kiddin’ about things gettin’ worse!” Applejack shouted over the loud gales as the four of them huddled together, the fiece storms brewing all around them…

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN

Another chapter completed! Stay tuned for next time, which may be up over new years or this friday hopefully. :twilightsmile:

The Sixth Sanctuary

“Hey, what’re ya girls doin’ out here?” Braeburn shouted over the gales from his doorframe, looking over at the four ponies. “Ah guess ya got my message, Applejack? Get on inside ‘fore ya get more soaked then ya already are!”

Immediately the four friends rushed inside; damp but otherwise unharmed.

“What in tarnation’s goin’ on out there, Braeburn?” Applejack asked while Rarity let out a very audible sigh at her coat and mane being ruined for the third time in a row.

“Well that’s the thing! Ah don’t know! The weather’s gettin’ way worse. Luckily, thanks to a little help from the buffalo tribe we managed to get the apples harvested in time so we're okay on our food quota. But still, this weather keeps up we ain’t gonna have a place to enjoy ‘em on!”

“So where’s Cloudchaser and Flitter? Your letter said they went missing?” Rainbow asked, concerned about her friends.

“That’s right! They went to investigate where this weather was comin’ from… it kept churnin’ out faster then they could handle it an’ the wonderbolts’re too busy handlin’ problems with the other towns an’ cities. Anyways, they tracked it to the Ghastly Gorge just outside’a the town that runs all the way to the Everfree Forest, suspectin’ maybe the weather’s comin’ from there. They weren’t sure… Me an’ Big Mac went with ‘em, but when they went into this cave in the gorge, they never came out! That’s when the weather got this bad! Worse storms started a-pilin’ up we had to get back to town or we were gonna get swept up in it!” Braeburn explained. “When we told Chief Thunderhooves, that got his interest… he said the place was sacred, it was where the fossil of the last quetzacoatl, a wind spirit, had laid to rest. They say it brings good weather in their old tales but ah tell ya… there may be weather comin’ outta there but it sure ain’t good!”

“I see…” Twilight said.

“Well we gotta go help ‘em! I’m not gonna leave my friends stranded out in that storm!” Rainbow said firmly.

“We didn’t want to either, believe me, but we had no choice.” Braeburn said sadly.

“Well that’s ‘cause you didn’t have me! Everypony knows I can clear skies like nopony else!” Rainbow said, patting her chest.

“Eenope.” Big Mac said, disagreeing.

“He’s got a point, Rainbow.” Applejack said. “You hear the part about that weather comin’ out faster then Cloudchaser and Flitter together could fix?”

“They aren’t me, AJ.” Rainbow said, a serious glare forming on her face. “I can at least get this under control long enough for us to make it to that cave safely. Cloudchaser and Flitter are two of my best friends in the weather team; I grew up with ‘em! They’re great enough fliers to be wonderbolts… maybe not as great as me but that’s not the point! They need our help and there’s no way I’m leaving them out there! You all with me or what?” She asked as she headed towards the door.

“I’m with you, Rainbow.” Twilight said, trotting over. “Besides, you may need some backup.”

“Count me in, too!” Applejack said, joining them. “Appleloosa’s my responsibility, too, and ah ain’t shruggin’ that off.”

“Of course I’m in.” Rarity said with a smile. “I figure what’s… another blow to my efforts at self-maintenance when friends are in danger. I’m with you on this, Rainbow Dash. Let’s go help your friends.”

“Thanks girls.” Rainbow replied. “So… uh… which way to this cave causing the weather?” She asked the two stallions.

“Almost there!” Rainbow shouted, having torn apart another chunk of black stormclouds and providing a path for her friends to rush through. Reaching the end, they looked down upon the Ghastly Gorge, a chasm that spanned all the way north to the Everfree Forest. On the other side of the gorge were geyser-like rock formations that had a continuous stream of black storm clouds rising from them and drifting towards Appleloosa.

“Well, this is definitely the place…” Twilight said. “Whatever’s causing this weather to come into existence is inside this cave…”

“Let’s just hope Cloudchaser and Flitter are okay.” Applejack said.

“You know… I wonder…” Twilight mused. “Braeburn said the buffalo chief mentioned the fossil of an ancient wind entity there, left when its mortal form passed away… Girls, do you think…?”

“A sanctuary! It has to be!” Rarity said.

“Then it’s settled. We find Cloudchaser and Flitter, and get to that sanctuary. Something’s using its power, and whatever it is, I bet it’s got them too!” Rainbow said.

“Looks like there’s an entrance over there.” Twilight said, gesturing to a small cave opening with her hoof. “Come on, girls. Let’s get moving.” She said as they gathered around her and she teleported them and herself to the mouth of the cave.

Entering, the found it to be oddly cool and misty, with strange blue fungi illuminating the halls.

“Of course… all the moisture.” Twilight mused, prompting looks from her friends.

“We can sight-see another time, Twi. Right now I wanna find my friends.” Rainbow said, leading the way. As she proceeded, a rumble was felt and a group of clouds drifted towards them.

“What the?” Rainbow wondered, before suddenly getting blasted by a bolt of lightning.

However, she quickly discovered she felt no pain. Instead, the gem Rarity had given her seemed to charge up with energy and redirect it back at the cloud that fired the lightning at her, destroying it completely.

“Whoa! Did you… see that?” Rainbow asked, realizing she’d not really seen it in action since the time she had to fight the possessed Pinkie Pie.

“Is that what I think it is?” Twilight asked, firing magic at the two other clouds and destroying them. “Seems particularly useful against lightning magic.” Twilight said, eyeing the gem the pegasus was still wearing around her neck.

“Huh, I thought you said it protects from all magic attacks, Rarity.” Rainbow said.

“Well… I may have misunderstood a little. Seemed to work just fine protecting you from Pinkie’s modified cannon, didn’t it?” Rarity asked.

“Of course! I remember now! The first element used against it is the one the charm adapts to! In this case I guess it’s adapted to lightning magic!” Twilight said. “And here all this time I assumed you’d taken to accessorizing, Rainbow!” the unicorn added with an amused smirk.

“Well, to be fair I did model it after her cutie mark with what I had available to me since she was the one I was able to reach when I was being held captive.” Rarity said. “Facing dangerous cults is no reason not to look a little presentable after all.” She said with a proud turn of her muzzle.

“Well, in that case I better lead the way.” Rainbow said with a grin as she flew ahead. “Come on out clouds!” She ordered with a laugh, which was answered by five more of them, glowing with flashes of lightning within flying towards the four ponies. “Go ahead! Gimme your best shot!” Rainbow said, spreading her hooves out and grinning.

The clouds paused for a second, turning towards one-another slightly before facing Rainbow again. Magical lightning surged around them and they fired a powerful blast at her. Rainbow flew forward, allowing the charm to catch it all. Grinning, Rainbow looked at the sentient clouds, which froze in place.

“My turn.” She said, and a second later all the lightning redirected back on the clouds, destroying them all completely. “Game, set, match. Rainbow Dash wins again by pure awesome.” She said, putting her hooves to her side and giving a cocky smirk.

“Cool it, Dash. We’re here to find your friends, not show off.” Applejack said with an eyeroll.

“Yeah, just if this is my opposition I’ve practically found ‘em by now!” Rainbow said, flying ahead of them and dispatching two more malevolent clouds the same way while the others followed.

“Cloudchaser! Flitter! Are you here?” Rainbow called out, pausing to see if she would get an answer back.

What they got instead was a powerful current of electrical energy heard in the distance. Rainbow’s eyes widened as she saw light appearing. “Girls… GET OFF THE GROUND.” She ordered as a lightning current surged across the ground, the three flightless ponies jumping just in time to avoid it as it passed by.

A cruel laughter echoed through the tunnels up ahead, causing Rainbow to grit her teeth. “That’s it. No more Miss Nice Pony. Let’s go.” She said, flying towards the source of the laughter, her friends again following as they got closer, the laughter growing louder by the second.

Reaching a tunnel with faint blue light coming from it, the four came to a stop.

“Whatever’s got your friends is in there, Rainbow.” Twilight said, her horn glowing briefly.

“Well let’s muscle up and kick its plot ta the next life!” Applejack said, taking out her lasso.

“Any friend of yours is a friend of ours, Rainbow.” Rarity said, her horn charging as well.

With a smirk and a nod, Rainbow lead the way in, and they found themselves in a large, open cavern with a vast pool of some kind of thick steam and smoke within it; the ceiling stood far, far above them with several passages that were likely the exit points the storm clouds escaped from. At the massive, dimly-lit room’s center was a glowing light. “Alright, whoever you are! You got my friends now come on out!” Rainbow shouted, taking out the Harmony Stone from her saddle bag and holding it out. As expected, the piercing feedback was heard, confirming the sanctuary had been tainted.

“Congratulations, you’ve found the sanctuary…” A female voice said, and a pegasus silhouette was seen flapping its wings as it hovered within the smoke and steam.

“…But its ours now!” Another female voice said, this one higher and more feminine.

“No… it can’t be…!” Rainbow shuddered, recognizing the voices of the two shrouded pegasi before they emerged. “Cloudchaser? Flitter?!”

Out of the smoke emerged two pegasi in uniforms identical to those of the shadowbolts that had attempted to deceive Rainbow Dash when the six of them had faced Nightmare Moon. The tails and manes, the bow on one of them… it was evident the two shadowbolts that had come to confront them were in fact Cloudchaser and Flitter.

“Take it from us, if you dare!” They said in unison, the lenses of their goggles glowing green and trailing purple smoke from them briefly. Raising their hooves, steam and smoke began to fill the room, blinding the four friends as the distorted melody began again. The twins’ laughter was heard all around them as powerful gales of wind began to build up.

“They’re sucking us into a vortex!” Rainbow shouted. Everypony get down and hold on tight!” Complying, Applejack flung her lasso around a rock and held onto it, the others grabbing onto her and one-another until it dissipated.

“Not bad.” Cloudchaser sneered.

“But it won’t do you any good…” Flitter said, the two then raised their hooves again and a large storm cloud formed and emerged from the crater. Both shadowbolts hovered over it and then swooped down upon it. As soon as they did, a massive, powerful bolt of lightning shot out of it at the ground. This time Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack did not jump in time and were electrocuted, causing the three of them to cry out in pain and fall to the ground, unconscious.

“Not bad, sis!” Flitter said with a grin.

“Best two outta two?” Cloudchaser asked, sneering at Rainbow and her fallen friends.

“My thoughts exactly…” Flitter said as the two looked over, their eyes glowing green again as they flew into the air again and slammed into the cloud again and sent a huge lightning bolt at the four ponies. Hurrying, Rainbow Dash jumped in the way and took the hit. As she’d hoped, her charm caught the lightning and redirected it back at the two shadowbolts and the cloud, causing the cloud to burst and electrocuting the two shadowbolts.

“Uggh… why you…” Cloudchaser growled, flying straight at Rainbow with far more speed then usual, striking her with her hoof and sending her into the wall as Flitter began to get up.

“Come on, you two! We’re friends!” Rainbow shouted, wincing in pain as she stood up. “Stop doing this!” She pleaded.

“Why should we do that, Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria?” Cloudchaser sneered.

“Friends? Funny word from somepony always so proud of being better then anypony else.” Flitter scoffed.

“What?! No… maybe that was me some time ago, but now anymore!” Rainbow protested.

“Oh please…” Cloudchaser said, swooping in and flying circles around her, causing Rainbow to get flung into the air. Before she could fall back down or take flight, however, Flitter shot at her and slammed her in the chest with her forehooves.

“Rainbow Dash, bearer of Loyalty, big hero, awesome in all ways….” Flitter sneered, wrapping her forehooves around her and tossing her at Cloudchaser.

“But we know better, don’t we?” Cloudchaser asked, the lenses of her goggles glowing green again as she decked the pegasus in the face, sending her tumbling across the ground and into the crater. The pegasus landed atop a new storm cloud that began to form from it.

“Building your success stories on other ponies’ sweat and blood…” Flitter said, slamming down on the cloud and causing lightning to blast into Rainbow, but the charm deflected it off into random directions.

“It’s not like that… it was never… like that…” Rainbow muttered, struggling to stand.

“Then what is it, Rainbow Dash? Everypony knows that deep down you’re still an insecure filly who got bullied in flight school. All you think about is proving them wrong… regardless of what happens or who you use along the way!” Cloudchaser said with a laugh as she and Flitter flew towards her.

Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut. No. No. No. No. NO. She wouldn’t think about that. Not now. Not about those jerks from flight school, not about her mother, not any of those things! These were her friends! They’d never say these awful things! Fluttershy had it even worse then her in flight school, it prompted her to defend her. She was nothing if not loyal, right?

That’s why she came here, to help Cloudchaser and Flitter, because they were her friends, too!

Rainbow’s eyes snapped open and she slowly got up. “What am I proving by having gone through all this to make sure you two were okay? I could be doing a lot of other things right now, you know, but you two mattered enough for me to slow down. Sanctuary or not.” She said firmly, spreading her wings and grinning. “Now just try and catch me!” She said, zipping straight up and away from the astonished shadowbolt twins and swooping down at Cloudchaser, who had been closer to her. Before the shadowbolt could react, Rainbow slammed her into the cloud, causing lightning to electrocute them both, but due to the charm, Cloudchaser was subjected to double the punishment.

The shadowbolt screamed out in pain, Rainbow cringed as she did not like seeing her friend hurt but knew she had to do whatever it took to save Cloudchaser and her sister. “Cloudchaser. We’re both in Wonderbolts Academy! You saw what went on with me and Lightning Dust! I’ve changed a lot, don’t let Sombra tell you otherwise! I abandoned the record goal when several of us got feather flu because Cloudsdale still needed its water one way or another. And know what else? I’m not giving up till I’ve saved you and your sister from this!” She said firmly, slamming her hoof into the shadowbolt’s face and flinging her across the large cavern and into a wall, knocking her out. As Cloudchaser fell to the ground, black smoke rolled off of her, and the shadowbolt uniform was gone, leaving behind only the wild-maned, lilac pegasus that had been underneath it.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Rainbow didn’t notice Flitter in time as the other shadowbolt struck her from behind and then flew circles around her, getting her caught in another vortex.

“You’ll pay for that, Rainbow Dash!” Flitter hissed angrily, flying straight up above her and hitting the pegasus as she spiraled upwards, and slamming her into the storm cloud below, causing more lightning to redirect off of Rainbow and strike the shadowbolt, sending her back upwards.

“Not today!” Rainbow said, recovering from the blow and striking back with two of her own hits, then wrapping her forehooves around Flitter and tossing her into the vortex, causing her to spiral upwards uncontrollably and get flung out the top, into the wall where her sister had crashed. Falling and tumbling across the ground, Flitter passed out as well, and black smoke rolled off her, and her uniform had vanished as well.

Landing on the cloud and taking a few breaths, Rainbow watched as the vortex dissipated. “Hey, girls, you alright?” Rainbow asked, looking over at Twilight, Applejack and Rarity.

“Some’un gimme the number’a that carriage…” Applejack muttered as she stood up. “Got this under wraps, Dash?” She asked, noticing Cloudchaser and Flitter unconscious.

“I think so.” Rainbow said as the large cloud and the distorted melody faded. “Hey, look!” She said, gesturing into the crater. Up above, light began to shine in through the entryways and into the crater’s center as the skies cleared, lighting the place up more. Down below in the crater was the fossilized remains of an ancient creature that had a serpentine body and a pair of large wings.

“This must be the quetzacoatl fossil.” Twilight said.

“Leave this to me.” Rainbow said, holding out the Harmony Stone again. The light shined brighter, and Rainbow felt herself drift off again…

A wonderbolt, flying through the sky at incredible speeds as a blue blur and sparks of lightning trailed behind her. As she landed on a cloud, she took off her mask, revealing the pink mare underneath who was maybe just a few years older then Rainbow now was.

Sitting there on the cloud she’d landed on was a blue stallion with a prismatic mane and tail, and a tiny filly with similar color to her mane and tail, though her coat was a cyan blue.

The mare nuzzled the filly, who hugged her in return.

“Best present ever, mommy!” The filly said.

Rainbow smiled a sad smile at the memory, the sound of the melody playing in the stone as the light in the cavern grew brighter for a moment. Twilight, Applejack, and Rarity, meanwhile, suddenly felt refreshed.

Cloudchaser and Flitter began to stir over in the other corner.

“Where am I…?” Cloudchaser asked.

“How did we…?” Flitter wondered, looking around. “Rainbow Dash? W-what’re you doing here?”

“Hey, you two okay?” Rainbow asked, walking over to them.

“Yeah, just a little groggy.” Cloudchaser said. “We were trying to figure out what was up with the weather and soon as we got to the cave it was like… just kind of a blur.” She said, rubbing the side of her head with her hoof.

Flitter’s eyes widened in horror as she got up. “Oh my gosh… Rainbow I’m SO sorry!” She said, tears welling up as memories of what had transpired after came to her.

“We didn’t mean any of it, Rainbow, we swear!” Cloudchaser insisted, the memories returning to her as well.

“Hey, everything’s cool now.” Rainbow said calmly. Admittedly, she wondered how they knew such personal secrets. Fluttershy was the only one out of her friends who knew most of those things given how long they’d known eachother. Did Sombra… somehow see into her mind? It sent a chill down her back to think about it. “Sombra was controlling you two so it’s not your fault.”

“Sombra?” Cloudchaser asked.

“We’ll explain on the way back.” Rarity said, letting out a sigh after. “I suppose I require another shower, though. I seem doomed to be instantaneously tarnished at every opportunity, don’t I?” She asked.

“The way things are on these kinda adventures, Rarity.” Applejack said with a laugh.

Flitter flapped her wings a few times and took to the air. “I think I’m good. You alright, sis?” She asked Cloudchaser.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. We probably need to get back to Appleloosa right away, let ‘em know everything’s alright.” Cloudchaser replied.

“Good idea, I’ll do a teleportation spell and get us back there right away!” Twilight said.

Reappearing in Appleloosa together, the four friends plus Cloudchaser and Flitter approached Braeburn’s home and Applejack gave it a crisp knock. Seconds later, Braeburn emerged from the doorway.

“Heya, cousin!” He said, much happier now. “The weather’s lookin’ mighty good now! An’ with the harvest all done we can get to makin’ our products again!”

“Good ta know, Brae!” Applejack said. “Well anyways, Cloudchaser an’ Flitter are alright, too.” The two pegasi waved from behind her.

“We’re gonna get on the way back to Ponyville, if that’s alright. Looks like our work here’s done.” Cloudchaser said.

“Well,” Braeburn said. “The train won’t be here till ‘nother hour, so if ya want maybe sit a spell an’ enjoy some apples from…”

“Here it comes…” Applejack said with a facehoof.

“Aaaaaaaaappleloosa!” Braeburn cheered, rearing back as he said it. “…On the house as a thanks for helpin’ us out earlier in keepin’ the weather back.”

“Hey, I did a good deal too.” Rainbow said. “So I think some Appleloosan cider’s an order.”

“Whatever ya say!” Braeburn replied with a smile, heading back inside. “Y’all come on in, we got plenty.”

“Catchya later Rainbow Dash!” Flitter said with a wave as she boarded the train.

“Best’a luck handling this Sombra jerk.” Cloudchaser said, waving also as she followed her sister on board.

“Thanks! We’ll all be back in town soon, hopefully.” Rainbow said with a smile. “Have a safe trip.”

“Will do!” Cloudchaser said with a laugh as the train’s whistle went off and its doors closed, taking the pegasi sisters back home.

“Well…” Rainbow said facing her friends. “Cloudchaser and Flitter are safe, Appleloosa’s safe, AND we got a sanctuary melody and cider out of it! Today turned out awesome!” The pegasus cheered.

“If ya say so, Dash.” Applejack said with a laugh.

“Well then, I suppose we should be on our way back to Bahamare. They have the ship route to Saddle Arabia.” Rarity said. “And I am so looking forward to sampling their silks…” She fawned.

“Well then, I suggest we get moving if we wanna reach the boat in time!” Twilight said.

From within a strange, deep place in Equestria, a blue unicorn's face was visible within a crystal ball standing before the queen of the changelings, eyeing her with suspicion. “Sombra has grown impatient, as has the Great and Power—” The unicorn began.

“I know, I KNOW” Chrysalis snarled at her fellow accomplice in the shadow king’s plans. “But he can be assured, this plan will go smoothly and we will soon move on to key players in this movement opposing him." She explained as she smiled darkly at the numerous changelings as they brought in several cocoons containing unconscious captives.

"...I intend to have what he promised me and my children no matter what...”

Author's Note

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN

Annnnd another chapter done at last after working on it over the last few days. :twilightsmile:

Now, off to enjoy the rest of my birthday!

Terror of the Deep

“Fifty-two bits for a SALAD are they nuts?! They didn’t even have the little carrots that I like!” Rainbow demanded angrily as she stormed out of a Bahamare diner. “Honestly, I could use that sorta money to buy at least two weeks worth of salads back home!”

“Well what did you expect, Rainbow Dash? We’re on Bahamare Island, the highest-caliber resort in Equestrian territory. All the meals here are practically Canterlot-quality, you know!” Rarity explained.

“Who CARES about that?! I wanna eat, and one carrot with a fancy sprig of parsley next to it is not in any feathering way considered a meal by ANY sane pony's standards!” Rainbow protested.

“It’s like my Aunt an’ Uncle Orange’s again,” Applejack remarked.

“It’d be the best carrot you ever had Rainbow,” Rarity said with an amused smirk, teasing her friend more.

“Eh, ah prefer apples anyway,” Applejack said. “Can we just up an’ end this squabblin’ now?”

“Yes, please do,” Twilight said. “We have food anyway and we can get more for less when we get to Saddle Arabia.”

“UGH! FINE!" Rainbow groaned. “But I better be able to get whatever I want.”

“Sure, sure. Whatever,” Twilight replied with a facehoof. “Let’s just get to the boat before it leaves."

As they approached, the bearded earth pony ship captain turned and cocked an eyebrow at them. “Passage to Saddle Arabia? Name’s Smooth Sailin’. I command the fastest and safest rides from here to the eastlands,” he said.

“Great, there’ll be four of us,” Twilight explained.

“Twenty bits per pony,” he replied.

“Uhhh we got that?” Applejack asked.

“Um, excuse me, I’m Twilight Sparkle, Celestia’s student, will that give us any leverage?” Twilight asked, showing her student identification.

“Fine, you can ride for free this once, but it’s still twenty bits for each of the other three,” the captain said after looking it over. “And that’s as low as I go. Try and understand I’m not just running a ship route, but it’s across the sea and there’s reports of a monster in those waters…”

“Wait, a monster?!” Rarity asked.

“Why yes, missy,” the captain said. “A terrible beast that’s been sinkin’ our ships lately! I dare not cross these waters lightly.”

“Well, I say bring it on!” Rainbow said. “How about we trash this monster for you if it shows and if we do, we pay half price. If not, we’ll pay you after we get to the other side. Deal?”

The captain looked her over in annoyance.

“Well, unless it’s all just some fib to rip ponies off,” Rainbow taunted with a smirk.

“No! It’s very true I swear!” the captain said. “It turned up recently! One of the ships has already been sunk by this thing yesterday!”

“An’ yet you ain’t provin’ nothin’ an’ ya seem fine to me. Maybe we should report some lyin’ around these parts,” Applejack remarked.

“I’m TELLING you! I saw the monster and it destroyed a ship! I’m just charging what this trip is worth now!” the captain protested.

“Well then if this monster’s real, ya wouldn’t mind takin’ us up on our offer,” Applejack said.

“Think, dear sir, if this ghastly monster is gone, nopony gets worried about it disrupting the trade routes and you find more work, so everypony wins,” Rarity said.

The captain facehoofed. “Fine, whatever. If you promise the payment, just show me you have it first, though,” he said.

“That took a little effort but it was worth it, I suppose. Monster or not,” Twilight said as they sat on the ship, two hours having passed on the long boat ride. The magically-powered ship moved at high speeds across the water towards the kingdom of Saddle Arabia at an excellent pace and they were certain to be there in another hour and a half.

“Indeed so, Twilight,” Rarity said. “Saddle Arabian silks are very lovely and I have been rather eager to sample a few for my next line I intend to make, darling.”

“Ever the opportunist, Rarity,” Twilight said with a smile and a shake of her head.

“Well, a lady in my line of work can’t afford to miss a single one, Twilight!” the other unicorn said.

As they continued on, the boat suddenly paused.

“What’s going on?” the captain suddenly asked, his unicorn shipmate came over and shrugged.

“Think we hit something?” The shipmate asked.

“I don’t think so. Can’t be the anchor or we’d have felt a tug,” the captain replied.

As if on command, a loud and familiar fanfare sounded off.

“What in Equestria was that?” the captain asked, looking around, noticing the collective groan from his four passengers.

“You’re about to find out,” Rainbow said, gesturing upward at a figure spiraling down from out of the sky towards the ship’s deck…

“Ahhh, I love the fresh spray of the sea on a sunny afternoon, don’t you?” Discord asked with a jolly chuckle as he slid on his sunglasses he’d made appear in his paw. “Well, now that we’re all here, why don’t you four huddle together for what you know comes next!” he said as he made his camera materialize around his neck and held it up.

“Can’t you let us be for ONE day, Discord?!” Applejack demanded.

“Nope! Now say fuzzy pickles!” Discord ordered, not losing the cheerfulness in his tone.

With a click of the camera, Discord immortalized the four ponies exasperated looks with the ship deck and the open sea behind them.

“Oooh! Perfect! Such memories I’ll cherish from this! Good luck in Saddle Arabia, my little ponies, though I’m certain we’ll meet again soon enough for more wonderful photo opportunities!” the draconequus said with a boisterous laugh as he raised his claw up and spiraled back up into the sky.

“What was that all about?” the captain asked.

“Just… don’t ask, okay?” Twilight asked.

“Captain, something hit the bottom of the ship!” the shipmate replied a half hour later.

“Oh my… think it could be the monster?” Rarity asked.

“Celestia’s mane, it has to be!” the captain shouted, terror on his face as he sawa long fin cut through the water. “In the middle of a rainstorm… this just keeps getting worse…” he said looking up at the dark skies.

“The leviathan is real?!” the shipmate asked. “I thought it was just crazy sailor-talk!”

As if to answer that, the surface broke with a mighty splash as several large tentacles emerged and grabbed onto the ship. Seconds later a snakelike head emerged, its glowing green eyes trailed purple smoke from them as it reared back and let out a terrible roar.

“This… is gonna be a problem!” the captain said, staring up at the massive beast and backing away.

“Get back!” Twilight shouted, firing a blast of magic at the creature’s mouth, causing it to recoil for a moment. “This is the monster? I’ve read about these, I thought they went extinct hundreds of years ago!”

“Well clearly this ‘un begs to differ, Twilight!” Applejack said, bucking one of its tentacles and causing it to lose its grip.

“Captain! You and your shipmate get this boat on full speed! We gotta keep moving so it’ll have a harder time knocking us over! Rainbow, Rarity, Applejack, help me handle this thing! If the legends are true, we’re in for a serious fight!” Twilight said, never taking her eyes off the beast as it lunged forward. Twilight jumped out of the way as Rainbow swooped down and struck it. The creature grunted and released its grip, diving back under.

“You heard her! Let’s move!” the captain ordered, and the shipmate charged up the engine again, causing them to start moving at full speed. Seconds later, the fin rose up again, the creature’s armored back rising above the water as it sped alongside the ship, drawing ever-closer.

“Quick! Rarity! On the offense!” Twilight said, rushing to the side of the ship and firing magic bolts at it. “Its back and chest are well-armored. Aim between the plates as best you can and we might be able to drive it back before it hits us!”

“Right away, Twilight!” Rarity replied, standing firm as she took aim with her horn, firing several magic bolts at it, one finally hitting its mark and causing the creature to swerve sideways away from the ship. The creature dove under and its four whiplike tentacles lashed out, rising up around the ship.

“EVERYPONY! TAKE OUT THOSE TENTACLES!” the captain shouted as loud as he could. Twilight hurriedly fired magic blast after magic blast at one of them, causing it to quiver and drop back into the water. Rarity backed away and did the same, blasting it just before it could slap down and it, too, slid back under. Rainbow flew around the third tentacle and using her speed and momentum, slammed into it from behind, causing it to slide back under.

Faced with the last one, Applejack steadied herself. “Okay, now what?” she asked.

“There’s a harpoon right near you!” the captain yelled. “I figured a pony can’t be too careful travelling these waters!”

Applejack rushed over and grabbing it with her teeth and flung it into the air. As it came back down, she gave it a firm buck, sending it flying through the remaining tentacle like a missile. A rumble was felt underneath as the leviathan’s tentacle hastily plummeted back under. “Phew...”

“Did we get it?” Rainbow asked.

“Doubt it! Captain, keep full speed ahead so it can’t ram us from underwater!” Twilight said.

“On it!” the captain said. As soon as the words left his mouth the full form of the beast rose from the water, leaping into the air before diving back down with a mighty splash that caused a wave to sweep towards them.

“Oh no!” Twilight quickly summoned a barrier, preventing her and the others from getting washed off the boat. The leviathan’s fin rose from the water behind them, gaining on them now as its massive head emerged, its glowing green eyes narrowing at them as it lunged forward, snapping its huge jaws at the four ponies.

“Whoa!” Twilight teleported out of the way while the others jumped back as the monster’s head crashed onto the deck, laying there for a second.

That was all Applejack and Rainbow Dash needed as both rushed forward and the former gave a fierce buck while Rainbow swooped down with a flying kick, both aimed at the creature’s face and sending it tumbling backwards into the water.

“We got anythin’ more powerful ta handle somethin’ like this?!” Applejack asked.

“Not really… wait! Our rescue flares! But if we use ‘em up…” the captain protested.

“Like we got a choice, now!” Rainbow shouted. “Where are they?”

“In a box, in the cabin of the ship!” the captain said as the creature’s fin rose up from the water again on the other side of the ship, drawing closer and closer as it swam swiftly alongside them.

“Gotcha!” Rainbow answered, flying into the cabin to find them.

“Oh no! Look out!” the shipmate shouted, noticing the creature diving under and it’s tail rising up in front of the ship and preparing to swat it.

“Horseapples!” The captain yelled, swerving the ship out of the way and nearly capsizing it as the gigantic tail swept over, tearing part of the roof off with it.

“Rarity! Come on!” Twilight ordered, and the two unicorns fired magic blasts at the beast’s tail and causing it to dive again.

Instantly a tentacle rose up, slapping down on the ship and causing it to shake violently, catapulting Twilight and Rarity into the air. Twilight hastily teleported herself back to the ship deck and watched as her friend went flying. “Rarity!”

“Ah got ‘er sugarcube!” Applejack shouted, whipping out her lasso and lashing it forward, catching Rarity around the waist and pulling her back on board before she could fall.

“Thank you, Applejack,” the unicorn said, breathing out a sigh of relief as she shook herself out of the lasso, watching the tentacle sink back into the water.

“I got the flares!” Rainbow said, emerging from the cabin.

“Bring them here!” Twilight ordered. As she said this, the leviathan’s head rose from the water again behind them, letting out a ferocious roar and reared its head back, intent to lunge again and tear the ship apart. Rainbow quickly flew over, her forehooves wrapped around the flare bundle. Immediately, Twilight used her magic and lit them. “Alright, when it opens its mouth, send them in, with any luck that’ll bring it down!”

“You can count on me, Twi!” Rainbow said with a cocky grin, grabbing up the lit flare bundle in her forehooves and spreading her wings. The leviathan’s huge jaws opened wide as it prepared to lunge, and Rainbow took to the air.

The pegasus sped forward and with all her might, flung the flares into the beast’s mouth and looped in the air to land back on the ship, her cocky smile still in place as it lunged at the ship. “Smile you son of a—” Her taunt was cut off by a fantastic explosion of fire and light erupted from the creature’s mouth, causing its head to jerk backwards, letting out an agonized howl as flames rose from its jaws before the green glow faded from its eyes and it collapsed into the sea, its belly rising up for a moment before it sank under the waves, disappearing into the distance as the ship got further and further away from it.

“YES!” Rainbow cheered.

“Yes! Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes-YES!” Twilight shouted, bouncing joyfully in place that the fight was over.

“Yee-haw!” Applejack yelled, tipping her hat while Rarity just smiled in satisfaction and nodded.

“Thank Celestia that crisis is over,” Rarity said, the captain and shipmate letting out loud sighs of relief and slowing the ship down.

“Well that was fun wasn’t it?” the captain asked. “Hey, about the fare? Free of charge. You smoked the devil of the deep, you have my thanks! And also, you probably didn’t see it but I threw a horseshoe at it at one point.”

“Eh, whatever you say. All this craziness has worn me out, so… wake me when we get there,” Rainbow said, heading down to the cabin.

“I think I’ll partake in that notion as well,” Rarity said. Twilight and Applejack exchanged a glance and followed them after.

“Welcome to Ujamare...” the captain said as his ship reached the docks. “…City of Trade in Saddle Arabia!”

As soon as the ship docked, the four friends trotted off the ramp and marveled at the sights before them. Under a cloudless, sunny sky tall buildings of yellow and white stone were all around, with domed roofs and a vast marketplace right along the docks. Horses and camels in silken garments sat on blankets that were lay about on the sand, selling urns, tapestries, jewelry, food, and other wares.

“You know, as intense as this adventure has gotten for us, I gotta admit, I am enjoying the sightseeing!” Twilight said sheepishly. “Well, we better get moving, see if we can learn anything about the tomb the museum mentioned!” she said, leading her friends into the desert city.

Author's Note

Yay, a new chapter done overnight! My birthday went well, and thanks everyone! This new chapter is my gratitude :twilightsmile:

The leviathan inspired by this fanmade remastering of the G1 villain Squirk. Go check out the artist's other G4-ified work it's amazing! :twilightsmile:

A short chapter, I know, but here's the epic kraken battle music!

Sun, Sand, and Sales

“Rarity, did you need to spend that long at the silks?” Rainbow asked with an eyeroll. “Personally I’d rather just get some water. The heat may not bother me but I’m still pretty thirsty.”

“I needed to decide which one to order once I got back home, Rainbow. It never hurts to be ahead of everypony else on what I can bring to the fashion world, after all!” The unicorn explained.

Rarity’s eyes grew starry. “Ooh! I can make a whole Saddle Arabian line first thing!” she said with a giddy cheer.

“Typical Rarity…” Applejack said. “Ah’m gonna go buy us a few a’ those apples ah saw earlier.” She added, trotting over to one of the vending stands and buying several.

“Wow… this place is pretty different from Equestria… Celestia always told me it was beautiful and I’ve always wanted to see it.” Twilight remarked, before noticing the stares. “…But yeah, we should probably go look for details on the tomb. Since we got that drawing of the Eye of Light we’ll have something to go by.” She explained.

Approaching a booth run by an older Arabian horse, Twilight floated out the picture she’d drawn and hovered it in front of herself. “Excuse me, do you know anything about—”

“Oh brother, another pony looking for that thing?” The stallion asked with an eyeroll. "Doesn’t anyone just… come to buy anything, honestly, they think ‘cause I’m older I automatically know everything about it?” He ranted.

“I’m sorry…” Twilight said. “Wait, another?” She asked.

“Yes, you’re like the third one to come by here lookin’ for information on it! Some blue unicorn with a couple jackals… ugh, normally I would never associate with a pony or horse or otherwise who hangs with those types. Desert bandits, the lot of ‘em! Love shiny stuff we gotta deal with them raidin’ this place all the time. She promised they’d leave us be if I told her though… so I admitted she’d find it in the Pyramid of the Sun south of here!” The horse explained.

“Pyramid of the Sun? So that’s what Fancy Pants and the tablet meant by a tomb.”

“No reason it shouldn’t.” The horse answered. The last great king of ancient times who ruled these parts was buried there. The passage of years, though, anything in there is about all that’s left to his name around here. That unicorn though… what could she want? She doesn’t seem the type for tomb robbery.”

“I know of her. I’m guessing those jackals are hired help. Whatever business she’s got there is probably personal.” Twilight said. “So who was the other one?” She asked, floating a few bits onto the vendor’s table.

“Hmmm… hard to describe her. She was a pony, that much I’m sure. She was kinda… sand-colored. She wore a cloth sunhat and a purple shawl, so I don’t know if she was a unicorn, pegasus, or earth pony. She had these huge red glasses but her eyes seemed kinda magenta-colored.” The horse explained.

Rainbow, overhearing this, flew over immediately. “Her mane? What color?” She asked urgently, dropping another bit on the table.

“She had it mostly under her hat but I could have sworn it was kind of a dark gray color…” The horse mused.

“Oh… my… gosh… Twi, you think A.K. Yearling’s here, too?” Rainbow asked, her eyes going starry. “I bet she’s doing research for her next book! That’s SO awesome!” She said with a joyful squeal as she pressed in on her cheeks with her hooves. “Think we’ll run into her?”

Twilight facehoofed. “I’m sure we will, Rainbow. But we’re gonna need to make sure she’s safe and get her out of there. If Trixie’s on her way to the Pyramid of the Sun with a bunch of mercenaries, she’s in danger!” She explained. This, however, only seemed to fuel the fire of Rainbow’s enthusiasm.

“We’re gonna rescue the author of Daring Do… OHMYGOSH!!!” Rainbow squealed excitedly, flying into the air and doing a few loops while the vendor and her friends stared at her.

“We need to get that artifact do-hicky, Rainbow, but yes, we do gotta make sure Ms. Yearling’s safe.” Applejack said with an eyeroll.

“Well, you’ve been most helpful, good sir. Would you be so kind as to tell us where we may find the pyramid?” Rarity asked the horse, batting her eyes.

“Uhhh, sorry, ma’am.” The horse said nervously. “I just know it’s to the south. Ask around I know a camel who likes to hang out on top of his roof knows the exact way to get there. Try otherwise you can get lost out there.”

“Well thank you for your time, sir.” Rarity said with a nod, and the four wandered about town again.

A half hour and a food and drink break later, the four spotted a camel that seemed to be meditating on top of his roof under a canvas.

Flying up, Rainbow tapped him on the turban. “Hey, ‘scuse me. Which way to the Pyramid of the Sun?

The camel did not respond, but remained seated with his eyes closed. Shaking her head, Rainbow drew in a deep breath.

“HEY WAKE UP!!!” She shouted as loudly as she could, startling the camel and causing him to topple over with a frightened yelp.

“Sheesh, what’s your problem?” The camel asked indignantly.

“Sorry about that, but you didn’t answer the first time.” Rainbow said matter-of-factly.

“Seriously, Rainbow? Twilight asked, teleporting onto the rooftop. “I’m really sorry about this, sir, my friend can be a little… reckless sometimes.” She said, glaring at Rainbow, who just rolled her eyes. “Look, one of the vendors said you’d know the way to the Pyramid of the Sun, we need to get there so we can find the Eye. It’s really important.”

“I see… just like the last few who asked.” The camel said. “Well, you’ll need a compass for that or you’ll never find it. The sands shift about a lot so you gotta keep headin’ southeast from the south gate of this city. Once you walk out, remember, keep headin’ directly southeast.” He explained. “Also, maybe it’s just a mirage but I swear I’ve been seein’ this big stone unicorn that stands on its hind legs wandering around and it asked me if I saw its key… that’s when I fainted. Sun must get to me more then I thought, huh?” He asked.

“Now you’re just talking crazy.” Rainbow muttered with an eyeroll.

“Well, thanks for your time, sir. We’ll be sure to buy a compass for the trip.” Twilight said with a smile and looking over at Rainbow Dash, who nodded and carried her back down.

“Also… if you see that sand-colored pony with the cloak and hat, tell her to be careful. There’s jackal bandits that have been scopin’ the area too!” The camel called out.

“Well, you heard him, Twi! We gotta hurry! If we don’t get to Ms. Yearling in time, the jackals will get her and we may never see another book again!” Rainbow protested, prompting a facehoof from Twilight. “…Well, the fact I’m worried about her too should be obvious enough to not have to mention, Twi.” She added as they flew back down to rejoin their friends.

“Well, if we’re going to cross a desert, I demand we get some supplies. We still have the sunglasses from Bahamare but I advise sunhats and plenty of water.” Rarity said. “All of which I will select for us, of course.”

“See, I told you to leave the selections up to me!” Rarity said with a smile as the four friends approached the outside of the gates. While Applejack did not change her hat as it had been meant for hot weather, the other three now wore wide-brimmed sunhats that complimented their coat colors, and each now carried water bottles in their saddlebags and sunglasses firmly fixed on their muzzles.

“Did the temperature just rise about fifty degrees?” Applejack asked, staring upward for a moment. It suddenly felt like San Palomino all over again. Adjusting her hat, the earth pony stared out at the vast sand dunes for a moment then back at Twilight. “So, that thing workin’, sugarcube?” She asked.

“In a moment.” Twilight said, her compass hovering in front of her as the arrows adjusted. “Just follow me and we should be fine. The pyramid is southeast… that way!” She immediately gestured in the direction they needed to go.

“Well let’s get going, then!” Rainbow declared.

About thirty minutes of walking later, the four ponies found themselves growing more and more weary, but in the distance, behind the sand dunes, was a tall stone structure with a pointed top.

“The pyramid! We… finally made it!” Rarity said, floating out her water bottle and finishing what water was left. “Hopefully we can get inside and it’ll be cooler there.”

“So say all of us…” Twilight said, panting as she took a drink from her own water bottle as well.

“Well look at that, brother of mine!” A familiar and all too cheerful voice said.

“What do we see here, brother of mine?” Another familiar and cheerful voice said.

“Why it’s our old friends, and wouldn’t you know it, it seems we’ve crossed business again!” The first voice declared.

As the four looked to the side, Applejack immediately rubbed her eyes. “Naw, not a chance. Gotta be a mirage…” She grumbled in disgust as two very familiar and unwelcome sights stood grinning at her and the others.

“Ohhhh we’re no mirage!” Flim said with a winning smile.

“You just happened across the Flimflam Brothers Desert Oasis store!” Flam declared proudly, both now wearing Saddle Arabian robes and turbans and gesturing to a large barrel behind them that had a pipe feeding into an oasis right behind them.

“Because we found…” Both began to sing, and sure enough another song number kicked in.

Opportu-ni-ty! In this sandy co-mmun-i-ty!

I’m Flim! (I’m Flam!) We’re the world-famous Flimflam Brothers!

Traveling Desert Supply Dealers extra-or-din-aaaaaare!

“How did we not notice that a second ago?” Rainbow wondered aloud after a second of awkward silence when the two unicorns finished their little number.

“Why few ever do, not even the last one or those creepy bandits noticed us right away!” Flim said proudly.

“So what’ll it be, friends? A nice drink of water from this LOVELY oasis we bought? Or maybe a little apple cider, imported STRAIGHT from Equestria?” Flam offered with a grin.

“Or maybe you’re still on that wacky quest of yours! How about a bottle rocket or two?” Flim offered.

“You have bottle rockets now?!” Twilight asked, staring agape.

“Why yes we do! Why not profit on a little world-saving, hmmm?” Flim asked, leaning in and his grin never fading. “Unfortunately we only have one big one, but we’re sure you’ll figure out something to do with it, limited time only special for twenty bits!”

The four mares looked at one-another, still trying to process what they were seeing.

“I dunno what’s crazier, the fact that these guys are here or that they’re trying to sell us that?” Rainbow asked with a facehoof.

“Well, we don’t know what we’ll be up against in there, Rainbow… we may have to bite down and buy it.” Rarity said, turning her nose up. “As much as I don’t want to from these horrid snake-oil salesponies!”

“Hey now! We’re making an honest living!” Flam protested indignantly.

“And you don’t get more honest then hanging out in the desert selling the wares every pony needs most there!” Flim added, proudly gesturing to the barrel of water and the box containing the bottle rocket. “Now the water is five bits, since we use magic to keep it fresh and cool for thirsty throats so they can enjoy the finest quality water Saddle Arabia has to offer, fit for its Sultan!”

Twilight facehoofed. “Fine. Four cups, and the bottle rocket.

“Thought you’d see it our way!” Flam said with an approving nod. “That’ll be forty bits then in total!”

“You’re jokin’, right?” Applejack asked. “Ah’m only toleratin’ ya here ‘cause we actually could use a few things after that trip across the desert, but that’s goin’ a little high, ain’t it?”

“Not at all, ma’am!” Flim said. “Supply and demand, and with the last influx of customers we’ve had believe you-me those factors are important!”

“Will this suffice? I was saving it for a project back home.” Rarity said, floating out a gem from her saddlebag and batting her eyes flirtatiously at the two stallions after lowering her shades. The two looked over the gem, then at eachother for a moment. Flim brushed back his mane and floated the gem away from Rarity as he looked it over.

“Well, I suppose this might cover it, my dear! What do you say, brother?” Flim asked.

Flam stroked his moustache with his hoof, stealing a glance at Rarity, who struck a demure pose and caused both stallions to turn and talk amongst themselves for a second.

“Well…” Flim said with a smirk. “My brother and I have decided this will pay off everything you asked for!” He said, floating four mugs under the barrel’s spout and filling them before floating them over to the four ponies, while Flam floated the bottle rocket from its box and put the gem in their bags.

Rainbow and Rarity immediately chugged down the water they’d been provided while Twilight magically shrank the bottle rocket and put it in her saddlebag before drinking her water. Applejack glared at the two brothers for a moment before drinking hers. While the cool beverage was excellent-quality water, she wasn’t about to admit it to the two stallions who tried to steal her family’s farm from under them.

“Ah still say we got ripped off.” Applejack muttered bitterly.

“Pleasure doing business!” Flim said, ignoring her remark. “I assume you’re going into that pyramid? Have fun!” He said cheerfully.

“Indeed, have fun! Use our wares well and tell your friends about the Flimflam Brothers new desert business!” Flam added, and both went back under the large palm trees they’d used for shade and got themselves some more water.

Without another word but feeling refreshed, the four friends headed towards the pyramid, leaving the oasis and its occupants behind as they drew closer to the entrance.

“Hey look!” Rainbow said, gesturing to the open doors and a dial of sorts that seemed to have been tampered with next to them. “Hope Ms. Yearling’s okay!”

“Only one way to find out.” Twilight said. “We ready girls?” She asked, floating off her shades as her friends did the same.

“Just say the world, Twilight.” Rarity answered with a confident smile.

“Ah’m ready.” Applejack said, snorting.

“Just let ‘em try and take us down!” Rainbow said proudly.

“Alright, let’s go.” Twilight ordered and the four of them headed inside.

