Our next genarationby DitzySketchChaptersSo this is where it begins..On a stormy night.And, there goes life..No time for questionsThe Wish Of A DoctorSo this is where it begins..Base Runner and Vanilla Symphony sat alone in the house, waiting for everypony to get back from errands. “But yeah, I guess if I had to be stranded on an Island withanypony, I guess I would want that pony to be you.” Symphony said, finishing the conversation. They laughed and as the laughing seceded Base Runner looked into her eyes and smiled. Vanilla blushed. “What?” “You know, Symphony, you have beautiful eyes.” He said as he stared into them. Vanilla Symphony stared back and giggled shyly. “Well, you do too, Base.” She said before realizing it. “Wait…what?” She blushed and hid behind her wings. Base Runner smiled and gently pulled back her wing, moving closer to her. She let her wings fall to her back and tried to hide the tomato tint in her face. Base turned and wrapped a wing around her. He faced her and leaned in a bit. Right as they were about to kiss, they heard a door shut and a voice came from behind them. “Wait!! Symphony!!No! What are you doing?!” It yelled. They turned around in horror seeing Blitz Symphonic staring down at them with an angry/worried expression. “Lily!?Shimmer Shine!?!” He yelled. “Oh, no” Base Runner said. Lily and Shimmer Shine ran into the room. Lily lit up her horn and Base Runner was flashed to the other side of the room. Lily looked at Blitz who looked at Shimmer Shine. “Tell them!” She said to Lily. Lily’s eyes grew wide. “Me!? Why?? You did it!!” She said, smiling. “Mom! What are you guys doing?!” Symphony yelled. Blitz sighed and said solemnly; “You two…are cousins..” He shook his head. Base Runner laughed. “ Don’t worry Symphony, they have to be kidding.” He said. “We seriously thought you would have figured it our by now but, apparently not.” Lily said as Melody, Sunny, Pepper, Cinnamon and Blue walked in. “What’s going on? We heard yelling.” Melody asked, looking at Lily and Shimmer Shine. “THESE TWO WERE ABOUT TO KISS BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW THAT THEY’RE RELATED YET!!!” Blitz yelled, making the group wince. Vanilla Symphony shook her head in disbelief. Base Runner went over to where Symphony was sitting and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay. They’re kidding, I swear.” He whispered. Even though the whole group could hear. Symphony stood up and looked at her father and could tell he wasn’t kidding. She turned around and bolted out the door, tears streaming down her face. Pepper had seen her face as she ran and ran after her, shouting for her to come back. After they were gone, Sunny saw what she should do and walked over to a very disappointed Base Runner. She nudged him and motioned him to follow her into the other room to talk. “Jeez, Blitz. Did you have to go that far with it? Look what you did to Symphony??” Lily said, eyeing him. He sighed and looked at the open door leading to outside. “You’re right…I should go after her.” He said but being stopped by Shimmer Shine. “I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now, Pepper’s got it.” She told him. He was about to just walk out anyway but decided that he should leave it to Pepper. “Fine” he mumbled under his breath. He walked into the kitchen alongside Shimmer Shine. Blue walked over to Lily, still wide eyed. He looked around and then looked back to Lily. “Where’s Eve in all of this??” He asked. Lily smiled. “On a date with Silver Chrome.” She said, expecting the outcome. Blue’s eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t worry. He’s a good kid. “She told him sternly. He huffed and they walked into the kitchen. Melody and Cinnamon look at each other and smile. “They get it from me. “Melody said before Cinnamon could say a word. He raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Yeah I think you’re right but, Pepper totally get’s his looks from me. “ He said, triumphantly. Melody rolled her eyes and walked away. Cinnamon stood there confused. “Right?” Melody smiled. “Yep.” Pepper Sketch chased Vanilla Symphony through town, dodging carts and fruit stands before she finally took to the skies. She stopped on a cloud knowing he wouldn’t be able to get up there. Little did she know, Melody is a good spell finder and found a cloud walking spell for him when he was a colt. He quickly did the spell then, found a cart of balloons nearby. He gave the sales pony a couple bits and tied the balloons to his waist. He floated to the cloud, reaching for it. His hoof missed the cloud layer and he continued to float up into the sky. He was unable to focus and loosen the knots. He screamed; “Symphony!!!” She lifted her head from her hooves and saw him floating up. She jumped up on her hooves and bolted into the sky, trying to get to him before he started to lose oxygen. She reached her hoof out and grabbed the back of his tail. “Ouch!!” His breathing got heavy and he looked down at her as she tried to loosen the knot. She desperately looked at it and took a risk. She bit the knot and shifted her appearance so she would change into her changeling form. Her fangs cut the knot and Pepper Sketch fell downward landing on a cloud not twenty feet from the ground. As Symphony changed back into her pony-self, she landed on the cloud and sat by Pepper. “Pepper!!!” She scolded, pulling him into a hug. “What were you thinking?! You could have gotten really hurt!!!” She looked at him and he looked down at the cloud beneath him. “I wasn’t…..I couldn’t.. I wanted to get you back to cheer you up..” She pulled him into another hug and sighed. “Well.. You gave me a heart attack instead..” She whispered.Pepper pulled back and looked into her sad eyes. “ What happened back at home” She broke her gaze and looked down at the town. “ I just…” she started “ I just couldn’t believe I had fallen in love with my cousin without even knowing he was my cousin.” She laughed “Well, now I know..” Pepper Sketch frowned .He knew how much it hurt seeing something you thought was real turn out to be a mistake… He learned that the hard way while being around Evangeline.. He snapped out of his daydream andturned to Symphony. “Hey, Symphony?” He said, catching her attention. “You wanna go back to my house and play video games?” He asked her, as he looked down into her eyes again. She smiled. “Yeah, that would be fun!” She hoped of the cloud and pushed it to the ground, letting him off before kicking it and making it dissolve into water vapor. They walked side by side to Pepper Sketch’s house. All the while, Pepper Sketch lost in thought. “Huh..So this is where it begins..” “Come on, Base Runner!!!” She says happily. “Smile!!!” “NO” He told her for the fourth time. “ Smiling isn’t very effective right now, Sunshine Song.” Sunshine Song frowned and forced tears to come out of her eyes. Base Runner’s eyes widened and he frowned. She sniffed and grabbed a tissue. “Ugh!!! FINE” He said. He gave her his biggest smile and she stopped and gave him hers. He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed. She booped him on the muzzle. “Seeeee!? Told you I could do it, Base!!” They laughed. Sunshine Song cleared her throat and begun to sing. “I’m so sunny stomp along if you feel like a sky with some really low clouds!!” She sang trying not to laugh. Base Runner burst out laughing. Sunshine song stood up and bounced around the room. After a few bounces, she tripped on a piece of carpet, falling onto Base Runner. He accidentally closed his hooves around her trying to catch her. Sunshine Song blushed, not bothering to ruin the moment. They looked into each other’s eyes. “Hey, Sunny?” He asked her. She nodded and smiled, letting him continue. “Do you gotta bae??” Or nah?” Sunny Got up and face hoofed. “You totally just ruined the moment.” She said, blushing. “ Great, now I look like a flipping tomato..” Base got up and walked over to her. He gave her a hug and whispered. “I’m sorry I’m really bad at this.” Just then, Pepper Sketch and Vanilla Symphony walked in, laughing and talking. Base Runner Smirked and turned to Sunny. “ Watch” He said, letting hergo.She stood there, expecting the worst. He walked right in front of Pepper and Symphony. “Hey Symphony?” He asked her. “Oh no..” Sunny said trying not to laugh. “Do you gotta bae?? Or nah??” He finished. Pepper Sketch furrowed his eyebrows and raised a hoof. He swung his hoof, hitting Base Runner square in the muzzle. “Hey!!” Sunshine Song yelled, getting in between her brother and Base Runner (who was trying to get up out of his dizzy head). “Stopit!!” She said. Vanilla Symphony walked over, leaned down to his ear and smiled. “Or nah.” She said walking away and laughing. She went down the hallway and got the adults claiming it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. Lily helped Base Runner up as Cinnamonbrohoofed Pepper and got a look of ‘nope’ from Blue, Melody, Blitz, Lily and Shimmer Shine. “what?!” He asked. Melody walked over to him. She stepped in front of him and looked at Pepper Sketch. “ Even though that wasn’t the best thing to do, at least you stood up for her.. Good job” She said. Blue looked at Base Runner and frowned. Base Runner looked down at his hoofs. “Sorry.. Just proving a point” He said. Blue raised an eyebrow. ‘What?” He asked him. Base Runner looked at Sunny and smiled as she was talking to Vanilla Symphony. “Oh….” Blue said, understanding what was going on. “Well, don’t get too carried away.. Then I’d have to answer to Mel…” He shutteredat the thought. “That would be bad.” He nodded to something behind him and Base turned around only to find himself a couple of inches away from Sunny. “How’s your