Always look before you leap through a portal.

I awoke to the cramped feeling that could only be described as sleeping on the top shelf in Shining's closet, which is exactly what I did. After last nights events, I had to do so in order to avoid the fury that are three lovestruck girls.

~

The chase had continued all the way from the castle and back to the Light's home, where I managed to keep myself safe by scaling a low wall and sitting there until the adults arrived. Luckily for me, none of the girls were pegasi, so all they could do, was stand there with a sour look on their faces. not long after, Shining Armor arrived followed by Night Light and Twilight Velvet, and finally Claves Philharmonic and Cleft Heartstrings.

Luckily for me, they all managed to get the girls to calm down and go back with them, seeing as it was a weekday. Though not before they all three swore that they would get an answer out of me. Twi opted to stay over at her parents place this night and return to the castle in the morning. Me? I waited until Lyra and Tavi had left the area before jumping down and keeping Shining between Twi and I, much to his annoyance. As soon as we entered the house though, Twi bolted after me and I didn't waste any time waiting around and ran for the staircase, climbing it a lot faster thanks to being a biped and taller than Twi. I immediately ran for Shining's room and saw the tall dresser, made for unicorns to use their levitation with, didn't stop me from climbing my way to the top shelf and curling up inside.

"MUNCK! Get down here! Now!" a very pissed Twilight boomed.

Poking my head out, I saw Twi standing in front of the closet with a really pissed expression on her face, "I'm fine with being up here."

"You still owe me an explanation! Just what the hay was that!? After you told us all of that about taboos, we find you kissing another girl right in front of us!" she almost looked like she was on fire.

"Calm down Twi, that mad face doesn't suit you," I joked, trying to lighten the mood, just a little, "Besides... I can't help it. She just did that on her own! Heck, it surprised me just as much as it did you..."

"Just come down here already!"

"You know what? I just think I'll stay up here for the night. Sweet dreams, Twi," I got as comfortable as one could get in a closet and waited for her to leave, which she did by making some sort of roar of frustration before stomping out.

Shining finally dared to enter his own room again, "Dude... You gonna be ok up there?"

"I think it's safer for me up here than down in my room right now. I hope you don't mind."

He waved a hoof dismissively, "Think nothing of it. I'm just glad that I don't have your luck with the mares. Looks kinda troublesome."

"Hah! That is so true. Speaking of mares, how did it go with Cadance?"

"It went well, she's so sweet and gentle and I just... Wow... But, I wouldn't stand a chance... I mean, I'm nothing but a commoner," he had a hint of sadness in his voice as he said the last part.

"Oh, come on. Knowing your princesses here right, I'm sure that she won't let something like that get in the way."

"You may be right... Anyway, it's getting late. Goodnight Munck."

"G'night Shining."

~

And thus we have the current situation. Twilight is sitting opposite of me at the dinner table where we're having our breakfast, with Shining and Mr. Light on my side, and Mrs. Velvet on Twi's side. The silence is so thick that you'd need a chainsaw to cut through it. so of course all of us jumped a bit when we heard a loud knocking on the front door.

"Thank Celestia..." Mr. Light mumbled as he got up to answer the door.

Soon after, he returned with two scrolls encased in his magic aura and levitated one over to Shining and one to me. Quickly breaking the seal and rolling it out, I began reading; "Dear Kim. It is with honor that we enlist you as a squire for the Order of the Solar Knights. It is expected that you are ready to move in by next Monday..." that gives me roughly a week... Should be manageable, "Hmm... Blah blah blah, yadda yadda yadda and all that legal jazz... Seems legit. How about you, Shining?"

He lowered the scroll, "Monday as well. Should be doable. Especially for you."

"True... I don't exactly have that much stuff to pack, though I should probably start thinking about paying the local tailor a visit. I did lose a set of clothes to a mountain lion after all."

"In that case, I can show you the place where I get my suits made."

"Really? That would be awesome! Thanks Mr. Light," I then realized that I hadn't gotten around to taking a bath yet, and after yesterday's events, I need one, "Can I hit the shower first though? I feel kinda icky," I asked as I got up from my chair.

"Of course. Take the time you need," he then turned to Twilight, "And you, young lady. Shouldn't you be on your way to the castle? You shouldn't keep the princess waiting."

"I know dad, but first," she jumped down from her chair and bolted for the door, effectively blocking my path.

"Umm... May I please pass?"

"No. Not until you make it up to me for the events last night."

"You want me to do that now!? Geez... Ok, what do I have to do?"

"You... Could give me a kiss..."

"What? I didn't quite catch that."

"I said... You could... kiss me."

"WHAT!?"

"I said!"

"I heard what you said! But a kiss!? Here!? Now!?"

"Yes! I won't let you off the hook until you do so!"