The inside of the pyramid was lit up by several torches, its walls dusty with numerous etchings and hieroglyphs carved into it, and numerous images depicting the history of the ancient king who had been buried there. Several tracks also lay before them on the sandy floor, both made by hoof and by canine paws.

“We need to be careful. Who knows what’s in here.” Twilight said cautiously.

“Hang on.” Rainbow said, picking up a small rock in her hoof and flinging it. As it touched a tile up ahead, a pair of long spears shot out of either side of the walls next to it, criss-crossing before they retracted. “What?” She asked, noticing the stares from her friends. “I’ve read all the Daring Do books, I know what to expect in places like this!” She said with a haughty laugh.

Immediately after, however, a pair of horselike drawings on the wall seemed to look towards them and step off, two-dimensional but somehow able to move, like living pictures.

“Get back!” Twilight yelled, firing bolts of magic at them as they approached. Where her magic attacks struck, chips of some sort of paint broke off and crumbled away like dust.

“Ah got this!” Applejack said, drawing out her lasso, giving it a twirl and flinging it over the two animated murals, tying them together and giving it a squeeze. When she did, the two creatures crumbled apart, leaving piles of dust and chipped paint. “Easy as pie.” She said with a smirk as she put her lasso back in place.

A growling and several yelps were heard somewhere below them, and sounds of a struggle. Twilight looked ahead and fired a bolt of magic, and several tiles lit up.

“Whatever you do, don’t touch those! We gotta hurry and find a way down!” The unicorn said, and the four immediately leaped over the tiles lit by Twilight’s spell. Further down the hall was a stairway leading down, and upon reaching the bottom, they came to a large room down below lined with several caskets and urns. Several black, doglike creatures with thick tails and long, pointed ears and snouts wearing ragged robes and hoods that were presumably the jackal bandits stood with spears aimed down at someone or something. The four hid behind one of the large urns and fortunately had gone unnoticed, but as they peered around it to see what was going on, they saw that the jackals were surrounding a lone sand-colored, gray-maned pony with a green safari shirt and hat…

“...What the hay?!” Rainbow and Twilight muttered in unified shock and recognition at the mare.

Author's Note

At long last, a long-awaited new chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it and the action shall be more plentiful this weekend! :twilightsmile:

Thy Dungeon Mare!

“Is that… what I think it is?” Twilight uttered in disbelief.

“If you’re thinking it’s a gigantic walking unicorn statue with a horn that looks like a castle tower and is walking on its hind legs then yes, it very much is, Twilight,” Rarity replied, staring agape at the massive entity stomping by in the distance.

“Oh, checking out Dungeon Mare, huh?” A voice asked. Turning, they saw a camel trot over, though he dressed in a more tribal fashion then the last one they’d met. “Interesting sight, she is, huh? Most think her a mirage in this desert but she’s as real as I am!” He said with a laugh.

“W-what are you doing out here?” Twilight asked, confused as to where their visitor had come from.

“Oh, I camp not too far from here. I’m tasked with finding worthy challengers to try and pass her test!” The camel said. “I saw you come out the back way from the pyramid, so I’m gonna take a guess that you four might be qualified to handle the Challenge of the Dungeon Mare!” He said, citing the title in the most dramatic way possible. The four ponies stared in confusion at his odd display, which prompted a shrug from the camel. “Hey, pays the bills. Anyway, she’s actually a unicorn musician from Canterlot who has some eccentric hobbies, or so I’m told… apparently once she made an obstacle course for her school as part of a student activity project she wanted to go bigger, and I guess you can say she succeeded!” He said casually before reaching into his saddlebag and taking out a key. “Here you go! Best of luck!”

“Hey, whoa, wait a sec!” Rainbow protested. “Who cares about this whole Dungeon Mare thing? We’ve got other things going on! We don’t have time for this!”

“What adventurer does?” The camel asked. “But stories tell of great treasures and relics inside for any that make it through!

“How in the hoof can we be sure?” Twilight asked. “It’s weird though, I swear she sounds familiar…”

Before Twilight could finish her sentence, a brilliant flash of light appeared before them, and out stepped none other then Princess Celestia herself.

“Oh, well perhaps I should leave you five be.” The camel said with a nervous smile. “Majesty.” He said with a polite nod and ran off as fast as he could. Celestia watched him leave for a moment before turning her attention to Twilight.

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. I see you’ve all reached Saddle Arabia with little trouble. Lovely place isn’t it?” She asked with a smirk as she looked up at the sky.

“It’s a little too hot for my taste I’m afraid.” Rarity said.

“Ah work in this kinda heat every now an’ then so it don’t bother me as much.” Applejack said proudly.

“Pardon my curiosity, Princess… but why are you here? Is it getting worse back home?” Twilight asked.

“I’m afraid so, Twilight… more of Sombra’s forces are manifesting around Equestria and that is why I have come here. My sister and I have discovered an old tome of combat spells which Starswirl the Bearded had compiled in his time that we are now training our guards in.” Celestia explained. “However there is one spell of such power that I feel you may be the only unicorn capable of mastering it. I do not wish such a possibility to go to waste when you four are the ones who are directly acting against Sombra’s goals. If this is true, it will prove useful in your fight against him and his forces.”

“Then I have to…?” Twilight began.

“Yes.” Celestia nodded. “You must return with me to Canterlot to learn and train in the spell. I will return you to your friends as soon as we have finished.”

“But…” Twilight looked over at her friends, who gave her sad but encouraging smiles.

“Go on, Twi! If it’s gonna help us then go do what ya gotta!” Applejack said.

“I’m quite capable of handling myself. You go ahead and do as the Princess says.” Rarity encouraged.

“Yeah, don’t worry about us!” Rainbow declared. “We’re not helpless without ya! I’m sure we’ll seeya again real soon!”

“O-okay… thanks, girls.” Twilight said, managing a smile then looking back at her mentor. “I’m ready.”

“Very well. Then let’s leave at once.” Celestia said, but she then paused for a moment, noticing the Dungeon Mare. “Oh my… so she has gone and done it after all!” She said with a proud smile. “Since this might take some time, why don’t you three go check that out? I can tell she’s worked very hard on it, and who knows? You may find something of use in there.” She said with a chuckle. “Well, let’s be on our way, Twilight. I promise to have you back with your friends as soon as possible.”

Celestia draped her wing over Twilight and the two vanished in another brilliant flash of light, leaving the remaining three ponies behind.

“Well…” Rainbow said, staring down at the key the camel had left behind. “Who’s up for a dungeon trot?”

Moments later the three friends stood before the massive, bipedal stone unicorn as it slowly and unknowingly stomped towards them.

“Hey! Hey you!” Rainbow shouted, taking to the air and flying towards the Dungeon Mare. “Hey!” She yelled again as loud as she could when she got in front of its ‘face’, which resembled a pony’s with two large windows for eyeholes, a small smirk carved into the muzzle for its mouth, and atop its head was a spiral tower in place of a horn with a small flag that had a picture of a golden lyre on it. “Hey! Dungeon Mare!” Rainbow yelled once more. This time, the stone pony stopped.

“WHAT DOST THOU WANT WITH THE DUNGEON MARE???” A loud female voice boomed from it, causing Rainbow to tumble backwards in the air.

“Whoa… and I thought Princess Luna could get loud…” Rainbow muttered to herself. “What ‘dost’ I want? Well, my friends and I wanna take your challenge!” She declared with a cocky smirk.

“OH MY GOSH! RAINBOW DASH IS THAT YOU?!” The Dungeon Mare bellowed in a rather alarming amount of excitement and dropping the Olde Equestrian dialogue, clapping its gigantic stone mitts together in glee.

“Do… I know you?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“UHHH… I MEAN-ETH… COME INSIDE AND FIND OUT IF THOU HAVEST THINE KEY OF TRIALS!” The Dungeon Mare ordered.

“Got it right here. Where’s the way in?” Rainbow asked as she held it out with her hoof.

“MINE LEFT HOOF, THOU SHALT FINDETH THE WAY IN-ETH!” The Dungeon Mare said. “ENTER, BRAVE HEROES, AND PREPARE THYSELVES FOR THE CHALLENGE OF THE DUNGEON MARE!” The stone colossus shouted as Rarity and Applejack galloped over.

“This place is…” Rarity began.

“Even crazier on the inside…” Applejack finished while Rainbow hovered in the air speechless. The inside was a massive cave of some sort, made of brickwork with several torches along the walls. A grinding of gears could be faintly heard amidst the upbeat music that played from horns sticking out of the walls and before them was a sign, with two arrows on either end indicating the directions they could take at the fork in the passage. Curious, the three approach the sign and read it.

Welcome to the Challenge of the Dungeon Mare, brave heroes! To your left, you can treat yourselves to some delicious chocolate treats and take a break at the candy shop to your left, where it’s safe from any of the perils of my amazing dungeon, or begin your adventure by heading to the right! The choice lies with you, good luck!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“She’s got WAY too much free-time.” Applejack mused.

“Well, I for one could use a little snack after that fiasco with the pyramid, and perhaps a rest.” Rarity said.

“Ah guess you’re right, we best rest while we can, we dunno when Twi’ll be back.” Applejack said, albeit with some reluctance.

“Awww, fine. I guess chocolate doesn’t sound so bad.” Rainbow admitted, following her friends down the left path which lead into a well-lit candy store with numerous chocolate treats on display, as well as a magic gem-powered cooler containing what appeared to be chocolate milk bottles. At the counter was a beige-colored earth pony mare with a dark blue, pink-striped mane and tail.

“Long time no see!” The pony said with a friendly smile.

“Hello, Bon Bon… what in the world are you doing in here anyway?” Rarity asked. The other pony sighed.

“Lyra’s had this crazy idea ever since she was picked to make the obstacle course for CSGU back in Canterlot, got Whooves on board for it somehow. I figured I’d tag along and make sure she stays out of trouble since I couldn’t talk her out of it.” Bon Bon replied. “As you may have guessed business is a little slow when I’m not visiting Ujamare. I hope she outgrows this phase soon but I’m willing to be supportive until then.”

“Well if it helps, I’ll buy a few of your sweetie drop treats, and perhaps a bottle of chocolate milk.” Rarity said with a smile.

“Count me in for some, too!” Rainbow said, dropping some bits on the counter.

“Ah guess ah’ll have what they’re havin’.” Applejack said, approaching and laying some money down as well.

“Oh, no need, girls. I’ll cover this.” Rarity said, laying out a small gem. “Here, this should hopefully cover it.

“Hm, I’d say it should. Thanks, Rarity” Bon Bon said as she took the gem and placed it in a small treasure chest behind her with a gold lyre painted on it, then got out the chocolates and milk bottles. “If you need to rest while you eat, Lyra got that bench her and I used to sit on from time to time in the park back in Ponyville over in the corner, there.” She said.

“Thank you, Bon Bon.” Rarity said. “Where is Lyra anyway? We’re waiting for our friend Twilight to return from a trip, and need a way to get back to Equestria so we can reach the Hayseed Swamps.”

“Lyra’s several floors up, but you’ll have to get through the dungeon challenge to reach her.” Bon Bon said. “As for getting back, well… she did keep an odd assortment in this place, some of them donations from Dr. Whooves. Who knows? Maybe she has something in here!” The earth pony replied with a shrug. “I just wish she actually learned old-world Equestrian before trying to speak it…” she muttered with an eyeroll. “At any rate, good luck!

The brick tunnels went in a number of odd twists and turns, and every so often the three friends came across signs left by Lyra that contained some non sequitors, musings, or attempts at advice.

Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, B, A!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“Any idea what that means?” Rarity wondered, stroking her chin with her hoof as she munched on one of the chocolate treats she’d bought.

“Ah ain’t got a clue, sugarcube.” Applejack said, cocking her head as she looked over the abstract message.

“Hey, does it matter? I can fly!” Rainbow said proudly as she pushed a button on the large door ahead of them. The grinding of gears was heard as the door’s bars retracted, and the door opened. Immediately, a pie came flying out the open door and struck Rainbow in the face, knocking her from the air and to the ground. Behind the door was another sign with a message on it.

Gotcha didn’t I? Hee hee.

Always be careful when you open doors, things aren’t always what they seem!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“She’s definitely taking this way too far.” Rainbow grumbled as she licked and wiped off the whip cream and crusting from her face.

“At any rate, we best continue.” Applejack said, deciding to lead the way now. As the three continued through, Rainbow still muttering to herself about ‘stupid pies’ they came to a large room with a rotating hallway.

“Okay, how are we…” Rarity began.

“Supposed to…” Applejack continued.

“Get through that? Easy, I’ll carry you.” Rainbow said, taking to the air again, only to once again find herself on the business end of an airborne pie.

“Perhaps it was best we looked at this sign.” Rarity said, gesturing to a sign to their left they’d not noticed upon entering.

Sorry, No-Fly Zone in my insides!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“Her INSIDES?! You’re right, Rainbow, she’s takin’ this a tad too far.” Applejack muttered. “Ya okay there?” she asked her friend, trying not to laugh at the pastry-covered pegasus.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine!” Rainbow muttered, cleaning herself off again and noticing another sign.

Did you get splatted? Don’t worry! It’s all taken care of!

…Lyra Heartstrings

As if to respond to that, Rainbow was treated to a familiar sight; a bouncing fire hydrant.

“What in the hay?!” She wondered, recalling that she’d last seen it in Moonhattan and realization came over her. “Girls, WATCH OUT!”

Before anypony could react, the fire hydrant let loose with a powerful blast of water, soaking all three ponies completely but effectively washing off the pie gunk from Rainbow’s face.

The hydrant bounced about and laughed, a ridiculous grin on its face as it prepared to fire again at them.

“Oh no, you don’t!” Rainbow yelled, flying at the hydrant and knocking it over with a strong blow from her hooves.

“How… DARE YOU!!!!” Rarity shouted furiously while Applejack attempted to stifle her laughter at seeing Rarity look like a mess while taking advantage of the distraction Rainbow caused to drew out her lasso and gave it a toss, grabbing the hydrant and flinging it off the ground. The hydrant let out a giddy laughing fit, however, and spun about in the air, reeling the earth pony in like a fish on a line and sending her spinning about.

“SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH! WASH! WASH! WASH!” The hydrant cheered, pausing and sending Applejack flying as it began to hop towards Rarity again.

“Oh no, no, no, no, NO!” Rarity pleaded, stepping back. The hydrant grinned and aimed, only to be engulfed by Rarity’s magic aura and aimed upward, firing a stream of water at the ceiling. Shaking itself off, the hydrant hopped towards the unicorn, only to slip on its own spill and topple over, ‘bleeding’ water out its top.

“Well… that went better then I thought.” Rarity said as Applejack and Rainbow trotted over to the offending hydrant and glared down at it.

“Care to be joinin’ us, Rarity?” Applejack asked.

“Gladly.” Rarity said, standing next to her friends.

“On three.” Rainbow said. “One.”

“Two.” Applejack continued as the three of them turned away.

“THREE!” The hydrant shouted, spraying all three with a blast of water in the hindquarters and sending them flying. The hydrant bounced back up, giggling to itself and proceeded to hop off down the tunnels the three ponies had come from.

“Okay, lemme at ‘em!” Rainbow shouted indignantly as her friends quickly held her back.

“Ain’t worth it, Dash! We gotta get to the top’a this place an’ find Lyra!” Applejack said.

“Yes, as much as I want to beat that rude thing to scrap metal for ruining my mane, we do have other priorities.” Rarity explained. “It’s best we… move on… once I fix myself up.”

“Rarity, ya just said we had other priorities.” Applejack replied, annoyed.

“A lady always has time to touch up when she needs to, Applejack. Not that you’d know a thing about that, no offense intended.” Rarity said as she used her magic to restyle her mane and tail. “There, that didn’t take so long, did it? Though I do expect an opportunity to give myself a real cleanup when we are less occupied with navigating through a ridiculous walking dungeon pony.”

“Fine, let’s get going, then.” Rainbow said, pausing to look at another sign.

He’s so good at what he does, isn’t he? Wonder where he came from…

…Lyra Heartstrings

With a crisp buck, Rainbow sent the sign flying from where it’d been placed and stormed off further into the tunnel.

“Hm, this looks mighty tricky. We spose’ta open one box, or all them boxes, or what?” Applejack wondered as they were presented with three treasure chests and a locked door.

“I’m not falling for a trap this time.” Rainbow said, eyeing the chests suspiciously. “Hey, Rarity? Think you can open ‘em from a distance with your magic? I’ve read enough Daring Do to know what happens with these sorta things!”

“Right away, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, focusing her magic on the middle chest and making it open. As expected, a pie came flying out, its pan striking the ceiling at an angle and causing it to ricochet straight at Rainbow Dash before she could react, giving her the third helping of cream pie in one day and knocking her out of the air once more.

“CELESTIA-BUCKING TARTARUS!!!!” Rainbow shouted lividly as she flailed about on the ground in a fit of anger, struggling to wipe the latest set of pastry remains off of her face.

“Okay, ah gotta admit, that was too funny!” Applejack said, snickering. “Lemme give this’un a try!” The farm pony said, taking out her lasso and wrapping it around the second treasure chest and lifting it up to turn it upside-down. The lid slid open as it soared over Rainbow Dash, and another pie found its mark.

“……” The pegasus snorted angrily and gave her friend a glare that could melt through stone while Applejack just chuckled to herself, even Rarity couldn’t avoid a few giggles before the pegasus took two hooffuls of pastry cream and flung them at her friends, splatting them both in the face. The payback proved enough to make Rainbow smile a little as she cleaned herself off, her friends giving her flat yet visibly annoyed expressions.

“Well, I suppose by process of elimination that leaves the third one.” Rarity said, using her magic to clean the pie cream off of her face. Flinching, she used her magic on the final chest and nothing emerged. Approaching cautiously, Rarity saw a flask within the chest. “Oh?” She wondered, getting closer and attempting to remove it, but it didn’t budge, as if it were somehow attached to the inside of the chest. Peering in, Rarity saw a note next to it.

Ye cannot get ye flask.

…Lyra Heartstrings

“What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked.

“I can’t take the flask.” Rarity said. “Won’t tell me why, though. Honestly, you’d think she’d have the decency to inform me!” She muttered, tapping the flask with her hoof. As soon as she did, however, the flask tilted slightly, and the sound of gears grinding was heard as bars on the door retracted and it slid open to the next tunnel.

“Though I suppose we can at least be glad we are able to proceed further.” The unicorn said with a smile.

“Ah guess there’s no point in arguin’ with that.” Applejack agreed.

“I don’t normally say this but you go first this time. I’ve had it with these pies!” Rainbow muttered, licking off the last of the meringue off her face. “…Even if they don’t taste half-bad…”

Entering the next room, they crossed a long bridge and found themselves confronted by a passageway far above them, and no apparent way to reach it. Flying up, Rainbow saw the passage was sealed off by a cover of some kind.

“GOODNESS! What’s she doing keeping those things here?!” Rarity shouted, looking down over the bridge they were walking across. Down below in several pens were various Everfree monsters; including several cragadiles, a hydra, a pair of timberwolves, a manticore, and for some reason, several ducks.

“She crazy or something?!” Rainbow asked, wondering how Lyra could have acquired them.

“Hey, check this here sign out!” Applejack said, tapping a sign nearby and prompting her friends to join her and read it.

Dungeons are always full of monsters! These ones are fake and just for show, though! I sometimes use them as my audience when I’m practicing my music. It makes things more exciting that way!

…Lyra Heartstrings

The three ponies exchanged a glance before looking back down at the penned pits housing the, on closer inspection, motionless ‘monster’ dolls.

“Okay, so that problem solved… how do we get up there?” Applejack asked.

“There’s gotta be something here.” Rainbow wondered, looking at the wall and noticing some strange carvings on it which featured arrows, numbers, and letters, and another sign next to it.

When getting through a dungeon, it’s always good to remember what you learn along the way!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“What the hay is she talking about?” Rainbow asked, looking over at Applejack, who just shook her head.

“Wait, I think I have an idea…” Rarity said, cocking her head and studying the carvings, which were all on stone tiles etched into the wall. “Hmmm…” She raised her hoof and pressed the arrow pointing up twice, then the down arrow, then the left and right back and forth twice, then the B and A tiles one after the other twice.

“That weird nonsense that sign earlier said?” Applejack asked.

“Well, it was worth a shot.” Rarity said with a shrug.

“Nothin’s happenin’.” Applejack pointed out. “Hang on…” She noticed another tile that simply had the word ENTER written on it. Turning herself around and giving it a firm buck, the tile slid inward and the entire place began to shake.

“HUZZAH! THOU HAST PASSED THE CHALLENGE OF THE DUNGEON MARE! PROCEED, MY VICTORS!” The Dungeon Mare’s voice bellowed as the passage in the ceiling opened and a collapsible stairway descended and unfolded from it, and an applause track played from the horns that had been blaring out the upbeat music of the dungeon for a second.

After another exchanged, exasperated glance between the three friends, they proceeded up the steps towards whatever awaited them at the top.

Reaching the top, they found themselves in a well-lit, brick tunnel that forked into two directions, one leading straight ahead, and the other a left turn.

While some may go straight to the soul of Dungeon Mare, the way out is left to those who have proven their worth!

…Lyra Heartstrings

“Hey, you! Come on over here!” A familiar, female voice called out from the passage that led straight ahead.

As the three proceeded oneward, they were greeted with a rather unusual sight; Lyra’s face sticking out of the wall at the end of the hallway, smiling at them as a periscope slid up from her face and into the ceiling.

“Hi! Long time no see, girls!” Lyra said cheerfully. “I-I mean… YE CHALLENGERS HAVE PASSED! NOW LOOK UPON DUNGEON MARE AND—”

“Uh, Lyra? It doesn’t really work when it’s your face sticking out of the wall instead of it being a giant stone pony.” Rainbow said with an eyeroll.

“Oh… I see.” Lyra said, her ears drooping. “Well, I tried, okay?” She asked.

“And don’t take this the wrong way, Lyra but… why are you in that wall?” Rainbow asked.

“Isn’t it obvious? I made the ultimate combination of obstacle courses and ponies, all in a cool dungeon form! I’m DUNGEON MARE!” She declared proudly. “I am now one with the dungeon, I got these cool gripping mitt things, too! They’re kinda helpful when you can’t pick stuff up with your horn due to where you are.”

“So that’s what those were?” Applejack asked.

“Hey, minotaurs got ‘em.” Lyra said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Anyway, did you have fun inside me?” She asked with a big smile.

“Please… Lyra… dear… don’t word it like that.” Rarity said, shifting uncomfortably.

“Oh, okay, fine!” Lyra said, her face retracting into the wall and leaving an empty hole behind. A creaking was heard from behind the wall and a hidden door opened on the side, revealing the full Lyra Heartstrings as she stepped out and joined the three ponies. “So… uh, what can I do for you?”

“Well, we need a way back to Equestria, or more accurately, the Hayseed Swamps.” Rarity explained.

“Hayseed Swamps?! Why would you wanna go there? That place is hard to find your way around in and there are monsters!” Lyra protested.

“It’s a long story, but getting through it will help us beat Sombra!” Rainbow said.

“Sombra? That evil king from the Crystal Empire?” Lyra asked, flinching.

“The one an’ only.” Applejack explained.

“I do remember Twilight leaving the school for something important a couple days back.” Lyra mused. “Well, if I can help in any way, I’ll be glad to! I think I have just the thing, actually!”

“You do?” Rarity asked, her eyes wide with delight.

“Sure, follow me, to my ‘exit hole’!” The unicorn said with a smile, prompting the other three ponies to grimace at the name she’d used before following.

SPLAT!

“AW, COME ON!” Rainbow protested angrily when she was once again covered in pie.

“Oh, you tripped my last trap!” Lyra said with a sheepish smile. “Last-ditch security. Bon Bon makes ‘em for me!”

“How nice of her.” Rainbow deadpanned as the she shook herself off indignantly and resumed following Lyra and her friends back and to the left passage.

Reaching a large chamber resembling some kind of castle armory, with a chute on the other end of the room, Lyra gestured to several odd vehicles that lay about.

“A few of Dr. Whooves’ cast-offs he let me keep for my Dungeon Mare! I meant for them to be prizes to anypony who passes through! Since you three are the first, I’ll let you pick which one you want!” Lyra said with a smile as she floated a large, foam #1 hand onto Rainbow’s head.

“Uhhh… thanks.” Rainbow said, pushing it off and looking at the different devices. “Anything that can get us across the sea and into the Hayseed Swamps safely?” She asked.

“Ooh! I know just the one!” Lyra said excitedly as she trotted over to a large, yellow vehicle shaped like an egg, with a periscope on top and several windows on the sides. “This one he called a “submarine”. It allows for underwater travel and said it’s real easy to work! But you gotta stay near the surface to get more air every now and then.” She explained.

“Sounds like it’ll do the trick.” Applejack said. “But it’s a tad big ta carry, ain’t it? Not to mention mighty heavy-lookin’. Even you an’ Rarity can’t expect to lift it with your magic.”

“Oh, leave that to me! You three just get inside!” Lyra said with a mischievous smirk as she trotted out of the room and back the way she came. With no other choice, the three friends approached the odd water transport and climbed in, closing the top behind them.

Finding seats and Rainbow having taken the steering wheel, the three were treated to another rumbling and they felt the ground tilt. As it did, the submarine slid downward towards the chute at the end of the room and promptly fell down into the darkness below.

After two minutes of screaming in darkness, light appeared at the end of the tunnel and the submarine tumbled out into the desert. Peering through the porthole, Rarity noticed the Dungeon Mare, towering over them and facing away, their vehicle positioned behind it.

“I don’t even want to know.” Rarity said, shaking her head in disgust as the Dungeon Mare turned around and leaned over, picking their vehicle up in its massive hand and carrying them through the desert, taking colossal steps and crushing any and all opposition that came its way.

In far less time then expected; the Dungeon Mare had brought them to the coastline, which was surrounded by palm trees. As it approached, however, the three ponies felt a shake. Confused, Rainbow climbed out of the submarine and looked up at the gigantic stone pony.

“Hey! What gives?” She asked.

“DUNGEON MARE IS STUCK IN THESE TREES! TIS NARY A THING SHE CANST DO TO ESCAPE! IT WOULD SEEM HER RESTING PLACE IS HERE!” The bellowing voice of the stone pony declared.

“That’s NOT true, Lyra! We can finally leave this ridiculous thing!” Bon Bon’s voice suddenly said from within the towering giant.

“But I don’t wanna!” Lyra’s voice whined from it. “I just got this thing and it’s soooo cool!”

A loud sigh was heard from within.

“Enough with the drama, Lyra. We’re going back to the town and taking the first boat back to Equestria once we help our friends.” Bon Bon’s voice ordered.

“Ugh. FINE…” Lyra’s voice replied.

“If I may ask, though… however are we going to get out into the water from here?” Rarity asked, poking her head out next to Rainbow’s.

After a moment of silence, Lyra spoke again.

“LEAVE SUCH MATTERS TO THY DUNGEON MARE!” She bellowed, in-character again, and the massive stone arm began to rise and rear back. It did not take long for Rarity to realize what was going on.

“Oh no… oh NO!” Rarity protested, ducking back down into the submarine, Rainbow going wide-eyed for a moment and hurriedly doing the same.

“Uh, what’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked her friends.

“You may want to hold on to something.” Rarity said urgently as she wrapped her forehooves around her seat.

“Ooh yeah! THIS is gonna be awesome!” Rainbow cheered as she eagerly waited for what was about to happen.

“Alright, but what’s about to—!!!!” Applejack did not get to finish as the three felt themselves get propelled through the air at tremendous speed, all of them screaming as they rocketed across the beach and landing in the water with a great splash.

“That was SO cool!” Rainbow shouted with a grin, offering a hoofbump to Rarity, who was shaking and staring off into space with a horrified look on her face. Applejack smirked and returned the hoofbump.

“Ah gotta admit that was kinda fun.” The earth pony said as she let go of her seat.

“Next stop, the Hayseed Swamp!” Rainbow cheered as she looked over the arrows on the controls and pressed the forward one. The sound of several propellers was head behind them, and the three ponies were soon on their way back to Equestria.

Back on land, the Dungeon Mare waved goodbye before leaning down at the trees it was caught in.

“Seriously, Lyra… I worry about you sometimes…” Bon Bon’s voice muttered from it.

Author's Note

At long last, the next chapter is out! Hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! A little longer then most chapters but I wanted to get as much fun as I could with the Dungeon Mare. Next time, it's on to the dark and dangerous Hayseed Swamps! Seeya next time! :twilightsmile:

Once again, MUSIC!

The Hayseed Swamp

“Rainbow, wake up!” Rarity shouted, shaking her friend awake from her nap as the submarine came to a halt, as though it’d gotten stuck in something.

“Huh?” Rainbow muttered, rubbing her eyes. “What’s goin’ on? I was just… resting my eyes,” the pegasus insisted.

“For nearly three hours?” Applejack asked. “Look, ah think we’re here,” she said, gesturing out the porthole to her left. The three ponies looked outside, seeing only murky water, the surface blocked out by thick moss and algae. Climbing up the ladder, Rainbow pushed open the top and looked around her.

The sight before her was, without a doubt, the Hayseed Swamp. Overgrowth covered the ground, trees with sagging branches surrounded them, and the water was covered in moss and other decayed plants. Bugs buzzed about around the cattail weeds, chunks of wood, fallen hollowed logs, and lillypads that covered the murky bogs, and a strip of solid ground lay before the submarine where it had docked itself. Squinting, Rainbow saw it lead into a passage filled with impossibly thick fog that made it appear very dark the further into the swamp it went.

Cautiously emerging, Rainbow tested the ground and, finding it safe to walk on, climbed out and walked onto it. “Hey, girls, I think this spot should be okay to walk on.”

“Ugh! What EVER is that foul smell?” Rarity asked, emerging behind Rainbow Dash and stepping cautiously onto the strip of land.

“It’s just a swamp, Rarity. Ah work on a farm, this ol’ smell ain’t got nothin’ on the pig stalls come summer time,” Applejack said.

“Well, Applejack, I don’t work on a farm so I find the smell to be quite dreadful,” Rarity said, turning her muzzle up, and Rainbow grinned.

“How about now?” Rainbow asked, yanking something from her saddlebag and tying it over Rarity’s muzzle.

“What have you—” Rarity turned angrily, and Applejack and Rainbow immediately burst out laughing. “What did you put on my—” she touched the object with her hoof, finding it to be a rubber pig snout. “WHY YOU LITTLE—!!!” She paused, her eyes widening. “Oh my! What is that odd smell?” She took a sniff of the air and wandered towards a tree. “Girls! Something is over here!” she said, gesturing with her hoof. “Is that… could it be…?”

“Where did ya get that, Rainbow?” Applejack asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Got it in Saddle Arabia while we were shopping. I remembered Pinkie Pie needed a new one after one of the cake twins teethed apart her old one,” Rainbow said. “Though I gotta say it’s pretty fitting on Rarity, isn’t it?” she asked with a sheepish grin and offering a hoofbump to her friend, who smirked and returned it, shaking her head.

“Would one of you kindly come over here and help me dig?” Rarity asked indignantly. “I can smell something right over here!”

“Fine, whatever,” Applejack trotted over and dug where Rarity gestured, revealing a bright pink truffle.

“Oh my goodness! Is that…?” Rarity asked, sliding off the rubber snout. “It IS! It’s a magic truffle! But they were supposed to be extinct!”

“Well, ah reckon nopony visits a place like this on a regular basis so if any place were gonna have ‘em it’d be here,” Applejack said, looking around.

“How would you know about such a thing, Rarity?” Rainbow asked.

“Before they were thought extinct, they were considered a very exquisite Canterlot and high-society delicacy!” Her eyes lit up with joy. “Girls! You have to help me find more! Rainbow Dash, you wear the snout, and Applejack, you dig!” Rarity said excitedly. “Imagine the bits we’ll make off these if we sell them, or better yet, help ourselves to a delicious dinner once Twilight returns! They say these give such a refreshing feeling a unicorn can recover all its magic after eating one!” she explained.

“…Naw, ah don’t really eat truffles, Rarity,” Applejack said with a smirk.

“You want ‘em, you gotta find ‘em!” Rainbow said with a grin and a laugh as she placed the piggy snout back on her friend’s muzzle.

“You can not be serious! Honestly, my friends don’t wish to partake on a possible goldmine or means to keep myself and especially Twilight at the top of our game!” Rarity protested as she began to walk forward and follow the next one’s scent, only to slip and fall face-first into a bog. Sputtering out swamp water and covered in grunge, the unicorn let out an angry wail. “ARGH! How can this get any worse?” she protested as she attempted to shake the mud off, but could not. A loud and familiar fanfare was all the explanation she needed for why she’d been frozen in place.

Oh you can’t be serious, not NOW! Rarity thought to herself as she saw the unwelcome sight of a familiar serpentine figure spinning down from the sky.

Touching down, Discord was sporting a straw hat and his camera hung around his neck. “Well hello, everypony! Long time no see, hmm?” he asked with a chipper tone to the dumbfounded Applejack and Rainbow Dash.

“Did it have to be now, Discord? Can’t you see I’m hardly at my best?” Rarity asked.

“I’m here on commission this time! Checking up on a certain little dragon’s favorite mare!” Discord said, though his alibi seemed rather unlikely. “Besides, like I’d miss an opportunity like this!” he said, snickering at the sight of Rarity covered in grunge and sporting a fake pig snout over her muzzle. With a wide grin, he raised his camera at her. “Now, girls! Saaaaaaay…. Fuzzy pickles!”

Before any of them could respond, Discord immortalized the sight of Rarity desperately scrunching up her muzzle trying to get the pig snout off before the draconequus could snap the photo, which confirmed she did not succeed.

“Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!” Discord chuckled, his grin not wavering in the least as he looked at the photo. “This one’s sure to bring back the fondest of memories! Especially once I show it to ‘Widdle Spikey-Wikey’!” he said proudly.

“No! You wouldn’t!” Rarity protested as Discord just grinned.

“And deny Spike such a... flattering image of you?” the draconequus asked.

“You are a vile and deranged blight upon Equestria, Discord!” Rarity said with a glare.

“Flattery will get you no where!” Discord said with a wink. “Best of luck in the swamps, my little ponies, and adieu!” Discord said, spinning back up into the sky and allowing the three ponies free movement again.

“You know, I think one magic truffle will be satisfactory, don’t you agree?” Rarity asked with a sheepish smile as she shook off the mud and slid off the piggy snout, pocketing the truffle in her saddlebag. “Well, perhaps we should proceed onward, hmmm?”

As the three trekked onward into the misty passage ahead, however, it wasn’t long before they found themselves surrounded by nothing but darkness and fog.

“Thicker then pea soup, ah say!” Applejack said.

“I’d say it’s time we put that Eye of Light to use, Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, flinching as she heard noises and sounds of movement within the mists around them.

“On it!” Rainbow said, digging into her saddlebag and taking out the gem. Raising it up, the gem began to glow brightly, and in a brilliant flash of light, the mists were suddenly gone.

“Well, that’s more like it!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Come on, let’s get moving!” She declared, leading the way.

“Uh, Rainbow?” Rarity asked.

“Yeah?” The pegasus asked.

“There’s no ground left.” Rarity replied.

“Yeah. Noticed.” Rainbow said, staring down at the sludgy bog before them that lead deeper into the swamp. “Your point?”

“You mean we have to cross through that?” Rarity asked, snorting.

“Ain’t a problem for me!” Applejack said, trotting in like it was nothing, the murky water reaching halfway up her legs. “Ya comin’?” She asked with a smirk.

“Right behind ya!” Rainbow said, flying over it and hovering next to Applejack before looking back at Rarity, who still flinched and shifted multiple times before she could put a hoof in. “Come on, Rarity! It’s not that bad, I’m not complaining about a little swamp water, am I?” She asked with a wide grin.

“Just as I said in the sewers, Rainbow, YOU HAVE WINGS.” The unicorn shouted lividly.

“Ha! Still jealous?” Rainbow asked with a chuckle before being hit with a lump of magically-levitated muck that sent her falling into the bog. “Hey!” She protested, rising from the water and shaking herself off.

“Serves you right if a lady such as myself has to… once again… stain her coat in foul-smelling swamp grunge!” The unicorn replied, slowly but surely entering the bog, whimpering and flinching with every step while Rainbow shook off the rest of muck that had been thrown at her. “Well let’s get going. The sooner we can reach dry land again, the better.”

Trudging through the bogs, however, proved more and more difficult by the moment. The thick mud and the water growing ever deeper caused even Applejack to show signs of fatigue. Rarity began breathing heavily as she moved behind her friend while Rainbow flew above them, searching ahead for any sign of land or where to go next.

“Ah just hope we ain’t goin’ in circles, here…” Applejack said worriedly as she looked around, seeing only moss-covered trees and partially-submerged plants as far as the eye could see amidst the dimly-lit swamp.

“This is nothing like Froggy Bottom Bog.” Rarity muttered. “It’s only a shame Fluttershy isn’t here she’d at least be able to navigate for us.”

“You saying I can’t be a navigator?” Rainbow asked. “Sure I’ve never exactly been here, but still!”

“Well, Rainbow, if you can, get above the canopy and look for any sign of tall mountains.” Rarity said. “We’ll need to go in that direction if memory serves and it should lead us south.”

“On it.” The pegasus replied, flying straight up and through the canopy. Looking around, she spotted several mountains in the distance, in the direction she figured was south as the mountain that Canterlot sat upon was the opposite direction. Needless to say, despite the storm clouds now looming over the swamp, the view was refreshing as she felt more at home high in the sky. It made her miss the days when she could just chill on a nice cloud back in Ponyville, an activity she hoped she could one day get to do again when this was all over.

“Rainbow?” Rarity called out from down below. “Did you find it?”

“Yeah! Head left!” Rainbow shouted, flying back down to rejoin her friends, who stood frozen in fear at something. As she got closer, she saw a large plant of some kind rise from the water, numerous vines extending from its sides and a large mouth in the middle of where its petals were. “What in the…?!” She stammered. The moving plant gurgled out very oddly purple-tinted swamp water and began to lurch towards the three ponies.

“You can NOT be serious!” Rarity protested, using her magic to levitate chunks of wood and debris from the water and flung them at it, tearing away one of its petals and knocking it back a little, but this seemed to only aggravate it. The plant lashed out its vines and wrapped them around Rarity and Applejack, who struggled to draw out her lasso and with a few spins, flung the loop over herself and Rarity and around the vines before giving a tight squeeze. The vines flinched and jerked as Applejack squeezed the noose tighter before they finally let go.

“I gotcha!” Rainbow shouted, swooping in from above at high speed with a chunk of storm cloud ready. Positioning it over the mutant plant, she gave it a crisp kick, causing a bolt of lightning to shoot out and zap the plant, causing it to flail about wildly and catch ablaze. With a horrible, sickening gurgle, the plant vomited up viscous purple ooze and collapsed on its side, the purple slime pooling where its mouth was as life seemed to abandon it.

“Well that was close.” Applejack said, putting her lasso back while Rarity let out a sigh of relief.

“I take it we’re expecting stormy weather, Rainbow?” Rarity asked, looking upward.

“Looks like it.” The pegasus replied.

“Wonderful… yet inconvenient. We’d best hurry, then.” Rarity said, beginning to move faster through the murky bogs in hopes there’d be another strip of dry land ahead of them.

“It’s weird…” Rainbow mused, looking at the fallen plant. “But I swear that gooey stuff it spat out looks familiar…”

"Hold that thought!" Rarity shouted as several fish with glowing green eyes began leaping out and snapping at them.

"Ugh! Get back ya nasty little things!" Applejack said angrily, bucking one and sending it flying while Rainbow swatted them away with her hooves, sending them slamming into nearby trees.

"Oh no you don't!" Rarity snapped as she froze one fish in the air with her magic and flung it off into the distance. "How vile!"

One more lunged out, biting into Rainbow's tail and giving a yank, causing the pegasus to fall backwards into the bog again. "SO gonna regret that!" She said, slamming her hoof into the water where it was biting down and smashing it hard enough to make it let go, and seconds later, the fish floated up to the top belly-up.

"Okay, let's get back to land, alright?" Rarity asked, leading the way now.

“Hey, look!” Applejack shouted as they finally reached land once again twenty minutes and two fights with two more aggressive giant plants later. Galloping off ahead, Applejack stared at the wreckage that had caught her attention. “Whaddya suppose this is?” She asked, looking it over. “Looks kinda like that cider-squeezy thingamajig those Flimflam brothers were ridin’ around in when they came to Sweet Apple Acres… ‘cept ah don’t remember these propellers.”

“The cider-copter?” Rarity asked as she trotted over and looked at the wrecked vehicle. “The last pony we saw with it was…”

“TRIXIE!” Rainbow declared, noticing several hoof prints heading south. “And it looks like she had the same idea we’ve got!

“Applejack, do you suppose we might be able to repair this and fly the rest of the way?” Rarity asked.

“It’d be a big help gettin’ through this place.” Applejack said with a nod, popping open the hood of the machine with her hoof and looking inside. “Uh… the engine’s missin’. Just got some envelope in here… says ‘Dear Foals’ on it.” She said, taking it out and tearing it open with her teeth.

“Let me see that.” Rarity said, floating the contents out and looking it over; snorting angrily a second later. “It’s just a photograph of her plot! Hilarious, Trixie. Ha-ha.” She said bitterly with an eyeroll, crumpling the mocking photo up with her magic and flinging it aside.

“Wonder how she got on through without the Eye, though.” Applejack mused.

“Does it really matter? We gotta catch up to her and fast!” Rainbow said.

“More then likely she’s long gone by now.” Applejack said. “Best we can do is get to the passage to the badlands as fast as we can.”

“Right, good idea.” Rarity said. Before she could take another step, however, she noticed traces of purple slime similar to what the plant had spat up earlier strewn about where they were. “Rainbow, dear… you said this slime looked familiar… you don’t think… it can’t be… can it?” She asked nervously.

As if to answer, a familiar chanting was suddenly heard around them.

“Oh! Oh! Oh-oh-oh! Oh-oh! Oh-oh-oh!” A chorus chanted as the waters rippled as something rose from them. Chunks of the ooze began to fall from the trees and plants, merging with one-another

“Oh no, it can’t be!” Rarity protested.

“What in tarnation is all this chantin’ and purple gunk?” Applejack asked.

“It’s…” Before Rarity or Rainbow could speak any further, the globs of purple all merged together, forming a single, towering mound of purple ooze with numerous faces forming and receding on it as it looked down at the three ponies before it.

“Told you, you can’t stop THE SMOOZE!!!” The giant blob declared with a deep laugh.

“No-thing can stop… THE SMOOZE!” The numerous faces that formed on the Smooze’s body sang in a chorus.

“What the hay’s a smooze? Sounds like some kinda dessert.” Applejack said, raising an eyebrow.

“Trust me, Applejack, it’s not to be taken lightly! It’s some kind of living slime made by Queen Chrysalis that we fought a while back! Do NOT under any circumstances let it touch you!” Rarity warned, backing away as the Smooze formed a hand and swung it down at them in the shape of a fist. The three friends jumped out of the way as the bloblike creature rose from the water and slithered towards them, forming several tendrils that lashed out at them. Rainbow dodged and weaved around them as best she could, then swooped down to snag Applejack before the creature could grab her and risk causing infection to another one of her friends.

“Thanks, Dash, but how do we beat this thing?” Applejack asked as Rainbow set her down and Rarity galloped to their side.

“No idea! Thought we beat it last time!” Rainbow said, looking back at the advancing Smooze as it let out another deep laugh.

“Well clearly, Rainbow, we didn’t!” Rarity said, her horn charging up again as she fired several bolts of magic at it, though all it seemed to do was slow it down as it drove them closer and closer to the bogs behind them.

“Now what?!” Rarity asked as Rainbow glanced upward.

“Hang on!” Rainbow said, flying straight up and returning with a storm cloud. The Smooze paused and regarded it for a moment before Rainbow gave it a kick, blasting the the gigantic purple glob with a bolt of lightning. The Smooze cried out in pain and receded. “It works! Rarity, AJ, keep it occupied I got an idea!” Rainbow said, zipping back up above the canopy. In seconds, she pushed down, one after the other, several storm clouds and surrounded the Smooze with them.

“Girls, get back!” She said when she finished. Immediately, Rainbow dropped down on one cloud, blasting the Smooze with another bolt of lightning and causing it to cry out again. Grinning, Rainbow jumped to the next cloud, and the next, shocking the Smooze over and over and over again as she jumped in circles around it. The massive purple slime creature flailed several arms it formed, trying to swat Rainbow out of the sky and managing to destroy several of the clouds in the process, though shocking itself whenever it did so. Worried, the pegasus grabbed onto her last remaining cloud, and kicked it as hard as she could to fire another powerful bolt of lightning while Rarity kept firing magic bolts at it and Applejack bucked whatever piece of debris she could get to in order to keep it at bay. The Smooze let out an angry roar at the abuse it took and swung at Rainbow Dash, the force of the wind from its swipe sending the pegasus tumbling from the sky and crashing into her friends.

Dazed, the three struggled to get up, fatigued from the trek through the swamp and the fight with the giant blob that now loomed over them, its many faces all forming hideous smiles.

“Told you, NOTHING CAN STOP THE SMOOZE!” The Smooze bellowed, forming a gigantic hand that it prepared to slap down on the three cornered ponies.

Before it could hit, however, a flash of light appeared behind it followed by a powerful series of magical blasts, striking the Smooze in its back and actually burning away chunks of its body in bright, star-shaped explosions. The creature’s many forming faces cried out in pain as it turned around, and Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack stared in shock and amazement at the source of the attack.

“No way…!” Rainbow said, a grin forming on her face as she recognized the pony standing several feet away and facing off against the Smooze.

“Did I come at a bad time, girls?” Twilight Sparkle asked, her horn glowing brightly and a confident smile on her face.

Author's Note

YUS! Another chapter before the weekend has ended, despite having spent the entirety of the day working on my Katsucon cosplays. Hope you all enjoyed!

And just for the heck of it... The appropriate music...

We're Shy...

“Twilight!” the three ponies called out, overjoyed to see their friend show up before the Smooze could finish them all off.

“I see the Smooze didn’t go down as easy as we thought,” Twilight said, looking the massive, living purple ooze over as it advanced on her. “Let’s see if this time we can bring it down for good!”

“You can’t stop ME!” The Smooze bellowed, lashing numerous hands it formed at Twilight, who teleported out of the way and her horn began to charge up again and fired a brilliant sphere of light into the air that burst apart into numerous, glowing stars that rained down on the Smooze, vaporizing more and more chunks of its body away and causing its many faces to cry out in pain.

