Cloudy Atmosphere

by colt alchemist

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Romance, Tragedy, Adventure, Sad
Length: 11673

Cloudy Crescent pays a visit to his foalhood friend, Gray Diamond. Only to discover that he's gone missing. He and his sisters, along with some new friends, vow that they will find him, even if Tartarus awaits.

Cloudy Crescent was just a typical Pegasus who just wanted to do great things. He, along with his sisters Little Swift and Scarlet Aura, are visiting Gray Diamond, their foalhood friend and a Royal Guard of the Crystal Empire.

They meet some new friends, including the alicorn Twilight Sparkle, along the way who are also visiting the Empire as well. But this friendly visit turns into a eerie adventure, when they find out that their friend, along with some other guards and fighters including Shining Armor, have gone missing. Now the siblings, Twilight, and the rest of her friends vow to find Gray and Shining and rescue them before something terrible happens. Even if Tartarus awaits.

Their problems become worse when new and old enemies are constantly thrown at them; including a demon with a blood-lust and power hungry motives, and Scarlet's original twisted family of thieves.

Takes place before Season 4 finale
Thanks to RagingPonyRider and Thak for proofreading.

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2014-07-09 03:23:38 UTC

Ch 1. The Three Siblings

Darkness surrounded the room. The only source  of light was a couple of torches with green fire hanging on the walls. The dim glow they provided barely illuminated the stone walls. The hallway was narrow and deep, and there were strange symbols engraved on the ground. Pillars held up the monstrous ceiling. There were only two beings in the room; one of them a dark creature surrounded by a cloak that was made of shadows and spirits. The only things that were visible in the void were his large claws, five diamond-shaped eyes that glowed crimson, and the massive fangs dripping blood on the floor.

The other being in the room was a unicorn stallion wearing titanium armor. His light grey fur was scratched and matted under the dented armor, and long black mane and tail had several chunks missing. He was leaning on a massive broadsword. The warrior was struggling to get up; he and the creature had been fighting for hours.

He got back up and charged at the monster. His blade clashed with its claws, sparks flying. He jumped back and dodged the creatures swing. He attacked again, desperate to land a blow on it, only for the abomination to counter with its weapon. The stallion swung his sword around and landed it again on the beasts sword-like claws. He jumped back, and charged once more. The stallion was about to impale the thing, only for it to grab his sword right before impact.

The beast smirked, soon after the stallion levitated his last throwing knife he kept hidden in his armor, and shot it right into one of the monster's eye. The monster shrieked in pain and swung at the stallion, sending him flying. The stallion hit a pillar and fell, groaning from the pain of the impact. He got back up and returned to his opponent.

The two struggled on, swinging and clashing weapons.

When the stallion lunged again, the creature caught him and threw him on the ground, hard. The stallion exhaled from the pain. He lay there, stunned. It felt like he had been thrown from the top of Celestia’s tower. Grunting, he flipped himself over and attempted to rise again.

“You still continue to fight me, Gray Diamond?” asked the creature.

“What do you think?” the stallion responded.

“You will NEVER defeat me!” bellowed the beast.

I must defeat you. No! I must kill you! In order to save this land, and protect my friends! Gray Diamond thought to himself.

He glared at the beast, staring into all four remaining eyes, with a small smirk on his face.

“How very cliché. Hasn’t that line been overused enough?” Gray asked, a slight sneer in his voice.

“After all you’ve been through, you dare to mock me?” asked the creature.

Gray didn’t answer. Instead, he used what little bits of magic he had left to lift his sword and aimed it at the monster.

“Your soul, your conscience, your very strength belongs to me!” shouted the beast.

“Come and take it!” responded Gray.

With that, the creature lunged himself towards the stallion, encasing its body within the shadows.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

A few days later

It was dusk at Ponyville train station. The sun was about to set and everypony was getting ready to leave. There was a loud whistle and the last train of the day pulled into the station, steam escaping as it came to a stop. Once the train was at a halt, the last few passengers started to exit.

The door closed as the last group disembarked the train. The three ponies.

The first one to off was a typical young Pegasus stallion. He had a small muscular build to him, but was nowhere near ripped or buff. He had blue fur, and his silver medium length mane and tail blew in the breeze. His golden eyes scanned the platform, while a lollipop rolled around in his mouth. His sharp teeth shone when he smiled, and his cutiemark, a crescent moon behind some thin clouds, was partially hidden beneath his saddlebags.

“Alright!” he exclaimed happily, “Just a few more stops after this and we’ll be at our destination!”

“Would you relax for one minute, Cloudy?” asked a feminine voice.

He turned around to see his adoptive sister, Scarlet Aura, getting off the train. She was a slender unicorn mare with dazzling white fur. A long pink mane and tail trailed behind her as she stepped onto the platform. Her dark green eyes glimmered behind her small rectangular glasses, and her cutiemark stood out on her saddlebags, a simple star surrounded by a scarlet aura.

“That was the last train for today, another one won’t arrive until tomorrow. You should stop trying to rush things,” she complained.

“I can’t help it, we’re almost there!” Cloudy responded, “Besides, don’t you want to see him too?”

“Of course I do, but unlike you, I’m actually willing to wait for my surprises.”

“Sheesh, can you two go one day without arguing?” said a younger feminine voice.

They both looked at the youngest of their group. Little Swift was Cloudy’s biological pegasus sister. She shook out the dust of travel from her bright red coat and blonde mane hiding her right eye. Her long blonde tail fluttered in the breeze, and her purple eyes focused on her older brother. Despite her small wings and being two years younger than her siblings, often times she felt she was the most responsible one in the family. She adjusted the saddlebags on her back, making sure the trio of tiny golden lightning bolts that was her cutie mark stood out.

“It seems every time I turn my back, you two are always bickering,” she joked, trotting towards the older pair.

“I do not bicker,” Scarlet pointed out. “It’s just that he’s too impatient and can’t learn to keep his cool.”

“Pfff, like you can stay calm for 20 minutes,” Cloudy mocked, “I just want to be able to see him is all. I mean, we haven’t seen the guy since he left when we were young.”

“He just left a few years ago,” Scarlet reminded.

“And we’re not THAT old,” added Little Swift.

“I know, it’s just that I want to be able visit him and catch up on things. And we could all hang out like the good ol’ days. It’s been so long,” he sighed.

“I know. We all miss Gray,” said Scarlet. “But it’s getting late. Let’s just find a hotel for the night and we can leave tomorrow.”

“Sounds good to me,” replied Swift.

“Alright,” said Cloudy.

With that, Cloudy spat out the lollipop stick and the three left the station, making their way to the nearby village. It was a typical village, with house scattered here and there. The streets were filled with ponies walking about and idly chatting. The three started to look around to see if there were any places where they could all crash for the night.

As they were searching, they were caught off guard by a bright pink pony popping out of nowhere.

“HI THERE!"

“Gah!” they shouted and jumped back.

“I’m Pinkie Pie, I haven’t seen you three around, so you must be new here! If that’s the case, then I’m going to throw you a huge welcome party! I’ll invite every-pony and we’ll have games and it’ll be a blast! What do ya think about that!?”

“You’re scaring me,” Cloudy commented.

“That reminds me, it’ll be a surprise party! Oops, I accidentally gave away the surprise!” She giggled, covering her mouth with her hooves. Amazingly, she still continued to talk.

“Who is this mare supposed to be?” asked Scarlet.

“Beats me, but she seems fun!,” said Swift.

“Pinkie, what’re you doing?” asked another female voice from behind the excited pink pony.

The trio looked over  to see it came from an alicorn. She had lavender fur, and her purple mane and tail had a long pink streak down the middle, and the bounced as she walked. They could clearly see her cutiemark, a pink bug star surrounded by smaller white stars.

“Oh hey, Twilight! I was telling these new ponies about the surprise party I was planning for them! But don’t tell them it’s a surprise,” Pinkie responded.

Once Cloudy got a view of Twilight, he couldn’t believe his eyes. This was the first time he had ever met an actual alicorn in the flesh. He’d only seen pictures of Celestia and Luna from paintings, never an actual one. He felt the blood in his body beginning to boil, and his cheeks flushed from the excitement.

“Whoa”, he breathed.

“What?” asked Twilight.

Cloudy blinked back to reality, realizing he had dozed off. He focused his eyes on the purple pony before him.

“You know, it’s considered rude to stare at other ponies,” Twilight stated matter-of-factly.

“Sorry, my brother can be bit of a spaz sometimes,” Scarlet replied.

“Hey!” retorted Cloudy.

“Is there something in my mane?” asked Twilight, concerned at the stallion’s staring.

“Oh, no n-nothing like that,” Cloudy responded nervously. “It’s just that, I’ve never actually seen an alicorn before in real life. I’ve seen pictures of the Princesses, but never have I seen one up-close. It’s kind of cool to actually see one of the future Princesses in person.”

Twilight loosened up a bit as she heard Cloudy’s apology.

“Oh, why thank you,” responded Twilight, “That’s kind of you. Sorry about getting the wrong idea. But still, you really shouldn’t doze off like that.”

“I know, it’s a bit of a bad habit.”

“I don’t think I fully introduced myself. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”

“Cloudy Crescent. This is my adoptive sister, Scarlet Aura…” he introduced.

“Hey,” Scarlet greeted.

“And this is my actual sister, Little Swift.”

“What’s up?”

“Pleased to meet all of you. So how long are all of you going to stay?” asked Twilight.

Cloudy was about to answer, only to get cut off by Scarlet stepping in front of him.

“Oh, we’re not actually staying,” she said.

“Really? That’s a bummer,” said Pinkie.

“We’re just looking for a place to crash for the night. We have another train to catch tomorrow.”

“Well, there’s a hotel nearby. If you want I can show you,” Twilight offered.

“Sure, that would be helpful,” Cloudy quickly responded before Scarlet could answer.

Twilight began to escort the three to the hotel and Pinkie Pie yelled a quick goodbye after them. As they were walking, Twilight asked a few questions.

“I’ve got a question for you, what’s up with your eyes and teeth?” Twilight asked, pointing towards his pupils and fangs.

“Oh these? I’m half bat-pony, on my dad’s side,” Cloudy answered.

“Seriously?” she asked surprised.

“Yep. I got most of my dad’s traits and my mom’s wings, while Little Swift got the full pegasus package.”

Twilight looked over to Little Swift, who was floating around and playing with an orange yoyo, and turned back to Cloudy to compare the two.

“That’s so interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever met anypony like that before,” she admitted.

“Thanks,” Cloudy chuckled.

“I have another question, where are you headed tomorrow?” she asked.

“The Crystal Empire,” Cloudy replied. This caused Twilight to freeze in place.

“The Crystal Empire?” she gasped.

“Yeah. Why, have you not heard of it?” Cloudy asked.

“No, it’s just, my friends and I are heading there tomorrow as well.”

“Seriously? That’s a coincidence.” He laughed.

“Yeah. We’re heading there tomorrow to visit my brother and sister in-law and check how their kingdom is doing.”

“Oh that’s so cool! You’re brother and sister in-law rule the kingdom?” asked Swift.

“They sure do,” she replied proudly.

“Lucky,” Cloudy muttered, which made Twilight giggle.

“So why are you three visiting the Crystal Empire?” Twilight asked.

“We’re actually going to visit someone as well,” he replied excitedly.

“Really?”

“Yeah, he’s our foal-hood friend. He’s strong and noble, and he would do anything to protect us. Although, he can be a bit too competitive at times. Especially when we were young and all he wanted to play was Capture the Flag. He said he wanted to test his strength and agility, but I think he just wanted to win.”

“I think I know someone who’s like that,” Twilight replied.

“I would easily get upset about his arrogance and lose my cool on him. I even tried to punch him in the face one time for being such a braggart, which resulted in me getting a black eye."

"Ouch."

"Yeah, after that he apologized and said that he didn't mean it. Then he swore that he wouldn't hit me anymore. He went and joined the Canterlot guard a few years back, and we haven’t seen him since. Then word got out that he was transferred to the Crystal Empire. So we all thought it would be a good idea to go there and surprise him.”

“Wow, he sounds like a really good friend,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Yeah, he is,” Scarlet replied as she looked up at the sky with tenderness.

“Someone’s got a crush,” Swift teased.

“I do not!” she shouted and started to chase Little Swift around, “Get over here!”

Little Swift tried her best to avoid the magic beams that Scarlet was firing at her, singing and laughing at her older sister.

“Way to show some sisterly love,” Cloudy joked. Both he and Twilight let out a laugh as Scarlet was still attempting to shoot Little Swift.

“So, what’s his name?” asked Twilight.

“Gray Diamond.”

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

At The Hotel

They eventually made it to the hotel and checked in. Twilight helped bring their bags and other things to their rooms and was preparing to leave.

“Thanks again for showing us the way, Twilight,” Cloudy said.

“No problem, I hope you three will make your train tomorrow,” she responded.

“Thanks! You too!”

“Maybe we’ll run into each other again. We’re all going to the same place after all.”

“We’ll see.”

“Alright”, she smiled, “Well, see you later.”

She started to leave from the room. She turned and waved one last goodbye before heading out. Cloudy returned the wave warmly. After she left, Cloudy turned back to his room, only to see Scarlet and Swift getting ready for bed.

“You guys getting ready for sleep already? It’s not even that late,” said Cloudy.

“If you want to see Gray tomorrow, then I suggest that you go to sleep soon so we can get an early start,” instructed Scarlet bluntly. “After all, you’re the one who’s so eager to see Gray again.”

“Sheesh, do you always have to be so strict about everything?”

“Since Glimmer isn’t here, it’s my job to watch over you two.”

“You mean Mom? You do know you can call her that,” Cloudy pointed out.

“I know, I keep forgetting,” she sighed.

“Besides, why are you the one watching over us? You and I are exactly the same age.”

“Because you lack patience and control. Remember the scooter incident?”

“Hey! That only happened one time, and we both agreed to never bring it up again!”

“I made no such promises.”

“You know, you can be such a stickler sometimes. You can’t expect me to change who I am.”

“I’m aware of that, and I’m sorry. We should both get ready for bed,” Scarlet suggested. Cloudy gave a simple nod as he prepared for sleep as well.

There were only two beds. Scarlet and Swift shared a bed closest to the door, while Cloudy had a bed to himself under the window.

Scarlet tucked herself in with Swift and she set her glasses on the dresser next to her. Cloudy closed the curtains and slipped underneath the covers.

As soon as they were both tucked in, Scarlet shut off the lights and immediately closed her eyes. Cloudy was about to fall asleep, only to be woken up by Little Swift.

“Hey, Cloudy,” she whispered.

“Yeah?”

“What do you think of that Twilight character?” she asked.

“She’s definitely something,” he replied. He formed a soft smile and his eyes were half open at the thought of the alicorn.

“I have a feeling we’ll see her again soon,” said Swift.

“Me too. We should both get some sleep now.”

“Ok, good night.”

With that, Little Swift turned over and shut her eyes and fell into a deep slumber. Cloudy had a little more difficulty falling asleep. Too many thoughts danced in his head. He kept thinking of the scooter incident and how he regretted his actions that day.

