Pathfinder: An Equestrian Tale

Chapters

A Strange Encounter
White Tail Village
The Journey Begins
Volt Cloud: Part Two
Hunting For Answers
Volt Cloud: Part One

A Strange Encounter

Rain pummelled the ground, turning the usually dry forest floor into a muddy nightmare. A lone pony slowly made his way through the mess as the rain continued to fall.

Of all days the Pegasi had to schedule a downpour, why did it have to be today? he thought. The pony wore a hooded cloak to protect him from the elements, but unfortunately it wasn't able to prevent his hooves from getting dirty. He didn't mind though for he had lived in the White Tail Woods his whole life. Getting dirty was almost considered as a rite of passage for a pony in his village while growing up. Almost.

The pony continued onwards until he suddenly stopped and knelt, having spotted something in the mud that he had been looking for. If it had been any other pony out here they surely would have missed it.

Aha... I knew I would be able to find you monsters sooner or later... justice will be done this day. He rose from the ground and whistled, hoping that his companion would be able to hear him through this weather. What he had found imprinted in the muddy ground was a set of Timberwolf tracks. It was the reason why he was out in this miserable weather in the first place.

He heard a familiar screech in the distance and he smiled. It wasn't long until a hawk suddenly appeared from the depths of the trees and landed on his outstretched leg.

"It's good to see you again girl," he said and the hawk nudged him affectionately. She was truly a magnificent bird to look at, especially since she was a red-tailed hawk. Most of her back feathers were dark brown while her chest feathers were a creamy white. Her tail feathers were a beautiful shade of red, hence the name of her species.

A few years ago while he was out exploring the woods, he had come across her as a young hawk, cowering underneath a bush and crying in pain due to a broken wing. He had immediately recognized her as a red-tailed hawk, a rare bird that was slowly becoming extinct in Equestria due to the demand of their valuable feathers in the fashion industry. He had searched the area for any sign of her parents but was unsuccessful. Not wanting to leave the young hawk to fend for herself, he brought her home and took care of her, which led to the lasting bond they shared today.

"I've found what we were looking for Swiftwing. Here, see if you can pick up a scent," he said and lowered her towards the Timberwolf tracks. The neatest and also strangest thing he learned about her during their time together was her unique ability to track down animals, which was a skill similar to that of a Timberwolf's. He learned of her ability when she disappeared one day and he ended up finding her underneath his home's front porch, tearing away at a small field mouse.

Swiftwing hopped off of his leg and began to pace around the tracks, moving her head close to them here and there. After about a minute had passed she let out an excited screech and flew up into the air. "Did you get a scent?" he asked and Swiftwing flew in a circle once, which indicated a yes. During the early years of their relationship, they had to quickly devise a system in which they could understand each other.

Fortunately, Swiftwing was smart enough to be able to understand pony speech, but in order for him to understand her he had to spend time teaching her actions which meant specific things. "Lead the way then girl. Those Timberwolves are going to pay for the damage they did to our village!" He patted his saddlebag which was hidden from view by the cloak, checking to make sure that everything he had brought with him was still there for the eventual encounter.

Swiftwing began to fly through the woods, following the scent of the Timberwolves while he followed closely behind her. Thunder boomed overhead as they made their way through the woods, swerving around trees and dodging low-lying branches that were in their path.

The Pegasi are really letting the weather go wild today... what ever happened to a quick downpour like they promised us? he thought. Soon enough the trees began to thin out until he and Swiftwing found themselves in a small circular clearing. The area was very well hidden and could have been easily missed, even if the weather was perfect. The only thing of interest was a cave that sat just ahead of them.

"So this is where their lair is... come back down Swiftwing, I want you to stay as close to me as possible." The hawk came down from above him and carefully landed on his back, gently clamping her claws just enough so that she could stay on without hurting him. He slowly approached the entrance of the cave with extreme caution, not wanting to possibly alert something to their presence. Taking a deep breath, he then entered the cave, determined to teach those Timberwolves a lesson.

The inside of the cave was very dark but also very warm at the same, unlike the cold rain that continued to pummel the ground just a few hoofsteps away. Before he continued any further however, he reached into his saddlebag and brought out a lantern along with a pack of matches.

"Hey Swiftwing, could you handle this part for me?" he asked and held up the pack of matches. Swiftwing took the pack with her right claw and brought out a matchstick with her mouth. "Alright Swiftwing, remember how we did this. You want to strike the red part against the rough part on the-"

He stopped when he suddenly noticed a small light appear above him and he quickly held up the lantern which Swiftwing lit, causing the cave to light up before them. The match fell past his face and he stamped on it, putting it out. Swiftwing dropped the pack of matches into the saddlebag, saving him from the trouble of having to do it.

"Excellent work girl! Where would I be without you at my side? Now that we have light, let's see how far this place goes..."

The sound of the storm outside slowly became nothing but a dull rumble as they made their way further into the cave. Every step he took echoed off of the cave's walls and multiple twigs littered the floor, confirming that they were indeed in the right place. Eventually they came across a sickly stench, making him sick to the stomach.

Ugh... sweet Celestia... it smells like death in here... he thought. He raised the lantern higher, revealing both decaying and fresh bodies of the local forest critters that the Timberwolves had killed and stockpiled for later. Fortunately there weren't any ponies among the deceased, but it was still a sad sight nevertheless. May you rest in peace my forest friends, I'm sorry that each of you had to suffer this grisly fate. Up ahead he thought he saw a brief flash of purple light when a gust of wind suddenly came from the direction they were heading in. His hood blew off followed by Swiftwing tightening her claws, causing him to grunt in pain. The flames within the lantern also flickered dangerously but fortunately did not go out.

What in the hay was that? Unless there's an exit just up ahead, then something isn't right here... he thought and looked behind him at Swiftwing.

"You alright Swiftwing?" he asked. She nuzzled her head against the back of his in response. "I'll take that as a yes then." Since his hood was blown off by the gust of wind, the light revealed what he looked like. He was an average sized Earth pony with a dark brown coat just like his mother's. His eye colour was a bright forest green and his mane was the colour of coal. Both were characteristics that he had inherited from his deceased father who was reported to have been killed in action during the Canterlot Wedding fiasco two years ago.

The wind also briefly caused his cloak to lift up and show his cutie mark, which was only just a simple map. He obtained his mark at the age that most fillies and colts did when he discovered that he loved to explore and spot things. He was often called bullheaded at times though because he simply couldn't refuse the call to explore new areas.

"No sign of any Timberwolves yet... they must be here somewhere Swiftwing," he said, although the lack of wolves up to this point was beginning to disturb him.

There was a flash of purple light again and he immediately pressed himself against the wall, avoiding the gust of wind that came by shortly after. Once he was sure it had passed he slowly made his way towards the bend, determined to see where the flashes of light and wind was coming from. As soon as he turned the corner however, he was surprised at what he saw. The charred remains of the pack of Timberwolves he had been tracking were scattered all over the floor. There was absolutely no way they would have been able to reconstruct themselves.

Something else was in there as well though, something that caused a chill to run up his spine. The creature had its back turned to him and was staring at the wall, muttering words that he could not understand. It was floating in the air, carrying its staff in one hand and holding some sort of purple orb with the other.

That thing... it killed the Timberwolves? Is it the one causing the wind? he wondered.

"Ee ya zu no hol kre nesh volgnash... ee ya zu no hol kre nesh volgnash..." the creature whispered over and over again, tapping its staff against the wall of the cave while doing so.

I think I've seen enough. The Timberwolves have been taken care of already so I just need to get out of here, he thought. He slowly began to back away when the wall that the creature had been tapping glowed brightly, causing it to crack and crumble into a fine dust afterwards. He was just able to catch a glimpse of what was behind the wall. It was a pedestal, and on top of it was some sort of necklace that the creature reached out and grabbed before suddenly making it vanish into thin air.

"The artifact is mine once again..." the thing hissed. "Now to take this world for my own... after so many years of waiting..."

A sudden snapping sound was heard and the pony looked down to find that he had stepped on a twig, which caused the creature to spin around on the spot and stare directly at him.

Crap... he thought. The creature had on a black robe with a hood which prevented him from getting a good look at it. The only thing he was able to make out were two horns that protruded from the inside and curled up towards the ceiling. Several pieces of cloth were also wrapped around the things gnarled hands, the cloth having turned brown a long time ago. What disturbed him the most however was the thing's lack of legs.

"What... did you see...?" the thing whispered, its voice causing his body to shiver. Swiftwing could also feel the effects and began to screech in anger at the creature.

"I- I saw nothing, I was just about to leave," he replied and the creature chuckled at him, but it was not the fun kind of chuckle. It was cold... and rather frightening.

"Ponies... I remember your kind..." the creature whispered and it tossed the purple orb at him. He and Swiftwing watched the orb fly through the air and he did immediately the first thing that came to mind. Save Swiftwing. He threw Swiftwing off which surprised her, but she was quickly able to recover in time to watch her master be struck by the orb, causing a small explosion that rocked the cave and sent some rocks from the ceiling crashing to the ground.

"This world will fall... Volgnash will reign supreme..."

Just like that, the creature vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving Swiftwing and her master alone in the cave. Swiftwing flew down to his side and began to nudge him, but he was unconscious and couldn't respond. Swiftwing slowly backed away and rose into the air before flying away, determined to get help for him in time. The flame in the lantern flickered as the rest of the fuel was consumed and went out, plunging the cave back into darkness.

"Agh... my head..." he mumbled and slowly opened his eyes, only to be met with more darkness. He suddenly felt a sharp pain on the back of his head which caused him to wince. His whole body was sore as he reached behind his head to find the source of the pain, only to discover that the back of his head was wet.

Am I... bleeding? Now that's something that hasn't happened to me in a while. But that creature... what was it doing? What was the necklace it held? he thought.

He suddenly heard a loud screech and he smiled as he recognized who it was. "Sw- Swiftwing! You're okay!" Moments after he said that he felt her comforting touch against his face. She was happy to see that he was awake and most importantly, alive. "I think it would be best if we left, but I can't see a thing. Wait a minute... what's that!?"

An orange light had appeared and it was slowly becoming larger and brighter as whatever it was came closer. He didn't know what he was expecting, but when he saw Iron Shield come around the corner, he sighed in relief, happy to see a familiar face again. Iron Shield was the Captain of the White Tail Village Guard and because of that was respected by many. His coat was an ash grey colour and his eyes were a light brown. His mane was a shaggy, dark red mess, but Iron Shield cared more about performing his job than his appearance.

The last thing about him was his cutie mark which was an iron shield. It was rare for a pony to receive such a cutie mark that was exactly like his or her name. The mark represented Iron Shield's love for defending those that were unable to defend themselves from threats.

"I... Iron," he weakly said. "Over here." Iron swung his lantern towards the direction of his voice and his eyes widened when he saw him and Swiftwing together on the floor. He immediately galloped over to his side.

"Willow Seeker! You're alive!" Iron exclaimed. "What the hay happened to you?"

"Yes, I'm alive Iron," Willow replied. "Just managed to give myself a small head injury was all. How did you find this place?"

"Your hawk, Swiftwing. She returned to the village without you and I knew that something was wrong, so she led me back here."

"Heh, good girl," Willow said and patted the top of Swiftwing's head. "Could you help me up please Iron? This floor is becoming rather uncomfortable."

"Hm? Oh yes, of course! Sorry about that." Iron extended a hoof which Willow grabbed and held onto tightly. With a great pull, Iron was able to get his friend back up on all four hooves.

"Thanks Iron, I'm glad that somepony else is here with me, especially since you're my best friend," Willow said. "I saw the strangest thing before you arrived though, which was actually the reason why I was on the floor in the first place."

"Oh? And what could that happen to be?" Iron asked.

"It was weird. It was some sort of floating hooded thing with a staff. It threw an orb at me which knocked me out, but before it did that, I saw it find something that it was looking for. Before it left, I think I heard it say something... Volgnash I believe it was."

"Hooded creature!? Although I have never heard anything about a Volgnash before, but Willow, there have actually been many reports from the surrounding area that have sighted this creature," Iron replied. "I don't know what it wants, but I feel that whatever it is it's obviously no good. We need to return to town immediately and let the Council of Farseers know, as well as Mayor Oak that the creature is near. Hopefully it isn't anymore though."

Willow nodded in agreement. "Of course, is it still raining though Iron?" he asked and Iron shook his head.

"Rain? There hasn't been any rain for a couple of hours now. By the way, what ever happened to those Timberwolves you were hunting? Were you able to destroy them?" he asked out of curiosity.

"The Timberwolves were all charred twigs and sticks when I arrived, which has led me to believe that the hooded one most likely obliterated them when he arrived at the cave, but we're wasting time," Willow replied. "Come Iron and Swiftwing, it's time to go home."

Swiftwing hopped onto Willow's back as he and Iron made their way towards the entrance of the cave. Willow made sure to pick up his lantern that had fallen to the ground on their way out. None of them could stop thinking about the hooded one. They wondered why of all places it just had to come to White Tail Woods. With that thing still prowling out there somewhere, none of them were safe.

White Tail Village

The afternoon sun was trying its best to shine through the dense foliage as Willow and Iron along with Swiftwing made their way back to the village. Birds chirped and the smell of damp earth filled the air. Why would anypony want to live in a town or city such as Canterlot and miss out on the wonders of the forest?

Willow inhaled deeply and sighed. No matter how old I get, I will always remember this scent, he thought. We should be close to the village gate by now... Suddenly a sharp pain blossomed within his chest, causing him to slow down. His breathing had also turned dangerously shallow and ragged. Iron noticed that Willow wasn't beside him anymore and looked behind him to see Willow walking slowly.

"Are you okay Willow?" he asked, his voice filled with concern. "Because the face you're giving me is telling me otherwise." Willow swallowed and tried his best to slow his breathing. He also realized he was holding his hoof to his chest as well and quickly planted it on the ground.

"I'm... fine Iron," Willow lied, trying his best to conceal the pain that was still present.

"Are you sure Willow? We can stop you know, the others won't be worried about us for a while."

"Yes yes I'm sure," Willow quickly replied. "It'll be dark soon Iron. Although the Timberwolves are gone and I know this place like the back of my own hoof, I don't want to be out here since that thing could still be out there. It could be watching us right now for all we know."

Iron looked at him carefully for another minute before he turned his head and continued walking. "Well... if you say so Wiilow," he replied. "But if you ever feel the need to stop, just say so. I'm pretty sure Swiftwing and I can wait for you."

"Y- yes, of course Iron. Thank you for the suggestion," Willow said and quickly caught up to him. That creature... it must have been that orb it threw at me back at the cave. I'm beginning to think there was more to that creature than meets the eye...

They continued walking for about a minute when Willow felt Swiftwing begin to nip at him. "Hey! What did I say about nipping ponies girl, especially me? There has to be a better way to tell me that you're hungry." Swiftwing screeched softly in return and he smiled. "Fine, go and get something to eat girl, but promise me you won't take too long."

Swiftwing immediately flapped her wings and flew off his back, disappearing into the trees ahead of them shortly after. "I have to say, I'm quite jealous of your hawk Willow," Iron said. "I've never seen a bird and a pony communicate so well until the two of you came along."

"Yes, you could say that she is my pride and joy," Willow replied. "I don't know what I would do if I lost her, she's like an extension of myself."

"No kidding, she acts exactly like you, which isn't a bad thing of course."

"Yeah... hey, how are your little fillies doing by the way Iron? I haven't seen them often since..." Willow trailed off, realizing that he just crossed a sensitive line he shouldn't have. "Wait Iron, I didn't mean-"

"Lemon Heart and Azure Berry are doing just fine," Iron replied coldly. "They miss her very dearly... I miss her very dearly..."

One year ago, there was a terrible forest fire that had quickly spread to the village. Iron Shield's home was the first to be reached by the flames, and most certainly wasn't the last. Reacting quickly, Iron Shield was able to get his two newborns to safety, but as for his wife... she wasn't so fortunate. Ever since that day, Willow knew that Iron Shield wasn't the stallion he once was, but that didn't stop him from continuing their friendship.

"I... I miss her too Iron Shield. The whole village does. She was the local nurse after all," Willow softly replied. There was an awkward silence between the two and he quickly decided to change the topic. "Hey, did I ever tell you of the time that Swiftwing ate her meal on top of Old Pony Grouch's hat? Now that was a hilarious sight to see."

Iron Shield shook his head and chuckled. "Really now? I wouldn't go anywhere near that grump even if somepony offered me a hundred bits to, but I wish I could have been there to see it happen. What happened next?"

"Well... let's just say that Grouch and Swiftwing 'danced' for a bit Iron," Willow said and both of them burst out laughing, having already forgotten what they were talking about before.

Their laughter quickly died down though and the two kept walking through the woods until at last Iron spoke again. "You know Willow, the whole village is going to be extremely grateful that you destroyed the Timberwolves that had been pestering us for so long," he said.

Willow nodded in agreement. "The Timberwolves were a huge thorn in our side, but with them being gone now I'm more concerned about the hooded creature who destroyed them in the first place." He suddenly saw something small and dark move out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to investigate, only to find nothing.

"What is it Willow? Is there something there?" Iron asked and Willow shook his head.

"No... I thought there was... but it must have been my imagination. I did hit my head rather hard in the cave before you found me." They heard a screech in the distance and Willow extended his leg before him. Swiftwing came back from wherever she went and carefully perched herself on his leg.

"Did you find something to eat Swiftwing?" Willow asked and saw that her beak was splattered with some unfortunate creature's blood, answering the question for him. "Okay, whatever you do don't wipe your beak-" He was too late though since she just began to clean her beak by rubbing the blood off on him. "On me... ugh, now I have to bathe when we get back." Swiftwing looked at him and he thought she saw her smile before she quickly moved up his leg and onto his back.

"Just like you," Iron said and chuckled. "And what do you know, it looks like she hunted right outside the village!" As the trees continued to thin out, Willow saw the familiar place that he called home. White Tail Village was built with the very trees the ponies that came before them chopped down, leaving a large circular area devoid of all trees save for one which was located in the center of town. The Tree of Visions.

Over the years as the town continued to grow and expand, fortifications had been built around it, making the village seem more like a fort than an actual village, but time and time again the Mayor assured them that it was for their own safety. It was unfortunate that a couple of Timberwolves were able to make it through though since one of the guards didn't make sure the gate was closed all the way.

"Good timing too," Iron continued. "I was afraid that the sun was going to disappear behind the trees before we got back."

"Yeah, it would have been... ugh... would have... been..." Willow tried to say but was having difficulty thinking.

"Would have been what Willow? Willow? Willow!" Iron shouted. "What are you doing!?"

Willow had begun to stumble about, trying hard to stay balanced but it was as if the very world was slipping from underneath him. He heard something shout his name, but his hearing made everything sound slower, deeper.

"Swiftwing! Come over here!" Iron shouted. "It's not safe for you to be on him... not when he's like... like this!" Swiftwing looked at Iron and cocked her head slightly to the side before quickly shaking her head. "Bah! You act just like Willow would!"

What... is happening to me? Willow thought. My vision... it's becoming blurry... He closed his eyes and shook his head, hoping that it would pass, but when he opened his eyes again, he was not outside his village anymore. Instead, he was standing outside a place he had never been to before. It looked to be some sort of castle.

Wait... I've seen this building before on a map... is this... is this Canterlot Castle? The castle suddenly erupted in flame before him and he turned his head away as the whole place exploded, leaving nothing but a smoking crater and burning rubble that rained from above. Meteorites began to hurtle from the sky and they crashed into the buildings behind him, but Canterlot was not the only place being hit. He slowly turned around on the spot, watching the meteorites fall as far as the eye could see.

"What is going on here!? Why am I here!?" Willow shouted, but only the sound of falling meteorites was the reply he received. He suddenly heard a booming chuckle come from behind him and he turned around to see that it was none other than the creature he saw before standing in the middle of the smoking crater that was once Canterlot Castle, but it looked... different.

It was no longer floating in the air like before since the thing now had legs. Its hood was drawn back, revealing a clean-shaven face covered in various tattoos and markings. His horns and eyes glowed red as if they were embers.

"Look around you pony! Your empire has fallen!" he yelled, his voice striking Willow to the bone. "For far too long have I waited for this day... the other Runelords were fools to not have included me, deciding to remain at a mere seven instead of eight! Karzoug... Alaznist... all of them are fools! But look who has the most land now... this world... it belongs to ME!"

He raised his staff upwards and it unleashed a beam of purple energy towards the sky, slicing through anything that stood in its path. Willow looked up and his eyes widened in horror as he watched a meteorite descend towards him, larger than any of the other ones he had seen already. Knowing he wouldn't be able to get to safety in time, he held his breath and closed his eyes just as the meteorite struck Canterlot.

When he opened them again, he found himself lying on the ground with Iron and Swiftwing hovering just above his head. He looked at each of them quickly before he closed his eyes again, having fainted from the terrifying ordeal he just experienced

"Guards! Open the gate!" Iron shouted. "We have a pony here that needs help stat!" Swiftwing nudged her master, trying to get him to respond. When there wasn't any response from him she dug her claws into the ground and covered her head with her right wing. The guards up above on the ramparts pulled a lever and the gears began to turn as the gate slowly opened, revealing a trio of cloaked elderly mares that made their way over to the three.

Iron looked up from his unconscious friend and saw the three mares walking towards them, his eyes widening as he recognized who they were. "The... the Council!" he exclaimed. "Please! Help my friend! He began to rant about destruction and anarchy and then he suddenly collapsed!"

"Do not fear young one, for we have heard," the mare on the far left said.

"We have felt," the middle mare said.

"And we have seen," the last mare said. "Come, bring your friend and follow us to the Tree of Visions. We have much to discuss."

The three turned around and walked back into the village, leaving Iron to drag Willow on his own. "We'll be there shortly wise ones!" he called out after them. "Somepony up on the ramparts! Come down and help me carry Willow please! He's heavier than he looks!"

Willow slowly awoke to find himself lying down on a rather uncomfortable bed. Where... where am I? The last thing I remember was standing with Iron just outside the village, he thought. Willow craned his neck to get a good look at his surroundings. He looked to be in some sort of makeshift tent that lacked anything of interest except for a wooden chair that was in the right corner of the tent. He could see a small light flickering outside through the tent flaps and assumed that night had fallen.

The tent flaps suddenly parted, revealing Iron Shield along with Swiftwing who was perched on his shoulder. When they saw that Willow had woken up at last, Iron sighed in relief while Swiftwing screeched in joy and flew over to him. She began to nuzzle him as soon as she landed on his stomach.

"Good, you're awake at last," Iron said. "How are you feeling Willow?"

"Ugh... I haven't felt this bad since the flu outbreak four years ago," Willow replied. "I'm sore all over... how long was I out for Iron?"

Iron walked over to the chair in the corner and dragged it towards Willow's bed before he sat down and made himself comfortable on it. "You've been out for about three hours Willow, midnight has already passed. For a while there, I thought we had lost you. What happened to you outside the village Willow? Do you remember?"

"No... the last thing I remember was standing next to you outside the village, but then everything is fuzzy from there. I found myself here afterwards." Swiftwing walked around in a circle on his stomach a couple of times before finally sitting down, having grown very tired since she should have been asleep hours ago.

The two friends remained silent for some time when Iron rose from his chair. "Come Willow, we are needed elsewhere. You'll find out what happened soon enough," he said and extended a hoof towards him. Willow eagerly grabbed it and Iron pulled him off the bed, causing Swiftwing to fly off of his stomach and land on his back after, much to her annoyance.

"Where are we going Iron?" Willow asked. "Shouldn't I be resting? And why won't you tell me what happened?"

Iron stopped in front of the tent flaps and turned his head until he was looking back at Willow. "Because the Council of Farseers know more than I," he replied and he exited the tent.

"The Council!?" Willow exclaimed. "Iron, wait for me!" He rushed outside of the tent but he didn't have to go far since Iron had already stopped. "How is the Council-" He stopped as soon as he recognized where they were and the three mares that stood before them.

"Welcome back to the realm of reality Willow," the far left one said.

"You may be wondering what is going on," the middle one said.

"But you have nothing to fear, for you shall receive your answers here," the far right one said.

Willow and Iron immediately knelt before them. "I... I'm honoured to see all of you oh wise ones," Willow said. "The Speaker of Heart, the Speaker of Mind and the Speaker of Soul." Behind the three mares was a massive tree that was surrounded by a faint white glow that Willow had recognized. The Tree of Visions. It was on an island that was just big enough for it to grow on.

"You may rise young ones," the far left one known as the Speaker of Heart said and Willow and Iron slowly stood up. "Come with us Willow to the water surrounding the tree, we will show you the answers you seek."

Willow nodded and he looked over at Iron who silently urged him to go on. He took a deep breath and he followed the Council over to the water that encircled the tree.

"Take a seat on the grass Willow, and observe," the one known as the Speaker of Mind said. Willow quickly did what he was instructed to do and the three mares surrounded him. One was in front of him while the other two were on either side of him. They lowered their hoods, revealing their horns and what they looked like.

They all looked very weathered and weary, their faces covered with wrinkles, but that did not mean they were weak. Nopony knew when the three mares arrived to live in White Tail Village, but most believed that it had something to do with the tree. The three Unicorns were indeed very mysterious, and so was their power that they wielded.

The Speaker of Soul's coat was a vanilla white with eyes the colour of the sea. Her mane was very well maintained and was a dark blue colour. The Speaker of Heart's coat was the colour of cherries with eyes that were a dark shade of violet. Her mane was also blue, but it was somewhat lighter than the Speaker of Soul's. The Speaker of Mind's coat was a pale yellow, almost like the colour of the sun. Her eyes were the colour of amber and like the others, her mane was blue, but it was the lightest blue of them all.

The three mares closed their eyes and their horns began to glow the same colour as their eyes. "Relax Willow," the Speaker of Mind said. "And we shall show you what we saw transpire within you."

They channelled their beams towards Willow's head and Swiftwing quickly flew away and perched on one of the Tree of Visions many branches. Willow felt a warm and slightly tickling sensation when suddenly a scene shimmered into view in front of him. He saw himself standing in front of a castle, but as the scene continued to play out in front of him, his eyes widened in fear. He gasped when he saw a figure that he recognized.

"The creature! It... he... he is planning on destroying not only Equestria but the world for his own gain!?" Willow exclaimed and he turned his head away. "Stop! I've seen enough!" The scene slowly faded away as the three Unicorns ceased channeling their beams and raised their hoods again. "Why... why didn't it kill me then? Back at the cave?"

"By what we've seen within your mind Willow, it seems that this creature... he is not yet at his full power," the Speaker of Heart said. "But..."

"But what? Why didn't he kill me if what we saw is what that creature is trying to do?" Willow asked.

The mares all looked at each other and they nodded. "What happened to you at the cave Willow... it is what he intended to do," the Speaker of Heart continued. "I've seen it within your heart Willow... you have been cursed... cursed to die."

Willow's jaw dropped in disbelief. Cursed to die? That was impossible! "How... how do you know this is true?" he asked.

"Because Willow, when the creature used its power on you, it corrupted your soul," the Speaker of Soul said. "That scene that you just witnessed, it is a side effect of his curse, these hallucinations. They will only continue to get worse until you at last... cease to exist."

Willow rose from his spot and he began to pace back and forth in silence. "Is there... is there a way to break the curse?" he asked. "How much longer... how much longer do I have?"

The Speaker of Soul shook her head. "We do not know ourselves Willow, but perhaps... perhaps there still is a solution," she said and she turned to face the Tree of Visions.

Willow noticed this and he stifled a laugh. "With all due respect farseer, I don't see how a tree will be able to help me. Even though it's called the Tree of Visions, I don't think it has actually given a vision at all. It's only a legend!"

"Oh? So you are willing to forsake your life simply because you don't believe? Legends can be more real than you know young Willow... Think about your mother, your friends... you wish to give it all up?"

"W- wait, that's not what I meant!" Willow exclaimed and he sighed. "If you... if you believe this will help then I trust your judgement farseer. What do you need me to do?"

"Simply approach the tree young one and it will show the way if you are worthy," the Speaker of Heart said. "If you are, you must tread water for as long as you can, for the vision will only last as long as you are able to."

"Alright then, sounds simple enough," Willow replied and he looked up at Swiftwing. "Make sure I don't accidentally drown myself girl." Swiftwing flapped her wings twice and he smiled in return. "Thanks for the support."

Willow slowly approached the water's edge and the Speaker of Soul walked back to join her fellow farseers. Well, here goes nothing, he thought and he jumped into the water. The water was cool but refreshing as he slowly swam over to the base of the tree. Little did he know that Iron had come to see what was going on and he stood next to the farseers, watching, waiting.

Almost... there... With one final push, Willow was able to touch the base of the tree and he stayed in the water, hoping something would happen. Come on... please work... When nothing happened, Willow sighed and began to make the trip back to shore when suddenly a white glow came from behind him. He turned around to see that the tree was glowing a brilliant white and he felt something stir within his mind, then everything went dark.

When he could see again, images flashed before his eyes. He was only able to catch glimpses of each image before they were immediately replaced by another one. In one of them, he saw himself speaking with a male Pegasus. In another, the same Pegasus was with him except they were gathered around a fire, alongside what looked to be a female Unicorn. He suddenly found himself on a ship sailing across an ocean, which was soon followed by an image of Griffons surrounding him and the two other ponies that seemed to be in most of them.

An image that really stuck out for him though was that of the creature. He saw him standing at the back of an army of creatures he didn't recognize. Then suddenly everything turned bright and he found himself back on land, dripping wet and gasping for breath.

"Willow! Can you hear me?" Iron asked. Willow looked up at him to see that he was wet as well. Swiftwing was busy flapping her wings above Willow, trying her best to dry him off.

"Yeah... I can hear you," Willow replied and he coughed up some water that had still been in his lungs. "Did I go under?"

"Just slightly Willow. As soon as I saw you weren't able to keep yourself up, I immediately pulled you out. I'm sorry if I interrupted a vision you were having."

"No no, it's alright Iron. Thank you for getting me out of there," Willow said.

The farseers then approached him and he stood up to meet them. "What did you see Willow?" the Speaker of Soul asked. "Did you see a solution? Did you discover a cure for your problem?"

"Unfortunately... I did not, but the tree, the vision, it did give me some guidance," Willow replied.

The Speaker of Mind closed her eyes and she gasped before opening them again. "So you... you have a plan Willow," she said. "A plan that involves..."

"Going after that creature and bringing about his end, yes," Willow said, finishing her sentence for her. "Although I did not see a solution to my current predicament, I won't allow our land or the world suffer because of this creature."

"Willow... are you hearing what you are saying?" Iron asked. "That thing almost killed you back at the cave! How can you possibly stop it? The last time I checked, you weren't an Alicorn or one of those ponies that can use the Elements of Harmony."

Willow walked past all of them and whistled for Swiftwing who quickly flew over and landed on his back. "You're right Iron, I'm not an Alicorn or even a Unicorn. I'm just a simple Earth pony among thousands of others. But when you create a spark... you ignite the fire. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to check in on my mother."

The farseers and Iron watched as Willow walked away and disappeared into the night. "And so it begins..." the Speaker of Soul said. "He'll most likely set out early tomorrow morning... I don't think we'll be able to change his mind."

Iron Shield continued to stare at the spot where he saw Willow disappear. Willow...

Far away from White Tail Village, a shadowy figure was looking out across the land from the top of a mountain. He held a necklace in one hand and his staff in the other. From where he was, he was able to see a small castle in the distance, lit up by hundreds of lights.

"Soon... I will carry out my plan..." he whispered and he gripped the necklace even tighter. "The journey here took much more power out of me than last time... I was lucky... lucky to have known about the Starstone before the impact..." He held out the necklace in front of him and it slowly began to levitate.

"I very well might be the last Runelord alive... even if the others didn't think of me as one... but I'll prove them wrong... even when they are already in the Plane of Hell!" Dark storm clouds brewed above him and his eyes flashed red. "Why share a small part of Golarion... when I can have a world to myself! A world for the Runelord of Anarchy!

The Journey Begins

The steps of the front porch creaked as Willow made his way up them and towards the front door of his home. Fortunately his mother had left a lantern hanging outside which allowed him to see, but just barely since the lantern's fuel had almost run out. Before going inside, he gently blew on the lantern's flame, putting it out before opening the door and walking inside.

The house was rather small for Willow's tastes, having only the basic rooms such as the kitchen, a living room, a washroom and two bedrooms, as well as a small basement. The hall which he was currently in connected all of them. His mother and father had built their home from scratch when he was just a little foal, but ever since his father went missing in action and was presumed killed during the Changeling attack, the house began to fall apart in various places. What was once a home of love and happiness had turned into that of grief and sorrow, his mother had yet to just accept that his father was gone, even though she pretended she had.

The hall was dark and Willow slowly crept down it as to not wake his mother. When he was passing the living room however, he saw a light turn on and turned his head to find his mother sitting on one of the chairs in her bathrobe, not looking pleased at all.

"Where have you been?" she asked. Willow was able to hear the sternness in her voice. "You've been gone for almost a day Willow! Do you know how worried I was when I couldn't find you this morning!? No note, no goodbye, nothing! What do you have to say for yourself?"

Willow paused for a moment and sighed. "If you really want to know Mother, I was out in the woods," Willow replied. "Hunting the Timberwolves with Swiftwing." He watched as his mother's jaw dropped in shock before she quickly shook her head. His mother, Cheery Maple, although not so cheery now, had the same colour coat as him. Her mane was a light brown and her eyes were the colour of amber. He could see anger in her eyes, but he could also easily see the sadness behind them.

"You... did... WHAT!?" she yelled. "That is a job better left to the guards Willow! You could have died! You-"

"The Timberwolves are dead mother and I'm still alive," Willow said, interrupting his mother before she began to lecture him. "Besides, nopony would have been able to find them if they didn't leave right away. I know these woods, and my father... he taught me everything I know."

"The Timberwolves... are dead? Did you kill them?" she asked and Willow shook his head.

"No. I was able to track them down to their lair with the help of Swiftwing, but upon our arrival we found that something else had killed them. Something... something powerful."

Cheery suddenly rose from her chair and walked over to Willow, her eyes scanning his face. "Willow... what is that mark on your right eye?" she asked.

"Mark? Sure I'm a bit bruised, but I don't recall something happening to my eye," Willow replied.

"Here, step into the light Willow so I can get a better look."

She led him over to the lantern she had lit and made him stand behind it. When the light revealed his face, her eyes widened in surprise.

"I don't believe it..." she whispered. "Willow... when did you receive a vision from the tree?"

"Just recently mother... but wait... how do you know I received a vision? Are you telling me that the Tree of Visions has actually given a vision before?" he asked and Cheery nodded.

"Here Willow," she replied and brought out a small mirror from the table drawer that the lantern was on. "Look for yourself."

She held up the mirror and Willow saw his own reflection clearly. When he focused on his right eye, his eye's widened in surprise. There was indeed a mark there like his mother had said. Although it was faint, he was able to make out a small circle, but the letters and markings inside of it he wasn't able to recognize.

"Is it permanent Mother?" he asked and Cheery shrugged

" I don't know Willow... all I know is that your father... my sweet Obsidian Hoof... he received a vision just before he left for Canterlot. You were out in the woods when it happened, but he refused to tell me what he saw when I pulled him out of the water."

"Then how come when I said goodbye to him before he left he didn't have any markings at all?" Willow asked.

Cheery walked over to one of the windows in the room and sighed. "It disappeared within a couple of hours Willow, but I'm not sure if it happens to be gone for good. What I do want to know though is why you received a vision in the first place."

Willow hesitated to reply. He could tell her that he was cursed, doomed to slowly die and tell her his plan, or he could lie, which would save her from having to worry about him.

"Er... Iron told me to try it when we returned to town," Willow quickly replied. "So being me, I didn't believe him at first and went to go prove it that it wouldn't work. Surprise though, it did work."

"And what did you see Willow?"

"I saw... I saw myself opening a shop in Canterlot, selling... uh... maps...?"

Cheery turned away from the window with a puzzled expression on her face. "Selling maps? Shop... Canterlot!?" she exclaimed. She gasped and her confusion turned to that of joy. "Do you know what this means Willow? You can leave the woods! Make a living for yourself and meet new ponies! Maybe even that special somepony..."

Willow's face turned red as he blushed and rubbed the back of his head. "Mom... I'm only twenty-six years old... Swiftwing is enough to keep me company, isn't that right Swiftwing?" he asked. "Swiftwing?" He looked behind him to find that she had fallen asleep on his back.

"That bird won't be around forever you know Willow," Cheery said. "You've lived here your whole life and have never done anything with your skill other than explore the woods over and over again. Go! Explore the land! Sell some maps and have a family! Maybe I can at last have some grandfoals!"

"Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves here Mother," Willow replied. "I still need to say goodbye and tell Mayor Oak that I'm leaving so he won't have to tax you as much. Gardening only gets you so far."

Cheery quickly clapped her forehooves together. "And you need to pack as well! Go and get some rest Willow. In order to get to Canterlot you'll have to take the train from the station on the outskirts of the woods. It's a bit... old, but that's how we get goods imported from other towns and cities. I'll do most of your packing and you decide what else you'll need."

Cheery walked forward and embraced Willow with a brief hug and looked into his eyes. "You have your father's eyes..." she said. "Goodnight Willow, I'm glad that you're okay."

"Yes... goodnight Mom," Willow replied and he left the living room. He walked down the hall and entered his own room which was decorated with various items he had found in the woods over the years, some of which he would probably be taking with him tomorrow.

"Alright girl... time to put you in your cage." He reached behind him with his head and gently nudged Swiftwing. She slowly woke up and waddled over to her cage before quickly falling asleep again. Willow could feel his own eyelids growing heavy as he took off his saddlebag and tossed it onto the floor before collapsing on top of his bed. Before he knew it, he had fallen fast asleep.

Willow awoke to the sound of a rattling cage and saw that Swiftwing had woken up. She screeched at him in annoyance which caused him to sit up. "Ugh... good morning Swiftwing," he said and yawned before getting out of bed. "Just give me a m- minute to wake up." He opened up his bedroom window before walking over to Swiftwing's cage where she had been waiting patiently for the last ten minutes. As soon as he opened the cage Swiftwing flew out of it and then out the window.

"You could have said thank you!" he called out after her and yawned again. It was slightly dark outside still, but that was normal for him since he had to wake up at this time everyday with Swiftwing, who unfortunately was an early riser because of her natural instincts.

Only a few hours sleep... fortunately I didn't have any nightmares, he thought. Or hallucinations. He felt his stomach growl angrily at him which made Willow realize that he had not had anything to eat since yesterday morning. Well I certainly can't travel on any empty stomach... I better find something light to eat before I leave. He exited his room and quickly crossed the hall over to the kitchen where he found Cheery casually sipping away at a cup of her home-grown tea.

"Good morning Willow!" she cheerfully exclaimed. "It's about time you woke up! Did you sleep well?"

"It could have been worse, but what about you?" Willow asked, noticing the bags that had formed underneath Cheery's eyes. "Because it looks like you didn't sleep very well, or at all."

Cheery took another sip of her tea and smiled. "That's because I stayed up these last few hours packing your bag and checking to make sure you have what you need. I know you have your saddlebag, but I assumed that you would want to you use it for any personal belongings you may wish to bring."

"Oh... well that saves me a lot of time. Thank you Mom. By the way, do we have any muffins? I'm feeling rather hungry for muffins this morning."

"Of course! In fact I baked them myself not too long ago," she replied. She reached towards the middle of the table and removed the paper towel that had been covering a tray of muffins. "Don't worry about them being hot, they've had time to cool."

Strange... this is the happiest I've seen her in months. Is it because I'm leaving? Willow thought and he grabbed a muffin from the tray. He bit down on it and was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually quite decent, plus it tasted like blueberries which was his favourite fruit, with apples being just behind of course.

"So now get whatever else you want and then we can go see Mayor Oak before you leave. I was surprised that he was able to set aside some time for us, especially since it was very late when I visited him," Cheery said and rose from her chair. "I'll be waiting for you outside just as soon as I freshen myself up."

Willow watched her leave the kitchen just as he finished his muffin and he returned to his own room. Hmm... what should I bring with me? I'm not really going to live in Canterlot, but I still want something to remember home by, he thought. Willow picked up his saddlebag from the floor and opened it to find his lantern, a shortbow with an empty quiver that he still needed to train with and a small hammer he would have used against the Timberwolves. He looked around his room for anything he would want to bring when his eyes fell upon a single black rock, but this was no ordinary rock. No, it was a piece of obsidian that was given to him by his father to remember him by when he was just a foal.

The obsidian was a dark black piece of igneous rock said by his father to only come from volcanos, something Willow wished he could see for himself. It had a rather glossy, translucent appearance and he at last decided that he was going to take it with him. Just as he was putting it in the saddlebag, Swiftwing returned from her morning hunt and screeched that she had arrived.

"Hey Swiftwing, catch something nice to eat?" he asked and Swiftwing flew in a circle once. "Excellent! Well, say goodbye to your cage Swiftwing because we won't be returning for a while, perhaps not at all." He thought he saw her roll her eyes and she landed on his back instead of going to her cage. "Can't say I blame you, if I lived in a cage I wouldn't exactly care for it either."

He tossed his saddlebag onto his back and he took one final look at his room before leaving it and closing the door behind him. He made his way out of the house to find his mom standing on the porch with a rather large bag next to her. She looked better than she had in months and even put on makeup to cover her bags. This was the mother that he knew before that day two years ago.

"All set?" she asked and Willow nodded.

"I'm as set as I'll ever be Mother, let's go before I start having second thoughts." Willow picked up the other bag and Swiftwing moved to make room as he tossed it onto his back as well. The two descended the porch steps and began to make their way over to townhall.

Seeing as it was still very early in the morning, most of the other villagers weren't even up yet. The only ones they saw awake were the guards who were at the end of their night shift. Townhall wasn't too far away from the Tree of Visions fortunately and they made it there in no time at all. They were just about to walk inside when the door opened, revealing none other than Mayor Oak himself.

"Ah! Good morning Willow, Cheery, I was just about to come over to your home to discuss Willow's residency in the town, but it looks like you saved me the trip," he said. "And Cheery, I see your gardening cutie mark is looking better than ever!" This caused Cheery to blush and she looked down at her hooves. Mayor Oak was an Earth pony with a light brown coat and dark brown eye colour. His mane had turned grey over the years due to how stressful it was to run a small town in the middle of nowhere such as this one. His cutie mark was a dark green oak leaf.

"So, you're finally going out on your own eh Willow? They grow up so fast don't they Cheery?" he asked and she nodded. "Now without further ado, I just need you to sign this paper Willow. Since you will no longer be living here, I won't have to tax your home twice as much." He brought out a quill along with some ink and a document that Willow needed to sign and gave it to him. Willow didn't hesitate to put the items on the ground and he quickly signed the document after going over it.

"Thank you very much Willow! I hope that your travels will be pleasant!" Mayor Oak exclaimed and he quickly scooped up the items from the ground and returned them to his own saddlebag. "Oh! Before you go I would like to thank you for taking care of that little problem of ours. A little somepony told me about it and I feel you've earned this on behalf of the town." He reached into his saddlebag and gave Willow a small bag stuffed to the brim with clinking coins.

"Wow... thank you Mayor, this is extremely thoughtful of you," Willow said and Mayor Oak shook his head.

"No Willow, it should be I thanking you!" he replied and held out a hoof which Willow grabbed and shook. "Good luck out there kiddo. I would go to see you off but I have some important business I need to take care of. Good day to both of you! And to you as well Swiftwing." Swiftwing poked her head out and screeched in return just as he returned inside townhall, leaving Willow, Swiftwing and Cheery alone.

"Well, I guess that's that," Willow said and Cheery nodded. "By the way Mom, Mayor Oak definitely has a crush on you."

Cheery looked at him in shock and disgust. "Mayor Oak? That old pony? Although he certainly likes to compliment me I'm sure I'm not the only one," she replied. "Besides, with your father gone I swore I would never marry or date again."

Willow simply shrugged. "Well, it's really none of my business what you do, but can we go now please? I have a train to catch."

"Right! Of course! I'll walk with you to the edge of town before we part ways though because I'm not exactly the young mare I used to be."

They walked to the other side of town in silence which Willow felt would be the last time they ever walked together. Before long they made it to the other gate, only to be surprised when they saw the Council as well as Iron Shield waiting for them.

"Iron Shield! The Council! What brings all of you here?" Cheery asked.

"The same reason why you are here young one," the Speaker of Soul replied. "We are here to wish Willow good luck on his journey."

"Oh... how did you..."

"I told them all about the vision I had yesterday Mom," Willow quickly said. "They were there when I experienced it and I told them that I wanted to follow it."

"Ah! Okay then... well... I guess this is... this is goodbye Willow," Cheery said and she began to tear up.

"Mom... I promise you that Swiftwing and I will be fine," Willow assured her. He could feel the sadness swelling up within him but he did his best to repress it, even though it was unhealthy to do so. Suddenly Cheery stepped forward and embraced him in a tight hug. Tears had begun flowing freely down her face and Willow could feel her shaking.

"J- just be safe okay Willow? Send me a letter as soon as you arrive in Canterlot. I wouldn't be able to handle it if I lost you as well."

She pulled herself away and she weakly smiled, which caused Willow to smile in return. "I love you Willow. No matter what I've said about you before, I'm proud of what you have become."

"Hey Willow," Iron said, getting his attention. "I have two very special ponies that are just waiting to say goodbye to you. Come on out girls! Don't be shy!"

Willow saw a bush rustle a few hoofsteps away and out popped two young fillies. One was a Unicorn and the other one was an Earth pony like her father. "Mister Seeker! Mister Seeker!" they cried in unison and hugged his legs when they reached him.

"Lemon Heart! Azure Berry! It has been so long since I've seen the two of you!" Willow exclaimed. Lemon Heart was the Unicorn with a coat as yellow as a lemon. Her mane was a dark orange and her eyes were the colour of violet. Azure Berry was the Earth pony with a coat like the colour of blueberries. Like her father she had a dark red mane and her eyes were light brown as well.

"So how has school been you two?" Willow asked.

"It's really easy!" Lemon Heart replied. "Although Azure doesn't really like it and would rather explore like you."

"Yeah! Papa has told us so many of your adventures together when you were both little!" Azure exclaimed. "So I want to be an explorer like you!"

Willow chuckled and he patted Azure's head. "You have a long life ahead of you still kiddo and you both have yet to get your cutie marks! But you want to know how I became an explorer? I stayed in school, studied hard, and my true passion came to me just like that!"

"Just like that?" Azure and Lemon asked in unison.

"Just like that," Willow replied.

The two fillies looked at each other and gasped. "If we do well in school... then we can get our cutie marks in no time!" Lemon Heart squealed.

"Yeah!" Azure Berry exclaimed and they hugged each other. "We hope you have fun on your journey Willow!"

"I definitely will, maybe I'll bring something back when I come to visit," he replied and winked at them, which caused the two to giggle and run behind Iron.

The Speaker of Soul cleared her throat, getting Willow's attention again. "We believe it is time for you to leave now Willow, or else you'll miss the morning train."

"Oh... right..." Willow replied and looked at the others. "Well... I guess this is goodbye everypony, I'll write back as often as I can."

Iron walked forward and he grasped Willow's right forehoof. "You've been my best friend for as long as I can remember Willow," he said. "I would absolutely love to go with you, but my place is here with the fair ponies of this village and my little fillies. Good luck out there."

"Thank you Iron, I understand," Willow replied and he faced the open gate. The path he was to take to get to the station laid before him when he was suddenly pulled close to the Speaker of Soul.

"This journey you are about to set out on... it will be filled with many trials and hardships you must overcome," she whispered. "You must find the cure to your predicament, otherwise you'll never see the foe you wish to vanquish. Good luck Willow, go with the blessing of the Council, may it protect you for as long as possible."

She then gave Willow a nudge towards the gate without giving him any time to respond. He took a deep breath and passed through the gate, the guards above watching him as he did so. Before he entered the woods, Willow turned around to have one last look at his village and waved. His mother, Iron, his two fillies and the Council waved in return as they watched Willow disappear into the woods.

"Well Swiftwing, it's you and I against the world," Willow said and Swiftwing let out an excited screech in return. "Yep, it's time for another adventure, and this time, the whole world is open to us."

The journey through the woods to the train station didn't take too long fortunately, but when Willow saw the train station for the first time, he was certain that it had seen better days. Paint was peeling off the walls and the floorboards were rotting. He could hear rats scurrying about right beneath his hooves as he walked over to the ticket booth where a lone pony sat sleeping. The pony was very old and balding and the only way Willow knew he was still alive was the fact that the old pony's chest was still rising with every breath.

A sign rested above the pony's head that said that passage west to Las Pegasus would be ten bits while passage easy to Ponyville would cost fifteen bits. Both were prices that he could easily afford with the bits the mayor had given him, which he had counted on the way to the train station to be around two-hundred and fifty.

Ponyville... I heard that Princess Twilight lives there along with her friends, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony, he thought. Maybe I can find some more information about that creature there... "Excuse me? Sir? I would like to purchase a ticket to Ponyville please." The old pony continued to snore away, much to Willow's annoyance. "I think I'm going to have to use something much louder... what do you say Swiftwing?" Swiftwing screeched loudly in response which caused the old pony to suddenly wake up and fall over.

"D- don't rob me! I have nothing! I swear!" the old pony cried and Willow rolled his eyes.

"Hey, I'm not here to rob you good sir, I just wish to purchase a ticket to Ponyville," Willow replied

The old pony slowly got to his hooves and put on a pair of glasses from his pocket. "You... wish to purchase a ticket? Nopony around these parts has purchased a ticket in years!"

A shingle fell from the roof and landed right next to Willow which shattered upon impact with the wooden floorboards. "Yeah... I can probably see why that is," Willow replied. "But I do wish to purchase a ticket still. Do you know when the next train will be arriving?"

"Hmm? Oh! The next train should be arriving shortly, let me just check the time." The old pony looked at the clock on the wall to find that it was broken. "Yep! Any minute now. So that'll be two tickets to Ponyville correct?"

"Hang on, are you saying my bird counts as a passenger?" Willow asked and the old pony nodded.

"Yep, as far as I know anyway, so that'll bring the total to... thirty-five bits please!"

"Th- thirty-five!?" Willow exclaimed. "But it says only fifteen a ticket!"

"Are you forgetting about the Equestrian Train tax sir? It has been the law for the last fifty years. So if you want those tickets or not, say so now because a purchase will notify the train to make a stop."

Willow rubbed his face and sighed. "Fine, two tickets please to Ponyville. Here are the thirty-five bits you require," he said and counted them out before giving it to the old pony. Suddenly he heard the whistle of a train in the distance and looked down the tracks to see that the train was almost to the station. "Please hurry sir."

"Don't rush me these things take time," the old pony replied. "I'm just waiting on your tickets to print, and here... they... are!" The old pony held up two tickets which Willow snatched out of his hooves.

"Thank you very much sir," Willow said but the old pony had already fallen back asleep. "Jeez... how did he end up with a job like that?" He walked over to the tracks and watched as the train pulled into the tiny station and made a complete stop. He was fortunate that he had purchased the tickets at the right time. The many passengers he saw through the windows were confused as to why they had stopped though because White Tail Station was usually just skipped.

As Willow approached one of the cars, the doors hissed open and out stepped a Conductor. "Ah! So you're the reason we stopped here today," he said and Willow nodded. "Well don't just stand there, come aboard! Just let me check your tickets please." Willow showed the Conductor the tickets he had purchased and after careful examination by the Conductor he allowed him to pass. When Willow had climbed aboard, the Conductor waved his hat which indicated that it was time to leave and he climbed aboard as well. The doors hissed shut as the train slowly began to move again and before long it was travelling at the same speed as before.

"Sir, you must take your seat now while the train is moving," the Conductor said and Willow nodded as he made his way towards the back of the train. Every car he went through though was filled to the limit and he received many strange looks from the other passengers, but he just ignored them. It wasn't until he reached the last car of the train, the caboose, that he was finally able to find a seat. Only one other pony was in there, but he or she was wearing a brown hooded cloak, so he decided to sit across from whoever it was.

"Hey, you don't mind if Swiftwing and I sit here do you?" Willow asked. "Every other seat has been taken." The pony remained silent and shook their head, allowing Willow to sigh in relief. "Thank you very much. Well then Swiftwing, make yourself comfortable." Swiftwing flew off of his back and landed on the bars above him. He then took off his saddlebags and carefully placed them underneath the seat before sitting down.

Willow felt slightly awkward because of how silent it was and he decided to break the ice with the pony across from him. "So... where are you heading?" he asked. "Ponyville?" The pony simply nodded in return. "Ah... are you visiting friends? Family? Or do you live there?"

"I'm returning from a research trip I went on in Las Pegasus," the hooded pony replied, much to Willow's surprise. The voice definitely belonged to that of a mare and he was glad that he at least knew the pony's gender now.

"Las Pegasus? That's where we get most of our goods from that come into White Tail Village," Willow replied.

"Ah, I've read about White Tail Village," she said. "It's a rather isolated place, but I believe it is the home for the Tree of Visions correct?"

"That's right, and believe it or not, the tree actually gives visions if one is worthy enough to receive one, which is why I'm here currently."

"Oh really? So what was your vision about?" the mare asked. The topic about visions had intrigued her and she wished to know more.

"Well... you might think I'm crazy... but I'm on a quest to find and stop something I encountered in the White Tail Woods," Willow replied. He felt that he could trust this mare for some odd reason. He couldn't quite explain it. "And so I'm heading to Ponyville first to see if I can find any information."

"Good luck with that," the mare replied. "Ponyville's library was destroyed three weeks ago during Tirek's return, but I do know of a place you can go to that is temporary."

"Really!?" Willow exclaimed. "That's great! Did you hear that Swiftwing? We've been gone for almost two hours now and already somepony is helping us out!" Swiftwing didn't respond as she was busy cleaning her feathers before she suddenly flew down and joined them.

"That is a wonderful bird you have there," the mare said. "And it's a Red-tailed Hawk! However were you able to find one, or even train one?"

Willow chuckled and smiled as he remembered the early days of training Swiftwing. "Well it's a long story, but I'll make it quick," he said. "I found her when she was just a young hawk and was parent-less. She had injured her wing somehow so I took her in and cared for her. Eventually I began to train her to understand our language and also taught her actions that she can use to reply with. We've been together ever since." He patted Swiftwing's head and she nuzzled his side in return before flying over to the mare. Swiftwing cocked her head to the left, determining whether or not the mare was friend or foe. After a minute had passed she too nuzzled the mare.

"Hold out your foreleg," Willow said. "Don't worry, it won't hurt when she lands on it."

"Okay then," the mare replied and she stuck out her right foreleg. Swiftwing noticed this and she flew up and perched on the mare's leg, much to Willow's and the mare's amusement. "Wow... you were lucky to have found her, uh..."

"Willow Seeker, but please, call me Willow."

"Well then Willow, I have a bird as well, an owl actually," she said. "His name is Owlowiscious. I believe that he and Swiftwing would get along just fine."

The two sat in silence for a bit as Swiftwing continued to groom herself when Willow spoke again. "So I've told you my name miss and I've really been enjoying your company, but I have yet to learn your name. Who are you?" he asked. Just then Swiftwing flew up and perched on the bars just as the mare brought both of her hooves to her hood.

"If you really want to know Willow..." she slowly began to say. "I'm... your worst nightmare!" Her eyes began to glow red as she began to change form. Willow watched in horror as the creature materialized before him and grabbed him by the throat. "You will die," he whispered. "I, Volgnash, will not be stopped! Most certainly not by a bunch of ponies!" He then brought him to the very end of the car and blasted the door off of its hinges, revealing the speeding ground below. "Die." Volgnash then threw Willow off of the train and he closed his eyes as the ground rushed forward to meet him. When he opened his eyes though, he found himself slumped over in his seat with the mare at his side. His heart was pounding at an abnormally fast pace.

"Willow! Are you alright?" she asked and Willow slowly sat up.

"Yeah... I'm alright," he replied. "What happened?"

"I was just about to tell you who I was when you suddenly stared at me as if I was the worse thing that crawled out of Tartarus. It wasn't until you fell over that I became worried."

"Oh... I'm... I'm deeply sorry miss, I never meant to worry you at all on this trip," he said. "Can you please forgive me?"

The mare giggled slightly. "Of course I forgive you Willow," she said. She placed her hooves near her hood and removed it. "And please, call me Twilight."

Willow's eyes widened in surprise as he scrambled to kneel before her. "Your highness! I- This- It's an honor to speak with you!" he stammered and Twilight smiled.

"At ease Willow, I may be royalty, but that doesn't mean you should treat me different from everypony else," she said. "Besides, I still need to get used to this, even though it has been about a year already."

"Is that why you are keeping yourself cloaked?" Willow asked. "So you don't draw any attention?" Twilight nodded, confirming that he was correct.

"To be honest Willow, there are some days when I just want to be a pony in the crowd. I went to Las Pegasus to pick up some books I ordered from Saddle Arabia and also visited the museum since I've never been there before. The whole time I was there though I was never left unguarded and many ponies wanted to see me. It's not that I don't want them to do what they do, I'm just still becoming adjusted to this new way of life."

"Heh, like my father used to say, life is full of surprises," Willow said. "But it's up to us to decide what to do with it. I wish he was still here."

"Oh... I'm so sorry for your loss Willow, when did he pass away?" Twilight asked.

"My mother and I were told that he went missing in action during the Canterlot Wedding fiasco. In other words, they pretty much told us that he died, but they weren't able to recover a body."

"Oh, so your father was a soldier Willow?"

"Yes, and not a day goes by that I miss him dearly, although a small part of me believes he is still alive and out there somewhere," Willow replied. "He never wanted to be a soldier... but when he was called upon to go to Canterlot he couldn't refuse the offer."

"I... I was there during the Changeling attack since it was my brother's wedding Willow," Twilight said. "I still remember that day... if it weren't for Cadance breaking Chrysalis's spell over my brother, Equestria would have been a far different place than what it is today. I bet your father was a brave stallion."

"He was your highness... he was."

The train's speakers suddenly crackled to life and was soon followed by the voice of the Conductor. "Good morning everypony, this is your Conductor speaking," he said. "We will be arriving in Ponyville shortly. Please gather your belongings and wait for the train to come to a complete stop. Thank you for taking the Pony Express Line. Our next stop will be Canterlot."

The speakers clicked and the Conductor's voice disappeared. "Time sure does fly by when you're talking," Twilight said and Willow nodded in agreement. "It was nice meeting you Willow. If you want to find some information about whatever it is you're searching for, please stop by the crystal tree, you can't miss it."

"I'll definitely stop by as soon as possible for sure," Willow replied. "Although why can't I go with you right away?"

"I have some business that I need to attend to first, but you can stop by whenever after lunch today if that's okay with you Willow."

"Of course! It is my first time in Ponyville after all so I think I'll do some sightseeing first," he replied.

"It's your first time here Willow? Well, as a warning, watch out for a hyperactive pony who calls herself Pinkie Pie," Twilight said. "She has a habit of throwing parties whenever somepony new strolls into town, but she means well."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind your highness."

They felt the train slowly screech to a halt and Willow looked out the window. From where he was he could just make out the faint outline of Canterlot Castle. He picked up his bags and tossed them onto his back before he whistled for Swiftwing, who quickly flew down and made herself comfortable on his back. Twilight quickly put her hood back on and she walked over to the next car with a door, closely followed by Willow. As they stepped off of the train, Willow had the strangest feeling that something was going to happen while he was here.

"See you later Willow, and welcome to Ponyville," Twilight said and he watched her trot away. He took a deep breath, noticing that the air was slightly drier than what it was back home and sighed.

"Well Swiftwing, what would you like to do first?" Willow asked. Swiftwing simply screeched in return and he nodded. "You're right, let's go exploring, because that is what we are meant to do." Willow stepped off of the platform and began to make his way towards the center of town. Welcome to Ponyville indeed.

Volt Cloud: Part Two

Willow's mind was going over everything he had done so far since he arrived while on his way over to the crystal tree. He bought apples from Applejack, was blasted by a cannon, watched a rather embarrassing race between Volt Cloud and Rainbow Dash, saved Rarity from having to explain her situation to the authorities and finally, he prevented Swiftwing from gouging out one of Fluttershy's pet's eyeballs. So much had happened already and he hadn't even been in town for five hours. It was just one thing after the other.

Ugh... I'm exhausted... but I need to find some information about that villain, he thought. I just hope that I'll be able to find something... He felt Swiftwing begin to peck him again and he remembered that she probably still had not eaten yet. "Alright Swiftwing, you can go, but you have to go to the forest okay? Meet me at the crystal tree when you are finished." Swiftwing screeched in return and she flew off. There was nothing more scary than a hungry hawk, well, except for that creature they were after.

It didn't take him very long to reach the crystal tree, he only had to make a few turns and there it was at the end of the street. As Willow approached the tree though, he was amazed at how much better it looked closer up. The tree towered over the rest of the buildings in Ponyville, and Twilight's home wasn't just a tree, it was a tree with a palace built right into it. Its crystalline shell sparkled in the daylight. The only tree that Willow felt could possibly be compared to it was the Tree of Visions, but even then the Tree of Visions didn't have a palace built into it. He didn't hesitate to knock on the doors and he waited patiently for somepony to answer. On the other side of the door Willow was able to hear the faint sound of something thumping against the floor when the door suddenly opened, revealing a... small dragon? Ponyville had a dragon as a resident?

"Uh... good afternoon sir, how may I help you?" the dragon asked. He had light purple scales with a light green almost greyish underbelly and eyes that looked like the colour of green pistachios. His spikes were a slightly darker green than his eyes and what looked like his ears were a light lime green colour.

"You're... you're a dragon!" Willow exclaimed, dumbfounded by this discovery. "You live here? With Princess Twilight?"

"Of course I'm a dragon! What were you expecting? A donkey?" the dragon asked. "And yes, I do live here with Twilight. I'm Spike, her loyal assistant. No task is too big or too small for me. Anyway, what brings you here stranger?"

Willow realized he was still staring at the little guy and quickly shook his head. "I'm here to find some information. Twilight invited me herself when we were on the train here to stop by later after she had dealt with some personal business. Is she here Spike?"

Spike crossed his arms and leaned against the door frame. "Oh is that so? Twilight never mentioned that somepony new was stopping by today. What's your name stranger? What type of information are you looking for exactly?" he asked. Willow was able to sense the caution in the little dragon's voice, which meant that he obviously didn't trust him.

"My name is Willow Seeker. I come from a small village in the White Tail Woods," Willow replied. "I'm here because I'm trying to track down a strange creature. I'll ask again Spike, is her highness here and available?"

"Willow Seeker huh? So what if Twilight was here? Why are you-"

"Spike! Who is that at the door?" a voice asked from somewhere within the tree, interrupting Spike.

Spike took another look at Willow before turning around. "There's somepony here asking for you Twilight. Apparently the both of you met on the train? He's wearing a cloak and is carrying some bags."

"Oh! Spike, that's Willow! I'm sorry I forgot to tell you, but I did invite him to stop by in the afternoon," Twilight replied and she appeared next to Spike at the door. "Hello Willow, it's wonderful to see you again. Please come in." She stepped to the side, allowing Willow to walk inside before Spike closed the door behind them. "Say, where is Swiftwing Willow? Isn't she usually with you?"

"Ah, she's out hunting currently. You might see her after I leave," Willow replied. The three of them walked down the short hall until Twilight stopped at a passage on their left that contained a set of spiralling stairs at the end of it. Further down the hall Willow was able to see what looked like a throne room, but what was interesting about it were the symbols that were inscribed into each throne. They looked very similar to some cutie marks that he had seen earlier.

"If you would please follow me Willow, the temporary library is just on the next level," Twilight said. She trotted over to the stairs and quickly began to climb them, soon followed by Spike and then Willow. The climb didn't take too long and Willow stepped off of the stairs and found himself in another hall along with Spike and Twilight. "Over here Willow, I believe that this is the place you are looking for." Twilight waited for Willow to walk over before she pushed the door open and they went inside.

The room was rather bare for a library, having only a few tables and chairs, along with some unopened boxes. The only source of light was coming through a large window on the opposite side of the room, but what concerned the most Willow were the lack of books. Only a few were on the shelves, and even those ones weren't in great condition. He was slowly becoming less and less confident that he would find something here.

"I know it may not look like much now Willow, but we are currently in the process of recollecting as many books as we can because of the incident that occurred three weeks ago," Twilight said. "Tirek obliterated Ponyville's library... along with most of my own personal belongings and some books that will never be recovered. I don't know if you saw the poor tree, but it's currently being made into a memorial, in honour of all the lost knowledge, memories, and the tree itself."

"I... I've only heard very little about that day your highness," Willow replied. "Tirek fortunately didn't make it to us in White Tail Village because of the Council, but I've heard terrible things... terrible things that he committed. I didn't see the tree, but I'll try to visit it before I leave Ponyville."

Twilight smiled weakly at him. "That would mean a lot to me Willow, but let's move on to what you need. You are welcome to look through as many books as you want and when you've decided that you are done, I'll walk you to the palace entrance. If you need anything, Spike and I will just be over here unpacking these boxes." Willow nodded and watched as Twilight and Spike walked over to the boxes and began to open them. Not wanting to waste any time, he immediately went over to the books and began placing all of them on a nearby table. After he had removed them all, he had about a dozen books that were in various conditions on the table in front of him.

I seriously hope I can find something, Willow thought. Any weaknesses, the thing's history, there just has to be something. If I can't find anything I don't know where I would start looking next. He started looking at the front of each book, but most of them were just not what he was looking for. Out of the twelve there, only two stood out. One was called Creatures of Equestria and the other one was called Creatures of the World, which Willow assumed wouldn't be as specific when talking about the types of creatures. Alright Creatures of Equestria, don't fail me now.

He opened the book and began to flip through it, but he didn't see any sign of that creature.

Pegasi... Unicorns... Earth... Dogs... Dragons... bah! There is nothing in here that talkabout that magical creature! There isn't even a picture of it! Perhaps it came from somewhere else... somewhere dark maybe? He closed the book with a huff which caused Twilight to look over at him.

"Is everything alright over there Willow? Have you found anything?" she asked and Willow shook his head.

"Not yet your highness... but there is still a book I haven't looked through yet," Willow replied. "I hope I can find something in there."

"I hope you find what you are looking for as well Willow, but if you don't mind me asking, how was your morning tour of Ponyville? What do you think of our town?"

"My morning? It was pretty eventful your highness. I met quite a few of the townsfolk and had lunch at the Ponyville Cafè. This town... it's really quite something compared to my own village."

"Did you run into Pinkie Pie?" Twilight asked and Willow laughed.

"Run into? More like got blasted by her cannon! Yes I did meet her, but it didn't last very long," Willow replied.

"Blasted by a cannon? Ugh, the party cannon... what the hay Pinkie Pie," Twilight said and brought a hoof to her face. "I swear, that girl is going to be the end of us all someday. Anyway, it's nice to know that the town has left a mostly good first impression on you, I'll let you get back to reading now Willow."

Willow nodded and moved on to the next book, hoping that he would have more luck in this one than the other one. However, this was not the case as he flipped the pages.

Zebra... Griffons... Thetapedes... Saddle Arabia... nothing. There is absolutely nothing in this book either! Argh! he thought and closed the book. He leaned back on the chair and sighed, frustrated that he was unable to find one single description or picture of the creature.

"Nothing in there either?" Twilight asked, noticing that the book in front of Willow was closed and he shook his head.

"Nope, nothing at all," he replied. He got up from his chair and began to put the books back where he found them since it would have been rude if he didn't.

"I'm sorry we didn't have what you are looking for Willow," Twilight said as she walked over to him. "But... I know of a place that you'll probably have better luck in."

"And what place is that?" Willow asked. Hope was returning to him once more.

"Why Canterlot of course! I lived there for most of my life and the library there is just filled with knowledge of the past. There's even a Star Swirl section! I have a very good feeling that you'll find what you are looking for there Willow."

"Hmm... Canterlot eh? That does sound like an ideal place to go to next," Willow said as he put the last book away. "Yes, I think I just might go there. Thank you for your time Princess Twilight, it was a pleasure being here."

"And it was a pleasure to have you here Willow," Twilight replied. "Spike, keep on unpacking those boxes while I bring Willow to the front entrance."

"Sure thing Twilight," Spike replied. "See ya Willow, it was nice meeting you."

"And it was nice meeting you as well Spike. Shall we go now your highness?" Willow asked and Twilight nodded.

"Yes, let's get you outside Willow."

The two walked alongside each other out of the library and down the steps and before they knew it, they had already arrived at the palace doors. Twilight pushed the right door open and they were greeted by a sky filled with dark storm clouds.

"Huh, I didn't know the Pegasi had planned a storm today. I guess they wanted to surprise us, but that's rather odd for them to do," Twilight said and she turned to face Willow. "Good luck out there Willow, perhaps our paths will cross again in the future."

"Thank you for having me your highness, it was an honour being here," Willow replied and he bowed his head before exiting the palace. Twilight looked at him one last time and closed the door behind him, leaving Willow on his own. He heard a screech from above and looked up to find that Swiftwing was perched on the balcony.

"Swiftwing! It's great to see you again girl!" Willow exclaimed and she glided down and landed on his back. "Did you find something to eat?" Swiftwing screeched in return and Willow smiled. "Really? That big? Sheesh! You sure were hungry girl, but guess what? We're going to the big city next. Canterlot!"

He began to make his way back towards the train station when he came across a crowd of ponies that had gathered in the open area. Curious to find out what was going on, he spotted Applejack from earlier next to her hay cart that was still filled with hay and quickly made his way over to her.

"Hey Applejack, what is going on here?" he asked. Applejack turned to face him and was surprised when she recognized who he was.

"Howdy Willow, fancy seein you here too," she said. "Ah can't blame ya though, a lot of pony folk decided to come and watch the race."

"Race? Wait... are you saying that there are Pegasi wanting to race in this weather?"

"Yup. The race is between Rainbow Dash and somepony called Volt Cloud. Apparently he lost a race earlier today and has demanded a rematch with her," Applejack replied.

"I have a feeling that this will not end well," Willow said and Applejack nodded.

"Same here Willow, same here."

"Oh dear, we aren't late are we?" a voice behind them asked and they turned around to see three familiar faces.

"Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Fluttershy! Ya'll made it!" Applejack exclaimed. "And right on time too, it looks like the race is just about to start."

"Oh I can't wait for Dashie to beat that other Pegasus!" Pinkie Pie excitedly exclaimed and then her eyes fell upon Willow. A smile slowly stretched across her face. "Willow! You're here too? Oh this is going to be so much fun!"

"Yeah... fun," Willow replied and he went behind Applejack. "Please don't let her near me, she blasted me with a cannon earlier!"

"I said I was sorry silly! Besides, you look fine and smell like cake! After this race I'm going to throw you an apology party, how does that sound Willow?"

"Uh..."

"Excellent! I knew you would agree with me!" Suddenly somepony blew on a whistle, causing everypony to become silent.

"Alright everypony, the rematch between Rainbow Dash and Volt Cloud is about to begin," they heard a pony say. The referee turned to face the two Pegasi that were pumped up and ready to fly. "I want to see a clean race between the two of you. Once the magical blast explodes above, that'll be the signal to begin. Understand?"

"Understood," Volt Cloud and Rainbiw Dash said in unison.

"I can't believe you decided to challenge me again after I kicked your rear last time Volt," Rainbow said and snickered. "Ready for it to be kicked again?"

"I wouldn't get too cocky if I were you Rainbow," Volt replied. "We are racing in my weather now, you don't stand a chance."

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes just as the referee's horn began to glow and he shot a magical blast into the air. He stepped out of the way as the two of them watched the blast go up and then it soundly exploded. The two of them flew off of the ground so fast it caused a lot of manes to blow in each pony's face.

"Oh there she goes! Kick his rear Rainbow!" Pinkie shouted. "Show him what you are made of!" The crowd watched as the two of them raced in the clouds above. Soon enough, Volt had begun to pull ahead, much to everypony's surprise. It was no wonder his name was Volt, he went through and around the storm clouds with ease, while Rainbow Dash tried her best to keep up, not wanting to be electrocuted.

"Ha... not so great when it's stormy huh Rainbow?" Volt whispered to himself. "It's time for a little humiliation and payback." He flew above one of the clouds and waited patiently for Rainbow Dash to pass underneath. The cloud he had chosen to use was very unstable, which meant that it would deliver a much, much bigger shock than the others.

At last, he saw that Rainbow was just about to pass underneath him and he jumped and slammed down on the cloud as hard as he could. Instead of shooting a bolt of lightning like Volt had expected though, the cloud suddenly became electrified, shocking Volt instead. He didn't even have any time to react and the cloud continued to shock him. When it had at last finished, Volt blacked out, causing him to stumble about until he fell off the edge of the cloud.

"Is that... Volt?" Rarity asked and the crowd decided to take a closer look. In the distance down the hill, they saw that it was indeed Volt, but he wasn't flying anymore. He was falling, and Rainbow Dash hadn't even noticed yet.

"He's gonna be flatter than a pancake if we don't get to him in time!" Applejack exclaimed. "We gotta find a way over there, and fast!"

Willow watched as the crowd tried to come up with a solution when his eyes fell upon Applejack's hay cart. It was one of those pull-it-yourself carts, but it had four wheels which was good enough for Willow. In the next second he quickly galloped over to the cart and began to push on it with as much strength as he could muster. It moved slowly at first, but it soon began to gain momentum and he jumped up on top of it before it moved any faster.

"Um... Applejack? Your hay cart is gone," Fluttershy said. Applejack and the others spun around to find that the cart was indeed gone and was just about to go down the hill. What surprised them the most was that Willow was with the hay cart as well.

"Willow! That ain't yours to take!" Applejack yelled.

"Sorry! I need to borrow it Applejack! Volt's life is in jeopardy!" Willow yelled back and the cart began to speed down the hill. "This is gonna be close... I hope I timed it right! Go Swiftwing! I don't want you to get hurt!" Swiftwing didn't hesitate to fly away and flew off to seek shelter while her master did this insane plan of his.

As Willow watched Volt tumble through the sky, he also had to worry about the ponies walking on the street. Since the cart didn't really have a turning device, he had to just yell as loud as he could.

"Everypony out of the way! Speeding cart coming through!" he yelled. His heart was racing as he came closer and closer to Volt who was rapidly approaching the ground. Ponies in front of him yelled and screamed as they dodged the cart, lucky to have not been run over.

"What are you doing you crazy donkey!?" one of them yelled. Suddenly it began to rain heavily, hindering Willow's vision as the sky rumbled above.

"Great, just great! How can this possibly get any worse!?" Willow yelled. A bolt of lightning then struck the back of the cart, sending him tumbling into the hay and causing the cart to catch fire. The cart had begun to swerve and tilt as the ground became more uneven. He picked himself up and looked ahead of him to find that the street was about to end and turn into grass.

Willow suddenly felt something thump behind him and turned around to find that Volt had landed safely in the cart. He did not look very good though. His mane was staticky and smoking and a scar streaked across his right eye. Volt was breathing though and Willow sighed in relief.

"Ugh, thank goodness! Now all I need to do is stop this... aw horse apples!" he exclaimed. The cart didn't have any brakes to stop it, leaving Willow to try and think of something else. The cart suddenly bumped as they left the dirt street and went onto the grass. It didn't help that the cart was on fire still, but fortunately the rain was keeping it at bay.

"Ow... my head..." Willow heard a voice say behind him and he turned around to find that Volt had woken up. "You... what... what happened? Did I win the race?"

"You took quite the tumble Volt, it looks like you were struck by lightning up there," Willow replied. The cart suddenly hit a rock at a strange angle, causing both of them to bounce in the cart as a wheel cracked and it turned towards the buildings in Ponyville. "But right now, I have to stop this thing!"

The grass had caused the cart to slow down, but they were still going fast enough to crash. Willow realized that there was no way he was going to stop this thing and that they were going to crash into one of the buildings.

"Alright Volt, I'm going to ask a question and you have to answer it. Do you trust me?"

"Wha? I don't understand..." Volt replied and Willow rolled his eyes.

"We have to bail! Jump Volt! Jump!" Willow yelled. He grabbed Volt and dragged him over to the edge. "Do it if you want to live!" Volt didn't need to be told again and he jumped off of the cart. He glided for a bit when his wings suddenly gave out and he collapsed to the ground and rolled to a stop. Willow had followed him right after and he hit the ground. Hard. He fortunately landed on his side but he felt a sharp pain. One of his ribs had been broken.

The cart continued to speed towards the buildings and Willow watched it crash, causing it to explode from the abuse it had endured. The flaming pieces were quickly doused by the rain, but now there was a large smoking hole in one of the buildings. His head fell on the ground and he coughed, which caused some pain to shoot through him and he just laid there. His ears pricked up and out of the corner of his eye he saw Volt limping towards him.

"You... I remember you... you saved me," Volt said. "I... I could have died. If you don't already know my name is Volt Cloud stranger, but how... how can I possibly repay you?" He helped Willow stand on his hooves and he watched Willow cough again.

"My- my name is Willow. You can help me by bringing me over to the- the train station... so I can go to Canterlot..." Each breath Willow took caused pain to shoot through his chest and he clenched his teeth because of it. He suddenly heard a screech in the distance and weakly smiled as Swiftwing appeared before him. "H- hey girl, I'm glad you're safe... are you ready to go to Canterlot?" Swiftwing remained silent and proceeded to land on his back, meaning that she was ready to go whenever he was.

"Hey... did you say you were going to Canterlot? Can I-" Volt was interrupted by the sound of other ponies fast approaching their position, and they didn't sound too happy.

"We- we should probably get going... or else we're going to be stuck here to try and explain this mess," Willow said. He again felt pain shoot through his chest and grunted because of it.

"About that... is it okay if I go with you to Canterlot Willow?" Volt asked. "I feel that after this stunt they wouldn't want to see me again, as in, as long as they are still alive."

"Yes... I don't care, let's just get to the train station so we can get out of here!" Volt and Willow began to walk towards the train station as fast as their injuries would allow, hoping that they would be able to reach it in time.

As they walked away, the ponies that had followed the cart watched as Willow and Volt disappeared in front of the building that had a gaping hole in it.

"Look! That crazy pony damaged somepony's property and is just walking away!" one yelled. "They won't get away with this! Who's with me!?"

The group cheered in response at the pony, all except for Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash who had joined them when she was told what had happened after she had finished the race.

"Well... ah no longer have a hay cart... but Willow... he's either crazy lucky or just plain idiotic. Ah am gonna have to go with both on this one," Applejack said.

"I didn't even notice that Volt had electrocuted himself... sure he is a cocky moron but I would have done something to help him," Rainbow said.

"We know you would have Rainbow," Rarity said. "But I believe it will be for the best that they leave. Those ponies did not look very happy."

"Aww! Now I can't throw Willow an apology party! It was going to be super awesome and everything!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"We should probably tell Twilight what has happened here," Fluttershy said. "She should know that Willow in the end saved somepony, even if he dealt property damage in the process. He is most certainly not a bad pony." The others nodded in agreement and they turned around and began to make their way over to Twilight's home.

"Th- three tickets to Canterlot please, and please hurry," Willow said to the pony at the ticket booth. He and Volt had just arrived at the train station and the afternoon train to Canterlot was just about to leave.

"Three tickets eh? That'll be thirty bits," the pony replied. Willow didn't hesitate to bring out his bag of rapidly decreasing bits and counted out thirty bits exactly.

"There, thirty bits, can we ha- have our tickets now please?"

"Of course! Here you go," the pony replied and Willow grabbed the tickets from him. The ticket system in Ponyville was much faster than the ticket system back at White Tail Station.

"Come on Willow, let's get onto the train before that mob catches up to us!" Volt exclaimed and Willow nodded in agreement. They boarded the train as fast as they could, although Willow experienced some difficulty with the steps because of his broken rib.

"Here are our tickets Conductor, can you get the train moving please? Now?" Willow asked. His heart was racing as he heard the sound of the mob of ponies getting steadily closer.

"That's not up to you to decide sir, but I'm afraid you're right. If we don't leave now we'll be late getting to Canterlot because of this blasted weather!" the Conductor exclaimed. He took off his hat and waved it outside before pressing a button and putting the hat back on. The doors hissed shut and the train slowly started to move, allowing Volt and Willow to finally sigh in relief. They quickly found an empty car and Swiftwing flew up and perched on the bar as they sat down. Everything was soaking wet, but the two ponies didn't care and they smiled, glad that they were able to leave Ponyville in time.

"Would you look at that... we actually made it to the train on time despite our injuries!" Volt happily exclaimed. Willow took a moment to look at the window and smiled as the train sped away from Ponyville. In the distance he was able to see the group of ponies that were after them standing on the station's platform.

"Yeah... and now we are on our way to Canterlot," Willow replied. "We were fortunate that the train hadn't left yet, otherwise we would be in some extremely hot water with the town right now."

"No kidding... all of this excitement has made me rather tired so I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if you need me or when we arrive in Canterlot Willow my fr- friend."

"Don't worry... I will," Willow replied and he yawned. His eyelids had suddenly grown heavy and the pain in his chest slowly became a dull throb. The last thing he saw before he fell asleep was Swiftwing perched on the bars above him.

"Twilight! Twilight! I just received a letter from Celestia that is addressed to you!" Spike shouted. Twilight looked up from the book she was reading while she was on her throne and saw Spike rush into the throne room. "We haven't had a letter from her in days! I wonder what the letter says?"

"Well, we can only find out if we open it silly," Twilight replied and Spike held out the letter for her. Twilight's horn began to glow a light purplish-pink colour and she levitated the scroll over to her. Just as she was about to open it, the palace doors suddenly opened, revealing her friends. "Applejack! Rainbow! What is everypony doing here?"

She dropped the scroll as the five mares quickly trotted over to the throne room and they each found a spot in front of Twilight. "We all just saw something you would not believe Twilight," Rarity said. "You definitely should have been there."

"What? Should have been where now? What happened?" Twilight asked. "Was somepony hurt by this sudden awful weather we're having?"

"Yes Twilight," Fluttershy said. "You see, Rainbow and another Pegasus were having a race..."

"I can see where this is going," Twilight said. "You were racing in this weather Rainbow and the other Pegasus was injured, wasn't he? Or was it a she?"

"It was a he Twilight," Rainbow replied. "He was electrocuted in the sky and he plummeted towards the ground-"

"And then Willow saved him!" Pinkie shouted, interrupting Rainbow Dash. "He took Applejack's hay cart and just zoomed away!"

"Yeah he took ma hay cart, now ah need to get a new one, but yes, he did save the Pegasus just like Pinkie said. A life is more valuable than a hay cart any day of the week." Applejack said.

"Wait a minute... do all of you know who Willow is?" Twilight asked and they all nodded. They each then began to tell their tale about how they met Willow. Twilight was actively listening, interested to know more about what this pony was like around others. They all had positive things to say about him. Rarity told her how he had saved her rear by paying for her food without a second thought since she had forgotten her bits. Applejack talked about how he seemed like an ordinary traveller, but was actually quite nice to talk to. Fluttershy goes on to say how Willow prevented his pet from injuring her own. Rainbow didn't have much to say, but after having watched him barely save another life, he was good in her books. Pinkie was the last one to talk and she told Twilight that Willow could certainly fly far.

"Wow... it sounds like Willow didn't even realize all of the nice acts he was committing while he was here..." Twilight said after having listened to all of them. "I wonder if he is on his way to Canterlot now."

"Oh he is Twilight, and it's a good thing too," Applejack said. "Ma cart he 'borrowed' crashed into a building, creating a hole in it. Not to mention that there were many ponies he almost ran over with the cart, so you can probably see why they were ticked off."

Spike yawned and he stretched his arms. "Can we get to Celestia's letter now Twilight?" he asked. "I really want to see what she wrote."

"Oh right! I had almost forgotten," Twilight said. Her horn began to glow again and she levitated the dropped scroll towards her and opened it. Her eyes quickly went side to side across the scroll, her face growing more concerned as she did.

"So? What does it say Twilight?" Spike asked. "Anything interesting?"

"Oh, it was interesting alright Spike, in fact, an important historical event just occurred some time ago apparently," she replied. "Go and pack our bags Spike, it looks like we'll be taking the next train to Canterlot."

"What? How come? Why are we needed?" Spike asked. Twilight sighed and rose from her throne.

"Because Spike, an artifact of ancient power has just been found and it is being transported to Canterlot as we speak. Go, I'll tell you more when we arrive."

"Should we come along for this as well Twilight?" Rarity asked and Twilight shook her head.

"No, not this time girls, it'll just be Spike and I making this trip."

"Hey Twilight! You might bump into Willow while you are there! Say hi to him for me!" Pinkie exclaimed and Twilight laughed. It looked like she would be seeing Willow again sooner than she had expected.

Meanwhile at Canterlot Castle, Celestia was pacing back and forth in the throne room. Her mind was racing as she thought about what the archaeologist had told her. Her sister, Luna, was also present and she was worried about the way that Celestia was behaving.

"Celestia... you must relax, you are worrying too much about the discovery of this artifact," Luna said, trying to calm her sister down. "What is so special about it anyway? I do not believe I have heard you mention it before."

Celestia stopped briefly and sighed. "Long ago Luna during your banishment, a group of ponies known as the Scholars of Lore came to me, saying that they had discovered something of great importance that could possibly change the face of Equestria as we know it," she said. "What they had found was a text depicting a device, a device capable of creating portals to alternate realms. Ever since that day I have sent teams to try and find this device, and now, it seems they have done it at last."

"Why do you want this device so badly sister? What would you possibly do with it?" Luna asked.

"I... I do not want to use the device at all Luna, I want to protect it, prevent it from falling into the wrong clutches, but we have a minor problem," Celestia replied. "The team found the device deep within the country of the Griffons. I do not know why it was there, but the discovery has drawn the attention of King Proud Feather. He has sent an ambassador along with the archaeology team to discuss what shall become of the device."

"Typical... the Griffons are a noble race, but their past is filled with conflict and power-hungry leaders. I hope that we will come to the right decision sister," Luna said.

Beyond the windows of the throne room, a pony watched from the other side, hovering high above the ground and listening to every word the sister's spoke.

"So... they have found a device capable of travelling across dimensions... it seems like I must make some changes to my plan," the pony said. His eyes glowed red and he quickly floated back into a wall of shadows before reappearing in his original form. "Ugh... the form of a pony is definitely... not my style. I prefer stealing their very soul than being one of them, but it'll all be over soon..." He held the necklace that he had placed around his neck and squeezed it tightly. "Soon... those ponies will bow down to my will... or they will die... but first... I must wait for the arrival of this 'artifact'." Shadows swirled around him once more and he reappeared as the form of the pony who's soul he had stolen. "Soon..."

Hunting For Answers

This world shall burn... and it will be recreated in my own image...

Willow's eyes slowly opened and he immediately discovered that he was lying down on the ground. The sun was shining brightly in the sky above and not a cloud was to be seen. A soft breeze ruffled his mane and he felt very relaxed, a feeling that he didn't experience very often. What was really strange though was the fact that he no longer felt any pain coming from within his chest, even though he thought he had broken a rib.

Where... where am I? What is this place? Willow thought. It most certainly isn't the train... He rolled over and quickly stood up so he could get a better look at his surroundings. He looked to be in a field of bright green grass that gently swayed in the breeze. Ahead of him was a hill and a lone tree that stood tall on top of it. A hill... I can get a better view on higher ground.

Willow trotted over to the hill and climbed it with ease. Having travelled the rough terrain of the forest over the years had definitely improved his endurance. At the top of the hill he was surprised to see what laid before him. The town of Ponyville, the place that he had just left in order to escape its residents as well as to search for answers in Canterlot... but why was he here?

"Yes... gaze upon the village pony, for it'll be your last..." a familiar voice said behind him. Willow turned around, only to come face to face with the creature. Its hood was up, but Willow sensed that it had a wicked smile hidden within the shadows. "Your attempts to learn about me are futile pony, for I, Volgnash, have come from another world. You only rush to your doom..."

Willow planted his hooves firmly on the ground and snorted. "I've seen your plans you monster and I swear that you won't take this world without a fight!" he shouted and leapt at Volgnash, only to be grabbed by the throat and held up in the air. Volgnash was stronger than he looked and he laughed at Willow who struggled to break free of his grip.

"You are a fool... a fool to challenge me! You are nothing but weak! Powerless to stop me! Too pathetic to even try! Let me show you real power..." Volgnash hissed. He spun Willow around and forced him to look at the quiet town below them. Volgnash swirled his staff in his other hand, generating a small purple orb and launching it at the center of Ponyville, straight towards townhall. Willow watched in horror as the orb connected with the roof and exploded, causing the very ground to erupt and engulfing the town in a fiery inferno.

"You... you monster!" Willow managed to say, only to have Volgnash grip his throat even tighter. It was becoming harder and harder for him to breathe and he felt light-headed. "The world... will fight you... you won't... stand a chance..."

Volgnash threw his head back and laughed. "No... it will not be I who won't stand a chance fool. I look forward to the domination of this world... and all who oppose me will be showered in the blood of the innocents!" he roared. Crimson clouds formed in the sky above and began to unleash a downpour of what looked to be blood. Willow felt the first few drops splatter onto his face before Volgnash suddenly threw him down the hill. He slammed into the ground below and slid to a stop, now covered in a mixture of mud, ash, and blood.

"How... how can I stop him? I can't do it on my own... not like this..." Willow wheezed, struggling to breathe. "I need to stop this nightmare... before it begins..." He suddenly heard a gentle humming sound and watched as his surroundings faded before him, turning into a bright and cloudy white. Willow watched as the clouds before him slowly began to swirl and they formed a familiar face.

"Willow... wake up... wake up!" the head yelled. "We're here!"

Willow awoke with a start to find Volt Cloud standing in front of him with a concerned look on his face. "Are you alright Willow?" You look like you've seen a ghost!" he exclaimed. "That must have been some crazy dream you were having huh?"

"Yeah... I'm fine... just help me up please," Willow replied. Volt Cloud reached forward and pulled Willow off of his seat, but as soon as Willow stood up, pain once again shot through his chest and he gasped because of it.

"Willow! Are you sure you are alright?" Volt asked. "Do you need to see a doctor? We did have a rather nasty landing when we jumped out of that hay cart."

"Yes I'm... no... no I'm not," Willow replied and sighed. "I think I broke a rib back in Ponyville Volt. Could you help me to the hospital? I don't really want to get anypony else involved."

"Of course! Magic should be able to fix that easily, although we might want to hurry. The longer we wait here the more patients the hospital will receive, but I don't think we'll have to wait long for them to mend a broken rib. I am willing to get our way if it's required though..."

"I don't think that'll be necessary Volt. Let's get off this train."

Willow put his left foreleg over Volt's shoulders and whistled for Swiftwing who had just woken up from her own nap. She lazily glided down and landed on his back as he and Volt made their way off of the train. They fortunately made it off just as the doors hissed shut behind them and the train began to pull way, its next stop being the Crystal Empire.

"Alright... nice and easy now Volt, do you know where the hospital is in this city?" Willow asked and Volt nodded.

"Yes I do Willow, we just have to make a right onto Mane Street up ahead and I think it will be on our left just a little further down," Volt replied. "Although it has been a while since I've been here..."

"Well... perhaps we can ask the locals for assistance if it ever comes to that," Willow suggested, which caused Volt to stop and stare at him in disbelief.

"Ask the locals? Are you kidding? This isn't Ponyville Willow, which is why I remember I never come here often." Volt looked ahead again and they continued down the street. "Most of these upper class ponies aren't very... eh... let's just say that recognition and popularity go a long way here. It's best if we just keep our heads down for now, probably forever."

"I'm not too concerned about what other ponies think of me Volt," Willow replied. "Besides, I'm pretty sure I would be able to handle a few rich snobs. Now... where is everypony? The only ones we've seen so far were the ones from the train."

"I don't know Willow, let's just get you to the hospital, that's what is important right now."

The two continued down the street in silence until they at last reached Mane Street. To their left was a path and a set of stairs leading to the castle and to their right was a sight that they did not expect. Ponies of various types were everywhere, making their way between pavilions or watching performances that other ponies were performing. The smell of food and smoke wafted through the area, causing Willow's stomach to growl.

"Crap, it looks like some sort of festival is going on," Volt said. "It's going to take us forever to get through this crowd, but the food does smell good..."

"Stay focused Volt, I'm still in a lot of pain you know," Willow said just as pain once again shot through him, causing him to clench his teeth. "Let's... let's pick up the pace, try to clear a way for us Volt."

"Don't worry, I got this," Volt replied and puffed out his chest. "Out of the way! Injured pony coming through! He needs to get to the hospital!" His shouting had drawn the attention of some of the ponies and once their eyes fell upon Willow, they began to slowly move out of the way.

"G- good, keep that up Volt as we go along, we'll be able to make it to the hospital in no time," Willow said and Volt nodded in agreement. They continued to make their way through the crowd, Volt shouting for the ponies to move whenever they came across a cluster of them blocking their path. This went for about ten minutes until at last, Willow was able to see the hospital on their left by noticing the large red cross on the front.

"Would you look at that Volt, it looks like you're memory was right after all," Willow said and coughed because of the smoky air, causing pain in his chest once again. "I- I believe I can handle it from here. Thank you for your help."

"Ah don't mention it Willow, you did save my life after all," Volt replied. "Are you sure you-" He was interrupted as trumpets began to blare behind them, causing Swiftwing to screech in annoyance. After the trumpets faded away, it was quickly followed by a drum roll and they turned around to see what was going on. A stage was located in front of one of the buildings and white smoke was drifting across it. A crowd of ponies had gathered and Willow and Volt were at the very back when spotlights suddenly shone on the stage.

"Now... ponies of all genders and ages! Prepare yourself... for it is time for the show to begin!" a voice shouted, causing the crowd to stamp their hooves in excitement. "Behold! It is I! The one... the only... the Great and Powerful Trixie!" The smoke was suddenly blasted outwards and there on the stage stood a Unicorn wearing what looked to be a purple hat and cape sprinkled with stars. Her coat was a brilliant azure and her eyes were the colour of dark violet. Willow had to take a closer look at her mane and discovered it to be a very pale light blue, with a slightly darker shade of blue for the stripes.

"Thank you all for appearing, for it is a wonderful evening to perform a magic show, don't you agree everypony?" Trixie asked and most of the crowd nodded in agreement. "Then without further ado, let me show all of you how a real Unicorn magician performs her magic!" As she began to perform her first trick, Willow looked over at Volt to find him staring at Trixie in awe.

"Uh... Volt? Who exactly is she?" Willow asked. "I don't believe I've heard about this particular pony before. Is she as powerful as she says she is?"

Volt looked at Willow, but it was obvious that he wanted to resume watching Trixie. "How do you not know of Trixie Willow? From what I've heard, she was bested in a magic competition against Princess Twilight herself, but that didn't stop her from doing what she loved!" Volt exclaimed." She became known as the Great and Apologetic Trixie for a time, but I prefer the Great and Powerful. Isn't she just wonderful?" He turned away from Willow and watched as Trixie was successfully able to make three ponies disappear and then reappear, much to the audience's enjoyment.

"I see... well I'm going to head inside the hospital now Volt, thank you for your help," Willow said. "Perhaps our paths will cross again in the future." Volt didn't reply as he was too busy watching Trixie. Willow began to limp over to the hospital entrance when he noticed a cloaked pony standing some distance away from the crowd, but it was obvious that whoever the pony was, he or she was watching Trixie as well.

"Great and Powerful... sure she might be somewhat talented, but she is far from being the best, far from it!" Willow heard the cloaked pony angrily whisper. "Some ponies never change... but I'll show her... it is finally time for some payback for what she did to me at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!" Willow was able to tell that it was a mare and decided quickly whether or not he should intervene, but the pain was becoming too much to bear. Sure he was tough, but even the toughest ponies had their limits for pain. The glass doors slid open and he stumbled inside the hospital all the way to the counter where a nurse was busy filling out all types of forms.

"Excuse me? Nurse? I have an injury that needs to be attended to," Willow said.

The nurse quickly glanced up at Willow before returning to her papers. "Name?" she asked.

"Willow Seeker, I come from White Tail Village," Willow quickly replied.

"Uh huh, so why are you here today Willow?" she asked. "What is your emergency?"

"I think I may have broken a rib miss, the pain has been getting steadily worse for quite some time now."

"Do you have any Equestrian Health Insurance Mr. Seeker?"

"No, I do not," Willow replied, wishing that she could go a bit faster.

"Very well then Mr. Seeker, please take a seat in one of the chairs and a doctor will be here to attend to your injury shortly," the nurse said. "You'll be feeling like new in no time."

Willow simply nodded in return and went to take a seat in a rather surprisingly empty waiting room. Swiftwing flew up and landed on his head as he chose a random chair and did his best to make himself as comfortable as he could, but no matter what position he was in his chest would always hurt. He was able to hear cheering and the stamping of hooves coming from outside which didn't really bother him, but then his thoughts drifted to the mysterious pony he saw and wondered what she was planning to do.

"Hey Swiftwing... you don't think that cloaked pony will actually do something... do you?" he asked. Swiftwing stayed silent and began to clean her feathers and Willow shrugged. "Hopefully not..."

"Ugh... I'm trying to work here but I can't concentrate with all of that noise outside!" the nurse angrily exclaimed. "I know that it is the Festival of Magic, but that Unicorn outside could have chosen to perform her act away from the patients!"

Festival of Magic? Since when was that created? Willow thought and shrugged. Ah well, at least it sounds like everypony is having a good time, I wonder if Twilight or the other princesses will make an appearance... His thoughts were interrupted when a pony rushed in carrying another pony on his back.

"Nurse! Nurse! We need a hospital bedroom stat!" the stallion shouted and the mare on his back groaned.

"What seems to be the problem?" the nurse asked and the stallion shook his head.

"There isn't a problem at all! My wife has gone into labour!"

At the end of his sentence the nurse's eyes widened and she immediately pressed a button before speaking into a nearby microphone. "Attention staff, we have a couple with a new foal on the way. I need an available obstetrician and another nurse immediately. We will be in room thirty-four." She pressed the button again and turned to face the couple. "If you would just follow me please, and congratulations."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" the stallion exclaimed and he followed the nurse and disappeared down one of the halls. No sooner had they left when another pony appeared in a white lab coat holding a clip board. He was a male Unicorn with a pair of glasses and he had a natural dark red coat. His eyes were a light blue and his mane was a curly chocolate brown.

"Ahem, I am looking for a Mr. Seeker. Is he present?" the Unicorn asked and Willow slowly got out of his chair and stood up.

"Th- that's me sir," Willow replied and he began to limp over to the Unicorn.

"Ah, very good then, but please, let me come over to you, I don't want you putting yourself in more pain," he said and quickly walked over to Willow. "I am Dr. Cranberry. The report here says you have fractured a rib, is that correct?"

"Yes, that is correct Doctor, do we need to go to a room to perform an examination?"

"I don't think that'll be necessary Mr. Seeker, just relax and let my magic do its work. Nice bird by the way, she's very beautiful." Dr. Cranberry's horn began to glow a light blue and Willow watched as his chest was enveloped by the glow. He clenched his teeth in pain when he felt his rib begin to move back into place, but suddenly the pain was gone.

"That should do it Mr. Seeker, do you feel better?" Dr. Cranberry asked and Willow nodded.

"Yes Doctor, thank you for your help," Willow replied and sighed, glad that he was able to breathe comfortably again. The doctor's glow surrounding his chest began to fade away when it suddenly turned purple.

"Wh- what the hay!? What's going on... gah!" Dr. Cranberry cried as the purple glow suddenly manifested into an image of Volgnash. Swiftwing flew off of Willow's head and landed on his back, not wanting to witness what was about to happen next.

"The darkness within you... will be your undoing..." the image whispered and it suddenly dissipated as quick as it had appeared. Willow shook his head and checked himself for any damage, but fortunately nothing had happened to him. Dr. Cranberry however was in a much worse state. He had collapsed onto the floor and Willow saw that his eyes had turned completely white. He was mumbling gibberish, which Willow knew was definitely not a good sign. He lowered himself to the floor and gently began to nudge the poor doctor.

"Dr. Cranberry... if you can hear me, turn your head towards my voice," Willow said, but it was of no use. Whatever Volgnash's magic had done was obviously having a devastating effect on the doctor's mind.

The Council was right... whatever Volgnash did to me... my soul... it is harming those who use their magic on me. I have to be more careful about being injured in the future, Willow thought. Having no other options, Willow left thirty bits on the floor and pressed the emergency button on the wall before leaving the hospital, only to be met with the strangest sight. Volt had somehow managed to be a part of one of Trixie's acts and was standing on the stage showing signs of excitement and nervousness. Volt... what are you doing...

"And now, for the Great and Powerful Trixie's final trick, I shall make this Pegasus' wings vanish before your very eyes!" Trixie shouted which caused the crowd to gasp. Surely it couldn't be done? Only an Alicorn could have such power! Trixie's horn began to glow a pale pinkish colour when Willow saw the cloaked pony from before suddenly drop from the top of the stage on the other side of Volt.

"This magic show of yours is finished Trixie! You even know that you can't make a Pegasus' wings disappear just like that!" she shouted, which caused the large crowd to mutter amongst themselves. Trixie looked at the stranger trying to ruin her show and then at the crowd.

"Do not listen to this stranger's words everypony, for I, the Great and Powerful Trixie can accomplish such a task!" she shouted and looked back at the stranger, her eyes burning with anger. "Get. Off. My. Stage."

"Oh, I'll get off the stage alright, right after I'm done with you!" the cloaked pony yelled and threw her hood back. Trixie, the crowd and even Willow gasped in surprise as they looked at the pony, who turned out to be a Unicorn. Her coat was a pale orange and her eyes the colour of light azure. The back of her mane was braided into a single braid and was the colour of dark orange with streaks of pale yellow running through it. The last thing about her features was the fact that she had exactly six freckles. Three on one side of her face and three on the other.

"Well well well, this most certainly is a surprise. I didn't expect to see you ever again around these parts Summer Burst, especially after what happened back at the school..." Trixie said and giggled at the memory.

"You very well know as much as I do that I was not responsible for the graduation prank Trixie! Do you know how long I had to stay to clean up the mess? I almost had my diploma revoked because of you! But today... today I'll make you feel the same embarrassment that I did!"

"Uh... is it okay if I leave now?" Volt asked but he was ignored by the both of them. "I'll take that as a yes then." He flew off of the stage just as Summer's horn began to glow orange and she fired a spell at Trixie. Trixie was quick to react though and she unleashed a spell of her own, causing the two spells to collide and explode, showering whatever was in range with magical residue.

"Ha! You'll have to do better than that Summer, I'm not called the Great and Powerful for nothing!" Trixie exclaimed.

"I'm just getting started!" Summer shouted back. The magical residue was beginning to have effects on whatever it had touched, causing things such as apples to sprout wings and fly away. The ponies themselves were experiencing weird effects, such as having their manes and tails stand on end or either enlarging or shrinking their heads.

Volt suddenly landed next to Willow and he whistled at the sight before them. "I always love a good fight, although I prefer more physical contact, I guess magic will have to do for now," he said and Willow rolled his eyes. He watched as Summer and Trixie fired a spell at the exact same time and they collided, except this time both of them were channelling beams and were trying to overpower the other.

"I... will... beat you!" Summer shouted, but she knew deep in her heart that she wouldn't. She had barely passed in Celestia's school and wasn't the best at spells at all. However, even with the training she had done since then, she knew right then that she wasn't yet strong enough to overpower her rival.

Willow watched as Trixie's beam slowly began to inch closer and closer to Summer and knew that he had to stop this before something happened that they would all regret. He easily pushed his way through the panicked and confused crowd and climbed up onto the stage.

"Both of you! Stop this at once! you are risking everypony's safety!" Willow shouted, but he wasn't heard due to the roar of the conflicting magical energies. "You might want to hang on tightly Swiftwing, I'm about to do something... and I don't like it, but it has to be done!" He backed up an was about to charge at Trixie when the amount of energy both Unicorns were using reached unstable levels, causing everypony to stumble about.

"Just give up Summer! You know I'll win like I always do!" Trixie shouted and Summer clenched her teeth. Suddenly she felt something move under her and was suddenly lifted up and carried away, breaking the connection and causing a small explosion. The explosion was powerful enough to knock the crowd over and it blasted Summer and whoever was with her through the building behind the stage, while Trixie was knocked unconscious.

Summer somehow continued to remain conscious, even though she and whoever was with her were partially buried beneath some rubble. She suddenly felt the rubble shift above her and squinted her eyes to see the shadowy outline of a pony.

"Who... what... how..." she whispered, but the pony didn't reply. Instead he lifted her up onto his back and made his way back through the hole they had made and they disappeared into a nearby alley. "Why... why did you do this? Who are you?"

"Quiet, it's best we get far away from here before the authorities arrive. Don't worry though, we have eyes in the sky to watch our backs," the stranger quietly said. Summer craned her neck upwards and was able to catch a brief glimpse of a Pegasus leaping over the rooftops. "To be honest, he's just following us for some reason, but he doesn't mean any harm."

Willow turned down another alley and stopped to catch his breath. Summer took advantage of this and slid off of his back before using her magic to levitate him and pinned him against the wall.

"W-wait! Stop! You can't use your magic on me or else it will reveal him!" Willow shouted but Summer just ignored him. She continued to hold him against the wall, waiting for something to reveal itself but nothing did. "Wh- what the hay? Why hasn't he appeared..."

"You don't scare me stranger, so I'll ask again. Who are you, and why did you-" Summer was interrupted when she heard a screech come from above and looked up to find a bird. Swiftwing flew in front of Summer and pecked her forehead, causing her to break her concentration and allowing Willow to break free of her spell.

"Ow! Ow! Hey! Cut it out!" Summer yelled and swatted at Swiftwing who dodged her swing with ease. "Stop! Please!"

"Swiftwing, hold your talons," Willow said and Swiftwing flew over to him and landed on his back, although she still felt threatened by the Unicorn in front of them. "Please, allow me to explain myself Miss. My name is Willow Seeker. The reason I interfered was because the amount of magic both of you were using would have injured a lot of ponies. What were you thinking?"

"I... I wanted to have my revenge on her for what she did to me years ago. I-" Summer stopped talking when Willow held up a hoof and sighed.

"There is always a time and place for everything Miss Burst, but when your acts begin to threaten the lives of others, you have to stop and think what you are doing. So let me ask you this. Do you think what you did today was the best choice?"

"I... no..." Summer whispered and looked down at the ground. "You're right Willow... but I was just so angry! You have no idea what she did to me back at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns... no idea at all..."

"That's true Summer, I do not, but perhaps we can come to a solution involving less violence," Willow replied. "Do you know a place you would like to go? I'm pretty sure the authorities will be looking for you."

Summer looked up at Willow in disbelief. Here was an Earth pony that she barely knew, and already he was trying to help her once more. She wanted to say no, but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do so. There was something strange about him... as if somehow this encounter was supposed to happen.

"Fine. I'll accept your help Willow," Summer said. "We'll go to the Canterlot Library though, I go there whenever I feel stressed or just want to get away from everypony else, plus nopony should be there since the Festival of Magic is going on."

Willow nodded and he held out a hoof towards the exit out of the alley. "After you Miss Summer. This is my first time in Canterlot so I'll need you to lead the way if you are willing to do so."

"Of course, the library is just before the castle so it shouldn't take too long to get there," Summer replied and Willow watched her walk out of the alley.

"I know you're there Volt, you don't need to hide yourself," Willow said out loud and Volt suddenly dropped down beside him from above.

"Wow you're good," Volt said and he yawned. "So you are heading to the library with that crazy Unicorn then?"

"She's not crazy Volt, she just... needs somepony to talk to," Willow replied and Volt shrugged.

"Well, she's your problem now Willow, but one thing for sure is that she is quite the stunner. Magic is not my type, but you can definitely try to score with her."

Willow could feel the tips of his ears burn as he blushed. "That- that's not what I had in mind at all Volt!" he shouted and Volt laughed.

"Ah come on Willow, I was just teasing," Volt said. "I think I'll hang out here for a bit longer though. Libraries aren't really my thing either, but I'll be sure to stop by later if I haven't fallen asleep on a cloud by then."

"Alright, see you around Volt. Have fun at the Festival of Magic." Willow watched Volt fly away and he quickly left the alley so he could catch up to Summer. It didn't take him long to reach her and the two walked side by side towards the castle in silence. After a few minutes had passed, Willow decided to break the ice once more.

"So Summer, uh, what do you think about the Festival of Magic?" Willow asked. "It sure is popular, but I've never heard of it before."

"The Festival of Magic was founded recently, today actually, by Princess Celestia herself Willow, which is probably why you've never heard of it," Summer replied. "It's strange though, she announced it this morning and preparations began immediately. She says that it was in honour of those who dedicated themselves to the advancement and study of magic, such as Star Swirl."

She suddenly stopped and pulled Willow near her. "But I think it's just a distraction," she whispered. "I think something is happening at the castle, and Celestia and Luna don't want any interference by us." She pushed Willow away and the two continued their walk.

"That's crazy! I know that all of us have our own secrets Summer, but why would Celestia create an event just to keep her citizens distracted?" Willow asked and Summer rolled her eyes.

"Because if they are up to something, then obviously it's something big, why else would they have an event like this created and prepared on the same day? Ah! We're already at the stairs. That was rather quick."

They began to climb the steps until they reached a fork in the stairs. One set led to the castle and the other led to the library, which was the set they took. At last they reached the front entrance to the library and they didn't hesitate to go inside. Willow had expected to find a bunch of books immediately, but instead was greeted to a long hallway that extended to the left and to the right.

"Eh... this is the library right?" Willow asked and Summer nodded.

"Of course it is Willow, didn't you see the sign out front? If you would just follow me we can get to one of my most favourite sections of the library," Summer said and she turned left and began to make her way down the hall. Willow followed behind her when Swiftwing began to gently squeeze his back.

"What is it that you need Swiftwing?" Willow asked. "Are you hungry again? By the way, thank you for not pecking me this time around." Swiftwing screeched in return and flew over to the doors where she waited for Willow to open them. "Hang on Summer, I just need to let Swiftwing outside." Summer stopped and watched as Willow trotted over to the library doors and opened them, allowing Swiftwing to fly outside.

"You talk... to your bird?" Summer asked and Willow nodded.

"Of course, why wouldn't I talk to her? She isn't dumb you know, she is able to understand our language," Willow replied.

"It's just that I've never really seen a pony communicate with another animal like that before is all. I didn't mean to offend you Willow, I'm actually now more curious about your relationship with her."

"Well... it is quite a long story Summer, how about I tell you when we get to this section that you mentioned a couple of minutes ago."

"Ah yes, the Star Swirl section!" Summer excitedly exclaimed. "It's on our right just a little further down this hall Willow. Come on! We're wasting time." Their hooves echoed with each step they made down the hallway until at last Summer stopped in front of a closed gate. "This is the place Willow, the Star Swirl section..."

"It, uh, appears to be closed Summer, can we get in at all?" Willow asked and Summer laughed at his question. "What's so funny? I'm not really the breaking and entering type, although I can be if I wanted to I think."

Summer let her laughter subside and pushed on the gate, causing it to creak open slowly. "Yeah, it's definitely closed Willow, nopony has locked this old thing in years!" she exclaimed and went inside. Willow hesitated for a second before cautiously following Summer inside afterwards. A musty smell filled his nostrils as he observed the room that they were in. A large hourglass was located in the center of the room, with corridors leading down to shelves that were filled with all types of scrolls and books. Willow had a good feeling that out of all these books, he would definitely be able to find something about that Volgnash creature.

Summer inhaled deeply and sighed, feeling rather content to be in a library again. It was her favourite place to be after all. "So Willow... want to tell me that story about Swiftwing?" she asked, but Willow wasn't paying attention since he had already started to look through books in one of the corridors. "What are you doing Willow? We are here for me remember?"

"Volgnash... Volgnash..." Willow mumbled as he flipped through the pages of a book before moving onto the next one.

"Volgnash? What in the hay is a Volgnash?" Summer asked.

"It's not what Summer, it's who," Willow replied without looking up at her. "I promise I'll help you shortly, but this is more important right now."

"Well, one thing for sure is that you'll never find anything about this... Volgnash character Willow by looking through these books. I spent a lot of my life growing up here and reading these books. Not once have I come across anything that mentioned Volgnash."

"So there is absolutely nothing known about this creature then is what you are saying, correct?"

Summer shook her head. "That's not what I'm saying at all Willow, but... I think I do know a better way of finding what you are looking for, but first you have to help me," she said.

"Summer... the fate of Equestria is at stake here!" Willow shouted. "Besides, the only solution I was able to come up with for you is just to forgive and forget. There is absolutely no point in keeping a grudge over something ridiculous that happened many years ago."

"That's only because you don't know what Trixie did to me!" Summer angrily yelled. "I was forced to take the blame for something I didn't do! Trixie had gone and prepared traps that hung above those in attendance at the graduation ceremony. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time when the traps were activated and a downpour of paint and feathers appeared. Trixie immediately pinned the blame on me, and was somehow able to create fake pictures of me setting up the traps! I almost had my diploma revoked because of her Willow, something that I worked my butt off for!"

"And that'll mean nothing if I don't stop this threat," Willow calmly replied. "Summer... please... if there is anything that you can do to help... anything at all, I would be truly grateful."

Summer was still shaking with anger, but when she was able to clearly look at Willow again, she realized how selfish she was being. Here was an Earth pony, no doubt a long way from his home and family, trying to give her advice while also looking for some sort of creature that is able to doom Equestria forever. She slowly began to relax and sighed, trying to replace her negative emotions and energy with that of positive ones.

"Then... I guess I have no other choice," Summer said. "Come over here to the hourglass and place a hoof on it Willow."

"Uh... okay? Why?" Willow asked.

"Just do it please."

Willow put away the book he was holding and did as he was told. The hourglass was cool to the touch and he watched as the sand trickled from the upper half to the lower half.

"Alright, now what Summer?"

"I want you to think about whatever it is you are looking for Willow, just close your eyes and relax. Think of nothing else," she said. Willow closed his eyes and was easily able to envision Volgnash, although it was the form that he saw in the cave. He saw the necklace that was in the cave dangle in Volgnash's grasp.

Whatever it is you are planning Summer, I hope it works, Willow thought. Otherwise this is just a waste of time. Volgnash is coming closer and closer to destroying the world the longer we stay here.

Summer's horn began to glow and she aimed herself at the hourglass. I hope the legends about the hourglass are true... she thought. Otherwise I won't be able to help him after all... She took a deep breath and concentrated on the hourglass. "Okay Willow, this might sting a bit, just stay calm... Hourglassius temporalis infinitos!" She used the spell on the hourglass and the hourglass absorbed it. Both ponies waited patiently, but Summer's heart was racing, hoping that it worked.

"Did it work Summer? What's supposed to happen?" Willow asked.

"You can open your eyes now Willow... I don't think it worked," Summer sadly replied. "Ugh! Maybe I should have failed school... because that's all I am, a failure!"

"Don't say things like that Summer, so what if it didn't work? You are unique, just like me, just like Trixie, even Volt," Willow said. "We're all here for a reason. Sure, sometimes things don't go as planned, but we look at what happened and we try again." Willow tried to go over to comfort her, but he couldn't remove his hoof from the hourglass. "Uh... Summer? I'm stuck."

The hourglass suddenly began to pulse a bright yellow and the sand within it began to swirl. The brightness forced Willow and Summer to look away and they tried to shield their eyes as best as they could. When at last the hourglass stopped pulsing, Summer looked at it again to find that Willow had disappeared.

"I don't believe it... it worked! the spell actually worked!" she exclaimed with glee. "Good luck Willow, wherever you are. I'll be waiting patiently for your return. Oh no... what if he can't return? No... I'm sure he'll be fine, just have to stay calm... stay... calm..."

"Finally we're here! That train ride took much longer than usual," Spike said as he and Twilight stepped off of the train. "Er... Twilight? Can you help me with this suitcase please? It's rather heavy."

"Hm? Oh, yes, of course Spike," Twilight replied. Her horn glowed and Spike felt the weight be lifted off his back. "There we go. Come on Spike, Celestia and Luna are waiting for us!"

"Yeah I know, just let me stretch for just a second." Spike slowly stood upright and stretched his back, feeling all types of cracks and pops. "Aw yeah... that's much better, much better!" Spike quickly hopped up onto Twilight's back and they quickly began to make their way towards the castle. "Hey Twilight, I have a question."

"What is it Spike?"

"Where the heck is everypony?" Spike asked. "Is there an event going on or something?"

"Yes Spike, Canterlot is hosting the first ever Festival of Magic on Mane Street," Twilight replied. "Celestia told me in her letter that it was to keep the citizens of Canterlot occupied while we were at the castle."

"Oh wow, this must be really important then," Spike said and Twilight nodded.

"It most certainly is Spike. An artifact from the past, especially one we know very little about, can be very dangerous if the public were to gain knowledge of such an item. In my opinion, the Festival of Magic was a brilliant idea. Hold on Spike, we'll be flying the rest of the way." She felt Spike wrap his arms around her neck and with a few flaps of her wings she was in the air with the suitcase in tow. It didn't take them long to reach the castle and Twilight landed in front of the castle's entrance, which were a pair of heavy oak doors. She pushed the right one open and trotted inside.

The door closed on its own behind them with a dull thud, leaving them in a familiar room they would always be able to recognize. In front of them was the staircase that split off into two directions, and there were doors on the opposite sides of the room as well. Twilight remembered the night of the gala and how she stood at the top of the stairs with Celestia and smiled. It wasn't the night they had envisioned at the time, but it was definitely one to remember. It seemed so long ago now.

"What are you waiting for Twilight? Let's go!" Spike exclaimed and Twilight nodded in agreement. She quickly climbed the stairs and turned left. She knew where she was going since she had memorized the layout of the castle years ago. A few minutes went by until they finally reached the doors of the throne room. Already Twilight was able to hear voices just beyond the doors and she didn't hesitate to push them open and walked inside. She immediately saw Celestia and Luna, as well as a group of ponies which she was able to recognize as the archaeology team. The Griffon ambassador Celestia had spoken of in the letter was also there and they had gathered around a large box-like object that was covered in a white sheet.

"I'm not late, am I?" Twilight asked, gaining their attention.

"Twilight! I didn't notice that you walked in," Celestia said and she smiled warmly at her. "And you are right on time. Please, come and stand next to me, there is much we have to discuss."

"Yes, I'm glad that we can finally begin discussing what should be done about the artifact," the Griffon said as Twilight walked over and stood next to Celestia. "Night is almost upon us, let's begin." What was interesting about Griffons was the fact that they had the head, wings, and front feet of an eagle while also having the body and tail of a lion. In this case, the Griffon's body was a dark brown and his feathers were the colour of charcoal. He had a scar that streaked across his right eye and his claws and beak were yellow with a hint of black.

Celestia nodded in agreement and looked over at the archaeology team. "Since Twilight is now here, along with Spike, please explain again how you came across the artifact Ms. Do." A pony in a dark olive vest and a tanned pith helmet wrapped in a dark olive band stepped forward from the group. Her coat was the colour of arylide yellow and her eyes a raspberry red. Her mane was rather unique and looked like a grayscale rainbow, ranging from almost black to a light gray.

"A.K- er, I mean Daring Do! I didn't know you were a part of the archaeology team!" Twilight exclaimed and Daring nodded.

"I don't usually work with a team your highness, but Princess Celestia gave me an offer that I couldn't refuse, and it turned out to be one of my greatest adventures yet," Daring replied. "Although I won't go into too much detail Princess Twilight, we found the artifact in Griffon country, although where we found it... we found it deep underground in the ruins of a temple after following a trail of clues. The strangest thing though was that the ruins didn't belong to the Griffons of the past, but rather an unknown civilization!"

"Unknown civilization? Strange... were you able to find anything that may have told us their history? Any tablets or documents?" Twilight asked and Daring shook her head.

"Unfortunately we didn't have the time your highness, since the whole place began to collapse once we took the artifact. But even if we did look around some more, I doubt we would have found anything. The temple looked to be more like a place where the creatures would gather, not a library."

"So this object in front of us... is it the artifact?" Twilight asked.

"No, the artifact is safely protected within that crate your highness," Daring replied. "Well... part of it is anyway, due to some... how should I put this... difficult arrangements." She looked over at Luna and Luna cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"Yes, the recovery of the artifact didn't go unnoticed Twilight," she said and looked at the Griffon ambassador. "The Griffon Kingdom is known for its many spies and it didn't take long for news of the discovery to reach King Proud Feather's ears."

"With all due respect, Princess Luna, the Griffon Kingdom doesn't spy on its own people," the Griffon replied and Luna laughed.

"Yet you spy on those of a different species. I don't have proof that you spy on your own people, but I have no doubt that you do. King Proud Feather has some trust issues, doesn't he?"

"I did not come here to be insulted!" the Griffon screeched. "I am Pointbeak, the chosen representative of our glorious king! He would have your head if you were any other pony! Besides, your archaeology team did not have legal rights to go digging around in our territory, which is why we have claimed a piece of the artifact, even though it is already rightfully ours!"

"That is enough!" Celestia yelled, the force of her yell shocking all of them that were present. A fiery golden glow had briefly appeared in her eyes and it faded away. "We are here to discuss the fate of the artifact, not begin a war. Luna, you should know better, and as for you Pointbeak, I deeply apologize for anything we have done to insult you, we did not mean it."

"Of course... I accept your apology Princess Celestia," Pointbeak said. "But I'm afraid that the discussion is over. You will not be able to keep the artifact for this land no matter what."

"And why is that?" Celestia asked.

"Because your highness... I have not told you what King Proud Feather's demands were." Pointbeak grinned and looked at all of them before returning his gaze to Celestia. "The king has declared that the whole artifact will be returned to the Griffon Kingdom where it was found and where it rightfully belongs. It will be kept underneath his protection. Failure to comply will result in a declaration of war." As his final words left Pointbeak's mouth, all ponies except Twilight, as well as Spike, exploded in anger.

"War!? That's simply outrageous!" Luna shouted. Her voice was beginning to crack as the Royal Canterlot voice had begun to kick in after not having been used for so long. "Is King Proud Feather insane!? We are still recovering from Tirek's attack and he wants to go to WAR over an artifact?"

"It's a simple your choice your highnesses, either relinquish the artifact, or our kingdom's will go to war," Pointbeak calmly said. "Are you wanting to sacrifice your kingdom all because you wanted to keep an artifact that probably doesn't even work anymore?"

"Sister, Tia, back me up on this, the Griffons can't have the artifact! You know it and so do I!"

Celestia clenched her teeth and looked at Pointbeak. The Griffons were willing to let this become an all out war, willing to sacrifice their people over an artifact, but she knew better. She would have to comply with the Griffon's terms. It meant giving up the safety of the artifact, but as a ruler, sometimes she had to make choices that was best for her people and Equestria as a whole.

"They... they can have the artifact Luna, I do not wish to sacrifice Equestria over something such as this," Celestia said. Twilight was able to sense the sadness in her words as the anger in the others slowly drained away.

"Sister...? Surely you don't mean it?" Luna asked and Celestia sighed.

"Yes Luna... I do. Pointbeak, you can go back and tell your king that the artifact... is his."

"Excellent choice your highness," Pointbeak said and quickly rubbed his claws together. "Your archaeology team shall accompany me early tomorrow morning then back to the Griffon Kingdom, King Proud Feather will be pleased."

"Yes of course... Daring Do, your team better go and get some rest, you'll have a long journey to make tomorrow," Celestia said and Daring nodded.

"Of course your highness... as you wish. Come on team, let's move out," Daring said and she and the rest of her team left the throne room, the door closing behind them with a thud.

"I believe I shall retire to my quarters and write up what has transpired here this evening," Pointbeak said and quickly bowed. "Good evening your highnesses." Pointbeak left the throne room as well just as another pony entered. Pointbeak suddenly felt a chill run up his spine but he thought nothing of it.

"So... I guess that's that," Spike said and Celestia nodded in agreement.

"Sister... why? How can you trust that beaked villain with the safety of the artifact?" Luna asked.

"I had a choice Luna, it was either my people or the artifact, and I chose my people," Celestia replied. "Surely you must understand Luna, do not think I will forget about the artifact. I have a feeling that we'll be seeing it again soon enough."

"Of course I understand Tia... I was wanting to act without thinking first, I'm sorry."

"Well... I for one am glad that we are still on good terms with the Griffons," Twilight said. "However, I do want to know more about this civilization and how they were able to create such an artifact in the first place..." Twilight suddenly noticed that a pony was standing some distance away near the door and her eyes widened. "Oh! Hello there sir! I'm afraid you caught us at a bad time so I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Celestia and Luna turned to see who she was talking to and they too saw the strange pony, but the pony didn't budge from where he stood.

"Excuse me, did you not hear her?" Celestia politely asked. "You'll have to come back at a better time, for we are discussing some personal business." She looked at the pony again, more carefully this time and she suddenly gasped when she felt a dark presence emanating from the pony.

"No... I believe that this is the perfect time!" the pony roared. His eyes began to glow a bright red and there was an explosion, causing the princesses to reel back and stumble about. When they had regained their balance, a hooded creature was floating, slowly making its way towards them. The creature was holding a staff in one hand and had another hand holding onto a necklace that was around his neck.

"I believe it's time that I introduced myself. I am Volgnash... and this kingdom... shall fall!" He pulled the necklace off from around his neck and held it out towards Celestia. "Fya no kree Volgnash!" The amulet's outer shell glowed and disintegrated, revealing what looked to be a centerpiece for something underneath. The object began to glow purple with power and it channelled a large beam towards Celestia, striking her chest.

"Agh! Wh- agh!" she yelled in pain and she slowly fell to her knees.

"Yes... give in... you will be mine soon... or you will die!" Volgnash shouted. Luna and Twilight had both charged up beams of their own and they launched them towards Volgnash, but he simply laughed as he spun his staff and reflected the beams towards the floor in front of them, creating a small explosion and causing them to be pushed back a bit. The connection between the amulet and Celestia broke since she was too far away and she was immediately helped up by Twilight and Luna.

"You just made... a very... very... bad mistake," Celestia said, panting between words. She could still feel the pain that the amulet had inflicted, it had felt like she was losing her own mind to its power.

"No... you are wrong," Volgnash replied and slammed the butt of his staff into the ground, creating shadowy fissures which spawned tiny flying creatures.

"You stand no chance against three Alicorns you... you villain!" Twilight shouted and Volgnash laughed again.

"Then come! Show me your might! Let me see how your power compares to that of the Runelord of Anarchy!"

Volt Cloud: Part One

As Willow walked down the street, he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable with his surroundings. Back in White Tail Village they were surrounded by trees that helped to protect them from the elements. Here in Ponyville though he felt exposed because everything was just so... open. He was used to exploring unfamiliar territory, but he always had the trees there to assist him.

"Good morning mister!" a mare called out from a nearby window. Willow turned his head towards the mare to reply but she was already saying the same to others that were passing, and they were doing the same in return.

"That was rather... unexpected. What do you think about this place so far Swiftwing?" he asked. Swiftwing screeched softly in return and Willow nodded. "You're right girl, it is far too early to judge still, but so far this town seems friendly. Let's just hope it stays that way."

Willow continued to make his way down the street when his stomach began to growl again, in fact it was loud enough to cause a couple of ponies to stop and look for the source of the sound.

Now? Ugh... where can I find some food around here? Willow thought. Of all times I had to become hungry again... perhaps one of the locals can tell me where to go. He quickly scanned the street and his eyes fell upon a pony that was busy watering her flowers. She doesn't look too busy, perhaps she can help me?

As he crossed over to the mare on the other side of the street, he was able to get an almost clear view of what she looked like. The Earth pony had a beige coat and a mane that was blue with a streak of pink running through it. Her cutie mark looked to be three pieces of wrapped candy. Willow was unable to tell what her eye colour was since she had her back turned to him.

"Excuse me? Miss? May I have a moment of your time please?" Willow asked. The mare suddenly turned around and accidentally poured some water from her watering can onto him. At last he was able to see her eye colour which was a shade of arctic blue. Her eyes widened and she quickly put the can on the ground.

"Oh I'm deeply sorry stranger, I didn't know you were that close to me!" she exclaimed. She had spilt the water onto Willow's chest, soaking his hair but he didn't mind. "I- I can get a towel to clean you up if you want mister...?"

"Willow, but don't worry about getting a towel, I've gotten wet more than once before. However I do need your help with something if you have the time miss...?"

"My name is Sweetie Drops, but everypony knows me as Bon Bon," she replied. "I just finished watering the flowers anyway, so what do you need help with Willow?"

"It's my first time here in Ponyville Bon Bon and I was wondering if you can give me some directions towards a place where I can get some food to eat," Willow said. "If you know any places I would be extremely thankful."

"Wow! It's really your first time here in Ponyville Willow?" she asked and Willow nodded. "Well, first of all welcome to Ponyville! It's always great to see a new face. Are you moving here? Or are you just passing through?"

"I'm just passing through," Willow replied. "In fact I'm looking for some information on... something, but that's not important right now. What is important is that I find something to eat before I begin to starve."

"Right! Of course! There are many places you can go in Ponyville, but there are three really popular places. One is Sugarcube Corner, the other is the Ponyville Cafè and the last place is the Ponyville Market where you can buy all sorts of things."

"Hmm, interesting... thank you very much Bon Bon for your time," Willow said and he looked behind him. "Do you have anything to say Swiftwing?"

Swiftwing poked her head out from behind Willow's head and she screeched, causing Bon Bon to jump back in surprise.

"Woah where did she come from!?" Bonbon exclaimed and Willow began to chuckle. Bon Bon's face slowly turned to that of joy and she began to laugh as well.

When their laughter finally subsided, Willow spoke again. "Swiftwing has been here the whole time Bon Bon. Once again thank you for your time and it was a pleasure meeting you."

"Wait!" Bon Bon shouted as Willow began to walk away, causing him to stop and turn around.

"Yes Bon Bon? What is it?"

"I almost forgot! You can find these places on the other side of townhall which is located just further down the street," Bon Bon said and pointed at the large building some distance away. Willow looked where she was pointing and saw that the building was definitely one of the largest ones in Ponyville, but the crystal tree in the distance took first place as the largest.

"Ah! Thank you Bon Bon, you just saved me some time," Willow replied. "Have a great day now." Willow began to walk away and Bon Bon waved at him.

"You as well Willow! Good luck!" she called out after him.

She was a nice mare, good looking as well... argh! Stay on task Willow! Remember why you are here! he thought. It didn't take long for him to reach townhall which was much larger up close. It was truly a sight to behold and it was much larger than the townhall in White Tail Village. He slowly walked around it until he was on the other side.

The other side of town was far busier than the side that he just came from. Ponies of all types travelled between shops, sat on benches, or just simply browsed the windows of each shop as they walked past them. Pegasi were soaring in the sky above, fortunate that they didn't have to make their way through such a crowded area. Down one of the streets Willow saw a house made out of... candy? He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming and looked at the house again. Sure enough, it still looked like a gingerbread house.

I wonder what that place could possibly be, he thought. That place is most likely stale by now though. Willow chuckled softly at his own joke and began to make his way down the street. He felt that he definitely stood out while passing by all of the other ponies, but none of them seemed to care. He eventually went by the gingerbread house and looked at the sign on the front as he did so.

Sugarcube Corner... well that explains why it looks like a gingerbread house! he thought. I think I'll stop by later... the smells coming from within are making my mouth water! Little did he know that somepony was watching him through one of the windows. Somepony that he had just caught the attention of as she watched him make his way towards the market.

Willow finally arrived at the end of the street which opened up into a large area that was littered with stalls and various shops here and there. Ponies rushed back and forth trying to get the best deals.

"Hey hey, check this place out Swiftwing, this must be the Ponyville Market that Bon Bon was talking about earlier," he said and his stomach growled again. "Let's see what we can find."

He pushed his way into the crowd and began to browse various stalls. He found somepony selling asparagus, another selling eggs, one selling jugs of milk, the market pretty much almost had everything he could possibly imagine. It was certainly a lot bigger than the market back home, which was rather pitiful compared to Ponyville's.

"Hey mister! Hey! Hey mister!" a small voice said. The voice had an accent that reminded Willow of the ponies that visited White Tail Village from Appleloosa a while back. Willow looked from side to side and then underneath him to find a small filly. "Hello there mister!"

"Uh... hello? What are you doing underneath me kid? You could have been crushed or stepped on," Willow said. He stepped to the side and the little filly jumped up from the ground.

"Stepped on? Crushed? Naw, ah am from the Apple family, we're as tough as nails!" she exclaimed. The filly had a light yellow coat and a mane the colour of amaranth. Her eyes were a wonderful shade of gamboge and she wore a bow in her mane that was the colour of light crimson. She also wore an apron, although Willow had yet to discover why.

"Anyway, what do you want kiddo? This place looks pretty dangerous for someone as small as you, no offense."

"Ah ain't small!" the filly exclaimed. "And ah can handle being on my own thank you very much, but ah am gettin off topic. Ah was wonderin if you would like to purchase some sweet apples? They've been freshly bucked from our very own Sweet Apple Acres!"

"Hmm... apples eh? How sweet are we talking here?" Willow asked. "I am hungry after all."

"Oh just you wait mister, follow me and ah will show you the best apples in all Equestria!" The filly then dashed off into the crowd without any warning and Willow did his best to follow her.