“But this starstorm spell from Starswirl the Bearded’s old archives sure can!” Twilight shouted as the Smooze advanced on her and slammed a giant, gooey fist down at the ground as Twilight charged up another spell. Before she could complete it, however, the ground below her shook and sent her flying into the air.

“TWI!” Rainbow flew past the Smooze and caught her friend, looking back at the angry slime monster as it suddenly flattened itself out into a gigantic wave that rushed towards them, its mouths opening wide as it drew closer.

“No!” a soft voice shouted.

“Stop right there!” another soft voice cried out, and the Smooze froze in place, looking at the source of the voices.

The four ponies looked over as well, seeing what appeared to be several filly-sized ponies with small butterfly wings, all of them different shades of yellow with pastel manes.

“Oh my gosh… flutterponies?” Twilight wondered aloud. “I thought they were a myth…”

The Smooze bellowed and began to advance on Twilight and Rainbow again, but as it did, the newcomers spread their gossamer wings and flew at the gigantic monster, sparkles of light glittering off their wings as they flew circles around it.

The Smooze cried out, glittering sparkles the flutterponies released seemingly causing its body to dissolve away! The Smooze flailed angrily at them but could not strike, smoke rising from its gooey mass as it writhed in pain and began to get smaller and smaller.

“Wow… well ah’ll be darned,” Applejack muttered, staring agape at the small ponies as they continued to fight the once seemingly invincible foe.

“Well it’s certainly a relief I don’t have to worry about getting smoozed again. I’m already filthy enough as is…” Rarity said, grimacing at all the grime on her coat and in her mane.

“NO! NOTHING CAN STOP THE SMOOOOOZE!” the Smooze cried out, swatting at the flutterponies; who flew up above it, avoiding its attacks as best they could.

“Now’s my chance!” Twilight shouted, focusing her magic again and summoning another Starstorm spell. In seconds, the combined efforts of the flutterponies’ strange power and the unicorn’s spell were brought upon the giant ooze monster, and with one final scream, the Smooze’s body petrified and shattered apart, its remains dissolving into smoke that faded away shortly after.

“Phew! Well that was close,” Rainbow said, flying Twilight and herself towards the flutterponies, who all paused and stared at them silently. “Hey… uh, thanks for your help back there!” she said with a big smile.

In unison, the flutterponies let out a collective, frightened ‘eep!’ and all flew into the mouth of a nearby cave, disappearing inside.

“Uhhh… okay?” Rainbow muttered, looking over at Twilight, who just shrugged.

“Well… I think a simple ‘you’re welcome’ would have sufficed!” Rarity said with an eyeroll.

“Ah reckon we oughta go show 'em they got nothin' to be afraid of, now,” Applejack said.

“Good idea,” Twilight said, teleporting out of Rainbow’s hooves and in front of the cave. “They can’t have gone too far. And I have a feeling this cave is the passage I heard about that leads to the Badlands.”

“Well then let’s get going, then!” Rainbow said, taking the lead and flying in first.

As the four got inside, they found a tunnel that led downward. Following it, they found themselves in a vast, underground village. Magic lanterns kept it illuminated and flutterponies quietly went about their activities.

"A spring! A hot spring! For baths! Yes!" Rarity shouted frantically, and sprinted off towards it, hopping in and letting out a relieved sigh as the swamp grunge washed off her instantly.

“Um…” Rainbow began, staring at her friend. The instant Rarity had helped herself to the hot spring, however, the flutterponies all paused and stared for a moment before retreating into their homes, though some simply cowered on the streets and stared at them with worried expressions. “Oh come on! What’s wrong with you ponies? We just wanna say thanks for helping us out back there!” the pegasus protested, getting only scared whimpers in response.

“Ah think yer just scarin’ ‘em more then Rarity's little outburst already has, sugarcube,” Applejack said, glaring at Rarity for a moment and reaching into her saddlebag. Taking out a fresh apple and nudging it forward, the farmpony put on her best smile. “Here, see, we ain’t here ta hurt ya. Try it, it’s delicious!”

The flutterponies stared at it, but one finally flew over, sniffing it for a moment before she ate it. “H-hi…” the flutterpony said meekly as Rarity emerged from the spring and shook off. “W-we don't m-mind you using our... bathing spring... th-the swamp is pretty nasty and all that's why it's there... just… just… we’re shy.”

“Great, somepony created a whole race of Fluttershys!” Rainbow muttered.

“Y-you know Fluttershy?” the flutterpony asked, her blue eyes wide with curiosity before she cowered again and muttered unintelligibly for a moment.

“Fluttershy knows these ponies? Somehow that sorta news don’t surprise me one bit,” Applejack remarked.

“Sh-she’s… our friend… yes…” the flutterpony said timidly, hiding behind her mane.

“What’s your name, darling?” Rarity asked, approaching the one that had come forward.

“L-Lily. S-sorry. I’m… not as shy as the others… but th-they won’t even talk to strangers. N-none but Fluttershy when she v-visits the s-swamp. I-I'm the only one who does. P-please don't be mad at me for that.”

“Then why help us back there?” Twilight asked.

“We… didn’t want you to get hurt,” the flutterpony said. “B-but… Even the flutterpony leader Rose Dust is very shy. If there was… a way to get her t-to open up… m-maybe the rest of us will,” she explained, shifting nervously.

“Well, let me spend a few moments with this flutterpony leader and I’m sure I can get her thinking more my way!” Rainbow said with a grin as she marched onward, only to crash into a gigantic, ridiculously muscular flutterpony that was a deeper shade of yellow.

“Eep!” the hulking flutterpony squeaked in a tone belying its size and appearance and hiding behind a large boulder it’d been standing near.

“Okay, this is just way too weird,” Rainbow said. “So which one’s the boss around here? Giganto over there?” she asked, gesturing to the large one she’d just met.

“N-no… th-that’s just Flutterhulk, the strongest flutterpony of all. She k-keeps that p-passage to the B-Badlands closed u-up for us,” Lily said. “I’m… I’m sorry I can’t help more… I-I understand if I’m a disappointment,” she said, looking downcast.

“It’s alright. Nopony’s perfect,” Twilight said with a weak smile, patting the flutterpony on the back. Her face suddenly lit up. “Wait! I think I have a solution!”

“What would that be, Twi? We don’t have time for this,” Rainbow said.

“Back in the library! I have a new book that came in on self-help for overcoming shyness!” Twilight explained, before facehoofing. “Oh, right… I let the Cutie Mark Crusaders borrow it for a class assignment and no doubt an attempt at getting self-help cutie marks. Guess we’ll have to ask them where they left it. Where’s that candle?”

“Got it right here!” Rainbow said, taking the magic candle out of her saddlebag while Twilight floated out a parchment scroll and a quill and began to write.

“Okay… Dear Cutie Mark Crusaders…” Twilight began as she wrote. “If you still have that book you borrowed from the library, please send it to me right away, it is of utmost importance! Signed, Twilight Sparkle.”

“Do tell Sweetie Belle I said hi, won’t you?” Rarity asked.

“An’ get Applebloom to lemme know she’s alright.” Applejack added.

“Aw heck, tell Scootaloo I’m doing awesome as ever!” Rainbow said.

“Fine, fine,” Twilight said, adding the PS’s and lighting the candle, sending the scroll off to wherever the three fillies would be though hoping they were in Dr. Whooves’ care by now.

Only a minute later, however, the candle lit up brightly, and a scroll popped out. Unrolling it, Twilight’s eyes went wide with horror.

“Twi, what’s wrong?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh no…” Twilight muttered, reading the message over again.

“What’s goin’ on?” Applejack asked as she and Rarity joined their friend to see what the message said.

Miss Twilight,

I don’t have long! Changelings have attacked! Luna has been taken and Celestia has been subdued as well! I’m certain the fillies and I are going to be next VERY shortly! Come quickly!

~Dr. Whooves

“We have to get to Dr. Whooves’ lab immediately!” Twilight ordered, her friends gathering around her. “Rarity, help me focus!” she said. As Twilight’s magic charged, Rarity channeled her own into her friend’s, strengthening the spell, and the four were gone in a flash of light.

“Attacking while Canterlot was still recovering from the penguin invasion was a stroke of genius on my part… I wouldn’t have dared make a move against you otherwise, not without such an opportunity where the odds were enough in my favor,” Queen Chrysalis mused as she looked smugly at her cocooned captives.

“Brilliant… but vile none the less,” Dr. Whooves replied, glaring at the changeling queen as she paced around them.

“I suppose, but only in the best possible sense,” Chrysalis said with a shrug. “With my alliance to Sombra, my dreams can be made a reality. With the royal sisters abducted, and the rest of you as extra prizes, infiltration will be easier then I expected… and so, too, will conquest.”

“What do you expect to get out of a bargain with the shadow king?” Luna asked angrily.

“Why, the love of the Crystal Heart of course! With that in our possession, hunting your kind down as food will be a thing of the past! Imagine the love we can feast on that the Crystal Heart can provide!” the changeling queen chuckled to herself.

“In a state of fear and oppression, the Crystal Heart will never provide what you need!” Celestia responded.

Chrysalis made a condescending wagging motion with her hoof. “Not necessarily. Not when I have them trapped in a dreamlike state that the lot of you will be in shortly. Sombra gets his kingdom, and I get my needs met! Everypony wins!” she said with a laugh.

“You’re a fool if you think Sombra will hold his end of the bargain…” Celestia muttered coldly.

“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” the changeling queen replied and turning her attention to her drones. “Guard the entrances. If Celestia’s little protégé and her friends somehow track us down, I want us prepared!” The numerous drones in the shadows immediately saluted and scattered off.

“Looks like they’ve come and gone…” Applejack said, looking around at Whooves’ ransacked lab.

“Then we’re too late! Oh, Sweetie Belle! You poor, poor dear! This is the worst thing EVER!” Rarity wailed, falling back on a couch just behind her.

“…Rarity?” a soft voice asked from inside a closet.

“Spike?!” Rarity shouted, jumping from the couch and rushing to the closet, joined by her friends.

A few clicks and the door opened, and the young dragon tumbled out. “Ohmygosh! You’re safe!” he shouted, hugging his crush as tightly as he could.

“I’m quite well, Spikey-Wikey.” Rarity said stroking the top of the dragon’s head assuringly with her hoof. “But I’m worried about my sister!” A concerned look appeared on her face. “…Discord didn’t happen to show you any pictures, did he?” she asked.

“What’re you talking about?” Spike asked, prompting a sigh of relief from the unicorn.

“Where is everypony?” Twilight asked.

“She’s gone! They all are! The changelings took ‘em! I was hiding in the closet but I guess they found everypony else,” Spike said with a downcast look on his face. “I think the Princesses are gone, too…”

“We’ll get them back, don’t worry!” Twilight said. “Spike, do you have any idea where they could have taken them?”

“Yeah! I overheard them talking as they were leaving!” the dragon said. “The Queen was ordering them to meet her at the ruins in the Everfree Forest… I just wish I coulda done something about this.”

“You did, Spike.” Twilight assured. “If they’d captured you, we’d have no idea where to look. This definitely makes our search a lot easier.”

“Whoa, whoa, WHOA… how do I know YOU’RE not a changeling and trying to lead us into a trap?” Rainbow asked, hovering in the dragon’s face.

“Rainbow, everypony knows changelings can only take the forms of ponies.” Twilight explained.

“Besides, like any changeling can imitate someone like me!” Spike said proudly. “So when do we leave? This place is kinda creepy when I’m by myself.”

“Alright, you can come along,” Twilight said with a smile and prompting a cheer from the young dragon.

“Just make sure you keep up!” Rainbow said as she stood next to Twilight, and the others joined.

“Hold on tight, Applebloom… I’m comin’ for ya,” Applejack said softly, worrying for her little sister’s safety.

“Chrysalis is going to pay dearly if even a hair on Sweetie Belle’s mane is harmed!” Rarity said with an angry snort.

“Hold on, girls… next stop, the Everfree ruins!” Twilight said, her horn charging up and once again, her magic empowered by Rarity’s…

…only to be interrupted by the sound of a familiar fanfare.

“Really?!” Twilight demanded angrily as her magic fizzled out.

Up above the skylight vanished and a familiar form spun down and landed before them.

“Oh, my! Off so soon? I’m SO glad I caught you first!” Discord said with a grin.

“Whatever, just get it over with!” Rainbow said with an eyeroll.

“Fine, be that way, Rainbow Dash. Personally I was hoping we could savor this moment of being reunited with one of your friends and preparing for top-quality heroism!” the draconequus said.

“Wait, you know about all this and DID NOTHING?! Applejack protested.

“Of COURSE I did something! I broke out a bowl of popcorn and enjoyed the show! I can’t go getting involved in your grand adventure, now can I? That’d be so rude of me!” Discord replied with a laugh. “Now, everypony and dragon close together!” he said, making his camera appear. “Say fuzzy pickles!”

“Fuzzy what?!” Spike asked, turning his head to look to his friends for answers and the moment he did, the click of the camera was heard, immortalizing their annoyed expressions and the confused looks on Spike’s.

“Oooh! This one turned out perfectly!” Discord said proudly as the photo slid out of his camera and he looked it over. “Make no mistake, you’re going to thank me once the scrapbook’s made! Ta-ta!” he said, and with that, he spun back up through the skylight and into the darkening sky.

A moment of awkward silence followed before Twilight spoke up. “Okay, let’s try this again.”

Taking a moment, Twilight’s teleportation spell recharged, aided by Rarity’s magic, and the five vanished in a flash of light to the Everfree ruins…

Author's Note

A new chapter I'd worked on bit by bit over the week and finally finished in just a matter of minutes today. I was worried as my writing muse is not in the best state today so it was a relief to have something mostly done already. Anyways hope the chapter was enjoyable! :twilightsmile:

Bug Problems

“Seems awfully quiet in here…” Spike remarked, looking around. Other then the howling of wind and the distant sounds of Everfree creatures, the ruined castle walls seemed without any sign of life.

“Well, they have to be in here somewhere,” Twilight said. “Maybe there’s a basement, or—” Twilight froze when she saw a lone pony in the distance. “Stay back,” she said quietly to her friends as she cautiously approached, her horn charging up as she prepared an attack. As she drew closer, Twilight quickly engulfed the pony in magic and levitated it off the ground. “Alright, changeling, where are—” Twilight’s eyes widened when she recognized the pony she’d captured.

“Query. Why have you ensnared me?” the Rarity robot from the Equestrian State Building demanded in a mechanical, though still indignant tone.

“What?! How is that thing still active?!” Rarity demanded, facehoofing in disbelief that such a thing would be allowed to continue to exist.

“Rari-T1000 Unit is seeking Sister Unit. Sister Unit abducted by hostile life-forms. Lost Sister Tracking Mode brought Rari-T1000 Unit here,” the Rarity robot said. “Release Rari-T1000 Unit or Rari-T1000 Unit will utilize excessive force.”

Sighing, Twilight released her hold, and Rari-T1000 fell to the ground.

“Proper Lady Maintenance Mode Engaged,” the robot said and several tiny mechanical arms with dusters and brushes emerged from parts of its body and cleaned itself off, as well as intricately brushing out its synthetic mane and tail to utter perfection. “Query. Where is Sister Unit? Has Organic Counterpart seen Sister Unit?” the robot asked, looking at Rarity.

Rarity stared for a moment at the robotic duplicate of herself, shifting a little.

“Answer Rari-T1000 Unit. You have twenty seconds to comply,” the robot said; her tone growing more stern as its eyes glowed red.

“No, no, I have not. I’m actually looking for my sister as well. It would appear Chrysalis and the changelings have abducted her and her friends as well and brought them here,” she explained, still uncomfortable in the presence of her robot double.

“Response... Satisfactory,” Rari-T1000 responded. “Update. Enemy Identification. Chrysalis. Absolute annihilation of target main-priority,” the robot said, an arsenal of missile launchers suddenly emerging from various parts of its body for a second, before promptly retracting as its eyes glowed blue. “Scanning for possible entries to track Sister Unit and obliterate Chrysalis entity. Entry point confirmed. Exclamation. I am coming, darling Sister Unit!”

With that, the robot trotted over to a random wall and stared at it for a moment, then it placed its hoof on a small stone, causing a section of the wall to spin sideways, and the Rari-T1000 trotted inside.

“Well, I guess this is now or never,” Twilight said, looking back to her friends and leading them after the strange robot.

“What is going on here?!” Chrysalis demanded as she looked through the crystal ball in her room, seeing that her adversaries and a robot resembling one of them had found the secret passage into the basement areas of the ruins so easily. “Why didn't Drone 502 alert me?”

“502 is a bad gateway attendant, my Queen, as I have often mentioned,” the armored changeling standing behind her remarked.

“And why is this robot here? Did one of these ponies draw its attention?” The changeling queen asked as she approached the many cocoons, noticing an unusual sight. “Wait… why is there two of this particular filly?” she wondered aloud, noticing the unicorn filly they’d brought in had a double, though it looked… mechanical. “A robot?!” she shouted furiously. “Which drone was responsible for apprehending this one?”

“Hmmm… inability to find our intended targets?” The changeling lieutenant mused, rubbing his chin with his gnarled hoof. “I suspect it to be Drone 404’s error.”

Chrysalis facehoofed as she let out an annoyed growl. “Whatever. Have these intruders disposed of at once! I will not lose my leverage for an early reward from King Sombra!”

“Yes, my Queen,” The lieutenant replied, turning and flying out of the chamber while Chrysalis sent a telepathic warning to her drones to engage the six invaders.

“Most beautiful robot I’ve ever seen…” Spike fawned as he watched the Rari-T1000 lead a good distance ahead. They’d ambushed several changeling drones along the way, and many of them were blown away by the robot’s missile launchers.

“Spike, I’d really appreciate if you didn’t show such approval for it. It still leaves me most uncomfortable,” Rarity said with a sigh.

“Gotta give it credit though, it sure packs a wallop!” Applejack said with a grin as the robot blasted down a doorway with a missile and trotted onward, calling out to its ‘sister unit’.

“Applejack, you didn’t fight the Sister Unit, believe me… you don’t wanna get on this thing’s bad side!” Twilight said, recalling how she, Rainbow, and Rarity had nearly gotten blown to bits by the Sweetie Bot; herself especially.

“I’m just looking to give Chrysalis a well-deserved beat-down. If she did ANYTHING to hurt the Princesses… or Scootaloo… or anypony else…” Rainbow growled, making several punching and kicking gestures in the air as she flew above her friends.

“You’ll cower!” a raspy voice answered, and numerous glowing blew eyes shone in the dark as a swarm of changelings descended from the ceiling and attacked.

“Everypony stay close!” Twilight yelled as they quickly got back-to-back, Spike yelping as he was caught in the middle.

As soon as they landed, the changelings began to change forms, becoming copies of Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity before charging at them.

Rainbow quickly decked one of her doubles in the face, sending it tumbling into two others and resulting in all three crashing into a column and reverting back to normal as they fell unconscious. Twilight fired magic blasts left and right at any that came her way that looked like her, before zapping one that looked like Applejack.

“Real me! Real me!” Applejack protested, backing away.

“Ah don’t think so!” Another Applejack said, bucking the first one and revealing it to be a changeling.

“Nice try!” Another Applejack said, whipping out her lasso and snaring the second one before swinging her up into the ceiling, revealing another changeling.

“I’ll keep you safe, Rarity!” Spike said; standing in front of Rarity protectively only to be swatted callously aside by her.

“Wrong pony!” ‘Rarity’ said with an evil sneer, and Spike gained a look that could burn through stone.

“How DARE you!” Spike said furiously, uppercutting the false Rarity with all his might and sending the changeling tumbling away. “And for the record, the real Rarity’s way too beautiful for you to imitate!” The dragon said, throwing a small rock at its face for good measure as it reverted back and fell over, dazed.

“Well done, Spikey-wikey!” Rarity said, giving the young dragon a kiss on the cheek. “...Now allow me!” she said, firing several blasts of blue magic at more advancing changelings while Spike touched the spot on his face where he’d been kissed with a huge smile on his face. More invigorated then ever, the young dragon grabbed a fallen rod from an extinguished torch and smacked any changeling that got close.

As several remaining changelings surrounded her, Rainbow grinned and took to the air, flying in circles and catching them all in a tornado, sending them spinning upwards and getting them flung into random directions while her friends took cover behind a column. Satisfied, Rainbow flew down and looked around at her defeated opposition.

“Often imitated, NEVER duplicated!” Rainbow said proudly. “That the best you bugs got?” she asked, smirking.

“Don’t get cocky, Rainbow.” Twilight said urgently. “We still need to find the Princesses and our friends."

“Well, ah say follow the trail’a bug bits, ‘cause ah think that robot pony’s got a better idea of where ta find ‘em then we do,” Applejack said, gesturing to several scorched, injured, or otherwise unconscious changelings in the tunnel heading further down.

“Honestly! That metal abomination is nothing like me!” Rarity protested, sticking her muzzle up in the air indignantly.

“Query. Have you any idea how long it takes to style this mane? Combat Mode Engaged!” the robot’s voice shouted in the distance before a series of loud explosions were heard that shook the walls slightly.

“…Though it does appear to know how I would react under such circumstances,” Rarity muttered as she followed her friends further into the castle.

As they passed the scorched hallways where the previous explosion had presumably by the five friends’ account occurred, they discovered that the further and deeper they went into the castle, the walls had developed a green slime that coated and webbed several of the corners, and changeling amber hung from the walls giving off an eerie green illumination.

“Oh my, the road has forked,” Rarity said, looking at the passages, one of which went left, the other right, with no indication of which way the robot could have chosen.

“We lost our unknowin’ guide, so ah guess we gotta just pick one. We gotta hurry!” Applejack said, wishing she’d had Winona to pick up a trail for them.

“Hey! I hear something!” Rainbow said, leaning towards the left. “Let’s go!” she said, flying down the left path.

As the five hurried down the passage, they found themselves in a basement room where several changelings stood with their backs turned to them, chittering amongst themselves and another passageway was up ahead just past them.

Immediately, Twilight charged up another starstorm spell. As the room lit up, the changelings turned and stared in surprise and confusion just long enough for the unicorn to finish her spell, and the changelings quickly found themselves bombarded by a hailstorm of magical blasts, leaving them decimated in seconds.

“Well, that wasn’t so hard this time around,” Twilight said with a smirk, only to suddenly be tackled from above by another changeling, sending them tumbling across the floor as it took her shape. The two struggled with one-another, and faced the other four, mirroring one-another’s expressions.

“Shoot it!” one Twilight protested.

“No, that’s the fake one!” the other Twilight insisted.

“Come on, you know me!” The first Twilight pleaded.

Spike looked between the two, trying to figure out which one was the right one.

“Twi, remember the cake we had for my last birthday?” he asked.

“Of course, I do!” the first Twilight said.

“Ha! What I had was a cupcake with sapphire gems!” Spike said, tackling the first Twilight and punching her in the face, causing her to revert to a changeling. “Which wasn’t even from you! All you…” he said, punching it again. “…got me…” he continued, hitting it once more. “Was ANOTHER BOOK!!!” he shouted, knocking it unconscious with one last punch.

“Spike…?” the other Twilight asked, concern on her face at her assistant’s outburst.

“Heh, sorry, Twilight,” the dragon said sheepishly. “Uhhh… let’s get moving, huh?” he asked, scratching the back of his head and laughing nervously.

Continuing onward, the five friends came into a hallway with a stone bridge linking two sections of floor over a pit. Standing on the bridge was a changeling in armor with something strapped to his back.

“Sorry, this is a dead end,” The changeling lieutenant hissed. “Best leave!” he said, firing a bolt of green magic at them.

“An elite changeling. Stay on guard, girls!” Twilight warned.

“Good call, pony!” the armored changeling said with a wicked smile as he fired a succession of green magical blasts at them. Rainbow jumped into the air and took flight, heading straight at him and avoiding several magic bolts while the others leaped out of the way of the changeling’s attack.

With a fierce swing of her hoof, Rainbow decked the changeling in the face, then flew circles around him to create a whirlwind. The changeling, however, just grinned and vanished in a flash of green light, reappearing outside the circle Rainbow was flying in and fired a blast of green magic at her, shooting the pegasus out of the sky.

“Gotcha!” Applejack shouted, sending out her lasso and snagging Rainbow’s hoof, catching her before she could fall into the pit below.

“I’ve got this!” Twilight said, firing a bolt of magic at the changeling, who leaped out of the way.

“No you don’t!” he said, his horn glowing and a swath of light appeared in front of him as though some unseen weapon was swung, parrying the magic bolt and dispelling it. “My turn!” the lieutenant said, firing several bolts of green lightning, this time at the unicorn. “You will not interfere with her majesty’s plans!” he shouted.

“We’ll see about that!” Rarity said, firing several magic bolts as well at the changeling, who flew around them and countered with several of his own before vanishing.

“Name’s Drone 007, lieutenant to the Queen’s armies, licensed to kill all five of you should you continue your assault on our lair!” the changeling said as he reappeared above them and did a spin in the air, the odd, arced wave of light emanating from him again for a split second that suddenly that sent Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Spike tumbling backward.

“Must be pretty confident to take on all five of us!” Rainbow said as she removed the lasso from her hoof and flew straight at the changeling again, slamming her hooves into him and knocking him out of the air. “Too confident! And this is coming from ME!” she said with a grin, swinging her hoof again but instead of the changeling’s face it struck something metal. For a second, Rainbow saw her hoof was pressing against the flat end of a blade of some kind, but the changeling bucked her off of him before she got a good look at it. The changeling laughed and fired another green lightning bolt at her, but Rainbow was prepared this time, and flew straight up to avoid it.

“Not necessarily,” the changeling remarked, charging up a magical blast and firing at her. Before it hit Rainbow, however, the glowing ball of magical energy flew around her and hit Twilight head-on as she was charging up a spell of her own, knocking her out. “No need to repeat that trick you pulled on the lesser drones…” he remarked smugly.

“Twilight!” Spike cried out, rushing to his friend’s side followed by Rarity and Applejack. Rainbow glared lividly at the changeling and swung at him with all she had. He was quick; she’d give him that, and certainly experienced in a fight, but she had no desire to give up after seeing what he’d done, and knowing Scootaloo and her friends, and the princesses were still in danger. “You’re going down!” Rainbow snarled, teeth grit as she swung her hoof at the changeling, faking him out and hitting him in the chest, knocking him off balance. She saw his horn glow and spotted something on his back moving, and thrust her hooves up as quickly as she could when the shimmer of reflected light appeared again from the changeling’s back.

A second passed, and Rainbow opened her eyes, having managed to strike him in the horn and she noticed a hilt slide harmlessly back into place on a scabbard strapped to the changeling’s back. The changeling faltered in the air, nursing his horn and glared at the pegasus. “Lucky shot,” he snapped, attempting to charge another magic blast but instead only getting a few sparks and a brief headache, the impact of Rainbow’s hit having left him too disoriented to use his magic.

The pegasus grinned and punched him again, this time right between the eyes. The lieutenant spun backwards in the air and grit his teeth at her, preparing to fly at the pegasus only to suddenly be caught in a blue magic aura and a lasso.

“Whoa there, pardner… ah think ya’ll done enough rough-housin’ for tonight!” Applejack said with a smirk. The lieutenant turned and saw Applejack and Rarity now had their attention on him, and held him in place.

“And I think it’s only suitable now you tell us where your Queen is,” Rarity said.

Before the changeling could reply, Rainbow leaned back and bucked him in the chest with both her hind legs, sending him plummeting to the floor.

“Like I’d betray her…” the lieutenant muttered, attempting to use his magic to teleport away again, but Rarity responded by smacking his horn with her hoof, dazing him again.

“Are you so certain?” Rarity asked. “My sister was taken, as was hers,” she said, gesturing to Applejack. “You really wish to find out just how… unpleasant… we can become when somepony of ill intent goes near them?”

“On the contrary, ah wouldn’t mind demonstratin’ either way,” Applejack said.

“Not a chance!” the changeling hissed. Rarity stepped back, an apparent look of horror on her face.

“You… you…” her eyes watered and she let out a shrill wail that made the changeling desperately attempt to cover his ears. Even Rainbow, Applejack, and Spike flinched. “Youuuuu horrible, horrrrrible monsterrrr!” Rarity whined loudly, collapsing to her haunches. “You can’t even tell me where my poor sister iiiiis!” she wailed even louder.

“UGH! STOP IT! STOP IT!” the changeling pleaded, thrashing helplessly as Applejack pressed her hoof into his chest, attempting to drown out Rarity’s insufferable whining.

“WHYYYY SHOULD IIIIII?” Rarity cried. “My poor, poor, dear little sister is in trouble and you WON’T HELP MEEEEEEEEE!”

The shrill whines and wailing proved far more then even the hardened changeling lieutenant could take. “Okay! Okay! Just stop! Please! Please! I’ll talk! Execution by the Queen is preferable to this!” the changeling cried out. The instant the words came out of his mouth, Rarity wiped her superficial tears away and gave him a beaming smile.

“Oh, you will? Well do tell before my feelings are hurt again!” she said cheerfully.

“Down that hall, past three doors, one flight of stairs, big door at the end!” the changeling said. “Now can I please go?” he asked with a nervous smile.

“Ah suppose,” Applejack said, stepping off of him and in an instant the changeling got back up.

“I… should probably get as far away from here as possible. I know I won’t need this anymore…” the changeling said sadly, and the scabbard fell from his back and he flew off down the way the five had come through.

“Nice job, Rarity. I gotta admit, you even fooled me,” Rainbow said.

“Who was fooling, Rainbow?” Rarity asked, cocking an eyebrow in confusion, causing the pegasus to wince a little. A soft moan was heard and Twilight regained consciousness.

“Phew… somepony get the number of that train,” Twilight muttered.

“Twilight! You’re alright!” Spike cried out, hugging his friend.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” Twilight said with a smile, returning the hug. “What’d I miss?”

“Trust me, sugarcube, ah wish ah’d been out as well,” Applejack said, glancing back at Rarity for a moment.

“So what’d he drop?” Rainbow asked, looking over the fallen weapon and nudging it out of its scabbard, revealing it to be a well-crafted sword.

“Oh my goodness! That is quite a lovely weapon!” Rarity said, marveling at its shine and craft.

“Yeah, but who’s gonna lug it around?” Rainbow asked. “...Though it is pretty awesome to look at,” she said.

“If my memory’s right it’s the Sword of Majesties!” Twilight said. “But it’s been lost for ages, how did Chrysalis get ahold of it?” she wondered.

“Who cares? If nopony’s gonna use it I’m calling dibs!” Spike said, grabbing it up and giving the blade a swing. “Light as a feather, too! Can I keep it, pleeeease?” the dragon asked, giving his best puppy-dog look. “I mean c’mon I’m the only one who doesn’t have anything to fight with right now,” he pointed out.

“I guess you can hold onto it for now, Spike.” Twilight said with a shrug, prompting a huge grin from the young dragon. “Though I wouldn’t mind studying it later. I’m sure the Canterlot historians wouldn’t mind looking at it, as well.”

“My own sword! AWESOME!” Spike cheered, sliding the scabbard over his shoulder giving the sword a few more swings with it, nearly slicing off the last four inches of Twilight’s tail. “Whoa… sorry.” he said sheepishly, and the sword was promptly floated from his claws and placed back in the scabbard.

“Don’t use until I say otherwise,” Twilight said sternly, feeling this may have been a mistake and he’d be better off with a toy one.

“Figures… they’ve bested my lieutenant,” Chrysalis mused, slouching in her makeshift throne as she waited for the inevitable arrival of the five intruders. “When I find him he’ll regret the day he was hatched!”

At that moment, the doors swung open, and there stood Twilight, Rarity, Applejack, and Spike, with Rainbow hovering above them.

“Alright, Chrysalis! Let them go and you can leave this place alive!” Twilight said, but the changeling queen just laughed in response.

“You think because you bested that wayward lieutenant of mine that you stand a chance against me?” Chrysalis asked, magic crackling around her jagged horn. “Your princesses are my prisoners! Your brother and his adorable wife are far away and blissfully unaware of my actions, you’ve made a mistake coming here!”

Before any of them could answer, all five were engulfed in green magic aura and levitated off the ground, suspended high in the air.

Twilight struggled to teleport herself out, but was immediately zapped by magic from the changeling queen’s aura.

“Ah-ah-ah, now, Twilight! You’ll only make it worse on yourself… assuming that were even possible,” she said, sneering at the unicorn who had given her trouble before. “I’m going to enjoy feeding off every one of you slowly,” she explained as several changelings began to file into the room. “...And when I’ve fed off every last drop if love energy you five have, I’ll turn you over to Sombra as well. He can have Equestria, all I need is that magnificent love nest-egg that is the Crystal Empire! Claiming it will even be made all the sweeter given who I’ll be ‘inheriting’ it from… wouldn’t you agree?” she said with a smirk, approaching Twilight and mockingly stroking the unicorn’s chin.

“I… won’t… let you…” Twilight said, though feeling weaker by the second.

“What’s that? Sorry I couldn’t hear you.” Chrysalis taunted. “I was too busy imagining my kind being able to feed off the love it emits indefinitely.”

“You gonna actually deal with us or bore us to death with the monologuing again?” Rainbow asked.

“Well, since you asked so nicely…” the changeling queen replied, glancing at her drones. “Have them cocooned. We can make contact with Sombra’s annoying little emissary once they’re secured!”

“Yes, my queen!” a drone replied, saluting. The moment he did, however, he was blasted from behind by a missile, sending him flying into the opposite wall looking more then a little scorched.

Several more missiles flew through the doorway, blasting even more of the changelings.

“What in the world?!” Chrysalis shouted as metallic hoofsteps were heard, and standing in the smoke, eyes glowing red and a missile launcher sticking out of both sides of her barrel, was a furious-looking white unicorn robot with a well-styled purple mane and tail.

“Query. WHERE IS MY DARLING SISTER UNIT?!” Rari-T1000 demanded as angrily as her mechanical voice allowed.

“You have GOT to be kidding me!” Chrysalis protested indignantly. “I will show you what happens when you defy the queen of the change—” Before Chrysalis could finish, the changeling queen was blasted into the wall by a series of missiles. Falling to the ground smoking and looking noticeably worse-off, Chrysalis staggered as she tried to stand, only to get blasted again by more missiles.

“Chrysalis. Enemy. Recommended Course of Action: Continued use of aggressive force until silenced or Sister Unit is found,” the robot said, advancing on the queen.

“You’ll pay for that you walking pile of junk!” Chrysalis shouted, charging up a magic blast and firing it at the robot, sending it tumbling backward.

“Functionality. 80%. Use of Secret Yet Fashionable Emergency Artillery…. Affirmative,” Rari-T1000 said as it stood up, its chest opening and revealing a much larger missile that somehow fit inside of it, painted a lustrous and almost glittery purple color with added darker stripes to give it a more stylish appearance, and fired it. Chrysalis attempted to dodge it, but the missile homed in and slammed right into her chest, sending her flying through the ceiling and several more floors up. The changeling queen screamed the entire time as the missile took her further and further up into the heavens until all that could be seen from the newly-made skylight was a distant twinkle in the night sky.

“Well… that was… unexpected…” Rainbow said, looking over at the Rarity robot while the real Rarity just sighed.

“Exclamation! Sister Unit!” the robot suddenly said, approaching one cocoon and shooting it with a pair of lasers that fired from its eyes. “Error. You are not Sister Unit,” it said, staring down at Sweetie Belle, who looked dazed for a moment, her eyes a glassy green color before she sat up and shook her head a bit, her eyes returning to normal immediately after.

“Sweetie Belle! You’re alright!” Rarity shouted, rushing over to her sister and giving her a hug.

“Gotcha, Apple Bloom!” Applejack said, giving another cocoon a crisp buck and smashing it apart, and her little sister tumbled onto the floor.

“Scoots! I’m here!” Rainbow said, smashing apart another cocoon and freeing the pegasus filly within while Twilight blasted apart the remaining ones, freeing the princesses, Dr. Whooves, and several other captured ponies, including the Sweetie Belle robot they’d encountered before.

“Princess! Are you alright?” Twilight asked, worried for her mentor.

“Thank you… I’ll be alright, I think we may need some rest after this experience, though,” Celestia murmured softly.

“It is only a shame I could not handle that aberration myself…” Luna said bitterly, staring up at the hole in the roof.

“Exclamation! SISTER UNIT!” the Rari-T1000 shouted again, approaching the robot double of Rarity’s sister. “Query. You are fully operational?”

“Running diagnostic,” The Sweetie Bot said. “Functionality confirmed. Only power recharge required.”

“Relief mode engaged. Begin Loving Sister Nuzzle,” Rari-T1000 replied, and the two robots gave one-another an affectionate, sisterly nuzzle, prompting a facehoof from Rarity and a look of confusion from Sweetie Belle.

“What in the world are—” Sweetie Belle wondered aloud.

“Don’t ask. Celestia’s sake, don’t ask!” Rarity replied.

“Well on the bright side I’d say everything turned out quite nicely! These five managed to free us after all!” Whooves said. “Which reminds me, your highnesses, perhaps it is of our best interests that we move our research to the Canterlot castle in case of any other attempts on us such as this!”

“Very well. I will have guards sent to recover whatever is needed…” Celestia replied. “Will there be anything else?”

“Ah, yes,” Whooves said, rubbing his chin. “It may be best we get in contact with the gizmonks as well. I may have use for them if my suspicions are correct!”

“As you wish, Doctor,” the Princess of the Sun said with a nod.

“And these three fillies as well will be of use, I trust?” the Doctor asked with a smirk.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, inventors again! YAY!” the three fillies shouted with a cheer.

“That reminds me, do you three have that book about overcoming shyness?” Twilight asked.

“Oh, that Iron Will book Shy Away In A Day, right? We returned it just before we left fer that trip with Rarity an’ Pinkie Pie!” Apple Bloom said. “Should be back at the library!”

“I see,” Twilight replied. “Well, thanks for returning it, girls, we actually need it… don’t ask why, it’s a long story.”

“Wherever your journey’s taking you next, I suggest you hurry along,” Luna said. “Sombra’s power grows worse and I fear we are running out of time.”

“Don’t worry about us. We will work day and night to find the means of facing Sombra,” Celestia replied.

“As you wish, Princess,” Twilight said with a bow. “Spike? You stay with them, I want to make sure you’re safe.”

“Only if I can take this cool sword with me!” Spike said, gripping the blade's handle like his life depended on it.

“Fine, you can keep the sword,” Twilight said with an eyeroll. “…For now. We need to make a stop at Ponyville before we continue our trip to the Badlands.”

“It’d be a good chance ta check in on Fluttershy an’ Pinkie Pie as well,” Applejack said.

“Good point. And I could stand a real bath in the meantime,” Rarity added.

“Well, let’s get going then! I wanna get back into some action!” Rainbow said with a cocky smirk.

“You behave yourself, understand?” Rarity asked her little sister sternly.

“Error. I am not Organic Counterpart,” the Sweetie Bot replied.

“See….? …Anypony…. Could make that… mistake!” a barely conscious changeling muttered weakly from under some rubble before passing out.

“Ugh…” Twilight facehoofed. “Let’s just get going before this gets any crazier,” she said; Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow standing next to her and the four vanished, their next destination the town they hadn’t been to in what felt like so long…

Author's Note

And another chapter DONE! Hope you all enjoy! :twilightsmile:

Rari-T1000 Unit property of Luna-cy.

The Seventh Sanctuary

“I can’t hold it in anymore! IMISSEDYOUGIRLSSO SO SOSOSOSOSOSO SOOOO MUCH!” Pinkie Pie squealed as she hugged her friends one by one as they all sat together in the Ponyville spa. Rarity had been enjoying a bath and full treatment from the two sisters while Rainbow lay on her belly enjoying a back massage. She’d been reluctant at first, but at Rarity’s insistence, she’d finally complied and found that it did actually feel pretty good.

“Oh my, I hope Twilight finds that book you need…” Fluttershy said softly. “Who needed it? She didn’t say when she rushed off.”

“A buncha flutterponies of all things!” Applejack said. “Din’t even think they—”

“Flutterponies?!” Fluttershy squeaked and a big smile came on the pegasus’ face. “Oh, weren’t they just the most precious things you’ve ever seen? They’ve always been so good to me, even if they’re… well shy with strangers.”

“What EVER would you know about them, Fluttershy?” Rarity asked.

“Oh…” The pegasus blushed. “Well… I may have… lived with them for a little while.” She said softly.

“Okay, this I gotta hear.” Rainbow said.

“W-well…” Fluttershy muttered, uncomfortable with all the stares. “See… when I was a filly, my mom and dad took me with them to the Hayseed Swamp, we were helping some animals there, and a storm came through… w-we got separated…”

“M-mom? Dad? Anypony?” A small, timid yellow pegasus filly cried out meekly, shrinking from the rain as she hid under a tree, tears lining her face. The place was filled with strange things and she’d insisted on coming, things weren’t supposed to go this way! Now she was more frightened then she had ever imagined she could be.

She heard the flapping of wings around her, and saw shadows moving about in the decayed trees. The filly had never felt so scared and helpless in her life, and all she could do now was curl up and cry, hoping whatever was out there wouldn’t hurt her. She wanted to see her mom and dad again, she wanted to feel safe again. Not cold and lonely…

“A-are you… all alone?” A soft voice asked. The filly opened her eyes and squeaked from what she saw.

It was ponylike, about her size. It was yellow, though a much lighter shade, and its wings more resembled that of a butterfly.

“Who… who are you?” The filly asked, shaking as she saw a few more emerge from the bushes, looking at her with curiosity before suddenly cowering again.

“Us?” The strange pony asked. “We’re… flutterponies. Sorry, we’re just… shy.”

“You are?” The filly asked timidly. “S-so am I… I would n-never hurt anypony.” She said, looking downcast. “I’m scared… I don’t want to be alone.” She said, her eyes tearing up again. “I don’t know where my mom and dad are…”

“Well… it’s scary out here.” The lead flutterpony said, looking around. “I-if you want… m-maybe you can stay with us… you know… we’ll do our best to take care of you till your parents show up.”

The filly nodded slowly, wiping the tears from her eyes.

“W-what’s your name?” The lead flutterpony asked. “If… if you don’t mind telling us.”

The filly wimpered a little, hiding her face behind her mane. “F-f… F… Fluttershy…” She said softly.

“They let me stay with them in their village for the night. It was nice and warm, and they were so sweet to me… the ones that would talk to me, anyway. The others just kind of hid.” Fluttershy explained. “Mom and dad showed up that morning and found the cave. They were so happy I was alright and I was happy to meet ponies as shy as me, but could still be so kind to me. My parents and I went back to Ponyville the next day. I visit sometimes… when I can, I mean.”

“Wow! That’s such a sweet story, Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said, staring agape and giggling. “I bet they’d be really super-nice if somepony can get ‘em to open up a little!”

“I got the book, girls!” Twilight said, trotting in with Iron Will’s self-help book Shy Away, In A Day! “So what were you all talking about?”

“Oh! Fluttershy was telling us that she met the flutterponies when she was a little filly! She’s friends with some of them, and I was just thinking how they’re probably really, really sweet if they’d be a little more social!” Pinkie Pie explained while Fluttershy blushed.

“I see…” Twilight said. “Well, with any luck this book might at least get them to talk a little more. And you know, that all gives me an idea.” The unicorn said with a smirk. “I’ll need the two of you to come along, though if it’s gonna work.”

“Uh… w-what do you have in mind?” Fluttershy asked.

“I don’t think this book’s gonna do all the work. Fluttershy, we’ll need you to help approach them. As for making them lighten up a little… that’s where you come in, Pinkie Pie.” Twilight explained.

The pink pony grinned widely. “Just leave it to me!”

“Y-your back?” The flutterpony at the entrance asked nervously.

“Yeah, we’re back.” Rainbow said. “And we brought along somepony who’d like to say hi.” She explained, stepping aside and revealing Fluttershy.

“Um… hi…” The pegasus said softly.

“Fluttershy!” The flutterpony said, smiling, flying over. “They’re… friends?” She asked, cocking her head and the pegasus nodded.

“Go and tell Rose Dust and get the others all at the village square, okay?” Fluttershy asked in her sweetest tone.

“Oh… uh… sure… okay!” The flutterpony replied, flying down into the cave, the six following her.

Within moments, the other flutterponies, including the village leader and the hulking one, had gathered at the center of the subterranean town.

“First, we come with a gift, we hope it’ll help.” Twilight said, opening her saddlebag. The flutterponies flinched for a moment, then stared in curiosity as Twilight floated out the book she’d brought, the title Shy Away, In A Day! showing prominently on the cover above a picture of a grinning, winking picture of its author giving a thumbs-up.

“This is Iron Will… I know he looks like a monster but he’s not.” Fluttershy explained. “He’s a minotaur, actually. He helps shy ponies become assertive… well, at first his advice wasn’t the best, but he changed a lot. His book’s actually pretty helpful, if you want to read it, I mean…”

The village leader who'd been referred to as Rose Dust took the book with her front hooves and opened it, reading a few things, her eyes wide with wonder. A few others flew over to look at it as well, intrigued by what the self-help guru had written.

“Don’t be shy, look ‘em in the eye…” The flutterpony mumbled; then tried looking at the six ponies. “Hm!” She smiled a little and read some more “Don’t let questions pass, always ask! Don’t be lame, ask their name!” She said. “So… uh… what are your names?

“Well, I’m Twilight Sparkle. This is Applejack…” Twilight explained, gesturing to the farm pony.

“Howdy.” Applejack said, tipping her hat.

“And Rarity.” Twilight continued.

“Or Miss Rarity if you prefer.” The other unicorn said, tossing back her mane demurely.

“I guess you already know Fluttershy, and that’s—” Twilight was suddenly cut off.

“THE ONE AND ONLY RAINBOW DASH! PLEASED TO MEET YA!” Rainbow shouted proudly, flying swiftly up above them and offering a hoof bump to Rose Dust, who just shrunk back a little and stared at the pegasus’ hoof before shyly returning the gesture.

“Really, Rainbow?” Twilight asked with an eyeroll. “Baby steps. Anyway, and last but not least is the one who’s gonna help you all become a little more social. Meet Pinkie Pie.”

Immediately the pink pony bounced up in front of her friends. “That’s right, and nothing helps a pony learn a little…” Pinkie began, before switching to a whispering voice. “…social interaction…” She whispered loudly, then resumed her normal, peppy tone when she spoke again. “Like a great big party!” She declared, opening the wagon she’d brought and suddenly confetti burst everywhere, and a selection of treats from sugarcube corner popped out on display. “Plenty for everypony and all you gotta do is be brave enough to come up, tell me your name and ask for one!”