muzzle??” she asked him. “Oh, I’ll be fine” He said, laughing. “So, honestly.. Do you gottabae??” He blushed and looked into her eyes. “Well actually no..” She said smiling. “Hmm. Well, Do you wanna date??” He paused ”Or nah?” She laughed at him. “Sounds good! Let’s go!” She said. “Wait what?” He asked her, confused at her sudden acceptance. “It’s almost Sunset” She said quietly. Together they walked out the door heading for Ponyville Hill. “I swear, if he tries one thing, Blue.” Cinnamon warned . Blue smirked. “He won’t…” Doubting his own words. “Hey? You wanna go with them??” Pepper asked Symphony. She smiled. “Sure, let’s go!” Fifteen minutes late, Evangeline came through the door with Silver Chrome. Not seeing any of her friends, she walked over to Lily. “Where is everypony??” She asked. Lily turned and sighed, “Oh, they’re all at Ponyville hill, watching the sunset.” She said. Evangeline’s eyes went wide. “Jeez.. What did I miss??” On a stormy night.At Ponyville Hill, there were already a numerous amount of couples there. Sunny and Base found a spot on a tree while Symphony and Pepper sat under it. “So, are um… Sunny and Base dating now??” Pepper Sketch said, sitting on his haunches . “I guess so..” She said, looking at the sun as it descended over the hill. “Are you sad or upset about it?? Cause I—“ “No.. I’m not sad. I’ve got you” She said, looking away. Pepper’s eyes grew wide and a blush spread across his face. “Ummm…Okay I uh love you too” Symphony turned to him, trying not to laugh. “What did I just….”Pepper put his face in his hooves. “Sorry..” Symphony smiled and wrapped her wing around him. “That’s okay…” He put his hooves down and smiled at her. He slowly put his hoof around her and blushed. He had remembered all the stories that his dad had told him about winning over a mare’s heart. To bad he didn’t have wings. “So, What do you want to do??” Sunny asked Base as the sun was almost finished setting. “Umm…” He looked at her and saw the moon’s reflection in her cobalt eyes, making him smile. “I don’t know but, do you want to go to the park with me tomorrow??” Her ears perked up and she smiled. “Sounds great!!!” Base runner smiled even more and scooted close to her. He spread out his wing around her and watched as the stars appeared in the night sky. Back at home, Lily and Blue sat on the couch and talked. " So what do you think about this whole thing, Lily?” Blue asked her. “I think it they will all be cute together. Besides these are Melody and Shimmer Shine’s kids. What could go wrong?” She replied. Blue rolled his eyes. “Yes but, you are forgetting these are also Cinnamon and Blitz’s kids.” He said sarcastically. “Everything could go wrong.” Lily pushed his chest, laughing. “Hey!! That’s your brother in law, ya know.” She said in between giggles. He laughed. “Well, Cinnamon is just a jerk so… We’ll see how that works out.” Lily laughed again. Blue looked at her and smiled. “I love you, Lily.” He told her, softly. “I love you too, Blue” She said back. She gave him a light kiss and put her head on his shoulder. Blue let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. In the next room over, Shimmer Shine and Blitz were talking about the same thing the couple before them was. “C’mon, Blitz. They’re good kids, stop worrying so much.Symphony’s a changeling, so she can get her way out of any situation.” She told him. “I guess you’re right, but I just can’t help but worry. She’s a year younger than Pepper.” He replied. “Yeah, so that just means he has more experience with this sort of thing.” Shimmer Shine rolled her eyes and gave him a hug. “It’ll work out just fine.” She said calmly. He pulled back from the hug. “But..” “Nope. She will be fine.” Shimmer Shine said. Blitz walked out of the room but came back only a second later. “I forgot something.” He said. He wrapped his wing around her and kissed her. She smiled and walked into the room where Lily and Blue were. She sat on her haunches and started talking to Lily. As they did , Cinnamon and Melody waited outside on the front lawn, looking out at the hill. Cinnamon looked at her with an anxious look. “No.. They will be okay. Stop worrying so much, Cinnamon.” She said, knowing what he wanted to do. She knew that getting the kids would probably be very embarrassing and he would wish he had listened in the end so, she stopped him before he even said anything about it. “Ugh, but what if-“ “Bro.” Melody told him. “They’re gonna be fine. We’ve known them ever since they’ve been born!” She put a hoof on his shoulder. “They’ve never done anything but been amazing, just like their parents. Plus, it was our children who reached out to them in the first place." “True.” He gave in, then looked over to the Hill. “I hope they both have my amazing skills when it comes to love.” He said boastfully. Melody just rolled her eyes and pushed him over, loving him a little bit more. Back at the hill, Base Runner and Sunshine Song were heading out and back home. Pepper Sketch frowned. “Well, they are going back so we probably should too..” He said, sadly. Suddenly, he lightened up. “But, just one more thing.” He kissed her cheek making her eyes go wide. After a short pause she smiled. “Okay..” She said, standing up. They walked together, catching up with the other two. Once they got home, The families decided that they should all go back to their homes. Lily, Blue, Evangeline and a very giddy Base Runner went one way. Melody, Cinnamon, and two happylovestruck kids went the other. Blitz, Shimmerz and Symphony stayed. Symphony went straight to bed humming a soft tune to herself. She waved goodnight to her parents and went to her room. Melody and Cinnamon saw Pepper and Sunny looking like they were about to talk to each other about something. They decided to walk a little ahead of them so that they could talk. “Today has been really great, huh Pepper?” She turned to him, smiling. “…Yeah…” He smiled back, thinking of all that had happened that day and being proud of himself that he didn’t freak out too much. “I’m glad we were able to help Symphony and Base.” “Yeah. Maybe more than help.” Sunny joked, nudging him. “Puh-lease.” He said rolling his eyes. “You love Base just as much as I love Symphony!” “Hmmm… I guess.” She stopped walking to give him a hug. “You’re still my favorite pony that’s not my boyfriend!” Pepper returned the hug, saying; “You’re crazy, but you’re my favorite pony that’s not my girlfriend too, I guess.” Sunshine hugged him really tight, then quickly let go, having Pepper gasp for breath. She giggled and said, “Let’s go catch up with mom and dad!” “So, what were you doing today??” Base Runner asked his sister. “Same as you?” She pondered. “You got punched in the face???” He asked her, smiling. “Oh, yeah, totally.” She said sarcastically. “I was on a date.” “Ohh. Okay” Base said, rolling his eyes. “So, how was your date with Su—“ “Amazing” He said interrupting her. She smiled and nudged him. “Oooohh . Base has a marefriend” She said. He blushed. “Well.. You have a coltfriend!!” He said. Eve laughed. “What?” “You admitted to her being your marefriend. That’s a first.” She told him. “Ugh.. Sometimes….” “Whatever, you love me. Let’s go catch up with mom and dad.” Eve said, trotting. Base Runner stayed back and sighed. The next day, the mare’s had planned a sleepover after their dates to talk. Sunny and Symphony were excited, talking about what they’d do and letting the colts walk ahead. Base Runner stared head at the empty trail to the park as Pepper talked quietly to himself. Base Runner finally just stopped walking. “What are you doing??” Pepper asked him. ”Why’d you stop??” Base Runner glared at him with a scowl. “What are YOU doing?? First, you punch me then, you’re acting like nothing happened!!!” He yell-whispered. He looked back as the mares came up to them. He walked with Sunny. “What’s wrong?” Sunny asked him. Base Runner huffed and let his scowl decrease. “Nothing, just a little heated.” He told her smiling. “I’m fine.”Sunny smiled and looked over to Vanilla Symphony who was talking to Pepper Sketch. “Do you think I should have punched him??” Pepper asked Symphony. “Well, it wasn’t the best decision but, it worked.. I guess.” She smiled and looked up at him. “I’m pretty sure he’s fine.” Pepper looked over to a grassy area. And nodded, turning. “Hey, Sunny!!” Symphony yelled. “We are gonna stay over here!!! We’ll catch up tonight!!” “Okay!!!” Sunny yelled. “So, what do you want to do??” Base asked her when she turned back around. Sunny stopped walking and looked at her muzzle. “What’s wrong?” He asked her, trying not to laugh at her crossed eyes Just then. Symphony and Pepper came running. “We should get inside! Those are thunder clouds!!!” Symphony said as the rain started coming down. Pepper pointed to his house that was not too far away. All of them nodded and started running towards it. By the time they got to Melody and Cinnamon’s house, the rain turned into a downpour. Once inside, Sunshine Song quickly tried to turn on the lights with no success. “Base??” She said into the darkness. “Base Runner!!” This time saying it a little louder. ”Pepper!? Symphony!?” “We’re in the kitchen, Sunny!!!!” Base’s voice said “Well, I am.” She smiled and found her way to the kitchen, quickly standing close to him, looking around the dark room. Base Runner lit up his horn and wrapped his wing around her. She sighed and looked up at him. “Are you okay??” He asked her. She breathed in. “Um.. No…This is going to sound really childish but…” “It’s okay if you’re afraid of the dark.” He told her “Eve still is. I imagine she’s running around Shimmer Shine and Blitz’s dark house right now, screaming.” They both laughed and Base