He also kept thinking about Twilight and their walk through town. He wanted to get to know her better, but was unsure if he would have the chance. After all, he may or may not see her again after his visit. Most of all, he kept thinking about his foal-hood friend and how excited he was to see him at the Crystal Empire tomorrow.

Ch 2. Cloudy's Past, Scooter Incident

Celestia’s sun rose the next morning and the group got out of bed and out the hotel quickly, thanks to Scarlet Aura.

“Alright, time to get up!” she announced.

She used her magic to levitate the still sleeping Cloudy out of his covers, only to drop him hard on the ground. The impact was more than enough to wake him up.

“OW! What the hay?” he shouted.

“It’s morning,” she replied.

Cloudy got up and stretched his wings. With a big yawn, he turned and faced back at Scarlet.

“You know, you could’ve woken me up in a more pleasant manner,” he pointed out.

“Yeah, I could’ve.” She turned and faced Little Swift, who was still cuddling with the blanket.

“You too, lazy bum, get up,” she said, but to no avail. Little Swift was sound asleep. She levitated Little Swift’s body and dropped her on the ground as well. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t budge a bit. Little Swift was always the heavy sleeper.

“Really? You should know how to wake her up by now,” said Cloudy.

He walked up and bent over to Swift’s sleeping body. He leaned his muzzle to her ear and slightly opened his mouth. At first, Scarlet thought he was going to whisper something to wake her up. Instead, he slithered his tongue into Little Swift’s ear.

"Aah!” she screamed. She flew high in shock and disgust and hit her head on the ceiling, and landed back on the ground.

She rubbed her ear while making a disgusted look.

“Gross!” she shouted, “Dammit, Cloudy, you know I hate it when you wake me up like that!”

“But it’s the only way to wake you,” he laughed.

“That’s just vulgar. But at least it works,” added Scarlet. “Now that we’re all up, we should get going.”

“Uuuuuuuuhhhhhh!” Swift moaned, “Why couldn’t we just take an afternoon train?”

“Because then we would have less time to see Gray,” answered Cloudy.

“You can sleep more on the train,” suggested Scarlet, “That is, if we make it in time. C’mon.”

The trio checked out of the hotel and made their way back to the station. There were only a few ponies waiting and the train hadn’t arrived yet. They all purchased tickets and waited on the platform.

As they were all waiting, Cloudy started to pace around losing his patience. Swift, however, had trouble staying awake and dozed off. Suddenly, Cloudy felt a hoof on his shoulder. He turned around to see a familiar face.

“Hey, it’s you again,” she greeted.

“Twilight,” Cloudy responded, “Hey.”

“Hey. Looks like we’ll be riding together after all.”

“Y-yeah,” he stuttered. Then he noticed the other five mares and baby dragon by her side. A blue Pegasus with a rainbow mane and tail, an orange earth pony with a blonde mane and tail and a cowboy hat, a white unicorn with a swirly purple mane and tail, a yellow Pegasus with a long pink mane and tail, and the same pink earth pony mare they met yesterday.

“These your friends?” he asked.

“Yeah.” One by one, each of the mares and dragon introduced themselves, until it was time for Cloudy to introduce himself and his sisters.

“So it’s Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, and Spike?” he asked, seeing if he remembered all of the names.

“That’s right,” Twilight answered.

“Alright. I’m Cloudy Crescent,” he said to them, “and this is my sister, Scarlet Aura.”

“Hey,” she greeted.

“And my other sister, Little Swift.”

They were all expecting a “hello” or “hey”, but when Cloudy looked over to see why she hasn’t responded, he wasn’t really surprised.

“Seriously?” he said. Little Swift was nearly asleep standing up with her head tilting. Scarlet gave her a nudge before she could fully fall asleep and she woke up.

“Huh, what?” she groaned. She adjusted her eyes and stared at the group. “What’s happening, is the train here yet?”

“Not yet,” Scarlet answered.

“So yeah, this is our group,” said Cloudy.

“I must say, it is a pleasure to meet you, Cloudy,” Rarity said, who was scooting in a little too closely to Cloudy while fluttering her eyes. “Twilight has told us so much about you.”

“Uhhh……” Cloudy said nervously.

“U-um, excuse me,” muttered Fluttershy.

“Yeah?”

“Um, why are your teeth so sharp?” she asked, sounding slightly afraid of them.

“Oh, I’m half bat-pony, so I have my dad’s fangs,” he answered.

“I see. I remember when I was a bat-pony.”

“What?” he asked.

“What?”

“Nevermind.”

“So, where is the train already? I’m tired of waiting,” complained Rainbow Dash.

“You and me both,” agreed Scarlet.

Just then the train to the Crystal Empire pulled into the station. Steam let out as passengers disembarked the train. As soon as it was clear, the group made their approach.

“About time!” exclaimed Cloudy.

They all began to board the train, Little Swift blinking her eyes. She let out a big yawn and opened her eyes. When she did, she caught a glimpse of both Rarity and Fluttershy walking past her.

Everything slowed for her. She could see their manes flowing with the breeze and their shining coats. Swift tried to take in as much as she could of those two, her eyes widening as much as they could. It felt like there were countless sparkles and stars floating around each of them with every step.

She breathed heavily, each gasp of air pushing against her tightening chest. She smiled as they passed.

So beautiful, she thought to herself. She sighed wistfully.

Both mares heard her exhale and turned towards her with concerned looks.

“Is there something the matter dear?” Rarity asked.

Swift was still in her trance, unable to hear a word they said.

“Hey Swift!” shouted Scarlet from a distance. Swift snapped out of her trance.

“Huh? Who, what when where huh?!?!” she panicked and shook her head.

“Those two are talking to you,” said Scarlet as she boarded the train.

Swift turned back at the two and stared with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, but what was your name again?” asked Fluttershy.

“I-I’m Little Swift,” she hesitated.

“Oh, um, is there something wrong? You looked like you were having difficulty breathing,” Fluttershy asked nervously. Swift caught herself staring again.

“Huh? No, it’s just that,” she started, her face began to turn red, redder than her coat. She also avoided eye contact in an attempt to speak clearly.

“It’s just, your manes, l-look really nice,” she muttered. She gave a nervous laugh as the two mares looked at her.

“Oh, why thank you. Your mane looks, um, very nice as well,” replied Fluttershy as she boarded the train.

“Come along now, darling. We wouldn’t want to miss our train,” said Rarity as she went on as well.

"Darling?"

“Hey, Swift! You coming?” shouted Cloudy.

“Huh? Oh yeah, coming!” She ran onto the train and gave her ticket to the waiting pony.

They all found their seats just as the train was about to pull out of the station. Cloudy and Rainbow Dash sat in one row, Twilight and Spike across from them. Rarity and Fluttershy sat together in another row, with AJ and Pinkie sitting in the seats across from them. Behind them were Scarlet, who was taking out a deck of playing cards, and Little Swift, who tried to get comfortable for her nap.

The train began to move and pretty soon, they left Ponyville. The trip took a while, though; but the group managed to kill time. AJ, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity huddled together, immersed in their discussion. Scarlet was playing a game of Solitaire. Spike, Dash, and Little Swift were all fast asleep. Cloudy leaned on the window as he looked out and watched the scenery pass by. Twilight decided that she needed to break the awkward silence.

“So…” she said.

“So.” he replied.

“How’s….life?” she asked.

“Pretty good, I guess. Just wishing that this train would go faster,” he moaned, “Seriously, it’s like this train is being tugged by an army of turtles.”

“Well, we can’t really control the speed of the train, Cloudy.”

“I know, I guess I’m just impatient.”

“You got that right,” Scarlet said from behind them.

Twilight let out a small laugh. “Seeing how we have a while, why don’t you tell me more about this friend of yours?”

“You mean Gray Diamond?”

“Is he the one you’re seeing?”

“Yeah. He’s been our friend since foalhood, and he’s usually the one to always take part in every competition or challenge. We would sometimes call him ‘Challenger’, just to annoy him. He always was a little reckless and prideful, but he did look out for us.”

“I see. What was it like?  What did you do when you were foals?”

“Well…..”

______________________________________________________________________________

Rubble Town was a small village near the border of Equestria. It was an average village, not too rich and not too poor. One thing it was known for was its half-destroyed homes and dusky sky. The houses weren’t horrible; they were fit to live in, but they lacked locked doors and windows. Home security was strict and specific. There was a school with a playground, countless shops, a crystal clear lake to swim in, and public transportation. It was the kind of town that struggled to let go of the past and embrace the present.

There was a small brown house, where a young Cloudy, Scarlet, and Swift played outside. None of them had any marks or knew how to use magic or fly just yet.

“So, what do you guys want to do today?” asked Cloudy.

“Hmmm, we could go to Old Shady’s for an ice cream cone,” suggested Swift.

“Nah, I don’t feel like ice cream today,” replied Cloudy.

“We could play a card game,” said Scarlet, holding a deck of cards.

“No way! Besides, you always win! It’s no fun that way,” Cloudy retorted.

“Not my fault you lack card skills.”

“C’mon, guys, there’s gotta be something exciting we can do. I’m so bored!”

“I have an idea,” said another voice.

They all turned and saw it was Gray Diamond. Like the rest, he was young and had no  cuite mark yet. His long black mane and tail fluttered in the breeze, and his grey fur shone in the sunlight. He pulled a wagon filled with scooters behind him.

“Gray!” they all greeted.

“Since you’re whining about doing something thrilling, I was thinking we have ourselves a good old fashioned scooter race,” he said, pointing to the scooters behind him. There were four scooters all together; a grey one for Gray, a blue one for Cloudy, a red one for Swift, and a white one for Scarlet.

“A scooter race?” asked Swift.

“Why not? After all, it’s a better than playing Capture the Flag,” said Scarlet.

“I keep telling you, I just like to test my strength and agility. For when I join the royal guard at Canterlot,” he said proudly, pounding his chest with his right hoof.

“Yeah, keep dreaming,” laughed Scarlet.

“I like it. Besides, maybe now I’ll finally have something to beat you at!” exclaimed Cloudy in excitement.

“I doubt it, Cloudy. I’m not a total wimp like you,” Gray joked.

“Hey, what’s that supposed to mean!?”

“It just means, what it means shorty.”

“That’s it! Now I’m definitely winning! Let’s do this thing already!”

He’s got a colossal amount of spirit and fury. But he’ll need a lot more than that, if he ever wants to beat me. Or if he wants to become stronger, Gray thought to himself.

The four gathered at the edge of town on their scooters, and discussed where they should finish.

“So, where should we race to?” asked Swift.

“How ‘bout back to my place?” suggested Gray.

“Yeah, whatever, let’s just get this thing started!” yelled Cloudy.

“All pumped up to lose already?” Gray teased.

“As if! You’re going down!”

“Ready….” started Scarlet. All four of them got on their scooters and prepared to ride.

“Set…” Cloudy and Swift extended their wings while Gray and Scarlet had their hooves on the ground.

“GO!”

Just like that, they all rode as fast as they could. Both Gray and Cloudy jumped ahead of the girls. Cloudy used his wings as a fan motor while Gray just used his strong legs to push him faster.

The two zipped into a nearby forest speeding by any bystanders, and nearly knocking them all over. They knew where they were going. The forest was just outside of their village, and most everyone could safely navigate through it. The four kept on riding, occasionally spotting each other riding through the trees. They rode as fast as possible, and didn’t slow, even if they were about to run into a tree. As they were riding in the forest, Gray suddenly had an idea.

“Hey, Cloudy!” he shouted.

“What?”

“You know that dangling branch with only three leaves at the end of the forest?”

“Yeah!”

“That’s our checkpoint! It’ll get us closer to my house!”

“In that case, I’ll get it before you do!”

Gray gave a small smirk as he rode on, faster and faster by the minute. Cloudy did the same, flapping his wings as fast as possible. Gray quickly spotted a log in the way. He leaned forward, looked down, and started to channel his horn. He’d been practicing a lot of magic, and he always tried new ways to test himself.

The first seven times might’ve been blunders, but I know this won’t, he thought to himself.

He concentrated all of his magic into his horn, and prepared to fire. When he was just in front of the log, he pedaled faster and shot a beam onto the ground, causing the magic to throw himself and his scooter upwards.

The force was just enough for him to fly over the log and land safely. The landing gave him enough speed for his scooter to race on its own, going as fast as the wind. Just then, he spotted something. He saw his village, and the dangling branch he was going for.

“There it is,” he said.

He leaned forward and pedaled faster, ready to grab the branch. He gave himself a small confident laugh.

“Way to lead the way!”

“Huh?”

Gray felt a slight breeze zip past him. Before he knew it, Cloudy was in front of him and was also aiming for the branch.

“You don’t mind if I steal your thunder do ya?!” he shouted.

He was only meters away from the branch and was about to grab it with his mouth. Out of nowhere, a fast blur flew by and the branch was gone.

“What?” shouted Cloudy.

They all looked ahead, and noticed that Little Swift was in front of them and had the branch with her.

“Yahoo!” she cheered, “I got it! Hahahahahahahaha!”

Both young colts were surprised that they were bested by the youngest one in the group.

“I’d keep my focus if I were you two,” laughed Scarlet as she zoomed right past them.

She’s right. The race isn’t over yet, I can still win this! Cloudy thought to himself.

As they rocketed toward town, the paths diverged, splitting left and right. The girls took the left path while the boys took the right. Each group raced neck and neck, pushing themselves faster and faster. They rode rapidly, and the sound of the wind rushing by them drowned out their own heartbeats. Cloudy flapped his wings harder and harder giving him more speed. He saw Gray’s house in the distance. He was so confident he could win.

That is, until Gray raced past him at top speed, using a strange method.

“Seriously?” shouted Cloudy.

Gray’s head was turned around, facing backwards. His head was aimed towards the ground, and he used his own beams of magic to push himself insanely fast. Once Cloudy realized what Gray was doing, it was too late. Gray had already crossed the finish line and reached his house. Cloudy grunted in defeat.

“Dammit!” he hissed to himself.

He crossed the finish line and reached Gray’s door, Little Swift and Scarlet soon followed.

“Looks like I’ve won,” boasted Gray. “Sorry shorty.”

“No fair! I want a rematch!” complained Cloudy.

There was a loud snickering heard nearby, and the group looked behind them, only disgusted to see it was the school bullies. There were three colts; the brown unicorn with the short blonde mane was Clasher, the leader. An earth pony with a really short black mane and yellow fur named Timber, and the other was a Pegasus that had green fur and a red cap, named Drift.

“Did the wimp lose again? How sad,” Clasher laughed.

Cloudy and the rest hated these colts. They made everyone in the school miserable and enjoyed doing it.

“What do you want Clasher?” asked Gray, readying himself.

“We just came by to watch the show. Doesn’t it get boring that you always defeat these losers?” he mocked, “A colt like you shouldn’t be hanging out with dweebs like them. You deserve a better group, one with acceptable and better looking friends, like us.”

“Clearly, you haven’t looked in the mirror,” remarked Scarlet, which caused her friends to laugh.

“You know, you don’t have to be here Clasher. No one really likes you anyway,” said Cloudy.

“Oh, I’m sorry, but what does the blank flank know about popularity? Haven’t you seen our marks?” Clasher pointed to his mark, which was a sledgehammer. His friends did the same, only their marks looked more like wood or nails or screws.

“Big deal, you’re talented in construction,” said Scarlet.

“Not construction, destruction,” correct Clasher.

“Whatever.”

"So anyway, you really shouldn’t be hanging out with these creeps, Gray. I mean looks at them; you’ve got four eyes, a blonde sloth, and a bat pony.”

“I keep telling you, I’m only half!” retorted Cloudy.

“Sure you are. Shouldn’t you wait ‘til night time to be awake?”

All of these remarks made Cloudy grit his teeth. He hated every word that came out of Clasher’s mouth.

“Hey, that’s enough,” warned Gray.

“I still don’t see what you’re talking about,” said Clasher.

“Will you just beat it!” shouted Cloudy.

“What are you going to do about it? It’s not like you’ll ever be strong enough to do anything. You’re so weak.”

That last comment made Cloudy snap, as he headed towards his scooter.

“Maybe you shouldn’t compete. After all, it’s obvious that you’ll never defeat Gray or anypony. You’re not capable of anything good. Just save your own breath-“

Bash!

Cloudy threw his scooter at Clasher, causing the bully to fall on the ground. He lunged at the prone colt and started throwing punches with his hooves, tears streaming down his face.

He landed on Clasher and just started punching his face repeatedly.

“I AM STRONG!” Cloudy yelled, “I’m Strong, I’m Strong, I’m Strong!”

Every time he shouted, his hoof connected with another punch. Clasher’s two friends quickly pulled Cloudy off and held him by his wings. Clasher then got up and started returning the favor, landing several punches on Cloudy.

When Crasher was about to punch again, Gray stepped in and blocked the punch. He then swung his arm towards the bully’s head and bucked him in the chest. Timber tried to throw a punch, but Gray quickly caught it, and used him as a bat to hit Drift with. Clasher got back up and lunged at Gray. When he jumped, Gray shot a beam of magic at Crasher, sending him flying.

Once he landed, Crasher and his goons got up and ran away. Gray turned around to assist the injured Cloudy. His face was bloodied and his eyes poured like waterfalls. His sisters just stood back in shock, unable to move and petrified at what just happened. Gray sat down in front of him.

“Hey, you alright?” he asked.

“H-h-h-h-he called me weak,” he muttered. “He said I couldn’t do anything. I wasn’t capable of anything. Am I weak?”

More tears started to form and fell from his face and hit the ground. Cloudy began to sob more in both defeat and regret. Gray put his right arm on his shoulder as Cloudy looked up.

“You’re not weak,” he said. “Don’t listen to those bastards. Ponies who call others weak or talentless are the weak ones. You’re tough.”

“But, look at you. You’re the strongest guy I know. Why would you say that to a weakling like me?”

“You’re not a weakling. I know you Cloudy, and I’ve seen that you’ve been improving. You have been getter stronger and stronger each day. You even managed to lose by a lot less this time.”

Cloudy let out a small chuckle and looked up at Gray again.

“The only one who thinks you’re not capable of being strong, is you.”

Cloudy sat motionless as he reflected on Gray’s words.

“Just keep exercising and think about how strong you really are. You’ll get there,” Gray said.

“Really?” asked Cloudy.

“Definitely. C’mon, let’s get out of here.”

With that, the group of friends returned to their homes. The injured Cloudy resolved that day to become as strong as his friend. Maybe even stronger.....

Ch 3. The Journey Begins

“So that’s the whole ‘Scooter Incident,” finished Cloudy.

“Oh my, dealing with colts like those must’ve been tough. I think I know a couple of fillies who are exactly like them,” replied Twilight.

“It was hard. Nopony really liked those guys. I might’ve lost my cool and took a harsh beating that day, but it was also the day Gray motivated me to become stronger. I mean, I know I’m strong already, I have been improving throughout the years. But I feel like it’s not enough. I swear, that I'll become as strong as him some day! And who knows, maybe I might become a guard myself and join him!”

“Well, you definitely have a lot of spirit,” laughed Twilight, “But are you sure that’s what you want?”

“What do you mean?” he asked confused.

“I realize that you want to become strong, but don’t you have your own goals?” she inquired.

“I think I just told you my goals.”

“But, I don’t think that’s it though.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not trying to trample on your dreams or anything, but it sounds like you want to become a guard just because Gray is a guard.”

“Why wouldn’t I? He’s my closest friend. I look up to him.”

“I know, but don’t you want to follow your own dreams? The ones that focus on your interests? Like, what do you do in your free time?” she asked.

“Hmmm? In my free time?” he asked and pondered for a bit. “Well, I like working out, so that’s one thing. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I don’t want be Iron Will buff, because that sight just isn’t pretty to look at. I just want to be a little stronger than Gray is all.” Cloudy replied.

“I see, anything else?”

“Well, sometimes I like to draw……”

“Really, that’s interesting-“

“-On the walls,” he finished.

“Huh?” Twilight asked in confusion.

“Oh yeah, I do a little graffiti art every now and then. It kind of helps clear the mind. Maybe when this trip is over, we could paint some time.”

Cloudy reached into his bag and pulled out a few glass cans of paint of different colors, along with some worn out brushes.

“What do you say?” he asked, offering her a can.

“Um, no thank you,” she said pushing the can away.

“Aw come on, it could be fun,” he insisted.

“No thank you, I don’t partake in vandalism ,” she replied.

“It’s not vandalism. It’s just spreading some creativity.”

“If you say so,” she said sarcastically. “So anyway, what else do you like to do?”

“Well um-“

“Hey I almost forgot!” Pinkie interrupted. Out of nowhere she pulled out a bag filled with cupcakes and opened them up.

“Who wants a cupcake?” she asked.

“Pinkie, don’t you think it’s still a little early for cupcakes?” wondered Twilight.

“I would LOVE a cupcake,” responded Cloudy.

“Okie Doki Loki,” replied Pinkie while she reached into her bag, pulled out a purple cupcake and threw it at Cloudy.

He caught the treat with his wing and immediately started munching on it. Twilight watched as she raised an eyebrow and formed an unsure smile.

“Really?”

“Hey if it has sugar and tastes good I’m eating it,” he replied.

“I wouldn’t bother reasoning with him,” said Scarlet from afar who was still focused on her card game. “Cloudy’s got a huge sweet-tooth. He once won a lottery in our town and received 100 bits.”

“Are ya’ll serious?” asked Applejack.

“Yep. And you know what he spent it on? Chocolate bars and lollipops.”

“Yeah, and it was totally worth it,” smiled Cloudy, and then pulled out a chocolate bar and ate it with his cupcake.

Both Applejack and Rarity’s jaw dropped at his luck and that he spent it so foolishly. The image of Cloudy with a satisfied smile surrounded by chocolate bars popped in their heads.

“100 bits…..” started Rarity.

“….all spent on chocolate?” finished AJ.

“Ok then,” responded Twilight. She looked up at him and noticed that he had finished the cupcake. She also noticed that he had some frosting on his right cheek; but the way it was positioned and the way he smiled gave him the appearance of a foal.

“Um, Cloudy, you’ve got some frosting on your cheek,” she pointed out.

“Huh?” He noticed and quickly wiped it off with his hoof. “Why does that always happen?”

Twilight began to giggle. Even with the frosting off, she couldn’t help but picture Cloudy being younger than he actually is.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing, it’s just…..” she then started rubbing the back of her head with her hoof.

“Just what?”

“You kind of looked like a foal when you had the frosting on your face.” She laughed.

“DHUH?!?!”

“What?” she asked.

“I don’t look like a foal at all! I’m no foal, I’m no baby-face, I’m no Shorty! Why is it that all ponies mock my appearance?” he panicked.

“I-I wasn’t trying to offend you or anything, I didn’t mean-“

“Nopony calls me Shorty anymore! Except for Gray, Scarlet, and Swift; but that’s beside the point. Other than them, nopony calls me shorty!”

“I didn’t call you that, I just said that you looked kind of young for a minute!” she said, waving her arms nervously.

Cloudy let out a soft sigh and sat back down. “Sorry. That was just the nickname I was given back then. Ever since Gray left, all the other colts at school called me that, and made fun of me for it. One mare even mistook me for a ten-year-old once.”

Twilight couldn’t help but chuckle at the imagination of that possibility, covering her mouth as she tried to hide it.

Cloudy groaned. “I have a stupid face, I know.”

“No you don’t,” Twilight cooed, “You have a handsome face.”

“Oh.” He raised his right eye brow and formed a little smirk.

“What?”

“You really think I’m handsome?” he teased. “Am I really that good looking?”

Twilight’s face began to turn a bright red and her eyes shrank.

“What? I didn’t mean….well it’s just……you were acting….. and uh….you look young-I mean….not like foal young…..but…ummm…”

As Twilight was trying to think of an excuse, Cloudy kept on chuckling.

“I know what you’re trying to say,” said Cloudy. “I appreciate you trying to make me feel better about myself.”

“Yeah,” she said, “Look, I didn’t mean to make you freak out like that. Let’s just forget I said it, ok?”

“Sure,” he replied.

A few hours have passed by and Cloudy was now asleep on the train. As he was sleeping, Little Swift was already well rested and awake. While her sister still played her card games, she peaked over to the seats behind her and spied on the both Rarity and Fluttershy.

“They have beautiful manes,” she whispered to herself. “And their coats, and marks.”

Swifts eyes were just beaming. It wasn’t long until somepony else noticed her spying like a little foal.

“Uh Rarity, Fluttershy…” said Applejack who pointed to Swift.

The both turned around and looked up, only for Swift to retreat back down in her seat.

“Looks like you two have an admirer,” joked AJ.

“Huh?” they both said.

From behind the seat, Swift just sat there with her hooves covering her mouth, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Scarlet wasn’t paying attention and was still focused on her cards.

“That was embarrassing,” Swift muttered to herself.

“What was embarrassing?” asked Scarlet.

“Huh? What? Oh, nothing. Nothing happened at all. Hehehehe- CAN’T THIS TRAIN GO ANY FASTER?!” she shouted.

“We’re already here,” replied Twilight. “You don’t need to shout.”

“Huh, what?” groaned Cloudy, who just woke up. “Did somepony say we’re here?”

“Yep, we just pulled into the station,” Twilight responded happily. Cloudy looked outside and saw that the Crystal Kingdom, was in fact right next to their train. Cloudy became speechless.

Without waiting for anypony else, he grabbed his bags and zipped right out of the train car.

“Hey, wait for us!” shouted Scarlet who was putting her cards away.

Pretty soon, the entire group exited the train and trotted onto the platform, where Cloudy was there waiting for them.

“Would you guys hurry up, we’re already here!” exclaimed Cloudy.

“Just give us a minute partner,” Applejack responded. “Not all of us are off the train yet.”

“I can’t believe we’re here already,” said Swift excitedly.

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go see Princess Cadence,” said Twilight.

The group trotted off the platform and entered the kingdom. As they were trotting through the city, they all couldn’t help but stare in awe of how shiny and fancy the empire looked. All of the buildings and citizens seemed to glimmer and shine.

It wasn’t long before the group had reached the castle of the kingdom, where the crystal heart stood. They went up to the main entrance where two guards were standing.

“We’re here to visit Princess Cadence,” said Twilight.

The guards then used their magic to open up the doors, and the group walked inside. They were even more amazed of what the inside looked like; the pillars were huge and the stain glass windows were amazing to look at.

“Yo, Gray! We’re here!” shouted Cloudy, causing an echo through the halls. “Gray! It’s Cloudy, Scarlet and Swift! Where are you, dude!?” Still no response.

“Do you have to shout so loudly?” complained Rainbow Dash.

“Yes,” he answered simply.

It wasn’t long before they reached a rather large door. Twilight opened it and on the other side sat the crystal throne room. There, sitting on the throne, was a pink alicorn with a multi-colored mane. She wore a small tiara, and had a crystal heart for a mark.

“Princess, Cadence!” yelled Twilight, and she ran up to her.

“Hello Twilight.” The two shared an embrace as the others bowed afterwards.

“I’m glad you came to visit, Twilight,” said the princess.

“Thanks.”

Cadence spotted the three new ponies in the background.

“So who are these ponies?” she asked, pointing to the trio.

“Oh right, I met these three yesterday and they said that they were visiting the empire as well. So we decided to come here together.”

“I see. So, what’s your names?” she asked as she trotted up to the three.

“I’m Cloudy Crescent.”

“Name’s Little Swift, what’s up?”

“And I’m Scarlet Aura.”

“Scarlet….Aura?” Cadence asked unsure.

“Yeah.”

“Hmmm, why does that name sound familiar?” she said aloud. “Are you sure we haven’t met. I feel like I’ve heard about that name from somewhere.”

“I assure you, that I’ve never seen you before in my life.” replied Scarlet.

“Just a quick question,” Cadence continued, “What are your parent’s names?”

“My parents? They should have the same names as my brother’s, Glimmer and Moon Echo.”

“Okay, just making sure.”

When Cadence looked away, Scarlet let out a relieved sigh. This only resulted in getting suspicious stares from Spike, Dash, and AJ.

“So Cloudy was it?,” she said focusing back on Cloudy, “What are your reasons for coming here?”

“We’re here visiting a foalhood friend of ours. He’s a guard here at the empire, his name is Gray Diamond,” replied Cloudy happily.

The room went silent for a moment. The princess wore a shocked and concerned look.

“Gray Diamond?” Cadence asked.

“Yeah. About THIS tall,” Cloudy said raising his hoof 2 inches above his head, “Kind of ripped, black mane, gray fur, egotistic, cutiemark’s are two swords in an X with a Diamond in the center.”

“Oh, I know who Gray is.”

“What’s wrong? Is Gray not here? Is he sick or something?” Cloudy asked concerned.

“No, he’s not sick.”

“Oh good,” he sighed. “If I found out that he wasn’t here today, I’d be really disappointed. Sorry, you were going to say something?”

“Well, you see, I don’t know how to tell you this,” she paused. “But Gray Diamond isn’t here. He’s missing.”

The three friends let out a gasp. Cloudy's heart sank at those words. He began to sweat uncontrollably, his legs trembled, and soon became slack jawed. Even his left eye began to twitch as he covered his mouth with his hoof. He started to imagine that Gray was gone for good.

“W-W-What?” muttered Cloudy.

“If he’s not here, where is he?” asked Swift.

“It’s a long story, but it’s not just him that’s gone," her eyes began to water and her head stared at the ground."M-my own husband has gone missing as well." A single tear started to flow down her right eye as she said that.

This time, Twilight and her friends let out a shocked gasp. Twilight looked more scared than anypony.

“Missing? What are you saying?” asked Twilight. "You don't really mean that, do you? Is this some kind of joke? You wouldn't lie at a time like this. What's happening here? Why is he missing? Somepony please explain! I can't lose my brother again!"

Twilight began to hyperventilate as Rarity went over to comfort her as they shared an embrace. More and more tears began to flow down Cadence's face, she couldn't stand to see her sister in-law like this, and she couldn't bear the idea of her own husband not returning.

“I think it’s better if I showed you. Come with me,” Cadence said, and the whole group followed her to another room.

They entered a room with a large crystal table in the center and diamond shaped gem floating above it on the ceiling. They all gathered around the table as the door behind them shut.

“What is this?” asked Scarlet.

“It’s the only way I can give you a proper explanation of what’s going on,” answered Cadence. Wiping away more tears.

Her horn began to light up, making it brighter than anything else in the room. She used her magic to close the curtains on the windows, darkening the whole room and making her light easier to see. She then shot a magic beam at the gem above. The gem itself began to glow, and seconds later it projected a hologram of an unknown city on the table where everypony could see.

The city had castles and ponies just like any other kingdom, only the castles looked like they were something from a fairy tale with its grim architecture and mysterious figures. Each building was made out of black bricks, yet the grass was fresh and green. Most of the roofs had spikes on them along with small triangular windows. The sky was a light ocean blue color with some grey stratus clouds. There were markets, foals riding on scooters, and cheerful ponies all around. In the center, was a tall tower also made of black bricks, with bizarre symbols on the roof top. The group were all amazed at what they were looking at. Swift shivered and scooted in closer to her adopted sister.

“What is this, we’re looking at?” asked Twilight.

“This is the city of Favorsham,” spoke Cadence. “At the beginning, it was just any ordinary city filled with cheerful ponies. But then, disaster struck.”

She shot another beam at the gem, and the hologram altered a bit. There was now a shadowy tidal wave that consumed the little city below. A demonic shape took form in the wave.

“A monster has awoken and spread his darkness throughout the kingdom,” continued Cadence.

The holographic creature with a dark spirit-like cloak appeared, its claws and eyes the only things visible aside from the darkness..

“This demonic being is known as Marofaemar.”

“Maro-Faemar?” wondered Twilight.

“Yes. It is said he wears a cloak completely made up of the dark spirits of Tartarus. His claws are as sharp as daggers, and multiple crimson eyes that can pierce into your soul.”

Cloudy looked at the creature in fear and disgust; he’d never seen anything like it before. Cloudy felt like his blood had turned to ice and his hooves were glued to the floor. The creature then turned and faced Cloudy who stood there silently, transfixed.

Without a warning the monster’s eyes began to increase in size and shimmer with horror. The spirits surrounding the monster began to scatter all around. There was moaning, weeping, and screaming among them. They were screams of pain and misery, as loud as a banshee. There were a million voices going off at once.

Cloudy jumped back at the noise. Scarlet covered her mouth with the tip of her hoof while she struggled to remain calm. Fluttershy buried her face in AJ’s chest to silence the screams, but it was no use. No matter how hard AJ hugged her, the voices still came through.

The monster appeared as a giant over the town, tearing up all of the buildings and knocking them over like blocks. Soon after, nothing was left but an ocean filled with blood and bodies where the city used to be.

“B-B-Blood….” muttered Rarity, as her eyes rolled back involuntary and she fainted.

“When he awoke, he destroyed everything in his sight only to rebuild them in his own image.”

The beast shot beams out of his eyes and claws, recreating the once fallen buildings; only these ones were more demonic looking and a lot more grim. They were all half-destroyed, half of the citizens were covered in blood, the other half lied dead on the streets. More houses had spikes all around them, there were multiple holes in house walls and all of the doors were destroyed. The tall tower in the middle changed dramatically, there was a spike on every brick and each one either having a strip of flesh or a stream of blood. The roof looked more like a serpents head with its tongue slithered out and its fangs out, as if its ready to attack.

“He didn’t stop there. He even started building his own army.”

The group watched as the beast shot thousands of demon pony soldiers from its mouth, each one equipped with deadly weapons and already covered in crimson blood.

“The scary thing is, we still don’t know that much about this creature,” Cadence admitted.

“Come again?” asked Scarlet.

“We still don’t know what exactly this creature is. We don’t know how it was awoken or what his motives are. I just heard about this monster from Celestia. She warned me of his presence and suggested that we send some of our best soldiers, your friend and my husband included, to its kingdom to exterminate the beast. Hopefully, they will be able to restore Favorsham back to its natural and peaceful state. However, it’s been weeks since we heard anything from either of our forces.”

That’s when Cloudy started getting a horrific idea; one that he wished was not a reality.

“Are you saying, that they could all be…..dead?” muttered Cloudy.

Twilight let out a gasp at the thought of it. Everyone else around them started getting the same scared idea.

Cadence then shot another beam at the gem above and the hologram disappeared, and then opened up the curtains again to let some light in.

“We’re not sure,” Cadence finally answered. “I’m sorry I had to tell you this. I’m just as concerned as you are. But we still haven’t received a letter back from one of our troops. Whether they failed or succeeded is still unknown.”

“Is there anything we can do to help, Princess?” wondered Dash.

“I’m not sure what you could help with. All we can do right now is hope.”

The others around the table began to exchange looks and whisper among themselves.

Cloudy had a different thought when the Princess mentioned that all they could do was hope. His brow furrowed and he gritted his teeth, Twilight noticed this.

“H-hope?”

“Cloudy, is something wrong?” asked Twilight.

“What was that?” he mumbled to Cadence. She then turned and faced his direction.

“Hmm?”

“What was it that you said? All we could do, is hope?” he grumbled.

“Cloudy, I’m sorry, but there’s not much we could do.”

“I see,” he muttered and bowed his head. Twilight became more  confused.

“I’m really sorry.” Cadence closed her eyes and exited the room, the others soon followed. Spike woke up Rarity told her everything that happened and walked out as well. Twilight, was still confused about Cloudy’s reaction; he just stood there in silence.

A few hours passed and the sun was about to set. Little Swift was floating in the hallways playing with her yo-yo again. Trying new tricks and swinging it around aimlessly. She had one thing on her mind.

Should I talk to them? It would be best to get to really know them better. No, no, it’s too early. I’ll sound like an awkward geek, she argued with herself. But if I don’t act soon, then it might be too late. Will it? Nah, I shouldn’t worry. I’ve still got plenty of time to see them.

Without knowing, she passed by a slightly open door where familiar voices could be heard.

“I don’t know about this.”

“C’mon, just let me go already.”

Swift stopped and immediately recognized those voices; a soft feminine voice and  younger male voice. She floated backwards and peaked into the crack of the door. It was Princess Cadence and her brother, Cloudy.

“Cloudy?” Swift whispered to herself. Swift could only faintly hear their discussion.

“I’m not asking you to do this, you know,” said Cadence.

“I know that. I don’t really care what happens to me, I just want to see him. So please, just tell me where,” Cloudy pleaded.

“……Are you sure you want to do this?”

“Yes. That’s what this whole meeting is about isn’t it? Isn’t that what we’ve been discussing for the past few hours?”

Cadence then looked down in thought, her eyes half closed, wondering if she should let this stallion go on this journey. She then looked up again.

“Very well, then. Seeing how you care so much for your friend.” She levitated a small rolled up scroll and gave it to him.

“Here’s a spare map to Favorsham. But I must warn you, that the path will be dangerous. There’s no telling what will happen.”

“That’s what will make it fun,” he joked as he took the scroll form her. “And I promise that I’ll bring your husband back as well.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” she said with a stern look.

Cloudy let out a slight laugh. “Thank you, Princess.” Cloudy grabbed his saddle bags and made his way towards the door. Swift saw him coming and quickly flew out of a nearby window. Cloudy walked out without noticing that she was there.

“He’s going to that place?” Swift wondered, and started to follow him.

Cloudy walked through the hallway and passed by Dash, AJ, Pinkie, and Spike who were all having a discussion. They all noticed Cloudy walked past them with his saddlebags and they became curious.

He walked out the front doors and soon passed Scarlet, Rarity, and Fluttershy who were all partaking in a card game on the ground, without saying anything. The three noticed him and became concerned.

“He’s been acting strange since this morning,” pointed out Fluttershy. “I sure hope he’s ok.”

“I wonder where he’ going?” pondered Rarity.  Although Scarlet soon had an idea and dropped her cards and began to follow him as well.

Finally, Cloudy walked past Twilight without even saying anything and made his way towards the train station. Twilight turned and noticed.

“Where are you going?” she muttered.

Cloudy was just about to enter the platform and purchase a ticket, until a red blur flew past him.

“Huh?”

Little Swift soon appeared in front of him.

“Hold on, where do you think you’re going?” she demanded.

“Where do you  think? I’m going to go see Gray,” he answered.

“Gray? You, you’re….”

“Yeah.”

“Well not without me you’re not!” she responded putting her hooves on his shoulders. “If you’re going, then I’m going with you.”

“Huh?” His eyes soon expanded in confusion and his mouth hung slightly open.

“Why do you sound so surprised?” she asked giving him some space.

“Well, you DO know where I’m going right?”

“Yeah, I heard you talking with the princess. Something about ‘letting you go somewhere.’”

“You were eavesdropping?”

“Yes-No-doesn’t matter right now. Why didn’t you ask either me or Scarlet to come with you?”

“I figured that, given the place I’m heading, and from what you heard from Cadence’s story , that you wouldn’t want to risk your lives doing this. Plus, I didn’t think it was fair that I would drag you along against your will. Sorry.”

“Sorry?!” she bellowed. “Why would you think we wouldn’t want to go with you? I want to  see Gray just as much as you do. I don’t care if the place we’re traveling to is Tartarus, I’m going to come with you, whether you like it or not!”

“Um, thanks?”

“Leaving already?” said a voice from behind. They both turned around and saw that it was Twilight. Along with Scarlet, Spike, and everypony they’ve met so far.

“Twilight, Scarlet, guys I….”

“Darling, are you seriously going to travel all the way to Favorsham?” asked Rarity.

“I thought I was darling,” Swift whispered to herself.

“Yeah, why not?"

“Why not? Maybe it’s because you’re basically walking to your own demise!” yelled Spike.

“So what?” he responded.

"But, all we can do is hope right now. What else is there, that we can do?" muttered Rarity.

“Are you serious? I can’t just sit here and do nothing but ‘hope!’” he snapped, “I did not come all the way out here only to find out that my best friend is missing and may or may not come back. I came here to see him, and dammit that’s what I’m going to do!”

“Hey, are you out of your mind?!” bellowed Applejack as she galloped up to him.

“We’re ya’ll not paying any attention to what Princess Cadence said? Did you not see that thing brutally destroy that town and kill all of those ponies?! It’s suicide to just run into that place!” she scolded.

“It’s a lot better than staying here and just hoping that they’ll come back alive. Hope is for the weak, and I’m defiantly NOT weak!”

While the group argued amongst themselves, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but feel amazed at this stallion’s loyalty to his friend.

He’s really willing to fly into a place like that just to see his friend? Maybe he is insane, Dash thought to herself.

“You’re going to get yourself killed, I won’t let you!” scolded Applejack.

“I don’t care!” argued Cloudy. “I’m going to find him, one way or another. I will not stand here and just let this slide. If no one’s willing to do anything to help, then I will. I’ll actually take action and do something, and show everypony how strong I can really be.”

“You know, strength alone isn’t enough to make it to Favorsham,” started Spike. “How can you  be so sure you can do it?”

“Because I believe I can, and I have to  make an effort,” he answered. “The only one who doesn’t think I’m weak is me. As long as I keep believing I’m strong and putting effort into everything I do, I’ll make it. I’ll survive. I won’t stop until I’ve completed my goal!”

The platform went silent. Both Twilight and Dash began to admire his determination; they stared at him with awe. The others around them stared at him with fear and disapproval.

“I’m sorry I raised my voice,” he apologized.

“It’s ok,” replied Twilight.

“I guess we’ll be on our way.” Cloudy and Swift turned around and about to head for the platform.

“Wait,” called Scarlet as Cloudy and Swift turned around.

“I’m going with you,” she said.

“Really?” asked Cloudy.

“Yeah, you may be a moron most of the time, but you’re my brother.”

“Gee, thanks,” he responded sarcastically.

“Besides, if I came home without you guys, Glimmer and Moon Ec….I mean, Mom and Dad would kill me.”

“You’re really coming? That’s great!” exclaimed Swift.

“Hey Twi,” whispered Dash.

“Yeah?” Twilight whispered back.

“You think we should go with him?”

“What? Why?”

“Well, don’t you want to find your brother?” she asked.

"Of course! But i don't know what to do I'm so confused. If i tag along, there's the better chance that I'll save Shining from this Maro thing. But it could also cost me my life, i could die. On the other hoof, if i just stayed here then there's no way of knowing if he'll come back. I might be safe, but at the cost of losing my brother. I don't know what to do?"

"C'mon Twi, you can do this. You've taken down lots of enemies before," Dash encouraged.

"I know, but-"

“Plus, this guy seems pretty cool,” added Rainbow Dash. “I mean, he’s willing to risk his own life just to see his friend.”

She then flew over and floated next to Cloudy and his sisters.

“I’m in too,” Dash said.

“Seriously?” asked Cloudy. “You know, you don’t have to go. It’s not like I’m forcing you to-“

“Yeah whatever,” she interrupted. “After what you said, how could I not join? That’s true loyalty what you said, about finding your buddy and all.”

“Um, thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. Besides you guys could use the help of an awesome pegasus like me. I mean, I AM the fastest flyer in all of Equestria,” she boasted.

Cloudy let out a slight chuckle. Her spirit was infectious. It was then that Twilight made her decision.

“I’m in too,” she stepped in.

“Really, Twi?” Spike asked.

“Yeah, if you’re looking for your friend, then I think it’s fair that I come along to search for my brother,” she replied with determination. "I'm going to find and save him, no matter what!"

“Glad you’re coming too,” said Cloudy.

“If she’s going, then I’m going,” said Spike who followed Twilight.

“Listen to yourselves, are ya’ll losing your marbles?!” protested AJ.

“You can stay here if you want,” said Cloudy. “Like I said, I’m not forcing you to come with me. But I’m going, to see my friend.”

Applejack was about to protest again, until Pinkie bounced right past her and stood next to Twilight.

“I’m tagging along. It’s no fun traveling if you don’t have all of your friends with you,” Pinkie chirped.

Pretty soon, both Rarity and Fluttershy walked past AJ and joined the group.

“Might as well join,” suggested Rarity.

“Yes!” Swift whispered.

“Hmm, did you say something, Little Swift?” asked Fluttershy.

“Huh? Oh, nothing. I didn’t say anything,” she replied embarrassed. “Just, glad you two are coming, hehehehehe.”

“Alright, alright,” AJ finally gave in. “I’ll come too. But, can I speak with you two in private?” she asked pointing to both Scarlet and Cloudy.

“Huh?” asked Scarlet.

“Please.”

They both nodded and followed AJ back to the stairs at the entrance where nopony could hear them, a good distance away.

“I know something isn’t right with you two. I’m just tagging along to protect my friends. But I’m also going to keep an extra close eye on you both. So if either of you tries anything funny, then this demon will be the least of your worries. Got me?”

“Noted,” responded Cloudy nervously.

“Way to be subtle about it,” Scarlet replied sarcastically to AJ.

After their little discussion with Applejack, the trio walked back to the group.

“So, is everypony ready?” Cloudy asked. They all responded with a simple nod.

"Alright then," Cloudy started. "I guess we all know what our objective is; travel to Favorsham, rescue our friends, and hopefully avoid and escape the demon, Marofaemar. If not avoid, defeat."

“Let’s do this!” yelled Swift.

“Favorsham, here we come,” said Scarlet.

“Time to find Gray!” exclaimed Cloudy.