The flutterponies looked at one-another, unsure of what to make of this, then at the various cupcakes, which admittedly did look rather delicious.

“Still a little shy? Well let ol’ Pinkie Pie give you this little number!” She said, putting on a record on a player that popped out of the wagon and a tune began to play that she sang to as she engaged each flutterpony…

By the time the song ended, the flutterponies had all joined in for the final chorus and let out a cheer.

“Great job, everypony! Now who wants cupcakes first?” Pinkie asked at long last.

“We can’t thank you enough!” Rose Dust said. “If there’s anything we can do, just name it.”

“Well, the thing is, we gotta get to the passage that leads to the Badlands.” Rainbow explained.

“I see…” Rose Dust replied. “Well, ask Flutterhulk over there. The passage is covered by a large boulder only she can lift.”

“Alright then!” Rainbow said, flying over to the towering beast of a flutterpony. “Hey, think you can move that boulder for us?”

“ME FLUTTERHULK! FLUTTERHULK STRONGEST FLUTTERPONY!” The massive flutterpony declared. “CAN MOVE!” Flying over to a large boulder nearby, the flutterpony spun around in the air and gave it a mighty kick. The boulder rolled away and bumped into the wall, revealing a hole underneath that lead into caverns down below.

“Thanks!” Rainbow said with a grin. “Hoof bump?” She asked. The giant flutterpony grinned and swung her massive hoof out, sending Rainbow rocketing across the cave and into the nearest wall behind her. “Ooookay… not doing that again…” She muttered.

“Um… Twilight?” Fluttershy asked softly. “It may be best if I stay up here. It’s… been a while since I’ve seen my friends here.” Her ears drooped a little. “If that’s alright, I mean. I feel like I’d just get in the way, otherwise.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep her company!” Pinkie Pie said with a grin, suddenly appearing next to Fluttershy and putting a hoof around her. “Besides, I gotta keep this party going and make sure everypony’s happy and ready to face the world!”

“Well… if you say so.” Twilight said. “When we’re done, we’ll come back up and meet with you.”

“Hey!” Rose Dust called out, flying over with a small bag in her hooves. “Um… look… as thanks for helping us… we got a few things for you.” She explained. “When you get to the Badlands, just know… well, there are dragons down there and they can be bullies.” She held up the bag. “This is something their king gave us but we figure you might want it. It’s called Dragonite.”

“Dragonite?” Twilight asked, staring at the small bag.

“It’s like a dragon’s magic essence or something. Use it and it can briefly turn a pony into one. Evens out the odds against a mean dragon, I guess…” the flutterpony leader explained. “If you run into a bad one, I mean. It might help.”

“Well, thanks, I’m sure it will.” Twilight said with a smile, floating the small bag into her saddlebag.

“Oh, also… they say there’s a special place down there in the tunnels. It’s sacred, we know that much, they call it the Ancient Horde’s Hall. They say in the oldest times of these mountains, an ancient dragon king, knowing his time was nearly upon him, covered the walls with every gem he ever got in his hoard. He didn’t know it but many of them were magical gems, and they’d light up whenever he was thinking to himself, making it like his thoughts appear on the walls!” the flutterpony explained.

Rainbow smirked and looked at Twilight. “Thinking what I’m thinking?”

“A sanctuary?” Twilight asked. “You think it might be?”

“It’s gotta be!” Rainbow said, her smirk becoming a grin. “We gotta go check this out!”

“He left inscriptions of things he’s learned on rocks down there, as we understand it.” The flutterpony explained. “Look for them and you might learn more.”

“Will do.” Applejack replied. “So, we ready to go on down, girls?” She asked.

“I for one am as ready as I can be.” Rarity said, running her hoof through her mane one last time before approaching the pit.

“Thanks for all your help.” Twilight said, giving a nod to Rose Dust. “We’ll be back as soon as we can, girls!” She said, looking over at Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.

“Good luck!” Pinkie Pie said, giving an ecstatic wave while Fluttershy smiled and waved as well.

The caves below were massive, certainly large enough to fit a dragon in most of them. Every so often Twilight, Rainbow, Applejack, and Rarity would come across a large stone tablet with etchings carved into them.

So you’ve made it… welcome to the tunnels leading to the Badlands south of Equestria, little pony. I, Flamebrow, the first great dragon king, welcome you. Seek my tale to learn of the land of which you are about to enter…

“Most interesting…” Twilight said, reading the inscription. Looking around, she saw that there were more tunnels ahead, and some of them had smaller passages that seemed to link them. Passing through the first one they came across, they found themselves in a small chamber where another large tablet awaited them.

Dead end. Not all my musings are helpful. It’s funny. Laugh.

“Well, I can see this ‘King Flamebrow’ wasn’t without a sense of humor.” Rarity muttered, rolling her eyes at the useless information they’d been provided and prompting the four friends to turn around back out the way they came.

Dragons have existed long before ponykind. We have a long history of being drawn to the beautiful things in the world, for it represents our power and renown. The bigger a hoard a dragon can accumulate, the greater the respect he receives. Uncivil for the most part, but the dragon way regardless. It was when other races grew and found their way in the world, that I knew it must change, as much as could be allowed…

“I’m suddenly wondering if I should have brought Spike along.” Twilight mused. “I’ll bet he’d have loved to see all of these.” She said, recalling how Spike had always been curious about his heritage and his species’ history. Perhaps one day, when he was older, he’d have the chance to find out; another reason for her and her friends to stop Sombra at any cost.

I could be fast, I could be strong, I could be cunning. All dragons were at least one. I intended to be all three. And with such skill, I rose above the others… my hoard became legendary amongst even the most feared dragons. None would dare challenge me for it!

“Gotta admit, I like the way he thinks!” Rainbow said with a grin as she read the message, then flew off ahead to find the next one.

“Has anypony noticed how desolate this here cave is?” Applejack wondered aloud as she and the others followed their friend.

With my new influence, I named myself king, and with that, I could bend others to my will. The dragons remained mostly in the scorched realm, and soon ponykind ventured from their old kingdoms and settled in the valley that later deemed Equestria. An intriguing race that did not function through conflict and might, yet they thrived. The chances of one travelling to our lands through this passage was no doubt inevitable, so I left this to find.

“Quite a philosophical fellow for a dragon, wouldn’t you say, Twilight?” Rarity asked, cocking her head at the lengthy message.

“I guess when you live as long as a dragon can, you end up with a lot to think about as your life gets closer to its end.” Twilight replied as they continued on, taking several more passages and turns and coming across yet another stone.

I grow old and tired, I lack the power I once did and I dare not show it and allow upstarts to assume they can usurp me, or take from me! I will keep it here, make it one with the caves themselves! Future generations will look but be unable to take. I shall be remembered!

“He’s GOTTA be talking about the sanctuary! It totally makes sense!” Rainbow said as she read the latest message. “It’s just like the flutterpony said!”

“Well, if that’s the case, Dash, it probably ain’t that far ahead!” Applejack replied as they approached a larger tunnel that seemed to span a distance. As they approached, they noticed the walls began to shimmer. As Twilight and Rarity lit their horns brighter, they saw that the walls were completely covered in gold and other precious mineral.

“Oh my! It’s absolutely lovely!” Rarity said, marveling at the sight.

“What a way to make sure all he’s gotten is never lost.” Twilight said as she looked around at the shining cavern walls.

“Hey, look!” Rainbow shouted, pointing her hoof up ahead where a faint glow could be seen at the mouth of another cave entrance. “That’s gotta be it!” She said, taking the Harmony Stone from her saddlebag and flying forward, holding it out.

Immediately all four ponies recoiled when a horrible screeching was heard.

“It’s been corrupted!” Twilight cried out.

“But by what?” Applejack asked.

A growling voice chucked and a shape emerged from the light. “Well well, what have we here? A couple’a namby-pamby little ponies!” A vaguely familiar red adolescent dragon sneered as he approached. “Come to steal my new favorite spot?” He asked; flashing a grin that was filled with sharp teeth as he towered over them, his scales no longer had the plain red shade they did before, but now shined in the light.

“This isn’t your place, buddy!” Rainbow said, flying in the dragon’s face.

“It’s Garble, not buddy, runt!” The dragon answered with a cackle, swatting at the pegasus who quickly weaved out of the way. “And it is my place now! The voices told me so!” He explained, his eyes briefly turning green as purple smoke trailed from them. “Take it from me, if you dare!” He said, taking a fighting stance, and a distorted melody the four ponies had become familiar with began to echo all around them in the golden chamber.

“Ya want a fight, ya got one pal!” Applejack said, drawing out her lasso.

“I remember you all! You’re friends of that scrawny little dragon I put up with at the migration, aren’t you?” Garble asked with a laugh. “I’ll be sure to send him your ashes when I’m done with ya!” He said, drawing in breath and unleashing a blast of fire far stronger then most dragons his age could make.

Immediately, Twilight summoned a magic barrier to keep the flames back while her friends stood behind her.

“So that’s how you wanna play, huh?” Garble asked, approaching and punching the barrier repeatedly with his fists, then swatting it with his tail. The corrupted sanctuary seemed to greatly enhance his strength as the barrier slowly began to crack. “Soon as that barrier breaks down, I’m gonna love findin’ out what barbecued pony tastes like!” The dragon sneered, licking his lips in anticipation.

“Girls, hold on tight!” Twilight shouted, her friends obeying and the four of them vanished, their sudden disappearance making the barrier vanish at the same time, causing Garble to tumble forward and land flat on his face. Turning around and seeing the four standing behind him now, the young dragon snorted angrily, smoke puffing from his nostrils.

“Big mistake!” He shouted, drawing in another deep breath and exhaling another blast of flame, causing the four to scatter immediately. “This old king sounds like a real loser if you ask me! If any dragon deserves all this loot, I do, even if I gotta tear it all out with my bare claws!”

Taking advantage of the dragon’s rants, Twilight hurriedly cast her Starstorm spell. Garble stared up at the ceiling for a moment as numerous magical bolts appeared and began to rain down on him. The dragon yelped and recoiled as they struck him, creating star-shaped explosions. Growling, the dragon thrust his arms out and suddenly his body glowed a bright red, and then the raining magical blasts began bouncing off him, firing in random directions.

“WHOA! LOOK OUT!” Rainbow shouted, pushing Twilight aside and narrowly avoiding a stray magic bolt that burst violently against the wall behind them.

“He’s summoned some kind of barrier! The sanctuary’s giving him new abilities!” Twilight said. “I can’t use magic on him now!”

“An’ we’re too small ta make much’ve a dent in ‘im!” Applejack protested.

“So now what?” Rarity asked as the dragon turned his attention back on them and grinned.

Suddenly a smirk formed on Rainbow’s face. “I got an idea!” The pegasus said, nudging open Twilight’s saddlebag, looking for something.

“What are you doing, Rainbow?” Twilight asked as Rainbow dug out the small bag the flutterpony had given them.

“I’m gonna introduce this loser to the most awesome dragon that’s ever gonna exist!” The pegasus said, opening the bag and pouring the glittering dust onto herself. Immediately, Rainbow was engulfed in a cloud of smoke that grew larger and larger, stopping Garble on his tracks as the cloud grew to his own size. When the smoke cleared, a large, cyan-blue adolescent dragon stood there, its long tail whipping back and forth with a long fin that was the colors of the rainbow, a flowing mane on its head matching it. Its wings spread wide and it grinned a fanged sneer at the other dragon.

“How about you pick on someone your own size?” ‘Dragon Dash’ asked.

“What in the?!” Garble mouthed, stepping back then drawing in breath, unleasing another blast of fire.

The newly-made dragon recoiled instinctively, but felt nothing as the flames engulfed her. Smirking again, she approached, raising her claw back and smacking Garble hard enough to knock him off his feet. “Ha! Under all that big talk, you’re really just a blowhard, arent’cha?” Dragon Dash asked with a laugh, grabbing the other dragon by his tail and spinning in the air, swinging him in circles.

“Stop—iiiiiiiiiit! Sto-o-o-op!!! Y-you’re ma-a-a-a-king meeeee dizzyyyyyy!” The dragon pleaded.

“Whatever you say, pal!” Dragon Dash said, letting go and sending Garble flying across the cave and crashing headfirst into the gold-covered wall, leaving an imprint of his pained expression in it. Snarling, and shaking his head frantically to fight off the dizziness and pain, the dragon turned and charged at his opponent, swinging his claws in a frenzy then whipping his tail, but the dragon Dash leaped over him and landed behind him, smacking him in the back with her own tail.

“OW! You stupid pony!” Garble shouted, tackling the other dragon. “I got power here! I can’t lose now!” He protested.

“Yeah, you got power. Just enough so you’re not a total pushover!” Dragon Dash replied with a grin, flinging him off her. Garble’s body glowed brighter as he let loose another gout of flame, this one, however, caused the transformed pony pain.

“Rainbow!” Twilight cried out.

“Ha! See, you’re not even a real dragon, what makes you think you can win?” Garble asked smugly. “Now why don’t I let you watch while I finish off your friends?”

“Not gonna happen!” the dragon Dash shouted, rushing foreward and slamming Garble against the wall, taking in a very deep breath and unleashing a full blast of multi-colored flame breath on the teen dragon. Garble cried out in pain as he took the full force of it, and felt himself get held high in the air and swung around again, sending him tumbling across the cavern floor and into a large stalagmite. The glow faded from the dragon’s body as he collapsed to the floor, becoming slightly smaller and back to the size he was remembered as.

“That’ll teach you to mess with—” Dragon Dash began, before she was suddenly engulfed in smoke again and reverted to her familiar pegasus self. “Awww, and I was just starting to have fun!” She muttered with a snort.

“Okay! Okay! Take it! Just leave me alone!” The horribly beaten and slightly scorched Garble pleaded, getting up and running clumsily down the tunnels ahead in a frightened panic as fast as he could.

“Nice job, Rainbow!” Twilight said as she came out of her hiding spot.

“I will admit, that was a rather clever idea for you to have come up with.” Rarity said, looking over at the tunnel the dragon had fled down.

“Well, it’s me who pulled it off, so was there ever any doubt?” Rainbow asked, flying a loop-the-loop in the air and flexing her forelegs proudly. “Let it be known, Rainbow Dash IS best dragon!” She said proudly.

“Just don’t let it go to yer head, Dash.” Applejack said.

“Well we better head down the hall, the sanctuary’s probably just up ahead.” Twilight said.

“Way ahead of you!” Rainbow said, flying off down the tunnel before the others, who followed quickly behind.

As they entered the next passage, the four ponies found themselves in a massive hallway, lined with gold and countless gems embedded into the wall. As they stopped and looked at them, the gems glowed brightly, taking on different colors, and words began to form...

WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT… WILL WE BE… WILL… WE... Several gems on the wall spelled out as several lit up to form each letter.

The pegasus’ eyes widened; the message that formed on the numerous glowing gems had been exactly what she was thinking.

WE HAVE TO GET THROUGH THIS! I KNOW I CAN! It spelled next.

“Check it out, this thing is totally reading my thoughts!” Rainbow said, gesturing to the wall.

“Ah’m not sure ah ever wanna know what you’re thinkin’ Dash.” Applejack said with a slight eyeroll.

RAINBOW DASH DEFINES AWESOME!!!

The pegasus chuckled. “Hey, it knows what it’s talking about, too!” She said. “Wonder if I can make that one stay."

I WONDER IF I CAN MAKE THAT ONE STAY.

“Awww…” Rainbow muttered, earning laughs from her friends. Rubbing her chin for a second, a new idea formed.

TWILIGHT’S GOT A NIIIIICE FLANK!

“W-WHAT?!” Twilight yelped, blushing heavily at the message on the wall, and Rainbow burst out laughing.

“Aw geez, Twi! You shoulda seen your face!” The pegasus said, laughing hysterically at her prank as the message faded. “Well, better get this over with.” She said, taking out the Harmony Stone and holding it out, and a soft melody began to play.

Rainbow’s father was holding her up, she was a small filly at the time…

“It’s okay, Dashie… I promise one day you’ll get to see the Equestria games…”

“But when, daddy?”

“Don’t know, but maybe when they happen again you’ll get to compete!”

“Then I’m gonna do it!”

Rainbow smiled faintly… it was a happy memory, but it was also one that happened after… She shook her head, not wanting to dwell on it, now. There were more important matters at hoof.

“Well, we better get a move-on, huh?” She asked, managing a grin. “Just one sanctuary left and we gotta find it!”

With that, she lead her friends down the rest of the tunnel, reaching an exit that would lead out into the dragon territory, where they intended to find the final piece of the puzzle to defeating the shadow king once and for all…

Author's Note

HOLY COW! TWO chapters in one night! As always, I hope this one proved to be enjoyable as well! Now to get some shut-eye!

Oh, and SANCTUARY GUARDIAN!

The Eighth Sanctuary

“Of course! It all makes sense, now!” Whooves shouted with a grin.

“What does, Doctor?” Luna asked, approaching the earth pony physicist.

“Good news and bad news, highness.” The Doctor explained as several gizmonks worked tenaciously nearby.

“Then please tell us.” Celestia said.

“Well, good news first, I have a very working theory on King Sombra’s location… unfortunately I cannot be sure until I am able to get there myself for proper study.”

“Which means?” Luna asked, cocking her head.

“Which means, highness... we’d better start packing. Send word to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor immediately! We must journey to the Crystal Empire without delay!” Whooves ordered. “Once I am certain, we can contact the bearers of the Elements, and we can set my new Phase Distorter to bring them to where…” He began. “…and when…” he muttered softly to himself. “…King Sombra should be hiding out. I only hope they can find the final sanctuaries you’ve told me of, first… if they are heading to the Badlands, then if my knowledge of this world’s history serves me well… and it always has… the last one should not be too far off once they’ve entered…”

“Wow…” Rainbow muttered, staring agape at the vast home of the dragons that stood before them. The afternoon skies bathed the many mountains and mostly barren lands before them in a dull red light, and large reptilian shapes moved about the craggy spires and mountains framing the dusty landscapes; some walking and others flying overhead.

“Shame I didn’t make us a new dragon suit…” Rarity mused.

“We’re gonna have to stay low, girls. One adolescent dragon was tough enough. Dragons are very territorial!” Twilight warned as she carefully lead the group down the hill from the cave entrance and into the crags below.

With very few trees and bushes to provide cover, the four ponies had to move fast and carefully to avoid detection as the massive reptilian beasts passed them by. The one that had taken brief residence in Smoky Mountain had proven impossible to drive off without Fluttershy’s intervention, and as she was not with them at the moment, they knew fighting a fully-grown, enraged dragon was out of the question.

“Okay…” Twilight whispered as they hid behind a rock spire. “I think the coast is clear again…” As soon as she spoke, however, a huge and scaly head turned from around the corner and roared in their faces, prompting all four ponies to scream.

“What are you four little ponyfolk doing here?” The dragon demanded, its entire body coming into view now and revealing itself to be a wyvern-type, which had wings for its forelegs.

“Heh, well you see, mister… uh…. Sir…” Twilight began, rubbing the back of her neck nervously. “We’re sorta on a mission, we came through the Ancient Hoard tunnel and—”

“Is that SO…” The wyvern asked, grinning as he licked his lips and approached more. “How… deliciously fascinating…”

“Look, we ain’t here for trouble or nothin’!” Applejack said.

“Oh, just like the other three who thought I didn’t spot them sneaking around here?” The wyvern asked with a deep belly laugh. “I know their type… they love gems… and I’m sure you ponies would just love to get your hooves on the thousands of gems in any dragon’s hoard… They were fortunate to escape into the volcano caves south of here… you on the other claw… I’m doubting it…”

The dragon drew in a deep breath, Twilight quickly summoned up a barrier to protect herself and her friends, or would have, if they weren’t interrupted by a loud and familiar fanfare.

“What in the world?!” The wyvern asked, looking around for the source of the noise and then looking up, noticing the spinning figure descending then staring in confusion at the ponies’ exasperated looks.

“Hello, ponies and dragon!” Discord said cheerfully as he touched down. “What can I say? I don’t miss good photo opportunities when I see them and you four being cornered by a very angry dragon is just too good to miss!”

“Does the fact we’re in mortal danger mean anything to you, Discord?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Perhaps you could be so kind as to pop in after we handle this brute?” Rarity asked, though the trembling in her tone defied the certainty of her words, especially when smoke puffed from its nostrils as it glared down at them.

“How can I be sure that’ll happen? I’m not a fan of grimdark so I wouldn’t want to photograph the aftermath… or have to bear tragic news to friend and family alike!” Discord said matter-of-factly. “So let’s just go with this! Ready? Say fuzzy pickles!”

The wyvern cocked an eyebrow as he looked at Discord “Fuzzy what?!”

The click of the camera gave the wyvern Discord’s response, and soon a photo slid out, depicting the worried looks of Twilight, Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack and enough of the wyvern’s gigantic face was in the photo to capture its confused expression.

“Well this one came out just perfect!” Discord said, looking it over with a goggle eyepiece that had appeared in his claw out of thin air. “Sure to bring back truly wonderful memories! Well, I don’t wish to hold you up, so I’ll just let you all get back to your impending doom! Ta-ta!” The draconequus declared, raising his claw up and spinning back up into the sky, vanishing in a flash of light.

A second of silence passed before the dragon narrowed his eyes and returned his focus on the four ponies. “Now where were we?” The wyvern wondered. “Oh yes…” He said with a grin before drawing in a deep breath and releasing a burst of fire. Twilight hurriedly summoned her barrier, protecting them from the flames before they began running, the wyvern crawling after them as they approached a small crater. Leaping into the air and landing in the crater, the wyvern’s impact knocked the four over. “Now, who wants to be dinner, first?” The wyvern asked.

Everyone froze as the ground suddenly shook. The wyvern stared down for a second, a look of worry on its face as it realized what it’d landed on before the crater blew apart and the beast was blasted hundreds of feet up into the sky by a mighty geyser that had erupted out of the ground. Seconds later, the wyvern plummeted back down, crashing into the ground and letting out a slight moan before passing out.

“Well that was close!” Applejack remarked.

“What was that anyway?” Rainbow asked.

“There’s a volcano here… it all makes sense, now. The volcano’s heat and underground magma flow are probably responsible for the steam pressure of underground water causing geysers… no doubt there are hot springs as well.” Twilight remarked as they abandoned the unconscious dragon and walked towards the volcano in curiosity.

As they continued, however, a flash of light appeared before them, and there stood a translucent image of Princess Luna.

“Luna? What are you doing here?” Rainbow asked

“I come bearing important news, subjects.” The Princess of the Night explained. “Celestia and I have taken the liberty of studying the nature of these ‘sanctuaries’ and now have a full understanding of them.”

“And…?” Rainbow asked.

“Rainbow Dash, you were the one entrusted with the Harmony Stone from the future, correct?” Luna asked.

“Yeah, so?” Rainbow asked.

“This adventure has chosen you to lead it. It is you who is burying an inner strength that will help you and your friends against Sombra.” Luna explained. “These places are ancient parts of the world that existed before Equestria’s founding, places of great spiritual influence.” She approached the pegasus. “And with each one, you have made them your own sanctuaries… I have seen fragments of your dreams, Rainbow Dash. There is still something holding back your full potential.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m as awesome and strong as ever! Didn’t you see me handle that dragon back before?” Rainbow asked.

“Bravado and true inner strength are separate things, Rainbow Dash.” The princess explained. “As Princess of the Night, I see into the deepest thoughts, the souls of ponykind. I sensed you tapping into the seventh sanctuary and freeing it of the corrupted creature Sombra had guided to protect it from you. Your next, and last sanctuary will be found… there.” She said, pointing her hoof out to the distant volcano. “…In Mount Lavan.”

“You know about this volcano?” Rarity asked.

“Of course I do, Rarity.” Luna said. “Mount Lavan is an active volcano, its lava flows create the hot springs dragons are known to bathe in, and are also known to cause the occasional tremor when a geyser is about to go off…” As Luna said this, the ground trembled slightly and another geyser in the distance erupted.

“There is a myth that an ancient lava monster once lived there, but was destroyed long ago when he tried to increase his power to become a being of diamond crystal. The magical residue left from his destruction made the volcano fully active again, and his remains left a spring of magical flame called the Fire Ruby Grave.”

“A volcano, huh? Well that sounds mighty safe…” Applejack said.

“So this must be why Sombra’s attempted to keep us away from the Badlands!” Twilight said.

“That would be my assumption.” Luna replied, looking at Rainbow Dash again. “No doubt Sombra has guided another foe for you to face before you can claim its power. Defeat it and awaken the power of this last sanctuary. Then, Rainbow Dash… you will face a trial that will free you of your greatest burden… should you succeed.”

“My… greatest burden?” Rainbow asked, looking away and not wishing to address it. “Well what’re we waiting for? We better at least get there before any more dragons come around!” Rainbow said as she looked at her friends.

“My sister and I wish you luck. Go now, to Mount Lavan. When you have finished, return to your friends and meet us at the Crystal Empire. We will be waiting for you.” Luna said, her horn glowing and she vanished in a bright flash.

“Phew, think the heat’s up enough in ‘ere?” Applejack asked, fanning herself with her hat as they entered the cave at the base of the volcano, and it did not take long for the place to start feeling a great deal warmer.

“Interesting. By now we should be choking from the heat and sulfur…” Twilight wondered. “Must be the magical properties of this place’s activity. Still, though… I wouldn’t recommend messing with anything hot.”

“Like oh, say, EVERYTHING?" Rarity asked, noticing thin trails of lava running along in deep crevices down below, small fires burned here and there, and red gems embedded in the walls gave off a magnificent red illumination to the place, prompting an awed expression from the unicorn. “Oh my goodness! Fire rubies! Fire rubies everywhere!!!” She squealed in excitement before shrinking down sheepishly from the stares her friends gave her.

“Sorry, just… it’s positively dazzling! Nearly impossible to get in Equestria and here they are by the loads in this volcano!” Rarity beamed.

“Well, given the conditions, it probably makes sense.” Twilight said. “And the entrance is too small for dragons to get through, so it’s probably undisturbed…” She then noticed several holes in the walls where she suspected some gems once were. “…Mostly.”

“Well, I feel it’s only appropriate I procure one for little Spikey-wikey for the time he gave me his!” Rarity said, using her magic to pry one loose and dropping it into her saddlebag. “But who do you suppose could have been here? I highly doubt that, like you said, many dragons would be able to enter this place.”

“We’re not alone in here, that’s for sure…” Rainbow said, noticing several blobs of lava suddenly emerged from the crevices and began to slither towards them as if alive. “Whoa! Look out!”

Rainbow leaped into the air, narrowly avoiding getting incinerated by a stream of flame the lava blob seemed to throw at her. Turning, Twilight fired a blue bolt of magic that froze it in place. The ice shattered seconds later, revealing a lifeless black rock.

“There’s more comin’, Twi!” Applejack warned as the other living blobs of lava approached.

“Oh what I would give to know advanced ice magic right about now!” Rarity protested as she edged away from an advancing lava blob as it suddenly burst into flame. The unicorn shrieked and leaped away, barely avoiding getting scorched. Twilight fired another blast of ice magic, freezing it as well.

Looking around at her hoofwork, Twilight looked towards the passage ahead. “We should probably move before more come!” She ordered, and the four hurried onward deeper into the volcanic caves.

“These tracks look familiar…” Applejack remarked, looking at the strange paw prints in the ground.

“Yeah, they look… doglike!” Rainbow said.

“You don’t think…?” Rarity muttered, her eyes wide.

“A place full of big shiny hoards and a volcano full of fire rubies? I wouldn’t doubt it.” Twilight said.

“Well I simply can NOT allow those ruffians to plunder these caves! Let’s get moving!” Rarity snapped, and the four hurried down the tunnels and soon found themselves in what appeared to be crumbled ruins of an ancient palace. Broken columns lay about everywhere, small fire ruby spires and gems jutting out of places in the walls and tiled ground, and up ahead was a set of crumbling stairs leading up.

“Ah’m gonna reckon the Fire Ruby Grave’s gotta be up there!” Applejack said, taking note of the increasing number of fire rubies, though there were signs of digging all around and as they drew closer, they noticed a few sacks filled with chunks of the precious red gem. Lava flowed down the sides of the ruined palace and into the depths of the volcano, framing the stairs, and at the top was an archway leading deeper into the volcano.

“Come on out, you mutts!” Rainbow shouted, looking around.

“Argh! Who’re you calling mutts?!” A growly voice asked and a short, tan-colored diamond dog stepped out of the archway and snarled.

“What’s going on, Spot?” Another, deeper voice protested and a large, brutish blue diamond dog emerged as well. “Ack! It’s those ponies again!”

“You try to loot volcano! We got here first, ponies!” Spot snapped. “Let’s show these pesky ponies how big a mistake they make, Fido!”

“Oh yes!” Fido said with a growl as the two approached, drawing out a pair of dynamite sticks and flinging them, setting off explosions that sent the four ponies tumbling backward near the stairs.

“Like we’re really scared of you two stooges? Get ‘em, Twi!” Applejack said, and with a nod, Twilight summoned her Starstorm spell, causing explosive blasts of magic to rain down on the two diamond dogs, causing them to cry out and yelp in a panic as they attempted to flee.

“You ain’t goin’ nowhere!” Applejack said, whipping out her lasso and snaring the two canine creatures.

“Wait a sec, weren’t there originally three of these guys?” Rainbow asked.

“Heh! Rover found the biggest shiny place of all!” Fido said with a chuckle, and worried looks quickly crossed the ponies’ faces.

“Oh no…” Twilight muttered. “Rainbow, you don’t think…”

Rainbow hurriedly pulled out the Harmony Stone and held it out towards the archway, only to be met with a horrible, earsplitting screeching noise.

“He did…” Rainbow said, nursing her sore ears.

A chuckling was heard and light shone from the archway, growing brighter then before.

“So much power! Ha ha!” Rover declared proudly, clenching his paw into a fist as he approached from it. “This place is diamond dog’s volcano now! Take it from us, if you dare!” He shouted, raising his paws up and twin bursts of flame emitted from them, his eyes glowing a fiery red instead of their usual green as the distorted melody of the corrupted sanctuary began to echo around them.

“Get those pesky ponies, Rover!” Spot cheered, prompting Applejack to buck him in the face to knock him unconscious.

“We’re gonna make you pay for costing us all those gems last time!” Rover shouted, thrusting his paws forward and flinging a pair of fireballs at the four ponies, causing them to immediately scatter. The diamond dog laughed madly as he began flinging more, one after the other at any pony that caught his attention.

“Can’t catch me!” Rainbow said, zipping around several fireballs and then flying straight at Rover, decking him in the face with her hoof. Rover snarled and raised up his fiery paws again, creating a whip of flame as he swung it at the pegasus, striking several parts of the ceiling and making stalactites rain down. Rainbow swerved out of the way and avoided most of them, until one lucky hit from a falling rock struck her on the back and sent her plummeting back down to the floor.

“What was that you were saying, pony?” Rover asked, the fire whip transforming into a large fireball that he prepared to fling at her.

Rarity rushed across the tile floor and fired several magic blasts at Rover, causing the fireball he was holding to explode on him, startling the diamond dog. Turning, he began flinging several at Rarity as she countered with more magic blasts, making them explode before they could reach her or her friends. “You never quit, do you? And clearly your sense of hygiene has not improved in the least, may I just add!” She snapped.

“ARGH! Still so annoying!” Rover shouted. “You get fried first, pony!” He said, shoving his paw out and a long stream of fire shot from it, slightly scorching the top of Rarity’s mane and prompting a laugh from Fido.

“MY MANE!!!” Rarity shouted, before her horrified expression became one of pure rage. “I… WILL… DESTROY YOU!” She screamed out, using her magic to levitate several chunks of fallen stone and flinging them one after another at the diamond dog, who struggled to blow up as many as he could with his fireballs but several got through and knocked him over, bruising him up.

“No one… NO ONE…. Pony or otherwise… defiles my mane!” Rarity said lividly, firing magical blasts at the diamond dog. “Stay out of this one, girls, this uncouth fiend is MINE!”

“Ah don’t think ah’ve ever seen Rarity this mad…” Applejack said, looking over at Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who shook their heads in agreement.

“…And furthermore I will expect a full apology from you once I have put you in your place for burning a lady’s mane!” Rarity shouted, bombarding the diamond dog with magical blasts as she rushed at him.

“ENOUGH!” Rover shouted, bursting into flame as Rarity charged at him and swatting her aside as she came to a halt to avoid getting burned. “You ponies think you’re better then us? We are not mice, we are diamond dogs! And when we’re through with you, any of you who live will pull out every last one of these fire rubies for us!!!” He shouted, raising his paws up and a prismatic rainbow of colors covered his body. Rover’s form grew a few inches, his shape becoming more rigid and sharper, with spikes jutting from his shoulders and elbows, his ears and snout becoming straighter and more pointed, and his eyes now glowed brightly. As the colorful aura faded, the four ponies could see his appearance had changed drastically; his entire body now looked to be made entirely out of diamond crystal.

“I….” Rarity stammered, not sure how to react to this.

“Ha! Not so confident are you, now, pony!” Rover said with a grin, showing of glistening gemlike teeth as his eyes flashed brightly, freezing the unicorn in her place.

“Applejack! C’mon!” Rainbow shouted, flying at the crystalline diamond dog with Applejack galloping right behind her, the two leaped forward with their hooves aimed out, and struck with all their might.

As soon as they hit, the impact sent them both flying and tumbling away.

“Whoa… he’s mighty tough now…” Applejack muttered as she stood back up.

“Ha ha! Yessss!” Rover sneered. “So much power this shiny place gives! Ponies stand no chance against diamond dogs now!” He said, raising his paw up and a giant crystal spire erupted right from under Rainbow Dash, nearly impaling the pegasus as she narrowly leaped out of the way. The spire broke free from the ground and tilted its pointed tip towards Rarity, who still sat there in a stupefied daze.

“Rarity! Snap out of it!” Twilight shouted to her friend, who remained unresponsive. Quickly, Twilight took aim at the floating chunk of crystal and fired a blast of magic at it, shattering it and causing it crumble over top of Rover, who thrashed about and swatted them away angrily. Turning towards Twilight, Rover’s eyes began to glow again and a dazzling light emitted from them. The unicorn closed her eyes just in time and fired another magic blast, this time at the crystal dog. Rover cried out and stumbled back, shocked that his crystal armor did not protect him from the magic attack.

“Ah-ha!” Twilight said with a grin. “His armor’s not resistant to magic! If we can crack it, we should be able to defeat him!” She said. “Get the big bottle rocket out of my saddle bag, girls, and use it when I say so.”

“On it, Twi.” Applejack said, opening Twilight’s saddlebag and recovering the bottle rocket, which magically grew to its proper size as soon as it was removed.

“You’ll pay for that, pony!” Rover snapped, levitating several chunks of shattered crystal and sending them flying at Twilight, who quickly summoned a barrier to block them.

“I think that’s enough from you! Rainbow said, taking to the air and flying circles around the crystal dog, sucking all the crystal shards into a small tornado and sending them flying off into the archway. “You’re clear, Twi!”

Immediately, Twilight summoned another Starstorm spell and rained down magical blasts on Rover, causing numerous chips and cracks to appear in his crystalline armor as he attempted to block it.

“No! Stop!” Rover shouted, charging up another dazzling light, only to suddenly be blasted in the back by a blue bolt of magic.

“Bad dog!” Rarity snapped, back on her hooves and firing another magic blast at him, causing a series of cracks to appear in his chest and the glow of his crystal armor began fading.

“And NOW!” Twilight said as Applejack tossed the bottle rocket to her. Using her magic to charge up the bottle rocket and light it, Twilight launched it at the distracted diamond dog, striking him in the chest and knocking him into the archway, the bottle rocket exploding on impact. As the smoke cleared, Rover lay barely conscious on the ground, surrounded by shards of his destroyed crystal armor, the magical glow fading from his body and the distorted melody fading away with it.

“Honestly, I don’t understand you diamond dogs, you’re always so mean, greedy, filthy, and rude and might I add absolutely appalling in every way!” Rarity complained as she paced around the fallen diamond dog with a disapproving tone that prompted him to cover his ears frantically.

Rover growled in exasperation. “I can’t take this annoying whiny pony anymore!” He cried out.

“Whining? Do I need to remind you of the difference between whining and complaining again?” Rarity asked sternly, and Rover’s eyes widened with absolute horror.

“F-Fido…” The diamond dog gasped out.

“Y-yeah?” The largest diamond dog asked.

“G-get us… out of here… now! Before she starts whining again and makes us want to hurt ourselves!” Rover pleaded.

“Right away!” Fido said, sliding himself out of the lasso Applejack had left unattended and grabbing up Rover and Spot, before sprinting down the stairs and leaving the cave as fast as he could.

“Well… that wasn’t so hard, was it?” Rarity asked the others with a smile.

“If ya say so, Rarity. He almost had ya there, though.” Applejack said. “But really, all that for a few scorched mane hairs?”

“A. FEW scorched…. Mane hairs?!” Rarity asked, indignant. “I’ll have you know I spend a copious amount of time making sure my mane looks positively fabulous and unquestionably presentable, even for adventures such as this. Not that you’d understand.”

“Whatever ya say…” Applejack muttered, facehoofing. “So is everypony else alright?”

“Yeah, I’m good.” Twilight said. “By my guess the Fire Ruby Grave is right through that door!” she explained, gesturing up ahead.

“Well then let’s go!” Rainbow said, flying in front of the others. Going through the archway, they found themselves in another part of the ruined volcanic palace, though it was in notably better condition. At the center of the tiled floor was a dome of fire ruby crystal with a hole in its center, where magical flame danced in the center.

The pegasus slowly took out the Harmony Stone and held it out. Closing her eyes, Rainbow could hear the soft melody play from it, and a faint light seemed to grow all around her.

A tiny cyan pegasus foal lay there in a crib, looking right up at her. She had a tiny mane that had the colors of the rainbow, and large rose-colored eyes that stared at Rainbow Dash in curiosity and wonder.

“Rainbow?” Twilight asked, her voice sounding faint and distant.

“Dear… are you alright?” Rarity asked, her voice even more faint then Twilight’s had been.

“Hey, Dash! Anypony there?” Applejack called out to her, sounding almost inaudible.

The cave, the world itself, all seemed to slowly begin to fade around her, bathed in growing light.

“What’s… happening…” The pegasus muttered, her voice echoing into the emptiness of the warm light that surrounded her, the melodies from the eight places she and her friends had visited playing in succession all around her as she felt more and more tired, and the last traces of the world faded from her...

Author's Note

A THIRD chapter done! Hope you all enjoyed this final sanctuary battle, and be ready for one of the most memorable metaphysical moments in Mother history next time around! :twilightsmile:

SANCTUARY GUARDIAN!

And of course...

What Dreams May Come

Gray… everything was gray when Rainbow opened her eyes, finding herself resting on a cloud. A gray sky, a gray sun, a gray field far down below. All around her, a soft melody seemed to echo in the gentle breeze.

“Where… am I?” Rainbow wondered aloud, rubbing the back of her head as she looked around. Her friends, the volcano caves, nowhere to be found; but where she’d awoken looked oddly familiar.

A few clouds up ahead, Rainbow noticed a familiar cloud house, though it seemed impossible as the rest of Cloudsdale was not surrounding it. She didn’t know why, but she felt compelled to fly closer. Despite the colorless world around her, nothing seemed hostile but rather very serene, like an old film or even some lost memory. Spreading her wings and flying towards the cloud house she had lived in for much of her young life, the pegasus reached the door and pushed it open.

“Hello?” she asked, her eyes widening as she took in her surroundings. Everything looked familiar; the furnature and rooms, the bookshelf in the corner, and the photograph sitting above the mantle. Approaching it, Rainbow took the photo and looked it over.

In the frame was a picture of a mare, maybe a few years older then herself, in a Wonderbolt uniform and smiling at the camera. Captain Firefly, one of the most renowned Wonderbolts that had ever lived, named after the squad's founding general, the fastest flier in Equestria in her day, and Rainbow Dash’s mother.

The mother she’d not seen in years…

“Isn’t she beautiful?” a female voice asked from upstairs.

“Just like you, sweetie!” a male voice replied.

Glancing towards the stairs, Rainbow quietly put down the photo and walked over to the stairs, going up to the second floor.

“She’s got her father’s mane!” the female voice giggled.

“Well, I think it looks great on her!” the male voice replied with a laugh as Rainbow cautiously reached the end of a hallway and cracked open the door, peering through.

Two ponies she knew all too well, even with the world devoid of its color, stood there, peering into a small crib that the mare rocked gently while the stallion nudged his hoof in, prompting a soft giggle from within. Neither seemed to be aware of her presence, as though she were watching a memory from outside.

Suddenly, the crib’s occupant flew out at incredible speed, the stallion catching a tiny pegasus foal.

“Wow! Did you see that?” the stallion asked his wife with a big smile. “I’d say she’s got her mom’s speed, wouldn’t you?”

The mare chuckled softly and joined her husband. The foal reached its forelegs out and attempted to hug both her parents, snuggling up to them.

“Rainbow Dash was a perfect name for her,” The mare said with a smile, looking down lovingly at her foal.

“Look at that! Am I right suspecting we’ll have another Wonderbolt in the family?” the father joked as the foal stared at a poster on the wall and giggled again.

“Maybe? I guess we’ll see,” The mother replied with a playful smirk not much different from Rainbow’s own. “Whatever she decides she wants to be in life, what matters most is that she grows to be a good, loyal pony,” she said, rocking the foal gently in her forehooves, and she hummed a familiar melody that caused the foal to slowly close her eyes and snuggle up in her mother’s embrace.

That song… Rainbow thought to herself, she could remember it now, where she’d first heard it. Before she could draw any closer, however, everything faded into whiteness again.

Rainbow awoke to strange, quirky music around her. Opening her eyes, she found herself on a large cloud resembling an island of some kind. Stranger still, were large apples growing out of the cloud, and daisies swaying back and forth. Beyond the cloud was a vast blue sky that spanned in every direction.

“Ah, I see you’re awake,” a voice said next to her. Rainbow turned and saw what appeared to be Princess Luna looking down at her.

“Princess Luna?” Rainbow asked. “Where am I? Why does it look like Discord messed around with the clouds?”

“This is the dreamscape realm of Magicant,” Luna said, looking around. “I had spoken of a trial you would have to overcome once you had awoken the power of the sanctuaries.”

“Magi-what?” Rainbow asked. “Trial?”

“That you will find out for yourself, Rainbow Dash," Luna replied. "This is a world created from your own mind. Your thoughts, your dreams, your fantasies, your wishes… all brought to life.”

“So it’s like my ideal world?” Rainbow asked, wondering how the abstract design could have possibly been that.

“Not exactly. It is not those things come true, rather it reflects those things. But there is another part of it, Rainbow Dash. One you must find courage and inner strength to face.”

“Where’s that?” Rainbow asked, looking around again.

“You’ll find that out for yourself in good time,” Luna said. “For now, I must leave you. I wish you luck, Rainbow Dash. Take your time and look around, you may learn things about yourself that way,” the Princess said, vanishing before the pegasus’ eyes.

Getting up and wandering about, Rainbow passed a few cloud homes and decided to check them out. Peering in, she was taken by surprise at who was inside.

“Heya, Dash! ‘Sup?” Gilda asked, reclining in a chair alongside Lightning Dust, the reckless cadet from Wonderbolts Academy.

“Whoa, Gilda? You’re here? And Lightning Dust?” Rainbow asked, staring in disbelief.

“What’d you expect, Father Hearth’s Warming?” Gilda asked, laughing and bumping a fist with Lightning Dust’s hoof. “Look, I’m… lousy with apologies but I think somewhere in my mind I know what I did back there was totally lame of me. I hope we can be friends again someday, Dash,” the griffon said, the look on her face absent of any arrogance but rather a hopefulness Rainbow would not have expected from her former friend.

“Me, too… do you think I’ll ever get Spitfire’s forgiveness?” Lightning Dust asked sadly. “I can change, can’t I?”

“Uhhh… sure, whatever,” Rainbow said, not having expected this out of her former partner at the academy.

“I really hope so,” Lightning Dust said, looking downcast as she, Gilda, and the cloud house faded away and the odd, cloud-island itself became a dull blue color.

“Okay, that was weird,” Rainbow muttered to herself as she wandered off. It was strange… very strange to hear those words. Still, somewhere in her mind, she had hoped Gilda would one day come around, and that Lightning Dust could learn from her mistakes. Was that what that strange encounter was all about? She soon found herself in front of another cloud home, where she saw Spitfire, Soarin, and Fleetfoot exercising.

“Hey, cadet!” Spitfire said with a salute. “I’m betting you had a lot of excitement lately since you left Ponyville!”

“Yeah, you could say that!” Rainbow said sheepishly.

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m proud of you, cadet,” Spitfire replied. “At this rate, I’m almost wondering if I’ll run out of things to teach you before you’re done!”

“Thanks, ma’am,” Rainbow responded, smirking. “Believe me, there’s no way somepony like me can take that long to make the team, right?” she asked, only to discover the room was now empty, and before long, the cloud house faded away and the island became a soft pastel yellow color. Up ahead, Rainbow’s eyes widened when she saw her father, laying on a couch on a picnic blanket. Next to him was Tank and Scootaloo.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo said with a big smile as she rushed over and hugged her surrogate sister as she approached. “How’ve you been? You look like you’ve been through a lot!”

“I’m fine, squirt… fine as I can be in a weird place like this!” Rainbow replied.

“How can it be weird? It’s your world!” Scootaloo asked, confused. “Well, why don’t you hang around here a bit?”

“Sure, why not?” Rainbow answered, walking over to the couch. Her father looked over at her and smiled.

“Dashie! I’ve missed you!” Rainbow Blitz said, giving his daughter a hug.

“Hey, dad!” Rainbow said, blushing in embarrassment as Scootaloo giggled.

“This couch brings back the memories, doesn’t it?” Blitz asked, gesturing to the luxurious cloud sofa behind him. “I know your mom would be so proud of you with all you’ve managed to do, Dashie.”

Rainbow’s ears drooped a little, but she managed a smile. “Yeah, I guess.”

“I know it’s not an easy thing to think about, Dashie. It isn’t for me, either,” her father said sadly as he sat on the couch, joined by his daughter. Rainbow froze in place as a sudden flash of a memory invaded her mind.

Mommy! Mommy! I’m right here! Can’t you hear me?

Rainbow squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head frantically, fighting back tears as the cloud and sky around her darkened a little.