Runner scooted closer to her, his wing tightening. They heard a scream coming from the other side of the house making Sunny scream. Base Runner shifted and Sunny wrapped her hooves around him tightly. “Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me!” She repeated. Base smiled and put both of his wings around them. “It’s okay.” He said lighting up his horn. “I’m not going anywhere..” After she screamed, Symphony heard another one. “Oh my gosh!! I’m going to die!!!!” She said, trying to find the door that slammed. She saw a figure in the corner and backed up. She felt the doorknob on her side and quickly opened it. She was now in the dark hallway, walking slowly towards what she thought was the kitchen. She felt a hoof like object on her shoulder. “Sympho—“ “ZOMBIE PONY!!!!!!! NO GO AWAY!!!” She yelled running away. She got to the living room and looked out the window. Sure enough, the storm had gotten worse letting her know that she would be here for a while. She heard a glow behind her and saw a red light. She closed her eyes and sat on her haunches. “I don’t want to die, Mr. Zombie. Please don’t eat me and make me eat my friends.” “Symphony.” It said. She opened her eyes and looked up. She saw the red glow on a horn and sparkling dark eyes. “Oh… Jeez!!!You gave me a heart attack!! AGAIN!!!!” She whispered. Pepper Sketch sat on his haunches and laughed. “I heard you scream and I thought you got yourself locked somewhere. After checking on my sister, I came to find you.” He said softly. He pulled her into a tight hug. She sighed and returned it. She looked past his shoulder as a flash of lightning struck and a white round topped figure appeared. “GHOST!!!!” She yell whispered. Pepper laughed and let go of her. He levitated something from that direction and brought it over to them. “A blanket? Wow…”She said facehoofing. He put the blanket over them and smiled. “Better?” “Better.” “Where’s Pepper Sketch?? I thought he would be back by now.” Sunny said looking around the room. Base rolled his eyes. “It’s okay. He will find Symphony and bring her back and it will be all good. Plus, you have a perfectly good stallion protection you so, I think you’ll be okay.” He told her. “Well….”She started. Base Runner kissed her cheek and laughed. “ I got you..” He whispered. “You need to trust me.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Okay…” “Thank you..” Symphony said. “ For coming to find me, I mean. I probably would have died if you hadn’t.” Pepper looked at her and smiled. “ Yeah, I think so.. It’s alright though.” He told her. She looked up at the blanket they were under and frowned. “Hey.” He said. “Watch this.” His horn lit up even more and he closed his eyes. In a flash, there was a handlebar mustache on his face. Symphony laughed, realizing she had no reason to be scared anymore. The mustache poofed away and Pepper smiled. “You’re crazy.” She told him. He smiled deviously, looking like Cinnamon. “Maybe…” He said “ But, you love me for it.” Symphony giggled. Pepper looked into her eyes. He leaned in and suddenly, the lights turned back on and the blanket was levitated off of them. Base Runner and Sunshine Song stood above them laughing. “You totally ruined the moment, Base.” Sunny said, laughing. “Yeah yeah. Come on we should get back to the house.” He said. Pepper and Symphony got up and they all walked out the door, heading back to Vanilla Symphony’s house. “We are going to have a lot to talk about tonight.” Sunny said. “Oh, yeah.” And, there goes life..A while later, Pepper and Sunny had to go to the market with Cinnamon and Melody so, it was just Evangeline, Base Runner and Vanilla Symphony. As they came up to the house, Base Runner talked about the newest baseball season and the girls pretended to be interested. When Base Runner touched the door to open it, a ring of magic spread from the house, knocking all of them back. "Ow!! When did we get a security system?!" Symphony mumbled, rubbing her head. She got up and helped Eve and Base get up. Evangeline looked worriedly at the house. "Something's wrong" She told them. "Really wrong.." She walked slowly up to the door and used her magic to open it. "What the..... Base said. The house was a complete wreck; papers scattered everywhere, furniture knocked over you name it. It looked like a tornado had just blown through. "Lily!?" They heard a voice yell. The trio stepped through the door, letting it hang open behind them. "Dad!?!?" Eve yelled through the house. They heard fast hoof steps and sniffs echo through the house. Out of the hallway appeared Shimmer Shine and Blue, who both had terrified looks on their faces. Shimmer Shine came up to Symphony and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Thank Celestia you're not gone too.." She said, quietly. Vanilla Symphony pushed her back. "Too?? Where's dad?? Where's Aunt Lily??" She asked. They both looked over at Blue who still had Base and Eve in a hold. Blue let go and looked at Shimmer Shine. "Something happened." She told them. "There was a huge serge of magic that went through the house and Lily and Blitz just....." She stopped and looked at Blue again. "Disappeared" He finished for her. "We need to wait for Melody and her family to get back to try to figure out what's going on." Eve looked at him with a scowl. "What?! That's mom!! We can't just sit around while she might be in trouble!!" She said, almost yelling. "Yeah!! They might be hurt or de--" "Don't you dare suggest that." Blue said, cutting off Base Runner. " They are strong. Together, they are even stronger." He told the group. "Yeah." Vanilla Symphony said. "Im sure they will be back anytime now." Eve huffed and walked into the other room. Everyone else followed, leaving Vanilla Symphony by herself. Shimmer Shine looked back. "You felt that too, right, mom??" She asked her worried mother. Shimmer Shine nodded and frowned. "Don't tell any pony, Symphony. For the sake of the group..." Two hours later, Shimmer Shine and Blue were just finishing up telling Melody, Cinnamon, Pepper and Sunny about what happened. So far, the group hadn't seen or heard anything of where the twins might be. They came up with a plan. "Until they come back or we can get them back, no pony talks to anybody outside of the family, got it?" Blue told the group. They all nodded. "We will each go to the market one by one. If anybody asks about Lily or Blitz, we are going to have to say that they came down the telepathic twins flu, okay??" Melody added. Once again, they nodded. "Now, the adults need to talk for a minute, go in the kitchen and see what we have for starters then, go to bed. Mares in one room, colts in the other." Shimmer Shine told the teens. They kinda sat there, looking at her. "Go." She said, sternly. They all got up and walked to the kitchen with light conversation. Shimmer Shine turned back to the group. "Do you guys feel something??" She asked them. "Yes" They all said in unison. "I think somethings really wrong.. I can feel something..Odd..." Cinnamon said. "Okay. You feel odd or are you admitting that you are odd??" Melody asked him, not being able to let that opportunity slip. Cinnamon nudged her and smiled. "Me too...It hurts to be honest.." Blue said, looking down at his hooves. "I think it's them." The group of adults looked in his direction. "What do you mean?" Shimmer Shine asked. Blue looked up at her with a sad expression. "Remember when we all used that immortal spell?? And we were all linked from then on??" He asked. The other three nodded. "Well, I think we can feel their pain.. They're in trouble." No time for questionsCan you here me?? Lily? Is that you? Yeah, it's me What's going on? I don't know ...... Did you hear that? yeah Where are we?? I don't know... Melody woke up with a pounding heart rate. She swore she heard them.. "What's wrong, Mel??" Shimmer Shine asked her. She had forgotten that they had fell asleep in the living room. Shimmer Shine was making tea while the colts were still sleeping away on the couch. Shimmer Shine walked over to Melody with cups of tea balanced on her wings. " I thought I heard them.... Thank you" She said, taking the cup of tea. Shimmerz set the other cups on the coffee table and smiled. "Its alright. We're gonna find them, okay?? It's gonna be fine" She said reassuringly. She had been saying that for the past week. Melody thought to herself; why do i have a feeling you don't believe that?? how long have we been here? I dont want to know, blitz lily yes?? they will be here soon who? Blue, Shimmer Shine, Cinnamon, Mel Please don't Maybe we're dreaming maybe we're not they'll be here soon then sure lily what? rawr, sis i wanna go home i want my family back 3 WEEKS LATER "Hey Cinnamon??" Vanilla Symphony asked "Hey, what is it?" He replied, seeing the look of disquiet on Symphony's face and wrapping his wings around her. "What's wrong??" Symphony sniffed. "Mom.... And Mel... And Blue. especially Blue. It hurts, Cinnamon.." "SMALL FAMILY OF MISSING PONIES IN QUESTION!!!!!!!!!! COME QUICK! OF YOUR LOVED ONES, THERE HAS BEEN A MENTION" "Zecora?!" Shimmer Shine and Melody said, coming through the hallway and opening the door to find a very frightened looking Zebra. "What's wrong??" Blue asked, eyes red and stinging. Zecora was panting. " Calm down.. tell us what happened." She took a huge breath in and told her tale in her usual language of rhymes. "As I was walking through the forest looking for a rare plant I need, I saw something strange at the dark end of the Everfree." She started. Evangeline, Base, Pepper and Sunny came in as she finished. "What's going on, dad??" Evangeline asked Blue. She put her hoof on his chest. "What's wrong??" "Listen" He said, not