I looked back to the others who seemed either shocked, like Mr. Light or amused by the situation, like Shining and Mrs. Velvet.

"But I-! You know that I-!" *Sigh...* "Ok! I'll do it..." I got down on my knees and placed a hand on her neck, "Just know, that even though I do this, it doesn't mean that we're dating. I still believe that I shouldn't be involving myself in such relationships, yet."

"I... I know and I know that I'm being selfish right now, but I just-"

I quickly closed the distance between us and put my lips to hers, effectively stopping her from talking. Her lips were so soft to the touch that I simply just held the kiss. Her eyes slowly closed as she let herself go and I could feel her shivering from pleasure. Slowly I let go of the tender kiss and backed away, leaving her with a look of pure bliss.

I quickly got up, "I, umm... Shower! I'm off to the bathroom! I'll be back in a bit Mr. Light," I quickly sputtered as I swung past the still dazed Twi and through the hallway into the living room and made my way to my room where I grabbed some fresh underwear and pants, and then hurried to the bathroom upstairs, not even sparing a glance into the kitchen.

A nice long shower later and I had finally regained my composure, so I stepped out of the tub and dried myself off, pulling on a fresh pair of boxers and pants, leaving my shirt off as I wrapped the towel around my hair. I really should start thinking about getting it cut... Its gotten quite long now, reaching down a bit past my shoulders.

I made my way back down to the kitchen, where I could hear that they had all livened up a bit. Twilight seemed to have left for the castle, but the rest of the Lights were sitting around the table and chattering away, though that all stopped the moment they noticed me in the doorway. All eyes were on me, or rather, on my bare torso. Looking down I saw what had stunned them so. All the scars I had gotten during the fight which weren’t removeable by pony medical treatments were there for all to see.

"Oh, my dear child..." Mrs. Velvet came over and ran a hoof over some of the scars, "I am so sorry that you had to get hurt like that... Just know, that we will forever be in your debt for saving our daughter even when facing danger like that."

I grabbed her hoof and gave it a gentle squeeze, "It's fine Mrs. Velvet... Think nothing of it. Heck, even I had already forgotten it. But believe me, I would gladly do this again if it meant keeping those that I care for out of harms way."

"Just know, that you will always be a part of our family, whether it becomes official someday or not. But no matter what you choose, you will always have a home here."

"Thank you Mr. Light, that means a lot... Heck, as each day passes, I want to drop all my plans of returning home and just settle down here... But it's not my choice to make."

"Why? You get along so well with everpony, so why shouldn't you have the choice of staying?" Mrs. Velvet asked as her eyes teared up.

"I... I'm not sure how much that I’m allowed to say... But, I can say this; the mountain lions attacking us, wasn't just a random coincidence," this elicited a gasp from all  three, "They were there for me. Someone powerful enough to influence beasts, set them after me for a reason. And the best way to foil whatever plans he might have, is for me to leave this world as fast as possible."

"So what you're saying is, that because of some sick bucker, you can't stay?" Shining asked, snorting loudly, "Then I say we find him and buck him into last Tuesday!"

"As much as I would love doing so, I know that we can't... He's way too powerful for us to handle."

"And how do you know that?"

"He's powerful enough to bring back the dead," Shining looked at me with a skeptical look, "He brought me back, Shining... I died, I actually died and he brought me back, it wasn't some miracle that I survived, he resurrected me and warned me that he had plans for me. When I told the princess, the mere mention of his name made her angry... He's bad news Shining, really bad news," I looked at their shocked faces and sighed, "Listen... Just, just don't tell Twi, ok? I don't want her to start worrying too much now that she's Celestia's personal student. Besides, once she knows, Lyra is bound to find out and so will her family and thus the ball rolls until all of Canterlot knows, and as you might guess, I want to keep this bit of info as secret as possible."

"Don't worry, we will keep it a secret," Mr. Light said getting nods from Mrs. Velvet and Shining.

"Thanks. Now then, we have a tailor to find," I said as I finished drying my hair and went out to the utility room where the laundry basket was located, and tossed the towel in it before returning to my room and put on a fresh pair of socks and a clean shirt I then grabbed my bag of bits and went back to find Mr. Light.

Whom was already waiting at the front door, "Come along now, Munck."

"On my way," I quickly put on my shoes and followed him out into the now crowded streets.

~

As we walked towards the marketplace, Mr. Light suddenly broke the tranquil silence.

"So... That kiss with my daughter this morning," he began, while shooting me a glare that could freeze fire.

My feet suddenly refused to move and my mouth stopped working properly, "I-I-I'm, I, err... I, but, I-!"

His eyes regained their normal warm glow, "Relax, I'm just messing with you. I know that she more or less pressured you into it. She can be just as hardheaded as her mom like that."