“You’re a brave, strong mare, Dashie. I couldn’t be more proud of you,” Her father said with a warm smile. “And I promise we’re gonna get to see the Equestria Games the next time they come.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow replied softly, hugging her dad tightly. “Whether I’m watching ‘em or better yet competing in ‘em, I want you to be there!” Rainbow said.

“That’s a promise, Dashie!” Blitz replied. “Now why don’t you go do some more exploring. I think somepony is waiting for you further down,” he said, giving her a friendly shooing gesture. Giving a nod and a hoofbump to her father and Scootaloo, Rainbow turned and noticed a new path had appeared on the clouds. Walking along she found herself in what appeared to be a long bridge of clouds.

Suddenly, the Smooze rose up in front of her, the large, gelatinous being looming over her for a moment before curling up and sulking.

“You stopped me… you ponies stopped the Smooze! How?” he asked in a sad tone.

“’Cause we’re just that awesome, pal!” Rainbow said with a small, cocky smirk, walking past the giant purple ooze as it remained where it sat.

“Query. Do you think me and Sister Unit dream, too?” the Sweetie Bot asked, suddenly walking beside her. Rainbow nearly jumped from her sudden arrival.

“I… I dunno? Do robots dream of robotic sheep?” Rainbow asked.

“Error. Uncertain of response. Locating Sister Unit for consultation,” The Sweetie Bot said, wandering off and the clouds took on a lighter shade.

“I say, brother of mine, take a look at her, will ya?” Flim asked, suddenly appearing in front of the pegasus, causing her to pause.

“Oh I am, brother of mine!” Flam said. “But for what reason?”

“Quite simple! She reminds me of us in our colthood! Daring, bold, and ready to face the world with determination!” Flim said, before adopting a sly smirk. “Or IS she?”

“I guess we don’t know for sure, brother!” Flam said, never losing his peppy tone.

“Oh well, but I guess there’s nothing we can do for her now!” Flim said with a shrug.

“Do for me?!” Rainbow asked. “You mean aside from ripping me off and using me to help save your flanks?”

The brothers turned and talked amongst themselves, then looked back at her.

“Wellllllll…. Sure! We can go with that!” Flim said with a smile. “At any rate, at least we’re totally up-front about who we are, right?” he asked, grinning.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rainbow asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Ohhhh, maybe you’ll see!” Flam said with a smirk, and the two vanished, the cloud path turning a magenta color while the sky turned a darker blue shade.

Shaking her head in disbelief, Rainbow continued onward, finding herself at what looked like a playground of some sort, an odd blend of Ponyville’s and Cloudsdale’s schools. Fillies and colts of all kinds ran about, playing games together, and many of them she recognized from her fillyhood, along with, strangely enough, many of the younger ponies she knew back home today, including the Crusaders and their classmates. A ball suddenly rolled towards her, and a small blue filly with a rainbow mane and tail approached. “Wow! Are you me?” she asked, looking up at her with matching eyes full of awe.

“Yup, sounds about right, kiddo!” Rainbow said with a smile. “How’ve you been?”

“Oh, just playing with the other fillies, trying to get Fluttershy over there to just catch a pass already,” the filly version of her said, gesturing to a yellow pegasus filly who just seemed to hide her face behind her mane as best she could.

“Hey, c’mon! You gonna get that ball already?” a filly version of Cloudchaser asked eagerly, her sister Flitter standing next to her.

“Hang on!” the filly Rainbow called over with an eyeroll. “Well it’s been so cool meeting you, knowing I’m gonna look so awesome when I grow up!” she said, taking the ball in her hooves and fluttering over to rejoin the other ponies.

“Heh… imagine that,” Rainbow said with an amused smirk. Seconds later, however, she thought she heard a soft crying. Approaching a tree growing out of the clouds, Rainbow found the source; a small blue unicorn filly with a mane and tail that were an almost white shade. Even though the pony was a filly, Rainbow recognized her right away.

“Trixie…” Rainbow's expression grew cold. The filly squeaked and turned, cowering from Rainbow’s harsh tone.

“W-what d-do you w-want with me?” the filly asked, before attempting a brave face. “S-stay back! I-I’m the Gweat and Powaful Twixie! I’ll… I’ll do magic on you if you try to hurt me!” she protested as she began to back away but ended up tripping over her cape and falling on her back, and immediately began crying again.

Needless to say, it was odd to see the normally arrogant showmare looking so helpless and… vulnerable, especially after all her recent run-ins with her. “What’s wrong?” Rainbow asked curtly.

The filly started crying more, curling up next to the tree. “Nopony likes me! Nopony ever liked me! I-I try to play with the others, t-try to impress them hoping they will, b-but…” Her voice continued trembling as she fought tears. “They just keep laughing at me! I-I just… I just wish I could become a gweat and powaful magician that everypony could love and want to see… and maybe…” She sniffled, curling up tighter. “M-maybe then I can finally have friends… b-but how long will that take? What if I never make any friends?”

Rainbow never would have imagined that in some way, she and Trixie had common ground. Both put on a brave, cool persona to be accepted and admired, though Trixie took it too far… then again her friends did occasionally feel she showed off too much. The whole Mare Do Well incident was proof of that. Was this what she saw Trixie as, deep down? A lonely, insecure pony who just wanted friends, and may not have had any growing up?

I was just like that in flight school… Fluttershy was the only one who had it worse… she thought to herself, remembering how Fluttershy suffering the same bullies that pushed her around had prompted her to stand up for her. This wasn’t the Trixie she knew, this poor filly needed somepony to be there for her.

“Listen, kid,” Rainbow said, gently brushing away the filly Trixie’s tears. “You gotta be more confident. Follow your dreams and don’t give up, alright?” she asked. “Here…” She put her hoof around the filly and let her cry into her chest. After a few moments, the young unicorn looked up at her.

“Thanks… for being so nice,” the filly Trixie said. “Twixie doesn’t… I don’t… know if I deserve it, but…” She looked away for a second, then back up at her. “Will… will you be Twixie’s friend?” she asked, fear in her voice out of worry of being rejected.

“Sure I will, kid!” Rainbow said with a smile, giving the filly a small nudge. “If you promise me you’ll go try one more time with those ponies. Just have a little more confidence, okay?” she asked.

“I will!” the filly said, her face lighting up with a smile. “Thanks so much!” she said, hugging Rainbow and grabbing up her hat, rushing over to go play with the others. As Rainbow watched, she smiled in satisfaction as this time, the young Trixie was accepted in and soon began having fun with the others.

As heartwarming as it felt for the pegasus to have been there to comfort a young Trixie, she felt a knot in her stomach knowing that the one she knew was far less friendly or eager for friendship, and it made Rainbow wonder for a moment, if she could have ended up the same way, without the support of friends, or friends she could be there to support. She didn’t want to admit it to anypony, but sometimes deep down, she felt as though her self-esteem was hardly any higher then Fluttershy’s; that all her bravado really was just a cover.

Memories of the Best Young Fliers’ competition came to mind, when she’d been overwhelmed by fear of failure and humiliation. She hated to lose, because she hated failure, and she hated failure because…

Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash! Rainbow Crash!

Rainbow collapsed on the soft cloud beneath her, curling up as that hated insult rang through her mind and she no longer felt as awesome as she usually did. Now she just felt like she was just doing what she realized now she had done her whole life; try to impress everypony and try to prove everypony who laughed at her was wrong.

“That was very sweet what you did for that little filly, Rainbow. You’re as loyal a pony as I could ever ask for,” a female voice Rainbow had not heard in person for so long but knew right away said behind her as the odd music faded into a more somber melody. Turning, Rainbow saw a pink pegasus mare with a blue mane and tail, a pair of blue lightning bolts adorning her flank.

“…Mom?” Rainbow asked. “Mom!” She immediately flew over and wrapped her hooves around the other pegasus, hoping to Celestia that this wasn’t an illusion. Fresh tears formed in Rainbow’s eyes as she felt her mother return the embrace.

“I missed you so much!” Rainbow said, sobbing as she continued to hold onto her mother tight, her tears flowing down her cheeks as all her emotions she’d held inside her for so many years spilled out.

“It has been a long time, hasn’t it?” Her mother asked with a warm smile. “And look at how much you’ve grown! Your dad and I knew you’d become a very pretty mare when you grew up!”

“I guess,” Rainbow said, blushing as she attempted to wipe away her tears. “A-and… it has… dad misses you, too. He doesn’t say it but I know he does. I-I...” She tried to hold back any more tears. “I… I still remember… when I… when I lost you.”

It had been the worst moment of her life… she’d been just a small filly. The storm… her mother rushing out to help stop it… missing for two days… then the hospital…

The sky dimmed, as though an unseen sun were setting.

“Rainbow, do you know why I’m here with you, now?” her mother asked. The pegasus shook her head. “Because you’ve always remembered me. Because I’m always with you, even if I’m not there to touch, or hold you. You’ve always remembered me, and on that night, I went out there because I loved you more then anything in the world. I quitted the Wonderbolts because I had you, because you and your father were the two most wonderful things in my life. More then anything I ever did as a Wonderbolt,” she explained, nuzzling her daughter.

“W-what are you… saying, mom?” Rainbow asked, scared she could lose her again.

“Rainbow, there’s more to this world then just your happiest memories, or the dreams you want. There’s a darker part of this world… and it’s just down that path,” she said, gesturing to a path of clouds that seemed to grow darker and darker the further it went, spiraling downward. Within, a maelstrom of black clouds churned at the center.

“What is that?” Rainbow asked.

“That’s the path to the darker parts of Magicant, your sorrow you’ve kept buried all this time… and your fears… they’re represented by that storm. At its center is a dark part of your own mind that you’ve never been able to confront before. The nightmares that have haunted you all these years.”

“And… I have to go in there?” Rainbow asked.

“…Yes,” her mother answered. “I’m sorry, Rainbow, but I cannot follow. It’s something only you can overcome.”

“Why do I have to?” Rainbow asked, hugging her mother again. “Why can’t I have you back? Why do I have to lose you again?” She protested, tears forming again. Emotion overcame the normally brash pegasus again as she held her mother once more, crying into her chest. “I don’t want to leave you!” she pleaded. “Not when I just got you back!”

“Oh, Rainbow…” Firefly held her daughter close. “You’ll never lose me. No matter what you face, no matter what happens, always remember that. Your friends are waiting for you, too. You need to wake up from this dream and be the good, loyal friend to them again, the kind of pony I’d always hoped you’d be. You’ve always been there for them in the past… let them be there for you when you need them, too.”

After a few moments, Rainbow was able to calm down, and nuzzled her mother gently. “Okay,” she said softly. “But… before I go, can you please… one more time, the song you’d sing me when I was a filly?”

“Of course, Rainbow,” her mother replied with a smile, holding Rainbow and she began humming the melody, one last time for her daughter as they sat down together on the clouds.

After several moments, Rainbow heard her mother’s lullaby reach its end, and they stood up, facing one-another.

“Good luck, Rainbow,” her mother said, giving Rainbow one last doting nuzzle.

“Thanks, mom,” Rainbow said with a sad smile.

“Even though I can’t follow you, here’s somepony who can. She may not look it, but she’s going to help you stay strong,” her mother said, turning as a small, dark blue filly came over.

“...Princess Luna?” Rainbow asked, surprised.

“Yup! I’m Woona! I’ll be your courage!” the filly manifestation of the alicorn princess said with a big, friendly smile. “I think my big sister woulda wanted it this way,” she said, looking over at a cloud house where a small tombstone over a very tiny grave sat. “She sacrificed everything to set you on this journey, so now you gotta finish it.”

“Uh, okay,” Rainbow said. “I guess I’ll… let you come along, then.”

“Yay!” the filly cheered, offering a hoofbump to the pegasus, who sheepishly returned it. “Well let’s get going, then!”

“Okay, okay, coming,” Rainbow said, turning one last time to smile back at her mother and give her a wave. Smiling, her mother returned the gesture, and Rainbow spread her wings, flying down the swirling cumulous path, accompanied by the small alicorn filly princess as she approached the dark, foreboding storm that lay ahead in the distance.

The sky grew darker the closer they got, the rest of Magicant had faded into the distance as they drew closer to the vast, black maelstrom that the trail of cumulous spiraled into. Crackling, purple bolts of lightning surged about within the clouds continuously, providing some light as the two ponies flew closer.

“Wow! This is pretty intense!” ‘Woona’ said as she held on tight around Rainbow’s neck.

“Just the way I like it, kiddo!” Rainbow said. “Let these challenge the fastest flier in Equestria!” she declared. As she said this, however, the clouds took on frightening new shapes resembling tall, slender pegasi with glowing eyes similar to Sombra’s. Thunder and lightning crashed all around them as the dark beings let out terrifying whinnies and charged in the air at them.

“I got this!” The filly shouted, charging up her horn and firing a blast of magic at it, causing it to dissipate.

“What are those things?” Rainbow asked.

“Nightmares! But don’t worry! I got your back!” the filly said, firing another magic blast at another advancing nightmare and vaporizing it instantly.

Storms… Rainbow never feared them, she even made more then her fair share of them. But something about this one was terrifyingly familiar to her. Her eyes widened as she saw phantom images of several pegasi trying in vain to get it under control. On closer inspection as one of the gray, translucent figures flew past her, she recognized them to be Wonderbolts.

“Is this…?” Rainbow asked, glancing down and seeing the top of the Everfree Forest down below the dark clouds.

“Yes… it is, Rainbow,” the filly said. “This is the storm that took your mother…”

A sense of dread overcame the pegasus. She struggled to drown it out by getting closer to the top, knowing she’d have to enter it, but the closer she got, the more afraid she suddenly felt. A look of horror came upon her face when she saw a Wonderbolt mare circling around it, attempting to get close enough to find a way to tame the storm before it could destroy Cloudsdale.

“Mom!” Rainbow cried out as she saw the phantom of her mother suddenly get pulled into the storm’s strong winds and sucked into the vortex. “NO!” She cried out, flying towards it as fast as she could.

“Rainbow! Stop! You have to get yourself under control!” the alicorn filly pleaded. “Your fears! They're making this real!” she explained as she hurriedly fired another magic blast to dispel another nightmare, but now they seemed to be only growing in numbers.

“My mom! I have to help her!” Rainbow protested.

“It’s not real, Rainbow! This is your grief, making you see something you didn’t in the worst way!” the filly shouted, hugging Rainbow tightly. “You have to listen to me! Be strong! Be brave!”

Rainbow took several deep breaths, trying to get what she saw out of her mind as best she could. The nightmares froze in place as the pegasus stared them down, glaring at them defiantly. “Let. Me. THROUGH.” she said sternly, and the dark creatures broke apart into black clouds and vanished. “Hold on tight, kiddo!” Rainbow said.

“Wait, Rainbow!” the filly shouted, and they flew straight at the storm and into the top of the vortex, down into a black abyss within.

“What the…?” Rainbow asked, looking around and finding herself in a dark hallway, devoid of color again and her companion nowhere to be found. “What is this place?” she asked, and slowly the sounds of soft murmurs were heard, and the galloping of small hooves was heard at the other end.

“I’m coming mom! I’m coming!” a small filly Rainbow recognized to be herself at a young age shouted desperately as she flew towards Rainbow, and right through her like a ghost.

“No… no, no, no, no!” Rainbow pleaded. She knew this day. How could she ever forget it? She didn’t want to be here! She’d rather spend a day in Tartarus then be here! “Kid! Stop! Don’t go in there!” she cried out, rushing after the filly but the hospital hallway seemed to go on and on.

“Mom! I’m here!” the filly’s voice said excitedly from a distant room as Rainbow was suddenly able to catch up, and stopped herself as she reached that door, the one she wished she’d never been so foolish as to open.

“Mom?” the filly version of herself asked, nudging the motionless mare on the hospital bed. “Mom! Wake up! I’m here! I was so happy when we heard they found you! I was scared I’d never see you again!” she said as she nuzzled her mother’s forehoof, but got no response.

“Mom?” the filly asked, waiting for a response, but Rainbow, watching, knew it wasn’t going to happen.

“Mom?” the filly asked again. “Mommy! Mommy!” she cried out. “I’m right here! Can’t you hear me?”

Rainbow hung her head, struggling not to cry but it was no use. She knew Firefly would never wake again. She was gone right before she could see her again…

“I’m sorry,” a doctor said as he entered the room, followed by her father. “She was barely alive when they found her in the forest. I guess it was too much for her…”

Rainbow’s heart sank as she saw her father collapse to his haunches, covering his face with his hoof. The filly that was her shook her head.

“No! My mommy, she… she can’t be!” the filly protested, rushing over and nudging her mother’s body. “Mommy! Please! Please! You can’t be gone! You can’t be!” She cried, collapsing to the floor, heartbroken as she struggled to hold back the tears that flowed down her cheeks. “Y-you promised you’d come home… you promised!” she sobbed as her father slowly came over and held her tightly, trying his hardest to stay strong in front of her.

Rainbow curled up, unable to hold back her tears either as the painful memory slowly faded away, and a thunderstorm began to brew around her. In a flash of lightning, she found herself in a cemetery, a tombstone stood before her, greeting her with a painful message.

Firefly

Beloved Wife, Beloved Mother

Esteemed Wonderbolt

In another flash of lightning, Rainbow saw the tombstone looked different now. It was darker, more rigid, with the words Lost Forever scratched across it, and atop it was the Alicorn Statue she’d long since destroyed back in Manehattan, glaring down at her with its glowing eyes.

“We lost her,” a voice that sounded just like hers said within the fierce rain that poured around her.

“Who are you?” Rainbow asked, looking up and realizing the Alicorn Statue had been the one who spoke to her.

“You know who I am!” the statue said, cracks beginning to form around it. “I am that dark, evil part of your mind! The arrogance, the resentment… the self-loathing you have deep inside for yourself because you couldn’t do anything to save your mother!” Pieces of it began to crumble away, revealing a form underneath that spread out its wings. Rainbow stared agape at the being that rose from the rubble; it looked just like her, only with a slightly darker coat and color scheme. Its eyes, however, were a blood red instead of Rainbow’s rose-color, and filled with a cruel malice.

“You can’t beat me…. Because you’re the one who forced me into being!” The double sneered, lunging at Rainbow and pinning her down, a wicked smile on its face and its red eyes briefly glowing green, purple smoke trailing from them.

“All that show, all that ‘pure awesome’ you boast about? You have so many ponies fooled, don’t you?” the nightmarish twin mocked. “But we know better, right?” It asked, winking.

“Stop it!” Rainbow hissed, struggling to push the doppelganger off of her but its strength was far greater then hers.

“We both know it’s all just that. A show! A show to hide what an insecure pony you really are!” the double taunted, grabbing Rainbow with her forehooves and flinging her at the tombstone. “Under that fragile ego, imagine how ashamed Scootaloo would feel if she knew what her hero really was underneath that act!”

“Or dad,” the double continued, lunging again and swinging its hoof at Rainbow, striking her in the chest. “Or your friends…” The nightmarish twin said with another swing. “Or especially mom!”

Rainbow slumped against the tombstone, the rain beating down on her and the thunder rumbling around her up above.

I’m not strong enough… she thought to herself, barely able to move from the pain of the sinister doppelganger’s attack. I’m sorry mom… I’m sorry… girls… Scootaloo… everypony… I’m… sorry…

NO!

In the midst of the painful thoughts that invaded her mind when failure seemed so possible, new, more positive thoughts came in their place.

I just wanted you to hang out with me and see how cool I was so you'd take me under your wing, teach me everything you know, and become like my big sister!

Being the best should never come at the expense of our fellow ponies. It's not just about pushing ourselves. It's about pushing ourselves in the right direction. You've shown that you're capable of doing just that. You're no wingpony, Rainbow Dash. You're a leader.

You’re a brave, strong mare, Dashie. I couldn’t be more proud of you!

You’ll never lose me. No matter what you face, no matter what happens, always remember that.

Rainbow’s eyes snapped open, and a look of cold determination set itself on her face.

“Oh, what’s this? Hungry for more, Failure?” her twin asked with a smug smirk.

“I’m no failure,” Rainbow said, a cocky smirk spreading on her face as she suddenly flew forward at full speed, slamming into her nightmarish double with tremendous force and sending it tumbling across the wet grass. Before the wicked twin could even stand, Rainbow was already flying circles around it, bringing them both higher and higher into the sky before Rainbow flew right at her double, punching it over and over and over again.

“My mom’s not gone!” Rainbow said firmly, flinging the double out of the small cyclone she’d created and flying straight after it again, punching it into the ground but catching it once more. “I remember how much she cared about me, and why she risked her life!” she said, her tone becoming more vicious as she beat the other pegasus in a frenzy, flinging her twin up into the air again.

“I have friends who believe in me! I have my dreams! I’m gonna be a Wonderbolt one day, just like my mom!” she shouted, her strength increasing with every hit as the dark double was defenseless against her. “And sure, Scootaloo’s a little reckless sometimes, but hey, so am I! I’m not perfect, but if she thinks I’m worthy of being her big sister and her hero, well, there’s no way I’m gonna let her down!” the pegasus cried out. “Because I’m Rainbow Dash! Fastest flier around, and all-around most awesome pony alive!” she said with a grin as she flung the other pegasus at the tombstone. “Something you obviously are NOT!” she declared, swinging her forehoof as hard as she could and smashing it into her double’s face. As soon as she hit, cracks of light formed around the malevolent twin’s body. The nightmare version of her let out a scream as it exploded in a burst of light.

The storm suddenly stopped, and the clouds began to break apart as sunlight began to shine through them. The tombstone dissolved away into dust, and Rainbow found herself in an open field on a hilltop overlooking Ponyville.

“Great job, Rainbow Dash!” the filly Luna’s voice suddenly cried out, and Rainbow was immediately hugged from behind by the small alicorn. “You passed the trial, and overcame the thing holding you back. You’re ready to fight at your full potential now!”

“Heh… thanks for the support, ‘Woona’,” Rainbow said with a small smirk, prompting a giggle from the filly.

“A loss like that...” The filly's tone became more serious and mature. “…Is not something so easily overcome. I think, in time and if you trust in your friends to be there for you like you are for them, everything will turn out alright,” she explained.

“Fancy talk from a little filly,” Rainbow joked, nudging the small alicorn.

“Now… it’s time to leave this dream behind, Rainbow Dash...” The filly now spoke in her adult counterpart’s voice. “…and fight with all you’ve got.” She said, glowing brightly as she approached Rainbow and upon touching her, vanished in a flash of light.

Rainbow felt a surge of strength and confidence flow through her. She knew now, she could face Sombra.

…And she would win…

“Thanks, all of you… I’ve got this! I never leave anypony hanging!” she said with a grin as the world around her again faded to white, preparing to wake up again.

“Hey, I think she’s coming to!” the blurred figure of Twilight said as Rainbow’s eyes slowly opened.

“Oh my goodness! I hope she’s alright!” Rarity’s voice said as Rainbow’s sight came into focus.

“Hey, Dash! Ya took quite a spill there! Ya alright?” Applejack asked.

“Hey, girls!” Rainbow said, looking up at her friends as she slowly sat herself up and found they were still in the volcanic Fire Ruby Grave.

“You okay?” Applejack asked.

“Yeah, I’m better then okay!” Rainbow said.

“What in the world happened, Rainbow?” Rarity asked. “You were out for awhile, we were worried about you!”

“Was this that… trial… that Luna spoke of?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, it was. I promise I’ll tell you everything about it later, alright?” Rainbow answered with her familiar, proud smirk back in place, only with more confidence then ever before in it. “Now let’s get outta here already and meet with the others! I’m way more then ready to trash King Sombra for good!”

“Well, we probably shouldn’t keep the princesses waiting,” Twilight said. “Let’s go get Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy and we can be off to the Crystal Empire right away!”

Author's Note

Ahhh, quite a chapter this was to write! I hope this one proved enjoyable; fun and even emotional at the same time! The final battle is just around the corner now! :twilightsmile:

STAY TUNED!

Where It Began

“We’re back!” Twilight declared as she and her friends appeared in the flutterpony village.

“You’re okay!” Pinkie shouted, rushing over and somehow managing to get all four of them into a group hug. “So, was the trip through the Badlands exciting? Why do you smell like volcano?”

“Pinkie, how would you know what volcano smells like, ya never even been in one.” Applejack said.

“I just smelt you and figured ‘I bet that has to be what a volcano smells like!’ So I decided just that!” Pinkie said with a big grin as though the answer were obvious.

“Oh, you look like you’ve been through a lot.” Fluttershy said, her attention shifted over to Rainbow, who looked especially proud. “Well you seem to be in high spirits… if you don’t mind me saying so, I mean.” She said.

“Yeah, after we handled the last sanctuary, I kinda… it was way weird but I ended up in this crazy dream world, had to sort some stuff out.” Rainbow explained.

“Even… well, you know…?” Fluttershy asked timidly. Her friend just smiled and put her hoof around her.

“Yeah. Even that.” Rainbow said. “And I’m ready to make her proud.”

“I see…” Fluttershy said, smiling. “Well, I’m glad you were able to get that off your shoulders, I know it’s been awhile.”

“Yeah. Once this is all over, I think I’ll be ready to talk it over with the others.” Rainbow replied.

“Well, now that we’re all here, it’s probably time to get going. We can’t keep the princesses waiting, after all.” Twilight said.

“…Especially when Equestria is in mortal danger again, Twilight.” Rarity replied.

“Next stop, the Crystal Empire!” Twilight said as her friends gathered around her while her magic charged up.

“Goodbye!” Fluttershy said, waving to the flutterponies as they all gathered to see them off.

“Thanks for everything!” The flutterpony leader said. “And good luck!”

Focusing all her power, and Rarity adding to the power necessary to travel such a distance, Twilight and her friends vanished in a bright flash of light.

“It’s getting worse out there by the minute.” Shining Armor explained as he entered the throne room. “Even with Canterlot’s soldiers and King Charlatan’s penguin troops, and my barrier being amplified by the Crystal Heart… these… black crystal ponies… they just keep coming and coming!”

“I should be out there…” Celestia said softly, staring out the windows.

“No! Aunt Celestia, we can’t risk losing you as well!” Cadance insisted.

“You’re Equestria’s last line of defense, Princess.” Shining explained. “You and your sister...”

“Without the Elements of Harmony, this fight may well be a lost cause as King Sombra seems to have all of his forces attempting a full assault... who knows how many other places in Equestria he is preparing to lay siege to.” Luna said as she joined her sister’s side. “With the entire Lunar Guard and half the Solar Guard in Canterlot, and the Wonderbolts spread out as well… even with our power, the best we may be able to do is prolong the inevitable… Unless they get here soon.”

“I sure hope so…” Spike said sadly, pacing about in frustration as he worried about Twilight and her friends’ well-being.

“HIGHNESS!” A guard suddenly shouted, rushing in. “Somepony has breached the defenses!”

“WHAT?!” Luna demanded. “Where are they?”

“In the back chamber where the Doctor’s working on his invention!”

“Oh no!” Celestia immediately rushed down the hall, accompanied by Shining Armor. Finding the door magically locked, Celestia fired a blast of magic with her horn, causing it to burst open just in time to be nearly blinded by a bright flash of light that suggested whoever had intruded had just now escaped. The gizmonks and the three Cutie Mark Crusaders lay sprawled about on the floor in a heap, barely conscious.

“Oh dear… oh dear, oh dear…” Whooves said as he rubbed his forehead, standing back up.

“What happened?!” Celestia demanded.

“Blue unicorn… Trixie, was it? She was here… stole my invention and escaped with it! The invention I was working on to get to Sombra’s location!”

“How did she succeed in this?” Luna asked, entering the room.

“There’s no way. We had security at every corner!” Shining explained.

“She just teleported in! Something… she had something around her neck! Made her really powerful!” A gizmonk said.

“Around her neck?” Celestia asked, worry on her face. “Like an amulet? Red and silver, shaped like an alicorn?”

“Yeah! That was it! Made her magic red ‘n everythin’!” Applebloom said, standing up.

“Looked like that thing she had that time she challenged Twilight a few months ago!” Sweetie Belle explained.

Celestia sighed, her fears confirmed. “Then he’s done it…”

“Excuse me?” Shining asked.

“The Alicorn Amulet. He has seen to it that Trixie has reacquired it.” The Princess of the Sun facehoofed. “Of course! As the Alicorn Amulet was King Sombra’s creation, forged and infused with dark magic so he could match our power. Sombra is linked to it and Trixie was its most previous wearer, so he must have been able to send it to her so she could accomplish this… taking away our one chance at confronting him.”

“Not… necessarily…” Whooves said, pacing back and forth, an idea forming.

In a bright flash of light, the six friends appeared in the throne room of the Crystal Palace. Smiling at the first good news in awhile, Cadance trotted over to greet them, Spike rushing behind her.

“Twilight!” Spike cried out, rushing over and hugging his friend, then smiling at Rarity. “And you’re okay too!”

“Of course, Spike! And look what I brought you from the Badlands!” Rarity said with a smile, floating out the fire ruby she’d taken from her saddlebag and into Spike’s eager claws. A huge grin formed on the dragon’s face as he hugged it tightly.

“Is this a…?!” The dragon asked in astonishment.

“Why of course it is, Spikey-wikey!” Rarity said. “I saw it and thought to myself, I certainly should return the favor for the one you gave me!”

“It’s so beautiful! Thank you so much!” Spike replied excitedly, not even waiting a second longer to pop the gem into his mouth, savoring every bite.

“It’s such a relief that you’re here.” The princess said with a smile. “I hope you’re alright…” She said, noticing how roughed up most of the six visitors looked.

“Eh, we’ll be fine!” Rainbow said proudly. “Nothin’ we couldn’t handle!”

“What’s going on?” Fluttershy asked timidly as she looked around.

“King Sombra’s forces are attacking!” Cadance explained. “The crystal pony guards, what Canterlot could spare, and even King Charlatan’s penguin troops from the Frozen North have all joined together to fight, but it’s still showing no sign of stopping. They’re some sort of pony construct created from black crystal, and they just keep coming and coming…”

“Black crystal…” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Like that one who showed up by the big crystal spire in Ponyville!”

“Then Sombra’s clearly got a lot more of them.” Twilight said, her ears drooping. “Cadance, Princess Luna instructed us to come here right away, where are she and Celestia?”

“Right here, Twilight…” Celestia said, re-entering the throne room with her sister, Shining, and Whooves.

“Shining Armor! Princess Celestia!” Twilight said, rushing over and hugging her brother, then bowing her head to Celestia and Luna. “What’s going on? Don’t you have the way for us to stop King Sombra?”

“Yes and no, my faithful student…” Celestia said softly. “The Doctor will explain.”

“You see…” Whooves said, clearing his throat. “Shortly before you got here, Trixie had snuck into the palace with help of a powerful artifact… she stole the invention I was working on and escaped with it.”

“She WHAT?!” Rarity shouted, staring agape, then noticing her friends’ looks. “Don’t tell me you’re not all thinking the same thing!” She said.

“Then what’s the ‘yes’ part’a this if ya don’t mind us askin’?” Applejack asked.

“Wait, I know! You got another one, don’t you, but you need us to get stuff to make it work!” Pinkie said with a wide smile.

“Long and short of it, yes.” Whooves replied. “The invention, the phase distorter, would have transported you to Sombra’s location. See… with some help from Charlatan’s scouts, I’ve been able to pinpoint where Sombra is supposedly located… the very place the Princesses had placed him in deep underground over a millennia ago. Except… well, he’s there but he’s not there. He’s now there in the distant past, you see. By my theory, Sombra has left some contingency plan to resurrect himself, should he have been defeated. A part of him remains there, now reunited with what remained of him after you had defeated him… you’re staring.” The Doctor remarked.

“Sorry… just a lot to take in.” Twilight said. “So how do we get to him if Trixie took the invention?”

“Well…” The Doctor explained. “The phase distorter was created from technology used from some of my previous work; that combined time travel magic with technology to create a functional time machine that allows an indefinite amount of time for a pony to remain in a different period. However, my earlier design would not be able to home in on where Sombra is like the phase distorter could without the proper materials...”

“And what would that be?” Rainbow asked.

“A piece of what started it all.” Whooves said. “…The crystal spire in Ponyville. If you can get a piece of it and bring it back here, we can prepare my other machine and have you six sent back to stop him!”

“Also…” Celestia said. “It is essential you recover the Elements of Harmony, and bring them back here as well. I am certain you will need them if you are going to succeed in stopping Sombra for good.”

“They should be in the library.” Twilight said. “But… will you all be okay?”

“Don’t worry, Twily, we’ll hold ‘em off till you get back. I promise.” Shining said with a smile, mussing his sister’s mane.

“I just hope that the next time the four of us will get to spend time together without an impending crisis.” Cadance said.

Twilight raised her eyebrow. “Wait, four?” She asked.

Cadance laughed, patting the side of her barrel. “Yes, four.” She said.

The crisis briefly forgotten, Twilight’s eyes widened in astonishment and a big smile formed on her face. “Ohmygosh! I’m gonna be an aunt???” She asked, prompting a nod from Celestia, Cadance, and Shining. Staring in awe at her brother and sister-in-law, Twilight let out a squeal of joy. “Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! YES!” She cheered, bouncing around them excitedly and causing everyone else to laugh in amusement, taking in the much-needed cheer in light of the situation.

“I’m so happy for you… if you don’t mind me saying so…” Fluttershy said, blushing.

“That’s beyond awesome! Now we definitely gotta save Equestria!” Rainbow said, looping in the air with a grin.

“What do you mean, Rainbow Dash? Of course you’re gonna!” Scootaloo said, rushing in with her two friends. “You’re way too cool to lose.

“Rarity! You’re alright!” Sweetie Belle said, nuzzling her sister, but then staring up at her mane. “Oh no… your mane!”

Rarity shuddered, remembering the damage it’d sustained from the fight with the diamond dogs. “…Twilight, if you could, please?” She asked, gesturing to her still slightly-damaged mane. Twilight rolled her eyes and cast her magic, restoring it to its former splendor.

“We’re gonna have to go away again, lil’ sis.” Applejack said, hugging her little sister. “But don’cha worry, we’ll be right back.”

“You better!” Applebloom said. “That mean ol’ Sombra’s gonna wish he never met y’all!”

“Durn right, Applebloom” The farmpony said with a laugh.

“SO! There’s gonna be a shower, right?” Pinkie asked, bouncing around the married couple. “You just leave it to Pinkie Pie! I promise you’re gonna get the biggest, bestest foal shower party Equestria’s EVER seen!”

“Well, we’ll be looking forward to that.” Shining said with a chuckle. “…If we can all make it through this.”

“No, when.” Twilight said, determined. “Soon as we get back, we’ll deal with Sombra and end this. Come on girls, let’s get to Ponyville right away!” She ordered, her friends gathering around her as she teleported them all away once more.

“We’re here!” Twilight said as the group found themselves in the darkened library, prompting the unicorn to light up the end of her horn. “Now let’s get the elements and head out to the site of the crystal spire.”

“Shouldn’t be too hard!” Rainbow said. “It’s on top of that hill, should be a synch!”

“Uh…. girls…?” Fluttershy asked nervously, gesturing to the window as she peered out of it.

To say Ponyville had taken a turn for the worse would be an understatement. Every house was as dark as the night surrounding it, and changelings were buzzing about everywhere, seeking out any stray ponies, and it was highly likely that some had already been abducted.

“Well ah gotta admit this might complicate things…” Applejack said.

Rarity approached the window, peering out in disgust. “I hope the boutique is doing alright. If those dreadful changelings even TOUCHED my new silk imports… I don’t know what I’d do!” She scoffed.

“Well, first thing’s first. I have the Elements stored in a chest downstairs. Let’s hurry!” Twilight ordered, using her magic to open the passageway leading into her basement laboratory deep under the library and leading her friends to where a safe sat in the corner. Focusing her magic, the dials shifted, and Twilight sent a charge of magic through an opening that appeared, causing several gears to turn and door opened, revealing a mahogany chest. Opening it, Twilight floated the six elements out and their respective owners immediately put them on.

“Well, the easy part’s out of the way. Time for the tough part.” Twilight said. “Are we ready?”

“More then ready.” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Oh just let ‘em TRY and stop us!” Pinkie said, pulling out her party cannon.

“Honestly, Pinkie… where do you even… oh, nevermind.” Rarity said with a sigh.

“Ya can count on me!” Applejack said, giving a quick stretch.

“I’m ready… I guess…” Fluttershy said, though the nervousness in her voice was evident. “If it’s not too much trouble, though… I’d like to stop by my place first, and make sure Angel and the other animals are okay.”

“I guess we can do that. The hill’s not too far off from your home is it?” Twilight asked.

“Not for me it wasn’t.” Rainbow said.

“Well, then let’s get going.” Twilight said, teleporting them all away to Fluttershy’s cottage.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy squeaked when she saw the changelings hovering about, and they immediately turned their attention on the six ponies. The moment Fluttershy saw her animals all cocooned to the wall, however, something in her snapped. “You… hurt… my FRIENDS!!!! the pegasus shouted, and before any of her friends could react, Fluttershy flew straight at the changelings at a speed comparable to Rainbow’s own, violently beating senseless every changeling that dared come near her.

“AND TAKE THAT!” Fluttershy screamed out furiously, grabbing one with her forehooves and flinging it into two others, knocking them out of the sky.

“Whoa…” Rainbow muttered as Fluttershy suddenly grabbed up a baseball bat on the ground with her teeth and smashed it into another changeling’s face with incredible force, knocking it out.

“Dang… remind me not ta get on her bad side…” Applejack remarked, staring agape.

The remaining changeling fired a blast of magic at Fluttershy, disarming her but the pegasus simply hovered in front of him, glaring with an intimidating stare. For a moment, the two eyed one-another, and in seconds, the changeling trembled.

“Now… WHO is behind this?” Fluttershy demanded.

“It’s… our Queen… she had us invade… Sombra’s orders…” The changeling said, shifting a little under Fluttershy’s stare.

“Where is she?” Fluttershy asked.

“The black crystal spire. Orders are not to let you near it!” The changeling said, shaking even more now.

“Very good.” Fluttershy said, her demeanor changing as she gave a sunny smile again, patting the changeling on the head. “Thank you very much, you can go now.” She said with a genuine friendly tone as the changeling turned and flew off trying to hide its embarrassment. The pegasus immediately flew over to her captured animal friends, tears in her eyes. “Ohhh are you all okay? You weren’t hurt were you?” She asked, worried. “Twilight? Can you set them free? They look so scared!”

“Sure thing, Fluttershy…” Twilight said, still overcoming the shock from the display she’d just seen and firing bolts of magic at the cocoons, shattering them apart and freeing the animals within.

“Oh, Angel! You’re okay!” Fluttershy said, hugging her pet bunny. “And all of you!” The pegasus flew around, giving every animal a hug. “Don’t worry, momma’s gonna deal with the big mean old bug queen who hurt you!”

“Oooh! This just gets better and better!” Discord’s voice suddenly announced, prompting the six to look up on Fluttershy’s roof, where he was seated comfortably and munching on popcorn.

“Have you been here this whole time?” Rarity asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course I was! Not that any of you seemed to notice!” Discord said with a chuckle.

“Ponyville’s a mess and you’ve just been chilling on Fluttershy’s cottage eating popcorn?!” Twilight demanded angrily.

A pause followed before a grin spread on Discord’s face. “Yes?” He asked, a halo appearing briefly over his head. “I’m not about to go and interfere with your little journey! Besides, it’s evident you handled the situation just fine without my help!”

“…Um… Discord?” Fluttershy asked softly, flying up so she was eye-level with him. “If it’s not too much trouble, could you please look after my animals until Queen Chrysalis is dealt with? Please?”

The draconequus grit his teeth, clenching his claws as he struggled to resist Fluttershy’s hopeful expression and let out a very audible sigh. “Oh FINE. Anything for you, Fluttershy. I’ll keep them under my protection…” He said, folding his arms and looking away as though he’d been saddled with overwhelming chores.

“Thank you so much!” Fluttershy said.

“But you six had better learn to show some more enthusiasm next time I want photos.” Discord mumbled.

“They just don’t stop coming!” Twilight shouted as she and Rarity fired another series of magic bolts at several incoming changelings as they drew closer to the summit.

“Tell me about it! My party cannon keeps needing to get reloaded!” Pinkie Pie said, blasting a group of changelings away with an explosion of decorations.

“It’s not much further!” Rainbow said, creating a cyclone that engulfed several more of the buglike creatures as they swooped down towards them with far more ease then she ever had before. “Chrysalis is gonna be way sorry she got in our way!” She declared, zipping left and right at incredible speeds decking the drones left and right.

Breaking through a patch of trees and bushes, the six found themselves at the clearing of the summit, where the black crystal spire lay, but what they saw froze them in their tracks.

All the citizens of ponyville stood gathered, their eyes in a glassy, green-tinted daze as they stared blankly at them. Several changelings hovered above them, sneering at the six friends, and standing atop the crystal spire was Queen Chrysalis herself.

“I was waiting for you pests would show up!” Chrysalis said with a laugh. She still looked a little roughed up from the earlier encounter, but seemed no more the worse for it. “It would seem King Sombra doesn’t wish for you to make it any further...” She said with a sinister smile as a crimson aura similar to the one the crystal shard was emitting surrounded her.

Author's Note

The first of many for this weekend hopefully! Stay tuned for the next chapter, which I hope to have done sometime later tonight! :twilightsmile:

Last Preparations

"Well, I certainly was hoping for some last, desperate effort by you foals to try and come here for some silly heroics. It simply means I will have the opportunity of destroying you and claiming the reward I've so eagerly anticipated!" Chrysalis sneered as she looked down at the six ponies who stared back defiantly at her.

“You’ve made a big mistake getting in our way, Chrysalis!” Twilight said, charging up her horn and firing a blast of magic at the changeling queen. Queen Chrysalis, however, simply sneered at the unicorn as her own jagged horn began glowing a bright red and she countered the attack with a magical barrier.

“So sorry, Twilight…” Chrysalis said with a laugh. “You’ll find I’m making good use of this crystal’s remarkable power! Now what was that technique you used last time on my children?” She asked, stroking her chin as her barrier shimmered around her. “Was it THIS?” She asked, rearing back and her horn glowed again, a large sphere of magic rising up and exploding, sending down a rain of magic bolts.

“Aw, horseapples! Looks like the Queen's learned a new trick!” Applejack shouted, immediately taking cover to avoid the starstorm attack, followed by Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy, while Rainbow did her best to dodge the blasts of magic and the star-shaped explosions they created, and Twilight hurriedly summoned a barrier to protect herself.

“Let’s see her match me!!” Rainbow shouted, flying at the changeling queen, who simply smirked and trapped the pegasus in a red aura, flinging her into a tree.

“Such an adorable resistance, but will you be able to harm all these poor, enslaved ponies?” Chrysalis asked, her eyes flashing and the townsponies’ eyes glowed a bright green, and menacing smirks spread on their faces as they approached.

“Leave them out of this!” Twilight protested. “This is between us!”

“Twilight Sparkle, I’m not one to put honor before reason.” The changeling queen said, remaining on her perch as the hypnotized townsponies advanced on them. "I'm sure you already knew that.

“Applejack! Pinkie Pie! See if you can round them up, but try not to hurt them!” Twilight ordered.

“On it!” Applejack shouted, taking out her lasso and undoing it, passing one end to Pinkie Pie. “Meet me on the other side, we’re gonna rope ‘em all together!” She ordered, the pink earth pony nodding with a grin as she took the other end in her teeth. The two ran past the mesmerized ponies, using the rope like a tripwire to knock several of them over and into one-another. The enslaved ponies paused, the pegasi taking to the sky and flying around to gather up clouds and kicking them into action, setting off bolts of lightning and forcing the two earth ponies to retreat.

"Well this is just dandy..." Applejack muttered, laying herself on the ground to avoid getting struck. "Any ideas, Pinkie Pie?"

"I think so!" Pinkie replied, whipping out her party cannon and sticking a crosshair scope on top of it and a crank lever on the side. "SAAAAAAAAY CUPCAKES!" She yelled, turning the crank and firing pastries from it at the brainwashed pegasi, knocking several out of the sky and to the ground. "Wow! I knew keeping all those extras from the flutterpony party was a good idea!" She said, nodding to the astonished Applejack.

Several unicorns began to approach, their eyes glowing a dim green as they began charging up their magic and levitating several chunks of debris off the ground to send at them.

"Get behind me!" Applejack yelled, Pinkie Pie complying as the farmpony turned and readied herself. As the flying debris came at them, Applejack swung her hind legs out and bucked the debris, shattering it apart and sending smaller chunks flying back at the unicorn, slowly driving them back.

"Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, get a tornado ready to catch these changelings. Rarity, back me up!” Twilight ordered, her friends nodding as they prepared to do as they were told.

“Don’t just sit there! Get them!” Chrysalis ordered, glaring at the defeated ponies for a moment then up at her many children. With a nod, the changelings began swooping down at them. Rainbow flew at one, knocking it out of the sky as Fluttershy followed nervously.

“A-are you sure about this?” Fluttershy asked, cringing as she saw the fight go on around her.

“Just think about what they did to your animals, Fluttershy.” Rainbow said, bucking another incoming changeling in the face as Fluttershy’s expression hardened into a determined look.

“I still can't believe they'd do something so mean! They’re gonna PAY for that!” The pegasus said, her wings beating harder then ever and earning a smirk from her friend as they flew up and down in the air in circular motions, forming a cyclone that quickly caused the changelings to stop on their tracks and get sucked into the vortex.

“Idiots…” Chrysalis muttered, facehoofing before turning her attention on Twilight and Rarity, who began to assault the magic barrier she had up and causing it to ripple and crack slightly.

“No, not again!” The changeling queen hissed, firing a beam of red magic at them and burning a hole through the ground. “You will not break my barrier, foals!” She declared, summoning another starstorm spell.

“Look out!” Twilight shouted, summoning a barrier of her own again as she held on to Rarity, protecting the two of them from the onslaught of magical bolts that rained down on them, blasting craters into the ground all around and then returning several blasts of their own, attempting to penetrate the barrier.

“Almost got ‘em!” Applejack said as she and Pinkie knocked two brainwashed ponies’ heads together, rendering them unconscious. “Sorry y’all. Really am…” She said to the two ponies laying on the ground.

“Alright, who’s next?” Rainbow asked, before suddenly being struck from behind and knocked out of the sky by the sudden arrival of a brainwashed Thunderlane.

“Oh no! She got you, too, Thunderlane?” Fluttershy asked nervously as the stallion stared back at them in a blank daze.

“Quite an impressive flier, I’ll admit…” Chrysalis mused. “Now deal with the yellow one!”