taking his eyes off of the tell tale zebra. "Where is Lily?" "And Blitz! Where are they??" Said Shimmer Shine, impatiently. Zecora sighed. "I'm afraid I do not know the exact location but, I can send you on your way with this bit of information." She stated. The ponies got worried. "In a castle of icy blue is a Villain who's heart has been torn and shrewn. He laughs with great hatred walks with sorrow and demise, the has your friends, this is no lie. You must hurry to get there, past the enchanted trees.." She stopped "Yeah, and???" Cinnamon said, his voice shaking. What would happen to their friends if they didn't get there in time? Melody huffed "What's the last part?? Who is this guy, Zecora??" Zecora had a face of pity. She knew this pony well, a lost and corrupted traveler she had met not long ago. She started out the door and turned around. "Beware, My little ponies of Dr. Tick Freeze" The Wish Of A Doctor"Before I let you out, I must tell you, there is a reasoning for my madness, dear children. You see, once, there was a princess. Oh, she was beautiful. She had long flowing hair. Her hooves resembled those of a skilled craftsman. Delicately, this princess stole my heart and I had been the one who'd given her the key. She and I against the world, we traveled through time together. We lived our lives in the sense that it would always be one way. Well, I did at least. My fair princess. My Gwen Of Air. She had bigger dreams than what resided in the walls of canterlot, children. She left. IN her studies, she met a colt. He was young, driven, smart, funny...Everything she needed. Everything I couldn't give her. Everything I'm not... They had children. Do you know who those children were??/ Twins.. Two Alicorns. One a filly, one a colt. I think that you know them, yes?? Of course you do. Now, these children were left with their dear Aunts while Mommy and Daddy went on a secret mission to Sadle-Arabia. On this mission, my princess was killed. along with her husband. The children were on their own. As full adults, they would be fine. Rumor on the street is they found love, and settled.... And were happy.. I was happy before my princess was taken from me... Before you two twits were ever even a thought. My Lillira.. Dead and gone and all I have to remember her by is memories... and her children?!?! I think not.. So, that is why you are here.. Children, if you have not noticed, in this castle, time does not exist. Time is NEVER of the essence. I never have to not be happy.. I never have to worry about it.. Its still lingers here...My dear Lily and Blitz Symphonic.. Why should I give you the happiness I never had?? The ponies took only a matter of minutes to gather up their things "Woah! Are you crazy?" Blue said, stopping the confused young mares and colts from leaving the house. "Oh, there is no way you are going without us, Dad" Eve said. She had tears already stinging in her eyes. Blue kissed her forehead. "You need to stay here just in case your mother comes back, okay??" He told her. HE looked at all of them. "Stay. Here. Got it??" Base looked down, Sunny nuzzled his cheek and they walked out of the room. Pepper Sketch and Evangeline left, leaving Vanilla Symphony there, staring at him. Blue nodded and bolted out the door. After he left, Vanilla Symphony cast a spell. She covered the house in an invisible barrier. Only changelings could get through so, her. She made a promise to keep her friends safe at all costs. And that was a promise that she was not willing to break. A week after the ponies had gone into the Everfree, Shimmer Shine and Melody had just about beaten the colts senseless. Day and night were they laughing and yelling and making jokes about the most random things in the universe. They had searched as long as they could without sleep before taking a short break. They still hadn't found Lily and Blitz and they were all starting to get impatient and scared. The castle was nowhere in sight. And they weren't getting anywhere with their mission. Shimmer Shine and Cinnamon had flew a few miles at a time, looking for the hidden castle of blue. No luck. At a rest place, Blue and Cinnamon made use of time by joking sround and laughing like they had been the past few days. "BOYS!" They shouted in unison. The boys stopped their chatter and gave notice to the mares in front of them. They looked back to eachother and laughed. Melody huffed and walked over to Cinnamon. She bit his ear and dragged him to the other side of the clearing they were in for the night. "ow ow ow OW OW WOW OW MEL!!!!!" He squeaked. She let go of his ear and smiled. "Shut your cake whole and listen!" She yelled. Cinnamon cringed and nodded, looking to Shimmer Shine. She inhaled and let herself go at it. "We need to focus. We don't know who this crazy Tick Freeze guy is but, if he is willing to take our friends and keep them captive for a month then we better be ready for a pretty tough guy" She told them. They nodded. "I....We need to find them guys.. This cant go on" She got out before letting tears slip from her eyes, making her coat darken. The four ponies got in a group hug, somehow they all knew, whatever was gonna come. Wasn't gonna be easy. Cinnamon woke to a rustle in the bushes near where he was sleeping. He stood up and flared his wings. He opened his mouth to wake the others--- Everything went black. Cinnamon woke up on a cold surface. He opened his eyes to see the floor was an icy blue "Oh oh oh oh no no ICY BLUE!!!" He yell whispered. He heard hoofsteps and froze in his state. "Why hello, traveler" Said a light deep voice. Cinnamon turned around to see a grey pony in a white trench coat. A unicorn with a slicked back mane. He was smiling behind his square glasses. Around is neck was an amulet. A clock with both of the hands on 6. 'Observant, aren't you child??" The stallion said. Cinnamon nodded. "Well than I suppose you should've seen those" The stallion pointed two two towers of ice. There was something inside of them he just, didn't know what. Then it hit him "Oh!!! Hey you two!!!! We have been looking everywhere!!!" He said to the block that held his friends in captivity. "You, my friends, scared all of us to death." He went up to the ice and tapped on it. Cinnamon heard his name being called.. From somewhere far but, very close. He looked at the capsules once more. His ears dropped as he looked over to the grey stallion who was now smiling like an idiot. "Guards!!!!!!! Take him to the dungeon!!!!!!!" He yelled. Cinnamon felt a rush of cold hit him. Ponies made of ice all round him made the air harsh. As he was surrounded, he yelled out "You don't know who you're messing with!!!!!! NO!!!!!! They're coming Lily!! Blitz!!!! Hang in there guys!!!!" The ice guards put his wings in cuffs and threw him on top of a cart. "They will get you Dr. Tick-stupid!!!!!" He yelled out over the noise of the cart rolling.. I cant you have to try, blitz i cant yes you can!!!!! Call her!!! Lily blitz!!!! why dont you do it?! fine on three one two three GUYS WAKE UP!!! BLUE!!! MELODY!!!! SHIMMER SHINE!!!!! "Blitz?! Lily?!" The three remaining ponies said as they shot out of their sleep. They all looked around at the forest. "Where's... Where's Cinnamon??" Melody asked as she scanned his empty sleeping bag. A look of panic spread across her face as her horn started to glow. A bunch of glowing hoofprints spread across the ground. Then drag marks. " Somepony took him. He took him!! Hurry! The prints will lead us to this castle!" She piled up her stuff and began to run in the direction of the hoofprints, the other two following just a few yards behind. They ran, following the spells product. Shimmer Shine made a note to ask Melody about that later. They ran and ran for what seemed like an eternity before reaching a glowing blue fortress. Zecora wasn't kidding when she said castle. It was huge. Multiple upon multiple stories, balconies on every one. The castle radiated cold and hate, the three friends could feel that with ease. Melody canceled the spell and shook her head. "We need to get in there' Blue said, firmly, ready. He dismissed thought of danger. There was only one thought in his head now.Lily. Shimmer Shine stepped back and prepared to charge as well "Let's go storm the castle" A loud crash echoed through the castle, making Cinnamon smile. Melody always knew how to make a grand entrance. It was dark in the "dungeon" and cold.. dark and Cold. There was a flash of light and then the sounds of metal clashing against metal. Cinnamon covered his head. "Oh, get up you bucket head" Yup, there she was. Melody stood in front of Cinnamon within the hole she made in the cell doors. "Let's go!!" She said, grabbing his hoof and bolting up the stairs.. When they reached the top, an empty room was all they saw. The only things in there were the two ice towers and two other ponies standing by it. "Shimmerz!!! Did you find them!?" Melody shouted, noticing the room matching her coat and mane. Maybe this psycho wasn't all that bad! She laughed at herself "Yeah!! Get over here!!" Blue shouted. The couple ran over to their friends and Cinnamon jumped seeing a fanged Shimmer Shine with her ear up against the glass.. Her eyes were closed. "I can here their heartbeats... They're gonna be okay...' She said. A low laugh escaped through the room. The group looked at the front to the castle. "Oh, I can assure you. They will most certainly not be alright Ms. Shimmer Shine" "Tick Freeze" We finally meet" "Oh yes but i am going to be the only one surviving this little get together!!!" HE yelled. His amulet glowed, cascading bring blue and black lights all over. The older stallion transformed into an alicorn, his winds radiating a black glow. "Protect Lily and Blitz!!" Blue yelled. Shimmer Shine, Melody, Cinnamon and Blue all stood ready to charge. "No matter what it takes"
So this is where it begins..Base Runner and Vanilla Symphony sat alone in the house, waiting for everypony to get back from errands. “But yeah, I guess if I had to be stranded on an Island withanypony, I guess I would want that pony to be you.” Symphony said, finishing the conversation. They laughed and as the laughing seceded Base Runner looked into her eyes and smiled. Vanilla blushed. “What?” “You know, Symphony, you have beautiful eyes.” He said as he stared into them. Vanilla Symphony stared back and giggled shyly. “Well, you do too, Base.” She said before realizing it. “Wait…what?” She blushed and hid behind her wings. Base Runner smiled and gently pulled back her wing, moving closer to her. She let her wings fall to her back and tried to hide the tomato tint in her face. Base turned and wrapped a wing around her. He faced her and leaned in a bit. Right as they were about to kiss, they heard a door shut and a voice came from behind them. “Wait!! Symphony!!No! What are you doing?!” It yelled. They turned around in horror seeing Blitz Symphonic staring down at them with an angry/worried expression. “Lily!?Shimmer Shine!?!” He yelled. “Oh, no” Base Runner said. Lily and Shimmer Shine ran into the room. Lily lit up her horn and Base Runner was flashed to the other side of the room. Lily looked at Blitz who looked at Shimmer Shine. “Tell them!” She said to Lily. Lily’s eyes grew wide. “Me!? Why?? You did it!!” She said, smiling. “Mom! What are you guys doing?!” Symphony yelled. Blitz sighed and said solemnly; “You two…are cousins..” He shook his head. Base Runner laughed. “ Don’t worry Symphony, they have to be kidding.” He said. “We seriously thought you would have figured it our by now but, apparently not.” Lily said as Melody, Sunny, Pepper, Cinnamon and Blue walked in. “What’s going on? We heard yelling.” Melody asked, looking at Lily and Shimmer Shine. “THESE TWO WERE ABOUT TO KISS BECAUSE THEY DON’T KNOW THAT THEY’RE RELATED YET!!!” Blitz yelled, making the group wince. Vanilla Symphony shook her head in disbelief. Base Runner went over to where Symphony was sitting and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “It’s okay. They’re kidding, I swear.” He whispered. Even though the whole group could hear. Symphony stood up and looked at her father and could tell he wasn’t kidding. She turned around and bolted out the door, tears streaming down her face. Pepper had seen her face as she ran and ran after her, shouting for her to come back. After they were gone, Sunny saw what she should do and walked over to a very disappointed Base Runner. She nudged him and motioned him to follow her into the other room to talk. “Jeez, Blitz. Did you have to go that far with it? Look what you did to Symphony??” Lily said, eyeing him. He sighed and looked at the open door leading to outside. “You’re right…I should go after her.” He said but being stopped by Shimmer Shine. “I don’t think she wants to talk to you right now, Pepper’s got it.” She told him. He was about to just walk out anyway but decided that he should leave it to Pepper. “Fine” he mumbled under his breath. He walked into the kitchen alongside Shimmer Shine. Blue walked over to Lily, still wide eyed. He looked around and then looked back to Lily. “Where’s Eve in all of this??” He asked. Lily smiled. “On a date with Silver Chrome.” She said, expecting the outcome. Blue’s eyebrows furrowed. “Don’t worry. He’s a good kid. “She told him sternly. He huffed and they walked into the kitchen. Melody and Cinnamon look at each other and smile. “They get it from me. “Melody said before Cinnamon could say a word. He raised an eyebrow and laughed. “Yeah I think you’re right but, Pepper totally get’s his looks from me. “ He said, triumphantly. Melody rolled her eyes and walked away. Cinnamon stood there confused. “Right?” Melody smiled. “Yep.” Pepper Sketch chased Vanilla Symphony through town, dodging carts and fruit stands before she finally took to the skies. She stopped on a cloud knowing he wouldn’t be able to get up there. Little did she know, Melody is a good spell finder and found a cloud walking spell for him when he was a colt. He quickly did the spell then, found a cart of balloons nearby. He gave the sales pony a couple bits and tied the balloons to his waist. He floated to the cloud, reaching for it. His hoof missed the cloud layer and he continued to float up into the sky. He was unable to focus and loosen the knots. He screamed; “Symphony!!!” She lifted her head from her hooves and saw him floating up. She jumped up on her hooves and bolted into the sky, trying to get to him before he started to lose oxygen. She reached her hoof out and grabbed the back of his tail. “Ouch!!” His breathing got heavy and he looked down at her as she tried to loosen the knot. She desperately looked at it and took a risk. She bit the knot and shifted her appearance so she would change into her changeling form. Her fangs cut the knot and Pepper Sketch fell downward landing on a cloud not twenty feet from the ground. As Symphony changed back into her pony-self, she landed on the cloud and sat by Pepper. “Pepper!!!” She scolded, pulling him into a hug. “What were you thinking?! You could have gotten really hurt!!!” She looked at him and he looked down at the cloud beneath him. “I wasn’t…..I couldn’t.. I wanted to get you back to cheer you up..” She pulled him into another hug and sighed. “Well.. You gave me a heart attack instead..” She whispered.Pepper pulled back and looked into her sad eyes. “ What happened back at home” She broke her gaze and looked down at the town. “ I just…” she started “ I just couldn’t believe I had fallen in love with my cousin without even knowing he was my cousin.” She laughed “Well, now I know..” Pepper Sketch frowned .He knew how much it hurt seeing something you thought was real turn out to be a mistake… He learned that the hard way while being around Evangeline.. He snapped out of his daydream andturned to Symphony. “Hey, Symphony?” He said, catching her attention. “You wanna go back to my house and play video games?” He asked her, as he looked down into her eyes again. She smiled. “Yeah, that would be fun!” She hoped of the cloud and pushed it to the ground, letting him off before kicking it and making it dissolve into water vapor. They walked side by side to Pepper Sketch’s house. All the while, Pepper Sketch lost in thought. “Huh..So this is where it begins..” “Come on, Base Runner!!!” She says happily. “Smile!!!” “NO” He told her for the fourth time. “ Smiling isn’t very effective right now, Sunshine Song.” Sunshine Song frowned and forced tears to come out of her eyes. Base Runner’s eyes widened and he frowned. She sniffed and grabbed a tissue. “Ugh!!! FINE” He said. He gave her his biggest smile and she stopped and gave him hers. He stuck his tongue out at her and laughed. She booped him on the muzzle. “Seeeee!? Told you I could do it, Base!!” They laughed. Sunshine Song cleared her throat and begun to sing. “I’m so sunny stomp along if you feel like a sky with some really low clouds!!” She sang trying not to laugh. Base Runner burst out laughing. Sunshine song stood up and bounced around the room. After a few bounces, she tripped on a piece of carpet, falling onto Base Runner. He accidentally closed his hooves around her trying to catch her. Sunshine Song blushed, not bothering to ruin the moment. They looked into each other’s eyes. “Hey, Sunny?” He asked her. She nodded and smiled, letting him continue. “Do you gotta bae??” Or nah?” Sunny Got up and face hoofed. “You totally just ruined the moment.” She said, blushing. “ Great, now I look like a flipping tomato..” Base got up and walked over to her. He gave her a hug and whispered. “I’m sorry I’m really bad at this.” Just then, Pepper Sketch and Vanilla Symphony walked in, laughing and talking. Base Runner Smirked and turned to Sunny. “ Watch” He said, letting hergo.She stood there, expecting the worst. He walked right in front of Pepper and Symphony. “Hey Symphony?” He asked her. “Oh no..” Sunny said trying not to laugh. “Do you gotta bae?? Or nah??” He finished. Pepper Sketch furrowed his eyebrows and raised a hoof. He swung his hoof, hitting Base Runner square in the muzzle. “Hey!!” Sunshine Song yelled, getting in between her brother and Base Runner (who was trying to get up out of his dizzy head). “Stopit!!” She said. Vanilla Symphony walked over, leaned down to his ear and smiled. “Or nah.” She said walking away and laughing. She went down the hallway and got the adults claiming it was the funniest thing she had ever seen. Lily helped Base Runner up as Cinnamonbrohoofed Pepper and got a look of ‘nope’ from Blue, Melody, Blitz, Lily and Shimmer Shine. “what?!” He asked. Melody walked over to him. She stepped in front of him and looked at Pepper Sketch. “ Even though that wasn’t the best thing to do, at least you stood up for her.. Good job” She said. Blue looked at Base Runner and frowned. Base Runner looked down at his hoofs. “Sorry.. Just proving a point” He said. Blue raised an eyebrow. ‘What?” He asked him. Base Runner looked at Sunny and smiled as she was talking to Vanilla Symphony. “Oh….” Blue said, understanding what was going on. “Well, don’t get too carried away.. Then I’d have to answer to Mel…” He shutteredat the thought. “That would be bad.” He nodded to something behind him and Base turned around only to find himself a couple of inches away from Sunny. “How’s your muzzle??” she asked him. “Oh, I’ll be fine” He said, laughing. “So, honestly.. Do you gottabae??” He blushed and looked into her eyes. “Well actually no..” She said smiling. “Hmm. Well, Do you wanna date??” He paused ”Or nah?” She laughed at him. “Sounds good! Let’s go!” She said. “Wait what?” He asked her, confused at her sudden acceptance. “It’s almost Sunset” She said quietly. Together they walked out the door heading for Ponyville Hill. “I swear, if he tries one thing, Blue.” Cinnamon warned . Blue smirked. “He won’t…” Doubting his own words. “Hey? You wanna go with them??” Pepper asked Symphony. She smiled. “Sure, let’s go!” Fifteen minutes late, Evangeline came through the door with Silver Chrome. Not seeing any of her friends, she walked over to Lily. “Where is everypony??” She asked. Lily turned and sighed, “Oh, they’re all at Ponyville hill, watching the sunset.” She said. Evangeline’s eyes went wide. “Jeez.. What did I miss??”