"Phew... Thanks, I was afraid that you were gonna gut me right here on the street."

"Nah... I'd rather we got back home for that. The utility room is easier to clean after the messy part is over."

I froze in place and didn't dare move a muscle.

"Pffh... Hahahah! Oh sweet Celestia! It was a joke! Don't worry, there's no bad blood between us, quite the opposite. If you would ever want to ask for my daughters hoof in marriage, I would give you my blessings in a heartbeat."

"But I-"

"I know... You can't stay, even if you want to... But, IF! If you should ever want to, then you know that you have my blessings... Just remember that."

"Thanks, Night Light. That means a lot. Even if I try not to bond too much, both Twi and Lyra have become very important to me."

"I know, and that's why I feel sad for you... The day you have to leave will be the toughest day in your life," he suddenly stopped, "Looks like we're here! Time flies when you're having a conversation."

We stood in front of a small bordeaux red building with a sign that said 'Seams and Stitches' the 'I' being a needle with a thread crossing through the eye and over the two 't's. In the windows you could see several mannequins sporting some of the owners creations.

Mr. Light opened the door, resulting in a little jingle from the bell by the door, "Come along now, Munck."

I quickly made my way inside, where I was greeted by even more outfits on display, as well as a counter with no one behind it.

"Cross Stitch! Where are you?" Mr. Light yelled.

"I'm comin'! Keep yer horseshoes on!" a deep gravelly voice boomed back.

In from the back room came a big dark pink unicorn stallion with a short, light indigo mane and tail. and a needle and thread cutie mark on his hind-quarters.

"Aah! Night Light, you ol' party pony! What brings ya to my fine lil' store on this day?" he boomed as he patted Mr. Light on the back, each pat forcing him to bend his knees even further down.

"It's-! Ungh! Not-! Argh! Me-! Ouch!" Cross Stitch immediately stopped and looked around, spotting me by the door.

"So that's the one I 'ave been hearin' about! That thar, what's-ya-call-it..."

"Human, sir. I'm called a human," I said while walking up to him, "And I'm the one in need of your expertise. My species use clothes every single day, and I only have four sets left now, so I would like to ask you if you could make me some new sets."

He walked around me, while looking me over, "Hmm... Yeah... I can do that, no problem at all. Jus' follow me and we'll have ya measured up in no time!"

As I followed Cross Stitch, I turned to look at Night Light who had finally gotten his legs straightened out, "You don't need to wait for me, I'm planning on stopping by the lab before I head back home."

"Alright, I'll see you later then," and with that, he exited the store.

I quickly ran after Cross Stitch into the back room and almost fell face first over a roll of turquoise fabric. Looking around the room, I saw that it wasn't the only roll. All over the floor was scraps of and rolls fabrics in all hues of the rainbow, and all around the edges of the room, stood pony mannequins with half finished outfits on them. To my immediate right was a set of stairs, leading up to the next floor which I guess is Cross Stitch's apartment. And for a second, I could have sworn that I saw something white and indigo disappear back to wherever it came from.

"Now then lad! Get on over 'ere and drop those clothes so we get get yer measurements!" boomed the gravelly voice of Cross Stitch.

I quickly danced around the many traps on the floor and made my way over to the low podium in the middle of the chaos and sat down to remove my shoes and socks. Once they were off, I stood up on the podium and removed my pants and shirt which in turn earned me not one, but two gasps.

"Sweet Celestia, lad! What the hay happened to ya?"

"I had a run in with an angry mountain lion... I won."

"I see," he replied as he levitated the measuring tape over, "Must 'ave been a tough fight. And what happened to yer shoulder, besides the giant scar? It looks like it's been crystallized."

"That's not too far from the truth. My shoulder is pretty much covered by lacrima right now. I had a weird lacrima crystal on me that had been charged with my friends magic, and when I got this wound, it kinda fused with my skin to create a new layer where it had been ripped off by that bloody lion" I told him as he wrote down all my measurements on a notepad.

"And yer done, lad. You can put yer clothes back on now."

"Thanks."

"So, any special requirements that I need to keep in mind?"

"Hmm... Well, I begin my knight training next week, so I'd like for them to be comfortable and strong. Able to handle some rough play and such. If you could make me five sets of shirts, pants, underwear and socks. Then you would make me a very happy kid."

"Five sets? That's not exactly gonna be cheap, ye sure ya can afford it?"

I took out my bag of bits and pulled up a couple of golden bits, "Shouldn't be a problem. Working for the princess pays quite well."

"Blimey! You got yerself a deal, lad!" one could almost see the dollar signs in his eyes, "I'll 'ave 'em ready in two days time!"

"Sounds good," I said as I finished tying my shoelaces and got back up from the podium, "And keep the measurements around. I'll be needing warmer clothes once winter hits."