Thunderlane nodded, the glassy expression on his face never wavering as he turned and faced Fluttershy while Rainbow was starting to stand up again, rubbing her head. Immediately the dark gray pegasus flew straight at Fluttershy, going in circles around her to cause a brief tornado that sent her spinning uncontrollably and leaving her dizzy in the air. Glaring, the brainwashed Thunderlane prepared to attack her again.

“He's not that impressive.” A new voice announced as a loud screech was heard from above and Gilda swooped down, tackling Thunderlane and slamming him into the ground. “Seriously, bug-pony… you picked a buncha lame ponies for your dirty work? No wonder this was easy for me.” The griffoness sneered.

“Gilda…?” Rainbow asked, staring at her former friend.

“We’ll just say this evens things out for scaring off your friend last time I saw her.” The griffoness said, glancing up at Fluttershy, who just squeaked a little remembering the last time she’d encountered Gilda. “Even if she is way too soft for my tastes.” She added. “The place seemed to be goin’ downhill so I thought I’d drop by and see if you had it handled.”

“Admit it, Gilda. You were worried about me.” Rainbow said with a grin, nudging the griffoness, who just scoffed.

“Don’t get all lame on me, Dash. So who’s this freak?” She asked, gesturing at Chrysalis, who now had her attention on them.

“Somepony you REALLY need to have a little more respect for!” Chrysalis snapped, summoning another starstorm spell.

“Quick! MOVE!” Rainbow shouted as Applejack and Pinkie took cover while Twilight and Rarity hid under another barrier. “Hey, Gilda? Think you can give me a little head-start?” She asked. “I got an idea for how to break the barrier she’s got up.”

The griffoness cocked her head. “What? Wait…” Her eyes widened as she caught on to what Rainbow had in mind. “On it.” Gilda immediately grabbed Rainbow’s hind legs and flew up high, avoiding the raining magic bolts and remaining changeling drones and did a quick spin in the air, her momentum allowing Rainbow an extra burst of speed.

“What in the world…?” Chrysalis wondered, staring up at them as Rainbow flew way up high and began plummeting towards her, air pressure circling around her.

Fluttershy quickly flew up higher, knowing what was about to happen as the air around her friend began to take on a hue of color, and Rainbow impacted against the barrier, creating a sonic rainboom in the process. A loud sound resembling the shattering of glass was heard and Chrysalis was blasted away by the shockwave into the sky and crashing into the Everfree Forest. In a panic, the changelings who were still conscious abandoned the fight and flew after their queen, hoping she had survived.

Standing up, Rainbow let out a cheer. “Alright! Now how awesome was THAT?!” She asked excitedly.

“No way around it, that wasn’t half-bad, Dash.” Gilda said, flying down beside her.

“Thanks, Gilda.” The pegasus replied.

“I told ya, Dash. Don’t get all soft on me. Just call us even.” The griffoness said with an eyeroll.

“Ugh… what’s going on? Where am I?” Mayor Mare asked, standing up amongst the crowd and rubbing her head.

“The changelings had ya brainwashed.” Applejack explained.

“Yeah! You guys were all like zomponies or something!” Pinkie Pie said. “But mean ol’ Chrysalis is gone now so you’re all better!” She explained, grinning.

“I see…” The mayor replied. “Well, thanks, you girls.”

“Why does my head hurt?” Nurse Redheart asked.

"And can somepony explain why I smell like cupcakes?" Raindrops asked, shaking the cake mix out of her mane.

“Oh, we had to knock a bunch of you out to stop you from attacking us!” Pinkie Pie said sheepishly.

“Well I can see it’s gonna be a long night…” The nurse replied, noticing several ponies looked like they’d be needing medical treatment. “Changeling sickness… not looking forward to this.” She sighed, gesturing to several paramedics who had been among the crowd and they immediately began tending to the many ponies who were just now snapping out of the delirium the changelings had them under.

“Well, let’s get what we came for.” Twilight said, approaching the crystal spire, which now looked somewhat damaged from the sonic rainboom. Focusing her magic, Twilight fired a thin beam to carve out a piece, and floated it into her saddlebag.

“I’m just glad everypony’s okay now…” Fluttershy said, flying back down and helping Thunderlane get up. “Um… Gilda? Could you maybe stay a little longer and help out?”

“No way, dweeb.” Gilda said. “That ain’t my thing.” The griffoness’ eyes widened when she was met with an intense stare from the pegasus that she’d not expected. “…is what I’d say if I knew it wouldn’t be cool of me to do Dash the favor of seeing to things here.” She said with every effort to preserve her dignity.

“Well, it means a lot to me, too, for what it’s worth.” Fluttershy said with a small smile.

“Whatever, just get lost and do what ya gotta do before I change my mind.” Gilda snapped, turning away.

"You all okay, girls?" Twilight asked.

"I'm well, Twilight." Rarity said. "Even if the changelings are gone now, I just hope those ghastly creatures have not defiled my boutique in the slightest!"

"Much as I wouldn't mind checkin' on the farm, we do have an urgent matter at hoof." Applejack said.

“Well, we’d better not keep the princesses waiting.” Twilight said. “Let’s get back to the Crystal Empire right away!”

“We’re gonna take care of this once and for all!” Rainbow said proudly to the pony crowd. “Don’t you worry about us, we got this like always!”

“Yeah! Sombra’s gonna feel really silly when he sees what he got himself into messing with the Elements of Harmony!” Pinkie Pie said, confetti bursting out from behind her back.

“We’re back!” Pinkie Pie cheered as the six ponies appeared in the Crystal Palace throne room.

“You have the piece of the crystal?” Whooves asked, trotting forward as Twilight floated the piece out of her saddlebag. “…That’s way too small..” He said, causing Twilight’s ears to droop in exasperation. “I’m only kidding. It’s perfect, now follow me!” He said, leading them to the back chamber where Cadance, Shining Armor, the Crusaders, Spike, and King Charlatan awaited.

“My penguins, they have been forced to fall back. We’ve not much time! The ice barriers will not hold these invaders off long!” The penguin king explained.

“Nothing is if Sombra’s not stopped.” Shining said, downcast. His expression quickly lit up when he saw the six enter. “Twily! You’re back!”

“Of course I am!” Twilight said with a smile. “We ran into a little trouble—”

“But nothing we couldn’t handle!” Rainbow said proudly.

“Ah admit, ya did good with that sonic rainboom back there, Dash.” Applejack said. “So what happens now?” she asked.

“Princess Celestia and Luna are already waiting for you in the caves where King Sombra was once imprisoned.” Cadance explained. “Whooves will take you there right now and explain things from there. The rest of us will remain here and defend the Crystal Empire as best we can.”

“Cadance…” Twilight said, worry in her tone.

“We’ll be alright…” Cadance said with a smile. “Thank you, for everything… now hurry up! You can’t keep this waiting.”

“Alright, we won’t be long, I promise!” Twilight said as she and her friends approached a large capsule that Whooves was standing next to as the earth pony inserted the crystal shard into it.

“Well, are we ready?” Whooves asked. “Let’s get moving!”

As they prepared to board the odd machine, a familiar fanfare suddenly went off.

“Ooh! Did we win something?” Pinkie asked excitedly.

“Not exactly…” Spike muttered as Discord spun down from above and landed softly in front of them. Whooves, the Crusaders, Charlatan, Shining and Cadance simply stared dumbfounded.

“Honestly, Discord, is this really the time for pictures?” Rarity asked.

“Of course it is, Rarity!” Discord said with a hearty chuckle. “If anything this is the best time for them! After all, if the world ends I’ll be full of regret that I didn’t preserve this last memory, right?” he asked.

“Ah guess he’s got a point there…” Applejack remarked. “Though ah don’t really like admittin’ it.”

“By the way…” Discord said, his neck stretching out impossibly far so his face was inches from Cadance and Shining Armor. “I wanted to give my congratulations! I can already imagine your little bundle of joy’s going to have big things in store for her if we all make it!” His eyes became big and pleading as he was suddenly standing between the couple, his arms draped over them as though they were best friends. “You… were planning to invite me to the shower… right?” He asked.

“…Like saying no would stop you from showing up?” Shining asked.

“How do you know we’ll be having a girl?” Cadance wondered.

“Ohhh chaos gods’ intuition, my dear princess.” Discord said, suddenly dressed like a doctor. “But I’ll be expecting my invitation in good time!” He said with a smile as he cast off the labcoat and revealed a floral print shirt and his camera underneath. “NOW! Everypony… and dragon and penguin together…” He said, snapping his claw and in a flash of light everyone in the room was grouped together in front of the Doctor’s machine. “And say… Fuzzy pickles!” He declared.

As he’d hoped, the words gained confused expressions from those not used to his photo antics and glares of annoyance from those who were, and the snap of the camera preserved the moment forever.

“Oh, this is perfect!” Discord said cheerfully as he looked over the photo. “Well, good luck saving the world, my little ponies!” The draconequus said, raising up his claw and spinning back up into the air, vanishing before he reached the ceiling.

“What… just happened?” Charlatan asked.

“I’m gonna guess he’s been doing this the whole time?” Shining asked.

“You have no idea…” Rainbow deadpanned.

“Well, that drama’s over! Let’s get going, shall we?” Whooves asked, gesturing as he held open the door, allowing the six to enter, followed by the Crusaders.

“Don’t worry, Twilight! I’ll help keep this place safe!” Spike said, proudly brandishing his new sword again.

“I’m sure you will, Spike.” Twilight said with a giggle as she entered last, followed by Whooves.

“Brace yourselves, girls, and ALLONS-YYYYY!” The Doctor declared, pressing a switch inside and the machine vanished in a brilliant flash.

Author's Note

And another chapter, with one more on the way! This and the next chapter were actually originally gonna be one big one, but I decided it worked better as two separate ones, so I'll have the next one up shortly! :twilightsmile:

Into The Past

Exiting the machine, the group of ponies found themselves in drastically different surroundings. The place was completely underground, with only narrow bridges of ice and crystal formations around to stand on. Most of the ground had broken away, revealing crevices that went down into blackness below.

Standing outside were Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, illuminating the place with their magic.

“Woo! What a groovy beat!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced out and hummed along to it.

“Pinkie… what are you talking about?” Rainbow asked, not hearing anything, but the pink pony didn’t answer.

“You’re here! And not a moment too late!” Celestia said, smiling. “This is where Sombra was once imprisoned, but as you can see, he’s no longer here.”

“Though somepony else has been,” Luna said, gesturing to some hoofprints nearby, and a wrecked machine that appeared to be the remains of the phase distorter that had been stolen.

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, if you’d be so good as to retrieve the parts I’d told you to from the wreckage,” Whooves ordered. “By my calculations, she has already taken what she needed, luckily none of which we don’t now have right here!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders, time machine makers! YAY!” the three fillies cheered, rushing over and filing through the remains, finding several parts and removing them.

“Twilight, if you please?” Whooves asked. “Just insert the machine parts where I tell you to,” he explained. “Distortion module goes right there…” he said, gesturing to the side, and Twilight used her magic to attach it. “...the little Timey-Wimey Ball goes in there…” he continued, gesturing to a slot inside, and Twilight complied. “...and that green button goes right there,” he added. “Now, Princesses, focus your magic on the crystal piece to give it a charge, I need your magic if we’re going to make this work!” Whooves ordered.

Celestia and Luna nodded, their eyes glowing brightly as their wings fanned out, and twin beams of magic fired into the crystal. In seconds, their eyes turned green, and their magic became something far more malevolent-looking.

“Princess Celestia! Princess Luna!” Twilight cried out.

“No, no, no! No worries, my dear!” Whooves said. “It requires a charge of dark magic as well for the machine to trace Sombra. Much like the Alicorn Amulet would...” Whooves watched as the princesses finally ceased, and the charged crystal floated into a casing atop the machine. “Ahhh, excellent!” the Doctor said proudly. “Now, for one final procedure before you are sent through.”

“Ooh! Are we gonna need to be turned into robots because living matter can’t go through time?” Pinkie asked excitedly. “I’ve never been a robot before… you think it’d feel weird?”

“…Personally I’d rather not,” Rarity said. “I think one robot version of me is more then Equestria should ever have to handle. No offense intended towards myself of course…”

“No, no. Nothing like that,” Whooves said. “Honestly, what in the world gave you that ridiculous idea? I’d think such a change would severely hamper your natural abilities,” he asked with a facehoof. “No… you’ll gain a charge of the magical essence the crystal ponies have helped gather. The princesses will bestow it onto you, giving you their qualities and ensure your time travel via Sombra’s magic does not have any adverse effects on you.”

“Well then let’s get this little makeover done already!” Rainbow said.

“There’s one other thing… the time machine will only remain in that period temporarily. While you should have plenty of time to stop Sombra, you must return to it as soon as possible to make it back home,” Whooves warned.

“I… understand.” Twilight said.

“Risks or not, we came way too far to quit now!” Rainbow declared.

“Yes… I’m… I won’t go back now. I’ll stay by you to the end,” Fluttershy said.

“Ya can count on me. We’re all in this together ain’t we?” Applejack asked.

“Well, after all we’ve been through, it’d be shameful of any of us to turn back,” Rarity said.

“This is gonna be superciting!” Pinkie Pie squealed.

“Well… you heard my friends. We won’t let you down!” Twilight said with a smile.

“Please… come back, okay?” Applebloom asked, she and her friends staring up at their friends and family with large, sad eyes.

“Doncha worry, we will!” Applejack said with a smirk.

“When we get back, I’ll take you out flying, squirt, and that’s a promise!” Rainbow said, patting Scootaloo on the head and prompting a giggle from the filly.

“If anything should happen, Sweetie Belle… oh whoever am I kidding? I’ll be just fine, Sweetie Belle,” Rarity said, giving her little sister an affectionate nuzzle, which she returned right away with a hug.

“I guess we’re ready…” Twilight said.

“Very well. I wish you the best of luck, faithful subjects,” Celestia said as she and Luna charged their magic again, this time a translucent image of the crystal heart appeared, and a bright flash of light emitted from it, bathing the six ponies in it. When it faded, the six now had shimmering, crystal coats and manes, much like the crystal ponies of the Empire did.

“Indeed, good luck,” Whooves said as they entered the machine. “Press the green button to return when you’re done… and do try to not get yourselves killed!” he said with a nervous smile.

A moment passed.

“How does this work?” Rainbow asked from inside the capsule.

“Wait! I think this is it! The yellow lever?” Pinkie asked.

“Yes!” Whooves said, facehoofing, and the sound of it being pulled could be heard. Immediately, the machine whirred to life and began to shine with light as it levitated off the ground, time and space rippling around it as it winked out of existence, travelling into a distant era long ago...

“I think we’re here…” Twilight said as she felt the machine come to a stop and opened the door. Before her was what she gathered to be the same cave, but it looked noticeably different now.

Everything was now covered in black crystal, sparks of purple lightning crackling here and there and jagged spires seemed to grow and recede on the narrow, crystalline paths that stretched ahead in the strange, subterranean world illuminated by a dull purple light, and a chilling, otherworldly echo could be heard all around them. The place all looked like something from some terrible nightmare.

“Th-this place is awful creepy…” Fluttershy said, poking her head out as Twilight emerged from the capsule.

“Eh, it’s not that bad,” Rainbow said, flying out and looking around.

“Well, we best get goin’ ta findin’ Sombra already. He can’t be too far,” Applejack said, looking down the path ahead as Pinkie Pie bounced out of the capsule behind her.

“Well he certainly has a rather drab taste in décor,” Rarity mused.

“Girls… I don’t think we’re alone here…” Twilight warned, gulping as several black crystal spires jutted out of the ground and began to reshape themselves into equine forms similar to the creature Rainbow remembered facing at the beginning of her adventure.

“More of those Darkrystal things! Let’s bust on through!” Rainbow shouted as the Darkrystal guards finished forming themselves, glowing green eyes peering through the visors of their helmets, assuming they even were helmets at all.

Quickly, Applejack took out her lasso, grabbing one and flinging it off the side of the path, sending it plummeting into the deep chasm below.

One Darkrystal pony charged up its jagged, bladelike horn and shot a fireball at them, causing the six to scatter apart. Satisfied, it approached, only to be tapped on the shoulder. Turning, it found Pinkie smiling at it and a second later, it was blasted away by the force from her party cannon. The crystalline guard tumbled across the ground and fired several magic bolts at her, but Pinkie managed to avoid them, giggling with each dodge of an attack.

Fluttershy cowered back for a moment, but then took a deep breath and glared angrily at the two that approached her, causing them to pause and look at one-another briefly, buying Rarity time to blast them both from behind with her magic, but it only seemed to anger them.

“Twilight, dear? A little help?” Rarity asked.

“On it!” Twilight said, firing a starstorm that immediately blasted the two Darkrystal guards to pieces. “That must be their weakness,” she mused.

“Makes sense! That bug-robot-thing that came back through time and got me on this whole crazy thing did something like that with the one I first ran into!” Rainbow said, grabbing one with her forehooves and spinning in the air, sending it off the side of the cliff as well.

With the Darkrystal guards defeated, the spires jutting out of the chasms around them suddenly seemed to grow, splitting apart and growing several jagged spikes, currents of dark magic crackling around them as the six progressed further and were greeted at the end of the path by a set of stairs.

“Figures…” Twilight muttered.

“What?” Applejack asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Sombra… I swear he has a thing for stairs,” Twilight muttered, recalling the time she had searched for the Crystal Heart.

“Maybe he just has a really big slinky collection?” Pinkie suggested, before gasping audibly. “GET DOWN GIRLS!” she shouted, drawing out her party cannon again and firing it at a trio of floating, silvery diamondlike gems that Rainbow recognized had attacked her when she’d headed to Fun-Fun Village. “Whew! That was close!” Pinkie said with a smile as she looked down at the shattered gems.

…Turn… back … a deep, mysterious voice whispered through the halls, louder then the chilling echoes and causing the six to freeze in their steps.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy said, shaking a little.

“That was a mite unsettlin’…” Applejack muttered.

“We must be getting close,” Twilight said. “Come on!” she ordered, leading her friends up the stairway. As they ascended, more black spires erupted from the steps, and several more Darkrystal ponies emerged from them; these ones resembling pegasi.

“Twi! Get a barrier up! I got these guys!” Rainbow said with a grin as she spread her wings and took to the air, flying around the Darkrystal pegasi while Twilight hurriedly summoned a barrier. One of the pegasi raised its hooves up, its eyes flashing yellow as it summoned a bolt of magical lightning. Rainbow recoiled for a second, only to discover the lightning bolt reflected off of her and struck the enemy, blasting it out of the air. Looking down, Rainbow reached under her element necklace and remembered the badge she still wore that Rarity had given her. “…Thanks, Rarity…” Rainbow said with a smile, smirking at the surprised black crystal constructs and flying straight at them at tremendous speed. In the past, she could barely harm them, now with her new strength and speed at their fullest potential, she was able to stand against them, knocking both backwards with enough force to send them crashing into the walls of the cavern. Two more flew at her, one firing another lightning bolt but getting the same results as it redirected back at the construct. Seizing an opportunity, Rainbow flew straight at it, uppercutting it and then turning and bucking another nearby, then flying swiftly around them to get them caught in a vortex and sending them flying out of control over the sides of the cliffs. “Alright… rate me!” Rainbow said, landing and smirking at her friends.

“Not bad, Rainbow,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Though you surely will admit, had I not made that badge, you’d have surely lost,” Rarity pointed out.

“Eh, I’m sure I’d have figured out a different way to handle it,” Rainbow replied.

“WHOA!” Twilight suddenly shouted, firing a blast of magic at a remaining Darkrystal pegasus that swooped down from above at them and sending it plummeting into the dark depths below. “Figured out a different way, huh?” she asked Rainbow with a smug smirk.

“Hey, I still took most of ‘em out!” Rainbow protested.

“I’m very happy for you, Rainbow. If that’s worth anything…” Fluttershy said, patting her friend on the back.

“I guess it is,” the pegasus said with a shrug, accepting the consolation from Fluttershy.

“Well don’t be gettin’ too proud, Dash, There’s still more on the way,” Applejack said, gesturing behind them as more crystal spires grew from the path, forming into more Darkrystal guards.

“They’re never gonna stop!” Twilight said. “We need to hurry and stop the problem at its source!” she said, and the six galloped down the path as fast as they could; pursued by a growing number of black crystal pony constructs. Twilight slowly fell to the back, firing several magic bolts to keep their pursuers at bay so they could get more distance, but as they came to the end of the path, more stairs greeted them. “Quick! We’ll teleport up!” Twilight said, her friends gathering around her and they immediately teleported up to the final stairs, gaining a little more distance. As they looked down, however, they noticed the Darkrystal guards had stopped at the foot of the stairs and slowly backed away as the sinister, mysterious voice they’d heard earlier let out a soft but terrifying laugh.

“Okay, ah made it a general rule when scary stuff gets scared, it ain’t good…” Applejack said, and as if to answer her question, a deep growl was heard below. Looking over the edge, the six noticed a large, black serpentine figure gliding about in the pits below, drawing ever closer as it rose up, its green eyes glowing brightly as it charged forward, letting out a terrible roar.

“My WORD! What is that thing?!” Rarity shouted, stepping back as the beast revealed itself. It was easily the size of the sea monster they’d faced on the way to Saddle Arabia, though it appeared to be made of black crystal. The towering creature hissed at them and fired out a blast of purple lightning at where they stood, which Twilight readily countered with a barrier.

“Well he sure looks nasty!” Pinkie said. “Dunno if my party cannon’s gonna be able to handle something like that…” she mused.

“Hold on!” Twilight yelled, charging up a starstorm spell and firing it at the beast, raining down a series of magic bolts that blasted off chunks of its body, causing it to recoil in pain before lunging forward, its jaws wide open.

Rarity focused on some of the debris around her, floating it with her magic and sending it at the beast, smashing chunks of black crystal in its face and making it jerk back. The monster hissed loudly and opened its jaws again, this time with crackling purple electrical energy gathering within and firing it at them.

A blur of shimmering rainbow color, and Rainbow Dash flew into its path. The sheer power of the blast was unlike anything she’d felt, to the point she could even feel pain even with the badge on. However, as she grit her teeth and resisted the pain as best she could, she could feel it gathering into the badge and redirecting itself back at the creature that had sent it, blasting it in the face and causing it to howl in pain, collapsing into the pits below, Rainbow herself beginning to fall along with it.

“RAINBOW!” her friends cried out.

Suddenly, Rainbow felt herself being held in the air. Opening her eyes she saw Fluttershy’s smiling face looking down at her and realized her friend had caught her. “Whoa… I’m surprised you’re not this fast more often!” she said.

“Only when I have to be,” Fluttershy replied. “Now why don’t we go deal with that big meanie who’s probably waiting for us?” she asked with a smile, looking at the path ahead that lead to a darkened entrance to another part of the crystal tomb as she flew back on to the path and set her friend down.

“Ah reckon he’s right in there,” Applejack said.

“I would imagine so,” Rarity replied.

“Well, if he’s in there, we’d best not keep him waiting!” Rainbow said, feeling reinvigorated again.

“Will you be okay, Dashie?” Pinkie asked, looking the pegasus over.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Rainbow said with a smile. “Still got the king to deal with, right?” She asked. “And Rarity? Thanks for the trinket. Total lifesaver!”

“Good of you to finally say so, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said.

“Are we ready, girls?” Twilight asked, looking at the dark passageway that stood before them.

“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Rainbow said. And without another word, the six friends approached the waiting entrance and continued onward.

The inside of the passage was much darker then the caves before it, columns were lined with numerous jagged spires that seemed to jut out in every possible direction, and down below was just empty blackness. The air was warmer, and currents of purple energy crackled along the columns and riding up towards a platform that awaited at the top of a long, narrow stairway made of black crystal. The strange echoes were gone, replaced by an eerie silence.

Cautiously, the six walked up the stairs, looking around them and seeing numerous tubes that appeared clear but of an organic nature that connected into the top of the stairway, the spires occasionally lighting up and shooting charges of crackling dark magic into one-another as they drew closer to whatever awaited them.

Fluttershy paused suddenly.

“What’s wrong?” Twilight asked.

“Did you hear that?” the pegasus asked, looking around. “It sounded like a… skittering…” she said.

“Ah didn’t see nothin’,” Applejack said. “…But it does feel like we’re bein’ watched…”

“Whatever it is, I don’t see it,” Rainbow said, looking around at the columns for a moment.

As they continued to ascend the stairs, Twilight paused, certain she’d seen a shape scurrying along one of the columns in the shadows. Narrowing her eyes, she saw it wasn’t there now, but made her horn light up, staying alert as she and her friends continued their upward advance.

Seconds later, the six ponies reached the top of the stairs, and beheld the sight that stood before them on a vast platform.

Positioned on a large pedestal of some sort, framed with countless spires growing from the base of it and in a large frame around it which countless tubes fed into, was a crystal heart, identical to the one kept in the Crystal Empire, though far larger and completely black. Surges of dark magic crackled and danced around the frame that it drifted over.

“Is this… Sombra?” Twilight wondered aloud as her friends stared agape, speechless next to her.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and the large black crystal heart made an odd, beating sound as a smoky form began to gather inside of it. As it took shape, it became a black, glaring image of Celestia’s face; with malevolent, glowing green eyes. It then shifted and morphed into an image of Luna’s, then it sneered, its grin spreading impossibly wide as it twisted into an image of Twilight herself, then Applejack, then Rarity, then Fluttershy, then Pinkie Pie, and finally Rainbow Dash, before turning completely red and shrinking down, green light surrounding it as it became the left eye of the grinning face of King Sombra himself.

Sombra sneered down at them, smoke trailing around his ghostly form contained within the dark mockery of the Crystal Empire’s prized treasure and sending a chill down the ponies backs, leaving them unaware of the skittering sound from above as a large, spider-like shape slowly descended from the shadows and landed behind them…

Author's Note

PHEW! And a second chapter for you! Hope you enjoyed this one too, and be ready for what's to come! :twilightsmile: :pinkiegasp:

Cease To Exist

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” a familiar voice said from behind the six, causing them to turn around. Towering over them at about twice their height was a black, spiderlike creature. Its body appeared to be made of crystal and metal, with eight spindly, jointed legs ending in sharp claws; its four eyes glowing a bright red as it glared down at them. Suddenly, its back split open, revealing a glass dome covering a cockpit of some sort that revealed it to be some kind of mechanical walker vehicle, and they immediately recognized the pony within.

“Trixie!” Twilight said, glaring up at her.

“Surprised? So good of you to finally show up! Trixie welcomes you here!” the showmare now wore a hooded black cloak, with the Alicorn Amulet fastened around her neck once more. Her coat appeared to be noticeably paler, and her mane was now disheveled, giving the showmare a more crazed look to match the sinister grin on her face. “Your crystal fashion sense pales in comparison to Trixie’s greatness, but she’ll still give you credit for trying,” she said with a hoofwave as the spider-mech took a few steps toward them, backing them closer to the black crystal heart behind them. “So you have finally looked upon King Sombra, and what he’s now become?” she asked smugly.

“But why is he in that thing?” Twilight asked.

“Because he no longer wields the power of dark magic, Twilight! He has become the embodiment of it! His soul became one with the very power he once harnessed, which allowed his horn to contain enough of him to be extracted and placed in there to revive him! However, even such a state is not without its limits! He cannot control it on his own, so he requires an emissary, a talented right hoof to carry out his will, and who better then Trixie herself?” Trixie asked with a laugh.

“You’re sick, Trixie! Ya gone an’ sold out to Sombra for more power?” Applejack asked in disgust.

“Seriously that’s messed up in so many ways!” Rainbow snapped, glaring at the showmare.

“Pfft! Trixie merely followed Sombra’s whispers as they came to her, and now she's here! No level of wisdom from the princesses themselves could have anticipated it! But your persistence has finally paid off, for you now have front-row seats to the greatest show in Equestria; the return of the Shadow King of the Crystal Empire!” Trixie replied, her eyes and the Alicorn Amulet briefly flashing red.

“Not if we have anything to say about it!” Rainbow shouted as she and her friends took a fighting stance.

Trixie let out a crazed laugh, her spider-mech crouching down and leaping over them, landing in front of the black crystal heart. “Very well! Prepare yourselves, foals, because the Great and Heavily-Armed Trixie means business!” she declared as the six ponies turned to face her. Trixie’s horn glowed with a bright red magic and appropriately flashy, over-the-top battle music began to blare from the spider-mech.

The phantom image of Sombra’s face snarled and its eyes glowed brighter, and a beam of dark magic fired from the black crystal heart, knocking the six of them back.

“Whoa… guy packs a wallop!” Applejack said, standing herself up.

“I’ll take care of him!” Rainbow said, flying up into the air and doing several spins before swooping down, attempting to impact with the black crystal heart. Right before she could reach it, however, she crashed into something clear that shimmered from her impact, causing the sonic rainboom she’d intended to create to redirect and come at her friends. Thinking quickly, Twilight conjured up a temporary barrier that absorbed the shockwave, Rainbow herself falling and tumbling across the ground seconds after.

“Ha! Nothing can pierce King Sombra’s barrier! He is invincible to your pathetic efforts!” Trixie declared with a laugh.

“We’ll see about that!” Twilight shouted, summoning a starstorm spell and raining down bolts of magic on Sombra and Trixie. Twilight soon gained a worried look on her face as the magic bolts that landed on Sombra’s barrier immediately redirected back at them. “LOOK OUT!” Twilight cried out, her friends jumping out of the way and barely avoiding the stray blasts as they exploded all around them, nearly sending them off the edge of the platform.

Out of the corner of her eye, Twilight noticed the magical blasts that had targeted Trixie hit their mark, blasting her spider-mech backward and causing her to tumble over. “Wait… so you’re still vulnerable, aren’t you?” the unicorn asked, smirking at the showmare with newfound resolve.

“Try it, foa—” Before Trixie could finish, Rarity fired several bolts of magic at her, driving the spider-mech further towards the edge. Trixie growled angrily. “You’re going to pay for that!” she yelled, her horn glowing and the spider-mech immediately reared up, crimson magical energy gathering on the tips of its front legs and discharging it in the form of a focused beam at them, but Twilight quickly countered with another magic barrier. As soon as she did, however, the spider-mech charged forward, swinging its front legs in a swatting motion and sending Twilight flying off the edge of the platform.

“Twilight!” Rainbow shouted, flying after her friend and catching her quickly.

On the platform, Sombra grinned as he watched the battle before him, licking his lips in anticipation while his trusted servant cornered Fluttershy and Rarity.

“Hey, Trixie!” Applejack shouted, prompting Trixie to pause just long enough for Pinkie Pie to fire a cupcake at the dome with her party cannon, blinding Trixie while Applejack immediately charged forward, leaped into the air, and delivered a crisp buck that caused the spider-mech to topple over and roll backward, crashing into the pedestal that the black crystal heart sat upon.

Trixie grunted in frustration as the spider-mech used its front legs to wipe the cake mix off of the glass dome, the showmare within glaring lividly at the six ponies. Her horn glowing, a thick green gas burst from the spider-mech, its foul smell causing the six ponies to recoil in disgust and allowing Sombra an opportunity to fire another blast of magic at them, sending them further towards the edge of the platform.

“Such great participation, but it’s time to cut your roles in this grand performance!” Trixie declared, her horn glowing again as the spider-mech rose off the ground, discharging a series of magical blasts that began raining continuously down upon them. Twilight struggled to hold up a magic barrier as long as she could, but the continued abuse was proving to be too much for it.

“Wait, where’s Rainbow?” Fluttershy wondered aloud, before noticing a blur of motion behind Trixie, flying towards her at tremendous speed.

With all her might, Rainbow slammed into the spider-mech in a fantastic explosion of color, sending it crashing to the ground in a heap as she rebounded off of it and rejoined her friends.

“Don’t count us out yet!” Rainbow said with a grin as the six ponies began to approach Trixie, who grit her teeth in anger for a moment, but then suddenly burst out laughing as the spider-mech struggled to stand up, backing away from them.

“You think you’ve won? You’re more clueless then Trixie had thought if you expect to defeat King Sombra without having witnessed his full power!” she said, grinning. “If you were to gaze upon what he has become, you’d be so overcome with fear you’d never be able to stand up to him! Allow Trixie to shut down the mana flow to the black crystal heart, and prepare to be amazed!” she shouted, her horn glowing brighter then ever as numerous tubes feeding into the black crystal heart shattered apart, the crystal structure it sat upon crumbling away as Sombra’s expression faded into a pair of glaring green eyes, purple smoke trailing from them as cracks began to form around his crystal vessel. The beating sound began to grow louder and and more rapid, Sombra’s eyes growing wider as a mouth formed between them, letting out a ferocious scream before the heart shattered to pieces and a thick cloud of black smoke erupted from it, engulfing everything in sight.

Dead silence. Pitch blackness everywhere. The six ponies felt themselves adrift in a sea of darkness. A deep, raspy breath, faint at first but growing louder by the second could suddenly be heard as traces of red mist began to swirl around them, taking shape seconds later.

Fluttershy screamed at the horrible visage that appeared before them. The others stood rigid with fear, unable to turn their eyes away. Even Pinkie Pie looked absolutely terrified.

Before them was a distorted image of King Sombra’s face, formed from glowing red mists, its features stretching and undulating, locked in a horrible, agonized scream. His eyes were now empty black sockets, bleeding some foul mist from them as though what had once been there was violently gouged out. As it dissipated and reformed, more faces would briefly form from it before receding into the nightmarish apparition.

“So, are you frightened?” Trixie asked within the darkness, her spider-mech suddenly appearing and drifting before them. “Even Trixie admits to the chills she is experiencing from such horror! This is the ultimate price King Sombra has paid for his power! His very mind has been destroyed by his own dark magic leaving him incapable of feeling anything but fear and hatred!" the showmare declared with a laugh. “And soon, you, too, will be consumed by it as well! Yes, Trixie is no longer of the assistant role she briefly had to hold, but now the one who shall witness your end!”

“No!” Twilight cried out, firing a starstorm but Trixie immediately vanished back into the shadows. The attack flew harmlessly through Sombra as though he were merely a phantom, causing Twilight to stare agape in utter horror.

“It can’t go like this!” Rainbow shouted, attempting to fly but was stopped by a distorted, pained wail from the undulating image of Sombra. A wave of dark magic suddenly erupted from its mouth as it stretched impossibly wide, blasting the six of them and causing them to cry out in pain, an indescribable wave of agony overwhelming them.

“We can’t go down now! We gotta fight back!” Applejack shouted, struggling against the pain she was suffering.

“What d-do we do?” Fluttershy pleaded, fighting off tears from the pain as the dark magic crackled around her body.

“I… I don’t know…” Pinkie said softly, her mane suddenly going flat as she squeezed her eyes shut in a desperate attempt to fight the stinging pain from Sombra’s attack.

“Th-the Elements!” Twilight gasped. “We… have to activate them!” she said, her horn glowing as she attempted to magically charge them, but nothing happened. Struggling, she tried again, but was once more met with no results.

“It’s not working, Twilight!” Rarity protested. “Now what will we do?”

“Yes… what will you foals do?” Trixie’s voice asked from somewhere within the blackness. “Look at you six! Waiting to be burned out of existence by Sombra’s uncontrollable power as you try to make your Elements respond when you’re already on the brink of despair! There’s nopony here to help you! Nopony to hear your screams as you die slowly!” the showmare’s voice declared with a laugh. “If it’s any consolation, this is all about to come to its dramatic conclusion! Go ahead, may as well take your final bows and prayers while you can!”

Suddenly, Sombra’s image split apart, his power becoming even more destructive. Two screaming images of the former king swirled around the six ponies, criss-crossing into eachother for a second as another horrible wave of dark magic erupted from it, striking them again.

“It’s… no use…” Twilight said, the new wave of pain interrupting her magic.

“Wait… my telepathy spell I used to reach you!” Rarity said, her ears perking. “Twilight… help me!” she said. “Maybe… we can still reach out to our friends back home… Celestia… our families…” she said, thoughts of her little sister giving her strength through the agonizing pain her body was experiencing.

“It’s worth a shot… if we can reach out to them, maybe… just maybe…” Twilight said, glancing at her friends’ Elements. Drifting towards Rarity, Twilight held her tight; and seconds after, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie joined, closing their eyes as Rarity focused her spell, aided by Twilight’s magic.

Out in the San Palomino desert, in the town of Appleloosa, Braeburn and Big Mac froze in place, both having sworn they heard Applejack’s voice calling out to them.

“Applejack…?” the large red stallion asked.

“You just… hear that?” Braeburn asked. “My gosh… it sounds like she’s… hurting!” He took off his hat, a downcast look on his face. “But what can we do?”

Big Mac approached his cousin, placing his large hoof on his shoulder. The two closed their eyes, bowing their heads and praying that Applejack and her friends would be safe.

“What the…?” Applejack wondered as she saw the gem on her necklace begin to glow brightly, causing her friends to drift back from her. Applejack felt a sudden surge of power course through her, and a powerful beam of light erupted from the Element, firing into the ghostly image of Sombra.

And it hit.

Bright magical energy exploded when it impacted the shadow king’s spectral form, causing it scream out in pain.

“It hurt him…?” Rainbow asked, staring in amazement. “It hurt him!” she shouted.

At that moment, however, the undulating form of Sombra began to twist and split apart at a rapid pace, its power growing even more unstable as it split into hundreds of screaming images of him, beginning to swirl around the six ponies in a cacophony of tormented cries and enraged screams.

“Come on! We gotta do this again! I think it’s working!” Rainbow said.

“My… slaves…!” the terrible voice of Sombra cried out, the voice echoing all around them as another blast of dark magic erupted from one of the faces, subjecting the six to another wave of intense pain.

“We gotta try! Hold on tight, girls!” Twilight ordered, using her magic to pull them together. “Whatever you do, don’t let go, no matter what!”

“Okey-dokey!” Pinkie said, the new spot of hope having brought her spirits back up as they closed their eyes again, once more sending their pleas out across time and space to reach the lives they had touched.

Vinyl Scratch eagerly awaited Octavia’s arrival as she sat at a high-rise diner in Manehattan. Her face lit up as the cellist approached with her cello case in her teeth. Licking her lips eagerly as she’d not ordered anything yet, Vinyl suddenly paused and looked up at the sky.

“Something wrong, Vinyl?” Octavia asked as she sat down with her.

“Dunno… just feel like… remember those ponies who helped us out?” the deejay asked. “I dunno why but my gut tells me they’re in serious trouble…”

“Here,” Octavia replied, putting her hoof around her marefriend and holding her close.

“I say… are you alright?” Fancy Pants’ voice suddenly asked. “Did you… by any chance feel it, too?”

“Did you…?” Vinyl asked, looking over at the businesspony and Fleur who stood at his side.

“Rarity…” Fleur muttered, a worried look forming on her face as she suddenly sensed a voice in her head as well.

“Yes… I heard it! Miss Rarity’s voice!” Fancy Pants said, ignoring the stares the four of them were getting. “Oh dear… I hope she’s alright… I’d experienced the power of what they were facing and it worries me, so…”

“You’re not alone.” Vinyl said, a serious look on her face as she fought back tears of worry.

“The best we can do, I imagine… is pray for their safety as best we can,” the pony socialite said, trying to fight off the worried look on his face.

The deejay nodded and closed her eyes, gesturing that he and Fleur join her and Octavia in praying that the pony who had been so good to them, who had selflessly taken part in helping them would be safe…

“My element!” Rarity said, noticing a brilliant glow forming from the diamond-shaped gem on her necklace that grew brighter and brighter. Suddenly, a beam of magic similar to the one that had come from Applejack’s necklace fired from it, striking the image of Sombra, causing it to cry out in pain as bright magical energy crackled around the warped faces.

“No… escape…!” Sombra’s voice cried out from seemingly all around and Twilight hurriedly summoned a magic barrier to protect her friends from the next attack.

“That was close! We have to get this next prayer out! I think we’re seriously onto something here!” the unicorn said as she and her friends closed their eyes, focusing on reaching others whom they hoped could help them…

Within the flutterpony village, the once-timid creatures now happily socialized with one-another, all of them happier then they had ever been. Their leader paused, however, and suddenly the others did as well.

“Did… anypony feel that?” Rose Dust asked, worry on her face.

“Flutterhulk hear party pony’s voice…” the towering flutterpony said, stomping over and nuzzling the flutterpony leader.

“Y-yes… I did, too…”

“I think we all did,” Lily, the flutterpony that had introduced their visitors, said, looking back at the other worried flutterponies. “Do you think she’s…?”

“In danger… I can feel it,” Rose Dust said, glancing at the party decorations that Pinkie Pie had let them keep. Unsure of what else to do, she closed her eyes, the other flutterponies getting the same idea as they all, as one, prayed for the safety of the eccentric pink party pony who had opened the world up to them with a joyful song and the most wonderful party they’d ever experienced…

Pinkie Pie smiled widely as she felt a warmth come from her necklace, and her Element shined brightly.

“Looky! Looky! My Element! It’s lighting up!” she said with a joyful squeal as she watched a bright beam of light burst from it, striking the horrific visage that surrounded them.

Sombra’s cries of pain and rage grew more erratic, twisting and reforming, growing and receding as it screamed out in agony.

"IT... HURTS!!!” his voice bellowed out, seemingly all around them as it grew more shrill and distorted. “STOP!!!” the voice roared, and several blasts of dark magic emitted from a larger face’s vacant eye sockets, blasting the six before Twilight could summon a barrier, and another face’s mouth stretched downward, another wave of dark magic bursting from it and blasting the group apart.

“No! Stay together!” Twilight ordered, attempting to overcome the horrible pain wracking her body as she attempted to use her magic to pull them back towards one-another. “Come on! He’s weakening, I know he is!” she yelled as they embraced eachother again, focusing their hopes into another prayer to send to their friends.

Relaxing comfortably atop Fluttershy’s cottage, Discord was suddenly awoken by the sounds of chirping, squeaking, and other animal sounds. Rubbing his eyes, the god of chaos looked down and saw all of Fluttershy’s animals staring up at him.

“What?” he asked, annoyed. “I already fed you!” he protested, but suddenly paused. Did he just hear Fluttershy’s voice? She sounded frightened…

“What does it matter?” he asked the animals. “Of course you’re worried about her!” he said, trying to fight off the unease even he could not help but feel… the worry that his only friend, the one who had taught him the value of friendship by showing him kindness, could perish.

“Ohhhh fine,” Discord grumbled, attempting to keep a bold face in front of the animals as he vanished from the roof and reappeared in front of them, sitting down as Angel hopped towards him, looking more frightened then any of the others. “But not a word of this to her!” the draconequus warned as he and the scared animals sat together quietly, silently praying for Fluttershy’s safety.

“Oh my!” Fluttershy said as she saw her Element glow brightly, emitting another powerful beam of fantastic light that this time seemed to spread out and striking the horrible screaming faces of Sombra all at once.

Terrible, eldritch screams echoed all around them now, the faces of Sombra all twisting in agony as they grew more hazy.

“STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP! STOP!" hundreds of screaming voices echoed in a horrible, jumbled mass as the image of Sombra released numerous waves of painful dark magic upon the six ponies it surrounded.

Screaming out in pain from each brutal onslaught of malevolent power, the six held on to one-another as tightly as they could, squeezing their eyes shut as they struggled to keep focusing their thoughts, their hopes, their wish to save their world out to anypony who could hear them…

In the floating city of Cloudsdale, the Wonderbolts and the weatherponies who had aided them landed together, watching the storm they’d gathered reduce their attackers and keep their home safe for a little while longer.

“That should hold ‘em for now,” Spitfire said softly. “It’s the best we can do at this point.”

A blue weatherpony stallion with a dark prismatic mane suddenly paused, nearly collapsing.

“Rainbow Blitz? You alright?” Soarin asked, getting Spitfire and the other Wonderbolts’ attention as well.

“Dashie… I can feel it… I heard her voice!” Blitz said, dread building in his stomach over his daughter’s safety. Spitfire suddenly paused as well, Rainbow’s pleas for help entering her mind, too.

“I heard it, too… whatever she’s up against, I know it’s crazy but I can sense it… it’s something awful,” the Wonderbolt captain said. “She’s so brave, though.”

“Just like her mom was. I know she’d be so proud of her,” Blitz said. “But… I don’t want to lose her, too.”

Spitfire walked over and placed her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder, the other wonderbolts, hearing Rainbow’s voice then as well, approached them, and all of them quietly held eachother, praying for the spirited young pegasus’ safety.

Down below in Ponyville, reclining in a tree, Gilda shuddered suddenly, her eyes widening as she thought she heard Rainbow’s voice crying out to her.

“Dash?” she asked out loud, causing her griffon friends whom she’d brought with her to stare at her. “What? Did I say you can stare at me? I’m just… thinkin’, alright?” the griffoness snarled. “Get lost! I need to be...” She grit her teeth, growling at them. “I… need to be by myself for a moment!”

Nodding and not wanting to incur her wrath, the other griffons flew off to find something else to do. Alone, Gilda’s fierce expression slowly became more and more downcast as she closed her eyes tightly. She couldn’t let anyone see the single tear that shed from her eyes as she processed what she’d heard in her mind. “Dash… don’t… don’t die on me… you’re way too cool for this!” she said softly, praying for her former friend, the one pony she’d come to respect even just a little, hoping she would be safe.

“Awesome!” Rainbow cheered as her Element shone brightly, a powerful blast of light erupting from it and spreading across the swirling red mists that had given Sombra form. The ghastly image of Sombra screamed out, louder then before as the surge of positive emotion and hope burned through his being.

“No….. NO!!!” Sombra screamed, emitting a terrible shriek of pain as more blasts of dark magic erupted from him, threatening to strike down the six brave ponies who still stood opposing his destructive power.

Twilight quickly summoned her barrier, but she knew her power was fading from the ferocious assault of destructive magic tearing through the barrier. They had to stay strong! All of Equestria counted on the six of them, now!

“We can do this! I know we can!” Twilight said, she and her friends praying harder, reaching out to find others who could hear them, and give them the strength they needed.

Within the halls of the crystal palace, Cadance and Shining Armor could see that Sombra’s forces had slowly weakened.

“They’re starting to fall back,” Shining said with a smile, hoping it would be enough to win the day.

“That’s wonderful to know,” Cadance said, approaching and nuzzling her husband. Their joy was cut short, however, when a voice cried out to them; one they recognized immediately.

“Twilight!” both shouted in unison, before looking at one-another.

“You…” Cadance began.

“…heard it, too?” Spike asked, approaching the two ponies.

“She’s… somewhere bad. She needs help!” Shining said as Spike began pacing about frantically.