On a stormy night.At Ponyville Hill, there were already a numerous amount of couples there. Sunny and Base found a spot on a tree while Symphony and Pepper sat under it. “So, are um… Sunny and Base dating now??” Pepper Sketch said, sitting on his haunches . “I guess so..” She said, looking at the sun as it descended over the hill. “Are you sad or upset about it?? Cause I—“ “No.. I’m not sad. I’ve got you” She said, looking away. Pepper’s eyes grew wide and a blush spread across his face. “Ummm…Okay I uh love you too” Symphony turned to him, trying not to laugh. “What did I just….”Pepper put his face in his hooves. “Sorry..” Symphony smiled and wrapped her wing around him. “That’s okay…” He put his hooves down and smiled at her. He slowly put his hoof around her and blushed. He had remembered all the stories that his dad had told him about winning over a mare’s heart. To bad he didn’t have wings. “So, What do you want to do??” Sunny asked Base as the sun was almost finished setting. “Umm…” He looked at her and saw the moon’s reflection in her cobalt eyes, making him smile. “I don’t know but, do you want to go to the park with me tomorrow??” Her ears perked up and she smiled. “Sounds great!!!” Base runner smiled even more and scooted close to her. He spread out his wing around her and watched as the stars appeared in the night sky. Back at home, Lily and Blue sat on the couch and talked. " So what do you think about this whole thing, Lily?” Blue asked her. “I think it they will all be cute together. Besides these are Melody and Shimmer Shine’s kids. What could go wrong?” She replied. Blue rolled his eyes. “Yes but, you are forgetting these are also Cinnamon and Blitz’s kids.” He said sarcastically. “Everything could go wrong.” Lily pushed his chest, laughing. “Hey!! That’s your brother in law, ya know.” She said in between giggles. He laughed. “Well, Cinnamon is just a jerk so… We’ll see how that works out.” Lily laughed again. Blue looked at her and smiled. “I love you, Lily.” He told her, softly. “I love you too, Blue” She said back. She gave him a light kiss and put her head on his shoulder. Blue let out a deep breath and closed his eyes. In the next room over, Shimmer Shine and Blitz were talking about the same thing the couple before them was. “C’mon, Blitz. They’re good kids, stop worrying so much.Symphony’s a changeling, so she can get her way out of any situation.” She told him. “I guess you’re right, but I just can’t help but worry. She’s a year younger than Pepper.” He replied. “Yeah, so that just means he has more experience with this sort of thing.” Shimmer Shine rolled her eyes and gave him a hug. “It’ll work out just fine.” She said calmly. He pulled back from the hug. “But..” “Nope. She will be fine.” Shimmer Shine said. Blitz walked out of the room but came back only a second later. “I forgot something.” He said. He wrapped his wing around her and kissed her. She smiled and walked into the room where Lily and Blue were. She sat on her haunches and started talking to Lily. As they did , Cinnamon and Melody waited outside on the front lawn, looking out at the hill. Cinnamon looked at her with an anxious look. “No.. They will be okay. Stop worrying so much, Cinnamon.” She said, knowing what he wanted to do. She knew that getting the kids would probably be very embarrassing and he would wish he had listened in the end so, she stopped him before he even said anything about it. “Ugh, but what if-“ “Bro.” Melody told him. “They’re gonna be fine. We’ve known them ever since they’ve been born!” She put a hoof on his shoulder. “They’ve never done anything but been amazing, just like their parents. Plus, it was our children who reached out to them in the first place." “True.” He gave in, then looked over to the Hill. “I hope they both have my amazing skills when it comes to love.” He said boastfully. Melody just rolled her eyes and pushed him over, loving him a little bit more. Back at the hill, Base Runner and Sunshine Song were heading out and back home. Pepper Sketch frowned. “Well, they are going back so we probably should too..” He said, sadly. Suddenly, he lightened up. “But, just one more thing.” He kissed her cheek making her eyes go wide. After a short pause she smiled. “Okay..” She said, standing up. They walked together, catching up with the other two. Once they got home, The families decided that they should all go back to their homes. Lily, Blue, Evangeline and a very giddy Base Runner went one way. Melody, Cinnamon, and two happylovestruck kids went the other. Blitz, Shimmerz and Symphony stayed. Symphony went straight to bed humming a soft tune to herself. She waved goodnight to her parents and went to her room. Melody and Cinnamon saw Pepper and Sunny looking like they were about to talk to each other about something. They decided to walk a little ahead of them so that they could talk. “Today has been really great, huh Pepper?” She turned to him, smiling. “…Yeah…” He smiled back, thinking of all that had happened that day and being proud of himself that he didn’t freak out too much. “I’m glad we were able to help Symphony and Base.” “Yeah. Maybe more than help.” Sunny joked, nudging him. “Puh-lease.” He said rolling his eyes. “You love Base just as much as I love Symphony!” “Hmmm… I guess.” She stopped walking to give him a hug. “You’re still my favorite pony that’s not my boyfriend!” Pepper returned the hug, saying; “You’re crazy, but you’re my favorite pony that’s not my girlfriend too, I guess.” Sunshine hugged him really tight, then quickly let go, having Pepper gasp for breath. She giggled and said, “Let’s go catch up with mom and dad!” “So, what were you doing today??” Base Runner asked his sister. “Same as you?” She pondered. “You got punched in the face???” He asked her, smiling. “Oh, yeah, totally.” She said sarcastically. “I was on a date.” “Ohh. Okay” Base said, rolling his eyes. “So, how was your date with Su—“ “Amazing” He said interrupting her. She smiled and nudged him. “Oooohh . Base has a marefriend” She said. He blushed. “Well.. You have a coltfriend!!” He said. Eve laughed. “What?” “You admitted to her being your marefriend. That’s a first.” She told him. “Ugh.. Sometimes….” “Whatever, you love me. Let’s go catch up with mom and dad.” Eve said, trotting. Base Runner stayed back and sighed. The next day, the mare’s had planned a sleepover after their dates to talk. Sunny and Symphony were excited, talking about what they’d do and letting the colts walk ahead. Base Runner stared head at the empty trail to the park as Pepper talked quietly to himself. Base Runner finally just stopped walking. “What are you doing??” Pepper asked him. ”Why’d you stop??” Base Runner glared at him with a scowl. “What are YOU doing?? First, you punch me then, you’re acting like nothing happened!!!” He yell-whispered. He looked back as the mares came up to them. He walked with Sunny. “What’s wrong?” Sunny asked him. Base Runner huffed and let his scowl decrease. “Nothing, just a little heated.” He told her smiling. “I’m fine.”Sunny smiled and looked over to Vanilla Symphony who was talking to Pepper Sketch. “Do you think I should have punched him??” Pepper asked Symphony. “Well, it wasn’t the best decision but, it worked.. I guess.” She smiled and looked up at him. “I’m pretty sure he’s fine.” Pepper looked over to a grassy area. And nodded, turning. “Hey, Sunny!!” Symphony yelled. “We are gonna stay over here!!! We’ll catch up tonight!!” “Okay!!!” Sunny yelled. “So, what do you want to do??” Base asked her when she turned back around. Sunny stopped walking and looked at her muzzle. “What’s wrong?” He asked her, trying not to laugh at her crossed eyes Just then. Symphony and Pepper came running. “We should get inside! Those are thunder clouds!!!” Symphony said as the rain started coming down. Pepper pointed to his house that was not too far away. All of them nodded and started running towards it. By the time they got to Melody and Cinnamon’s house, the rain turned into a downpour. Once inside, Sunshine Song quickly tried to turn on the lights with no success. “Base??” She said into the darkness. “Base Runner!!” This time saying it a little louder. ”Pepper!? Symphony!?” “We’re in the kitchen, Sunny!!!!” Base’s voice said “Well, I am.” She smiled and found her way to the kitchen, quickly standing close to him, looking around the dark room. Base Runner lit up his horn and wrapped his wing around her. She sighed and looked up at him. “Are you okay??” He asked her. She breathed in. “Um.. No…This is going to sound really childish but…” “It’s okay if you’re afraid of the dark.” He told her “Eve still is. I imagine she’s running around Shimmer Shine and Blitz’s dark house right now, screaming.” They both laughed and Base Runner scooted closer to her, his wing tightening. They heard a scream coming from the other side of the house making Sunny