"Aye lad, ya can count on me!"

With that, I moved towards the door to the store space, "Thanks again Cross Stitch, I look forward to doing business with you again."

"Likewise lad! I'll see ya in two days!"

I moved through the store and was about to exit through the front door when I heard a new voice.

"Just who or rather, what was that?" a female voice asked in a posh accent.

"There you are, lass. You do know that you could have come on down, I don't think he would have minded."

"I know, but it's just... My horn reacted to him, rather strongly at that. So I was afraid of what might happen if I had gotten too close to... Did you even get his name?"

"Err... I think I dun goof'd!" Cross Stitch said before breaking into a deep booming laughter.

"Uncle! What was the first thing you told me? Always get to know your customer! If they feel familiar around you, there's a bigger chance that they will come again!"

"It's Kim," I said as I poked my head back in, "But everypony calls me Munck."

The shocked filly turned towards me, and I saw that it was the one I had spotted at the top of the stairs. Just this time, I had a chance to take in her features. The first thing I noticed was that she had to be around Twi and Lyra's age and that she was a unicorn as well. Seems like I have a tendency of running into unicorns around my age. Next thing that caught my attention, was her flawless light gray, almost white coat, with three light azure diamonds adorning her flank. Her indigo mane and tail had been styled so they curled and all in all she was stunning.

“And what, pray tell, gives you the right to spy on a lady?”

“The same thing that gives you the right to spy on me while I’m undressing.”

“Why! I never-!”

“Cool it lovebirds! Nopony is spying on anypony here. He jus’ came back to tell me his name is all, right Munck?”

“Right! Definitely right!” oh by everything holy! The more I look at her, the more attractive she becomes! Confound Twi and Tavi and their kisses... They have definitely awoken something in me.

“Anyway! I have something that I need to do at the Royal Magic Research Institute,” I quickly bid them farewell and bolted for the door.

Finally outside again, I leaned against the nearest wall and let the still chilly morning breeze cool down my burning cheeks, “Yeah, no way around it... I have definitely awoken something that I shouldn’t have.”

With a mighty sigh, I got myself back on the streets and made my way for the castle, greeting random ponies along the way.

~

I finally reached my destination, as the two huge wooden doors towered before me. It felt good to finally stand here again, after having been stuck in bed for an entire week. Slowly opening the creaking door, I was met by the usual hustle and bustle of the lab that I knew so well, though that all stopped when the lab ponies saw who it was and dropped everything they were working on and dogpiled me. Some were crying, some were laughing and others were both laughing and crying at once. All the while I could see Tesla and Widget standing by the side with big goofy smiles on the faces.

“Now come on boys! Ya’ll let the poor boy go! He only jus’ recovered and the last thing he needs, is for ya’ll to crush him!” Widget yelled as she shooed them back to work.

“Thanks Widget,” I said as I slowly got back up from the floor, “It’s good to be back.”

She instantly grabbed me in a vice-grip, as if she was trying to hug the life out of me, “Ah’m jus’ so happy to see ya back up again! Ah really thought we lost ya back on tha’ mountain!”

“Widget! Air! I need it!”

She quickly let go of me and I fell back down on the floor, “Oh mah stars! Ah’m so sorry,” she sputtered as her cheeks turned crimson from embarrassment.

“It’s ok Widget, no harm done,” I told her as I got back up from the floor, again, “Anyway! I came back because of a few reasons. First of all, I’ve missed this place and all of you. Being stuck in a bed for an entire week does that to you. Second, I heard you all found a ton of lacrimae, so I would like to check that out. And third, hows the magitech coming along?”

“Ah! Right! The professor had some news for ya, ain’t that right professor?” no reply, “Professor? Did ya hea-”

“Is he... Drooling?”

“PROFESSOR! WAKE UP RIGHT NOW!”

A small explosion was heard in the background as some poor lab pony mixed some chemicals in the wrong amounts due to Widget’s outburst and poor Tesla almost jumped out of his skin, looking wildly around him only to be met by Widget’s glare and my snickering.

“Now that ah have yer attention, professor, why dontcha tell Munck about ‘them’?”

“Ah, right! It’s good to see you again young Munck, and I do apologize for falling asleep... But we have been pulling a lot of all-nighters this past week,” he barely managed to finish before letting out the mother of all yawns, “Where was I... Ah! As I was saying; thanks to the large quantities of pure lightning lacrima that we got from Mt. Thunder Roar, we managed to begin mass producing pony sized gauntlets with the scanning function as well as a sonar map system that was amongst the blueprints you gave us. With that, it maps out the immediate area that a pony is in and allows them to mark points of interest on the map. With this, a pony could pretty much map out the entire world, just by traveling around, so of course we have already sent out scouts to map and scan Equestria. Sending back reports with what they find that we can use. We can then send out retrieval teams to pick it up and bring it back to us here in the lab, allowing for us to concentrate on crafting the items we want.” and then he drifted off to slumberland again.

With a heavy sigh, Widget turned to me, “Ah jus’ don’t know what to do with the old stallion anymore... We already told him to go home and get some sleep, but he jus’ keeps on refusin’! He’s more stubborn than a mule!”

“Can’t we just place him in some random corner of the room and let him nap there?”

“We could, but then he jus’ gets mad when he wakes up... He’s been so hyped ever since we got all that lacrimae an’ made that breakthrough with the scanning devices. Which reminds me,” she lifted her right foreleg on which rested a magitech bracelet with a big screen, it’s green light dimly glowing, “This ‘ere device is the scanning device we created, inlaid with the same fabric that we used for yer gauntlet. That way it will allow ponies to have ‘em mounted on their legs, without feeling any discomfort.”

“That is so cool!”

“Of course that ain’t all we’ve been doin’! While Tesla headed the group who created the scanning bracelets, me and a team of bright heads finished up yer prototype magitech gauntlet,” she turned to the busy crowd of lab ponies, “Sparks! Bolt! Bring it ‘ere, would ya!”

In walked an electric blue pagasus stallion with a spiky white mane. He kinda reminded me of a young Tesla. And right behind him was a butter yellow unicorn stallion with long rusty red mane tied up in a ponytail and levitating something wrapped in a piece of cloth.

The pegasus quickly flew the last bit of way and dropped down in front of me where he proceeded to grab my hands and shake them, “It’s such an honor, such an honor! I have been following the development of your gauntlet I have! So awesome! So awesome!”

“Sparks! Calm yerself! Yer speaking in doubles again.”

“I’m sorry Widget, I’m sorry! But I’m just so proud, so proud I am!”

The unicorn finally made his way over, “I’m really sorry about him, but he means well. So please don’t judge him on his way of speech.”

“Don’t worry. I wouldn’t even dream of it,” I turned back to Sparks and patted him on his shoulder, “It’s also an honor to meet you.”

The poor stallion looked like he was ready to pass out right there and then and I swear that I could hear a little squee from him. He quickly snapped out of it again though, as a light cream colored unicorn mare with a long straight, almost shimmering, lapis lazuli blue mane came out of the staff quarters.

“What’s with all this racket! I thought I told you all that I would be slee-! Sparks! Bolt! Are you two trying to give him the gauntlet by yourselves and steal all the credit for OUR hard work!”

Poor Sparks almost shrunk in size under the fierce gaze from her emerald green eyes, whereas Bolt just face hoofed and muttered a quiet, “Not again...”

“I’m sorry Krystal, I’m sorry! We never wanted to take all the credit, we never did...”

“Sparks! You’re talking in doubles again! Quit it!”

“I’m sorry... Krystal... But we really didn’t... Want to take... All the credit... For our work... But you asked us to let you sleep, you did!” Sparks said in a painfully slow speech.

“I know what I asked, but I didn’t think he’d be back today of all days! I just pulled an all nighter trying to get the final modifications done on his gauntlet, and then you two try to give it to him without having the decency to wake me up!?”

“KRYSTAL!!!” Widget boomed, causing every worker in the lab to jump for cover, “Would ya kindly SHU’ UP!”

Seems that even the ice queen fears Widget’s wrath, which seems to have risen a few notches since the mountain expedition.

“Good... Now ya’ll listen up! Nopony is tryin’ to claim anythin’ here! Understood? Now go dig up yer manners an’ introduce yerself to Munck!”

Realization seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks, “Oh my Celestia! I’m so sorry for my behavior just now! But I’m a bit cranky when I wake up... But where are my manners! My name is Krystal. One of Canterlot’s best gem carvers. I, along with some other carvers were called in, back when you all began the project and I have since been working with Bolt the Boring and Double Sparks,” she waved a hoof in their direction, “But after your expedition, we were hoof picked by Widget to aid her in finalizing the magitech gauntlet.”

“I see. It’s good to meet you Krystal,” I turned to Sparks and Bolt, “And it’s nice to meet you two as well.”

“Alright, now that we have the meet’n’greet outta the way... Bolt, why dontcha show him the finalized design?”

“Of course, Widget,” and with that said, Bolt magicked off the cloth and levitated the gauntlet back down to me. The new design was a lot slimmer than the prototype and and now looked more like an actual gauntlet, just with a big screen above the wrist. The coat was still made from mithril, so at least it was still light and strong.

“Now then, the biggest change to it, is that we have added the same map function as our bracelets use, and that they run on a separate power source from the portal device. We found out that a single piece of lightning lacrima cut into a two by six centimeters slab around five millimeters thick, have an estimated lifespan of around five hundred years, if it’s only used for powering the basic features like the map, scanner and radio.”

“Wait... It has a radio too?”

“That it does. And we’re still working on more features for future upgrades. But for now, you’re currently standing with the finalized magitech gauntlet.” Bolt finished with a satisfied look on his face.

“That sounds promising,” I said as I slipped it back on, the screen flickering on as I did, “So, how does it work? Last time it worked through a mental link with my A.I. friend, but he’s no longer around...”

“That’s why we re-created the touchscreen system that some of the devices in your blueprints use. It was actually pretty easy when you add magic to the mix. Just touch the functions you want to use and it will switch on over. But as for the two-way portal device,” Bolt levitated me a piece of lightning lacrima that had been cut into a cylindric shape of around six centimeters in length and one point five in diameter, “To use it, you will have to load one of those into the slot before the screen. That hole you see there. Once that’s done, you can blast a two way portal and keep it open for around three minutes, max. Just to compare the power drain of the portal device to the rest of the functions, one cylinder can power a bracelet for roughly three hundred years.”

“Whoa... No wonder we had so much trouble with it.”

“Indeed. But before you run off with the gauntlet again. Which you will, since you’ll have to do some basic testing. Widget had something to talk with you about.”

“That ah do, follow me outside.”

We all did, even the rest of the lab ponies and Tesla came along. And once outside, Widget tossed me a stick of earth lacrima.

“Now. Ah want ya to show me how yer powers work. We might just be able to make you some gear that can work with ‘em, as soon as we figure out how they work, of course.”

I twirled the stick of lacrima between my fingers, “So all I gotta do right now, is to activate my power?” getting a simple nod in return, I focused on the elemental crystal in my hand and watched as it slowly melted and crept down my fingers covering them in a rocky coating.

“So that’s how it works,” Widget mumbled more to herself than anypony else, as she made her way over to me, “And I take it that the lines under your skin is some sort of lacrima circuits... Yes, I see... So how does it work? What exactly can you do right now?”

“Well, why don’t I just show you?” I put my arms around her neck in a tight hug and let us both sink into the ground, “Just relax and hold on tight!”

Widget let out a single shriek as we plunged under the ground, but she quickly stopped as the new sight was before her. Seems that as long as they’re somehow connected to me while underground, they also gain my weird three hundred and sixty degree earth vision. Another thing worth noting is that the lacrima is used up at twice the rate, so without waiting another second, I quickly swam us both back up.

“What!? Why did ya go up! It was so amazing, like floatin’ in jello but ya could breathe, and that weird mental vision, like the entire ground was yer eyes! Simply amazin’!”

“Well, that’s all fine and dandy... But if we had stayed for much longer, we would have become a permanent part of the soil here,” I wiggled my hand where the lacrima had been, as the final bit turned to dust, “It seems that having passengers drains the lacrima at twice the rate... Didn’t really notice that back on the mountain, but then again. My entire torso was covered in earth lacrima back then.”

“I see... Well, could ya try that stick of lightning lacrima next? Oh! But before ya do, put this on,” she pulled out something that looked like a fingerless glove with a mithril plate on top, “Ah wanna test somethin’.”

I did as she told me to, and found that there was no fabric under the mithril plate, “Why is there no fabric under the plate?”

“Ya’ll will find out in a second, now place the lacrima on top of the plate and try activatin’ it like that.”

I did as she told me to and tried focusing on the crystal, and sure enough, I felt a connection. Slowly the lacrima melted, but it took a new shape as it somehow kept itself on the plate as lightning began dancing around my hand.

“Now thrust yer hand toward that tree over there!”

I spotted the tree and threw a punch through the air, immediately causing a stream of pure electricity to launch itself in the trees direction, cutting right through it like a hot knife through butter. The tree was cleaved in two by the powerful bolt and tilted in two directions, smoke slowly rising from the point of impact and even the wall behind it.

I slowly turned around and met the slackjawed expressions of all the ponies, except for Widget, who was smiling from ear to ear, “I had a hunch, but I never expected such an output! A bit more work and ya’ll will be one heck of a force to be reckoned with.”

“I see... But how? How did you do it?”

“It was quite simple, really,” I just raised a brow, “Runes. The right combination of runes. If ya look closely at the top of the plate, ya’ll will see some thin grooves running across it, they all connect to points that have runes on the other side, touchin’ yer skin. Now this was all jus’ speculation. But ah got the idea during an all nighter an’ jus’ had to test it out. The runes combined with the way the grooves run, will bring forth the more aggressive nature of the lacrima, whereas yer own power seems to be more on the defensive side.”

“That is... Awesome! You’re awesome, Widget!”