“I feel so worthless not being able to be there for her!” the dragon protested.

“Maybe we can help,” Cadance said, approaching her husband. “The best we can do, I think, right now… is we can pray for her and her friends. Maybe… if she could reach us, we could reach her?” she asked, looking at Shining and Spike.

Spike nodded, not sure what else to do, but it was something; anything that could help his closest friend in any way.

The two ponies quietly embraced one-another; Spike joining soon after, and all three closed their eyes and hoping their prayers could reach Twilight and her friends.

Not much further away, within the deserted caverns below the northlands, Dr. Whooves waited impatiently, growing worried with each passing moment.

“Oh dear… there’s not much time left!” the Doctor said nervously.

Princess Celestia paced about, worried for her faithful student and her friends. At that moment, a voice cried out for help in her mind, freezing her on her tracks. Looking beside her, she could see that Luna had heard the same thing.

“Sister…?” Luna asked softly.

“Oh, dear Luna… I heard it,” Celestia replied, closing her eyes and trying to avoid shedding tears in front of her sister and subjects.

“Princess!” Apple Bloom cried out, rushing over to them with her friends; all of them just as frightened as she looked. “Ah heard mah sister!”

“Mine, too!” Sweetie Belle said.

“And Rainbow… I heard her! I know I did!” Scootaloo insisted.

“Do… do you think they’re okay?” Apple Bloom asked. Celestia leaned down and gently nuzzled the filly.

“I… I want to believe they will be,” the Princess said softly.

“W-what’ll… what’ll happen to them?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“Rainbow Dash… she can’t lose! She never loses!” Scootaloo said, fighting back tears as well.

“Whatever's happening to them right now,” Celestia said. “All we can do is pray for their safety, and we hope that they can win. Perhaps… they may even hear us,” she said softly. Luna silently approached her sister and sat down, Celestia doing the same as the three fillies snuggled up to them, trying to fight off their fears. Whooves looked down at them and, after a pause, approached as well, joining them. Together, they sent out a silent prayer for the six friends who stood so bravely against the tyrant who threatened their world.

Twilight felt it. The gem on her tiara glowed brightly and a brilliant beam of light shone out of it, in the shape of a star as it shot forth and blasted the terrifying being that Sombra had become. Sombra screamed out in pain, and suddenly magical energy began to crackle around the shifting forms that represented him, and they began to split apart again, this time forming into thousands… millions of screaming, snarling, crying visages of the terrible shadow king, a horrible, frightening wail emitting from them as they now swirled violently around the six ponies as though they were caught in the center of a nightmarish maelstrom.

“He’s still alive… barely!” Twilight said, managing a smile. “I don’t think he’ll take much more! We have to try, once more!” she ordered, struggling to hold up her barrier as they were again assaulted by terrible waves of dark magic that now fired upon them endlessly.

As they held one-another in a tight embrace, they sought to hold their thoughts together, pleading for help.

“Please… somepony…!” Rarity cried out, trying harder, but sensing nothing.

“Somepony… there’s gotta be somepony left…!” Applejack pleaded.

“Somepony, please! I… I can’t think of anyone else!” Twilight said, tears forming in her eyes.

“Please! Anyone! Help us!” Fluttershy cried out, tears now in her eyes as well.

Nothing…

At that moment, they felt truly terrified; for they knew their desperate cries had been absorbed by the darkness…

“Oh no,” Twilight said softly, her voice trembling. “Th-there’s nopony else…” Her barrier suddenly began to fade.

“No! We’re not going out like this!” Rainbow shouted. “I’m no quitter, not now, not ever! There has to be somepony out there who we can still reach! Who can still give us the power to win! We have to try!”

“It’s certainly worth a shot!” Rarity said.

“I’m all for it!” Pinkie Pie said with a smile.

“You’re right! We can’t give up!” Fluttershy replied.

“No matter what, so long as we can keep fightin’ we keep tryin!” Applejack said.

“Well then, girls. If this is gonna be our last chance, then let’s take it!” Twilight said. Each of them, one by one, closed their eyes, focusing everything they had now, a last, desperate prayer for help to reach someone, anyone out there who might still hear them…

Someone did.

In a distant world, far from Equestria, she felt them. The friends she had never met, but had known her whole life needed her now, and she would not abandon them.

Closing her eyes, she prayed for their safety…

The six Elements of Harmony all suddenly began to glow brightly, all of them at once; their respective owners staring down at them in amazement.

She prayed harder, for the safety of these six brave ponies who had been through so much but had always come out on top in the end…

The Elements shined even brighter, light emanating from the six and driving back the howling abyss that surrounded them.

She prayed harder, for she had introduced them to an entire world, who had in turn taken them as their friends and shared their adventures together…

A brilliant rainbow of light surrounded the six ponies, glowing brighter and brighter, dissolving the continuous blasts of evil magic that rained down upon them before it could reach them…

Lauren prayed with all her heart for their victory!

The rainbow grew brighter, and flew out in a magnificent flash, arching down and striking the nightmarish storm of hatred and fear that surrounded it. The swirling forms all suddenly froze in place, light shining from its many vacant eyes and mouths as a terrifying cacophany of tortured screams emitted from them while they drifted about in random directions.

“No! Impossible! How?!” Trixie demanded, suddenly appearing before the six friends and looking around in fear as the devastated form of King Sombra twisted about in agony.

“It’s over, Trixie! I don’t think this place is going to last much longer!" Twilight said. "Come with us! We’ll get you out of here!”

“HA!” Trixie scoffed. “As if Trixie would have any desire to go anywhere with you!” she sneered. “Know this, it may appear as though Trixie is fleeing, but she is far too great and powerful for such cowardice! She is merely escaping to some place you foals shall never find her, where she can plan a brilliant chance to show you all up when you least expect it!” she declared with a laugh. “Admit it! Even with this victory, none of you can hope to ever compete with my flair! You have not seen the last of me, the Great… and Powerful…. TRRRRRIXIE!” the showmare shouted, making her spider-mech take a bow before setting off a burst of smoke in front of herself. As it cleared, the six could see the Trixie in her spider-mech flying off as fast as she could before vanishing in a flash of light.

“We'd better get outta here!” Rainbow said, looking towards Twilight with a look of worry.

“Right! On it!” Twilight said, using what strength she had left to teleport them away, to the mouth of the entrance leading to where Sombra had once been contained. Immediately a great mass of black, wreathed in swirling red energy, crackling with bright white magical power tore the wall asunder and annihilated it completely, prompting the six ponies to flee down the path as fast as they could, pursued by the tyrant’s destructive death throes.

Rushing down the stairs and reaching the waiting time machine, Rainbow quickly pressed the switch, opening the capsule’s door. Immediately it began to glow, brighter and brighter. “It’s about to leave! Come on! Everypony inside!” she shouted, her friends rushing over and piling in as fast as they could while the wave of blackness advanced on them, destroying all in its path.

“We gotta get out now! Button. Button! BUTTON!” Twilight said frantically, looking at the controls.

“Right here!” Pinkie said, slapping her hoof on the green button. As she did, the six ponies’ crystal coats faded away, and a bright light engulfed the machine just as the terrible black mass surrounded it in its last effort to destroy it. Before it could reach it, the machine and the six friends inside vanished, and the swirling red within the black mass formed King Sombra’s agonized, screaming face one last time as bright cracks formed around it; exploding in a brilliant flash of light and bringing the final, ultimate end to the shadow tyrant and the reign of terror he had threatened upon the world.

Author's Note

And the final battle is finished! All that remains now is its ending! I'll hopefully have it done before Katsucon this coming weekend and I hope you've all enjoyed this chapter and its surprise twist of who got the final shot on Sombra at the end! :twilightsmile:

The best song in the game...

Also, concept images of Sombra's final forms...

Sombra is wounded...

Sombra is mortally wounded...

Journey's End

In a bright flash of light and a soft hum, the phase distorter materialized back in the frozen caves of present-day Equestria.

“Well I’ll be! They’ve made it back two seconds early!” Whooves said with a smile as the door opened and the six bearers of the Elements of Harmony emerged.

“Are you all okay?” Celestia asked, approaching with a concerned look on her face. “And Sombra… I trust he’s…?”

“Yes, gone.” Twilight said, smiling. “Thanks to you and everypony who believed in us, King Sombra’s gone for good.”

“Yup! It was reeeeeally scary at first! Sombra was like this freaky thing we couldn’t comprehend or something and we couldn’t hurt him! Then we started praying and it was like everypony we knew heard us! Then suddenly when all seemed totally lost, someone who must’ve been like really really important heard us and prayed for us, and then KABOOM! Big ol’ meanie Sombra went bye-bye!” Pinkie explained, a wide grin appearing on her face at the conclusion of her summary.

“Very good to know.” Celestia said, chuckling lightly.

“Sis!” Sweetie Belle and Applebloom shouted in unison, rushing over and hugging Rarity and Applejack, who returned the embrace.

“Miss me, lil’ sis?” Applejack asked. “See? We had this all under control.”

“I suppose we do owe you three some gratitude as well, for helping Dr. Whooves.” Rarity said, nuzzling her sister.

“Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo cheered as she managed a short flight over to Rainbow Dash and hugged her tightly. “You really beat him? Tell me he was begging for mercy when you totally overpowered him!”

“Yeah, something like that, squirt.” Rainbow said with a laugh as she mussed the filly’s mane. “You manage okay without me?”

“Well… I was scared for a moment…” Scootaloo said. “But so was everypony else. But I knew you wouldn’t lose!”

“Pretty sharp thinkin’ kid.” Rainbow replied with a cocky smirk.

“Wait… where’s Trixie? Did you find her?” Luna asked, noticing the showmare was nowhere to be found.

“Gone...” Twilight said. “She used time travel to escape not long before we did, right as Sombra was dying.”

“I’m sorry… we don’t know where she could have went to.” Fluttershy said softly.

“I suppose nothing can be done about her, then…” Celestia said sadly. “How unfortunate she could not be helped…”

“Indeed…” Whooves said. “Searching for her now may very well be like finding a needle in a haystack the size of Equestria… even for myself.”

“Still, King Sombra has been stopped. It is best we return to the Crystal Empire and inform Cadance and Shining Armor of the good news.” Celestia replied with a small smile.

“Twily! You’re okay!” Shining cried out, a relieved smile on his face as his sister and the others appeared in the throne room of the crystal palace.

“Yes I am, big brother.” Twilight replied, trotting over and nuzzling her brother, then initiating a quick Sunshine Greeting with Cadance celebrating their victory.

“This is such great news.” Cadance said. “Sombra’s forces all vanished just a little while ago. Charlatan and his penguins have already left to return back to their kingdom, and he gives his thanks as well.”

“Awesome!” Rainbow cheered. “Equestria is safe once again! Sombra made such a big mistake thinking he could mess with us!”

“Aww guess I don’t have anything to use this for, now…” Spike lamented, admiring the sword in his claws.

“Well, Spike, I believe I intended it be brought to Canterlot for study. It is a lost Equestrian relic after all.” Twilight said smirking.

The young dragon sighed. “Fine…” He muttered. “I’m gonna miss you, cool ancient sword…” He said; kissing the blade as Twilight floated it away from him.

“At any rate, we will hold a ceremony honoring this victory, and all you’ve done in a few days.” Celestia explained. “For now, I suggest you return home and get some rest, I think you’ve all earned it.”

“Wait… but what about my exams?” Twilight said, her eyes widening with worry at the realization she still had several left to do when she’d started on this adventure.

“Don’t worry about them right now, Twilight.” Celestia said. “You’ve been away handling a far more important matter, so I’m willing to postpone yours to a later date. Take the remainder of the week off and you can resume them after.”

Twilight seemed uncertain for a moment, but then felt Rainbow pat her shoulder.

“Twi, seriously, in case you didn’t notice from what we’ve just gone through it’s okay to have a little more to life then studying and tests!” Rainbow said, playfully nudging the unicorn. “Seriously, Twi? Don’t be such an egghead all the time.”

“Okay, I suppose I can do that.” Twilight said sheepishly before looking back over at Cadance and Shining Armor. “Also, keep me posted on how the new foal is coming along, won’t you?”

“If everything goes well, the shower will be in about nine and a half more months, Twily.” Shining said, prompting giddy squeal from his little sister and a collective ‘awww’ chorus from the Cutie Mark Crusaders.

“We will look forward to it as well.” Celestia said. “In the meantime, Luna and I must return to Canterlot, and see to it repairs are made from any damages caused by Sombra’s attack.”

“Thank you all, again.” Luna said, joining her sister and the two immediately vanished.

“Well…” Cadance began. “Why don’t you all stay the night and tell us everything, and we’ll have the Crystal Express get you back to Ponyville tomorrow morning?” she asked.

“Oh, you’re gonna totally love this story; especially since I played such a huge part in it.” Rainbow said with her usual cocky smirk, prompting several facehooves from her friends, save Scootaloo who just grinned with excitement and anticipation.

“Ahhh, it’s good ta be home!” Applejack said as she trotted off the Crystal Express train at the Ponyville station, followed shortly by the others.

“Ah can’t wait ta see Sweet Apple Acres again!” Applebloom added as she walked out and looked around, smiling as she saw the Ponyville citizens had gone back to their daily lives now that the looming threat of Sombra was long gone. “Wait till Granny Smith an’ Big Mac hear all about it!”

“Oh yeah… he should be gettin’ back from Appleloosa.” Applejack remarked. “Well, c’mon Applebloom! Race ya there!” She said, doing a brisk trot so her sister could keep up as she headed towards Sweet Apple Acres, turning long enough to wave goodbye to her friends. “Seeya all later! Ah probably got a lot ta catch up on!” She hollered before she and Applebloom disappeared into the distance.

“Well, I feel it best to return to my boutique at once.” Rarity said, putting her forehoof to her forehead dramatically. “The poor place has no doubt grown dusty without me and I will certainly need to get to work on thinking of some fantastic outfits for us for the ceremony!”

“Can I help?” Sweetie Belle asked with wide, hopeful eyes.

“If you can do exactly as I ask I suppose I can use your assistance.” Rarity replied, figuring simply having her retrieve necessary things for her would be the easiest way to allow her eager little sister to help without destroying the place as she lead her back to her place, also giving her friends a farewell wave.

“I should probably be taking off as well!” Pinkie Pie said as she bounced out of the train. “I was thinking on the way back, I gotta plan a big super-duper saved-the-world party! Maybe tomorrow night? It’ll be superciting!”

“I look forward to it, Pinkie.” Rainbow said with a chuckle. “Just say the word and I’m there.”

“Great! Well I better get going! I got LOTS of planning to do!” The pink pony said, suddenly gaining a fantastic burst of speed and zipping off in the direction of Sugarcube Corner.

“I guess I better get home, too.” Scootaloo said. “We’ll go flying together later, won’t we, Rainbow Dash?” The filly asked, repeating the same look Sweetie Belle had given Rarity moments ago.

“That’s a promise, squirt!” Rainbow replied with a smile as Scootaloo lit up with glee and whipped out her scooter from her saddlebag and hopped on, speeding off into town.

Twilight shook her head for a moment, amused by everyone’s antics and looked over at Spike. “Spike? Would you mind bringing my things back to the library for me? There’s something I still want to check out before I head back.”

“On it, Twilight!” Spike replied, hefting the saddlebags over his shoulder and rushing off towards the library as fast as he could.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked. “If you don’t mind me asking…?”

“The black crystal that appeared here. I’m wondering what happened with it.” Twilight said. “Do you mind coming with me?” She asked. Her two friends nodded, standing by her as she teleported them all to the crater where it had emerged.

“Oh my… it’s gone!” Fluttershy said.

“Nothing but ashes now…” Twilight said. “I wonder if Sombra had sent it from the past. With him destroyed, its connection to him is gone. I’ve wondered the same about the Alicorn Statue…”

“You think he sent it from there to be found here?” Rainbow asked.

“Wouldn’t surprise me. Since Sombra is gone now, his influence in this time is, too.” Twilight said. “I gotta admit, that’s quite a relief!”

“I’ll say.” Fluttershy said. “Oh! I need to get back home, too! My animals are probably so worried about me!”

“Well, I’m going to head back to the library now. Rainbow, why don’t you be a good friend and get Fluttershy home?” Twilight asked.

“Oh! You don’t have to… I mean, if you don’t want to…” Fluttershy said, embarrassed.

“Hey, you were great and helped me start this whole thing.” Rainbow said. “What kinda loyal friend would I be if I didn’t return the favor somehow?”

“Um… thank you…” Fluttershy replied.

After parting ways with Twilight, the two pegasi headed back down the hilltop and towards town again, only to hear a scream come from the Carousel Boutique.

“Rarity!” Fluttershy cried out.

“She must be in trouble… or chipped a hoof again…” Rainbow mused as she rushed into the open door of the boutique, and was treated to a rather bizarre sight.

“W-w-w-w-w-WHAT… in Equestria… is that thing doing HERE?!” Rarity demanded, her saddlebags on the floor next to dumbfounded Sweetie Belle and her hoof trembling as she pointed at the Rari-T1000 robot they’d encountered earlier in their adventure that now worked diligently at her sewing machine.

“Exclamation. SUCCESS!” The robot cheered, a chiming sound briefly coming from it. “Fabulous Robot Pony Fashion Line Objective completed. Begin celebratory behavioral program.” A second later, the robot pranced about, giving the hanger line that held several odd but strangely fashionable outfits on it a spin and letting out a loud, contented sighing noise.

“Query. Sister Unit, have you finished?” The Sweetie Bot asked, entering and causing Sweetie Belle’s jaw to hang open in disbelief like Rainbow’s and Rarity’s already were.

“Affirmative.” Rari-T1000 said. “Please provide Elder Sister Unit with reclining furniture for temporary powerdown.”

“I hope I still have some of my Neighsian tea…” Rarity said flatly. “Because I think I’m going to need some right now.” She approached the designs her robot double had created. “Though I do admit these designs aren’t bad at all… perhaps you would be interested in a job here?” She asked.

“Scanning.” The Rari-T1000 said, seeming to acknowledge her organic counterpart for the first time. “Previous employment terminated. Offer accepted.”

“This is too weird for me.” Rainbow said, shaking her head and returning outside.

“What happened?” Fluttershy asked.

“She’s fine, just… let’s talk about it never, okay?” Rainbow asked, shaking her head again at the bizarre experience.

Moments later, the two arrived at Fluttershy’s cottage. Everything appeared to be in order as the birds flew from their houses and numerous animals including Angel rushed out and gathered around the yellow pegasus chirping and chittering happily that their friend had returned.

“I’m so happy you’re all okay!” Fluttershy said, sitting down and embracing them all. “You’ve stayed out of trouble, right Angel?” She asked the small white rabbit, who just shrugged and nodded. “I was thinking of making a nice lunch, would you like to join us, Rainbow Dash?” The pegasus asked.

“I guess I can stick around for lunch.” Rainbow said, patting her belly when she heard a growl come from it and landing on the ground.

“That’s wonderful!” Fluttershy said with a smile. “And… you were really brave, handling that adventure and all. I know your mom would be very proud of you… for what it’s worth, anyway.”

“Thanks, Fluttershy.” Rainbow said. “And yeah, not to sound all cheesy but this whole experience wasn’t just crazy and awesome…” Her face grew more serious. “But… it helped me get a lot off my back and let me, ya know, come to terms with it all, I guess. But yeah… I think she would be proud!”

“Well I’m glad for you, Rainbow. I know how long it’s bothered you and it must feel nice to be able to… well… be at peace about it.” Fluttershy said, giving her friend a hug. “Now I should probably get started on lunch right away and—”

Her words were cut off by an upbeat fanfare, causing her to pause and look around.

“Really?!” Rainbow grumbled, staring up at the sky as Discord came spinning down.

“Lovely noon, isn’t it?” Discord asked cheerfully as he touched down.

“Oh, hello, Discord!” Fluttershy said, smiling again. “You certainly did surprise us.”

“Would I be the god of chaos if I wasn’t full of surprises?” The draconequus asked, making his camera appear in his paw.

“Come on, Discord! In case you haven’t noticed this whole adventure’s kind of over, now!” Rainbow protested.

“Alas, yes…” Discord muttered, putting his paw to his forehead in mock despair. “But before we return to our dull life routines that most certainly won’t be interrupted by any cataclysmic events any time soon, I thought it’d be appropriate to get one last group picture!” He said with a grin. Snapping his eagle claw, a bright flash of light surrounded Rainbow and Fluttershy and they found Applejack, Rarity, Twilight, and Pinkie Pie, along with nearly everypony else they’d run into on their adventure standing there with confused looks on their faces.

“What the…?!” Twilight asked, looking about in shock as Spike ducked behind her.

“Wasn’t I in Cloudsdale just now?” Spitfire wondered, looking over at an equally confused Soarin.

“Dad? What are we doing here?!” Minuette asked, staring at Whooves who seemed rather surprised by the sudden change of venue.

“Oh come ON! I was just leavin’!” Gilda protested.

“Oh my this isn’t the Horseshoe Bay!” Steven Magnet the sea serpent lamented, noticing he was now on dry land.

“YEAH!!!” Bulk Biceps cheered, flexing his massive forelegs.

"What the?" Lyra asked, looking around. "Aw, how am I gonna get my Dungeon Mare robot over here?"

"You don't. Get another hobby, please." Bon Bon replied with an eyeroll.

“What the Tartarus is going on here?!” Daring Do shouted, though none of the many ponies and others present had an answer.

“Tavi… is this some kinda weird dream?” Vinyl asked, looking around her.

“As odd as this is, I don’t think so, Vinyl…” Octavia replied.

“Alright, everypony!” Discord ordered, causing the large crowd to pause and stare at him in confusion as he made a tripod appear for his camera. “Ready, and say Fuzzy Pickles!”

The next nine and a half months had gone by without much incident; other then the occasional experience that was considered almost typical life in the land of Equestria. The ceremony had come and gone, and life seemed a little more peaceful.

Now, at long last, the awaited moment of the celebration of Princess Cadance and Shining Armor’s foal had come. Ponies from all over the land attended, the party planning done by Pinkie Pie and another, equally eccentric planner by the name of Cheese Sandwich had ensured it to be the greatest and most enjoyable celebration Equestria had seen in some time.

“Oh my gosh! I can’t believe this! I’m really an aunt, now!” Twilight squealed excitedly as she looked down at the tiny, bundled pink foal Cadance embraced on her throne.

“I can tell Skyla’s excited about that, too.” Cadance said with a smile, watching as the foal reached out to Twilight.

“She’s beautiful, Cadance.” Celestia said. “I’m certain she’ll be just as kind and compassionate a leader as you’ve been for this empire.”

“Thank you.” Cadance said. “I hope it doesn’t make you feel old being a great-aunt, now.” She added jokingly.

“Over a thousand years, I suppose the term’s to be expected eventually.” The Princess of the Sun said with an amused eyeroll.

“Well, now that you’re finished fawning, why not let good ol’ Uncle Discord get a look at the new bundle of joy?” Discord said, rising up from behind Celestia and Twilight and giving Cadance and Shining the puppy dog eyes.

“If you do anything—” Shining began, glaring at the inevitable party-crasher.

“I know, I know, you’ll give be a very disapproving look. Sheeeeesh some ponies!” The draconequus said, taking up the foal and making a silly face at her. Skyla giggled and reached her tiny forehooves for him. “Well what do you know? I think she likes me already!” He declared. “If you ever need an upstanding and ideal role model of a foalsitter—”

“I’ll be available.” Twilight replied, cutting Discord off and prompting a sulk from the chaos god as he returned Skyla to her parents.

“Ah gotta admit, I’m hoping we don’t run outta cider!” Applejack said, trotting over and followed by Applebloom. “Had ta get the whole family in on this an’ we’re still goin’ through ‘em fast!”

“Well you guys do make the best cider!” Rainbow said as she set Scootaloo down from flying her around the ceiling and the two pegasi chugged down the drinks they’d gotten.

“Honestly, Sweetie Belle, how many more of those can you drink?” Rarity asked as her sister chugged down a cider cup as well.

“Aw, come on! You had like five already.” Sweetie Belle replied.

“Lightweight.” Gilda sneered, clenching her claw into a fist and bumping it against Dash’s hoof. “I guess saying yes to your invitation to this wasn’t the worst mistake I could make, Dash.”

“Glad to hear you admit it, Gilda.” Rainbow said; pleased to see their friendship finally renewed even if the griffoness had lost little of her edge.

“Don’t get cocky, Dash. I’m not gonna admit anything else.” Gilda replied.

“If you ask me, you could stand to lose a little of that bluster.” Rarity said.

“Come on, settle down, girls.” Twilight said, approaching them and floating a cup of cider for herself off of a passing tray. “Let’s just try and enjoy the rest of the night.”

Taking a sip, Twilight heard a distant crash and then noticed Spike and Fluttershy rushing towards them.

“Princess Cadance? Shining Armor? I think someone’s at the door!” Spike said.

“Yes… now they’re knocking. Not sure if we should be the ones to answer it, though.” Fluttershy said.

“That is rather odd, I can’t imagine any guests arriving this late.” Luna wondered, glancing over at her sister in confusion.

“Don’t worry, I’ll go answer it.” Twilight said with a smile as she teleported through the crowd and to the front door, using her magic to open it slightly.

“Oh, hey, Twilight!” Derpy said with a big smile. “Sorry I kinda crashed into the door, there… my bad.” She said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.

“Oh it’s all fine… um, what brings you out here? Some kind of late mail delivery?” Twilight asked, noticing the messenger bag around Derpy’s neck that she always brought for her mail routes.

“Ooh! Actually, yes!” Derpy said, reaching into her bag as Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, the royal sisters, and Spike approached through the crowd and stood behind Twilight, who simply stared at Derpy in confusion. “It’s for you and your friends!” Derpy explained, taking out a letter with her teeth and holding it out to them.

“For us?” Rainbow wondered. “Lemme see that!” She said, taking it away from the mailmare and tearing it open.

“Ooh! Mail for us? Who’s it from?” Pinkie asked, jumping up and down trying to see the letter.

“Funny story! Got it from Snips and Snails and they said it was “Totally super-urgent that this gets to Twilight and her friends!”… they didn’t say who they got it from, though, just that I had to get it over to you right away!” The pegasus explained.

Rainbow stared in utter shock as she unfolded the letter and saw what was on it. Curious, Twilight floated it away from her and held it out for the others to see, gaining similar looks of disbelief when they saw it.

As we performers always say: The show must go on!!!

The flier to one of Trixie’s shows which the envelope had contained stated, signed by the showmare herself.

“Ooh! I’m going to need more popcorn!” Discord said gleefully, hovering behind the group as he summoned a bag in his paw and cast an aside glance in amusement.

...

THE END?

...

Author's Note

And at very long last, the final chapter is complete! Now if you'll excuse me, it's time I get a little R&R! :pinkiecrazy:

I want to give a big thanks to everyone who read my story, for it's your continued support that keeps me writing stuffs :twilightsmile: Stay tuned for the sequel, which will be based on Mother 3 and written by Luna-cy!

Spankety Spankety Spankety.

A Little R&R Please?

It had been a clear and beautiful night over Ponyville, a humble town in Equestria. Well past midnight, much of the town was asleep in their homes with not a care in the world as Luna kept a vigilant watch.

In one such home that stood out from most of the others, a cloud house that hovered over the lands, was a sleeping blue pegasus mare named Rainbow Dash, fastest young flier in Equestria, and future wonderbolt. After a long day of practice the young pegasus was exhausted and fallen asleep the moment she’d gotten home, planning to enjoy her day off from weather duty when she woke.

All was well with the world, until a loud, thunderous explosion rocked the town, startling everypony awake, including Rainbow, who sat straight up in her bed and looked down at the upside-down tortoise on her floor.

“Whoa, Tank! Did something just crash or did Pinkie Pie overload her party cannon again?!” Rainbow checked the time, it was only 1:35 AM and recalling the pink earth pony was out of town at the moment ruled out the latter possibility.

Getting up and peering out her window, she saw something smoking in the far distance, and from the looks of things, a lot of ponies were on their way over. Unfortunately most of her friends were away this weekend; Twilight and Spike were at Canterlot for some big exam, Applejack was helping on a harvest in Appleloosa, and Rarity was supposed to be delivering some outfits to a new town by the Foal Mountains with Pinkie Pie’s help. That left Fluttershy.

“Well, Tank, let’s get going,” the pegasus said, scooping the tortoise in her hooves and taking to the air.

Hoping her friend was okay, the pegasus flew towards Fluttershy’s cottage, only to find the door locked. Knocking, she heard a soft whimper from within.

“Hey, Fluttershy? You alright?” Rainbow asked.

“You hear it too?” Fluttershy’s voice asked meekly from within. “I-I don’t want to go out right now! My animals are all scared and I need to ta-ake care of them!” she insisted, her voice trembling.

“I heard something. It landed on the outskirts, I was gonna check it out and was wondering if you wanna come with?” Rainbow offered.

“No! No! I’m fine right here!” Fluttershy said, peering through her mail slot, looking extremely frightened. “Angel Bunny is really scared right now, so—“ She suddenly yelped as the sound of a light kick was heard, Angel’s eyes peered through the mail slot as he just shook his head and gestured to Fluttershy, giving a shrug that implied she was in denial. “L-look,” the yellow pegasus said. “You go out and see what it is, and tell me when you get back, okay?”

“Uhh, sure,” Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes a bit. “You stay here with Fluttershy, Tank. I’m gonna go check this out,” she said, the tortoise nodded as Fluttershy cautiously opened the door for him, and Rainbow and flew away to the source of the smoke.

”Oookay, this is getting weird,” Rainbow muttered to herself as she saw amidst several ponies, the wonderbolts were darting back and forth, keeping them away from what appeared to be a some kind of black crystalline rock in the ground. From the looks of things it’d just burst from the ground, and a strange red aura emanated from it, heating the ground around it. Flying closer, she passed the unicorns and earth ponies who looked less then pleased with being unable to take a closer look.

“Allow the Great and Powerful Trixie to see this phenomenon at once!” a familiar voice demanded

“Not gonna happen,” Spitfire’s voice answered.

“Trixie?!” Rainbow asked, flying over to where the unicorn and pegasus were arguing.

“Mind your own business, Rainbow Dash! The Great and Powerful Trixie is being barred from the view of this occurrence that she rightly deserves, and wishes to tell many ponies of it later! If you ask really nice, perhaps Trixie will tell you first,” the blue unicorn answered, turning her nose up.

“Rainbow, she one of your friends?” Spitfire asked, cocking her head.

Hardly! the pegasus thought to herself. “Uh, no!” she answered.

“She knew you. Can’t you do something about her, she’s really annoying but I gotta keep watch on things here so I can’t really apprehend her,” Spitfire said with an eyeroll.

“Ooh! Look, it’s Trixie!” Snips’ voice suddenly called out, and he came galloping over, followed by Snails.

“Hey, Trixie! It’s us! Your biggest fans!” Snails yelled as they both hurried over to their exasperated idol.

“Ugh, you stooges again!” Trixie groaned, the colts' arrival worsening her mood.

“Give them a few minutes she’s sure to wanna leave then,” Rainbow said to Spitfire, deciding she may as well leave and tell Fluttershy what went on. Turning around, she flew back towards her friend’s cottage.

“So, then there was this big black… crystal thingy there, but it was hot so nopony was allowed near it. The wonderbolts were there too!” Rainbow had ranted.

“Uh, sounds… really interesting,” Fluttershy said as she lay on her couch, Angel Bunny still consoling her. “You don’t think it means anything bad, do you, Rainbow Dash?” she asked, her blue eyes large and pleading with worry.

“Eh, aside from waking everypony up late, it doesn’t seem to be doing much,” Rainbow said with a hoofwave.

“Uh… um, if it’s not too much trouble, could you… maybe… stay the night?” the other pegasus asked, tapping her hooves together.

Rainbow sighed, knowing there was no way out of this without hurting Fluttershy’s feelings, and she did feel a need to be there for her when she was still so shook up by the crash. “Alright, sure. I’ll stay with you. Just for tonight, though, okay?”

“Oh, Rainbow Dash thank you!” Fluttershy said, hopping off the couch and hugging her friend, nearly squeezing her.

“Easy there, Fluttershy. Let’s just get to sleep alright? I’m not exactly happy my nap got interrupted either!” Rainbow said, pushing Fluttershy back and laying on the couch, earning a glare from Angel.

“Thanks, Rainbow. Angel, you come up and sleep by my bed, okay?” she asked in the sweetest way she could, getting a slight eyeroll and a shrug from the small rabbit and he hopped after her while she flew upstairs to her bed.

That big rock sure was freaky… Rainbow thought to herself as Tank ducked into his shell and dozed off near the foot of the couch. Oh, well, at least I can get back to sleep…

Two hours later…

BAPBAPBAPBAPBAP!

“WHA!?!” Rainbow fell from the couch, nearly landing on Tank, who poked his head from his shell at her, then glanced at the door as somepony knocked repeated on it.

“Oh my, who could that be?” Fluttershy asked, flying down.

BAPBAPBAPBAP!

“They sure are persistent!” Fluttershy said.

“I’ll see who it is, sooner I get rid of ‘em the sooner I can get some shut-eye again!” Rainbow growled, trotting over to the door and pushing open the top half, smacking something in the process.

“OW!” a voice outside protested, prompting Rainbow to look outside and finding Trixie sprawled out on the ground.

“What is the meaning of this, Rainbow Dash?!” Trixie demanded. “The Great and Powerful Trixie requires your overrated but still acceptable heroic prowess and came here, having been told you went this way, and you strike her with a door!”

“Sorry,” Rainbow said insincerely, opening the rest of the door and offering to help the unicorn up, but she simply turned her head and stood herself up. “What’s this all about, Trixie, can’t a pony get a little rest?”

“Well, it’s like this. Trixie was taking those two annoying colts back to their parents, but as we were getting there, they noticed the wonderbolts driving off the crowd and leaving, no doubt to report to Princess Luna. Seizing an opportunity, the colts were most insistent on seeing the glowing rock and ran off. Trixie, wishing to ensure their safety... and perhaps to get the chance to see it for herself more closely without those wonderbolts around, chose to accompany them… then suddenly we were ambushed by animals acting very strangely and she…”

“LOST THEM?!” Rainbow snapped, causing the showmare to cringe slightly.

“It was no fault of Trixie’s! Was she the one who brought the Ursa Minor? No! Those two seem quite talented at getting themselves in trouble or bringing it with them! Trixie thought that perhaps this task would be faster accomplished with an extra set of eyes,” Trixie responded.

Rainbow scoffed. “Admit it. You’re scared and want the fastest and most awesome pony in Equestria to watch your flank,” she taunted.

“Trixie would never admit to such cowardice! She is not afraid, but merely wishes to conclude this search more quickly!” the unicorn said in an aloof tone.

“Whatever,” Rainbow said, not buying a word Trixie said. “I’ll be back later, okay Fluttershy?”

“I understand… please be careful,” Fluttershy replied softly as Rainbow began walking along.

“Just keep up!” Rainbow said as Trixie promptly straightened her hat and followed close behind.

“This’d be so much easier if I could just fly to them,” Rainbow muttered angrily. Since Trixie was no pegasus and her only reliable source of directions as to where the colts may have wandered off to, that was not an option and as a result the two had to take the trail, retracing the unicorn’s steps.

“This was when they ran off,” Trixie said, gesturing towards the lightly wooded area that lead further up the hill.

“Well then let’s go handle this. Wouldn’t want to get blamed if anything happens to ‘em, right?” Rainbow asked, causing Trixie to sneer in annoyance. Before Rainbow took five paces a few crows flew out of the trees towards them.

“Hey, guys. Look, I dunno if you know, I’m friends with Fluttershy, we’re, uh, looking for two colts so could you—“ Rainbow didn’t get to finish her words as the spiteful crows suddenly began flying around her attempting to scratch and peck at her.

Flailing about like a madmare, Rainbow swung her hooves angrily at the birds, trying to swat them away. Trixie simply watched and inched closer, but otherwise made no apparent effort to assist the pegasus in any way.

“Stupid bucking crows!” Rainbow shouted furiously, managing to smash one in the face and knocking it out, then turned and grit her teeth at the other, which cawed angrily at her and flew away. “What in Tartarus was up with those things?!” she muttered. Catching her breath, Rainbow turned and noticed Trixie laying comfortably in the grass nearby staring up at her.

"Are you quite finished with this little tussle?" Trixie asked impatiently.

“Ya know, a little help woulda been nice back there!” Rainbow shouted indignantly.

“You didn’t ask, so how was Trixie to know the fastest and most awesome pony in Equestria was in danger?” Trixie asked smugly as she got up, turning her head and earning a facehoof from the pegasus before they resumed their journey.

“I swear another snake or fox or parasprite or whatever attacks me I’m gonna feed you to it!” Rainbow grumbled to Trixie, looking noticeably more roughed up then before and wondering if she should have taken that bat she saw leaning against the wall in Fluttershy’s cottage before she left. Trixie had not been any more helpful in the skirmishes with the oddly-aggressive wildlife during their search. Snips and Snails were still nowhere to be found, but as they’d reached the hill where the black crystal rock had appeared Rainbow’s gut told her the colts were probably there. They were coming close to the crater now, and could see the red glow from the hilltop.

Sure enough, the wonderbolts and the ponies had since cleared out, and getting closer, Rainbow spread her wings and flew towards the top, ignoring Trixie’s protests as the unicorn galloped up the winding path to catch up with her.

Reaching the top and landing next to the rock, Rainbow couldn’t help but be taken in by its appearance. It was mostly rounded with a few flat edges, like a black, crystalline boulder. The heat that came off it suggested it was probably quite hot, and it seemed to have an odd red aura come from it. Trusting her common sense, Rainbow took a few steps back, and noticed two figures hiding behind a tree nearby.

“Whoa, Rainbow Dash?” one figure asked.

“Thanks for coming!” the other said, and both came out, revealing themselves to be Snips and Snails. “Wow, when we heard Trixie freaking out and running off we thought we were done for!” Snails said.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is no coward! She did not ‘freak out’ nor flee, she merely sought an extra set of eyes to find you two when you wandered off like a couple of clueless foals!” the showmare protested.

“Well, now that everypony’s all reunited can we get back home so I can get some sleep?” Rainbow yelled angrily, still unable to believe she got dragged into this. “I had to search for you guys on hoof most of the way, got mauled by a bunch of stupid animals, and I’m sure Fluttershy’s worried about me by now, so let’s just get you two home now, alright?” the pegasus said, at the end of her patience.

As soon as the words left her mouth, however, the flash of light emitted from the crystal rock, and from it emerged a tiny, insectlike creature.

“PARASPRITE! GET IT AWAY!!” Snips shouted, jumping behind Snails who attempted to jump behind Snips, Trixie glared at the offending creature and suspended it with her magic.

“Wait… I’m not a Parasprite…” the buglike creature said in a high but slightly familiar female voice, and everypony’s faces promptly wore a shocked expression. As it flew closer, the creature seemed mechanical in design, white with gold trim, with an equine face and gossamer wings that shone in blue, green, purple, and pink.

“It… it can talk?!” Trixie stammered, releasing her hold on it out of surprise.

“What the hay…?” Rainbow asked, unable to stop staring at the tiny, buzzing thing.

“Please, you must listen!” the insect creature said to the four surprised ponies. “I have been sent to bring a grave warning from the future! The Dark King of Shadows, Sombra… he has risen again!”

“What?! Sombra?!” Rainbow asked. “Whoa there, bug-thing! Last I saw, the Crystal Heart blew him to bits! How can he have survived?”

“I cannot say, but somehow his magic and soul, remained intact and ensured his survival. Nopony knows for sure,” the bug creature answered. “The point is, I’m from a decade into the future, where Equestria and all beyond it is covered in black crystal spires… ponies suffer in slavery and insanity… and Sombra rules unopposed, his evil thoughts corrupting everything and everypony they touch. The Elements fell just as swiftly as they were too late to stop him. Luna fell next, and in her last desperate move, Celestia transferred what was left of herself into me, to go back and change this horrible fate. I believe… if a pre-emptive strike is made in the past, before Sombra’s power can fully be restored, then perhaps he can be stopped! I must meet with the Celestia of this era at once!”

“Out in Canterlot?" Rainbow asked. "Look, sure I'll get you there, just let me get these three out of my mane first, okay?” Rainbow asked. She could have sworn she heard the bug-thing sigh.

“Very well,” she muttered. “But let’s make this quick, I fear I may have been followed…”

With that, the five companions proceeded down the winding hill trail, returning towards Ponyville. Rainbow noticed the animals she’d dealt with earlier seemed to be cowering now as the talking bug led the group, a fact that admittedly annoyed her a little; how could they not waste a second’s hesitation to start fights with the awesome Rainbow Dash yet cower from a darn bug, even if it was sent by the Princess, supposedly? With a slight grunt, she shook her head and continued on.

No sooner had they made it to the foot of the hill when another flash of light appeared before them, and an odd, ponylike creature appeared before them. It wore armor that seemed to resemble metallic black crystal, with a small badge on its chest made from silvery metal substance. The visor in its helmet showed no features within except green eyes with purple fog emanating from them. The only thing he had going against him was his height; he was maybe just a few inches taller then Snails, making Rainbow suspect he was some kind of junior officer or something.

“Well, well, thought you could escape Sombra’s wrath, puny insect?” the crystalline pony asked mockingly in a high voice that confirmed Rainbow’s earlier suspicion.

“His time is limited, I have found the means to your lord’s downfall!” the bug answered.

“Fool! I will stomp you into the ground!” the armored colt said with a laugh.

“You wanna take her, you gotta deal with us!” Rainbow said, taking a stance while Snips and Snails cowered behind her and Trixie just shook her head and backed away.

Flying forward, Rainbow slammed the armored colt as hard as she could with her hoof, only to discover it’d barely phased him.

The armored pony laughed. “My turn,” he said, his jagged black horn on his helmet glowed brightly and a blast of fire came straight at the ponies.

“No!” the bug-creature shouted, raising her tiny legs and a magical barrier appeared around the ponies and herself, absorbing the flames. “Now, Darkrystal Junior, let’s see you handle THIS” the tiny horn on the buglike creature’s head glowed brightly, and a blast of magical power resembling a star flew at the armored colt, blasting him off his hooves. “Prepare for the beginning of the end of your master’s tyranny!” she declared, charging up another blast before their enemy could get back up and firing it at him. The moment the spell impacted, Darkrystal Junior let out a scream as his body exploded, leaving behind only tiny black shards that dissolved into dust shortly after.

“That was amazing!” Snips cheered.

“Incredible!” Snails added.

“Meh, I had him distracted!” Rainbow scoffed, though she would admit the little bugger didn’t do half bad.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie considers you adequate, had the situation become more dire her hoof may have been forced upon that intruder,” Trixie said with a hoofwave.

“Whatever, Trixie. Let’s just get these two back home and this little bugthing can do what she came for!” Rainbow said, pleased to see Ponyville just ahead now.

“This is only the beginning,” the bug creature warned. “Sombra’s power is already beginning to grow. The animals, ponies with negative emotions, and his servants will all attempt to stop his downfall. It’s essential we hurry!”

Author's Note

And thus endeth chapter one of this experiment! Will the threat from the future be stopped? Will Rainbow Dash be allowed some r&r? Who else shall be drawn into this unexpected adventure?

Ponies and places are fully cast, next update hopefully next weekend!

Good Morning Ponyville!

“Finally,” Rainbow muttered, approaching a cottage she knew at least one of the colts lived at. Inside she could hear their parents arguing, no doubt wondering where the two were.

“Hey,” the pegasus said, opening the door. “Found your colts. Try and keep ‘em on a leash from now on, okay?”

“Snips!” an obese unicorn mare Rainbow guessed was the colt’s mother shouted eagerly, running up to her son. “Where have you been? We were worried sick!”

“Same goes for you, Snails! What were you doing out at this hour?!” a ridiculously tall unicorn stallion, presumably Snails’ father, demanded.

“We went with Trixie to see the giant rock thing!” Snails insisted with a grin as Trixie backed away, waving her hooves and shaking her head frantically.

“What business did you have taking our children out this time of night?” Snips’ father yelled.

“Yeah, you could have gotten them hurt!” Snails’ mother accused as the parents began to close in on the showmare.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie begs your pardon, for it was neither her wish nor intention to take those two reckless troublemakers anywhe—“ Trixie began, and suddenly she frantically pointed at the wall behind them “Oh my, what’s that thing?!” she shouted dramatically, causing everypony to turn. The moment they did, she set off a burst of smoke and bolted off out of sight, earning an eyeroll from Rainbow Dash as she glanced over at the tiny bug thing that had saved their lives as it stood on her back and offered only a light shrug.

“Well, I see nothing…” Snails’ mother said, noticing the vacant wall, then the instant she faced Rainbow Dash her eyes widened. “OH MY! THERE IT IS! Hold still, Rainbow Dash!” Snips’ mother shouted, magically floating a rolled-up newspaper off the table.

“What are you… NO! WAIT—!“ before Rainbow could say any more, the newspaper slammed down on her back, smacking the tiny creature. “Oh no! Oh no!” Rainbow brought her hoof up, taking the now squashed bug-thing off her back and cradling her in her hooves as she flew outside, leaving the dumbfounded parents and colts behind.

“Hang on tight! I’m gonna get ya to Fluttershy’s! Don’t you die on me!” Rainbow said frantically, looking around for the path that lead to her friend’s place.

“I’m… sorry… Rainbow Dash…” the bug creature said, its colors slowly fading. “My… time is almost up.”

“No, no, no! Your time’s not going anywhere!” Rainbow said. “I’m gonna get you to my friend, she’ll be able to help, she’s got to!”

The bug thing coughed, sparks coming from its tiny body. “Rainbow… Dash… you are a… most loyal… and caring pony…”

“Yeah, and awesome too, thanks for the update! What’s that gotta do with anything?!” the pegasus asked. “Come on, enough with the delusional ramblings, you’re not gonna die!”

“I’m… afraid… so… I am… all that remained of Celestia in that time period… you were willing… to defend the others… even in the face of… a foe you could not have handled… the truth is… I intended to have your friends brought together so they may know… it rests upon you and them… to stop Sombra…” the bug creature said, her body twitching.

“What?! You mean I gotta go find ‘em now?!” Rainbow asked.

“That won’t be… enough, though… there are… eight… places in the lands, where the world’s power is channeled through ancient landmarks that… date back before the time of the Princesses. You must draw… upon the magic of the world itself to give you strength to stop Sombra for good… find these places, they will become sanctuaries. One is actually… within the Everfree Forest… the Centaur’s Step, go there first!”