"Excuse me, pardon me. I'm deeply sorry everypony," Willow said as he pushed his way through. He finally made it through and found the filly standing in front of a stall. Behind her were buckets of apples, a hay cart and another mare.

"Well howdy there stranger! I hear that you are interested in trying out our apples," the mare behind the stall said and Willow nodded. The mare had an accent similar to the filly's. Her coat was the colour of light orange and her mane was a pale yellow almost blonde colour. Her eye colour was similar to Willow's and her cutie mark depicted three apples. The most interesting thing about her was the brown hat she wore which Willow thought suited her rather well.

"Yes... but out of all the ponies in the market, why did she choose to get me?" he asked and pointed at the filly.

"Hm? Oh! Ah sent Apple Bloom here to get ya," the mare replied. "Ah saw ya in the crowd and ya definitely don't look like you're from around these parts with the bags an all, so ah wanted to get to know ya."

"Okay then, well, I am known as Willow," he said and extended a hoof towards the mare.

"Well ain't you the polite one, ah am Applejack. My family and ah run the apple orchard just over yonder." She grabbed his hoof and gently shook it before pulling away. "So what brings ya here to Ponyville Willow?"

"I'm really just passing through for now Applejack," Willow replied. "I'm waiting until the afternoon to head to the crystal tree since I have an appointment there."

"Oh, so you are meeting with Twilight then?" she asked.

"Well... not really. You see, we met on the train ride to Ponyville and she offered to let me use whatever books she had to help me find something that I'm looking for."

"Ah see, well ah ain't gonna pry too much, now would ya like to buy some apples Willow?" Applejack asked.

"Certainly! I'm starving! I'll take a half dozen apples please," Willow said and he brought out his bag of bits.

In a flash Apple Bloom had grabbed a brown paper bag and began to bag six apples. After it was filled with six apples she gave it to Willow who put it in his saddlebag that held his tools and obsidian rock.

"That'll be about twelve bits Willow," Applejack said. Willow quickly counted out twelve bits from the bag and dropped them in a pile on the stall's counter. "Thank you very much for your business! Each bit helps us live another day."

"Anytime, I just hope these apples are as good as both of you say they are," Willow replied. "It was nice meeting the both of you but I want to check out other parts of the town before I need to go to the tree, see you later you two." Willow turned around and he began to head back towards the street where Sugarcube Corner was located.

"See ya later Willow!" Applejack called out after him. "Enjoy your stay in Ponyville!"

The sun was almost directly overhead but Willow knew that it wasn't time to head to the tree just yet. "Where should I go next... hey Swiftwing, what do you think?" he asked. Swiftwing pecked his head once and he nodded. "Ah, thanks for reminding me girl. Let's check out that Sugarcube Corner place. It looked interesting."

The street was still rather busy but it wasn't as packed as it was earlier, so it didn't take him long to reach the gingerbread house. The same smells from before were still present and again, his mouth began to water. Wasting no time, Willow climbed a couple of steps and was about to go in when Swiftwing suddenly flew away and perched on a nearby lamp post.

"What's the matter Swiftwing? Is this place too sweet for you?" Willow asked. Swiftwing remained silent and ruffled her feathers. "Well, suit yourself then." When Willow opened the door to Sugarcube Corner, he was met with something he really would not have expected in a million years. A cannon, and the pony that was behind it.

"Well hello there new friend! Welcome to Ponyville!" she shouted with joy. "I saw you walk by earlier but I was too busy making cupcakes so I couldn't give you a proper greeting, but I knew you would come back and now I can!"

"Er... that cannon is just a prop right?" Willow asked. He was beginning to regret that he opened the door and slowly began to back away from the mare and her cannon.

"What? The party cannon? Oh no no no! It's very much real, would you like to see it in action?"

"I think I'll politely decline your offer miss...?"

"My name is Pinkie Pie! What's yours?" Pinkie asked and she began to move her cannon closer to Willow. Her coat was a light pink and her mane reminded Willow of a lighter shade of raspberries. Her eyes were the colour of light cerulean and her cutie mark depicted three balloons. Upon hearing the mare say her name though, Willow immediately remembered Princess Twilight's warning.

"My name is Willow, but you... I was told who you are by the princess herself! I think I'm just going to take my leave now..." Willow replied. He expected Pinkie to be disappointed, but was surprised when she suddenly smiled.

"Ah! So Twilight has already told you who I am eh? Did she tell you what I'm most famous for?" Pinkie asked.

"Uh... I think I remember her saying something about you having a habit of throwing-"

"That's right! Parties!" Pinkie shouted, interrupting Willow and pressed a button on the party cannon. Willow braced himself and closed his eyes, but all he heard was a small rumble and the smell of something that was burning. "Aw really!? It was working the other day!" Willow opened his eyes and sighed in relief when he saw Pinkie pushing the button over and over again, trying to get the cannon to work.

"It was nice meeting you Pinkie Pie, I'll see you around," Willow said and he began to leave when suddenly he heard a loud rumbling come from behind him and a small gasp.

"Willow! Look out!" Pinkie cried but she was far too late. The built up pressure in the cannon was suddenly released, launching a huge blast of air, along with confetti, streamers and cake batter. Willow went to drop to the ground but was struck by the mixture, sending him flying up and over a row of buildings. "I'm sorry Willow! I promise to make it up to you!" Swiftwing shook her head and flew after her master who was beginning his descent to the ground.

I see now why Twilight warned me about that one, Willow thought while hurtling towards the ground. Although she does seem nice, even if she is a little bit... crazy. Fortunately when Willow hit the ground, the amount of mixture that had been launched with him was just enough to absorb the impact, leaving Willow slightly bruised and shaken, as well as sticky.

"Eh... excuse me pal, but a race is about to start here," a voice said. "If you could kindly move that would be great... unless you injured yourself on the way down, then we would have a problem" Willow poked his head through the batter and Swiftwing landed on a nearby fence shortly after.

"Can somepony lend me a hoof here please? I can barely see past this stuff," Willow said. Not even five seconds had passed when he felt himself be dragged out of the batter and was sprayed by a hose, clearing the batter away and leaving him dripping wet. "Thank you." He looked at the pony who pulled him out and watched as she dropped the hose onto the ground after having turned the water off.

"You're most certainly welcome batter head, who gave you the idea that Earth ponies can fly without wings?" the pony asked. Willow couldn't believe his eyes. The Pegasus in front of him had a mane that looked exactly like a rainbow. Her eyes were the colour of cerise and her coat was a very light cerulean. Her cutie mark was that of a cloud and a lightning bolt that was made up of primary colours. "Well? Just what in the hay happened to you?"

"I really don't feel like talking about it," Willow replied and he whistled for Swiftwing who quickly flew over and perched on his damp back. "But what's going on here? You said something about a race?"

"That's right, and Rainbow Dash here happens to be stalling it," a voice said from behind them and Rainbow brought a hoof to her face as another Pegasus came into view and stood next to her.

"Ugh... come on Volt Cloud, he needed help, he fell from the sky for apples sake!" she exclaimed and looked at Willow. "Listen uh..."

"Willow. My name is Willow."

"Well then Willow, as you can see Volt here has challenged me to a race because he thinks he is the fastest flier in all of Equestria."

"I don't think Rainbow, I know," Volt said and he puffed out his chest. Volt had a coat that was the colour of onyx and a mane that was as yellow as a lemon and shaped almost like a lightning bolt. His eyes were the colour of the sky and he had a cutie mark that consisted of a dark grey cloud with bolts of lightning shooting out from all sides. "And would you look at that, our friend's little stunt drew a crowd! Come on Rainbow, I have a race to win!"

Volt trotted over to the starting line they made and Rainbow Dash sighed. "I better get this over with then, I can't wait to see the look on his face when I tell him who really is the fastest flier in Equestria!" She flew over and took her place next to Volt.

"Hey, we saw something fall from the sky, is everypony okay?" a mare asked.

"I believe I can answer that for you miss. Yes, everypony is alright," Willow replied. "It was just a freak occurrence."

"Oh okay, so what's going on between those two over there?"

Willow looked over at the two Pegasi and then back at the mare. "It seems that a race is about to begin to see who really is the fastest flier in Equestria. You are all welcome to watch I guess."

"A race? Now that is something I would like to see!" the mare exclaimed and turned to look at Rainbow. "Go Rainbow Dash! Show that other Pegasus what a real flier looks like!"

A large crowd had gathered where the race was about to take place, the ponies having already forgotten why they came to investigate in the first place. A male Unicorn stepped forward wearing a black and white striped shirt and stood in front of the two Pegasi.

"Alright you two, I want to see a good and clean race up there," the Unicorn said. "The goal is to make three laps around various locations in Ponyville. The first one to successfully finish the three laps shall be declared the winner. Understand?" Rainbow Dash and Volt Cloud both nodded at the same time.

"Get ready to eat my cloud dust Rainbow!" Volt loudly whispered to her.

"What was that? I can't hear you because of how far you'll be behind me Volt," Rainbow whispered back.

"Okay racers. Once the beam of magic explodes, the race will begin," the Unicorn said. "On your marks... get set..." His horn began to glow blue and he shot it way up into the sky. He stepped to the side as the two Pegasi followed the beam with their eyes. Both of their hearts were pounding as they waited for the explosion that was to come. At last, the beam of magic exploded and the two Pegasi jumped towards the sky and began to flap their wings as hard as they could.

The two Pegasi were at an equal speed at first, but Rainbow Dash slowly began to pull ahead, much to Volt's annoyance. From the ground, both of them were just blurs in the sky. Willow was watching silently as the rest of the crowd cheered, mostly for Rainbow Dash though.

"Oh would you look at that!" Rainbiw shouted. "Who's in first? Why it's me! Was there ever any doubt?"

Volt Cloud was struggling to keep up with her, determined to not let her win. "I'll make you- I'll make you eat those words!" Volt said, trying to focus on his flying and breathing. On the ground below, Willow knew that Rainbow Dash was going to win. She was way ahead of Volt and it was the final lap already. Volt would need a miracle to win, but unfortunately that miracle would not be there for him today.

"And this-" Rainbow Dash said as she crossed the finish line and slid to a halt. "Is how you win a race!" She was met with cheers from the crowd and she waved at them while they chanted her name.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" the crowd shouted in unison. Volt Cloud landed shortly after, panting heavily as Rainbow Dash trotted over to him.

"Well well well, look who finally showed up. Have I kicked that cocky attitude of yours to the curb? Or do you still think you're faster than me?" Rainbow asked.

Volt Cloud looked up at her, anger in his eyes. "That was just- just one race Rainbow. I'll never submit defeat, especially to somepony like- woah!" Volt Cloud had tripped over his own hooves and fell to the ground, causing the crowd to laugh and Rainbow Dash just shook her head.

"You rookies never learn. There's a difference between a friendly competition and a real race ya know Volt. I knew the whole time you would never be able to beat me. Maybe next time."

Rainbow Dash flew away and the crowd dispersed shortly after to return to their lives, leaving Willow alone with Volt Cloud.

Poor Volt, he flew well, but not well enough, Willow thought. Rainbow Dash was right about him being cocky and he probably deserved the humiliation, but I want to see if he is okay. He walked over to Volt Cloud just as he was getting up from the ground.

"Oh, you're still here?" Volt asked and Willow nodded. "You are a fool then, there is nothing else to see here. Are you going to taunt me? Huh? Are ya?"

"Wait, what? No, I just wanted to see if you are okay," Willow replied and Volt Cloud snorted.

"Yeah right, I don't need your pity or sympathy Earth pony, Rainbow may have humiliated me... but next time she won't get away with it so easily!" Volt Cloud flapped his wings and flew away into the distance until he was out of sight.

"This has been quite the day, don't you agree Swiftwing?" Willow asked. Swiftwing didn't reply for she had decided to take a quick nap. "Yeah, you definitely agree." The smell of food suddenly filled his nostrils and he looked for the source when he quickly spotted a building just across the street. A large sign was located on the front, and it was none other than the Ponyville Cafè.

"Hmm, I bought some apples already... but it just smells too good to ignore!" Willow exclaimed. "I think I'll save the apples for later, it's time to eat and then I'll head over to the crystal tree."

He trotted over to the restaurant to find that it was somewhat busy and decided to take a seat at one of the tables that were outside. Swiftwing at this time had woken up and decided to perch on his head for the time being. A waiter appeared shortly after and placed the menu on the table for him to read.

"Welcome to the Ponyville Cafè," the waiter said with a rather bored expression. "We hope you'll find our service to be satisfactory. I'll return to see if you are ready to order, but first would you like something to drink?"

"I am rather parched, I think I'll have some water if that's alright," Willow replied.

"Of course sir, I'll be right back," the waiter said and he left, leaving Willow to look at the menu.

Hmm... should I have the hay fries? Or the daffodil salad? Willow thought. Bah! I'll just have both of them, I'm starving! The waiter surprising returned faster than he had expected and placed a glass of water on the table.

"Are you ready to order sir?" the waiter asked and Willow nodded.

"Yes, I would like to order a daffodil salad with a side of hay fries please, that will be all."

"Thank you sir, we'll have your order prepared shortly," the waiter replied and took the menu before trotting away. Willow sat patiently in his chair when he felt Swiftwing begin to peck him.

"Ouch! Alright Swiftwing you can go hunting, just don't be gone for long okay?" Willow said. Swiftwing screeched loudly and she flew off towards the forest on the outskirts of town. "That bird... I love her to death but she has to stop that pecking!"

"Ma'am, you have to pay for what you ordered," he heard a waiter at the next table say to a fashionably dressed Unicorn.

"I swear I have the bits to pay! I just... forgot them at home," she replied. "If you could just let me..."

"Sorry ma'am, I can't let you leave the establishment unless you pay or work it off. If you leave I'll have to report you for stealing."

Willow watched the Unicorn continue to plead with the waiter when his own food suddenly arrived.

"Here is your food sir, enjoy and tell us what you think, we would love to have your feedback," the waiter said. His voice still sounded like he was really bored and he walked away to go and serve other guests that had arrived.

Willow went to eat his food but he couldn't concentrate when there was somepony nearby that obviously needed some help. With a sigh Willow rose from his seat and walked over to the table.

"Excuse me, may I be of assistance?" Willow asked, causing the two ponies to stop their conversation and look at him. "Sorry for eavesdropping, but I heard that this fine Unicorn is in a bit of a pickle correct?"

"She owes the restaurant about twenty bits sir, and apparently she is unable to provide the funds to cover the cost," the waiter explained.

"Only twenty bits eh? I believe I can cover that," Willow replied and he brought out his bag of bits.

"Oh darling you shouldn't!" the Unicorn exclaimed. "I'm just a random pony that you know absolutely nothing about!" Willow ignored her and counted out twenty bits and gave them to the waiter.

"There you go, I believe that should cover it," Willow said and turned to face the Unicorn. Her coat was a magnificent white, just like that of a cloud. Her eyes were the colour of azure and her mane was the same colour as indigo with a dark highlight in some parts. She wore bluish eye-shadow and a sun hat that was adorned with a variety of flowers. Her cutie mark depicted three blue diamonds.

"Why... that was very generous of you stranger, I- I don't know what else to say!" the Unicorn exclaimed and Willow chuckled.

"You don't have to say anything miss, you can go now without fear of any charges."

"I... thank you stranger. I believe a proper introduction of myself is in order," she replied. "My name is Rarity. I run a little shop known as the Carousel Boutique where I design and create clothing for ponies of any age, type and gender. Now who are you kind sir?"

"My name is Willow Seeker. I come from a little place known as White Tail Village far to the west. I'm an explorer of sorts," Willow replied.

"Willow? Now that is a lovely name," Rarity said, causing Willow to slightly blush. "I would love to stay and chat Willow, but I'm afraid my lunch break is over. I won't forget your kindness though darling, feel free to stop by my shop whenever you please."

Willow watched Rarity adjust her hat and then walk away before he returned to his own table, feeling good about the deed he had just done. He quickly scarfed down the food in front of him and waited for the waiter to return which he eventually did.

"Did you find everything okay?" the waiter asked and Willow nodded.

"Of course, how much do I owe?"

"About twenty bits since the water was free sir," the waiter replied. Willow once again counted out twenty bits plus one as a tip and placed it on the table. "Thank you very much sir, thank you for eating at the Ponyville Cafè."

Willow rose from his seat and quickly left the restaurant. The sun was high in the sky now which meant that it was time to head over to the crystal tree.

I need to find Swiftwing, he thought. I hope she found something to eat. A frightened scream suddenly pierced the air, alerting Willow and many others that were nearby. What in the hay!? Who's in distress now? He followed the scream towards the source as it faded away, along with a few others and was surprised to find a Pegasus putting herself between some critters and... Swiftwing?

"Please listen to me miss hawk, I know it's in your nature but you can't have these little guys as your lunch," the mare said. "Please return to where you came from, I don't want to have to use the stare..." Swiftwing circled above them and screeched in reply before diving towards them again. "Oh no..."

Willow rushed forward and stood in front of the mare, ready to intercept his pet. "Swiftwing! Stop what you are doing at once!" he yelled. Swiftwing both heard and saw Willow and pulled up from her dive. "Girl... come down here please." He watched as Swiftwing slowly spiralled downwards and landed on the ground in front of him. "Is this what you've been doing the whole time Swiftwing? You know that you are not supposed to hunt in the areas that we live in, even if the critters you eat also happen to be in the town!"

"Oh... you don't have to be so hard on her... it is in her nature to hunt small critters after all," the mare behind him said and Willow sighed.

"I... you're right miss," he replied without looking back at her. "Come on Swiftwing, you should at least apologize for scaring her and the critters." Swiftwing flew up and she hovered in front of the mare. He turned around and watched them stare at each other until Swiftwing moved closer to the mare and nuzzled her face, causing her to giggle.

"I accept your apology Swiftwing, that is such a beautiful name for a Red-tailed hawk such as yourself. I haven't seen one of your kind in a long time," the mare said. She had a pale yellow coat and eyes that were the colour of cyan. Her mane was a light rose pink and her cutie mark was that of three butterflies lazily fluttering about. "Where did you find such a rare bird mister?"

"I came across her in the White Tail Woods and took her in since I couldn't find her parents. I have cared and watched out for her ever since," Willow replied. "I even taught her specific actions that mean certain things. Watch this. Swiftwing, did you find anything to eat?" Swiftwing flew up and circled twice before returning and perched on his back. "You see? She just told me no."

"Wow... I always knew they were smart... but that's amazing!" the mare softly exclaimed. "What's your name mister?"

"Me? My name is Willow Seeker. What is yours?"

"Oh I'm... I'm Fluttershy. I take care of all types of animals and attend to their every need. As you can see behind me I was taking some of my friends out on a walk. It warms my heart to know that you are taking good care of your pet. Once you gain an animal's trust, they'll always be there for you."

"And fortunately, Swiftwing has always been there for me, and I will always be there for her," Willow said. "I'm sorry that we interrupted your stroll Fluttershy."

"Everything is alright Willow, Swiftwing was just behaving like any other hawk," Fluttershy replied and she smiled. "Thank you for stopping her though, I was afraid that something much worse could have happened if you hadn't intervened."

"No problem Fluttershy, but I really have to get going now. Enjoy the rest of your walk!"

"Yes I... I most certainly will," Fluttershy replied. Willow smiled and he began to make his way towards the crystal tree in the distance. "Goodbye Willow, it was nice meeting you."