scream. Base Runner shifted and Sunny wrapped her hooves around him tightly. “Don’t leave me! Don’t leave me. Don’t leave me!” She repeated. Base smiled and put both of his wings around them. “It’s okay.” He said lighting up his horn. “I’m not going anywhere..” After she screamed, Symphony heard another one. “Oh my gosh!! I’m going to die!!!!” She said, trying to find the door that slammed. She saw a figure in the corner and backed up. She felt the doorknob on her side and quickly opened it. She was now in the dark hallway, walking slowly towards what she thought was the kitchen. She felt a hoof like object on her shoulder. “Sympho—“ “ZOMBIE PONY!!!!!!! NO GO AWAY!!!” She yelled running away. She got to the living room and looked out the window. Sure enough, the storm had gotten worse letting her know that she would be here for a while. She heard a glow behind her and saw a red light. She closed her eyes and sat on her haunches. “I don’t want to die, Mr. Zombie. Please don’t eat me and make me eat my friends.” “Symphony.” It said. She opened her eyes and looked up. She saw the red glow on a horn and sparkling dark eyes. “Oh… Jeez!!!You gave me a heart attack!! AGAIN!!!!” She whispered. Pepper Sketch sat on his haunches and laughed. “I heard you scream and I thought you got yourself locked somewhere. After checking on my sister, I came to find you.” He said softly. He pulled her into a tight hug. She sighed and returned it. She looked past his shoulder as a flash of lightning struck and a white round topped figure appeared. “GHOST!!!!” She yell whispered. Pepper laughed and let go of her. He levitated something from that direction and brought it over to them. “A blanket? Wow…”She said facehoofing. He put the blanket over them and smiled. “Better?” “Better.” “Where’s Pepper Sketch?? I thought he would be back by now.” Sunny said looking around the room. Base rolled his eyes. “It’s okay. He will find Symphony and bring her back and it will be all good. Plus, you have a perfectly good stallion protection you so, I think you’ll be okay.” He told her. “Well….”She started. Base Runner kissed her cheek and laughed. “ I got you..” He whispered. “You need to trust me.” She looked up at him and smiled. “Okay…” “Thank you..” Symphony said. “ For coming to find me, I mean. I probably would have died if you hadn’t.” Pepper looked at her and smiled. “ Yeah, I think so.. It’s alright though.” He told her. She looked up at the blanket they were under and frowned. “Hey.” He said. “Watch this.” His horn lit up even more and he closed his eyes. In a flash, there was a handlebar mustache on his face. Symphony laughed, realizing she had no reason to be scared anymore. The mustache poofed away and Pepper smiled. “You’re crazy.” She told him. He smiled deviously, looking like Cinnamon. “Maybe…” He said “ But, you love me for it.” Symphony giggled. Pepper looked into her eyes. He leaned in and suddenly, the lights turned back on and the blanket was levitated off of them. Base Runner and Sunshine Song stood above them laughing. “You totally ruined the moment, Base.” Sunny said, laughing. “Yeah yeah. Come on we should get back to the house.” He said. Pepper and Symphony got up and they all walked out the door, heading back to Vanilla Symphony’s house. “We are going to have a lot to talk about tonight.” Sunny said. “Oh, yeah.”
And, there goes life..A while later, Pepper and Sunny had to go to the market with Cinnamon and Melody so, it was just Evangeline, Base Runner and Vanilla Symphony. As they came up to the house, Base Runner talked about the newest baseball season and the girls pretended to be interested. When Base Runner touched the door to open it, a ring of magic spread from the house, knocking all of them back. "Ow!! When did we get a security system?!" Symphony mumbled, rubbing her head. She got up and helped Eve and Base get up. Evangeline looked worriedly at the house. "Something's wrong" She told them. "Really wrong.." She walked slowly up to the door and used her magic to open it. "What the..... Base said. The house was a complete wreck; papers scattered everywhere, furniture knocked over you name it. It looked like a tornado had just blown through. "Lily!?" They heard a voice yell. The trio stepped through the door, letting it hang open behind them. "Dad!?!?" Eve yelled through the house. They heard fast hoof steps and sniffs echo through the house. Out of the hallway appeared Shimmer Shine and Blue, who both had terrified looks on their faces. Shimmer Shine came up to Symphony and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Thank Celestia you're not gone too.." She said, quietly. Vanilla Symphony pushed her back. "Too?? Where's dad?? Where's Aunt Lily??" She asked. They both looked over at Blue who still had Base and Eve in a hold. Blue let go and looked at Shimmer Shine. "Something happened." She told them. "There was a huge serge of magic that went through the house and Lily and Blitz just....." She stopped and looked at Blue again. "Disappeared" He finished for her. "We need to wait for Melody and her family to get back to try to figure out what's going on." Eve looked at him with a scowl. "What?! That's mom!! We can't just sit around while she might be in trouble!!" She said, almost yelling. "Yeah!! They might be hurt or de--" "Don't you dare suggest that." Blue said, cutting off Base Runner. " They are strong. Together, they are even stronger." He told the group. "Yeah." Vanilla Symphony said. "Im sure they will be back anytime now." Eve huffed and walked into the other room. Everyone else followed, leaving Vanilla Symphony by herself. Shimmer Shine looked back. "You felt that too, right, mom??" She asked her worried mother. Shimmer Shine nodded and frowned. "Don't tell any pony, Symphony. For the sake of the group..." Two hours later, Shimmer Shine and Blue were just finishing up telling Melody, Cinnamon, Pepper and Sunny about what happened. So far, the group hadn't seen or heard anything of where the twins might be. They came up with a plan. "Until they come back or we can get them back, no pony talks to anybody outside of the family, got it?" Blue told the group. They all nodded. "We will each go to the market one by one. If anybody asks about Lily or Blitz, we are going to have to say that they came down the telepathic twins flu, okay??" Melody added. Once again, they nodded. "Now, the adults need to talk for a minute, go in the kitchen and see what we have for starters then, go to bed. Mares in one room, colts in the other." Shimmer Shine told the teens. They kinda sat there, looking at her. "Go." She said, sternly. They all got up and walked to the kitchen with light conversation. Shimmer Shine turned back to the group. "Do you guys feel something??" She asked them. "Yes" They all said in unison. "I think somethings really wrong.. I can feel something..Odd..." Cinnamon said. "Okay. You feel odd or are you admitting that you are odd??" Melody asked him, not being able to let that opportunity slip. Cinnamon nudged her and smiled. "Me too...It hurts to be honest.." Blue said, looking down at his hooves. "I think it's them." The group of adults looked in his direction. "What do you mean?" Shimmer Shine asked. Blue looked up at her with a sad expression. "Remember when we all used that immortal spell?? And we were all linked from then on??" He asked. The other three nodded. "Well, I think we can feel their pain.. They're in trouble."
No time for questionsCan you here me?? Lily? Is that you? Yeah, it's me What's going on? I don't know ...... Did you hear that? yeah Where are we?? I don't know... Melody woke up with a pounding heart rate. She swore she heard them.. "What's wrong, Mel??" Shimmer Shine asked her. She had forgotten that they had fell asleep in the living room. Shimmer Shine was making tea while the colts were still sleeping away on the couch. Shimmer Shine walked over to Melody with cups of tea balanced on her wings. " I thought I heard them.... Thank you" She said, taking the cup of tea. Shimmerz set the other cups on the coffee table and smiled. "Its alright. We're gonna find them, okay?? It's gonna be fine" She said reassuringly. She had been saying that for the past week. Melody thought to herself; why do i have a feeling you don't believe that?? how long have we been here? I dont want to know, blitz lily yes?? they will be here soon who? Blue, Shimmer Shine, Cinnamon, Mel Please don't Maybe we're dreaming maybe we're not they'll be here soon then sure lily what? rawr, sis i wanna go home i want my family back 3 WEEKS LATER "Hey Cinnamon??" Vanilla Symphony asked "Hey, what is it?" He replied, seeing the look of disquiet on Symphony's face and wrapping his wings around her. "What's wrong??" Symphony sniffed. "Mom.... And Mel... And Blue. especially Blue. It hurts, Cinnamon.." "SMALL FAMILY OF MISSING PONIES IN QUESTION!!!!!!!!!! COME QUICK! OF YOUR LOVED ONES, THERE HAS BEEN A MENTION" "Zecora?!" Shimmer Shine and Melody said, coming through the hallway and opening the door to find a very frightened looking Zebra. "What's wrong??" Blue asked, eyes red and stinging. Zecora was panting. " Calm down.. tell us what happened." She took a huge breath in and told her tale in her usual language of rhymes. "As I was walking through the forest looking for a rare plant I need, I saw something strange at the dark end of the Everfree." She started. Evangeline, Base, Pepper and Sunny came in as she finished. "What's going on, dad??" Evangeline asked Blue. She put her hoof on his chest. "What's wrong??" "Listen" He said, not taking his eyes off of the tell tale zebra. "Where is Lily?" "And Blitz! Where are they??" Said Shimmer Shine, impatiently. Zecora sighed. "I'm afraid I do not know the exact location but, I can send you on your way with this bit of information." She stated. The ponies got worried. "In a castle of icy blue is a Villain who's heart has been torn and shrewn. He laughs with great hatred walks with sorrow and demise, the has your friends, this is no lie. You must hurry to get there, past the enchanted trees.." She stopped "Yeah, and???" Cinnamon said, his voice shaking. What would happen to their friends if they didn't get there in time? Melody huffed "What's the last part?? Who is this guy, Zecora??" Zecora had a face of pity. She knew this pony well, a lost and corrupted traveler she had met not long ago. She started out the door and turned around. "Beware, My little ponies of Dr. Tick Freeze"
The Wish Of A Doctor"Before I let you out, I must tell you, there is a reasoning for my madness, dear children. You see, once, there was a princess. Oh, she was beautiful. She had long flowing hair. Her hooves resembled those of a skilled craftsman. Delicately, this princess stole my heart and I had been the one who'd given her the key. She and I against the world, we traveled through time together. We lived our lives in the sense that it would always be one way. Well, I did at least. My fair princess. My Gwen Of Air. She had bigger dreams than what resided in the walls of canterlot, children. She left. IN her studies, she met a colt. He was young, driven, smart, funny...Everything she needed. Everything I couldn't give her. Everything I'm not... They had children. Do you know who those children were??/ Twins.. Two Alicorns. One a filly, one a colt. I think that you know them, yes?? Of course you do. Now, these children were left with their dear Aunts while Mommy and Daddy went on a secret mission to Sadle-Arabia. On this mission, my princess was killed. along with her husband. The children were on their own. As full adults, they would be fine. Rumor on the street is they found love, and settled.... And were happy.. I was happy before my princess was taken from me... Before you two twits were ever even a thought. My Lillira.. Dead and gone and all I have to remember her by is memories... and her children?!?! I think not.. So, that is why you are here.. Children, if you have not noticed, in this castle, time does not exist. Time is NEVER of the essence. I never have to not be happy.. I never have to worry about it.. Its still lingers here...My dear Lily and Blitz Symphonic.. Why should I give you the happiness I never had?? The ponies took only a matter of minutes to gather up their things "Woah! Are you crazy?" Blue said, stopping the confused young mares and colts from leaving the house. "Oh, there is no way you are going without us, Dad" Eve said. She had tears already stinging in her eyes. Blue kissed her forehead. "You need to stay here just in case your mother comes back, okay??" He told her. HE looked at all of them. "Stay. Here. Got it??" Base looked down, Sunny nuzzled his cheek and they walked out of the room. Pepper Sketch and Evangeline left, leaving Vanilla Symphony there, staring at him. Blue nodded and bolted out the door. After he left, Vanilla Symphony cast a spell. She covered the house in an invisible barrier. Only changelings could get through so, her. She made a promise to keep her friends safe at all costs. And that was a promise that she was not willing to break. A week after the ponies had gone into the Everfree, Shimmer Shine and Melody had just about beaten the colts senseless. Day and night were they laughing and yelling and making jokes about the most random things in the universe. They had searched as long as they could without sleep before taking a short break. They still hadn't found Lily and Blitz and they were all starting to get impatient and scared. The castle was nowhere in sight. And they weren't getting anywhere with their mission. Shimmer Shine and Cinnamon had flew a few miles at a time, looking for the hidden castle of blue. No luck. At a rest place, Blue and Cinnamon made use of time by joking sround and laughing like they had been the past few days. "BOYS!" They shouted in unison. The boys stopped their chatter and gave notice to the mares in front of them. They looked back to eachother and laughed. Melody huffed and walked over to Cinnamon. She bit his ear and dragged him to the other side of the clearing they were in for the night. "ow ow ow OW OW WOW OW MEL!!!!!" He squeaked. She let go of his ear and smiled. "Shut your cake whole and listen!" She yelled. Cinnamon cringed and nodded, looking to Shimmer Shine. She inhaled and let herself go at it. "We need to focus. We don't know who this crazy Tick Freeze guy is but, if he is willing to take our friends and keep them captive for a month then we better be ready for a pretty tough guy" She told them. They nodded. "I....We need to find them guys.. This cant go on" She got out before letting tears slip from her eyes, making her coat darken. The four ponies got in a group hug, somehow they all knew, whatever was gonna come. Wasn't gonna be easy. Cinnamon woke to a rustle in the bushes near where he was sleeping. He stood up and flared his wings. He opened his mouth to wake the others--- Everything went black. Cinnamon woke up on a cold surface. He opened his eyes to see the floor was an icy blue "Oh oh oh oh no no ICY BLUE!!!" He yell whispered. He heard hoofsteps and froze in his state. "Why hello, traveler" Said a light deep voice. Cinnamon turned around to see a grey pony in a white trench coat. A unicorn with a slicked back mane. He was smiling behind his square glasses. Around is neck was an amulet. A clock with both of the hands on 6. 'Observant, aren't you child??" The stallion said. Cinnamon nodded. "Well than I suppose you should've seen those" The stallion pointed two two towers of ice. There was something inside of them he just, didn't know what. Then it hit him "Oh!!! Hey you two!!!! We have been looking everywhere!!!" He said to the block that held his friends in captivity. "You, my friends, scared all of us to death." He went up to the ice and tapped on it. Cinnamon heard his name being called.. From somewhere far but, very close. He looked at the capsules once more. His ears dropped as he looked over to the grey stallion who was now smiling like an idiot. "Guards!!!!!!! Take him to the dungeon!!!!!!!" He yelled. Cinnamon felt a rush of cold hit him. Ponies made of ice all round him made the air harsh. As he was surrounded, he yelled out "You don't know who you're messing with!!!!!! NO!!!!!! They're coming Lily!! Blitz!!!! Hang in there guys!!!!" The ice guards put his wings in cuffs and threw him on top of a cart. "They will get you Dr. Tick-stupid!!!!!" He yelled out over the noise of the cart rolling.. I cant you have to try, blitz i cant yes you can!!!!! Call her!!! Lily blitz!!!! why dont you do it?! fine on three one two three GUYS WAKE UP!!! BLUE!!! MELODY!!!! SHIMMER SHINE!!!!! "Blitz?! Lily?!" The three remaining ponies said as they shot out of their sleep. They all looked around at the forest. "Where's... Where's Cinnamon??" Melody asked as she scanned his empty sleeping bag. A look of panic spread across her face as her horn started to glow. A bunch of glowing hoofprints spread across the ground. Then drag marks. " Somepony took him. He took him!! Hurry! The prints will lead us to this castle!" She piled up her stuff and began to run in the direction of the hoofprints, the other two following just a few yards behind. They ran, following the spells product. Shimmer Shine made a note to ask Melody about that later. They ran and ran for what seemed like an eternity before reaching a glowing blue fortress. Zecora wasn't kidding when she said castle. It was huge. Multiple upon multiple stories, balconies on every one. The castle radiated cold and hate, the three friends could feel that with ease. Melody canceled the spell and shook her head. "We need to get in there' Blue said, firmly, ready. He dismissed thought of danger. There was only one thought in his head now.Lily. Shimmer Shine stepped back and prepared to charge as well "Let's go storm the castle" A loud crash echoed through the castle, making Cinnamon smile. Melody always knew how to make a grand entrance. It was dark in the "dungeon" and cold.. dark and Cold. There was a flash of light and then the sounds of metal clashing against metal. Cinnamon covered his head. "Oh, get up you bucket head" Yup, there she was. Melody stood in front of Cinnamon within the hole she made in the cell doors. "Let's go!!" She said, grabbing his hoof and bolting up the stairs.. When they reached the top, an empty room was all they saw. The only things in there were the two ice towers and two other ponies standing by it. "Shimmerz!!! Did you find them!?" Melody shouted, noticing the room matching her coat and mane. Maybe this psycho wasn't all that bad! She laughed at herself "Yeah!! Get over here!!" Blue shouted. The couple ran over to their friends and Cinnamon jumped seeing a fanged Shimmer Shine with her ear up against the glass.. Her eyes were closed. "I can here their heartbeats... They're gonna be okay...' She said. A low laugh escaped through the room. The group looked at the front to the castle. "Oh, I can assure you. They will most certainly not be alright Ms. Shimmer Shine" "Tick Freeze" We finally meet" "Oh yes but i am going to be the only one surviving this little get together!!!" HE yelled. His amulet glowed, cascading bring blue and black lights all over. The older stallion transformed into an alicorn, his winds radiating a black glow. "Protect Lily and Blitz!!" Blue yelled. Shimmer Shine, Melody, Cinnamon and Blue all stood ready to charge. "No matter what it takes"