“Okay, no problem, but you’re coming with me!” Rainbow insisted, not wanting to lose the tiny creature.

“No… Rainbow Dash, I’m sorry, but… it’s… over for me… here… let me give you this…” the bug creature’s chest slid open like a pair of tiny doors, and light emerged from it, forming into a small stone. “It’s called the Harmony Stone. It will record the songs of the... magic… those places emit, when all eight have been… acquired… then… when true… friendship… is found… you…” The tiny thing sputtered again, struggling with every word.

“Sombra… must fall… I… have faith in you… all of you… don’t ever… give… up… good luck... little pony...” the bug’s body fell limp in Rainbow’s hooves, and all its color faded completely. Within seconds, its body dissolved away into shimmering dust, blowing away in the gentle breeze.

Rainbow slumped her head down, looking at the stone that now sat at her hooves and picked it up in her teeth. She had to get the others. Fluttershy first… would she be able to handle this? She didn’t want her getting hurt. Maybe she should handle this, and return when she’d gotten these ‘sanctuary’ things. She should at least know about it as her friend was probably worried about her now.

Before she could go any further, however, the sun began to rise signifying the coming of a brand new day. Was I really up that long?! she wondered. Deciding to continue onward, the pegasus spread her wings, flying towards Fluttershy’s cottage. As she reached the entrance, a confidant smile on her face, Rainbow heard a magnificent fanfare begin to play.

Fanfare?

Rainbow looked around for the source of that music when suddenly a figure high above in the sky came spinning down towards her; the odd sight causing her to stare agape, resulting in the stone falling from her mouth and landing at her hooves. What in Equestria is that…?

As it drew closer, it became evident who it was, as she didn’t know anypony else with that many different animal parts making up their body.

“Well good morning to you too, Rainbow Dash! Lovely day isn’t it?” Discord asked with an annoyingly cheerful tone.

“What do you want?” Rainbow asked.

“Oh, right! You didn’t know! With me under watch and this whole interesting development going on, I figured I’d try a new hobby, and what better choice then one that will allow me to immortalize this developing chaos; namely photography?” he asked, a large camera suddenly appearing in his paw, strap secure around his long neck.

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance you could, I dunno, HELP ME STOP THE END OF THE WORLD?!" the pegasus asked angrily. Discord simply made a handwaving gesture.

“Oh pish-tosh, Rainbow Dash. You know I can’t get involved, that’d make things resolve way too quickly and make it a lot less fun!” the draconequus answered with a smug grin.

“Less fun for who exactly?” Rainbow asked flatly.

“Me, of course! Now say fuzzy pickles!” Discord said, raising the camera up.

“Fuzzy-what?!” Rainbow asked, only to be answered by the camera’s click.

In seconds the photo popped out from the slot under the camera, and Discord held it up proudly.

“Ah, lovely pose, I particularly enjoy the fine blend of annoyance and confusion in your face! This will bring back the fondest of memories, won’t it, Rainbow Dash?” Discord asked with a chuckle. “Well, I’ll let you and Fluttershy chat. See you around!” With that, he spun back upwards into the sky; Rainbow could swear he was shouting ‘weeeee’ all the way up before he vanished in a flash of light hundreds of feet up.

Shaking her head and deciding not to dwell on the weirdness of what had just transpired, Rainbow picked the stone back up with her teeth and knocked on the door, which opened seconds later.

“Rainbow Dash? Oh, Rainbow Dash you’re alright!” Fluttershy said, hugging her friend.

“Yeah, long story, Fluttershy.” Rainbow replied, picking up the Harmony Stone again.

“Well, you must’ve been up all night! Why don’t you go take a nice nap and tell me about it when you wake up, okay?”

“Uh, but—“ Rainbow began, attempting to protest even while holding a stone in her teeth.

“No buts, missy!” Fluttershy said sternly, pushing Rainbow upstairs. “Uh, sorry… I just, I want to make sure you’re okay. I remember how grumpy you were about being woken so early,” she said, returning to her usual soft tone and looking downcast.

Ugh, why’s she gotta give me that look… Rainbow thought, feeling a little guilty and deciding to head up to Fluttershy’s bed.

“You can rest right here, come right down when you get up and I’ll make you something to eat, and you tell me everything then, okay?” Fluttershy asked with a smile as she tugged open the covers. “Oh my… what’s that?” she asked, looking at the Harmony Stone as Rainbow placed it on the bedside table.

“I’ll tell you about it when I get up,” Rainbow said as she reluctantly crawled into bed, watching Fluttershy drape the sheets over her and begin to fly downstairs.

“Sweet dreams, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said with a smile, and proceeded downstairs to do her morning routine of feeding her animals.

Rainbow had a lot on her mind, but her friend’s soothing words had an odd way of calming her a little. She looked back over at the stone for a moment, deciding soon as she was up, she’d get started on finding the girls, and getting these ‘sanctuary’ things taken care of. No way was the impossibly awesome Rainbow Dash gonna let the world down!

Three hours later, Rainbow Dash was back downstairs having lunch with Fluttershy, the Harmony Stone sitting on the table. The yellow pegasus was quite surprised and a little worried by the story Rainbow told her.

“So… that’s everything, then?” Fluttershy asked. “That would explain why some of the animals were rather grumpy this morning… Angel had to knock two of them out with a baseball bat… though I’m not sure it was completely necessary…”

“Well, it’s the truth, Fluttershy. We gotta get these sanctuary things, find the others, and put Sombra down for good!” Rainbow replied. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna drag ya into this. I’d rather you be safe here till I come back.”

“Thank you, Rainbow Dash. It’s probably for the best, I want to make sure the animals are okay, too,” Fluttershy said, clearly feeling a little bad for not being of much help, but then she perked up. “Wait! I think I have something that can help!” Getting up, she flew over to her closet and pulled out a large saddlebag. “I’ll pack you some daffodil sandwiches in case you get hungry, and maybe this’ll help too. It’s a magic candle Twilight gave me for my last birthday. You blow on it and it lights up, then put a letter or something else on it and it’ll instantly send it to whoever it’s addressed to like Spike does!”

Rainbow cocked an eyebrow at this revelation. “How long have you had that Fluttershy?” she asked.

“Oh, awhile, actually… I hope that’s alright… I guess I didn’t really need it since I usually just have Mr. and Mrs. Pigeon deliver my mail!” she said with a sheepish laugh. “But I’m sure you’ll need it more so just take it, alright?”

“Alright, sure,” Rainbow said with a slight shrug as Fluttershy began packing everything including the stone and closed up the saddlebag for her. “Thanks, Flutters, you’re the best!” she said, rubbing the back of her head with her hoof as she took to the air.

“Just… write every now and then, okay? Just so I know you and the girls are okay, and if you need me to send anything else,” Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, no problem! Catch ya later, Fluttershy!” Rainbow said, feeling refreshed and ready to tackle whatever Sombra’s forces had ready for her.

Author's Note

Yeah, I coulda gone with Photo Finish as Photographer Guy, but in the end, this seemed the better(and funnier, given the sheer randomness of the character and considering Pinkie Pie's got a different role planned) option.

Of Spooks and Sea Beasts

“Looks like we have no choice but to bust these zomponies down!” Rainbow said with a grin and taking a fighting stance as Rarity followed suit.

“It would seem so, Rainbow Dash. And I must say their smell is absolutely horrid!” the unicorn replied as the undead equines drew ever closer.

Before either pony could prepare to fight, however, an upbeat fanfare sounded off, one Rainbow recognized all too well.

“Really? Are you KIDDING ME?!” the pegasus asked, gazing upward.

“Whatever is going on?” Rarity asked, looking up and seeing a figure spinning down towards them.

“Trust me, you don’t wanna know,” Rainbow answered as Discord touched down and snapped his fingers, making the zomponies freeze in place.

“Well hello there, Rainbow Dash! And I see you’ve found one of your little friends too!” Discord said with a chuckle.

“Discord, we’re kinda busy right now! Can't this wait?” Rainbow asked.

“And miss out on the perfect photo opportunity? I think not!” he said, raising up the camera. “Now when I un-freeze the zomponies, be ready to say ‘fuzzy pickles’!” the draconequus said.

“Now, Discord, I hardly find this the appropriate time to be giving us trouble—“ Rarity began, but the chaos god promptly snapped his fingers and the zomponies charged right at the two ponies, and the click of Discord’s camera was heard.

Turning and paying little attention to Rainbow Dash or Rarity as they struggled with the zomponies, Discord looked over the photo as it slid out of the camera, featuring the panicked Rainbow Dash and Rarity instinctively hugging eachother while screaming as the zomponies lunged upon them. “Oh, you two! Imagine the memories this one will bring!” the draconequus said with a satisfied smirk and placing his camera back around his neck. “Well, you two have fun, now! Best of luck stopping the zomponies!” With a cheerful wave, Discord spun back up into the sky and vanished in a brilliant flash of light.

I swear, one of these days… Rainbow thought to herself as she hoofed another zompony in the face and sent it flying. Rarity meanwhile used her magic to fling one into the side of a building, seemingly putting it down for good. “You alright, Rarity?”

“Once I get this foul purple gunk out of my mane I’ll be quite well, Rainbow,” Rarity said, using her magic to clean herself off. “Honestly, had Discord bothered to assist I would have been more then happy to pose for photos.”

“And ruin his fun? Don’t count on it?” Rainbow said with an eyeroll. “C’mon, we should figure out what the hay’s going on here! Maybe somepony knows where these zomponies are coming from!”

The two wandered about, noticing there didn’t seem to be anypony around, though they could see a few window lights on. It seemed likely they had barricaded themselves indoors to hide.

“The cemetery is quite large, Rainbow Dash, you know the stories about this place back before they decided to restore it,” Rarity explained.

“Oh please, they waited till now to start popping out of the ground?” Rainbow asked.

“Wait! Who’s that?” Rarity asked, pointing her hoof at a pony in a fedora and trenchcoat that was slipping out of the cemetery and towards a shed.

“Let’s find out.” Rainbow answered, scooping Rarity in her forehooves and flying as fast as she could to the pony, knocking him down.

“Whoa! Don’t hurt me!” The pony pleaded, his hat falling off and revealing him to be a unicorn.

“Who are you? Why’re you hanging around outside when there’s zomponies?” Rainbow asked, leaning into the other pony’s face.

“M-my name’s Shady Sale! I’m a con pony!” the stallion said. “And… ehh no reason!”

Rainbow stomped her hoof into the stallion’s chest. “Really? Wanna try again?”

“Ow! Sheesh, lady! Okay! Okay! But the boss’ll kill me for spillin’!”

“Boss? You work for these uncouth monsters?!” Rarity asked.

“Used to! Used to! I was an informant, but I changed sides, realized their plans weren’t really good for anypony, see?” Shady Sale replied. “They’re all ‘nothing can stop our boss! He’s gonna smother the land in the name of Sombra!’ and stuff!”

“Where is their boss?” Rainbow asked.

“Neighagara Falls! There’s an underground passage behind the cemetery that leads right to it but you won’t get there with all the zomponies guarding it!” Shady answered.

“Let ‘em try and stop me,” Rainbow replied.

“They will. They’re everywhere and I’m tellin’ ya unless you got a way to draw ‘em away from there you ain’t getting near that passage.”

Rainbow snorted and looked over in the distance. Zompony pegasi were all gathered in one area in the back of the cemetery, their red eyes glowing in the darkness and indicating there were many of them. Maybe the con pony had a point after all. “Alright, fine. But one more question, there any place safe around here? Where’s the town guard?”

“Oh, they got a big tent set up in the middle of town! One’a the wonderbolts and some minotaur are workin’ with ‘em to maintain a little damage control an’ keep a few of the businesses open!” Shady explained.

“Well, that’s all good to know, I suppose,” Rarity said.

“Now if you’d be so kind, any chance you can let me go?” Shady asked with a nervous smile.

“Fine, whatever,” Rainbow said, stepping off of the fallen pony. “Guess we’d better head back into the town and find this tent, see if there’s a way to get past those zomponies.”

Flying back in, the tent was hard to miss, it being brightly lit and in the middle of town. Touching down, Rainbow let go of Rarity and the two looked around, seeing town guard stationed around the tent and Spitfire pacing about. Next to her was a towering blue minotaur Rarity recognized right away.

“Iron Will?!” the unicorn asked, eyes wide in disbelief. She hadn’t seen the eccentric self-help guru since the confrontation with Fluttershy over payment the pegasus had talked him out of expecting from her.

“Iron Will’s the name and fighting zomponies is my new game!” the minotaur shouted proudly, posing with the bazooka he was holding and giving a thumbs up to some unseen audience.

“Save it for the battlefield, minotaur,” Spitfire said with an eyeroll, but she smiled at the sight of the familiar blue pegasus. “Hey, cadet. Can’t say these are the best conditions to run into you in, but if you’re here to lend a hoof, we could use it.”

“Yeah, I kinda noticed,” Rainbow said, looking around. “But hey, like I’d doubt for a second you couldn’t keep the zomponies at bay!”

“Well, we’ve done our best,” Spitfire said.

“YEEEAAAHHH!” a huge, muscular white pegasus nearby cheered as he punched a zompony hard enough to shatter it to pieces.

“Hey, whatever you need, you can count on us!” Rainbow said, punching her right hoof into her left.

“Well, actually I do have an assignment, but I have to continue to supervise here so I can’t really leave and do it,” Spitfire began. “The model Fleur De Lis is somewhere in this town, she was on her way to Manehattan spending the night here but then the ghosts took over the tunnels before she could leave. Word is she’s been safe at the hotel, but one of my units said they saw her wander out a little while ago and now I’m worried. Think you can find her and make sure she’s alright?”

Rarity’s eyes widened, she remembered the model having met her when she met Fancy Pants for the first time. She seemed nice enough and being friends with Fancy Pants it wouldn’t do to have one of his friends be in danger if she could help it. “Well I think I speak for the two of us when I say we cannot allow somepony as marvelous and revered as her be left in danger! I’ll have it done at once!” the unicorn stated. “Come, Rainbow Dash, let’s hurry and prevent a dreadful tragedy in the Equestrian fashion industry!” she said, trotting off without her. Rainbow gave Spitfire a look and a shrug, and followed.

Within moments after leaving the safety of the tent, however, the search proved to take far less time then either pony expected. As they neared the inn, they noticed Fleur standing outside, looking about and pawing the street a few times.

“Fleur De Lis! Thank Celestia you’re alright!” Rarity said, galloping over followed by Rainbow Dash. “Are you alright?”

“Never better,” Fleur said in a calm tone and rather indifferent to the undead that were shuffling about on the streets. “Just felt like I needed some air. It doesn’t do for me to be cooped up the whole time.”

“Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?!” Rainbow Dash asked, flying into the unicorn model’s face. “All these zomponies around? You can’t be out here!” the model simply cocked an eyebrow at her.

“As you can see I’m quite well despite all that’s happened,” Fleur answered, her upper-class tone taking a hint of primness. “If you’re so worried, may I trouble you to at least escort me to my room? I’ll be happy for the company,” she said.

“Forget your room! We’ll take you to the tent!” Rainbow said.

“The tent is a good five minute walk from here, zomponies are all around as you’ve put it. My room’s right here,” Fleur said matter-of-factly, turning and entering the hotel.

“Please excuse my friend, but this may be a better option, Miss De Lis!” Rarity said, following. As she and Rainbow entered, Fleur picked up the pace and galloped up the stairs, the two mares in pursuit.

Shouldn’t there be inn staff here? Rarity wondered, noticing the desk and halls to be otherwise empty as she passed them. or maybe even security?

Following the unicorn model up the stairs, they saw her look back at them at the end of the oddly dimly-lit hall before opening the door to her room and disappearing inside.

“I swear, some ponies…” Rainbow muttered.

“Rainbow Dash, something’s not right here…” Rarity said, hesitating. “Perhaps it is best we—“

“Who cares? Like you said, we can’t leave Fleur here!” Rainbow said. “Now come on!” With that, the pegasus flew down the hall to the door and waited for Rarity to catch up. “Fleur, open up!” Rainbow ordered.

No answer.

“Fine, be that way!” The pegasus turned and bucked the door down, rushing inside followed by Rarity.

Fleur De Lis lay on her bed, smirking at them. Around her were no less then fifteen zomponies and four ghosts, all sporting sinister grins as they approached the two mares.

“Oh buck me…” Rainbow muttered. The last thing she and Rarity saw was the wicked sneer now present on Fleur’s face as her eyes briefly gained a green, reptilian look to them.

“Well this is a wonderful mess we’ve gotten into!” Rainbow grumbled, pacing about in the dank cave she and Rarity had woken up in.

“WE, Rainbow Dash? I believe I was the one who said something seemed off about the situation!” Rarity said, magic from her horn lighting up the otherwise pitch black cave.

“You still followed me! What’s your excuse there?” Rainbow asked.

“You were being reckless! I had to make sure you were alright!” Rarity answered, turning her head away and sticking her muzzle up.

“Whatever. Doesn’t change that we’re stuck in some cave with no way out except for a locked door! Rainbow replied, gesturing her hoof to the metal door nearby. She’d tried smashing it down and only got sore hooves for her troubles given she lacked the space to get the momentum necessary.

“Wait… Rainbow do you still have that candle?” Rarity asked, perking up.

“Hold on...” The pegasus opened her bag and looked around. “Yeah, right here!” she said, taking it out with her teeth and setting it down. Rarity stared down at it and glared at her friend.

“You did not just put the top end in your mouth did you?!” she asked.

“Uhhh—“

“Rainbow! The top’s soaked in your drool now! How do you expect it to light?” Rarity protested.

“Hey, sorry if I’m a little freaked out here thanks to our situation!” Rainbow answered angrily.

“Well, it would seem we’re out of options,” Rarity said, laying back down and rolling her eyes, Rainbow walking a few paces from her and sitting down, letting out an angry snort.

A few moments passed and suddenly Rainbow grinned. “Hey, Rarity! I got an idea!”

“What might that be? Dig our way out or ask the zomponies really nicely to open the door?” Rarity asked in a flat tone. “Because even now I will not render my hooves filthier then they’ve already gotten in here nor do I find even my charms likely to affect mindless corpses covered in foul-smelling purple ooze.”

“No, remember when you sent a message in my head when you got captured? Maybe if we can get some help! We can contact Spitfire!” Rainbow explained.

“Wonderful idea, Rainbow Dash! However there’s the little problem of we have NO IDEA WHERE WE ARE!” Rarity answered.

“Well then… I dunno, maybe we can get one of the girls down here?” Rainbow asked. “Only pony I can think who’d be able to find us and get down here fast enough is—“

“Twilight! Of course! But she’s in Canterlot for exams!” Rarity said. “But still… she’s the closest to where we are, or at least the pony who’d have a way here that doesn’t involve the tunnels. And a unicorn with magic as a talent, she’d have an easier time picking me up then you did,” she smiled. “Very well, Twilight it is!”

Meanwhile, at the Celestia School for Gifted Unicorns in Canterlot, Twilight Sparkle had since gone to sleep. She’d heard of the strange explosion in Ponyville that had since distracted her from the exams and the news that had come about Sombra, and had done her best to study for answers. Her efforts had lead to dead ends that had worn herself and her number one assistant exhausted.

Twilight… Twilight! If it’s not too much trouble, Rainbow Dash and I are in a bit of trouble, you see! I REALLY hope you’re awake right now and if you would, please get to Hollow Shades with something that can fly! The tunnels are closed off, and it’s REALLY muggy down here and please hurry!

The unicorn tossed and turned in her sleep, Rarity’s voice echoing in her head.

And also, tell Spikey-Wikey I said hi!

Twilight sat up, her eyes snapping wide open as she looked around.

“Rarity? What in the hay…?” the unicorn wondered aloud. The moment the name exited her mouth, she heard Spike sigh in his bed happily.

“Did she… was that…?” Twilight climbed out of her bed and paced around. Rarity must have learned a new spell, probably to make reaching others a little more convenient, but did she say she and Rainbow were in trouble? Maybe this was connected to the explosion? She’d been wanting to head to Ponyville to study the black crystal that had appeared first chance she got, reports of ponies and animals acting strangely had been going on as well… they had to be connected!

Walking over to Spike’s bed, the unicorn nudged the young dragon several times. “Spike? Wake up!”

The dragon stirred and rubbed his eyes. “Sheesh, Twi! What time is it?” he asked as he sat up. “Where are you going?” he asked as Twilight began to head for the door.

“I gotta leave,” Twilight said, opening the door.

“You nuts, Twi?! Even if you’re Princess Celestia’s personal student you can’t just go leaving campus at this hour!”

“Rarity’s in trouble. She’s with Rainbow somewhere in Hollow Shades,” Twilight replied. "Also she says hi."

“What are we waiting for?!” Spike answered immediately, jumping out of bed. “But your stuff! I think Minuette’s got the keys for the lockers though since she volunteered for night watch.”

As the unicorn and dragon walked down the halls, they noticed Lyra and Amethyst Star caught up in some conversation on the sofas in the student lounge, a soothing melody playing on the nearby record player.

“Hey, can either of you tell me where Minuette is?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, she’s in the magic labs catching up on her assignments. Why?” Amethyst asked, eating a PB&J sandwich while Lyra slouched next to her sipping on a drink while she magically doodled something.

“I need her help with something,” the unicorn answered, promptly trotting away before either pony could answer. Finding the door she was seeking, Twilight opened it and stepped inside, where Minuette was working with some potion ingredients and taking several notes.

“Hey, Minuette?” Twilight asked softly, relieved that the unicorn didn’t get startled. Her classmate turned and raised an eyebrow in confusion behind the enormous goggles she was wearing.

“Twilight? What’re you doing up this late? After all the studying and work you’ve been pulling I’d think the end of the world wouldn’t wake you.”

“Heh, funny you should say that,” Twilight answered flatly. “Look, I need the keys to the lockers, I gotta go out and find a way to Hollow Shades. It’s a major emergency and I think it’s gotta do with all that’s happened lately!”

“Can’t you just teleport there?” Minuette asked, but Twilight shook her head.

“No. I need to know where a place is and be able to picture in my mind where I’m going for that to work, so it doesn’t really work too well on far-off places I’ve never been,” Twilight explained.

The blue unicorn regarded her for a moment and shook her head. “Well then forget it. The balloons are down till further notice thanks to all the crazy stuff going on, and Princess Celestia’s asleep by now,” Minuette said. “Buuuuut... “ She stroked her chin with her hoof. “Hey, my dad might be able to help! He’s been completely on this crazy phenomenon ever since it happened!”

Twilight raised an eyebrow. That weird earth pony Minuette had to have inherited her cutie mark from that was obsessed with physics and time travel? “How would he be able to—”

“He’s been working on something in his labs just outside Canterlot, on the other side of the mountain past the rivers. Some kinda fancy new flying machine! Maybe if you help him with it he’ll let you use it,” Minuette explained. Twilight sighed. She never knew Doctor Whooves had his own lab near Canterlot, and as a result she’d have to hoof it there so to speak. The other unicorn gave Twilight a key. “Here, this oughta work for the lockers. Mine’s got a map to his place too so you can use that to find my dad’s lab.”

“Thanks!” Twilight said, trotting out of the labs with the key in tow, and returning in just three minutes with a scowl on her face as she magically flung the bent key onto the table.

“Well you’re no fun,” Minuette said with a smirk while Spike started snickering. Going over to her saddle bag Minuette floated out a small cylindrical device of some kind with a blue tip.

“What’s that, some kinda sonic probe?” Spike asked, pointing at it.

“That’s screwdriver, Spike,” Minuette answered with an eyeroll. "It’s an old model of my dad’s but it should still work. It’ll open any lock you don’t have keys for… he let me have it in case I accidentally lock myself outside my room again!” the unicorn explained. “This one’s made for unicorns. Just focus on the little button there and it’ll do its job.”

“Thanks, Minuette,” Twilight said. “This means a lot.”

“Just doing my part I guess,” the other unicorn said with a shrug. “Now let me get back to work, I’ve just used up twenty minutes with you.”

Heading back into the halls and stopping at the lockers, Twilight found the device certainly did as Minuette had said. Taking out her saddlebags and snacks, along with a few books and her bag of bits as well as the map Minuette spoke of, Twilight was soon on her way back to the lounge.

“Uhhh, where are you going?” Amethyst asked, noticing Twilight.

“Important stuff, I need to leave.”

“You realize that’s against the rules at this hour?” Amethyst asked. “Don’t tell me you’re gonna join those ponies camped out by the river hoping to see that sea serpent they’ve been talking about…”

“No, nothing like that!” Twilight answered. “It’s really important, okay? My friends are in trouble and I need to see Whooves so I can get a ride to Hollow Shades,” Twilight explained.

“Ooh! Be sure to check out that maze I made on the way to his place!” Lyra said excitedly, earning an eyeroll from Amethyst.

“Really, Lyra? You're still on about that? Just because you got tasked with the school obstacle course design this time…” Amethyst replied. She just wished the mint-colored unicorn’s enthusiasm for it would tone down a little after several days.

“Hey, I’m not allowed a hobby outside of music?” Lyra asked, sipping her drink.

“Well, at any rate, good luck, Twilight. Say hi to Whooves for us,” Amethyst said with a wave.

“Sure, see you girls later!” Twilight said, in a better mood as she and Spike headed downstairs and out the door into the night.

"You sure about this, Twi?" Spike asked as they approached the gates of the academy.

"Of course I am, now hold on tight!" Twilight said as the dragon hugged her, and they immediately appeared on the outskirts of Canterlot, greeted by a massive river at the base of the waterfalls. Tents were all around and ponies all seemed to be staring at the river in eager anticipation. "Wow, I guess the thing about a sea serpent being out here really has a lot of ponies stirred..." She guessed a little random excitement was a good way to relieve the tension caused by the matter with the crystal appearing in Ponyville. Still, it did little to help her get across the river and it didn't look like any rafts were used. "Well, Spike let's get..." Her stomach promptly growled. "...Something to eat." Looking in her saddlebag, she found books, some rope, a bag of chips she'd brought and opened it, sitting down while Spike fished through his things.

"Spike, did you seriously bring mane styling spray?" she asked, eyeing the random spray can that came out along with several gems.

"Hey, I figure Rarity's gonna want it!" Spike said sheepishly as he picked up one of the gems and ate it.

"Well, till we can figure a way across, we won't be seeing them right away," Twilight said, heading towards the shore. "Gotta be some way..."

Her thoughts were interrupted by stirring in the water. No way... she thought to herself, floating Spike and their things off the ground and galloping over as the ponies gathered there suddenly paused in their place.

As she drew closer, the stirring in the water grew, bubbles rising from it as a large serpentine figure rose, and it was... singing out a high note?! Twilight's eyes widened as she recognized the creature.

"HELLO-O-O-OOOOOOO all you fabulous ponies!" the purple sea serpent with the blonde pompadour and mustache sang out joyously. "Not too early for my big debut in Canterlot am I?"

"Spike? Get out that mane spray. I got an idea!" Twilight said with a smile.

Author's Note

And at long last, a new chapter is made. Look for another hopefully this coming weekend!

A Daring Descent

“No… way…” Rainbow mouthed, in utter shock at the yellow pegasus who was fending off the gang of jackal bandits with a whip she held in her teeth.

“A.K. Yearling is Daring Do?!” Twilight gasped when she noticed the same sunhat, shawl, and glasses lay on the floor next to the pegasus

“Or she really likes to dress up,” Applejack said.

“I admit, I never read the books but she has quite a sense of style,” Rarity mused.

The pegasus leaped into the air, cracking her whip and wrapping it around two of the jackals and yanking them off the ground, flinging them into two of the others. The remaining four advanced on her immediately but Daring took to the air with a flip, and drop-kicked one in the face, rebounding off and into the next one’s face and doing a spin in the air swinging her whip again to snag another and swing it across the floor into the last one, who narrowly dodged it. The jackal bandit laughed at her, only to suddenly get hit in the face with the pegasus’ hat when she flung it at him, then Daring herself leaped at him and slammed her hoof on his face, knocking him out. Landing, the pegasus picked up her hat and placed it back on her head, before tending to her disguise to put it back into her messenger bag and slinging it back on.

“If that’s the best you got, I’m worried my next book’s gonna need some rewrites,” Daring taunted as she prepared to leave, then paused before she continued.

The four immediately hid, attempting to stay silent as they tried to figure out a way to approach her without seeming suspicious, though the excited grin was evident on Rainbow’s face.

Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Rainbow thought, her wings suddenly flaring out with excitement. Barely suppressing a shudder, Twilight attempted to force her friend’s wings back into folded position as to not give them away, but in no more then a second later, the large urn they were hiding behind was yanked away by a whip and it rolled away, revealing the scowling yellow pegasus on the other side.

Tossing her whip in the air and catching it on her wing, Daring regarded them with suspicion. “Alright, you have two seconds to explain what you’re doing here. Don’t waste them.”

“Save the world from Sombra!” Twilight shouted as fast as she could. Daring cocked her head and raised her eyebrow.

“Sombra? As in King Sombra?” the yellow pegasus asked.

“You know about him?” Twilight asked; her hoof planted over Rainbow’s mouth to keep her friend’s excitement down.

“Maybe I do, maybe I don’t… why should I trust you two enough to answer?” Daring asked, no less suspicious of them.

“Now hold on a sec,” Applejack said angrily as she came out of her hiding place, followed by Rarity. “Lookin’ past the part where you’re a real pony… we’re the ones who saved Equestria several times.”

“Yes… you’d think we’d get more recognition for that,” Rarity mused as it occurred to her ponies generally seemed to forget the times they had been at ground zero for rather catastrophic events.

“Does the Elements of Harmony ring any bells?” Twilight asked. “Look, my name’s Twilight Sparkle, I’m the—”

“I don’t recall saying I cared who you are. I wanted to know why you’re here,” Daring snapped with an eyeroll, cutting them off. "I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony but why should I trust you? I already know the changelings have been causing trouble again who’s to say the four of you aren’t just setting me up?” she asked accusingly.

“Sheesh… paranoid much?” Applejack asked, looking over at Rarity, who nodded in agreement. “If yer so suspicious ah’ll list off every member of the Apple Family an’ tell ya the story behind the Zap apples to prove ah’m me.”

“And no changeling can match my fashion sense,” Rarity scoffed.

“And I’d LOVE to see one even TRY to be half as awesome as me!” Rainbow said, pushing Twilight’s hoof away. “And let me just say you are like the coolest pony EVER! I’ve read all your books like three times they actually got me into reading and is there ANY chance I can get an autograph when this is over?” she asked hopefully. An awkward silence passed before Daring let out an exasperated sigh.

“Look, just get lost, alright? I work alone, I can’t spend my time worrying about you guys’ safety,” Daring replied.

“Well, we’re here for a reason, too,” Twilight said. “We have a mission to stop Sombra, so—”

“NEVER! AGAIN! I work ALONE!” Daring snapped lividly, then winced when she realized what she’d said first. “Look, do what you want but don’t expect me to look after you and don’t get in my way. I’m gonna get what I came for and that’s that!” She ordered, turning and flying off down the hallway.

“Well, that was a mite rude of ‘er,” Applejack said with a snort.

“Not as cool as I imagined her to be…” Rainbow said, ears drooping.

“So now what do we do?” Rarity asked.

“What did she mean by ‘never again’?” Twilight wondered. “In her books she was always working alone when it came to actually getting the artifacts.”

“That really important, Twi?” Rainbow asked sadly. “I feel a little down right now that my hero just kinda blew us off like yesterday’s trash.”

“Be that as it may, Rainbow, we need to get that Eye, with or without her help,” Twilight explained. “Trixie’s got a bunch of hired goons here and who knows what Sombra has in store for us so we need to hurry!”

“Okay… two paths. Which one?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“Shall we flip on it?” Rainbow asked.

“I for one think we should go whichever way Daring did not go down,” Rarity said. “There’s no indication one’s right and one’s wrong, so there’s a chance sooner or later we’ll run into her again.”

“That makes sense, I suppose,” Twilight said, rubbing her chin with her hoof. “Though we’d be going in blind. We have to keep our guard up then!” she looked down and saw hoofprints, implying that Daring had landed at some point and chosen left.

“Right it is, then,” Rainbow said. Not long after they progressed down the pathway and down another set of stairs, they reached a room where several caskets were propped against the walls. An open doorway awaited up ahead. “Well, let’s get moving, hmm?” Rainbow asked with a smirk, when suddenly the caskets glowed with a green light and slid open, and four mummy horses emerged from them.

“Four mummies, one each or can I take ‘em all?” Rainbow asked with a grin. The mummy horses’ eyeholes glowed green and they shuffled towards them, their bandages unraveling and glowing with a magic aura as they lashed out like whips.

“Look out, Rainbow!” Twilight shouted, firing a bolt of magic and blasting the bandages away before the pegasus could be strung up by them. Rainbow flew above the mummies and began flying in circles around them to form a miniature cyclone, but as she did, the mummies’ bandages unraveled more and wrapped around her, surrounded in magic aura as their eyeholes glowed brighter. More bandages flew out and snared Twilight, who quickly teleported away. Applejack took out her lasso and swung it over a mummy horse’s neck and gave it a firm yank, breaking its neck and sending the head rolling into a wall where it burst into dust and dried bone. Looking around, Rarity floated an urn and flung it at another mummy horse, smashing it into the undead creature and knocking it over. The mummy horse puffed out foul air from its nostrils and got up, its bandages magically stretching and flying at her and Applejack, snaring them both. Twilight hurriedly fired magic blasts at the remaining three, causing bursts of dust to fly off of them and making them stagger a little. At that moment, however, two more mummy horses entered from the doorway, their eyeholes glowing green as they approached. Their magical bandages flew off and stretched impossibly far, wrapping around Twilight’s horn and flinging her at a wall before she could teleport.

As it lifted her up again, however, a whip-crack was heard, snapping the bandages and severing them from Twilight’s horn, causing her to fall. The unicorn and her friends looked over and saw a scowling Daring Do standing there, holding her whip in her teeth.

“Well, I gave you an opening, use it!” she said, turning her attention to the one that snared Rarity and Applejack. Twilight nodded and fired several magic blasts at the mummy horse holding Rainbow Dash and blasting it apart, freeing her friend.

“Okay, NOW I’m ticked!” Rainbow shouted, flying circles around the ones Twilight had been freed from and causing a cyclone that left them little more then a pile of dust, bone and unraveled bandage.

Striking the mummy horses in the face with her whip, Daring caused them to stagger backwards, freeing Rarity and Applejack who immediately took action as well. “Get behind me!” Daring ordered as she flung the whip into the air and caught it in her hoof, cracking it at the legs of the mummy horse in front of her and causing it to topple over. The mummy horse lashed out its magical bandages as it lay on the ground, capturing Daring and hoisting her into the air. The pegasus struggled as she attempted to swing the slack on her whip enough to grab it in her teeth again.

Applejack immediately rushed forward, doing a flip in the air and facing away from the mummy horse as she delivered a crisp apple-buck, smashing it to pieces and causing it to lose its grip on the pegasus explorer, who simply got up and challenged another mummy horse. “Uhhh, you’re welcome?” Applejack muttered with an eyeroll.

Facing the remaining mummy horse, Twilight used a fire spell, setting it ablaze and causing it to run about for a few seconds before collapsing in a burning heap.

“What did I tell you guys about leaving?” Daring asked, adjusting her hat.

“So I take it this wasn’t a rescue?” Rarity asked.

“The other way was a dead end. The jackals tricked me into thinking they’d gone that way so I turned around,” Daring replied. “Look, this place is dangerous, and I’m here for something and I don’t do foalsitting or especially team-ups! I’ve handled worse then this before!” she said coldly.

“What the hay is your problem?!” Rainbow demanded, flying in the other pegasus’ face. “Seriously, every book I read, it made me admire you a little more every time. And sometimes a lot more! And not to mention we’ve come out on top of some pretty serious stuff, too by sticking together! What’s with this attitude?”

“Maybe you picked the wrong pony to look up to...” Daring said curtly as she began to walk past her. She stopped on her tracks when a hissing sound was heard.

“Snakes?!” Twilight asked, shaking as she recalled her dislike for them.

“No. It’s… oh buck me…” Daring muttered as her eyelids suddenly felt heavy, as did the other four ponies’.

Light returned, and the five ponies found themselves in a large chamber somewhere inside the pyramid, all of them chained to a wall. Down below were several jackals sneering up at them, and at an altar was a large horse statue with a pharaoh headdress, missing an eye.

“Wonderful…” Daring said, scowling.

Twilight immediately attempted to teleport but suddenly felt a painful shock go through her body. Looking upward she saw an inhibitor ring put over her horn.

“I wouldn’t bother. Those things are normally made for catching unicorn criminals, if I have my history correct…” a cultured male voice said, and from behind the jackals emerged a brown earth pony with a black mane and tail, wearing a white shirt and sporting a gold skull cutie mark.

“Dr. Caballeron…” Daring growled; hatred in her eyes as she looked down at the stallion.

“Why, Daring… how easy it was to figure out you’d show up,” Caballeron said with a smug smirk. “Maybe not as gullible as you once were, but certainly no less predictable.”

“Let me down here and I’ll wipe that smile right off your face!” Daring shouted furiously.

“I’m afraid not. The blue unicorn promised a hefty sum for getting to this Eye of Light artifact and I intend to walk out of this a rich stallion!” Caballeron announced. “Ah, brings me back to the old days… you remember the old days, don’t you, Daring? The ones you left out and sometimes outright lied about in your adorable little best-selling fables?”

“Shut up…” Daring hissed. She knew it wouldn’t stop him from talking, and cost her something she liked to keep to herself but if it kept him talking it bought her more time to figure out an escape.

“Ohhh, your new friends haven’t heard, have they?” Caballeron asked.

“They’re no friends of mine! I just got stuck putting up with them when they got in my way!” Daring replied; snorting at the other four chained with her. She struggled angrily with the chains around her forehooves, and felt a slight jiggle, but kept the angry look present.

“What’s he talking about?!” Rainbow asked, looking over at the sneering earth pony, then at Daring, who didn’t answer.

“NOTHING!” Daring shouted, jerking her head and causing her hat to come off. Catching it in her teeth, she gave it a crisp throw into the air and pulled her hind legs up, bucking it as it came down and causing it to bounce off a column and strike the hook that held her chains, tilting it and allowing her to free herself. With her wings still bound together she lunged at the nearest jackal, wrapping the chain around its neck and flinging it into Dr. Caballeron and sending them both tumbling across the room.

“Passionate as ever, Daring. Now let’s see if the myths are true!” Caballeron said, taking a yellow, gleaming gem from his saddlebag and holding it up. He shouted something in a foreign language, and Twilight grew worried.

“Oh no…” Twilight muttered, eyes wide with fear as she recognized it as an old summoning incantation. Suddenly the gem glowed brightly and floated into the horse statue’s eyehole, and the statue began to crumble away, revealing a large, coiled form underneath that looked like a giant cobra made of numerous ancient bit coins, the gem now glowing in the middle of its forehead.

“Amazing! Just as the hieroglyphs said would happen!” Dr. Caballeron said. “A little… security measure that the king whom the gem belonged to had placed on his money hoard. Not only does it shine light in darkness, but was used to trigger a curse he put to summon his magnificent guardian!” He rubbed his chin with his hoof. “Perhaps I should triple the price that unicorn offered when this is over,” he said with a smirk. “Dispose of these pests!” he ordered, laughing as he stood back, his remaining jackals hastily joining him as the cobralike entity looked down at the four ponies and Daring.

“Daring! Get this thing off my horn and I can help free the others! Please, you have to trust us!” Twilight insisted, Daring pausing for a second as she looked over at the looming bit cobra and nodding. Galloping over, she grabbed the ring on Twilight’s horn with her teeth and yanked it off. Immediately, Twilight teleported out of the shackles, now with her forehooves around Rainbow Dash and teleporting again, this time with her friend and thus freeing her as well. Reappearing between Applejack and Rarity, Twilight repeated what she’d done.

“Thank you, Daring.” Twilight said with a smile.

“…You’re… welcome… now how about getting these off?” Daring asked with a small but visible smile as she sat down and raised her hooves up.

“Sure thing!” Twilight replied, firing a bolt of magic at the shackles and making them snap apart, freeing the pegasus explorer.

“LOOK OUT!” Rarity warned, and Twilight teleported herself and Daring away from the giant guardian as it lunged at them, smashing into the wall and sending coins flying everywhere. The gem glowed on its forehead and the coins that had fallen off began to roll towards the snake construct, reforming what it had lost.

“Who has popcorn for this?” Dr. Caballeron joked to one of the jackals, who laughed as they watched eagerly.

Freeing her wings and putting her hat back on, Daring took to the air. “We get the gem, it should be beaten, otherwise it can keep reforming,” she shouted, avoiding another strike from the guardian.

“Then we just need to break it down as much as we can!” Applejack said. “Rarity, pass me a couple a’ those rocks, Rainbow, Twi, hit with everythin’ ya got!”

With compliant nods, the four set to action while Daring flew around the giant cobra to keep it occupied. Applejack bucked several large chunks of debris at the cobra while Rarity flung a few of her own with her magic, both smashing off coins that made up its body as Twilight fired bolts of magic and Rainbow built up speed as she zipped around the room. The cobra began to show signs of growing weaker as it lost more around its neck. Seeing her opportunity, Rainbow picked up more speed as she felt air begin to swirl around her and slammed into the weakened spot on the guardian, smashing clean through and decapitating it. The back half of the body shattered apart while the head fell to the ground, pulling itself across the floor.

“Oh no you don’t!” Daring said, flying at it and pulling at the gem with all her might. The pegasus cried out when a burst of crackling magical energy shocked her. “I… hate to say it… but I might… need help,” she said, straining her words as she fought off the pain from the magical feedback that kept her from pulling the gem, a worried expression on her face as she saw it slowly reforming again.

“I gotcha!” Rainbow said, wrapping her forelegs around Daring and pulling, adding her strength to hers.

“Count me in, too!” Applejack said, galloping over and doing the same. The magical energy crackled more violently as the gem slid out more.

“I know when my help is needed…” Rarity said with a smirk as she trotted over and followed in her friends’ example.

Dr. Caballeron grew worried and looked at the jackals flanking him. “Stop them!” he ordered, and the bandits rushed forward.

“Not a chance” Twilight said, firing magic bolts to drive them back.

“Almost… there…” Daring strained, pulling as hard as she could and barely avoiding the snapping jaws of the cobra guardian. “GOT IT!” she shouted, as she felt it come loose and a burst of magic blasted the four ponies backward. The cobra instantly fell apart into a pile of lifeless treasure, and the glow from the Eye faded.

“How dare you! I had a huge reward waiting for me!” Dr. Caballeron protested.

“Not anymore!” Twilight said with a smirk, floating the chains that had held her and the others captive earlier and wrapping them tightly around the stallion and his thugs, prompting an annoyed sigh from Caballeron.

Daring stood up, dusting herself off and taking a few breaths as the pain from the magic protecting the gem went away. “So I’m guessing this was what you were after?” she asked, raising up the gem with an inquisitive look on her face.

“Yes, actually. We need it to get through the Hayseed Swamps back in Equestria. Apparently we have to get through it if we’re gonna get any closer to stopping King Sombra,” Twilight explained.

“I see…” Daring muttered. “This was what I was after, too. Thought I’d get a chance to study it a little; then donate it somewhere thieves like that won’t get to it. Not to mention the adventure was… worth it I guess…” she mused.

“Well, thanks for hel—” Rarity began only to be pushed aside by Rainbow Dash.

“Was that awesome or what? Come on, Daring! This has to have chilled you out a little, right?” Rainbow asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Daring sighed and looked away. “Look, I’m… sorry about before. I’m not good at trusting others or especially teaming up. There’s a reason,” she said, casting a cold glare at Dr. Caballeron. “...a reason I’d rather not talk about. Ever,” Daring explained. Looking around, the pegasus studied the wall patterns. “From the way the hieroglyphs are arranged… there’s another passage that leads to another exit over… there!” she said pointing to the corner behind where Caballeron and his thugs were chained up. “Word is a flying machine was seen headed that way. Then there’s that rumor of a giant stone unicorn.”

“Well, we better check this out then,” Twilight said, approaching the wall Daring had pointed at and noticed a small eye-like formation in the wall. Pushing it with her hoof, a hidden door with a stairway behind it opened up.

“What about you?” Rainbow asked.

“I’ll deal with these losers,” Daring said. “And… thanks. Here, I guess you need it more then I do,” she added, throwing the Eye of Light to Rainbow, who caught it in her hooves. “I’ll head back home after, I gotta work on my next book before another one of these letters I get from a seriously obsessed fan drives me crazy. Calls herself my number one fan but… ever had to put up with one of those?” she asked with an eyeroll.

Rainbow grinned sheepishly. “Ehhh… sure hope not!” she said, looking upward for a second and hoping her idol didn’t figure out who had sent those letters. “I’m… uh, sure you give it time, she’ll… uh, back off and stuff,” she said innocently, causing Daring to raise an eyebrow, open her mouth to speak, but then decide not to. “Well, heh, seeya later! A-are we cool now, though?” Rainbow asked.

“Yeah, I guess,” Daring said with a sigh and a small smile.

“YES! AWESOME!” Rainbow said, barely restraining herself from hugging the other pegasus and instead just laughed sheepishly and rejoined her friends. “Seeya ‘round! Can’t wait for the next book.”

“I’m sure you can’t,” Daring responded. “Take care, you four!” she said, turning to leave the other way as the four friends gathered up their things and headed up the stairs of the opened passage.

“WAS THAT AWESOME OR WHAT?!” Rainbow asked excitedly, flying about erratically around her friends as they walked up the stairs. “Daring’s not so bad once ya get to know her after all! Oh no! I forgot to ask for an autograph! So not cool! Maybe I can send her a—no, no, she’ll figure out that was me who sent the others!” the pegasus mourned with a loud, annoyed snort.

“Yeah, it was quite an adventure, Dash.” Applejack replied.

“Maybe if she writes a book about this we’ll be in it! That’s better then any autograph!” Rainbow said excitedly, her spirits up again.

“What are the odds of that happening, Rainbow?” Rarity said with an eyeroll. “Now let’s get moving, shall we? I do admit as hot as it is out there I prefer the open air to this ghastly smell down here!”

Reaching the exit, Twilight pushed another eye formation on the wall and a door slid open. Stepping through it, the four found themselves outside the massive pyramid again.

“Well, now what?” Twilight asked. Before she could think any further, however, a faint stomping of something large was heard in the distance…

Author's Note

Yay! A new chapter before the weekend was out! Hope you all enjoyed, and any who've played the game know what's to come :trollestia: