On The Wings of Wind

All the way in Las Pegasus, a certain couple was on their honeymoon enjoying the city's sights and attractions. While Cadance felt a bit guilty about doing so on her auntie's bits, she had been reassured that the funds did not come from the tax payers. Shining Armor, meanwhile, tried to enjoy the trip as best as he could while ignoring his desire to get back to work as Captain of the Royal Guard.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza! Captain Shining Armor! I hate to interrupt your honeymoon, but I have urgent news!"

As much as it dismayed them to have their together time interrupted, the newlyweds also knew they wouldn't be disturbed unless it was extremely dire. Shining Armor quickly fell back into his guard habits. "Report!"

"I... am simply to tell you that "IT" has returned!"

Shining Armor was about to question the soldier when he noticed his wife holding her head. "Cadance, are you alright?"

"Yes... I'm fine and I know what he's talking about." A memory that was hidden deep within the recesses of her mind had suddenly made itself known. She knew exactly why it had resurfaced. "The Crystal Empire has returned! Soldier, tell Princess Celestia we are on our way to the Empire to secure it!" The soldier saluted before flying away.

"You know what's going on?"

"I do, but I'll have to explain it on our way there. Let's just say... if we don't get there before certain 'forces' do, Equestria will be plunged into darkness!"

That was all Shining Armor needed to hear to be convinced. "I'll write a letter to Zephyr to tell him to come to the Crystal Empire for back-up. I'm aware we might not have his powerful wind magic this time, but he's still capable without it!"

Cadance, knowing they'll need all the help they can get, simply nodded as the two began rushing towards their destination.

I'm so tempted to go to Cheerilee and ask if excessive studying before a test really does help ponies at all...

That was Zephyr's snarky thought as he observed Twilight in a tizzy trying to prepare for a "test" Princess Celestia had for her. Twilight being Twilight, she was thinking she needed to ace the test first try in order to not get held back or even sent back into magic kindergarten. All her friends, sans Pinkie, were there watching with a mix of bemusement and some level of amusement.

"You think the Princess would throw a test at her she could possibly fail?" Rainbow whispered to Zephyr. While one part of her was worried, another part wanted to have the utmost confidence in her friend.

"Depends on what it is... or if it's even one you can study for. Let me know how it goes, I need to pick up the mail since Scoots is expecting something to come." Rainbow waves him off as he exits the library. Not too long after, he hears an explosion and saw the whole tree get launched into the air. "Okay really, what makes Twilight so certain this test will be different or harder than her prior ones? Or is that exactly why she's stressed to the nines?"

"Zephyr Windstorm? you got urgent mail here!"

A mailpony other than Ditzy suddenly gave Zephyr mail marked "IMPORTANT". "Oh, thank you! I'll read it right away!"

Dear Zephyr Windstorm;

I'm writing this to you while rushing so I'll be brief. A very important location to Equestria's safety has reappeared and the two of us are on our way to defend it. If you can, please assist. If you wish to fly there yourself, follow the train tracks past the Unicorn Range and to the frozen north. Once you arrive, keep heading north until you find a crystal structure. Cadance and I will be there.

Best regards;

Captain Shining Armor

Recognizing that the Captain trusted him enough to assist in a sensitive deployment, Zephyr quickly wrote a note to Scootaloo that he won't be back until an undefined time and that there will be bits on the counter if she wanted to buy herself dinner. After that, he managed to inform Rainbow that he was called to assist with something urgent before flying out.

Thanks to his speed, he managed to reach the train station that was furthest north in short order. Flying high, he spotted the aforementioned crystal structure and rushed there. He quickly noticed the blue dome over the area and landed outside for fear that it was a Unicorn spell.

Who should see him land, but Shining Armor as he was preparing for another scouting expedition. "Zephyr! Glad you could make it!"

"Captain, what's going on?"

"Come in through the barrier first. It's made by Cadance so you shouldn't cancel it out." Zephyr tapped the barrier and it simply rippled before he passed through. "Right, now I should explain..."

After Zephyr was given the sitrep on the Crystal Empire and the fact that an unknown force has been lurking outside the reaches of the barrier, the Falconite gave a worried look. "Have you and Cadance been swapping out?"

"Sadly, my shields are useless against the shadows lurking out there unless they're concentrated enough. My wife... she's been at this for a while without food or sleep but I'm hoping we'll get more help to try and permanently secure the Crystal Empire."

"Don't worry, Captain. I'm yours to command for this deployment!" Zephyr salutes to emphasis his statement.

"Thank you, but get geared up first. It'll be cold out there!"

That got a chuckle out of Zephyr. "The cold doesn't bother me much compared to other Pegasi. Another perk of being a Falconite I guess!" Shining Armor rolled his eyes, but chose to believe Zephyr.

During the patrol, Zephyr enhanced his sight with Galesight to see past the relentless blizzard raging on. At one point, they had a bad run-in with the shadows the Captain mentioned earlier. Thankfully both were able to evade it without bringing it to the Crystal Empire, but it was clear Zephyr piqued its curiosity.

Returning to report to Candace, Zephyr beheld her figure with sadness. She looked worn out from lack of sleep and hunger. "My lady, I'm here to help you and your husband!"

"Oh, sir Zephyr! Thank you for your assistance this time around! We really should stop meeting like this..."

"It's not your fault. Right now, this is the current state of the frozen north."

After hearing the report, Cadance grimaced. "You should be careful as well, Zephyr. That shadow is King Sombra himself and if you caught his eye, there's no telling what he wants you for."

"I figured the same thing, but Zephyr already told me he's not going to back off until more support shows up." Shining Armor smiles at the Falconite. "At least your agility will keep you safe in the event something happens and you need to escape him."

"Actually, more support is arriving!" Both stallions beam at Candace for the news. "Auntie Celestia recently informed me that Twilight and her friends will be coming here to help figure out how to spread love and hope throughout the Empire!"

"Twily is coming as well? As much as the support pleases me, I'm concerned as a big brother that she's getting sent into the lion's den like this..."

"You and me both, Captain..." Zephyr was concerned about his sister and girlfriend getting caught by that shadow. While Rainbow could easily out-fly Sombra like he has, her loyalty to her friends might make her try and sacrifice herself for them. Then I guess it's up to me to ensure it doesn't come to that!

The pulse of love from Zephyr did re-energize Cadance as she smiled. "Your love for your sister and girlfriend is as strong as ever, I see. If you're that concerned, go with Shiny to escort them to the Empire. Once they're in my barrier, you can focus on your duties, whatever they may be after."

"Then let's get moving. They could be arriving by train any minute now!" The two stallions nod after Shining Armor said that and rush out.

As luck would have it, the two stallions reached the station right as Twilight and her friends departed. "Twilight!"

Twilight gasped at the voice. "Shining Armor?" She rushes out to embrace him.

"Everypony, I'm glad you arrived safely!" Zephyr came in for a landing on the station.

"Zephyr?! Don't tell me this was the 'urgent business' you were attending to!" Rainbow was shocked to see her boyfriend here of all places and couldn't resist tackle-hugging him with Fluttershy.

"Apologies. I would have told you, but Captain kept the details sparse due to urgency and I didn't know what was going on."

Shining Armor grimaced. "Let's save the chit-chat for later. The worst time to get caught would be after dark."

"W-what do you m-mean by that?" Poor Fluttershy was shivering with more than just cold, prompting Zephyr to wrap a wing around her.

"More than just the Empire returned... and it's not friendly."

As the group trudged through the snow, Twilight was grilling her brother over what was going on. Zephyr stayed by Fluttershy alongside Rainbow to try and keep her warm and safe. "All I ask is you don't do anything reckless, big brother!"

"No promises. Sorry, Pinkie, but not even you can twist my leg to get me to make one."

"Ooh, you really are determined, huh?" In a way, Pinkie respected that he stood steadfast enough to not make a Pinkie Promise.

Rainbow huffed. "Then at least promise us you'll exhaust all other options first before getting reckless!"

"... Alright fine I'll do that much. But just so you know, the safety of you girls are my top priority and I'm sure Shining Armor feels the same." Rainbow was about to respond when a haunting noise sounded out across the snowscape. Zephyr turned with a grimace. "He's here!"

The shadow he and Shining Armor evaded earlier erupted behind the group. Deciding the luggage wasn't worth saving, Rarity quickly swept Spike forward with her magic to get him to drop it all as Sombra's shadow started chasing.

As the group got closer to the barrier, Shining Armor stopped and turned to face the shadow Unicorn. Zephyr noticed the Captain had stayed behind as a distraction and went back to support, creating a wind orb big enough to disrupt Sombra's attack as he went for the strike. "You wanna play? Then let's play!"

At this point, Sombra had reconstituted enough to talk... and laugh. "You certainly are a pony I've never seen before. Wind magic in its purest form... you would make an EXCELLENT vessel for my return!"

Zephyr flew higher with a determined glare. "Over my dead body!"

"That can be arranged..."

Zephyr yelped as he Air Strafes out of the way of some dark-magic beams. Deciding not to take the chance on his immunity to Unicorn magic extending to dark magic, he Wind Dashes away from the dome before flying to the side. Shining Armor tried to call to him, but the Falconite was long gone with the shadow in hot pursuit. Uncertain as to what Zephyr was doing, he quickly reentered the dome himself.

"Shining Armor, you're unscathed!" Twilight rushed over to her big brother in worry.

"W-wait, where's big brother?" Fluttershy quickly noticed that Zephyr didn't accompany the Captain back in.

"Sombra's shadow chased him after his attempt at cursing me failed thanks to Zephyr's wind magic. He's playing bait, but for how long will it work?"

"You godda be kidding me!" Rainbow got into Shining Armor's face with a look of rage. "Why did you let him go off on his own?! After I just told him he shouldn't play reckless until--"

"He isn't, I can say that much." Rainbow backed off in surprise. "He chose not to gamble on his immunity to Unicorn magic and is dodging Sombra's attacks. However, the reason he's interested in Zephyr is still unknown."

"Not anymore." Zephyr had reentered the dome at another section and just arrived. "Sombra himself spoke and stated he wants me as a vessel. He-- oof!" Rainbow crashed into him before he could land. "I wasn't trying to play reckless, okay?"

"You bucking dork! At least warn somepony of what you're doing before you do that again!"

"Now now, Rainbow Dash. Zephyr is safe and unharmed, so all's well for now." Rarity did her best to reassure her friend.

Shining Armor looks at the Crystal Empire. "Alright, we need to report back to Cadance. Please follow me."

After going through the empty streets with Rarity gawking at everything, they reached the throne room where Cadance still was, though her spirit lifted seeing Twilight. When they recited their 'nursery rhyme', Zephyr had to scrunch his muzzle to not say anything.

When Cadance's magic briefly faltered, Shining Armor managed to recharge her with his own magic while explaining why he can't take over. "I want to help her more, but at this point the best I can do is be a magic battery for her outside of keeping an eye on the tundra. I haven't even found the time to question the Crystal Ponies--"

"Crystal Ponies?!" Rarity started freaking out again, but realized from her friend's flat looks it wasn't the time or place.

"*Ahem* As I was saying, we need to hope the Crystal Ponies have information that could help us push Sombra back permanently."

"So a research paper?" That got confused looks from everypony as Twilight smiled. "That must be part of my test: to gather information from the--"

"Twilight Sparkle, please take this more seriously." Zephyr recognized what she was thinking and he wasn't amused. "I hate to add pressure, but you DO realize that failing this "test" will have far more severe consequences than simply being 'held back a year'."

"I-I know that! I just... need to play by my strengths is all!" Coughing awkwardly, Twilight turns to her friends. "Alright, let's go see if anypony has information we could find helpful!"

"Actually, Applejack, could I borrow you quick before you head out? There's something I want to do."

Applejack looks at Zephyr curiously as her friends leave the room "What do ya' need from me, sugahcube?"

"I'll need your help whipping up something easy to swallow and digest for Princess Cadance. She's been running on no food and sleep for some time and, while I can't fix her sleep, I want to at least get her fed."

"No problem! Let's go find us a kitchen!"

With some directions from Shining Armor, the two found a kitchen in the Crystal Castle. They recognized that they won't have access to 'modern' tech like blenders, so they made due with what was already there. When Applejack checked the food pantry, she noticed their stock was not only decent, but none of it had decayed at all. "Ah' guess the stasis affected the food as well."

Zephyr checked it out and was surprised as well. "And here I was thinking I'd have to make a quick trip to Vanhoover. Anything you see that can make what we want?"

"The apples are fine, so let's make apple sauce!" Applejack mentally thanked her grandmother for her family recipe as the two prepared to make it. Once they got going, it didn't take long to make a bowlful of applesauce that she was pleased with.

After one final taste test for ease of swallowing and flavor, Zephyr smiles. "Perfect, thank you! Hopefully this will help keep Cadance's energy up while we figure things out." Applejack tips her stetson before washing up and heading out.

When Zephyr gave the bowl to Shining Armor, he was overjoyed. "This way, Cadance can eat without the chewing ruining her concentration! Thank you to the both of you for this!"

"My pleasure, Captain. I'm sure Rainbow and her friends have the information gathering locked down, so I'll take over scouting the tundra. Look after your wife!"

"... As much as I don't want you out there with Sombra after you, I understand. The moment things turn sour, get back inside the dome! You have too many ponies who care about you to risk anything." Zephyr salutes to that before flying out the window.

Exiting the dome, it didn't take long for Sombra's shadow to find him again. "You're either very brave, or very foolish."

"Probably both, if I had to be honest. No matter, I see you're getting more active out here. Do us all a favor and screw off."

"Hehehe, I like my vessels feisty. Makes it all the more satisfying to break them!"

"CATCH ME IF YOU CAN!" Was Zephyr's final taunt before he took off, with Sombra's shadow once again in hot pursuit.

The Falconite's distraction didn't last long when Sombra felt something pulse from the Crystal Empire. "As amusing as this distraction as been, I have higher priorities than you. Seems I need to keep a closer eye on what's rightfully MINE!" With that, all his darkness began slinking towards the Crystal Empire.

"Hey, I'm not done with you yet!"

Zephyr chucked a wind ball at where he thought Sombra's head was. Not only did the shadow dodge fluidly, he launched a beam of darkness as a counter-attack. It came too fast for Zephyr to react and he was promptly shot out of the sky. "Do stay down. I'll come back for you once I'm finished with MY Empire!"

Crash landing in the snow, Zephyr could feel fear and hatred invading his mind from the dark magic coursing through him. But just as suddenly, the fear began being consumed by something else. Something the hatred also began to feed.

Primal rage.

Eyes snapping open, they were no longer the deep blue eyes of a pony. They were the glowing yellow eyes of a hawk-like creature with nothing but fury behind them. Launching himself into the air, the Falconite let out a sound that no pony ever should make.

The scream of a wrathful monster bird.

You've got to be kidding me. So much for gathering my strength to break the seal.

My own rage leaks through thanks to the dark magic and undermines my own machinations...

Well, let's see where it leads us. To victory? Or oblivion?

Sombra snarled as he saw the Crystal Ponies, his slaves, become brighter and happier thanks to some kind of fair. Just as he was about to start applying more 'pressure' on the barrier keeping him out, a feral cry rang out and his shadows started getting drawn away. Looking back, he saw the pony he had just blasted... with glowing yellow eyes and in the midst of a vicious tornado.

"Hmm... I sense someone else has already claimed you as their vessel... no matter. If you will keep me from my prize, I will erase you!" Sombra launched more dark magic beams, but all of them got deflected by something seemingly invisible. "A wind barrier... how quaint..."

'Feral' Zephyr didn't respond with words, only with more wind spells. In his current state of mind, he couldn't make the connection that he wasn't hurting Sombra. The result is a lot of tornadoes and vortexes throwing his shadows everywhere, which had the unintended consequence of weakening the regent.

Some Crystal ponies saw Sombra's shadows when they heard a scream echo from outside the barrier. While it initially terrified them, they saw the massive tornado that was keeping said shadows from approaching, as well as smaller wind-based phenomenon constantly disrupting them. "Those massive storms... are they perhaps a guardian deity's work keeping us safe?"

"Deity or no, it's keeping Sombra away from us! Perhaps that ruthless king reawakened something he shouldn't have!"

Rainbow Dash instantly knew what was going on right before she prepared for a jousting match. Past the whites and greys of the snow, she could see the tornado had a color, though it was a sickly green rather than the standard light-green she was familiar with. Fearful for her boyfriend, she managed to catch Twilight as she started heading back to the castle with Spike. "T-Twilight, Zephyr's..!"

When Twilight looked, she grimaced. "I have to hazard a guess that he got infected with some of Sombra's dark magic. That stuff thrives off fear and hate, but it seems to have fed into some kind of rage he had."

"W-what should we do?! I don't want to leave him like this!"

"I hate to say it, Rainbow, but he's keeping Sombra occupied while he's like this. If we try to snap him out of it now, we'll lose another advantage! Have faith that your boyfriend will pull through. He always does in the end, just like you do!" With those words, Twilight continues towards the castle, thinking the Crystal Heart was somewhere inside.

"I... I need to have faith in him..." As much as it pained her to admit it, Twilight was right. To constantly worry after Zephyr whenever a situation even remotely turns dangerous was to doubt his capabilities. Doing her best to maintain a positive attitude, Rainbow refocused on keeping the Crystal Ponies entertained.

Thanks to the snack Zephyr and Applejack made, Cadance had more strength to keep her barrier stable. Unfortunately the sudden wind magic assaults just outside started putting more strain onto her magic. "S-Shiny, I don't think Z-Zephyr's in his right m-mind!"

"Oh no... did he get affected by Sombra's dark magic? Though it appears not enough to make him a slave to his will, judging by how much his shadows struggle in those winds." He had heard from Twilight what Zephyr was capable of during the Changeling invasion, but it was an experience seeing it firsthoof. I just wish he wasn't acting like a berserker right now...

Sombra was growing more irate as this pony kept disrupting and scattering his shadows. Eventually, he grew enraged enough to not care about conserving his strength. "I've had enough of THIS!" He shot a massive beam of dark magic at the Falconite, which overpowered his wind barrier and launched him right into the dome.

While Zephyr phased through it just fine, the sudden viciousness of the attack robbed Cadance of what little magic she and Shining Armor had between the two. "I'm sorry, everypony... I can't... anymore..."

"Zephyr!!!" Rainbow launched herself towards where Zephyr crash-landed from the attack with Fluttershy following close behind. Even as Sombra recovered enough of his shadows to begin terrorizing the now frightened Crystal Ponies, they ignored that. "Please speak to us!"

He didn't speak. All that was coming out of his muzzle were feral sounds as he forced himself back up. He turned his yellow hawk eyes onto the two next to him and they saw what was going on as he began charging magic for an attack. "Big brother! It's us! Don't you recognize us?!"

"Please! We're not your enemy!" The two mares hug Zephyr tightly when he gave pause. After the Falconite held his head in his wings while in their embrace, the two saw his eyes again. While still hawk-like, they had returned to the deep blue his normal eyes had. "H-have you returned to us?"

After his sister and girlfriend let go, Zephyr let's out a deep breath before turning his glare over to Sombra, who was taking joy in terrorizing Crystal Ponies. His glee was short-lived when his victims got drawn away from him before he got blasted with more wind magic. "You..! You just don't know when to quit!"

"M-maybe we managed to return some semblance of clarity to big brother. He's now actively trying to defend ponies!"

"We can't let him do all the work! We might not be able to affect Sombra ourselves, but we can still keep the Crystal Ponies away from that stupid king!" With those words, Rainbow began helping Crystal Ponies get away from the new battlefield while Fluttershy did her best to reassure them.

One in particular managed to get over her fear enough to give Zephyr a questioning gaze. "Was... he the one making the tornado that was keeping Sombra away from us earlier?"

"In a way, I guess. He seems to only show this level of magic power under such stressful situations." It was a half-truth from Rainbow but she hoped it would satisfy.

The pony beamed. "He's amazing! Some of us saw Sombra a while ago, but we felt safe because of his magic!"

That stunned Rainbow a bit before she smiled. Even in the depths of rage you were in before, you still found a way to care...

At one point, Sombra felt a pony trip his magic sensor protecting the Crystal Heart. Realizing that somepony figured how to get past all his traps, he launched a massive ball of dark magic at Zephyr to remove him by any means necessary. When the Falconite got stuck trying to stop the ball and got shoved towards the castle, Sombra took the time to activate his fail-safe and dove into the ground for quick movement.

While his sister and girlfriend did restore some measure of clarity, Zephyr was still feral which led him to resisting the dark magic ball with all his might instead of getting out of the way. Eventually, he was able to throw it over his head, causing it to sail past the castle and harmlessly explode. Spike, who had been entrusted with the Crystal Heart, saw the display and was amazed, which caused the relic to activate a bit.

It was that activation that allowed the Crystal Heart to fully snap Zephyr out of his feral rage when it, somehow, glinted in his eyes. "Huh..? What... was I doing?"

"Zephyr! Could I get your help?!" When he heard Spike call that, Zephyr saw the situation had degraded from when he was last conscious and went to where the Dragon called from. "We need to get the Crystal Heart to Cadance, b-but I'm getting pushed back by these dark crystals!"

Despite his confusion, Zephyr knew there was no time for questions. "Speak no more, get on and get ready for a wild ride!" Understanding there wasn't many options, Spike jumped onto Zephyr's back and braced both the Crystal Heart and himself.

Sombra, who had regained his original body while riding a dark crystal, snarled at the duo. "That Crystal Heart is MINE!"

Zephyr and Spike both yelped when Sombra started launching a barrage of attacks and were forced to dodge, unable to get any lower. Without the power he had before, Zephyr focused on evading everything the angry regent threw at them. When he spotted Cadance on a balcony, Zephyr came up with an idea. "Sorry, Spike, but you're gonna have to become a fastball special!"

The Dragon barely had time to process that statement before both he and the Crystal Heart were grabbed off Zephyr's back with a primary wing. Using his momentum, Zephyr spun with Spike in his hooves before launching him with all his might through the dark magic attacks.

Cadance and Shining Armor saw the action and, knowing what to do, prepared to receive Spike as the Alicorn opened her wings. Recognizing he had no magic left, Shining Armor chose to throw his wife physically, who adjusted and caught Spike with her magic since the Crystal Heart managed to re-energize her. Some of the nearby Crystal Ponies looked at the sight in awe. "The Crystal Princess!"

"The Crystal Heart has returned! Use the light and love within you to ensure that King Sombra does not!"

"YOU WILL NOT DENY ME!" Sombra's roar of hatred stifled the Crystal Ponies' attempt at feeling hope as he prepared to launch a massive barrage of attacks at the crowd.

"We WILL deny you!" Rainbow suddenly attacked Sombra with the jousting lance she used earlier. Thanks to the regent getting a more physical form she felt more comfortable directly attacking, but didn't want to risk direct contact.

Sombra interrupted his attack to shield himself, unaware the weapon being used wasn't lethal. "Pests, pests EVERYWHERE!"

"Hey knucklehead! Here's some more for you!" Zephyr, thanks to Pinkie quickly grabbing a second jousting lance and tossing it to him, joined his girlfriend with striking Sombra in a pincer attack. Applejack started bucking rocks at him courtesy of Rarity setting her up with them.

Seeing all these strangers fight so hard for them using techniques familiar to them, the Crystal Ponies felt hope surge in their hearts as Cadance put the Crystal Heart in it's rightful spot. "Don't let Sombra win! That hope you're feeling right now, let it course through you!"

"No... NO..!" With all the attacks aimed at him, Sombra could only watch helplessly as the Crystal Heart started shining with light and hope. The resulting pulse eradicated all his black crystals, his shadows, and even the former king himself.

Said pulse also had the effect of turning everypony into Crystal Ponies as well, even Zephyr who was a Falconite instead of a Pegasus. All marveled at the shining lights that began to spread across all of Equestria. It was the final proof that the Crystal Empire was now safe.

While the Crystal Ponies were outside celebrating, Shining Armor found himself knocking on a door in the Crystal Castle. Cadance had informed him of some worried Pegasi who were concerned about a certain pony who wasn't there celebrating with them. "Zephyr, are you still in there?"

Finding the door unlocked, he entered to see Zephyr sitting on the ground with his ears drooped. "Oh... Captain. Don't... worry about me. Just enjoy the festivities without me.."

"Not going to happen. Not only were you an integral part of freeing the Crystal Empire, you've got ponies worried about you!" When Zephyr didn't respond, Shining Armor sat beside the smaller stallion. "Tell me, are you agonizing over what had happened? It's not your fault because you weren't in control--"

"That doesn't matter because it was still ME! I was the one who almost attacked the ponies cared for the most! I was the one who ended up letting Sombra in!" Zephyr started clutching his head with an agonized look. "It had been so long... since my last berserker episode I thought it was a one-off thing, only to be proven wrong in the most brutal fashion. I... I need to stay away from them for a--"

"Don't give me that!" Shining Armor felt like he was looking after a younger brother who was agonizing over anger issues. "Didn't you say you were stuck in some kind of fever dream before the Crystal Heart woke you up?"

That got a flinch from Zephyr. "I... it felt like it. I felt like I was wandering a maze full of primal rage, unable to find my way out. When I heard Rainbow and Fluttershy's voices, I did my best to follow them before that crystal light woke me up."

Shining Armor smiles with a nod. "That's proof they were able to reach you. From what Fluttershy told me, while you weren't completely out of your rage, you regained enough clarity to not only redirect it all towards Sombra, but you also started helping ponies escape him. And before you say anything, the Crystal Ponies don't see you as a monster."

"They... don't?"

"If you could accompany me outside, I'll show you what they think of you." Though hesitant, Zephyr followed Shining Armour outside after he patted the Falconite on the head.

What the two walked out to were resounding cheers from the Crystal Ponies, which shocked Zephyr. Spike ran up to him with a grin. "Come on, Zephyr! They wanted to celebrate you alongside me and Cadance!"

"Wha-- Why?! All I did was cause havoc outside Princess Cadance's barrier!"

One of the Crystal Ponies flashes a genuine smile. "Because your tornado helped keep Sombra away from us! We were able to enjoy the Crystal Fair more because we felt SAFE from that tyrant! And let's not forget the fact that you helped Spike deliver the Crystal Heart to Princess Cadance!"

When Rainbow and Fluttershy landed next to him with reassuring smiles, Zephyr felt overwhelmed and was doing his best not to cry. As the celebration went on, the Crystal Ponies had given the three saviors new titles:

Cadance, Crystal Princess of Love Reborn

Spike, Dragon Deliverer of Salvation and Hope

Zephyr, Fury of the Winds of Freedom

Twilight managed to show up as well and, while it was clear her 'failing' the test was on her mind, she did her best to forget about it and celebrate with everypony else.