“Aww shucks. T’was nothin’ really, but it does need some more tinkerin’ so fork it over,” she held out a hoof, which I placed it in, “Now that ah have a basic idea of how yer powers work. Ah might jus’ be able to make this work,” with that said, she stuffed it back in her lab coat and cantered back inside.

“Well, that was something. And I’d better head on back, I still have stuff to do. Once again, it was a pleasure meeting you, Sparks, Bolt and Krystal.”

“Sure has. Until next time, Munck.”

“It’s been such an honor, such an honor!”

“While I’m not as much of a science buff as those two, I have really enjoyed the challenge of creating the circuit boards for the gauntlet and bracelets. So be sure to keep it safe.”

I waved goodbye and made my way back to the market place.

~

As I walked back through the crowded streets of Canterlot, I pulled up the map screen and sure enough, it was slowly mapping out the area. Nothing detailed, but it did map out roads as well as walls and other stuff. A simple tap on the map allowed me to add notes to things, so I slowly marked out houses that I knew and soon enough I reached my destination.

The doorbell chimed as I entered the building and immediately my nose was assaulted by the delightful smell of freshly baked goods, and from the kitchen emerged the amber coated unicorn that I had come to know so well.

“Munck! Oh man is it good to see you again or what.”

“Sure is, Joe. I must admit that I have missed my daily lunch break here, so give me the usual,” I took my place by the counter as Joe went to get my mug of hot chocolate, he returned shortly after with the mug and four donuts, “Thanks, but isn’t it usually two?”

“Well, you’ve been without my awesome donuts for an entire week, so I’m sure you could use them,” he chuckled as he went back to what he was doing before I dropped in.

“Thanks!” I called after him before hungrily attacking the first donut in the stack, one of his delicious apple donuts. As I was chewing my way through my second, a blueberry filled donut, Joe returned.

“So what’s up with the gauntlet? I know that you’re joining the knights and all, but only wearing a single armor piece doesn’t seem to be too protective.”

“True, but this isn’t exactly armor. It’s a project we’ve been working on for four months now and I’m just taking it for a test drive.” I replied before drowning the rest of my donut with hot chocolate.

“Huh... So what does it do?”

“Nothing much at the moment,” I replied as I bit into my third donut which was filled with strawberry jam, “Though, it can tell me that I’m currently located in Joe’s Place,” I finished and showed him the map.

“So, it’s some sort of map device? And that black block is my place?”

“Pretty much. It maps out the immediate area as I walk around, allowing me to quickly get an entire area mapped out, and I can then mark stuff of interest, like I’ve done with the buildings which I know. Nothing too spectacular at the moment, but still pretty cool in it’s own right,” I finally bit down on the third donut which I had been eyeing the entire time which I spoke, it’s delicious cherry filling spreading over my tastebuds.

“I see... Sounds interesting at least.”

“Sure is. And once again, thanks for the meal,” I got up and bid him farewell as I made my way out onto the streets of Canterlot yet again.

~

The trip back home went by faster than ever while playing the mapping game, and soon enough I was at the front door adding ‘Home’ to the map. I tried the door and was happy to see that it was unlocked. This meant that I wouldn’t be alone at home, not that I mind looking after the place of course.

I opened the door and dropped my shoes off by the entrance before making my way to the kitchen. Usually if Velvet is home, that’s where one can find her at this time. Turns out that it was pretty empty, so I tried the living room. And sure enough, there on the couch lay Shining Armor, sleeping like a log.

I slowly made my way over to the couch, trying not to wake the slumbering pony and hid behind the couch. Giving my left index finger a nice coating of saliva, I got up and looked down at my victim-to-be and jabbed my wet finger into his ear causing him to squeal in surprise.

His frantic look of surprise quickly changed to a playful glare when he saw me about to crack up from laughter, “Har har hardy har har! You just had to do it, huh?”

“It was way too tempting to pass it by. You were just lying there, all four legs dangling over the edge and snoring like a bear,” I replied, still trying to keep my laughter in as I plopped down on the seat next to him, “So, where’s Light and Velvet?”

Shining shuffled around a bit and got comfy again, “Well, mom is out buying groceries and stuff and dad’s at the local pub with some old friends of his. So it’s only us three tonight.”

“Fair enough. So what have you been up to? Besides sleeping, of course.”

“Well, I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Bright Star, but his marefriend suddenly had all sorts of plans and dragged him along... So I decided to just head back home and crashed on the couch until you came in and pulled that prank on me,” he gave me another playful glare, “And what about you? Got everything done at the tailor?”

“Sure did. I can pick up my new stuff in a couple of days. Besides that, I got my new and improved magitech gauntlet home with me for some basic testing. And got acquainted with some new ponies at the lab. A nice lot, though one speaks a bit funny when he’s excited, the other sounds bored of living unless he’s speaking about something science related and the third is a bit of an ice queen, but they kinda balance each other out.”

“Sounds like an interesting bunch at least.”

And with that said, a sort of tranquility fell over the living room as we just talked about small stuff while lazing around on the couch for a good two hours. That was when the front door finally opened and Velvet could be heard humming as she stopped by the kitchen to drop off the groceries.

She immediately stopped humming when she entered the living room, “My, don’t you two just look productive? Are you competing to see who can be the laziest or something?”

Shining just barely lifted his head from the hoofrest of the couch, “Welcome home, mom,” to which I followed suit and lazily waved an arm as I bid her a hello.

“Now, unless you two have sprouted roots, I’d like it if you could both help me make dinner. I found this delightful new place that sells stuff from Neighpon! So tonight we’re having something special.“

The promise of delicious food got us both out of the couch as we both skidded to a halt in front of her giving a salute. We then followed her into the kitchen where she levitated a bag of mixed veggies onto the kitchen table.

“Now then. Munck, would you please wash all the vegetables and then hoof them over to Shining. You will then proceed to chop them into thin slices and then I will fry them. If everything goes right, we’ll be dining on stir fried veggies and noodles tonight.”

While Shining chopped the shallots, ginger and garlic. I began washing the rest of the vegetables. And soon enough, I had left a pile of carrots, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli, red pepper and Chinese cabbage for Shining Armor to chop. And with magic, the chopping was done in a flash.

While we had prepared the veggies, Velvet had set a pot of water over one of the hotplates as well as a deep pan on another plate, and prepared the stir fry sauce. A nice zesty mix of coconut milk, lime, dashi (Which, to my surprise turned out to be a fish broth) and brown sugar.

The big pan was finally hot enough, so she added two spoons of vegetable oil as well as the shallot, garlic, ginger, and chili. After about two minutes of stirring, she added the carrots and shiitake as well as roughly a quarter of the stir fry sauce and continued to stir it all so as to make sure it didn’t burn. Three minutes later, she added the broccoli and red pepper as well as half of the remaining sauce and turned the heat down a couple of notches to just let it simmer. We were now nearing the final bit and after two minutes of simmering, she finally added the Chinese cabbage and some more sauce, making sure that it didn’t dry out. She stirred a bit more and put the noodles in the pot of now boiling water and roughly three minutes later, it was finally done.

The noodles had been drained and now lay in a colander. And the pan was on a trivet so that it wouldn’t damage the table. As we stood there admiring our team effort, both Shining’s and my stomachs growled, “Welp, if it tastes just half as good as it smells, then I think we’re in for quite the delicious treat,” I said as I wiped drool away from the corners of my mouth.

Shining furiously nodded his head and Velvet giggled at our behavior as we quickly took our places by the table. Shining quickly levitated some noodles on to each of our plates, and Velvet poured some stir fry on them while I filled our cups with cold water. We then dug into our food, and that first bite really blew our tastebuds to the neighponese paradise as all three of us let out simultaneous moans of approval. The rest of the meal was eaten in silent bliss as we all enjoyed delicious food.

After we had cleaned out everything but a single plate for Night Light, once he returns tonight. We all gave a hand and hoof in washing the dishes and soon enough, we were done and made our way back to the living room.

Once there, we all sat down in the couch and recliner and just relaxed as we digested our meal. Small talk came up and we all told of our day and once that was over with, Shining levitated a deck of cards over and we all played a couple of rounds ‘Go Fish’ until Night Light finally returned at around ten thirty. He enjoyed the dish just as much as we did and joined us for another round.

It was now getting late, so I decided to hit the hay. So I went upstairs to the bathroom and brushed my teeth and finished my business, washing my hands afterwards, of course. I made my way back down to the living room and bid them all goodnight before entering my room and crashing on the bed, sleep doing it’s best to claim me the moment my head hit the pillow.

Through the sleep induced haze, I noticed Velvet entering my room, “Oh Munck... You forgot to crawl under the blanket,” she then levitated me shortly and got the sleeping blanket out from under me, before putting me down again and tugging me in, “Goodnight my boy.”

“Goodnight mom...” and then sleep took me.

~

The bringer of night eternal laughed as the six chosen by fate fought her challenges and revived the forgotten elements.

Basking in the light of the gems were four shadowy ponies and two unicorn mares.

One was a pony that I know so well. The adult Twilight Sparkle, her beauty even greater than before.

The second was the one that I had met today, Cross Stitch’s niece. Whom I never got the name of.

Together with the other four shadows, they brought forth the light that would save us all. So beautiful, yet powerful. The radiance blinding me.

And thus, the bringers of Harmony freed the fallen moon from her inner prison and restored light to the world.

-To be Continued!-